A/N: So, here's the latest installment to "Draco Malfoy and the Curse of Time". And I'm going to answer the popular question... "Are you finishing Draco Malfoy and the Gryffindor Princess?" The answer is... no. I'm not. The reason is because this is the revised version. Which means it's replacing the other one. I'm sorry if that disapoints you, or makes you hate me. But I didn't like the other story, it was just... missing something. It was heading in the wrong direction and it felt rushed. The plot was getting lost. I'm sorry, but I wasn't going to lose my plot. I have it back now. Yay. I just hope this doesn't cause hatred.
Chapter Six: Trapped
She watched as the sun dipped low behind the trees. A lot was on her mind. Her thoughts were scrambled together in a web of confusion. There wasn't a soul who could possibly understand. Her life was taking a turn she didn't like. She was loosing control. Everyone around her was slipping out of her grasp, she was becoming so alone. She clutched herself and watched the sky.
"There you are, I've been looking for you everywhere." She closed her eyes as his voice met her ears. He was the last person she wanted to hear.
"What do you want?" She asked tiredly. He took a few steps toward her, almost afraid.
"I... I mean... it... I just..." She sighed and turned to face him. He looked up at her. A look that made her heart skip a beat.
"Just get to the point." He smirked and turned around. She watched him leave.
"That's the part I can't say."
"Do you remember your lines?" Granger asked nervously as they walked down to the Great Hall. Draco rolled his eyes.
"I can't believe you wrote a script to this."
"It has to be perfect, Malfoy. Or else no one will believe us." Draco moaned. Maybe I don't want anyone to...
"You're such a mental case." Draco mumbled as he glanced down at the scar on his arm. He looked over at her, she was blushing. "What? Embarrassed how easily you loose your mind?" She huffed.
"I already apologized for what I did." She said in a matter of fact voice. Draco smirked.
"You attacked me with a knife, Granger. You owe me more than an apology."
"You drove me to it." She replied flatly. "If you hadn't pushed me to it, it would have never happened." Draco gaped at her.
"You cut my arm and made me bleed! You cut your own arm! Are you sure there isn't any muggle mental problems you have?" Hermione gave a faint smile.
"No." She took a deep breath. "I just got mad, that's all." Draco harrumphed.
"Crazy mad, that's for sure."
"Okay! So I have anger issues! Focus, would you? We're about to pull off the saddest excuse of a friendship in the history of Hogwarts. Try to focus on the mission at hand." Draco smirked. She was sounding worse than Dumbledore.
"I should kill that old coot for getting us mixed up in this." Hermione gasped.
"Don't call him a coot!" She hissed. Draco smirked and gave her a wink.
"Truth hurts." She returned the smirk, which sent shivers up Draco's spine.
"So do knives, you better watch it." Draco raised an eyebrow as she smirked. She doesn't look so bad when she acts evil...
"Get the hell away, Malfoy." Draco smirked innocently as he approached the Golden Trio & co. Ron was glaring, Harry was mumbling and staring at the table, Ginny was giving him a scowl and Hermione was pretending she couldn't look him in the eyes.
"I can't, I have unfinished business with Granger."
"Oh? Ripping her pride apart wasn't enough?"
"Weasley, can it. This has nothing to do with you." Hermione gave him a sharp look that read, stick to the script! Draco sighed and rubbed his temples. "I mean, I really need to talk to her. It's very ... important." Harry looked up, his emerald eyes burning into Draco. He was used to that sort of stare, so it didn't hurt as much as it used to. Potter glared at him too often.
"You have nothing to say to her."
"That's funny, because I actually do have something to tell her." Hermione hung her head, as if she was hurting by him just being there. She even began to tremble a little. Who knew Granger could really pull this off? "Gran...Hermione... will you please... let me... explain?"
"No."
"Is your name Hermione, Weasley?"
"She doesn't need you to explain."
"Since when do you make her choices?"
"I know what's good for her." Draco snorted and crossed his arms.
"She's not a robot, you can't tell her what she can and can not do."
"Oh like you really care, anyways!" It suddenly hit him that everyone was staring at this little display. Draco felt his stomach flip. Here it goes. Goodbye beautiful reputation! Goodbye popularity! Goodbye respect! And hello, Granger.
"Look, I said some things I didn't mean." Draco raised his voice slightly, making sure everyone could hear him. You better appreciate this, Granger! "I know I'm a bastard, Hermione." He turned his eyes on her. She was still looking down at the table, looking rather small and defenseless. "I don't deserve your... forgiveness." Harry's glare heated, but Draco didn't care. His badge was on the line. Just remember how important it is... "But I'm..." He swallowed. "I'm..."
