Fic: The Petrichor [Draco/Hermione]
Title: The Petrichor
Author/Artist: delicate_cherry
Prompt: # H15 by anidot90
Pairing(s): Draco/Hermione
Word Count: ~4300
Rating: G
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: All the beta love goes to the amazing MrBenzedrine. I hope you enjoy reading this!
Summary: This is why Draco hates thunderstorms. Or loves them.
~*~*~*~
Draco Malfoy returned to Hogwarts the year of 1998 with no expectations of enjoying himself. He was going to keep his head down and perform his Head Boy duties the best he could while having little to no interaction with the Head Girl. Too bad said Head Girl was Hermione Granger.
~*~*~*~
Draco entered the Head compartment with his head tucked, not expecting to see anyone an hour before the Prefects meeting was supposed to happen.
"Is that the Head Boy badge?"
Draco's head jerked with surprise. He looked at Granger sitting down with her eyebrows drawn together in confusion, or perhaps anger, staring at him like he shouldn't be there at all. He then glanced down at his shiny Head Boy badge and couldn't help but smirk.
"Why, yes, Granger. Are you really surprised?"
~*~*~*~
Hermione Granger returned to Hogwarts the year of 1998 with every intention of immersing herself in her studies and having the most fun she could in her final year. She was finally going to experience a normal year and, to make it even better, she was Head Girl. She couldn't wait to have her own dormitories. Too bad she would have to share them with Draco Malfoy.
~*~*~*~
She stopped looking at him and glanced back to the textbook in her lap. She decided against replying to his arrogant question.
"Come on, Granger. Humor me. Who else would be a better Head Boy?" Malfoy was leaning against the compartment door with his arms crossed across his chest. Both his eyebrows were raised, challenging her to answer him. She finally took notice of his appearance; his face was more hollowed out than she had last seen him at the Battle of Hogwarts, and he was thinner. He had dark purple smudges under his eyes, and his hair was dull and limp against his skull. She surmised that all of this must be the result of his stay at Azkaban for over three months, waiting for his trial which took place less than ten days ago. Nevertheless, he was wearing a haughty smirk and acted like he owned the world.
"Well, Headmistress McGonagall asked Harry and Ron first, but they didn't want to be Head Boy, and Terry Boot and Ernie Macmillan didn't return this year."
His smirk faltered, but it was back up in less than a second. Hermione cheered internally for having one-upped him.
~*~*~*~
Of course, the old bat would ask them before Draco. How stupid was he to think otherwise? He sat down opposite Granger and contemplated the meaning of life through the meeting and the rest of the trip.
~*~*~*~
They were sitting behind the only desk in their common room. Admittedly, it was a long desk, but Granger had taken it upon herself to stack her books on it since they had no shelves, forcing them to sit rather close next to each other while doing homework.
"You have it wrong, you know."
Draco cursed under his breath before putting his quill down to look at Granger. He was doing his Arithmancy essay while Granger was supposedly studying for a Charms test. Apparently not, because she was perusing his parchment intensely.
"Here, let me just…"
She took his quill and parchment and started making changes to the equation he had written down. Draco scowled for a few seconds before realization dawned on him, and he started to blush.
"There you go. It's all fixed now. You should really study more, Malfoy. That's fifth-year work."
And with that, she finally returned to her studying without making any further comments on his homework.
~*~*~*~
Hermione entered the Potions classroom two minutes late. She hastily apologized to Professor Slughorn and made her way to sit down. There was an empty seat next to Malfoy and an empty desk at the back of the classroom. She put her bag on the empty desk and went to sit down when Slughorn said, "Miss Granger, sit next to Mister Malfoy, please. You need to work with a partner."
Damn it. Of course, Malfoy would be the one without a partner. It made sense though; he wasn't remotely popular this year. Even his Slytherin buddies weren't talking to him.
Hermione cursed some more under her breath before sitting down next to him.
"You could at least pretend; I'm not that bad," he said, feigning hurt.
"Shut up, Ferret."
"Don't call me that."
"Today we're going to brew an Amortentia Potion to combine it with a Shield Charm. Can someone tell me what the resulting concoction does?" Professor Slughorn asked.
Hermione promptly raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss Granger."
"Drinking Amortentia that's under Protego leads to feeling protective of the person whose hair is in the Potion. The Amortentia's effect is neutralized, and it doesn't induce affection, only the need to make sure the person is safe."
"Correct… We're going to test this Potion today. Each team will brew the Potion, and one of you will drink it with your partner's hair inside. The effects should wear off in an hour."
Great. Not only did Hermione have to spend the next two hours working with Malfoy, but she'd most likely be attached to him for an hour after that. Or maybe he would be attached to her. She couldn't decide which was worse.
~*~*~*~
They spent the period working mostly in silence. The only words that were exchanged were "Pass the knife," or "I'll add the peppermint."
Finally, it was time to sprinkle pearl dust over the Potion, and the excruciating lesson would be over. Draco couldn't wait.
He reached for the ingredient and took out a pinch to put in the Potion. He dusted his fingers off and sighed in relief.
"Malfoy, no!"
"What? What it is it?"
"That was powdered moonstone! How could you make such a mistake? They're different colours!"
Draco looked at the jar in his hand, and sure enough, it was a light yellow instead of white. To make the matters worse, there was a label. He groaned internally, embarrassed about his faux pas.
"I can't believe you actually did that. You idiot! We were going to get an Outstanding for this, and you just had to go and mess it up. It's what you do, isn't it? Always-"
"Woah, hold up. What's that supposed to mean?"
