Stolen Paradise - Dramione (ON HOLD)

Ch. 5

She stood there in silence, still processing exactly what he had just said. As she watched him cut up vegetables and occasionally stir whatever he had already put into the pot, her thoughts shifted from wondering why he had separated her from Harry and Ron to wondering just what he had seen to change his thoughts and feelings on opinions and ideas he had previously seemed to be unwavering about.

"...cabinet behind you?"

His voice brought her out of her thoughts and she shook her head slightly, looking at him. "What?"

He nodded behind her and repeated, "Could you please grab the rice from the cabinet behind you?"

"Oh." She turned, opening the cabinet door and searching for the item in question.

She was surprised by everything in the cabinet; he was stocked on many different perishables that would last for a while, as well as what looked like many different kinds of snacks. They were all in unmarked packages however, and it took her a moment to locate the rice.

He was filling another small pot by the time she set the bag of rice down on the counter next to the stove and leaned forward slightly to look into the pot. "What are you making?"

"Just a simple soup," He answered, turning back to place the smaller pot on the stove as he turned the burner on. "It's pretty filling, though that may be the rice I usually pair it with."

She watched him curiously now as he measured out the rice and then set it aside, handing the bag back to her. "Could you please put this back?"

With a nod, she took the bag and returned it to its spot in the cabinet, lingering to look over everything.

"How long were you living in a forest?"

The question was a hesitant one, almost as if he was afraid to hear the answer. She took in a deep breath before sighing it out, looking down at the floor.

"The forest didn't start until December," She answered quietly. "We were moving from place to place however since the beginning of September."

Silence hung in the air after she finished her sentence and she waited briefly before turning around to see his jaw clenching while he stirred the pot of soup.

"So...you haven't had stable shelter for nearly seven months."

It was more of a statement than a question, and in truth she hadn't done the math on how long it had lasted. "It went by fairly quickly."

He didn't immediately say anything as he carefully poured the vegetables that he had just cut into the larger pot, wincing again as he took his burnt hand away and shook it again. Her hand twitched as she watched him.

"Does it hurt badly?" She gestured towards his hand, cringing at how awkward the question sounded.

He simply shrugged, holding up his hand to inspect again. "Only when I use it for too long. It'll be fine though."

She nodded and looked back towards the window, her plan momentarily forgotten. As the waves washed up against the sand, she took in a slow, deep breath and leaned against the counter again.

But when she looked back towards the kitchen, she realized just how odd it was: Malfoy was cooking and having a decent conversation with her. And he hadn't even insulted her yet.

She watched him quietly as he went to a smaller cabinet and pulled out a set of spices, not bothering to measure as he poured each one into the pot. This somewhat amused her and she asked, "Where did you learn to cook like this? You don't even measure your spices."