It's A Secret (HP - Draco/Hermione)

[souhya]

As promised, the Hermione/Draco fic continues, with a new story this time. Before reading take a look at this picture, http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/014/1/1/draco_and_hermione_on_set_by_evgeniasummer-d4me2co.jpg — as I wrote their interactions in the story while looking at, and being inspired by this photograph. I’m hoping it will help my readers understand the bond I am trying to reach here. Enjoy!

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The great hall, much like the rest of the school, was empty. The Christmas holidays had begun and I chose to spend them at the school, keeping an eye on the happenings at Hogwarts. Of course, Draco being around was a plus. I kept a close eye on my watch as I packed my books away into my book bag before spending my free 2 minutes admiring the attention to detail within the snowy night sky of the bewitched ceiling. Draco was meeting me outside the great hall at 8:30 to discuss our Christmas plans. I swung my bag over my chest and pushed it behind me. My shoes scuffed softly against the floor while I ran my fingers along the edge of the long dining table. When I pushed the door open, I expected to see Draco waiting, but I once again was left in solitude.

After 5 minutes with no sign of him, I pulled my bag off my exhausted shoulder and rested my weight against the wall.The lack of cleaning over the break must have caught up to the school because a tickle in my sinuses assured me there was dust in my surrounding area. My breathing sped up as I hitched softly raising my gaze to the ceiling above me, squeezing my eyes and crinkling my nose I refused to use the energy of pulling my hands from behind my back and bobbed forward quickly spraying the air in front of me with a single sneeze. I sniffed a few times before opening my eyes and jumping as a hand came into my view.

“Gesundheit.” Draco had a tissue extended to me, a smile plastered across his face. I stood in silence, blinking as I tried to regain my regular heart beat. “My apologies. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Where have you been?” I crossed my arms over my chest for a moment, before remembering he was barely 6 minutes late. I dropped them back to my side. Truly I was just happy to see him again. “Here and there. I’m hardly late at all. Let’s get going.” He grabbed my bag off the floor and tossed it over his shoulder before grabbing ahold of my hand and dragging me down the long corridor.

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“Are you alright?” He had a finger holding his place in the book, although it had been closed so I was sure this wouldn’t be the last question. I smiled genuinely before nodding and dropping my head back down to my book. “You’re rather quiet, that’s all.” I saw him shrug from the corner of my eye before opening his book. “We are reading Draco.” I had a point there, although I’m sure he wouldn’t see it that way. “One does not normally make conversation while the other reads.” I added confidently. “You haven’t said much all night.” I was the one to shrug in response to this comment, unsure of how to defend myself. Maybe I was tired, or just subconsciously antisocial this evening. He was never one to nag, never one to question me either. He knew I wouldn’t stand for that. “It’s getting late.” He shut the book in one swift motion, causing me to jump once again. He smiled at my unusually unsettled persona and rose to his feet.

“You’re welcome to stay, of course.” As much as I hoped he would, I knew he was concerned that I was worn down and would ever so politely decline this offer. “I’d never be able to sleep, you can’t keep your hands off me.” He winked before kissing the top of my head. One thing Draco was famous for was saying he was about to leave, but sticking around as if it physically hurt him to leave my side. His hands took turns running through my hair which would have felt lovely if I was not trying to keep a sneeze contained in my body. With my back to him, Draco could not see the undoubtably irritated expression across my face, and although my sneezes were never messy or obnoxious, I did not want to show any sign of weakness before Draco had left. I inhaled sharply hoping the itch would disappear but decided to give in and allow the inevitable to happen.

Heeshieww! I bounced forward suddenly in my seat sneezing towards the books sprawled across the table, Draco’s hand pulled away quickly. As I sniffed the small amount of congestion back to clear my nose, he was back at my side offering the box of tissues to me. I shook my head before meeting his gaze, a smile presented on my face to show him that the sneeze had not at all harmed me. “Are you okay?” A weary look had overcome his normally relaxed expression. I rolled my eyes and nodded. “Just some dust. These books are ancient.”

He took a moment to return the tissue box to the shelf and pull his jacket over his shoulders. “Bless you.” He smiled after getting himself fully situated and ready to return to the dungeons. “Blessing someone later in the conversation almost defeats the purpose. Wouldn’t you agree?” He looked annoyed at my logical response to his polite gesture. “No, not particularly.” The smirk that left my heart beating fast the same way it did the moment I fell in love with him in the library a year ago peeked from the corners of his lips, making my body feel all warm inside. He was the only person to make me feel like I could toss away all the biological and chemical aspects of love, and simply cause me to melt into a puddle.

