Draco walked away from the Great Hall, Crabbe and Goyle following behind. His cronies were laughing about something stupid, making Draco roll his eyes. Sometimes he didn't know why he was friends with them, if people could even call them that. Suddenly Goyle got pulled away by a Professor, probably for not doing so well in the class. Crabbe just shrugged and walked quicker to catch up with Draco.
"Hey, Malfoy." Crabbe said.
"What?" Draco snapped.
"What did your father say about that hippogriff? Remember, the one that attacked you?"
"Of course I remember, you idiot." Draco sighed, but it was soon replaced with a slightly evil smirk. "And don't worry. My father said that he was going to take care of that bloody creature."
Crabbe laughed, very unattractively. "Yeah, that'll show Potter. Getting his favorite gameskeeper fired!"
"Yes." Draco sighed once again at Crabbe's stupidity.
"Why does he get everything?" Crabbe asked, his question intended to Harry.
"That's a question I've been asking myself for three years." Draco said bitterly.
"Seriously! He gets special treatment because he's The Boy Who Lived, every wizard alive knows his name."
Draco nodded sarcastically, obviously already knowing this information. Then Crabbe chuckled. "Well, I guess he doesn't get everything."
"How so?" Draco asked, now looking at his fat friend.
"Well, he has that hideous scar on his forehead, he has no parents, no home, and his best friend is a Weasley!" Draco nodded, smirking. But it soon went away when Crabbe said, "And don't even get me started on Granger."
"What about Granger?" Draco asked through gritted teeth.
"You know. You've said it yourself; she's a filthy, good-for-nothing mudblood." Crabbe said in a matter of factly tone.
Draco just kept walking, biting his tongue so hard he swore he tasted blood. He couldn't just tell Crabbe off, no one knew about his relationship with Hermione. But it was awfully hard for Draco to just let Crabbe go on and on about how horrible she was. He clenched his fists, so much that his knuckles were turning white. But, he finally snapped when Crabbe said, "I bet Potter is only friends with her because she puts out."
Draco had had enough. He took hold of Crabbe's collar, shoving him hard against the stone wall of the corridor. Crabbe's head hit the wall, but his face held a mix of shock and terror.
"Don't you dare say that about her! Ever!" Draco yelled right in his face. Crabbe quickly nodded his head. Draco stared him down for a few more seconds before he let go, moving back two feet so Crabbe wasn't pressed against the wall anymore. His collar was wrinkled, and he still looked terrified.
Draco breathed out very loudly before he turned and started walking down the corridor, leaving behind a very confused Crabbe.
The Next Day
Draco walked away from his Potions class, Goyle right behind. Crabbe was nowhere in sight, probably staying as far away as he could from the Malfoy. He would come around eventually, but for now he stayed away.
"Hey Malfoy, look at the lost first years over there." He pointed toward a corner where a bunch of younger students stood, looking around for their next class and being completely out of their comfort zone. "Let's go have some fun." Goyle sneered, obviously planning to torment the little kids.
"You go on; I have some business to take care of." Draco drawled, not even looking at his 'friend'. Goyle just shrugged before making his way over to the first years. Draco kept walking, he didn't really have anything to do. He just wanted to get rid of Goyle, and he kept moving down the corridor, although he was lost in thought.
He had been in a sort of depression since the night before; the incident with Crabbe. He didn't care about his cronie; he could always find another. It was what Crabbe said that stuck with Draco.
Everything Crabbe had said, all the horrible things about Hermione, he had learned and heard all of that from him. And he thought it impossible to ever had thought those things about Hermione; his girlfriend. The girl that he truly loved. He couldn't believe that he had said those awful things about the most amazing girl in the world. He hated himself.
He kept walking, looking down at his feet, when he somehow found himself outside, under a tree far from the castle. He was still on school grounds, but in a very deserted spot. He sighed and sat down, his back leaning against the tree.
Meanwhile, Hermione was looking everywhere for him. They often met after classes, something he was persistent on doing. And those times were when she would tell Harry and Ron that she was in the Library. But she couldn't find him anywhere. She looked in the Great Hall, near the Slytherin common room, even in the girl's bathroom where Moaning Myrtle stayed. The third place was more on desperation; she was running out of options.
She made her way out into the courtyard, looking around in every direction. Maybe he was in his own house common room, she couldn't have looked there. She didn't know the password, one of the rare things she didn't know, and houses weren't allowed in other house's rooms. She sighed and was about to go back inside when something white-blonde caught the corner of her eye. She looked over and saw Draco sitting in the distance. A small smile appeared on her face as she made her way over to him.
~0~0~0~0~
"Hey!" Hermione said as she approached Draco. He looked up and smiled at her, although it wasn't as bright as the usual ones intended towards her. Her smile dropped as she breathed more heavily, out of breath from walking such a long way to get to him. She sat down beside him and said, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Draco shrugged. Hermione raised her eyebrows, obviously seeing through his act. She could always tell when he was lying.
