Author's Note: I really hope you enjoy this story and please leave reviews. Sorry again to those who read my unfinished story In Love With You but I don't plan on leaving this one hanging.
This will be in Hermione's 7th year and after the war with Voldemort. I know it's cliché but I just want to write something I would enjoy reading myself.
Lots of Love - Miss Dissendium
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine.
Love on the Rocks
Chapter One: Was That Even Possible?
"Blood hell! What have you got in this thing? A sack of bricks?"
Hermione Granger , tapping her tennis shoe clad foot on the solid ground beneath her, playfully swatted her best friend Ronald Weasley on the arm and laughingly quipped, "Honestly Ronald if you and Harry are too weak to lift a piddly little trunk then Gryffindor has no chance at all of winning this year's Quidditch Cup! We'll have to call in the Creevey brothers for back up!"
Wrinkling his brow in concentration, Ron managed to help Harry toss the trunk up on the Hogwarts Express just as the last call for boarding was announced. "Piddly? Felt like the entire Restricted Section was in that thing. We had better get a move on or we'll never get a compartment," said Ron as he boarded the Hogwarts Express right behind his two best friends.
Just as Hermione was starting to think that maybe they wouldn't find an empty compartment, the trio opened the door to an unoccupied cubicle towards the back of the train. Harry and Ron plopped down on one of the cushy benches and Hermione settled herself on the opposite side of the tiny room. Grinning at the two boys sitting in front of her, Hermione sighed, "I can't believe we're finally here. It's our last year at Hogwarts! We're going to have so much fun this year but we have to keep our studies in line. As soon as we get our classes I'm going to start schedu…"
Cutting in quickly at the mention of classes and schedules, Ron laughed and said, "Whoa! 'Mione, we haven't even arrived at Hogwarts yet. These are going to be our last few hours without homework to worry about so why don't we talk about something else."
Frowning at Ron, Hermione sat up a bit straighter in her seat and leant forward as if that would help to get her point across. "Ron you can't procrastinate on your school work this year. You and Harry's futures…" Just as Hermione had started to launch into one of her usual bossy lectures the compartment door slid open and all three of the occupants turned at once to see who had opened the door. Draco Malfoy, already cloaked in his school robes, stood in the door way but, in place of his usual haughty arrogant sneer, an empty look was plastered across his pale face. Hermione hadn't seen Malfoy since the end of last school year but she had heard plenty to know why he looked so hopeless. The headlines of the Daily Prophet had screamed about the downfall of Voldemort during the summer after her sixth year and most days you could find at least two pages dedicated to the punishments of Deatheaters who had been captured by the Order. The Malfoy name has been smeared all over the front pages as it was realized that Draco had turned to the side of the light sometime during his sixth year and he had betrayed his own father to help Dumbledore defeat Voldemort. Lucius Malfoy had been caught by several Order members before he could flee the scene of the final battle but not before he had tortured numerous amounts of innocent Muggles. The Ministry had a nightmare on its hands but they still managed to see that Lucius received the Dementor's Kiss shortly after he stood trial. Draco's mother, not being able to handle the stress of having her "good" name soiled, had abandoned Draco at the Malfoy Manor and no one had heard from her since. It was no wonder he looked as if his dreams had just shattered before his eyes because…they had. Despite years of torment from the icy Slytherin, Hermione felt a wave of sympathy for the disturbed boy and felt an odd urge to comfort him. Shaking her head of silky brown hair, Hermione blinked a few times and wondered where those thoughts had come from. Just as she was about to ask Draco what he wanted, Ron jumped up of his bench with a look of fury etched on his freckled face and growled, "What do you want Malfoy? No one wants to see your ferret face in here!"
Ignoring Ron's insults , Draco focused his piercing silver eyes on Hermione and she felt a jolt of electricity run from her head to her toes. Blushing furiously at the strange feelings she was experiencing, Hermione kept her chocolate brown eyes locked with Malfoy's and asked hesitantly, "Wha…what do you need Dra…Malfoy?"
"I need you to come with me," answered Draco without the slightest indication as to why he made his request.
Hermione, who was still staring at Draco's face, failed to respond and Ron took it upon himself to bellow, "Like hell she's going anywhere with you! Just because you claimed to have come to our side before the war ended that doesn't mean anyone trusts you. You're a traitor who turned on his own family. You don't deserve to be alive!" Hermione cringed at Ron's stinging words and whipped her head around to stare openmouthed at him. Before she could utter a single word an enraged sounding reply came from the Slytherin still standing in the door way. "I may have been confused at the beginning of the war but that doesn't make me a traitor. I never held allegiance to Voldemort or to my father! I decided to join the Order of my own free will and you are in no place to judge me. I came to get Granger to discuss Head Boy and Girl business and that if no concern of yours!" With that Draco turned his steely gaze back onto Hermione, raised his eyebrows, and stalked back out into the corridor.
Hermione shot an apologetic look to the silent Harry and the fuming Ron and shut the door on her way out. She found Draco leaning against the wall outside of the train compartment and, recovering some of her Gryffindor courage, looked him in the face. Traces of his previous anger were still lurking on his features but his face calmed as he focused on the task ahead of him. The two locked eyes again but this time Hermione kept her head about her. In an amused voice she said , "You certainly know how to rile him up."
He almost looked like his old self when a smirk slid across his face but Hermione didn't sense any menace behind the normally cruel expression. His face was actually quite handsome when he wasn't trying to win the gold medal in the sneering Olympics. Hermione mentally slapped herself for even thinking about Malfoy as anything other than a ferret and stuttered, "What exactly did we need to discuss. I know we'll be working together this year but I don't see why we need to discuss anything. We'll only have to see each other occasionally at meetings and we can both get on with our everyday lives…why are you grinning at me?" This last part was said sort of breathlessly because Hermione's breathing capabilities were being affected by Malfoy's smile. She had never seen him smile in such a non-malicious manner and it sent very unwanted sensations cascading throughout her body. Goose bumps popped up all over her arms and Hermione wrapped her arms around herself automatically.
Still grinning slightly, Draco arched an eyebrow and said in his silky voice, "That's a good one Granger. What you're serious? I thought you would have read the Head Boy and Girl Handbook by now. We have to share a common room so our rooms are going to be right next to each other. We'll be seeing each other quite a bit this year." Hermione went cold at the thought of having to live so near to the unnerving boy and unconsciously she shivered even more. Before she had a chance to respond to his comments, Hermione felt warm silk fabric envelope her small frame and she glanced up to find Draco's face mere inches from hers. A small smile was spread across his face and for some wild reason Hermione noticed the way his nose wrinkled slightly.
Draco Malfoy, her long hated arch enemy, had removed his cloak and settled it around her shoulders. With a teasing lilt in his voice, Draco leaned in and whispered, "We don't want the Head Girl catching cold now do we. Keep it until you get to change into your school robes. See you at the Feast. Give Potty and Weasel my regards." With that Draco turned and Hermione watched as he slinked down the hall. Once he was out of site Hermione wrapped the edges of the cloak tighter and breathed in deeply. The scent of expensive cologne reached her nostrils and Hermione grew light headed at what had just occurred. She had just been the recipient of a kind act by none other than…Draco Malfoy. Was that even possible?
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