c h a p t e r n i n e

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Draco woke up at four am underneath the coffee table next to the couch. He shuffled his body out and sat up but when he turned his head, he saw Hermione squirming on the couch.

He figured it was just the beginning of a nightmare but he decided to wake her before it got any worse. 

"Granger, wake up," he whispered as calmly as he could whilst kneeling down beside the couch - she didn't wake up.

She didn't say or do anything at first but Draco's eyes widened when Hermione started muttering his dead aunt's name.

"Don't think about that. Wake up," he urged.

Hermione shook her head frantically still lost in her nightmare so all he did was sigh and tentatively reach out to push the hair away from her face.

"Bellatrix is dead, remember Her-Granger?" he coughed, trying to cover up his slip-up. Draco wouldn't of minded saying her name but frankly, he figured that he had to hold on to the last bit of pride he had left.

The blonde sighed and stared up at the empty wall behind the couch until Hermione suddenly sprang up and desperately looked around her room as if she was trying to find someone. When her eyes landed on Draco, she released a deep breath and sank back into the cushions.

She seemed very interested in the dark ceiling for a while until Hermione finally looked down into his eyes, in which Draco could see the fear and terror etched upon her face. He felt his own guilt rise as he watched her trying to fight those demons away - alone, just as he had done years prior.

His fingers hovered hesitantly over her hand and he was surprised when her hand grasped his but he didn't mind. They both sat in their positions for a while before Draco spoke up, "Alright, well i'm going to go back to my apartment. I'll see you tomorrow Granger."

However when Draco got up to leave, Hermione refused to let go. She avoided eye contact but her hold on his hand remained strong.

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When Draco woke up, the first thing he noticed was that he was on the floor, resting his head on a couch. It was red so he knew it obviously wasn't his own.

He got up and felt something drop beside his feet - it was what seemed to be a maroon-knitted blanket in a pile on the floor.

Draco looked around the room which vaguely smelt of vanilla and immediately realised it was the room in which he and Hermione were discussing the fact they were soulmates.

He ran a hand through his hair as he walked through the corridors and into the kitchen where he saw Hermione leaning against the counter with a cup of tea in one hand, The Daily Prophet in the other.

"Good morning." Hermione said, glancing up at Draco, "Would you like some tea?"He stretched his arms and shook his head before saying, "A glass of water would be fine."

Hermione nodded and walked towards the sink when Draco interrupted her, "I can get it. Just tell me where."She raised her eyebrow at Draco's offer but took a sip from her mug. "Cupboard above the sink."

Draco got his water and leant against the counter just like Hermione. The two were lost in their own thoughts until Hermione broke the silence.

"Thank you, for last night. I don't usually get to sleep easily after nightmares but honestly, that was the best i've slept for a while."

Draco nodded at her words and shrugged, "You helped me more than what i've led you to believe. Staying with you last night was the least i could do, especially after you helped me in Hogwarts."

Hermione smiled into her cup. "Of course."

Draco and Hermione both slipped back into their thoughts. They stood leaning against the counters in silence when a sudden realisation dawned upon Hermione.

"We're not soulmates. We can't be." she said, turning to face Draco who furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

Hermione sighed exasperatedly and put her hands on her hips. "It just doesn't make sense. Why us?"

That question stumped Draco. Why they soulmates? 

"I don't know." he replied quietly, looking down at his feet. "I think our evidence was just a series of mere coincidences." said Hermione.

Draco looked up and saw that Hermione didn't look very convinced but he just nodded in clarification to her words. "Yeah. Yeah you're probably right, Granger."

The two stood in the kitchen for a few moments until the tense silence stretched into awkward silence. Draco cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head. "I better be off, Pansy and Blaise are probably worried." he explained, "Last time I went out and didn't come back until the next morning, I got more than just the cruci-" Draco froze and ran a hand through his hair.

"You know what? It doesn't matter. Bye Granger." he gave Hermione a brief smirk but she saw it waver slightly just before he turned around and headed straight out of the door.

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As soon as Draco entered his house he was immediately ambushed by questions from both Pansy and Blaise who were standing next to each other with their arms crossed.

Draco smirked at how they looked like a pair of parents about to scold their kid. However, the smirk was wiped off when he realised he was playing the role of the kid.

"Where the hell were you young man?" said Pansy, glaring at him."Pansy, i'm older than you.""Not the point!"

Draco looked over at Blaise with a pained expression but Blaise didn't seem willing to save him. "She's right, mate. Last time you stayed out over night, Lucius had to bargain hard to convince Voldemort your loyalty was strong." "Voldemort is dead." Draco said bluntly."That's not the point!" groaned Pansy, pulling her hair slightly.

Everyone paused for a moment before Draco sighed. "I was at Malfoy Manor. I'm selling this place and moving there instead." said Draco, his breaths laced with lies. Pansy and Blaise paused and stared at Draco slightly confused.

"I mean, you're welcome to stay at the manor if you guys want..." Draco continued. "Totally up to you."Blaise furrowed his eyebrows. "We can stay at my parents' manor, it's okay - but why the sudden arrangements?"

"Just felt like it was about time to face the aftermath of the war." Draco shrugged. He had to fight every nerve in his body to not smirk in triumph as he fed his friends the lies.

"Okay, we'll be out by tomorrow. If you  need any help with adjusting or whatever please don't hesitate to come to us, Dray." Pansy smiled lightly. Draco gave her a guilty smile and he nodded his head.

He walked passed them and into his room where he was bombarded with questions of his own: Why was he bothering fixing something that was broken years ago?

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oh goodness i haven't uploaded in like a week i think - is that bad ?

i'm currently doing a countdown until school ends and i only have 5 weeks left. it doesn't seem like a lot but i'm going to the HP Studio Tour down in London at the end of July so likE

highkey buzzing

anyways i'm literally falling asleep as i write this lmao I hope you have/had a great day