AN: Hey everyone!! Sorry it took a bit longer to get up, but I revised Chapter 6 about seven or eight times. I just wasn't happy with the way it was going. So, I finally present Chapters 5 & 6! It also seems like this story is getting a lot longer than I had originally planned, so if any of you have any suggestions for where it should go, I would love to hear them! Anyway, on with the story!
Chapter 5: Late Like the White Rabbit
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When Hermione made it around the next corner, she slowed down a bit to think about what had just happened. How could Harry have gotten their relationship that confused? For Merlin's sake, her best friend was crazy for him. That alone was reason enough not to have any intimate involvements with him, let alone all of their views that they disagreed on.
But on the other hand, what if he was the one who sent her that note? He did say that he had been waiting for her, and how else could he have known that she would go that way? But if that were the case, why would he have said to meet at the Observatory Tower instead of the unused classroom at the end of the corridor?
Or could he have known she was going there because he had been using the Marauder's Map? But that still didn't seem likely as he would have had to cut her off at some point….
Nothing was making sense, but Hermione knew that she still had to get to the tower before 9 to confirm if Harry was her secret admirer or not. With that goal in mind and a quick glance at the time, she headed off at a pace almost uncomfortable for the pesky heels she was wearing.
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8:58. Draco was growing impatient. What if she didn't show? Had he mistaken her response to his note for something else? She was always at least 10 minutes early to every class, quidditch match, and meal; would she really choose now to show up on time or, even worse, not show up at all? He felt his chest tightening as he began panicking at his own foolishness. Maybe I can wait an extra ten minutes, he tried reasoning with himself. It's possible that she got caught up with those stupid boys in her common room. And besides, she is definitely worth the wait.
Just as Draco finished reasoning with himself, he heard someone climbing the stairs behind him. He turned around just in time to see Hermione come up the last steps breathing heavily. She had obviously tried to hurry to make it on time, and any anger Draco had felt at her tardiness was instantly gone. He smiled slightly, but dropped it just as quickly.
"Oh, Malfoy, I was expecting to meet someone here," Hermione said, looking very annoyed. "You didn't scare anyone off for one of your evening rendezvous, did you?"
"No, I didn't," he said taken aback. He didn't know how else to respond or what he had expected, but this hostility was definitely not it.
"Well then, I guess I'll be going," Hermione said sounding defeated, turning to leave and clearly looking disappointed.
"No, wait," Draco said reaching for her arm again. She turned around and saw the gesture, so he added shyly, "I've been waiting here for you." He dropped his arm and his gaze towards the ground, suddenly very ashamed of his outburst of emotion.
"What do you mean, waiting for me?" Hermione began, walking towards Draco while looking at him as if he were an alien. He lifted his eyes again to meet hers, and almost instantaneously he was fighting the strongest of urges to kiss her more passionately than he knew she had ever been kissed.
"Hermione, I sent you that note during dinner," he started, and she stopped where she was. "I realize it seems crazy, and really, it is, but it's true, all of it," he pleaded, staring into her eyes as if willing her to believe him.
"If you think this is a joke, it's not a good one, Malfoy," Hermione said furiously, starting to back away and looking extremely upset again. "As if I haven't provided enough entertainment for you already, you set up this ridiculous meeting so you can laugh at me in my face. Well I'm not going for it," she finished strongly. She quickly wiped at her eyes before any tears could fall. He felt gut wrenching horror realizing he was causing her this pain.
"But it's not a joke," Draco tried impatiently. "You wouldn't believe the stuff I've been thinking lately. Do you really think I want to be as mean to you as I have been?"
"It's not like anyone was pressuring you to say the things you did," she said offensively while crossing her arms. Even though he was shocked at her response, he had to admit there was something extremely attractive about her when she got so defensive.
"How else could I keep from saying all the things that I wish I could say?" Draco tried again, stepping closer to her. "Being cruel to you was my only defense from breaking down in front of the entire school." He was drawing nearer, but she didn't move away so he added softly, "I meant what I said last night. I know I came off too aggressive, but I was just so mad at seeing you hurt over someone completely unworthy of your time. I know I wouldn't deserve it, but I hope you can forgive me for everything that I've done over the years." By this point he was standing directly in front of her, but the ball was on her side of the court now. In one second, she could crush him forever.
