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Stillness

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When Hermione woke up, things felt different. For the first time in what had to be years she didn't feel heavy, wasn't weighed down with expectations. They knew. Her friends knew her and Draco were, well, something. She still didn't know what, but definitely more than friendly. Nothing bad had happened, no one was angry. Ron was a little confused and Harry wanted to know how it had happened but they were still there. They hadn't shamed her, or yelled at her, they had simply been curious, at least while they were buzzed from Malfoy's flask. Hermione kicked at Ginny's bed to wake her up as Parvati started digging her clothes out of her trunk. Ginny groaned loudly while rolling over.

"Hermione Granger is the devil." Ginny mumbled, pulling her blanket over her head as Hermione kicked her bed again.

"Ginevra Weasley is late." Hermione said, zipping her skirt and laughing as Ginny threw herself out of bed.

Five minutes later they were rushing down the dormitory stairs, Ginny still buttoning up her shirt. She pulled a tie from her robe pocket and wrapped it around her neck, fumbling a bit. Harry knocked her hands out of the way and did it up for her.

"We almost left without you." Ron said.

"Someone had a lie in." Hermione told them and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"We were up late last night." Ginny tried to argue.

"We were in bed at 11." Hermione said.

"Felt later." Ginny grumbled.

"That's what happens when you start drinking directly after class." Harry said.

"That's what happens when teachers don't listen. Bloody boggarts." Ron said.

As they entered The Great Hall Hermione noticed people turning to look at them. That had happened a lot when they first returned but it had died down since people began getting used to their presence. Hermione wondered what had stirred it back up. When they sat down Hermione looked over and saw Draco sulking at the Slytherin table, Pansy, Theo, and Blaise looking anxious beside him.

"Somethings going on." She said looking over at Harry, Ron, and Ginny.

As she said it a small first year approached her and tapped her shoulder. Hermione smiled at the girl but the smile fell off her face when she asked her question.

"Is it true Draco Malfoy saved you from Bellatrix Lestrange?" She asked.

"What?" Ginny said, loudly, making the girl jump.

"Um.." Hermione hummed out, trying to think of how to answer.

"Move." A quiet voice said.

The girl looked up at Draco, her eyes going wide before she turned and ran back to her friends.

"Learn that from Snape, did you?" Ron asked as Draco sat down.

"Have you heard what people are talking about?" Draco asked, ignoring Ron.

"She asked if you saved me from Bellatrix?" Hermione told him.

"Yeah, people seem to have gotten their wands crossed. Someone talked about the boggart lesson and now the latest gossip is I helped you escape the manor and tried to duel Bella when she.." Draco trailed off, gesturing at her arm.

"Is that really so bad though? It's kind of romantic." Ginny said.

"It's not what happened." Draco snapped.

Not for the first time Hermione wondered how Draco had felt as Bellatrix tortured her. She knew, even then, that he wasn't a willing participant. Remembered how sick he had looked as he looked down on her, bleeding on his drawing room floor. Hermione reached out and placed her hand on his arm, making him flinch. His gray eyes turned to her. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something but closed it as he changed his mind. He pushed his arm into the edge of the table, balling his hand into a fist.

"This is ridiculous." He muttered.

"What do you want? Granger to hop up on the table and tell the real story?" Pansy asked, joining them.

"Cause that would really get people talking." Theo added, sitting down as well.

"It'll die out. Just let them get it out of their systems." Harry told them.

"Potter would know. He is the king of school gossip." Blaise said, sliding onto the bench between Ron and Parvati. "Ain't that right, Heir of Slytherin?"

Ginny suddenly gasped before looking at Hermione with wide eyes.

"What?" Hermione asked, startled.

"Does he know?" Ginny asked and Harry and Ron started laughing.

"Know what?" Draco asked, a nervous edge to his voice.

"Second year we thought you were the heir of Slytherin." Hermione began, trying to hold back her laugh. "And, well, we needed proof.."

"So, We snuck into the Slytherin Common Room during Christmas break." Harry said.

"You said you've never been in the common room." Draco said, glancing at Hermione.

"Yeah, well, I didn't go. The Polyjuice potion went wrong with me but it worked on Harry and Ron." Hermione said a smile creeping across her lips.

"Polyjuice?" Pansy asked.

"Oh, Merlin." Draco groaned. "That's why Crabbe and Goyle were passed out in that closet?"

"You guys managed to brew Polyjuice potion in second year and infiltrate the dungeon?" Blaise asked, sounding impressed.

"Hermione brewed it." Ron said. "But it's not supposed to be used with animal hair."

Harry and Ron started laughing as Hermione rolled her eyes.

"How was I supposed to know Millicent had a cat?" She asked them.

"There was something I was supposed to apologize for today." Draco said, trying to smile as he looked over at her. "I can't seem to remember what it was though, so how about a blanket apology for the last seven years?"

"Oh, so you do remember Mr. 'As for me I hope it's Granger'." Ron asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I was kind of a twat." Draco conceded.

"Kind of?" Theo asked.

