Inside Your Mind

o children

O Children - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

January 2nd 2000

The steady thrum of the water pump combined with the sound of the water hitting the shower tiles drowned out all noise in Hermione's bathroom. She had to bring her radio in from the bedroom and rest it on the sink if she wanted to listen to music while she was in there. She didn't mind too much but it always felt odd to shower with the door open, despite living alone.

As Hermione rinsed the shampoo from her hair she closed her eyes and swayed along to the song that was currently playing, lost beneath the hot water spray, and missed the sound of the front door opening. When she finally opened her eyes, after wiping the water from them, she let out a small shriek at the sight of a figure leaning against the bathroom doorframe.

'You complete arse!' She laughed, wishing there wasn't a screen separating them so that she could easily throw a shampoo bottle at him for scaring her. 'What are you doing?' She asked when she saw him quickly undress and climb into the shower with her.

'I haven't showered yet this morning, thought I'd join you.' Draco smirked as he manoeuvred them so that he was directly beneath the stream of water.

'How did you even get in?' Hermione demanded. She hadn't needed to place wards on her flat after her memories were restored, Draco had done that for her as soon as she'd moved in, but she'd added an extra layer of protection just in case. You could only enter with a key, the Unlocking Spell wouldn't work, and she was the only one with a copy.

'I have a key.' Draco stated as he shampooed his hair. He had a smug grin on his face and it was irritating Hermione to no end but, when she glanced down and saw that this interaction was clearly turning him on, her face didn't flush with anger or irritation.

'How do you have a key? I have the only copy.' She retorted, turning away so that he couldn't see how she was now also getting turned on by their shared shower. She let out a slow sigh when she felt his breath tickle her ear and his body heat crept closer.

'I'm quite certian your landlord has a copy too.' He whispered as he traced his tongue along her ear.

Hermione's eyes widened and she spun around, almost slipping on the wet floor. Draco's arm snuck around her waist to steady her and she moaned internally when their bodies connected and she felt him press against her stomach. She composed herself and sent him a glare.

'You're my landlord.'

'You're surprised?' Draco asked with a raised brow. 'I wasn't going to put you up in a flat that was owned by a stranger. That would not have been my smartest idea. I had to know everyone you'd be in contact with.'

'But... I called my landlord when - when the boiler broke.' Hermione stuttered.

'I had to get Ginny to teach me how to use a telephone. Told her it was for work purposes. She was a bit useless but I didn't need it much.' Draco explained with a shrug. 'You wouldn't have recognised my voice, you didn't recognise my face.'

Hermione frowned when she realised how close she had been to Draco without knowing it. It still stung but it could have been worse - she could have been the one who remembered while Draco didn't.

He kissed her for the first time that morning, right between her eyebrows, and her frown immediately relaxed.

'I lied.' Draco said as he looked down at Hermione, watching a few drops of water roll down her face. One of his hands was resting on her neck, palm against the pulse point at her throat while his fingers stretched to the hairs at the nape of her neck, while the other rest on the small of her back. 'I already showered this morning.'