Chapter 3
Draco stared at the girl in front of him barely believing what he was seeing. How on Earth could she be Granger? Granger was homely, with ratty short hair. She couldn't be this longhaired goddess in front of him. He moved his eyes up and down her body, taking her in. Finally his eyes rested on her face. He had never seen such beautiful eyes. They were wide, filled with an emotion he couldn't place. He shook his head but continued his gaze.
Hermione deepened her gaze, starting to feel a little uncomfortable with the look she saw in his eyes. It was almost seemed as though he was looking at her in a different light. It was now her turn to shake her head. It couldn't be. But the look he gave her was not the usual look of disgust he gave her. She looked towards the ground. "If you wouldn't mind, could you please stop staring?"
"Sorry. It's just..." He stopped when her head shot up and her eyes widened even more in what looked like surprise. "What are you looking at me like that for Granger?"
Hermione couldn't believe what she had just heard come out of his mouth. She had to be mistaken. She smiled. "Did you just say sorry to me, to a dirty Mudblood? I can't believe it. Something must be wrong. Are you quite well? I mean I know you didn't get head boy this year but there is no way that could have affected your brain. Did you hit your head against something over the summer?"
Draco stepped back at the comment of him hitting his head. It wasn't so much that he hit it against something, but that something was hit against it. But there was no way that he was going to tell her about that. He sneered, his normal cold demeanor taking over. "My mistake mudblood, I regarded you like you were actually almost human. I guess the shock of not seeing a head girl badge on you was too much for me."
He saw the hurt move across her face and knew that his last comment hurt her. Immediately regret rushed over him. Why was it that she wasn't head girl? He was sure when he hadn't gotten his letter that Potter and Granger must have received theirs. He was going to comment more about it when noticed she was still rubbing he wrist. Without a thought he reached out and grabbed her hand, taking it in his and carefully massaging where the skin had begun to discolor. A jolt of emotion trembled through his body. There was never a reason to hit or physically hurt a girl. He didn't like it when his mother was covered in bruises and yet here he was looking at the first bruise he had ever inflicted on a girl. Guilt washed over him. Trying to remember who she was he pushed it away. Softly he whispered "It's going to bruise" knowing that his words gave away more then he wished them too, but he had to let her know he wasn't a bully.
Hermione was touched by his concern. Softly she answered him. "I think it already has."
He looked up into her eyes, seeing something he had never noticed before. Sadness overtook his features. "I didn't mean to hurt you it's just that..."
Hermione's features softened again and concern for him washed over her. After what she had witnessed earlier she tried to look at him in a different light. He seemed so sad and honestly sorry for hurting her. She reached her free hand out to touch his cheek, a jolt moved through her with the contact. "It's okay, really. It doesn't hurt that much. It'll probably go away in a few days. I swear it's not permanent. Besides I know it was an accident."
Draco closed his eyes as her had caressed his cheek, sensations running through his body. He really hadn't meant to hurt her. He never would strike a woman. He didn't want that type of life. After all he had seen he knew he didn't want that type of life. But he couldn't tell her that. "You just startled me. I thought you were..."
"I know who you thought I was. I saw what happened."
Draco dropped her wrist and stepped back. What was happening to him, how could she do this to him, make him feel... His face hardened back into his regular sneer. All signs of what had just transpired between them left his features. "Don't touch me Mudblood. Don't think that just because you saw whatever it is you think you saw that we've bonded. You are nothing but a Mudblood bitch. Not even worth the air you breathe."
Hermione pulled back her hand that he dropped and bit back the tears that formed in her eyes. What had just happened? Just a moment ago he had been so gentle, so kind, and now. She looked up from her hand to his face. "You know I almost felt sorry for you Malfoy. You actually had me believing that you deserved some sort of sympathy, my mistake." With that a tear slipped down her cheek and she turned and walked away.
Draco softened his expression as he watched her walk away. He didn't mean to make her cry. She was just trying to make him feel better. Why was he such a jerk? It's because you were born that way. You are a Malfoy and Malfoy's don't have anything to do with Mudblood's. No matter how much they try to care, and especially no matter how sexy you think they are.
Where did that come from? He didn't think she was sexy. She was just Granger, nothing more. She couldn't be. He wouldn't allow it. Fighting the urge to follow her and explain, Draco turned and walked down the street in the opposite direction. He could never explain what happened to her. Not when he had no clue what the explanation was.
Hermione didn't know where she was running to; all she knew was that she had to get away from him. She couldn't quite explain what he had done to her, but she knew that he had felt it too. So why did he turn so cold. She had seen into his heart, she knew he had opened for a moment, but just a quickly he closed it again.
