Author's Note: This is a sequal to "His Seven Sins" (YOU MUST READ IT FIRST TO FOLLOW THIS) and it reflects Hermione's association with the Seven Heavenly Virtues. There may be another fic after this one but I'm not really sure if one will be wanted.
I realised while writing this that Draco's POV is so more fun to write than Hermione's. Sadly this story lacks the slight humour that it's prequal had. I hope you enjoy this as much as the last one anyway!!
Her Seven Virtues
TEMPERANCE…
The air was suddenly very still. Hermione Granger stared at the place where Malfoy had been just a moment ago with her mouth slightly parted and shock penetrating her every vein. For a moment, Hermione had every intention to go after him, punish him for what he had just done to her but instead she merely stood there, restrained herself and tried desperately to understand exactly what had happened.
She knew that Malfoy hated her; he had never given her reason to think otherwise. She knew that he disliked the things she said to him and she knew that he wanted revenge in some way. He took pleasure in seeking her out and making her miserable.
Why was it then that just a moment ago he had had her in a position where she wouldn't have been able to fight back or protest and yet he had chosen to back off without so much as scratching her? Why had he all of a sudden looked so terrified and so flushed?
Hermione felt herself blush in remembering how it had felt to see him like that; looking flushed and vulnerable. Now that she came to consider it, she had enjoyed it.
Turning on the spot, Hermione dashed around to where she had sat her book bag, slung it over her shoulder and left the library, still deep in thought.
At breakfast later that morning Hermione sat between Harry and Ron, discussing what had happened.
"He attacked you?" Harry growled, looking over at the Slytherin table angrily. "What did he attack you for?"
Hermione was trying desperately to keep Ron in his seat. "Does he even need a reason?" she asked. "He's Malfoy – he hates me." She paused for a moment, struggling with Ron who was still trying to resist. "From what he said, he hates me sharing my opinion of – Ron, would you please stay still?! It's really not worth it!"
There was a moment's pause in which Ron stopped struggling and Harry watched Hermione carefully.
"You said that he ran away?" Harry finally asked.
"Yes," Hermione said, frowning as she remembered it. "He had me against the shelf and suddenly he let go."
"Then what?" Ron barked. "Did he try to hex you?"
"Ron, I've already said…" Hermione stated irritably "… He stood there for a moment, looking at me strangely and then –"
"- He ran away?" Harry questioned.
"Maybe Hermione made her skin burn and he couldn't hold her any longer!" Ron cried suddenly, looking excited.
Harry raised an eyebrow and waited for Hermione's reaction. "No, Ron, I'm sure that didn't happen."
"Oh." Ron looked disappointed, then brightened considerably. "You must have done something to scare him off."
"That's the thing," Hermione said, frowning more deeply. "I don't think I did."
Hermione was struck with some of Ron's frustration as she sat in her Potions class an hour later. It was one of the few classes she shared with Malfoy and she had a great urge to draw her wand and curse him from under the desk. Her hand gripped her wand's handle tightly inside the pocket of her robes, trying desperately to restrain herself as she glared at the back of his perfectly groomed blonde head.
"Hermione," Harry whispered to her cautiously. "Pay attention. You've written 'twitchy little ferret' three times already – the ingredients are beetle wings, boomslang skin and manticore bile."
Hermione looked down at her parchment, startled. She drew her wand and was just starting to charm away her mistakes when she noticed Malfoy staring at her – taking in his look of curiosity and awe, she glared. She honestly didn't want to know why he was looking at her at all.
She quickly stowed away her wand, feeling the need to restrain herself from sending the first curse she thought of his way.
After writing down the correct ingredients, she joined Harry in gathering them for the potion they were assigned to make. She had just taken out three trims of boomslang skin when Ron approached her.
"Let me curse him, Hermione…" he begged, glaring in the direction of Malfoy. "He's up to no good."
"No, Ron," Hermione snapped. "If anyone is going to curse him it will be me."
