Quill in hand, he jotted his note to Blaise while Hermione took a long hot bubble bath at his insistence following their traumatic afternoon of raw emotion and soul-baring confessions.
Working on a fucking frustrating case mate.
No time for fun
DM
He tied the note to the owl, gave it a treat and then watched it fly off into the night sky before settling down into the couch to write their interim report for Harry. He would fax it to London in the morning to the 'Department of Communications: Muggle Correspondence Division' knowing that with the time difference it would be on his desk by 9am. Since the war, the Ministry had made moves to integrate a little with Internal governments and high profile organisations such as the CIA in America, MI5 in Britain, Mosad in Israel and Interpol, the international crime fighting organisation. International communication between the classified departments and their muggle/wizard liaisons was still a sticking point. Granger often grumbled that they should be using something she called E-Mail to update their superiors as it was not feasible to send owls with information across continents and muggle post was too slow. So fax it was. Malfoy was quite used to sending faxes by now, having handled assignments as a Hit Wizard all over Europe and the Middle East over the last few years, it was only the laptop that befuddled him at times he thought, eyeing the infernal contraption suspiciously.
Some time later, Hermione emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in the complimentary robe that had been hanging on the back of the bathroom door, feeling a little more relaxed. She was humming to herself and casually rubbing her hair dry with the cream Egyptian cotton towel she had wrapped around her shoulders. She gave a start when she saw Malfoy, head back, report in lap, quill dropped onto the adjacent cushion, fast asleep. She hadn't expected him to wait while she lay languidly in the bath.
Making her way over to the couch she watched him silently, his chest rising and falling with his steady breaths, features softened as he slept. He looked worn out. This case was getting them both down but she hoped now she had new information they might be able to make some headway into getting it solved. Contemplating whether to leave him be or wake him, she was momentarily indecisive. Just as she reached out having her decided to wake him, she heard him sigh and then let out a moan. Unsure if she had heard correctly she paused, waiting to hear if it came again.
"...Hermione" he moaned.
She gave a slight jump a knocked into his leg, causing him to stir.
"Hermione?" he quietly mumbled, stirring from his slumber, seemingly unaware he had called her by her given name.
"Um.." she started "you fell asleep, I was just about to wake you" she finished, stepping back as he stretched and then closed his files, leaving the paperwork on her coffee table.
She watched him as he rose, his cheeks a little flushed.
"Sorry" he mumbled "must have dozed off while you were in the bath" he glanced at his wristwatch. It was almost midnight now.
"You didn't have to wait up" she whispered "you should have gone to bed." He sensed the concern for him in her voice and marvelled how even at her lowest, she still thought of others.
"I just wanted to check you were ok" he told her softly, brushing her cheek with the back of his hand.
"Never better" she smiled, eyes twinkling.
"Goodnight" he said, hesitating for a moment, he then pressed a kiss to her temple, before heading to the door that separated their rooms"
She touched her fingers to where his lips had just been as she watched him leave the room and sighed. Part of her yearned for him for the sensual touches he comforted her with as much as the lusty desire that coursed through her veins igniting her passion. But she was still uncertain of doing so. As she climbed into bed, she thought of him the other side of the door and wondered about him saying her name earlier and what he had been dreaming about. She closed her eyes and fell into her own fitful sleep.
Next door, Malfoy growled in frustration at the awkwardness of it all. When she first woke him he wasn't sure if was still dreaming or not and was vaguely aware as his senses he had been dreaming of her in a ratty Slytherin top with no underwear, much to his surprise and delight as his dream self had lifted the hem of the top to discover. It was awkward and embarrassing and he felt like a teenager being caught with a copy of PlayWizard, his hand stuffed in his boxers.
He was just getting into bed when he heard a persistent tapping sound and was surprised to find an owl with a response from Blaise already.
He chuckled to himself before tossing the note on the bedside table
All work and no play makes Draco a dull boy
BZ