Behind the mask
Authors note
Hi guys, many thanks to 'Blackeyedbabe' for sticking up for me in the review section but the foul language wasn't needed. I don't own Harry Potter, no matter how hard I wish. Nor do I own the songs mentioned in this chapter, ooh spoilers, don't hurt me River!
Ch.4 Holidays begin
Draco's POV
I woke up the next morning quite early and got ready in minutes. I headed down to the great hall for breakfast sitting at the Slytherin table, I looked around. There were only about 17 on my table, 10 on Hufflepuff, about 25 on Ravenclaw and quite a few more at Gryffindor. I found myself scanning the table for her bushy hair, aha! Found her. I smiled. "Hey man." Blaise slid in next to me, "Oh, hi." I turned my attention to him, "You like her, don't you." Blaise motioned his head at Granger. My eyed dropped, "I knew it!" I could hear Blaise's smirk in his voice. He suddenly stood up on the bench. "Blaise, Blaise what are you doing?" He laughed, sitting back down again, luckily only attracting the attention of a few fellow Slytherin's. "I wanted to see your reaction." He said smugly.
I drew back my fist and punched him in the arm, hard. "Yeow!" He jumped back, knocking a few forks onto the floor "Ow! That really hurt!" He exclaimed, a look of pure shock on his face. "Good, you deserved it." I muttered, picking at the food on my plate but not eating. "If you like her, why are you so mean to her all the time?" I looked up at Blaise again, "Dumbledore told me to be mean to them, to fool my Father and Voldemort," Blaise sucked in his breath at the name, "Into thinking I was like them." I finished, he nodded, a look of understanding in his eyes.
"Come on, we better go, we've got Muggle Studies." I groaned and put my head down on the table, Blaise lifted my head up by my hair and let go, a resounding 'smack' echoed in the hall, I sat up, rubbing my head, and turned to Blaise. "Oops?" Blaise offered in a shaky voice, "You better run Zabini." My voice was cold and sharp. Blaise scrambled backwards off the bench, falling off backwards. I drew up slowly and stepped over the bench, Blaise stood up and started running, I walked briskly after him.
Blaise was sat in Muggle Studies, now sporting a black eye and holding his head. He glared at me across the room, I wiggled my eyebrows and he smirked, trying his hardest not to laugh. The slap of a ruler hitting me on the head caught the attention of a few surrounding people, what is it with people and hurting my head today? I turned round to see, Granger, "Anyone else would now be hanging from the chandelier." I muttered to her, "Oh, and why not me?"
"I need your help." The old Draco Malfoy would never have admitted needing a muggleborn's help.
Oh, she's a muggleborn now, what happened to mudblood/
Like I said, Dumbledore told me to be nice.
Dumbledore can't see your thoughts, you had lessons to ensure that no-one could, or are you forgetting how skilled we are at occlumancy?
Shove off.
You first!
I'm your conscience mind, I can't go anywhere.
I hadn't noticed while having my conversation,
Argument!
Argument with myself, that Granger had studied my page of work. She chuckled. "What?"
"Look, you need to pay attention, you've written a completed load of gibberish. No wonder you're behind, no offense."
"None taken. I told you I need help…"
"I know, and I'll give you it. Monday, at 4.00. Meet me at the statue of the Dragon, near the Grand Staircase."
"Will do." I smiled and she returned it.
Narrator POV
Ron nudged Harry, "Harry, is Hermione smiling at Malfoy." Harry looked up. "Yeah, it looks like it, and he's smiling back."
"But, but, he's a git!"
"Actually when we spoke the other night, he wasn't unpleasant to me at all, he seemed, kind." Ron smacked his hand over Harry's mouth. "No! You never, ever say that Malfoy was pleasant to have a conversation with. He's a git, you hear me, a hostile, spiteful little ferret!"
Hermione's POV
I sat, writing notes in Muggle Studies, when I heard a soft humming from beside me. I turned my head slightly to see Malfoy flick some of his hair from his eyes, but it fell straight back down again, he scowled and I fought the urge to laugh. I recognised the song and wanted to know what it was, straining my ears, I listened. I knew this song! I loved this song.
After class, I headed to the library, as I had a free period. Sat, curled up in a chair, I heard a gentle voice drift its way to me. 'And as long as I can feel you holding on, I won't fall, even if you said I was wrong. I'm not perfect, but I keep trying, 'cos that's what I said I would do from the start, I'm not alive if I'm lonely so please don't leave. Was it something I said or just my personality.' The voice was beautiful, the same song Malfoy had been humming in Muggle Studies. I wonder. I stood up and crept round behind a bookshelf, peeking round the corner, I saw him, Draco Malfoy, reading a book and singing quietly. Damn he had a good voice!
