Hermione was walking down a corridor late at night after spending hours in the library. All of Hogwarts was sleeping. She had gotten lost since it was so dark and she had left her wand in her other robes. Hermione heard a sound above her and realized that she was near the astronomy tower. Deciding to find out who was in the tower, she started to climb the stairs. Once she was on the stair landing she saw a figure near an open window. The figure was crawling out the window. 'That's absurd; going out that window would kill anyone, even a witch or wizard. Maybe that's what they want! I have to save them!'
Hermione ran to the figure and grabbed their arm. The figure turned and looked at her. Hermione saw that the figure was none other than Draco Malfoy. "What are you doing?" Hermione asked, a little harsher than she intended.
"I was climbing out the window, before someone interrupted me. Now, let go of my arm and go back to your common room, and let me get back to business."
"If you jump out that window, you'll be killed," Hermione stated, not letting go, or even lessening her grip. If anything, she tightened her grip, afraid that Draco would get away.
"That's the idea. I guess what people say is true, you really are smart," Draco said, sneering.
"I'm not going to let you kill yourself! Step away from the window."
"Like you can stop me," Draco said. As he said it, he twisted his arm and broke away from Hermione's grasp. He leaped through the window and fell.
Hermione looked out the window horrified at what she had just seen, until she noticed that Draco had landed on a roof eight, maybe ten feet below the window. "Wait," She called to Draco who was on the ledge of the roof. Gathering all her courage, Hermione climbed out the window and let herself drop onto the roof. Draco turned around and saw that Hermione was crawling towards him.
"What the hell are you doing?" Draco asked, dumbfounded.
"Saving you," Hermione replied. She tried not to think about how high up they were. Hermione's greatest fear was of heights. During her first year she had been terrified to drop down the trapdoor, but she had so she could help Ron and Harry. Now she was going to help Draco.
"Can't you just go away? You're not helping anything. I'm going to jump, but you don't have to be here to watch. I'd rather be alone. Go back to Potter and Weasley."
"I'm not leaving. So if you're going to jump, you're not going to do it alone. No one likes to be alone, I know, I spent the first 11 years of my life with no friends," Hermione said, and kept crawling.
"You don't know anything about me, so don't tell me that I don't like to be alone. "
"Why don't you let me know about you? It wouldn't kill you to tell me about yourself," Hermione said, cringing that she had said 'kill.' Then she continued, "I'd like to hear about you. Please, don't push people away anymore. You're not as big and bad as you'd like people to think, even you have your weaknesses."
"Fine, but if I tell you about myself, will you leave me alone?" Draco asked, agreeing to Hermione's request.
"Yes," Hermione said, crossing her fingers behind her back, an old muggle tradition, so that she wouldn't have to keep her word. Yes, it was childish, but she didn't know what else to do. She wasn't going to leave Draco here, but she couldn't tell him that. "Can we talk over there," she said, pointing to the side of the roof that was against the wall.
"Why over there? Why can't you come over here?"
"I'm...I'm terrified of heights, okay?" Draco could see the fear in her eyes.
"Fine," he said, and they headed toward the wall. They sat down side-by-side, leaning against the wall. Hermione took Draco's hand, wanting to keep him on that side of the roof for as long as possible. "Why are you trying to save me?" he asked.
"Because I care. I might dislike you greatly, and you know I have liable cause, after all the mean things you've said and done to me, but I don't want you dead." No one had ever told Draco that they cared before. It was strange to hear it said from his enemy, a person that hated him just as much as she hated her. And yet, they were holding hands, and Draco didn't mind if they stayed like that for a while. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.
"I don't fear death," Draco started, not truly answering her question, but not ignoring it either.
"You fear life though, don't you?" Hermione pondered. Draco said nothing to her question, so she continued. "You are just a scared little boy trapped in the body of a man. You don't feel ready to control your life, so you are ending it." Both Hermione and Draco were surprised by this comment.
"I don't fear life, I despise it. I have friends that are dumber than dumb, a girlfriend that makes me want to hurl, and a family who will never let me choose my own life. I know my future, and I hate it. I'm going to marry Pansy, become a death eater, and practically become my father. I am expected to live his life, and I don't want to. I hate everything about him and what he's brought me up to be. This just seemed like the best way to end it all."
It surprised Hermione that Draco had opened up to her and let her know so much. It also surprised her that he didn't want to end up like his father. "But you could change all that Draco. You're afraid to end up like your father, but you don't try to stop it. Be nicer to people, get new friends, a new girlfriend, you don't have to end up like your father if you don't want to."
"It's not that easy Hermione. I don't know how to be nice. And I can't get new friends, I've made enemies with the whole school, no one is willing to be friends with me. If I was nice to them they would think it was a trick. Going against your father is harder than it seems when your father is Lucius Malfoy."
