A/N: Hey guys! I'm sorry for taking this long to update but this has been one sucky week and I didn't have time to write (or read :S). But anyway, I finally could finish this one and made it a little bit longer for all the great reviewers :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, JK does!
And thanks to xXdarkdemonic-uchihaXx for suggesting the name of the title xD Thank youuuu x
Hope you like it!
Chapter 4: The Only One Who Can Help
After breakfast, the three Slytherins walked slowly back to the dungeons for Potions. Blaise and Theo kept commenting about all the other girls in school and their assets. In the meanwhile Draco just followed them mindlessly, very much unlike him.
He just kept thinking about her, but not in a hormone-ridden-teenager kind of way. He was just wondering what made her come to his room that day. The obvious reason for him was pity but that was impossible. Nobody had ever pitied him; mostly because he pretended like there was nothing to pity.
Of course all that had changed during the war. He and his family had been defeated and she was there to watch him fall. Still, after everything that he had put her through all those years at school there was no way she could pity him or feel anything about him other than dislike, maybe even hate.
He entered the half full Potions class and sat in the back with Theo. Blaise sat in front of them, but as soon as he put his bag on the floor, he turned around to resume his fascinating conversation with Zabini. Draco however was still pondering over a certain brunette that in that precise moment walked through the door and sat a couple of seats from the front row.
Her entrance did not help Draco escape from his thoughts. He realized that he was wrong. Feelings could change dramatically, like his had. During the summer he realized that he didn't hate Hermione or her kind, not really. It was just that he never had a choice but hate them; he was raised to feel that way. After the Dark Lord was gone and he didn't feel have that pressure on his shoulders, he realized that the hate was gone, too. In tat moment he realized just how much power Voldemort had over him.
When he got back to school he wasn't insulting muggleborns anymore. But not because he was scared or was trying to redeem himself, he just didn't fell the need to anymore. Maybe Hermione was the only one who realized this, who realized that, that part of him was gone.
As much as he wanted to believe this, he couldn't; not completely at least. Forgiveness wasn't something he had come across often in his life.
A loud thud managed to finally rip him away from his thoughts. All of the students glanced back at the door only to see professor Snape walk through the classroom, heading for his desk in the front.
"Silence!" with a flick of his wand, a list of ingredients appeared on the blackboard, "Today you will be preparing the Confusing Concoction in pairs. I've already assigned the pairs so don't get any ideas. Parkinson with Weasley, Goyle with Finnigan, Crabbe and Thomas, Malfoy with Potter, Nott with Granger...A murmur of complaints could be heard as the students walked around the room to seat with their partners.
Draco didn't move from his seat but waited for Harry to seat to his left. On his right, Theo rose from his seat and pulled back the chair to his right for Hermione to seat. Hermione looked at him with a baffled look in her eyes but sat. Theo turned to look at Malfoy and winked.
What the hell is he doing? The whole conversation in the Great Hall was hypothetical, right? He isn't going to ask her to the ball? He can't!
"Go look for the ingredients, Potter," Draco spat at Harry as Hermione headed for the front of the room . Harry glared at him but stood up none the less, following Hermione, "What are you doing, Nott?"
"What do you mean?" he answered, but from the smile on his lips he knew perfectly well what Draco was talking about.
"You know what I'm talking about. What was that with Granger?" he looked around, checking that their partners were nowhere near them yet, "Are you seriously going to ask her to the ball?"
"No, there's no way she would say yes. I'm just clearing the field for future opportunities."
At that moment Hermione and Harry returned with all the ingredients they needed. Draco saw Theo beam at her before he turned back to Potter.
Draco and Harry worked in silence, not only because they didn't have much to talk about but because Draco was trying to hear what Theo was telling Hermione.
"... What I'm trying to say is that I'm really sorry for everything that I've said to you over the years."
At this both Harry and Draco snapped their heads up to look at them. Hermione was seating up straight, watching Theo wide-eyed. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again, frowning, "Um... I...Apology accepted."
Nott grinned at her, turning back to slicing the Valerian root on the table. It took the other three a moment to concentrate back on their potion.
When the class was finally over Hermione gathered her things, awkwardly said good bye to an uncommonly friendly Theo Nott and meet her friends who were waiting for her at the door.
"Hey guys!" she smiled cheerfully.
