A Time To Yourself (Crappy Title I Know)

[simply_me]

Title: A Time To Yourself

Fandom: Harry Potter

Rating: PG (Maybe)

Pairings: Er...Draco/Hermoine? Perhaps.

Warnings: None

Spoilers: Nah. This is basically drabble, and I'm too lazy to put in real major events from the books.

NOTE: THIS IS MY FIRST SNEEZEFIC. Don't hate me. Please excuse spelling/grammar mistakes. Honestly, I'm writing this at 11:00.

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Chapter 1

Draco was sitting outside, nose curiously stuck in a book. The printed text kept him intrigued as he flipped page after page. He hadn't told the others of his love for reading yet, and he'd be damned if he ever would. Reading brought him more pleasure than teasing Pothead and his friends. Sometimes it was useful for conjuring up plans just to torture them. Wasn't it a bit stupid to be sitting outside to read? Well it was hard to find a decent spot to in the castle, especially when everyone was walking around or breathing down your neck. Word got around faster in the castle, and the rumors would start spreading that Malfoy was actually READING for fun. No, outside was best. Actually he rather enjoyed being alone, outside for some fresh air.

Except for today.

The yellow-haired boy rubbed at his nose a few times, sniffing harshly. Lately he hadn't felt like himself, much to the relief of his many enemies. "With Draco under the weather, perhaps we can get some peace around here..." Well they could enjoy it while they could, as soon as his cold was gone, he was going to...

"Heh...HeASHOO!" Draco pitched forward with a sudden (and perfect) sneeze into the crook of his arm. The book he had been reading slipped from his grasp, crashing to the ground and bringing more attention to himself. His surroundings disappeared from his sight as his eyes slammed shut again. "ASHOO!" A few people looked up with curiosity, before rolling their eyes at him and returning to their business. Obviously they weren't as interested anymore, considering he'd been sneezing for the past hour. Normally he'd love any attention (even negative attention) but today was an exception. He didn't exactly like people watching him sneeze or tend to his running nose. The only place where Potter wasn't there to bask in his glow, and he had a cold. "Bloody perfect..." He grumbled, picking up the book from the ground. He seemed to have lost his page, whether he cared or not wasn't really an issue. The throbbing pain in his head kept him from concentrating on the story anyway.

With a sigh he closed the book, and tucked it under his arm. He made sure it wasn't visible under his robes. Better leave before Crab or Goil found him there.

If anyone would have called the weather around Hogwarts beautiful, they must have been on some new form of drug. Rain spilled from the sky as if someone was pouring it upon them, while a chilling wind could send the warmest, jolliest fellow to shiver. And if you know Draco Malfoy, who was quite frankly the opposite of the jolliest fellow, he was having the worst of it. Luckily he had found a fairly dry spot to read outside, or else he'd be even MORE freezing. If that were possible...

The boy shuddered, pulling his Slytherin robes more tightly around him.

His irritated sinuses protested again, and his nose scrunched with an up-coming sneeze. Unfortunately he hadn't brought a handkerchief with him. "Heh..." Draco placed a hand to his face, his long eyelashes fluttering shut. "Heh...HEH!" His breath hitched again, but no relief came. He felt absolutely silly to be standing there, his face frozen with a pre-sneeze expression in the pouring rain. But he felt as if he couldn't take another step until this sneeze was released from his twitching nostrils. "HEASHOO!...ugh." The powerful sneeze doubled him over, sending his blonde hair flopping onto his face. The Slytherin boy sniffed cautiously. When he realized no other sneeze lurked around, he continued along his way glumly. His throat was burning now, and he sped up a bit more.

The path to the Hogwarts Castle usually didn't seem this long. All Draco wanted to do was sleep now, but he never would get that relief until he finally made it to the Slytherin rooms.

He let loose a few harsh coughs into his crooked arm, ones that pained him so intensely that he winced. Unfortunately for him, someone else important noticed his expression.

"Malfoy?"

Draco froze where he was, his aching body protesting from the sudden halt. He turned around, only to see Hermoine standing in front of him. "Granger?" He spat somewhat weakly, narrowing his eyes and smirking. The gesture caused him to cough again, and he so really wished he hadn't. It only brought more attention to Hermoine that he, indeed, was ill.

He certainly did look sick though. His delicate, almost angelic features were tired-looking. He was a bit more pale than usual, while his eyes were glazed with exhaustion. Not only that, but his nose was the reddest thing Hermoine had ever seen.

"Malfoy, are you ok?" She asked, her eyes questioning and never once looking away.

Draco squirmed under her gaze, running one hand under his nose. "F-fine." He shivered, sensing another sneeze.

Hermoine was so desperately debating whether to be nice or whether to be harsh about the situation. Obviously he needed some care, and as she knew from recent experiences with Harry, would probably be reluctant to see Madame Pomfrey.

"You don't look fine." She finally said harshly, arching a brow. Her hair, normally out and loose in a wild mane, was pulled back in a tight ponytail. Though she tried to look serious, concern still flashed in her eyes.

