"You know, we really ought to find some other place..." Hermione said gently and softly. They snuck past the librarian with sheepish smiles – one after the other – hoping that their previous altercation had been forgotten but Madam Pince was far too engrossed in her book to notice the shifting shadows. As long as the silence held, she was perfectly content to let all other shenanigans slide. She had seen her fair share of stolen kisses and naughty tumbles between the shelves and had learnt to let certain indiscretions slide, as long as she had a good book.
"What? Afraid the perfect Potter will come screaming again?" Draco answered scathingly, almost daring her to say something contrary.
She lifted her eyebrow as if to say, 'what else could it possibly be?' and it subdued him somewhat.
"He does have that wretched invisibility cloak, doesn't he?" A smirk came over his features, "Do you want to see the Slytherin common room?"
Hermione's heart seemed to slow painfully and grow at the same time, filling her ears with a dull thump. She looked at him in wonder, "I would."
"If you manage to get the cloak..." There was a playful edge to his voice that she didn't want to lose.
"I'll meet you at the hall in ten!" She said hurriedly and stuffed her books into her bag before dashing to the Gryffindor common room, thinking about how she would get the cloak from Harry. With any luck, he would still be at Quidditch practice.
Draco loitered outside the corridor leading to the dungeons, looking suspiciously unconcerned. The truth was, he was straining to hear footsteps, unwilling to be caught unaware. But it was all in vain because he jumped ungracefully when his cloak seemed to catch on something invisible.
"Granger!" He hissed and out popped her head, floating in the corridor.
"Afraid of ghosts?" She smiled.
"Get your bushy head back down there!" He said and she disappeared. Satisfied that she was perfectly invisible, Draco led the way to the entrance of the dungeons, "Ladies first."
Hermione brushed past him and began descending down the stairs in silence, coming to a stop right outside the entrance of the Slytherin common room.
"Cogito ergo sum." Draco said with a flourish and the door swung open.
"Really? I think, therefore I am?" Hermione laughed in muted tones.
"Is that what it means?" Draco said sarcastically, "I had no idea."
He ushered her in, and they made their way side by side down the steps which let out into a large room decorated with tasteful designs that looked both ancient and priceless. The ceiling to floor, gilded windows were the most interesting because it seemed to emanate with a blue-green hue which coloured everything in a mystical aura.
Upon closer inspection, Hermione noticed that the serpent was present in every nook and cranny. It was engraved into the skeleton of the leather armchairs and etched on the sets of armour which stood guard in almost every corner. The chandeliers gleamed with forked tongues and beady eyes. Thousands of stone snakes twisted in high ceilings and large tapestries of notable Slytherins hung proudly in shallow alcoves, carved grandly out of stone.
"Wow," Hermione breathed, feeling a tingle of excitement dripping down her spine, unable to shake the idea that despite its grandeur, there was a certain coldness that permeated its very existence. The room felt oddly alive and she felt unnaturally out of place as though every serpentine eye was trained on her. But she stubbornly refused to allow her uneasiness to force her out of this one in a lifetime experience.
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The Lost Timeline | Dramione | ✔
Fanfiction"Do not make the mistake of thinking I care what you think of me." She looked down and saw her book in his other hand. The unexpected kindness in the midst of poison was more than she could bear and she took it from him quickly before breaking into...