"What was that with Nott, Hermione?" asked Harry as they walked out to the greenhouses for their Herbology class with the Ravenclaws.
"Well he just apologized for how he's always treated me; he said that everything that has happened made him realize how unfair and cruel he had been to me."
"Huh..." Harry said, thinking.
Hermione turned to look at him, confused, "What?"
"Well, I just think it's weird. I mean, after all these years of him insulting you and being mean to you, it's weird to watch him be nice."
"Yeah, I know. But even though Theo is the first one to apologize, all of the Slytherins have actually stopped insulting me every chance they get; and I'm not about to object."
"I think they should all line up to apologize to you, Mione. They are all gits and you are one of the nicest people around here." Ron said, looking into her eyes, affectionately.
"Thanks, Ron," Hermione blushed at the redhead's comment and quickly tried to hide it, entering the greenhouse first, looking to the floor.
At lunch time Hermione walked in the Great Hall alone. Harry and Ron had decided to stay in the common room to write an essay they had to finish for the next class. Typical... She walked to the Gryffindor table and sat next to Ginny, who was already there, sitting alone too.
"Hey Gin!"
"Hey Mione! How's your day so far?"
"It has been...weird." Hermione admitted, a small chuckle escaping her lips.
Ginny looked up from her food, interested. Her day had been everything but excited. "What happened?"
"Well, let's just say Malfoy isn't the only one acting strange."
Ginny readjusted herself in her seat as a smile spread on her lips. She was now in gossip mode, "Details please!"
Hermione's smile widened as she too turned in her seat to face her friend, "Today, in Potions class I got paired up with Theo Nott..."
"Ooh, lucky! He's hot," She said, half whispering the last part.
Hermione laughed at her friend. To Ginny, half the guys in the school were hot; not that she was wrong this time.
"And he was acting so weird. First he was making conversation and being nice.; and then he started saying how sorry he was for everything that he'd said to me over the years and asked me to forgive him."
Ginny was gaping, one eyebrow raised, "And? What did you say?"
"I told him I forgave him, of course."
"Yeah..." replied the redhead, lost in her thoughts. After a couple of seconds she seemed to come back to reality and looked back at Hermione, "Wow!"
"I know," Hermione nodded.
"Speaking of unusually weird Slytherins, someone's staring at you," Ginny whispered at her, glancing from the Slytherin table back to her food, a grin spreading on her lips.
Hermione snapped her head up, looking at the Slytherin table and caught Malfoy's eyes shamelessly staring at her. She felt warmness creeping up her face under his gaze and quickly looked down to her food like her friend.
After a moment she slowly lifted her head and looked towards him, only to be met again by his silver eyes boring into hers. The only difference was the smug smirk that his lips formed.
Hermione huffed annoyed as she picked up her fork and started playing with her food.
She heard Ginny giggle next to her, "Caught you staring back?"
"Yeah," Hermione admitted, sounding defeated.
"Just pretend I'm distracting you with something else."
Hermione turned to look at her friend with her brow furrowed in puzzlement, "How am I supposed to do that?"
Ginny sighed, "Just don't glance back at him again, okay?" Hermione simply nodded.
They ate in silence for a couple of minutes until Ginny smacked her forehead with her hand, "I almost forgot to ask you!"
Hermione laughed at Ginny's expression, "Ask me what?"
"Well, the other girls and I were thinking of doing a sort of girl's night this weekend. You know, stay in, do our nails, hear some music, gossip, talk about boys..." Ginny's face lit up at the last, "Anyway, we where thinking that maybe we could do it sleepover style in you room. I mean, it's easier to keep Malfoy out than empty the entire Gryffindor common."
"Well I think it's a great idea but I'll have to ask Malfoy, I can't just lock him in his room."
"Yeah, I know, I wasn't actually going to lock him up in his room!" The redhead laughed, "Not without me inside, anyway."
....
-- Same time, Slytherin table --
Draco had spent whole day thinking about Hermione, and then about himself. He thought about how he had never met anyone like Hermione in his whole life. But he didn't mean this in corny sort of way. He was just amazed at how open and approachable she was. She was free of prejudices.
All his life, the people around him selected only the people who were "good enough"to talk to or be around them.
And he decided that he didn't need this in his life, now that he was making a fresh start or rather that he wanted to make a fresh start.
He stared at her as she talked and laughed with the Weasley girl. Suddenly she looked up and stared directly into his eyes. He was surprised that instead of the usual glare he was accustomed to, she quickly looked away, blushing.
