Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Chapter 32
Draco felt himself awake to a head of curly hair brushing against his nose. He sneezed, raising a hand to push the chocolate mane aside before his arms returned to her waist. The last few mornings at the hotel had begun with he and Hermione waking up in varying cuddling positions, this morning's being a comfortable spooning position.
He thought back to their first morning together after the Christmas market, where they had woken up wrapped around each other much to Hermione's horror. She had jumped out of bed, apologizing profusely and rushed to the bathroom straight away. He had to force her to sit down soon after, explaining that they couldn't help what they did in their sleep, and her running away every morning would only make it awkward. She had soon agreed and given into their accidental -though completely friendly- cuddling sessions.
His sleepy gaze shifted to the bedside table, smiling slightly at the sight of his Christmas gift from Hermione. She gave it to him that same morning after the Christmas market.
"I've got something for you," said Hermione, a kind but nervous smile on her full lips as she pulled out a rectangular shaped gift wrapped item from behind her back.
Draco raised his brows as she handed him the package. "I thought this whole trip was my gift." he wondered, though ripped apart the paper nonetheless.
Inside was a photo frame with a non-magical photo of the pair of them at the skating rink the night before. The grand beautiful Christmas tree was lit up behind them and they were holding hands as they glided over the cool ice. A large grin was on both of their faces, and though the photo did not move, he knew they must've been in the middle of a laugh.
Something about the photo being non-moving and non-magical made it all the more endearing to him. It was an exact snapshot of the moment. Not the seconds before or seconds after the photo was taken. Just the very moment that their smiles were the brightest.
It was the one and only non-magical photo he owned, and he knew he would probably keep it forever.
"Thank you." he said quietly, looking up at her. He wasn't sure what else to say. He wasn't used to such a sentimental gift. Growing up his Christmas gifts consisted of material things, flashy, expensive objects that were meant to show off his status as a Malfoy.
"I've got your gift here too." he said, trying not to remember the last time he had given her a gift. The dragon pendant necklace that she had quite literally thrown back at him.
He handed her a velvet box, containing a luxurious white gold watch encrusted with fine diamonds all around the face. He watched her lips part in a gasp as she opened it, removing the object from its box.
"Draco, it's far too much." she gushed, inspecting it closely. "I can't accept this! You always give far too much I-"
He rolled his eyes, cutting her off. "It's not just a pretty watch, you know. The glass covering the face is a form of a two way mirror. The other half of the watch pair is connected to it." He pulled up his sleeve the slightest bit to show the watch he wore everyday.
"We can communicate whenever we want." he said, hoping he didn't sound too obsessive with the gift. "You know, since we're Heads and all. I thought it might be fun and handy." he rambled slightly, beginning to regret his choice in the present.
"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, fastening it onto her wrist. "That's so cool, thank you so much! It's very impressive as well, I've never seen a mirror like this in watch form." she praised, taking a seat and examining the watch.
He sighed in relief, glad she liked it. Now he just hoped this one never got thrown against a wall.
Returning to the present, he pulled his eyes away from the photo frame on their bedside and shifted his hips, cursing his morning wood which was being egged on by her plump bottom pressing so snugly against him. Being friends with Hermione Granger was proving to be harder than he could have ever prepared himself for. Their close proximity the last few days and being around no one but each other didn't help the cause.
They had spent their time trying out different cafes, enjoying winter activities such as skating and snowman making, decorating sugar cookies and even heading to an old place called a movie theatre, where Hermione had insisted he sit and watch a screen for two hours.
Draco had been quite fascinated by that, insisting that it had to be some form of magic to have produced a storyline, sound and moving pictures like that. Hermione had denied that, swearing it was solely muggle technology, though Draco was secretly still suspicious. The fellytone Hermione had shown him to request items from room service was also something he intended to investigate further as he was sure that too was some form of magic.
He heard a soft groan emit from Hermione's lips as she began to wake, raising her arms above her head and stretched, effectively arching her back against his front. His eyes rolled back slightly at the friction and he squeezed his arm that was around her to stop her from pressing any further.
"Morning," she mumbled, paying no mind to his discomfort as she rubbed her eyes and smiled at him over her shoulder.
They untangled themselves from one another, sitting up and preparing themselves for the day ahead. It was now December 30th, just two days before New Years day and their time together was slowly but surely coming to an end. Draco wasn't too pleased about that.
"You know," Hermione said as she finger combed her curls, legs crossed on the bed. "I haven't had a single nightmare since we've been sleeping in this bed together." she pointed out, her cheeks tinting the slightest bit pink.
Draco has noticed that for himself too. The nightmares that had haunted him since Dumbledore's death -which had only gotten more vivid and terrifying after his time in Azkaban- were no more ever since Hermione's warmth had accompanied him in bed. She was like his own dream catcher, though now it seemed like he was the same for her too.
