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Blood on the Ground	By : pepperdoc Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 15292 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter Universe, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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The door shut behind Molly and Draco and Hermione leaned heavily against it with a sigh. Draco just kissed me. It wasn’t a response to my ridiculous reaction to his mother. He kissed me. Molly saw it. Molly didn’t say anything. Draco just kissed me. Don’t worry about it. He was in a high stress state. He just kissed me, no big deal. So what if he nearly did yesterday too. That doesn’t mean anything. It was just a kiss. It’s not like there was any point to it. It was like a faster thank you, right? He never says thanks. Maybe that’s how he does it? No, Hermione, that’s ridiculous. She had pushed herself off the door and walked upstairs while frantically having these thoughts. She didn’t realize she had even moved until she found herself in the bathroom staring at her own flushed face.

“He just kissed me, so what?” she asked her reflection, uncomfortable with her double’s appearance. “There is no need to look so shocked. Grow up, Hermione,” She scolded herself.

She looked to the tub remembering that Abeille had filled it for Draco. No, he had it filled for me. That’s strange that he would know I’d want a bath. He just kissed me. Stop thinking about it. It doesn’t mean anything. A bath is just what I need to clear my head. The steam in the room, She mentally seized the idea as she disrobed, That’s why I’m flushed, not that his kiss had any effect on me.

She sunk into the hot water and tried to think about Order business. There was the giants’ problem to consider, Malfoy wouldn’t be giving them anymore information about it for a while. Damn, something else, Hermione.

Harry was considering not returning to school for their final year. Hermione wasn’t sure if she would either. The war was more important. I wonder what Dra… er… Malfoy will do… damnit, Hermione. Stop thinking about him.

She thought about the tea to come with Molly. Would the older woman bring up the kiss? She allowed herself to think about this topic, as it was somewhat important to her personal life. What if Molly told Ron? What if Molly told anyone? Malfoy is so infuriating! How dare he kiss me? She allowed herself to feel the anger towards him and began preparing a list of hexes she would sling at him when she next saw him.

Suddenly she thought What if his father… hurts him? I can’t believe he would, not for something so minor. What if he doesn’t come back? What if… his father kills him? She had conflicting emotions.

If she were honest with herself she would realize how sad she would be at his passing. She felt responsible for him. Her own decisions had helped him gain entrance into the Order. He’d saved her life from his own mother. He had changed in her eyes in the short three months he had been a Member. He’d gone from the spoilt menace of her friends to maybe one of her friends. He had saved others countless times in his short time, constantly was warning them of raids, helping the creatures from his dungeons, giving them the information they needed to begin fighting back against Voldemort’s forces.

But she wasn’t honest with herself, not now. Not even in the privacy of her bath. She was pawing her way through her emotions and trying to make sense of them. There was injustice on the surface, rage under that, there was worry mixed with terror, perhaps there was some hope that he would be okay and come back soon. Then at the very bottom of her emotions was a sense of concern. She told herself it was at the very bottom, but it was more like the cauldron which all the other emotions were contained and brewing within.

She finished her bath and dressed as all this was happening in her head. She went to the Kitchen and checked the time. It was 11:30 already. Draco and Molly had left at around 10:45. She set up the kettle and fretted about what Molly would talk to her about. What else could she do?

When Molly arrived, Hermione had mentally backed into a corner. She felt like she had screwed Malfoy in front of the woman, rather than being on the receiving end of a small kiss. In the end, Molly didn’t bring it up, Hermione felt the need to alleviate her guilt and brought it up herself towards the end of their hour together. “Are we ignoring the elephant in the room, Mrs. Weasley?”

“Whatever do you mean, dear?”

“Draco kissed me right in front of you, are we not going to talk about it?”

“We can if you’d like dear, but I didn’t think it was an issue.”

“What do you mean??”

“You and Ronald are not seeing each other romantically, as I understand it. What does it matter if you move on to another boy?”

