Everything the Light Touches

It was a Friday night and Draco was waiting for Hermione and Luna to finish up getting ready. He sat casually on the sofa as he mindlessly flicked through the channels on the TV, skipping anything that even remotely resembled the news. He’d opted for a more formal outfit, black slacks, and a white shirt. It was too warm for a jacket; summer was in full swing and even the evenings were warm. He toyed with the idea of doing his hair in his old signature slicked back style just for a laugh but decided against it. Maybe another time. His palms hadn’t stopped sweating since he’d gotten dressed, and he was worried he’d drench his shirt before they even left. But he had his favourite scents on, his hair was casually tossed back from his forehead, and he was, for all intents and purposes, ready to leave. Where the hell had they gotten to? Had they fallen down the toilet in their rush to apply make up?

He finally heard them descending the stairs and went to meet them at the bottom, he had been just about to chastise their timekeeping when he laid eyes on Hermione. This image may have been harder to accept than the bikini photo. She’d chosen an emerald green satin dress – an obvious choice he supposed – coupled with a sleek updo, which was the first time he’d seen her hair look under control. Luna was a few steps behind, also wearing an emerald green dress but it was velvet and far less clingy. He wolf whistled at them and they both shook their heads and tutted, trying to quell the small smile that formed, lest he think they enjoy it. Luna wore some rather impressively high heels, even on the stairs she carried herself well. Hermione had opted for some flats in a similar colour to her dress.

“No heels tonight, Granger? They’d look great with that dress.” He casually observed. Luna responded before she had chance.

“The last time she went to a pub in heels it ended with a broken ankle.”

Draco decided that maybe he’d keep his opinions on attire to himself from now on. Instead, he took hold of the keys and opened the door for them, they kept the conversation casual and light on the short walk there.

Draco opened the door to let the ladies walk in first, the moment his foot went over the threshold, the sound of cheering erupted. Theo tackled him almost immediately into the only hug he’d had in a decade, almost taking them both to the floor. Hermione grinned at him over Theo’s shoulder, likely due to the look of utter shock on his face for the first few seconds.

“It’s so good to see you, man! How have you been?” They struck up a conversation about everything and anything as they went to the bar, Draco realised that he had no idea what to order. His stops in the pub with Hermione had consisted only of soft drinks, and tonight he desperately needed something stronger. Theo insisted on getting the first round in which he bought everyone the same drink, Jack and coke. Whoever Jack was, the others didn’t like him very much because they all groaned. He quickly realised it was because Jack was strong, it was so strong that if it were a man, he could take every man in this bar in a fight, three at a time. Hermione quietly suggested a fruity cider instead, he could drink it slower, and it wasn’t going to get him hammered. He could already feel a buzz so, he took her advice and found they were quite nice.

Once they had their second round, courtesy of Neville, they all went back to their booth in the corner. Pansy sat next to him immediately and began asking a plethora of questions about how he was doing, even Neville joined in the conversation. He was a far cry from what Draco remembered of him in school, not just physically but his presence felt different too. Though, Draco supposed, if you manage to pull Pansy Parkinson after slaying a horcrux then you deserve that level of confidence. He’d expected to quietly observe the group for a while before speaking, almost expected them to ignore him truth be told, but he was welcomed like an old friend by some of them. He glanced at Hermione periodically, wondering what she had said about him to make them so agreeable in his presence. Then he wondered whether he’d even deserved it.

Ginny and Harry were late to the party, they arrived hand in hand, and greeted their friends with smiles and nods as they sat down. Draco observed Ginny for a moment, you could see the swell of her bump through her summer dress, and he hoped that this baby would be born into a better world than those around that table. She gave him a smile too and he congratulated her, stating that it suited her. She shook her head at him and playfully rolled her eyes.

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you’d been the one holding my hair back this morning.” She chuckled.

“She’s right, it was ghastly.” Harry added. She turned to him, slack jawed.

“You find me ghastly?” She poked.

