He frowned at the affection in her tone, knowing that in a few hours, it would all be different. By the garish rays of morning, he would hate himself for giving in, and she would feel used and betrayed. The night provided them with peace and secrecy, and for that reason alone, he raised his hand to brush away the unruly coffee-curls around her face. She was on the crest of sleep, and she sighed at his touch; mumbling something incoherent as he glided his finger across her eyebrow.
He snatched his hand away when he realised what he was doing, and scolded himself for prolonging the inappropriate intimacy. Leaving would have been logical, but his bones felt burdened and Granger's bed was so warm. He lied down and faced her; not touching, but possibly closer than was necessary, but sleep stole him before he could question it.
He resented tomorrow for being unavoidable.
.
.
Hermione woke with sore limbs and a tenderness between her legs that veered between pleasure and pain. With passion-bruised lips and the taste of a Slytherin on her tongue, she cracked open her eyes to scrutinise the still-warm space next to her. She'd expected him to leave, so when her sleepy stare moved and found his silhouette crowding the window frame, she was more than a little surprised.
She carefully sat up so she could see his expression; his pale features set in a pensive frown as he glared out the window. He was fully-dressed, rubbing his chin, and looking too troubled to realise that she was even awake.
"I thought you'd leave," she broke the calm in a scratchy voice.
Draco didn't look at her. "It seemed pointless when you can just wander into my room whenever you like," he told her steadily.
Hermione took a deep breath before she gathered a sheet around her and left the bed, taking slow strides towards him with no idea what she intended to do. When she was close enough, she realised that the view outside was frosted with white, and the dreamy snow was pouring down fast. She couldn't help but gasp as a small smile crawled up her cheeks, oblivious that Draco was studying her now and contemplating dragging her back to bed to extend their forbidden activities. The room was heavy with their mingled scents and it was like an aphrodisiac, but something about her innocent grin niggled at him.
"What are you so bloody happy about?" he questioned sharply, resting his chin against his knuckles in an attempt to appear blasé.
"It's snowing."
He arched an eyebrow. "And?"
"I have been waiting for it to snow," she said softly.
She was close enough now that he could reach out and touch her if he wanted to, but he refrained, even if it was ridiculously tempting. Post-coital mornings suited Granger very well; with her bushy hair and blushing cheeks, and when his eyes caught marks on her neck from his mouth, he felt his groin tighten. He tore his intrigued gaze away from her and clenched his jaw, determined to say his piece and then get out of the room.
"Look, Granger-
"Do you…do you regret what happened last night?" she interrupted uneasily, toying with the sheet between her fingers.
He cringed because he had no idea how to answer that question. "Do you?" he countered instead.
Hermione licked her lips. "No, I don't, and I…I don't think you do either."
"It's irrelevant," he mumbled, averting his eyes. "It shouldn't have happened, and it shouldn't happen again-
"Shouldn't?"
"Won't," he corrected quickly. "It can't-
"Why?" she pushed boldly, irritated by his dismissal. "Because I'm a Muggle-born?"
"Granger-
"You know, you don't look at me with disgust anymore," she told him calmly. "Quite the opposite, actually-
"What were you hoping to gain from this, Granger?" he asked bluntly. "You know who I am-
"Yes, I do," she agreed. "And I know that you don't really believe all that rubbish, or last night wouldn't have happened-
"Last night was a clear indication that this place has fucked with my head too much-
"Stop it!" she snapped angrily. "Stop trying to blame this on everything else! It's bloody pathetic! You knew what you were doing!"
"And so did you!"
"I'm not denying that!" she shouted. "Do I mean nothing to you?"
He gnashed his teeth and fixed her with a cold look. Merlin knew why, but that comment irked him like hell. "You don't get it, do you?" he sneered. "I am one of them now-
"One of who?"
"A fucking blood traitor!" he shouted, abruptly rising from his seat. "I have screwed over my family, so don't you DARE question how I feel about you!"
Hermione gasped at his outburst, and they both froze in place, barely inches apart. Shock and outrage flickered in Draco's eyes as he realised what he'd said, and he would have given anything to suck the words back in. She reached out a hand to touch his cheek, but he batted it away out of principle, refusing to feel more foolish than he already did.
"Fuck this," he grumbled, heading towards the door. "I'm not doing this now-
"Draco, wait," Hermione called, stalling him before he could reach the door. "I…I'm sorry but I can't live with you after last night if you're going to be like this."
He felt his chest twitch painfully. "What do you mean?"
"If…if you want this to really stop now," she continued in a sad and stuttering tone. "Then I will see if McGonagall can find s-somewhere else for you to stay. I…I can't do this with you anymore. Not after what's happened between us."
Somewhere else? Without her?
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