Hermione sighed and leaned back in her chair. She stared up at the ceiling while she said, “It’ll matter to Ron.”

Molly answered in a forceful tone, “He is your friend. You cannot allow his feelings to dictate your life. Move on if you’re ready, and he’ll move on when he is ready. It’s as simple as that.”

Hermione allowed that to sink in. She was surprised. Of all people, she would never have expected that advice to come from Mrs. Weasley.

The door to the hall was opened and Draco stepped through, looking as pristine as he had when he had left nearly two hours before. “Good afternoon, ladies,” he said with a smirk. “Still at tea while the rest of us are off having adventures, I see.”

Hermione discovered that she was glad to see him. She was grinning like a loon, as she asked, “How was your father, then?”

Draco sat with a flourish next to Molly. “Well,” he began dramatically, “Since we’re gossiping, he’s lost some weight and it looks terrible for him. And his clothes! Just dreadful with his coloring.”

“Oh, Draco, be serious,” Molly told him with an affectionate swat on the arm.

His smile dropped off his face, “For you Molly, I can be. It was a good thing Granger had the antidote…” he began. He told them what happened quickly.

Hermione frowned at the idea that Lucius was so interested in her. When Draco got to the part where Lucius asked about Draco’s feelings towards her, she smiled at his offhanded comment “Of course all but the rainbows and lollis Granger sees in the world was complete shite.”

Draco acted out his pointing out his father to the giggles of the women, and left out the conversation he and Snape had, of course, but the women weren’t concerned about it anyway.

Hermione summed it up while ticking points off on her hand, “Your father believed you to be under the effects of the truth serum, and he showed his hand by asking you if you’re the same boy he expects you to be, and if that proves you’re still loyal. He also is better informed than we thought. He knows about the Order, so we can confirm the Death Eaters has at least some suspicion of it. He is concerned about me, although I wonder if it’s because of my reputation or because of the movements of the prisoners, and finally he also doesn’t know where your mother is. Have I missed anything?”

“He also is concerned he doesn’t have me under his thumb, Granger. Distractions again?” Draco said with a mock disappointed tone.

She glared at him.

“Severus also informed me the reason why everyone is so concerned where she is. Apparently, she knows where something is that the Dark Lord wants.”

“Hmm… I wonder what it could be…” Hermione muttered.

“Well, I need to get back to the Burrow, dears. I’ve dinner to start since there is no meeting tonight.”

Molly left them to Floo home, unaware of the awkwardness she left behind her. Draco poured himself some tea and appeared to lounge in the high backed chair. Hermione examined him over the rim of her cup and thought back to what Molly had said. She thought about leaving the room. Avoidance won’t solve the problem, Hermione. Confront it head on. Just as she was about to open her mouth to ask what the hell he was playing at, Draco began to speak.

“I think he’s interested because of the movements of the prisoners,” Draco said.

Hermione jumped at the sudden continuation of their conversation. “Good. I don’t want anyone to think I’m a threat until the war is going full force.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “I know you’re a threat.”

“You’re on our side. Aren’t you?” She asked, her heart was hammering in her chest for some reason.

“I am on your side,” He reached across the table and gently took the hand holding her cup in his hand. She was surprised to find herself allowing him to. “I’m sorry I kissed you earlier.”

Her heart fell, of course he didn’t mean it, what was she thinking? No wait I knew he didn’t mean it, why do I feel disappointed at his apology?

“I may have breached your trust, and for that I apologize. Was Molly cross?”

She found herself speechless. Who the hell is this guy? She thought. At his surprised look, she realized what she must have done. I’ve really got to stop thinking aloud.

He leaned over the table separating them, “It’s not like I’m a Polyjuiced stranger or something like that. Is it so wrong of me to apologize for making a rash gesture?”

She removed her hand from his warm touch. “No, it’s just… The Great Draco Malfoy apologized. That’s not a part of the Malfoy I know.”

