An unreadable expression flickered over Draco's pale face quickly, then his trademark Malfoy smirk returned almost immediately. "Well, well, well. What have we here, Granger?"
She rubbed her eyes. This couldn't be happening. She refused to believe it. "M-Malfoy? What are you doing there?"
He leaned casually against the doorframe, the corners of his lips turned up in a smug grin. "You see, Granger, I had plans to go to Hogsmeade today with your late night fun-time pal, but I see he was...distracted. Besides, where else would I be?"
Hermione's face flushed oh so slightly, and she didn't respond to Draco's question, but her quick glance towards the Slytherin in bed and the way she bit her bottom lip told Draco all he had to know. He crossed his arms across his chest and raised his eyebrows. "Oh. I see."
She sat up, brushing her mussed hair out of her face. "That's not what I meant. I mean, I know you wouldn't - it's just, who else would..."
Draco smirked, and gestured toward her briefly. "Granger, this may be the first time I've ever asked a girl this, but perhaps you'd like to...cover up a bit."
Her cheeks burned red, and she clutched the silky green sheet to her chest in mortification. She had never been this embarrassed in her life, especially not in front of Draco Malfoy. He also looked good right now, which made the situation worse. Rather being clad in his Slytherin robes, he wore a black button-down, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, cuffs undone, the top two buttons loose as well. He wore the shirt with black denim trousers and shiny black shoes, making Hermione's stomach flutter. He cleared his throat, and she realized she had been staring.
She hated how Draco affected her. She knew how absolutely awful he could be, but for some reason, she couldn't help but be drawn to him.
"Is something the matter, Granger?" He drawled lazily.
"Actually, yes." She stated. "I can't seem to locate half my clothing, not that I'd get changed with you standing there - which is irritating, by the way. My head is pounding and I happen to have no idea who I slept with last night."
He tipped his head back and laughed, making the Gryffindor even angrier. "What's so funny, Malfoy?" She snapped, and the boy in bed shifted sleepily, making her freeze.
"Malfoy, please." She begged quietly, and something in his stormy grey eyes changed.
"What do you want, Granger?" Draco sighed, his muscles tensing.
She paused, swinging her legs over the side of the bed without disturbing the boy in bed or the sheet covering her naked body. "Clothes. Please?"
A broad grin took over his pale face. "What do you mean? A Slytherin tie isn't enough? Seems good enough to me."
She threw a pillow at him, and he nodded, the happy grin lingering. It surprised Hermione - a genuine smile was rare on Draco. "Fine. Give me five minutes. Try not to wake Theo up, he may request a second round."
He left the room, chuckling at Hermione's expression. "Theo?" Her jaw dropped, and she rubbed her forehead in shame. "What in Merlin's name happened last night?"
oOo
While he was an irritating, pretentious, cocky prat, Draco was true to his word, and returned minutes later with an armful of green fabric, and tossed the bundle at Hermione. He left without a word, and came back once Hermione had dressed herself in the clothes he had brought: a pair of thick black leggings, an oversized forest green button-down, and a pair of thick woolen socks detailed with an embroidered Slytherin crest. When he entered the room, she dangled the lacy black bra he had included in his face. "Whose is this?" She questioned sweetly.
He shrugged, smirking slightly. "Pansy's. This time I actually had an excuse to rummage through her panties drawer."
Hermione shook her head, muttering something under her breath accompanied by a roll of her eyes, and gathered the clothes of hers that she could find.
"Care to explain how you and Theodore Nott ended up in bed together?" Draco asked, weakly attempting a nonchalant tone.
Hermione sighed as they left a sleeping Theo, following Draco down the Slytherin corridors. "I couldn't tell you, even if I wanted to. I haven't the faintest clue."
"C'mon, think, Granger. Use that pretty little head of yours. You've got to remember something, you're the smartest witch at this school."
Her cheeks reddened slightly, and she thought again before responding slowly. "I definitely know it involved an inane amount of Firewhiskey."
He chuckled. "I had assumed as much."
She smiled shyly. "Where are we going?"
"Well, you can't very well be seen here, can you?" Draco told her. "You've got to go back to your dormitory before you're seen in Slytherin clothing."
"Oh. Yes. Right." Hermione nodded. "Malfoy, where's Evanna?"
He paused. "You have her, do you not?. Today is my day - I was going to get her from you after Theo and I returned from Hogsmeade."
"Oh, I'd forgotten. I had her with me last night - she's in my dormitory. Before Theo...I may have thrown her against a wall." She confessed shamefully. "I was mad at you."
Draco stared at her with a blank expression before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. "First I find you in bed with Theodore Nott, then this? You, Hermione Granger, continue to surprise me."
She smiled to herself, pleased with this, and Draco led her through the common room - which, unfortunately, was filled with Slytherins ready to go to Hogsmeade.
"Draco, looks like you had a fun night!" Goyle hollered. Blaise whistled as Hermione ducked her head.
"Never thought I'd see the day when Draco Malfoy took a Mudblood to bed." She heard one of them whisper, and she bit her lip at the harsh words.