They were almost yelling now, and Draco could feel the entire class looking at them. Slughorn was inspecting them curiously but didn't interrupt. Perhaps he was waiting to see how this would play out.
"Oh, you know what I mean, Malfoy! You always go around sabotaging everything we do. You-"
"Hey, I don't do that! Stop with the accusations, Granger. It was an accident. It's not like I don't want a good-"
"Stop denying it! You wouldn't give up a chance to get us in trouble; you never did." She wanted to clap a hand across her big mouth but letting years of pent up emotion out, she said, "You even let Death Eaters into Hogwarts! You are a Death Eater."
~*~*~*~
Hermione knew she shouldn't have said it the moment it came out of her mouth, but she stood her ground and kept quiet as she saw Malfoy's shoulders drop. Why did she say that? How was it even relevant? He gathered his stuff silently and left the classroom without a glance back.
"Alright, that's enough. Class dismissed. Can I talk to you for a second, Miss Granger?"
Hermione really wanted to follow Malfoy and tell him she was sorry, she really did.
But she went to Slughorn's office instead as he droned on and on about proper treatment of fellow students.
Perhaps some time would help him cool down…
~*~*~*~
Hermione saw him at lunch that day, but she couldn't make eye contact as much as she tried. She didn't take her eyes off of him for one second and observed him as he played with his food. He barely took five bites in the thirty minutes he was there and eventually got up and left.
She followed from ten steps behind him to their common room, but he didn't acknowledge her at all. He was dragging his feet, and she observed his defeated posture, berating herself for being so thoughtless.
When they reached their dormitories, he muttered the password and passed the common room to climb up the stairs to his room. She decided to wait for him to come out instead.
~*~*~*~
It was almost midnight, and there was still no sign of him. Not for dinner or even for a bathroom break. Hermione was starving, and she'd eaten a lot more than him at lunch. Come to think of it, he never went to dinner, did he? In fact, she couldn't recall the last time she'd seen him at the Great Hall for a meal other than lunch. No wonder he was so thin and lanky.
Hermione yawned. She decided she didn't want to wait anymore, but she didn't want to leave the wound open any longer.
Determined, she ascended the stairs two at a time. When she reached the entrance to his room, she took her time, examining the silver letters on his door.
Head Boy, Draco Malfoy
She traced her hands over each letter lightly and contemplated her words. Not knowing what to say, she eventually decided to wing it. She rapped on the door once, twice.
No answer.
Two more knocks.
"Malfoy, I know you're in there. Open the damn door."
Not a good start.
She knocked once more before the door finally opened. Her hand was hanging in the air, and she hastily brought it down, locking her arms together behind her back and rocking on her heels. Her mouth was dry, and her mind went completely blank.
"I-I…um..."
"Just spit out, Granger."
"I'm sorry… about what I said."
"Why?"
Hermione was surprised. Out of all the things she had expected for an answer, this certainly wasn't it. She had anticipated anger, maybe even a rude comment about her blood status and heritage.
What she got was more along the lines of dejection. Like he'd accepted his fate, whatever it was.
"What do you mean why?"
"Why are you sorry?"
Hermione honestly had no idea how to answer that.
~*~*~*~
Draco was furious. What was this imbecile apologizing for? Speaking the truth? This was the icing on top of the cake that was today, so to speak. He scowled and went back to sit on his trunk at the foot of the four-poster bed.
He watched Granger hesitate for a moment before crossing the threshold and closing the door behind her. She paced around the room and wrung her hands together.
"Well…It was wrong and insensitive. I shouldn't have said it."
"It's fine."
"-and I was…Wait, what? Then why are you being so…" She trailed off, waving her right hand in his direction vaguely. "… broody?"
"I'm not broody, Granger."
But he was, wasn't he? He made a point to act like his usual self, pretending her remarks hadn't affected him.
"What did Slughorn want? Did he give you any detention?" he asked, smirking.
"Um, no, but he wants us to brew Amortentia again this weekend."
Crap.
~*~*~*~
"Protego!" Draco yelled.
Hermione snickered as she said, "At least you know how to cast a spell."
"Hey!"
"I'm joking. You did a great job, Draco!" she said sarcastically, almost bursting out in laughter.
Draco scowled and crossed his arms.
"Well, who's taking it, Granger?"
"I-I guess I can."
"Well, go ahead."
He smirked. It was obvious she wasn't waiting for him to agree so quickly.
"O-Okay."
She gingerly reached for his head and ran a hand through his hair. Draco, not expecting this whatsoever, made a strange sound from the back of his throat. Granger took her hand back and looked at her palm, finding several strands of hair. She nodded, apparently satisfied with the result of her action, though Draco didn't think he imagined the colour to her cheeks.
~*~*~*~
Hermione conjured a cup and poured the required amount into it. She drank it slowly, savouring the sweet taste and heavenly scent of the Potion.
"Oh, look at the time! I have Quidditch practice."
"What? Malfoy, no! It's too dangerous; you might get hur-"
Hermione slapped a hand across her mouth.
"I see the Potion is already working. Splendid!"
"So, you don't really have Quidditch practice?" Hermione asked hopefully.
"Of course, I do."
"Oh," Hermione replied unhappily. This Potion was the worst. Hermione hadn't felt this kind of worry and distress since the War.
"Let's go then!" Malfoy said cheerfully. It was obvious he was taking extreme joy in seeing her in agony. Hermione just scowled.
