Disclaimer: None of these characters are my own, they are all the property of the wonderful and amazingly talented J.K. Rowling.
A/N: Thank you to the wonderful people who have favourited my story and special thanks go to A Heart on my Hand for their review. You’re wonderful, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
***
“Now that our wonderful feast has finished, all students will return to their dormitories. First years should follow the prefects of their houses, and once settled in, all prefects must return to the Great Hall. I would also like to ask that the Head Boy and Head Girl remain behind to wait for the prefects. Off you go!” Professor McGonagall waved her hands and the students began to disperse.
“See you later, Hermione,” Ginny and Harry said, hugging her in turn. Ron gave her a kiss before the three of them headed up to the Gryffindor common room, somewhere that Hermione wouldn’t be going to very often this year. She waved goodbye to her friends and let out a sigh. She was home.
The Great Hall was soon empty of everyone except for Hermione and Malfoy, who sauntered over towards her smugly.
“Looking forward to sharing a room with me, Granger? I know you are. After all, who wouldn’t?” Malfoy said, falling into the seat beside Hermione.
“Gee, someone is a little bit cocky, aren’t they?” Hermione snapped, but a grin played around her lips.
“You know you want me, Granger. Everybody does. After all, I am the Slytherin Sex God,” Malfoy smirked, and Hermione just rolled her eyes. Luckily, at that moment, the prefects returned, chatting amongst themselves. They seemed much more at ease than they were on the train.
“Alright, gather around everyone!” Professor McGonagall called, and Malfoy, Hermione and all the prefects headed down to the end of the Gryffindor table. “Now, congratulations on earning your titles and privileges. From what I heard from Ms Lovegood, you already had a meeting on the train where most things were covered. You all know that you shall be conducting patrols in your house pair. Ms Granger and Mr Malfoy will be writing up a rotation which you will follow, but if necessary you can always swap your patrol with another house, as long as both houses consent to the swap.
“On top of all of this, seeing as we have not had much to celebrate for the last few years, I have, with the advice given from the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, decided that this year we will be having school dances, periodically placed throughout the year. The first dance shall be on Halloween, and will consist of a Masquerade ball. The next dance will be on Christmas Eve, and there will be another sometime in the spring. These dances and festivities are to be kept quiet until such a time when I say the general student population may know about them, and any prefect who has let slip that they will occur will face penalties.
“Now, it is getting late and I’m sure you are all tired. Off to bed, except for you two, Mr Malfoy and Ms Granger. I need to show you to your new dormitory.”
The prefects disbanded and left the Great Hall and Hermione and Malfoy stood, waiting for Professor McGonagall to lead the way. She strode out of the Hall quickly, her paces long. Hermione hurried after her, and Malfoy kept pace with her.
“So, Granger, you never answered my question back in the Hall. Are you looking forward to sharing a room with me?” Malfoy’s smirk was huge, and Hermione gritted her teeth together.
“Oh, yes! Of course I’m looking forward to sharing a room with an ungrateful little git who is so full of himself and who has made six years of my life a living hell. Knowing that I have to share a room with you is probably the best news I’ve gotten all year,” Hermione spat sarcastically, and Malfoy chuckled.
“Well, well, you have a little bit of a temper, now don’t you, Granger?”
“Like you didn’t know that already, ferret.”
Professor McGonagall came to a sudden stop outside a large portrait of a pretty young woman with a baby in her arms. The baby was sleeping soundly, and the woman looked up when the three of them arrived.
“Hello there, you must be the new Head Boy and Girl. I’m Eve. I hope you don’t mind whispering. I just got this little one to sleep,” the portrait said, shifting the baby slightly in her arms.
“Mr Malfoy, Ms Granger, behind Eve is your dormitory. You will find separate bedrooms, each with an adjoining bathroom. The common room should be spacious enough, and, as per request of a student a few years ago, a fully stocked kitchen has been added for your convenience, should you choose to cook. You do not have to dine with the rest of the students, but your presence is required at feasts and important meetings. Oh, your password is ‘bassinet’, is that right Eve?” McGonagall explained. The pretty woman nodded, and swung open to admit them. “Off you go. Your belongings are already in your respective rooms, Ms Granger’s being to the left and Mr Malfoy’s to the right. Oh, and I must ask you to come to breakfast in the Great Hall tomorrow so I can hand out your timetables. Have a good night.” Professor McGonagall walked off, leaving Hermione and Malfoy standing there, looking at the inside of their new dormitory. Eve swung shut behind them, and once she closed the room lit up.
It was quite spacious, though it was decorated in dark colors which gave it a very cozy look. The wall on one side of the room was lined with tall bookcases, and there were several comfortable looking armchairs clustered around a blazing fire. Opposite the sitting area was the kitchen, which had a dining table within it. The common room split off into two forks, and Hermione took the left one with a tiny wave to Malfoy who just raised an eyebrow at her.
