Unexpected Union

Chapter 4

Two weeks after the school year had started Draco sat in their Defense Against the Dark Arts class. The new professor this year, Professor Greylaw, was droning on about Merlin knew what and Draco stifled a yawn. He'd barely slept the previous night. His nightmares had woken him only two hours after he'd fallen asleep. There was no going back to sleep after that. As he sat there in class, he couldn't help his mind from wandering back to the events of his morning.

He had wandered out to the common room when it was obvious he was up for the day. He found Hermione sitting at the table with a pile of books in front of her. She had apparently been up studying but had passed out. Her face was resting between the pages of a book on magical creatures of the world.

Draco had wondered if he should leave her like that, or wake her. In the end, he decided that letting her rest was probably the kindest thing since he knew she was also plagued with insomnia, although he immediately wondered why he even cared. He didn't care, he told himself. He just also wasn't a monster. So, he dragged a warm afghan off the back of the sofa and laid it over her shoulders to keep off the chill.

He sat down by the fire and began to read a book on potions. That was how Hermione found him when she awoke that morning. His nose in a book. She was covered by the wool afghan from the sofa, and had a horrid crick in her neck from the weird position she'd slept in.

"Thank you," she said shyly, when she turned and her eyes met his.

"You have a little drool just there," Draco said with a snort as he pointed to the side of her mouth.

Hermione's eyes had flashed with annoyance before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Draco's attention returned to his book. He was aware of Hermione getting up, and he heard the bathroom door close. He didn't pay much attention until he heard the shower turn on, and then a moment later he heard a quiet moan from the other room. That got his attention. When he heard another a moment later, he set his book down. What the hell was going on in there? He decided he didn't want to know what his pain in the ass roommate did behind closed doors. He grabbed his schoolbooks, donned his robe, and headed down to breakfast.

Now as he sat in class daydreaming, he wondered again what was going on in the shower this morning. Was the muggle-born diddling herself? Why did that thought not repulse him like it once would have? Why was he finding his pants getting tighter instead? He needed to pay Pansy another visit he realized. It had been too long. That's all it was. He just needed some ass, and Hermione was the only female he was spending any real amount of time around. That's all it was, he wasn't really interested in her.

His eyes drifted over to where she was sitting. She was paying close attention to the professor, hanging off his every word. Her hand shot up when a question was asked, and Draco didn't even try to disguise the snort that escaped him. 'Fucking typical Granger,' he thought.

The teacher began talking about Boggarts, and that got Draco wondering what in the hell class he was in. They covered Boggarts back in like first year. Why were they covering them again? The teacher had told them that each one of them would be facing off against it, and they would need to defend against it. Draco watched as three students faced off against giant spiders, clowns, and tentacle monsters. Then it was Hermione's turn.

Hermione stood in front of the class, nerves making her stomach do somersaults. She had gone up against a Boggart first year, but back then her fears were nothing like they were now. She took a deep breath and then nodded to the professor that she was ready. He opened put cupboard containing the Boggart, and out stalked Belatrix Lestrange in all of her evil glory.

Draco sat in wide-eyed shock as he watched his aunt stalk out of that cupboard. His eyes darted between the Boggart and Hermione for a moment. She looked frozen. She was stuck in her fear. His own nightmares from that night in the Malfoy mansion played through his mind as he looked at the two of them. The professor was trying to coax Hermione into action, but she was like a statue. The teacher couldn't see what Draco could as the creature wearing his Aunt's face advanced on the young witch. The teacher wasn't there that night. He didn't know what had happened, and didn't know the fear and the scars that plagued Hermione.

"Riddikulus," Draco shouted as he stood from his desk, wand pointed at the Boggart.

The creature suddenly sprouted fairy wings, a funny green and orange hat, and shrank to the size of a pixxy before being sent back into the cupboard. Hermione's trance was finally broken, and her eyes swung to Draco's. She suddenly broke out into a run and fled the classroom. The teacher looked stunned for a moment before he began berating Malfoy for interfering. "Tosser," Draco muttered before running out of the class after Granger.

His much longer legs allowed him to catch up to her a short ways down the hall, "Granger, wait." He called out.