Glass Dragons

By: TaCe

Rating: This chapter is PG

Pairing: Draco/Hermione, all the way baby!

Summary: She took in his tear-stained cheeks, his puffy, red eyes, their grey depths filled with a sadness which she knew was mirrored in her own. She took in his disheveled white-blonde hair, his rumpled clothes, his beautiful face, and in that moment, she felt a new sensation in the very core of her being.

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Eesa doesn't own them. Megz doesn't, Barbie doesn't, Juja doesn't, Ana doesn't... oh, well. Guess I'm out of luck. I'm not making money off of this anyways, so please, don't sue me!

Dedication: To my Beta/Partial Co-author/Best Friend Eesa!!! This one's all for you, girl!

A/N: Eesa and I made this together, but I wrote it. Props to Eesa, the awesome friend! Now, I realized that the characters are a little mature for their age, so we're saying that they are extremely smart, well-behaved children, even at this age. (Well, we know that they're smart, but well behaved might be pushing it...)

Hermione Granger entered her best friend's room, looking around for the blonde child. She didn't see him, but she could hear him. She moved towards his bed, climbing onto it to look down into the hidden gap between the bed and the wall. She smiled, seeing the white-blonde hair of her childhood companion, until he raised his head to look at her. Her smile disappeared, and she quickly lowered herself down to the floor beside him. She touched his tear-stained cheek with her small hand, before wrapping him in her silent embrace, offering comfort to the weeping boy.

They stayed like that for over a minute, before the boy pulled away. "What's wrong, Draco?" The bushy haired 6-year-old muggle inquired softly.

"Everything, 'Mione. Everything," Draco Malfoy whispered back. The room was filled with silence, interrupted solely by the sound of Draco sniffling, tears still running down his cheeks. He took a few minutes to gather his strength. Then, he spoke, and as he did so, he felt his six- year-old heart break for the second time that day. "We're moving away, 'Mione. My dad found us, and he's taking us with him to his home. He said I can't see you anymore, he said we have to go our own ways. I don't want to leave, 'Mione! I want to stay here, with you!" The tears that had already been cascading down his cheeks increased, and Hermione felt his sobs wrack her body, shaking her to the soul. A single tear escaped from the corner of her eye.

"When do you leave?" She asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Early tomorrow," he managed between sobs.

Hermione's arms wrapped tighter around her best friend, and they simply stayed like that, caught up in the pain of losing someone, even if not to death, at their young age. They continued to sit there, Hermione holding Draco, each drawing much-needed strength and comfort from the other.

They did not move for over an hour, when Hermione's mom came to pick her up. They both crawled out of the crevice for the last time, and stood in the middle of Draco's room. Hermione suddenly noticed how very empty it seemed, and wondered vaguely why she had not noticed it before. In truth, she had not expected it to look any different than usual, and so her mind had absorbed none of the changes, no matter how obvious they seemed now that she knew the truth.

"Come on, Hermione, dear," Mrs. Granger's voice floated into the room from out in the hall. "We have to go now."

Hermione looked into the face of the boy beside her. He was taller than her by a few inches, and she had to look up to do so. She took in his tear- stained cheeks, his puffy, red eyes, their grey depths filled with a sadness which she knew was mirrored in her own. She took in his disheveled white-blonde hair, his rumpled clothes, his beautiful face, and in that moment, she felt a new sensation in the very core of her being. It threatened to burst out into the silence of the room, and tears filled her eyes once more. In that moment, Hermione Granger loved Draco Malfoy. And nothing, not distance, not social standing, not even blood, would ever change that.

She lifted herself up on tiptoe and pressed her lips against his. She pulled back, wiping her hand over her mouth, half disgusted at the thought that she had just kissed a boy, and looked up into his face one last time. She turned to leave, when she felt his hand on her arm. She turned to him, and he handed her a small package, pressing his lips to her forehead. "I love you, 'Mione. Don't forget me."

"Never, Draco. Never!" She cried, before turning and running from the room, tears filling her eyes, cascading down her cheeks, as she ran past her mother, who was saying good-bye to Mrs. Malfoy. She ran out the front door and across the street to her own house. She threw open the door, and flew up the stairs and down the hall to her room, where she collapsed onto her bed, sobbing. She felt numb.

After about ten minutes, she got up from her bed, tears till running down her cheeks. She picked up a photo album off her bookshelf. It was full of photographs of herself and Draco. She looked at photos of them as they slowly grew up before the camera. However, when she got to pictures of the two of them at Draco's last birthday party, she found it impossible to continue to look at the book, for the tears had blurred her vision so much that there was nothing in front of her but vague shapes.

She lay down with the book open next to her on her bed and the package on the other, and cried herself to sleep.

When she woke up the next morning, Draco was gone. She sat on her bed, unfeeling, all morning. She finally realized that she had yet to open Draco's present. She picked up the brown paper package, rolling it over in her hands. Slowly, ever so slowly, she opened it.

Inside the wrap, there was a small. Her hands shook as she opened it. Inside was a glass dragon, exquisite in it's own right, reflecting the light coming in from the window as rainbows on her walls. Hermione smiled through her tears at the symbol in the gift. Draco was her Dragon, and he would watch over her, so she could be strong like a dragon, too.

"I won't forget you, Draco. Never ever."

A/N: Thanks for reading this chapter! Please review, and tell me what you think! Are they waaaaaaaaaaaaay too mature? Is it a dumb story? Please, tell me honestly, but please be constructive. No one likes lectures, and I've had a bad day.