Dramione

8* Stay On Campus

The first of many visits to Madame Puddifoot's had led Draco to have a somewhat familiar relationship with the woman, and she agreed to keep their meetings to herself. She always brought Draco the same drink, and always politely asked Hermione what she wanted to try, making suggestions as Hermione's tastes became more obvious. For the daughter of dentists, she had quite the sweet tooth. It started with the peppermint stick, then red velvet hot chocolate, then of course, the pumpkin spice. Winter brought her into the chai-spiced hot cocoa, and the mint and white chocolate kinds. When it got warmer, Madame Puddifoot suggested frozen hot chocolate, and the cycle started over again, and these were always topped with roasted marshmallows. Draco loved indulging her. The sweet warm drinks had a way of making her open up to him, confiding in him about her struggle to run the D. A. He had made a promise to keep the D. A. a secret, and had been secretly helping them stay hidden from the rest of the inquisitorial squad. He knew he would eventually have to bust them, but Hermione was already planning for when that would happen.

Draco looked out the window of his charms class. On the grounds, red yellow and orange leaves fluttered down from trees in the forbidden forest, coloring the world in warm hues. The sun shone off the lake, hurting his eyes and sparkling like glass. He almost smiled at the memories the lake brought him.

Draco realized that even though they were officially dating now, they still couldn't communicate during the summer. The excuse of "She's only my tutor, I don't need her during the summer" wouldn't satisfy him this year. However, he knew sending her an OWL would be much too dangerous. His parents could find it easily.

He rolled over on his other side, staring at the wall of the dungeon. Sleep was evasive as his best year at Hogwarts began to close. He knew he had to do something special before his time with her was over. Which he was beginning to fear would be soon.

He rolled over onto his stomach, face flattened into the pillow. Ideas rolled in and out of his mind as he fell asleep, and continued rolling in his dreams. By morning he knew what to do. By evening, he had a plan.

"You don't want to go to Hogsmeade this weekend?" Hermione asked, slightly let down. She was still new to having a relationship, but Draco had seemingly read her mind. Dates had been special and planned and surprisingly enjoyable. She hadn't known how much she would love spending time with Draco. He listened and discussed ideas with her, and showed her new perspectives. Hearing him cancel one brought her spirits down much more than she had thought it would.

"No." Draco answered." I was thinking... We could stay on the grounds this time. Could we meet on Sunday night? Behind the tapestry?"

Hermione frowned. "Yes, we could. But why not go to Hogsmeade together on Saturday then?" She realized she had a little bit of a pout in her voice, and coughed quickly to cover it up. "I mean, if we are only going to meet on Sunday night to talk, why not still go on Saturday?"

Draco smiled at her pout. It made his heart warm to hear her upset about skipping a date. "Because we won't be simply talking. And I will need time to prepare." He sighed. "As much as I hate to say it, please feel free to accompany Weasley and Potter on Saturday." He smiled. "Wouldn't want you to spoil the surprise for yourself."

Hermione blushed. "You know how curious I am." She smiled. "But I will restrain myself, and meet you on sunday." She turned to go, but a thought occurred to her. "Is there anything I should bring?" She asked.

"I don't suppose you have a way to conceal yourself, do you?" He asked. "That cloak you've mentioned? Could you borrow it from Potter?"

Hermione nodded. "I'll see what I can do." With a radiant smile, she headed to her common room.