“The sick, yes. You? Never.” He stated as he kissed her on the cheek. Draco looked down at the table, feeling like he was intruding on a personal moment. Harry got his attention again. “She finally convinced you to come out. She speaks highly of you, you know?” He glanced at Hermione who pretended she wasn’t listening, betrayed by the colour on her cheeks.

“Well, someone’s got to.. And if I had to pick, Harry Potter’s right hand woman wouldn’t be a bad choice.” He declared.

“I thought I was your right-hand woman?” Ginny pouted, feigning offence.

“No, you’re my left-hand woman.” He indicated to his wedding ring. “See?”

There was that uncomfortable feeling again, Draco shifted in his seat, unaware of whether it was normal to be so openly in love. He hadn’t seen it growing up but as he looked around the table, those of the group that were in relationships made no secret of it. It only amplified the feelings of immaturity, inexperience, and self-consciousness. He looked over at Hermione, who was the only other single person at the table, and she subtly rolled her eyes and pretended to gag at them.

Pansy had watched the interactions between them since the moment they’d walked in, she made a mental note to keep a closer eye on them in future. She also created a list of questions she was going to ask Hermione once they got some time alone. The last time she had sat in the company of both of them, she’d have trusted Draco with her life but now.. Now she had defected to the opposing team. Hermione was her closest friend, her best ally and her favourite dancing partner. Which had become relevant as their favourite song began to play loudly through the room, Pansy leapt to her feet and pulled Hermione, who pulled Luna, who pulled Ginny, onto the dancefloor. Seconds later, Theo had joined them, holding his drink close as he danced around them in a goofy way. Harry turned to Draco with a raised brow.

“Women, eh?” He laughed.

“I’ll let Theo know you said that.” Draco joked.

“Ahh, Theo wishes he was one of them!” Harry smiled whilst he and his wife pointed at each other across the room and bopped their shoulders to the beat. Draco decided that they were, in fact, a very sweet couple.

“Don’t we all. I can’t remember the last time I had that much fun.” He nodded towards the circle of women now dancing around Theo.

“She deserves it. She didn’t have many girlfriends in school, just me and Ron really..” Harry’s smile faltered as he realised what he had said without thinking.

“What happened between them?” Draco asked as nonchalantly as possible, Harry shook his head.

“That’s not my story to tell. She’ll tell you if she wants to. When she’s ready.”

Their discussion turned to which one was most likely to stay up there dancing all night now that they were up. Harry got them another round and the three of them still at the table struck up conversation about anything other than the war, Hogwarts and Hermione.

Head? Pounding. Mouth? Dry. Clothes? Off. OFF?! Hermione panicked as she remembered the night before, stumbling home with an equally drunk Draco. They went home alone; Luna and Theo had peeled off about half an hour before everyone left. She turned her head with the force of a thousand winds but there was no one there. He had not come to bed with her, had they kissed? It was hazy but she didn’t believe so, they had laughed though, a hell of a lot. They’d tried to make waffles, but they hadn’t turned the machine on, so she knew there was a puddle of batter on the side and floor waiting for her in the kitchen. Edgar leapt from his bed on the radiator over to her and rubbed his face on hers before lying down. She stayed for another five minutes, not wanting to disturb him before she went downstairs for water. And a hangover potion, or maybe a few.

Not only was there batter on the floor, but there were also footprints, both human and feline off towards the stairs too. Good Gods, she hadn’t been that drunk for a long while. It was easily cleaned with a wave of her wand as she waited for the kettle to boil. There was a knock at the door before it had finished, and she opened it to find Pansy carrying two iced lattes and a muffin. She walked through the house and onto the garden, removing her big jumper as she sat down at the bistro set. The garden was a suntrap so, it was already bathed in light, Hermione snatched some sunglasses up on her way out. Pansy had already leaned back with her face to the sun, one thing about her is that if it was out, she was in it.

“You look like shit.” She said to Hermione. “Did you sleep well?”

“I slept alone if that’s what you mean.” Hermione tossed back. Pansy delicately placed her hand to her chest.

“Moi? I would never ask such a thing!” She looked back up to the sky. “Is he around?”