He smirked again, “Believe it or not, Granger, I was raised to be a gentleman. I would want to court you, but the circumstances always prevent it.”

“You… would want to court me?” She was utterly confused. The words were familiar, and their order made sense, but the mouth which spoke them made them confusing. He didn’t seem to be joking, indeed his face was as serious as she had ever seen it.

He ran a hand through his hair absently as he leaned back. “I would. See, this isn’t how it normally goes. I should be able to, and damn what anyone says. But I can’t. It’s incredibly improper for me to court you while living in the same house. If I were to court you regardless, I’m pretty sure your friends would do everything in their power to kill or maim me. If I still bypassed my personal safety, I would be disowned as soon as either of my parents caught wind of it. If I could find a way to avoid all that, I think we might be happy together.”

“How would you avoid all that?” Her eyes felt like they might fall out of her sockets. She was trying not to react yet. All he had said so far was that he wanted to court her, not that he would.

He sighed. He leaned forward so his hand supported his head and he looked at her with longing clearly etched on his features. “I haven’t the faintest. Perhaps the Brightest Witch of our Age might have some opinions on the matter?”

She felt herself blushing, she thought she probably looked like a tomato. She reminded herself that she didn’t trust him, nor his confession. She opened her mouth to speak, not really listening to what came out, “What is this? Some ploy to get into my pants to stave off boredom while you live here?” His mouth opened in shock and hurt was in his eyes. She continued anyway, “Yesterday you tell me we should get along because we’re flatmates, and today you tell me you want to court me, but can’t because we are flatmates!”

He interrupted, “Oh shove off with your lectures, what can I possibly do to make you think I’m not playing a joke on you?”

“Make sense!”

“Why the hell do you think I’m telling you all this? I’m trying to make sense!”

“You never make sense! How do I know this isn’t a mask? How do I know you’re not just manipulating me for your own purposes?”

“If I were manipulating you for my own purposes, you would already be in my bed,” He said seriously.

“See? You admit you want to have sex with me.”

“Of course I do. But that’s not the only reason I want to court you.”

“Well then, what are the other reasons?”

“It might sound crazy, but it’s because of Lupin.”

She cocked her head to the side, now so far beyond confused, her brain might soon explode. “What?”

“Yesterday, we had a conversation in the Library while you slept.” He paused to sip his tea.

“I’d figured. What has that got to do with this?”

He put his hand out in a ‘hang on’ gesture. “We were talking about you. And Tonks. He pointed out that he knows how I feel about you, I pointed out that I know how he feels about Tonks. He and I are both caught in this web of self-sustaining anguish by not allowing ourselves to be with the woman who we both adore because of outside restrictions. I decided last night that my situation was not one that I wanted to continue to be in.”

She thought about it for a moment. “So you’re saying you don’t want to be Lupin.”

He looked excited, “Yes! That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

She nodded and looked away. “When… you decided to join the Order, you said something at the end of your interview-”

“That you were the only one who mattered. I know you heard it.”

She stared at him in the face again, “You didn’t mean that you thought I was in charge?”

“No. I meant it in a different way. I wanted you to know that I’m not the person you thought I was.”

She put her face in her hands. Through her fingers, she said, “You’re not the person I thought you were.”

His hands pulled hers away from her face and held them. “Then let me court you, so I can show you who I am.”

She looked at his face as he kneeled next to her. His silent movements were always surprising her. He looked so earnest in his plea. “I’ll consider it... If I decide I’m open to the idea, we are not at the kissing stage because you apologized for the first one.”

He sat back on his haunches and stared at her, “You know, one of these days, I’ll have to figure a way… Well, that’s a task for another day.” He stood, holding his hand out for hers. He pulled her up and wrapped his long arms around her. She allowed herself to simply be held and didn’t think about anything else. “Have you eaten lunch?” She heard him through ask the rumbling of his chest.

“No, I was too nervous to.”

