"Granger, hurry up! I'm hungry!" Draco called through the door, thinking longingly of his breakfast.
Usually in the mornings, Draco showers and dresses and goes straight to the kitchen to get food. When he gets back, Hermione joins him in a small (if anything in Malfoy Manor is small) room with a normal-sized, four person table. They don't speak much, unless to discuss things in the newspapers they read while eating.
That morning, however, Hermione had asked to go with him to the kitchens. He didn't know why, but she had seemed very eager so he agreed to wait for her. Waiting hungrily outside her door, he was beginning to regret his decision.
When Hermione emerged from her room, Draco glared at her and muttered, "About bloody time."
She ignored him and said, "Shall we go, then?" in a light, airy tone. He watched her walk on a few steps without him, before snapping out of his bemused gaze and following her through the corridor.
Hermione walked confidently through the house in front of Draco. When they reached the room leading to the kitchens, he let her continue walking before asking, "Sorry, did you want to go somewhere else?" and made her turn back, blushing scarlet all the way.
They entered a square room of doors. Literally. The walls were lined with identical brown doors, and the floor was empty except for a trap door in the rough wooden floor boards. Draco wrenched it open and stood aside.
"After you." he said blankly.
Hermione hesitated. "You're not going to trap me down there, are you?" she asked seriously.
He smirked. "Nice idea, but no, I would like to eat something today."
Still wary, she lowered herself into the hole, meeting some hard stone steps a little way down.
As she looked around, she saw a stone room with another three doors. She wondered into the centre of the room, followed by Malfoy, who directed her through the door on the left. She opened the door to a large kitchen, filled with various objects she'd never seen before. There was a small island at the centre of the room with four chairs around it, two of which were occupied by house elves which jumped up immediately. There were another two talking by a large stone fireplace; they also leapt to stand in line with the other two, looking eagerly at the witch and wizard.
"Master Draco, what would you like for breakfast today?" asked an elf with eyes larger than it's ears.
"I'd love a fry up, thanks, Gebba." he replied with a smile.
"And what would miss like?" she directed at Hermione.
"Oh, um, I'll just have some toast, thank you." she answered the elf uncertainly.
Immediately, the house elves fanned out around the room, cooking with speed Hermione had never seen before. Draco sat in a chair at the island.
"This is Hermione Granger. She doesn't look like herself though, and if there's anyone but us two around you have to call her Miss Greengrass, okay?" said Draco.
The elves all chorused, "Yes master Draco" happily, and Hermione stared at him in shock. He chuckled at her startled expression and pulled out a chair next to him.
"Well, sit down."
She sat obediently next to him, too confused to register what she was doing.
"So, Granger, are you ever going to mention why you wanted to come here?" he asked, while another elf in a shabby pillowcase served them mugs of tea.
"Thanks," she said to the elf, before answering, "Actually, I wanted to meet the house elves and talk to them about how they're treated, to see if they'd help me make a case for the society for the promotion of elfish welfare when the war's over."
Draco stared at her like she'd been speaking troll. "Society for the what?"
"The Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, or SPEW for short." Hermione explained.
"I've never heard of that. What is it?"
"It's to improve treatment of House Elves. And you wouldn't have heard of it- I started it in fourth year."
There was an awkward silence as Draco fought the urge to laugh. Hermione didn't break eye contact, though her cheeks reddened at the sight of his lips twitching.
"I just don't think it's right that they're brainwashed and forced into slavery, with no rights and no way of escaping their lifestyle. And as the jobs are handed down through generations, none of them get an opportunity to choose what's best for them, they have no voice for themselves, it's just expected that they'll take up the role and become their parents, just like their parents' parents, and THEIR parents' parents, and all the House Elves before them." she ranted.
Draco was staring at his tea, the smirk completely wiped from his face.
"I think you're right." he said quietly, as a large plate of food appeared before him that he wasn't much hungry for any more.
Hermione blinked in shock, paying no attention to the artfully prepared pile of toast before her.
"People shouldn't assume they want to be like their parents." Draco said meaningfully, without looking up.
She felt like she'd just been slapped. Had she heard him right? Had he really just implied what she thought he had?
He stood up abruptly. "Thanks for breakfast, it looks delicious, as usual. Hermione wants to talk to you all about Elf rights, don't hold back." He turned to Hermione and said, "Take as long as you want here, I'll be in my room whenever you want to use the floo." before striding to the door to the corridor and climbing out of the trap door without looking back.
Hermione knocked timidly on Draco's door at ten in the morning. The House Elves had told her some things that made her feel especially guilty towards him, and though she refused to seek him out to just apologise, she'd decided to bring it up at a time she needed to see him anyway.
"Hi. Time to go?" he greeted her from behind the door.
"Yes," she entered confidently. "Look, about this morning, I didn't realise, i'm so –"
"Don't worry about it. So what time will you be back later?" he cut in.
She stuttered an "Um" before answering, "I don't know, probably about five. I think I might visit Ron after the meeting."
"Bet Weasley misses you," Draco snorted in disgust, "Probably needs a cuddle."
"Shut up Malfoy, Ron's a better man than you, and so what if he misses me? Some people aren't prejudiced little scabs like you!" she spat.
Draco faltered. Hermione glared at him and said, "If you can stop insulting everything that moves for one second, I was going to apologise for what I said earlier on. I didn't realise you felt that way, and, with reason. You don't exactly behave like someone who isn't like your father."
He was speechless. His full lips were slightly open as she stared daggers at his shocked eyes.
"I think it's time I left." she said darkly, before shoving past him towards the fireplace.
As her shoulder hit his, he was brought out of his daze. Suddenly, he grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her towards him.
"Don't you dare talk to me like that, Granger." he whispered down at her in a very intimidating manner. "You act so high and mighty because you think you're better than me? Well you're prejudiced too. You assumed I chose this path, you thought I was worthless, and i'll bet anything you still won't let go of your old views of me, even though i've been trying with all my might to prove to you that i'm different. What've you done to make amends with me? You're just as low as you think I am." He shoved her away from him again, walked angrily to the fire and thrusted the pot of Floo Powder at her.
Shaking, Hermione took a handful of powder and recited the address Kingsley had sent to her.
Draco watched her disappear behind the emerald flames, his fists still clenched in rage.
Sorry it's a bit later than usual today, I was out all day so rushed through posting this chapter this evening in order to keep to my Every Other Day posting rule. Hope I didn't miss any mistakes, read and review!
Love Gee.