Anyone But Me

Chapter Fifty-Four

Here it is! I am soooo excited and nervous to be sharing this one with you guys. This is the scene that wouldn't leave me alone and started this whole thing.

Obviously, I hope you love it as much as I do!

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Hermione stood under the scalding spray of water from the shower in the Prefect's bathroom, letting the warmth ease the taunt set to her muscles for what felt like the hundredth time that night. Between Ron and Harry she wasn't sure if the Death Eaters would ever get their chance to kill her, not if the impending heart attack did her in first. Thankfully Neville had restrained her from cursing the manhood from McLaggen for the bludger to the head that had knocked Harry from his broom during the Quidditch match earlier in the day.

She'd had to leave both of her friends behind in the hospital wing. Unable to wait for Harry to wake because of Madame Pomfrey strictly enforcing visiting hours, she had quickly decided she needed to avoid the noisy chatter of the common room and dorms. Every single time she'd tried to concentrate on her studies, someone else had come up to inquire about the Gryffindor Captain's well-being. So it was unlikely she would have been able to accomplish much more than gossip anyway...

With little thought behind it she had fallen back on what was fast becoming another of her standby excuses, but instead of slinking up to visit Draco, she had followed through and already finished up a lengthy hygiene regime. The one that most girls her age engaged in regularly, yet she had deemed silly long ago. She had shaved, exfoliated and conditioned every inch of her body. It felt hedonistic to allow herself the luxury when she normally only soaked in the bath with a book.

Her newly bare skin was like satin and extra sensitive to touch. There was an alien softness to her robe as it rubbed across her back as she double checked her work in the mirror. The chill in the air seemed sharper than usual when she slipped it off altogether and stepped back into the hot, almost burning, lure of the water. Each sensation had sent a shiver down her spine that centered in that spot deep in her stomach. She had not guessed that she would feel so... so sexy, when she was done.

A welcome surprise, considering the effort put in. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the feeling of water hitting her scalp. The way the extra weight flowing through her curls tugged them down, vaguely reminding her of the feeling of having a certain set of hands pulling on them. Idly she ran her hands across her stomach, choking back a moan, but didn't dare go any farther with the audience she had.

The "sleeping" mermaid positioned across the room could not see her but was still enough of a deterrent to stop her from doing anything more than the perfunctory necessities. She let her hands fall back down to her sides and sighed as she tried to keep her concentration on more tedious thoughts.

Just as she was going to reach forward and turn the shower off a disturbing rustling hinted that she was no longer alone. Before she could attempt to evaluate her surroundings or even go for her wand that sat nestled in the pocket of her robe, a distorted voice reached her under the stream coming from the faucet. "Leaving so soon? I was about to join you..."

Even warped as it was, she knew who the voice belonged to without looking. An odd mixture of relief and crossness swept the last remnants of libido from her system as she stepped from the warmth and glared over at the speaker. "What are you doing here, Draco?!?"

"I... uh... I came to talk to you." The smug act melted away as he stumbled over his confession. As if ashamed, he stared down at the floor for a moment, his jaw clenching before he continued. "Potter got himself laid up in the hospital wing so it isn't like he can spy on me tonight. So our little secret is still perfectly safe. I just... I can't talk to anyone about... Anything that is going on and... I needed to see you."