Ever since her fourth year, when the dark lord had come back Hermione had been taught to fear the Malfoy's. Lucius Malfoy had been known to be on the right hand of Voldemort and although during the final battle he had turned on his master and worked with the order to bring him down his loyalty was still in question. Everyone knew Lucius turned to save his own skin but the ministry partially pardoned him for his switch. Who knew where Draco's loyalty lay. In her sixth year it looked as though Draco was going to turn away from Voldemort and that what was when her crush had developed. But the war came to a head and Lucius switched sides before anyone could discover what side Draco had been truly on.
That's when her crush had started. Draco became an obsession. She would close her eyes when she went to bed, but it wouldn't be her boyfriend Ron she saw but Malfoy. His blond hair dangling in front of his eyes as he lay on top of her, loving her. It was him that gave her pleasure in her dreams, not Ron. This ended up causing more problems in her relationship, especially when Ron started pushing to go to the next level. She couldn't. She didn't want Ron like that. It was the start of the decline of her love for the youngest Weasley boy. When they broke up she was kind of relieved. She needed to sort out her feelings, or as Ron would have said, her "priorities". She went home at the beginning of summer thinking the dreams of Malfoy would stop, and she could evaluate everything with a clear mind. But they didn't.
She shook her head and started to slow down. She looked behind her to make sure he wasn't following and ran smack into a body.
"Sorry." She turned around flustered.
"Hermione?" A smile formed on the face of the boy in front of her. "I was looking for you."
"Harry!" She flung herself into his arms. "It's so good to see you. How was your summer?"
Harry Potter looked down at his best friend. He had grown to 6 ft. 1, but she had remained petite at 5ft 5. Her hair trailed down her back resting just above the hem of her skirt. "It was good. You've changed Herm."
"But for the better honey." A voice came from behind him.
Hermione looked to the right of Harry where the voice came from. "Ginny. I didn't see you there." She hugged her friend and then let go so Harry could put his arm around his girlfriend.
Ginny Weasley smiled. "That's okay. You on the other hand look like you've been crying. Herm, what's wrong? It wasn't my jerk of a brother was it?"
Hermione shook her head. "No. I saw him already, everything's fine on that front. It's something else." She wiped her eyes one last time. "But don't worry about it. It's so good to see you. I missed you this summer. I'm sorry I didn't accept your owl to come and visit. I just thought that with Ron and I separating it wouldn't be a good idea. Besides I had a lot to sort out in my head."
Ginny nodded, knowing exactly what it was Hermione had to sort out that summer. She had been the one that Hermione had confided in about her feelings for the blond Slytherin the year before. "That's perfectly logical." She looked at her boyfriend. "Harry why don't the three of us go and find my brother?"
Hermione glanced at her watch. "He should waiting for us at the Leaky Cauldron. Let's go."
Draco could have hit himself for not following her to see if she was all right. But a Malfoy doesn't show weakness, and weakness would be following to see if a Mudblood was okay. Oh who was he kidding? He didn't believe any of that crap his father fed him every time they talked. He wasn't like that. He should have followed her.
He opened the door to the Leaky Cauldron and looked for his parents. Seeing them in a corner booth he walked over. "Mother, Father."
Narcissa motioned for him to sit next to her. "Hello darling. Did you see anything you needed?
Draco thought for a moment, biting back the urge to say yes. He wanted to tell his mother about what happened between him and Granger, but not with his father sitting across he table from him. "Not really mother. You have got me everything I really need already. But I did run into a fellow Hogwarts student before I got here. It was that Granger chit from Gryffindor."
Lucius sneered. "Isn't that the Mudblood that beats you every year for top student? Was she flashing her head girl badge around?"
Draco shook his head. He should have never brought her up. Her name only served to fuel his father's anger towards him. "Actually she didn't have it. I don't think she got head girl."
"I see then that Dumbledore has some sense then. Imagine, a Mudblood as head girl. However you should have gotten Head boy." His father never missed the chance to remind him of his failings.
Draco stared at the table trying to figure out a way to change the topic of conversation. He didn't want to think about her. Not until he figured out what had happened between them in the alley.
Narcissa watched as the features of her son's face moved to ones of thought. She knew he was hiding something. But he would probably tell her later. But the conversation was making him uncomfortable. "Lucius" She turned to her husband. "Could you go and get us some more drinks?"
Lucius glared at his wife and stood up. "I am not a servant wife. Besides I have to go to my meeting." He looked at his son. "Are you coming boy?"
Draco shook his head. "No. I really do have to finish getingt my stuff for school father. I want to do well this year." He hoped his father had forgotten that he had said he didn't need anything else.
Lucius smirked and nodded. "You had better, or you'll be sorry. You've been a pathetic excuse for a son thus far." With that he swept out of the pub.
Narcissa looked at her son, ignoring her husbands last comment and hoping her son would as well. "Something happened after we parted Draco, and it involved that girl you mentioned. I could tell you were uncomfortable with the topic of conversation."
"Oh mother. I'm just still upset about not getting Head boy."
