Chapter 5. Pies and old friends.
In the library.
Hermione: Well what did you expect Malfoy? That because I'm "the smartest witch of the age" I'll just be able to fix this?
Draco: Welll…. YES!
OH you have GOT to be kidding me! It's as much fault yours as it is mine!
Ah yes Granger, I thought we might hit that little snag. You see, you unlike me have a reputation of academic brilliance to uphold whereas with my natural brilliance and easy charm I have no trouble getting what I want.
Malfoy, you insufferable prat, that makes absolutely NO sense and has no relevance to our problem. Now shut up, I am trying to research. We'll be here for the rest of the year if you don't stop pestering. You know you COULD consider HELPING instead of standing there reading Famous Witches and Wizards of this century: Malfoy and other names. Or is your natural brilliance just too good for that?
I will have you know Granger, that this is a FASCINATING book which I have only just found, and I don't intend to stop reading it.
"Hermione? Is that you? Are you er talking to yourself?"
Hermione looked hurriedly around. Harry was standing about five feet down the aisle she had been looking for books in, looking rather worried for her sanity.
"You know, it's only the first week back, what are you doing in the library at ten a clock at night when we have no exams for weeks?" Her black haired friend enquired.
Draco: Oh look, it's my favorite person, Sir Scarhead, The Boy Who's Brains were Addled.
Hermione: Like I said Malfoy, shut up.
D: Oh how original.
Hermione sighed; she could just see him smirking around the corner. The two of them had come to the conclusion that they wouldn't tell anyone about their little predicament. It would just mean awkward explanations.
"Oh hi Harry, I was just looking up some more facts about a few spells. Were you looking for me?"
"Yeah I was actually, I wanted to ask if you wanted to come visit Hagrid with me? Ron was coming… but well, he isn't in a particularly good mood just now."
Draco: I suppose you think I'll just come along for the ride Granger? Lovely idea, really smashing, but I think I would rather learn how to get this charm fixed.
Hermione: Well Malfoy, you can stay and research as you are obviously SO intent on finding the answer and I haven't been doing ALL the work up until now or anything. Note the sarcasm please.
D: You're horrible.
H: Likewise. Good-bye.
(A/N: From now on Draco's thoughts will be in bold and Hermione's will be in italics)
Harry and Hermione spent an enjoyable evening at Hagrid's. Successfully avoiding Hagrid's stew, they felt rather pleased with the visit on the whole. Draco managed to refrain from much further comment, a fact which left Hermione greatly relieved though a little wary. She soon discovered however, that this was due to the fact that the farther away from him she was, the harder she found it to know what he was thinking.
Great, now all I have to do is stay outside all the time she thought dismally as they made their way back up to the castle alone, leaving Harry to discuss the Gryffindor Quidditch team's prospects for the upcoming year with Hagrid, perhaps she could do some more research before bed.
I heard that Granger. By the way, I've been trying to get you to listen to me for about half an hour now.
I guess it doesn't really work when we are far away from each other. That's a relief anyway.
Yes, I realized that too, considering I've been yelling at you in my head for quite a while now. I didn't find a thing on how to fix this by the way. We're doomed forever.
Stop being so morbid Malfoy, we'll figure it out.
Says the girl who spent the remainder of the day bemoaning the fact that you're stuck with you forever. Come now Granger, maybe this isn't so bad, I could add quite a bit of color to your dull life.
Yes Malfoy, and I could make annoying noises in your head every time you try to ask a girl out for the next eight months. Then you never know when we might be in close proximity of each other once we're out of Hogwarts. Think how lovely it would be to suddenly hear my voice in your head in five years.
Fine Granger. I see your point.
I knew you'd agree with me.
Yes very intelligent I'm sure, now we must stop getting along, it's disturbing me.
What we're we getting along?
Yes I'm afraid so.
First you pour out your soul to me in front of McGonagall's office then we have a polite conversation. What has happened to us?
I could ask you the same.
You're the one that did the soul bearing.
We are not going to discuss that and if you ever tell anyone I said those things you're dead.
