Hermione wasn't sure of the last time she had slept so well. The comforter was cozy and warm, but the silk was cool against her skin. Her toes curled and she stretched, settling herself back against the pillow. Everything smelled like Draco. She inhaled the comforting smell, and she was back asleep before she even knew it.
When she woke again, Hermione felt more rested than she had in years, and judging by the small sliver of light that escaped from the little window in Draco's bedroom, she had also slept longer than she had in years. She wondered if Draco was up yet—or perhaps, had he gone to work? Hastily, Hermione pulled back the covers and rose from the bed, eager to see Draco again.
Draco.
Yesterday, he had kissed her.
He had kissed her, and she had kissed him.
Inadvertently, Hermione felt herself smile.
Her smile only grew when she found Draco. He was sitting on the floor in front of his coffee table, which was covered in books and pieces of parchment. He was scribbling furiously at the piece of parchment in front of him, his nose mere centimeters from it. He was intensely focused on what he was doing. It was perhaps the most attractive thing Hermione had ever seen.
Swot, Hermione thought affectionately. She watched him for a few moments, entranced by this strange, beautiful man that had stumbled upon her in the woods. "What are you doing?" she finally asked him, leaning against the doorway of his bedroom.
Draco's gaze immediately shifted from his parchment to her. His intense gaze softened. "Hey," he said. He patted the floor next to him. "Come sit. I've got a cup of tea and some toast waiting for you."
Hermione grinned and joined him on the floor. With a lazy flick of his wand, a cup and a plate instantly appeared in front of Hermione. Then he was back to scribbling, but not nearly as furiously. "Thank you," Hermione said, taking a bite of toast.
Draco nodded. "How did you sleep?" he asked.
"The best I have in a long time, actually," Hermione admitted.
Draco put his quill down and looked up at her, smiling. Hermione took a small sip of tea. It was prepared perfectly, of course. Draco's eyes were focused on her lips. "Come here," he murmured gently, resting his palm on her face.
Hermione didn't hesitate for a moment, leaning into his touch. He kissed her softly, and his lips lingered.
Despite the absence of liquor, Hermione's lips still tingled. She briefly wondered if he had spiked her tea.
One kiss wasn't nearly enough. She mirrored his touch on the opposite side of his neck, her fingers just grazing the ends of his pale blonde hair. She pulled him in and kissed him again. He kissed her harder.
When she pulled away, Hermione felt herself flush at her own tenacity. Draco grinned and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Good morning, indeed," he said.
Hermione rested against his shoulder and took another bite of toast. She studied the parchment—so much parchment.
Potion recipes. Over and over again.
Just on one parchment, she saw three iterations of a complicated cure for boils. On another, four iterations of Wolfsbane. Hermione promptly abandoned her toast and began shifting through the parchments. Veritaserum, Polyjuice, Doxycide, Draught of Peace. Over and over again, written in Draco's (predictably) flawless hand writing. "What on earth are you doing?" Hermione asked again. When she looked over to Draco, she found him visibly blushing, his pale cheeks a bright shade of pink.
Draco seemed to think a moment before he cleared his throat. "I'm memorizing potions," he said, avoiding eye contact with her. "Writing them down helps."
Hermione knew that was only half of the answer. "And you're memorizing them why?" she pressed.
Draco sighed before placing the length of parchment between the pages of the book and closing it with an emphatic snap. "Just in case," he replied, his voice quieter and more serious.
"In case of what?" Hermione asked, placing her hand on his knee.
Draco swallowed. "In case I ever have to run." He met her eyes then. "I'm a double agent, Hermione. Historically, we end up dead." He looked away from her.
Dead. His admission caused her stomach to drop sharply. She'd been so consumed with her feelings for him, of admitting that she did, in fact care for him, and then kissing him, that she'd forgotten. She had forgotten who he was, and what he did. Every day he put himself in danger. Every day when he got out of bed—or off the couch—he ran the risk of not seeing the end of the day. An enormous weight to bare. Hermione wondered how he managed not to break beneath it.
"You're careful, right?" she asked quietly. It was a stupid question, and she knew it.
Draco laced his fingers with hers and squeezed lightly. He finally met her eyes again. "I'm so careful, Hermione." He grinned at her, and she knew he meant it as a reassurance. "Besides, I'm a coward. The first hint of trouble and I'll disappear."
Every day he got out bed, there was a possibility that the day would be his last.
It had been the exact way Harry had lived his life.