"Was?" Pansy added.

"What about you Miss 'Someone grab him.'" Draco snapped.

"I am not going to sit here and listen to you accuse me of things I clearly did!" Pansy said, pushing herself up and flipping her hair as she walked away.

"I can never tell when they're joking or serious." Ron muttered as they gathered their stuff.

Theo left after Pansy and Blaise and Parvati headed to class together. Samantha came up and laced her fingers with Ron's, Harry threw his arm around Ginny's shoulders and Draco raised his eyebrow at Hermione.

"I'm not holding your hand." He said as they left the Great Hall.

"I'm not asking you to." She shot back.

"Just so we're on the same page." He mumbled.

"Draco, I don't think we even have a page." Hermione sighed.

"You, princess, have a whole book."

"Careful, Draco, that almost sounded like a compliment." She said and he smiled at her.

"Potter and Weasley are taking this better than I thought they would."

"What is this?" Hermione asked hesitantly, the last time she had tried to get clarification he had lashed out.

"I don't know." He mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Ok." Hermione said simply, knowing he was still on edge from the rumor mill this morning.

"That's it?" He asked, grabbing her arm as she tried to turn into the classroom.

"That's it." She said, nodding and smiling at him.

He furrowed his eyebrows at her, still holding her arm, when he was suddenly shoved to the side, Nickerson shouldering him as he passed them. Draco's wand slid into his hand as he straightened, his eyes going dark and his face emotionless. He glared at Nickerson, who just glanced over at Hermione before walking away.

"Put the wand away, you're making the second years nervous." Hermione said softly, taking his hand.

He glanced across the hall at a group of second year Ravenclaws who were watching him fearfully before looking at Hermione and rolling his eyes. Stowing his wand, he followed her into class.

After a long day of suspicious whispers from the older years and wistful or fearful glances from the younger ones, Hermione was thankful as she settled into the quiet of the library. Just as she was pulling out her notes she heard someone tap on her table. She looked up expecting to find Theo or maybe even Draco but instead Nickerson stood before her.

"What game are you playing, Granger?" Nickerson asked, leaning on the table.

"What?" She asked the 6th year, confused.

"So you're trying to tell me it's a coincidence that you've managed to get yourself linked to both resident Death Eaters since school began?" He asked.

"I think it's none of your business." She snapped.

"And now you're trying to rewrite history. What? Are you embarrassed that your boyfriend stood by and watched while his aunt branded you for slaughter?"

"I don't know where that story came from." Hermione said, taking a deep breath trying to calm her racing heart. "And Draco's not my boyfriend."

"Oh, so you're just the Death Eaters mudblood whore then?" Nickerson growled out.

Hermione gasped when Nickerson's face hit the table. Hermione looked up to see Draco, his hand holding Nickerson down by his neck. She couldn't remember a time where she had ever actually been scared of Malfoy but seeing him now she understood the tension he caused among the other students. She remembered Harry telling her how Draco had hesitated on the tower the night Dumbledore died. The man glaring down at Nickerson wouldn't have hesitated.

"You broke my fucking nose!" Nickerson spat out, blood pooling on the table.

Draco leaned down so his face was inches from Nickerson, his eyes glittering dangerously.

"If I ever hear you say something like that again, that will be the least of your fucking problems." Draco growled out before releasing his neck. "Now get the fuck out of here."

Nickerson straightened up, his hand flying up to wipe the blood flowing freely from his nose.

"They may have forgotten what the Malfoys have done but I haven't." Nickerson said before catching sight of Theo, leaning against a bookcase just behind Draco, watching the situation carefully.

"If I have to tell you to leave again you won't have to remember it for long." Draco replied, his wand sliding into his hand.

Nickerson pushed passed him, Draco watching him until he was out of sight, before he turned and vanished the blood from the table. He folded his arms across his chest as they sat down and Theo began pulling his work from his bag as if nothing had happened. Hermione had just opened her mouth to say something when Draco snapped at her.

"Don't."

"I didn't even say anything!" She said.

"You were going to!" He replied. "I don't need to hear your 'do good' bullshit right now."

"I'm just saying, you could have shown some restraint." She said, flipping through her book.

"I've been showing remarkable restraint the past three months because I deserve to be treated like that." Draco said angrily. "You, though, don't deserve to be talked to like that."

"You've talked to me like that." She reminded him.

"I've never," he started and her eyes flew up to meet his. She raised an eyebrow at him as she watched him think over his words, "called you a whore."

He actually grinned at her and Hermione couldn't help but smile back. She didn't like that he thought he deserved the way Nickerson treated him but she also didn't know what his family may have done to Nickerson's.

"Yeah, Granger, we all know you're as virginal as Mother Theresa." Theo said, "Unless there's something Draco's not sharing."

"I don't share." Draco muttered, digging through his bag.

"There's nothing to share." Hermione snapped, her face burning. "I wasn't aware you were even joining us tonight."

Draco suddenly looked sheepish and Theo chuckled.

"What?" She asked, knowing she was missing something.

