Disclaimer: look chapter one


CHAPTER TWO: FRIEND

Sighing deeply Draco Malfoy checked the table, which was piled with enough food to make Hogwarts` sorting festival dinner look like a charity meal. He had no idea who in Merlin's name could possible eat all that, but the house-elves refused to see reason.

Draco knew they only wanted to help him "win over the missus" and in their minds food was the best way. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to hire the Hogwarts elves, who wished to serve a family again, they seemed to have an obstinate understanding of "a light breakfast" and above all apparently corrupted his other servants.

But he shouldn't be too surprised, after all the manor was full of eager matchmakers. Be it his parents, the elves or hell even the paintings had set their mind on marring him off. At the age of twenty-five he was still single, something that was unheard of in his family line.

After the war no one thought much of his lack of interest in dating. The Malfoy family had bigger problems than that – like being thrown into Azkaban for instance.

All in all, they could consider themselves lucky that they had gotten away with a rather mild punishment. Instead of being locked away for eternity or worse, being kissed, they got away with house arrest and a proudly sum of gallons.

His mother had gotten of the hook rather easily, mostly due to her lying about scarehead's condition to the Dark Lord. Potter himself had testified on her behalf and though he would have rather swallowed his tongue he'd thanked the boy wonder afterwards for keeping her out of prison. Narcissa was a delicate woman and wouldn't have survived a month behind bars.

His father's trial was a whole different matter, though. A lot of people would have loved to hand him over to the dementors personally and if it hadn't been for Hermione they probably would have done exactly that. But the feisty little witch had done everything in her power to convince the Wizard government of the fact that Lucius Malfoy deserved a second chance.

Truth to be told it was more of a third chance, considering he had escaped prison the last time Voldemort died. But this time was different. It was long before Potter killed that snake-face bastard that his father had seen the error of his ways. He fought to ensure the survival of his old-fashioned pureblood world, afraid of the change which seemed to threaten the safety of the old ways, only to realise that he'd followed a bloodthirsty megalomaniac who didn't care for anything apart from his own power.

So this time around Draco had little doubt that his father was willing to give up his old ways. His sentence had been fifteen years, but only three of them in Azkaban, for the rest of his punishment he was allowed to stay at Malfoy Manor but was forbidden to leave without at least two aurors present. Not that he had left his ancestral home since he had been released out of prison four years ago and Draco doubted he ever would again.

At first he'd thought Lucius was too ashamed to show his face in the community ever again but as time passed by he realised that his father was quite content to stay at home. He spent a lot of time in his library as well as in the stables, caring for the bunch of Abraxan horses that lived on their grounds since the Malfoys settled here in 1146. A hobby he hadn't followed since Draco was a little boy but obviously enjoyed very much.

Surprisingly enough the house arrest did bring his parents closer together than they had been in years. They often went together for a ride or spend the evening in front of the fireplace where his father would read out loud some classic novel for his mother. They were actually holding hands, kept smiling at each other for no reason and he had even seen them kissing at times.

It was strange to watch them acting like a real couple, being used to their stiff and proper behaviour but he was happy for them.

Funny that it was due to Hermione that his parents finally found peace and happiness given that they had spend the better of her life to make her miserable.

As for himself...

Out of all people in the world he was probably the one who deserved her kindness and forgiving nature least of all. He had tormented her as long as he could remember in school, never passed an opportunity to humiliate her, hex her and make her cry. All because he was a spoilt and jealous little brat who envied her for what she had. It had cost him years to admit that simple truth to himself and in the wake of it only made the jealously he felt towards Potter and Weasley due of their closeness to her even worse.

He'd wanted such love, trust and loyalty for himself and in the end it was what caused him to act like he did. Though he never did tell her, that it was him who called Dobby that day, he knew she was somehow aware of it. Perhaps it was that as well as his effort in the last battle to protect her which made her fight for him in front of the Wizardgovernment.

Even Potter made an effort to clear things out and described the night of Dumbledore's death and Draco's unwillingness to kill the old wizard. But it were Hermione's passionate words and sharp tongue that bailed him out.

