CHAPTER 1~ The First Meeting
The war was continuing to become more deadly by the minute. The dark side was becoming weaker, but still refused 2 give up. The light side knew that victory was still a long way off, they were getting more supporters and were training them to be put into battle.
This was the fourth year of the War for Power, as they called it. Harry Potter was now twenty years old and a strong soldier and supporter of the light side. Ron Weasley was still his best friend and was fighting by his side. Although she wanted desperately to become a soldier, Hermione Granger was refused for the sheer fact that she was a female. Instead, she became a nurse so that she could take care of the wounded soldiers. All of this had been expected by the entire wizarding community.
The surprising factor was one Draco Malfoy. He had taken on a neutral position during the war. He refused the light side because he disliked their reasons for starting the war in the first place. He had also turned down Voldemort. Because of this, he was disowned. Lucius Malfoy refused to take claims to him because "A true Malfoy wouldn't have even dreamt of refusing the Dark Lord."
~
Draco was sitting in the study of his quiet mansion reading when there was a loud, repeated knock at his front door. He grabbed his wand off the desk and walked into the main hallway so he could see who was disturbing him. When he opened the door, a beautiful woman stood before him. Lowering his wand, he stared at her and she stared back. **I know her** he thought. **She looks so damn familiar** Suddenly it clicked. "Granger?" he asked as his eyes widened in shock.
"Malfoy," she nodded in response.
"It-how have you been? I haven't seen you since graduation."
"I've been fine, but I'm not here to talk about old school arguments or what you've been up to and petty things like that. I'm a nurse for the light side, and we need a new place to keep our injured soldiers-a place where no one would suspect. Do you think we could use a spare room here?" she mumbled quickly.
"Why my house?"
"Because it's probably the biggest house within 1000 miles, and I also happen to know that it's the most protected. We really need you help. I know that we never exactly got along well in school, but we need to put out differences aside so we can save the lives of the soldiers."
"Uh sure. I have a few spare rooms you could use. You wanna come in for a cup of coffee or something? It's pretty cold out there."
"Could we hold off for about an hour or so so we can get everyone transferred here?"
"Yeah that's -uh no problem."
"You don't mind do you? I kinda feel bad about doing this." She looked into his grey eyes and noted that they were warmer than they had been at Hogwarts.
"It's really no problem. Like I said before, I have enough spare rooms. I live alone, it's not like you'll be bothering anyone. Except maybe me, and you've never really had a problem with that before." He smirked his trademark smirk. The same smirk that had taunted Hermione for seven years now returned to the pale, young man's lips. The strands of blonde hair that fell across his gorgeous grey eyes made him look almost angelic.
"So I'll be back in about an hour then," Hermione confirmed.
He nodded and Hermione disapparated with a soft pop.
Back at the base, Hermione informed the other nurses that they would be able to transfer all the patients to Draco Malfoy's house. Most of them looked a little tentative at first, but Hermione assured them that everything would be perfectly safe. Once they had all agreed, they began to move the patients to the large manor.
Within forty-five minutes, all the patients had been transferred and Draco and Hermione were sitting in the kitchen. Both had a mug of coffee and were sitting in a relatively comfortable silence. Draco broke the silence by saying, "So are you eventually gunna marry Potter or Weasley?"
"No! They're like my brothers. That would just be ugh-wrong," she answered. "Whatever happened between you and Pansy?"
"She left me when I was disowned. I knew she didn't love me and I didn't love her, but I had never been without her. We were forced together as children, and the reason she clung to me so tightly was because she was began paid a large sum of money by both Lucius and her father. After Lucius disowned me, he paid her five times the normal amount he would to dump me. To tell you truthfully, I wasn't exactly crushed; I knew it was coming. I'm better off on my own. I never loved her and I don't think I ever could. I was never shown love therefore I never gave any in return. I think I was born with a stone heart," he explained. It was almost as if they were long time friends who were just catching up with each other's lives.
"Draco, no one is born with a stone heart. People will sometimes put on a cover to hide their true feelings. It's kinda like a complex or something."