Fine Malfoy, threaten me, see if I care. By the way, you also saved my life. Better watch it, you might be turning into a good person in spite of myself.
Hermione thought she could hear Malfoy growling in her head until she suddenly saw the real Draco Malfoy coming along towards her in the opposite direction. He did not look at all pleased. She made to nod politely as she passed and carry on the internal conversation when he grabbed her arm and pulled her into a nook in the wall. He shoved her brusquely into a corner, away from prying eyes and whispered fiercely,
"We will never speak of that night again Granger. Ever. Am I understood?"
Hermione could see his eyes flashing in the semi-darkness that surrounded them.
"Fine, but you have to tell me what's going on. One minute you're nice to me, the next you hate my guts. What is wrong with you?"
Draco stared her down for a few moments as if contemplating what to say.
"My problems are my own Granger. You should know that. I won't discuss them with you." He did not break eye contact with her, as if defying her to feel sorry for him.
"Well look, I know we've always hated each other but well, if there's ever anything you need to talk about it, um I'll be here. I can hear your thoughts Malfoy, you forget that. I can feel your emotions; I know there is something deep inside you that is hurting. Our connection makes me feel that."
He eyed her a second longer before gruffly saying "You'll never know what it is Granger, I don't confide in people."
"Malfoy, you did confide in me. Your words were enough to make me feel angry and in pain, though I do not know why. I hope someday you will tell me. I know you're a Malfoy, I know you have pride, so do I. It's what makes me continue to slave away until I am the top of the class. We have that in common, I know how you feel. But there are some things that you have to let your pride go about, you have to let others in. You are not your father… Draco, you never were. You proved that to me already."
As Hermione spoke her voice grew softer, less angry. Still not breaking eye contact she backed out of the nook he had pulled her into. She felt tears in her eyes, not knowing what else to do, she made a break for it. Hermione didn't stop running until she reached the Gryffindor dormitory, looking at no one, she dashed up to her room and pulled the curtains around her bed to make a cave. Then the tears came. All the pent up emotion from the past months came spilling out of her. She did not understand why her own words to Malfoy had prompted this but it was as if a dam had burst, she couldn't stop. Suddenly a voice sounded in her head, Draco.
Hermione? Hermione why are you crying?
How do you know Malfoy?
I can feel it.
Oh dear, why? Why is this connection not LEAVING? I HATE it. I can't STAND it. And Hermione lost it. She was always the one to stay calm, the one who always had the right answer, the one who was always there to comfort those who needed it. But right at that moment, Hermione Granger needed someone to comfort her. The strength that had helped her through the war, endlessly working to help Harry in his quest to destroy Voldemort, saving his life over and over again. That strength was suddenly gone.
Um Hermione?
What?
Meet me in the Gryffindor common room. I can't handle sitting here listening to you like this.
Hermione didn't answer; she wasn't sure what he meant. Feeling that she had nothing to lose she dried her eyes and left the girls dormitory. No one was around because it was really quite late so she didn't worry about what anyone would think of the two of them going off together.
Draco was standing in the middle of the room waiting. He simply nodded at her as she arrived and set of through the portrait hole. Hermione could hardly sense any emotion in him and no particular thoughts seemed forthcoming. The walked down the corridor silently, not worrying about Filch or teachers. The Head students had a very late curfew.
Draco turned abruptly at a nearby staircase, Hermione followed. After more stairs and corridors she realized where they were headed. The kitchens.
Um Mal…Draco? You know about the kitchens?
Of course I do. No self respecting Slytherin doesn't.
Hermione suddenly had a violent urge to laugh, the thought of Draco Malfoy sitting in the middle of the school kitchens eating pies and cakes was quite hilarious. Feeling that perhaps she would appear insane if she laughed uproariously after sobbing her heart out, Hermione settled with looking pleasantly amused.
Something funny Granger?
Ah so we're back to last names Malfoy?
I never actually called you by your first name Granger; this mind speaking business doesn't count.
Whatever Malfoy. Come on and tickle the pear. I'm starving.
