Working Together Chapter 16
Author: yourebrilliant
Beta: the_willows
Pairing: DMHG
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: *checks* nope, still not mine
Summary: It's the kind of project she loves with the kind of guy she...hates?
Hermione was dancing. Decked out in a red and gold dress, she was being whirled around an elegant dance floor by a tall man; her cheek resting against his chest as he waltzed her expertly. She shifted slightly as her partner leant close and whispered, ‘You, would make the worst Auror.’
Startled, Hermione leant back to find herself in Malfoy’s arms. Looking down she found that her dress had changed from red and gold to green and silver. Looking back up at him, she frowned disapprovingly. ‘Malfoy, stop it. And what are you doing in my dream?’ she asked, sharply.
He smirked down at her. ‘Ah, but H, I’m not in your dream. I’m in your bed.’
Snapping her eyes open, Hermione tilted her head to see Malfoy leaning over her, and smirking. ‘H,’ he said, as calmly as if they had met at a garden party, or in the supermarket.
‘Malfoy!’ she squeaked. ‘Get. Out. Of. My. Bed.’
‘Oh, alright,’ he muttered, rising lithely from his semi-recumbent position on top of her covers. ‘But you’d better hurry up, we don’t have a lot of time,’ he said, striding out of her room.
Cursing herself for her curiosity that made her unable ignore his statement, and him for taking advantage of it, Hermione tumbled out of bed, grabbing sleepily for the dressing gown she always hung up behind her bedroom door.
‘MALFOY!’ she yelled, as her hand met thin air. ‘GIVE MY ROBE BACK!’
‘Why of course, H,’ he called smoothly from the living room. ‘As soon as you come and get it.’
‘Perverted ferret,’ she muttered, shivering a little as she made her way through to the living room.
‘Very nice,’ Malfoy said, taking in her short, silky night gown as he dangled the dressing gown in front of her.
‘Time for what?’ Hermione asked, ignoring his leering as she snatched the dressing gown out of his hand and wrapped it around herself.
‘The potion,’ Malfoy said, smugly. Before she could respond, he turned on the spot and disappeared.
Growling, Hermione took a guess at his destination and turned after him.
‘Ah, you made it,’ a voice drawled from behind her.
‘Malfoy,’ Hermione growled, ‘first, never Apparate on me in the middle of a conversation again, second, there’s another thirty days before we have to take the potion off the heat.’
‘Actually, there’s not,’ Malfoy said, dropping his swagger a little and perching on one of the potions stools. ‘I was rereading the instructions for the potion - since it was getting closer to the end,’ he added, ‘and it’s one hundred and twenty days from the addition of the first ingredient, not the last.’
Wide-eyed, Hermione slumped onto a stool next to him. ‘I don’t know how I missed that,’ she murmured, her hands covering her mouth as she realised how badly the potion could have gone wrong if it had over-stewed.
‘It’s alright,’ Draco said, carefully reaching out a hand to pat her on the shoulder. ‘We caught it in time.’
She looked up at him sharply. We. Did he even realise he’d said it? This was a perfect chance for him to show her up, strut about with yet more proof of his perfection, but he was just making sure they made the potion right. It was so...nice of him. Later she’d blame it on relief, or being woken up in the middle of the night. But now, when he looked at her - so confused - and asked, ‘What?’ she couldn’t help but fling her arms round his waist.
‘Thank you,’ she murmured into his chest.
‘It’s just a potion,’ he muttered, carefully wrapping his arms around her. Hermione smiled to herself, let him think that was all she’d meant. Pulling back, she brushed her hair out of her face and cleared her throat.
‘So, we should take this potion off the boil,’ she said, calmly.
‘Right,’ Draco said, reaching out and stopping the flames with a flick of his wand. ‘Well,’ he muttered awkwardly.
‘That was easy,’ Hermione commented.
Malfoy laughed, causing her to smile up at him. ‘So,’ he said softly, ‘I’ll take this away and start soaking the parchment, and I’ll see you in-’
‘Malfoy,’ Hermione said, quickly. He looked at her, surprised. ‘Look, this is stupid,’ she said swiftly. ‘I mean, you know Harry, and I know Harry, and you only work two floors away,’ she said, gesturing to him as if proving a point. Malfoy nodded, bemused. ‘We’ve got months of the project to go, just because we’re not working together, it doesn’t mean-and this way we don’t have to fight for Harry’s lunch time, do you see?’ she asked, looking up at him expectantly.
Malfoy smiled at her. ‘Not in the slightest,’ he murmured.
Hermione frowned. ‘Oh, I left that bit out,’ she said, huffing with annoyance. ‘I was trying to say, there’s no need for you to say “well I’ll see you in” and disappear. We’re friends, sort of, and we’re both friends with Harry, so it’s only natural for us to spend time together,’ she finished.
Draco watched her silently.
‘Thank you for my present,’ she said quietly.
‘You’re welcome,’ Draco said softly.
‘You could’ve come, you know. To the party. If you wanted,’ she added, cursing herself for stuttering.
‘Room full of Gryffindors?’ he shuddered. ‘No thanks.’
Hermione laughed, and slapped him gently on the arm. ‘Same old ferret Malfoy,’ she smiled.
Malfoy smirked and gestured to her tightly tied robe. ‘Same old spoilsport Granger.’
