CHAPTER FOUR

Hermione woke up in the middle of the night. She looked down at the outfit she didn't bother taking off before bed. She felt too sober for her likings. She decided she would sneak downstairs for a drink. Maybe she would go to the beach to get her mind off things. She felt guilty that Draco didn't remember anything but she still did.

She walked to the bathroom to change out of her tight clothes. Her eyes were shut while she put on something more comfortable so she didn't have to look at her scar. She put back on her gray shorts and the oversized sweater.

Hermione tiptoed down the stairs so she wouldn't wake up Draco. Luckily for her, he was asleep. He was moving a lot though. He looked as if he was having a bad dream. She went to the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the cupboard and a bottle of gin from the cabinet. She poured about three shots out and topped it with a dash of tonic. The stronger the better. Once she made up her drink, she sat in a chair next to the couch where Draco was and watched him sleep. She always loved studying him. He was the most fascinating person she knew.

Draco began to twitch furiously. He looked as if he was in pain. Hermione felt an urge to go over and comfort him but she knew better. Draco woke up in a startle. He was sweating and trying to catch his breath. He saw Hermione sitting next to him which sent him into a second shock.

"Jesus Christ! You scared the hell out of me." Draco sat up. "Sorry, was having a bit of a night terror." he felt as if he could tell her anything. He rubbed his eyes and then watched Hermione take a drink out of her glass. He knew exactly what it was. Draco chuckled, "Why is it that I've never seen you sober?"

Hermione put down the drink and wiped her mouth. "I've been finding it hard," she stammered. "After the…" she couldn't finish the sentence. Draco knew what she meant though. He understood more than she knew. They sat in silence for a while before Draco thought of something else to talk about.

"What are you doing up at this hour anyway?"

"I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about taking a walk on the beach. Seeming as if you can't sleep either, would you care to join me?"

"Yeah that sounds nice. I've been wanting to check it out since i've arrived." Draco was pleased that she invited him. He wanted to get her alone again. He had this feeling that there was something she wasn't telling him.

They grabbed their coats and put on their shoes. It was another warm night and there was a slight breeze that cooled the air. They walked across the yard and down to the shore. The moon was full and lit their way as they walked together. Draco strayed behind Hermione as she took the lead. After a few minutes, she plopped herself down on the wet sand and gestured to Draco to sit down too. They watched the waves crash in silence. Hermione watched the water glow from the moonlight. It took her back to the time they shared at the Black Lake.

"You know, this reminds me of the time when–" she caught herself mid sentence. She wished she didn't say anything. Draco was eager to get any information out of her.

"The time when what?"

Hermione quickly thought up a lie. "When my mom would take me to the beach as a kid." her words felt less substantial than when she began the statement. More silence. Draco went back and forth looking at the ocean then sneaking glances at her. Even when she was at her worst, she still managed to look pretty. She knew he was staring but she paid no mind to it. Even though she desperately wanted to get close to him she wouldn't let herself. Not this time.

Draco kept looking at her. His glances kept getting longer every time. He got a deja vu feeling again. He felt as if he had been here before. With her. He watched her as he tried to remember if there had been a time where they sat together at a shore in the past. She finally looked back at him and was going to ask why he was staring before he spoke first.

"You know, Granger." he chuckled to himself. "I kinda had a thing for you when we were in school." He felt as if he did. Maybe that would explain his feelings. Hermione already knew this. She just looked at him and returned a laugh.

"Really? I never knew."

"Well, It wasn't much. I thought about every good-looking girl that way."

"Oh? So you think I'm good-looking?"

Draco blushed but managed to flirt back. "I mean, you're not completely dreadful to look at." Hermione playfully punched his arm before taking a silver flask out of her pocket. This behavior didn't shock Draco anymore. He tried to count the amount of times he had seen liquor touch her lips since he had got there.

"Want some?" She held out the flask for him and he took a sip. He kind of felt bad for supporting her bad habit but he needed something to take the edge off. The butterflies in his stomach felt as if they had small knives and were trying to rip him open. The drink oughta drown them. He thought to himself as he took another sip.

Draco moved closer to her as he returned the flask. She then took three long pulls before putting it back into her pocket. She then looked up and they locked eyes. Hermione looked into his icy stare and remembered the moment she discovered his eyes were blue and not gray. She couldn't help but stare as she was hypnotized once again. Draco reached down to grab her hand. As soon as they touched a faint memory flooded his brain and he closed his eyes.

He heard a slow song playing in the back of his mind. He was dancing in an empty room with someone. He couldn't remember ever doing this. He saw a pink dress and when he spun the girl around, she looked a lot like the one he was sitting with just now. Same wavy hair. Same pouty lips.

He quickly drew back his hand and let the memory slip away. He coughed as he tried to catch the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Hermine knew what was going on. She worried that would happen.

"Are you okay?" she asked, trying not to touch him again.

"Yeah." he coughed out. "I think the drinks are catching up with me." He brushed the thought away and looked at her once more. "You know, you really are beautiful." he didn't wait for her to speak before he pressed his lips on hers. She tasted like whisky but he didn't mind. She was hesitant to kiss him back but once she did, he felt something. It was like fireworks. He felt the spark of her tongue as it made its way into his mouth. He lost control and did the same to her. He danced inside her trying to lick up every last drop of alcohol that was left in her mouth. He held his hand on her cheek trying to bring her closer. His mind got foggy as he laid her down in the sand.

She caressed his neck and arched her back so their bodys were touching. She knew she shouldn't be doing this but she couldn't help it. She would blame it on the liquor later. They made out for a couple more moments before Draco felt himself get a little too turned on. He swiftly pulled away and covered himself with his hands and sat up before she noticed.

"Sorry." he choked out. "I guess I'm a little more drunk than I thought.

Hermione, who was covered in sand, rolled over and smiled. "Why don't you stay in my room tonight? I think we both need a good night's rest. She stood up and held out her hand to help Draco up. They both brushed sand off of themselves and headed back to the shack.

They tried not to wake Harry and Ron up as they creeped up the stairs and into Hermione's room. It wasn't much but she did add her personal touches here and there. On her bed lay an old quilt that looked handmade. Her walls were covered in Gryffindor flags and souvenirs she couldn't let go of. Fairy lights were strung above her window which had a perfect view of the ocean. On her bedside table was a picture of her parents who she hadn't seen in a long time. She never made time to go back and restore their memories after the war. She simply didn't exist to them and sometimes she felt like they didn't exist to her either.

Draco stretched out on her bed and watched her shed her sand covered coat onto the floor. She looked at herself in a full length mirror and tried to comb her messy hair out with her fingers. He couldn't help but to stare. She acted as if he wasn't there as she slipped into her pajamas. She finally looked in his direction and caught him smiling at her. She walked over to the bed.

"Not catching feelings now are you, Malfoy?" he laughed as he grabbed her arm and pulled her to the bed. Her words reminded him of the ones his mother had told him.

"Are you mad? I want you in the most unromantic way." he got her to sit down. He noticed the scar on her forearm and began tracing it with his fingertips. She pulled away looking embarrassed and turned away from him.

"I'm sorry." He watched a tear roll down her cheek and land in her lap. "I'm sorry I didn't do anything to stop her. You have no idea the amount of stress I was under. I would take it all back if I could."

Hermione sniffled and wiped away another tear. "It's over now. No reason to dwell in the past. It just makes things worse." She kicked off her shoes and laid down next to Draco. She closed her eyes as he put his arms around her. She was more focused on trying not to vomit as she felt her head spin. After a couple minutes of battling with her stomach, they both fell asleep.