Chapter 8-Look Away.
It had been a terrible afternoon; Hermione had done her best to staunch the rumors. 'No she wasn't dating Malfoy,' 'no she didn't think he was divine,' (may be that was a bit of a lie), 'Malfoy was just being a prat!' she insisted. The whole thing had given her a head ache and although she knew in a few days they would have something new to gossip about the thought of another day like this made her want to hide in her bed.
Harry and Ron bought the Malfoy being a 'prat' line but Ginny, always more astute than the boys, looked unconvinced. The redhead cornered Hermione in the common room;
"What's going on with you and Malfoy?" she asked.
"Nothing," Hermione said too quickly making herself immediately sound defensive.
"Why can't he look at you then?" Ginny demanded.
"He has never looked at me Ginny, I am below his notice."
"There's not looking and then there's not looking." Ginny told her. Well that was a piece of Weasley wisdom that Hermione couldn't quite fathom! Ginny elaborated; "He looks away when he thinks someone is looking but he is watching you intently, why?"
Hermione knew she would have to come clean and tell Ginny the whole story.
"I kissed him Ginny," Hermione began.
"You did what?" Ginny gasped.
"Hear me out please." Hermione pleaded.
Over the cause of the next 30 minutes Hermione briefly told Ginny about the Malfoy she had met in the alternate universe. What a gentlemen he was and how he had asked to kiss her. She then went on to explain that Malfoy knew about the other him in the other universe because of the Dragon's Egg pendent. Hermione told Ginny that fleetingly she thought she had seen a glimpse of that same boy in their own world.
"But you kissed him?" Ginny interrupted.
"It was stupid of me; I had this theory that if there was some of that kind boy here he wouldn't push me away."
"And what happened?" Ginny questioned.
"He didn't push me away; at least not at first. I'm an idiot Ginny, of course Malfoy isn't the same, I think I have developed a crush on some fantasy version of Malfoy that doesn't exist and now…now he hates me more than ever."
"What makes you think that?" Ginny asked dubiously.
"Because he thinks I was using him, he thinks that because he looks like the other Draco, the one I had developed feelings for, that I was attempting to use him as some kind of poor substitute."
"Did he tell you that?" Ginny queried.
'I don't get why you thought you could use me as a substitute for the other guy.' Hermione repeated using air quotes for emphasis.
"Ah!" was Ginny's minimal response.
"Yeah!" Hermione replied despondently, "I tried to explain but I just made it worse. That was what led to the little tantrum in the corridor."
"some tantrum, is it worth trying to explain again?" Ginny wondered.
"I don't see how I can; he won't let me near him without causing a scene." Hermione concluded.
"So; not worth it then?"
"I don't know Ginny?" Hermione breathed out in desperation, "ever since I returned form the other place I have felt like I am meant to save him somehow, I can't explain… it's like…like the whole episode was to show me something I might not have otherwise seen."
"What?" Ginny demanded.
"That there is something inside Draco Malfoy that is worth saving."
Ginny looked at her friend doubtfully;" I don't know Hermione…be careful," she cautioned.
Draco raged to himself as he made his way back to the Slytherin common room;
Bloody know it all Gryffindor, how dare she, how dare she make him into some sort of experiment, some sort of charity case. It was like that sodding SPEW thing all over again. He was not a fucking house elf, he didn't need her help or pity. He didn't need her for anything. He finally told himself as he entered the common room virtually taking the door of its hinges in his fury.
"What's got your wand in a knot?" Blaise enquired as he recognized that the blond was flushed with anger. Draco didn't have the chance to respond before a group of giggling 3rd years entered the room.
"Did you see that, so HOT, he looked like he might devour her, oh to be kissed like that by the brooding Malfoy…" the tiny brunette trailed of as she realised that the said, 'brooding Malfoy', was glaring at her from the middle of their common room. Red faced she and her friends hurriedly rushed away.
Blaise merely raised an eyebrow.
"Forget it Zabini, I don't want to talk about," Draco snarled as he strode across the common room in the direction of the boy's dorm.
"No problem mate," Blaise responded breezily before twisting the knife, "I'll just wait for the gossips to tell me."
"Fuck you, Zabini!" the now exasperated blond shot back.
Blaise merely tsked.
Zabini was right it didn't take long for the gossip to catch up with him. By the time he sat down next to Draco at dinner the whole school knew about Malfoy and Granger's 'torrid kiss' in the corridor.
"So you and Granger…" Zabini began knowing he was poking the bear. Draco didn't respond but Blaise knew he was pushing his friend's buttons because Draco's knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of the table.
Blaise had always enjoyed winding Draco up, knowing that the blond could usually be relied on to hold it together.
"What would Daddy say, soiling yourself with a mudblood?" Blaise had continued his monologue but this time Blaise had miscalculated Draco's mood. Before Zabini could say another word Draco had him by the throat.
"Mr. Malfoy!" came the distinctive Scottish brogue of the transfiguration professor, "put Mr. Zabini down." She demanded. judging that there was no real cause for alarm the head of Gryffindor house felt the two Slytherins to continue their dinner.
Draco immediately apologised; "sorry mate, it's just Granger."
"What about her?" Blaise demanded.
"Nothing," Draco shrugged, " you know I'm not the caring, sharing sort Balise."
Blaise huffed he knew Draco would tell him if and when he was ready but he couldn't resist one finally dig.
"So what was it like kissing Granger? I mean she is…"
Draco glowered at his friend; "She's what?" He demanded.
"Kind o' hot. I wouldn't mind getting her in the restricted section!" Blaise wiggled his brows suggestively at the petite Gryffindor who was now seated opposite them at her house table.
"But she's…" a Mudblood Draco finished silently looking again at the brunette.
"Beautiful, bright no brilliant," Blaise finished for him.
Draco was silent. He locked eyes with the curly haired witch, look away, he silently incanted as if he could somehow break the spell that held him- but she didn't.
Author's note
Thank you for all your reviews, follows and favourites so far.
So is Malfoy starting to appreciate Hermione like is alter ego did? That's all for today, may be another update tomorrow!
