A/N: *Revised* Hello again. I've been doing a lot of revising on this story and this chapter was supposed to be 2 separate chapters but I decided they fitted together better. Also, I want to push the story along. I have something coming up soon that I want to hurry and get up.
I would like to thank Readerforlife and swfap88for reviewing! Now, on to the chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
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Chapter 7
It was Thursday night and Hermione was walking back to her room from the Library. She had to do multiple tasks for Pince and she had been in there since dinner was over. It was now a little after ten. She was exhausted by the time she entered the common room.
Draco was sitting on the couch, gazing into the fire when she entered. Hermione glanced over at him but continued on her way. She didn't feel like starting anything with the Slytherin at the moment. But Draco had other intentions.
"Granger."
Reluctantly, Hermione stopped and looked back at him. Draco stood and closed the space between them. Hermione rolled her eyes as she turned all the way around to properly face him.
"What do you want, Malfoy? I'm really not in the mood right now, ok?"
But Draco didn't seem to care, "Why did you try and stop Harry Saturday?" He got straight to the point.
Hermione was expecting him to bring that up sooner or later but why did he have to do it now? "Did you not hear what I said in Dumbledore's office? I don't need them defending me all the time."
"Is that all?"
"Yes. It had nothing to do with you. We aren't friends or anything so why would I stick up for you?" Hermione could tell her words affected Malfoy. She smiled as she turned around and went to her room. Once inside she heard Malfoy walk up the stairs and slam his door. She shrugged it off and got ready for bed.
Draco paced in his room with his hands behind his back. He didn't understand why he was mad. Did he really think Hermione would defend him?
"I don't need a Mudblood defending me."
'You weren't in any position to be defending yourself.'
"I would have figured out something if Snape hadn't shown up!"
'Don't blame Snape. If he hadn't come who knows what Potter would have done to you.'
"Shut up! No one asked your opinion." Draco flopped down on this bed. He felt like he was loosing his mind. For 1 He was just having an argument with himself, and lost. 2 He actually thought Hermione would stand up for him. What was his problem?
The next day, the classes seemed to drag on. When Hermione entered the Dungeons, she was shocked to find Malfoy was already seated at their table. He was always the last student to class but he beat her today. Hermione tried not to think so much about as she took her seat next to him.
"Malfoy." She greeted in a flat tone.
"Granger." said Draco in the same tone.
"Odd seeing you here early."
"Is that a problem for you?"
"Did I say it was a problem?" She said looking over at him.
Draco met her gaze, "Then why did you say something?"
Hermione turned her gaze back to the front of the class and rolled her eyes.
About five minutes later, the last of the students entered and took their seats. Slughorn tapped the board and the potion instructions appeared. All he said was get to work. Draco went to the cupboard and gathered the ingredients needed and carried them back to the table. He glanced at the board and pushed a jar towards Hermione.
"Cut two of those." he commands, but not harshly. He then turned away and started to crush some Asphodel Root. Hermione looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Draco noticed and stopped crushing and looked at her innocently, "What? Do you want to make this potion or write another essay? This time it will be your fault not mine." and then he went back to crushing the root.
Hermione took the knife in her hand and started cutting. Slughorn walked around the class and made comments on the pairs. He smiled brightly as he passed Draco and Hermione.
When class was almost over, Slughorn instructed them to pour a sample of their potion into a vile and leave it on his desk. Hermione did that as Draco cleaned up their area. Hermione wanted to say something to Draco but once the bell rang, she saw her friends waiting for her.
"I'm surprised to Malfoy doing something for once." Harry said as they made their way to the Great Hall.
"I know. I actually don't have to write an essay tonight."
When Hermione entered Defense class, Draco was already in there, talking quietly with Snape. They stopped as soon as she entered and Draco made his way back to their shared desk. Hermione just sat down and pulled out the stack of work she needed to finish.
The lesson for class today was more non verbal spells. Least it was easier to concentrate on working when there wasn't spells being called out all the time. Hermione noticed from time to time that Draco was starring at her. But when she looked at him, he was looking down at his assignment working. It made her wonder if she was just seeing things.
At the end of class, Snape asked the two of them to stay for a minute to talk with them.
"So, do you two think you are ready to join the rest of the class?"
"Yes, sir." they both replied.
"Good. , you can turn in your work now and Draco, turn yours in tomorrow, completed."
Draco reframed from arguing because he knew it wouldn't do him any good and nodded his head in agreement.
Hermione handed him the work, gathered her things, and left. Draco followed.
"Well Severus, how have they been this week?" the old wizard asked.
"A slight improvement you could say. Slughorn told me they actually worked together in Potions and with no arguments."
"Wonderful. Any improvement, even a small one, is a huge improvement with them."
"I can't agree more. When do you plan on telling them?"
"I hope to tell them before the Christmas break if they make more improvements."
"I think last Saturday's events had a big effect on Draco. I think it's made him see Hermione in a different way, a good way that is."
"Wonderful. I can tell since his father passed away, he is slowly moving away from his father's prejudice views."
Snape nodded in agreement. That was the subject him and Draco were discussing right before class today.
"But has a way to come as well." Dumbledore said.
XxX
It was the beginning of November and due to Quidditch practices, Hermione was alone at nights and on weekends. She didn't mind not seeing Draco but she missed her friends. She often would go to the stadium and watch them practice but it wasn't the same. She could tell Harry was more comfortable with being captain this year and Ron had made improvements, but that didn't mean he would be like that in an actual match. She didn't like Quidditch even more now, especially since her only friends were in it. She still was supportive of course and wished them the best. And she kept telling herself not to be selfish and hold it against them.