"But what do you have to loose by trying?"
"My dignity."
"Dignity your father brought you up to have?" Draco didn't say anything to that. She continued, "You claim that you are nothing like your father, but you don't do anything to stop yourself from acting like him."
"You're right. Will you be my friend?" Draco asked, feeling extremely stupid and embarrassed.
"Of course. As long as you never call me a Mudblood again."
"I won't, I promise. My father brought me up to believe that purebloods are better than others, but I've learned that that isn't true. You taught me that. Thank you."
"Okay. Your welcome. So is there any way to get back into the astronomy tower?" Hermione asked, with terror in her eyes. She had just remembered how high up they were.
"No, there's no way we could climb into the window." As he said this, he looked at Hermione. She looked like she was going to cry. "I have an idea though." He grabbed his wand and said, "Accio broomstick." One of the school's broomsticks came flying at them and Draco caught it. "We're going to fly down," he said.
"No! Do you know how high up we are? Besides, that broom can't take both of our weight together."
"It's our only way down, Hermione. And yes, it can hold both of us. Now come on, get on." Draco got on to the broom, and motioned for Hermione to do the same.
"But...I can't." Hermione said. She knew it was the only way down, but she didn't want to believe it.
"You can Hermione. Just don't think about how high up we are," Draco said, convincing Hermione to get on the broom behind him. "Now put your arms around my waist or you're going to fall off." Hermione moved her arms around Draco's stomach. He lifted the broom into the air and started flying forward, descending slowly, at a small angle.
"Why are you going down so slow? I don't want to be up here for longer than I have to be." Hermione said.
"Would you rather I went straight down?" Draco replied, changing the angle enough to show Hermione how they could be flying.
"No! It was fine the way it was before."
"I thought so." Hermione closed her eyes as Draco leveled is broom, praying that they would land soon. After a couple minutes, Hermione felt ground under her feet. "We're here," Draco said. 'Finally,' thought Hermione.
They both got off the broom and Draco returned it to the broom closet. Hermione and Draco just stared at each other for a couple minutes. Then Draco kissed Hermione. He could tell she was very shocked. 'Oh no, I've already lost my only friend,' he thought.
"Draco?" Hermione asked, breaking Draco from his thoughts.
"Yes?" he said, unable to meet her eyes. She put her hand under his chin and lifted his head so he was looking at her.
"Can we take things slowly?" she asked him, not mad or upset, just confused by her feelings, and by his.
"Sure, of course," Draco said, glad that she wasn't upset.
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye," he said, and they parted, both going to their common rooms.
~*~*~*~
What do you think? Should there be more? Please review!
Hermione ran to the figure and grabbed their arm. The figure turned and looked at her. Hermione saw that the figure was none other than Draco Malfoy. "What are you doing?" Hermione asked, a little harsher than she intended.
"I was climbing out the window, before someone interrupted me. Now, let go of my arm and go back to your common room, and let me get back to business."
"If you jump out that window, you'll be killed," Hermione stated, not letting go, or even lessening her grip. If anything, she tightened her grip, afraid that Draco would get away.
"That's the idea. I guess what people say is true, you really are smart," Draco said, sneering.
"I'm not going to let you kill yourself! Step away from the window."
"Like you can stop me," Draco said. As he said it, he twisted his arm and broke away from Hermione's grasp. He leaped through the window and fell.
Hermione looked out the window horrified at what she had just seen, until she noticed that Draco had landed on a roof eight, maybe ten feet below the window. "Wait," She called to Draco who was on the ledge of the roof. Gathering all her courage, Hermione climbed out the window and let herself drop onto the roof. Draco turned around and saw that Hermione was crawling towards him.
"What the hell are you doing?" Draco asked, dumbfounded.
"Saving you," Hermione replied. She tried not to think about how high up they were. Hermione's greatest fear was of heights. During her first year she had been terrified to drop down the trapdoor, but she had so she could help Ron and Harry. Now she was going to help Draco.
"Can't you just go away? You're not helping anything. I'm going to jump, but you don't have to be here to watch. I'd rather be alone. Go back to Potter and Weasley."
"I'm not leaving. So if you're going to jump, you're not going to do it alone. No one likes to be alone, I know, I spent the first 11 years of my life with no friends," Hermione said, and kept crawling.
"You don't know anything about me, so don't tell me that I don't like to be alone. "
"Why don't you let me know about you? It wouldn't kill you to tell me about yourself," Hermione said, cringing that she had said 'kill.' Then she continued, "I'd like to hear about you. Please, don't push people away anymore. You're not as big and bad as you'd like people to think, even you have your weaknesses."
"Fine, but if I tell you about myself, will you leave me alone?" Draco asked, agreeing to Hermione's request.
