Disclaimer: I do not own them. Otherwise, they'd be together… for real. : )
A/N: This is my first fic, people. But don't get discouraged by that, the story might still be good *I say while I cross my fingers* It's just about something I've always wanted to write. Rather pointless, I'd say. Any mistakes, either writing or about Harry Potter, I'm quite sorry. English is not my first language. Hope you guys enjoy it :)
R&R
The Charms' classroom was dark and shadowy, its tables free of papers and all the chairs unoccupied. There was a pile of homework on the floor next to the semi closed door and one o books in Filtwick's chair. Students ran happily in the corridors, excited at the prospect of having had the whole morning freed of classes.
A soft cry invaded the dusty room, breaking through the deep silence that had been soaring nearby. It was filled with anguish, sadness, despair, fear, shame, and inwardly begged for a shoulder to lean on. The sobs were rhythmic, but harsh and pained nonetheless.
A curt knock on the door startled the weepy girl.
"Please, go away." She implored through a muffled cry, her face covered by both her hands.
There was a flash of light that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and then the sound of wood against stone filled the air. Someone approached the girl, who was sitting behind the desk near the window, and placed one hand on top of her hair, gently stroking her curls.
"Hermione." He whispered, and she winced at the touch before realizing who it was.
"Oh, Harry." She responded in the same tone, not looking up to meet his eyes. "You should not have come here."
"I'm your friend; you're hurting. There is nothing else I'd rather be doing right now." Harry guaranteed, his voice tender.
"E- even so." Her sobs intensified. "I appreciate it, but you really should be going." She retreated from his hand, curling up with her arms wrapped around her knees, balancing her body from one side to the other.
"At least assure me this one thing." He pleaded.
"Anything." He thought he saw the beginning of a real smile.
"You'll tell me when you're ready, okay?"
"But of course." Hermione told him, trying to sound more reliable than she actually felt.
"Then th-"
A boy suddenly barged in, not bothering to ask for permission. He stared at the dark and blinked a few time for his eyes to adjust to the poor illumination, and then they fell upon Harry and Hermione.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Hogwarts' most famous couple." He sniggered.
"Piss off, Malfoy, not in the mood." Harry snapped, his voice low as he tried not to disturb the girl.
"What, I can't hear you!" He yelled in mock stupidity, closing the door behind him. "Did Potty just tell me to leave because he wants to snog his cute little Mudblood?"
"I'm warning you, ferret, stay the hell away from us." Harry's tone dangerously low.
"Or else what, Scarhead?" Malfoy challenged.
"Alright, stop it!" The boy spat venomously, finally unable to control his volume. "Just leave. I promise I'll let you hex me into next year later."
Draco Malfoy was about to resume his rant when something in the Griffindor's eyes made him stop his sentence in midair. He was voluntarily letting him use his body, mind and soul as a punching bag, and he could see plea on those green annoying chick magnets he had.
"Just… she is hurting. Really bad." His voice was trembling. "I don't know what to do, she won't let me come near her, and she won't tell anyone what is wrong. I've never seen her like this." Harry had no idea on what had possessed him to tell Malfoy, of all people, that personal piece of information, and immediately regretted it. "Just leave." He repeated, hoping in vain these words would replace the ones said previously.
However, that did not happen.
For the first time since he had entered the almost empty classroom, the Slytherin Prince glanced solely at Hermione's shaking body, and an emotion unknown to him overpowered his hatred and repulse. He was taken aback by its intensity, and wanted nothing more than to brush it out of his organism. But he could not. He tried to smirk, but only managed to twitch his mouth into something that oddly resembled a worried smile, as his legs, unauthorized, started moving towards the furniture, towards his two enemies. He ordered them to stop, but they kept going.
Harry stared suspiciously as he got near the girl, but for some reason did not impede it from happen. He was close, hearing her soft cry with a preoccupied expression on his lined face. Draco had never seen her so vulnerable, so innocent… so beautiful. He hesitantly motioned his hand to touch her hair, backing away a few times in fear before actually feeling it tickle the upper part of his fingers. He caressed it a little more vehemently this time, moving metrically along with her sobs. This act so pure, so out of compassion from a source she had no idea that actually existed, actually calmed her down, and it gave the boy a weird deal of pleasure to have contributed for Hermione's welfare.
The thought itself ruined the moment. The blonde stood up quickly, letting out an exasperated yell. Harry did not fail to notice he kept his voice low so he would not scare her. "What are you doing, Draco?" He slapped himself in the forehead twice.
"It seemed to me that you actually cared for someone other than yourself, Mal- Draco." The other boy, a bystander only until that moment, intervened. "But it might have been just me." He chuckled, attempting to lighten up their mood. "Look, I am as astonished as you, believe me. But she reacted. Just be glad it is me who is here, and not Ron." He finished in wonder.
Draco realized he was right when it became downright unbearably painful to watch her weep uncontrollably. He turned his back to Harry, lowering himself to a lower level se he could sit on the cold floor, and with one hand he pulled her body against his chest, placing her on his lap. As the girl noticed two muscular arms grabbing her frail body, her eyes widened in shock, but she surprisingly did not hold back, instead wrapping her arms around his neck.
Harry smiled as her sobbing ceased, and her whole body seemed to relax in his embrace. He watched Draco carefully placing his cheek on her forehead, rocking her, one hand squeezing her shoulder in a comforting way. He watched as Hermione's face was completely wet with tears that kept falling down, and as Draco wiped them away by smoothly brushing one finger onto her cheek. He suddenly found himself wanting to leave them alone, but was still too insecure about abandoning his best friend, so he decided upon taking a nap.
Draco continued to swing her, mesmerized by how every time he thought about her face, it seemed to stick out in a crowd of thousands of randomly looking girls.
He sensed her stir, thus stopped.
"Don't… Please, don't stop." She begged in no more than a weak whisper. "Why are you doing this?" The tearfully witch asked him, curiosity barely concealed in her voice.
"House Unity?" He answered lamely.
"You don't even believe that yourself." She murmured, and he could have sworn he heard a hint of a smile.
Draco sighed, frustrated. "I just… am, okay?"
"Thank you." Hermione said quietly, dropping the embrace to look right into his silver eyes.
"You didn't have to, but you did. Thank you." She kissed him in the cheek, slowly as if she were unsure about whether it would be the right thing to do. He flinched, at first, but then kissed her back on the forehead, both of them blushing at the emotions that had eradiated from it. He felt a smile blossom as he remembered how her warm, tender lips felt against his skin.
"Why were you crying?" He questioned her, concern written all over his face.
"I imagine none of this will have happened once we leave these four walls, am I correct?" She purposely ignored his question.
Draco was surprised to hear sadness in his own words. "These are dark times we're living."
"Then hold me one last time." Her eyes began to water, already missing their shelter. "Please. For House Unity?"
He did not have the need to pretend. In that classroom, with no-one else around, he could tear down the wall he had built to prevent any possible harm done due to his choices, and attend to someone's scared request for help. Her request for help.
His arms found hers. His hand found the back of her neck. He hummed to a song he used to hear whenever he felt like singing. She resumed her sobbing, but got lost in their embrace.
Heck, man, you're going soft. Well, as long as it is for House Unity…