Song for the Chapter: Take Me To Church ~ Hozier
Draco's POV
I should have been in detention.
Instead, I was slipping off my incredibly tight tie and preparing to head down to dinner with Hermione. Again.
I know, I was insane. But I wanted nothing to do with Weasley or Slughorn at that point. I wanted to make sure that Hermione and I were still on good-ish terms, after what had happened in potions. That was, at least, good enough.
When I arrived in the Room, Hermione was leaning expectantly by the door, wearing a forlorn kind of expression on her face. Her hair was up in a bun today, and she wore her uniform with a comfortable-looking red knitted jumper thrown over the top. When I arrived, she fixed me with her usual stare-that-could-kill.
"Evening," I said smoothly, arching my eyebrows slightly and shrugging off my robes. I rolled up my shirt sleeves and headed to the table. "Ladies first." I inclined the chair facing mine.
"I hope this isn't going to be a regular thing, Malfoy," Hermione replied curtly, drawing up the chair and sitting down uncomfortably. She looked around wildly, like she was searching for a get-out-of-dinner-free card. I sat down opposite, leaning across the table towards her.
"You don't mind if I smoke, do you?" I asked casually.
"Smoke?" Hermione half-yelped, staring at me with wide-eyes. "You don't smoke, do you?"
I looked around quickly, then pulled a half-empty packet of cigarettes out of my pocket, passed my wand over the tip and lit it quickly, issuing light smoke across the table. Hermione swallowed and wrinkled her nose, looking like she was about to gag.
"It's not that bad," I chided, sticking the cigarette between my teeth and tucking the packet away while I inhaled softly. I tapped both our plates with my wand and food appeared upon the surface, which Hermione began to eat slowly and steadily, looking up at me cautiously.
"That's like saying killing yourself isn't bad," Hermione pointed out, tentatively sipping from her glass. "I don't think you should be smoking, Malfoy. Hell, we're not even out of school yet. At least wait a year."
I leaned forwards and breathed a trail of white smoke in her face. "No," I replied with a shrug. Hermione covered her mouth and looked repulsed, but a slight air of wonder crossed her face as the smoke formed grey fireworks and bubbles in the air above her. Magic cigarettes were way cooler than Muggle ones.
↟↟↟
It was getting late. Hermione and I sat side by side on the floor of the Room of Requirement, while I steadily made my way through the pack of cigarettes and she watched the smoke turn itself into little moving pictures with a mixture of disapproval and awe on her face.
Without thinking, I offered her the cigarette. Hermione frowned at me and pushed my hand away so that my skin tingled slightly.
"What are you thinking, Malfoy?" Exclaimed Hermione, looking incredulous. "As if I'd take that foul thing from you."
"Just try it," I suggested nonchalantly, inhaling deeply and closing my eyes. "One blow won't exactly give you heart failure, now will it? Anyway, they're magical. It's not like it'll kill you, like Muggle ones."
Hermione chewed her lip, then reached out tentatively.
I could understand why she wanted it. She'd had a terrible week. Her friends were hardly talking to her. She was stuck with me - having to look after me, hang around with me, fight with me - and now I'd gone and landed myself in detention for punching her ex-boyfriend. Some day she was having.
So I placed it delicately between her fingers and Hermione raised the cigarette to her lips uncertainly. I watched cautiously as she drew in breath shakily, then removed the cigarette and blew outwards, watching the smoke dance into a trembling heart shape before disappearing completely.
As she raised it to her lips for another try, Hermione suddenly stopped herself, dropped the cigarette on the floor, got to her feet and stamped it out furiously.
"No!" She shouted. "No, I can't, Malfoy. I - I don't feel well. I'm going back to the dorm. See you tomorrow." And just like that, she was gone.
I turned over the packet of Sensation Cigarettes and checked the little label on the back. Cloud formations, it read. Indistinct - Confusion.
Firework - Excited.
Heart - Love.
Author's Note: I loved writing this chapter! Vote and comment <3
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healed (dramione)
Fanfiction*this is an old and cringey story. read at your own risk!* third place in the #springawards2020 draco malfoy never opens his heart to anybody. mysterious, dark and above all, handsome, most girls would give anything to call themselves his lover. mos...
