Meet Me In The Broom Cupboard

Chapter Fourteen: Eighth Year, September

'Ouch.' He mumbled, staring into Hermione's eyes as she tried to form the words to describe what she was feeling in this moment. The moment was interrupted by a voice from the top table.

'It seems our Head Boy has arrived.' The Headmaster said, calmly watching the Head Boy and Girl as the rest of the students turned to look at McGonagall with surprise on their faces. The only person now looking at Draco was Hermione and, if possible, she was now angrier than before.

She didn't say a word to him as she turned back around and stormed back to her seat beside Ginny.

'Well that was interesting.' Ginny said under her breath as the chatter resumed and Draco took a seat beside Blaise at the Slytherin table. Hermione heard Ginny, but didn't speak, her mind racing at 100mph.

Ginny cleared her throat and tried again. 'How long have you and Malfoy been shagging?'

That definitely got Hermione's attention.

'We aren't shagging.' She hissed so that no one else could hear.

'Is that a denial of it happening, present tense? Or that it has never happened, past tense?' Ginny asked with a quirk of her eyebrow. The blush that crept up Hermione's cheeks was the only answer Ginny needed.

'When?' Ginny asked, eyes wide.

'Ginny...' Hermione moaned. 'I don't want to talk about this.'

She took a drink of Pumpkin juice to distract the memories of that one night.

'Tell me when he "slithered in" and I'll drop it.' Ginny said. Hermione nearly spat her drink all over one of the first years at Ginny's innuendo.

'Ginevra!' Hermione gasped, but couldn't help a small giggle passing her lips when Ginny almost fell of her seat with laughter at Hermione's reaction.

'I'm sorry, I had to.' She said between giggles. 'I've been waiting six years for someone to shag a Slytherin so that I could use that joke.'

'Keep your voice down!' Hermione hissed as she playfully shoved Ginny's shoulder as she continued to laugh. 'If I tell you when, will you stop laughing?'

Ginny instantly straightened up and pretended to zip her lips. As quietly as she could Hermione told her about the night on the Astronomy Tower with as little detail as possible. The more Ginny found out the wider her eyes, and her smile, grew and she could barely contain her questions by the end.

'You get one question.' Hermione warned.

'When did this all start?' Ginny asked instantly.

'Technically Fifth Year.' Hermione answered, watching as Ginny squirmed with the effort to not ask a follow up question. 'We kissed once in Third Year, but it became a regular thing in Fifth.'

Ginny didn't get the chance to find out any more information as McGonagall dismissed the students and Ginny had Prefect duties. Hermione promised to catch up with her and talk about this in detail in the next few days and headed towards her dormitory. That was when she remembered what McGonagall had said when Draco arrived. She rounded the corner and found him leaning against the wall by their portrait hole, waiting for her.

'Bellator Luminis.' Hermione said to the portrait, opening the door to their dormitory without a second glance at Draco.

'Did you choose the password?' He asked as he walked in behind her.

'No.' She said, throwing her robe off of her shoulders and hanging it up by the door. 'McGonagall did.'

'Warrior of light.' Draco said. 'It's fitting for you.'

Hermione ignored him and stormed into the kitchen to make a cup of tea, choosing the Muggle way in order to have something to do with her hands. Draco followed, perching on the edge of the worktop and watching as she began rifling through the cupboards and putting the kettle on to boil.

'If my being here makes you uncomfortable, Blaise said there's a spare bed in his dormitory.' Draco said, finally breaking the silence.

'Your being here doesn't make me uncomfortable.' Hermione said through gritted teeth. 'Your ignoring me for the last four months, only to send a vague letter in the middle of the night asking you to "trust me" and then turning up in the middle of the Welcome Feast as the new Head Boy without anyone telling me, is what makes me uncomfortable. And angry.'

She was shaking as she took her teabag out of the mug and poured the milk in, spilling some on the counter and clearing it with a wordless spell. Draco didn't say anything and when Hermione turned to look at him he was looking at the floor.

She left him in the kitchen without a word, slamming her bedroom door behind her.