Hermione hadn’t heard a thing from him yet, so they discussed how they think the night went and why it must happen again soon. Especially with Ginny being due in two months, they’d be missing a crucial piece of their puzzle when she was out for the count.

“How does it feel?” Pansy asked, squinting over at her. “To have a man in the house again? Are you handling it okay?”

It was Hermione’s turn to face the sun, making eye contact whilst having this discussion was near on impossible. “It’s fine. We had a disagreement the other day and I had to convince myself that I was safe and that he wasn’t Ron.” She sighed loudly. “He bought me flowers to apologise but what actually meant something to me was the way he handled me crying.” She took a long sip of her iced coffee. “I never thought I’d see the day when Draco Malfoy had more empathy than Ron Weasley. I think he’s a good man you know, I genuinely..”

The conversation broke off as they heard Edgar yowl and bolt out of the door and up the tree on the garden. Along with the words ‘Fuck! I’m so sorry!” which made them both chuckle. It had happened most days for two weeks and he still hadn’t remembered to skip that step. Pansy was sat closest to the door; he saw her as he entered the kitchen and nodded as he flicked the kettle on. Eventually he joined them outside and that had been the end of that conversation.

The day passed slowly, both of them still feeling a little worse for wear after Pansy left for her midday spa appointment. Luna had returned midafternoon with Theo and a huge Chinese takeaway; Hermione could have kissed her for it. They sat in the living room with an old movie on and left their plates on the coffee table when they were done. Theo and Luna exchanged a look as Hermione lay back and Draco lay toward her, she began absentmindedly playing with his hair, a mark of familiarity and comfort. Eventually, the couple went to Luna’s room and left the pair alone downstairs.

“You haven’t spoken about the books for a while, are you not enjoying this one?” She asked, still running her fingers through his hair.

“I can’t bring myself to read it yet.” He sighed as he shifted his face to look at her. “I still have the scars from that year. Mental and physical. I want to read it I just.. It’s going to be a lot.”

“Well, you can talk to me about it.” She smiled softly at him, and he turned away again. “That’s what I’m here for.”

“You’re here to reintegrate me into society, not to fix my emotional state.” He muttered.

“I didn’t mean as your sponsor. I meant as your friend.” She felt him turn to look at her again.

 His eyes searched her face as he asked, “Is that what we are? Are we friends?” She’d never seen him look so vulnerable; she knew if she’d said no – which would have been a lie – it would have crushed him. She simply nodded at him. “Okay.” He beamed as he turned back to the TV, his body practically glowing with happiness. A friend. After all these years.

After that weekend, the house became a buzz of activity, Hermione had missed it, her home had always been the one people went to. She’d been the first out of them all to buy one, after her parents couldn’t be retrieved from Australia she didn’t have much choice. She’d hated being alone in the beginning, so she’d had an open-door policy. That door had only shut to give Draco time to adjust, now that he’d finally reconnected, they were hosting dinner every night with a random selection of her circle.

One evening, midweek, Cormac Mclaggen had given them the displeasure of his presence. Draco could tell that Hermione was mildly uncomfortable around him, she didn’t move with the same grace and ease around him as she did the others. Not to mention he noticed the way he’d try to casually touch her at any given opportunity, if he hadn’t been on probation, he might have said something sooner. He’d noticed quickly when they hadn’t been in the same room as the others and had found Hermione in the kitchen, with Cormac blocking her path. Hermione made eye contact with Draco over his shoulder as he continued to speak.

“I just think it’s unsafe for you to be here alone with him, you should let me stay here with you.” He tried to take her hand. “You need someone to protect you.” Draco had heard just about enough.

“What an odd thing to say.” Draco ridiculed. Cormac said nothing as he turned slowly to look at him with a sly grin.

“This is nothing to do with you. It’s between two close friends.” He reached behind him to touch her, cupping her hip in his hand. She moved away from it.

“Apparently not close enough for you to realise just exactly who she is. I don’t even have my wand right now, but even if I did, even if I had the elder wand, she’d still beat me in a duel. She’s a god amongst witches and you should know that.” Draco sneered at him. “And stop trying to touch her, she clearly hates it.” He indicated for him to leave the kitchen.