Draco bared his teeth harshly, irritated beyond belief. All he wanted to do was warm himself up and sleep! Why did Granger have to show up now? "I'm FINE ok? Just feh-" The sneeze he had felt increased ten times now, and he pressed the back of his hand to his boyish nose. He blinked a few times, his eyes taking on a pre-sneeze haze. "Ugh...not now." He thought.

Slowly his eyes closed, nose twitching as he took in a shuddering breath. "Heh...heh...HEASHOO! ASHOO! HEASHHHH!" Draco, once again, doubled over. When he looked up, Hermoine saw him wipe his watering eyes with the back of his sleeve. "...just fine." He sighed, sniffing harshly.

Hermoine hated this part of herself. Even though she despised Malfoy more than anyone could ever despise a person, she couldn't help feeling sorry for him. He looked so weak and pathetic looking, while trying to maintain the cruel personality he'd created over the past years. It was those mixed emotions that made her speechless. What could she do? Perhaps ask Dumbledore for permission to enter the Slytherin dormitories to take care of ...er...a 'friend'?

What was she CRAZY??? First of all, she hated Malfoy. Secondly, the thought of entering the Slytherin home made her want to puke. Lastly, Dumbledore would never accept that, even though he already knew well enough Hermoine couldn't resist helping someone who needed her help.

No matter how nasty, no matter how cruel, no matter how...

"Are you going to say something or keep staring at me with that idiotic look?" Draco grumbled, trying to suppress a shiver as the rain continued to soak his clothes to his skin. He was trying to make it clear he wanted to leave, but obviously Hermoine wasn't getting this message.

Yet again...

"Shut up Malfoy." Hermoine finally grumbled, maintaining his cold glare with one of her own.

Draco chuckled, and coughed a few times. "That's more like it Granger, for a moment I thought you had zoned out."

With that, the boy turned and sped away. He was just glad to be on the way to the warm castle, where he could finally rest. The clouds churned into gray masses above their heads, the rain was coming down a bit more harshly now.

Hermoine kept watching him. The bright witch couldn't help but smirk as Draco bent over once again with another sneeze. He didn't pause to stop this time, just kept walking.

"Feel better Malfoy." She mumbled, her mind at work creating a plan to help Malfoy.

Hermoine grinned with pleasure. Her plan just might work...

TBC?

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((FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED! Remember this is my first sneezefic. I know it may not be great and all, but I certainly enjoyed writing this portion. It might be continued. Depends on whether anyone likes this or not.

Anyway, I love torturing Draco, so I hope I can write more. ))

-Simply_me

[simply_me]

Bleh, what I meant was.

"The only place where Potter wasn't there to STEAL HIS SPOTLIGHT and he had a cold..."

After I read this a few times, I began to realize the other line didn't make sense.

I'm more tired than I thought.

[simply_me]

Bleh, what I meant was.

"The only place where Potter wasn't there to STEAL HIS SPOTLIGHT and he had a cold..."

After I read this a few times, I began to realize the other line didn't make sense.

I'm more tired than I thought.

'

Well thank you. I must say that Malfoy is one of my favorite characters. Despite the fact that he's evil.

Love him.

I just hope other people like it too. I'll get working on the next part, whether I post it or not is another question.

[simply_me]

Why did it quote that?

Sorry, I'm still getting used to this site.

[count tiszula]

Great fun, and very well written. And appropriate to the month of potterdom. I suppose Hermione is a natural born caretaker really; how will she contrive it?

But...An HP fic with NO MAGIC...? Still, plenty of time to remedy this....

[simply_me]

Hey hey hey, I didn't say there wouldn't be magic. I still have time to add some in.

[simply_me]

Ok so I'm continuing it, but only because I am having so much fun writing this.

Er...might be a bit of swearing in this portion.

I don't know whether Hermoine or Draco will be paired later on. I truly don't know myself. It would definitely be interesting...

Not a ton of sneezing in this, but there will be in the next chapter.

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Chapter 2

Draco had finally made his way to the Slytherin common room, and boy was he ever glad to be back in the warmth of the castle.

The fireplace didn't have a crackling fire, as Draco expected. No one would bother starting one, even if it only took just a bit of magic to do so. "Lazy bastards..." He muttered, and coughed harshly into his sleeve. Of course he would have liked to be welcomed with a roaring fire, but some things you just needed to do yourself.

The blonde-haired boy took out his wand, and flicked it towards the cold and bare fireplace. The logs ignited into flame, and instantly warmth smothered him kindly. He sighed deeply, and disappeared into the boy's dormitories to change into something dry.

As soon as he returned, he settled himself on the couch. His head was throbbing now, but other than that he felt a bit better.

"Heh-ASHOO! He-ESHHH!" Ok, well maybe not...

He cursed under his breath, staring into the flickering flames of the fire. The colors churned and crackled, making him a bit tired. Outside, he hadn't noticed how tired he really was, but now that he finally had an opportunity to sleep...

