Hermione felt sorry for him really.
After the war, everyone was always talking about their role, even if they had nothing in common. It was particularly amusing to see seventh-year Gryffindors, giving first-year Slytherins a piggy-back ride into The Great Hall. It seemed the boundaries between both houses were chipping away, and the word "unity" was in the forefront of everyone's minds.
Except one.
Draco Malfoy had returned to his eight year with a blanket of loneliness, impossible to penetrate.
He sat at the end of his table, and people always avoided the seats next to him. It was like they were afraid his loneliness was contagious. Probably they were wondering the same thing. What was he doing here? Why was he retaking his seventh year, when he had been teacher's pet during it?
Apparently being a deatheater, could fuck up your grades majorly.
"Hermione! Do you want to come to Hogsmeade this weekend?" Ginny asked, disturbing her thoughts.
"Yes, I need to pick up some supplies," Hermione quickly accepted.
"Oh, good!" Ginny's eyes flicked over to Draco's table, almost like she knew where Hermione had been staring. "Do you want to invite someone else? Someone from our house, perhaps?"
"No," Hermione shook her head. Professor McGonagall had been walking down the table, catching up with her students, when she seemed to tap Hermione on the shoulder, and quickly walk out the hall. Exchanging high eyebrows, Hermione swung both legs out from under the table and hurried after her, certain it had to do with being a Head Girl.
Professor McGonagall was waiting for her, by the staircase.
"You have arranged a visit to Hogsmeade this weekend, am I correct?"
Hermione was impressed. Nothing much got past her former Transfiguration teacher.
"Ginny invited me. It was an easy acceptance."
"I was wondering if you could extend your duty of care to another student? He has been keeping to himself lately, and I'm worried about him. Especially when he seems to be an outcast, from many social groups and outings. It would be nice to extend him an olive branch, I think. Show him some people are still compassionate."
"Is the focus of this discussion, Draco Malfoy?"
"Well noticed, Miss Granger. Indeed, I would like him to go Hogsmeade with you. How you get his approval, is up to you. I am sure you can put that brain to good use."
"Ah..." Hermione didn't get a chance to say anymore, before the headmistress swung her cloak, and started walking up the stairs. She noticed a figure slipping out of the The Great Hall, and realised it was the subject of her dilemma. It didn't look like he heard. He was walking with his head down, and quick steps.
"MALFOY!" she yelled, before she could stop herself. Draco looked up, and his gaze was as blank as antarctica.
"What do you want?" He asked dully. No names. No insults. It was like he'd forgotten, that she was the first person to speak to him in three months, after the term started. His voice was husky with misuse. Guilt hit her square between the eyes. She had witnessed his ostracization, the beginning of a pariah, and stood back as a witness.
"Um, nothing."
He gave her a measured look, before heading to the dungeons.
Potions.
Another chance to ask him to go to Hogsmeade with her.
Another chance to buckle out.
"You shouldn't squish your billywing stings that way," Hermione snapped, even though he was doing it exactly right. Sweat was beading up under her hairline. The entire room was hazy with cauldron heat, making her want to faint. Malfoy's jaw ticked, like he wanted to say something rude. Instead he threw her a scornful look.
What are you doing here?
Everyone else was throwing her similar looks. They were aghast about her wanting to sit with the school reject. If Malfoy was surprised, he didn't show it. All the other tables were taken, so he had little choice but to start working opposite Hermione.
I want to sit next to you, so deal with it.
Hermione sent a challenging look back.
It was towards the end of the lesson, when Hermione managed to bottle enough courage to strike up a conversation. Draco was stirring his potion with a ladle, and a vial was ready in one hand. It was a delicious shade of yellow.
"So," she dropped conversationally. "What are you doing this weekend?"
The vial smashed to the floor.
Draco cursed, reaching out for his wand, but Hermione had already cleaned up the mess for him. He continued stirring the potion like a dummy, not knowing what to do. Usually he spent weekends in his dorm, by himself, and sometimes in the library. It was remarkable how quick he could gain an empty table, just by sitting at a full one.
"None of your salazar-damned business."
Hermione recoiled.
"Don't be like that. It's just a friendly question."
"Since when have we been friends?" he fixed her with a pointed gaze. "I know McGonagall set you up to this, don't pretend otherwise. Do you think I'd actually go Hogsmeade with you?" He barked with laughter. "No chance. I'm not that deprived of female company. Now stop bothering me."
To add injury to the whole thing, he muttered "mudblood" under his breath.
