Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own any of these characters. Oh, woe is me!
A/N: Delays, delays, delays! I’m sorry this chapter has taken longer than normal, but I’ve been absolutely flat out in real life, and my days have been full of late nights and early mornings to get my work done on time, and I’ve had absolutely no time to myself. However, I have decided that, because I love you all so much, I’m going to skive off my duties this afternoon and write a new chapter. That and the fact that I’m getting sick of endless questions on organic chemistry when I much prefer English and writing fan fiction…
***
“So when exactly does Hermione come running back into my open and waiting arms, Zabini,” Draco growled. He was sitting in the Slytherin common room during his line off, and Blaise and him were taking the opportunity to discuss the issue at hand.
A week had passed since Hermione and Draco had fought, and in that time they had said all of two words together. Draco was becoming increasingly anxious with the situation, and had tried to apologize on numerous occasions. However, whenever he tried to approach Hermione, she would scowl and latch onto the nearest Gryffindor (which was normally Ron) and walk off, leaving Draco by himself with a heavy heart and an unspoken apology.
“Give it some time, mate,” Blaise grinned, shaking his head.
“I’ve given it some time, mate. In fact, I’ve given it a week, and I’m getting tired of waiting,” Draco snarled, standing up and starting to pace around the room. “I need to get her back, dammit.”
“She hasn’t gone anywhere, Draco, and she’s still yours. You just need to get her to see the light,” Blaise reasoned, tilting his head back and closing his eyes to the stone ceiling above.
“Well then why don’t you enlighten me on the ways I can get her to see the light when she won’t even talk to me,” snapped Draco, giving up on pacing and flinging himself onto the empty sofa across from Blaise.
“I dunno, talk to the Weaselette or something?” Blaise offered.
“Ginny? Do you think she’d talk to me?” Draco asked, knowing that Blaise would have no real answer.
“Sure, whatever. Just try, ‘kay?” Blaise shrugged, eyes still closed. Draco rolled his eyes.
“Oh, I was thinking of just giving up and letting the Weasel have her, actually, so there’s no need in trying,” Draco said sarcastically, standing up and leaving the common room to Blaise’s quiet chuckles. He wandered up the stairs towards the entrance hall, immersed in thought of how he could get Hermione to talk to him. Maybe he could just-
“Sickle for your thoughts, Malfoy?” said a quiet voice behind him, and Draco jumped slightly. The voice laughed, and he saw it was Ginny, her arms full of books.
“Hm, what did you say?” he asked.
“What are you thinking about? It wouldn’t have anything to do with my dear friend Hermione, now would it?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.
“How did you know?” Draco asked, grinning slightly.
“Oh, just a lucky guess. That and the fact that you look like a completely lost puppy without her,” Ginny laughed, and Draco scowled. “Do you want some help getting her back?”
Draco stopped walking and turned to look at her. “Why are you offering to help me?” he questioned, suspicious that Ginny may have ulterior motives.
“Because I’m just a nice person like that. Also, Hermione misses you like hell, though she won’t admit it,” Ginny frowned and began walking.
“How can you help me?” Draco asked skeptically.
“I know that my brother is far too stubborn to ever have apologized to Hermione without some provocation, and I know that you would do anything to make her feel better, so from that I can conclude that you made Ron apologize to Hermione, not realizing that it would mean they would become incredibly close again, and now you’re regretting your decision and need Hermione back,” Ginny surmised quickly, and they stopped walking once they came to the portrait of the Gryffindor common room.
“Wow,” was all Draco could say.
“Yep. Anyway, I’ll get Hermione to talk to you, but from then on it’s all up to you, understand?” Ginny asked sternly, and Draco nodded. “See you around, Malfoy.” Ginny said, entering the common room and leaving Draco standing outside.
The bell went signaling the end of class and the beginning of lunch, and Draco slipped away towards the Great Hall before the Gryffindors came out of their common room to see the Slytherin Prince standing outside. Though it was common knowledge that he and Hermione were together, many of the Gryffindors, particularly those who knew of Draco’s shady past, disapproved of their relationship.
