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Draco had come to the conclusion a very long time ago that he was, though it pained him to admit it, completely and utterly fucked.
He thought that it was the way she bit her lip when she was concentrating. Or, perhaps it was the way her eyebrows furrowed when she's was reading something she found interesting. Though, he had to admit it was quite impossible for him to get the image of her pulling her hair back into a bun out of his head.
But here, as he watches minuscule snowflakes fall delicately onto her alluring lashes, he deduces that it was the way the corner of her eyes crinkled when she smiled.
Yeah, he was fucked.
If it weren't for her and her exceedingly obnoxious need for forgiveness, Draco wouldn't be here. Wouldn't be feeling the way he is. Never, will he ever, understand why she forgave him so easily. Why she was the one who came up to him all those months ago, asking for him for forgiveness. Draco remembers laughing in her face. Hermione Granger asking for forgiveness? For what? For always placing top mark in potions? Why would she have anything to apologize for? He soon realized it was just in her nature to be unnaturally forgiving.
"Malfoy?" Granger asks with that angelic voice of hers, the one he could listen to for hours on end with absolutely no objections. There's a hint of concern in her voice, and he's suddenly snapped out of his mesmerized state.
"Er- yeah?" He's caught off guard, did she really just catch him staring?
He can't help it. Gods, has he fucking tried. But lately, it seems he can't even be in the same room with her without staring. Without becoming utterly entranced by the way she lives, the way she breathes. Everything about her is -- perfect.
In the beginning he tried to deflect, tried to ignore his feelings. But, it seemed everywhere he looked she was there, those crinkles in the corner of her eyes practically egging him on.
For eighteen fucking years Draco hated his life. Hated his family. His Hogwarts house. His "friends." But here, as he looks upon the frozen Black Lake with Hermione fucking Granger, he thinks he might hate his life a little less.
He's once again snapped from his trance when Granger waves a hand infront of his face, her brows furrowed in concern. "Are you alright? You seem a little... out of it."
He sweeps his moist hair out off his forehead and sighs deeply, giving her his greatest attempt at a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I'm alright. Just a bit distracted."
The cold bites his cheeks but he chooses to ignore it, instead shoving his hands deep into his pockets.
She nods and looks back at the lake, and he can tell by the look in her eyes that she's deep in thought. Something rather important, it seemed. The mountains them are covered in a thick blanket of pearly white snow; he knows how much she loves the snow.
She's wearing a rather obnoxious purple beanie, a ball of grey fluff sitting atop it. Her frizzy hair sits comfortably on her shoulders, blowing slightly in the wind, cozied up in a large black overcoat that was much too big for her, though in the back of his mind he admits she looks good in everything she wears. She could be wearing a fucking potatoe sack and he'd still be on his knees for her.
He watches through the corner of his eye as she inhales deeply and squeezes her eyes shut before turning abruptly torwards him and practically shouting at him, "If you don't want to be my friend anymore I understand. I know how your Slytherin friends think of me, and I know what they say to you when I'm not around."
His brows are raised and his mouth is suddenly dry, she looks as if she's about to cry.
It was true, his peers didn't excatly enjoy the idea of their once Slytherin king mingling with a lowsy Gryffindor, and yes, it was also that true they would openly express their feelings the moment he and her parted ways. Things never did change, did they? He tried to hide it from her. He knew she would react like this if she found out.
He turns to face her as he shakes his head vigorously, "I- no. No, that was not what I was thinking about, Granger. That wasn't what I was thinking about at all."
She huffs and crosses her arms over her chest, her body practically engulfed by her overcoat. "I'm being serious Malfoy. If-" she inhales a staggered breath, "if you want to end this relationship, I'd much rather it be now than a later time. For -- for my sake. Why else would you have brought me out here on a freezing Tuesday night?"
On any other given day, he'd be focused on the fact that she just said "relationship", but he thought that now wasn't excatly the right time to be focusing on that.
Her cheeks are pink and her nose is runny, and he watches as she drags her arm under her nose to wipe the snot.
Draco has absolutely no idea what to say. He's dumbfounded. Did she actually think he brought her out here for that?
He rubs his chin with his gloved hand anxiously, desperately trying to find the right words.
Granger sniffles and turns back to the lake, her eyes glossy and her lips pressed tightly together. "I see." She says simply.
She turns to walk away, but he catches her arm before she can even take a step. "No!" He's obviously startled her. She turns to him,
eyes shining brightly in the dim moonlight. "You-- no. I just --" He smacks the hand that isn't tight around Grangers arm to his forehead, cursing himself for being so fucking awkward.
Just fucking say it, he hears his own self conscious seeth at him.
He lets his hand fall, and for the first time that night he meets her eyes. They're bright with the fire burning within, and he can see the wheels in her mind turning, attempting to understand the situation.
He realizes that there are no words to describe what he feels for her.
So he does the next best thing.
He fucking kisses her.
He has no time to think before he grabs both sides of her face with his hands and pulls her in, their lips colliding as if they were never meant to be apart.
For a moment, Draco doesn't move. Just sits and relishes the feeling of her lips on his, and it was better than he could have ever imagined. They're softer than he had dreamed, and the whimper that escapes out of her throat makes his stomach churn.
She's stiff for half a second, shocked, he guessed. But as if Merlin himself had graced Draco, Hermiones own arms found their way behind his neck, wrapping around eachother and pulling him closer.
Their lips slowly part, just barely, still close enough to feel her warm breath on his skin, a sharp contrast from the bitter cold air.
He can feel himself shaking, for what reason, he has no clue, but he doesn't care. The only thing on his mind is the way her honey glazed eyes are burning into his, and the way the corners of her eyes are crinkled ever so slightly.
The slightest huff of a giggle escapes her lips, and she sounds relieved.
"I now see why you took me out here." Breathed Granger, and he couldn't suppress the genuine smile that found its way to his face.
Their foreheads meet, and he allows himself to lean into her touch. "I've waited so long to do that." He hears himself whisper.
"I bet I've waited longer."
His eyes are momentarily wide, and she's leaning in for another kiss.