Disclaimer: I do not own anything in affiliation with Harry Potter or JKR. Nor Do I own the song The Best Of Me by The Starting Line.
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lyrics
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Chapter 1: Hermione's Prologue
Sometimes when Hermione looked back at her last year at Hogwarts she had to roll her eyes. Never in a million years would she have pegged herself to be part of an overused teenage cliché. Yet she just couldn't help it.
Once people found out about it the same question was always asked. How did it happen? Why him? She found that most people wanted an answer that she couldn't really give them. There were reasons of course. But it seemed that they did not satisfy the population of Hogwarts.
How did Hermione Granger end up with Draco Malfoy? Why him? She always had the same answer.
It's the bad boy complex, she would tell them. It's something about him being off-limits that makes it seem so worthwhile, something about going against the rules. Anyway, she always pointed out, that's what human beings have been doing since day one. If Adam and Eve could break the rules, why couldn't she?
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tell me what you thought about
when you were gone and so alone
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Hermione Granger stepped off of the Hogwarts Express appearing to most as she did every year. From afar this years Head Girl looked completely normal. Surrounded by her two best friends and their semi-annoying posse she was the picture of happiness. And in all reality she basically was. Being named Head Girl was a thrilling yet predictable thing for Hermione, an honor that had seemed to lose most of its glory. All in all Hermione was perfect. Except that by spending this last summer all alone she had realized one thing, there was no excitement in her life.
"Hermione dear, I need to speak with you," said Professor McGonagall as she passed the new Head Girl getting off the train.
"Okay, what do you need?"
"I just wanted to inform you that the first Head meeting will be after the feast in Dumbledore's office." McGonagall said.
"Oh, okay, I'll be there." Hermione said, just as the professor was walking away.
"Yes 'Mione," said Ron in a highly sarcastic voice, "Do have fun at that meeting of yours"
"Oh yes," said Harry in the same voice, "I hope you and Draco have tons of fun."
Hermione sighed. When they had boarded the train that morning and the boys had asked whom Head Boy was, Hermione had told them. At once they boys were aghast, and then they seemed to realize that she was not. Actually, she almost seemed pleased that Draco was Head Boy. And since then, Ron and Harry could not stop teasing her about it.
Two hours later (and 30 minutes early) and Hermione was finding her way to the meeting. As she approached the door to Dumbledore's office she spotted a figure in the shadows. Without asking herself why, she walked toward him. The somewhat revolting mixed smells of cologne and smoke lingered in the air around him. Suddenly she found herself speaking.
"You know smoking is bad for you." She sputtered out.
"Yeah, I've heard that somewhere," He said, "But I've also heard of this wonderful thing called magic. And you see with one flick of a wand, I can cure myself of most lung diseases, but thanks for the warning."
"Whether you can cure yourself or not, it's still prohibited inside the school," She warned him, "Especially since we are about to enter the Headmaster's office for a meeting."
Draco blatantly ignored her. Instead, he took one long last slow drag from his cigarette and smashed it under his foot.
"So," He said, eyeing the girl he had formed a truce with last year, "How was summer?"
During the end of sixth year Hermione had come to a conclusion. She decided she needed to make a truce with the one hated Draco Malfoy. After making a list of the pros and cons of this idea, she found that she should actually do it. The next year they would be the two Heads of school and they needed something to make working together semi-bearable.
"Malfoy! Wait! I need to talk to you." Hermione yelled.
"What, Granger?" He sneered. There was a glare in his eyes, yet no insult came from his lips.
"Ummm, Ithinkweneedsomesortoftruce." Hermione muttered under her breath, finding that most of her confidence had flown out the window. She cleared her throat, and then started again. "I think we need some sort of truce."
Draco stared at her dumbly for a second. Then something seemed to click in his head. He put two and two together and realized why she wanted this. So he took a deep breath, stared her right in the eye and said, "Okay."
And that was it. From that day on the truce had been formed. There were still frighteningly real mocks and glares from Malfoy, yet whenever she looked him in the eye after one of them she saw something there. Not anything special, he did not like her or her friends. But there was some respect in the glare now, even if it was miniscule.
"How was my summer?" Hermione asked him. Slightly taken aback that he wanted to know. "Well, my summer was uneventful. It was boring, dull, and somewhat depressing. How was yours?
Draco quickly turned to look at her. He had shocked himself by asking, and yet he found himself even more shocked by her answer. Wasn't Hermione Granger supposed to be perfect? "My summer is not important," he found himself answering, "But yours just might be. Tell me Granger, what was it that made your summer so downright depressing, that made you so sad."
"It was just…it seemed so…it was all wrong." Hermione choked out. For some unknown reason she found tears in her eyes. Never in her life had she imagined that Draco Malfoy would ask her why she was sad. Everyone else had assumed that summer had been great and hadn't asked her one thing. Now, someone she hated, despised, and feared, was the first one to ask.
Draco froze. He could hear the sobs from the girl next to him. The thought, what have I done, ran through his head. Suddenly, he felt a bolt of compassion. Now compassion was not something a Malfoy felt very often. And even more rare was for him to be feeling this for the disgusting, annoying, know-it-all next to him.
Yet something compelled the two people sitting quietly in the dark cobblestone hallway. Before he knew what was happening Draco had reached over and pulled Hermione into his arms. And she, for once feeling comfort in someone's arms, laid her head against his chest and cried. He smoothed down her hair, held her as tight as he could. She breathed him in, this time the smell of cologne and smoke calming her, and let herself go.
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the worst is over
you can have the best of me
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Thanks for reading! I really hope you liked it. PLEASE REVIEW! It would absolutely make my day. :) I need a beta-reader (I think that's what it's called), someone to help me with grammar. And if anyone has some ideas for the story feel free to tell me. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS CHAPTER!
*Tracy