Contingent | D.M. + H.G.

Chapter 19: Intimate

A/N: I most likely will drop my strict update schedule – I'll still be writing, but I would prefer to update at my leisure and take the stress off.

The scenes separated by asterisks are a series of flashbacks and little drabble moments.

Betawork done by AlmondMilkTeaDoubleBoba, LeilahMoon, and lost_poetx.

xoxo, carm

-

"No Granger, that's just not at all right," Draco pushed. "Come on, you have to see how wrong you are," he insisted, shoving the book back over to her, set on proving his point. "There is literally no part of that theory that's correct. Admit it," he said as he stood and started to advance on her, "or I'll make you regret it," he teased.

"No!" she laughed at him, her eyes tightening so they crinkled in the corners and her hair fell out of her face as she tilted back in her chair trying to avoid his outstretched hands. The sound floated up into the air, evaporating in the space above. It was the first time that he could remember succeeding in making her laugh – really laugh. This was a good thing, another step forward. His lips lifted a bit in the corners in an ironic smile.

And a heavy pang followed as he realized this was all too reminiscent of a particular first evening, when his intentions were much less than satisfactory. As he thought about how lost he'd felt on the night of the first dinner, he realized that she had been so completely monumental in making him feel less alone.

Now he couldn't stop thinking about how he was going to get her out of this, how he was going to fix it. Draco let out a small sigh as the bliss of the moment faded as he sunk back into his thoughts.

*

"My mum always makes homemade chocolate around Christmas," Hermione hummed as she eyed a chocolate frog that he'd pulled from his bag. "It's so good – chocolate-covered rice krispy treats, graham crackers, the works. I look forward to it every year." Her eyes lit up as she thought about it.

"Oh yeah?" he asked. "Sounds good." He hesitated. "What exactly is a Rice Krispy Treat?"

Hermione laughed. "I don't even know how I would explain it," she said honestly. "It's a Muggle thing. It's honestly just straight sugar," she shrugged. "It's really good though."

Draco paused and continued more confidently than he felt, "Maybe next year I can find out what they are for myself."

Her eyes met his, and his heart pounded wildly in his chest as he waited for her to speak. Her mouth twitched as she broke into a soft smile. "Maybe you can."

*

"Theo and Blaise know." There was no mistaking the set of his mouth and the sound of his voice. Her head snapped up to look at him.

"They do?" Hermione's voice was hopeful. This meant that he might be reaching out, asking for help.

He nodded. "Yeah. It... slipped out." She had a feeling there was more to the story than that, but she wasn't about to push it. "They took it... better than I expected."

"Good. That's good," Hermione expressed, her heart swelling in her chest. "Now we can work on moving forward," she said vehemently.

"Together," he said.

"Together. Always," she echoed.

-

"So there's a... party in the Slytherin common room for Valentine's Day," Draco told her during one of their study sessions, and he looked slightly out of his element at the prospect. Honestly, she was surprised that he'd raised the question to her. "It might be a little out of your comfort zone, so you don't have to come if you don't want to, but–"