"But Hermione –"
"Ron, just because I have much more temperance than you does not mean that I am incapable of defending myself!" Fire ignited in her eyes and she looked around at Malfoy, once more clasping her wand under he robes.
She watched in satisfaction as Malfoy gulped and looked quickly away, willing herself to have more self-control.
PRUDENCE…
Hermione remained cautious over the next week, watching Malfoy carefully while still trying unsuccessfully to determine the answers to the questions she had surrounding the incident in the library. On the times when she had class with him, he seemed to spare her little thought and that satisfied Hermione to no end despite still wanting to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Wandering the third floor corridor, Hermione was conscious of the feeling that she was being watched and with one swift movement of her hand, her wand was raised and she was poised to attack. She remained quite still, listening and watching for any sign of movement.
For a moment, none came.
"I'm not going to attack you, Granger."
Hermione whipped around to find Malfoy standing patiently behind her, lazily leaning against one of the stone walls. She took a step back, her wand still raised, not daring to believe his words.
"Don't you trust me?" he smirked. He held up his hands and made a small waving gesture. "My own wand isn't drawn."
"You cornered me in the library for no reason!" Hermione snapped. "I have every reason not to trust you."
"Cornered you for no reason?" Malfoy sneered, pushing himself off the wall. "That mouth of yours is the very reason I attacked you."
Hermione glared at him. "Oh?" she said rather sardonically. "Here I was thinking it some gravy-induced rampage. I'm glad you've cleared that up."
"You really need to learn to keep that mouth of yours shut, Granger."
Hermione's eyes narrowed further and she took a step forward, her wand still raised steadily in her hand. "Fancy an encore, Malfoy?" she dared menacingly. Oh how she hated the boy. "I quite fancy taking your manhood from you once more. This time I may not give it back."
Malfoy's eyes widened for a moment before composed himself and let a smirk form on his face as he also took a step forward. "Never thought I'd see the day when Mudblood Granger admitted she desired a Malfoy."
Hermione flushed pink so suddenly Draco thought someone had sent a colour charm her way.
"I hardly desire the likes of you, Malfoy!"
Hermione stormed away, leaving Malfoy glaring at her retreating back and no more pleased with himself than he had been a week ago.
"How dare he…" Hermione muttered to herself as she hurried up a flight of stairs. "He has some nerve…"
"Hermione?" asked a voice to her right suddenly. She whipped her head around to look at the culprit who had interrupted her thoughts. She relaxed when she saw that it was a concerned-looking Harry.
"Oh, hello Harry," she said calmly. "Sorry I didn't see you there."
Harry watched her carefully for a moment. "You ran into Malfoy again, didn't you?"
Hermione nodded. "He was just his usual self," she said.
"Did he mention why he attacked you last week?"
Hermione rolled his eyes. "Like he'd give me the satisfaction. He wants me to believe it was only because of my spiteful comments towards him. That really isn't reason to…"
She trailed off and looked at Harry desperately, seeking answers.
"Just be careful, Hermione," Harry advised with a sympathetic shrug. "I have to go; Quidditch practice."
Harry hurried on ahead of Hermione, casting her a quick smile before he rounded a corner. Hermione sighed and stopped outside the library. Leaning against the wall, she slid down it and sat, staring at the wall ahead of her. She heard feet walking towards her and grabbed a tight grip on her wand.
A small group of Slytherins rounded the corner and chuckled at the sight of her, tense against the stone. Relaxing when she realised that Malfoy wasn't amongst them, she still did not remove her hand from her wand.
Resting her head against the stone, she let out a deep breath and bit her lip in thought. She could not explain why she was dwelling on the confrontation with Malfoy so much. Perhaps it was the case that it had unnerved her. She hadn't been expecting such an attack from him and that in itself was enough to keep her on edge, ready to defend herself again if it was needed.