"Draco Malfoy, I swear, if that's my bra you're holding"- Pansy snarled, and Draco quickly nudged Hermione through the common room door, into the corridors.
"Thank you." Hermione told him, flicking her gaze up to him shyly. "For the clothes, and the help. Really. I would still be stuck in there with..." she shuddered. "Theodore Nott, if it weren't for you."
He shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal. I'm sorry, by the way. For how I treated you yesterday."
Her brown eyes widened, and she took a step back from him. "I'm sorry. I must have misheard you. Did Draco Malfoy just...apologize?"
His ears went red, and he scratched the back of his neck. "Er...yes. I just figured I owed you. I've been a right arse to you, and I'm sorry."
"It's alright, Malfoy." She admitted. "Please...don't tell anyone I slept with Theodore, okay? I'm sure he's too ashamed to tell anyone, and since you already have the reputation of Slytherin Sex God or whatever, one more notch in your belt shouldn't matter too much, right? I mean, I'd really appreciate it."
"Of course, Granger. Don't worry about it." He said immediately, running his fingers through his blond hair. "By the way..." He leaned in close, until her back was pressed against the cold brick wall, and his lips were hovering next to her cheek, brushing the sensitive skin under her ear. "There's a reason why I have that reputation and our friend Theodore doesn't. If you're wanting to find out why, let me know."
At that, he turned and slipped back inside the Slytherin common room with a mutter of the password under his breath, leaving Hermione against the wall. Her heart had absolutely stopped beating when his lips touched her skin, and she was afraid if she tried to move her knees would give out. But she remembered the crowd of Slytherins about to leave for Hogsmeade, so she peeled herself from the wall and forced herself to walk down the corridors in the direction of the Gryffindor common room, thinking of a boy whose colours she was wearing.
oOo
"Why is he doing this to me?" She muttered, cradling Evanna in her arms. That doll deserved some serious TLC after the smack against the wall she had endured last night.
"Hermione!"
She winced at the shriek of Ginny's voice, and plastered a bright smile onto her face as her best friend skipped into the common room. Hermione had changed into a large red sweater with the Gryffindor crest emblazoned across the front, but had left on the warm black leggings. She had folded the green shirt, tucking it carefully into her trunk at the foot of her bed, and put on the new shoes her mum had just sent her before heading down to the common room.
"Hey, Gin, what's up?" Hermione asked with feigned interest, holding Evanna close to her. Ginny took a seat on the sofa next to her, an absolute ecstatic expression on the Weasley's face. "You will never believe what I'm about to tell you. This may be the best gossip I've heard all year!"
"Let's hear it." Hermione couldn't help but smile at Ginny's childish excitement.
"Gin, baby, wait." Harry called, entering the common room with Ron by his side. "Hermione, don't believe her. There's no way this gossip could be true."
"It's ridiculous." Ron agrees, plopping down on the arm of the sofa.
"Well, come on! I want to hear this ridiculous unbelievable gossip too." Hermione laughed, sliding over to make room on the sofa for Harry.
"Okay. So." Ginny smiled. She loved being the one to know all the information, and no matter what her boyfriend or brother said, she was certain this tidbit was true. "Lavender told Padma and Parvati who told me this morning at breakfast that she saw Draco Malfoy with a Gryffindor tie sticking out of the back pocket of his black jeans."
"So?" Hermione questioned, her mouth dry. "What does that mean?"
"What does that mean? Hermione, are you mad?" Ginny squealed. "That means that a Gryffindor slept with Draco Malfoy last night! The Draco Malfoy! A Slytherin! I wonder who it was. Isn't that unbelievable?"
"Totally." Hermione uttered, trying not to show her absolute shock and terror. Her tie. She had left her tie in Theodore and Draco's dormitory. How could she have been so careless? And what had Draco been doing with it in the pocket of his trousers? He probably wanted people to think that he had slept with a Gryffindor last night - keeping up his stupid reputation. What if someone found out it had been her that slept with a Slytherin? From the suspicious glance on Ron's face, she had a feeling he was thinking the same thing.
"Harry and Ron are right, Gin," Hermione forced herself to say. "There's no way that's true. What Gryffindor in their right mind would do that? It's absurd."
"Maybe they weren't in their right mind!" Ginny protested. At least she was right about one thing.
"Listen, I'll catch up with you lot later, but it's Malfoy's day for Evanna and I need to go find him." She excused herself, standing with Evanna on her hip. Ron's voice stopped her in her tracks, with her hand on the doorknob.
"Are those new shoes, Hermione?" He inquired, seemingly casually. She nodded, seemingly casual as well, though her stomach dropped with the sudden realization. "Yes, actually. My mum sent them. I needed new loafers."
He nodded. "Well, they're nice."
"Thank you, Ron." She left the common room then, and her stomach clenched with dread, her face pale yet covered in a thin sheen of sweat.
She had forgotten to take off the thick, green woolen socks Draco had lent her. The ones with the Slytherin crest on the ankle - which was clearly visible over the side of her brand new loafers.
And she had no doubt in her mind that if Ron didn't believe Ginny's gossip before, he did now.