"You called me Draco."
"Yeah I guess I did." She smiled warmly at him. In her heart, she had already forgiven him for the years of torment he had put her through. She knew that it had all been necessary for his survival. No doubt she had been hurt at times, but she knew the pain that Draco had felt was much worse.
"You've never called me by my real name before, ever. I like how it sounds when you say it." He returned the smile. It was the first genuine smile that Hermione had ever seen him wear.
"You look good when you smile," Hermione commented.
"You've seen me smile before."
"No I haven't. You always smirk. There is definitely a difference. I have never seen you truly smile until just now. You should smile more often; it makes your whole face light up.
"Thanks, Hermione," her name rolled off his tongue as if he had been saying it his entire life.
They chatted for a while longer about their lives after Hogwarts. Draco had been working in the Ministry of Magic. He was one of the few male wizards that had not taken sides in the war.
"I should be getting upstairs now," Hermione said. She got up and moved toward the door to exit the kitchen.
"Hermione," Draco called after her getting up himself.
"Yeah, Draco?"
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For all the shit I put you through during school. I'm sorry about the whole mudblood thing and the shit with Rita Skeeter and getting you into trouble when you didn't do anything wrong and for just being a total prick for seven years of your life when you didn't deserve any of it. Is there anyway that you can forgive me?"
"I've already forgiven you a long time ago. I know it was all just an act, and if you didn't act like a total jackass Lucius probably would have killed you." She paused for a second then continued, "I should be the one apologizing though. I used to be so naïve and dense. I had absolutely no idea what you were going through. To me you were always a rich, spoiled brat. Instead of answering you or fighting back, I could have at least tried to figure out your reasoning behind it all. It wasn't until after we graduated that I started to figure things out."
"That wasn't your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for. You were always the perfect student-the model Gryffindor, Prefect for two years, Head Girl, you even had the highest marks the school has ever seen. You could do it all, and I was jealous."
Hermione could feel her cheeks turn red. "I was far from perfect, I just didn't get caught. You don't know how many times I snuck out after hours, whether I was alone or with Ron and Harry. If I had gotten caught every time I snuck out, that too would be a new school record." At this they both laughed a little. "I really do have to get back, though. I feel bad about leaving the other nurses to do everything."
"I'll walk upstairs with you. There's not much else I can do anyway," he offered.
"Alright," she agreed.
They walked in silence until they reached their destination. "I guess I'll see you later," Hermione said.
"Yeah later. If you need me, I'll be in my study if you need me. Don't hesitate to come down."
She nodded her head and pushed the door open. "Thanks for the coffee."
"It was no problem." She smiled and headed into the big, bright room.
"Hermione, where have you been?" Ginny Weasley called. "It's hell in here. Help me clean up some of these newcomers."
Hermione walked over to where Ginny was and did some cleaning and healing spell on the man that lay before her.
"You didn't answer my question," Ginny pointed out after a few minutes.
"Oh, that. Malfoy wanted to talk to me. He was actually being very civil. He gave me a cup of coffee and we talked for a little while."
"Well that's lucky!" Ginny exclaimed.
"Why?"
"He's only the hottest guy I've ever laid eyes on. Sure Harry's good- looking, but Draco's a god compared to him!"
"Looks aren't everything, Gin," Hermione reminded her.
"I know, but still, almost every girl in Hogwarts hallowed the ground he walked on."
"Yeah but-" She didn't know what to say. Draco had always been so mean to her at Hogwarts. They had hated each other for seven years, and now he was acting as if they had been great friends the whole time. She had always heard that there was a fine line between love and hate, but she didn't know exactly how fine that line was.
Hermione walked over to another bed and began examining the patient. He had obviously lost a lot of blood and there were deep gashes all over his body. She did a quick spell to heal the wounds and called for a blood transfusion. Soon there were nurses bustling around him with blood and IVs.
Hermione checked up on most of the men in the room and was running around seeing if they were comfortable and that they weren't in much pain.
At about midnight, Draco came in and handed her a cup of coffee. "What's this for?" she asked.
