All They Want For Christmas...

Graduating

Hermione lay sprawled out on her bed on Thursday night with another job application in front of her. With Graduation the very next day, she was using the time she had now to be productive. Looking up, she sighed. Her room looked bare to her now. Her trunk was packed, the dresser in the room cleared off, and her wardrobe door stood ajar revealing mere emptiness inside. The finality of graduation was slowly sinking in, and she dropped her face into the warm crimson duvet cover of her bed. After a few moments she moodily looked back at the job application in front of her. "St. Mungo's" name was printed largely at the top. Hermione didn't really think that she wanted to work there considering she'd seen enough injury to last her a lifetime, but she was filling out applications to everywhere and St. Mungo's was at least a respectable job that paid well and might prove to be challenging.

She picked up her quill once more to finish the final few things on the application and began scribbling across the pages once more. She scoffed at one question: "Does blood make you faint?" Honestly? They needed to put that? After fiercely checking the "no" box, she moved on. At last, she finished and moved the application to a large stack of papers to her left and pulled another paper over from a dwindling stack on her right. This one was for the ministry; she failed to keep herself from sneering when she laid eyes upon it, but reprimanded herself now that they had a real Minister in place who wasn't corrupt. For a moment she envied Harry and Ron. They both knew what they wanted to do and had already received entrance into the Auror training program... but that wasn't what she wanted to do. She'd had enough fighting and training and, she shuddered, torture. A wave of nausea hit her as she remembered lying on the cold marble floor of Malfoy Manor with Bellatrix hovering over her. She idly ran a finger over the now healed skin that the witch had carved letters into. With some expert magic, the wound had healed with minimal scaring, but that didn't keep Hermione from casting a glamour charm on it to conceal the more prominent scars of the lines that had been cut deeper than others.

A soft tap on her door swiftly pulled Hermione back to the present. She yanked her fingers away from the scarred skin and snapped up her head to see Draco peeking in and asking for entrance. She smiled at him, but fought to keep it from wavering as the thought that she'd never be able to live with him in Malfoy Manor after what had happened flashed through her mind. She could never go back there...

"Hey, sexy," Draco grinned as he sauntered over to where she lay on her bed. Hermione rolled her chocolate brown eyes and tousled her hair teasingly with her fingers.

"I didn't know you found job applications so appealing." Hermione teased. Draco shrugged and leaned against the tall bed frame.

"I find you appealing."

"Charming."

"I have my moments, don't I. I must say, I do miss you calling me an insufferable prick every now and again though." Though Draco's voice was serious his eyes held a spark of jest.

"Oh really?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I'll make a mental note of that. See if I can work it in the next time we're in bed together."

"So tonight then." Draco grinned expectantly.

"Draco!" Hermione gasped looking scandalized, but after a moment her face softened. "I guess you're right... after tonight we'll be living separately, won't we." It wasn't a question. "I hadn't thought about that. Normally I think of everything! Look at what you're doing to me! Now I forget things." She huffed. "But wow... I don't know if I can sleep without you anymore." Hermione blushed, knowing that she probably sounded pathetic. "I mean, it's just... you know. I've gotten used to falling asleep next to a warm body is all." Draco didn't say anything, but looked at his shoes thoughtfully. A puzzled look took over Hermione's features. "Draco... what is it?"