Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Crossing Lines
8-year-old Draco Malfoy looked left. Then right. Then left again. Having ascertained that the road was carless, he stepped over the curb onto the street's zebra crossing and crossed the road.
"Excellent, full marks." The Muggle Primary school Professor (or 'teacher' as the Muggles said, but Draco preferred 'Professor') said, ticking the page on her clipboard.
Draco smirked in response. His parents decided to send him to the Muggle Primary School to teach him, as well as the basics of life, such as how to cross a road, how Muggles lived, and therefore how much better wizards were. So far, Draco felt, without a slither of doubt, that wizards were superior in every aspect, as his father said.
"NEXT!" The Professor roared (Draco had never bothered to learn her name).
Draco looked across the road curious as to who was going next. He had assessed his competition and felt confident that he would be top of the class. He had no rival…Well, perhaps the Granger girl…Hermione.
He saw that it was her turn. She had beaten him in the theory test, he remembered…it had annoyed him.
To his surprise, he saw that she was shaking, crying and… Refusing to cross the road? Why? It was perfectly safe. He himself had crossed it not five minutes ago. In spite of himself he felt sorry for her. She's pretty… He thought suddenly. He shook his head. Why had he thought that? She was a Muggle! But all the same…
Before he realised what he was doing, he had looked, right, then left, then right again, and ran across the road to Hermione's side.
"Whats the matter?" He asked frowning at her. "Are you scared? It's perfectly safe."
She sniffed, "My D-d-dad t-told me to never cross the l-line. H-he said it would hurt so-someone's feelings. I-I don't want to hurt any-anyone and get in trouble, but I don't wa-want to fail."
Draco smiled, understanding. "He doesn't mean like this! He means if you're talking to someone and you ask them something and they don't tell you the answer, don't pressure them, because then you would've crossed the line and hurt their feelings. This is just crossing the road, it's different."
She blew her nose and looked at him suspiciously. "Really?"
"Really. Look, how about I cross the road with you? Then, if you get in trouble with your dad, which you won't, I'll take the blame. Sometimes, lines are meant to be crossed."
She laughed, and for some reason his stomach fluttered. "Are you sure?"
He nodded.
She smiled, and for some reason his stomach fluttered. "Okay."
He took her hand. "Okay. First look right, look left, and then right again."
Together they looked both ways, then crossed the road, still holding hands. When they reached the other side she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thank you." she whispered.
"You're welcome." He replied, his cheeks faintly pink. She smelt nice, like roses… She smiled and retook his hand, as the class walked back to the school. The 'teachers' shared knowing smiles from the back of the group.
The final bell had rung by the time their class made it back to the school. Hermione saw her father waiting for her in the playground after the final roll call of the term.
"Sorry, I've got to go. Thanks again for today." She said to Draco, dropping his hand.
He ignored the twinge of disappointment in his stomach, "Don't mention it."
"See you next term!" She called over her shoulder as she ran to her father.
Seeing his mother standing beyond the school gate, Draco went to her.
"How did you go with crossing the road?" Narcissa asked as they walked back to Malfoy Manor.
"Aced it."
"Good. You were holding hands with that Granger girl."
"I helped her cross the road."
To his surprise, she smiled.
He gaped at her "Aren't you angry?"
"I am not angry. I see the way you look at her…You yourself will not realise it for many years yet. But I approve, Draco. Remember, I am not your father."
Completely baffled, Draco tried to find out what she meant. Annoyingly, Narcissa refused to say another word.
Draco decided not to mention the incident with Hermione to his father. Perhaps it was his mother's words; "I am not your father", or his instinct that his father wouldn't approve, he didn't know. Nevertheless, when his father asked how he had done in the test, he merely replied that he had, naturally, topped his class. His mother's look of approval told him he had done the right thing.
However, that night as he lay in bed, his thoughts always returned to Hermione.
7 years later
15-year-old Draco Malfoy watched moodily as Hermione Granger danced with Viktor Krum at the Yule Ball. He had turned 15 a week ago, and gathered that Granger had also, but three days after him, though they were both in fourth year.
He had ditched Parkinson before the first song. He had only asked her to have someone to walk in with. She held no further use to him beyond that, so he had persuaded her to dance with Theodore Nott.
He made a decision and steeled his resolve.
He walked onto the dance floor, and up to Hermione and Krum.
"May I cut in?" He asked smoothly as a waltz began to play.