"Draco needs help with some homework." Theo said and Draco threw a quill at him.

"Your marks are as good as mine. What could you possibly need help with?" Hermione asked as Draco pulled a book out of his bag.

He set the Muggle Studies book down on the table and Hermione looked to Theo, waiting for the joke.

"I didn't know you were taking Muggle Studies." She said.

"Have too, part of our parole." Theo said.

"Thought it might make us a bit more sympathetic." Draco grumbled.

"Draco's having trouble grasping the whole telephone thing." Theo explained.

"If you're both taking it why don't you help him?" Hermione asked Theo.

"Because he's a twit." Draco said, opening his book.

"You're better at handling him." Theo said.

Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes as she pulled Draco's notes over. He relaxed slightly as Hermione started reorganizing them. He watched her until she snapped at him to turn to chapter 8 in his book, Hermione smiling at the boy as he jumped and began flipping through the pages.

Draco still had no idea how a telephone worked by the time they packed up but his paper was done and Hermione had to give him credit for trying. They were among the last to leave the library despite still having a half hour before curfew.

"I'm going to hold your hand." Draco whispered as they stood from the table. "Don't pull your wand."

She laughed and tried to ignore the butterflies that fluttered to life in her stomach as Draco laced his fingers with hers. Theo's eyes lingered on their hands before he wiggled his eyebrows at them. Draco rolled his eyes, breathing out a laugh, as he pushed Theo toward the door. Theo made his way toward the dungeons, ignoring the fact that Draco didn't follow him. Instead Draco pulled Hermione into a corner and trapped her against the wall. His hand released hers and he began toying with her fingers, looking down at her lips.

"You know, you don't have to push me against a wall to give me a kiss." She said in a shaky voice.

"But it's so much more fun." He whispered, taking hold of her chin and tilting her face up so he could catch her lips with his.

After a soft lingering peck he pulled back, studying her face.

"Do I make you nervous?" He asked her.

"What makes you say that?"

"This." He whispered as his hand grazed her stomach just beneath her shirt causing a shiver to run down her spine.

Hermione realized she had never really seen him like this as she looked up into his hooded eyes. The last time he was like this with her it was too dark for her to see him properly. His hand came up to graze along her collarbone, causing her breath to hitch.

"And that." He murmured, kissing her again.

"I just," Hermione started, as Draco moved to feather kisses along her jaw. "You just.."

"Hmm?" He hummed out, nipping her earlobe.

She pushed him back so she could sort her thoughts without his mouth distracting her. She took a deep breath and he smiled at her as she tried to figure out what she was trying to say.

"You're a little intimidating." She said finally and his left arm twitched as the smile fell off his face. "No! Not like that. Um.."

"Then how?" He asked, relaxing slightly.

"You're just so sure of yourself." She mumbled.

"Trust me, it's a front." He whispered. "Granger, I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to."

"I know." She mumbled, playing with his tie.

"Do you?"

"Of course."

"Because I know last time I may have come on a little too.. strong."

"It was a surprise." She said, looking up to see him grinning at her.

"Yeah, well, it was.. hard.. to stop." He said, trying to smother his smile and making her cheeks heat up. "I mean, I should have expected that. You've been making my life hard since third year."

She pushed him away from her as he started laughing. She scoffed and began walking away.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Come here." He said, grabbing her and pulling her back into him. "It's just a joke." He brushed their lips together, before whispering. "Don't take it so hard."

"Oh, you're a child." She said, pushing away from him.

He laughed again and Hermione couldn't help but think how good it looked on him. His eyes light blue and shining. He reached out, his hand brushing her neck as it rested along her jaw, his thumb softly stroking her cheek. He bent down and kissed her, sighing into her mouth.

"In all seriousness, Hermione," he said, her name sounding weird coming from his lips, "just stop me."

His lips pressed against her harder and she opened her mouth to him. He walked her back until she was pressed against the wall again. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing herself against him, a low rumble echoing from his chest. His tongue had just slid past her lips, his hand sliding up the back of her shirt to rest against the bare skin on her back, when they heard someone giggle.

Draco turned his head and Hermione buried her face in his chest when she saw a group of second year Hufflepuff girls looking at them with wide eyes. Draco sighed and Hermione looked up. He grinned at her, reaching for his wand but she grabbed his hand.

"Be nice." She whispered.

"I'm not going to hurt them. It'll just scare them off." He whispered back. "I'm terrifying, remember?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and pushed him away. She stepped away from the wall, straightening her shirt.

"It's almost curfew." She said sternly and the girls rushed off, still giggling.

"They wouldn't have been laughing if I did it." Draco said and Hermione swatted his arm. "I'll see you at breakfast?"

"Of course." She said.

He smiled at her, turning to head to the dungeons.

"Draco." She said, stopping him. As he turned to her, she wanted to tell him how good it was to see him like this, to see him happy and joking and relaxed, to see the life seep back into him but as his blue eyes met her she couldn't bring herself to actually say the words. "Good night."

"Good night." He said softly, smiling and nodding at her.