Summary: When Hermione broke Draco's nose in their third year it did more to Draco then causing pain and embarrassment. It gave Draco the gift of common sense. A gift that would have great influence in the future.

WARNING: Non-Canon, Dramione! A little bit of Weasley bashing and possible adult scenes.

3rd Year, Hogwarts.

It was already getting dark in the corner of the library. A candle floated above the secluded table. The light shone over the many open books and the parchment that the witch was so frantically scribbling on.

From the edge of a row of bookshelves he watched her work. It was fascinating to see her work like that. The passion and the drive were admirable. It could be so much better if she actually had been raised in the magical world. She could be the greatest. If her blood had been pure she would have been perfect.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" She asked.

He hadn't even noticed that she knew he was there, but then again she always seem to know everything so it shouldn't surprise him. He hadn't been quiet in his approach anyway. He took a deep breath to work up that courage that the hat told him he had and stepped into the light of the single candle.

"I came to apologize." He whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

Whatever she had expected him to say it wasn't that. In shock she almost knocked over her ink and dropped her quill.

"I'm sorry?" She asked as she met his eyes.

He smiled softly at her and shook his head. He grabbed a chair and sat down across from her.

"I'm not sure if it's the broken nose or something else but something about all of this is wrong. Perhaps you have beaten some sense into me but I feel like all this 'I'm better then you because my blood is pure' my father used to beat into me is nonsense but I am sorry." He said.

She looked at him for a minute, first in shock but then her gaze turned calculated.

"About what, exactly?"

He sighed again, he had never expected this to go easy but his conscience was eating away at him ever since she broke his nose a week ago. The drive, passion and power she showed that day made him think more then three years at Hogwarts. If a mudblood could do all that and even so much more then what were his father's teachings worth?

He was taught from an early age that pure bloods were more powerful, smarter and better then half-bloods. Mudbloods would never even reach the capacity of the half-bloods. It was drilled into him since he could understand words. He had never known any better.

Yet, Hermione Granger was better then him in many ways. She was wickedly smart and magically pretty powerful. He had been struggling for three years to beat her in anything but he had failed in every way. So was his father wrong?

It had been a question that had been nagging him ever since. Today he had taken the whole day just to walk around the lake and think about it. In the end he had decided that if she was that good and powerful then blood apparently didn't matter all that much.

And then he started to feel guilty. Guilt about all the things he had said to her, about all that the horrible things he'd done to her and guilt about how he had behaved towards those who could have been good and loyal friends and allies. He was feeling really bad about it all.

"About a lot actually." He honestly told her. "I was raised to believe every word my father told me. If I asked questions about his believes I would get beaten or punished for thinking impure thoughts. From the age of seven I truly believed that my blood and heritage was better then anyone else. Only the dark lord stood above us. Then you came along and beat that believe out of me quite harshly. My nose still hurts." He joked.

She chuckled softly.

"So I shook up those brains big time." She asked.

"Something like that. Anyway after that I started to see that magical power doesn't seem to care about blood. In fact all those of half blood or muggle blood seem to be more powerful than many in Slytherin. Look a Crabbe and Goyle." He sighed as he thought of his mentally incapable friends. "Today I took the time to really think about it all and I realized that what I was seeing is true. Blood doesn't matter to magic."

She looked at him with those big brown and golden eyes and he shifted under her gaze. Unlike most she didn't waver, her look was steady and strong. She just wasn't afraid.

"So it is only right for me to admit that it seems that I was wrong to be so awful to you and say such a nasty things to you. I apologize for that."

"And it didn't help that Harry and Ron are my friends, not did it help that I'm a Gryffindor." Hermione said with a smile.

"No, that doesn't help either. Slytherin and Gryffindor are like fire and water, ever since people can remember there is rivalry." He admitted. "The issues between me, Weasley and Potter are little more complicated but I can honestly say that I extended the hand of friendship to Potter the best I could and he refused it."

"I can believe that." Hermione nodded. "You were or still are an obnoxious, prejudged and spoiled daddy's boy and Harry is one of the most stubborn person I know who only sees the world in black and white. I'm not really surprised that Harry refused to accept a hand in friendship from you. You are absolutely the spitting image of everything he hates about other people."

"While I am not willing to apologize to them I hope that you accept my apology?" He asked.

"What is the catch with it?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing." Draco honestly answered. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. Maybe it is to ease my own conscience but I do mean it when I say I'm sorry."

"Thank you, Draco for your honesty." Hermione said. "I will accept your apology but it will take a while to forgive you."

"Thank you." Draco said. He got up and placed a very old book next to her. "This is from my library at home. Don't ask me why but according the ministry Muggleborns are not allowed to read it. However it would be a shame to waste away your abilities just because some fool decided that muggleborns should be kept ignorant. Just make sure no pureblood sees you read it."

Hermione looked at the book and opened it. Draco watched as her eyes widened and slowly understanding took over.

"Thank you, Draco." She whispered. "This is even a better apology. I truly appreciate it."

"I hope it will explain to you why, in public I still have to be so awful to all muggleborns and halfbloods."

Hermione nodded and gave him a wry smile.

"I will get this back to you. I'll make sure nobody will notice."

AN: Please review.