He released her and called for Pivoine. He asked her for sandwiches and more tea to be delivered to the third floor.

“All the way up there? There’s nothing there but a locked door.” Hermione told him.

He grinned, “I’m pretty sure there is more than just a door. There may in fact be a whole room behind it, if you could expand your imagination that far.”

He began to lead her out of the room as she responded, “You know this cheek is not getting you anywhere, right?”

He held the door open for her and responded, “Yes it is.”

She grinned while walking past him.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

*Excerpt from Hermione’s diary*

June 4, 1998

I’m considering being ‘courted’ by Draco Malfoy. How old-fashioned he is! To ask permission to court me… I haven’t decided yet. There’s Ron to consider, and Harry. My mind is racing around trying to make sense of this ferret. We had lunch upstairs yesterday… apparently there is a solarium on the top of the house. We didn’t talk much, just enjoyed the sun. He left me alone the rest of the afternoon to think I guess. I thought it very kind of him… I sound like a sappy romantic. I’ve just looked back and realized that just yesterday I was hoping for some insight into what is under the mask… Is it wrong to hope for this to be the insight? Probably. This is so wrong. I can’t be courted by Draco Malfoy of all people. And in the middle of a war?? How could we? I’m not making much sense these last entries. Nothing about him makes sense, and it makes me lose perspective. My emotions are all frazzled, and he’s only been here for one full day! It would not make sense for him to want to be with me. My looks are…. Well, not what he should go for. I will admit he is a handsome man… I am not pretty enough… Maybe if I press him, he might reveal some things. –H

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

It was early afternoon before she worked up the courage to try and pick a fight with Draco as she intended to. It was easy to make plans about how she might get him to reveal some things about his intentions, but actually going through with them were harder. She kept remembering how he always seemed to be miles ahead of her. Like he knew what she was thinking. This must be how it is to talk to me for some people. Always afraid to question.

She took a deep breath before stepping into the hall separating their rooms. His door was ajar, so she knocked before poking her head in. “Dra…” She forgot why she’d come when she saw he was running on his Treadmill facing towards the door. He was wearing mesh long shorts, no shirt and sneakers. The scars on his chest and arms rippled over his moving muscles.

She watched him push a few buttons and he slowed to a walk, and she realized he had been watching her. She blushed. “Did you need something?” He panted.

“I uh… Was just wondering what that noise was.” She lied. “I guess it was the Treadmill, sorry,” She turned to go.

“Uh huh. It wasn’t so you could try to pick a fight?” He had his breath back and spoke normally.

She froze. “What are you talking about?”

“Let me guess, shall I?” He was still walking and had a smirk on his face when she turned back to him, “You decided you are not pretty enough to warrant my affections and so came to pick a fight to try to trick me into revealing some hidden motive. Am I right?”

Her face was hot, “I… I don’t…” She stuttered trying to figure a way to defend herself.

“You don’t…” He supplied. “You don’t lie well? I completely agree.”

“Well, at least the normal Malfoy is back.” She said sarcastically, folding her arms over her chest.

“And the normal Granger is nowhere to be found. Honestly, I thought you could come up with something more clever to try and figure that one out.”

“I’m not the Slytherin here. I don’t need to be manipulative.”

“And I’m no bloody Gryffindor who needs to be trustworthy all the time.”

She rolled her eyes, “Obviously.”

He turned off the machine and grabbed a towel hanging off the bar to wipe off his sweat as he said with conviction, “I’m not like your precious Ronald, Granger.” He wiped his face and then looked at her, “I will push you. I will not let you lecture me about what I want or who I am. I expect you to push me back. I expect you will give me an earful if I’m doing something you disagree with.” He walked towards her with the towel over his shoulder and gently touched her arm. His voice also became gentler as he told her, “But don’t ever think you are not good enough for me. This is no manipulation. I don’t manipulate the people I care about.”

She was speechless. She looked up into his face, looking for a lie and could not find one.

