He Changes Her Too
-Chapter Four-
December
Hermione woke up to knocking on the first Saturday of December. "Granger! Wake up" Hermione groaned and tried to cover her ears. After about 5 minutes Hermione realised he wouldn't give up, slipping into her slippers she got out of bed and grabbed her knitted cardigan and opened the door to him.
"Morning Malfoy, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"It's snowing outside" He said with a huge grin.
"And you woke me up at 7 on a Saturday to tell me it's snowing"
"I love snow" Hermione was becoming slightly annoyed with Draco's child-like demeanour, but something inside of her found it adorable.
"You know what I love, Draco?"
"Snow?" He smirked
"No, sleep" she said shutting the door in his face. Hermione smiled to herself, there was something about Draco Malfoy that she liked but completely despised.
Hermione woke up to a crashing sound, she checked the time it was 8:30. She got out of bed grabbing her cardigan and forgetting her slippers, she realised the crash had come from Draco's bedroom, she knocked and entered before a reply could be heard. She saw Draco's guitar in pieces on the floor. "Draco?"
"Get out!"
"Draco, what's wrong? " Hermione questioned as she tried to walk towards him
"I said get out, you... you filthy little mudblood" Draco regretted the words the second they left his lips. Hermione let a single tear fall before rushing out of his room and their common room and up to the astronomy tower. Draco screwed up the letter his father had sent him and threw it into the flames of fireplace. Draco could now easily tell himself that he hated his father. His father had made him a death eater, but it was him who'd called her a mudblood. Draco took what was left of his guitar and threw it in the fire to burn as well.
Hermione let one tear fall on the snow, before pulling her self up, she couldn't quite understand why he called her that, he was obviously angry about something. She remembered how he once told her he regretted calling her 'mudblood' she hoped he was regretting it now. She cast a warming charm, when her hand were numb and she sat and watched the snow fall, she really did like the snow.
After the mudblood incident, Draco and Hermione avoided conversation, a brief nod was all that they received of each other. Hermione studied in library or the Gryffindor common room instead of her own. A part of her wished she dreamed up the whole thing.
One one particular day, nearing the end of term, she had accidentally taken Blaise Zabini's potions textbook, Professor Slughorn had partnered them, this happened rather regularly usually she would have asked Draco but as they weren't on speaking terms, Hermione had to go down to the dungeons herself. As she turned a corner she heard a whispered argument.
"what exactly do you think you know?"
"Well you see Malfoy, I can't tell you that"
"Zabini, how the hell am I meant to do something about 'what you know' when I don't what that is"
"Okay then, you asked for it" There was a pause "Granger" Hermione tried not to gasp, she was confused and intrigued, what on earth was Blaise talking about. Hermione could tell he had a smirk on his face.
"Zabini, I haven't got a clue what your on" Hermione couldn't help thinking he sounded unconfident. Un-Malfoy.
"Just admit that your in love with her and we'll move on"
"I'm not 'in love with her'"
"Okay so why are you moping around because she's not talking to you"
"I slipped up, Blaise, I called her a mudblood again" Hermione heard a small slap
"You're a complete git" Hermione decided she'd heard enough, she dropped the book and ran back to the stairs.
Draco and Blaise peered round the corner and saw nothing, but Blaise's textbook. Blaise smirked he knew exactly who had been listening.
The train journey home seemed to drag, Draco found the idea of Christmas at his house daunting. Usually a very boring lonely day.
When Christmas day arrived, Hermione woke up early like she always did, she found her parents in the kitchen with hazelnut coffee. They opened a few presents like they always did, before their cousins arrived. By the end of the day Mrs Granger had noticed that there was one present left, with a label with Hermione's name on it. She moved it up to her daughter bedroom for her to open later that evening. By 10 that night, Hermione was very tired, she noticed the gift on her bed. She opened the gift and letter fell out.
Draco Malfoy woke up around midday, like usual. His parents had left a few gifts by his bed, which he opened. Books, a few new shirts and a picture of the latest Firebolt with a note saying...
'Which Colour?'
He then noticed the quite large gift in the corner of his room, he recognised the wrapping paper as muggle. He had a small idea about who this was from. He ripped open the wrapping and opened the box, to find the gift, a new guitar, was larger than the box. Undetectable Extension Charm. He smirked, Granger. Noticing a card he opened it.
I forgive you, again.
Merry Christmas, See you next year
Love Hermione
Hermione opened the letter and read.
Merry Christmas, Granger
It's a signed first edition
Love...
D
Slightly confused she removed the rest of the wrappings, 'Hogwarts: A History'
Draco knew her so well, and she smiled.
Draco Malfoy smiled for the rest of Christmas day.
As new year approached Draco decided to make one resolution. Be Nicer.