Instead of being locked away he was sentenced to help rebuilt Hogwarts, graduate from school and help with various projects that involved war orphans. Merlin, he had feared he wouldn't be allowed to ever use his wand again- being forced to graduate was by no means a punishment for him. Other than Weaselby and the boy-wonder he enjoyed school. Maybe not like Hermione but plenty enough. He had always been among the top of his year and other than Hermione's shadows he realised how important a good education was. Especially for people like him, who couldn't built their future on their fame. Draco knew that he didn´t need to work at all considering that his family was still rich, even after Voldemort and the Ministry had put a good ditch into their vaults.

But Draco wanted more in life than a full bank account. He wanted a career and a family and it was Hermione who made it possible in the first place. The career part at least.

Sighing again he leant back in his chair and closed his eyes while unsuccessfully trying to banish the depressing thoughts from his mind.

Other than his family thought he wanted to settle down and have a family of his own. He'd always wanted that, the problem was the witch he wished to build this family with wasn't interested in him. At least not that way.

Hermione was everything he could wish for in a witch and some more but obviously she wasn't for him. He'd never told her directly how he felt about her, but though she never said anything herself he was pretty sure she knew. Over the years Hermione had made it pretty clear that she wasn't interested in anything but friendship and after that stupid git won her over he knew it was futile. The other man wouldn't let her go, because as much as Draco wished him to be he was far from being stupid or a git. Other than Weasley he knew exactly how precious a woman like Hermione really was and already treated her like a princess without trying to rob her of her independence. Which was quite a task the blond haired man had to admit.

Draco was happy for her though he wouldn't deny the envy he felt every time he saw Hermione simply smiling at the other man with obvious love in her eyes. It hurt and cruelly showed him the loneliness he felt inside.

The feeling was one of the main reasons he finally left England nearly four years ago. After helping rebuilding Hogwarts, finishing his seventh year and studying of his own not to forget pining after an untouchable woman he decided to take an apprenticeship in potions in Italy.

Blaise Zabini, one of his only friends he ever had lived there with his family and it had been nice to spent time with him without the looming danger of a Dark Lord. But it hadn't helped him to forget Hermione like he hoped. The weekly exchange of letters as well as the regular floo calls made sure of it. Blaise had introduced him to nearly every halfway decent woman he knew, but he simply wasn't interested. Instead he had buried himself in work and finished his apprenticeship with flying colours. Since a few months he was back and it had been worse than he expected.

His only friend was still in Italy while his parents wouldn't stop nagging at him about finding a witch to marry and fulfil his duty as a Malfoy as well as force him to go to all kinds of stupid Ministry functions. And apart from that all he found himself still hopelessly attracted to Granger.

Well, maybe it wasn't that hopeless any more.

Three weeks ago things finally started to brighten up. The sky wasn't all that cloudy any more so to speak. No, it suddenly seemed to have the colour of the deepest blue with only a hint of grey on the edges. Draco could feel a smile forming on his lips as the woozy thoughts in his head started to form the picture of two blue orbs which looked at him with an odd mix of innocence, warmth and mirth. And there was something else in these depths, something unfathomable as if the person knew something others didn't. Not in a threatening way but in one that made him want to know more about the owner. Much more...

"Care to tell me what the smile is about?" The unexpected voice ripped him out of his thoughts and his eyes snapped open. There framed in the morning light stood the reason for most of his heartache in the last several years. He blinked a few times as her position made it appear like she was radiating light rather than just standing in it.

Thankfully she decided to sit down in one of the chairs, so his brain had time to reset. Shrugging he put on a nonchalant expression. "Just thinking."

She seemed unsure what to make out of that, but obviously decided to let it pass. Her eyes slipped over the table and widened visibly as she took in the various kinds of food.

"Were you expecting to feed an army, Draco? I swear it gets more and more every time I come here."

"Well, don't blame me! It was you who persuaded me to hire the elves who wanted to be bound by a family. It's not my fault they measure everything by Hogwarts` standards! I tried to talk to them but they refuse to listen."

Instantly she opened her mouth to argue but no word came out. Draco knew that he had her there and barely suppressed a grin. Though she had given up on S.P.E.W. - much to the elves` relief – she was still trying to support them wherever she could. She knew he was right and that the little creatures probably enjoyed making it.

"Fine," she huffed but he could see mirth in her eyes. "How was your week? Did you enjoy the Quidditch match yesterday? I would have come but work kept me from it."

