the peculiarity of love // dramione

11

Peck peck.
Draco stirred, then tried to ignore the tapping. He reached up scratch his nose.
Peck peck. Peck. Peckpeckpeckpeckpeckpeck.
He opened his eyes and blinked at the sudden light. His vision cleared and he noticed an owl perched on the window sill, clawing at it to get in. Draco moved to open the window, but realized with a start that the tickling at his nose was someone's hair. Someone's lovely, chocolate colored hair.
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!! He screamed internally, no idea why he was spooning Granger on the carpet in their living room. He uncurled himself and stood up slowly, hoping to not wake her up and avoid a very awkward encounter. He stumbled over to let the owl in, and it turned out she'd be awake soon anyway. A large red envelope was dropped at his feet, and that could only meet one thing...

TO HERMIONE GRANGER,

HELLO DEAR DAUGHTER. I RECEIVED YOUR LETTER ASKING ABOUT OUR HEALTH, AND WE ARE DOING WONDERFULLY. HOW IS LEARNING AT PIGDIMPLE? I DO BELIEVE THAT IS THE NAME OF YOUR SCHOOL. YOUR MOTHER IS SO EMBARRASSED TO BE ASKING, BUT WE CAN'T SEEM TO REMEMBER WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE FOR CHRISTMAS! DO GIVE US A HINT PLEASE. WE HOPE YOU ARE DOING WELL AND THAT THIS LETTER REACHES YOU. I FOUND THIS CHARMING RED ENVELOPE TO WRITE ON FROM THE STACK YOU DELIVERED A FEW WEEKS BACK. YOUR MOTHER WANTED TO ASK IF YOU WERE WEARING YOUR RETAINER EVERY NIGHT, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT.

LOVE YOU TONS,
POPS AND MUM

At least he didn't have to wake her himself. The Howler ripped itself to shreds and dumped it all over Hermione.
"That is just a wonderful way to be awaken." She sat up and rubbed her eyes groggily. She picked bits of letter out of her hair and signed. "I told them not to use the red ones unless it was an emergency."
"So, how's their memory doing?" Draco sat back on an armchair, acting casual.
"Not too well. It takes a lot of time and energy to bring back nineteen years of memories. They still think I need to wear a retainer!"
"What the hell is a retainer? Do you have some weird condition you haven't told me about?!" Draco hoped that it wasn't what he was thinking it was.
Hermione laughed. "No, no, it's nothing like that! It's like a clip you put on your teeth to keep them straight. I had to wear one for years until Madame Pomfrey magically fixed them."
Draco nodded in understanding. He stood up and combed his fingers through his hair. "Right then, we have a busy day at Hogsmeade, better go get ready."
He knew that it was far too early to be getting ready for the 12 pm field trip, but it was his excuse to be alone for a while. He was remembering the events of last night, how he barely processed the fact that he had spilled his darkest secrets to someone he never thought would know.
I guess it's too late now.
He couldn't get out of his head the way that her body perfectly fit in his or how his chin rested just above her head.
What is happening to me?

                                                                             Hogsmeade Field Trip

"Please stay in line until we are there! Miss DaVinci, are you listening? Back in the line!" Hermione struggled to keep the First Years under control, they started acting like crazed monkeys the moment they touched the snow. But she remembered how excited she was during the Christmas Hogsmeade trip when she was young, and smiled a little at the happy memory. There was a new policy so that the field trips started with First Years instead of Thirds. Lucky bastards.
She glanced at Malfoy out of the corner of her eye. He walked with his hands in his pockets, barking commands at the Prefects, though she knew he wasn't in such a bad mood as he let on. She recalled how his eyes were dark and cold last night, and now they were light and glistening. He had beautiful eyes, a color that matched the December sky above them.
She hadn't realized that he was staring at her too, until someone bumped into them, reminding them both to keep walking.
As soon as they entered Hogsmeade, the children ran wild, and Hermione let them. How am I going to round them up when we leave? There's too many of them!
"Say, Hermione, wanna grab a Butterbeer?" Harry appeared at her side, Ginny on his arm.
"Sure, I'll just be a moment." Hermione waded through the deep snow to Draco, who was standing alone, observing the activities.
"Would you like to join some of us in the Three Broomsticks?" Hermione immediately regretted asking at the blank look she received as a reply.
"But.... Why?"
It was so terribly sad that Draco couldn't think of a reason for Hermione wanting him to join her and her friends. She really didn't know why exactly for herself, honestly.
"I hurts to say it, but you're not that horrible of a person." Hermione joked, earning a grin from the pale haired boy. "It's a way to start things anew between all of us."
"Fiinneee." Draco pretended to roll his eyes and sulk, but she saw the lift in his posture.
Pansy Parkinson seethed as she saw the two make their way to the Three Broomsticks. She shoved the shopping basket she was holding at a Third Year and marched out to the duo.
"Draco, what are doing with her?" Pansy latched herself to Draco's arm, talking loudly so that Hermione could hear.
"We have work business. Tasks that the headmistress trusts only us with." He wasn't going to let her ruin his good mood.
"We? Us? Don't tell me you've been letting that filthy Mudblood get to your head! She's not on our side."
"Our side? You mean your side." At those words, Draco yanked his hand from hers.
"What did you say?"
"There aren't 'sides' anymore, Pansy. There's just the rest of the world and your idiotic beliefs. You will not go around acting superior, as if your bloodline makes you anything special!"
"Malfoy, it's fine, just-" Hermione tried to direct his attention away from Pansy.
"No! It's not alright! Nothing ever has been, Pansy, can't you see that? I've made my mistakes but you clearly aren't aware of yours! I'm done with whatever it is that we have."
"Draco, you're making an awfully big fuss, why don't we talk about this privately?" Pansy had flames in her eyes, though she was obviously uncomfortable of the attention they were drawing. Hermione saw Ron and Harry push their way through the crowd, bewilderment in their expressions.
"No. Sorry for making you think you were anything important to me. You aren't." Draco said coolly, stepping away from her.
"What is wrong with you? Is she brainwashing you?" Pansy turned towards Hermione, getting into her face threateningly. "Did you do something to him? Huh? Nasty little Mudblood."
That's it.
Hermione spat in her face, surprising herself. "Oh look, now you've got mud on you."
A collective gasp was heard as Pansy froze in disgust, wiping the spit off of her.
Not a second later, Pansy lunged at her, ready to rip her hair out. Blaise Zabini dragged her back at the same time Hermione felt Ron grab her. That is, she suspected it to be Ron, but as she looked up, she was met with stormy grey eyes.
"Let's go. Some people never change." Draco directed the last words at Pansy, who was snarling against Blaise's hold on her. "We have better things to do."