Hermione squeezed Draco's fingers back. "I don't think you're a coward at all," she said. "I think you're rather brave."
He was kissing her again. His lips were firm and hot against hers. Her stomach fluttered as she kissed him back. The intensity rose as Draco wrapped an arm around the small of her back, pulling her in closer.
Draco Malfoy was a stellar kisser, she decided.
Hermione was practically in his lap when Draco pulled away, resting his forehead against hers. "No one's ever called me that before," he said quietly.
She cupped his face, gently stroking his cheeks with the pads of her thumbs. "I think you're brave," she repeated. "Possibly one of the bravest people I've ever met."
Draco turned his face in her hands, catching the tips of her fingers in a light kiss. "I fear I pale in comparison to you."
Hermione shook her head. "I've just been hiding in the woods, remember?"
"No. You're merely lying in wait."
He pressed a kiss to her neck and Hermione's stomach positively flipped.
Draco made a lazy trail of kisses down her neck, nearly to her collarbone, before they traveled back up and he kissed her soundly on the lips. "I have to get ready for work," he said reluctantly.
Work. The work that had the very real potential to kill him.
She didn't want to let him go. Her hold on him tightened.
He seemed to sense her anxiety. "I'll be okay, Hermione," he said, gently squeezing her waist.
Hermione nodded, loosening her hold. She didn't have a choice. Neither of them did. They hadn't in a long time.
In one swift movement, Draco stood, picking her up and setting her on the couch. He dropped another kiss to her forehead. Hermione couldn't help her laugh. "Stay here," he murmured.
He disappeared into his bedroom and reappeared mere minutes later, dressed impeccably in black trousers and a black button down, his Death Eater robes slung over one shoulder.
The sight of them made Hermione's skin crawl.
Draco returned to Hermione, crouching down in front of her knees. "I mean it," he said. "Stay here today."
Hermione looked around his flat, confused. "Here?" she asked.
He nodded. "Yes."
Truthfully, she didn't want to go back the clearing. And she did want to stay in Draco's flat. But without him? It felt wrong.
Draco must have sensed her hesitation. "It is up to you, of course," he said.
But I want you to stay, Hermione knew he meant to stay.
"I'll stay," she replied.
Draco's face visibly relaxed. He gave a quick kiss on the lips before turning and heading towards the door. "Oh, and Hermione?" he said, as he pulled on his cloak. "When you go through my things, can you try and put them back where you found them?"
He winked, then disapparated.
She hadn't planned on looking through Draco's things.
But she hadn't not planned on it either.
Hermione had always been nosey by nature.
Truthfully, there wasn't much to look through. There were the sparse cabinets in the kitchen and the closet full of books. In Draco's room, a closet with a handful of dress shirts, gray and black trousers, and two sets of pristine dress robes.
In his bedside table, there was his mother's wand and the Portkey to his estate in Russia. Further back, she found a picture of a very young Draco, held in the arms of Narcissa Malfoy. They were both beaming. Narcissa turned, kissed his cheek, then they were back to smiling at the camera. Another photo featured an older Draco with Lucius Malfoy. The only evidence that the photograph was magical was the movement of Lucius' long, blonde hair, and a minute quirk to Draco's lip.
Beneath that, Hermione inadvertently found Draco's underwear drawer, where she found a mixture of neatly folded boxers and boxer-briefs. Hermione closed the drawer, feeling herself blush.
The next drawer contained a few old t-shirts on one side with the same number of folded pajama bottoms on the other side.
Merlin, did this man have no semblance of comfort in his life? Two photographs of his deceased parents and a week's worth of clothes appeared to be all he had.
It made her heart ache. She knew he had grown up with everything, and now he barely had anything.
Hermione sighed and stood. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the bed with its luxurious emerald green comforter. That was it. It was the only comfortable thing Draco had in his life, she realized.
But then she remembered: He smiled when he kissed her.
She could provide him with at least a bit of comfort. Or, at least, she hoped.
Hermione was already antsy without Draco in the flat. She walked to the window and pushed the curtain aside, where she found a desolate street littered with the evidence of the debauchery of the previous evening. It was what she had expected to find the night before.
She let the curtain fall back. She returned to Draco's book closet and chose a book at random. If anyone were to have a book containing information about Horcruxes—or Voldemort—it would be Draco.
She opened the book and just staring at the index, Hermione realized she was in a full day of reading. First, she needed a long, leisurely shower.
