poison ✞ dramione

part twenty nine

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"i didn't know you could bake," hermione said as she and draco made their way back to their portrait. the day after tomorrow would lead to a little harry, which meant she had to parent with draco, which had her nerves on end.

"there's still a lot you don't know about me, granger," he said, his hands in his pockets. he had vanished the firewhiskey back to his room when hermione finally scolded him about the drinking.

"that's true," she said as they descended the staircase. "i think we should get to know each other better."

draco scoffed. before they could say anything, the staircase changed and it moved off to the side. hermione groaned because now there was no way to get off until the staircase moved back, and they randomly moved! so, basically, they were stuck.

"fuck," draco muttered, letting go of the banister when the staircase stopped shaking. he bit his lip then slid down the wall, his bum resting on a step. "we're stuck," he echoed her thoughts.

hermione sat opposite him, although she didn't lean back on the banister. call her paranoid but she wasn't risking it breaking.

"well, i guess that means we can get to know each other better now!" hermione exclaimed happily, clapping her hands.

draco rolled his eyes. "there's nothing worth knowing about me, granger. come off it."

hermione pouted but shrugged anyway. "so, my full name is hermione jean, after my grandmother, and my birthday is september nineteenth—"

"that's already passed, hasn't it?" he asked, pulling one knee up so he could rest his arm on it.

hermione nodded. "although i didn't quite care as i'm not in the celebratory mood, honestly. with the war..."

he nodded but didn't say anything. hermione carried on. "my parents are helen and david granger... although..."

hermione contemplated telling him the truth but went for it. if she couldn't be honest with him, how could he be honest with her? and, by the looks of it, he's well-acquainted with keeping large secrets.

"i obliviated them," she breathed out, watching as his head snapped towards hers. "to ensure their safety, i erased myself from their memories. they now believe they're monica and wendall wilkins and they live in australia."

draco bit his lip. "that's brave of you. reckless, but brave."

hermione chuckled and nodded. that is one way to put it. "i plan on finding them when the school year is over. hopefully they won't be too mad."

they were quiet once again. "my mum died when i was five," draco started slowly, as if he was contemplating telling her the truth. "and lucius had never been the same since. i understand why, of course, but i completely hate the way he handled it—and you know how he did—"

hermione winced but he didn't stop.

"the year was fine," he whispered and hermione strained to hear draco talk. "then hyperion died and lucius then found the person to blame. he blamed me for both deaths and would beat me within an inch of my life then he made the house elves heal the major injuries. the others he 'let time heal'."

"you don't have to—" hermione started, not sure why she was stopping him anyway. he just seemed way too calm.

"i met adrian a month before we started first year," he carried on, inspecting his nails. "adrian pucey. he was a third year when we started."

hermione nodded. "i think i remember him. tan skin, black hair?"

draco nodded. "he was my first proper friend. adrian helped me cope. lucius taught me all about blood purity and adrian told me to discard it all. he was the one who told me to rebel against my father and i did it."

draco dropped his hand and tilted his head back against the wall. "it's why i was a chaser for the team. lucius wanted me to be a seeker but i didn't, so adrian put in a good word for me, marcus let me tryout and then i was on the team."

"and then you won every match since," hermione smiled, remembering his first win against gryffindor. it was the first match of the year and draco had done splendid, even if it hadn't had ended well. "i'm sorry for what harry said that day, by the way."

"what, that i won out of luck?" draco said mockingly. "that dear old dad paid for my place? that my mums a bitch? that no one cares enough? he did throw the first punch too, but i didn't leave well enough alone. what happened to him?"

"you scraped out with a split lip," hermione stated. "and harry ended up in the hospital wing overnight."

draco chuckled. "fucker deserved it. if it wasn't for adrian i wouldn't have stopped."

"you seem to care an awful lot about him," she said. "adrian, i mean."

"he was my best friend," draco said. "and at times, my only friend. i would have done anything for him."

hermione smiled softly at his words. draco malfoy wasn't as heartless as he claimed to be and she's seeing it first-hand. "so is that why you ignored everyone? was that adrian's influence?"

draco shrugged. "sort of. i was a recluse, you know. didn't like to make friends easy. the last friend i had before adrian..." draco trailer of, coughing. "it didn't end well."

hermione reached over and curled her small hands around draco's. the difference was apparent—her dark skin against his extremely pale one, her hand was warm while his were cold, hers small while his were fucking bear hands. "you can trust me," she whispered reassuringly to him.

hermione could see his adam's apple bob when he gulped. "i was eight and in france," draco started off. "and there was this girl. she was nice, you know? she was my age and we'd play at the local park. the only problem was that she was a muggle. lucius killed her and made her death look like an accident to prove a point. i can't be seen 'frolicking' with the wrong sort."

hermione gasped, her spare hand coming up to cover her mouth. that's fucking horrible! what his dad did—no wonder draco called him by his first name. hermione wouldn't refer to the man that ruined her life a father if she was in draco's place.

"it was safe to be adrian's friend," draco muttered, ignoring hermione's hand but he didn't move his away. "but then he died. because of me."

"it wasn't your fault," hermione whispered, scooting her bum over so she sat between his shins. "none of it."

draco just smiled grimly at her. "you haven't even—"

the stairs shook as they moved back into place. hermione smiled and jumped up, clapping her hands. "look, we're not stuck anymore! although I wouldn't mind it, i like getting to know you draco malfoy."

draco stood up and shoved his hands into his pockets and stepped down to he was in line with hermione. "only you would, princess. only you."

he descended the stairs but hermione was rooted in place. princess? what did that mean?

she quickly joined him once again, having to walk faster considering his legs were longer than hers. "what do you mean by princess, draco?"

she watched him shrug. "there doesn't have to be a meaning for everything, princess."

she didn't argue because, secretly, hermione liked it.

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i fucked up my ankle three years ago and now it's come back to haunt me i love living.

anyway, yes, my version of hermione is black. why? well, why not? it's not that i have anything against emma—i love her tbh—but it was never specified (hermione's skin colour) and jk rowling accepts the head canon and like she's black in my stories okay.

anyway, see, dramione! maybe not in the romantic sense but dramione all the same. and you also learned shit about draco's past which, believe it or not, isn't the end of it lmaoo this is going to be great.

-bee.