Hey guys, this just popped into my head and I just had to write it. I've got other stories in my head that I want written but I think other people would be able to write them better than me so if you have writer's block you know who to message Post war during their 7th year not compliant with '19 year later' or little bits of the war.
Hermione walked alone down to the lake as it started to rain perfect she smiled to herself. She walked a little faster so she could get to the cover of the trees. Out of her peripheral vision, Hermione noticed someone running up to the castle to escape the rain. She turned her head slightly to look at the person, and was surprised to see Malfoy without his cronies flanking him, but then remembered they hadn't returned to school just like Harry and Ron, she was alone. Hermione tuned her head and continued her mission down to the lake. When she arrived she pulled her bag in front of her as she sat down and pulled out her camera case. You see Hermione had found a new hobby after the war, to take her mind off of the deaths of her friends such as Tonks and Fred. Photography. She had become fascinated by it while in Australia finding her parents. Her first photo was of the sunset from her bedroom window, she had been mesmerised by its beauty and took a photo, at the time she had only had a digital camera, but as she had shown her parents the photo they had noticed her talent and got her a Cannon EOS SLR camera for her birthday. She also had another camera, a much older one that used film, but she had no film left and was waiting on an order for it.
Hermione put on the interchangeable lens and focused on the mountains behind the lake as well as the lake itself, she focused it until it was perfect and shot the picture. She then looked around her and started taking photos of the smaller things around her such as the small red lady beetle that sat upon a single piece of grass that had a drop of rain preparing to fall from its tip. Hermione moved closer to the water and lay down close to it on her stomach. She focused the camera on the rippling water of the lake; she twisted the lens to zoom in and took the shot. It looked quite magical how the water rippled as the drops of rain hit the surface. Hermione then realised that it was getting close to dinner time. She went back to her bag to put her camera away. As she walked the small distance she spotted large leather bound book about A4 size with a piece of paper hanging out of it.
She walked up to it and saw that the piece of paper hanging out of it was a sketch of the lake, it was quite beautiful, and whoever drew it had a great talent. Hermione was tempted to look through the whole book, to see what else this person had drawn, but decided against it. It would be like someone taking her camera and going through her photos. The only people that knew of her hobby were her parents and they barely saw her photos. It was her secret. Instead she carefully slipped the picture back into the book and picked it up. Hermione looked at the plain cover except for the initials down the bottom in elegant gold. D.M.
Draco Malfoy? He was the only person at Hogwarts with those initials that she knew of. She then remembered him rushing up to the castle. Could it be? Hermione pondered and resolved on asking him. Hermione put both her camera and the book into her bag and rushed back up to the castle to escape the rain as much as possible. Hermione walked to the Great hall and basked in its homely warmth. She found Ginny, Luna, dean and Seamus all sitting together as well Hannah Abbott, who had only lately joined our 'group'. She sat down with them and started piling food onto her plate.
"Hey Hermione, where did you get off to?" asked Ginny before putting a piece of chicken in her mouth.
"I was just down by the lake studying." Hermione lied.
"What? Finally decided that the library was too stuffy and boring?" joked Seamus in his Irish brogue.
"No, I just wanted something different is there something wrong with that?" She asked and Seamus held up his hands defensively. "So Luna, how are the Nargles lately?" Hermione asked, they all make think she's a little Nutter's but she was Luna and we liked to amuse her.
"Oh, they haven't been seen much lately, last month was the worst though. All my shoes were taken and hung on the whomping willow." Luna said shaking her head in frustration.
"Well, that's too bad. Next time it happens just ask for help." Hermione offered, they all knew it was other students taking her shoes.
"Thanks Hermione. No wonder your Head girl, you're so nice." She complemented.
"Thanks Luna." She said and they continued eating and talking. Hermione looked around the great hall and notice how little of the seventh really eighth years had returned. There was only about 20 students, and only one came from Slytherin. Malfoy was the only Slytherin to return their year. Hermione sometimes felt sorry for him, his whole house was against him for helping out the order during the war. He was alone, but then always remembered how he tortured her for years.
Hermione finished her dinner quickly then left to go to her dormitory. The heads were allowed separate dorms to everyone including each other. Unfortunately they had to still work together and unfortunately the head boy was Malfoy. Hermione and Malfoy always argued on every issue including the others inability to do their job.