"I haven't either, actually." he agreed, unsure of what to do with this information they had discovered. "These last few nights of sleep have probably been the most peaceful I've had in ages."
"I really appreciate your presence, Draco." she said softly, reaching across the bed to take his hand. He ignored the sparks that shot up his arm at the intimate gesture. "I don't know why exactly, but you make me feel a lot stronger than I am. A lot safer too."
"You are strong." he said shortly, squeezing her hand. "And you're always safe with me. I know… I know I haven't been the most trustworthy in the past but…" he swallowed hard, fighting back the shame he constantly felt for his past actions. "But I'll never let anyone or anything harm you again."
He didn't think he would ever be good enough for her. Not as a lover, not as a boyfriend, and not even now -just as a friend. The war and everything that had happened had fucked him up so bad, he felt he could never stop feeling the loneliness, the shame, and the guilt that ate away at him little by little each and everyday. He sometimes wondered when it would finally eat him alive and end his misery.
"I know." she said reassuringly, squeezing his hand back. "That's why I wanted to ask you something." she continued. "I was wondering… since we're already here in the muggle world, and since I probably won't be returning here until summer… well I was wondering if you would come with me home. To my childhood home. I wanted to see if there was anything left… anything of my parents or something." she finished, looking quite awkward. "Only if you're okay with it. We don't have to. I can go on my own and meet you back here or-"
"Of course I'll go with you." he cut her off, his own stomach turning at the mention of her parents. The whole situation with them was just tragic. "Let's go now." he said, dropping her hand and getting up from the bed, off to shower and get ready for the day before she could respond.
They pulled into the driveway of a modest suburban muggle home and Draco quickly hopped out of the car as soon as it stopped, having learned over the last few days together how to open and close the door himself.
He looked up at the house, very underwhelmed by it. It looked like a garden shed at the Malfoy Manor. He glanced over at Hermione as she too stepped out of the car, and watched as her breath hitched as her own chocolate eyes fell onto the house.
"Don't worry." he assured, taking her hand as they walked up to the door. "Alohomora." he muttered, and the door swung open.
They stepped inside and Draco looked around, his eyes falling on the living room. It reminded him of the Room of Requirement setting Hermione often chose during their first ever meetings in their sixth year.
Surprisingly the house looked fairly untouched. They walked silently around the first floor of the home, and Draco observed the photo frames of what he knew were her parents. He noticed she wasn't in any of them and he knew it was because she had physically removed herself from their lives.
He watched as Hermione's fingertips grazed over each photo frame before she picked each one up, placing them one by one into her bag. She headed over to the bookshelf by the armchair and began placing a few books in as well. When she headed toward the stairs, he followed.
That was where the smell hit them. Draco wrinkled his nose, following behind Hermione and towards what he assumed was the master bedroom. "Merlin." he muttered, covering his nose with his hoodie sleeve.
Hermione rushed ahead of him, pushing open the bedroom door and she froze at the door frame, her bag falling from her hands. Draco stopped behind her, peering over her head as the view came into sight.
On the large bed were two large pigs who had been gutted and killed. Above the headboard of the bed in what he assumed was the pig's blood had something written.
We will find you all, mudblood!
Draco's stomach turned at the comparison of her late parents to two fat animals. He felt bile rise in his throat at the shame and disgust of ever having been one of them. Death Eaters. They were who had left this little gift for Hermione during the war sometime. They had clearly done some magic to ensure the pigs did not completely decompose overtime.
It was a cruel sight. Sure it was good thinking on Hermione's end for removing her parents from the situation when she did, but they had still died anyways. Before she could even find them again and say goodbye. And now there was this. In their very bed of her childhood home. The memories in this house would be forever tarnished.
"Hermione, I'm so sorry." he said, finally breaking the tense silence.
Hermione didn't respond right away, her shaky hand finding its way to the doorknob before she stepped back and clumsily shut the door in front of her. She turned to him, clearly fighting back tears that were brimming her eyes.
"I'm glad I got them away when I did." Was all she said before she brushed past him and back downstairs, not bothering with the rest of the house.
He heard the front door shut, signaling she had left and was probably starting up the car. Draco stepped forward, pushing open the door once more. He raised his wand and flicked it twice, vanishing the writing on the wall and crumbling the pigs into dust. He flicked his wand again and the bloody mess on the bed vanished as well. Before long the room was tidy and looked untouched.
Even though it didn't matter and Hermione had already left, he felt better leaving now. His eyes flickered towards the last room at the end of the hall, which he assumed was her old bedroom. He headed over, pushing the door open.
The bedroom was a mess. Hermione's old books and belongings were torn and tossed around. The bed and pillows were slashed and the room was covered in splatters of blood. In the middle of the room, hanging from the ceiling fan was a human sized mannequin of sorts with a head of curly brown hair. A noose around the doll's neck was what held her up from the fan, old dried up blood surrounding the noose around the neck. The fake-Hermione's face held a look of pure anguish, and the doll mouth was stuffed with a filthy looking old sock.