She had learnt long ago that showing prudence around any Slytherin was a wise move. No one ever knew when they might bestow their wrath on you. It was only now that Hermione realised that perhaps she had trusted Malfoy too much for her own safety. She should have expected such a wild retaliation.
Another group of students came round the corner and Hermione looked up cautiously, seeing if she could detect any danger. It was as her eyes found the familiar silver-blonde hair that she pulled her wand out and dragged herself to her feet. Malfoy stopped for only a moment, looking at her feet and the stone in which she had been seated upon a moment ago.
He merely smirked and Hermione scolded herself for not coming up with a decent hex to punish him with.
CHARITY…
Hermione stood happily in the Hogwarts kitchens, looking around at the many house-elves that filled the immaculately cleaned room.
"Oh, Dobby, thank you so much!" she gushed as Dobby the House-elf dished a large amount of gravy onto the awaiting roast chicken and potatoes.
"No problem, dear Miss," the House-elf squeaked as he lifted the plate and carried it into the dining room, where he sat it on a table for her to eat.
It was ten o'clock at night and Hermione had missed tea; she had sought out the kitchen when her stomach started putting up a protest. Looking down at the gravy, Hermione pushed all thoughts of it making her sick to the back of her head and licked her lips.
How she loved gravy.
She looked up briefly from her meal when the house-elves started taking seats around her, the leftover food from tea being placed on tiny plates before them. They all dove for a dish and Hermione found she lost her appetite. She pushed away her plate away only to have a certain purple eyed house-elf jump on it and start gobbling down the contents.
"What is it, Miss?" Dobby asked as he noticed her expression.
"Dobby, are you not allowed to make your own food?" she asked quietly. "Are you only allowed the leftovers?"
"We house-elves only get one meal a day, Miss and it is only the food leftover from student meals," Dobby replied in his squeaky voice.
"But Dobby – that's just not right!" Hermione cried. "You deserve fresh food and decent-sized meals just as much as the rest of us do!"
"We house-elves are not complaining, Miss," a cloudy-eyed house-elf squeaked from beside her. "We enjoy the food we are allowed."
"But it's unfair!" Hermione cried indignantly. "You don't get paid for your work, you don't get real clothing! The least we can do is allowing you to prepare fresh food and 3 decent meals a day for yourselves!"
She stood up abruptly. "I'm going to help!" she announced. "I will reintroduce the Society for the Protection of Elfish Welfare and I will get this whole school to join my cause!"
With that, Hermione stormed out of the room. Reaching the door, she quickly turned back. "Thank you for the meal. It was positively delicious!"
HOPE…
Over the next couple of days, Hermione was deliriously excited with the idea of helping the house-elves. She wandered the corridors between classes, asking people to join. Harry and Ron hung back and watched while she convinced some to join her cause.
"Didn't you give up that house-elf rubbish back in fourth year, Granger?"
Hermione turned on her heel and headed away from the abusive Slytherin whose name she did not know. She had little time for people associated with the Slytherin house; she knew none of them would join S.P.E.W. and she instead chose to concentrate her efforts of those she expected might show interest.
The few people who had joined her original cause were once again presenting their badges and Hermione had convinced more students than Harry and Ron could have possibly anticipated.
"I'm not forcing anyone," Hermione insisted when Ron suggested that she was using the Imperius curse. "They make their own choices. It just so seems that people have the same wish, the same hope as I and that is creating a much better lifestyle for house-elves."
"The same wish as yours?" Ron repeated incredulously. "Do they even know what their signing up for?"
"Of course they know!" Hermione snapped. "What else would I tell them? That their joining the Society for the Protection of Enormous Werewolves? I heard your suggestion last night Ron and it seems the truth is working just fine!"
"So how many supporters do you hope to get, Hermione?" Harry asked conversationally.
"At least a hundred more," Hermione replied swiftly.
Harry gaped at her. "Hermione that's a big ask!"
"When there's a will, there's a way, Potter!" Hermione spat determinedly and she rushed on into the library where several of the younger students ducked for cover.