Draco stifled a yawn, and got up from the couch. Yes, sleep was best...perhaps tomorrow he'd feel better.

"ASHOO!" Perhaps not...

The sneeze snuck up on him; luckily he was able to reach for a tissue from an end table just in time.

Draco clamped the Kleenex over his nose, giving a few harsh blows to clear the congestion.

It was only when he was finally asleep in his bed that his illness seemed so far away.

--------

Meanwhile, Hermoine was in the library, busy thinking. Yes, today she was thinking of what happened with Malfoy.

So how was this going to work?

Any other person could have dismissed it completely. "Oh, he doesn't REALLY need help. It's just a simple head-cold". But Hermoine wasn't the person to leave someone so miserable without trying to aid them first.

Therefore, she wasn't going to give up now.

"Dumbledore." She said meekly, walking up to the old wizard. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

The headmaster was busy searching for a book, when he finally found it, Hermoine looked at it with wide eyes. It was incredibly large, obviously not for light reading.

Dumbledore grunted, and placed the book on the table. In truth, he really needed to get back to his studies, but a simple talk couldn't harm things...could it?

Hermoine took a deep breath. "It's about Draco sir." She said, feeling strange referring to Malfoy by his first name.

Dumbledore interrupted her. "Ah yes, poor lad. Seems he's a bit under the weather. Professor Snape told me he almost fell asleep in Potions class today. Quite unlike him."

Hermoine didn't recall that, but she usually had too many things to think about in potions rather than worry about Malfoy.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and Hermoine looked up. "Hermoine, there is a very nice room near the Slytherin tower. It hasn't been used in a while but I think I'd much like to re-open it for a bit of a quiet reading area for students. The library tends to be a bit crowded now."

Hermoine gave him a puzzled look, but listened intently.

"So, I'd like you to clean it up for me. I must say it needs a bit of dusting, but it shouldn't be too hard." He handed her a rather small key and she looked at it curiously.

"Yes sir." She sighed, tucking it away in her robes.

She turned away, disappointed that Dumbledore wasn't allowing her to help Malfoy. She expected this, and yet it still made her a terribly upset.

Malfoy deserved a retched cold anyway. He was a nuisance.

But something inside her told her he had to be helped.

"Oh, and Miss Granger?"

Hermoine turned around; Dumbledore had a pleased expression on his face. "Make sure young Draco Malfoy helps you to tidy up the place too. I’ll send someone to the Slytherin tower to fetch him. Hm?" He sent her a wink, and Hermoine turned away with a pleased grin.

TBC

[simply_me]

If you all are a bit confused about the last portion, don't fear.

I was just a bit stumped on how to get two people from two different houses in the same room together.

The room Dumbledore was referring to is very comfortable, nice fire...and stuff.

Hermoine should be able to take care of Draco there.

Hope that cleared things up.

[simply_me]

Bleh, should I even continue this?

No one is really commenting.

[Quite Contrary]

YES!!! You must continue! This is awesome! I luv HP fics, and Hermione and Draco is always fuuuunnnn. PLEASE??? It's very good. You should definately continue (although look who's calling the kettle black cuz I haven't continued mine... ) But, yes. I really like this fic!

[simply_me]

*gigglesnort*

Ok fine.

I'll continue.

Thanks for your input. At least a few people like it.

[count tiszula]

Yes, please continue. I can't wait for them to get into a DUSTY room. I can see Dumbledore is up to something.

[simply_me]

I lost the third part of the story.

My computer went bezerk, and I forgot to save it on Microsoft Word.

Murder me...

It was so good too.

I'll just have to re-write it I guess.

This is bad.

Don't worry though, I'll have it up...eventually.

I'm going to be away for a while tomorrow until Sunday.

-sigh-

IT WAS SUCH A GOOD PART.

Whatever, I'll remember to save everything in the future.

[chui]

OH NO!!!! the evil computer!!

i just got the time to read this...and its WONDERFUL!!!!!!

i cant wait to read the third part. oh please post more!!!

[simply_me]

Well I re-wrote it. I was so mad when it was deleted.

It's about 12:30 AM here, and I'm tired!

Excuse spelling/grammar mistakes.

Hope you enjoy this portion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 3

Draco had a restless sleep. But even so, he slept through lunch. Every so often he'd have to wake up to sneeze, cough, blow his tickling nose, or mutter "Bloody cold" before turning over to sleep once more.

Dreams consumed his mind, one was that of a laughing face. Though who the face belonged to he didn't know.

Something pulled him from his dreams...and this time it wasn't his cold.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Someone was knocking on the door.

Only when Draco was fully awake did he realize how horrible he felt. First, his throat felt as if it had been washed with sandpaper. Secondly, he had a horrible headache that seem to pound like a loud drum. Thirdly, he couldn't breathe through his nose because of the congestion. But the worst part was...

