Promise

Chapter 7

Hermione collapsed on the couch in front of the fireplace. She and Draco had just finished their rounds and she was exhausted. It seemed like things were getting worse at Hogwarts instead of better. There was fighting between houses and fighting within houses. Whenever prefects were out on their rounds, they always found at least two groups of students doing something they shouldn't have been. Tonight a group of Ravenclaws that had been moved to HufflePuff were trying to booby trap the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room.

Hermione stared into the fire and thought about the rumours she'd been hearing recently. Apparently, those who had been moved from their houses were starting to call themselves by different names. They would take the beginning of their new house and merge it with the ending of their old one, much like she had done with the password of the head dorm. Names like Huffleclaw and Gryferins were being scrawled on walls everywhere. They were like cults. Hermione didn't know how to even begin attempting to control them. There were simply too many of them. Even with most of Slytherin house and all her friends helping out, she still felt overwhelmed.

Draco sat a mug filled with hot chocolate down in front of her. It was two weeks before Christmas break so the castle was cold.

"Thanks." she said.

He had started this a while ago. He would do little things for her. Make her hot chocolate after rounds, put a blanket over her if she fell asleep studying on the couch, leave her a note telling her if he had made any changes to the rounds schedule. It wasn't much but he was treating her like a human being, even being nice to her. At first, she had been wary of him. She didn't trust in his good intentions. She kept thinking it was some sort of elaborate plot to hurt her. Eventually, she just gave in and accepted that he had no hidden agenda.

He came and sat beside her now, nursing his own drink. He didn't touch her but Hermione was intensely aware of his body next to hers. For a while, neither of them said anything. Then. Draco broke the silence.

"What was growing up like for you?" he asked her. Hermione didn't understand why he was interested but she told him anyway. She told him what it was like growing up with dentists for parents, about going to the zoo and her neighbourhood. She told him about Christmas and birthdays at her house. What she didn't tell him was everything her mum had told her. She didn't tell him that she was a pureblood or that her parents were dead. She kept those parts to herself because even she didn't know much about it. She hadn't told Harry, Ron, or even Ginny these things yet. When she was done talking, Draco asked her another question.

"What's your middle name?"

"Her-Jean, my middle name's Jean." she had almost slipped and told him her real middle name.

"What's yours?" she asked him in return.

"Lucius." he said.

Then, he got up and returned his mug to the kitchen. Hermione got up and followed him. Her mug was empty too. In the kitchen, Draco had already washed and put away his mug. Hermione went to the sink and started rinsing hers out. Draco came up behind her and reached above her head to fetch two shot glasses. She froze, completely aware of his chest against her back. She didn't relax again until she felt him move away from her. When she turned around, she saw him filling the two glasses with fire whiskey. It wasn't the first time she and Draco had shared a drink but for some reason it felt different to her that night. Instead of going to sit with him at the table, Hermione remained standing by the sink. Completely unfazed, Draco picked up both glasses and strode over to her. He handed her one of the glasses and downed the other one. Following his lead, Hermione finished her drink in one go. They both put their glasses down on the counter top beside the sink. Then they just stood. Hermione couldn't meet Draco's eyes, she was too aware of his proximity and could feel the heat radiating from him.

"Ummmmm Malfoy, I think I'll go to bed now. Goodnight." she mumbled while trying to get past him but he moved so that she was trapped between him and the counter top with his arms on either side of her.

"Ummmmm, Malfoy?" she finally looked up and found his eyes smouldering. She felt her breath hitch in her throat. She saw him lean closer and closer until their noses were touching.

"Malfoy, you shouldn't."

"I know." he replied. And then he kissed her. She'd been kissed before but never like how he kissed her then. His lips were firm and soft and she could feel her bones slowly melting away. Her hands came up and tangled in his hair. She knew she should pull way, she knew she should stop but she couldn't. She wanted him to be closer, she wanted more of him. When his tongue slid across her bottom lip asking for permission, she let him in. Their tongues danced and fought for dominance, neither one of them yielding an inch. His arms came up around her and pulled her until she was perfectly lined up with his body. His lips strayed from hers and he started planting little kisses down her neck.

"Tell me to stop." he whispered against her skin. She tried to think clearly. She knew he was right. She shouldn't be touching him or kissing him. She thought about Ron and how good he'd been to her. She knew she was betraying him but at that moment, she couldn't bring herself to care.

"I can't." she whispered back to him.

She heard him moan deep in his throat. His hands went under her shirt and he gently caressed her sides. He traced the flat plane of her stomach then cupped her breasts over her bra. Hermione let her fingers roam freely through his hair. She gently moved her fingers down and traced the muscles on his arms and chest. She slowly undid each of the buttons on his shirt as she went. When she reached the last one she pushed the shirt off his shoulders. He obediently stepped back and let her remove his shirt. Hermione stared at him in wonder. He was beautiful. All his muscles were well defined but he wasn't overly bulky. She stepped into his arms and just hugged him. His arms came up around her and he held her close. She felt comfortable there with him. He felt familiar, like he'd always been there, like he'd been waiting for her to come home. He felt like home. Hermione started and pulled back. Where had that come from? Draco Malfoy was not "home." He was a stranger. He couldn't be. And then she blacked out.