'In time we hate that which we often fear.'
The days seemed to slip by like liquid through fingers. It became increasingly warmer as summer neared and I spent many days outside just lost in my own thoughts.
I watched as Hermione shuffled her food into piles on her plate and I rolled my eyes and smirked at her. My gaze fell slowly on the Gryffindor table and I caught Potters eye. He stared at me silently for a few seconds before the tiniest smile graced his lips and he turned his attention back to the sulking Weasley who was sat with his back to me.
Ron had not taken kindly to being ignored by both me and Hermione and I could tell it frustrated him enormously that Potter hadn't cursed me into Hell by now. He couldn't understand it but it wasn't like we were going to tell him what was up.
I watched as Luna and Ginny walked into the hall as my eyes widened as Luna skipped, yes skipped, over to Dean to give him a kiss as she slotted herself beside him. I laughed at her brilliant weirdness and Ginny caught my eye and grinned.
We'd talked a few times after our first deep conversation and she was as accepting as she'd been the first time.
"She's taken you know," Hermione's voice soaked into my body and I looked down at her. As if to prove her point Ginny pretty much ran over to Potter before plonking herself in his lap and eating his face.
"Ohh jeez, get a room," I muttered and looked back at Hermione to see her still watching me curiously.
"What's wrong Granger? Jealous?" I asked teasingly and she blushed a beautiful shade of red.
"Of course not," she frowned and I smirked even more. "Oh come off it Draco,"
"Sorry," I laughed and took a bit of pie. She pushed her plate to one side and stood up latching her bag over her shoulder. I frowned at her and she smiled cheekily.
"Oh God what?" I asked and she shook her softly before turning promptly on her heels and walking out.
I stared open mouthed after her and stared down at my uneaten food. The thought rolled round in my head that I should not go after her. She had somehow curled herself into me in a way that could not be considered healthy and I needed to find a way to slowly detach myself from her.
I was addicted to Hermione Granger drug and though I knew it was bad for me I couldn't keep away, I reached down to grab some bread before I followed after her and I gasped a little.
I was already halfway across the hall, it was like my body had realised she had gone and just made my feet move after her, I glanced behind me and nobody at the Hall seemed to have noticed anything different apart from Potter who was wetting himself laughing, while Ginny was talking to Neville.
I gave him the finger before grinning at him, as I walked out of the Hall completely, I realised that me and Potter had almost shared a joke. An actual joke.
It made me worried, Granger was giving us something to 'bond' over. Shit.
I stared up the staircase to try and see where she had vanished to and finally saw her hanging over the balcony on the 5th floor.
"Granger, what are you doing?" I yelled and she laughed before gesturing to me to join her.
I sprinted up the stairs three at a time, curiosity flooding my body. When I finally came to a stop in front of the classroom that she had run into, I took a deep breath suddenly feeling nervous. It was the first time in a while that we had been together with no-one else to watch us or interrupt us.
I slowly pushed the door open and Hermione was sat on the professor's with a gigantic lioness at her feet.
"Fucking hell!" I shouted, but knowing that I could just hex the lion away I took a deep breath before speaking again "Granger, okay, I understand that you can do all this high tech magic shit, but you know a lioness is a bit much"
She laughed this gorgeous tinkling laugh and I grinned at her happiness. She stood up and the lioness pushed her head against Hermione's thigh and she stroked the lionesses head idly.
"A lioness for Gryffindor," she told me and I smirked.
"Oh brilliant," I said sarcastically and she threw one of her books at me. I ducked and it hit the door behind me shut. "What was that for?" I cried.
"Her name's Betty," she scowled at me and I smiled at the comic image of Hermione with her arms crossed, a scowl on her face and a lioness at her feet.
"Right, and what exactly do you plan to do with Betty?" I asked her and she smiled softly pressing a kiss to her fingertips and then placing that hand on top of Betty's head.
She muttered a small incantation and Betty swirled into a mess of golden before disappearing completely.
I glanced around the classroom and smiled softly at the sight through the windows, it was around that time in the evening when the sky became a hazy glow of golden sunshine, and the warmth of summer was beginning to leak into the days.
I looked back at Hermione to find myself standing in a now empty classroom apart from me and Hermione, as she had pushed all the desks and chairs right back against the wall with her magic.
