"You told me you wouldn't" Hermione's voice quivered as she desperately clutched onto his pale wrist. Her fingers trembled as she pushed his sleeve further up his arm to get a better look. "You promised." She cried, her heartache palpable in her words.
Draco's eyes darted away, his jaw clenched as he struggled to break free from her grip. "You thought I actually had a choice? When have I ever had a choice in any of this?!" He tried to pull away again but she firmly held on.
A surge of anger coursed through Hermione's veins as she refused to let go. "You have a choice Draco. You've always had a choice. You're just too much of a coward to make the right choice." She spat and violently released his wrist.
Desperate for some distance between them she turned away, but Draco couldn't bear to let her go. His fingers closed around her shoulder and he spun her back around to face him. Their eyes locked, piercing silver penetrating warm brown. A mix of pain and anger swimming between them. Tears silently trickled down Hermione's cheeks and without thinking Draco swiped his thumb across her smooth skin. His touch was delicate and caring. He hated seeing her cry. He hated being the cause of it even more. Hermione let out a whispered sob, leaning into his touch, her vulnerability laid bare.
"I can't lose you." She confessed. Draco's heart ached at her words and he struggled to hold back his own tears.
She looked down at his bare arm and gently lifted it once more, her touch a mixture of tenderness and curiosity. Her fingers quivered as she delicately touched the contours of the freshly-inked skull and snake that branded his pale skin.
A wave of terror and despair washed over her as she traced the sinister design. She couldn't ignore the darkness that pulsated from the mark. They watched in silence as a single tear fell heavy onto the blackened skin. She willed for her tears to wash away the stain that marred Draco's arm, but such a wish would never come true. It was too late.
Draco slowly pulled down his sleeve and Hermione watched as the mark disappeared under its white veil.
"I'm sorry." His voice was soft and laden with regret. Hermione could see the sincerity in his eyes. With a deep sigh, she curled into his chest, seeking comfort in his arms. Her curls brushed his face as she nestled against him, her body trembling with a mixture of relief and sorrow. Their bond was a rare and fragile sanctuary in the midst of a tumultuous world. Draco leaned into her, embracing her tightly.
"I didn't know what to do." He whispered into her hair. "I'm not as brave as you."
In that intimate moment, they clung to each other, unsure of the future but certain of where their hearts remained; with each other. Forever and always with each other.
-1 Year Earlier -
The cold, dimly lit dungeons of Hogwarts came to life as the students filed into their first Potions class of the year. It felt just like the beginning of any other year at school but no one could deny the constant threat of darkness that hung in the air. Dumbledore had reassured them that they were perfectly safe amongst the castle walls and to continue with their studies with the same dedication and curiosity as the years before.
One person who was determined to not let the threat of dark magic distract her from her studies was Hermione Granger. Like every year since she was 11 years old, she was ready to excel in all her classes. She stood at her usual desk at the front of the room. It was an ideal vantage point for her diligent note-taking. She neatly arranged her books on the table and inspected the inside of her cauldron making sure there was no residue that could sabotage her new potions. Satisfied with her inspection she sat down, face determined, and pulled her chestnut hair into a neat bun.
The flicker of excitement that was growing inside her was immediately extinguished when she noticed Ron Weasley, across the room sitting next to Lavender Brown. The Ron Weasley, who had spent the last 6 years sitting next to Hermione. Lavender was practically lounging in Ron's lap gazing at him with dreamy, lovestruck eyes. Hermione tried to suppress the wave of sadness threatening to take over.
Hermione had been too distracted by the hideous display of affection that Ron and Lavender were putting on to notice someone had slipped into the seat next to her.
"Afternoon Granger."
The hair on the back of her neck stood up as she recognised the cold voice. She turned around to see Draco Malfoy sitting next to her. His eyes were sunken and his skin was paler than usual. His silvery gray eyes held a weight, a sadness that seemed to linger just beneath the surface. He looked exhausted.
"Believe me, this isn't my first choice Granger. There were no other seats left." He sighed and waved his wand at the candle in front of him. Hermione scanned the room and indeed he was right every other seat was taken.
"Fine." She snapped and turned to the potions book in front of her.
Professor Slughorn bounced past them and proudly stood at the front of the classroom. Slughorn's voice, hearty and encouraging, broke across the quiet muttering as he announced the day's task. "Today, my dear students, you shall brew the Draught of Living Death. A complex potion that even the most skilled of potion-makers find a challenge. With that being said you shall be working in pairs, two brains should yield better success than one. You must work in pairs. I will be watching carefully."
Moments later the room was filled with the sound of bubbling cauldrons and quiet cursing as the students tried to figure out their potions. Hermione and Draco stood side by side at their workstation, Hermione meticulously measuring the powdered root of asphodel. Draco sat back seemingly staring into the abyss. It was clear he had no intention of participating.