"You're what?" Her eyes were lined with tears, causing Draco's heart to skip a beat. Her voice was stern but shaky. Her lips trembled, as if she were containing anger inside of her. She looked so... hurt. Draco blinked and realized they were waiting for him to respond.
"I'm ... I'm ...ah..."
"If you don't have anything else to say..."
"I'm begging you!" There were gasps, shouts of disgust and surprise, and Neville even fainted. Draco narrowed his eyes on the girl before him. Her eyes didn't change, she stared at him with such blank eyes that he wanted to rip them out. Here he was, making a fool of himself and all she had to do was stare! "Good God, don't make me get on my knees. You know I mean it... I ... I'm sorry. Would you reconsider our... friendship?" Hermione blinked and looked down at the table again. Draco felt his face grow hot. He could feel the whole room freeze, all of them waiting for her to say something. Even the teachers were watching them.
"Sir, did you have something to do with this?" McGonagall leaned in to the old wizard, his eyes burning with glee.
"I might have."
"Oh, you so have to tell me everything!"
"I plan to."
Hermione looked down at her hands, Ron was glaring at her. "Say something, Hermione." Ron's eyes shot a glare at Malfoy.
"You really expect her to?"
"Yes, it's not everyday a Malfoy does this." He smirked. Hermione reddened. Did he say something wrong?
"Why should I?" Draco stared at her. Wait a second, this wasn't in the script!
"Ah... what?" Hermione looked back at him, her eyes empty of any readable emotions.
"I asked why I should forgive you for... lying to me." Draco blinked, unsure of what to do. The script flat out said she would forgive him after his little begging with a boring speech on trust and respect. I've never wanted Hermione to give a speech more in my entire life... what the hell does she think she's doing?
"Because... um..." Draco glanced around. Eyes were waiting, always bloody waiting. God damn them all! "Because I realized... it's not so bad... being your friend." He choked out. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. He gave her a slight glare in return.
"I don't believe you."
"WHAT!" Abort! Abort the plan! She's setting you up! Run for your life! Draco fumed. "I said everything that... that..." Shit! Rephrase, you idiot! "That I truly meant!" Good recover. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"And it all sounded so... practiced. Did someone put you up to this?" Draco blinked.
"No..."
"Did you spend all morning rehearsing this little show for the benefit of yourself?"
"No..."
"Are you using me?" Draco's eye twitched. This. Is. Not. The. Script.
"No..." There goes my pride... goodbye pride! See you in a couple of years when I finally live this moment down!
"Do you honestly want to be my friend?"
"No... wait! I mean, yes." Hermione narrowed her eyes.
"Say it like you mean it."
"What?"
"Make me believe you."
"How?"
"Make it come from your heart. If you have one." She smirked. She was smirking. Draco glared at her. I should be the one smirking, damn it!
"Hermione..." Here it goes, the only time I'll ever sound pathetic and beg for something... and it has to be for her! "I honestly am sorry for everything I've ever done for you." Draco lowered his voice, his eyes softened and he tried his hardest to look small. He tried to look like her when he first came over here. Now she was sitting straight up, her eyes alert and her face stern. Damn she's good at this. "Our friendship means more to me then I realized. At first, I will admit, I just wanted to get through this year in peace. But now, I noticed you're not that bad of a person. Yes, you have your moments when I can't stand you, but that's only expected. Hermione, will you please give me a second chance?" I think she's rubbing off on me... I could have even fooled Voldemort with that number! Ha! Draco waited patiently, his eyes never leaving hers. The room became tense but Draco wouldn't flinch. He had to make this real, for his bloody badge's sake.
"I forgive you."
Draco crossed his arms as he stared at the ceiling. "All done, Mister Malfoy. Your nose is completely healed." Draco scowled as Madam Pomfrey waltzed away from him. Hermione gave him a sympathetic look.
"I hate you." Draco glared at her. His life was falling down into pieces and it was all her fault. Will I ever get a break! "No, I don't hate you. I loathe you, I detest you, I can't even put into words how much I wish Hell upon you."
"Oh, stop whining. It's not like it was that bad." Draco shot daggers at her with his cold eyes.
"Not that bad? Not that bad!" Hermione simply watched him as the anger boiled within his chest like a volcano. "You seriously want to sit there and tell me this isn't that bad? First, you make me look weak in front of the whole bloody school by begging you to be my friend! I would never beg you for that in my entire life!" Hermione blinked. "And then you go off script and pull a fucking improv and leave me hanging there looking completely pathetic! I had no clue what you were doing!"
