soulmates | dramione [✓]

c h a p t e r f i v e

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"Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness." 

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Blaise was done within the promised 10 minutes and Draco couldn't find the book. He considered the fact that it might be somewhere in his apartment but he knew the chances were slim.

It was probably lying around somewhere in the manor but he didn't think he would have enough will power to search the whole place just for a book, so he decided to go to the next best thing - Hermione Granger.

During their Hogwarts years, the girl was always up in the library sticking her ignorant nose in yet another book, so surely she would have something good enough to contribute to Draco's cause - right?

Draco and Blaise trudged back to Lucius' study and flooed back home with minimal inconvinience.

For Blaise at least.
Draco's hair on the other hand suffered quite a fair bit.

"I hate that bloody network." he groaned as soon as they had stepped out of the fireplace. "Really? I think it has its perks!" smirked Blaise, but he walked back into his own room before Draco could retort with some witty comeback.

He rolled his eyes at his actions but he didn't have anything else to do so he decided to get the Hermione thing over and done with.

So that's what he did.

-

Draco hesitantly knocked on Granger's door and after exactly 3 knocks, Hermione opened it.
"Um, hello Granger. I was wondering if you have a certain book that i need."

Hermione wasn't that surprised that Draco was at her doorstep. She was expecting him to come sooner or later. "What's in it for me?" the girl asked, leaning against her door frame and smirking lightly when Draco's eyes widened at her response.

Quickly regaining himself, Draco rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "I gave you that sodding sugar the other day didn't I?"

Hermione considered it and nodded. After all, if he was being civil, shouldn't she at least try her best to do the same?

"Well in that case, I probably have it. What's the name of the book?"

Draco looked up at the corridor's ceiling whilst he tried to remember the name but he couldn't. He looked back down at Hermione and shrugged, "Any book on soulmates will do."

He didn't miss the flicker of confusion in Hermione's eyes, nor the realisation.

"Why?" she questioned.
"Why not?"
"If you tell me why a lonely, insufferable prat such as yourself, Malfoy, would want such a book, I'll give it to you."

Draco flinched at her choice of words and knew that Hermione saw him, but he just cleared his throat and said, "I'll tell you once I find out what I need to know. I still don't know if what i think is right or not."

Hermione frowned at Draco. She knew the reasons why he bullied students during their Hogwarts years and she did hold some pity for him. The words just slipped and she knew they shouldn't have.

She came to a decision and turned around to find the book. However, she only just reached the kitchen when she heard footsteps ghosting behind her own.

"I didn't say you could come in, Malfoy." she said, turning around and crossing her arms.
"Pity."

-

As soon as the pair entered Hermione's book room, Draco's eyes wandered over to the loveseat in the corner. "Where did you buy this?" he said, picking up an old tattered book which was on the chair.

Hermione glanced over at the book in Draco's hand and she was about to respond until she realised she didn't know the answer. "I'm not sure. I think it was here when Ginny made this library."

Draco raised his eyebrow and shrugged, but it still didn't explain why that book was in a mudblood's home rather than his manor. He figured that it'd probably be better to look into it without Granger interfering.

"Alright, well it'll do. I'll bring it back when i've found out what i need to know." he said, turning around and walking out of the room.

The faint slamming of the door rang in Hermione's ears but one question still clouded her mind: Where did she get that book?

-

Nothing much happened over the course of the next few days after Draco's visit. Harry sent an owl to Hermione thanking her for the date idea and told her about how well it went. Infact, within those few days Hermione realised how isolated she'd actually been the past few months.

After the battle, she had fallen into a state of greif which many people around her were in. It just simply took her longer to move on.

When she did, however, she decided it was time to bring back her parent's memories. Only that didn't exactly work and she fell into a repetitive pattern.

Hermione eventually got past that greifing period which had convinced her to buy a muggle apartment in down-town London. Apart from that, she hadn't been out much at all.
Not even to go food shopping.

After a while of doing nothing, Hermione decided that she wanted to go on a walk. So at four o'clock on Sunday, that was exactly what she did.

-

The girl grabbed her purse off the kitchen counter and headed straight for the door.

She walked past number 25 but stopped in her tracks when she saw an 'Out of Order' sign stuck lousily on the elevator doors.

Hermione let out a frustrated groan.
"This place is out of order, that's what it is." she muttered, turning left for the staircase nevertheless.

She started walking down the steps but she soon felt herself slipping and falling through the air. She didn't process the situation in time to help herself using magic so she waited for the impact of the fall.

Only, it never came.

She opened her eyes slowly and unsurely but immediately tensed when she saw she was in the arms of none other than Draco Malfoy.

Hermione glanced down and saw that the floor was covered in his groceries, now scattered all over the stairs.

"Granger, I happen to know you are perfectly capable of using your own two legs to stand." Draco smiled smugly after a few minutes of none of them making any sort of move.

Hermione blushed, stood up and started trying to get rid of some dirt off her clothes that wasn't even there. "You won't tell any of your Slytherin croonies about this, will you Malfoy?"

Draco simply smirked and bent down to pick up the groceries from the floor. When he stood up, he said, "Of course I will. You, my little Granger, seem to have just fallen for me."

He brushed past her, totally ignoring her gaping jaw hanging almost as low as the ammount of dignity he left her with.

-

a/n goodness, i haven't updated in years lmao (not really, i'm not that bad)
anyways, i'm off to Spain for a week in a few days so i probably won't update. Idk, i might if i get a 'sudden surge of inspiration' or something but yannow-