"It looks like you could use it. It looks like you're gunna fall asleep on you feet," he stated simply.
"Yeah I think I am." She smiled a little and looked around the room at the sleeping soldiers. "You know, I dread the day that one of my friends shows up in here. I don't think I could handle that. I don't want to see them in pain."
"I'm sure they're fine." He gave her an encouraging smile. "They always seemed to managed to get themselves out of troublesome situations at school."
"This is different, it's war. There are people out there who could kill them off with one curse. They could be blown to bits and I wouldn't find out. I told them not to become soldiers, but they ignored my pleas. They don't know how much danger they put themselves in. They think they're invincible, but they're not. Everyone dies."
"I'm sure they'll pull through. They got training didn't they? They'll be able to protect themselves from many of the curses."
"I hope you're right, Draco. I really hope you're right."
Draco wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned into his warm embrace.
Ginny looked over to wear Draco and Hermione were holding each other, and a wave of jealousy spread throughout her body. She had Harry, but she was willing to throw everything she had with him to spend just one night with Draco. She knew she shouldn't feel that way because she really did love Harry, but she just found everything about Draco to be so sexy.
Draco felt comfortable around Hermione. She made him feel like nothing else in the world mattered, and he liked how she made him feel complete. He leaned down and kissed her forehead lightly. "You should really get some sleep," he whispered. "Many of the other nurses have already found a couch and curled up for the night."
"I can't," she yawned. "I hafta stay here." As she spoke her eyelids began to droop.
Draco noticed this and said, "You're going to bed. Don't even bother trying to argue with me, you won't win." He put one of his arms around her shoulders and took the now empty coffee mug out of her hands.
He led her up to his room and told her to sleep on his bed. She hardly even heard him. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was asleep. Draco covered her with a blanket and fell asleep in the chair by the window.
~
Hermione woke up the next morning in a bed with silk black sheets in a very unfamiliar room. She looked around and noticed a sleeping figure in a chair by the window. Quietly, she walked over to him and gently shook him awake.
"What time is it?" he asked groggily.
"How's your back feeling?" she asked feeling a little concerned.
"Like it was stabbed with about five hundred needles. How are you feeling?"
"Quite well, actually. Why don't you get up so I can do a spell to release the pain?"
"Okay, thanks." He stood up slowly and a bit shakily. It was obvious that he was straining not to cry put in pain. He still hated to show others his weaknesses. Hermione performed a quick spell and the pain was gone almost instantaneously.
"You didn't have to sleep like that you know. I wouldn't have really minded if you wanted to sleep in your bed."
"I was just trying to be nice. I don't know how you would have felt about that anyway."
"It's not like we were planning on having sex."
"Yeah, but we haven't exactly been the greatest friends over the years. I didn't know if you would feel comfortable sleeping in the same bed with me, that's all."
"I wouldn't have minded. This is your house and your bed, so you should get to sleep in it. I would have slept on the chair."
"Don't be ridiculous! I would never do that to a woman."
"Okay. Let's not argue over something so stupid. Is there a bathroom in here? I could really use a shower."
"Right through that door." He pointed to a door on the left. Hermione thanked him and walked in.
**Wow, she's grown even prettier since our days at Hogwarts. I should just tell her how I feel and get it over with. Why am I so scared lately? When she comes out, I'm just gunna tell her. It can't be that hard** Draco thought.
Hermione walked into the large bathroom. It looked very much like the Prefect's bathroom at Hogwarts. She turned some of the taps on the tub until it was filled and she slipped into the warm water. ^^I have to tell him how I really feel about him. He's the reason why I haven't gone on any dates since Hogwarts. Every time I'm asked out I see his face and I turn them down. I have to tell him. Once I'm done, I'll finally tell him the truth^^
She finished her bath and while later and put on some clean clothes. She opened the door and walked over to Draco.
"Hermione" "Draco" they said together.
"I've liked you since we went to Hogwarts."
"What?!"
"I've liked you since we went to Hogwarts."
