Disclaimer: I wish these were mine but they aren't. So don't sue. Thanks to
Robyn* my beta.
Hermione sighed. It was just over a week until Christmas break, and although Christmas spirit was think in the air, Hermione wasn't feeling very cheery at all. She felt lost and alone as she looked around her empty dorm, seeing no clue as to where Lavender or Parvati would be. Suddenly the door to the 5th year Girls' Dorm swung open. "Hey Hermione! Can I shift my stuff in now?" Although Ginny and Hermione has started the year as close friends, they began to drift away from each other when Ginny became involved with Harry. Inspite of this fact, Ginny was going to move into the 5th year dorm, as the other girls in the 4th year dorm had gone home for an extended Christmas break, and the 3rd years seemed to have a collective brain-cell of one. ********** Draco sighed, and looked around Snape's dungeon. "Ah, Draco. I didn't think you would be down here so early tonight."
"I was bored Professor, and I couldn't stay in the common room. I was getting too nervous. Too scared. What if I'm doing the wrong thing?"
"Draco, you know that this isn't going to be easy. Standing up to your father...'socializing' with a mud-" "Don't call her that, please." Snape merely raised an eyebrow. "I can't use that word anymore...not after seeing what he did. Not after I found out that all his teachings were lies." "Is that right, Mr. Malfoy? Well, this is going to be an interesting twelve days..."
"Are you sure I can do it? I can call it all off...just keep watching from afar, hoping she's safe and happy..."
"Mr. Malfoy, I know that is the last thing you want. And let's face it, Ms. Granger is more than a fair match for you. She is very close to overtaking you as top of Potions...or was."
"She still looks so sad and lost...is it affecting her grades much?"
"Well, she'll probably still come top of the class, because of the way she studies for exams. But her class work has been slipping, yes." ********** Draco sat silently, staring into the Slytherin fire. This year he had both Potions and Care of magical Creatures with the Gryffindors, and as there were only 6 students in their entire year taking Arithmancy (2 Hufflepuffs, 2 Ravenclaws, Hermione and himself), he could observe her behavior there too. Ever since Potty and the Weasel had started to go out with their girlfriends, Hermione had started to withdraw into herself. She was spending more and more time in both the Prefects study room, and some of the smaller rooms in the library. She almost never smiled. In class, she would sit with the other Gryffindor girls, or on her own. If she did sit with Potty and the Weasel, they would invariably ignore her, or else only talk to her for help with her work. Never anything personal, not even a 'thank you' for helping with a particularly nasty potion. Draco was reminded of during their 3rd year, when for some reason the others refused to speak to her, especially the Weasel, and again in 4th year after she had attended the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum. He wondered what it would be like to see her smile again, to laugh again. **Because of me...**. Before, he couldn't have. "Married life is merely a habit, a bad habit" his father had told him. But he didn't have to worry about that now...his father was gone, far, far away. He had seen his father torture and murder countless people, Muggles and Wizards alike, for Lord Voldemort... Suddenly, Draco could smell a particularly nasty, offensive smell. Pansy's perfume. "Draco...what are you thinking about? You haven't moved for ages." Pansy simpered. "Just a hard Arithmancy problem...nothing to worry your pretty little head about." Seemingly satisfied with his comment about her 'pretty head', and not realising that it was sarcastic, she moved off to the girl's dormitries. 'I'll do it...even if I don't reveal who I am...' he thought. With that last thought, he threw his school robes with his prefect badge on them over his shoulders, and slipped out of the Slytherin common room, into the halls of Hogwarts.
Hermione sighed. It was just over a week until Christmas break, and although Christmas spirit was think in the air, Hermione wasn't feeling very cheery at all. She felt lost and alone as she looked around her empty dorm, seeing no clue as to where Lavender or Parvati would be. Suddenly the door to the 5th year Girls' Dorm swung open. "Hey Hermione! Can I shift my stuff in now?" Although Ginny and Hermione has started the year as close friends, they began to drift away from each other when Ginny became involved with Harry. Inspite of this fact, Ginny was going to move into the 5th year dorm, as the other girls in the 4th year dorm had gone home for an extended Christmas break, and the 3rd years seemed to have a collective brain-cell of one. ********** Draco sighed, and looked around Snape's dungeon. "Ah, Draco. I didn't think you would be down here so early tonight."
"I was bored Professor, and I couldn't stay in the common room. I was getting too nervous. Too scared. What if I'm doing the wrong thing?"
"Draco, you know that this isn't going to be easy. Standing up to your father...'socializing' with a mud-" "Don't call her that, please." Snape merely raised an eyebrow. "I can't use that word anymore...not after seeing what he did. Not after I found out that all his teachings were lies." "Is that right, Mr. Malfoy? Well, this is going to be an interesting twelve days..."
"Are you sure I can do it? I can call it all off...just keep watching from afar, hoping she's safe and happy..."
"Mr. Malfoy, I know that is the last thing you want. And let's face it, Ms. Granger is more than a fair match for you. She is very close to overtaking you as top of Potions...or was."
"She still looks so sad and lost...is it affecting her grades much?"
"Well, she'll probably still come top of the class, because of the way she studies for exams. But her class work has been slipping, yes." ********** Draco sat silently, staring into the Slytherin fire. This year he had both Potions and Care of magical Creatures with the Gryffindors, and as there were only 6 students in their entire year taking Arithmancy (2 Hufflepuffs, 2 Ravenclaws, Hermione and himself), he could observe her behavior there too. Ever since Potty and the Weasel had started to go out with their girlfriends, Hermione had started to withdraw into herself. She was spending more and more time in both the Prefects study room, and some of the smaller rooms in the library. She almost never smiled. In class, she would sit with the other Gryffindor girls, or on her own. If she did sit with Potty and the Weasel, they would invariably ignore her, or else only talk to her for help with her work. Never anything personal, not even a 'thank you' for helping with a particularly nasty potion. Draco was reminded of during their 3rd year, when for some reason the others refused to speak to her, especially the Weasel, and again in 4th year after she had attended the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum. He wondered what it would be like to see her smile again, to laugh again. **Because of me...**. Before, he couldn't have. "Married life is merely a habit, a bad habit" his father had told him. But he didn't have to worry about that now...his father was gone, far, far away. He had seen his father torture and murder countless people, Muggles and Wizards alike, for Lord Voldemort... Suddenly, Draco could smell a particularly nasty, offensive smell. Pansy's perfume. "Draco...what are you thinking about? You haven't moved for ages." Pansy simpered. "Just a hard Arithmancy problem...nothing to worry your pretty little head about." Seemingly satisfied with his comment about her 'pretty head', and not realising that it was sarcastic, she moved off to the girl's dormitries. 'I'll do it...even if I don't reveal who I am...' he thought. With that last thought, he threw his school robes with his prefect badge on them over his shoulders, and slipped out of the Slytherin common room, into the halls of Hogwarts.