She waited while Malfoy went back to his room to change into his Quidditch gear and bring his broom. When he finally emerged, she couldn't help but glance fretfully at his Nimbus 2001. He apparently noticed but got the wrong impression.
"It's the same one from Second Year," he said nervously.
"Oh."
There was an awkward moment of silence before he elaborated, "My father wouldn't get me a new one until I beat Potter."
To be fair, there was an awkward moment even after he elaborated.
Hermione sighed and said, "Let's get going then!"
They walked to the Quidditch pitch in silence, the uncomfortable atmosphere almost suffocating Hermione, making her want to take off her scarf just so she could breathe properly.
They reached their destination, and Draco eagerly took off in the sky without another word. She would sigh in relief if she weren't feeling so agitated.
Hermione sat down in the stands and watched the team fly around aimlessly, presumably warming up.
Hermione was almost calming down when they released the balls. More specifically, the Bludgers.
It happened in less than five seconds. Hermione saw one of the Beaters beat a Bludger away from a teammate, and she saw Malfoy flying a few meters away. She reacted almost instinctively, summoning a broom and flying at a speed she didn't know was possible.
~*~*~*~
One moment, Draco was flying around casually, looking for the Snitch, and the next he saw Granger whizzing towards him. He was almost expecting her to crash into him and had his hands in front of him to protect himself, but she suddenly turned her back to him, and the second after that a Bludger knocked her down. The sound of bones cracking was sickeningly loud.
Draco, horrified, flew as fast as he could to catch her. He caught her around her waist and hoisted her up into his lap. She was limp, and her face was a ghostly white colour.
He raced to the castle on his broom and ran to the hospital as quickly as he could with the girl in his arms.
~*~*~*~
Hermione groggily opened her eyes. The white ceiling and the extreme pain in her ribs led her to believe that she was in the Hospital Wing. She heard someone sigh tiredly and looked to her right.
Sure enough, Malfoy was sitting in a chair beside her bed. The purple smudges under his eyes were darker than usual.
"Good. You're up."
"What happened?"
"You broke three ribs and cracked your sternum."
Hermione breathed sharply.
"That was an idiotic thing to do, Granger!" He almost sounded angry.
"Hey! It's not my fault the Potion wanted to save your life." This came out almost as a whisper because it hurt to talk loudly. It wasn't as effective as she would've liked, but it would have to do.
He sighed again as if he actually felt her pain.
"At least Slughorn is getting the heat," he said to change the subject.
"Well, he should. That Potion is bloody dangerous."
~*~*~*~
"What are you doing?" Draco asked at lunch, a week after the ‘incident'.
"I'm sitting down?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "I mean, what are you doing, sitting here?"
"Oh," she said as if she didn't know what he was asking in the first place. "I just thought I'd sit here… I can go if you want…"
Of course, she'd try guilt-tripping him into this.
"It's fine, Granger."
"Excellent!"
She beamed and sat down next to him. Draco squirmed in his seat a little and tried to put some distance between their bodies. Granger didn't pay him any mind and started piling food onto her plate. She glanced at his when she was finished and scowled.
She opened and closed her mouth several times as if she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to do it. Eventually, she said, "You should really eat more, you know."
"I eat just fine."
"No, you don't."
"Yes, I do."
"No, you don't."
"Yes, I-Seriously, Granger. What is this about?"
"I told you; I wanted to sit here."
Draco looked at her suspiciously, but he didn't say anything.
"Why don't you call me Hermione?"
"Why don't you call me Draco?"
"I saved your life."
"We've had this argument before. I thought we agreed that you didn't save my life. You merely took a Bludger for me."
Hermione rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Fine, I saved you from broken ribs."
"Why do you care what I call you anyway?" Draco asked curiously.
"I-I suppose I'd like to think we're friends."
They were silent for a moment. Hermione kept her eyes on her plate while Draco gazed at her.
"I'll call you Hermione,"-it sounded strange to his ears-"only if you call me Draco."
She grinned roguishly and said, "Deal."
~*~*~*~
Draco didn't like thunderstorms. In fact, he absolutely detested them. It seemed that luck wasn't on his side when a series of storms decided to hit the Highlands of Scotland. He already had problems sleeping, and the sound of the whooshing wind against his windows did not help at all.
Because of this, he'd spent every night of the last seven days in the common room where there were no windows. Sometimes, he would doze off on the couch. Other times he would stay up all night doing homework or staring at the crackling blaze in the hearth.
It was during one such night, when he was on the verge of sweet sleep, that Gra-Hermione entered the common room. Draco sat up right at the sound of the door blasting open and shut. Hermione was standing there, soaked to the bone, her white oxford shirt clinging to her body and almost transparent, her wet matted hair sticking to her head. She was shaking wildly, undoubtedly cold.
Draco bolted up and ran to her swiftly. He charmed her clothes and hair dry and threw his duvet around her shoulders.
"What the Hell, Granger? Are you looking to catch pneumonia?"
He put her hand on her forehead, something his mother would always do when he looked like he was cold, and hissed in anger.
"You're freezing."
He walked her to the fireplace, and they both sat down on the floor. She sneezed twice before she said, "I thought we agreed to call each other by our given name?"
"Is that what you got from my question? What were you doing outside in this weather, Hermione?"
"I was in the rain."
"Obviously."
Draco waited for her to reply, but it never came. He sighed wearily. "What were you doing in the rain?"
"I don't know. I guess I like being under the open sky when it's pouring."
He looked at her incredulously. "Congratulations. You've officially lost all your marbles."
"You don't like the rain?"
Draco paused before answering. "The rain is fine, I suppose. I just don't like the thunder."
