Author's note

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, saved as fav or followed. For you lovely people I thought I would post this chapter early as a St. Valentine's Day treat.

Chapter 7-Returned

Hermione did her best to avoid Malfoy, she felt she had humiliated herself and she couldn't bear to be anywhere near him. Not that that was anything new in itself but she couldn't bare it for a new reason.

He had stopped tormenting her; he didn't even look at her-he looked through her. Malfoy seemed as if he was trying to pretend she didn't even exist. Hermione felt belittled by him, now more than she had ever done when he had called her a 'Mudblood'. She repeatedly chastised herself, she should have known better. She knew who Malfoy was, what he stood for. How could she have been stupid enough to entertain the idea that he was anything more than he seemed. Oh course she knew why, she told herself, she had developed a foolish crush on a boy who didn't really exist and she had fooled herself into believing he was real. And yet…for a few fleeting moments he had kissed her back. Hermione knew the passion in that kiss was real, no one could fake that, she concluded but that just left her even more confused.


Draco didn't dare look at the muggle-born witch, he had to stop himself from wanting her so he ignored her, he pretended she didn't exist. He would not allow himself to be used by her. The boy she really wanted, the one who had given her the Dragon's Egg pendant, he was lost to her and Draco would not be some second rate substitute. He knew deep in his heart that she would never have looked at him had it not been for that other boy who wore his features. Try as Draco might he couldn't break the seething resentment he felt that she had dared to kiss him, dared to use him. One thing Draco was certain of, that he had always been certain of, he would be loved for himself or not at all. Not for his fortune, not for his name nor his blood purity and most definitely not because he looked like someone else.


Hermione had forgotten about the cloak that languished in the base of her trunk. It was only when she began to pack a few things away to take home for the Christmas break that she found it again. Wracked with guilt that she still had not returned it she gently lifted it out determined to return it and thank its owner. Hermione had assumed that tracking down this mysterious stranger would be challenge but no sooner had she lifted the cloak towards than she realise she was wrong. The cloak held a lingering fragrance and, as she lifted the garment to her nose, she recognised it immediately. Spice, ginger and lemongrass, Malfoy, she concluded.

Hermione sat on the edge of the bed and worried her lower lip. She should return it to him, it was quite obviously his, leaving aside the fragrance, the quality screamed wealth but did she dare return it? She asked herself. He probably wouldn't want it back, if his reaction to her touch was anything to judge by he might just burn it. Still she reasoned she owed him her thanks, he could have left her there to freeze, worse he could have hexed her but instead he had acted like a gentleman. In the end she determined to return it even if it cost her some of her dignity. All she needed was an opportunity-she certainly didn't need an audience-so she would have to get him alone!


Hermione carried the cloak around for weeks waiting for the opportunity to hand it back. Finally she found him alone in the library.

"Malfoy," she addressed him cautiously.

"What do you want Granger?" he asked her almost as if he were bored.

"I thought I ought to return this," she held out the cloak towards him.

Draco looked at it with distaste, he should have denied it was his, should have told her he didn't want it now it had her muggle germs on it but he couldn't. Tentatively he held out his hand to take it from her acknowledging, by this action, that he had performed an act of kindness that the petite witch would never have expected of him.

Hermione didn't want to push him, he had not responded with the vicious sneer and dismissal she might have expected, so she simple said.

"Thank you."

Hermione didn't trust herself to say any more or stay in his presence any longer. It had been a polite exchange and she believed that was the best she could now hope for from him. Turning she headed for the library doors.

"You're welcome Granger," she heard him mutter as she reached the door. It was perhaps the most polite thing he had ever said to her.


Draco watched as she walked away and then chastised himself for being such a git to her all these years. What would happen if I were nice to her? He considered. It was out of the question, he determined, it would mark her out more certainly than she was already marked for being Potter's friend. The best thing Draco decided he could do was to leave her in peace. Draco determined to gift her that 'peace' as an act of passive resistance against his father's expectations.


Draco resolution to leave Hermione in peace did not last long. A week later he came across Pansy and her acolytes harassing Granger in the corridor. As they walked behind her, from their stage whispers he heard;

"Who would ever date her?"

"Look at her, no shape at all,"

"And that hair, even a bird wouldn't nest in it…"

He could see the embarrassment Hermione was suffering; her shoulders hunched protectively, her books hugged tightly to her chest. Draco suddenly realised that this was how she saw herself, they were reinforcing her self-image and he had to acknowledge, to his shame, that it was a self-image he had contributed to.

"Don't listen to them Granger," he told her as he walked towards her, "you're in fine shape, they're only jealous."

It was out of his mouth before he could even acknowledge the thought. Pansy gapped at him. The inference was clear; Draco Malfoy thought Hermione Granger was more of a woman than his pureblood housemates.

Shit, Draco inwardly cursed, he might as well have painted a target on Granger's back. Pansy Parkinson was nothing if not vindictive and she would not allow either Granger or himself live that down.


Had Hermione imagined it or had Malfoy just defended her? One thing she had not imagined was that he was confusing the hell out of her. Hermione had barely finished that thought when the subject of it strolled round the corner. Had he followed her?

"Granger, look," he fidgeted running his hands through his hair, "just a word of warning, I think I might have made things worse. Pansy…well just watch your back Granger." He moved to walk away but before he could she grabbed him.

"I don't get it Malfoy, one minute you're brushing me off the next you're defending my honour?"

"Trust me Granger I don't get it either-I don't get why you thought you could use me as a substitute for the other guy."

"What?" she said looking at him askance.

"Come off it Granger that little stun you pulled..."

"I wasn't trying to use you," Hermione told him vehemently.

He scoffed, disbelief painted across his face.

"Then what did you think you were doing Granger?"

"Testing a theory," she said talking to the floor to hide her shame.

"So it was some kind of bloody experiment, what was it to see if I fucking kissed as well as he did? Well did I stack up?" Draco demanded his pride clearly smarting and his anger rising. "Perhaps we need another experiment just to make sure?" he suggestion and before she could respond he dragged her towards him by the shoulders and planted a searing kiss on her lips. They were stood in the middle of one of Hogwarts's busiest corridors but that didn't stop him as he seemed to be making an effort to make her swoon from like of oxygen.

Just when Hermione thought she would melt from the passion of his kiss he pulled away. I small stunned looking crowd had gathered around them:

"Nothing to see here," Malfoy assured them all, "simply a muggle studies experiment!"

Prat, she wanted to hiss at him but he was gone before she could muster enough breath. Hermione blushed furiously as she looked at the crowd around her the sound of their whispers echoing through the ancient halls.

Damn it Malfoy, she thought knowing that by dinner the whole of Hogwarts would know that they had kissed in the corridor and Ron and Harry would demand answers.


Author's note

Hope you liked that- something of a misunderstanding between Draco and Hermione here. Will they ever understand each other?

Please review.