Meet Me In The Broom Cupboard

Chapter Eighteen: Eighth Year, November

Hermione woke up gasping for breath. Her left arm was tingling, as if her nightmare had been real enough to recreate the pain she felt when she got her scar, and she was drenched in sweat. The light coming through the window was blindingly bright, causing Hermione to smile faintly when she realised it had snowed.

It was still early, but Hermione showered before Draco could wake up and see that she'd had another nightmare that drenched her in sweat.

The past few days they had gotten worse, perhaps due to her unsettled feelings about her friendship with Harry and Ron, and Draco was getting worried about her. She knew that he took a small amount of Dreamless Sleep so that his nightmares didn't occur, but she had refused it when he offered to put some in her tea as well.

'They aren't that bad anymore.' She had insisted last night.

'They've gotten worse this week.' Draco told her in reply.

'I'm just stressed and upset, you know that. I don't need a potion to help me deal with my problems.' She snapped back, instantly regretting it.

'I see.' Draco spat through gritted teeth.

'Draco, I didn't mean-.' She started, horrified at what she'd implied about him.

'I don't want to hear it, Granger. Forget I said anything.'

He had stormed into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him, and didn't speak to her for the rest of the night. It had been their first fight in months and she hated every second of it.

She shook the memory from her mind as she took the hottest shower that she could manage. When she was done, she wrapped a towel around herself and secured it under her arms before stepping out of the bathroom. Draco was leaning against the back of the armchair, bare chested and hair ruffled, like he had just got out of bed. The look in his eyes suggested that he was about to say "I told you so", knowing she'd had another nightmare, but after a moment he simply wrapped his arms around Hermione's wet body and let her cry against his chest.

'I'm sorry for what I said yesterday.' She mumbled into his skin, trying and failing to hold back the tears.

'I'd be lying if I told you it didn't upset me,' he whispered gently. 'But I know you didn't mean anything by it.'

'I didn't think. I never meant to put you down.' She replied.

'I know. I only got angry because it made me think that I was a coward and that was a big thing that I struggled with the past two years. I took my anger out on you and I shouldn't have.'

Hermione pulled herself away from Draco's chest, the tears finally stopping, and looked into his eyes. 'You'll never be a coward to me. And even if I thought you were being a coward, I wouldn't care.'

'No,' Draco said as he took her face in his hands. 'You should call me a coward if I'm being a coward. I'll try not to get angry next time.'

'Let's make a compromise. I can call you a coward and you can get angry, but we finish the conversation. I don't like going to bed angry.'

Draco agreed, kissing her deeply. 'I'd do anything to make this work with you.' He whispered against her lips.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat. They had never broached the topic of the nature of their relationship, not since she set the boundaries for their physical relationship as kissing on the sofa that first night. She'd been worried that Draco would close himself off if she ever tried to talk to him about what they were doing and if they were ever going to make this official.

'When you say "this"...' she began.

'I mean our relationship, Granger.' He finished with a roll of his eyes.

'If we're going to be together, you have to go back to using my first name.' She insisted, crossing her arms against her chest.

'Deal.' He said as he bent down and chucked her over his shoulder. She screamed, laughing at the same time, as his hands gripped her bare thighs and carried her to her bedroom.

'I warned you about this, Hermione.' Draco growled as he threw her on the bed and crawled on top of her. Hermione gasped as he pressed his body against hers and ran a hand over her hip. 'I told you not to walk around, dripping wet and in a towel, if you didn't want me to take you to bed.'

He was whispering against her skin as he kissed her neck, her shoulders, her chest.

'Draco.' She sighed as his lips met hers. He kissed her until she was gasping for breath and her cheeks were flushed.

'Next time,' he said as he got up from the bed. 'The towel is coming off.'

She threw a pillow at him as he left the room with a laugh, before laying back down and trying to calm her racing heart. Maybe it was time to relax the rules.