Author's Note:
Italicized Sentences – thoughts, the song, flashback stories, letters
It was their last year at Hogwarts when they met each other. But actually, they had known each other for seven straight years and insults were our medium of communication and interaction.
He had this irresistible platinum blonde hair and silver orbs that no girl didn't stare at. His masculine body was perfectly maintained by Quidditch. He had everything he needed – the brains and the looks. His family background was rather dark since the Dark Lord fell when the Death Eaters, led by Lucius Malfoy, attacked Hogwarts during his sixth year in Hogwarts. He was none other than the Slytherin heartthrob, Draco Malfoy.
She had this brown hair that wasn't bushy anymore since she perfectly maintained it with magic. Her hazel eyes were perfect 20/20 even if she had this irresistible passion with reading. Her skin was like porcelain even when she was battling the forces of evil alongside with the great Harry Potter. Her family background was amusing since she had no magical blood in her and yet she's the smartest wizard of her age. She was none other than the Gryffindor genius, Hermione Granger.
These two people mentioned had a lot of differences. He was a pureblood and she was a muggleborn witch. He once belonged to the dark side and she had always been in the light side. He could fly well and she was afraid to fly. He was the devil and she was an angel.
But they also have a lot in common. Both had two loyal friends – Harry and Ron were hers; Crabbe and Goyle were his. They had perfect grades. They were simply perfect in one way or the other.
Although she was perfect, she lacked one thing in this world – a perfect boyfriend. Due to the fact that she was always with Harry Potter in every single adventure, she never had time to be there in one place to be courted by boys her age. The only suitor she had was the famous Quidditch player Viktor Krum, who turned out to be Karakoff's disciple, and Ron Weasley, who stopped courting her after seeing Luna Lovegood's true beauty over Christmas. Harry was unavailable because he already had Ginny for a girlfriend.
Draco, however, had the perfect lifestyle after the downfall of the Dark Lord. The Malfoy treasures were now his since both of his parents were in Azkaban and next in line for the Dementor's kiss. He had girlfriends namely Pansy Parkinson with the schedule of M-W-F-Sunday and Millicent Bulstrode with the schedule of T-Th-Saturday. The ladies were okay with the relationship since both of them knew that if either of them gets pregnant, one of them will get the Malfoy treasures.
There was one thing missing in his life – someone to really love – although he didn't admit it.
But that was about to change…
It was late in September when they finally interacted after the downfall. She was walking along the corridors one cold night when she saw some boys torturing some kind of animal. She immediately stopped them and found out that those boys were her fellow Gryffindors Seamus and Neville.
What's going on? She walked toward them and called, "What do you think you guys are doing?"
Neville was levitating something when Hermione approached them. He was started and dropped a small furry thing on Hermione's head. "Sorry, Hermione…."
Hermione grabbed the furry object on her head and found out that it was a ferret. She kept it close in her chest and furiously scolded at the boys. "You should be ashamed of hurting an innocent animal like this."
"He's not exactly…" Neville stammered, "…an animal."
"Oh my God!" Hermione took out her wand and uttered a transfiguration spell. The ferret turned out to be none other than Draco Malfoy.
Draco crawled like a ferret for a few seconds and then, he stood up and said angrily, "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" He took out his wand but the two scampered away.
Hermione lightly touched his hand. "Let them go…"
Draco brushed her hand away. "Don't you dare touch me, you filthy little mudblood." He smoothed his robes and walked away without a 'thank you'. Now I owe her.
Hermione just wanted to help. In the end, she was insulted as a mudblood again. But she let it pass since she guessed that Draco was having the hardest times of his life.
Months had passed and it was December. Christmas was in the air. Everybody was exchanging gifts and buying presents. Hermione got presents for all of her friends – a broom polish for Harry and a new magical chess board for Ron and magic mirrors with different colors for her girl pals. But what she didn't expect to buy was something for Draco.
When it started to snow, she saw Draco walking on the grounds without the Slytherin scarf. Over the weeks, she observed him. She never saw him wear a scarf so she 'magically' made him a green and silver wool scarf. (She made it with those needles that magically moved themselves while she was studying. If she was not studying, she would knit it herself.) She wrapped it in green paper and hid it in her drawer.