He couldn't help but smirk at the effect he had on her. Even if he had been awful to her, he could see he affected her the same way he affected all the other girls with his looks.
But that was not going to be the point of his approach. He just needed her to make everyone stop thinking bout him as the son of a Deatheater and a follower of the Dark Lord. He didn't know how they were going to accomplish that but if anyone could do it it was her.
After spending the afternoon in the library studying, Hermione returned to the Heads common feeling exhausted. It was already past midnight and she was dragging her feet across the common when she noticed Malfoy was seating in his desk, focused on the piece of parchment in front of him.
He must have felt her eyes upon him, because he looked up an once again caught her eyes. She saw something new flick in his eyes as he looked at her but she couldn't name what it was.
"Hello," he simply said.
She hesitated. She hated how he managed to make her feel so nervous, "Hi,"
He seemed to wait for her to say something else but realizing she wasn't going to, he turned his attention back to the parchment.
She sighed, relieved to have his eyes off her and headed again to her room.
Once there she dropped her book bag next to her desk and changed her clothes for her gray pajama sweats and a white t-shirt.
Hermione walked back out to the common room and stood in front of the fireplace, looking at him, "Um, Malfoy?"
He looked up at her, she noticed by the look in his eyes that he was surprised that she talked to him. Surprised, not annoyed. "Yes?"
"I need to ask you for a favor..."
His eyebrows shot up at her words. What could she possibly want? "Really?" He adjusted himself in his seat, now playing more attention to her, "Well, go on." He waved his hand at her, motioning her to continue.
"I was planning on having some friends stay over in the weekend and I was wondering if you could..."
"Get off your back for a couple of days." He finished the sentence for her and she nodded.
He pretended to think it over for a while but the truth was he didn't really care. He was probably going to spend the day with his friends elsewhere and only come back to stay the night. He had to admit he felt a little disappointed she had nothing better to ask of him.
"I guess I could stay in my old room in the Slytherin's dorm." He stated, faking a hint of annoyance in his tone.
Hermione was surprised that he actually agreed. She thought he was going to say no just to annoy her and start a fight between them, "Thanks," She simply said as she turned her back to him and headed to her room.
Draco didn't want her to go yet. He wanted her to start helping him but he didn't know how to. The only thing he could think of was just talking to her, for now at least.
"Did you hear about the ball?" It was the only thing he could think of.
She turned around to face him and he noticed she was actually interested in the matter, "Yes, I just found out. Did you know about it?"
He pretended to be equally interested, although actually he couldn't care less, "No, I found out today, too. I thought it was odd that the professors hadn't said anything to us."
"I know, me too. We're supposed to be in charge of this things." She stood there in front of him, her brow furrowed as she looked at the lit fireplace. He still couldn't believe she was actually concerned about this.
"What do you want to do about it?" His question was genuine this time.
"Well, I guess I could talk to Professor McGonagall tomorrow about this and I'll let you know what she said." She said, still staring at the fire, but turned to look at him, searching for a reaction.
"Sounds good," Sounds good? What kind of lame answer is that? Draco thought.
"Okay," Hermione nodded, feeling the awkwardness filling the room again, "I'm going to bed, I'm really tired." She started walking towards her bedroom again, but turned her head to him at his words.
"Good night,"
Since when did Draco Malfoy wished her good night unless she said it first and he was forced to answer? "Good night, Malfoy."
A/N: Just to set the record straight: No, Draco has not fallen in love with her yet. He just thinks she could help him become... I guess you could say nicer but not really because he doesn't want to lose his bad boy image. He just wants it to be that, an image.
If you don't get it PM me and I'll try to explain, I'm having a hard time doing it right now, I'm really tired.
Special thanks to xXdarkdemonic-uchihaXx, RONIinthebreakdown, Jay, Dramione-Fan 17, zcubed, Verinova, Mrs. Black31795, Rachel, Cee M, Kisses of Chocolate, Chasing and Hermione'sBFF454 for reviewing. You guys are the best! xD
Also thanks to all of you added the story to favorites, alerts and specially all the people who suggested a title for the last chapter. I'm sorry if I didn't pick yours, Please don't get mad at me!*smiles apologetically*
Don't forget to suggest more for this one! Oh, and let me know what you thought about this chappie :D