Boys Night, Girls Night

21.

Hermione took a few seconds while he was gathering the necessary ingredients to retrieve her wand and wave a quick scourgify over the kitchen. The burnt chicken pot pie vanished, the flour cleaned itself off the floor, the counter, and each surface it managed to float and settle on to. The dishes cleaned themselves in the sink, scrubbing away happily.

Draco turned with a wry grin. "Couldn't wait till after I was done making more dirty dishes?"

"Says the man who cleaned up the bedroom knowing we'd end back up in there soon enough." Hermione grinned.

"Granger, I don't have the foggiest notion what you're talking about." He began dividing the ingredients, placing so much of one into the bowl, a dash of another. He wasn't working from a recipe, but apparently from memory.

"How do you know what you're doing?" Hermione asked rather interested.

"You're not the only with secrets." Draco winked before going back to the mixture.

Hermione rolled her eyes, a thankless action since her subject had turned his back. She walked over, beside him, and watched as he added buttermilk by guessing, no measuring cups. "You never answered my question." She accused, thoroughly diverted by this new side of Draco she'd never seen.

"Just because I never cooked for you, doesn't mean I can't. I admit you have the market in most aspects of this, but pancakes...now pancakes are my specialty." He added an egg, and sighed when she still looked at him expectantly. "Fine, my mum taught me. When I was growing up, Sunday was the morning she would let me help her cook."

Hermione's eyebrows flew into her hairline. "Wow, I just...."

"-assumed." Draco said with a little knowing grin. "You should know what they say about that, Mione. Never assume. It makes an ASS out of U and ME." He poked her arm each time to make his point. "House-elves were all well and good, but my mum, she always liked to spend her mornings trying out new things." He started whisking the batter while turning on the oven with his bare foot.

Hermione cracked a smile. "You could have asked. My hands are noticeably free."

"Hmm, I do believe I told you to sit a particularly bony ass onto a chair? And that I would take care of feeding us?"

Hermione held up her hands in a shrug. "You should know by now I can't sit still unless I have something to read in front of me."

Draco continued pouring the mixture into the pan. He started chuckling. "Remember the time you threw a book at my head during 7th year? Good thing I'm quick."

Hermione smiled. "You were being a particular brand of brat that night. I still haven't the slightest clue what had gotten into you. I come strolling in from my date and you instantly had to say-"

"Head Girl is a title, not the job description?" Draco blurted out. They both busted up laughing.

"Ass. Something’s never change." Hermione grabbed the spatula and starting flipping.
"I seem to remember a rather asshole-ish comment being made back." Draco accused.

"Head Boy is a title, not a goal to aspire to?" Hermione reminisced, the smile widening on her lips. "Besides, I'd rather be an asshole than a whole ass. Good thing I was quick." She quoted back at him smirking.

Draco stole the spatula away from her. "Not quick enough." He set about taking some finished pancakes out of the pans and adding more to them, checking how much further some had to go.

Hermione started humming a song under her breath while setting the table. She grabbed two glasses of milk, the syrup from the cupboard, and utensils. Seized by a sudden idea, she grabbed her wand and added flowers to the table. There, now it looked cheery and bright, regardless of the dark still outside the window.

"What is that song you're humming?" Draco asked her when she reached in front of him for some napkins.
Hermione glanced at him, and then looked down, blushing terribly. She might sing little meaningless ditties, but this one wasn't appropriate to tell him...yet. "Nothing, just a silly muggle song."

Draco watched her face as she formed an answer. He knew she was going to shrug it off before she opened her mouth. He dropped the spatula and grabbed her wrist. "Then what's with the blush? Come on, Granger..."

"It's nothing Draco, if you want to figure it out, look it up." She pulled quickly away from him.

He went back to the pancakes, contemplating why she didn't want to tell him. Was it that big of a deal? He heard the rummaging behind him, but didn't think anything of it.
But when Draco turned with the finished pancakes, he raised an eyebrow at the flowers.
"What?" Hermione asked, nonchalantly. "I felt it was needed." She made herself busy by sitting in her seat, placing a napkin in her lap.

Draco let it slide. "Now, when you take a bite of these, don't feel defeated, inferior, or anything more than second best." He taunted.

"It's kind of hard to picture when you've firmly taken second place for all of my life." She chirped sweetly, picking up her fork. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until the plate was placed in front of her. The smell had her stomach snarling at her.

Draco watched as she put the first piece into her mouth. He made an effort not to stare at her lips. There will be plenty of time for that later, he reminded himself.
He felt completely satisfied when she gave a little moan. "What was that, Granger? My pancakes are- what?"

Hermione felt no shame in admitting defeat. "They are utterly mouthwatering. What did you put in these?"

"You're asking for secret ingredients, you know." Draco quirked his eyebrows, eating his own stack.

Hermione made a devastated face, her bottom lip trembling. "Please?" Draco would never admit it, but even without the face he couldn't say no to her. He made her sweat for a minute, and then a stroke of inspiration came to him.
"On one condition. Tell me the song you were humming earlier." He waited as she chewed it over, both literally and figuratively.

She sighed. "Oh alright, it's called "1,2,3,4" by the Plain White T's. Now what's the secret ingredient?"

He laughed. "Oatmeal- it makes it thicker and fluffier. What is so bad about the song?
"
"Explaining myself was not part of the bargain." Hermione waved a finger at him.

They continued amicably, recalling memories from their seventh year, plans for the weekend, the gala the following night...but not once did Hermione bring up her stalker situation, and Draco didn't pry. He knew enough about her that she needed the release, just a night of being herself.

It wasn't till much later, once again on rumpled sheets with her head tucked under his chin that Hermione even alluded to the problem. Both were rambling on about insignificant things half asleep when, mid-yawn, Hermione mentioned she felt safe.

Draco's heart felt like it was going to burst.