Chapter 4

Draco walked Hermione back into the house.

"Hermione! I'm so sorry! I don't know what's gotten into Ron," said Ginny coming to hug a stiff Hermione.

"You all knew didn't you?" asked Hermione.

Ginny pulled back with a guilty look on her face.

"I'm sorry… we didn't know how to tell you or even if you did if you would believe us," said Ginny.

Just then Harry apparated back.

"Oh thank Merlin you're here," said Harry coming to hug Hermione.

But Hermione stepped back when he reached her. Harry looked at her confused.

"You knew and you didn't tell me," said Hermione.

Harry nodded his head.

"I was going to tell you! Tonight even but this kind of blew up before I had a chance to say anything," said Harry, "I'm sorry but this isn't the type of thing you just blurt out at the first moment. It has to be the right time…"

"Right time? Ok and because you waited I had to find out this way! This hurt way more than you ever telling me would!" said Hermione getting more upset.

"I'm sorry," said Harry, "I just didn't think…"

"Exactly. You just didn't think," said Hermione, "I have to get out of here. I'll see you at work."

"Wait! Hermione are we all going to be ok? Don't let my idiot brother ruin everything between us," said Ginny.

"I'm sure we'll be find but right now I just need some time," said Hermione.

She turned on her heel to apparate but then realized she still didn't have her wand.

She turned to glare at Draco again, "Draco. Wand. Now."

"I don't have it! It's right where you left it," he said pointing at it.

She didn't say anything, but grabbed it and left.

Draco opened his mouth to say 'I told you so' to Harry but didn't even get the first word out before he was interrupted by Harry.

"Don't say it," said Harry looking at Draco.

"What? I wasn't…" he tried to protest.

"Sure," said Harry.

Draco smirked, "Ok fine. You're right. I won't say it. But you know I was thinking it so I don't need to anymore. But the next thing I was going to ask was if you were going to just let her go or if someone normally went after her."

"Who are you?" asked Ginny, "Now I'm really being serious. We'll have to really start hanging out with you for real. If I didn't know any better I'd say you're a wannabe Gryffindor."

"I'm the new and improved Draco Malfoy, but I do NOT want to be a Gryffindor. And as for hanging out with you guys more often I'm still deciding," said Draco.

"Well to answer your question the answer is yes, but I'm thinking tonight I probably won't. She deserves her space," said Harry.

"Right. Well I'll be going now too then. I'll see you at work tomorrow. Bye Weaslette," said Draco.

"It's Potter!" said Ginny.

"Same thing," said Draco with a smirk and then he apparated away.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Hermione was just sitting on her couch in front of the fire waiting for Harry to pop out of it. It was taking him an extra long time to come after her today. Just as she was wondering if something was wrong, her doorbell rang. That was odd. Harry never used the doorbell. She got up to answer it.

She opened her door about to tell Harry to go away, she was fine but it wasn't Harry at her door. It was the obnoxious blonde ferret.

"Malfoy?" asked Hermione now completely confused.

"The one and only," he said with a smirk.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" he asked.

"I'm not sure I haven't decided," said Hermione, "Wait, how do you know where I live anyway?"

"You're part of the Golden Trio and almost as famous as me. Who doesn't know where we all live?" asked Draco.

"Fine. But you're not staying! Say what you have to say and then go!" said Hermione.

Reluctantly she let Draco in. She knew she would probably regret this, but the other half of her was interested in what he was going to say. Draco made himself comfortable on her couch and Hermione just stood there near the door with her arms folded.

"What are you doing?" asked Hermione, "I told you, you weren't staying."

"But that doesn't mean I can't make myself comfortable right?" he asked with yet another obnoxious smirk. Hermione didn't realize how often he really did that until recently. He should just trade mark that smirk.

"Whatever. So did Harry send you or something?" asked Hermione.

"No. I came of my own free will," he said.

"Well did you just come here to torture me or was there really something you wanted to say. Please just drop the act," said Hermione hoping he would just get on with it.

"Ok fine," said Draco a little irritated, "I just wanted to come in and check on you. Harry told me he would have normally done it but he didn't want to push you too far."

"You what?" she asked confused.

"Did I speak another language? I said…"

"No I heard what you said I'm just not used to hearing that from you," said Hermione.

Draco just rolled his eyes.

"I know it's just such a miracle!" he said being sarcastic.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't think you cared about me. All I remember is how you just enjoyed whenever I felt like this at school. You hated me then and I'm sure you feel the same way now," said Hermione.

"Well I'll be honest. I did. I was jealous of you. You beat me at everything I did which caused a lot of problems for me at home. Other than that there's no reason to hate you. I don't hate you now. How could I? There's no reason. In fact you seem like a really great person," said Draco.

Hermione just stood there looking at him with her eyes wide. Never in a million years would she have ever expected to hear something like that from Draco Malfoy.

"Wow," said Hermione finally sitting down herself still not recovering from the shock.

"Trust me I never thought I'd say that either," he said just watching her. Never before had he actually looked at Hermione Granger. She was actually beautiful in her own way.

After recovering, Hermione gave him a smirk herself, "So how long have you had that speech planned?"

"Hey that was not a speech!" said Draco offended until he saw her smirk, "I'm a Malfoy we don't plan to speak. We say exactly what we want when we want to."

Hermione just laughed at him.

"So anyways, really though you might be smiling and laughing because I'm making you but how are you really feeling?" he asked.

The smile fell from Hermione's face.

"I don't know. I feel completely empty. Ron was everything to me," she said, the tears filling her eyes again.

"I'm sorry but trust me, if he is going to be that way you'll be better off without him. And someday probably soon he'll realize what he lost and come back. But you're not going to take him back, right?" asked Draco.

Hermione just looked at the ground.

"You can't be serious," said Draco.

Hermione looked at him angrily, "I just said he was my everything didn't I? Why wouldn't I want that back?"

"Because it will just happen again! This is what the second time?" asked Draco.

Hermione looked at the floor again and nodded.

"Exactly. Once a cheater always a cheater," said Draco, "I was being serious before when I said you didn't deserve to be treated that way. You're better than that and you'll find someone who will treat you that way. I'm sure. People like you deserve that."

"Thanks, but something you said I just have to ask. What do you mean 'people like me'?" she asked.

"Good people. People who are always good and who have always been. People who are unlike me who aren't ex-Death Eaters who treated people like dirt when I shouldn't have," said Draco.

"You said it yourself you've changed," said Hermione.

"Yeah but I changed too late," said Draco, "But this isn't about me. This is about you. I'm going to stick around you so you believe you're better than him and then help you find something better. You're not going back to him."

"You're not kidding are you?" asked Hermione slightly worried.

"Nope," he said with his Draco smirk again.

"Lucky me," she said in a slightly sarcastic way. This would be interesting.


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