Stormy Grey & Hazel Brown - A White Christmas Tale

II

I once more wake up early in the morning. I've probably only had around an hour of sleep last night... I get up from my bed and start to sleepily pick out some clothes from my trunk. I was yawning my way over to the bathroom when I'm startled by someone sleeping in the common room's couch. I tip toe myself closer and it was Malfoy. All of a sudden, every single thought and memory from the day before reappear back in my mind.

Merlin's beard.

How could I have forgotten everything in so little sleep? Malfoy doesn't seem to move an inch with me coming closer so I just make my way to the bathroom once more and take my everyday shower. When I leave the bathroom after my morning routine I have on yet another oversized sweatshirt (I had brought all the ones I had when I heard I was staying over for the holidays – plus, today was particularly cold).

As I unlock myself and step out of the steamy bathroom I realize I hadn't dried my hair once I feel the cold air brush onto it. Too lazy to go back, I make my way to the common room. I wave my hand repeatedly in front of Malfoy's face to make sure he was really sleeping but he seemed to be a heavy sleeper. I then sit right in front of the fireplace, my back facing him, and intensify the fire with my wand. I brush my hands on one another and start warming myself up.

I was blowing some hot breath into my palms when I feel something around my shoulders. I look over and there's a blanket around me.

"That'll help you warm up faster." I turn my head and Malfoy's making his way to his bedroom. "I'll go take a shower now."

I pull the navy blue blanket tighter around me and notice the initials "DM" stitched in silver string on its corner. I feel my cheeks turning red and a slight warmness fills my chest. When my heart started skipping, I became shocked.

What the hell, Hermione? Get yourself together! This is Draco Malfoy!

Well, he did say he was a good person and that he was going to show it-NO HERMIONE, NO! YOU'RE NOT BUYING THAT THIS TIME YOU BLOODY BUTTERHEART!

I take a deep breath. It was a warm blanket, though.

The fireplace area became so warm and comfortable that at one point I lost track of time and what was around me. I'm suddenly awaken from my unawareness by a voice from behind me.

"Better?" Says a deep, yet soft and slightly hoarse voice. I turn around and Malfoy was sitting lazily on the couch, his wet silver hair messily combed backwards. What was it with me that every goddamn time I'm sleepy I start to notice every little thing? I nod, a little groggy. He smiles kindly. That was so cute. And caught me so off guard. I can just feel myself blushing. "Good."

Awkward silence hovers the air for a while.

"So, did you manage to finish the essay?" I ask distractedly to try and break the tension. Malfoy exhales a tiny laugh.

"I wish. I couldn't follow one bit of it last night." He sighed deeply. "I just stayed up thinking and fell asleep a bit after it started snowing again."

"Hmm." I grunt as an answer.

"You kno..."
"So..."

We both start talking at the same time. I turn myself to face him. He lets out a small laugh.

"Go ahead." I tell him. He looks at me surprised. I just retrieve his look. He then cleans his throat, adjusting the collar of his grey long sleeved jumper.

"I was just going to say how much I love snow..." He says looking out the window with dreamy eyes. "It calms me down and, as funny as it may sound, it may be cold but it kind of warms me up inside."

I can feel my heart beating rapidly inside my chest and I can't hide my astounded face. When Malfoy turns his face back, he seems surprised.

"What's wrong?" I then snap back to my senses. I look down on my hands, my heart still raced.

"It's not funny..." I say, not being able to look him in the eyes. "I feel the same way."

"R-really?" Malfoy seems surprised too. "I thought I was the only one that felt that way!"

"Are you kidding me? I thought I was the only one who felt that way!" I unwarily straighten my shoulders, now looking at him face to face without even realizing it. "Everyone I know thinks I'm weird because "Winter is cold and all you can do is stay at home and it makes people depressed" and all that bullshit-" I then cover my mouth. Only Ron and Harry knew I had a dirty mouth. I've been maintaining a "good girl" image until this day.

"What's wrong?" Malfoy doesn't seem to notice. I slowly remove my hand from my mouth. "There's no need to make a big deal out of it. Everyone has a dirty mouth, it's completely normal - and those that don't only pretend so. Saying bad words doesn't make you any less of a 'good girl'." What the bloody hell was this git doing reading my thoughts?? I take a deep breath. "What were you going to say?"

"I'm sorry?" I ask, a bit lost after what had happened.

"Earlier, when we started talking at the same time." He placed his elbows on his knees, looking straight at me as I tried to get back on track of what I was doing.