"Is ickle Draco afraid of the storm?" she teased with a happy smile. Draco glared in return but didn't say anything.
"I like the smell," Hermione said.
They were quiet for a moment before Hermione's loud yawn broke the silence. It was one in the morning.
"You should really go to sleep, Hermione."
"Yeah, I think I'll do that."
She laid down and put her head in his lap.
Draco was surprised, but there was no use complaining as she was already asleep. He summoned a cushion and a blanket and finally managed some sleep.
~*~*~*~
There were some things you couldn't share without ending up liking each other, and falling asleep together was one of them.
~*~*~*~
"It's a Hogsmeade trip this weekend," Hermione said.
"Uh-huh."
"So… you want to get a drink?" she asked shyly.
Draco's head snapped up, and his neck made a cracking sound.
"Um… sure?"
"Are you asking me?"
"What? No! I mean, yes." He took a deep breath. "I mean, I'd love to catch a drink, Hermione," he replied with a smirk. Hermione smiled back happily.
~*~*~*~
"Are you telling me you turned into a giant cat? That's hilarious!" Draco howled with laughter.
"Hey! You promised not to laugh!"
"I'm sorry; I just can't… This is too… funny."
~*~*~*~
"So, you mean to tell me that you repaired the Vanishing Cabinet all by yourself?"
"I did."
"That's amazing, Draco."
"It would be if it weren't for the…you know."
They were sitting across from each other in the library. Hermione reached her hands to put on his. She squeezed his fingers before she said, "You know I didn't mean to say what I did in Potions that day, right?"
Draco hesitated before saying, "Well, it's true, isn't it?"
"You shouldn't let the mistakes of the past follow you into the future."
~*~*~*~
They were studying together in the common room when Hermione got up from her chair. Draco didn't think much of it until he felt warm hands on his face. He drew in a ragged breath.
"What are you doing?"
"I saw you at dinner yesterday."
"I repeat, what are you doing?" he said, voice somewhat muffled by Hermione's hands.
"Your cheeks are less hollowed out."
"What does that even mean?"
She slid her hands down to his neck, leaning down to press a quick kiss to his hair. He barely suppressed a groan when she started massaging his shoulders.
"Don't worry; it's a good thing."
~*~*~*~
"Happy Christmas, Draco."
"Happy Christmas, Hermione."
"Are you staying at Hogwarts?" she asked.
"Yes, are you?"
"I think so."
~*~*~*~
It was Christmas Eve, and even though it was thundering rain outside, Draco didn't let it bother him. He was going to finish building the bookshelf tonight the Muggle way, and preferably before Hermione returned from the Gryffindor common room.
He got a paper cut from the instructions and cursed loudly.
"Should I be worried?" came an amused voice from the doorway. Draco jumped and turned his head to observe the intruder.
Giving up on trying to keep his ‘gift' a secret, he gestured to the scattered pieces of his-their-bookshelf.
"Draco?" Hermione questioned.
He sighed and tried his best to explain without embarrassing himself too much, "It's a bookshelf. I…got it using one of your magazines." He hesitated before adding, "It was supposed to be a surprise, but I've been at it all day, and I just can't get it right."
~*~*~*~
Hermione, touched by the gesture, moved closer to inspect the project. She looked at the markings on the wood quizzically and asked, "Those aren't Muggle."
Draco bit his cheek before saying, "I might've tinkered with it a little bit."
She looked at him incredulously, exasperated. "Then why didn't you just use magic to put it together?"
"I thought you'd like it better this way," he replied, shrugging casually, pretending nonchalance.
"I only got you a book!" Hermione stage whispered, putting on a horrified look that wasn't exaggerative.
"Can I see?"
"Not until tomorrow!"
"But you already saw yours," he reasoned. Hermione hesitated for a second before tumbling up the stairs and dashing back down with a heavy-looking package under her arms.
Draco eagerly tore through the red and green wrappings until he saw the title, "A Beginner's Guide to Muggle Chemistry and Alchemy," he said out loud.
Hermione bit her lip before saying, "I guess both of us decided to go a bit Muggle for Christmas."
He smiled at her before gently running his hands over the cover of the book. "How did you know I'd like this?"
"The fact that you can confuse pearl dust and powdered moonstone but still decided to take Potions."
Draco pulled a face before getting up and hugging her tightly. "Thank you."
Hermione, pleasantly surprised, raised her arms and hugged him back.
Suddenly, a loud thunder struck, making Draco jump slightly. She giggled and kissed his nose before an idea began to form inside her head.
~*~*~*~
"Let's go outside."
Draco waited to make sure that he'd heard it correctly. He pulled back from their embrace to look at her questioningly. "Are you mad?"
"Come on!" she said, grabbing his hand with one of her own and summoning their coats with the other.
Draco, too shocked to resist, followed her out of the castle to the edge of the Forbidden Forest in a daze, not registering the rain pattering on his head and getting him soaked to the bone.
Hermione continued dancing and spinning under the sky, sometimes grabbing his hands and running around the deserted grounds with him. Their shoes made loud squelches, and the sound of their laughter mingled melodically with the pounding rain. She started slowing down, and by the time they reached the Quidditch pitch, they had come to a stop.
"This is where it started, isn't it?" she reflected wistfully, a serene smile lifting up the corners of her mouth. Draco smiled back contentedly and when they went on to kiss passionately, standing under the rain for at least another twenty minutes, he thought that maybe he doesn't hate thunderstorms, after all.
~*~*~*~
Notes: Christmas gift ideas by the genius MrBenzedrine.