She stared at me, smiling waiting for me to ask her what was going on. I stared back at her and smirked before crossing my arms and waiting. She flashed me a grin and walked back to the teachers desk, which she had left in place, and sitting down on it watching me. A couple more minutes passed in silence and my patience began to thin.
"Okay, I'll bite." I said finally "What in the name of God is going on?"
She laughed softly and pushed herself off the table and standing in front of me. She tucked a curl behind her ear and rolled up the sleeves of her jumper.
"You told me, a couple of days back, that you had never learnt to cast the Patronus charm right?" she asked and I frowned.
"Yeah, I vaguely remember that," I replied slowly, unsure of where she was taking this.
"Well, I thought I would teach you," she beamed at me and my heart stuttered at her obvious happiness and brilliant smile.
"Now?" I asked and she grinned and nodded.
"Right now." She replied. I remained still and she sighed and took a step forward before uncrossing my arms and grabbing my wand out of my trouser pocket and placing it in my hand.
"Oh come on. It'll be fun," she grinned and I shrugged slightly and nodded my head at her.
"Good, now first off you know the spell right?" she questioned over her shoulder as she walked to the other end of the room. My eyes followed her all the way.
"Expecto Patronum," I replied and she nodded.
"Good. Now what I need you to do is think of your happiest memory. Got it? Okay good, now any time you're ready cast the spell, with that memory in mind." She explained and I focused on my happiest memory.
It wasn't difficult to chose and I prayed she wasn't able to read my mind at that moment, because of course, my happiest memory was with her. We were walking. That was all it was, walking in silence. But it was comfortable and a little bit beautiful and I loved every minute of it.
My first few attempts only ended up with wisps of smoke, but only the fourth time, after a lot of words of encouragement from Hermione, my Patronus made itself known.
It burst from the tip of my wand and the eagle swept the room. I stared at the beauty of him for a while, in awe of him. I had never been able to produce a Patronus charm until now and I was completely taken aback by the tenderness I felt for the animal.
I dimly heard Hermione cast her spell and I watched as the otter and the eagle playfully twirled around the room together and I let myself drown in that image and in Hermione's laughter as well, as the Patronus' started to disappear we both collapsed onto the floor in the middle of the room, Hermione laughing and me grinning.
"That was so great!" she said to me enthusiastically and I smiled at her.
"It was alright," I shrugged and she wacked me over the head. "Ow?"
"Yes, well you shouldn't have used sarcasm in such a way should you?" she told me dutifully and I stared at her open mouthed.
"Ow?" I repeated and she giggled and stood up.
"Oh get over it," she said teasingly as she walked over to the teachers desk and bent over it. I stared at Grangers behind for a few minutes before smirking and walking up behind her.
"Not that I'm not enjoying the view," I began and I saw a tiny bit of her cheek blush a deep red and I chuckled "But what exactly are you doing?" I asked realising I had said that sentence to her about 20 times today.
It wasn't my fault, she baffled me.
"Look at this," she said pushing the box out from under the desk with her foot "I'm sure it's a boggart."
"Yeah okay, well we better not go there tonight Granger," I said cautiously and tried to pull her away from the box.
"No, come on it will be fun," I raised my eyebrows at her and she smiled "It will Draco, I haven't faced a boggart before. Please Draco, please," she pleaded and I rolled my eyes at her.
"Alright, but for heaven's sake woman if you make the Dark Lord appear out of that box I'm afraid that I'll have to leave you to it," I told her and she smiled.
"Deal. I'll go first, you open the box," she agreed and I walked forward to the box and crouched down, I ran my fingers over the carvings in the box and turned my head to look at Hermione.
"You ready?" I asked and she nodded, her eyes focused on the box with her wand raised. Her stance reminded me of her in the battle.
I had seen her fight only for a few seconds before I had to turn my attention back to the prick who was firing hexes at me, but I was certain that I had never seen at her so beautiful. Her hair flying behind her, cuts and bruises on her face, the blood trickling down her cheek as she shouted and cursed spells which not even the most intelligent adults knew how to perform.
I slowly undid the catch of the box and the boggart flew out before turning into Hermione's worst fear. I stared open mouthed as the boggart walked towards her and crossed its arms.
"Hello Hermione Granger," said the voice of Lavender Brown.