When it was time for some students to go, she looked for Draco. She decided not to go home since she wanted to study more. Harry and the Weasleys were staying too since Molly and Arthur was going to visit Bill and Fleur in France.
Hermione's present was hidden inside her school bag as she looked for him. When she didn't find him there, she guessed that he wasn't going home for the holidays. That was when she realized that he was now alone.
That night, Hermione decided to roam around the school. She didn't find any signs of the platinum blond haired boy until…
When she opened the Astronomy Tower's door, she saw a boy. He was laid down on the floor, staring at the sky. The boy looked at him and gave her an angry look. "What are you doing here?"
Typical Malfoy. She sighed and walked toward him. As she walked toward him, Draco's eyes were glued to her. "This is the Astronomy Tower and any student can come here as he or she wishes. What are you doing here?"
Draco's eyes shifted from left to right, as if looking for a nice answer. "I just… wanted to be alone." Nice answer, Dray.
"Why? It's Christmas." Hermione sat beside Draco. "No one likes to be alone during the holidays."
Draco answered, "I do want to be alone." No you don't. Dad and Mom were always with you during the holidays, remember?
Hermione frowned and then, she remembered her gift. "I got you something for Christmas." She rummaged through her bag and found the green package. She handed it to him and cheerfully said, "Merry Christmas!"
Draco sat up. He looked at the package, then at Hermione. "Why did you…."
Flashback
It was Christmas Eve in Malfoy Manor. Lucius was still in a meeting with the other Death Eaters. He didn't want to celebrate Christmas at all. But Narcissa made all the arrangements so it couldn't be helped.
Inside the parlor, the giant Christmas tree stood. Large presents were there and they were wrapped in green paper, Draco's favorite color. Narcissa and Draco were also inside the parlor, sitting on the large chair in front of the fireplace.
"Merry Christmas, Dray." Narcissa whispered to her seven year old son as she kissed his little head.
End
Hermione took his hand and gave him the present. "I made that all by myself with some assistance of magic, of course."
Draco snapped back to reality and looked at the green package. Should I open it?
"Go ahead." Hermione added, "Open it. Like I said I made it myself and I hope that you like the color."
Draco opened it slowly and saw that it was a green and silver wool scarf. Granger made this for me? He didn't say anything at first.
Then, Hermione frowned. She asked him, "You don't like it, do you?" Tears started to well up in her eyes.
Draco looked at her. When he saw her tears, he wiped them away with his hand. "I love it, Hermione." He wore the scarf around his neck. "Thank you." What is this feeling?
Hermione smiled and asked, "Want to go to the kitchen and get some snacks?" Why am I doing this?
Draco shook his head. "I guess I'll stay here. I want to look at the stars tonight."
Hermione asked, "Want me to stay? If you want me to go…" She stood up but Draco pulled her down, causing her to lay down over him.
"Don't go." Silver met hazel as he uttered those two words. Hermione smiled and nodded. For a few seconds, they stayed like that. Draco got the urge to kiss her lips but he hesitated.
When she realized what was happening, she got off of Draco's body and lay down beside him. She blushed and uttered, "I'm sorry about that."
"It's okay." Draco whispered. "Look at the sky. There are stars everywhere."
Hermione nodded and looked, "Yeah. It's weird since its winter. It's usually dark and cloudy."
"It was…" That statement made Hermione look at him. He looked at her back. "That is, until you brighten up my night."
Hermione asked, "How did you…"
"I'll show you." He took out his wand and uttered, "Paraitre étoile…" Silver substance came out of his wand and went up towards the sky. Both of them watch as the substance expanded and moved the clouds away.
"I didn't know that spell. How did you…" Hermione stopped because Draco wasn't even paying attention. He was busy watching the sky. She smiled and watched the sky with him that night.
Christmas Eve came. Since there were more students that stayed at school than the usual number, the professors arranged a Christmas dance, a masquerade ball. Hermione didn't have an escort since Ginny was automatically Harry's date. Luna was there too so that meant that Ron wouldn't be able to escort Hermione.
Draco wanted to go but he was one of the few Slytherins who stayed behind. None of those other Slytherins were close to him. He didn't want to ask anyone else from his house. But he wanted to ask someone from Gryffindor because he had to give something to her.