Hermione walked down the hallway to her dormitory, walking past Malfoy's and into her own. It was small, but cosy. Hermione then put her bag on her table pulling out her camera and put it next to her laptop, then pulling out the sketch book. Malfoy would have been back in his dorm by now. Hermione pondered for a few more minutes before deciding that there is no time like the present. She walked out of her dorm then the approximate fifteen metres to Malfoy's dormitory. Hermione paused outside wondering if this was a good idea. She got hold of her Gryffindor courage and knocked lightly on the door. She heard some shuffling of feet coming closer, then the door swung open to the sight of Draco Malfoy. His shirt was untucked and his green and Slytherin tie was hanging loosely around his neck. His hair was also quite messy compared to the new style he kept of just letting it loose without constraint of tonnes of hair gel from previous years. Malfoy looks ho- stop yourself there Hermione. Hermione said to herself.
"What do you want Granger?" Malfoy sneered and Hermione glared him for a second before composing herself.
"I came here because I think this is yours, I found it down at the lake." Hermione said handing the book to him.
"Yeah, it is." He said more to himself than Hermione. "Did you go looking through it?" Malfoy glared at her menacingly.
"No I didn't it's not my place, but one of the pages slipped out of it. I swear I didn't mean to see it" She said and mentally prepared herself for argument that was bound to happen any second.
"Ah, thanks for not going through it. So I guess you know my secret then." Malfoy said as a light shade of pink rose to his cheeks.
"Yeah I guess I do. There's no reason to embarrassed Malfoy, from what I saw in that one picture you're very talented." Hermione complemented him, something neither of them thought would ever happen.
"Ah, thanks I guess. Just don't tell anyone." Malfoy threatened.
"I could use this as blackmail can't I…" Hermione smirked a smirk that rivalled Malfoy's and he looked a little worried. "But I won't."
"Why not, after all the crap I've given you over the years?" he asked looking very confused.
"Because, I-I have my own secret, and since I know yours, maybe I should even the playing field out." Hermione suggested, wondering if this was the biggest mistake she had ever made. "Come with me." Hermione said and turned back towards her room. She glanced behind her to make sure Malfoy was following, which he was. Hermione opened her dormitory door and went to her bathroom.
"Wow Granger, if all you wanted was to have a shower with me you just had to ask." Malfoy joked and I glared at him.
"Shut up Malfoy and just come here." Hermione said. She put her hand on the door knob, took a deep breathe I can't believe I'm showing him this she thought. She opened the door and turned on the red light, walking into the room. "This is my darkroom…Where I develop my photos." Hermione and she walked over to the bath tub filled with developing chemicals and looked above it where her photos were drying on a piece of string hung up on some hooks.
Malfoy walked over to where Hermione was standing and observed the pictures. Some from home, Australia and much more from Hogwarts. The photos of people were taken from afar, so no one would see her taking them. Hermione always believed that unexpected photos were better than posed ones. "I've got to be honest Granger, these are…amazing. You're very talented in the area of photography. What can't you do?" Draco joked at the end and Hermione blushed at the compliment.
"Well I certainly can't draw, that's for sure. I'll show you my other photos." Hermione suggested and they walked from the room. She took both of her album's out. One with coloured photos from her digital camera and the other with black and white photos from her other older one.
"Here." Hermione said handing them to Malfoy.
"Here you take my book and have a look, it's only fair." Malfoy smirked as he placed it in my hands. They got into comfortable positions and Hermione sat in her big comfy chair by the fireplace and opened the sketch book.
It took Hermione an hour to go through the whole book and was amazed by the beautiful things she saw. From seeing a unicorn with its foal in the forbidden forest to the courtyard and the lake. They were all magnificent.
The last picture Hermione saw was of Malfoy's mother. She was quite beautiful, she was sitting on a couch holding something small in her hand that you couldn't see.
Hermione saw an owl sitting on the window sill with a parcel. Making sure not to disturb Malfoy who was sitting at Hermione's study table with his feet on the table and the photo albums, she walked over to the owl and took the parcel. It was her film cartridges and she took them out of the box and took one and placed it in her camera, ready to go.
Hermione walked over to the loveseat and laid on her stomach looking at Malfoy. He looked so… at ease. She pulled her camera up to her face and focused it on Malfoy. Hermione pressed the bottom under her finger and took the photo. Malfoy looked up at her hearing the click of the camera.
