A/N: Two things: 1) finals are this upcoming week! Yay and Nay because finals (yuck) but that means summer is one week closer! Yay! 2) holy crap on a cracker, Batman! I'm almost done writing the story! WHAT?! I still have a bit to go but I know that I'm nearing the end in writing it and I'm a little sad because I've grown quite attached to this story and to these characters. I might have to write more stories involving them... *evil laughter* Anyway, I hope you guys had a wonderful weekend and I hope you have a great week!
Tallyho!
Chapter 9:
Draco and Hermione didn't speak to each other for the rest of the week. She was still furious with him and he was too proud to apologize. Training continued but she wouldn't look at him, only Harry and Ron. Whenever she spoke to him, it was in one-worded or very short sentences. After training, she would leave immediately.
The first week was easy to stay mad and ignore each other. But by the second week, it became a bit harder. They had spent so much time together before the meeting with Snape that not seeing or talking to each other was becoming difficult. But both were still too proud to admit defeat. The curse of being a Gryffindor/Slytherin.
One night, after having a particularly terrible nightmare and waking up alone, Draco decided to bite the bullet and try and talk to Hermione. He'd never admit it out loud but he liked having her there when he woke up. It was a comfort of having someone be there for him who actually wanted to be there. Two mornings later, he woke up early to hopefully catch Hermione alone before training started. To his luck, he heard the fireplace roar as he poured himself some coffee. He didn't have to turn around to know the small footsteps he heard were hers. She stopped in the doorway as she saw him in the kitchen.
"Morning." he said nonchalantly.
She stared at him for a moment before walking into the kitchen. "Morning." she said, her voice guarded. He leaned against the counter and examined the room as she poured herself a cup of tea. They said nothing else to each other. Hermione refilled the kettle and put it back on the stove before grabbing her mug and starting to head out of the room.
Draco knew he had to say something before it was too late but, to his surprise, she beat him to the punch.
"Okay, this is ridiculous." she said turning back around and placing her mug on the counter.
"What is?" he asked playing dumb.
"This." she gestured. "Us, not talking to each other. We shouldn't be ignoring each other like children. We're adults; it's time we acted like them."
He bit his cheek. "So what you suggest we do then?" his voice having slightly more malice than he intended.
Hermione's face grew hard. "Do what most people do: talk about it."
"Well in case you haven't noticed, Granger, I'm not most people."
"No. You're just a kid with a big ego and a bad attitude." And with that, she grabbed her mug and walked out of the room.
Draco groaned. "Hermione, wait!"
She walked back and stood in the door frame, her eyes filled with hurt, betraying her guarded face. "What?" she said bitterly.
He took a deep breath. Merlin curse him if the words he was about to say ever left this room. "I'm sorry."
She looked taken aback. "What?"
"I shouldn't have said that about your parents. It was uncalled for. You were trying to help and I lashed out. That wasn't fair to you. So, I apologize."
She studied him, biting her lip. "Draco, you talk about trust yet when the time comes for you to trust someone you lash out. You attack the person trying to help you instead of relying on them. You want it so badly but you won't allow yourself to have it."
He wondered when she had figured him out so well. "I'm not one to trust easily. You know that."
"Well maybe it's time you are." she said coming into the room and placing her mug on the counter. "It's not easy, I know. But the whole point of trust is to be able to rely on someone when you're at your worst, not your best. It's okay to let somebody in."
He remained silent. He sighed as he ran his hands through his hair, not knowing what to do or say. She had rendered him speechless; again. He was starting to think this woman was some kind of philosopher or something in a past life.
She gave him a small smile before walking towards him. "Come here." she said opening up her arms.
He walked right into them, wrapping his arms around her as tight as he could, she doing the same. He buried his face into her hair, revelling in that familiar lavender smell he had grown used to in the past month. Neither said a word as they embraced. They simply held each other enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms again. Draco kissed her forehead then touched his with hers.
"Will you stay tonight?" he asked quietly.
She smiled. "Of course."
"Good, because we have a lot to catch up on." he smirked mischievously.
"Oh really? Like what?"
"Like Hamlet for instance! What the hell is that dude's problem?"
She chuckled. "Just shut up and kiss me."
And he did.
Little did they know that their entire conversation had been heard by none other than Harry Potter himself. And boy, did he have some questions.