"Oh, I... I was going to ask if you wanted me to help you... since you said... that you are a good person and... you were going to be nice..." I ask him, a bit embarrassed to say anything after last night.

"My, you blush really easily, that's adorable..." He said with a slight smile brushed across his face. I'm going to bet that only made me blush more.

"L-look who's talking!" I say it back to him. He seems surprised.

"Who, me? Nah, I don't blush that eas-" he touched his red cheeks with his hands. "Wait, why am I so hot?"

"Don't blush that easily, huh?" I cross my arms, unwarily enhancing my breasts but luckily Malfoy didn't notice.

"Wait, no, this has never happened before!" He says slightly astounded.

"Or so you think." I say.

"No, I'm serious. If there's one thing I know, that's my body, and believe me, this has never happened before." Malfoy looks at me with wide eyes. I feel my chest beating again and I slowly uncross my arms. The awkward silence that followed lasted enough for both of us to stop blushing.

"Sooo... essay?" He breaks it this time.

"Essay." I answer, getting on my feet. I unwrap the blanket and awkwardly hand it back to him. "Erm... thank you." I sounded like a wounded puppy again. Great.

"Anytime." He took it gently from my hand with a shy smile across his lips. Without noticing it, I start staring at him with a puzzled face for a while. "What's wrong?" He asks.

"Oh." I snap back. "Nothing. It's just weird to see you smiling so deliberately all the time. Still gotta get used to that." I start making my way to my bedroom to get my materials.

"I hope it's a good weird!" Malfoy shouts from my back and I don't even realize the smile that appeared on my lips.

When I get back to the common room Malfoy's already waiting at the table. I spread my materials next to his – which had stayed there overnight – and the awkward silence once again kicks in.

"So, what did you need help with?" I ask.

"Oh" Malfoy seemed distracted. "I got stuck in this mass-slaughter medieval case and I can't get pass it."

"The one with the well guy?!" I ask him, slightly intrigued if he had gotten shocked by the same case as I had.

"Yes!" He answers vividly, widening his eyes.

"I know, right! I got stuck in that one, too!" I answer slightly excited with the fact someone understood my indignation with that case.

"What a numbfuck, mate! The guy didn't even know how to make the potion in the first place and plus he poured it in the town well? If you're going to play the hero, you'd better know your shit at least!" He says, outraged. I laugh, slightly surprised with the similarity of our thoughts.

"Exactly." I say in kind of a bloody dreamy tone that angered the heck out of me, still a bit in shock, staring at the exact same expression I had made earlier yesterday, but this time it was spread on Malfoy's face. He seems to snap out of his outraged mood with the slightly changed tone of my voice. He slowly puts down his hand with which he was gesturing in his anger, his eyes straight into mine. I can just barely feel myself blushing.

What the bloody hell, Hermione?? What's gotten into you?? Calm yourself down, don't forget this is Draco bloody ferret Malfoy!

He awkwardly cleans his throat. I, too, slowly snap out of it.

"So, for me I just summed it up by pointing out which mistakes he had committed, and what he should have done instead for the potion to work." I go back to what we came here for in the first place, pointing out some paragraphs in the book.

"Oh." Malfoy seemed a bit distracted. "I-I see." He stuttered. Again. Malfoy stuttered. Okay then, I guess. I look up to him and am even more startled than before: Malfoy was completely red all over his before pale cheeks and nose. He was looking like an adorable bloody Rudolph for Merlin's beard. Wait, did I just say adorable? Okay, I really don't understand what's happening with me.

My heart starts beating faster. Why was it beating faster? And why was Malfoy bloody blushing? And why was this happening only when I'm around? Could it be he had just only realized now that it's only me and him here?

Oh, my Gods it's only me and him here.

Okay, Hermione, no need to get worked up. Malfoy is a bloody stud, he would never have any interest or try anything on you. Plus, you're definitely not his type and certainly not attractive in his eyes. Yeah. This probably has a logical explanation. Think think think.

"Malfoy?" I try to sound as steady as I can. "Are you cold or something? Do you want me to close the windows?" I ask him politely.

"Uhm?" He still seems a bit uncomfortable. "No, I'm okay. Why do you ask?" He was trying to keep his voice normal but I could sense some tremble.

"Your face is all red." I try to make it sound not like a big deal.

He immediately lets go of his quill and touches his face with both of his hands. He then notices I was still looking at him. His pupils slightly tighten.

"Excuse me." He hurries off into the bathroom leaving me even more confused.