Afraid to Love You (A Dramione Story)

Chapter 6

WARNING: ADULT THEMES THAT MAY BE UNSUITABLE FOR YOUNGER READERS

"Draco I swear I will hurt you."

"Oh relax Herms. I wasn't actually going to read it."

"Draco give it back!"

"What will you give me if I do?"

"Nothing. But I will hex off your manly bits if you don't give it back to me in the next five seconds!"

"Fine! Fine. Here. Merlin, you're such a buzzkill sometimes."

Hermione smiled and snatched her letter from Harry back from Draco. "I'm not being paid to entertain you."

"I'm not sure you could be entertaining even if I paid you," Draco muttered under his breath, earning him a jab in the side from Hermione. "Ouch! Why do you insist on hurting me?"

"I found that to be quite entertaining. And I don't recall inviting you on this particular journey. You could have avoided personal injury simply by leaving me alone."

They were coming back from the owlery where Hermione had sent a reply to a letter from the Minister of Magic regarding the search for her parents and had unexpectedly received a letter from Harry. Draco had followed her after class and their current situation had ensued.

"What do you expect me to do? Go hang out with Theo and his latest slag?"

"Who is it this week?" Hermione inquired.

Draco shrugged. "Some girl in your house I think."

Hermione shuddered in disgust. "What about Blaise or Pansy? Why must you pester me of all people?"

"Blaise is still reeling from Pansy's rejection so he's made it his mission to shag any and everything that moves and all Pansy wants to talk about is how disgusting Blaise is so..."

"So I must suffer for their transgressions?" Hermione said dramatically.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Whatever Herms, you love hanging out with me."

"Sure," she said as they reached the great hall. "See you in the library after dinner?"

"Yup! I'll be waiting for you in our spot," he said with a wink, before heading to the Slytherin table.

Hermione fought the blush creeping onto her face as she sat down next to Ginny who was smirking at her.

"What?" Hermione asked, filling her plate with food.

"You like him," Ginny whispered.

Hermione gasped. "I do not!" she whisper-yelled back. "I simply don't hate him anymore."

"Yeah sure," Ginny said with a laugh. "Don't think I haven't noticed."

"Noticed what?" Hermione said innocently.

"We finished the potions project almost three weeks ago and you still study with him every night in the library. And you call him Draco. What happened to Malfoy?"

"We're...familiar now is all," Hermione replied diplomatically.

"Sure you are...Herms," Ginny said knowingly.

Hermione couldn't fight the blush this time but thankfully Ginny left her alone. Things really had been great with Draco. After a month of working together on the potions project, they had settled into a sort of routine and kept studying together even when the project was finished. She wouldn't admit it to him, or to Ginny for that matter, but she now considered him a friend. Things her other friends didn't understand, he just got. Their conversations were witty and stimulating and he always had a comeback for her sassy comments. If he hadn't been such a prick when they were younger, they probably would have been best friends.