“Long time no see,” Blaise smirked as Draco plopped down into the seat beside him.
“Ha-ha. Hilarous, Blaise,” Draco drawled, watching Hermione as she came in with Ginny who was speaking to her quickly.
“Are you going to eat anything?” Blaise asked, elbowing Draco.
“Maybe later,” came the reply. Draco’s eyes were still fixated on Hermione, who was biting her lip and looking thoroughly torn. Feeling his gaze, she looked up and straight into Draco’s eyes.
In those ten seconds of eye contact, Draco tried to let all the love and adoration he felt towards Hermione fall into his gaze. He felt his face soften and his body relax the way only Hermione could make him relax, and then she looked away.
Giving a defeated sigh, Draco pushed away from the table in annoyance, stood up, and strode out of the Great Hall without another look back. He was heading towards his dormitory when he heard footsteps approaching from behind him, and stopped and turned around just in time for Hermione to run straight into his chest.
She stumbled back slightly, and his arms shot out to grab her. Once he had caught her, he unconsciously pulled her into his chest. Her arms snaked around his waist, and he rested his cheek on top of her head.
“You have no idea how good it feels to have you in my arms again,” Draco murmured and kissed the top of her head. She looked up and, to his surprise, her face was tear-streaked. “Why are you crying, love?”
“I’ve b-b-been so stupid!” she sobbed, burying her face in his chest once more.
“Shush, you haven’t been stupid at all,” he said soothingly, pulling himself away and tilting her face up to look at him. Hesitating momentarily, he bent down and kissed the tears from her face. Her face broke out into a watery smile, and he brushed his hand across her cheek.
“Ginny told me everything,” she said after a moment, reaching down and taking his hands. “How you made Ron apologize to me, and why you did it.”
Draco shrugged. “I knew you were hurting, and I wanted to stop the pain.”
“You know, sometimes I find it hard to believe that you are the same Draco Malfoy I met when I was eleven,” Hermione said, cupping his face in her hands. “I love you, and I’m sorry.”
“I love you, too,” he replied, bending down and capturing her lips with his.
She moved her hands from his face and wrapped her arms around his neck instead, entangling her fingers in his hair. He pulled her closer, hands around her waist, and deepened the kiss. Just as they were stumbling backwards into their common room, past Eve who was covering her son’s eyes with her hand, the bell rang shrilly, breaking through their reverie and bringing them back to reality.
With a sound of annoyance from Hermione, Draco pulled back from the kiss. She pouted at him and removed her hands from his hair as he chuckled quietly at her expression.
“Potions?” he asked, and she nodded. “Let’s go, beautiful.”
Hermione took his hand and smiled up at him. “I missed you calling me that.”
“Get used to it, gorgeous,” he smirked and kissed the top of her head.
The walk down to Potions was pleasant for both of them, as they talked to each other about the things that they had missed in their week long separation. A few people pointed them out in the hallways as they passed, but both shrugged it off; they were used to the attention.
The reaction from the others when they got to the dungeons was a different story entirely. When the couple arrived, Harry rushed over, grinning, along with Blaise.
“I told you she’d come around,” Blaise winked, and Hermione raised an eyebrow at Draco who shrugged it off.
On the other side of the dungeon, Pansy Parkinson was seething as she saw ‘her beloved Drakie-poo’ back in the arms of Hermione. Ron was, despite claiming that he had nothing against Draco and Hermione, had gone a brilliant shade of red and was avoiding looking at the reunited couple with all the strength he could muster.
“So Ginny talked some sense into you?” Harry asked Hermione.
“She sure did, and I’m so happy I let her,” Hermione said, squeezing Draco’s hand softly. He smiled serenely at her, and took his usual seat as Professor Slughorn came in.
“All right, all right, everyone sit down. Oh ho, I see our two lovebirds are back together again!” the rather round professor exclaimed loudly. Hermione flushed and Draco cringed slightly, but Slughorn paid them no more attention as he began the lesson.