Author/Artist: delicate_cherry
Prompt: # H15 by anidot90
Pairing(s): Draco/Hermione
Word Count: ~4300
Rating: G
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: All the beta love goes to the amazing MrBenzedrine. I hope you enjoy reading this!
Summary: This is why Draco hates thunderstorms. Or loves them.
~*~*~*~
Draco Malfoy returned to Hogwarts the year of 1998 with no expectations of enjoying himself. He was going to keep his head down and perform his Head Boy duties the best he could while having little to no interaction with the Head Girl. Too bad said Head Girl was Hermione Granger.
~*~*~*~
Draco entered the Head compartment with his head tucked, not expecting to see anyone an hour before the Prefects meeting was supposed to happen.
"Is that the Head Boy badge?"
Draco's head jerked with surprise. He looked at Granger sitting down with her eyebrows drawn together in confusion, or perhaps anger, staring at him like he shouldn't be there at all. He then glanced down at his shiny Head Boy badge and couldn't help but smirk.
"Why, yes, Granger. Are you really surprised?"
~*~*~*~
Hermione Granger returned to Hogwarts the year of 1998 with every intention of immersing herself in her studies and having the most fun she could in her final year. She was finally going to experience a normal year and, to make it even better, she was Head Girl. She couldn't wait to have her own dormitories. Too bad she would have to share them with Draco Malfoy.
~*~*~*~
She stopped looking at him and glanced back to the textbook in her lap. She decided against replying to his arrogant question.
"Come on, Granger. Humor me. Who else would be a better Head Boy?" Malfoy was leaning against the compartment door with his arms crossed across his chest. Both his eyebrows were raised, challenging her to answer him. She finally took notice of his appearance; his face was more hollowed out than she had last seen him at the Battle of Hogwarts, and he was thinner. He had dark purple smudges under his eyes, and his hair was dull and limp against his skull. She surmised that all of this must be the result of his stay at Azkaban for over three months, waiting for his trial which took place less than ten days ago. Nevertheless, he was wearing a haughty smirk and acted like he owned the world.
"Well, Headmistress McGonagall asked Harry and Ron first, but they didn't want to be Head Boy, and Terry Boot and Ernie Macmillan didn't return this year."
His smirk faltered, but it was back up in less than a second. Hermione cheered internally for having one-upped him.
~*~*~*~
Of course, the old bat would ask them before Draco. How stupid was he to think otherwise? He sat down opposite Granger and contemplated the meaning of life through the meeting and the rest of the trip.
~*~*~*~
They were sitting behind the only desk in their common room. Admittedly, it was a long desk, but Granger had taken it upon herself to stack her books on it since they had no shelves, forcing them to sit rather close next to each other while doing homework.
"You have it wrong, you know."
Draco cursed under his breath before putting his quill down to look at Granger. He was doing his Arithmancy essay while Granger was supposedly studying for a Charms test. Apparently not, because she was perusing his parchment intensely.
"Here, let me just…"
She took his quill and parchment and started making changes to the equation he had written down. Draco scowled for a few seconds before realization dawned on him, and he started to blush.
"There you go. It's all fixed now. You should really study more, Malfoy. That's fifth-year work."
And with that, she finally returned to her studying without making any further comments on his homework.
~*~*~*~
Hermione entered the Potions classroom two minutes late. She hastily apologized to Professor Slughorn and made her way to sit down. There was an empty seat next to Malfoy and an empty desk at the back of the classroom. She put her bag on the empty desk and went to sit down when Slughorn said, "Miss Granger, sit next to Mister Malfoy, please. You need to work with a partner."
Damn it. Of course, Malfoy would be the one without a partner. It made sense though; he wasn't remotely popular this year. Even his Slytherin buddies weren't talking to him.
Hermione cursed some more under her breath before sitting down next to him.
"You could at least pretend; I'm not that bad," he said, feigning hurt.
"Shut up, Ferret."
"Don't call me that."
"Today we're going to brew an Amortentia Potion to combine it with a Shield Charm. Can someone tell me what the resulting concoction does?" Professor Slughorn asked.
Hermione promptly raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss Granger."
"Drinking Amortentia that's under Protego leads to feeling protective of the person whose hair is in the Potion. The Amortentia's effect is neutralized, and it doesn't induce affection, only the need to make sure the person is safe."
"Correct… We're going to test this Potion today. Each team will brew the Potion, and one of you will drink it with your partner's hair inside. The effects should wear off in an hour."
Great. Not only did Hermione have to spend the next two hours working with Malfoy, but she'd most likely be attached to him for an hour after that. Or maybe he would be attached to her. She couldn't decide which was worse.
~*~*~*~
They spent the period working mostly in silence. The only words that were exchanged were "Pass the knife," or "I'll add the peppermint."
Finally, it was time to sprinkle pearl dust over the Potion, and the excruciating lesson would be over. Draco couldn't wait.
He reached for the ingredient and took out a pinch to put in the Potion. He dusted his fingers off and sighed in relief.
"Malfoy, no!"
"What? What it is it?"
"That was powdered moonstone! How could you make such a mistake? They're different colours!"
Draco looked at the jar in his hand, and sure enough, it was a light yellow instead of white. To make the matters worse, there was a label. He groaned internally, embarrassed about his faux pas.
"I can't believe you actually did that. You idiot! We were going to get an Outstanding for this, and you just had to go and mess it up. It's what you do, isn't it? Always-"
"Woah, hold up. What's that supposed to mean?"