“Alas, I must run. Goodnight dear.” He propped my chin up with two fingers and pressed his lips softly against mine before gracefully exiting through the large wooden doors, leaving me in silence.

I never liked the way I felt after he left but tonight I felt extra uneasy. I quickly slipped into my bed and pulled the covers over my head. I missed him more than usual, knowing he was simply a few floors below me. My throat felt swollen and it was difficult to swallow, my eyes were tired and my head had a dull ache in the back that I only seemed to notice when I was thinking about it. I wished I had asked him to stay, or told him I was not feeling well. But I didn’t know, until this moment, I felt fine. I tried to brush it off as being a typical girl and missing my boyfriend. Draco told me on a daily basis I was no typical girl, but for tonight, I felt as though I could relate to them. I forced myself to keep my eyes shut until I fell asleep, which luckily, happened quite quickly

[Arty]

I like it. I typically dont read this pair but i like it.

[babygirl45]

Please post more soon

[souhya]

“One sneeze does not imply that someone is sick Draco.” I rolled my eyes as he hovered over me, carefully observing everything I did. With his hands on either side of my elbows, he stood with his chin rested on my head, I assumed he was thinking of something smart to say in return. Finally, he lifted his head from mine and claimed the seat adjacent to me by plopping down into it. “Correction; it was two sneezes.” The smile on his face showed that he was rather proud of his ‘witty’ comeback and that he was also in a mood to argue today. “If you don’t mind, I’m trying to study.” Expecting a comment about studying while on break, I was pleasantly surprised when he simply nodded and picked up one of my books that he had taken an interest in.

After a short while of silence, my nose betrayed me of course with a persistent tickle. I sniffled quietly two or three times and pinched my nose for a moment, although that only relieved the itch for a split second. I watched Draco peek over at me quickly before pulling a tissue from the box closest to him and holding it towards me. I shook my head, determined to stop the sneeze before it could blow my cover. I thought I was in the clear until the last split second.

“HeSHIEEWW” Attempting to hold it back at the last second after the inhale only made it stronger. Draco laughed as I turned away from the table quickly to avoid spraying his hands with the surprisingly powerful sneeze. He tossed the tissue back towards me and turned the page in the novel sitting upon the table.

After a moment he spoke. “What about three sneezes?” I didn’t even bother making eye contact with him because I knew he was making that stupid half smile smirk that had been visible on his face for most of the afternoon. “I beg your pardon.” I growled under my breath, waiting for a sarcastic response. “You’ve sneezed three times now, bless you - by the way. I am asking if that imply’s that you are sick?” I closed my book gently and rested my hands on top of it. “I’m not sick.” He nodded in response and lifted his novel to hide a smile.

“Hechieww! HESHIEWW!”

“Bl—“ I kicked his leg under the table. “Do not, say bless you.” I watched as he nodded, the top of his head bobbing from behind the book. “Gesundheit.” He chuckled as he dropped the book and held both hands up to shield himself as I smacked his arm. “My apologies dear.” I folded my arms over my chest, rolling my eyes at his perfectly concerned yet calm face. “However, most women like for their man to be polite. I believe.” I couldn't help but smile at his never ending attempts to show me how much he cared. “You’re a pain.” I collected up my books and tossed them into my bag. My attention was shifted as he pulled my hand away from my notes and held it between the both of his. “I’m your pain.” I dropped my head against his hands and smiled against the table. Turning my head up to kiss the back of his palm. He let go of my hand and pressed the back against my cheek. “Are you warm love?” Note the careful choice of words. He would never chance with ‘you are warm’ because that would insinuate that he assumed I was sick. This way, he was questioning me, and letting me choose my own path that I wanted this day to take. I pulled away from his hand and decided to maybe cover for myself, once more. “It’s warm in here. Wouldn’t you agree?” He wouldn’t agree. “Of course.” Hm, maybe he would.

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I kept my eyes closed as I melted against his touch, our fingers playfully interlocking while his head rested against my arm. I observed his calm facial features, he was relaxed. Early in our relationship he was so tense. We never would have been nose to nose on the bed, just enjoying each others company in the quiet. I exhaled slightly louder than anticipated and a smile danced across my lips as our eyes met. He brought a hand around my face to push my hair out of my eyes and held my head in his palm. I leaned towards his touch and pursed my lips together, enjoying this moment with him.