Hermione looked at him suspiciously. There was no malice in his tone or expression. In fact he looked almost… Nervous? She nodded to Viktor and he left, beginning almost instantly to dance with Fay Dunbar.
She placed a hand on Drac- MALFOY'S shoulder and held his right hand as he placed his left hand on her hip and they began to dance.
As they danced, they drew more and more stares. Whispers began.
"I wanted to apologise, for all the nasty stuff I said." Draco said in her ear. "Calling you a Mudblood and all that stuff, it wasn't right, I only did it to maintain face with the Slytherins. I'm sorry. You were perfectly in the right to hit me last year. I give you my full permission to do it again if necessary."
He held out his hand. "Acquaintances?"
She was startled, happy and curious at the same time; "Acquaintances? Why not friends?"
"I didn't think you'd want to be my friend."
"Well, you thought wrong. I accept your apology. Friends?" She held out her hand.
He shook it and smiled, sending her stomach to a butterfly farm; "Friends."
They danced in companionable silence for a few moments.
"So…" Hermione said. "I take it that now we are friends, we are on first name terms?"
He nodded.
"Well, Draco, I have just realised we know nothing about each other. So… What's your favourite colour?"
"Light blue. Yours?"
She blushed. "I feel a bit of a traitor for it, but green. The exact shade used for Slytherin, in fact."
He laughed.
Hermione saw Ron being restrained by Harry, but for some curious reason, she made no move to stop dancing with Draco. She was… Comfortable.
"Weasley looked like he's about to explode." Draco murmured.
She nodded in spite of herself.
"Yet, you don't go and reassure him it's nothing… Why?" He asked as he spun her around.
When she replaced her hand on his shoulder, for some reason she drew closer to him. "Maybe… Maybe because it's not just nothing."
He raised an eyebrow and gestured for her to continue, trying his best to ignore the flower of hope that had just blossomed in his chest.
"You see, when I was in Primary school, -it's a Muggle thing-"
"I know what a primary school is Hermione."
"Really?" She was astonished.
"Yes. Continue."
"Well, when I was in primary school, we had a test to make sure we knew how to cross the road."
Draco smiled; he knew what she was talking about.
"I was really scared, because my dad had told me-" she paused as he spun her around once more. "-to never cross the line, because it could hurt someone's feelings. I cried and refused to cross the line. Then the boy who went before me came back and helped me to cross the line. He said something that made me laugh as well, but I can't remember what…It'll come to me."
The changed position; her arms circling his neck and his arms going around her waist as the song changed.
"I had a small crush on this boy. We walked back to the school, holding hands. I had to go, because my dad was waiting. I said 'see you next term' to the boy, but I never did see him again. He left."
Draco remembered. His father had decided he had had enough of a Muggle education, and had withdrawn him from the school and started his magical education at home.
"I never knew his name. He was quiet and kept to himself. The teacher marked the roll by face, you see. But the thing is, Draco, you remind me of him. He had pale blond hair and grey eyes like you."
Draco smiled.
"You're very quiet." She said, watching him.
"I...er… actually have something to ask you. I was wondering if you wanted to go with me to Hogsmede the next weekend it's on."
"Yes please." She replied quickly, her face alight. She paused. "Are you sure? I mean you're a Slytherin, I'm a Gryffindor, and it would be crossing one of Hogwarts's biggest social lines, the one that no-one had ever crossed before…"
"Sometimes, lines are meant to be crossed."
She started to laugh, then stopped. She looked at him, and he smirked, his smirk quickly turning into a smile as he saw her putting two and two together.
"He said that…You look very like him…It was you wasn't it?"
He nodded, still smiling.
"But… why?"
"I didn't understand why you didn't cross the road. I thought you were scared and felt sorry for you. I thought and still think, that you are beautiful."
She looked at him, and saw the sincerity and nervousness in his eyes.
The castle's clock chimed midnight from the Clock Tower, signaling the end of the ball, and all the couples and groups on the dance floor broke apart but one. Draco and Hermione had long stopped dancing, but remained with their arms around each other, looking into each other's eyes. They drew stares. But they did not seem to care. Slowly, Hermione leaned forward, and to the shock of the Hogwarts population, kissed Draco.
In that moment, and as he kissed her back, Draco realised what his mother had meant in the words she had spoken to him, as they walked back to Malfoy Manor on that fateful day, seven years ago.
A/N: Please review! :)