Infinite (dramione) // HIATUS //

13.

Tessa was waiting in the living room. She'd heard Draco and Hermione enter even before they actually entered the house. Laughter echoed through the house. Then the front door slam shut.

"And then he was literally like, 'what just happened?'!" Hermione laughed at Draco. Tessa's smile was too big for her face. She noticed their hands were held and both wore wide smiles. Then Tessa frowned. Wasn't Hermione suppose to meet her friends? Maybe they stood her up?

"Teresa!" Hermione yelled when she saw her friend. She ran towards her and threw herself at Tessa. A laugh hitched in Tessa's throat. She held on the Hermione, bridal style. In difficulty of holding her skinny friend, both of them fell down on the carpeted floor, laughing like everything in the world was fine.

Draco stood over them, leaning against the door fame next to them. His eyes shined under the sun. A amused smirk lighted up his features giving him a dead beautiful look.

"Why are you guys here so early?" Tessa lets herself ask. She and Hermione lay on the carpeting floor side by side. When Tessa turned her head to face the brunette, Hermione's long curls met Tessa's eyes.

"Oh, you know, the usual." Hermione said casually. Her eyes briefly met Draco's. She trailed them over his face and was startled to see the long scar running down his jaw. There was blood clotting there.

Hermione muttered a few healing spells under her breath when she saw him flinch in pain. His face cleared up and the look of pain disappeared in a flash. Draco ran a hand on his jaw as if confused where his pain went.

Then his eyes met her's.

Those grey eyes. They looked mesmerizing under the sun. Even from so far away, Hermione could see his emotions flickering like lights in his eyes. They caused a funny feeling in the pits of her belly. Hermione had felt those butterflies before when she was in love with Ron.

It was hilarious since Hermione had always viewed Draco as a conceited, vain individual. So much has changed since those days and yet Hermione couldn't get over Draco's better looks and personality. Draco had always been a strange character who'd most likely never experienced something like tottering before. Perchance Hermione has finally started perceiving the fact that Draco has actually changed.

Catching herself staring at Draco, she cleared her throat rather shyly. She moved her glance from his stare and focused it on the wall behind him.

"No, I don't know." Tessa responds. She saw the stares from the two. It was obvious there was something going on inside of them, but it was also obvious the two were oblivious to each others feelings. It drove Tessa bonkers knowing her two best friends might like each other.

Nevertheless, there was nothing she could do about it. Instead she got off the floor. Her hands unconsciously brushing the non existing dust particles off her clothes.

"I have to get some work done", Tessa confessed half heartily. "I'll see you guys later" She took long strides out of the room when she'd seen Hermione mouth open.

Hermione flinched at the sound of Tessa's door slamming shut with rather strong force. The brunette tucked her long legs under her and stared at the door.

"Do you reckon she's mad at me?" She asked without looking at Draco. The softly in her voice sent a electric shock coursing through Draco's veins.

"Why would you think that?" Draco stared at Hermione like he had never seen anything like her in his life. It was easy for him to say he really hadn't.

Hermione was open minded. She has always said, whatever she wanted to tell him, to his face.It used to annoy Draco, but somehow it never creased to amaze him. All the women- muggle or witch- he'd met had somehow never shared the same sense of humor or intelligence as she had.

Now the feelings inside of him, when he looked at Hermione, always sets him off. Its like his don't doesn't want to controlled. It feels like it wants to do what it wants without Draco's guidance.

Draco would take the feeling over imperius curse any day. It was quite similar to the imperius curse but it felt more lightheaded and. . .good?

"I dunno, really. I felt like she was mad at me." Hermione knitted her eyebrows together and mutter, "Maybe I'm mistaken."

Hermione, then, suddenly stood up. She walked over to a petrified Draco.

"I never thanked you for what you'd done today," Draco got lost in her warm brown eyes.

"It- it's quite alright Granger." He stuttered, "You would've had a tongue twist and came back home crying like a whiny baby."

Hermione threw her head back and lets out a mere laugh. Draco sighs, his body relaxing. The sound reminded him of birds, beautifully chirping away in the morning.

His thoughts drifted off to when he'd been at the manor. He was such a fool. Such a spoilt brat, he regretted it. Thinking about it now, makes him nauseated. He was sure he and Hermione could have been friends even back then. They could have, perhaps, gone out together and been a coup-

No- he was letting his thoughts get the best of him. It would never have worked out, even then. Even though Draco's mother has changed her perspective about different blood status, his parenst were strict pure bloods back then. They would have done things to prevent Draco getting along with someone with a lower blood status. Maybe even killed someone if they felt like their son deserved more.

It made Draco sick.

"You, Malfoy, never fail to make me laugh." Hermione's soft voice bought him back, out of his daze. But as soon as he left his dream world, he went back to it when Hermione placed her plump, pink lips on his cheek. "And protect me."

 They sat there for about three seconds before she pulled away and skipped into her room leaving a dumbfounded Draco Malfoy standing by the kitchen.

He stood there for at least thirty minutes, unaware of his surroundings. His hand placed on his cheek where he felt something when Hermione had kissed him. A smile curved upon his lips. Draco was stars trucked. He was also unaware of the fact Blaise Zabini had entered the room. The Italian stopped midstep. His eyes settling on Draco.

"Mate, you okay?" Blaise bit his lip from laughing.

"Define 'okay', won't you?" Unfortunately for him, Hermione had opened her door slightly to get a glass of water when she'd heard him. A proud and satisfied smirk grows on her face.

"Got you, Draco."