"Heh...HEASHOO! ASHOO! EASHHHHHH!"

The sneezing...

Draco sighed, rubbing his temples with his fingers. He stood up, but regretted the action when his head started spinning. He leaned on a side-table for support, and cursed himself for standing up too quickly. That was a mistake Potter would make, not a Malfoy.

Draco coughed harshly and winced at the tight pain in his chest.

"Ugh..."

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"I'm coming!"

Draco croaked, and noticed his voice sounded like that of a bullfrog's. He coughed to clear his throat, but it didn't help much.

The Slytherin boy dragged himself to the door, flinging it open.

"What in the-"

Goyle was standing there, chocolate smeared on his round face. He didn't look pleased, especially since they had pulled him away from his meal in the dining hall. They were serving chocolate cake, and when Dumbledore asked him to fetch Draco, it didn't exactly thrill him.

He left in a huff, but first he had snatched up some more cake.

"Finally you open the door." The larger boy grumbled.

Draco sneered with disgust. "What in the bloody hell are you doing here? Why didn't you just come in?"

Goyle smacked his lips as he chewed a wad of cake. "Dumbledore asked me to get you...and I forgot the password."

Draco rolled his eyes, as if Goyle were the most pathetic person he'd ever met...besides Potter of course. "Again?"

Goyle swallowed the last bit of cake, and was finally able to get a good look at Draco. "Wow, you look like crap!"

The blonde-haired boy smacked a hand to his forehead. "Do I now? Gee, I hadn't noticed!" Draco snarled sarcastically, and turned to put on his robes.

They were still a bit damp from the rain, and he shivered as he pulled them on. He was feeling too awful to care how he looked, and didn't bother to brush his hair.

He rushed down the stairs, only after he stuffed his pockets with tissues. Professor Dumbledore was waiting from him there.

"Ah, aren't we a bit under the weather?" He smiled warmly at the Slytherin boy, noting that he didn't bother to make himself look presentable. But Dumbledore shrugged it off, and looked down at Draco with a twinkle in his eye.

Draco sniffed, rubbing at his red and sore nose.

"I have a job for you Mr. Malfoy. There is a room that hasn't been used in a while. It's a cozy place but it needs a bit of a tidying up. It will then be used for a bit of a public reading area. I would like it if you would assist Miss Granger in cleaning it up."

Draco's eyes widened in amazement.

GRANGER? The mud-blood?

Draco did everything in his power not to groan.

Dumbledore spoke once more. "Afterwards you can sleep the rest of the day. I'll have Dobby bring you up a bit of soup hm? I hope you've already seen Madame Pomfrey to confirm the situation of your illness?"

Draco shook his head, and sniffed wetly. "Professor Dumbledore, it's only a head-cold. I'm feh..."

His tickling nose protested, and he really didn't want to sneeze right now. It would only emphasize his illness if he did.

But the sneeze was intense, and Draco couldn't help it. The Slytherin boy raised a hand to his face, while fumbling in his pocket for a tissue.

"Heh...HEH!" His breath hitched, eyelids fluttering shut as his boyish-nose quivered in preparation for a sneeze.

But as soon as the urge came, it left.

Draco sighed, and almost cursed under his breath before he realized Dumbledore was there. He sniffed wetly, realizing he really needed to blow his nose. But even the spite-full Draco still had a bit of manners.

Dumbledore gave him a sympathetic look, before turning away. Draco followed him, snuffling into a tissue the whole time.

They came to a blank wall, and Draco looked at it quizzically.

Dumbledore took out his wand, and tapped the wall a few times. Once, twice, three times...until it opened up completely.

Inside was a fairly small room, a stone fireplace held a roaring fire. Draco was glad to be back in a warm room again. It seemed like a long time since he had been warm.

The walls were each painted with all four house colors, and they swirled and met at the ceiling. A nice couch was positioned near the fire, as well as tables and chairs in the corners. The people in the paintings on the walls awoke as they entered. Draco realized he might like to read here, if it didn't increase his chances of being CAUGHT reading. It would be nice, nicer than finding a place to sit outside in the pouring rain.

But as nice as the room was, Draco couldn't help but notice it was a bit messy and dusty.

Dumbledore sighed contently. "Here we are..."

The sneeze Draco had lost a few minutes ago returned with a vengeance. Draco turned away from Dumbledore, struggling to pull out a tissue.

"Hello Miss Granger..." Draco heard Dumbledore say.

Miss Granger? The mud-blood was in this room?

While he was on the verge of a sneeze!?

"Heh...HEH!" Draco held a finger under his nose shakily. When that method didn't work, he pinched his nose shut.

The end result was a very powerful sneeze being half-stifled into his fist. "NXGTSHOO!"

Aw...crap...

"Bless you Draco." Hermoine said, worry wavered her voice as she stared at him. Draco sniffed, and turned around.

Hermoine, on the other hand, was feeling weird once again calling Draco by his first name. But with Dumbledore in the room, she couldn't spare calling him Malfoy. Dumbledore had yet to know the two were at odds with one another.

