A/N: I haven't wrote in a while, but thought what better way to begin again and be able to get reviews from others to help improve my writing. I will leave my if you like it, please review and I will continue on with the next chapter!
I do not own Harry Potter. Just this story line.
Chapter Five:
It wasn't because Hermione was trying to avoid Draco. Of course she had enjoyed the time they had been able to speak together. After having a dream like that, how could not avoid him? The thought of that dream lingered and made her squirm every time she saw him. It went on like this with her for the remainder of the week. Which annoyed Draco to no end, as he tried to figure out what he had done wrong. Did he say something at the last library study meet? He thought it had went nice and it had been the first night he had felt at ease with himself and had a decent nights sleep.
Anytime in between classes, Hermione was with Harry and Ron, or Ginny. She made sure she was never alone throughout the day, which had made it difficult for Draco to find a way to speak with her. Who knew of their friendship? Surely, Harry and Ron didn't know. It wasn't until their potions class when he found a moment.
"You can begin at anytime," said professor Slughorn, finishing the instructions on the board in front of the classroom. "You have until the reminder of class to complete and put in vials to bring to me. Any ingredients you may not have already, you can go to the cupboard to get."
Hermione glanced down to her ingredients in front of her, to see she was missing one. Ginny sat beside her, Harry and Ron at the table in front of them. Draco and Blaise sat behind the girls. She glanced to Draco, who was looking over his own ingredients in front of him and noticed the glance from Hermione before she quickly looked away. She stood from her chair and made her way to the cupboard.
Not saying anything to Blaise, Draco stood up from his seat and went in the cupboard, letting the door shut quietly behind him. Luckily, everyone was paying close attention to the beginning of their brew, they didn't notice the two students in the cupboard together. Everyone but Ginny and Blaise who glanced at the cupboard.
"Hermione." Said Draco Quietly, causing her to jump. She turned to look, knowing who stood there.
"Draco, what are you doing?" Asked Hermione, not looking at him as she suddenly remembered that naked man in the tub.
"I wanted to ask you the same thing."
She looked confused, "I'm getting my ingredients I need for the potion. I'm missing-"
"I'm not talking about the potion." He hissed, not wanting to raise his voice. "You've been avoiding me this entire week. Did I do something? Was it when I kissed you? I only meant to kiss your cheek but you moved right."
Hermione blushed, remembering that moment too, but she couldn't find herself to tell him of the dream she had that same night. "I just-I can't," his face fell when Hermione couldn't finish her sentence.
"You can't be friends with me? If it were the miss, I didn't mean to do anything wrong."
"No, no. You've done nothing wrong, I promise. It's just something - I really can't tell you this right now." She looked around their surroundings. "Not in the potions cupboard."
"But you've been avoiding me?"
"I hope you understand once I explain it to you." She mumbled, blushing once more as she grabbed the vials she needed. She went to go to the door but his hand grabbed hers.
"Wait." He said letting her go, immediately once she looked to him. He raised a hand to her cheek and brushed his cool fingers against her ear. Hermione nearly dropped her vials as the breath caught in her throat. "You had something in your hair."
"Oh-" she gulped. "Thank you."
She could feel her cheeks burning as she walked back out of the cupboard, everyone still focused on the potions they were brewing. She quickly took her seat beside Ginny, then Draco taking his exit from the cupboard. She watched him from the corner of her eye as she walked passed her, which she quickly noticed, he was empty handed.
"What just happened?" Whispered ginny, so quietly that only Hermione could hear. Hermione stared in front of the classroom, nearly widened as she she tried to read the board. What was happening to her? Why did she feel weak in the knees over Draco touching her? Her heart felt like it could pound out of her chest and wouldn't be surprised if Ginny could hear it.
"Im not sure. Ginny, for once in my life I'm confused and don't know what I'm doing." Said Hermione, as Ginny looked at her as she bit her lip trying to hide the smirk.
"Are you guys coming?" Asked Harry, once potions was over and they were ready to walk out of the dungeons. Ron was huffing, his potions hadn't gone as planned and nearly melted his cauldron down his robes.
"Go ahead and we will catch up. I wanted to speak with Ginny alone for a moment."
"All right, see you in a bit then."
"Girl talk." Shrugged Ron. "I don't wanna hear it." The boys walked ahead and left them behind as Hermione hadn't continued to walk as she wanted space away.
"Why were you laughing at me?" Asked Hermione, frowning.
"I wasn't laughing at you." Hermione only glared at her, remembering the look.