"Taking of you to remember the day we had a civil conversation." Hermione giggled.
Malfoy smirked as he flipped the next page over. "I guess you're right, huh?" He finished on that page and closed it as it was the end. "What's your favourite one?" he asked.
"Of yours or mine?" Hermione asked walking over with her camera and Malfoy's album.
"Both." He replied.
"Well of mine, there's two. One colour one black and white." She said. Hermione grabbed both her album's and flipped to two different pages. "This is my favourite black and white one." She said, it was of Hermione's parents sitting on the swinging chair on their porch in each other's arms. Hermione had used an invisibility spell on herself and her camera. "They're my parents, it proves to me that everyone has their soul mate. It makes me want to find that one person that makes me happy, accepts and loves me for who I am." She said, then put the coloured photo down.
"This one was in a park in London." Hermione said, the photo was of a little girl about 4 years old with blonde slightly curly hair blowing bubbles. Hermione was fixed on the little girl and asked the girl's mother if she could take the photo as long as she sent her mother the copy. It was a side on portrait view and it was the time of evening where the sky was golden. The light reflected of the bubbles beautifully. "It shows innocents, innocents I had before I became friends with Harry and Ron, before the war. I was forced to become an adult at eleven years old and I saw things that no person let alone child should ever see. I miss being a kid. Harry Ron and I were kids doing adult jobs being ridiculed by adults who acted like children. I remember third year after they caught Sirius for wrong crimes, Harry and I were talking to Dumbledore about how Sirius was innocent he said to us, "the word of two thirteen year old wizards will not convince anyone". No one bothers to listen to children, they listen to the higher power because they have to." Hermione frowned. "it was what Dumbledore told us that made me forget doing what other people thought was right, and to do what I believed was right."
"I understand what you mean. Against popular belief, I wasn't a Death Eater by choice my father forced me. The mark on my arm said I was, but I wasn't. I also didn't just help the Order at the end. While I was in the Astronomy tower with Dumbledore even, Potter didn't hear our whole conversation. Dumbledore and I were still talking through legilemency and we agreed that I would play spy for the Order with Snape. Snape took me to the order head quarter's and from that day onwards I was a spy. Anyways, what's your favourite of mine." Malfoy Confessed.
"Well my favourite would have to be this one." Hermione pointed out the sketch of a beautiful Landscape. It had big mountains in the back ground with the sun peaking through, and in the front was miles of grape vines. "Is it a vineyard?"
"Yeah, my mum was a fanatic of fine wines and she created her own sells it all over Europe. That's where I live now. We sold the Manor to the Ministry to use as a Museum of the war and since my dad got the kiss in Azkaban he can't say shit about it. Literally." He said.
"You really hated your dad that much." Hermione stated, it wasn't a question.
"Yep, you would too if the only thing he really did for was buy expensive things, then almost kill you with different curses. I barely ever saw him, only when he wanted something from my mother or I. I love my mum though, it was basically just the two of us since I was thirteen."
"I can tell you love your mum. From the picture of her in your book. She's quite beautiful. You look a lot like her."
"Yeah she is. Thanks for the compliment Granger." Malfoy smirked making Hermione blush.
"Shut up. I was wondering, if I don't know, sort of be acquaintances, or friends. I notice you don't really have anyone at school anymore." Hermione suggested looking up at him from her her fumbling hands.
"Look Granger if you only want to be my friend through pity then forget it." Malfoy sneered.
"No, that's not what I meant, it's just that we both know so much about each other now and we've never had the chance to be friends in the past. Also I've seen how much you've changed." Hermione said with a hopeful look in her eyes.
"Sure then, but I think we're going to have to keep it a secret, Hogwarts isn't really united is it?" Malfoy said.
"I agree, wait till the schools more civil then?" She asked.
"Yeah. I better go back, I'm glad it's the prefects turn to patrol it's almost midnight. See you tomorrow Gr- Hermione." Malfoy said.
"Goodnight Mal- Draco." Hermione said and with that Malfoy left.
Wow was all Hermione could think. This year was definitely going to be different.
Hey guys me again. What do you think so far? Good bad? I was going to only do this as a oneshot but it would be extremely long for one. I've decided to make it more of a 3-5 chapter story depending on how it goes. It's definitely not going to be as long as my other story Second chances which is also in progress. Please review!