Draco felt his wand hand shake as he stared at the sight, rage building up inside him. The fact that he probably knew the Death Eaters who had done this personally made him all the more upset.
He raised his hand, silently muttering some spells in an attempt to clear this room out as well. They didn't work. It seemed this message was permanent.
"Fuck!" he exclaimed, reaching out and snatching the doll off the fan and tossing it onto the floor. He looked around the room, trying to control his beating heart.
He tried a few more times, though nothing worked. This room was not going to be cleaned, not ever. Accepting defeat he left the room, slamming the door shut. He was glad Hermione had left, though he had to compose himself before he met her back in the car.
He took a few deep breaths before schooling his face and pulling open the front door, taking his seat in the passenger of the car. Hermione immediately pulled out of the driveway and sped down the street at a speed that Draco was sure was not permissible in the Muggle world.
"Hermione, maybe you should-" he began, though was cut off as she swerved to the side, narrowly missing another car which had seemingly come out of nowhere.
His head whipped to the side to face her, and he was met with a tear stricken face and shaky hands gripping the wheel. "Oh Merlin, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, breathing heavily as she stopped the car. She leaned forward, resting her forward on the wheel. "I don't know what got into me."
"It's alright." he said calmly, though his fear of this muggle contraption called a car was now amplified. "If you can't drive-"
"No," she cut him off, sitting up straight again and wiping her palms on her denim clad thighs before tightly gripping the steering wheel again. "I'm fine, we can go."
Draco shook his head, reaching out and removing the key from the car, turning off the engine. He had picked up a few things about the car over these last few days. "Let's go for a walk. Wasn't there a park in your neighbourhood you used to tell me about?" he asked, recalling this information from one of their early conversations in the Room of Requirement.
She looked at him in slight surprise, clearly taken aback by his recollection of this detail. "Yeah, actually. There is." she nodded, unbuckling her seatbelt as they exited the car.
They walked down a smaller street and through a pathway before they reached a seemingly abandoned playground. Draco observed the contraptions which Hermione briefly named as being a slide, a teeter totter and some swings.
Hermione guided him through each one and soon enough they were laughing loudly as Draco made her fly off her seat on the teeter totter repeatedly. They finally settled on the swings, lightly swinging back and forth when Draco spoke.
"You used to come here with your parents, didn't you?" he asked, stepping off his swing and moving behind her to gently push her on her own.
"Yes, I did." she nodded, and Draco was glad they weren't facing each other. He hated seeing the look on her face when she was sad. "My dad used to push me on these very swings, actually. Just like you are now." he heard the smile in her voice as she recalled the memories.
"They loved you very much. I'm sure if they were here, they'd understand why you did what you did and why you had to do it." he said, his cool fingers grazing the skin of her warm back as he pushed her. "From what you've told me, you guys had an entire childhood of fun memories together. I don't think any minute was wasted." he continued, hoping he didn't sound the least bit bitter.
He was always jealous of people who had such warm and loving relationships with their parents. But he found he wasn't jealous of Hermione's relationship with her late parents. It made him happy to know that her memories of her parents were filled with nothing but love.
"Sometimes it's best to focus on the good times. Your parents wouldn't want you hating yourself for what happened to them." he said, moving to her front as her swing slowed to a stop.
He looked down at her watery eyes as she nodded, a tiny smile on her lips. "You're right. I know how much they loved me and I'm lucky to have so many memories with them to cherish."
He nodded, reaching out to toy with a curl of hers. "You can't change what happened. But you can honour their memory and live a full and happy life going forward. For them."
"That's what they always wanted for me." she murmured, reaching up to brush her finger tips against his hand.
"It's not going to be easy. But you're strong, you've always been strong. And I'll be here for you whenever you're not." He wasn't used to comforting people like this, and hoped he was saying the right things.
She let out a breath, relaxing slighting under his touch. He leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead as his hand slid down until he lightly cupped her chin. It felt strange, holding her face so gently as memories of their sixth year flashed back to him when he used to have outbursts and lash out at her painfully and harshly. He couldn't imagine treating her in such a way now.
"You're a good friend, Draco." she said softly, and their eyes locked.
His breath hitched as his eyes flickered to her lips. It would be such a perfect moment to kiss her. To comfort her in a way he knew much better than he did words. But he wouldn't do that. He was trying to be her friend, and friends didn't take advantage of weak moments like this for their own physical pleasure.
So he stepped back, holding out his hand to her. "Let's head back to our hotel. I've been meaning to try out that bathtub in our suite." he smirked and she took his hand, pulling herself up before they headed back to the car.
A/N: As promised, here is an update. Let me know your thoughts on the story so far! Reviews help me write faster!