"Say I'd be willing to forgive you," Hermione began slowly, but thinking quickly, "which won't be easy, mind you, but pretend that I could eventually; what then? We're sworn enemies, you and I. It's not like we'd be able to go frolicking about. Our allegiances lie in completely different places; we would be torn apart eventually," she had begun pacing at this point, another thing he was finding completely adorable about her. "And your parents, I'm sure they would be so thrilled to hear you've started dating some muggle born girl who's one of Harry Potter's closest friends. I don't think you'd part with all that inheritance money for just me. Even I would think you'd gone mad. And-"
"Hermione, do you really think that low of me?" Draco said, a look of disgust on his face. At this, she stopped pacing and stared into his light grey eyes. "Do you honestly believe that I think my father is doing the right thing, following that half-dead corpse around, searching for power? It disgusts me, but I can't say or do anything to prove otherwise or my family will be destroyed."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked slowly, still staring at his gorgeous eyes.
"If You-Know-Who found out that one of his most loyal supporters had a son who was unreceptive to his teachings, he'd kill his entire family within the same heartbeat," Draco said flatly. "I find that man absolutely repulsive, and the things my father has done in his name," he made a seriously offended noise here, "let's just say it would make us both sick. Hermione, that's not the life I want to lead," he said, and turned to walk toward the balcony. He was slightly happy to sense Hermione following him and stop right next to him. "I want a life that's not laid out for me, something that I can choose for myself. If my parents don't support that, then I guess I'll just have to find a way to survive without them."
"I never knew you disliked your father like that," Hermione said in a small voice, looking out at the stars. "We always saw it as you trying to be just like him. I don't think anyone could have guessed otherwise."
"And that's how it has to be, for now at least," Draco said sadly, looking down at Hermione. There was something about her makeup that forced to him look into her eyes, like it was purposefully drawing his attention there. She met his gaze and he could see that she felt sad for him. "Hermione, I don't think you realize that you have so much of the freedom that I wish I could have. You don't have to fight bad impressions or worry about keeping up appearances. That's one of the reasons I like you so much; you're able to be so free with your emotions."
He could tell she was having some kind of internal battle, but decided not to pry. He really didn't want to push her too far after revealing some of his deepest secrets, so he waited for her to speak.
"I'm sorry," she said, turning away from him. "But I still feel that I can't completely trust you. I'm glad that you've opened up and told me this much, but I can't just let go of everything else yet. I need more time to know this isn't some joke."
"I understand," he said, hope filling his heart, but sad at the same time that she didn't completely trust him. He had just confessed a lot to her, things that no one else knew about. "If there's anything you want me to do-"
"It's not that," she said quietly, turning to face him again. "I just need to think about some things. How about we meet here again tomorrow, same time, and we can talk some more." She smiled, and it was the sweetest expression he had ever seen.
"Alright, it's a date," he agreed with a huge grin on his face. She giggled, a good sign, he thought. "I hope you can come to a good conclusion with all those goofy boys chasing you around." He was sure that the remainder of the school would still be following her every move the next day, and didn't know how that would play into her 'thinking.'
"I'm sure they won't break my focus," she said, smiling again. "Well then, until tomorrow." She turned and headed towards the stairs, but when she got to the top step, she stopped to add, "Good night, Draco," before hurrying down them.
Draco felt like he could fly at that moment. Had Hermione really just said good night to him using his first name? He had never heard it sound so perfect before, but then, that's what her voice did to him. Feeling so elated, it seemed mere seconds before he was falling into his bed in the Slytherin dormitory, finally sure to have a good night's rest.
Chapter 6: A New Day
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The walk back to the dorms had never felt longer. Hermione could not recall a time when she had felt a more chaotic mix of emotions going through her head. The man who wrote the sweet and endearing note to her turned out to be the one man she thought she hated most, excluding Lord Voldemort of course. However, he made perfect sense in every point he had made that night, so surely it wasn't just a story. She couldn't think of any reason for him to lie to her about his feelings in such an elaborate way.
Finally making her way to her room, Hermione felt exhaustion take over her like never before. She had barely made it into her bed and under the covers before falling into a deep sleep.
