Chapter 3: Leave the past behind

It was pretty cold that day, you know. Even just for the beginning of September. The wind made her long, soft, curly hair cover her beautiful face.

The platform was empty. No one. Not a single person.

Then it hit her. She came too early. Even if the train was here, her watch marked just 10:15 A.M.

She had the next hour just for herself.

Hermione got in The Hogwarts Express with her fluffy cat, Croockshanks. Slowly, whit small steps, Hermione made her way to one of the comprtiments.

Croockshanks jumped from her arms, then quiqly entered into the very last compartiment.

"Croock!", she yelled. "Gah.."

When she entered, Croockshanks stood pacefully in someonese's arms. A respective person, witch she hated from the deeps of her heart.

"You should watch your cat, Granger. "

She could hear him saying under his breath the word "Mudblood"

"Malfoy… I"

He showed his face from the book he was reading. Then, raised an eyebrow at her.

She was just staring at him, analyzing him from head to toe.

"Feel in love with me, Granger? Already?", he asked, amused by the situation.

She made a grimace at him.

"I see you didn't gave up on your sarcasm, Malfoy… Neither the "Mudb-"

"Old habits die hard, Granger."

"Granger?Huh… You're right. Old habits die hard.."

He felt weird. What was that statement? He expected a very large argument. Draco was actually, very pleased to see her again. After so long time, it felt nice to see her again, to have a little chat with someone maybe, as smart as him.

"You may sit", he said, ignoring her last words.

"What?". Hermione asked, feeling ike an idiot now.

"I expect you to stay here, maybe until the rest of the losers will show up. You don't actually want to spend the next.. . hour, -he said after checking his Rollex watch-, alone, into the next compartiment, with your cat. That would be just wrong, and weird if you don't mind me adding.

"Oh, well… do you realy need a mudblod's company?"
"I think I'll survive, okay?"

His last words made her smile a little, and Draco saw it. He also smirked for himself.

"Hey, do you actually enjoy that book?", Hermione asked after 5 minutes of killing silence.

"Do you actually care?

"Of course I do. It's a muggle book, anyway."

"So?"

"So? I'm surprise you are able to touch it.."

"I have no choice. I'm out of good books, so the muggle ones are better than nothing"

"I understand. "Jane Eyre" is an amazing book, you know?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out, okay? So could you stop talking?"

"I'm not going to spend the next hour in a complete stupid silence like before, okay?"

He looked at her; the grey, stormy eyes met the chocolate brown ones. Draco started laughing.

At this, Hermione blushed. He was quite cute. She never saw him laughing like this.

She felt a little bit ashamed. Was it something she said the reason Draco was laughing?

"Um.. why are you…"

"G-Granger, you realize that this is our very first civil conversation? Like the first from all our 8 years since we know each other?", Draco asked.

Hermione gave him a real big smile. He was so right.

"Tell me, Hermione said, why are you being nice to me, Malfoy? We quite hate each other, remember?"

"Fuck off, Mudblood.."

"What?", Hermione asked terribly confused.

"I said fuck off! Get out of this compartiment in this instant!"

Hermione rosed from her seat. She sat down, next to Draco, facing him.

"How dare you to order me what to do?! If you didn't want me here, you should've said so! You were the one who said to me to stay here, with you!"

"Who the fuck do you think you are, Mudblood?! You know nothing! Get the hell out of here!"

"Stop this! I'm sick and tired of screaming at each other! You said I don't know a thing? Well tell me!"

"Forget it", he murmured.

"I want to help you. I really do!"

He felt his heart almost exploding from his chest. Never,no one ever said omething like this to him. But…

"I do not need your help.."

"This is your fault you know… I just want to-"

"I know, Granger! I totally know it's my fault. I've heard those words for the la 19 years!"

The silence was here again... They just stared in each others eyes, Draco breaking the eye contact first.

"Don't waste your time with me, Granger. They all hate me anyway. You don't want to be ignored, too. You know, this happens a lot; I mean I know they have all the rihts to hate me, I'm an ex- death eater and my behavior from the last 8 years was awful, but I want to change. Truly. But, we judge people ny their actions, before we get to listen them…"

"You are one of those people, Malfoy"

"I 'was'… ."

They both smiled a little at those last words.

"Still, I want to get to know."

"You are making a terrible mistake."

"I've done worse."

They smirked, looking into each others eyes.

"Let's just… learn together to leave the past behind us."Hermione said

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