"Oh my God!"
The war was continuing to become more deadly by the minute. The dark side was becoming weaker, but still refused 2 give up. The light side knew that victory was still a long way off, they were getting more supporters and were training them to be put into battle.
This was the fourth year of the War for Power, as they called it. Harry Potter was now twenty years old and a strong soldier and supporter of the light side. Ron Weasley was still his best friend and was fighting by his side. Although she wanted desperately to become a soldier, Hermione Granger was refused for the sheer fact that she was a female. Instead, she became a nurse so that she could take care of the wounded soldiers. All of this had been expected by the entire wizarding community.
The surprising factor was one Draco Malfoy. He had taken on a neutral position during the war. He refused the light side because he disliked their reasons for starting the war in the first place. He had also turned down Voldemort. Because of this, he was disowned. Lucius Malfoy refused to take claims to him because "A true Malfoy wouldn't have even dreamt of refusing the Dark Lord."
~
Draco was sitting in the study of his quiet mansion reading when there was a loud, repeated knock at his front door. He grabbed his wand off the desk and walked into the main hallway so he could see who was disturbing him. When he opened the door, a beautiful woman stood before him. Lowering his wand, he stared at her and she stared back. **I know her** he thought. **She looks so damn familiar** Suddenly it clicked. "Granger?" he asked as his eyes widened in shock.
"Malfoy," she nodded in response.
"It-how have you been? I haven't seen you since graduation."
"I've been fine, but I'm not here to talk about old school arguments or what you've been up to and petty things like that. I'm a nurse for the light side, and we need a new place to keep our injured soldiers-a place where no one would suspect. Do you think we could use a spare room here?" she mumbled quickly.
"Why my house?"
"Because it's probably the biggest house within 1000 miles, and I also happen to know that it's the most protected. We really need you help. I know that we never exactly got along well in school, but we need to put out differences aside so we can save the lives of the soldiers."
"Uh sure. I have a few spare rooms you could use. You wanna come in for a cup of coffee or something? It's pretty cold out there."
"Could we hold off for about an hour or so so we can get everyone transferred here?"
"Yeah that's -uh no problem."
"You don't mind do you? I kinda feel bad about doing this." She looked into his grey eyes and noted that they were warmer than they had been at Hogwarts.
"It's really no problem. Like I said before, I have enough spare rooms. I live alone, it's not like you'll be bothering anyone. Except maybe me, and you've never really had a problem with that before." He smirked his trademark smirk. The same smirk that had taunted Hermione for seven years now returned to the pale, young man's lips. The strands of blonde hair that fell across his gorgeous grey eyes made him look almost angelic.
"So I'll be back in about an hour then," Hermione confirmed.
He nodded and Hermione disapparated with a soft pop.
Back at the base, Hermione informed the other nurses that they would be able to transfer all the patients to Draco Malfoy's house. Most of them looked a little tentative at first, but Hermione assured them that everything would be perfectly safe. Once they had all agreed, they began to move the patients to the large manor.
Within forty-five minutes, all the patients had been transferred and Draco and Hermione were sitting in the kitchen. Both had a mug of coffee and were sitting in a relatively comfortable silence. Draco broke the silence by saying, "So are you eventually gunna marry Potter or Weasley?"
"No! They're like my brothers. That would just be ugh-wrong," she answered. "Whatever happened between you and Pansy?"
"She left me when I was disowned. I knew she didn't love me and I didn't love her, but I had never been without her. We were forced together as children, and the reason she clung to me so tightly was because she was began paid a large sum of money by both Lucius and her father. After Lucius disowned me, he paid her five times the normal amount he would to dump me. To tell you truthfully, I wasn't exactly crushed; I knew it was coming. I'm better off on my own. I never loved her and I don't think I ever could. I was never shown love therefore I never gave any in return. I think I was born with a stone heart," he explained. It was almost as if they were long time friends who were just catching up with each other's lives.
"Draco, no one is born with a stone heart. People will sometimes put on a cover to hide their true feelings. It's kinda like a complex or something."