They were almost yelling now, and Draco could feel the entire class looking at them. Slughorn was inspecting them curiously but didn't interrupt. Perhaps he was waiting to see how this would play out.
"Oh, you know what I mean, Malfoy! You always go around sabotaging everything we do. You-"
"Hey, I don't do that! Stop with the accusations, Granger. It was an accident. It's not like I don't want a good-"
"Stop denying it! You wouldn't give up a chance to get us in trouble; you never did." She wanted to clap a hand across her big mouth but letting years of pent up emotion out, she said, "You even let Death Eaters into Hogwarts! You are a Death Eater."
~*~*~*~
Hermione knew she shouldn't have said it the moment it came out of her mouth, but she stood her ground and kept quiet as she saw Malfoy's shoulders drop. Why did she say that? How was it even relevant? He gathered his stuff silently and left the classroom without a glance back.
"Alright, that's enough. Class dismissed. Can I talk to you for a second, Miss Granger?"
Hermione really wanted to follow Malfoy and tell him she was sorry, she really did.
But she went to Slughorn's office instead as he droned on and on about proper treatment of fellow students.
Perhaps some time would help him cool down…
~*~*~*~
Hermione saw him at lunch that day, but she couldn't make eye contact as much as she tried. She didn't take her eyes off of him for one second and observed him as he played with his food. He barely took five bites in the thirty minutes he was there and eventually got up and left.
She followed from ten steps behind him to their common room, but he didn't acknowledge her at all. He was dragging his feet, and she observed his defeated posture, berating herself for being so thoughtless.
When they reached their dormitories, he muttered the password and passed the common room to climb up the stairs to his room. She decided to wait for him to come out instead.
~*~*~*~
It was almost midnight, and there was still no sign of him. Not for dinner or even for a bathroom break. Hermione was starving, and she'd eaten a lot more than him at lunch. Come to think of it, he never went to dinner, did he? In fact, she couldn't recall the last time she'd seen him at the Great Hall for a meal other than lunch. No wonder he was so thin and lanky.
Hermione yawned. She decided she didn't want to wait anymore, but she didn't want to leave the wound open any longer.
Determined, she ascended the stairs two at a time. When she reached the entrance to his room, she took her time, examining the silver letters on his door.
Head Boy, Draco Malfoy
She traced her hands over each letter lightly and contemplated her words. Not knowing what to say, she eventually decided to wing it. She rapped on the door once, twice.
No answer.
Two more knocks.
"Malfoy, I know you're in there. Open the damn door."
Not a good start.
She knocked once more before the door finally opened. Her hand was hanging in the air, and she hastily brought it down, locking her arms together behind her back and rocking on her heels. Her mouth was dry, and her mind went completely blank.
"I-I…um..."
"Just spit out, Granger."
"I'm sorry… about what I said."
"Why?"
Hermione was surprised. Out of all the things she had expected for an answer, this certainly wasn't it. She had anticipated anger, maybe even a rude comment about her blood status and heritage.
What she got was more along the lines of dejection. Like he'd accepted his fate, whatever it was.
"What do you mean why?"
"Why are you sorry?"
Hermione honestly had no idea how to answer that.
~*~*~*~
Draco was furious. What was this imbecile apologizing for? Speaking the truth? This was the icing on top of the cake that was today, so to speak. He scowled and went back to sit on his trunk at the foot of the four-poster bed.
He watched Granger hesitate for a moment before crossing the threshold and closing the door behind her. She paced around the room and wrung her hands together.
"Well…It was wrong and insensitive. I shouldn't have said it."
"It's fine."
"-and I was…Wait, what? Then why are you being so…" She trailed off, waving her right hand in his direction vaguely. "… broody?"
"I'm not broody, Granger."
But he was, wasn't he? He made a point to act like his usual self, pretending her remarks hadn't affected him.
"What did Slughorn want? Did he give you any detention?" he asked, smirking.
"Um, no, but he wants us to brew Amortentia again this weekend."
Crap.
~*~*~*~
"Protego!" Draco yelled.
Hermione snickered as she said, "At least you know how to cast a spell."
"Hey!"
"I'm joking. You did a great job, Draco!" she said sarcastically, almost bursting out in laughter.
Draco scowled and crossed his arms.
"Well, who's taking it, Granger?"
"I-I guess I can."
"Well, go ahead."
He smirked. It was obvious she wasn't waiting for him to agree so quickly.
"O-Okay."
She gingerly reached for his head and ran a hand through his hair. Draco, not expecting this whatsoever, made a strange sound from the back of his throat. Granger took her hand back and looked at her palm, finding several strands of hair. She nodded, apparently satisfied with the result of her action, though Draco didn't think he imagined the colour to her cheeks.
~*~*~*~
Hermione conjured a cup and poured the required amount into it. She drank it slowly, savouring the sweet taste and heavenly scent of the Potion.
"Oh, look at the time! I have Quidditch practice."
"What? Malfoy, no! It's too dangerous; you might get hur-"
Hermione slapped a hand across her mouth.
"I see the Potion is already working. Splendid!"
"So, you don't really have Quidditch practice?" Hermione asked hopefully.
"Of course, I do."
"Oh," Hermione replied unhappily. This Potion was the worst. Hermione hadn't felt this kind of worry and distress since the War.
"Let's go then!" Malfoy said cheerfully. It was obvious he was taking extreme joy in seeing her in agony. Hermione just scowled.
She waited while Malfoy went back to his room to change into his Quidditch gear and bring his broom. When he finally emerged, she couldn't help but glance fretfully at his Nimbus 2001. He apparently noticed but got the wrong impression.
