Disclaimer: I live, breathe, and dream Harry Potter, but I do not own it.

Hermione Granger didn't cry, she just didn't. Except that right then she was. The bright side, it seemed, was that there was no one there to witness it. She was freezing, yes, but that was the reason no one would be there. Why would anyone go out in this cold and sit by the lake of all places? So she leaned against a tree and let the tears fall.

He was startled to hear someone approaching. He doubted anyone would be out in such bad weather, but there she was, and she didn't even notice him. It became obvious why when he heard crying. In all the years he'd tormented her, Draco Malfoy had never seen Hermione Granger cry, and he'd said some nasty stuff, he knew. That's why as he watched her small frame rocking with sobs he felt both curiosity and rage. Curiosity as to what could've possibly gone so wrong and rage and whomever had caused her that much pain.

He hesitated for a while before he moved from his place in the shadows to go sit with her. "Granger?" He called, not wanting to scare her. She jumped anyway, clearly too lost in thought. "Malfoy?" She asked surprised. He hadn't said a bad word to her since the war ended but that was just the thing he had not said a word, not one. He had made an art of avoiding her. "What's wrong?" He asked as he came closer. "Nothing" She answered immediately. "you're crying, Granger, something is obviously wrong. Tell me". Her eyes met his, and though she didn't say a word, he could see everything in her eyes. She was hurt, obviously, but she as also shocked and confused, and who could blame her.

"Look..uh..." He ran a hand through his hair nervously "I-I've changed and-"
"I know" She cut in and it was he turn to be confused.
"You know?"
She nodded "Yeah. You stopped insulting me, and you wouldn't just stop because everyone else has" He regarded her carefully "So..you don't hate me anymore?" He asked
She shock her head "It's more of a principle, though"
"A principle?"
"Yeah, see if we keep on hating each other than everyone who died, died in vain and that's just not right, so I don't hate you" She explained. "That's good, I guess, so now that we've established that tell me what's wrong". She shrugged "Just Ron being Ron, he didn't even say anything that bad. Just bad timing". He fumed, Weasley, he should've known. "What did he do?" He demanded. "He didn't do anything!" She defended "We were talking about what we wanted to do after Hogwarts and he said that he thought I probably had a job at the ministry waiting already. I told him I didn't even want that, and he went 'But 'Mione, that's what you are good at' which is a compliment really, because working at the ministry isn't easy, but I hate how everyone just assumes, and expects too much" She glanced at him when she finished "And you were actually listening to me" She said, a small smile playing on her lips. Malfoy was actually making her feel better, who would've known!

He smiled back, "Of course I was. So what do you want to be, then?" He inquired, clearly interested. "I don't know, yet, but I want it to be something simple, you know? After everything that has happened I just want to relax for a little while" She played with the freezing grass for a bit then added "You'r the first person to bother asking me that. Everyone thinks they know already". "What ever you do, will be brilliant. That is a safe assumption to make" She grinned "Thanks, Malfoy" He watched as her whole face lit up and wondered how he'd never noticed how fascinating she was before.

"you're staring, Malfoy" She said playfully after a while of silence. "Was not, Granger!" He denied, even though she was right. "You so were" She insisted as she leaned further back against the tree. He smirked "What if I were?" He asked
"What if you were staring? I was just kidding"
"I'm not. What if I were staring?"
"I don't know! What if you were?"
"Would you go to Hogesmead with me?"
She sat up straight "You want me to...you want to..go out..with me?"
"No, Granger, I'm asking you if I could take someone else" He teased "Yeah, I want to go out with you, so would you?"
"Okay"
"Okay?"
"Were you hoping for another answer?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, no, 'okay' is fine" Oh this was going to be fun.