FAITH…
Hermione woke up in the common room the next day. Beside her sat a ruffled Ron who had stayed with her as she had wept. The Infirmary intern had been incredibly cruel to her the night before and had gone to the teachers regarding her obsession with the house-elves. The intern had called her naïve and stupid and although Hermione had stood her ground, the words had affected her greatly.
Harry had wanted to stay but instead he had other duties to attend to so instead it had been just Ron who had gone about trying to cheer his friend up.
"That mad hatter is the one who's stupid," Ron had said. "She parades around like she's headmistress when she's nothing of the sort – just a bloody intern… I bet she was in Slytherin…"
Despite this not really having the desired affect, Hermione had felt comforted by Ron's attempt and had for the umpteenth time since knowing him thanked whoever was responsible for giving her such loyal friends.
Leaving Ron to his heavy snoring, Hermione showered and dressed in clean clothes, ready to start a new day. She sat down with her box of S.P.E.W. badges and sorted through the large list on names that were showing support. Despite what that "mad hatter" down in the hospital wing said, Hermione still had faith that she would get somewhere with her cause. She knew it would take time and she knew that it would be hard work but that only spurred her on more.
Grabbing her things, she decided to take advantage of the weekend's leisure and seek out more supporters. Heading through the portrait hole, she made straight for the Great Hall, where people would be congregating for breakfast. As she reached it, she rolled her eyes at the large amount of noise that was coming out of it. The Great Hall was a place for eating. Why did the amount of noise always suggest otherwise?
Heading on through, she came to an abrupt halt when she saw Malfoy lazily waiting in the entrance.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" She questioned venomously.
Malfoy watched her contemptuously for a moment.
"I want to join this spew thing," he said with finality.
"It's the Society for the Protection of Elfish Welfare," Hermione spat. "And I highly doubt you'd be much of a help. Poor Dobby never seemed to believe you treated him very well."
Malfoy chuckled. "The only time I ever saw that elf was when my father –"
"No need to continue, Malfoy," Hermione interrupted mockingly. "Everyone already knows that you're a mirror image of your father – both physically and … psychologically. Foul and demeaning."
"That's not what I was going to say at all, Granger," Malfoy spat, "so watch that filthy mouth of yours and actually listen to what that clever head of yours is saying."
Hermione was the one to chuckle this time. "This clever head is saying nothing more than you're foul, demeaning and so absolutely insolent that I honestly don't want your support in my cause."
"Have some faith, Granger," Malfoy smirked. "You hardly know that I would be of little help to you. I would encourage the Slytherins to join you. Then maybe those elves down in the kitchen will have the right to eat a freshly cooked lump of steak."
Hermione contemplated him for a moment. "You're one person I can't find the ability to trust, Malfoy."
She swept past him and into the Hall, where she took a seat at the Gryffindor table and stared across at the Slytherin table. Their support would be highly beneficial but Hermione did not want to give Malfoy the satisfaction of handing him a badge.
Looking back at the entrance she saw that Malfoy was still there staring in her direction. She quickly looked away and found herself feeling very unsettled. He wasn't planning his next attack on her was he? Surely he'd gotten his share of revenge in the library?
No, A voice said in Hermione head lightly. My retaliation only gives him further reason to want to attack me again.
Hermione only vaguely acknowledged Harry's presence at the table. She was so deep in thought that he had to poke her sharply in the ribs to have her draw her attention to him.
"Ouch!" she cried. "Oh! Harry! What is it?"
"Why is Malfoy staring at you?"
Hermione looked back at the doorway sharply. Sure enough, Malfoy was still there.
"I … he wanted to join S.P.E.W.," Hermione responded lightly. "I said no."
Harry stared at her blankly. "Why would Malfoy want to support house-elf rights? I mean Dobby -"
"Believe me, Harry," Hermione said, "I asked the same questions."