She shook her head and climbed the short spiral stairs to her room, and when she got there she gasped. The room was much lighter than the common room had been. The floor was a pale wood, and the walls had been wallpapered in a soft golden pattern. The furniture was white, and her bed was large and covered in scarlet sheets. Crookshanks was curled up happily at the foot of the bed, purring loudly as he slept, and Hermione scratched him behind the ears before deciding that she should have a shower.
She grabbed some clothes to change into and went into the bathroom, where she was once again shocked. It was large, about three quarters of the size of her huge bedroom, with a large bath in the corner and a very big mirror above the sink. Hermione stripped off and climbed into the shower, turning on the hot water.
She stood under the water for a long time before she realized that the entire room was getting fogged up, at which point she stumbled out and wrapped herself in a fluffy gold towel. Her hair had formed long wet tendrils and they hung down her back, clinging to her skin. She dried herself off quickly and pulled on the clothes she had decided to change into, which were a pair of tiny black shorts and a pale blue tank top. She hung up her towel and went back into her bedroom where she rummaged around in her trunk for a book to read.
It was late, but Hermione could never get to sleep without reading at least a little bit. She finally pulled out her copy of Sonnets of a Sorcerer, and just as she stood up her bedroom door flew open, making her jump slightly.
“Granger, do you-“ Malfoy broke off when he saw her. Her outfit clung tightly to her body in all the right places, and the smell of the rose scented soap seemed to intoxicate him for a moment.
“Like what you see, Malfoy?” Hermione grinned as Malfoy seemed dumbfounded. He looked her up a few more times, then swallowed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Malfoy shook his head quickly, regaining his composure and cool mask. “Do you know where the spare towels are?” he asked, keeping his eyes on her face, though he seemed to be struggling not to look down at the rest of her.
“Try the cupboard in the common room, there might be some in there,” Hermione said, her eyes drifting down Malfoy’s body as she realized what he was, or more to the point wasn’t, wearing. He had evidently stripped off his white dress shirt and had a towel slung over one shoulder. His chest was bare, and the black of his dress pants contrasted shockingly with his pale and sculpted abdomen.
“Like what you see, Granger?” he teased, and Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
“Just as much as you liked seeing me,” she retorted, and Malfoy chuckled.
“Sure, sure,” he muttered and left her bedroom.
Grinning broadly to herself, Hermione picked up her book and climbed beneath the scarlet bed sheets, and despite her reading and the fact that the room’s lamps were still on, within five minutes she was fast asleep.
**
Draco woke to the sun shining on his face and to the smell of coffee and cooking bacon drifting up into his room. He stretched and opened his pale grey eyes, sitting up and looking around his bedroom. It was spacious, with light floors and silver wallpaper. His bed had dark green sheets, and he felt his room looked fairly similar to Granger’s, just with different colors. He chuckled as he thought about Granger and their meeting in her bedroom the night before.
She really had looked very sexy, though he was sure that wasn’t intentional. Wait, what was he thinking? This was Granger, the mudblood! The reason why his father was in Azkaban and his mother in St. Mungos. Then again, he was a teenage boy, and she was looking much more attractive this year. He shook his head, as if to clear himself of the thoughts, and rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom.
After a hot shower, he dressed himself into his school robes and followed the delicious smell of coffee and bacon down towards the common area, where Granger was standing at the counter with a cup of coffee in her hands as she stared off into space. On the table was a plate of bacon and eggs, with a steaming mug of the bitter liquid which Draco craved so much beside it.
“Morning, Granger,” he said, startling her from her daydream. “Since when did you cook?”
“Since I grew up in a muggle household without a house elf to do all of my dirty work. Oh, and since Ron made me learn because he says that cooking is the woman’s job,” she said, and Malfoy smirked at the sharp tone she used when talking about the Weasel.
“Well, it looks good,” Draco conceded, and Granger smiled warmly at him.
“Eat up, that plate is for you. What happened to you, anyway? Wake up on the right side of the bed for a change?”
“Why would you say that?” Draco asked after swallowing a mouthful of the eggs – he kept in a satisfied noise seeing as they were cooked to utter perfection.
“Well, you’re being nice to me. Since when were you, the Slytherin Prince, nice to me, the Gryffindor Bookworm?” Granger asked, sipping her coffee tentatively.
“Since we had to share a room and you cooked me breakfast,” Draco answered, taking a large gulp of his coffee. “Wait, didn’t McGonagall say we had to be in the Great Hall for breakfast?”
To his surprise, Granger laughed. “Did you even glance at the time before you got up. It’s barely even half past seven, and no one is going to be in the hall until eight or so.”
“Really? It’s that early?” Draco asked, and cast a look at the clock hanging on the wall which indeed confirmed that it was half past seven. He finished his eggs and took one last sip of coffee, and once he placed his mug down his plate disappeared. “Thanks for the breakfast, Granger.”