After training that day, Hermione left with the boys to go back to her apartment to get some extra clothing for the night. She had bought it shortly before she sent her parents to Australia with some money her parents had saved up for her. It was a modest one bedroom with a small bathroom and kitchen. The living room was fairly big and it had many windows to allow a lot of natural light into the house. It felt a bit empty as she left Crookshanks with her parents but it was still cozy and hers to call home. To her surprise, Harry arrived minutes after she got home.
"Harry! What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I need to ask you something." he said sternly.
"Okay… what's up?" she replied wearily. She sat down on the couch and gestured for him to join her. He did.
He sighed. "What's going on with you and Malfoy?"
Her eyes went wide but she recovered quickly. "What- What are you talking about?"
"I heard you two talking, Hermione. I know you have something going on."
"H- how did you hear us talking? We would've heard you enter the house!"
"I came in through the front door instead of flooing in. That's how you didn't hear me. Now what's going on?"
She was silent for a moment. "How much did you hear?"
"I walked in right as he apologized." Harry said.
She blew air out of her nose. There was no point in hiding it now. He pretty much knew. "We're kind of seeing each other." Hermione admitted.
"For how long?"
She pinched the bridge of her nose. "About a month."
He was quiet as he processed this information. She was grateful that he wasn't getting immediately angry with her like Ron would be right now. Harry had a temper but he fortunately could think things through when his emotions weren't involved. After what felt like hours of silence, he finally spoke.
He looked at her with his big green eyes that reminded her of a puppy dog. "Why?" he asked begging for an explanation. "After everything that he's done, what would prompt you to start a relationship with him?"
She sighed. She had thought long and hard about this after they spent that first night together. She hadn't told anyone, not even Draco, her conclusion for why she had entered a relationship with her former enemy. But Harry was her best friend. She knew he would understand… eventually.
She took a deep breath before speaking. "He's not a bad person, Harry. He's just made some bad choices. He's actually a very sweet and caring guy. And funny too. You'd never know though because you two never bothered to get to know each other. The Draco we grew up with is not the real him. He's such a different person when we're alone, Harry, you'd never know it was him. He listens to my stories of the Muggle world and he's even reading some of my Muggle books! And he likes them! And he's so smart and always has an interesting view on things that our conversations last for hours! I know my dating history is limited but I've never connected with someone the way I connect with him." She smiled as she thought about the moments she had shared with him. "He makes me feel beautiful. He argues with me and doesn't back down. He challenges me. There's so much more to him than just the spoiled rich bully we knew in school."
He stared at her. "You've learned that much about him in just a month?"
She shrugged. "I'm very perceptive. And we've just spent a lot of time together."
He raised an eyebrow. "Right." He was surprised at his best friend but not completely convinced and Hermione knew this. She decided to tell him what she had figured out about Draco the day they met in the coffee shop.
"Harry," she started. He looked at her expectantly. "Harry, I see so much of you in him it's… uncanny."
He looked at her confused. "What do you mean?"
"You two are almost the same. Both given an incredibly difficult task, just on opposite sides of the track. Imagine if your positions were switched. I can't even fathom where we would be standing."
Harry's eyes widened at her explanation. He had never thought of his and Draco's reflecting each other's. Now that Hermione pointed it out, he couldn't help but see it right in front of him. He shook his head in disbelief. Hermione wasn't kidding when she said she was perceptive.
"Are you mad at me?" Hermione asked pulling him out of his thoughts.
He looked at her to find her brown eyes filled with concern that he was angry with her. He shook his head and gave her a small smile while pulling her in for a hug. "No, I'm not mad at you. It's just a lot to take in. I may not approve but I want you to be happy. Merlin knows we could all use some happiness right now."
She smiled and hugged back tightly. "Thank you. Will you do something for me please?"
He pulled back and looked at her. "What's that?"
"Don't tell Ron. Please."
He shook his head. "I wasn't planning on it. I'll let you do that when you're ready."
She sighed. "Thank you."
He stood up and walked to the fireplace.
"Oh, Harry!" Hermione called before he left. "I found one of the horcruxes."
"Really? Where?"
"You're not gonna like it. Umbridge has it."
Hermione would swear his eyes grew a shade darker as she mentioned the Toad's name. "In other words, we'll need to break into the Ministry to get it." he said darkly.
Hermione nodded. "Looks like it."
He ground his teeth in frustration. "Alright. I'll let Ron know and we'll figure out a plan tomorrow. I know tomorrow's Sunday and we don't have training but the sooner we organize a plan the sooner we can get the horcrux. Which one is it anyway?"