Chapter 17
Beta: the_willows
Pairing: DMHG
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: *checks* nope, still not mine
Summary: It's the kind of project she loves with the kind of guy she...hates?
Hermione was dancing. Decked out in a red and gold dress, she was being whirled around an elegant dance floor by a tall man; her cheek resting against his chest as he waltzed her expertly. She shifted slightly as her partner leant close and whispered, ‘You, would make the worst Auror.’
Startled, Hermione leant back to find herself in Malfoy’s arms. Looking down she found that her dress had changed from red and gold to green and silver. Looking back up at him, she frowned disapprovingly. ‘Malfoy, stop it. And what are you doing in my dream?’ she asked, sharply.
He smirked down at her. ‘Ah, but H, I’m not in your dream. I’m in your bed.’
Snapping her eyes open, Hermione tilted her head to see Malfoy leaning over her, and smirking. ‘H,’ he said, as calmly as if they had met at a garden party, or in the supermarket.
‘Malfoy!’ she squeaked. ‘Get. Out. Of. My. Bed.’
‘Oh, alright,’ he muttered, rising lithely from his semi-recumbent position on top of her covers. ‘But you’d better hurry up, we don’t have a lot of time,’ he said, striding out of her room.
Cursing herself for her curiosity that made her unable ignore his statement, and him for taking advantage of it, Hermione tumbled out of bed, grabbing sleepily for the dressing gown she always hung up behind her bedroom door.
‘MALFOY!’ she yelled, as her hand met thin air. ‘GIVE MY ROBE BACK!’
‘Why of course, H,’ he called smoothly from the living room. ‘As soon as you come and get it.’
‘Perverted ferret,’ she muttered, shivering a little as she made her way through to the living room.
‘Very nice,’ Malfoy said, taking in her short, silky night gown as he dangled the dressing gown in front of her.
‘Time for what?’ Hermione asked, ignoring his leering as she snatched the dressing gown out of his hand and wrapped it around herself.
‘The potion,’ Malfoy said, smugly. Before she could respond, he turned on the spot and disappeared.
Growling, Hermione took a guess at his destination and turned after him.
‘Ah, you made it,’ a voice drawled from behind her.
‘Malfoy,’ Hermione growled, ‘first, never Apparate on me in the middle of a conversation again, second, there’s another thirty days before we have to take the potion off the heat.’
‘Actually, there’s not,’ Malfoy said, dropping his swagger a little and perching on one of the potions stools. ‘I was rereading the instructions for the potion - since it was getting closer to the end,’ he added, ‘and it’s one hundred and twenty days from the addition of the first ingredient, not the last.’
Wide-eyed, Hermione slumped onto a stool next to him. ‘I don’t know how I missed that,’ she murmured, her hands covering her mouth as she realised how badly the potion could have gone wrong if it had over-stewed.
‘It’s alright,’ Draco said, carefully reaching out a hand to pat her on the shoulder. ‘We caught it in time.’
She looked up at him sharply. We. Did he even realise he’d said it? This was a perfect chance for him to show her up, strut about with yet more proof of his perfection, but he was just making sure they made the potion right. It was so...nice of him. Later she’d blame it on relief, or being woken up in the middle of the night. But now, when he looked at her - so confused - and asked, ‘What?’ she couldn’t help but fling her arms round his waist.
‘Thank you,’ she murmured into his chest.
‘It’s just a potion,’ he muttered, carefully wrapping his arms around her. Hermione smiled to herself, let him think that was all she’d meant. Pulling back, she brushed her hair out of her face and cleared her throat.
‘So, we should take this potion off the boil,’ she said, calmly.
‘Right,’ Draco said, reaching out and stopping the flames with a flick of his wand. ‘Well,’ he muttered awkwardly.
‘That was easy,’ Hermione commented.
Malfoy laughed, causing her to smile up at him. ‘So,’ he said softly, ‘I’ll take this away and start soaking the parchment, and I’ll see you in-’
‘Malfoy,’ Hermione said, quickly. He looked at her, surprised. ‘Look, this is stupid,’ she said swiftly. ‘I mean, you know Harry, and I know Harry, and you only work two floors away,’ she said, gesturing to him as if proving a point. Malfoy nodded, bemused. ‘We’ve got months of the project to go, just because we’re not working together, it doesn’t mean-and this way we don’t have to fight for Harry’s lunch time, do you see?’ she asked, looking up at him expectantly.
Malfoy smiled at her. ‘Not in the slightest,’ he murmured.
Hermione frowned. ‘Oh, I left that bit out,’ she said, huffing with annoyance. ‘I was trying to say, there’s no need for you to say “well I’ll see you in” and disappear. We’re friends, sort of, and we’re both friends with Harry, so it’s only natural for us to spend time together,’ she finished.
Draco watched her silently.
‘Thank you for my present,’ she said quietly.
‘You’re welcome,’ Draco said softly.
‘You could’ve come, you know. To the party. If you wanted,’ she added, cursing herself for stuttering.
‘Room full of Gryffindors?’ he shuddered. ‘No thanks.’
Hermione laughed, and slapped him gently on the arm. ‘Same old ferret Malfoy,’ she smiled.
Malfoy smirked and gestured to her tightly tied robe. ‘Same old spoilsport Granger.’
Chapter 17