Hermione cautiously walked forward. Professor McGonagall's classroom was never this dirty. In fact, Hermione could not remember ever seeing so much as dust enter the room. "Professor?" she called out. "Professor McGonagall?"
"Do come in," Professor McGonagall said from somewhere in the room. She emerged from somewhere in the rubble, still looking spotless, as usual.
"Professor, what - " Hermione began, but was cut off by Draco's entrance.
"What the hell happened in here?" Draco asked, looking around in shock.
"Language, Mister Malfoy," Professor McGonagall said sternly. "Your detention is simple. You two will remain here cleaning until the room is spotless. Understood?"
"Um..." Draco started in confusion.
"I think we both expected something slightly more complex, Professor," Hermione admitted.
"Yeah. How is that supposed to make us get along?" Draco asked.
"Watch your tone with me, Mister Malfoy," McGonagall said sharply. With a brisk wave of her wand, she conjured a bucket of soapy water, sponges, a mop, a dustpan, and a broom.
"Muggle things?" Draco whispered to Hermione. "Doesn't she realize we can just scourgify it?"
"I heard that," McGonagall said. "No, you cannot use spells to clean the room. Try as you might, it won't work. Begin." With that, she left the room.
The two stood in silence for a moment, staring at the door.
"Well, we'd better get to work, hadn't we?" Hermione said simply. "We need to set up all the chairs and desks first. Then we can clean the floors and windows. After that... well, we'll see what needs to be done."
Hermione began pulling up the chairs. After her third one, Draco still stood there staring. "Well, are you going to do anything or not?"
"Are you just going to act like nothing happened?" Draco asked in astonishment.
"I believe you were the one who said that we should make this easier for both of us and forget it," Hermione said coolly.
"And I believe you were the one who begged me to stay and let you explain yourself," Draco shot back.
"Oh, is that what you were thinking?" Hermione asked shrilly. "That I'd always come back to you, no matter what you said or did, because I was just like a begging little puppy? I don't think so."
"No, Hermione - "
"Is that all that it meant to you?" Hermione continued, ignoring him. "I can survive without you, Draco. Or are you Malfoy now?"
"I think you have a lot of guts talking like that," Draco erupted. "You broke my heart. That's right, Hermione! I'm not only a Malfoy, but I'm a Death Eater, and I still have emotions! You and your Weasel King just decided that I didn't matter and ran off together, and here you are talking about how awful I've been!"
"So it's all my fault?" Hermione asked coldly. "I think it was your choice not to let me explain. If you'll excuse me, we have work that needs to be done, and I plan on doing my share."
With that, Hermione turned and started overturning chairs again. This time Draco joined her.
They worked in silence until all the chairs and desks were in their proper places, both of their heads spinning with emotions and things they should have said or could say now.
Oh Merlin, Hermione thought anxiously. What now?
Some dam inside her had swelled up to the breaking point, causing her to explode out on Draco. Hermione Granger had had enough.
Draco had been such a jerk and she was sick of him acting like this whole thing was her fault. No way was she just going to beg him to snog her like he apparently thought. She was not some begging little puppy who followed him everywhere.
She let out a large sigh to clear her head, then walked over to the cleaning supplies that Professor McGonagall had left for them.
"Do you want to do the floor next?" Hermione asked.
Draco shrugged.
"Well, grab the mop," Hermione said, picking up a sponge and dipping it in the soapy water. She got down on her hands and knees and began to scrub.
A moment later, she turned around to find Draco staring in confusion at the supplies.
"I would like to be done before midnight, thank you very much," Hermione said impatiently.
"I don't know what a mop is," Draco said quickly.
"Oh," Hermione said, suddenly feeling stupid. "Why didn't you just say so?"
Hermione quickly rose and picked up the mop. "Here," she said, handing it to him.
Draco looked at it stupidly.
"All right, all right, I'll show you."
Hermione took the mop back from him, dipping it into the soapy water and pushing it back and forth across the floor.
"Get it?"
Draco awkwardly dipped the mop into the water, nearly knocking the bucket over, then lifted the mop into the air, dripping water all over the floor.
"No, no, no..." Hermione said, rushing over to him. She picked up the mop and placed it into his hand the proper way. Standing behind him with her arms around him and her hands on top of his, she pushed and pulled the mop.
Suddenly realizing the position they were in, Hermione jumped back and brushed off her robes. "Well," she said brightly, trying hard not to sound as embarrassed as she felt, "I think you get the idea."
"Hermione..." Draco started, then stopped. It was as if he was debating whether or not what he was going to say really needed to be said. "What happened? With us, I mean. One day we hated each other, the next we snogged each other silly, then we hated each other again. That's just...confusing, I guess."
"I don't," Hermione whispered.
