The Red Door

Chapter 4

After a particularly disastrous day Hermione had started to sob in the shower after the calming sensation the water usually brought had not taken over. She couldn't stop and soon became hysterical dropping to her knees to brace herself with her hands on the floor. The others thankfully left her to cry it out while there was water and when it turned off Draco was there with a towel to wrap around her and carry her to her bed.

"I'm sorry" she whispered as he sat on her bed with her on his lap holding her tight

"I'm sorry too" he said giving her a kiss on her forehead. This was the moment that she truly understood that this was the true Draco Malfoy this was the man he should have always been.

"Hey look at this, someone loves us" Said Seamus who had opened his draw to get his Pjs first and was now holding up a medium bottle of Fire whiskey.

"We all have one" said Lena excitedly dropping her towel and opening her draw and pulling her bottle out

"Oh, hell yes" shouted Gideon grabbing his and startling the room as he was generally a man of few words and when he did speak it was quietly.

"Want to get drunk Granger" asked Draco giving her a friendly smirk

"That's the best proposition you've ever given me" she said smirking back and getting up to get her bottle.

Draco got up and went to get his bottle. They decided to put their Pjs on and sit in the arse kicking room in a circle and drink their bottles of fire whiskey. Naturally the all sat in their pairs. It wasn't something they thought about any more it was just what was most comfortable. Nothing romantic but a closeness that couldn't be dismissed.

Half way through their bottle they were all laughing and telling stories from their younger years Hermione had avoided going and so had Draco, what could they say their stories weren't exactly funny or light hearted. Seamus had managed to tell a few funny stories that hadn't involved anyone trying to kill his friends which Hermione was grateful for. Everything was going super well until Jackson asked Hermione what Draco was like as a child.

"Oh... um...well I don't really remember him" she said taking another big mouthful

Seamus instantly roared with laughter. The group were a little confused.

"In third year she said I was foul and evil and then she slapped me" laughed Draco looking at Hermione

The others laughed loudly but Hermione was shocked that Draco had been so open about their past.

"She beat me every year at school too by like a point ever year she was first and I was second" he kept going smiling at her as she blushed a little

"Is that why you hated each other" asked Lena laughing

"No I'm Muggle born" said Hermione all joy had left her face when she was reminded that they had indeed once hated each other. The group had all stopped laughing seeing the pain in her face.

"I was raised to hate muggle borns and when my father found out that Hermione had beaten me in our first year he punished me" confessed Malfoy solemnly taking a large gulp of his fire whiskey

"It didn't help that my best friend is Harry Potter" said Hermione taking a swig "And I ruined his plans of killing all the muggle borns at school second year"

"You had help" said Malfoy quietly

"What do you mean" asked Hermione looking at him shockingly

"You never wondered where that mysterious piece of paper about basilisks and the mirror came from the night you got petrified" Asked Draco

"What.... That was you?" asked Hermione shocked and not really understanding