Hermoine smoothed back her ginger-colored hair, sighing a bit. Dumbledore clapped his hands together, which startled Draco.

"Alright then, I'll leave you to it. Good luck Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy."

With that, the old wizard turned and left.

An awkward silence filled the room, Draco and Hermoine just stared at each other for a bit. Draco narrowed his eyes, and broke the eye contact as he turned his head away to cough harshly.

Hermoine winced...

"I'm sorry you're not feeling well..."

Draco turned around harshly to glare at her. "Are you talking to me?" He croaked, rubbing his nose once again. His headache had died down a bit, but now it was swiftly returning.

Hermoine's eyes widened as she stammered a bit. "I-I yes I suppose I was I..." What was she doing? This was MALFOY. She needed to remain calm when speaking to him, or else to would end with him taking advantage of her later on. If she messed up now, he'd never let her forget it.

She hated the on-going personality wars.

"Then please refrain from doing so. I'd like to clean this place up and head back to bed." He sniffed roughly against his back of his hand, and regretted the action. The tickle in his nose increased, and he turned to the side to sneeze into the crook of his arm.

"ASHOO! HEASHOO!"

Hermoine sighed. "Whatever you say Malfoy."

She wasn't giving up yet.

Hermoine took out her wand, and flicked it at a dustpan. Instantly it started sweeping up the surrounding dust and dirt from the room. It was an easy task, not meant for two people. Obviously Dumbledore understood that Draco wasn't able to take care of himself, and Hermoine was responsible enough to care for him.

Draco sniffed, taking a seat on the couch.

His gaze turned over to Hermoine, who was looking down at the dustpan.

She really looked upset...

Had he caused that?

Draco recoiled at the thought. Hooray if he caused that. He didn't care about Granger!

Or did he?

She really did look worried about him...

He made up his mind to give in a little, just a little. Perhaps that would satisfy her and she would leave him alone.

Draco sighed, sniffling a bit.

The surrounding dust must have been getting to him for suddenly he felt another sneeze coming on.

The Slytherin boy fumbled for a tissue, but realized he'd used all of them.

"Heh..." He gasped, raising a hand to his nose.

Suddenly, he felt a tissue being pressed into his hand.

He recoiled, lifting the tissue to his nose just in time.

"HEASHOO! eshooo! eshoo! HEASHHHH!"

Sniffing wetly, he looked back up at Hermoine. "Um...thank you?"

She was smiling warmly at him. "You're welcome Malfoy."

Draco seemed to have taken it as an insult. She was pretty much laughing at him right now. She knew behind those eyes she was secretly making fun of him.

"Yeah well, could you at least turn around doe I cab blow my dose?"

Draco's face turned a shade of red at the sound of his congested voice. Now Hermoine could make fun of him for that too!

He braced himself for insults, but was surprised when there weren't any. Instead, Hermoine giggled and turned around. She waited until Draco had finished blowing his nose before looking back at him once more.

"Look Malfoy, you've probably already guess why you're here right?"

Draco arched a brow.

"Yeah, because you can't avoid medalling into people's business." Draco sniffed, coughing harshly once more.

Hermoine narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. It made Draco shudder, which was weird. He didn't fear Hermoine...

Perhaps he was just cold.

"I'm not medalling, I'm helping you. You're ill Malfoy."

Draco sneered, smoothing back his blonde hair. "Really? I had no idea. Thanks for clearing it up."

He coughed once again, rubbing at his nose and sniffing occasionally.

"Look, if you're not going to take care of yourself, I will."

Before Draco could protest, she leaned over to place her hand on his forehead. Instantly she recoiled, shocked by the heat she felt.

Draco couldn't help but shiver as the cool hand touched his face.

"Hey, don't touch me!" he croaked, before sneezing once again.

"Heashoo! HEashh...HEASHOO! Ugh..."

He leaned his face in his hands. "Doe more sneezing..."

He sniffled, finally giving in to his illness just a bit. Draco realized he really did feel miserable.

Hermoine gasped. "You're burning up!"

Draco shivered again, pulling his robes more closely around him. "G-great t-to know."

Hermoine looked around for a blanket, noting that the room was nearly clean.

Draco stared into the flames, and jumped when he felt a warm blanket draped around his shoulders.

He was about to protest, but it felt so relaxing.

Hermoine frowned. "I put a warming spell on it, is it ok?" She looked at him curiously, half-expecting him to yell at her for even daring to help him at all.

But instead he leaned back on the couch, staring into the fire once again. "It's...it's ok. Thanks...I guess..." He sniffed, running a finger under his nose. He didn't meet her gaze once. She watched as his eyes closed in preparation for a sneeze. "Heh...HEASHOO!" He sneezed weakly, settling into the couch as if one sneeze has finally exhausted him completely.

"Bless you. Um...you should probably sleep. I'll be reading over here if you need me..." Hermoine felt awkward saying it, and she was sure he'd storm out in a huff for her 'ordering' him around. But he didn't.