"Draco." She said knowingly, a smile playing at her lips. He raised his hands up.
"Nothing!" he chuckled, also a smile on his face. But something was definitely wrong. She sighed and put a hand on his arm, trying to get him to tell her what was going on. He stared at her for a moment, before swallowing and looking out to the black lake.
"Something…happened last night." Draco finally said after a minute of silence.
"What was it?"
"Well, it was after dinner. Crabbe and I were walking back to our common room, and we were talking about Potter."
"Harry?" Hermione asked. Draco looked at her, and she smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I won't interrupt. Go on, please."
He turned his head again and continued. "Yes, we were talking about him and how he always gets everything. But then Crabbe said that he didn't have any parents, no home, an ugly scar, and his best friend was a Weasley. And I agreed that that was a pretty god awful life." Hermione rolled her eyes but kept listening. "Then he mentioned you."
Hermione scrunched her eyebrows together. "And what did he say?" she asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
Draco hesitated before saying, "He said that you are a mudblood and how you are good-for-nothing. He went on and on about how horrible you are."
Hermione looked away. "Wow." She breathed, although she knew that she shouldn't be surprised. She looked back at Draco and said, "What happened next?"
A smirk appeared on his face. "Well, you'll like this. I shoved that stupid git against the wall and told him off." He chuckled and Hermione suppressed a smile. She always thought that violence was a bad thing, but she couldn't help but feel joy that Draco stood up for her like that.
Finally a smile made its way onto her lips as she said, "You know how I hate violence. But thank you." She chuckled and leaned her head on his shoulder. They laughed for a few more seconds before it died down, and the humor left Draco's face.
"Hermione, Crabbe heard everything that he said…from me."
She lifted her head off his shoulder; Draco hating it. She looked into his eyes and said, "Okay, I don't see the problem."
"What?" Draco asked, completely taken back by her reaction.
She chuckled and said, "Draco, I know that you say horrible things about me behind my back. I do the same about you to Harry and Ron, but I don't mean any of it. And I know that you don't either."
"But, Hermione you don't understand. I once said those things and actually meant it. I once truly hated you, but I can't see why I ever would. I now hate myself."
Hermione's face turned serious. "Draco, how can you say that?"
"That's exactly the problem." Draco said quietly.
She rolled her eyes, frustrated. "No, I mean how can you say that you hate yourself?"
"Well, anybody would be a fool to not hate me."
"Draco, you are an intelligent, amazing, good-hearted person who any girl would be lucky to have. I certainly don't hate you, so are you calling me a fool?" Hermione said, raising her eyebrows.
Draco stared at her, completely confused. "Yes. Hermione, you could do so much better than me. I'm not worth keeping around. You deserve someone who would treat you right. I hate to say it, but someone like Weasley."
"I don't care about Ron the way I do about you. And you do treat me right! And, I love the way I feel when I'm around you. No one else makes me feel that way, and I don't want anybody else to anyway! Please, get it through your thick skull that you aren't as bad as you think you are."
Draco sighed. Hermione stared at him, knowing that he still felt the same way. "I don't get it. Why are you trying so hard to get me to hate you? Do you want me to leave?"
Draco's head snapped up. "No, of course not! I l…" he trailed off. Hermione stared intently at him, waiting for him to finish. He stared back, then sighed and said, "I'm just thinking of you. You need a guy who would show you off to his friends. A guy who wouldn't be afraid to show what he feels about you."
"Draco, I know you care about me. And I care about you. Otherwise, what would I be doing here?" She chuckled, and he showed a small smile. "That's all I need. What else do you want?"
He took her hand in his. "Nothing. All I want is you. I guess I'm just… thinking way too much." He chuckled.
"Well, stop thinking and kiss me already!" She said as she pulled his face down to hers.
They smiled at each other for a second, before he closed the gap between them. Her arms were around his neck and his around her waist, lost in her robes. They continued to kiss, and soon found themselves in the position where he was hovering above her and her upper back was against the tree trunk, her lower back laying on the ground. He cradled her face as she had her hands tangled in his hair. They then pulled away, needing air.
He stared down into her eyes, both of them panting. The sun was setting on the cool day at Hogwarts, and Hermione looked absolutely breathtaking. He studied her face, remembering every single detail. He then realized that then and there was the perfect time to tell Hermione how he really felt.
"Hermione…I love you." Draco said, his face only inches away from hers. She stared up at him, before a bright smile spread across her face. She rose up and kissed his lips, much gentler and less lustful than the first kiss.
When she pulled away, she said, "I love you too." He smiled as well, and they both laughed. He then stood up and held out his hand, her taking it.
As soon as she stood, he embraced her in his arms. Draco didn't know what he would do if he didn't have Hermione. She smiled, never feeling as safe as she did when she was with him. Everything was perfect, and both Draco and Hermione walked back to the school, not letting go of each other.
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