Broom Cupboard Etiquette 101

Chapter Four

The echoes of two sets of footprints could barely be heard over the heavy breathing from within the small space that surrounded them.

Draco noted that the cupboard felt smaller than before, but that could have been because of their awkward stances between each other; no touching or close proximity. As it was, Draco's free hand was currently up against the door behind Granger's head.

His other hand was still closed itself over Granger's mouth as they both listened keenly to the sounds outside of the door. Every now and again he could feel her breathing slowly through his fingers, no doubt trying to calm her own heartbeat.

Her hair appeared to be everywhere; unlike the last time they had been in a very similar position. She would make the tiniest of noises of discomfort and indignation through her nose every now and again, as if she found the whole situation completely audacious.

Well, he wasn't exactly fond of it either. His mind kept volleying back and forth between remembering the last time they had been in the darkness of this broom cupboard and knowing that their circumstances now were completely different.

As the seconds crept by, the awkwardness seeped in. His stance made him feel like he was looming over her in the darkness like some sort of stalker-y monster. The hand he still held over her mouth made him it seem like he had taken her captive. The footsteps were right outside now, meaning that there was nothing much more he could do about the proximity of his body so close to hers. He would just have to wait it out.

And then she moved.

Just as the person on the other side of the door stopped right outside of it, Granger chose the exact same moment to change her position slightly, arching her back against the wood of the door and causing her chest to brush right up against his.

In other words, her tits were firmly against his body and the hormones inside of him reared their ugly head, against their better judgement.

She let out the smallest of noises from between his fingers, something between relief and frustration. Even in the pitch black he could make out the stern look of annoyance she was giving him, as if he was the sole reason for their current predicament.

"I could have sworn I saw her leave the common room in this direction. She always comes around here on her rounds." Came an all too familiar whisper from outside of the door.

The scowl returned to Draco's face.

Granger let out a small squeak of terror and Draco felt her whole-body tense as one of her hands reached out to grab his robes in an attempt at some sort of moral support.

"But it's not her turn for rounds, is it?" the other voice hissed, right outside the door. "And if you had brought your bloody map, we would have been able to find her by now. There's something suspicious going on here."

Draco raised an eyebrow just as he caught the scowl on Granger's face as his eyes adjusted to the dark. So, her two little friends were spying on her now, were they?

"Ron, are you really that desperate to find her just so you ask her about Potions homework?" Potter's inquisitive voice was muffled by the door, but his question was as clear as a bell. "Or have you dragged me out here to make sure she's not meeting up with someone on the sly?"

Granger tensed against him again and Draco could practically feel the anger seeping from her. Her chest moved closer to his again as her breathing became staggered between his fingers.

"It's not like that." A shuffle of feet amidst an awkward conversation. "I just want to make sure she's alright." A sigh. "Just need to know she's not doing something unhinged. She never wonders out this late if she's not doing rounds."