Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all claims to the characters and setting enclosed herein.

The Colours of Love

Hermione whispered the secret password and entered the bathroom quietly. It looked empty, but a deep green mist concealed the tiled floor and billowed up in smoky tendrils, evidence that someone had been here recently, and had run a bath. The smoke was curiously warm, and the bare patches of skin on her arms and neck prickled and tingled when the smoke touched her, as though the mist was slightly electrical. The room smelt quite powerfully of roses.

She moved forward, her robes kicking up the mist as she went. Her mind began to feel fuzzy from the intoxicating aroma and sultry atmosphere, and all she could do was make a guess at where the bath would be. Her memory, as always, served her well. Just as she reached it and looked down, a warm, soft pair of hands covered her eyes and a low voice whispered in her ear.

"Guess who..."

Hermione's legs went instantly weak, and she managed only to smile.

"I find myself at an unfair disadvantage," he continued to whisper, his lips caressing her ear. "I am wearing no clothes, and you… You are wearing far too many clothes."

He walked around her and looked into her face as he moved his hands away. With quiet determination he began to undo the buttons on her shirt, gradually revealing a pale blue bra and soft creamy skin. When he reached the bottom of the shirt he slid it off her shoulders, and in the same smooth movement reached behind her back and unhooked the blue undergarment, letting it fall to the floor. His hands caressed her hips and waist as he traced a line of gentle kisses from her neck to her breast and back. Blood pounded in her ears as though racing to the points where his lips met her skin. Her eyes closed and she sank into him, resting her head on his shoulder and running her hands across his back. Even with the scent of roses clinging cloyingly in the mist, she could still smell that Draco smell, and it brought back memories…

A rustle.

"Did you hear that?" Hermione hissed.

"No," Draco replied languidly, his hand moving along the hemline of her skirt.

Another rustle, a thud, a giggle.

"You didn't hear that?"

"You sound like you want me to stop."

"Really Draco, there's someone here! Quick, put some clothes on!"

"Don't bother – I've seen it."

"Harry?"

Through the mist a figure appeared, Harry, stumbling in the false twilight. "Don't you two every stop! For goodness sake!"

"Jealous?"

"No, I'm not jealous, thank you very much Malfoy," Harry lied. "Been there, done that."

"I know, I was there."

"Stop it, both of you!" Hermione said from the floor where she was madly fumbling for her clothing. "I've had enough! Harry, what are you doing here!"

"Now look what you've done, Potter. You've got her all frustrated."

"Um, I think that was you, Malfoy. Clearly you couldn't satisfy her."

"Oh please, I'd barely started before you came crashing in. I know you've been gone for more than ten minutes Potter, but some of us don't finish that fast."

Someone giggled through the mist.

"See Harry, even Hermione agrees with me!"

"That wasn't me," Hermione said. "Do you really think I'm in a giggling mood?"

"It was Ginny," said Harry.

Hermione smacked her hand into her head. "I knew I couldn't trust you! What did you do?"

"Well, it's complicated… but basically she didn't drink it all."

"Harry! What did I tell you!!!"

"I know, but I transfigured it so that she would drink it and it didn't really turn out well, so she threw it away"

"You transfigured it?! Why in Merlin's Beard would you transfigure a potion that you didn't know anything about!"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time, you never told me not to, I don't know, just fix it!"

Hermione stood up, and finished buttoning her top. "Ginny, how do you feel?"

"Yellow. You're naked!"

"No, I'm not Ginny, you're just hallucinating."

"Not you – him"

"I think she means me."

"No Draco, really? You think she's talking about you? Why would she be talking about you, it's not like you're the only naked guy here!"

"Sarcasm doesn't help anyone Hermione. Does anyone have any bright ideas?"

"We could make out!"

"Does anyone apart from Ginny have any bright ideas?" Draco reiterated.

"Idea number one: Draco, put clothes on," Hermione said, taking control in a furious tone. "Idea number two: We give Ginny more drops until she passes out."

"Wow, how did I not think of that?" Harry asked, pulling out the vial.

"Maybe you just wanted to interrupt us again," said Draco. "I wouldn't blame you, I am, after all, stunningly attractive and extremely skilled."

