A/N: Thanks for all the alerts!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter world.
From Pain to Love
Chapter 4: Friendship?
Draco was nervous, but an excitement built inside of him. For seven years, he watched her come into Hogwarts, wanting to be in her little circle of friends, to steal her away from Scarhead and the Weasel. He didn't know what she saw in those two, or in any of her Gryffindor friends. He saw her innocent face during the sorting ceremony in their first year, her petrified form in the second. Her punch sent a wave of emotions in the third year. She was growing on him, and Draco did not know how to stop it.
When it was time to fight the war, he wanted to fight with her, but decided he'd probably be killed by "their" side. Of course, he never supported the war, or the Dark Lord nor his father for that matter. He didn't want to be on this side, but had to. He was a Malfoy. Malfoys don't run or hide. For Draco, though, that was all he wanted to do.
"You foul, loathing little cockroach!"
That's all he was. A cockroach, a loather, an instigator. Her voice rang through his head every day. When his mother died, all he could hear was her voice. He wanted to punish her for driving him to this state of mind. To express his feelings. He should have killed her, to destroy the root of this change in him, but couldn't do it. All he could do was watch her from a distance. Now, the opportunity arose for him to talk to her. It was a thrilling feeling. He couldn't promise the answers that she wanted, hell, he didn't know if he even had the answers, but he'd try. Only for her.
After Hermione had wrote to him for the first time, he waited a few hours before responding with a day. The next day that is. Here he was, showered and clean, his hair gleaming, his pale skin glowing. He felt no sense of hurt with her, just the opposite, he wanted to take her own pain away. He could see the pain etched in every one of her moves. Her voice laced with sadness, but her eyes held no emotion.
He looked in the mirror and gave himself another look, before whizzing off to her place. He landed gracefully on her doorstep, combed a hand through his hair and knocked. The door open and Hermione stood face to face in front of him. She looked deathly. Draco nodded and walked inside when Hermione let him pass. He strolled into the living room and took a seat on the couch. He kept his eyes trained on her, before speaking.
"Granger," he said, hoping he's catch a glint of emotion in her hazel eyes.
"Malfoy," she replied, devoid of all emotion.
Draco patted the spot next to him on the couch, and Hermione sat on the very edge. An awkward silence invaded the living room, and the sound of the clock ticking resounded loudly. He licked his parched lips and said quietly, "What do you want to know?"
"Why did you try to kill me?" she asked in a whisper, not looking at him.
Draco winced. He could feel the anger radiate from her voice and had to answer carefully, or ruin any chance of a friendship he planned on having. So, he decided on partial honesty, and hoped it wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass later on.
"I'm sorry for that. I was angry, and my mother had just died in front of me. I thought it was your side's fault, and my fault. I saw Potter and Weasley gone, figured I'd finish off you too. It would have given me a much needed anger release. You were the first person I saw..." he half lied, trying to keep out emotion in his words.
Hermione didn't answer, but asked another question. "Why are we talking now? What makes you think I want to talk?"
Draco blinked. So I can talk to you. "To call a truce. I think we can call it quits to our little childish game of insults and everything in the past should be water under the bridge now."
"You tried to kill me, and I'm supposed to let it be 'water under the bridge'?" Hermione screeched out.
"What would you like me to say, Granger? I'm sorry that I didn't kill you?" Draco's controlled anger up to this point was slowly resurfacing, and he needed to calm down. He didn't like her tone, he just wanted to put everything behind and start again.
"I just want to put my past behind me and start again, be a new man. Why is that so hard to believe, Granger? I'm sorry that I called you all those names in school, I'm sorry that Weasley and Potter are dead, I'm sorry I almost killed you, and I'm sorry for even suggesting we find some common ground. You wanted answers, you got it. What else do you want from me?"
Draco was panting at the end of his rant, and staring directly into Hermione's hazel eyes. The hurt shone through, the despair and desperation pleading to be let out. Draco's heart skipped a beat, but he held his composure.
"A friend, Draco. All I want from you is a friendship," she answered in a sad voice.
"I don't think we're ready for a friendship, because we can't talk," Draco hushed out in a whisper. The words flew out of his mouth before he could even form them. Before he could say anything else stupid, he apparated on the spot and was gone.
"Dra...co." Hermione squeaked out, before slumping down on the couch and staring at the fireplace again.
Draco landed in his own home, out of breath and his heart beating wildly out of his chest. What did I do? Why did I say that, for that matter? He banged his head against the door and cursed himself repeatedly.
He dimmed down the lights and laid wide awake on his bed, fully clothed, thinking his next move. I'm sorry, Hermione. Sooner or later, his eyes closed and fell into a deep dreamless sleep.
A/N: Well? What did you think? Did you like it? Are you curious is now? LEAVE A REVIEW, I've only gotten 2 reviews, and would really prefer more! So PRESS THAT REVIEW BUTTON! PLEASE? Stay updated for chapter 5- sorry for the long wait, playing catch up with school and still recovering. :)
~bananapanda2010~