"You called me Draco."
"Yeah I guess I did." She smiled warmly at him. In her heart, she had already forgiven him for the years of torment he had put her through. She knew that it had all been necessary for his survival. No doubt she had been hurt at times, but she knew the pain that Draco had felt was much worse.
"You've never called me by my real name before, ever. I like how it sounds when you say it." He returned the smile. It was the first genuine smile that Hermione had ever seen him wear.
"You look good when you smile," Hermione commented.
"You've seen me smile before."
"No I haven't. You always smirk. There is definitely a difference. I have never seen you truly smile until just now. You should smile more often; it makes your whole face light up.
"Thanks, Hermione," her name rolled off his tongue as if he had been saying it his entire life.
They chatted for a while longer about their lives after Hogwarts. Draco had been working in the Ministry of Magic. He was one of the few male wizards that had not taken sides in the war.
"I should be getting upstairs now," Hermione said. She got up and moved toward the door to exit the kitchen.
"Hermione," Draco called after her getting up himself.
"Yeah, Draco?"
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For all the shit I put you through during school. I'm sorry about the whole mudblood thing and the shit with Rita Skeeter and getting you into trouble when you didn't do anything wrong and for just being a total prick for seven years of your life when you didn't deserve any of it. Is there anyway that you can forgive me?"
"I've already forgiven you a long time ago. I know it was all just an act, and if you didn't act like a total jackass Lucius probably would have killed you." She paused for a second then continued, "I should be the one apologizing though. I used to be so naïve and dense. I had absolutely no idea what you were going through. To me you were always a rich, spoiled brat. Instead of answering you or fighting back, I could have at least tried to figure out your reasoning behind it all. It wasn't until after we graduated that I started to figure things out."
"That wasn't your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for. You were always the perfect student-the model Gryffindor, Prefect for two years, Head Girl, you even had the highest marks the school has ever seen. You could do it all, and I was jealous."
Hermione could feel her cheeks turn red. "I was far from perfect, I just didn't get caught. You don't know how many times I snuck out after hours, whether I was alone or with Ron and Harry. If I had gotten caught every time I snuck out, that too would be a new school record." At this they both laughed a little. "I really do have to get back, though. I feel bad about leaving the other nurses to do everything."
"I'll walk upstairs with you. There's not much else I can do anyway," he offered.
"Alright," she agreed.
They walked in silence until they reached their destination. "I guess I'll see you later," Hermione said.
"Yeah later. If you need me, I'll be in my study if you need me. Don't hesitate to come down."
She nodded her head and pushed the door open. "Thanks for the coffee."
"It was no problem." She smiled and headed into the big, bright room.
"Hermione, where have you been?" Ginny Weasley called. "It's hell in here. Help me clean up some of these newcomers."
Hermione walked over to where Ginny was and did some cleaning and healing spell on the man that lay before her.
"You didn't answer my question," Ginny pointed out after a few minutes.
"Oh, that. Malfoy wanted to talk to me. He was actually being very civil. He gave me a cup of coffee and we talked for a little while."
"Well that's lucky!" Ginny exclaimed.
"Why?"
"He's only the hottest guy I've ever laid eyes on. Sure Harry's good- looking, but Draco's a god compared to him!"
"Looks aren't everything, Gin," Hermione reminded her.
"I know, but still, almost every girl in Hogwarts hallowed the ground he walked on."
"Yeah but-" She didn't know what to say. Draco had always been so mean to her at Hogwarts. They had hated each other for seven years, and now he was acting as if they had been great friends the whole time. She had always heard that there was a fine line between love and hate, but she didn't know exactly how fine that line was.
Hermione walked over to another bed and began examining the patient. He had obviously lost a lot of blood and there were deep gashes all over his body. She did a quick spell to heal the wounds and called for a blood transfusion. Soon there were nurses bustling around him with blood and IVs.
Hermione checked up on most of the men in the room and was running around seeing if they were comfortable and that they weren't in much pain.
At about midnight, Draco came in and handed her a cup of coffee. "What's this for?" she asked.