Harry decided to ignore this last quip and focus on the task at hand. "Ginny," he said in a singsong voice. "Open your mouth, I have to give you some medicine," he coaxed as he crept closer towards her.

"No!" she said, clasping her hands over her mouth. "Nmph mphefine, nmpht smifk, fellow!"

"What did she say?" asked Harry.

"I think she said, 'No medicine, not sick, yellow.'" Draco translated. "And she's high, not a three year old. You can't just pretend you've got pumpkin juice in that vial. Watch a pro. And hands off my girl while I'm working my magic!"

Draco sauntered through the mist, nabbing the vial from Harry as he made his way towards the blurry shape that was Ginny. She smiled up at him, pupils wide and black as though in awe.

"Hi Ginny, are you still feeling yellow?"

Ginny nodded.

"That's good. Yellow is a good colour. Let me see that pretty mouth of yours, okay? Will you give me your hands babe?"

"Okay," Ginny said, pulling them away from her face.

"You know, I think you're very attractive Ginny."

"I know, everyone does."

"Points for honesty. Can I give you something Ginny?"

"What?"

"Let me put it another way," Draco moved closer to her, slipping his hands around her waist as he had so recently done to Hermione (who fortunately couldn't see this reckless expression of affection through the mist. "I want you to open your mouth, and close your eyes. Do you trust me?"

Ginny moved closer to him, pressing her breast against his bare chest. She licked her lips and blinked her eyes slowly, gazing up to him. With a hint of a smile she opened her mouth and said "No way. Eyes open, I want to see it. I know your sort, you're crafty, tricky, and sneaky, there's no telling what you'll put into my mouth if I close my eyes. I've heard stories of times when that's gone terribly wrong. And you're naked. I feel funny, you know, yellow, sometimes even I feel kind of green, but I am not blue, no sir. Definitely not blue, and you can't fool me. If you want to kiss me, then kiss me, I don't even mind where, but I am not leaving my mouth open to the likes of your degenerate appetites! Wow… that's a long word."

"Fine, then we do this the hard way."

Draco took a sip of the vial, and, holding it in his mouth, leant over and kissed Ginny softly. He kissed her once, twice, and on the third time he opened his lips and pushed some of the liquid into her mouth with his tongue. Leaning back with a swallow, he watched Ginny open her eyes which had at some point fluttered closed. She licked her lips and rocked back on her heels. "More?" she asked him dopily, as she began to fall. Draco was there to catch her before she hit the ground, and he let her down softly.

"You did it!" Harry said, as he saw a figure drop to the ground. Both he and Hermione walked over to the spot, where Ginny lay like a Snow White with red hair and a smile on her face. Draco sat with her head on his lap, and a similar smile on his face.

"I did it," Draco repeated. "I knew I would, didn't you know I would? I knew I would. That's true."

"Draco, did you have some of the potion?" Harry asked.

"I may have had some of the potion, allegedly."

"Hermione, I think Draco had some of that potion!"

"Really, Harry, you think that," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Look, take Ginny up to the common room, or somewhere else quiet so she can sleep it off. You'll probably need to carry her under the Invisibility Cloak so you don't look like you're carrying an unconscious girl up to your dormitory – she has a lot of brothers you know, and I don't think any of them would be impressed if they saw that."

"What about Draco?"

"I'll take care of him. Merlin knows why he drank the potion anyway."

"You know, you shouldn't take advantage of someone while they're, you know, incapacitated like that."

"I'll take that under advisement. Go on, get going. I've had enough drama this morning."

"Alright, see you at lunch?" Harry said, pulling the invisibility cloak out of his pocket and covering Ginny with it before lifting her into his arms and leaving the bathroom.

"Draco, Draco, Draco… why did you take that potion?" Hermione murmured to him, sitting down beside him.

"It was necessary, it was the hard way, hehehe… Hey…" he reached up and brushed away a strand of her hair. "Your hair is so amazing, it's exactly like curly cobwebs. You know Hermione, I've been thinking this for a while and it only just occurred to me – that feeling I get when I see you, I know what that is. I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you! Love, love, love. Gooey, silly, wonderful love! Hermione, I love you!"

"Oh Merlin…" said Hermione.

"Did you hear me say I love you?" Draco asked earnestly.

"I heard you," she said.

"Do you love me too?"

"Draco, I - "