"Granger!"
Hermione sat up, alarmed. "Is it time for breakfast mum? Can't I just have five more minutes?"
Draco laughed out loud. He couldn't contain it.
Hermione rubbed the sleep away from her eyes.
"What are you laughing at?" Hermione said grumpily.
"Oh nothing," he smirked.
"Hmph, I'm sure you've sleep talked before too."
"Yeah, I probably said something like 'Can it Beaver!' Even in my sleep, I insult you," Draco laughed.
Hermione frowned. She hated being reminded about how her teeth had looked in the first and second year.
"I thought you wanted me to help you bring Voldemort down. Throwing out insults at me, is not a very good place to start if you want my help."
"Huh? Oh yeah," Draco said nervously.
Not one of my best moves.
"Are we going to stay in this forest forever?" Hermione asked, changing the subject much to Draco's relief.
"No, in fact we should get out of here as quick as possible."
"Why?"
"Because Voldemort will be…"
"Will be what?"
This is strange, Malfoy is always full of himself. He always knows what to say next whether it's an insult or ranting about what a perfect person he claims to be. He's definitely hiding something.
"He will be… he will most likely have… already ended Potter of course." Draco laughed nervously.
"You mean Harry?"
"Harry? Oh yeah, right."
Draco shoved his hands in his pockets.
"Uh, Draco?"
Draco looked up at her.
"Yeah?"
"So when do you plan on leaving?"
Honestly I would apparate myself out of here if I could, but I left my wand at my house when Draco apparated us here. I'm really missing it at this point.
"Now I guess is okay."
All right something is definitely wrong. There has never been a day when Draco has never said a sentence that didn't include boasting about himself or insulting another person.
Draco held out his hand to her.
"Uh…"
"Aren't you going to take it?"
Hermione was still pondering about his actions so she was clueless to the fact that he was holding out his hand so they could apparate out of the forest. Instead, she thought he wanted to hold her hand.
Is this why he's acting so nervous? Does Draco Malfoy, like me?
Draco cleared his throat, bringing Hermione out of her daze.
He dropped his hand to his side.
Okay then, I guess she doesn't want to apparate out of here, but why? There was no reason she could possibly want to stay in this forest. Was there?
Draco looked at her once again. She was blushing! Does she want to stay here because, I'm here with her? Does Hermione Granger, fancy me?
Hermione couldn't believe the thought of Draco Malfoy liking her. She was embarrassed standing next to someone who had teased her for years and now seemed to be interested in her all of a sudden. She blushed.
She looked over at Draco who was… blushing? Okay that does it. It's official. Vain, egotistical, cocky Draco Malfoy has a crush on me.
Hermione didn't know how she felt on the subject whatsoever. I mean he had been a complete jerk to her for years, and why was he just now showing her he had feelings?
"Draco, can you tell me what exactly… happened when I lost my memory?"
Where did that come from? Maybe she thought that when she lost her memory, she had done something embarrassing like say she had feelings for me. Did she ever say that?
Draco recalled all that happened that night.
"Well, after I found you, and you were conscious again… you were definitely clueless that's for sure."
"No, I already know what I did, well that's not exactly true, but I know I was out of my mind and not making any sense," she paused, "What did you do to, I don't know, cope or handle my uh… actions?"
"What did I do? Well I ur… um."
What did he do?
"I told you not to ask any more questions. I told you to go to sleep. Then I noticed you were shivering so I... I… I give you my coat so you would stop shivering."
Draco's face grew soft.
I also told you we had been best friends, and got you to trust me. I also completely lied to you about leaving Lord Voldemort's side. I also never told you, that your face gets all scrunched up when you're angry with me, and I think it's cute so I continue to make you angry just to see it. I've never seen you smile, at me anyways, but when I see you with Potter and Weasley, I see how happy you are. You've never been happy around me. I've never allowed you to be.
"Y-you gave me your coat?"
"Yeah… Hermione?"
"Hmm?"
"We need to talk."
"Again?"
"I need to tell you the truth. The real truth this time."
Something in the bushes started to move.
"Hermione look out!"
Draco tried to reach her, but a dark figure had already jumped from the behind the bushes and latched onto her arms.
"Let me go!" Hermione screamed.
The figure became clear as it stepped into the sunlight.
Draco gulped when he saw who it was.
Hermione was dragged away as she disappeared from Draco's view, deep into the woods.
He knew he would not be able to catch up, but he knew where she was being taken.
He apparated to Malfoy Manor, determined to get there before anything happened to Hermione.
He had hid his feelings from the world up until this point, but now he knew the first thing he wanted to share. He cared about Hermione Granger, possibly all along.