“She loved it when I was touching her last year.” Cormac hissed at Draco as he approached. Draco slammed his hand onto the wall in front of him to stop him going any further.

“That’s not how consent works, Cormac. Maybe we need to get you some etiquette lessons. Starting with social decorum.” He glared at Cormac, expecting a challenge, but found none and dropped his arm. Cormac took his coat and left quickly, scowling at Draco whilst doing so. After the front door closed, he turned back into the kitchen to see Hermione stepping out of the patio doors. He followed, just to make sure that she was okay, and maybe to apologise for his conduct. “Hermione..”

She turned around, he could see the tears in her eyes reflecting the dying light of the day. Her hand shook as she brought it up to her mouth, holding a cigarette and breathed it in.

“I didn’t know you smoked?” He questioned. She shook her head and waved her hand to disperse the smoke as she breathed it out.

“No, I don’t. Only when I’m stressed.” She looked away as she stepped over to the low wall that sat in front of her lawn and perched on it.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stress you out.. Do you want me to get someone?” He asked, turning slightly to the doors as he did so.

“No, its not you. It’s fucking him. How embarrassing, why would he say that to you? We had one singular one night stand on boxing day and he hasn’t left me alone since.” She was already halfway down her cig, indicating that she was more than a little stressed. Pansy stepped outside, reaching her hand forward to take what was left, begging her to be quick before Neville saw. She sat down next to Hermione and asked what had happened, once they’d filled her in she laughed.

“I hate that guy; we desperately need Theo to drop him. Maybe we should stage an intervention.” Pansy mused.

“Either way, he isn’t welcome back in this house and if I see him near Hermione again, I won’t be responsible for my actions.” Draco stated plainly before walking back inside.

Pansy turned to Hermione, with a softer look on her face than she’d seen in years. “You are okay, aren’t you?” Hermione nodded. “Good. And, just between us, please be careful with him, Malfoy men are notoriously possessive.” She finished up the cig. “But he makes a stunning guard dog does he not?” They leaned into each other and laughed.

“He’s not going to be possessive with me, we’re only just friends.” Hermione uttered.

“But he cares about you, you mean.. something.. to him.” She took her friends hand in her own and held it tightly. “I just want you to be safe, safe and happy.”

Edgar was perched on the arm of the opposite sofa, positively simmering with rage that Draco had the nerve to be sat next to Hermione. They held eye contact for quite some time, neither wanting to back down. She was just trying to have a peaceful Thursday morning before driving Draco to his therapy appointment, possessive indeed. Draco leaned back in his seat casually with his ankle resting on his knee, white blonde hair hanging over his forehead, grazing his lashes. Grey eyes fixed on the black cat, the cat had his own air of superiority hanging around him, his black eyes fixed right back on his greatest adversary.

“Edgar Allen Poe.” Draco muttered. “You named him after Edgar Allen Poe.”

“I did.” Hermione concurred.

“I suppose having a pet raven called Edgar would have been a little too on the nose.” He finally broke eye contact to look at her. “Perched there like that, he looks like he could take off any moment.” She smiled at him and told him to finish his drink otherwise they’d be late.

Draco spoke for the entire hour he was allotted with Mr Moreau; he’d experienced more in the last week than he had in the last several years. Mostly he’d wanted to discuss the possibility of finding a normal life for himself, like his peers had. It seemed to come easily to them all, but Moreau suggested that they might just hide it from him as well as he had from them. They likely had no idea how much he was struggling to feel accepted, to feel forgiven. He suggested that those people he had surrounded himself with had already forgiven him, that maybe he was struggling to forgive himself and projecting it onto the others. Draco sat with that for a while. He knew what he had to do when he arrived home – home.

“I’m going to start the next book today.” He stated as they flew down the motorway. She questioned the decision, he shrugged. “I have to face what I did that year, and you’ve given me the perfect resource for it. You really have no idea the impact you’ve had.”

She looked over at him for a second too long, she didn’t have time to move when she finally looked back and saw the car driving erratically in front of them. The last thing they both heard was a crash and the grind of metal on metal.