Instead, he nodded, eyes drooping a bit. He sighed deeply.

Hermoine smiled warmly at him before turning around. If only he were tired all the time, he was acting almost angelic...it was odd. This was turning out well; at least he was finally giving in. All thoughts were lost as she buried her nose in a book.

Draco felt another sneeze, and was entirely sick of it.

His face fell as the sneeze over-came him. "HEASHHH!...ugh...bloody hell." He muttered softly, turning over on his side to lie down.

Hermoine sighed to herself. "Poor thing..." She thought, turning back to her book and flipping the page.

In about three more pages, Draco was asleep.

TBC

[Tangerine]

This is sooo cute! I can't wait for the next part!

[chui]

oh i totally this.....you're sneeze spellings are awesome, and the characters are great!!! please post more?!?

[Guest SunStar]

I'm liking this story a lot, how they both have an inner struggle to despise each other, but deep down they're both more human than that. I'd say more concerning Draco but I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read book 6.

[simply_me]

Yes please don't spoil anything. I'm just beginning the sixth book, though my cousins have already spoiled to me about what happens to Dumbledore.

Oh and thank you everyone for your comments.

I was in San Diego for a while, so I couldn't continue.

No internet access.

I'll begin to write the fourth part. I'm glad you're enjoying this.

I am.

[simply_me]

All right here we go.

Please forgive me; I haven't really had a lot of sleep.

It's about 9:00 now...

Well, without further rambling...here's Chapter Four.

Chapter 4

Hermoine was trying to concentrate on her book, but it was terribly hard. She kept looking up at Draco, who was now snoring softly.

The Slytherin boy was a mess yes, but least he was asleep. His blonde hair was ruffled into his eyes, his right arm dangled over the couch for he was lying on his stomach. His long eyelashes were closed as sleep gave him a refuge from his cold for a while.

However he was still pale, and his nose was still red.

Hermoine also noted that he looked awfully tired, though she thought he looked tired most of the time.

The sight of him made her heart melt for some reason. She felt terrible for him, but all the past arguments still lingered in the back of her mind. It was too confusing, and even a good story couldn't block these thoughts.

Draco was shivering again, and Hermoine found another blanket. She placed it gently over his trembling form.

It took a while but eventually he was comfortable once more.

She watched him for a while...

It seemed that even in sleep, Draco was not content. Every so often he'd cringe or whimper a bit. Hermoine could only wonder what he was dreaming about.

Whatever it was, it wasn't pleasant.

Everything was still again, and Hermoine went back to the table to read. Again she couldn't focus, and the words blended together in a haze that was unreadable.

She closed the book with a sigh, but cringed when Malfoy suddenly sat up with a blank expression on his face.

His throat hurt, his nose was tickling, and his head felt as if it was suddenly going to pop.

The boy blinked a few times, as if trying to remember where he was.

"Oh...sorry Malfoy...did I wake-"

Draco erupted with a sudden sneeze.

"ESHOO! He sneezed, and sniffed wetly.

Hermoine jumped. "Bless you."

Draco glared at her for a moment before coughing into his sleeve. "How long was I asleep?" He croaked impatiently, running a hand through his hair.

Hermoine missed the sort of angelic Draco, but didn't hesitate to answer. "Not long, about an hour."

Draco grumbled something Hermoine couldn't understand before swinging his legs over the couch in an attempt to stand up.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Hermoine asked, suddenly worried and a bit irritated that he just decided to get up and leave.

Draco looked up, piercing her with his cold gaze and but paused to sneeze before replying. "HEASHOO!Where do you think? The place is c-clean Eshoo! HehESHHOO! isn't it? *sniff* I'm going to bed..." He spat.

Hermoine looked around, it really was clean. No more dust, and she had used a spell earlier to pick up the clutter.

It definitely looked a lot better.

Hermoine narrowed her eyes at him. "No, I think you’re still ill and should rest a bit more.”

Draco sneered over at her. "No way Granger. *sniff* I'm fine enough now..." He lied, his head pounding even more intensely.

"But Malfoy!" She screeched.

"But Granger!" He mimicked.

"Ugh!"

Hermoine crossed her arms and turned away from him in a huff. She had planned on taking care of him until he was well. She figured that he’d be more comfortable in a warm room with someone to take care of him. Hell, ANY room was better than the hospital wing. But this was just silly.

He obviously wasn't well enough...

Draco stood up, and suddenly clutched a hand to his forehead almost dramatically. In truth, his head was throbbing now. The Slytherin boy staggered backward a bit.

"Good lord..." He breathed; the room was spinning faster and faster. He could hear his heart beating loudly in his ears.

Faster faster...

Before Hermoine could blink, Draco was on the floor.

It was so odd; he didn't look THAT terrible that it led to passing out. But there he was.

"Draco!" Hermoine shrieked, rushing to his side.