"Come on, Malfoy," Hermione urged, her patience wearing thin. "Professor Slughorn said we had to work together."
"So, what's he going to do?" Malfoy sneered "Give us detention?"
"Yes."
"There are worse things in life than detention Granger, believe me." His eyes glazed over slipping into a painful memory. Hermione noticed the pained look on his face and in a moment of pity, she let down her guard.
"Fine, but if Slughorn notices it's all on you." She turned back to the cauldron and continued brewing. Draco side-eyed her, watching her every move. She reached for the Sopophorous bean on her desk and went to cut it with the blade of her knife. But as soon the blade made contact the bean bounced out of her grip and across the table. Draco caught it in an instant and handed it back to her.
"Thanks." She whispered, embarrassed. Hermione never makes a fool of herself in class.
"You're doing it wrong."
"No, I'm not." She went to cut the bean again but low and behold it threw itself across the table. Draco gets up, retrieves the bouncing bean, and takes the blade from Hermione's hand.
"You have to crush it, not cut it." Draco announces placing the bean in front of him.
"No, the recipe says cut." She protests folding her arms.
"The recipe's wrong. Believe me." Before she can object again he crushes the bean with the side of the blade and juice comes seeping out. He leans over Hermione, and a waft of spearmint and sandalwood hits her. "See." He said as he let the bean drip into the cauldron. Hermione watched him with a mixture of shock and awe.
"Where did you learn that?"
"I have my ways," Draco smirked and lightly budged Hermione out of the way placing himself in front of the cauldron. He silently continued brewing and much to both their surprise she let him.
Once he'd reached the final step she stood by his side. "Do you want some help? This step can be tricky." She offered.
"I'm fine. I know what I'm doing. You did the first half, I can do the second half. It's only fair." Once again Hermione found herself in shock, since when did Draco care about what's fair?
Their cauldron began to produce a perfect Draught of Living Death, and Hermione couldn't help but steal a glance at Draco. His expression was one of focused determination. Something bubbled inside her and for a split second, she thought it was a feeling of attraction towards the Slytherian. But she squashed the feeling before it could mature into something more.
"Finished," Draco announced looking down at the endless black potion. A smile tugged on the corner of his lips. He'd always loved brewing potions, ever since he was a little kid. Mixing a variety of ingredients together to create something entirely different.
"Everybody please stop your brewing, time is up" Slughorn called from the front of the room.
Draco looked around to see his classmates looking rather overwhelmed and disheveled. Ron and Lavender were covered in black soot, their hair standing wirery around their faces. Draco nudged Hermione next to him and pointed over to the dazed couple. "That's what happens when you give up cutting the bean and throw the whole thing in instead."
A small giggle escaped her mouth as she watched Lavender desperately try to clean the soot off her face. If you told her at the beginning of the class she would end it feeling a sense of commaraderire with Draco she would have told you to go straight to St Mungos.
Professor Slughorn enthusiastically made his way around the classroom, stopping at various workstations to inspect the potions being brewed. He shook his head and tutted, offering "Better luck next time" and "Not even close I'm afraid" to the various pairings.
Finally, he approached Hermione and Draco. He looked into their cauldron with a discerning eye. He leaned in closer, his jovial face inches from the cauldron, and dropped in a tiny leaf. Draco and Hermione exchanged a brief, almost apprehensive glance and then peered over Slughorn's shoulder just in time to watch the leaf disintegrate into nothingness.
"Well, my dear students," he exclaimed, his voice filled with genuine delight, "I must say, this is an exemplary potion! Perfectly brewed. You've followed the instructions to the letter."
Draco couldn't help but laugh, Hermione swatted at his arm to make him stop.
"Yes professor, we followed it down to a T" Draco said sweetly.
"Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy are the ones to look out for this year everybody. I dare say they'll be tough competition to beat." And with that, Slughorn dismissed the class. Relief washed over the room as the students could finally escape the hell they'd been living in for the past 2 hours.
Hermione and Draco found themselves in an awkward but strangely pleasant moment of victory. They exchanged hesitant glances before Hermione finally mustered a small, sincere smile. "Well, Malfoy, I have to admit, you surprised me today. That potion was perfect."
Draco was caught off guard, seemed equally awkward but managed a nod. "I never thought Hermione Granger would gift me with a compliment."
"Don't get used to it." She insisted while packing up her belongings. "You must tell me where you learned to brew like that."
"A potion master never shares their secrets," Draco says leaning across her to fetch his book. She couldn't help but breathe in his scent once more. Yep, defintiely mint and sandelwood.
"Potion master?" She looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. She noticed that there was some life glistening behind his eyes. That certainly wasn't the case when he'd walked in.
"I said what I said." He laughed and straightened out his robe.
They left the classroom in silence and after a quick, and slightly awkward, goodbye they made their way to their respective common rooms. As Hermione wandered back to the dorms filled with triumph from their win found herself craving a spearmint tea.