Was it a big surprise to see Draco helping out because of Harry? Anyways, I REALLY stress some of you who review to check your private message inbox because I love replying to some of you. Just a way to say thanks!
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Dragon's Blood
Chapter Nine
ooo
Draco escaped his family the next day to visit Hermione. He certainly didn't want to be in blame if anything were ever to happen to her and he certainly wasn't going to let some hissy fit of hers keep him out. He turned up on the path up to her doorstep and paused. Draco was mildly impressed at the work Hermione had done to the front of the manor. The patches of lawn were trimmed down to its near root giving an orderly look to what used to be a wild and untamed grass land. The hedges were shaped, the flowers had begun blooming, and what used to be a dirt path was now cobblestone. Draco inspected the Manor. It seemed put together. It no longer looked rough and mangy but orderly and clean. Draco found it hard to believe that Hermione had done all this in a day.
"What are you doing here?"
Draco's eyes flickered towards Hermione who appeared around the corner of the Manor, carrying a large pot with gardening tools sticking out of it. Draco narrowed his eyes and glanced up to the cloudy sky.
"It seems it might rain today." He announced.
Hermione gave him a curious look but ignored him.
"You can't be thinking of planting today." Draco continued, "The rain can wash away the seeds."
Hermione opened her mouth to speak but restrained herself and continued to do what she had planned to do. She kneeled down by the doorsteps, taking out a hand shovel and stabbed the earth with it.
"Do you know what kind of properties a yarrow has?" She asked.
Draco, who was leaning against the polished gate, sudden stood up straight and cleared his throat, "Um yarrow, the flower?"
Hermione nodded as she dug up more dirt.
"I remember Professor Snape saying something about healing but nothing more. We never used it in class. We might have used an extract…" Draco shrugged, "Can't be sure."
"Impossible." Hermione muttered.
"Excuse me."
Hermione looked up and shook her head, "Potions. We couldn't have used it in Potions. I've read almost every Potions books none of them mention yarrow. It can't have magical properties thus using a nonmagical ingredient can't be much use to a potion."
"Then why would Professor Snape mention it to me." Draco challenged.
Hermione rolled her eyes, "When did you have this discussion, if it ever happen that is?"
Draco firmed his jaw, "When Harry attacked me."
Hermione felt her grip loosen around the hand shovel. She gulped remembering her sixth year in Hogwarts when Harry used sectumsempra on Draco during a duel. Harry had gotten in a lot of trouble and even had a hard time explaining to them what he had done. Hermione shook her head.
"There are incantations to reverse what had been harm." Hermione lectured, "I've read in books-"
"I know." Draco cut in, "Vulnera Sanentur heals wounds but the extent of its abilities can go so far. At the Hospital Wing, Snape gave me something to drink. It was yarrow with hot water, like some sort of tea. It made me feel loads better and I asked what it was."
Hermione frowned, "Why isn't it in any books then…"
Draco shoved his hands in his pockets and walked towards her, "Why are you asking anyways?"
Hermione's eyes widen and she quickly turned away, "Just… wondering."
"Mind telling me why I got the snub yesterday?" Draco asked, smiling.
Hermione flushed and looked away, quickly gathering her things. Draco panicked. Sensing that Hermione was about to run away, he ran to her before she could escape. He reached out for her arm, hooked on to it and brought her close. Her held her in a gentle tight grip that stunned her. She gulped, avoiding his gazed he forced on her.
"Granger." He sternly hissed, "Stop doing this. You're not helping yourself."
Hermione chin quivered as she tried to wiggle out of his hold. Hermione managed to escape because Draco had let go of her. She took a few steps back and took in a sharp breath.
"Why do you want to help me?" She questioned, "I don't get it. And then, when you do, you manage to ruin everything."
"I don't follow." Draco cocked his head.
"The library?" Hermione said, trying to refresh his memory, "We were far from fully preserving the library and the next morning it was as if we had worked all week on it. You used magic didn't you."
Draco paused, not knowing exactly what to say.
"I… I didn't know. How was I supposed to know? You- we used magic to help us." Draco pieced out.
Hermione squeezed her eyes shut, "Yes, to aid us, not to do the entire work for us! Draco you don't understand. I like working, okay? I like the feeling of having to work to reach a goal no matter how strenuous or mundane the work it involves."
"I didn't know…" Draco muttered out.
"I told you!" Hermione raised her voice, pointing at him accusingly, "You know I didn't want to fully depend on magic!"
"I meant to say I didn't know you were going to react in such a manner." Draco sighed, "Can I come in? I need to speak to you."
Hermione stared at Draco who seemed defeated. He slumped over which was unusual to see when Draco usually stood up straight and strutted around in superiority. Hermione motioned him in and lead him in. They idly walked aimlessly until they reached the library. Draco, upon setting his eyes on the disaster Hermione caused, turned to her.
"Did you do this?" He questioned.