Hermione spent nearly an hour in Draco's shower, liberally using every single one of his bath products. When she stepped out of the shower, scrubbed clean pink and smelling like mahogany and teakwood, Hermione instantly felt guilty when she realized how little Draco actually had.
It was fine. She would steal shampoo for him if it came down to it. Conditioner, too, if he wanted it.
Freshly washed, Hermione pulled on the previous day's leggings and a fresh t-shirt from Draco's dresser before settling on his couch, book in hand.
Reading something different was absolutely enthralling. She read slowly, savoring each word, every turn of phrase. Then there was the feel of the book against her thighs, a comforting weight. The smell of old parchment and ink, and the crisp turn of every page from a book well-cared for.
Hermione learned nothing about Horcruxes, which was unsurprising.
But a new book had her feeling invigorated. She had nearly forgotten how it felt.
Hermione was just finishing the book, the sun having faded almost entirely in the sky when she heard the tell-tale crack of apparition behind her.
She snapped the book closed and turned to find Draco. His face was cold.
Immediately, Hermione could tell he was occluding. Her stomach dropped sharply. As soon as his eyes landed on her, though, the iciness in gaze slipped away. Now he merely looked exhausted. Hermione went to him instantly and he wound his arms around her, sagging against her. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"Lots of a Occlumency and Legilimency today," he murmured into her hair. "Very tired."
Hermione frowned into his shoulder. "Come on, let's get you to bed."
Draco shrugged her off. He shook his head and blinked several times. "No, can't," he said. "I'm fine. And we have work to do."
"We do?" Hermione asked.
He nodded, blinking forcefully again. He yawned. "We have to wait for the unicorn. I should have enough if he comes tonight."
"Draco—" she began.
He yawned again. "I have a Pepper-Up in my pocket," he interrupted, patting his robes.
Hermione sighed. "Only if I do the apparation. You're likely to splinch us."
Draco looked ready to argue before he sighed and nodded.
When she took his hand, she could swear she'd been electrocuted.
He must've felt it, too, because he squeezed her hand so hard it almost hurt. She did not mind.
The visual of the clearing was extremely vivid in Hermione's mind, which made their apparition quite simple. They landed smoothly just inside Hermione's wards. Hermione looked over at Draco, who was still gripping her hand tightly. His eyes were closed. "Draco?" she asked, lightly squeezing his fingers.
Immediately, his eyes snapped open and he gave her a tired grin. "Sorry," he murmured.
Certain that he was only mere moments from collapse, Hermione pulled him forward, toward the tree they normally settled under. Draco inelegantly dropped to the ground and leaned back against the tree while Hermione followed suit. Draco pulled a small potion vial from the pocket of his robes and instead of dropping her hand, he merely pulled the cork from the vial with his teeth, spitting it clear across the clearing.
It was rather undignified, Hermione thought affectionately.
Draco drained the potion in one swallow. He shook his head and blinked several more times before he finally sighed. "That's better," he said after a moment. He looked somewhat refreshed, but Hermione could see the lines of exhaustion still around his eyes.
She rested her head on his shoulder, and her stomach flipped when she felt Draco kiss her on the top of her head. "Are you always this exhausted after work or did you happen to have more interrogations today?"
Draco pulled her hand into his lap and began to absently play with her fingers. "The interrogations are always exhausting," he admitted after a moment. "But I had to lean pretty heavily on my Occlumency today."
"Why?" Hermione asked.
He smirked at her, his brows raised, as if the answer was obvious.
Hermione instantly realized that he was teasing her.
Draco abandoned her fingers and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him. Into her ear, he murmured, "I secretly had a girl in my flat." He then kissed her soundly on the cheek.
Hermione couldn't help but laugh. She had been introduced to yet another iteration of Draco's incredibly multi-faceted personality. This was the Draco who teased her and held her hand, the Draco that was surprisingly affectionate. She'd seen him at his coldest, at his most ruthless, and she felt lucky to have also seen him at his gentlest.
But then, she realized the implications of Draco's statement. She was at his flat, and that was dangerous for him. Potentially deadly, if anyone found out she was there.
Hermione was putting him in danger, and her happiness curdled in stomach. She didn't want him in any danger, and she certainly didn't want to be the cause of it.
Beside her, Draco looked happy and relaxed. There was a gentle breeze in the air, and he closed his eyes as tousled his blonde hair. Hermione forced herself to swallow her dread. She would not ruin Draco's current happiness.