"You weren't convincing anyone. You were acting too rehearsed. I had to bring you down the earth and make it seem real. That's the objective, moron. Make it seem real." Draco glared at her, her face hadn't changed. She was just staring at him.
"Well, it sure worked. I was definitely brought down to earth... only to realize how bloody insane you are! Of course no one is going to believe I would want to be your friend that bad! It's only logical!" Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Don't yell at me, I don't want this either. I was trying to help the situation."
"You sure helped. You could be a saint with how much you help."
"It wasn't my fault Ron punched you. I can't control his mood swings."
"His mood swings are nothing compared to you. At least he never pulled a knife on me."
"Oh, shut up about that! I'm sick of you whining all the time!" Hermione gave him an annoyed glared. "I'm sick of hearing how much I ruin your life, how much you wish I didn't exist, how much I only bring you misery." Draco snorted. "Well, you know what? You don't exactly bring joy into my life either. I'm not jumping with pure happiness about this, and I would love it if you would stop blaming me. Ron is furious with me and can't even look at me. Harry isn't being a big help either, the guy won't even acknowledge me. Ginny thinks I'm only doing this to get attention, and the whole Gryffindor house is glaring at me every time I entire the room. So please, stop pretending you're the only one suffering."
"I still can't believe you didn't stick to the script. It was your bloody idea in the first place."
"It's not my fault you sounded like a bloody voice recording. Your acting skills are disgusting." Draco looked down at his hands.
"I'm good at pretending." Draco knew she was right. She was bloody brilliant. She probably could convince Voldemort she was a Death Eater is she had to. But that sort of talent could be dangerous. No one could ever tell if she lying or if she was telling the truth. Trusting someone like that could be hard. Draco smirked slightly. And Potter and Weasley have no freaking clue.
"You're too good at this, you know?" He looked up and met eyes with her. He could have sworn he saw something there besides emptiness. She was hiding something.
"It's required." She looked away from him, her eyes resting on the window. She smiled thinly. "It seems you and I are trapped, Malfoy. Trapped and locked together against our wills. Funny how this happens, huh? Bet you didn't see yourself doing this?"
"Heck no, not even in my dreams." Draco smirked. "You're right, we're definitely trapped. I guess we're just going to have to live with it."
"Live with it, or feel Dumbledore's wrath."
"For an old coot, he really knows how to get people to do what he wants." Hermione smiled and looked back at him.
"Kind of like you." Draco raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?"
"Are you denying the fact you have no power of others?" Draco snorted and gave her a cocky smile.
"It's part of being a Malfoy, it's natural." Hermione rolled her eyes.
"You're so annoying."
"You're so revolting." Hermione narrowed her eyes.
"Ferret."
"Know it all."
"Snob."
"Prude."
"Sophomoric."
"No big words, teacher's pet."
"It means immature, moron. I often forget your intelligence level is lower than my own."
"At least I have a life outside of books, granny."
"Not anymore, I ruined that for you, snake."
"I still have more of a life than you, blood sucking wench."
"I'd rather have no life than the life of a slave to Voldemort, like you." Draco colored and gave her a heated stare.
"I'm no one's servant!" Hermione narrowed her eyes. "At least I don't kiss ass like the filthy mudblood you are! You go around with your head high thinking you're better than everyone else, but you're not. You're just a sad, pathetic, lonely mudblood." Hermione stood up, causing her chair to screech across the floor from the force of speed.
"The only one alone is you." She stormed away from him. "I give up! I'm turning in my badge and telling everyone it was all a fake! Have a great, worthless life!" Draco watched as she stomped out of the room.
"I will!" He scowled. "And it won't be worthless either!"
Dumbledore sighed as he slouched against the wall where he and McGonagall crammed themselves, eavesdropping on the two students.
"That didn't go well." McGonagall whispered.
"I knew this would be hard, but they're making it much more difficult."
"Do you really think this is going to work? We have such little time, do you even have a plan?" Dumbledore stared at the floor.
"I'm working on a plan, but for now we need to concentrate on getting them... together." McGonagall nodded slowly. She froze and suddenly beamed.
"I have the perfect idea." Dumbledore looked up at her, his eyes meeting her mischievous stare. "It worked before, it'll work again."
A/N: Well, there you go. The next chapter is going to be similiar to one that was in the old story, but still different. The outcome will NOT be the same. I hope you give this revisment a chance...