She nodded at him, put her own mug down (it quickly vanished) and went up to her room. Draco watched her back as she walked away, and noticed that she was still in the clothes that he had seen her in the previous night. Her legs were long and slender, and her walk was graceful, and he found it hard to look away.
‘It’s just Granger. Get yourself together, Draco,’ he thought angrily, and he ran up the stairs to his room two at a time.
***
“Morning, Gin, Harry,” Hermione said, waving at two of her best friends as she sat down next to Ron who was devouring a plate of scrambled eggs.
“Morning, Ermionee,” Ron said, spraying the table with eggs. Hermione frowned in distaste as she watched her boyfriend and sighed, picking up a goblet of pumpkin juice. She took a deep sip, and noticed both Ginny and Harry were looking at her.
“Yes?” she asked, confused.
“Well, how’s sharing a room with Malfoy?” Ginny asked, leaning towards her friend. Harry leant with her, Ginny’s hand clasped tightly within his. Ron didn’t seem to notice or care, and he continued to eat.
Hermione smiled lightly. This wasn’t what she had been expecting. “Not too bad. He’s been keeping a civil tongue because we both know that it’ll be easier to live together if we can refrain from biting each other’s heads off. But I suppose we’ll see, it’s only been one night.”
Ginny and Harry nodded in agreement and went back to their breakfast. Just as Hermione took another swig of pumpkin juice, Professor McGonagall walked over to her, timetables in hand.
“Ah, Ms Granger. I have your timetable right here,” she said, handing Hermione the sheet of paper. “How do you like your new dormitory?”
“Oh, it’s excellent, thank you very much, professor,” Hermione smiled, and looked at her timetable as Professor McGonagall moved on, handing timetables to Harry, Ginny and Ron. “Ancient Runes first, then Charms and double Potions after lunch. Not bad, not bad.” Harry and Ron had a free line first, so they headed back to the common room, but Hermione and Ginny walked to their classes together.
“Hermione...do you think Harry loves me?” Ginny asked suddenly, stumping Hermione for a moment before she regained her composure.
“Have you seen the way he looks at you, Gin? You turn him to mush whenever you’re around him, and I can honestly say that he does love you. Why do you ask?”
Ginny sighed. “Well, it’s just that he’s been acting really different lately, and I don’t know if I’ve done something wrong,” she said with a frown.
“The war was really hard on him, and even though all those troubles are behind him, the things he saw, the things he did, well they’re going to stay with him forever. I can assure you that you’ve done nothing wrong. He just needs some time and space to think, but don’t stray too far away, because he needs you more than anything at the moment. He needs your love and support,” Hermione smiled at her friend, and gave her a hug as they parted outside Ginny’s Transfiguration class.
What Ginny had been saying was true. Harry had changed, just as Hermione and Ron and the rest of the wizarding world had changed as well. Hermione sat down in her seat at the front of the Ancient Runes class and pulled her textbook from her bag. The class was, as usual, very empty, the only other students being Padma Patil and Susan Bones. Hermione looked up as Professor Babbling walked in, looking around at the rather empty classroom.
“Good morning, ladies, and welcome back to Hogwarts for your seventh year study of Ancient Runes. It seems that we’re missing a student,” the professor said, glancing down at her roll. Hermione looked at her, confusion flooding her face. This class had never been very popular, and had always consisted of just the three girls. “Ah, here comes the new student now. Please, take a seat up the front, Mr Malfoy.”
Hermione dropped her quill in shock and whipped her head around to see Draco Malfoy sauntering down to the front.
“Sorry I’m late, Professor, I got caught up talking to Professor McGonagall,” Malfoy drawled before sitting beside Hermione. “Howdy, Granger.”
“What are you doing here?” Hermione said through gritted teeth as Professor Babbling waved her wand, causing a bit of chalk to write up the lesson’s instructions on the board.
“Why so hostile, Granger? You seemed perfectly happy this morning,” Malfoy said, placing his copy of Deciphering Ancient Runes: Advanced on his table and pulling out a book and a quill.
“I wasn’t hostile this morning because that was before I found out that you would be sitting next to me for the rest of the year and ruining my favourite class,” Hermione hissed as she opened her textbook and began to translate the complex pattern of runes on the page. She put her quill between her teeth as she thought.
“Well, this way we can help each other out with homework, Granger. I’m sure it won’t be that bad,” Malfoy smirked, and began to translate the page alongside Hermione.
It was going to be a long year.
***
A/N: There you go, second chapter already! It’s longer than the first, and I know that it still hasn’t gotten very exciting, but patience is always a handy-dandy trait to have :). Gosh, don’t you just love Malfoy? He’s so...gorgeous.
No comments:
Post a Comment