Hermione leaned into Draco more fully, resting her head on his shoulder. The breeze flitted across he own face and she smiled, enjoying the simplicity of merely sitting beneath a tree with Draco. "When you get enough horn, will you teach me?" Hermione asked "To make the antidote?"
He squeezed her shoulders. "Of course," he replied easily. "I'll teach you anything you want."
"It's been a while since I've really brewed anything," Hermione admitted. "I might be a bit rusty."
"Well, thankfully, you're in the presence of a master," Draco quipped.
Hermione merely rolled her eyes.
The sun had barely set when the unicorn came bounding out of the woods, stopping just at the edge of Hermione's wards. He stomped his feet and flicked his tail irritably.
Draco stood, frowning and offering Hermione his hand, pulling her up from the ground. Hand in hand, they walked towards the unicorn. Draco held out his free hand to the unicorn, but the unicorn ignored it, shoving his muzzle into Hermione's palm and giving a frustrated huff.
Draco laughed. "He's mad at you!" he exclaimed.
"Mad at me?" Hermione asked incredulously. "What have I done?"
Draco was still laughing. "If I had to guess, he's irritated you were not here last night. I imagine he graced us with his presence last night."
"We wait for you sometimes, too!" Hermione said to the unicorn. "You don't always show up either!" The unicorn butted her hand until she finally scratched his muzzle.
While Hermione rubbed the unicorn, Draco reached out to offer his own scratch. The unicorn promptly abandoned Hermione and nipped at Draco's proffered hand. Instantly, Draco withdrew his hand. "My mistake," he murmured. "I think, actually, he might be jealous."
Hermione laughed and returned to petting the unicorn. "Why are you jealous, huh?" she asked. "You're much more handsome than he is."
The unicorn nickered and beside her Draco muttered, "I resent that."
Hermione continued to rub the unicorn for several moments before turning back to Draco. "Are you going to take any horn?" she asked.
"He's not going to let me touch him tonight, I'm afraid," Draco replied.
"Can I try?" Hermione asked, surprising herself.
Draco merely shrugged. "Ask him," he said, motioning to the unicorn.
"Do you think I could take a bit of your horn?" Hermione asked the unicorn. Instantly, the unicorn dropped his head as if offering his horn to her.
"Looks like a yes," Draco mused.
"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise. "Draco, what do I do?"
Draco pulled his switchblade from his pocket, opened it with a sound click and handed it to her. "You've seen me do it," he said. "You know how."
Reluctantly, Hermione released Draco's hand, knowing she would need both of her hands for the task. In her left hand, Hermione held the unicorn's horn and in her right, she held the knife, mimicking the way she'd seen Draco do it. She looked to him for approval.
Draco nodded. "Exactly like that. It's just like peeling a carrot."
Hermione pressed the knife to the horn and began to peel. Despite how hard the unicorn's horn appeared to be, it came off rather easily in her hand. She made several solid peels before the unicorn raised his head and shook it, which Hermione interpreted as the unicorn saying, "Enough."
Hermione grasped the bit of horn she'd taken in her palm, squeezing it so as to make sure not to drop any before depositing it in the pocket of her jumper. "Thank you," Hermione said to the unicorn.
In response, the unicorn raised himself performatively onto his haunches, his front legs tucked neatly into his chest. In this position, he took several steps before jumping into the air and bucking his back legs. The unicorn promptly disappeared into the forest.
Hermione chuckled. "Show off," she muttered.
"I think he and I may have to duel," Draco murmured beside her.
She took several steps towards Draco before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. "If it makes you feel any better, I was lying. I find you much more handsome." He beamed at her and an electric spark shot down her spine.
Draco wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. "That does make me feel better, actually." He kissed her soundly. "Are you coming back with me?" he asked.
Truthfully, Hermione hadn't even thought about not going back with him. It was lonely inside her tent in the little clearing, and she could practically picture Draco alone in his flat, worrying needlessly about her. No, of course she was going back with him. "If you'll have me," she replied.
He dropped his forehead to hers. "Yes," he replied. "Of course."
Hand in hand, Draco apparated them back to his flat. Draco prepared them a simple meal of toast and cheese, washed down with tea. After they ate, Draco opened his book closet and pulled down a small notebook and a vial that contained what Hermione recognized as unicorn horn.