Hermione ashamed, pressed her lips together and crossed her arms, "What do you need to discuss? I need to get back to work."
Draco sighed, "I don't think I'll be able to come by regularly."
"Good." Hermione nodded, "That'll keep on my mind on track."
Draco frowned, "Astoria and I have reached an agreement and we're engaged as of Friday of last week. We just announced it to our parents yesterday."
Hermione, who was defensive, felt her walls crumble down. Her arms fell to her side, limp. She searched for something to shoot back at him, something snide and malicious but she came up with nothing. She was empty of any feelings except what felt like water. It's a strange to name a feeling after water but it what she felt like.
"Congratulations." She whispered, "I suspect it was expected of you?"
Draco bitterly smiled, "Yes, would you anticipate anything else?"
"From you? Not really." Hermione shared the same bitter smile, "The wedding soon?"
"Oh no." Draco shook his head, "Our families are preparing but it takes a long time for families to reach an agreement, at least a year."
"To agree on what?" Hermione asked.
"Where we would be living, their wills, our wills, where we wish to send our children to school…" Draco listed.
"Where? Don't you plan on Hogwarts?" Hermione gasped.
Draco shrugged, "Astoria's family is mainly from France. I suppose Beauxbaton is in the running of schools if an agreement is made of housing us in France."
Hermione nodded once and turned to face the library, she took out her wand and flicked it. Immediately, the abandon books were send flying towards their original places on the bookshelves. She gave one last watery look at the library and turned on her heel to walk right out. Draco followed her up the staircase to the bathroom where she proceeded to draw a warm bath. Draco sighed and tilted his head back.
"I don't want you to be alone." Draco said quite dutifully.
"I'll be alright." Hermione said crisply, "I was fine without you."
"No you weren't." Draco let out a laugh.
Hermione casted a glare at him, "I don't think I'll ever understand why you are so keen on being helpful."
Draco sighed and turned around after Hermione cued him to do so. When he heard Hermione clear her throat, Draco pivoted and sat in his usual lounge chair by her. Hermione made sure the bath was extra bubbly this time around. Draco rolled his eyes at her insecurities. Draco had thought to explain to her he'd never be physically attracted to Hermione but thought against it due to previous young encounters with women and the delicateness of their image. He suppose it made sense then, why she would be careful not to fully expose herself to him, as it is Draco has had a very critical analyzing past on women.
"When will you be seeing Ginny again?" Draco asked, exhaustedly. Something about the scent of the warm bath and the thick heavy air surround it affected him, relaxing every inch of his muscles so that he almost melted into the lounge chair. IT was nice after his engagement announcement had made him very anxious.
"I'm not so sure." Hermione sighed, "She's pregnant, you know. I could have been an aunt."
"I'm sure they still see you as family Granger." Draco muttered.
"What do you think of Chrysanthemums?" Hermione said.
Draco raised an eyebrow, "That's a sudden change of topic."
"I'm thinking of how to decorate this bathroom." Hermione lied.
Draco yawned, "Are you now? Perhaps I should send Astoria to you when the wedding approaches."
Hermione gently splashed her toes around, "I have no desire to tend for your wedding."
"Except don't use Chrysanthemums." Draco warned, "They're a symbol of death in France. Her family would be in an outrage if they saw those anywhere near the wedding."
"Death, really?" Hermione smiled, "I'll keep that into consideration."
Draco and Hermione locked eyes, exchanging a look of pure mischief. Draco leaned forward towards Hermione, allured.
"Do I hint a bit of unwholesomeness in pure and innocent Granger." Draco gasped, " Tsk. Tsk. My, my, my."
She laughed, "I'm only joking I don't even know the poor girl. Never formally at least. I wouldn't do such a thing to her. For you, maybe, but not her."
Draco smirked, "Seems like I underestimated you completely Granger."
"You know, I used to be scared of you my first three years." Hermione admitted, "I'd see your stupid blonde hair from down the corridors and I'll try to avoid you if possible."
"What happened in fourth year?" Draco asked.
Hermione shrugged and smiled.
Draco thought long and hard trying to recall fourth year which was all a blur to him. He vaguely remembered any classes, he hardly paid attention any ways but classes seemed optional that year. He recalled the beautiful ladies from Beauxbaton and Durmstrang…
Draco cocked his head at Hermione and narrowed his eyes.
"It can't possibly do anything with a certain student from Durmstrang." Draco shook his head, "You guys were just dates at the Yule Ball, right?"
Hermione sunk lower into the bath, hiding a mischievous smile growing on her lips. Draco's hand reached to his mouth in awe.
"You two were involved?" Draco gasped, "Really involved? Everyone thought you had him under a love potion."
Hermione frowned, "Love Potion?"
Draco laughed, "Well, you were perhaps the smartest witch in our year, possibly the whole school."
Hermione sighed, "Well not naturally. I worked hard because magic fascinated me. I had it understood you were hiding a great potential behind all your laziness."
