False Pretense

Chapter 1 The beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters

The hour, the minute, the second. Time changes, on the inside people don't. Harry will always be brave and into trouble. Ron will always be easily embarrassed and quick to anger. I, I will always be the stuck-up prude with a wild impulse once in a while. My seventh year at Hogwarts was the most life altering year. The war was over and the light side victorious. At last I was able to go back to school that final year. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and I were all able to go back to school. It was the sweetest gift I could have ever received, to have my all of best friends beside me after the war.

I was awarded head girl by Headmistress McGonagall and Draco Malfoy head boy. I was upset terribly by his attendance at Hogwarts and even more so by him being head boy. He was on the dark side all the way through the war, not once looking back, not once thinking of what it could do to his life. He was one of the few people that didn't get sent to Azkaban. No one could figure out why. I know now.

As soon as I arrived at Hogwarts that first day or seventh year I was immediately escorted to the head dorms by the new grounds keeper, Binx. Apparently Filch had fled at the start of the war and was never seen again. Really who would complain? Binx led me to the fourth floor and to a portrait with a red-gold apple and a silver-green snake. The picture made me think. The dorm was nice, better then the Gryffindor dorms, but not like whoa! I hung all of my clothing up and place all of my stuff neatly in the bathroom drawers. I had my own shower. On translucent glass it was framed in gold and had Hermione J. Granger inscribed across the top. The other shower was framed in silver and read Draco G. Malfoy. I wondered what his middle name was for weeks after that. Then I found that it was Godfrey. What an awful middle name.

I went down to the common room and sat down on the white leather couch and started to listen to my iPod. I was in the middle of a great song when Malfoy entered the dorm. The password was "vicis mos non exspecto". It was a long and true pass word. It translates to, time will not wait. He walked by without a word and headed straight for his room. I couldn't have been happier, why would I want to talk to him? After the feast I came back to the dorm to find Malfoy lying on the couch.

"Granger, could I have a word?" He asked not looking up from his book.

"Um, you couldn't have a second." I replied rudely.

I walked up the stairs and almost made it to my room when Malfoy uttered the words that changed my life, literally.

"I'm sorry, for everything, really I am." He yelled after me. I leaned over the railing.

"What was that?" I called as I descended the stairs.

"I know you heard me Granger. I'm sorry." He looked at me. I could feel myself breaking, but just then I was too proud to feel it.

"Thank you Malfoy." I said quietly. Later I reflect on it and still feel the breaking.

The next few weeks we were civil to each other, not friendly, but civil. I hadn't told anyone that Malfoy had apologized. It was huge but I felt like it was something that should be kept between Malfoy and I. I got over that and went in search of Ginny Weasley. My best girl friend in the world. I found her and Harry in the library studying of all things.

"Hey Gin, can I talk to you real quick?"

"Sure! Harry go away." Ginny said smiling.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yeah, really." Ginny responded.

"Alright I talk to you later." Harry gathered his books and left.

"So what is it?" Ginny asked.

"Ok, You know how Draco Malfoy is head boy right?" She nodded. "Well he apologized a few weeks ago. It was really sincere and I hadn't really expected it." I informed her.

"What did he apologize for?" She asked more interested then before.

"For everything he'd done over the years!" I breathed.

"Wow."

"Yeah."

After I told Ginny I felt better. It made his apology all the more real to me for some reason. Later into term as it started to turn cold and turn to winter things got more complicated and fast. It was a trip to Hogsmeade! It was snowing and beautiful. I had a new royal blue pea coat and a pale blue hat and gloves. It was wonderful! Malfoy and I rode in a carriage down to Honey Duke's and that was when we parted ways. I joined up with Ginny and Luna and we got our nails done and talked about everything that had been going on.

I said my goodbyes to Gin and Luna and headed back to the carriage. The ride back was smooth and we didn't say a word to each other. It was nearly dinner time when we arrived. Pure white snow blanketed the ground with no one outside to enjoy it but us. It was still snowing and it was a beautiful scene. No foot prints in the snow, no snowball fights, now snowmen, just plain snow. I heard Malfoy step out of the carriage and felt him behind me, we stood there for a long time, I'm not sure how long, but the carriage was long gone and dinner had started a long time ago. I turned around and saw something in Malfoy's eyes. They were silver-blue and were filled with some kind of extreme emotion.

We stared at each other and then slowly he leaned forward. I was too shocked to register what was actually happening. Our lips met and a warm shock ran through my whole body. It lasted for maybe a little more then a second but I will remember it for the rest of my life. He pulled back and whispered my name, not Granger but Hermione. His breath was hot on my lips we were still close. Then he left me, standing there in the snow, he left me to go into the warm castle and to leave this memory behind. I stayed where I was not bothering to move. The snow calming my mind and allowing me to discard the consequences of my actions until I was ready to deal with them. I stood there looking up at the sky and thinking not how that one kiss could change my life but how majestic and tranquil life could be.

A/N Tell me what you think. I am open to praise or criticism.

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