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The next morning at breakfast, Harry was happy to see Hermione entering the Great Hall and walking in his direction, even if she was accompanied by Ginny. He hadn't taken her response last night very well, but he supposed stalking her with the Maurader's Map had earned him that.
"Morning, Hermione!" he said as cheerily as he could, usual goofy smile in place. "Did you sleep well?" He could tell she and Ginny had been up early fixing all the glam charms because she looked as stunning as the night before.
"Yeah," she answered, stifling a yawn, "but Gin woke me up 2 hours ago to show me how to do all this myself," she said, motioning to her hair and face.
"And I still say that you'll thank me later for it," Ginny grinned. "Morning, Harry," she turned lustful eyes on him while taking a seat next to Hermione. He suppressed a shudder, but returned her greeting with a slight nod. He couldn't be sure if Hermione had told her friend about their run-in last night, but Ginny didn't seem any the wiser.
"Well, it looks great, Herm," Harry said, directing his attention back to her. "The outside is finally reflecting the inside, I think." She blushed at his complement and he had to grin. That was a sight he would love to grow used to.
"Thanks, Harry," she told her toast. Apparently she hadn't thought about him surprising her after all, as she still seemed awkward about it.
"I agree though," Ginny put in, saving the awkward situation. They both looked at the red head as if prompting her to explain, so she continued, "Everyone knows how smart you are, but only we knew about your amazing personality. Looking the way you do now, more people will want to get to know the you beyond the books." She finished with a big smile, as if waiting for applause. Harry felt that Ginny could be so vain sometimes, but had to agree, whether he wanted more people trying to get to know Hermione or not.
"Well, thank you both," Hermione finally said with a smile. "As long as these people understand that I'm still trying to stay at the top of the class, I guess it's alright. Oh.." Harry noticed Ron walking in at the same time Hermione did. After standing around like a fish out of water for a few seconds, Ron continued over to their group.
"Morning, everyone," he tried to say cheerily with a fake smile plastered to his face. It was painfully obvious he hadn't slept at all and probably woke up crying, since his eyes were so bloodshot. "How's the food?" he added, looking hungrily around. Harry had to laugh at his friend's priorities.
"The eggs are great, and grab a sausage or two," Harry commented, still laughing.
"Thanks think I will," Ron said, getting what his friend recommended and eating hastily.
Hermione stood up quickly. "I have to get to the owlery and order some shampoo Ginny recommended," she stated. "I want to get it as soon as I can, so I'm going before class. Gin, will come with to make sure I get the right one?" she turned to her friend and pleaded with her eyes.
"Yeah, alright," Ginny sighed, also standing. "I have Professor Binns first thing today anyway, so he won't notice if I'm late."
"See you in class, then," Hermione offered to the boys, who were just sitting there looking dumbstruck, and quickly took off.
"Wonder what her hurry was," Ron said, turning back on his eggs. Harry could have slapped his friend for being so daft. Instead he sighed and continued to sip his morning tea.
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By midday, Draco decided his anxiety was unbearable. He had barely tolerated McGonagall's droning voice for early morning Transfiguration. I can't believe it's only Tuesday, he thought to himself as he walked to Umbridge's pathetic excuse for a Defense Against the Dark Arts class. At least there's a visit to Hogsmeade this weekend, he thought and felt a little bit better.
"Drakie, will you stop mopping around?" Only the sound of Pansy's irritating voice and her terrible nickname for him could have snapped Draco out of his reverie. "You've been in a daze all day, it's not like you," she pouted, moving to walk with him.
"I'm just tired, Pans," he smiled, trying to get rid of her. It had been a year since Draco first took her to bed, but in that year she became unbelievably possessive of him. Hounding him around the castle, she hardly ever let him be alone with another woman, much less take anyone else to bed. It was amusing at first, but he had decided that this year at Hogwarts would be different.
"What from?" was her immediate response. She was eyeing him carefully, as if to see if he had gone to bed with someone other than herself.
"Just school work, and I guess all the extra Prefect duties we have now aren't helping," he sighed. "Anyway, let's hurry up and get to this joke of a class. I don't want that toad looking at me like a juicy fly again," he said, taking off at a quicker pace.
