'I may not lie, but I'm still a big fan of all the other sins: wrath, sex, loud music….you can handle the lying from here on out.'
'Why do you get all the fun sins?'
'Because I'm a fun kind of guy?'
'If you think-'
Harry broke off at a knock on the door, tilted his head to the side, and smiled. 'Hermione,' he announced. 'Must be her turn to watch you.'
Draco looked at him curiously. 'How do you know it's her?'
Harry shrugged slightly.
'You know her knock?'
Harry's ears turned pink, and he glared at Draco defiantly. 'Don't tell me you don't.'
Before Draco could respond, the door opened and Hermione came in. She looked at Harry, and then over at him, and smiled hesitantly.
'So you're awake. How do you feel?'
Draco smiled angelically. 'I feel fine.'
She looks really cute, he thought blandly at Harry. And that skirt.
Very short. I can't believe you let her dress like that.
Harry made a choking sort of noise. Hermione looked at him in surprise. 'Harry, what?'
Harry made a gesture of dismissal. 'Nothing. Inhaled some dust.'
Take that back, Malfoy.
Hermione was still smiling at Draco. 'When did you wake up?'
'Oh, just a few minutes ago,' he said, with an exaggerated yawn.
Look how she's smiling at me. She really does fancy me. Oh, not with that sort of deathless-love thing that you guys have got going, but with that sort of raw animal attraction. Look, she's undressing me with her eyes.
She is not undressing you with her eyes.
Hermione was concerned. 'Harry, are you all right? You look like you've got a headache.'
Draco looked mildly curious. Been using the old headache excuse again lately?
Harry made another choking noise. Shut up, Malfoy. Or there will be an accident.
What kind of accident?
The kind where I accidentally eviscerate you with a carrot peeler.
'Ahem,' put in Hermione, sounding impatient. 'Why are you two just sitting there staring at each other? Have I interrupted something?'
'What?' Harry turned around, and blinked at her. 'Oh. No.
Everything's fine.'
Behind him, Draco made a snorting noise. Buzz off, Potter, and leave us alone for a bit, will you?
No way.
Draco's response had a whiney tone. But you promised…
Harry wheeled on him, then paused and looked up guiltily at Hermione, who was staring at both of them with a vexed expression.
'Have you quite finished being antisocial and weird?' she said in a clipped tone. 'Because Ron was saying he needed to talk to you, Harry.'
Harry stood up reluctantly, crossed the room, paused by Hermione, then, with no warning, seized her and kissed her. Not just a casual kiss either, this was the sort of kiss that could have melted solid steel. When he released her, Hermione staggered back against the wall and looked at him with wide eyes. 'Harry?'
He returned her look innocently. 'Yes?'
Hermione took his arm and drew him towards her, speaking softly into his ear. 'You don't, um, have a problem with me talking to Draco alone, do you?'
Harry cut his eyes towards Draco, who had picked up the glass of water from the bedside table and was examining it with a show of great interest. 'Oh,' said Harry. 'No. That's fine. You two have a nice…talk.'
Hermione kissed Harry on the cheek. 'I love you.'
He kissed her back, in his distracted state missing her cheek and landing a kiss on her nose. 'And I love you. See you later,' he added, turning and waving at Draco. Touch her once, Malfoy, and they'll be picking little pieces of Malfoy out of the carpet for years.
'Later, Potter.' Draco returned the wave. And if you can't find us when you come back, we'll be locked in the bathroom, playing bad schoolgirl and naughty headmaster.
Harry poked his head around the door as it closed behind him.
Remind me why we saved your life again?
Because you're the good guys.
We'll see about that.
