A/N: Hello! So I'm finally updating! This chapter doesn't have quite as much drama as the last did, but it is very important for the story. I hope you like it!
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Chapter 2: Confessions and Carbonara
"Shit." Draco cursed, looking down at the sleeping form of Hermione Granger on his couch. What was he going to do? If anyone was to see her here, what would he say? He had cast a hot-air charm on her clothes and healed her head. This wasn't how Draco had pictured his afternoon going at all. She looked like she had been crying, which formed a few question of what had happened.
He jumped slightly as she stirred, her eyelids fluttering. What would she do when she realised where she was? Probably hex me and leave. Draco thought, then shook his head slightly there's obviously something wrong, I can't just let her go back outside. Hermione sat up and, with her brows furrowed, looked around. Her suitcase was at the door. She couldn't remember what had happened, or how she had gotten here. It definitely wasn't her flat. Finally she turned, and her eyes rested on a platinum haired man with a pale face staring down at her.
"Malfoy?" Hermione asked incredulously. "What am I doing here?"
Draco took a breath, but before he could respond Hermione spoke again. "It's a dream, isn't it? I just need to wake up and I'll be at home with Ron and- oh," She bit her lip and looked down.
"Where am I, Malfoy?"
"I found you lying, concussed, on the street. You're in my flat, Granger. It was raining and you looked like you were about to die. I didn't want to be charged for the murder of Hermione Granger, did I?" Draco said. Of course, that wasn't the reason he picked her up. He just knew that he couldn't leave her there.
Hermione looked up. There were tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Malfoy. I'll see you around."
"What?" Draco snapped suddenly, making Hermione, who was about to walk off, jump slightly. She whipped around to look at him, so quickly that the tears flooding her eyes spilled.
"You can't just leave! Granger, you've got a serious head injury! What were you doing lying on the street anyway? Sit back down; you're not going anywhere until you tell me what happened." Draco said, crossing his arms over his chest. Of course, Draco had already healed her head, but that wasn't the point. He just knew she was going to do something stupid if he didn't keep her there. Hermione looked at him for a long time. Why does he care so much? It's Malfoy! He'll probably laugh at me! Instead of scoffing and walking out the door, like she wanted to, Hermione sighed and sat back down, looking at her lap.
"Well? I don't have all night, Granger. Start talking."
"You've probably seen the daily prophet this morning, Malfoy." Draco nodded. "Well then I don't need to explain to you what it said. Coincidentally, before reading it I had just gone to a funeral, my parents'. Then, then Ron came home and we argued and I walked out on him," Why am I telling all this to my childhood enemy? "I-I had nowhere to go and then it started raining and-and I just," Hermione shrugged, finally letting her tears fall.
"And you just fell and brought yourself a concussion and a possible case of flu. Lucky for you I'm a Healer. And a nice person."
Hermione scoffed at this, wiping her tears away.
"Right, well, I've told you now, so, thank you Malfoy." Hermione said, once again getting up from her seat.
"I've already told you, Granger, you're staying here. There's a guest room through that door." Draco said, nodding towards a brown door to his left.
Hermione raised her eyebrow at him but took her suitcase and walked into the guest room. I need a place to stay anyway, even if it's with Malfoy. It won't be that bad, I've shared a common room with him before, this is hardly that much different. At least it's for free Hermione thought, sitting down on the double bed. She still couldn't believe that Ron had cheated on her. How dare he? Looking around, she found that Malfoy's taste in furniture wasn't completely imbecilic. A cherry wood chest of drawers stood in one corner of the room, the floor was wooden, as was the bedposts, and the wardrobe seemed to be rather big and tasteful. There was a neat desk opposite the bed, which already supplied parchment and a quill. Hermione drew one long, shaky breath. What was she actually going to do? She needed to find a real home, not just live in her former enemy's. Malfoy was kind enough to take her in, but why? What did he want from her? Hermione was almost sure it wasn't just a plain act of kindness.
What had she gotten herself into?
Upon looking more closely around the room, Hermione noticed a copy of Hogwarts: A History lying underneath the bed. Maybe this won't be that bad, he seems to have changed. She thought to herself, smiling slightly. Just as she was about to retrieve the book, her stomach let out a loud, but low, groan, making Hermione groan in unison. She'd forgotten that she hadn't eaten that day. Checking her watch, Hermione's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. It was almost 7pm! Sighing, she got up and walked out of, now her, bedroom.
Upon entering the living room she saw Malfoy sitting on the, now noticeably crimson (making Hermione scoff slightly), couch with two steaming mugs sitting on a wooden coffee table in front of him. He turned, and beckoned her over. Hermione raised her eyebrow but walked over and sat on the other side of the couch.
"So are you going to tell me the full story or not?"
"What are you talking about? I told you everything earlier,"
"You left out the details. So, you walked out, but what did he say that made you?" Draco asked, leaning slightly closer to her as she opened her mouth.
Instead of telling him what Ron said to her, Hermione smirked at him "You really are a little gossiper, aren't you?"
"I feed on it, I just don't talk about it." Draco said, smirking back at her.