Hermione gritted her teeth. At that moment, she felt such a blinding hatred, she could barely reach out and pull Malfoy's face towards her, by the neck of his robes. Draco was wide-eyed. The hem of his robe, was disappearing into his cauldron and his groin was pushed uncomfortably into the edge of the desk.
It felt like his balls were about to burst.
"YOU CRAZY BITCH!" he yelled. His voice cracked. "PROFESSOR! MAKE HER GET OFF ME!"
"BOTH OF YOU!" The professor was livid. "DETENTION!"
Hermione was crying later that afternoon, when Ginny found her.
"What's wrong?" she asked, alarmed. "Did something happen? Don't tell me it was him!"
"What? No!" Hermione didn't even bother to ask who "he" was. "I got my first detention."
"But you're the Head Girl," Ginny said, stupefied.
"That's what makes it worse!"
Hermione dissolved into further tears, which had Ginny blinking in confusion. The girl had refused to cry for the majority of last year, but was now bawling her eyes out like a baby, for a detention. It was weird how the world worked.
"This isn't your first detention," Ginny said with hesitance. "What about the Forbidden Forest, in your first year?"
"That didn't count!" she sniffed. "We were with Hagrid! I was with Harry and Ron! Not just him."
"Riiigggght."
"What's the time now?" She peered out of the arched window, and saw the sun sinking behind the trees. Already long shadows were creeping over the ground, as a cold blast wafted in from the lake. She knew she was late. The professor had wanted her to meet Malfoy in the dungeon, shortly before sunset. "I need to go!" she gasped, getting off her bed and running to the portrait hole.
Hermione should've taken her time.
Malfoy was preparing to exit, as Hermione ran through the doorway. Draco caught her arm as she rushed past, and quickly pushed her back out, before dropping his hand.
"Why?" she blinked dumbfounded. "Has the detention been cancelled?"
"In your dreams," he snorted. "We need to pick some potion ingredients as our punishment."
"Really?" she blinked. "What?"
"Fluxweed, Wolfsbane, Leaping Toadstools, dried nettles..."
He folded his arms, and looked at her expectantly.
"Well, what are you standing here for? Lead the way."
Hermione didn't realise he was following her closely, until he bumped into her back, once they got outside. She flung back her head, and gave him an irritated look, which made him wisely back-up. "Lumos," she lit up her wand, and waited for him to do the same. "You go that way, and I'll go this way," she pointed in the opposite direction.
She had barely walked two steps, before Malfoy noisily protested.
"What is it?" she swiveled around, annoyed. "By splitting up, we can half the time we spend out here. Don't you want that?"
"Of course I do!" he hissed. "Buck-teeth!"
She took another step, and watched him involuntarily step towards her, maintaining the same distance. Malfoy was a huge scaredy-cat of the Forbidden Forest back in first year, he could barely be left alone for two...
Hermione hid a guffaw.
He was scared!
She darted away towards the beginning of the Forest, and heard Malfoy break into a sprint behind her. "Get back!" he called desperately, "I'm not going to chase you all night! It would serve you right, if I leave you out here to face all the things that go bump in the dark..."
Empty threats.
Hermione slowed down to a stop, a smile threatening to overtake her face, when Malfoy ran full-pelt into her, and they both went down in a tangle of limbs, rolling until they came to a bark of a tree. He was lying on top of her. Full weight pressing down. His body was unbelievably warm, compared to the freezing forest floor.
Her hands and face were scratched.
Malfoy picked his face up from her hair, and gave an excited yelp. It was a funny sort of vibration that caused his chest to bump up and down against her much softer cleavage. He didn't seem to notice when she put two hands on his chest, and pushed upwards.
Merlin, why did he feel so firm?
"The fluxweed!" he cried. "We've found it!"
He grabbed the base of the stem, planning to uproot it, when something ominously creaked above.
"What was that?" He stared down at Hermione's petrified face.
"Don't move," she was white as a sheet. "Don't even lift a finger."
"There's a bug on my shoulder, isn't there?"
"No you stupid arse!" she snarled. "Something worse than that. Something that can break your skull in two."
Draco didn't want to be decapitated, thank you very much, so made a lightening-fast jerk, to grab the fluxweed and stuff it in his pocket. It was the wrong move. As if the sensitivity of the root missing, alerted them to The Whoomping Willow, a branch swung out and started hurtling towards them at breakneck speed.
The last thing she expected was for Draco to roll over, so she was lying on top.