Sorry, I still don't own Harry Potter.
Chapter 2: Sorry
Stepping into the small bookstore, Draco could already tell that this was not one of his brightest plans. He was used to the whispering when people thought he could not hear; that was not the problem. It was her.
She sat behind the counter; just sitting. She didn't pick up a heavy volume on ancient runes, or peruse the shelves for a new novel. No doubt she had read them all three times over.
And then, without meaning to, he said, "Hello."
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Hermione said; her voice free of the scathing, hateful tone he had suspected. Instead, it seemed resigned. To what he wasn't sure, but he didn't like it.
And then he looked in her eyes; her lovely brown eyes. They were nothing like he remembered. They were…empty. Such sadness filled her eyes that he was caught off guard and stammered a little bit.
"I-I just wanted to apologize," he said, smoothly covering up his surprise from a moment before.
"For what?" she said, still in that same tone. No curiosity, almost no emotion. As if she was there just because she had to be.
"Yesterday," Draco said, his regained confidence making an exit again. "I didn't mean to be rude; I was just…surprised to see you."
Hermione looked incredulous. "You were surprised to see me? I work here. I still don't see how that makes calling me a mudblood acceptable," she said as she remembered the details of their run in the day before.
"Well, I-um-I just wanted to apologize is all. I'd better be off," Draco said, already making for the door.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Hermione stared at the retreating back of Draco Malfoy as he left the store. Her old self would have laughed when he stumbled, knocking over a pile of books, which he hastily restacked, but she didn't have it in her.
What would've possessed him to come in to her store, knowing that she was there, and apologize, of all things? This was so unlike the Draco Malfoy that she knew from school.
Throughout the day, she wasn't able to put her heart into her work, not that she really ever did. She was too busy pondering the earlier events. She thought perhaps the final battle had changed him, that maybe this was the cause of his metamorphosis; unfortunately, this lead to Hermione thinking about the later events of the battle. She found herself thinking about the loss of her Ron.
The clock chimed four and Hermione gratefully headed to the door. She quickly apparated home. The moment her feet touched her hardwood floors, she dissolved into tears, not even being able to make it to the couch.
DMDMDMDMDMDMDMDM
Leaving the apothecary, Draco caught sight of a slender, bushy-haired figure making her way towards the bookstore. His body acting of its own accord, he jogged up to her, not really realizing what he was doing.
"Hello," he began, "fancy seeing you here."
"I thought we established this yesterday, I work here," Hermione said, irritably. She quickened her pace as they reached the shop steps, slipped inside, and slammed the door rather rudely, if he might say so, in his face.
It didn't pass his notice that the witch's eyes were rather puffy and her face blotchy, so when he was done with his shopping, he got a butter beer in the Leaky Cauldron and waited until Hermione was done with her shift.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Hermione stepped outside and began to walk to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, prepared to have a nice, comforting ice cream alone. She was intercepted, however, by Draco Malfoy.
"Good afternoon, Granger," he said, in voice much perkier than his normal, degrading tone.
"Are you stalking me?" Hermione asked, flustered.
"Not stalking, per say, just waiting in a pub for four hours," he said, as if this were the most normal thing in the world.
"And why, Malfoy, would you wait for me?" she asked, still confused.
"Oh do be quiet Granger. I only wanted to get some ice cream and I had no one to go with," said Draco with an innocent expression.
Hermione decided nothing terrible could happen by going to get ice cream with her Hogwart's nemesis.
DMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDM
Draco casual leaned back in his chair, observing Hermione self-consciously finishing her sundae.
"Must you stare at me?" Hermione asked.
"You're interesting to watch," he answered truthfully.
"Seriously! It's creepy," she replied, not believing him.
"Fine!" he said defensively. "Don't get your knickers all in a twist."
Hermione snickered.
"What?" he said, now mirroring her irritable attitude from earlier.
"Nothing," she said, with a smile that showed evidence of secrecy. "You just reminded me of my dad when you said that."
"Oh," Draco said, surprised that this was the cause of the snickering girl, but he wouldn't complain. In that brief moment, her eyes had lit up, and they were beautiful. He promised himself, promised Hermione that he would never stop until that light shone in her eyes every day.
So I hope you liked it. I'll try to post my next chapter as soon as possible, but I can almost guarantee that it won't be coming up as soon as this one did.