"Okay, first of all. I never thought I would have a day that I heard Hermione Granger say she was confused. You don't have an answer. Thats okay, but do you know why?"
"No, why?"
"Isn't it obvious? You have a crush on him. I still hate that ferret, but I think you seriously have a crush on him." She shook her head, "I'm laughing because you're so oblivious to it."
"I do not." She was shaking her head vigorously, as if that would help her. "No, I can't. I can't. I can't have a crush on him."
"You're not denying that you do." Ginny sighed, seeing that it wasn't going to be easy for her to admit to her feelings. She understood why, the years before the way she had been treated. All for what? "It's all right, Hermione. You can say what you want, but it isn't going to change the way you could feel. He followed you into that cupboard. He came out empty headed. He didn't need anything but he went in there for you."
"You noticed that too?" Hermione felt her throat forming a lump, why was she doing this to herself. What would Harry and Ron think or say to her when they found out she had been having secret study sessions with Draco Malfoy? Even once she explained her reasoning to agreeing to such, she knew Ron wouldn't understand.
"I can't. I'm in a panic. What are Harry and Ron going to think? Even with a friendship?"
"Of course they will be pissed. If you decide to never tell them and they find out they will be pissed about that. I can't lie to Harry. Eventually you need to tell them but they will get over it. I will make sure of it They need to be happy for you as much as you are for them."
"Of course, and I'm happy for Harry and you too. I feel like this will just hurt Ron the most and you know how he is. If he thinks for any reason I turned him down because of him, I can only imagine what that will do to him."
"He can get over it but finding anything out by someone else may hurt more."
"I know, but this is just a friendship? Even if I do have a little school crush? What if we never speak again after a few more weeks of being friends?"
"I don't think your new found friendship is going to be over that quick."
Ginny had been right, as much as Hermione wanted to say okay, lets move on, she couldn't. They sat together at the Gryffindor table eating dinner, the boys talking over Quidditch strategies as the season was about to begin. Ginny occasionally chipped in, as she was the chaser for the team and looking forward to it. Ron had been working on being keeper and had become quiet good, which was a worry for the other team as he had worked so hard.
Hermione sat there, feeling nearly alone. She always went to the games to support her friends and cheered them on but she had never been into the sport as much as they were. She used her fork and picked at her potatoes, trying not to look up to the Slytherin. She couldn't help it though, she glanced up to the table to Draco who sat there with Blaise. They only spoke to each other, ignoring the rest of the students around them not wanting to be bothered by them.
It was at the end of dinner, when Hermione took another glance to Draco when she caught him staring right at her. He had been watching her for a few moments and she had felt his stare. They stared at each other, not wanting to break eye contact. His eyebrows raised and he glanced to the door as if he were trying to tell to walk out.
"I guess I'll head out." Said Hermione, pushing her plate away from her.
"Its only 7:30pm." Said Harry as he looked to Hermione. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I just wanted to do some reading before the end of the night."
"Do you want us to walk with you?" Asked Ron trying to finish his plate of food.
"No, you aren't finished! I will see you tomorrow." She said with a smile as she grabbed her bag.
She left the table, the boys paying no attention as she left the Great Hall. It was a good thing too, so they didn't notice Draco Malfoy leaving moments after she walked out the door.
"Hey, wait up." Said Draco, catching up to her with Hermione on the second floor. "Merlin, you walk fast."
"Sorry, did you want to meet?"
Draco rolled his eyes, "I figured you would catch the signal."
"Where would you like to go? I don't have any of my books right nowt o go to the library to study."
"Oh, well I don't either. We could go to my common room?"
"Are you sure?" She hesitated, "Okay, lead the way."
Hermione wasn't sure what she was doing, she didn't know if going with him was the best idea. She knew she wanted to talk to him but how was she supposed to tell him of what happened and why she was so embarrassed and avoiding him?
She followed him to the seventh floor, instead of turning left at the corridor to get to the Fat Lady, they went to a large portrait of a lady she didn't recognize.
"Dilligrout." Mumbled Draco and the portrait swung open.
It was similar to the common room of the Gryffindors. Much smaller, since it was only fitting for two students. A soda, was in front of the fire place and lit to keep the open area warm. There wasn't any green or silver filling around the room, which surprised Hermione since it didn't fit for Slytherin students. Two rooms were across each other, being the bedrooms.
"My bedroom is here on the right. We have our own bathroom too." He pointed to the third door that was further away from them.
"Wow, this is nice. Surprised you don't have more green and Silver throughout."