"Yes," Hermione said, crossing her fingers behind her back, an old muggle tradition, so that she wouldn't have to keep her word. Yes, it was childish, but she didn't know what else to do. She wasn't going to leave Draco here, but she couldn't tell him that. "Can we talk over there," she said, pointing to the side of the roof that was against the wall.
"Why over there? Why can't you come over here?"
"I'm...I'm terrified of heights, okay?" Draco could see the fear in her eyes.
"Fine," he said, and they headed toward the wall. They sat down side-by-side, leaning against the wall. Hermione took Draco's hand, wanting to keep him on that side of the roof for as long as possible. "Why are you trying to save me?" he asked.
"Because I care. I might dislike you greatly, and you know I have liable cause, after all the mean things you've said and done to me, but I don't want you dead." No one had ever told Draco that they cared before. It was strange to hear it said from his enemy, a person that hated him just as much as she hated her. And yet, they were holding hands, and Draco didn't mind if they stayed like that for a while. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.
"I don't fear death," Draco started, not truly answering her question, but not ignoring it either.
"You fear life though, don't you?" Hermione pondered. Draco said nothing to her question, so she continued. "You are just a scared little boy trapped in the body of a man. You don't feel ready to control your life, so you are ending it." Both Hermione and Draco were surprised by this comment.
"I don't fear life, I despise it. I have friends that are dumber than dumb, a girlfriend that makes me want to hurl, and a family who will never let me choose my own life. I know my future, and I hate it. I'm going to marry Pansy, become a death eater, and practically become my father. I am expected to live his life, and I don't want to. I hate everything about him and what he's brought me up to be. This just seemed like the best way to end it all."
It surprised Hermione that Draco had opened up to her and let her know so much. It also surprised her that he didn't want to end up like his father. "But you could change all that Draco. You're afraid to end up like your father, but you don't try to stop it. Be nicer to people, get new friends, a new girlfriend, you don't have to end up like your father if you don't want to."
"It's not that easy Hermione. I don't know how to be nice. And I can't get new friends, I've made enemies with the whole school, no one is willing to be friends with me. If I was nice to them they would think it was a trick. Going against your father is harder than it seems when your father is Lucius Malfoy."
"But what do you have to loose by trying?"
"My dignity."
"Dignity your father brought you up to have?" Draco didn't say anything to that. She continued, "You claim that you are nothing like your father, but you don't do anything to stop yourself from acting like him."
"You're right. Will you be my friend?" Draco asked, feeling extremely stupid and embarrassed.
"Of course. As long as you never call me a Mudblood again."
"I won't, I promise. My father brought me up to believe that purebloods are better than others, but I've learned that that isn't true. You taught me that. Thank you."
"Okay. Your welcome. So is there any way to get back into the astronomy tower?" Hermione asked, with terror in her eyes. She had just remembered how high up they were.
"No, there's no way we could climb into the window." As he said this, he looked at Hermione. She looked like she was going to cry. "I have an idea though." He grabbed his wand and said, "Accio broomstick." One of the school's broomsticks came flying at them and Draco caught it. "We're going to fly down," he said.
"No! Do you know how high up we are? Besides, that broom can't take both of our weight together."
"It's our only way down, Hermione. And yes, it can hold both of us. Now come on, get on." Draco got on to the broom, and motioned for Hermione to do the same.
"But...I can't." Hermione said. She knew it was the only way down, but she didn't want to believe it.
"You can Hermione. Just don't think about how high up we are," Draco said, convincing Hermione to get on the broom behind him. "Now put your arms around my waist or you're going to fall off." Hermione moved her arms around Draco's stomach. He lifted the broom into the air and started flying forward, descending slowly, at a small angle.
"Why are you going down so slow? I don't want to be up here for longer than I have to be." Hermione said.
"Would you rather I went straight down?" Draco replied, changing the angle enough to show Hermione how they could be flying.
"No! It was fine the way it was before."
"I thought so." Hermione closed her eyes as Draco leveled is broom, praying that they would land soon. After a couple minutes, Hermione felt ground under her feet. "We're here," Draco said. 'Finally,' thought Hermione.
They both got off the broom and Draco returned it to the broom closet. Hermione and Draco just stared at each other for a couple minutes. Then Draco kissed Hermione. He could tell she was very shocked. 'Oh no, I've already lost my only friend,' he thought.
"Draco?" Hermione asked, breaking Draco from his thoughts.
"Yes?" he said, unable to meet her eyes. She put her hand under his chin and lifted his head so he was looking at her.
"Can we take things slowly?" she asked him, not mad or upset, just confused by her feelings, and by his.
"Sure, of course," Draco said, glad that she wasn't upset.
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye," he said, and they parted, both going to their common rooms.
~*~*~*~
What do you think? Should there be more? Please review!