Hermione decided to wear a red silk dress she wore when her cousin had her eighteenth birthday. With magic, she made the dress shimmer. She tied her hair the same way she did during the fourth year Yule Ball. She wore a red mask over her eyes since she was going to a masquerade ball.
Draco wore a tuxedo, unlike most boys. He even added a cape to make him look more mysterious. He wore a black mask over his silver orbs. He even brought a cane with their family insignia, a snake coiled in a letter M.
The party would be held in the Great Hall. There were about fifty students around from different houses and different levels. Harry and Ginny made a grand entrance of course. Ginny was wearing a gold dress and a gold mask over her eyes. Harry was wearing his dress robes.
Hermione entered the room in the side lines. She was unnoticed because she wasn't with the boys. She looked for a certain boy but sadly, he couldn't find him.
Draco did the same thing. He was unnoticed by people. He wasn't followed by a band of followers anymore. He looked for her as well. Due to the fact that people were wearing masks, it was rather difficult to find anyone.
A slow song played all over the place when it was almost midnight. When the song started and couples were dancing, Draco found her. She was alone, drinking punch. He approached her and sat beside her.
"Why are you alone? Where's Potty and Weasel?" Draco asked her.
"They're with their girlfriends." Hermione took another sip of her wine before asking, "How about you? Why are you alone?"
"Pansy and Millicent went home for the holidays." Draco answered her. Then, he asked, "Want to dance?" He offered his hand.
Hermione looked at his hand, then at his eyes. She smiled and took his hand. They went to the dance floor. Hermione placed her hands on his shoulders while Draco placed his hands on her waist. Both of them swayed to the song with perfect harmony. Hermione rested her head on his chest.
Draco suddenly remembered something. Draco magically whispered, "Accio box." The box suddenly hovered in front of his face. He had to let her go for a moment and opened the box. It had a silver necklace with his family's insignia as a pendant. He slowly slipped it in her neck.
Hermione felt something cold slip on her neck. The next thing she knew she was wearing a necklace with the letter M as a pendant. She looked at his face and asked, "What…"
"It's for you." Draco explained, "That's one of my family's heirlooms. My mother wore that when she got engaged to my father. Even with their differences, they stayed together for a long time, until now. I want you to wear it so that people would know that you're mine."
"Yours? How did…" Hermione was slightly confused. I didn't do anything to be his…
Draco leaned over and whispered, "You made me fall for you… After that night in the Astronomy Tower, I can't stop thinking about you, seeing you in my dreams…" He looked at her again and said, "I love you, Hermione…"
Hermione was in shock. Malfoy's in love with me? This is all going too fast…I just can't… "Draco… I… I don't know what to…" She was suddenly stopped when he kissed her lips. She kissed him back and wrapped her arms around his neck.
They broke their kiss after a few more seconds. People were starting to stare at them. "Let's go somewhere…" Draco whispered in her ear. She nodded and they left the Great Hall.
They went outside and held each other's hands. They walked toward the lake and sat under the tree. Hermione's head rested on Draco's shoulder. Their hands were still together.
Draco asked her, "Am I going too fast? If you want, we can start from scratch…"
Hermione shook her head and smiled at him. "At first, I felt that it was all too fast but then, I realized that you were the one missing in my life."
Draco kissed her forehead. "I never thought that I'd fall for you."
"You were always the cold one, you know." Hermione added, "But I was never sure if it was some sort of defense mechanism or something…"
"It is." Draco explained, "I needed to fit the description of a Slytherin in order to mingle with them."
Hermione answered, "You didn't have to…"
"I was raised by a cold hearted man and a loving woman." Draco started to tell her his life story. "My mother wanted to raise me as a happy child but my father wanted me to be someone like him. I don't know how to love and care. My mother showed me affection and I gave all my affection for her. But when the Dark Lord fell, she had to be with my father most of the time. She became a cold person from being with a lot of Death Eaters and so doing, I became what I am today." Tears were starting to well up in his eyes. "I don't know what will happen to me now. I felt so alone…" Draco looked into her hazel eyes. "That is, until now…"
Hermione wiped some tears that were starting to accumulate in his eyes. "I will never ever leave you, Dray. Always remember that I'm here for you, to love you…"
They kissed again. This time, they didn't care how long their lips were together because that kiss formed the bond that will unite them for a long time.