"It looks like you could use it. It looks like you're gunna fall asleep on you feet," he stated simply.
"Yeah I think I am." She smiled a little and looked around the room at the sleeping soldiers. "You know, I dread the day that one of my friends shows up in here. I don't think I could handle that. I don't want to see them in pain."
"I'm sure they're fine." He gave her an encouraging smile. "They always seemed to managed to get themselves out of troublesome situations at school."
"This is different, it's war. There are people out there who could kill them off with one curse. They could be blown to bits and I wouldn't find out. I told them not to become soldiers, but they ignored my pleas. They don't know how much danger they put themselves in. They think they're invincible, but they're not. Everyone dies."
"I'm sure they'll pull through. They got training didn't they? They'll be able to protect themselves from many of the curses."
"I hope you're right, Draco. I really hope you're right."
Draco wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned into his warm embrace.
Ginny looked over to wear Draco and Hermione were holding each other, and a wave of jealousy spread throughout her body. She had Harry, but she was willing to throw everything she had with him to spend just one night with Draco. She knew she shouldn't feel that way because she really did love Harry, but she just found everything about Draco to be so sexy.
Draco felt comfortable around Hermione. She made him feel like nothing else in the world mattered, and he liked how she made him feel complete. He leaned down and kissed her forehead lightly. "You should really get some sleep," he whispered. "Many of the other nurses have already found a couch and curled up for the night."
"I can't," she yawned. "I hafta stay here." As she spoke her eyelids began to droop.
Draco noticed this and said, "You're going to bed. Don't even bother trying to argue with me, you won't win." He put one of his arms around her shoulders and took the now empty coffee mug out of her hands.
He led her up to his room and told her to sleep on his bed. She hardly even heard him. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was asleep. Draco covered her with a blanket and fell asleep in the chair by the window.
~
Hermione woke up the next morning in a bed with silk black sheets in a very unfamiliar room. She looked around and noticed a sleeping figure in a chair by the window. Quietly, she walked over to him and gently shook him awake.
"What time is it?" he asked groggily.
"How's your back feeling?" she asked feeling a little concerned.
"Like it was stabbed with about five hundred needles. How are you feeling?"
"Quite well, actually. Why don't you get up so I can do a spell to release the pain?"
"Okay, thanks." He stood up slowly and a bit shakily. It was obvious that he was straining not to cry put in pain. He still hated to show others his weaknesses. Hermione performed a quick spell and the pain was gone almost instantaneously.
"You didn't have to sleep like that you know. I wouldn't have really minded if you wanted to sleep in your bed."
"I was just trying to be nice. I don't know how you would have felt about that anyway."
"It's not like we were planning on having sex."
"Yeah, but we haven't exactly been the greatest friends over the years. I didn't know if you would feel comfortable sleeping in the same bed with me, that's all."
"I wouldn't have minded. This is your house and your bed, so you should get to sleep in it. I would have slept on the chair."
"Don't be ridiculous! I would never do that to a woman."
"Okay. Let's not argue over something so stupid. Is there a bathroom in here? I could really use a shower."
"Right through that door." He pointed to a door on the left. Hermione thanked him and walked in.
**Wow, she's grown even prettier since our days at Hogwarts. I should just tell her how I feel and get it over with. Why am I so scared lately? When she comes out, I'm just gunna tell her. It can't be that hard** Draco thought.
Hermione walked into the large bathroom. It looked very much like the Prefect's bathroom at Hogwarts. She turned some of the taps on the tub until it was filled and she slipped into the warm water. ^^I have to tell him how I really feel about him. He's the reason why I haven't gone on any dates since Hogwarts. Every time I'm asked out I see his face and I turn them down. I have to tell him. Once I'm done, I'll finally tell him the truth^^
She finished her bath and while later and put on some clean clothes. She opened the door and walked over to Draco.
"Hermione" "Draco" they said together.
"I've liked you since we went to Hogwarts."
"What?!"
"I've liked you since we went to Hogwarts."
"Oh my God!"