"Granger, you work way to hard," knowing he was on thin ground he quickly added. "The match was fine at least until Weasley tried to impress his girlfriend and nearly got himself killed by a bludger." Truth was Draco was pretty sure if Flint and Pucey were having it in for Weasel. Well more than usual. But with Weasley acting like he was, it wasn't that hard of a task.

They played regularly at the backyard of the orphanage which was located at Crouch Manor these days. The location as well as the matches had of course been Hermione's idea. The children loved it especially when the great Harry Potter came over to play with them. Draco had to admit he was good with the kids. Being an orphan himself probably helped to communicate with them. The Weasleys, Wood, Bell and a lot of others visited regularly to help and take part in the matches but it wasn't until Hermione invited Pucey and him over one weekend that he started to take part in it.

Of course there had been loud protests about their presence but Hermione had been stubborn and gave them all a tongue-lashing that had them nodding in agreement out of fear of her wrath. Ever since then there had been more Slytherins coming over. Not only to play but to visit the children and spent some time with them. Even his mother made sure to apparate over every now and then. She would read the younger ones good night stories much like she did for him or give advice to the older girls about stuff only females understood.

"We won," he grinned.

"Oh, did you catch the snitch?"

Hadn't it been for the gleam of excitement in her eyes he would have been cross with her. But Hermione knew how Potter permanently besting him as a Seeker needled him and more so his ego. As a Gryffindor she was still loyal to her house but could refrain from doing so when they played with mixed teams.

"No, Potter caught it, but Weasley did so bad that we won anyway."

"Poor Ron, I'm sure he was crestfallen."

Rolling his eyes at her statement he was sure he would never understand this woman. It was so typical Hermione to be sorry for the git, even after all the heartache he had given her when he learnt about her dating a Slytherin.

But he knew her good enough by now to not comment on it. Instead he asked her about her week and they quickly fell into an easy dialogue while they enjoyed their breakfast. The good thing about Hogwarts elves was that no one could rival their cooking.

Draco used the time to watch the woman in front of him carefully. Hermione was by no means breathtakingly beautiful, like other girls he associated himself with in the past. She was rather plain in fact. Not dull, just nothing outstanding. From her brown eyes, brown hair over her petite frame down to her more curvaceous body than desired these days. But that was just on first sight. He knew what he was talking about, he had looked at her that way for their first school years.

But if one actually took his time to look a bit more carefully he could see that her eyes weren't just brown, they were the colour of rich cognac with a few sprinkles of gold in it. Her hair was brown all right, but ever since she took the time for a spell or two her mass of curls flowed glossy down her back, making the fingers of every man itch with the desire to run them through them.

One could easily oversee the fact that she was indeed a very petite witch due to her self-assurance as well as the powerful vibe she gave off. She held more magic in her pinky finger than most witches and wizards in their whole body and it showed.

As to the look of her body. In his opinion she had curves in all the right places and she actually ate. There was nothing more depressing than having dinner with a witch who didn't eat more than a few leaves of salad.

But that was just the outside. The real beauty of the woman that was Hermione Granger came form the inside. She was kind, loyal, understanding always tried to make others happy. Of course she could be stubborn, insufferable fussy and downright scary but normally it wasn't so hard to avoid that, as far as one wasn't Ronald Weasley.

But he slowly realised that he was mostly drawn to her because he'd always wanted someone in his life who really cared for him. In the all consuming and heart melting kind of way she always had shown towards Tweedledum and Tweedledee. But just as slowly he had realised that she wasn't for him. Well, if he was honest with himself he'd known that for years but had a hard time to let it go.

Maybe all that he'd needed was for someone else to open his eyes. Someone who wasn't doing it intentionally but did so anyway in simply being herself. And maybe he had finally found her.

"Have you decided what you want to do?" Hermione asked and ripped him out of his thoughts.

"Actually, I have," he nodded but didn't continue just to rile her up a little. Old habits died hard after all.

"Well?" She demanded impatiently as he expected and he had a hard time to suppress his grin

"Two weeks ago, I got a letter... from Hogwarts." he added after a short pause."McGonagall offered me the position as potion professor."

"Two weeks...and you only tell me now?" Hermione suddenly yelled. "Draco Abraxas Malfoy I can't believe that you would hide such a thing from me!"