Pansy was stunned by Draco's gruff attitude, but quickly regained her composure and jogged to catch up with him.
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Herbology was becoming Hermione's least favorite class this year. Professor Sprout was a nice woman and all, but Hermione's problem lay in the amount of men trying to work at her table with her. Since she was still avoiding Ron and Harry was sitting with him, she was left to sit at an empty table. Well, it was empty for about three seconds before Neville Longbottom, Justin Finch-Fletchy, and Ernie Macmillan joined her, with a lot of disappointed sounds coming from all the slow-pokes.
Hermione was still amazed at the ruckus she was creating. Lunch had been much the same as dinner the night before, with boys of all years and houses trying to grab her attention. Her amusement quickly faded, however. After being forced to sit for an hour and attempt to ignore the attention she was receiving and laughing half-heartedly when she couldn't feign ignorance any longer, Hermione had had enough. And if she hadn't been so busy trying to run back to her dorm for some quiet time, she would have hugged Professor Sprout for ending class thirty minutes early.
Once she had made it to the sanctuary of her bed, Hermione threw her book bag to the floor, kicked off her shoes, and jumped onto the bed. The day's events were just too much for her. She didn't know if she could handle ordeals like this every day. Just as she was seriously considering reverting back to her old looks, there was a light knock on the door. Unsure of whom it was, she reluctantly got up and went to answer it.
"Oh, thank Merlin it's you, Gin," she breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door wider for her friend to come in. "I've just been thinking this is all some terrible mistake. Please tell me why I wanted this makeover again?"
"I had a feeling you were getting to this point," Ginny said knowingly. They both went to sit in the middle of Hermione's bed, Indian style and facing each other. "You're a beautiful person, Hermione, inside and out. It was time for you to show the world your beauty. And the fact that you wanted to make a drastic change so as to get over my brother faster, but I can't blame you for that," Ginny said nonchalantly and shrugged. "Every woman goes through this glamorous stage of finding out what works for her. Yours is just more widely observed because you're one of Harry Potter's best mates."
Hermione took a second to think about that response. "I think you're right, Gin. If I wasn't such great friends with Harry, I would have been able to make this change without all the fuss. Thanks, that makes this a bit easier now," she said smiling.
"Hey, I just came here because you still haven't told me a thing about your mystery admirer last night," Ginny said pointing an accusing finger at Hermione. Getting anxious, she added, "Please tell me it's Cormac McLaggen! He's totally been eyeing you since the beginning of term. This kind of thing seems right up his alley."
Sighing and shaking her head, Hermione said, "You're not going to believe me when I tell you, but you have to agree to listen to the entire story." Getting Ginny's approval of her terms with a nod, Hermione told her best friend the events of her meeting with Draco the previous night.
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Ginny was stunned to silence. Her mind was having the hardest time comprehending that Draco Malfoy, the Pureblood son-of-a-bitch that hated muggle borns with a passion, has been watching Hermione with interest for some time now. Everything in her being was telling her that this was some trap.
"Don't trust him," was the first thing she could think to say.
"I knew you wouldn't be happy about this, there's just too much animosity between your families," Hermione sighed and looked at her comforter.
"Hell yes there is!" Ginny screamed at her friend. "His father tried to have You-Know-Who resurrected through me with that terrible diary three years ago! All they ever do is tell us how our blood isn't good enough and we are technically on the same level as them! How could Draco turn around and profess his love to you? Yes, you're an amazing witch and I love you, but to shallow people like him, it's all about lineage, Hermione."
"I get it," Hermione snapped back. Ginny was surprised by her normally quiet friend's outburst. "You hate him and his family, fine. Don't get me involved in some squabble your parents have been going on about for years. It's none of my business," Hermione stated. There was an intense staring contest then and the tension became palpable.
Sensing that there would be no victor, Ginny stood to leave. "If that's how you really feel, then I guess I'll just get out of your way." She felt irate, but she decided she wasn't going to show it here. "Good luck fending off the boys at dinner, I'm sure they will be as persistent as ever," she said without a backward glance and slamming the door behind her. If her best friend would really choose the side of that white haired ferret without even knowing him, maybe she had misjudged their friendship all these years.