Quarrels & Loves

The Thief

Summary:  Draco had a problem. A curly-haired, book reading, Gryffindor problem. A problem that smiled at him sweetly and knew exactly how he took his tea. A problem that, one day, steals his quidditch jersey and Draco decides he'd done keeping his problem a secret.

Draco had a problem. A curly haired, book reading, Gryffindor problem. It wasn't a new problem, though Draco wasn't sure that made it any better. The worst thing about his problem was that there seemed to be no escape from it. Dumbledore had most likely giggled to himself when deciding to make him and Granger head boy and girl because if anyone knew about Draco's problem, it would be the bearded bastard himself.

Granger was inescapable. She was absolutely everywhere and if Draco wasn't so fascinated by her, he would find her constant presence annoying. When he returned from classes in the evening, she was sitting on the sofa reading. When he decided to study, she joined him at the table.

And that wasn't all.

On the weekends, she liked to make tea and leave him a fresh cup with three spoons of honey, exactly how he liked it. After late afternoon quidditch practices, there would always be an apple on the table with a reminder to shower before patrol. On days like today, however, when he had practice in the morning because Potter couldn't be bothered to respect his usual field time, he was met with his favourite Granger habit.

"You know you can go to breakfast without me," he said, walking into the head's dormitory.

Granger looked up from the sofa and smiled.

"You won't eat if I do," she said. She set her book aside and pulled her knees to her chest, watching as he dropped his broomstick by the bookshelf and pulled off his gloves. "Besides, Ginny sleeps in too late and I don't like walking alone."

Draco rolled his eyes, but would never admit he liked it.

"I'm meeting Blaise after breakfast in the Slytherin common room, so you'll have to walk back alone," he told her, picking up the steaming cup of tea she'd left on their little table. "Whatever will you do?"

"I'll figure something out," she replied, smiling at him playfully. "Now go shower. You smell disgusting and I'm hungry."

Draco took his cup of tea upstairs with him, finishing it quickly as he was still rather cold from the early morning practice. He chucked his gloves on his bed and tugged off his jersey, throwing it somewhere on the floor before marching into the bathroom to turn on the hot water.

He showered quickly even though he knew Granger would wait no matter how long he took and when he stepped out, hardly five minutes had passed. He hastily pulled on a sweater and trousers before running a hand through his hair in an attempt to smooth it down. A few minutes later, he grabbed his wand and made his way down the stairs to meet Granger at the door.

The Great Hall was as empty as it usually was for breakfast on Saturday mornings. The quidditch team was all seated at the Slytherin table but aside from them, there was hardly anyone around.

"Oh, I see Luna," Granger said. Draco's eyes darted to the Ravenclaw table to see the blonde girl eating alone. "You'll be back this afternoon?"

"Yeah," Draco said with a nod. Granger gave him a small wave then darted off to join Lovegood for breakfast while Draco joined Blaise and the quidditch team.

Very pointedly ignoring Blaise's smirk as he sat down, Draco helped himself to the eggs and potatoes sitting in the center of the table. Fortunately for him, Blaise graciously left Draco alone until they walked through the doors of the Slytherin common room.

"How's our resident Gryffindor Princess?" he asked, dropping onto his bed while Draco sat at his old desk. "She looked just spiffy at breakfast."

"Quit," Draco told him. Blaise grinned.