A/N: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters; they all belong to J.K. Rowling.
"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little mudblood"
Everyone gasped at these words. All I could do was stare at him in disbelief. Did he really just say that? I've heard of most pureblood families having strong beliefs on letting muggleborns into the world of magic but did he really say that to me? And in front of a crowd of people? A pile of emotions were forming inside of me; anger, disbelief, hatred, but most of all hurt. Why did it matter what my blood was. I know for sure that it wasn't muddy! It took all my might not to let tears fall out of my eyes.
"You'll pay for that one Malfoy. Eat slugs!" Ron's voice broke me from my thoughts. There was a jet of green light from Ron's wand and he was shot backwards. While the Slytherins laughed the Gryffindors and I ran to Ron. When we reached him his face was green and his cheeks looked like he was holding in air. He opened his mouth and two slugs fell out of his mouth.
"Eww!" the Gryffindors chorused. Harry came forward and helped Ron up.
"Come on let's get you to the Hagrid's." He said and we all followed him to the Hagrid's hut. When we were at the end of the courtyard I let everyone else pass me while I turned to get a last look at the Slytherins. All of them were still laughing except one. Instead of joining in the laughter with the Slytherins, Draco Malfoy was looking straight at me, but it wasn't with hatred. What it was, I couldn't tell, and that's what confused me. I couldn't take his intense stare anymore so I turned around and ran to catch up with everyone else.
Later, after we left Hagrid's, I separated from everyone and went to my secret hiding place. I walked through the forest behind the school for about five minutes before I reached the clearing.
In the clearing was a beautiful garden. It was full with every flower you could think of; Roses and tulips in every color, sunflowers, daisies, lilies and so much more. In the middle was a huge fountain made from white marble and in the water were white and red rose pedals. In the trees were different kinds of birds singing lovely tunes, sitting on the branches that help some apples. Sometimes you could see white rabbits jump from the bushes on the perimeter of the garden. They would usually stay whenever I was around.
The number one reason I loved this garden was because of what I found when I first came here in my first year.
Flashback:
I had just come from the Gryffindor common room after the troll incident. When I found this place I was beyond amazed by its beauty. I went to sit on the fountain ledge when I heard a noise from the left hand corner of the garden. I froze on the spot, afraid that I had been caught out after curfew. I slowly looked up and was surprised by what I saw. There, hiding behind a tree, was a dog.
When I walked a little closer I saw that it was a baby golden retriever, no bigger than two feet long and a foot in height. As I got closer he backed away a little more behind the tree, making little scared noises. I kneeled down on one knee a few feet away from him.
"shh, shh, shh." I said soothingly. "It's ok, I won't hurt you. I promise. Come here boy." And trust me on this; I knew it was a boy. As I patted my hands on my knees he slowly began to come out from the tree. The sight of him made me gasp in horror.
Now that he was in the light I saw what he really looked like. His left eye was swollen shut and a bruised brown. The very tip of his right ear looked as if it had been cut off, and he didn't have a tail. As he walked forward he had a slight limp. He jumped when a gasped and tried to get back behind the tree.
"No, no, no. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. Come here boy." He stopped for a moment before he started coming towards me again. When he had reached me I slowly reached out and stroked his head. He seemed to relax into my touch and climbed into my lap, curling into a ball with his head resting on my thigh. "What happened to you boy? Who, or what, did this to you?" I sat there for a while petting him, talking to him even though I knew he couldn't answer. I looked at his neck to see if he had a collar. "No name? I guess I'll just have to name you. How about…Alphy? Short for Alpha; as in alpha male. He gave a loud bark so I took it as a yes.
That night I stayed up late in the garden, using every spell I knew to make a small dog house for him. When I successfully finished I had created a small brown dog house with a green roof and the floor inside of it was white and fluffy so he could sleep on it. I carefully put him inside and put a green blanket over him to keep him warm.
"I'll be back in the morning with food okay?" I said to him. "I promise. Good night Alphy."