When Christmas came, Harry, Ron, and Hermione hung out together in the Common Room. Hermione wore the necklace underneath her clothes. She didn't know how her friends will react to the fact that she was falling in love with Draco. When they started talking about how they defeated the Death Eaters, she decided not to tell them.
Ron started, "Did you see the look on Malfoy's face after his parents were sent to Azkaban?"
"He's lucky that he's not in Azkaban," Harry added, "If he did kill Dumbledore, he's going to be there. He's just lucky that he got chicken."
Hermione didn't make any remark. She merely nodded and listened to them. She decided to at least let Ginny know about him.
That night, Ginny and Hermione had a heart-to-heart talk with each other. Ginny and Hermione stayed in the Girls' Bathroom, the one where Hermione was attacked by a troll.
Ginny asked her, "What do you want to talk about?"
"I want to talk to you about…" She looked left to right. Then, she continued, "… about this guy I'm in-love with."
Ginny's eyes showed her excitement. "Who is he? Was he at the ball? Is he in Gryffindor or in Hufflepuff?"
"He's in…" She gathered all of her courage in order to say that, "… Slytherin."
Ginny frowned for a moment. "Let me guess. It's Malfoy, right?"
Hermione nodded, "How did you…"
"He's the only seventh year Slytherin who stayed in Hogwarts over the holidays." Ginny asked, "Did you tell Harry and Ron?"
Hermione shook her head. "I don't know how to tell them…"
"I need to ask this; I hope you won't mind but why him? It's totally unnatural for a Slytherin to fall for a Gryffindor and vice versa." Ginny looked at her, expecting an answer.
"Draco said that he loves me." Hermione added, "Oh, Ginny. He wasn't cold at all. Every time I stare into those silver eyes, I felt that there was more to him. His feelings are hidden deep inside of him and I found it! I was able to make him feel loved again."
Ginny sighed. "You really do love him, don't you?"
Hermione showed her the necklace Draco gave her. "See this? He gave this to me during the dance. That was when he said he loved me. That was when I realized that I was falling in-love with him."
Ginny looked at it. "Wow. That's his family's insignia. It just means that he's serious." Ginny held Hermione's hands. "I'm so happy for you."
Hermione hid it under her clothes. "Please don't tell anyone about this. I want to tell Harry and Ron myself when the time is right."
Ginny nodded. "Okay. I promise."
"Thank you so much for listening and understanding me, Gin." Hermione held her hand. "Thank you."
"Promise me one thing, Mione," Ginny continued, "Don't let him hurt you…."
"I promise." Hermione and Ginny went back to the Common Room and watched Harry and Ron play Wizard's Chess.
Hermione was combing her hair in her room when a black owl tapped on her window. When she opened the window, the owl dropped an envelope on her hand and immediately left. She opened the envelope and read:
Hermione,
Please meet me at the Astronomy Tower tonight. I have a surprise for you.
Love,
Dray
She smiled and hurriedly combed her hair. She walked out of the room and went to the Astronomy Tower. She knocked and said, "Dray?" When she saw the room, she gasped. The room looked like some sort of small garden. The room was full of flowers – white and red roses, to be exact. There was a table for two in the middle of the room. On top of it, there were plates and a candle.
Draco wrapped his arms around her and asked, "Well, how's it going, sweetie?"
"Dray!" Hermione said, "I didn't see you there."
"Well," Draco asked, "What do you think? I set this up for you. I even made sure that the sky was clear so that we'd be under the stars."
Hermione kissed his cheek. "It's so sweet of you… Thanks, Dray."
Draco whispered, "It's not over yet." He snapped his finger and their clothes suddenly changed. Hermione was now wearing an old-fashioned red balloon gown with all the jewelry and hair style included. She was wearing a choker with the Malfoy insignia as a pendant. Draco's clothes consisted of a military uniform and a badge with the sign of the Malfoy clan.
"This is so…" Hermione couldn't find the right words. "… magical."