He placed both items in front of Hermione before unstopping the vial. Hermione promptly took the horn from her pocket and placed it in the vial. Draco re-stopped the vial before studying it for a minute, his eyes critical. "I think this is enough," he said. "But I'll ground it up tomorrow just to be sure." He gestured to the notebook he had set in front of Hermione. "If it's enough, we'll be brewing in four days' time. You should familiarize yourself."
Hermione opened the notebook and immediately recognized the handwriting. "Snape?" she asked.
Draco nodded. "He taught me most of what I know," he replied simply.
She'd always been conflicted about Snape. His personality had always been rather off-putting, to say the least, and Hermione couldn't think of a kind word he'd ever had for anyone. His loyalties had always seemed to be conflicted, and his motives dubious. She had never truly trusted him, even when Dumbledore had been alive to vouch for him. But here, in front of her, was more evidence that Snape had been on the side of the Order. He'd known Draco was a spy, and had trained him in potions anyways. That had to count for something, right?
"Legilimency, Occlumency, potions," he continued. "How to be a spy. I'd probably be dead without him."
He had promised that he'd tell her about his sixth year, and Hermione could tell that this was only the beginning of the story. Hermione did not press. He would tell her when he was ready.
"I'm glad you're not," she replied softly.
He kissed her. "I am, too," Draco said, giving her a lopsided grin.
Hermione opened the notebook and began to read. The potion was incredibly in depth, requiring a number of expensive or hard to get ingredients and absolute precision when it came to timing, stirring, and its extensive wand work. Hermione was determined to memorize it. Beside her, Draco had pulled out his book from earlier and had begun to scribble on his parchment again. She watched him for a few moments before pressing a long kiss to his cheek then going back to her studying.
She studied until she was exhausted and her eyes began to cross. Draco closed his own book before closing Hermione's. She tried to protest until he pulled her into his lap. "You're exhausted," he said, wrapping his arms around her.
Hermione wanted to argue with him even as she settle led against his chest and closed her eyes. She breathed in the scent of him and relaxed even further. "Mmm," Hermione replied.
Draco chuckled gently and began stroking lightly up and down her spine. "You're beautiful," he murmured quietly. "I haven't told you that yet, have I?"
Hermione shivered at his touch and at his words. "No."
"I am an idiot," Draco replied soundly.
Hermione was very nearly asleep in his arms when there was a knock at Draco's window. Draco tensed beneath her, and she was wide awake in an instant. "Draco?" she asked.
"Stay here," he said, gently setting her back on the floor before standing and heading towards the window. He had barely opened the window before he had a rolled piece of parchment in his hand. The window was promptly slammed shut, the curtain back in place. Draco unrolled the piece of parchment, scanned it quickly, and then gave a long sigh. He looked exhausted again.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, nerves bubbling in her belly.
Draco rubbed his brow with the heel of his hand, his eyes tightly closed. He gave her a tired grin. "It seems I have an unexpected social function tomorrow evening."
A social function? Well, that was hardly the worst news he could have received.
He returned to where Hermione at on the floor, dropping back down next to her. "I still have so many interrogations to do tomorrow," he said. "Then I have to deal with a formal dinner and Astoria."
Astoria. Hermione felt her stomach sharply drop. Astoria.
The pretty, faceless woman Draco had already been on at least one date with.
She shouldn't be jealous. She shouldn't be. After all, Draco was here, with her, and when he kissed her, he smiled. He didn't even seem particularly enthused to spend any time with Astoria. She shouldn't be jealous.
Except, she was jealous. She couldn't help it.
Draco didn't seem aware of anything but his own exhaustion. "I should get some sleep," he said. "I've got a long day."
Hermione nodded. "Okay," she agreed.
Draco helped Hermione up and led her to his bedroom where he provided her with a fresh t-shirt and pair of pajama pants from his miniscule wardrobe. She changed hurriedly while Draco did the same in the living room before sliding into his bed, feeling both exhausted and nauseous.
She couldn't get Astoria out of her head.
There was a light knock at the door and finding her in bed, Draco stepped inside, crouching next to the bed. He gently cupped her face in his hand before he kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight."
He made to stand, but Hermione caught his hand. "Wait," she said quietly, tugging him back towards her. "Stay."
"Hermione—"
"Just to sleep," Hermione clarified.
Draco looked conflicted for several seconds before asking, "Are you sure?"
Hermione nodded. "Yes," she said, moving to make room for him in the bed.
Draco barely hesitated before lifting the covers and sliding in beside her, facing her. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "Sleep well, Hermione."
With him, she knew she would.