"It's the same one from Second Year," he said nervously.
"Oh."
There was an awkward moment of silence before he elaborated, "My father wouldn't get me a new one until I beat Potter."
To be fair, there was an awkward moment even after he elaborated.
Hermione sighed and said, "Let's get going then!"
They walked to the Quidditch pitch in silence, the uncomfortable atmosphere almost suffocating Hermione, making her want to take off her scarf just so she could breathe properly.
They reached their destination, and Draco eagerly took off in the sky without another word. She would sigh in relief if she weren't feeling so agitated.
Hermione sat down in the stands and watched the team fly around aimlessly, presumably warming up.
Hermione was almost calming down when they released the balls. More specifically, the Bludgers.
It happened in less than five seconds. Hermione saw one of the Beaters beat a Bludger away from a teammate, and she saw Malfoy flying a few meters away. She reacted almost instinctively, summoning a broom and flying at a speed she didn't know was possible.
~*~*~*~
One moment, Draco was flying around casually, looking for the Snitch, and the next he saw Granger whizzing towards him. He was almost expecting her to crash into him and had his hands in front of him to protect himself, but she suddenly turned her back to him, and the second after that a Bludger knocked her down. The sound of bones cracking was sickeningly loud.
Draco, horrified, flew as fast as he could to catch her. He caught her around her waist and hoisted her up into his lap. She was limp, and her face was a ghostly white colour.
He raced to the castle on his broom and ran to the hospital as quickly as he could with the girl in his arms.
~*~*~*~
Hermione groggily opened her eyes. The white ceiling and the extreme pain in her ribs led her to believe that she was in the Hospital Wing. She heard someone sigh tiredly and looked to her right.
Sure enough, Malfoy was sitting in a chair beside her bed. The purple smudges under his eyes were darker than usual.
"Good. You're up."
"What happened?"
"You broke three ribs and cracked your sternum."
Hermione breathed sharply.
"That was an idiotic thing to do, Granger!" He almost sounded angry.
"Hey! It's not my fault the Potion wanted to save your life." This came out almost as a whisper because it hurt to talk loudly. It wasn't as effective as she would've liked, but it would have to do.
He sighed again as if he actually felt her pain.
"At least Slughorn is getting the heat," he said to change the subject.
"Well, he should. That Potion is bloody dangerous."
~*~*~*~
"What are you doing?" Draco asked at lunch, a week after the ‘incident'.
"I'm sitting down?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "I mean, what are you doing, sitting here?"
"Oh," she said as if she didn't know what he was asking in the first place. "I just thought I'd sit here… I can go if you want…"
Of course, she'd try guilt-tripping him into this.
"It's fine, Granger."
"Excellent!"
She beamed and sat down next to him. Draco squirmed in his seat a little and tried to put some distance between their bodies. Granger didn't pay him any mind and started piling food onto her plate. She glanced at his when she was finished and scowled.
She opened and closed her mouth several times as if she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to do it. Eventually, she said, "You should really eat more, you know."
"I eat just fine."
"No, you don't."
"Yes, I do."
"No, you don't."
"Yes, I-Seriously, Granger. What is this about?"
"I told you; I wanted to sit here."
Draco looked at her suspiciously, but he didn't say anything.
"Why don't you call me Hermione?"
"Why don't you call me Draco?"
"I saved your life."
"We've had this argument before. I thought we agreed that you didn't save my life. You merely took a Bludger for me."
Hermione rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Fine, I saved you from broken ribs."
"Why do you care what I call you anyway?" Draco asked curiously.
"I-I suppose I'd like to think we're friends."
They were silent for a moment. Hermione kept her eyes on her plate while Draco gazed at her.
"I'll call you Hermione,"-it sounded strange to his ears-"only if you call me Draco."
She grinned roguishly and said, "Deal."
~*~*~*~
Draco didn't like thunderstorms. In fact, he absolutely detested them. It seemed that luck wasn't on his side when a series of storms decided to hit the Highlands of Scotland. He already had problems sleeping, and the sound of the whooshing wind against his windows did not help at all.
Because of this, he'd spent every night of the last seven days in the common room where there were no windows. Sometimes, he would doze off on the couch. Other times he would stay up all night doing homework or staring at the crackling blaze in the hearth.
It was during one such night, when he was on the verge of sweet sleep, that Gra-Hermione entered the common room. Draco sat up right at the sound of the door blasting open and shut. Hermione was standing there, soaked to the bone, her white oxford shirt clinging to her body and almost transparent, her wet matted hair sticking to her head. She was shaking wildly, undoubtedly cold.
Draco bolted up and ran to her swiftly. He charmed her clothes and hair dry and threw his duvet around her shoulders.
"What the Hell, Granger? Are you looking to catch pneumonia?"
He put her hand on her forehead, something his mother would always do when he looked like he was cold, and hissed in anger.
"You're freezing."
He walked her to the fireplace, and they both sat down on the floor. She sneezed twice before she said, "I thought we agreed to call each other by our given name?"
"Is that what you got from my question? What were you doing outside in this weather, Hermione?"
"I was in the rain."
"Obviously."
Draco waited for her to reply, but it never came. He sighed wearily. "What were you doing in the rain?"
"I don't know. I guess I like being under the open sky when it's pouring."
He looked at her incredulously. "Congratulations. You've officially lost all your marbles."
"You don't like the rain?"
Draco paused before answering. "The rain is fine, I suppose. I just don't like the thunder."