“You came to find out if I find you attractive?” He asked softly. “I’ll make it simple, you are the most attractive woman I’ve ever met.” His fingers stroked her jawline. “No, I’m not after you only because of your physical traits. Your mind is as beautiful as your face. Attractive doesn’t always refer solely to appearance. I could explain it in prose, but that wouldn’t make you believe me, I know.” He brushed a stray hair off her cheek. She blushed at his words and at his gentleness. It was so different from how he normally was.

“Why are you so kind when we’re alone?” She whispered.

He smirked again, “I’m not always, Granger. I have a sadistic side. Trust though, comes from showing you what’s inside. What’s under the mask I have to wear to protect myself.”

She turned abruptly and walked away from him, “You get a mask to protect yourself, and what do I have?”

He caught her arm, and spun her to face him. His voice was steel, “You need not protect yourself from me.”

She looked him in the face again, studying his intense eyes. “What about everyone else?”

He gaped at her, she was proud of herself for making him speechless. She continued in his silence, “You pointed out that my friends would curse you, but what about what they would do to me? They are my only friends, Draco. No one else matters to me. You just expect me to turn my care of them off for a boy who has bullied us our entire life? “

He became grim as he considered her point. “I would be turning my back on my family and friends. To me, that is an acceptable consequence of a chance with you.”

She was surprised again by his earnestness. “Where do you see this going? Is this a temporary thing with you until you receive your inheritance?”

“No.”

“Not going to answer the first part of that then?” She asked, reminiscent of their conversation the morning before.

He smirked and let go of her arm. “I haven’t thought about it really. Do you want to sit while we discuss this?”

Should she be impressed about his honesty? Should she be pissed that he had showed her this was somewhat impulsive? Irritated at his cockiness? They sat. “How did you know why I came in here in the first place?” Slipped out while she was thinking.

“Because you’re insecure about your looks. That’s not what you wanted to ask.”

“Alright, when did you decide you wanted to court me?”

“The night before I told you, I told you that already. I think what you mean is how long have I thought of you in a romantic sense? That’s hard to pinpoint.” He crossed his ankle over his knee. He seemed totally at ease even in his shirtless state, Hermione noticed. He thought for a moment, “I suppose, it was the time Severus told me you had brewed Polyjuice in second year. He was impressed. That impressed me. I began to look closer at what you were doing.”

Hermione blushed slightly, remembering the cat hair debacle that came of that.

“It’s why I became louder in picking on you, no one could know that I had a thing for you. I was already being… punished for coming second to a Muggleborn, I couldn’t let anyone know that I had feelings for one as well.”

She sat stiffly as she considered these things, trying not to stare at his bare chest. “Alright, I’ll let you finish your workout. I’ll be in the library if you want to talk,” she said, standing.

He stood next to her, “Hermione,” Her heart fluttered at his use of her given name, “I’m asking you to trust me. Decide on that before anything else, and it may help you decide everything else.”

She nodded and walked downstairs in a daze. She wished she had other female friends who would listen to her predicament and help her find perspective. Ginny was sort of a friend, but not the type Hermione would turn to for this situation, and especially not since she was Ron’s sister. Luna never made sense, so she was out of the question. The Pavarti twins might help, but they were visiting Muggle family in Pakistan and couldn’t be reached easily.

She imagined a female Harry sitting on the Chaise next to her and conversed with ‘her’ for a minute before realizing her imagination refused to give ‘Harriett’ a feminine feature anywhere. This is something I need to figure out for myself she thought. He wants me to trust him, can I do that? Yes, I already do. How do I feel about him? This stumped her for a moment, there were definitely some complex emotions about him.