Hermione almost laughed. "Well, I read the Prophet and then, as if on cue, Ronald walks in. I asked him what it was and shoved the paper at him and he tried to give me some excuse, then I accused him of cheating, and then he lost it and started insulting my clothing and my hair, so I said that if he was there when he was supposed to then none of this would have happened. He said that Heather was unlike me and that she was beautiful and then he said that I disgust him and," she stopped, almost breaking down in tears "I couldn't, can't, believe that he said that, I don't think he even knew which day it was, and then I-I said that if he c-could just t-throw around women t-then f-f-fine and that I c-c-couldn't c-care less and I-I left!"
Draco was taken aback. What was he supposed to do? His former enemy was crying on his couch in front of him about another enemy she had broken up with earlier that day.
"Weasel doesn't deserve to be cried about, Granger. You need to get back at him,"
"How the hell am I supposed to do that? He's happy with Heather,"
"Are you angry at him?"
"Of course I am, Malfoy."
"Then you'll think of something." Draco said, looking her in the eye before taking his mug and walking off to the kitchen.
"Pasta or rice, Granger?"
"What?" Was he serious?
"Do you want to eat pasta or rice? It's not a hard question, Mud…Granger."
Hermione blushed as she noticed his slipup, absentmindedly covering the ugly scar on her arm. He was about to call her a Mudblood, but stopped himself. She was right, he had changed, even if it was something as subtle as not calling her a bad name.
"Um, pasta, please," She said, wiping her cheeks with her palms. Malfoy was right, Ronald wasn't worth crying over. Not after what he had done. Nobody messes with Hermione Granger and gets away with it. She'd have to think of something horrid to do to him. She could publicly embarrass him? Or would that be too harsh? Her brows furrowed in thought.
Later, Hermione still couldn't believe that she was sitting, at Malfoy's dinner table, eating carbonara across from him. The carbonara was quite nice, too, but of course she would never admit that to him.
"Have you thought of how to get back at Weasley yet then?"
"No." Hermione sighed, putting her fork down. "I don't know, I can't just get back at him. It's harder than you think to do this, Malfoy,"
Draco scoffed at this. "It's actually rather simple, Granger,"
Hermione rolled her eyes. Malfoy was always showing off, even if it was just to make her feel low. "You think of something then,"
It was as if Draco already had something prepared and planned in his mind. "You need to make Weasel feel jealous, and he'll come crawling back."
Hermione bit her lip and looked down at her bowl of carbonara. Make Ronald feel jealous she repeated in her mind. How was she supposed to do that?
"How?"
"Merlin, Granger, do you need me to spell it out for you? If you want to make Weasel jealous for cheating on you then you need to date someone who would make him jealous."
"Since when have you become so nice?" Hermione asked suspiciously, surely there was a catch to the treatment she was receiving. "What do you want from me?"
Draco laughed, making Hermione look at him oddly. She had never seen Malfoy laugh in the twelve years she had known him.
"I don't want anything from you, Granger. Why would I? I told you, I'm a nice person. Probably all my work with children whilst being a healer." He shrugged, stirring his pasta.
"Well, you're scaring me. Stop it." She frowned at him. "And your idea seems…" amazing "reasonable. Only thing is, Malfoy, I have no intention of throwing myself at anybody for the next month. Ronald can go snog who he likes, I won't be."
"Yes, you will. And you know what, Granger? I have the perfect person."
"Who's that then?"
"Me, of course."
Hermione gagged. "You!?" She asked incredulously.
"Me. It's really rather simple. And we already have a story. Why else would you be staying with me in my flat after walking out on Weasel? It makes sense. You left him for me, especially after what he did to you. The reporters would have a field day, Granger, and when he reads the article, which will surely make the front page, Weasel will be furious. Just picture it: War Heroine, One third of the Golden Trio, Brightest Witch of her age Hermione Granger has left War Hero, one third of the Golden Trio Ronald Weasley for Death Eaters son Draco Malfoy. It would be perfect!" Draco giddily explained his plan.
Reviewing Draco's master plan in her head, Hermione couldn't help but realise that it was perfect. Ronald would be seething after hearing this, and she could always clarify with any of her friends if they question her about her choices that it wasn't a real relationship.
"Not a bad idea," Hermione considered, although in her head she had already agreed to it. "I'll act as your girlfriend for as long as I see fit, purely to get back at Ronald."
"Good. I look forward to it," Draco said, smirking at her. "You know we'll have to publicly go around holding hands and having dinner."
Hermione nodded and hummed in response. They ate in silence for another ten minutes before Draco let out the largest and longest gasp Hermione had ever heard. She cocked her eyebrow at him, and he positively beamed.
"I just had the best idea, Granger, honestly. Forget publicly having dinner for another two weeks. The first time we will be open about our 'relationship' will be at the Ministry's Gala."
"And all the reporters will be there, they'll have a field day! Not to mention Ronald and Heather will be there also. It will be totally barbaric. Draco Malfoy, I like your way of thinking." She smiled at him, properly, for the first time since she'd woken up.
A/N: I'll leave it there! Thank you very much for reading, if you like it or have anything to say/constructive criticism then please voice your opinions in the review box below. They're much appreciated! I hoped you like this chapter, hopefully the next one should be uploaded soon!
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