books & cleverness, friendship & bravery!

To say that Draco was nervous was an understatement. He was sat on his bed with a small white fluffy creature in his lap—one of his gifts that Granger had so generously given to him. He lazily played with the kitten, smiling at its soft mews as it attacked his forefinger, catching it in its mouth and almost smiling in victory. He straightened the green bow that had been tied around its neck, since he hadn’t had the heart to take it off.

He had been overwhelmed by the gifts that Granger had given him. He had already begun to use the broom servicing kit, and was still surprised that she had even thought to have his family crest put upon it as well. The sweets had been his absolute favorite but, the most shocking of all of course, was the kitten. A snow white kitten, with a green bow tied gently around its neck.

Draco was surprised by all of it to be honest. He didn’t think he would ever get used to her generosity and thoughtfulness—something he knew he lacked entirely. He felt awful that he didn’t think to get her anything as well, although he probably should have. They had made up from their fight a few weeks ago—him apologizing profusely for going off with Daphne and for his behavior in general. And things had been…great, for lack of a better term, since they made up.

And now he felt like he had gone and messed up again. So…he was going to try something different. Draco was going to do something he had never done before.

He gently lifted the kitten off of his lap, and placed it softly down on a bundle of blankets on his bed before turning towards his dresser and mirror. Draco studied his reflection as he buttoned up his shirt and tied a soft silver tie around his neck, a change from the constant black upon black. He hastily ran his hands through his hair, his nerves hitting him unexpectedly as he once again realized he had no idea if what he was doing was going to be taken as well as he wanted it to be.

Realizing that it was too late to turn back now, the young Slytherin decided to head to the Astronomy Tower, where he had invited Granger to meet him. He had already set up earlier in the day, a small table set to the side of the small room. He had lit three candles upon it, and their meal—that he hadn’t had the courage to cook himself—was placed in a silver container with an enchantment placed on it to keep it hot.

She had tamed her wild riot of curls to the best of her abilities, sweeping them down over one of her bare shoulders and pinning them to the side with an ornate hair piece. That combined with a scant bit of makeup--just enough to highlight her delicate features--was more than enough primping for Hermione's rather plain sensibilities.  She felt elegant, and she could only hope that her Slytherin...something thought the same of her ensemble. 

Throwing on a cloak to ward off the winter chill, Hermione tip-toed down the hall, making her way to the stairs that would lead her to the Astronomy Tower. It had proved to be almost impossible to sneak out of Gryffindor common room on New Years Eve--Harry and Ron had fought tooth and nail to convince her to stay--but she had finally managed to leave, and the Astronomy Tower was now in sight.

Having arrived, Hermione tentatively slid out of her robe, draping it over one of her arms, feeling her eyes widen as she took in her surroundings. There were candles everywhere; on the table Draco had arranged for them and surrounding the make-shift bed in the center of the room. The atmosphere was undeniably a romantic one, and Hermione felt her breath hitch and catch in her throat as she realized how much effort Slytherin's reigning prince had put into transforming what was usually a fairly desolate tower into a place they could call their own.

And then there was Draco himself--illuminated by the stars with the candlelight reflecting off of the bright sheen of his hair, staring out at the night sky and worrying his lower lip between his teeth. Donning a formal ensemble of his own, Hermione could easily say that he was...the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and she meant that in the most masculine way possible.

“I still want this too, Granger.” He sighed, his lips brushing against her skin, before he gave into his instincts and wrapped his arms around her, and tucked his chin over her head. Draco felt like a fool, for ever thinking that he could have possibly replaced her with another. Granger was smart and clever and kind and everything he didn’t deserve. So of course, he couldn’t let her go. At least not today.

He raised a hand and cautiously ran it through her hair, gently detangling any knots he happened to encounter. His eyebrows scrunched in frustration at how she had a knack for constantly bringing out the sentimental side of him—it wasn’t something he was used to. And it had only been a few weeks since their fight, but it felt like far too long and Draco wanted to make sure she was just as she remembered, even though he was more than aware that that was a ridiculous notion.

A soft sound of feminine content escaped her and was muffled by his chest as he began to gingery run his slender fingers through her riot of curls, gently untangling the knots that had resided there--a task that not many would ever attempt. She had almost forgotten how tenderly affectionate he could be when he wasn't too busy building walls around himself, and she found that she had sorely missed it. Him. She had missed him.

As he drew away, albeit barely, Hermione listened to his words, knowing that he was being far more sentimental than he was accustomed to. She watched as he caught his lower lip between his teeth, worrying the already swollen flesh. Why was it swollen again? Because--oh. Because he had...right.

Suddenly struck with an odd surge of possessiveness she hadn't thought herself capable of, she found herself pressing closer to him once more, gingerly moving the hand he had placed on her cheek in favour of twining upwards, stretching out along the length of his body and splaying her fingers across either side of his face, cradling his cheeks in her hands. She was flush against him now, their hearts beating in tandem, and Hermione knew then that she was going to kiss him--because she had a point to prove, dammit!

"Of course I'll still have you," She murmured breathlessly, her lips dangerously close to his. "I've spent the entire week wanting you, Malfoy, but just...you can't..."

She took a deep breath before exhaling in a rush. "If you even think about kissing another girl while we're still technically a...thing, I swear to Merlin that I won't hesitate to do something in retaliation, and...well, it'll make my punching you in our third year feel like little more than a light pinch."