“What are you thinking about?” His voice was so soft, yet full of authority. I felt safe surrounded by his words. I shrugged my shoulders to the best of my ability while lying down and dropped my head back to lose his eye contact. “What are you thinking about?” I muttered against the bed sheets. It was quiet, the fire crackled perfectly in the background, leaving a calming atmosphere as I waited for his response. “You.” He whispered finally, I felt his breath against my neck. I dropped my head to rub my nose against my wrist, an all to familiar itch was occurring. I pulled away entirely from him and twisted my body to the side, propping myself up on one elbow. “Are—“

My body was not allowing him to finish that sentence. “HeeSHIEWW! HESHHEW!” My legs twitched forwards with the surprising force of each sneeze and my head ached as I heard Draco laugh beside me. I managed to almost cover the second sneeze and wiped my arm across my mouth before collapsing onto my back, tilting my head up to look behind myself and towards Draco. “Bless you.” He pushed up against his arms and pressed his lips lightly against my mouth. Kissing Draco Malfoy, upside down, in his bed. It was not exactly how I imagined my Christmas Holiday to be spent at this time last year.

“Thank you.” I sighed after speaking, realizing this was the first time I had not shot back with a snide comment. “Yeah, that’s alright.” There it was. His voice, his smile, just being around him, it brought out the best in me. I rested my head against his shoulder and turned to kiss his cheek as he gazed up towards the clock on the wall. “It’s late. You should rest.” He pressed his forehead against my cheek while speaking. “I’ll walk you back.” He rolled off the bed and managed to make it to his feet. Although I had already decided I wanted to stay the night with him, I loved watching him stumble around the room, trying to get himself together. He pulled a sweatshirt on over his grey t-shirt and ran his fingers quickly though his hair. It annoyed me how perfect he looked with so little effort. Before I got to know Draco, I would never have guessed he even owned any hooded sweatshirts or plain t-shirts. He always seemed so, uptight. Coming from me, that sounds absurd.

“Draco,” I rolled onto my stomach and got my best pout face on. “Come on.” I patted the bed, signalling him to come join me. “I thought so.” He murmured, scratching the back of his neck. He climbed onto the bed and pressed his lips against mine. His hands came down my torso and against my hip bones. I inhaled his the sweet smell of his skin and kissed his cheek gently. Pulling away quickly, I muffled a cough against my back of my wrist. Trying to return with no interruption to this very nice kiss, he flopped onto his back and rested his hands inside his sweatshirt pocket.

“Alright. You need to get some sleep.” I looked up to the ceiling and whispered not so much on purpose. “I can sleep here.” He ran two fingers through my hair. “You said that last night, and the night before, and the night before that, and—” I held my hand up to stop him. He continued after kissing my fingers and placing them over his heart. “This cold of yours isn’t getting any better, and when you’re here, we can’t stop kissing enough to sleep.” The smirk made me want to cry, knowing he was going to make me get some rest tonight. “Draco, you don’t know who you’re speaking to. I can not kiss you for 8 hours.” I sat up, placing myself against the wall behind his bed. “Maybe you can,” He began, pulling my chin towards him. “But I can’t.” Our lips touched softly and his warm breath put a calm over my body. “I just, I’m comfortable with you beside me.” Since when did I need someone else there to protect me, who was I? “Who are you?” He snuggled me into his arms, although we couldn't see each other, I knew he was smiling. “What happened to the independent girl who hated me?” I giggled and pressed my face into his chest. “I’ll walk you back. It’s time to get some sleep.” I grabbed onto his sweater and kissed him once more. “Fine.”

The walk back was quiet, my hand felt small and cold against his. He swung our arms gently back and fourth, trying to liven the mood. All that could be heard in the great hall was our distant echoed footsteps. As we made our way towards the Gryffindor common room, the candles on the wall lit up for us. They seemed to be just as excited as we were. Although, I knew they were bewitched to light up as someone passed. I was so focused on the candles, and the quiet of the school, I hardly noticed Draco’s distant attention. I nudged our hands against his side, but his attention did not shift. I dropped my gaze to my feet and watched as they someone dragged me farther and farther from Draco’s room.

An uncomfortable feeling flushed over me. “Huh-nnxxt!” This wouldn’t have been an usual occurrence for the past week. However, the sneeze did not come from me. I shot my focus towards Draco who had his fist pressed against his nose, his eyes still squeezed shut after stifling a single sneeze. “Pardon me.” He said after sniffing quickly and laughing to block a cough. I turned against the wall at the entrance of the Gryffindor common room. “You’re ill.” I sighed, running the back of my hand across his perfectly temperature forehead and down his cheek. “No, no. It’s— I uh—“ I cringed slightly as it appeared I was about to be sneezed on. Of course, he was far too polite for that. “He-nnxxt!!” I tilted my head to the side, the look on my face was far from impressed. He ran his knuckles beneath his nose and shrugged. God he was cute.

[babygirl45]

Please post the next part soon

Edited February 5, 2015 by Joal 555