He shrugged, "Not much of a Slytherin fan or of the colors anymore."
"Of course. Gryffindor colors are better colors."
"It would be a bit strange for us to plaster Gryffindor colors around here though, don't you think?" He let Hermione to the couch and sat down. Can we get straight to the point, why were you avoiding me?"
"Where's Blaise?"
"Still at dinner, he doesn't come back here until later in the night. After dinner he usually disappears for awhile since he doesn't like being coped up in here.
Hermione didn't say anything else and she could see Draco tensing.
"Granger," snapped Hermione. "Tell me what it is."
"I don't know how to tell you." Said Hermione, nervously as she stared down to the palm of her hands.
"Just spit it out, it can't be that bad." They had been on opposite ends of the couch, he moved closer to her so they were only a foot away.
"Yes, well this is just embarrassing." Her cheeks were burning again. "I had a dram about you the night you walked me to my common room."
Draco's eyebrows raised, not sure he was following. "That's all? You had a dream and found that to be embarrassing?" Hermione was tensing all over and her fingers twiddling throughout each other.
"No, it is embarrassing because it was - Merlin! It was a sex dream!"
Draco's mouth formed the shape of an 'O' as he stared at Hermione in such surprise, that she must've be the color of a beet. She couldn't believe she was sitting here and telling him this.
"Alright, I'm going to leave now." Said Hermione as she went to stand up when Draco didn't say anything.
"No, don't leave." He grabbed her wrist, and pulled her back down to the couch. "I'm just surprised. I mean I know I'm incredibly handsome-" Hermione slapped him in the arm "I'm just surprised Hermione Granger had a dream like that about me." He hadn't let go of her hand, and she was now noticing the soft hand on hers.
"Was it a good dream? Did I do well?" He was smirking, teasing her over it and she thought she could punch him again."
"Draco-" she warned,
"You tried to avoid me for an entire week over a dream like that? It must've been terrible. I can assure you though, I would be pleasing."
"DRACO!" She yelled, pulling her hand away from him.
"I'm kidding, Hermione. Relax!" He said that as he relaxed and leaned back into the couch and watched her. "So what happened?"
Hermione was lost in thought, how could he sit there not being phased and comfortable over any of this?
"What?"
"In the dream. What happened?" Hermione wasn't about to go into detail over the dream. She felt sick to her stomach, she suddenly wanted to curse herself for even telling him. "If you don't want me to continuously ask you, you better tell me.
She huffed, she knew he would. "Fine!" She snapped. "I had it the night. I honestly thought the dream was real. I went to bed and woke up, early in the morning. I went to the prefects bathroom to take a bath. I got the bath ready and went to jump in when you come out of no where. I jumped in the bath to cover myself up, but you came in with me."
His eyes bright, "Then what?"
Hermione gulped, staring right into those bright eyes and getting lost in them. She hadn't realized how close they were. "You started giving me a back rub and then started kissing me, and it started to go further but I woke up."
He didn't say anything at first.
"Did you like it?" They both didn't seem to mind the fact of how close they were to one another. She could smell his scent and he could her.
"Did I like the dream?"
"Did you like having a dream that was like that with me?" He wouldn't let her know he had been afraid to ask such a question. He needed to know where he could possibly stand with her if she would ever fully forgive him for the things he had done. He knew she had said she would accept his apologize, but did that
"Yes, why do you think I was avoiding you?" She answered, before she could give herself more thought.
He sighed in relief, feeling the hot tension between the two of them. He was close enough that he could kiss her. He put his hand out and cupped her cheek, she didn't flinch at the touch as his thumb brushed against her cheek as she leaned into his hand.
"I dont know what is happening between the two of us, but is it even a good idea?" She finally asked, not knowing what else there was to say. She could feel her heart hurting, not knowing what was to come.
"I can't say I can answer that because I don't know either." She sighed in relief that he had accepted this. "Maybe we can make your bathtub fantasy come true, one day." She stared at him, doe eyed and he chuckled. "I was only joking."
She started to laugh, "Maybe one day he can."
"Take one day at a time, we can do this."
a/n: I thought it was way to early for a first kiss for them. I want to build that tension between the two of them and just have it stay as a friendship until one of them cracks. Plus Harry + Ron still have to find out over this... Lets see how that plays :)
I know Malfoy may seem like a bit out of character but I'm also thinking of him as they just got over the war, and he is healing. He didn't want to be someone like his father and only led a life that he believed his father would approve of and that wasn't him. He may still be a git to others, but I don't want him to be a git to Hermione.