Draco joked, "We're wizards after all." He added, "This is the oldest type of magic, you know." Hermione laughed.
They walked toward the table. As a gentleman, Draco helped her get to her seat. When Draco sat down, he snapped again. Then, food appeared on the table. Both of them laughed and talked as they ate their meal.
When they were finished, Draco snapped his fingers and the dining ware disappeared. Then soft music could be heard inside the room. Draco stood up and walked toward Hermione. "Do you want to dance?" Draco asked her as he offered his hand.
Hermione nodded and took his hand. She stood up and placed her hands on his shoulders. She felt his arms wrap around her waist and she got closer to him. She felt that everything was perfect.
Everything went well that night. They even celebrated New Year's Eve together. Hermione asked Ginny to create some sort of diversion so that Harry and Ron wouldn't notice her disappearance. They watched the fireworks, courtesy of the professors, outside the school's walls.
Everything really was perfect for both of them until the semester started. Hermione and Draco drifted apart due to the fact that their professors piled up their assignments and that the Astronomy Tower would be occupied by snuggling couples. Lately, they met at the Library and kissed behind the shelves when possible.
Outside that quiet place, they ignored each other, like nothing happened. At first, Hermione was hurt because Draco was his usual cold self to her. She didn't know why at first. But that night, she got a letter from Draco saying:
My darling,
I'm so sorry about today. It's just that circumstances stop us from being together. It's really not natural for a Slytherin to fall for a Gryffindor. But I really love you. I just can't find the courage to tell them about us. They'd kill me for sure. After all, your best friend was the reason why their parents were sent to Azkaban.
I hope that this won't change anything between us. I'll try my best to see you, Mione…
Love,
Dray
Hermione knew that it was all for the best. She kept her emotions bottled up every time Draco would give her a sneer when they crossed paths in the hallways. Harry and Ron wanted to beat him up but she stopped them. This went on for quite a while. She trusted him that much. Their sessions in the Library were enough for her.
One night, she was walking around the grounds since she was Head Girl. She saw two figures making out in front of the lake. Can't this two do that in a room or something? She walked slowly and silently to see the two figures.
It was the sound of the girl's voice that made Hermione guess that the girl was Pansy. She tried to ignore Pansy's moans just to find out who was the boy.
Pansy was on the ground. Her blouse was open. One of the boy's hands was under her skirt and the other was caressing her head as the boy kissed her neck and made his way toward her chest. "Ohh… Just keep going…" Pansy moaned.
The boy was already there. He licked her left breast and she moaned louder. His platinum blond hair was sticky from sweat. His face was stained with it too. It had been a long time since he did that and he didn't really wanted to do that. He wanted to be faithful to the girl he truly loved but Pansy placed him under a spell that made him follow her orders.
Hermione gasped by the sight of platinum blonde hair. It can't be… Tears started to accumulate in her hazel eyes. "Draco…"
When the boy heard his name, he looked up. His silver orbs grew wide. Oh, shit! "Hermione…"
Pansy looked at the figure Draco was staring at. "What do you want, mudblood?"
Tears fell from her eyes. She wanted to say, "Oh, nothing. It's just that I'm Head Girl and I need to make sure that no one was out. Since you two are, can you two get inside?" But nothing came out of her mouth. She was starting to tremble and then, she just ran.
Draco stood up and said, "Hermione, wait!" He was about to run but Pansy stopped him. Since he was desperate, he said, "Petrificus Totalus!" Pansy was petrified and then, he ran.
Hermione wished that she could apparate but she was in the school grounds. It was impossible. She was running and crying non stop. She stopped running when she heard him say, "Hermione, stop."
Draco panted as he slowed down. He walked toward her. When he was in front of her, she was crying. Tears stained her porcelain face. Draco hugged her tightly. "I'm really sorry. I didn't really do it. She…"
Hermione broke away from his embrace. "I loved you. I trusted you. I gave you my heart and what you did was breaking it into a million pieces."
Draco reasoned, "Pansy placed me under a spell that made me follow her orders. She ordered me to rape her and I can't stop it."
