Time Spent In Eternal Endings

Forbidden Memories

Hermione had put her clothes on and attempted to eat breakfast, but she had lost her appetite. Also, the food was cold.

She untangled her hair where Malfoy's hands wrapped around her tight curls and loosened them with his grasp; tangling them between each other with every pull. She threw it into a bun due to the leftover frizz that was unable to be constricted even after trying to fix it.

She was still on a high from what happened. Still on a high from him.

Hermione didn't really know what this meant. Not that it necessarily meant anything. But if it did, she wasn't sure what exactly it might be. Was this just a one-time thing? A frenzied, blurry, quickened mistake? Would they act like it never happened?

Gosh, she loathed when people did that. Do something as intimate as sharing the same breath and hanging upon each other's lips like a comma in the middle of an unfinished sentence not yet knowing what comes after just that something was supposed to, had to. Then in the time that a door is quickly closed and the oxygen they breathe becomes their own and there's only again, it is like it never happened. 

She didn't think that just because you kiss someone it is a means for love or even a relationship, but it shouldn't be forgotten. It should at least be acknowledged that the fact that the air around the two people became lesser and made it a real moment; not just some figment of the dreaming imagination.

She didn't want it to be a big deal, but she also didn't want it to not matter at all. 

Was this some sort of release that he selflessly gave her for her own selfish needs? Whether it was or it wasn't, would it happen again?

She knew walking out of the room would be gut-twisting and immensely awkward.

Was she supposed to look at him differently now? Did he look at her differently now?

She needed to stop thinking so deeply about their encounter. It was probably just for a little fun. Not that she would be mad about it being just that. It was probably for the better anyway if that was the case. School was about to start and she didn't need any complications. It was just a quick fix.

Just act like everything is still normal.

She figured that was the safe choice. If it got brought up then she would of course acknowledge it but she didn't want Draco to think that she expected anything from him. It also left her hanging onto the tiny bit of dignity she had left as she was about to walk out of the room.

She made her way to the living room and found Malfoy and Theo sitting on the couch.

"Good morning sunshine. Don't you look absolutely gorgeous" Theo sent a wink and Malfoy nestled further into the couch.

"I feel like shit and I look like it too."

Her eyes instantly went to Malfoy when she stepped into the room and her body felt like putty under his stare.

How the hell was she supposed to act like everything was normal?

He held her stare until Theo said something about staying and the three of them going out to eat. She politely declined.

"Oh come on, Hermione. We have one more day of freedom before our eighth year and you want to spend it doing absolutely nothing?" Theo pouted.

She wouldn't exactly say her day consisted of doing absolutely nothing so far, but that wasn't a matter she was about to discuss with Theo along with the contender of who the so-called matter involved.

"Let her go home, Theo. She's probably worn out, hungover, and needs rest." He met her eyes briefly. A smirk hiding somewhere under the lips that had just been marking her body a few minutes ago.