"The locket."
"Why am I not surprised." he muttered. "Alright. Well I'll see you tomorrow. Make sure you and Malfoy are decent by the time we get there."
She rolled her eyes. "Bye Harry."
He left by a flash of green in the fireplace. Hermione ran her hands through her hair and took a deep breath. Harry knew. She didn't want to tell him so soon but she couldn't hide it from him after he figured it out. She only hoped he would understand in time. After grabbing some clothes, she flooed back to Grimmauld Place where she was greeted by Draco's embrace. He noticed her strained smile and followed her upstairs when she shook her head. When they reached his room he closed the door as she looked out the window.
"What's wrong?"
She bit her lip and took a deep breath. "Harry knows."
His eyes went wide. "What?"
"About this. Us. He knows."
"How?"
"He heard us talking this morning. Then he came and confronted me about it at my flat."
Draco sighed. "How much does he know?"
"Enough. I didn't tell him everything but I told him enough that he understands. Or at least I think he does. I hope he does." She ran her fingers through her hair. "And to top it off, he and Ron are coming over here tomorrow to talk about a plan to get the locket. Which in short means we're going to break into the Ministry! When did life get so complicated?"
Draco sighed as he sat down on the bed. He patted the spot next to him for Hermione to sit. "You're not mad?" she asked.
He shrugged. "We knew people were gonna find out eventually. Was it supposed to have happened this soon, no. But it's not the end of the world. And I trust you. If you trust Potter, which I know you do, then by some strange twist in the universe, I trust him with what he's found out." He shook his head in disbelief. "Did I just say that?"
Hermione shook her head and curled up next to him on the bed. "Yes, you did. I have to admit, I'm a little freaked out by that but I'm also proud of you."
He looked at her. "Why?"
She smiled. "You're trying to trust people. That's good."
Draco simply shrugged and kissed her forehead. "Can I ask you something?" Hermione asked.
"Sure."
"Why me?"
He furrowed his brows in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you could have anyone in the world and yet, I'm the one sitting here with you. Current circumstances aside, why me? Why pick me?"
He paused before speaking. "I liked you for a long time, Granger. Since the day we met, I knew you were… different. You were outspoken, intelligent, a bit of a know-it-all but for you, it fit. When you were placed in Gryffindor and I in Slytherin, I knew what it meant. We could never be friends. It just wasn't the way of our houses. As I got older, I became more susceptible to my father's twisted view of the world. He had high expectations of me and I wanted to please him so I followed his example. I called you and the other muggle-borns Mudbloods, I engrained fear in other people by being a bully, I did everything I could to be the best for my father. But even through everything I did, in the back of my mind was that little reminder that I still liked you.
"I tried to ignore it by being mean but it just grew and grew through the years. Then you showed up in that dress at the Yule Ball during our fourth year. I knew then that I was in trouble. You were so beautiful, I was speechless. After that, I accepted the fact that I liked you but, for obvious reasons, I couldn't ever act on it."
Hermione snuggled closer to him as she processed what he said. She nuzzled her nose against his neck which sent chills down his spine. "Have you really liked me since the day we met?" she asked looking up at him.
He looked down at her and smirked before crashing his lips against hers in fervor. He whispered yes into her ear before leaving a trail of kisses down her neck. It was her turn to get chills up her spine. Although it had only been a couple weeks, they grasped at one another as if it had been months since they made love. Both were passionate people so when it came to being a lover, neither were surprised at the intensity both shared with one another. By the time they were finished, both agreed that that rendezvous was the best they'd had.
"We should fight more often." Hermione joked smirking at him.
He chuckled and kissed her softly on the lips. "Merlin knows with you and me, that won't be hard."
She smirked before snuggling closer to him and falling asleep in his arms with a smile on both their faces.
The next morning Draco woke up to find Hermione sound asleep beside him. He looked at the clock on her side of the bed: 7am. He assumed Harry and Ron would arrive around the usual time that they arrived for training which was between 8 and 9 so Draco made no rush to get up. He closed his eyes again as he thought about what she had told him the night before.