Ok, that’s going to be hard. What about his characteristics? He’s smart, that’s for sure. Arrogant, but not really in a bad way. He’s funny when he wants to be. I think we have the same sense of humor about a lot of things. He’s handsome… and he has a great body. He plays his cards close to the vest, which is intriguing. He’s not as open as Ron is, so definitely more interesting. He’s kind of old-fashioned, which I think I like. But he says he has a sadistic streak, I wonder what he meant by that. He has shown that he wants to protect me during the whole his mom thing. So he’s protective. I think he’s possessive, considering how he reacts to any mention of Ron. He seems loyal, sometimes, “About those he cares about anyway,” She thought aloud. He is open when it’s just me and him, does that mean he trusts me or is it that it’s an extension of his feelings towards me? Well regardless, he seems to have a lot of great qualities. The bad ones? Well… He can be demeaning toward my friends. He is impulsive sometimes. He can be infuriating when the mood strikes him. It’s not so bad I guess.

She realized she had no idea what he really meant by ‘courting’. Didn’t courting mean he intended to marry her? It was an archaic phrase, maybe he meant to use it that way. She considered it for a moment, before rejecting that he meant it like that. Some of his phrasing about it made her lean towards him using it as a synonym for dating. I suppose I could consent to let him date me. That wouldn’t be so bad, I guess. Probably just giving me flowers and chocolates to satisfy his old-fashioned ways. That’s not so bad. Satisfied that she had made a rational decision, she looked for a cookbook to make his birthday cake. She decided to tell him in the morning that she consented.

She found a book and Flooed Molly. After Hermione asked after the older woman and if there was anyone else home (there wasn’t) Hermione began, “Mrs. Weasley I need to know something, if you know it.”

“What did you need, dear?”

“Draco’s birthday is tomorrow, and I’m thinking of making him a cake. Do you know what kind he likes?”

“His birthday is tomorrow? Dear me, should we plan a party for him?”

“I don’t think he wants one. He seems content with the silence for now,” Hermione said with a frown, she hadn’t even thought of a party for him. Who would they invite? No one in the Order was particularly close to him.

“Well, I’ll make sure to send something tomorrow regardless. What kind of cake? He likes anything sweet, dear. I’ve never heard him mention a preference for any flavor.”

“Hmm… Maybe I can find out another way. Thanks, Mrs. Weasley. I’ve got to get back before he realizes anything. I want to surprise him.”

“Alright, dear. Let us know if you need anything.”

Hermione hugged Mrs. Weasley tightly and returned.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

They ate dinner together that night, an exotic array of delicacies the elves prepared. Hermione even tried rabbit for the first time and didn’t like it. The gelato for dessert was her favorite. They discussed a wide variety of topics, with impressive speed. They seemed to be having six conversations at once at some points. They retired to the sitting room and continued their conversation on the couch next to each other until well past midnight. Hermione looked at the clock at around 1 AM and interrupted his interpretation of what it would mean to use diamonds in potions to tell him “Happy birthday,” and pecked him on the cheek.

He grinned, “You know this means I have access to the vaults? I think it’s time for me to start my nest egg.”

“Your what?” She asked with a laugh.

“Nest egg, it means a cushion for if anything happens so I can’t access the vaults. I have no idea where the phrase came from.”

“Oh, that’s good. So you don’t have to worry so much about their approval then?”

“That’s exactly what it means.” His voice was low and husky as he stared at her intently.

She leisurely stretched with a yawn. She closed her eyes and missed the darkening of his eyes as they raked over her arched body. “I’m going to bed.” She said.

He wished her a goodnight and she made her way to bed.

A/N: Ah, inflections are so much fun. But anyway… Finally some real conversations between these two! I think my favorite part about their conversations is that they just skip over some things which others would dwell on. Hermione starts to lecture, Draco calls her on it. I love Draco for not being all sappy. Just straight to the point. Sappiness comes later- for a bit… The muse is in control of this one, can’t argue with her.

It’s the Birthday Boy’s turn next to tell us what’s going on!

You know what would be great? If you left me a review. That would be awesome. Or a rating? That would be cool too. Quick Thanks to margiere for an- as always- insightful review!
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Blood on the Ground