Hermione's Addiction

Hermione decided early on that being cooped up in 12 Grimauld Place, despite its cheerful pretences, was not all it was cracked up to be. It was depressing with Sirius gone, and Ron was perpetually cranky due to Viktor's daily letters, begging her to take him back. By 1 July, she had taken to burning the letters, and staying in her room, reading.

Once she had read all her new school books cover to cover ten times and could recite them by heart blindfolded standing on her head, she took to drawing. She drew people she knew, avoiding Sirius, as she knew Harry would explode if he saw them once he arrived. She exhausted any interest she had in drawing Dumbledore, Hagrid, Harry, Ron, the Weasleys, and every teacher by the time Harry got there on 25 July. She could frequently hear Harry shouting at the top of his lungs about one thing or another, and even more frequently sobbing in the room beneath hers.

She began drawing Slytherins, and eventually got to Draco Malfoy. It was quite entertaining, and by far her best sketch, followed by Lucius, who was equally as fun. Their lack of flaws and perfect, aristocratic faces made it seem like it would be easy to draw them, all the while making them perfect enough still presented a bit of a challenge. She drew them in different settings, like in a library, or at a table, or just a basic portrait. She eventually moved to painting on occasion, but no matter what she did, she kept them on small pieces of parchment, so she could hide them in a notebook.

When it came time to return to school, she decided it would be bad for anyone to find her portfolio lying about at Grimauld Place, so she brought it with her, keeping it hidden somewhere she knew nobody else would ever look into- her book bag.

There was a new class, Latin language, which only sixth and seventh years could take. So, of course, Hermione took it. There were only twenty people in Latin altogether; four Gryffindors, no Hufflepuffs, ten Ravenclaws, and six Slytherins, Malfoy included. Hermione and Draco were the only sixth years to brave the class, but this definitely did not unite them. Draco surrounded himself with the remaining five Slytherins, and Hermione took to sitting alone in the back row.

Mrs. Bryce, the teacher, was very nice. Sometimes she would talk to Hermione, telling her about the public school for muggles in America she worked at before being asked to come to Hogwarts by Dumbledore.

Harry was unbearable to be around, and became quite reclusive. Ron was always trying to cheer Harry up, and would pick fights with her while they were together without Harry. After a while, she avoided both of her best friends, and began adding to her portfolio again. She took it everywhere with her, keeping it well out of view of anyone else. Instead of drawing only the Malfoy men, she drew everything in her surroundings.

One day in Latin after a test, Hermione was using her free time at the end of the period to sketch yet another Malfoy portrait, and the bell rang as she was finishing up. Malfoy passed her and sneered, "What're you drawing, Mudblood?"

He snatched Hermione's notebook from her before she could move it out of his reach, and examined her work. Hermione went scarlet and pick patches appeared on Malfoy's face as he snapped the book closed and put it back on her desk.

"We'll talk later," he growled.

After Hermione finished eating dinner she went to the library and began studying, when Malfoy approached her.

"What the hell are you doing drawing me?"

"I was bored."

"Are you obsessed, or was this a one-time thing?"

"There are more, but I'm not obsessed. You're not that interesting," she replied, staring defiantly into his face.

"Let me see them."

"No."

"They're of me!"

"They're my property!"

Malfoy sighed. "Fine, I'll admit it. I thought your work was... mediocre. Better than I would have expected of you."

"Talking to me like that won't get you a viewing of those sketches."

"Alright. I *liked* it. Now let me see the rest of your work," he demanded through gritted teeth.

Hermione could tell it was a struggle for him to be polite. The vein in his temple throbbing made it evident that he was going through severe mental pain, letting his curiosity get a hold on him like that. She loved seeing him like that.

"They're not only of you."

Hermione nodded her head toward a corner where no one would see them and they sat there on the floor. She showed him her early sketches, which he criticized, and he fell silent as she moved through them. She explained some of them, but they were both quiet as she flipped through the pages. At first, if he wanted her to stop, he would tell her to and swat her hand away from the page, but after a while he would gently touch her hand until he was done looking.

"...And this is you in the library... and here's Lucius."

It was Lucius, but for some bizarre, inexplicable reason, he had long black hair, billowing out behind him. "If you look closely enough, the hair is covering a drawing of Lucius with his brain and eyes hanging out."

"Not too keen on my father, are you?"

"How could you tell?"

"I don't like him either, he's a bit of a bastard."

"But a fun to draw bastard."

"It was nice looking through your work. You know, we really should shut up when we're around each other. We get along better this way."

Hermione looked at him, one eyebrow raised.

"Alright, I should shut up when I'm around you."

Hermione took a chance, leaned over, and kissed Malfoy. Right on the lips. He looked surprised, but he didn't object. It was the perfect kiss all girls dream of and think their first one will be like. When Viktor had kissed her, she had felt nothing. Now, however, there was a feeling she couldn't describe, but she knew she didn't want it to stop. He ran his fingers through her hair and pulled her closer. After what may have been seconds or minutes, she didn't know, he broke apart from her and said loudly, "Go away, Creevey. And pretend you never saw anything."

Dennis Creevey was standing a few feet away, staring wide-eyed at them with his mouth hanging open.

"Er-... uh... hmm..."

Dennis seemed to be trying to say something, but all he could really do was croak a few syllables out.

"Dennis, what're you doing?" a voice called from not so far away.

"Oh, shit," Draco muttered.

Colin Creevey came into view and saw them as well. "Oh my God," seemed to be all he could say to the sight of Draco and Hermione in each others' arms.

More people were coming over, wondering what was so awe-inspiring, and pretty soon there was an official gathering around them. Hermione looked at Draco to ask him what to do, but he seemed frozen. People must have called their friends over, because Hermione knew that certainly not this many people studied in the Library on Friday evenings. Come to think of it, not this many people cam to the Library at once any time of the year, including exams.

Hermione's face went red again with the crowd gathered around them. She could hear Ron's voice shouting to be let through, reminiscent of Percy struggling through masses of students.

"What's going on? Let me through, I'm a prefect!"

She could see the top of his head now, and messy black hair that could only be Harry's next to him. She shimmied under the nearest table, a yard or so away, bringing all her things with her and leaving Draco to fend for himself. She pulled out her wand, now she was thinking again, and placed the chameleon charm Moody had put on Harry when the Order sneaked him out of 4 Privet Drive the summer before fifth year. No one noticed her after she put the charm on, and she removed it once she was out of view of the Library.

She knew that there was no chance for a long-term relationship between herself and Draco; she could never show him the perfect adoration her art showed him. But they would always have this evening in the Library. It would be a faultless memory of their kiss, unmarred by fights and any real feelings of attachment or responsibility.