Usually, he'd be beyond furious if Harry found anything out about him but there was something about him knowing about himself and Hermione that didn't bother him at all. He was almost… glad that Harry knew; for what reason he had no idea. Then it hit him: Hermione was his. She may still have been part of the Golden Trio but she was also with Draco now. Harry and Ron no longer had her to themselves; they shared her with him. For once in his life, Draco shared a commonality with Harry Perfect-face Potter: her. They both cared for her, they both connected with her, and they both would do anything to keep her safe. That's why Draco wasn't mad that Harry knew. He was glad because, even if it was childish, he got to rub in Harry's face that he was a part of Hermione's life now. And he was happy to be a part of it. He also knew that it didn't matter what their past history was; when it came to Hermione both would do what they could to keep her safe which would make Hermione happy because they'd be cooperating.
Draco wrinkled his nose at that idea but then huffed in exasperation because that's what they had been doing since training started: cooperating. And it was all because of her. Since their meeting at the cafe, she had managed to flip his world completely upside down. And he didn't mind one bit.
Hermione mumbled quietly in her sleep, pulling Draco out of his thoughts. He smiled at her and kissed her lips softly. Her eyelids fluttered open to find a familiar blonde smiling at her. "Morning," he said.
Half asleep, she groaned at him and pulled her pillow over her head. He chuckled. "I slept well, thanks for asking." he said sarcastically. His only response was a small grunt from underneath the pillow. Realizing she wasn't going to come out from under the pillow, he went to her. He pulled his pillow over his head and snuggled up next to her so he could get his head underneath hers. He kissed her cheek which caused her lip to quirk up.
"You going to wake up anytime soon?" he asked.
"No." she said.
He chuckled. "You know Potter and Weasley will be here soon…"
She groaned and lifted her head from underneath her pillow to look at the clock. He lifted his head and put the pillows back to normal. Hermione groaned and let her head fall back on the pillow. "How I miss the days when I could sleep in past seven in the morning." she said.
He chuckled and nodded in agreement. "When this war is over, I'm going on a long vacation just to sleep."
"You know, that's not a bad idea. I might do the same." Hermione agreed.
He leaned on his elbow and looked at her. "You could come with me." he suggested. She looked at him, her eyes curious but still raised an eyebrow. "I'm serious," he continued. "We could just pack up and leave. Go anywhere: France, New Zealand, America. We could just go. If we wanted, we would never have to come back."
She stared at him as a small smile crept up on her lips. "Why Mr. Malfoy, are you asking me to run away with you?"
He bit his lip. "In so many words, yes."
Her smile grew. "How scandalous."
He smirked. "Tell me Miss Granger, what do you say?"
"I'll go on one condition: you have to finish Hamlet."
He groaned and fell back on his pillow. "But it's so dull! And I can hardly understand the language!"
"It's a classic in the muggle world! Shakespeare is a legend!"
"Well he's a boring legend- ow!" he said as Hermione smacked his arm. "But if that's your condition, then fine! I'll finish the damned book."
"Play." she corrected. He shrugged. She smiled and kissed him which he returned happily. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Hermione froze mid-kiss and looked at the door. Draco rolled his eyes in frustration at the knock. "Who is it?"
"Me." a familiar voice said.
Hermione nearly fell out of the bed; Harry was on the other side of the door.
Jumping out of the bed, Hermione grabbed her clothes and began to throw them on quickly while being as quiet as possible. Draco did the same and opened the door slightly to talk to Harry.
"Yes?"
"Uh, morning. Just thought I'd share that Ron will be here any minute and you two are still up here. So unless you want Ron to find out about… you two now, I recommend you come downstairs soon."
Draco nodded. "Thanks for the heads up." Harry walked away as Draco closed the door. When he turned around, Hermione was dressed and standing by the side wall, out of eyesight from the door. He gave her a small smile before giving her a small peck and walking out of the room and into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Hermione went downstairs into the dining room where she found Harry peering over The Daily Prophet, coffee mug in hand.
"Hey." she said, meekly.
He looked up at her. "Hey."
She gave him a small smile which he returned before going back to the Prophet. Hermione walked into the kitchen and poured herself some coffee before walking back into the dining room. "Anything interesting in the news?" she asked Harry.
He looked very confused. "Uh… yeah. Do you know anything about this?" he asked as he slid the paper over to Hermione so she could read the headline. She nearly spit out her coffee. She looked at the paper wide eyed as she tried to process what she was reading. Draco walked into the dining room and a frown formed on his face as he looked at Hermione's puzzled expression.
"What's wrong?" he asked, furrowing his brows.
"You tell me." Harry replied.
Hermione looked up at Draco, her face regaining composure. "You need to read this." she said as she handed him the paper. Draco almost fell over when he saw the headline.
Malfoy heir believed to be dead.
Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy and heir to the Malfoy fortune, is believed to be dead. It has been released that Mr. Malfoy has been missing for several months now and has recently been claimed as dead although a body has yet to be found. Yesterday, an anonymous source reached out to the Ministry of Magic stating that the Young Malfoy is deceased. Nothing else was stated about the cause of death. There has been no word on how the Malfoy family is reacting. Our prayers of healing are with them. Draco Malfoy was supposed to be in his seventh year at Hogwarts this year. He was seventeen years old.
Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise. Father must have paid them heavily to write such a nice obituary. he thought.
Harry cleared his throat. "You want to explain to me what that's about?"
Draco glanced at Hermione who gave him a warning look but nodded. "Well, Potter, the Dark Lord has a snitch among him."
Harry blinked. "What?"
"The Order has an informant working amongst the Death Eaters and Voldemort." Hermione said.
"What? Who?" Harry asked.
She shook her head. "I can't tell you. At least not yet."
"Hermione," he began.
"I promise I'll tell you. But not right now. Please, just try to understand."
He clenched his teeth. "Fine. But I fail to see how this has anything to do with The Daily Prophet and the rest of the Wizarding World believing that Malfoy's dead."
Before Draco could get a word in, Hermione had him beat. "The Dark Lord was suspicious about Draco's disappearance. In order to get him to drop it, the informant, Kingsley, and Draco all agreed that he should fake his death. It would get the Dark Lord off Draco's trail which would allow us to continue our horcrux hunt and keep Mrs. Malfoy safe for the time being until she can be rescued."
Harry nodded. "Right. Well… that's different."
Hermione bit her cheek as she looked at Draco. He gave her a look, warning her not to pursue the topic. She rolled her eyes and huffed in exasperation. Harry raised an eyebrow at the two but said nothing. Draco walked into the kitchen as Hermione took the paper from him and reread the headline. The fireplace roared in the next room and Ron walked into the dining room. Harry greeted him with a nod while Hermione gave him a smile before grabbing the map of the Ministry that Harry had brought with him.
When Draco walked back into the room, Ron grimaced. "Damn. I had a feeling that Daily Prophet article was bogus."
Draco smirked. "Sorry to be a disappointment, Weasley, but for the time being you're stuck with me."
Ron shrugged and walked into the kitchen. A few moments later, he came out with a mouthful of toast and a handful of fruit that he plopped onto the table as he sat down. Harry and Draco raised an eyebrow at the redhead while Hermione just stared at him in disbelief.
Ron looked at the three confused. "What? I'm hungry."
Draco and Harry shared a glance before chuckling. Hermione stared at him as she searched for words but came up empty handed. Instead, a smile formed on her lips as she laughed at her friend and shook her head. "Okay then, anyway, we should get started."
Hermione sat across Ron while Harry sat at the head of the table. Draco sat next to Hermione and looked at the map. Noticing eyes on him, he looked up and saw Harry and Ron were looking at him with an eyebrow raised while Hermione was just looking at him curiously. He put his hands up in surrender.
"Don't worry, I won't jump in on your plans. I'm just here to observe. I've always wondered how The Golden Trio managed to save the day while still keeping the Gryffindor pride."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Alright, ignoring the ferret-
"Hey!"
"We need to find a way to get into the Ministry without being noticed. We're going to need a disguise…"
For the next few hours, Harry, Hermione, and Ron tossed ideas back and forth about how to infiltrate the Ministry. Draco, on his part, had remained quiet but listened intently to what the three were saying. After the first hour, Draco began to get bored so left the room briefly to grab a few books from the various bookshelves in the house. He almost brought down one of the books that Hermione had lent him but decided against it in case Ron became suspicious. When he returned to the dining room, Hermione was pacing as Harry stared intently at the map as if an answer would jump out at him from the page.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
More hours passed. Still, they had nothing. At one point Hermione excused herself from the room to allow herself time to breathe for a moment. Draco waited a couple minutes then, when he was sure Harry and Ron weren't paying attention, he put his book down and walked out of the room to find Hermione. He found her in the piano room, her wand holding up her hair in a messy bun as she sat on the couch, her head in her hands. He sat down next to her but said nothing.