Harry stared other at Malfoy, his eyes slightly narrowed. "He's up to something."
Hermione sighed. "He just enjoys making my life hell, Harry," she said. She grabbed Harry's forearm. "Please don't dwell on this. It's not important."
Harry didn't respond, he only took a bite of his toast and watched the blonde Slytherin from across the room.
Hermione welcomed the silence and she took to watching the Slytherin table. She knew she needed some of their support if she wanted to get a thorough hold on house-elf rights. She knew, however, that it couldn't be her who encouraged them; they wouldn't have a bar of it. Looking back at Malfoy, she saw he was now innocently picking at the sleeve of his shirt.
Could she trust him? Hermione honestly didn't know; he had never given her reason to that was certain. Part of her wanted to be able to trust him and that part told her to give him a badge. The other saw him standing before her with his wand drawn in the confines of the library, followed by her being pushed roughly against a wall by him.
That image was followed immediately by him pulling away from her and not causing her any harm.
Hermione said goodbye to Harry as she stood and headed towards where Malfoy stood in the entrance. She stopped in front of him a moment and pushed something into his hand.
He looked at her with questioning for a moment and she sighed.
"I found some faith," she said severely. "Don't give me reason to regret it."
Malfoy just nodded numbly at her retreating back.
FORTITUDE…
A week later Hermione found her trust in Malfoy was very lacking. He had not encouraged any of the Slytherins and he had done little to my Hermione believe he was supporting the cause at all. In fact, he had menacingly taken the badge and magically altered it.
It now flashed "Spew for Granger! It turns her on!" and that caused Hermione some humiliation because he started cursing other badges to say the same. The Slytherins found it the most funny of all but Hermione tried to ignore it. Nothing would ruin the contentment of having so many people faithfully supporting her cause.
Hermione was strong willed and she knew better than to let Malfoy's joke affect her mentally. She instead laughed it off and instead made spiteful comments about how Malfoy was making rumours about her in an attempt to cover up the rumours circulating about him. Hermione had even gone about formulating a few herself and she was waiting for an opportunity to make them true; starting with her favourite of all which involved a Vanishing Charm and an exceptionally evil grin on her part.
"You shouldn't have given him the badge, Hermione," Ron said as they left a Great Hall filled with laughter and pointing fingers. "You should have known that he would abuse it."
"I know, Ron," Hermione snapped exasperatedly, having heard him say it nine times already. "But I gave him a chance. It's not my problem that he chose to abuse that chance."
"He's making it your problem, Hermione!" Ron continued. "Do you want people laughing at you and calling you names?"
Hermione pushed her shoulders back indignantly. "Of course not but I'm not letting it bother me am I?"
She strutted forward and headed up the marble staircase. Ron turned and looked at Harry. "She's too determined for her own good. Where's ignoring it going to get her?"
But as the day went on ignoring it seemed to be the best cure; people got bored of her lack of reaction, her courage to keep fighting back to prove Malfoy wrong. At the end of the day's classes only a couple of Slytherins were still laughing about it.
Hermione sat proudly at the Gryffindor table for tea, laughing with her friends and casting occasional glances in the direction of a sulky Draco Malfoy. He did not move his eyes from her the whole night and Hermione was surprised that not once did she catch him glaring. Perhaps he was more mature than she had ever thought him to be. Or perhaps there was something else behind his motives.
Hermione left the Hall an hour later and let out a soft squeak when she was pulled into a seemingly solid wall. She looked around her only to see she was in a small stone room. There were no windows or doors; there wasn't even a portrait to break the stone. The only thing within the room was herself, Malfoy and a single ball of light that revolved around the ceiling. Hermione shivered.
"What is it now, Malfoy?"
Malfoy just watched her for a moment. "You've got strength, Granger," he said. "A strong mind –"
"Fortitude?" Hermione offered venomously.
"Precisely," Malfoy said, walking slowly around the tiny room. "You have fortitude and it angers me."
