Author's chapter notes:
Hi! Thanks for reading my story! Enjoy the next chap :)
Hermione watched from a distance as Luna Lovegood put a hand on Harry's shoulder.
They were sitting by the lake, and Hermione was observing from the bridge. It had been two days since Harry's breakup with Ginny, and she wasn't handling it well. Since they still had to be potions partners, things were tense in that class. They would work silently; only uttering a word about the day's assignment. If there was one thing Hermione disliked about Ginny, it was her lack of empathy.
Through all this, things were getting better with Malfoy. They were definitely not friends. They weren't even civil yet, but the heated arguments had diminished to bickering. Hermione suddenly had an epiphany.
He hasn't called me Mudblood since the first day of Harry's disappearance.
Perhaps it was because he was changing. No way, she debated. Draco Malfoy will always be Draco Malfoy. He isn't going to abruptly transform into a softie. Perhaps there was another reason. Her memories flashed back to the times at the Great Hall; the moments when he had been staring. She then realized he wasn't changing. His personality would never falter. He was adjusting, because they had something in common. They had both lost someone they cared about. Sure, Crabbe was a complete moron, but nevertheless he was loyal. Malfoy must have cared about him even in the slightest. He may be the most insufferable prat, she thought, But he's still human.
Hermione chuckled; realizing how her thoughts had shifted from Harry's recovery to Malfoy.
Hermione was sitting on that red couch.
She was working on her Arithmaticy assignment. The textbook instructed her to isolate X so she could find its value. This doesn't make any sense! How can I find what X is worth by putting it on one side of the equation by itself? Hermione flipped through the pages of the textbook back to the examples. It all became clear. If I isolate the variable, I can combine the other numbers and solve for X! Feeling triumphant, Hermione finished the problem and plopped down on the green rug by the fireplace. So X is worth... what all the other numbers are worth? she wondered, already wanting to get ahead in her class. But what about when Y comes along? How does X correspond to Y?
Something squawked from the private Head's Owlery.
Hermione hopped up from her position on the ground and skipped towards the Owlery. A large dark brown owl was waiting for her on the perch. Hermione plucked the letter from its beak and it immediately soared away. The letter had no address, so she was about to set it on the table in the common room, but she noticed the seal it possessed.
M.
It must be a letter to Malfoy, she realized. If I open it, I could always use a sealing charm... And I could find out some information! Hermione tore open the parchment and began to devour its contents.
Draco,
I hope you are doing well at school. I should like to hear that your marks are all Outstandings, as usual. Also, congratulations on becoming the Slytherin team Quidditch Captain. I am very proud of you.
I also want you to know that your father has been convicted to a life sentence in Azkaban, for reasons other than being a Death Eater. I want you to know that you don't have to protect him anymore for me. I'm ready to move on, and so should you. Don't hold the burden on yourself any longer.
I always wish the best for you. You are the motivation in everything I do. Please reply in a timely fashion.
With love,
Your Mother
Hermione trailed her fingers across the smears that were evident on the crinkly parchment. Protect Lucius? Why would Malfoy protect a horrible man like him? she marveled. He is his father though... Shaking her head, she sealed the letter back up with her wand and set it on the smooth wooden table.
She turned around, but not before a familiar cold and pointy tip was pressed against the hollow of her throat.
"If you ever lay your filthy hands on my personal property ever again," he growled, towering over her now trembling figure, "I'll kill you." Malfoy snatched the letter off the table and flew out of the room before Hermione could even blink.
For a moment she couldn't free herself from her frozen state. His cold words echoed through her head. I'll kill you... She collapsed on the floor and sobbed. "I'm never going to complete my task!" she wailed to no one in particular. "I always have the most rotten luck!"
Luck.
Hermione furrowed her brows and slowly rose from the floor. She broke out in a run and bolted up the stairs. She reached her bedroom and threw open the door. She dashed to the bedside table, tore the drawer out and tossed the hundreds of pieces of parchment aside until her eyes finally settled upon a small vial of clear liquid.
All I need is a little luck.
Hermione drowned the liquid luck.
Her brain felt a twist of thoughts. The bridge, the bridge, the bridge is where I have to be, the bridge is where I need to be, the bridge is where I should be, the bridge, the bridge... Feeling extremely giddy and confident, Hermione and her frizzy hair bounced down the stairs and out the portrait hole. So this is how Harry felt when he got Slughorn's memory, she thought as she felt the sting of the cold night air. She stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted Malfoy leaning on the bridge railing. Losing no pride, she glided over to where he was standing.
"I'm sorry I opened your letter," she said quite loudly. "I'm supposed to find out a secret of yours for Dumbledore." Bugger! Why did I say that? Dumbledore's going to cast me into Oblivion! Her muscles tensed and for the first time since she took the potion, Hermione was nervous.
Malfoy chuckled.
"Of course you are."
"You... aren't going to hex me?" she questioned, confused by his reaction.
"I wish, but McGonagall would take my badge away, and... well my mother wouldn't like that too much. Besides, I already knew."
"You already knew?" she inquired, even more confused. "But... how...?"
"Granger, I'm smarter than the Dream Team gives me credit for," he began, and smirked. "I knew there had to be an ulterior motive for Dumbledore to make me a Head, besides my incredible wit and talent, and seeing you snoop through my letter only confirmed my suspicions."
She admired him in a way, for figuring it all out on his own. He solved the puzzle that she and Dumbledore had created, much how she had solved many puzzles of Voldemort himself.
"So how were you protecting your father?" she blurted. I didn't want to say that! So why did I...
He arched a pale eyebrow.
"Why so interested in me, Granger? Want to gawk at my body again?" The smirk returned. "I know it's extremely attractive."
"What... no! I just... I don't know. I'll have to tell Dumbledore something."
He spoke abruptly.
"Memories." He looked down at his feet. "Of things that no one with a stomach wants to see."
Hermione shuddered. "Oh." She had always suspected that Lucius was an abuser. But she knew why Malfoy had been protecting him. Because his mother had loved him.
"Careful, Malfoy, doing something so noble will get you into Gryffindor," she teased, lightening the mood, "You don't want to transfer houses, do you?"
"No way, Granger." He wasn't smirking completely. His expression was a half smile twisted with a smirk and still half of a scowl.
"Malfoy," she declared, "When you're not an arrogant, selfish, annoying, loathsome and foul prick, you're not half bad."
"Granger," he replied, "When you're not a bossy, controlling know-it-all, you're slightly tolerable." He clasped his hands together and leaned on the railing once more.
She smiled, because by Malfoy's standards, she could live with that.
Author's end notes:
Did you like it? Please leave lovely reviews! I'm not going to say "this is my first fic, so be nice" and all that crap. Please tell me things you really enjoyed and things I need to improve on!
-expelliarmus-obliviate
