The others were outside trying to destroy the horcruxes. They wouldn't let Hermione or Malfoy come so they were in the living room. Hermione was reading a book while Malfoy was staring at the ceiling. Hermione had given him some potion for the wound again. This one made him slightly loopy so Hermione told him to rest until it was out of his system.
"Hermione?" Hermione looked up at him. He motioned her to come closer. She closed her book and stood up. Clutching the book to her chest she knelt down next to him. He smiled at her. This potion was definitely making him a little crazy if he was smiling at her.
"Do you ever think about what it would have been like if the Dark Lord hadn't come back?" They could no longer say Voldemort without snatchers coming.
"Well yeah of course." He turned his head to look at her.
"What do you think it would have been like?"
"I guess...I don't know. I don't even know if I'd still be friends with Harry and Ron. The sorcerer's stone kind of brought on our friendship," she said.
"Do you think I would have been different?" He whispered to her.
"I don't know," she murmured.
"Do you think we could have been friends?" She looked down, already knowing the answer.
"If you weren't so prejudice, then maybe."
"I was only prejudice because of my father," he whispered. "I would have never said anything if my father hadn't engrained it in my head long before."
"What do you think it would have been like?"
"I think I would have been nicer and we could have been friends," he muttered.
"Is that what you want?" She asked gently.
"Of course. I've wanted to be friends since first year but you were a muggleborn and I was stupid." He took the book and placed it on the coffee table. He took both her hands in his.
"Hermione I...I had a...crush on you when I was younger. That's why I was so mean to you. I wasn't supposed to have a crush on a muggleborn. I was already engaged to Pansy," he whispered. Hermione froze. That was why he was so mean to her. Only when they were younger though.
"Then it got so bad that I couldn't even look at you without my heart pounding, so I tired to ignore you. But I couldn't. You were everywhere I looked. So I couldn't ignore you but I tried to stay clear of you. I didn't want you to hate me anymore."
"Malfoy you don't know what you're talking about. The potion I gave you-"
"No, no. I'm serious. I've had a crush on you since I first saw you. And when you were at the Yule Ball I almost went over to you. I almost punched that bloke who took you but Pansy held me back. She knows, she's always known. I wanted to comfort you when Potter was in the tournament because you seemed so distressed but I didn't. In fifth year I didn't approach you because I was afraid all this would just spill out and then sixth year came. I was so worried about everything that I didn't have time to think about you as much. Then you stopped me from killing Dumbledore. You brought me here and I had to tell you."
"Mal-"
"Hermione Granger I am in love with you," he said. Hermione didn't know how to respond. Luckily she didn't have to, the others came in.