"I suppose." Draco sighed, melting back into the chair, "So Krum, eh?"
Hermione laughed, "Oh goodness, he was such a big teddy bear."
"He looked like a bug brute to me." Draco snorted.
"Viktor was a very complex being." Hermione defended, "His parents were absent from his childhood, he consider himself an orphan even when his biological parents found him, and he found an escape in quidditch. Yet, I found him humbling and kind."
Draco snorted, "That arrogant beast?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Well he was the first boy that made me feel like I was worth something."
Draco stopped laughing. He took a good look at Hermione who was staring at the opposite end off the bathtub with an intensity that it made Draco realize there were a lot more deep rooted things in Hermione that for some damn reason he wanted to figure out.
"What made you think you weren't?" He asked.
Hermione glanced up at him and he got the clue. Well, it seemed like she was blaming him for some sort of insecurities she ever had and when Draco looked back, he suppose she was right to blame him. He wasn't the kindest person to her and if he really tried to remember, Draco was sure he had made fun of her hair or her teeth. Draco smiled at the memories of him going out of his way to put her down, in the most degrading way and it seems funny that while he looked down at her because of a blood-status, one of the most talented Quidditch players the world has ever seen saw her differently, the way Draco was seeing her now.
"I was a rotten kid, wasn't I?" Draco groaned.
"Well it wasn't just you, it was Ron as well." Hermione confessed, "I'd gone to a private all-girl school before Hogwarts. I was made fun of there but I quickly realized that it was because of my grades and not because of my looks. There were plenty of other girls who had ghastly teeth and big watery eyes that went under the radar because they weren't model students. At Hogwarts, I thought boys would be different but it seems like I got teased for being a good student AND being unruly looking."
"You grew on everybody eventually." Draco pointed out.
Hermione closed her eyes, "But the teasing was damaging until Viktor."
Draco clenched his fist feeling the urge to punch the nearest object. He controlled the unexpected outburst of anger and controlled his thoughts. If Viktor Krum was that much of a positive figure in her life beforehand, Draco thought he should be a great help to her while he was gone. Draco ran his finger throughout his hair, trying to recall if there was any way to reach Viktor in hopes that he could keep an eye on her as to not break his promise to Harry. Draco envisioned a million and one possibilities in where Viktor replaced him in the mean time and he dislike every single one of them.
"What are you thinking about?" Hermione sighed out, expressing her contentment that the bath was giving her.
Draco shook his head, "Ummm France?"
"Ah," Hermione smiled, "When do you leave?"
Draco sighed, "Soon."
"For how long?" She questioned.
Draco scrunched his nose, "A couple of weeks."
Hermione smiled at his response, sending her in a million possibilities of what to do when he was gone and she had no chance of having someone barge in without her consent.
"What are you thinking about?" Draco reached out and touched the tip of her nose. Hermione laughed and moved away.
"School mischief." She laughed, with that watery look in her eyes again, "I miss it so much my heart aches. Running through the corridors, dodging food being flung in the Great Hall, staying out of trouble, getting in to trouble, lounging by the lake, staying up late chatting, growing up…"
Draco closed his eyes reliving his most innocent years, "Seems like half of it was robbed by Voldemort, wasn't it? Losing sleep over the threat of him."
"I can't see how you would losing much when you were on his side." Hermione mumbled.
"He was a threat to everything. Anyone who didn't realize it was a threat just as big as him." Draco glared at the air, "I know my parent's beliefs probably will never change but their kind is a dying breed. We won't have to deal with them for much longer."
"And you?" Hermione chirped.
Draco slumped back in his chair, "Well I'm here with the likes of you. Speaks volumes, doesn't it?"
Hermione frowned, "I suppose. Not much has changed between your parents and you, you're still marrying a pureblood."
"I like Astoria." Draco reasoned.
"Because she fits your parent guidelines. She's clean cut, from a good family, beautiful, possibly very good at being intimate, but most importantly she's a pureblood." Hermione played with the bubbles around her, "I see nothing wrong with her. She seems like the type that's never negative, can still smile whenever there's bad news, and can whip up a mean batch of cookies just to make you smile."
Draco's hand rubbed his scruffy chin and he chuckled, "You'd be surprised that's she not that perfect. Not the way you make her seem."
Hermione turned to Draco, "But she's exactly what your parents want you to have."
Draco remained silent, giving the exact confirmation Hermione needed. She hummed to herself allowing herself to move around in the bathtub. They stay that way for the next few minutes. They stayed quiet enjoying the presence of each other, allowing the silence to speak for them. Draco watch Hermione closed her eyes and drag them back open as if her eyelids were too heavy to have them open.
Draco flicked his wand and the water began draining form the tub. Hermione groaned. Draco forced himself back to his feet and tossed the bathrobe at her.
"I suggest you dry off quickly." Draco urged, "We have to take a trip to Diagon Alley before I leave and I'm not taking no as an answer."
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