"How so?" Hermione snapped. "I hardly see how it's harming you."
"You have a determination that I never anticipated, Granger," Malfoy continued. "I go to great lengths to make you suffer and yet you have the determination, the will power to make yourself win, make it seem like it doesn't bother you."
"It doesn't," Hermione said proudly. "It takes a lot more than silly badges to make me lose it."
"So it seems," Malfoy smirked. "You and I are very alike."
"No we aren't!" Hermione snapped hurriedly. "You hardly have the strength to accept other people's opinions of you! That morning in the library is a perfect example of that! Of course that then raises the question as to what summoned the strength in you to back off. Though, the sight of you fleeing only caused me to think you as a coward…"
Malfoy glared and took a step closer to her, looking down at her scornfully. "You'd be terrified yourself if you saw what was in my head, Granger."
The words left his mouth quietly, yet Hermione noted every last drop of venom that slipped from every syllable.
"I'm a brave girl," Hermione sniffed, keeping calm. "I'm sure I could've handled it."
"That's unlikely," Malfoy said calmly.
"What was it then?" Hermione whispered seriously. "What had the great Draco Malfoy so very spooked?"
Malfoy merely stared into her eyes, not speaking and trying not to acknowledge how very close they were standing together. He went to move his hands to her waist, feeling it would be better to have her guess then anything, when suddenly he felt himself being pushed roughly backwards. Hermione's hands were tightly grasping his shoulders as she pushed him backwards until his head roughly collided with the stone of the wall. He registered one thing as the pain sunk in: payback's a bitch.
JUSTICE…
Hermione watched as Malfoy swayed slightly, still looking at her firmly after his collision with the wall. She had her wand raised, ready to attack.
"Tell me why you ran away, Malfoy!" she hissed. "You had me right where I have you now and you didn't take advantage. I want to know why!"
Draco watched her for a moment. "What's the last thing you want to hear in answer to that, Granger?"
Hermione considered him. What was the last thing she wanted to hear? That he wasn't capable of killing? No - that was how she wanted it. That he had realised he hadn't wanted to attack her at all? No – that was far from the truth…
As she stared into Malfoy's steel grey eyes she remembered the moments in the Great Hall when he had done nothing but stare at her, watching her every move. She recalled his comments about him not trusting her and then … then she saw him standing against her in the library, his eyes wide and terrified, his traveling gaze and the flushed complexion.
Hermione stumbled back slightly, her mouth wide open in realization. However much she may have wanted justice and to get him back for that morning in the library and his betrayal of her trust, she suddenly did not know how to go about it.
Draco Malfoy fancied her and by the look on his face – a look that told her that he knew what she was thinking – he was not denying it.
"I'm not going to ask why," Hermione breathed.
"That arrogant that you feel you already know the answer, Granger?" Draco said roughly, but the sneer he had demanded to surface did not come.
"How?" she whispered faintly. She looked away from him and felt the need to run but knew she couldn't – she wouldn't be able to get out. She was absolutely stunned. Never in her time at Hogwarts would she have believed that this moment would have come to pass. All the insults, all the rivalry and all the superior beliefs and somewhere Malfoy had come to hold something more than hatred for her.
But what stunned her most was that she was considering her own thoughts and feelings at the same time.
Did she want him to fancy her or not? Did she appreciate him in a similar way?
Fear clouded Hermione's judgment and she took another step back, feeling slightly dizzy
Malfoy remained silent for a moment as she continued to process her thoughts.
"I only wanted justice - not this," Hermione whispered weakly with a frown, shaking her head slightly as she looked at him in disbelief.
"There is justice, Granger," Malfoy drawled. "You now have the same thing to think about as I do. Let me know if you come to any clever conclusions."
He headed to the wall where they had entered and stepped through it as though it was nothing. Hermione took a deep breath before following five minutes later, her head still buzzing with what she had just learnt.
He wanted her?
The concept was positively terrifying.