"Don't what?"
"I don't hate you."
"So this is just a lover's spat or something?" Draco said sarcastically. "I don't think so!"
"No, that's not what I meant. I mean...I saw the man that I fell in love with at that masquerade. He stuck around for a few days and then vanished completely. The man that I fell in love with was Draco, and the boy he turns into is Malfoy. You can't be both."
"I can't stop being who I am," Draco said simply.
"But who are you? I know you'll always be a Malfoy. That's how you were raised. But the man I saw on that dance floor was polite! He didn't care that I was Muggle-born! Yes, he was a Slytherin. Maybe that added to his charm, his mystery. But he wasn't cold and distant! So which one are you?" Hermione demanded.
"I...I don't know," Draco said. "I want to be the person you loved. I just can't always be. You know that."
"Why, because your Malfoy pride can't stand that sort of blow?" Hermione snapped.
"No, because the Slytherins...you don't know them. And...why are we even talking like this? You're with Weasel King now. Or have you forgotten?"
"I don't love Ron! You should know that! I don't even like him that way!" Hermione insisted.
"So why are you his girlfriend, hmmm?" Draco asked.
"Because we thought that if I could get together with him, he'd realize it was just a stupid crush of his and it would never work out!"
"We?" Draco asked. "Why didn't 'we' mention this to me?"
"Harry, Ginny and I. We had just planned it the night before. I didn't think to tell you, and then..." Hermione shrugged.
"Hermione, I have to say, that was probably the stupidest thing you've ever done," Draco said plainly.
"Probably," Hermione admitted. "It appears to be working. Harry and Ron have a deal. Ron tells me that he doesn't feel that way about me as much anymore, and Harry tells Ginny he likes her."
"How sweet," Draco said drily. "Always knew Potty and Weaslette were made for each other."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Does this mean we're all right again?"
"Oh, don't jump to conclusions, Miss Granger," Draco said, keeping his tones serious. "You did break my heart, you know. That's a lot to make up for."
"Well, then, I'll just have to start now," Hermione said playfully, leaning in to kiss him.
As soon as their lips touched, the room instantly cleaned itself. They pulled themselves apart quickly, looking around. "What happened?" Draco asked.
"You resolved your argument, Mister Malfoy," Professor McGonagall said from the doorway. Draco and Hermione both jumped, spinning around to look at her.
"But...how did you..." Hermione sputtered, while Draco just stared openmouthed.
McGonagall just winked. "I charmed the room to clean itself if you two managed to...agree...on certain things. Albus and I had a bet going. He thought you two wouldn't get back together until next week. It wasn’t my fault that you two just happened to land detention on the same night. Now, I do believe you two need to get back to your common rooms.”
Draco was still staring openmouthed, but Hermione reacted quickly. “Yes, Professor,” she said, pulling Draco out of the room with her.
“How in the name of Merlin…” Draco muttered.
“Never question how Professor Dumbledore knows something,” Hermione said simply. “He just…does.”
Draco looked slightly scared, but he shrugged. "What are we going to do about Weasel?"
"Don't worry about it right now. If we don't end up breaking up...I'll think of something. There are so many problems we have, but right now, let's just be happy. Please," Hermione said.
“Well, it seems we’ve made up, now what about that kiss?”
Hermione laughed and started to lean in, but Ginny’s giggle stopped her. She turned to see her standing there with Harry at her side.
"Holding hands," Draco drawled. "How sweet."
"Draco...they're my friends. They understand about us," Hermione said cautiously, not wanting Harry and Draco to fight.
Harry looked slightly uncomfortable, but he crossed over to Draco and held out his hand. "Look, I doubt if you and I will ever like each other, but we can at least have an agreement. Hermione's like the sister I never had, and if you hurt her, I'll feed you to the next thing we study in Care of Magical Creatures. Understood?"
"Well, at least you're not out here declaring your intentions for her like Weasel," Draco said, reluctantly shaking his hand.
Ginny came up behind Harry and nudged him. "I think they want to be alone..."
"I know the feeling," Harry said, giving Ginny a look that made her giggle.
"I'll be waiting for you in the common room, Hermione. I want details!" Ginny hissed at her as they passed.
"Is it just me, or is the entire world ganging up on us so we can't kiss?" Draco complained.
If the world's intention was for Draco and Hermione not to kiss, it's mission was officially failed just moments later.
A/N: Well, they're back together now. For some reason that chapter took me forever to write...
Anyway, I'd like to thank my Betas-Who-Don't-Like-The-Term-Beta, Abbie and Suze. They prefer to be known as Muses, thank you very much. Without them this story would be stuck. They're both very busy, but they've made it clear that they'll inspire me when I need it. Chapters they've helped me with will have a thank-you to them at the bottom.
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