She struggled to lift him, and it took her awhile before he was lying on his back on the couch.

She found herself crying now.

Hermoine leaned down, and pressed the palm of her hand against his forehead. It was scorching hot now, and she gasped.

Draco was sweating, and seemed to be fairly awake.

Indeed he was, and there was a terrible pain in his head. As if a hammer was repeatedly smacking him.

He couldn't see, he couldn't think.

In fact where was he right now?

Draco clutched his head, as if he was trying to keep it from exploding.

Hermoine rushed out of the room, and returned with a washcloth and a bowl of cool water. She immediately dabbed his sweating fore-head with the cloth. Blonde hair stuck to his fore-head in a sweaty mess.

He was more ill than she realized.

Draco was moaning softly, and Hermoine was desperately trying to calm him. "Draco?" She whispered softly after a while.

He opened his eyes slightly, staring at her. Something about the way he looked at her made her tremble.

"Hermoine..."

He was trying to speak loudly, but it ended up being hoarse and soft. Draco reached out blindly. Hermoine gripped his hand tightly.

Hermoine couldn't believe it, he must be out of his mind to call her by her first name, let alone reach out for help.

A tear rolled down the side of Draco's face. Was he crying now?

Yes...

The Slytherin boy's eyes closed, tears still occasionally flowed from the corner of his eyes.

Hermoine reached out to stroke his forehead, and eventually he was asleep. She sighed finally, exhaling a breath she seemed to have been holding the entire time.

It seemed his fever had broken, for his forehead felt strangely cool. Draco was shivering violently now, and Hermoine covered him up with the blankets she had taken off during his fever.

A few hours passed, Hermoine had pulled up a chair next to the couch so she could watch him more closely. He slept peacefully, and eventually she was asleep as well.

A half hour passed before Draco was awake. He regretted sitting up, because his head began to throb again.

What happened?

He would have asked Granger but she was asleep in the chair beside him. Her brown hair was wild and all over the place, as if she'd rushed around a bit. Her eyes were red from crying...

Draco couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

The Slytherin boy sighed, and stood up. His head felt as if it were bruised on the inside, he also felt extremely light-headed.

He looked over at Hermoine, she seemed...cold to him.

Draco felt awkward being nice to people, and he wasn't necessarily good at it.

Even so, he draped the blanket he'd been using over Hermoine. She mumbled something in her sleep, but did not wake.

As he was straightening up again, a burning tickle lingered in the back of his nose. He was afraid he might sneeze and wake Hermoine, so he grabbed a tissue from the box by the couch and held it to his nose.

But the sensation wouldn't go away, and he felt too sneezy to keep trying to ward the sneezes away.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, his eyes squeezing shut.

Eventually the tickle blossomed to the point where he felt he was going to sneeze.

"ANXGT...HNGXT...Heh...heh...HEH...HNXGTshoo..." He doubled over with the violent sneezes. It was a miracle he even stifled them at all.

The last one was half-stifled into the tissue, but he still didn't feel as if the irritation had left his sinuses.

He sighed softly, and looked over at Hermoine.

She was still sleeping, and a good thing at that.

He was going to leave to the Slytherin tower to rest, but thought better of it. He couldn't just leave Hermoine here alone...

Why was he thinking like this anyway?

Who cares about Hermoine?

He did...some what...

Draco rubbed his temples with the tips of his fingers. It was all too confusing, and he was too weak to think about it any longer.

Instead, he settled back on the couch.

The fire had died, and he leaned over to reach for his wand he'd placed at the end table. But his nose protested, and he didn't have time to stifle so instead sneezed freely.

"HEASHOOO!"

His head ducked with the sneeze, and then shot back up as he looked around with wide eyes. Had he woken Hermoine?

Hermoine's eyes opened and she blinked. Instantly she looked over at Draco with a puzzled expression. "How are you feeling?"

Draco would normally ask 'What's it to you?’ but instead he mumbled. "Uh...better." He was suddenly interested in the bare fireplace.

Hermoine straightened. "Oh, it's out. Let me get that..." As she rose to ignite the fire logs, she realized she had been covered with a blanket.

More importantly, Draco had given it to her.

She slowly looked over to Draco, who was now interested in the floor and walls.

Hermoine smiled warmly, and flicked her wand in the direction of the fireplace. Instantly warmth filled the room.

She picked up the blanket, and didn't feel as weird as she draped around his shoulders once again.

Draco looked up quickly, and their eyes met for a brief and awkward moment before Hermoine looked way.

"Um..."

"Yeah..."

Hermoine ran a hand through her hair, and soon found herself sitting on the other side of the couch instead of the chair.

"Do you remember what happened during your fever?"

Draco grunted and shook his head. "Not really...why?"

Hermoine was glad he didn't. It had been a pretty weird moment between them.

"No reason..."

It was silent after that...

Draco, surprisingly, broke the silence. "Sorry to wake you." He mumbled, and Hermoine realized he was serious.