"Is ickle Draco afraid of the storm?" she teased with a happy smile. Draco glared in return but didn't say anything.
"I like the smell," Hermione said.
They were quiet for a moment before Hermione's loud yawn broke the silence. It was one in the morning.
"You should really go to sleep, Hermione."
"Yeah, I think I'll do that."
She laid down and put her head in his lap.
Draco was surprised, but there was no use complaining as she was already asleep. He summoned a cushion and a blanket and finally managed some sleep.
~*~*~*~
There were some things you couldn't share without ending up liking each other, and falling asleep together was one of them.
~*~*~*~
"It's a Hogsmeade trip this weekend," Hermione said.
"Uh-huh."
"So… you want to get a drink?" she asked shyly.
Draco's head snapped up, and his neck made a cracking sound.
"Um… sure?"
"Are you asking me?"
"What? No! I mean, yes." He took a deep breath. "I mean, I'd love to catch a drink, Hermione," he replied with a smirk. Hermione smiled back happily.
~*~*~*~
"Are you telling me you turned into a giant cat? That's hilarious!" Draco howled with laughter.
"Hey! You promised not to laugh!"
"I'm sorry; I just can't… This is too… funny."
~*~*~*~
"So, you mean to tell me that you repaired the Vanishing Cabinet all by yourself?"
"I did."
"That's amazing, Draco."
"It would be if it weren't for the…you know."
They were sitting across from each other in the library. Hermione reached her hands to put on his. She squeezed his fingers before she said, "You know I didn't mean to say what I did in Potions that day, right?"
Draco hesitated before saying, "Well, it's true, isn't it?"
"You shouldn't let the mistakes of the past follow you into the future."
~*~*~*~
They were studying together in the common room when Hermione got up from her chair. Draco didn't think much of it until he felt warm hands on his face. He drew in a ragged breath.
"What are you doing?"
"I saw you at dinner yesterday."
"I repeat, what are you doing?" he said, voice somewhat muffled by Hermione's hands.
"Your cheeks are less hollowed out."
"What does that even mean?"
She slid her hands down to his neck, leaning down to press a quick kiss to his hair. He barely suppressed a groan when she started massaging his shoulders.
"Don't worry; it's a good thing."
~*~*~*~
"Happy Christmas, Draco."
"Happy Christmas, Hermione."
"Are you staying at Hogwarts?" she asked.
"Yes, are you?"
"I think so."
~*~*~*~
It was Christmas Eve, and even though it was thundering rain outside, Draco didn't let it bother him. He was going to finish building the bookshelf tonight the Muggle way, and preferably before Hermione returned from the Gryffindor common room.
He got a paper cut from the instructions and cursed loudly.
"Should I be worried?" came an amused voice from the doorway. Draco jumped and turned his head to observe the intruder.
Giving up on trying to keep his ‘gift' a secret, he gestured to the scattered pieces of his-their-bookshelf.
"Draco?" Hermione questioned.
He sighed and tried his best to explain without embarrassing himself too much, "It's a bookshelf. I…got it using one of your magazines." He hesitated before adding, "It was supposed to be a surprise, but I've been at it all day, and I just can't get it right."
~*~*~*~
Hermione, touched by the gesture, moved closer to inspect the project. She looked at the markings on the wood quizzically and asked, "Those aren't Muggle."
Draco bit his cheek before saying, "I might've tinkered with it a little bit."
She looked at him incredulously, exasperated. "Then why didn't you just use magic to put it together?"
"I thought you'd like it better this way," he replied, shrugging casually, pretending nonchalance.
"I only got you a book!" Hermione stage whispered, putting on a horrified look that wasn't exaggerative.
"Can I see?"
"Not until tomorrow!"
"But you already saw yours," he reasoned. Hermione hesitated for a second before tumbling up the stairs and dashing back down with a heavy-looking package under her arms.
Draco eagerly tore through the red and green wrappings until he saw the title, "A Beginner's Guide to Muggle Chemistry and Alchemy," he said out loud.
Hermione bit her lip before saying, "I guess both of us decided to go a bit Muggle for Christmas."
He smiled at her before gently running his hands over the cover of the book. "How did you know I'd like this?"
"The fact that you can confuse pearl dust and powdered moonstone but still decided to take Potions."
Draco pulled a face before getting up and hugging her tightly. "Thank you."
Hermione, pleasantly surprised, raised her arms and hugged him back.
Suddenly, a loud thunder struck, making Draco jump slightly. She giggled and kissed his nose before an idea began to form inside her head.
~*~*~*~
"Let's go outside."
Draco waited to make sure that he'd heard it correctly. He pulled back from their embrace to look at her questioningly. "Are you mad?"
"Come on!" she said, grabbing his hand with one of her own and summoning their coats with the other.
Draco, too shocked to resist, followed her out of the castle to the edge of the Forbidden Forest in a daze, not registering the rain pattering on his head and getting him soaked to the bone.
Hermione continued dancing and spinning under the sky, sometimes grabbing his hands and running around the deserted grounds with him. Their shoes made loud squelches, and the sound of their laughter mingled melodically with the pounding rain. She started slowing down, and by the time they reached the Quidditch pitch, they had come to a stop.
"This is where it started, isn't it?" she reflected wistfully, a serene smile lifting up the corners of her mouth. Draco smiled back contentedly and when they went on to kiss passionately, standing under the rain for at least another twenty minutes, he thought that maybe he doesn't hate thunderstorms, after all.
~*~*~*~
Notes: Christmas gift ideas by the genius MrBenzedrine.