He obediently tickled the pear without further comment and they soon found themselves inside the immense, clean and sparkling, Hogwarts kitchen.
"Miss Granger! Harry Potter's noble friend! It is indeed a pleasure that you would come to see Dobby!!"
Hermione was overwhelmed with bows and hugs from the cheerful house elf.
"Hello Dobby? I daresay you know Malfoy here?"
Dobby? Did you say?
Yes why? Hermione felt a strange emotion coming from the blonde teen.
"Master Malfoy sir? I is not seeing you for many years!" Dobby bowed low to Malfoy, who looked dumbstruck.
"Dobby? I… I thought you were dead!"
"No, no Master Malfoy sir, Harry Potter freed Dobby! After he saved the Weezy girl from the Chamber of Secrets."
"PPPPotter saved you? You mean you escaped my father?"
"Yes Master Malfoy, Dobby works for Dumbledore now! He is getting wages even!"
Draco Malfoy suddenly did something that was unheard of for any Malfoy or any other self-respecting pureblood wizard for that matter. He scooped Dobby into a bone-crunching hug. Hermione thought she saw tears in the gray eyes that were normally so cold.
"I can't believe you're alive! Why have I never seen you down here before? I've come loads of times! To think, the one…person… that I owe my sanity to has been this close to me for all these years. Dobby I never got to thank you, if it weren't for you I would have killed myself at the age of eight. When you were suddenly gone, I feared… I thought my father killed you for being too nice to me."
"No, no Master Malfoy! Dobby hid from you when you came with your Slytherin friends. Dobby thought you would not want to see Dobby. Dobby thought you had become one of them, the bad, dark wizards."
"No Dobby, I was never Lucius Malfoy. He's… dead now anyway."
"Yes Dobby knows. The noble and brave Harry Potter killed the Dark Lord!"
Draco had a look across between nauseous and amused for a few moments before replying carefully "yes Dobby, Potter killed V… Voldemort. He's gone."
Hermione watched this touching scene unfold, a wide smile spreading across her face. She was busy congratulating herself on knowing that Draco Malfoy was indeed a nice person when she heard inside her head don't get any ideas Granger, I'm not Potter and Weasley, I just like the elf. She ignored his comment and continued to chuckle to herself, I always knew he had it in him.
After the reunion between Draco and Dobby, the house elves eagerly served Hermione and Draco lemon pie and pumpkin juice. They chatted happily away like old friends, worries, memories and tears forgotten. Hermione couldn't remember a time when she had felt happier. The crying episode had somehow freed her mind, even allowing her to briefly stop worrying about the misunderstood charm between her and Draco.
"Now realize Granger," He said as they finally left the kitchen, full to bursting with lemon pie and carrying armloads of pastries and cakes pushed on them by the eager house elves, "I only took you down there to cheer you up. We're not friends or anything."
"Yeah sure Malfoy, whatever you say," Hermione said absently, trying to balance several pies and a stack of pastries in her arms.
"Here, give some to me, they gave you more, that's not fair!" He said, stealing a pie.
"Hmph, maybe they think you're fat." Hermione taunted.
"Excuse me? Draco Malfoy is NOT fat."
"Ah, apparently Draco Malfoy likes to talk in third person as well."
They continued to bicker as they walked back to the Gryffindor common room, both feeling immensely contented, and noting that emotion in each other. Their arguments turned to silently thought ones as they entered the common room. Hermione tried to be quiet as she tip toed into the girls' dormitory, but she kept dropping food. The next morning an unsuspecting Parvati Patil would be get a large bruise on her bottom after slipping on a cream puff on her way down to breakfast.
As Hermione drifted off to sleep she heard a faint thought from the Slytherin in the boys dormitory.
Good night Hermione.
Good night Draco.
I'm not being nice to you Granger.
Of course you aren't Malfoy.
Why do we get along so well when we aren't arguing?
I don't know Draco; I'm trying to sleep right now.
Fine, then.
Good night Draco.
Whatever Granger.
A/N: This chapter was really random in flipping back and forth between nice and mean for both of them, sorry about that, I can't seem to help it. Tell me what you think!!