An Unbreakable Vow | dramione

03

Hermione

"So..." I start, shifting from one foot to another. "What are we going to do about this arrangement?"

His head whips up, staring at me oddly. "What do you mean? We're only sharing a common room, Granger."

"No 'Mudblood'?" I ask, and I regret it as soon it escapes my mouth.

"I took the Unbreakable Vow to never say that word again," he replies quietly.

"You did what?!" I demand, shocked. "That's-"

"-a choice that I made," he interrupts, glancing down the corridor.

"Well..." I start again as we walk down the stairs to the fifth floor.

"Yes?" Malfoy asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Aren't you going to demand that we set some boundaries so that we don't have to talk anymore than we have to?" I blurt out, and he gives me a surprised look. I think there's a slight hint of hurt in his eyes, but then recomposes himself quickly before I can fully confirm it, looking away for a second.

"If you want to," he says in an indifferent tone.

"A-Alright. Cherry Kelp," I tell the lady, and the portrait swings open.

"What?" he asks, not realizing that we've arrived.

"The password," I say, and I walk through the entrance. He follows me, and we find ourselves standing in a common room that looks like the Gryffindor common room, except a tad smaller. In the far left corner is a staircase, presumably leading to a bedroom. On the opposite side in the far right is another staircase for the other person.

"Which one do you want?" I ask, and we walk toward the left staircase.

"I'd say that it's already been decided. Our luggage is probably up in the rooms already, and you know, there's the standard Hogwarts rule that boys aren't allowed in girls' dorms," he replies.

"You read Hogwarts: A History? No one seems to bother reading that anymore," I remark, remembering all of the times Harry and Ron hadn't known things that I'd read from that book that'd saved our lives.

"It wasn't my choice," Malfoy responds sourly, but he doesn't elaborate. "I'll just see if I can climb the stairs."

"That's alright, I can just-" I start, but he cuts me off.

"No, I'll just test it, in case it's my dorm," he interrupts sharply.

I back away from the steps quietly, and his face seems to soften a bit at my reaction. But then his expression is neutral in an instant, as if nothing had happened.

He cautiously places his foot on the first step, and nothing happens. Then the next one. And the next. He's obviously nervous, gripping the railing so hard that his knuckles are turning white, but he continues going up.

Then, halfway, the staircase magically slides so the whole surface is slanted flat, and he slips, landing dazed at the bottom of the stairs.

"Want a hand?" I offer, holding a hand out to him and trying not to laugh.

"N-" he starts, but then he stops, looking curiously at my hand, and takes it. "Thanks," he mumbles.

"So, this one's mine," I say in the awkward silence.

"Yeah," he replies, the corner of his mouth lifting a bit. "I guess I'll go to my dorm in a few minutes and unpack."

"Right," I respond uncertainly.

"Can I have my hand back?" he smirks, and my face turns pink as I realize that we're still holding hands.

"S-Sure," I stammer, dazed as I release my hand from his firm grip.