"Oh, no worries. I'm not supposed to be sleeping anyway."

Draco rubbed at his nose and sniffed wetly. Hermoine thought he might sneeze again, but he didn't.

Instead he said.

"Don't...tell anyone that I...you know...fainted? I personally think it was worse than when Potter fainted from the Dementors."

He smirked comically, and Hermoine giggled.

"Why would I do that? You know Malfoy, it doesn't give me pleasure to put you down..."

Draco narrowed his eyes at the far wall, as if he were thinking deeply.

She didn't expect him to deny his satisfaction when insulting them.

In truth, he didn't know exactly why he hated Potter and Weasel so much.

But did he hate Granger?

That was a different story.

She was just there. He couldn't pinpoint what she actually did to get him to despise her.

Except for that one time when she punched him in the face...

But he guessed he deserved that one.

Draco found himself smiling at the memory, a genuine smile...not one of mocking scorn...

Just a smile...

Hermoine realized that was the first time she'd ever seen him smile like a regular person.

"Um..."

Draco realized what he was doing and scowled as hard as he could. "Yes?" He tried to grumble, but couldn't seem to put up the tough-guy attitude he had gotten so accustomed to.

Hermoine laughed.

Draco glared at her. "What? What's so funny?"

Hermoine leaned back on the couch, still grinning from ear to ear. "Oh...nothing."

Draco smirked, and turned away from her as he broke into a fit of coughing.

Hermoine frowned. "Still sick huh?"

"HEASHHH!" Draco pitched forward with a sudden sneeze into his cupped hands.

Hermoine giggled. "Bless you, I'd take that as a yes?"

Draco shivered suddenly, and pulled the blanket more tightly around his shoulders. "What do you think Granger?" He sniffed.

Hermoine smiled warmly. "I think you look cold." She said, scooting a bit closer to him and putting a hand on his shoulder.

He flinched, but didn't protest. She didn't care anymore, he'd have to get used to kindness eventually.

They just sat there together for a while.

It was quiet...deathly quiet.

Draco shivered again, rubbing his hands together for warmth. They seemed icy.

He wanted to leave but he couldn't take any more fussing from Hermoine.

If he just obeyed, perhaps she'd leave him alone?

Now he'd have to take this 'kindness' that seemed so odd.

A Malfoy was usually never kind, and therefore didn't recieve kindness. Why would a Malfoy need kindness on his way to the top?

But...this was different.

Draco sighed.

It was going to be a terribly long and awkward evening...

TBC?

(Uh… Should I...I don't know...have them kiss or something? What do you think?

It's DREADFULLY hard to write. Ugh.

Anyway, excuse spelling mistakes. It's 2:00 am here. )

[Guest Raksu]

Bwahahaha, Draco and Hermione KISSING *dreamy&evilish grin* It would be... fantastic!

And continue this or I will eat all your chocolate!

[simply_me]

I want to continue...

But the characters don't want to stay in character!

AHHH!

I'm sure I'll get better as I start writing more sneezefics and stuff.

This is my frist one you know.

[Guest SunStar]

I want to continue...

But the characters don't want to stay in character!

AHHH!

I'm sure I'll get better as I start writing more sneezefics and stuff.

This is my frist one you know.

I don't see any of us complaining. Whining for more...yes, but complaining, oh certainly not. Please continue!

You've kept them in character thus far, the inner thoughts work well for your story.

*Edited to add: I'm finally a full member now! And I just realized it had my age as 19, which is nearly 3years past! I hope I remember to update it next month lol.

[Mistress Quickly]

GAHHHH! I am LOVING this!!!! Sneezy Draco...Hermione...kissing...OMG...I'm having a fangirl spasm...squeeee!

*cough* sorry about that.

Seriously, this is delectable in the extreme, and they are perfectly in character. I love you for writing this.

[simply_me]

Ha

You all flatter me.

I just saw the fifth movie of Harry Potter. I'm a bit depressed and a bit down.

However Luna says that things return in ways we don't usually expect.

So that's hope...

I knew it was coming too...

If you know what I'm talking about. Not telling for those who haven't read the book or seen the movie.

Anyway, I'm going to try writing the fifth (perhaps final) chapter of this fic.

Then I'm going to work on another Harry Potter fic, perhaps starring Harry in one of his depressed days.

You all know why he's depressed.

Oh and yes I'm obssessed with Harry Potter at the moment. So I won't write any other fanfiction until this obssession clears.

Loved the movie by the way, as much as I loved the book. Won't get into rambling about how J.K. Rowling is a fricken genius.

Ok maybe I will.

The way she relates Harry to Voldemort is juicy and frightening at the same time. They're bitter enemies, but still have something in common.

This isn't just another story about magic...

it's about inner feelings as well.

Oh and good god, I love how she hides more things than the books/movies provide. Things that the readers/watchers have to figure out for themselves.

Genius, only an excellent writer could do that.

It is a fine piece of literature.

Alright, that's all I have to say.

I'll write this evening.