Signum Vitalis (a dramione story)

In which there is a cliffhanger

Malfoy's eyes traveled down to Hermione's lips, widened, and then jumped away. He coughed and his cheeks pinked ever so slightly.

Hermione stepped back so violently she hit her head against the brick wall. She pulled her head forward, reaching for the wounded spot, and ended up burying her face into his chest. She stilled and, before she could move again, Malfoy had reached out to cradle the back of her head with his own hand.

Hermione glanced up to meet his gaze, feeling his hand slide along her hair. She twitched as his hand pressed against hers. He removed his hand, frowned a little, and then stepped minutely away from her and gestured with his hand. "After you."

She bit her lip and turned away to exit the fireplace.

"The hell, Lori?" Malfoy said from behind her.

The receptionist, apparently named Lori, shrugged and smirked. "You were the ones hiding in the floo."

"And you're going to give them ideas," Malfoy growled, pointing towards the room where most of the children were. He paused and then took a double-take of the entrance where Ari was standing. He massaged his forehead with his fingertips. "Of course it would be you."

Ari looked between Hermione, who was still rubbing the back of her head, and the frowning Malfoy. "What ideas?" Ari asked. "That you were going off alone with Hermione like you did at the arcade?"

Lori's eyes got bigger and she looked between Malfoy and Hermione for their reactions.

Hermione snorted and a burst of hysterical laughter escaped her.

"Granger basically bites my head off every time we're alone. Besides, Ari, I'm not responsible for you right now."

"Bites?" Lori repeated, covering her mouth.

Malfoy swore and threw his hands into the air. "Just go to the basketball court, Ari."

Hermione hurried after him. "Don't swear in front of children," she called and then whispered once she caught up, "and I can't believe you implied I bite you!"

He ignored her and waved at all the children messing around in the room. "We'll have a short class since it's raining today. Anyone who still wants to come, grab your raincoat." Then, in a lower voice, he turned and said to Hermione, "I don't see why it matters. We both know there isn't any literal biting between us."

The rain ended up being too heavy for any reasonable person to be in it too long so Hermione and Malfoy set out to put a transfigured tarp over the top of the basketball court.

"What's taking so long?" Malfoy asked from where he was balancing the ladder.

"I can't see anything through this rain!" Hermione griped as she struggled to secure the tarp.

"Why aren't you using magic?"

Hermione started. She hadn't even thought of that. Magic. When had been the last time she had used magic? Right, it had been when she fumbled that 'Leviosa' spell. Maybe she had been unconsciously avoiding it since then. "We're in plain sight of muggles!" she yelled back, finally getting a good knot.

"What muggles?"

"Hold the ladder, I'm coming down." She climbed down the rungs. "While you might be lax with that kind of thing, I try not to throw spells in the presence of muggles."

Both of Malfoy's eyebrows went up and his voice was scathingly sarcastic. "Of course, how could I doubt this goody two-shoes?"

Hermione jerked and stepped away from him off of the bottom rung. It had been a while since his words had held that much bite.