She took a deep breath and peeked through her fingers, staring at the floor. Draco remained silent. If there's anything he had learned about his lover was that when she was stuck on something, the best option would be to stay silent and let her work it out on her own. She was stubborn like that, but he understood. He was only sitting with her just because he loved watching her think. It was fascinating. Wait, did he just think love? No, no, no. he thought. Don't you dare go there, Draco. You don't feel that way. You only said love because it was a fitting word. That's all. He tried to convince himself that was the reason as he ignored the small voice in the back of his head telling him he was a liar.
"There's gotta be something we're missing." she said to herself, pulling Draco out of his thoughts. He watched her as she began to think of details that they were skipping over. Only a few minutes passed before her eyes brightened with an idea. "That's it!" she said! She pulled Draco's faced to hers as she gave him a kiss before pulling back with a smile. "Thank you." she said before running out of the room back into the dining room.
Draco watched her leave. "Glad I could help." he called. He touched his lips gently before shaking his head and smiling. That girl never ceased to amaze him. But that's what he loved about her. His smile faltered. Shit. he thought. There it was again. Stop using that word! he chided. Shaking his head rapidly to clear his head, he walked back into the dining room. He stood in the doorway leaning on the frame as he watched the scene in front of him.
"I'm telling you, this is the best way to get into the Ministry!" Hermione argued.
"By walking into the front door?" Ron asked in disbelief. "Are you insane?"
"I know it sounds crazy but I have an idea. I still have some Polyjuice Potion leftover from when we picked up Harry from the Dursley's. Enough for three draughts. What we need to do is wait for three Ministry workers and knock them out with a sleeping draught for a while. In the meantime, we put on their clothes and take one of their hairs and put it in the Polyjuice. Then we can get into the Ministry unnoticed. Then we steal the locket from Umbridge and then get the hell out of there."
Harry and Ron stared at her dumbfounded while Draco raised his eyebrows, impressed. Ron was the first to speak. "Hermione, that's got to be the craziest plan you've ever had."
"But it will work." she said determined.
Harry and Ron shared a look. "I have to admit, it's ingenious. Dangerous, but brilliant." Harry said. Ron nodded in agreement.
"Then it's decided." Hermione said. "Be ready early in the morning. We're doing this tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Ron asked.
Hermione nodded. "We're running out of time. The sooner we do this, the better."
Harry nodded in agreement. "Hermione's right. Once we get the locket, there's still the matter of destroying it."
Hermione nodded. The three continued to discuss the plan for tomorrow but Hermione didn't miss the distant look in Draco's eyes before he retreated to the piano room and filled the house with a soft melody. Eventually, Harry called it a day and told Ron and Hermione to go home (knowing full well that Hermione would probably stay at Grimmauld Place with Draco for the night) and get some rest since they would be getting started early in the morning. The three said goodbye as Ron and Harry flooed out of the house. Hermione went to the piano room to find Draco humming along to the song that he was playing. She wrapped her arms around his torso and laid her chin on his shoulder.
"It's beautiful." she said.
"It was an old song my mom used to sing to me when I was little." he confessed.
She smiled and kissed his neck. When she looked up, she saw that he was frowning. "What's wrong?"
He shook his head.
"Draco, talk to me. What's going on?"
He sighed and turned around, causing her to pull back. He held her hands as he pulled her close so she was standing between his legs. "Just… just be careful tomorrow, okay?"
She furrowed her brows. "Of course-"
"I'm serious. What you guys are doing tomorrow is dangerous and I just… I want you to be safe."
She gave him an understanding smile as she sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around him. She rested her head against his. "We will. Harry, Ron, and I have been doing stupid and dangerous things since First Year. That doesn't make them any easier but it does make me feel better knowing that I'm with them. We'll protect each other as best we can. And I promise, I'll come back after we're done."
"You better." he smirked.
She lifted her head as she chuckled. "Well we kind of have to since it's the safe house but, you know. Details."
He shook his head and smiled as she leaned in to kiss him. His arms tightened around her as the kiss deepened. She smiled into the kiss as she ran her fingers through his hair. It wasn't until later that evening after she was in a deep sleep that he had an epiphany.
He was falling for her. And hard.
Something about her snuggling closer to him in her sleep and knowing she was throwing herself to the wolves the next day made him nervous and protective of her. He knew Harry and Ron would watch out for her but he was bothered that he couldn't be there to keep her safe too. He wished he could do more but knew that be her support system would be the best thing she needed at that point.
Wrapping his arm around her and kissing her forehead he made a silent promise to her. "I will do anything and everything I can to protect you, Hermione. I promise." And with that, he fell into another restless sleep but was comforted knowing she was there.