***
“Good morning, gorgeous,” Draco murmured, kissing Hermione’s cheek softly as they lay in bed together late one Saturday morning. The sunlight was streaming into Hermione’s room, bathing them both in the golden light. “I hope you realize that you look absolutely stunning this morning.”
“Mm, you say that every morning,” Hermione said sleepily, rolling over onto her side to face him and planting a small kiss on his lips.
“That’s because it’s true every morning,” Draco smiled, trailing his fingertips along her cheek in a way which made her shiver.
“We should get up,” Hermione sighed, going to push herself from the bed, but Draco gently pushed her down.
“I don’t think so,” he contradicted her, now trailing his fingers up and down the side of her arm. “We have all day to get up, and why should we get up when everything we need is right in this bed?”
He leant in and kissed her softly, and she knotted her fingers in his hair.
“On second thoughts, I agree with you entirely,” she breathed between kisses.
***
After finally convincing themselves to get out of bed, Draco and Hermione dressed simply and headed down to the Great Hall for lunch, hand in hand.
“You two look like a couple of lovesick puppies,” they heard Ginny say from behind them, and she and Harry cam sidling up beside the couple hand in hand.
“Speak for yourself, Gin,” Hermione laughed, and Ginny slapped her friend’s arm playfully.
“How are you, Harry?” Draco asked, watching Hermione and Ginny with an amused expression.
“Fine. Ron’s being a bit of a pain again about the whole you and Hermione thing, but he’ll get over it,” Harry shrugged. “You look happy. Where have you been all morning?” Harry was grinning knowingly, and Draco smirked back.
“Oh, you know. Just enjoying the company in the common room,” Draco winked, and Harry laughed loudly.
By this time the two couples were sitting down across from one another at the Gryffindor table, Hermione and Ginny talking quickly amongst themselves and Harry and Draco still laughing.
“So what do you have planned for this afternoon?” Ginny asked Draco and Hermione once Draco had stopped laughing.
“Nothing much. We’ve finished all our homework, so probably just some relaxing. It’s a nice day as well, so we might just sit outside. What about you two?” Hermione responded for both her and Draco, who had his mouth full.
“Probably the same. ‘Course, I have finished all my work, but I’ll finish it tomorrow,” Harry shrugged, and Hermione saw Ginny roll her eyes. “Care to join us by the lake after lunch?”
“That sounds nice. What do you think, Draco?” Hermione asked as Draco swallowed some potato salad.
“Yeah, that sounds good,” he agreed, and Hermione flashed him a smile.
The rest of lunch passed in talk of school, the upcoming exams and just general chatter amongst friends. It was breezy outside, but not too cold, and the two couples settled down by the lake. Draco and Hermione were leant up against their usual tree with Hermione’s back against Draco’s chest, and Ginny and Harry sat across from them.
“I take it you two have made up entirely?” Ginny asked, settling down in the grass.
“I think I can safely say we have,” Hermione smiled. Draco was busy playing with Hermione’s curls, but he was paying enough attention to the conversation to kiss the top of Hermione’s head quickly.
“I know you two have been together for a few months now, but I still maintain the fact that it’s somewhat creepy to see you acting like that towards Hermione, Draco,” Harry laughed, and the other three joined in.
“Trust me, I know how weird it must look from the outside. If my father saw me he would probably drop dead. In fact, if someone showed me a picture of us together a couple of years ago, I would have dropped dead,” he chuckled, wrapping his arms around Hermione who took his hands in her own.
“If someone had told me that I would be dating Harry Potter, the boy who lived, when I was eleven years old, I probably would have passed out with excitement,” Ginny laughed, and Harry grinned as he gave her a peck on the cheek.
“You two are so perfect for each other,” Hermione sighed, and Ginny poked her tongue out.
“Well you two are kind of a perfect, albeit odd, fit,” Ginny shrugged.
From there the conversation turned back to school, Quidditch and all other topics under the sun, and they wasted the afternoon away chatting to each other.
***
A/N: There you go! Please R&R, lovelies!
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