End of Flashback
Since that night I have come here at least twice everyday and Alphy has looked started to heal. He no longer had a swollen eye and was no longer limping. When I had to leave over the summer I was able to sneak him with me on the train and he spent the whole summer with me.
I was suddenly taken out of my thoughts when I felt something wet on my ankle. I looked down and found Alphy licking my ankles. I bent down and scooped him into my arms.
"Hey boy! How you doing?" I walked over to the fountain ledge and sat down, placing Alphy next to me. He sat down expectantly, waiting for me to talk to him.
"Alphy I got a problem. Today those stupid Slytherins came out on the Quidditch pitch while Gryffindor was on it, saying they had a new seeker. And guess who it was. Malfoy! Draco foul-loathsome-evil-little-cockroach Malfoy! And you know what he called me when I said he bought his way onto the team? A-a…" I had to take deep breaths to stop myself from crying. Alphy looked at me and put his head on my lap. "A mudblood. That's what he called me. A mudblood. In front of everyone too! It hurt so much, Alphy, and it was so hard not to show it." Now my tears were flowing freely down my face now. I couldn't help it. I had been holding them in all day and I just couldn't anymore.
"And for hurting you I am sorry." A voice said from the entrance of the garden. I stood up quickly, almost knocking Alphy to the ground, and whipped around to face the voice, my wand pointed in front of me and Alphy growling next to me. When I saw who was at the entrance I froze in shock.
"Wh-What are you doing here?" I asked, stuttering.
"Apologizing" None other than Draco Malfoy replied. He stood with his hands stuffed in his pants pockets, his silver eyes looking straight into my brown ones. He almost seemed…nervous. Of what? Shouldn't I be the nervous one? And wait… did he just say he was apologizing? How did he even find me? WHAT THE HECK?
"How did you even know I was here?"
"I saw you walk here. Actually you walked right past me."
"And you followed me?" I asked, really confused now.
"Yup." I was starting to get sick of his blunt answers.
"Why the hell would you follow me in here?"
"I already told you. To apologize." He said a little impatiently.
"You? Apologize? Yeah that's funny. Why in the world would Draco Malfoy, Mr. I'm so perfect Slytherin king, muggle hater ever in a million years be apologizing to a muggleborn? But not just any muggleborn, no; mudblood know-it-all Hermione Granger!" By the last sentence I was practically yelling. I had thought I saw Malfoy flinch but I pushed that thought away. "What are you playing at Malfoy? Hmm? Come here to make a fool out of me? I think you did that enough this afternoon. Why? Why do you hate me so much that you have to make me practically break down in front of everyone?"
"You think I have a choice?" He yelled, finally exploding. I hadn't expecting it, apparently either had Alphy, since we both jumped. "I don't have a choice!"
"Everyone has a choice Malfoy." I shot back
"Yeah, well I don't. I've never had a choice. You think I want to be known as the school's biggest jerk? You think I want people to cower away from me when I walk by? Well I don't! I never have! But I don't have a choice! If I don't act the way I do then I pay the consequences when I get home. If I was seen by Slytherins being nice to people who my father believes are below us than I'd be beaten so then I could learn. That's why when the Slytherins are around I can't be myself. I can't afford it."
"He beats you?" I asked, dumbfounded. I can't believe that Draco Malfoy is telling me this. I know I may not like him but no one deserves to be beaten. And definitely not for being who they are.
"Yes. I have to live up to his life style and his beliefs. If I don't he makes me pay for it, he calls it teaching me a lesson that I better get through my head. That's why I called you what I did this afternoon. Because its what's expected of me. And if I didn't my father would hear that I let a muggleborn talk to me like that. Do you know how disgusted I was when I said that? Do you know how much I wanted to yell at all the Slytherins for laughing after I said it? I wanted to scream so badly and wanted to punch out each and every one of them. But I couldn't because I'm just a puppet while my father is the puppet master." He said exasperatedly and I could faintly see tears brimming in his eyes.
