Blood Bound

Chapter 14 - Initium

A/N

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Enjoy :)

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Hermione was freezing when she woke up.

The sun was shining extra bright through her window and she could feel her ribs pressing uncomfortably into the cold stone floor of her bedroom. Oh god, I must've fallen out of bed in my sleep. Wait-. The floor of her room isn't stone, its wood planks with a rug, and her window was west facing not east, so the rising sun shouldn't be shining into her room.

She peeled her eyes fully open, her mind still foggy with sleep and the remnants of the tequila she'd drank last night. When she caught sight of the telescopes lining a wall of the tower, the memories of the night before came rushing back. All too quickly, Hermione realized that her head was in fact not resting on a pillow, but actually on someone's torso. It only took her another second or two to remember that that someone was in fact the Slytherin Head Boy.

Moving cautiously so as not to jostle him too much, she very quietly and slowly untangled her limbs from his and sat up to check the time on her wand. 6 am thank Merlin. She let out a relieved sigh and tucked her wand back into her sleeve. Bracing herself for whatever mood he was bound to be in, Hermione gently jostled Malfoy's shoulder.

"Fuck off Theo" he grumbled quietly, rolling away from her and covering his eyes with his arm. She rolled her eyes and tried again.

"Oh for Godric's sake Malfoy, wake up. We should get back to the dorm before there are students in the halls, and after sleeping on the ground all night my muscles are in need of a hot shower before breakfast."

She saw in his body language the moment he registered who exactly was speaking; all of his muscles tensed, and he inhaled sharply. Malfoy slowly removed his arm from his face and groggily propped himself up into a sitting position, rubbing the remnants of sleep from his eyes. He looked ridiculously handsome for having just woken up. With his heavy hooded eyes and the messy blonde waves in his hair; she felt suddenly self-conscious, and half-heartedly attempted to flatten her hair

Hermione smiled hesitantly at him, not sure what to expect after everything they'd said and done the night before. He cleared his throat awkwardly, looking away from her and out at the morning sun.

"Granger," his voice was raspy from sleep still, she found it unreasonably attractive. "About last night..." he trailed off, looking uncertain about what exactly he wanted to say.

"It's alright Malfoy, I won't tell anyone about your moment of weakness cozying up to the swotty mudblood. We can just pretend it never happened, if you want." She offered, wanting to spare herself the humiliation of him saying it himself. He frowned, giving her a look that was confused, and maybe sad?

She allowed herself a moment to just look at him, they'd never sat face-to-face before like this without one throwing sneers or insults in the other's direction. He had always been very handsome -Hermione thought so, even in their younger years -. Malfoy was all edges; with high cheekbones, a sharp jawline and a pointed chin. His complexion had perpetually puzzled her. Despite his ghostly pallor; his white-blonde hair and cool grey eyes suited him perfectly. The slight pink tinge of his cheeks from the cold of the morning made him look younger.

"Is that what you want? You've a lot more to lose than me if the rumor of you and an ex-death eater gets out." His voice interrupted her observations.

"I don't see you as an ex-death eater Malfoy." She told him honestly. "You're just someone who did bad things because it seemed like the only option; and when you stop trying your damndest to be a royal prick, I actually quite like your company. I'm not sure about you, but I don't particularly want to pretend that last night never happened. Plus," she joked "it's been a few months since I've given old Skeeter some gossip to write about me."