NOTP of Beater 1: Draco/Hermione

Prompts:

(word) sky blue

(quote) The problem with people is they forget that most of the time it's the small things that count – Theodore Finch, All the Bright Places

The girl who changed everything

It was two days before the train was due back to London, carrying the children currently residing within the castle of Hogwarts back to their families and back right into the middle of a war. Ever since the happenings at the Ministry of Magic a few days ago the war was taking up speed, rigorousness and more often than not families, and people not belonging to the Dark Lord were attacked and brutally murdered. It was a good question just how many of the students not in seventh year would return for the next year or for how long the ones graduating from school would survive.

Well, that was except those who would enter the Dark Lord's service.

That last question was ghosting through the mind of Draco Malfoy at just that moment. He was sitting on a slope leading down to the Black Lake, absently staring onto the mirror like surface. In two days, he finished his fifth school year, in two days he would return back home and in two days his entire life would change. Oh yes, he knew very well what would await him when he returned home, the Dark Mark. From what his father had told him in the last weeks, the Dark Lord had a mission for him.

But he didn't want to. He didn't want to be marked like kettle, he didn't want to fight for the man that ripped his family apart by staying at their home, he didn't want to have the Cruciatus Curse thrown his way for no reason at all and most definitely, he didn't want to fight Harry Potter and his group of friends.

Sure, he and Harry always seem to fight with each other but that was only what others saw. In reality they cared for each other, wanted to make sure the respective other was well and safe. Take the incident with the dragon in first year for example, he hadn't outed them because he wanted them punished or because he got enjoyment out of it. No, he had wanted them safe and he knew how tricky dragons could be so he informed McGonagall about it, but what did the bloody woman do? Send them into the forbidden forest where the shade of the Dark Lord had been lingering.

Then second year…he had sent Dobby to Harry in order to warn him that Hogwarts was unsafe but no he had to play the hero again.

He could go on and on like that for over the last five years but that didn't change anything, he didn't want to take the Dark Mark but there was no way of avoiding it, even his godfather couldn't help him.

Draco sat at the lake so lost in his depressing thoughts that he didn't notice that someone approached him and sat down right next to him.

"What are you worrying about?" a female voice ripped him out of his musing.

Blinking a few times to get back to reality, he looked at the person sitting right next to him. It was Hermione Granger; she wore a sky blue dress that hugged her frame just in the right places. Her hair was bound back at the nape of her neck and then pinned up to a lose bun.

Draco had to swallow hard; the girl next to him was stunning. He had already thought her gorgeous back in fourth year during the yule ball when she had appeared with Victor Krum but the problem was that she was a muggle-born. She was someone whom he had already called a mudblood on several occasions, only to cover up his own feelings, hiding them behind scorn and hatred. However, he liked her very much actually…dare he say it…loved her.

Hermione was intelligent and wanted to learn. Sure sometimes she could be narrow-minded when it came to certain ways of their ways but he somehow had the feeling it was only because she didn't know any better.

She could also be very fierce in defending her believes. Take for example S.P.E.W. not that he agreed with it far from it because house-elves needed a wizard to bond to in order to survive and sustain their magic but Hermione fought for her believes that house-elves should be treated like equals. She had fire and he had watched her many times during arguments.

Nevertheless, the problem was that she was a muggle-born and he was a Malfoy, they simply couldn't be together no matter what. How would it look like? A Malfoy married to a muggle-born…he would be disowned for even thinking of such.

No, he needed to keep his distance to her because not only they could never be together but also to keep her safe, he would never be able to look at himself should anything happen to her because of him. Not to mention that she probably didn't even feel the same way he did.

"What do you want, Granger?" he therefor snapped.

"I can see that you're deeply troubled about something. Tell me, maybe I can help," she replied with a smile towards the blond.

Draco just stared at her. "As if a mudblood could help me in any way," he snapped though to his utter confusion she didn't look hurt upon his insult, no she started to snicker. "Have you hit your head, Granger?"

Hermione snickered again and Draco had to admit that he liked the sound of it, he want it to last.

"Draco, you can insult me all you like but we both know that it isn't how you truly feel," Hermione replied with a knowing smirk.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Draco huffed turning his head away so that she wouldn't see his slight blushing. Oh no, she was right that was not how he was feeling but the problem was that he couldn't show his true feelings towards her.

However, what he hadn't considered was the boldness of Gryffindors, so he didn't expect Hermione to place a hand on his check and turning his head back towards her. Once he looked at her, she looked deep into his eyes before she leaned forwards and kissed him. At first he was too stunned to react in any way but quickly all his resistance melted away and with it all his masks. Leaning into the kiss and returning it with all he had, he placed a hand in the girl's neck to pull her even closer. Only when the need for air became too much they pulled away.

"How did you know?" he asked breathless.

"The problem with people is they forget that most of the time it's the small things that count. All the little things you did to help Harry, me and in extension even Ron, sure you always banter with Harry but that is only a front you put up for others, isn't it?" she asked with a smile leaning back to be able to look at him properly.

Draco could only stare at her; he had thought that his mask had been perfect to the outside. However, here sat a girl that obviously could read him like an open book, a girl that seemingly had the same feelings for him as he had for her. All he could do was leaning forward and kissing her again. The kiss continued for a few moments when they both heard someone gasp behind them. Jerking away from each other, they turned around seeing Weasley standing a few feet away with wide eyes his face as red as his hair.

"Hermione, you let yourself be kissed by one of those slimy snakes, not to mention Malfoy?!" Ron snarled.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, whom I kiss and whom not is none of your business," she snapped back. "I'm not your girlfriend and I never will be."

That however seemed to edge the redhead further on. "I'll tell Harry all about it. Let's see how you like that," he shouted before he stormed off towards the castle.

Hermione only shrugged before she turned back around to the lake.

"Are you not worried?" Draco tentatively asked.

"What? That he tells Harry? As I know Harry he will only shrug and be happy for me. As for you…who will believe him?" she snickered. Oh yes, Ron will be in for one hell of a surprise. "Harry knows as well as I do that your rivalry is only a front," she added upon seeing Draco's shocked face.

"I really wonder how he had managed to get into Gryffindor," Draco shook his head.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Hermione smirked. "However, I didn't want to talk about Harry, I wanted to know what has you so worried."

Draco sighed letting himself falling back into the grass watching the clouds passing by. "The holidays, did you know that the Dark Lord is staying at our manor?" Hermione shook her head. "I'm supposed to take the Dark Mark this summer because the Dark Lord has a mission for me for our sixth year," he didn't know why he confessed all that but it felt good talking about all his worries.

"And you don't want to?"

"I don't want to," he acknowledged looking down at his hands.

Hermione laughed lightly. "Come on, let's get inside and find a solution to your problem," she said standing up before she hold out his hand towards him.

Looking up at her, he made a decision that should change his life from then on. He grabbed her hand and let himself be pulled up before he followed her towards the castle.

"Yeah let's," he muttered with a smile, suddenly life didn't seem so dour anymore and he swore to himself that he would find a way not only to avoid taking the mark but also to keep the beautiful young lady that was currently walking in front of him. Yes, that sounded like a plan.