Hermione wanted to believe him. She wanted to hug him again. But she was too hurt to do those things. "I don't believe you," She told him, "I can't believe you… what if you did that when I'm not looking? I can't…" She ran again. After that night, her fairy tale was over. Everything went back to the way they were – enemies.
She didn't tell anyone about it, not even Ginny. The year ended well. She was on the top of her class and Draco was second. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were ready to leave Hogwarts. They decided to go to the lake to see the whole castle one more time. They stood on the ground beside the lake.
"Wow," Ron exclaimed, "This is amazing… Too bad we're leaving Hogwarts. I wish I could stay here…"
Harry answered, "Professor Dumbledore offered me to teach Defense against the Dark Arts here in a year or two..."
Hermione hugged Harry. "Congratulations, Harry."
Harry smiled. "Thanks," He added, "I hope that both of you find happiness together." He winked at Hermione. "If you know what I mean."
Huh? Hermione asked, "I don't understand, Harry…"
Ron said, "You see… Ginny told us something…"
Flashback
Harry and Ginny, together with Ron and Luna, were studying inside the Room of Requirements. Harry was helping Ginny with her homework while Luna was teaching Ron about Transfiguration.
"If Hermione was here," Harry said, "She'd be out teacher and we'd be her students."
Ginny answered, "She's with Draco in the Library right now… Oh no!"
"What did you say?" Ron eyed at Ginny. "Who is with Hermione?"
End Flashback
"So that's how we found out about you and Malfoy." Ron ended his story.
Harry said, "At first, we were mad at Malfoy and you but then, we realized that if you're happy for us, we should be happy for you and the ferret – I mean Malfoy."
Hermione frowned at them. Then, she immediately smiled. "Well, thanks but it's a bit too late. We're not together anymore."
"But why?" Harry asked her.
She narrated what she saw. By the time she ended her tale, Harry's and Ron's faces were red with fury.
"Malfoy's gonna pay," Ron said angrily, "I'm gonna make him pay for making you cry."
Hermione immediately said, "Don't… It's my fault. I trusted him too much."
Harry embraced her. "I'm sorry. I wish that Ron and I were there for you… We just got caught up with things…"
"It is okay, Harry," Hermione broke away from Harry's embrace. "I moved on already…" But the truth was that she hadn't. She still wore the necklace he gave her underneath her clothes. She cried every night since that day.
Harry was worried but he smiled at her. "If that's what you say, Hermione, I believe you."
Then, the sun was gone and everything was turning black. "We better get inside," Hermione added, "We still got to say good-bye to the rest of our friends before we leave tomorrow." The boys nodded and they went inside.
It was midnight. Hermione decided to take one more stroll as the Head Girl. She wore her robe over her night gown and walked aimlessly. She didn't realize that she was headed to the Astronomy Tower. She entered the room and saw a figure with platinum blonde hair.
"What do you…?"
It was like before. Hermione stared at him.
I'll always remember
It was late afternoon
It lasted forever
And ended too
soon
You were all by yourself
Staring up at a dark gray sky
I was changed
Draco sat up, staring at her. "Hermione…" A tear slid down from his cheek.
Hermione's eyes were starting to fill up with tears. "Dray…" She ran towards him and held him close to her heart. "Dray, I'm sorry…" Her tears slid down her face and some dropped on his hair.
Draco held her back. "Mione, I missed you…"
Hermione whispered, "I missed you too, Dray." Silver and hazel met once again.
In places no one
would find
All your feelings so deep inside (deep inside)
It
was then that I realized
That forever was in your eyes
The
moment I saw you cry
Both of them smiled at each other. Draco inched closer to her and kissed her lips. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back.
The moment that I saw you cry
End
Author's Notes:
I haven't written D/Hr stories for such a long-long-long time. This is like 14 pages long in MS Word so I'm so happy. My usual fics with more than 10 pages are usually anime. Now, this is record-breaking - for me, at least.
This is categorized as a song fic but I was kinda thinking that the song "Cry" at the last part would be background music. Hehehehe.
I got this idea for the story after hearing "Cry" on the radio. I realized that the song fits the D/Hr situation.
So I guess just leave me a review and I'll be happy. If there are any grammatical errors, please do indicate in a review so that I could change it. Hehehe.
Standard Disclaimer Apply