Hermione walked into the common room one night after a practice and saw Draco sitting on the couch looking over a small board with an outline of the pitch on it. Hermione found it odd he was going over Quidditch plans in the common room when he usually did that in his room.
"Is your team doing well this year?" Draco asked not looking up at her.
"Why would I share information about my house with you? Do I look stupid to you?"
"Want me to answer that?" he said with a smirk.
Hermione huffed.
"I was kidding Granger. Don't get your knickers in a wad. I just asked if they were doing well, not what are they doing."
Hermione realized he was only trying to start a conversation with her, why? "Oh, well they are doing pretty good. And yours?"
"Not too bad, considering I'm the only talented player on the team."
"Merlin Draco, you are so full of yourself."
"Just confident, there is a difference but seriously, I am."
"A slight difference. Well goodnight", and Hermione quickly went to her room before he could reply.
Once in her room, Hermione leaned against the door and rubbed her temples. Draco wasn't making any sense and did they just have a conversation? It was a short one but it was a conversation. She moved her way toward her bed and got ready for bed, pushing all thoughts about Draco Malfoy out of her mind.
In days leading up to the first Quidditch match, Draco and Hermione had more small conversations in the common room. There wasn't a whole lot of talking, due to the fact that Hermione would end it almost as soon as it began. She kept trying to figure out why he was talking to her and treating her like his equal. She didn't mind but noticed he only did in the common room where no one could see. That's the main reason Hermione was to eager to end any conversation he started. If was too embarrassed or something to talk to her in front of others then she wouldn't talk to him. He had treated her like shit for the past six years and now all of a sudden he's being 'friendly' with her? He must be up to something. That was the only thing she could think of to explain his behavior.
The day had finally arrived, the first Quidditch match, Gryffindor against Slytherin. Hermione walked out of her room the same time as Draco. He gave her a smile, "Ready to loose?" in a playing tone.
Hermione smirked, "Don't cry when we kick your butt." She walked down the stairs and was followed by Draco. Once at the stadium, she walked up the stands and joined Dean, Seamus and Neville who had a huge banner waving in the air.
The two teams entered the stadium. Harry and Draco stepped forward and stood in front of Madam Hooch and shook hands, or see who could squeeze the other's hand the most. The returned to their spot and mounted their broom. Madam Hooch and the members kicked off from the ground and she released the balls. The game began. It was a very intense game, like all the Gryffindor and Slytherin ones were. Ron actually made a few saves. Harry and Draco were all over the pitch. Every now and then, one would make a dive or quick move just to see if the other would follow.
In the end, Harry caught the snitch, Gryffindor won and the game was over. Hermione went with the others to the Gryffindor common room to celebrate. The four grabbed a Butter beer and sat on the couch in front of the fire. Well, Harry, Ginny and Hermione sat on the couch while Ron took the chair next to them. They spent the time laughing, playing games and just having fun.
Hermione left the Gryffindor Tower late that night and had no clue what time it was. She figured Draco would be up in his room when she returned but he wasn't. He was standing in front of the couch starring into the dying fire. He was obviously still mad about the lose. Hermione didn't even notice him at first.
"Bet you had fun partying with your friends, didn't you Granger?" he spat at her.
Hermione stopped in her tracks and looked over at him. "Excuse me Malfoy? I know you are upset about loosing but you don't have to take it out on me!"
"I'm surprised you didn't come in here gloating."
"I'm not that kind of person Malfoy. I have good sportsmanship. If someone looses, I don't rub it in their face. But I guess you wouldn't know anything about that." Hermione began moving toward her room again but was blocked by Draco. They stood there for a moment starring at each other. Draco had a weird expression on his face that Hermione couldn't read.
"I'm sorry." Draco said it so quietly that if Hermione hadn't seen his lips move then she wouldn't have known what he said.
"I'm surprised to know that word is in her your vocabulary. Where did you learn it from?"
Draco's face lost emotion for a second but was soon replaced with anger. "Yeah, I'm sorry for wasting my time with you!" He turned and went straight to his room, slamming the door.
Hermione remained glued to the floor, stunned for a moment. 'Did Draco want to spend time with me?' She slowly made her way up to her room and lay on her bed. She had noticed a slight change in Draco. He had been working with her now in Potions and in Defense. And he also started trying to have a conversation with her in the common room. But it wasn't something Malfoy would do. And what happened by the lake, before Harry hung him in the air, his face was different. It wasn't full of hate or anything like it normally was. It was something she had never seen on Draco before. She kind of felt sorry for him for what Harry did to him. It was so unlike Harry. Everyone knew they hated each other but she thought she'd see Harry start something Draco and do something like that. She knew Harry didn't like seeing his father do it to Snape so why did he do it?
Something inside Hermione wanted to know everything about Draco Malfoy. She only knew him by his rude-I'm-better-than-everyone attitude and his family. She wanted to know more about him. She began thinking of questions like, when's his birthday. Or what's his favorite season and holiday? The rational side kicked in. "Why am I thinking so much about that slime ball? I must be really tired or something." Without getting out of bed to change, she pulled the covers over her and fell right to sleep.
While Hermione dozed off, Draco laid awake in his bed starring at the canopy above his bed. He couldn't get Hermione out of his mind. She had just insulted him but yet he was thinking about how he wanted to know her. The real Hermione Granger, not the bookworm he had known since first year. There had to be more to her than that. Also, he couldn't understand the way she made him feel. He had been with all kinds of other girls but none worked his nerves like she did. He sighed as he turned over on his side all brought the blanket around him. He tried to push her out of his mind so he could try and get some sleep.
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A/N: Like I said at the top, I want to move the story along quicker and get to something important coming up. This isn't your typical Draco and Hermione story and you'll see why soon. Well, I hope you liked it and will review.