"I never knew." Wow that had to be the stupidest thing to say. Really? Get your act together Hermione! Malfoy bitterly laughed at this.
"That was sort or the point." He said with a ghostly smile.
"Right. Well I'm sorry for your situation." I said awkwardly. Am I actually having a conversation with him?
"Why are you sorry? I'm the one that should be apologizing. I know you must be really weirded out by me apologizing but I really am sorry. Seeing you cry just five minutes ago and seeing your face when I called you a… well you know, made me hate who my father is making me become. Personally I don't see a difference in our blood." He said matter-of-factly, bowing his head.
"T-Thank you" I said hesitantly. "Apology excepted." At that he looked up at me.
"Really?" he asked hesitantly.
"Really."
And then the most unexpected thing happened. He smiled. Not a smirk, but a genuine smile. And I couldn't help but smile back. At that he blushed, stuffed his hands back into his and started to rock on his feet. There was an awkward silence, which apparently bothered Alphy because he started barking, making both Draco and I jump. I turned around and walked back to the fountain, sitting back on the ledge with Alphy next to me.
"How in bloody hell did you get a dog here and not get caught?" Draco asked in amazement.
"I didn't. He was here when I first discovered this place in my first year; after the troll incident. I've come here ever since." I explained in a dreamy voice that could give Luna Lovegood a run for her money.
"I can see why. It's beautiful here. I have a beautiful garden at home too but with my house in the background it kind of knocks out its beauty. What's your dog's name?" he asked while walking around.
"Alphy. Short for Alpha; as in alpha male. He was pretty beaten up when I first saw him. He had a swollen eye and a limp and as you can see the tip of his ear is missing along with his tail. But you know, with a little help he got better. That can go for anyone you know." I said not looking at him but I could feel his intense stare on me. A rabbit just jumped out of the bushes and as usual Alphy started chasing it around the garden.
I felt Draco sit next to me on my left. "What do you mean?"
"I once heard this saying. 'Help will always be found for those who ask for it.'" At that point I looked straight at him. "You need help Draco. The life your living is not healthy for you. You need someone there for you. You need a friend." I said matter-or-factly.
He looked at me in disbelief and wonder. "A friend? You'd want to be my friend? But why? And how? I told you if anyone were to see us I would get in serious trouble. I can't afford the beatings." He said in a scared voice. I've never seen a person look so vulnerable. It made my heart break into a million pieces. At that moment I had more respect for Draco Malfoy than I ever thought I would.
"Here, in the garden. We can meet here. When you come here you'll be able to escape the life your father wants and enter the life of your own. The garden can be the place where you stop being the puppet and start being Draco. Where your secrets can be held and where your real friends are there for you. Like me." I said matter-of-factly. His face suddenly broke out into a huge smile and he gave me the biggest hug I've ever experienced. After a moment of shock I hugged him back and then added, "And Alphy of course." I heard him chuckle and felt the vibrations through his chest.
I heard a bark from my right and broke away from Draco to turn to Alphy. He ran up to Draco with his green tennis ball in his mouth and dropped it on his lap. Draco looked at the ball, then to Alphy, then to me in question. I couldn't help but giggle.
"He wants to play catch." When that didn't change his expression I elaborated. "You take the ball and throw it a distance away. Then he goes to catch it and when he does he brings it back to you and you repeat the process. Watch." I took the ball from his lap, stood up, and chucked it into the woods. Alphy jetted after the ball. A minute or two later he was back with the ball and dropped it at my feet. I bent down and picked up the ball. "See. You try."
Draco walked over and took the offered ball from my hands. He leaned his arm back and gave it a good throw into the woods. Alphy quickly ran after it and was back a minute later with it, dropping it at his feet.
Soon it was starting to get dark but we hadn't noticed. We were laughing and smiling, having a good time playing catch with Alphy. That's when both Draco and I noticed that this was just the beginning of a new friendship.