"Jeez Granger, calm down!" He raised his hands a bit surprised about her reaction. "It's not as if we've seen each other since then."

"You could have written to me! I thought we were friends. Friends share such things with each other!"

That had him pause. "Of course you are my friend, Hermione. Apart from Blaise you are the only real friend I ever had," he told her softly.

"Oh Draco," sighing she reached across the table and took his hand in her own. She would always do things like that when she wanted to apologise or show affection. It was nice. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just...I'm happy for you. I always knew you could make it and I'm certain you would make a wonderful teacher." After a short moment she asked. "You did accept, right?"

That made him chuckle. "Yes, Granger I did."

"Good for you!" She beamed before she suddenly seemed to be struck by a thought. "Oh, and you wouldn't be alone. Luna just told me the other day that she quitted at St. Mungos to take over Madame Pomphrey's position. I would never have guessed that she was interested in becoming a healer. I always saw her hunting after some strange, non-existing creature and taking over the Quibbler one day."

"She still intends of doing that one day. Maybe. For now she wants to start a student newspaper." The moment the words left his mouth he knew he had said too much.

Brilliant Malfoy! Sneaky and subtle, spoken like a true Slytherin. He was spending too much time with Gryffindors these days.

"Oh, really?" If the grin on Hermione's face became any brighter, Draco was sure it would hurt. "Is there something you want to tell me about?"

"I'm sure I've no idea what you're talking about!" Of course he had! Although there wasn't that much to tell at this point. He had met Luna Lovegood every now and then during the years that had followed the war but it wasn't until recently that he had really noticed her. She was a strange bird. Pretty but crazy. At least that was what he had thought at first. In reality it was much like with Hermione. The first sight didn't tell you anything. Nothing really in Luna's' case and the more time he spend with her the more he felt the wish to find out more about her. She was gentle and open minded, intelligent without the need to prove herself as well as forgiving and sweet. With her he felt as if he could simply be himself and it would be enough.

"So you two are a couple?" Obviously Hermione wasn't giving up. Bloody Gryffindor.

"I'm not sure if a few dates lead up to us being a couple."

"But you like her?"

"Really, Granger, has anyone ever told you that you are nosy?"

"Yes, all the time," she grinned and leant forward over the table. "So?"

Sighing he decided to give in, knowing fully well that she wouldn't stop until she had an answer. "Yes, I like her. She's...unique." Wasn't that the truth! "We met at one of the Ministry balls my fathers forces me to go to and she was one of the few who didn't look at me as if I would Avada them and paint the walls with Dark Marks."

No, certainly not. She had told him how handsome he looked in his dress robes and that he should look out for the short-snout-gillifees or something like that, because they tended to get jealous of good looking wizards and one never knew what they would do. He was too stunned to say anything and before he'd found his voice again she was gone. But destiny certainly had its hands in it as he found her to be seated next to him at the table. At first it was a bit awkward but a few hours later he'd found himself in a deep conversation with her, astonished about her intelligence and intrigued by her perception of things. They talked, laughed and danced and at the end of the evening he found himself sad that they had to leave soon. So he'd been brave and asked her for a date for the next day and much to his relief she had said yes.

That had been three weeks ago and they had met regularly ever since. Sometimes for dinner, sometimes for tea and sometimes he would just sit with her and talk. She was so different from the witches he knew but he appreciated it more and more. She wasn't interested in his money, his connections to famous people or some other double intention. Luna was just herself and never palmed herself as someone she wasn't.

"Yes, Luna understands people," Hermione nodded. "I'm not quite sure if I will ever understand her though. So...you are serious about her?"

"Are you asking me about my intentions?" He snorted with disbelief.

"Well, Luna is a good friend as are you." She started a bit unsure. "I wouldn't want either of you hurt. So, yes, I guess I am asking you about your intentions"

Draco actually paused at that. "I'm not sure." That much was true. For years his thoughts had centred around the witch in front of him, it would take him a little time to let go completely. "I like her – I like spending time with her and I think she enjoys it, too. At least she said as much. For now I think I would simply like to get to know her better and see where things lead to."

He had no idea how it would turn out, but he was willing to make it work and try his best. Hermione would never be more than a good friend, but maybe Luna could be more. And maybe, just maybe she wanted him to be more for her too.

tbc


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