Narcissa rolled her eyes. "I know you better then that so don't try lying to me. I know you got over not getting head boy weeks ago. Why won't you just tell me what happened? What are you scared of?"
Draco looked at his mother. He wanted to tell her, but he still didn't understand what had happened himself and he didn't want his mother to think badly of him. He couldn't take that. "It's really nothing mother."
"I told you this already I don't believe that. I really do know you better then you think."
Draco sighed. "I hurt a girl today. Physically hurt her." He looked down at his hands as he saw the disappointment flood his mother's eyes. "I didn't mean to. She grabbed my shoulder to see if I was alright and I grabbed her wrist and bruised it." Draco closed his eyes and shook his head.
Narcissa grabbed his hand, pulling his face up to look at her. "I know what you are thinking. You are nothing like your father Draco. You must believe that. You say you didn't mean it. You didn't. Have you ever heard your father say that?"
Draco wiped a tear from his eye, pushing on the bruise around his eye. He winced with pain. "No."
"Then you must believe that you are nothing like him. I know that is your worst fear, but darling. I believe you are meant for so much more then what you think you are."
The door to the Leaky Cauldron opened and Draco watched at Potter walked in with his Weasley girlfriend and... Granger.
He met her eyes as she rubber her wrist. He turned away.
Narcissa watched with interest. "Is that her, the girl that you hurt." She watched as her son nodded. "She's quite lovely Draco, quite lovely. I can see why you would not want to hurt her."
"She's a Mudblood mother."
Narcissa softly touched her son's cheek with one hand and held his hand with the other. "Those are not your words Draco. They aren't even your thoughts. Those are remnants of your father's words. He's drilled those words into your head. But I know that you don't believe them. What she is Draco, is a lovely, talented witch. A witch that I bet you would like to get to know better."
Draco pulled his head away from his mother's touch. "I have no idea what you are talking about. She is a filthy Mudblood. She is nothing to me."
Keeping a grip on her son's hand Narcissa shook her head. "Now you listen to me Draco Malfoy. I know you. I know what you are and what you want. This is not you. You have to be better then that. Blood does not make a wizard. It's what's in here." She touched her hand to Draco's heart. "Your father doesn't realize this. But you must."
Draco turned his head and found his eyes meeting hers once more.
Hermione looked away and back to her friends. The last thing she needed was to be looking into Draco Malfoy's eyes.
"Herm, are you okay?"
Hermione looked up and smiled. Ron was staring at her intently. "I'm fine. I'm excited about going back to school though. I can't wait to get back."
"Yeah back to the books, the classes, potions. Come on Hermione it's not that good of a thing." Harry teased.
Hermione smiled. "Well I guess not all of it will be good."
Ron grabbed her hand. "Are you alright Moine? You seem upset."
"I am still a little upset about not getting head girl though. But Hannah will do a great job."
"I still can't believe that they passed you up and gave it to her. You deserved it." Ginny commented.
"I don't know. There is too much going on. I understand why they thought I already had too much on my plate to add being Head girl on top of it. I just think this year is going to be different. I think this year is going to change so many things." Hermione said wistfully.
Ginny shivered. "Yeah. But for the better or for the worse?"
"Ginny we promised not to talk about it." Harry looked at her.
"Oh come off it Harry. Everyone is worried about it, why not talk about it."
Ever since Voldemort had come back, conversation within the group had been centered on Harry's safety and the safety of all muggles even though he had laid low for the last two years. Now the war was over and the group still focused on Harry's safety. Not all the deatheaters had been rounded up and there were still those out there who believed in the pureblood movement. Harry's safety was still important and they were still all at risk until the last of the deatheaters could be rounded up. It was part of the reason Hermione had not joined the group at the Burrow that summer. That and the uncomfortable feeling that would have been between her and Ron.
Hermione tuned out while the other three started again on how they were going to have to be careful and watch out. She turned her head back to look at the corner table. Malfoy was there with a very lovely woman. She assumed it was his mother. She watched as the woman raised her hand to stroke his cheek. For the first time Hermione noticed that he had a black eye. How could she have missed that earlier?
She felt sorry for Malfoy and his mother. After what she had witnessed that afternoon, and now seeing the bruises on Malfoy's cheek and his mother's arms, she knew it wasn't a one-time occurrence.
She was still watching when the woman looked over at her. She quickly turned her head away embarrassed to be caught staring.
"So what do you think Hermione?" Harry was asking her a question about the conversation they were having.
"Sorry Harry. I wasn't paying attention."
Harry looked over to where Hermione was looking and met Malfoy's gaze. He turned back. He was definitely going to have to talk to Hermione later. "I said that we were going to have to keep an eye on the Slytherin this year. A lot of them were probably in with you-know-who and even though he's gone they may still try to cause trouble."
Hermione nodded and let her gaze turn back to the corner again. "Yeah."
