T R A I N E D T O S I N | dramione

Twelve

Hermione turned to face him as he kicked the door shut abruptly with the sole of his shoe. "I wasn't sure you'd be awake." Draco said. His expression was overt and his eyes eased as he watched her. "I hardly sleep." Hermione scoffed, toying nervously with the pencil gripped firmly between her fingers. She heard his hesitant footsteps and her head slowly turned to face him, her eyes following after, slightly delayed as if it took more will to look at him. As he slowly approached her, she studied him more, scanning her eyes dubiously across his features. She noticed then his eyes were stained a light shade of red, though they still seemed alert.

"It's eleven o'clock." She said nervously turning her gaze back to her lap.
"It is." He continued to walk towards her, his steps had become unsteady and his stance seemed fractured. "You already gave me dinner." Hermione laughed slightly, her stomach clenched and it felt as though someone were squeezing her organs. Draco was a few feet in front of her now and she inhaled. The smell of alcohol burned her senses as it lingered around her. He was drunk. "I did." He said.

Neither of the pair spoke for a while. The air was thick with tension as well as the jarring scent of alcohol. Had he been anyone else, it would have been near to impossible to pass his current state as intoxicated but the Draco was always stern, guarded and not to mention he had a routine and as he stood before her, he portrayed none of it. He currently held himself like anyone else would on normal occasion but Draco wasn't ordinary. His constant mask had crumbled, fallen altogether and he was left unguarded and on display.

After a brief  pause, Hermione spoke. "Malfoy, what are you doing here?" Draco hesitated for a second before scoffing. "I don't know." He dropped his head to the floor, shaking it slightly. After a few quiet minutes he spoke. "I didn't mean for this to happen." Draco picked his head up and watched Hermione as his jaw contracted, the muscles dipping smoothly under his cheekbones. Hermione didn't speak, he was being random and she had no experience with him in this condition; she had never been able to observe him in this state. She had seen him drunk before but this was different. Maybe because the circumstances were different. She watched thoughtfully as his throat curved inwards, dipping as he swallowed. "I tried to warn you." His voice had grown almost frail.

He was talking about her imprisonment. Hermione's heart began to beat faster and she snatched her head to face his. "You knew?" She felt as though she was underwater, unable to breath and like the heavy air around her was slowly beginning to crush her. "No! Granger, no." He sighed wearily and she noticed the subtle purple shadows hung under his tired eyes. "I told you I was bad. I wanted you to stay away from me." His voice was desperate and almost apologetic . If it was genuine, she wasn't sure.

"You don't have to be bad." She said softly and he began to bite at his lip before straightening his posture. "If I had a choice, this wouldn't be it." He scoffed as though she wouldn't believe him anyway, like she wouldn't understand. He seemed to compose himself slightly, when she didn't reply. "What's going on outside, Draco?" She said and Draco visibly clenched his jaw and his expression grew shocked.

He laughed. "God, you have no idea, do you?" He shook his head as he turned it to look at her. Theirs eyes met and his face became instantly impassive, as if he remembered who he was talking to. They were silent for a minute and Hermione soon realised he didn't plan on further speaking, she doubted he could tell her even if he wanted to.

"What happened?" Hermione asked after a few seconds of silence and he frowned unknowingly back at her. She turned so her back was now against the window pane and reached her arm hesitantly towards him, half expecting him to swat her hand viciously away but he didn't. Her hand landed softly on his cheek and his eyes bore nervously into hers, they seemed desperate like there was so much he longed to tell her. It rose up inside of him, eager to be released but it caught in his throat like a harsh cough and he swallowed, tearing his eyes away from hers.