When Gryffindor house started to stir Hermione decided it was time to go to the library. People talked about her and Harry enough without finding them cuddling on the couch. Not to mention what happened with Ron earlier, if he had been the one to find them he probably would have assumed what everyone else does about them. That would have been yet another thing she could not deal with. There was too much that could wrong. Her brain was about to short circuit, she desperately needed to get lost in a book. She also had no idea what would happen when she had to face Draco again. Would he sneer at her? Call her a mudblood? Hit her books out of her hand? Hex her? Curse her?
It was making her stomach turn just thinking about all of those possibilities, apparently that was the problem with Draco anything having to do with him had too many possibilities, most of them not good. He was like a wild card, no idea what would really happen. He was unpredictable now that she knew his secret. Before she could tell right when he was going to sneer, right when he was going to insult her, since the beginning of the year she had not been able to predict what he was going to do. Their relationship had changed, they were no longer enemies, they were…well she didn't know exactly what they were, it had been hard to label…still was hard to label.
Draco's stomach was turning the same time Hermione's was but for a completely different reason. Hermione had only found out he was a Death Eater the night before and he had already done a lot of thinking. Today was a busy day for him, he had gotten almost everything he needed to get down and it was only 8 in the morning. The last thing he needed to do was something he dreaded and something he had been dreading since he was assigned to do it. He had to let the other Death Eaters into Hogwarts. He was also supposed to kill Albus Dumbledore, but he couldn't think of that, not now, not ever. When the time came something would have to be done but he was going to worry about that later.
He knew exactly what he needed to do in order to finish the vanishing cabinet tonight and that left his mind to worry over other things. Other things that always seemed to turn to Granger, he could not get the way she had looked at him out of his head. It was as if it had imprinted into his brain, and that troubled him. There were few things that could actually bother Draco Malfoy, and if something did bother him it tended to mean that he…cared.
Draco wanted to shoot himself as soon as he realized the connection he had made. He actually cared about the way the bushy haired Gryffindor had looked at him, he cared that she had been disgusted with him, he cared that they would no longer have study time together and the verbal sparring they would have when doing their homework together would be no more, he cared, quite simply, for her.
He knew that he had started to care for her much earlier than he would ever admit, to himself or anyone. He just did not know what to do with the information know that he had acknowledged it and accepted it. Should he tell her? Today might be the last day they will ever see each other again. One or both of them could easily die in the upcoming war.
He needed to go talk to Theo and Pansy, to tell them what was going on and what they needed to do for tonight. He needed them safe and away from the eyes of the Death Eaters. If he could he was going to prevent anyone he cared about becoming a Death Eater. And there was that damn word again. Care, since when did Draco Malfoy care so bloody much? It was probably going to be the thing that got him killed, he was not a fucking Hufflepuff for Merlin's sake.
After talking with Pansy and Theo, Draco still did not have a clue what to do about Granger, he needed to warn her about tonight either way. He was not going to risk her ignorance being something that could potentially get her killed or captured. She was, after all, Potty's best friend. That teamed with the fact that she was a well-known muggleborn would be a field day for a Death Eater, especially someone like Aunt Bella, always trying to please the Dark Lord.
The problem was he did not know where to find her. She had stormed off last night and had not returned. It was now nearing Lunch time but it was not as if he could walk up to her in the Great Hall and tell her there would be an invasion of Death Eaters tonight. That would not go over well. He would probably be dead by sunrise tomorrow, either from the Order or the Dark Lord himself.
He wanted to smack himself in the head the second he realized it was Granger, where she was, most likely, would be the library. He quickly took off in the direction of the library hoping that luck would be on his side.
If there was ever a time in his life that Draco Malfoy needed luck tonight would be it.
Hermione decided that it was time to eat something, the book she was trying to get lost in was not working out for her. Every other sentence she would find her mind drifting to Draco. It was starting to get annoying. This had never been a problem for her before, whenever her thoughts would become too overwhelming she could always escape for a little bit in a good story. She could even distract herself from war, but one stupid Slytherin could prevent her from enjoying a book.
It was enough to make her want to go strangle him. But she decided against it, it would be best to go to the Great Hall and get something to eat. Maybe try to get lost in a conversation with someone.
Just as she was heading out of the door she saw the subject of her thoughts racing towards her.
The second they made eye contact he started to slow down, clearly she was what he was looking for her, the second she thought that a warm feeling spread through her stomach.
And then she remembered, he is a Death Eater.
Get a grip. He may even be coming to kidnap you. You're a threat to him now. You know his secret.
Even thinking all these things could not stop her from being happy… just a little bit happy… to see him.
Again she felt the strong urge to strangle him. Or herself, how could one person be so stupid. Especially her, the ever rational Hermione Granger, brains of the Golden Trio and the brightest witch of her age.
When Draco was only a couple feet from Hermione someone yelled her name.
She turned around to find Harry and Ron walking from behind her, both had big smiles on their faces, so happy to see their friend. She felt guilt run through her yet again. She had become a terrible person because while they looked so happy to see her, the only thoughts she had been thinking were that they were closer to her than Draco was. They were going to reach her first and with them standing beside her he would not be able to talk to her about whatever the reason he had been running to find her was.
She quickly turned back to where Draco was and saw the slightest shift in his expression, it look like a mix between panic and disappointment and then the Malfoy mask was in place. Not a single emotion could be seen from the outside, not even his eyes which had become steely gray letting nothing be known to the world.
Hermione turned back to face her friends feeling disappointment shoot through her. She would have to seek him out later to find out what the problem was. She doubted he wanted to talk about last night. But if he did…it might be nice to get some answers.
"Hello boys! I was just heading down to the Great Hall, would you like to join me?"
"We were just coming by to see if you wanted to join us. We figured you had probably worked up and appetite, either that or we were going to have to drag you out of the library." Harry said with a smile.
Hermione genuinely laughed, recalling many times where the boys had had to drag her out of the library because she was so enthralled with a book.
Right as she started to laugh Draco had finally caught up to her. He was entranced for a moment watching her laugh. He had decided as soon as he saw the rest of the Golden Trio he was going to have improvise. He needed to make sure she would be in their common room, he needed to tell her to meet him there. He needed to warn her. So he would have to stop and talk to her while Thing 1 and Thing 2 were right there.
Hermione's heart almost stopped as Draco walked up to the three of them and stood there looking at her, what on earth was he doing, they had never had a conversation about anything in front of Harry and Ron before. They did not converse or interact in front of their respective friends.
Ron and Harry turned to face Draco simultaneously, Harry looking surprised and Ron instantly scowling.
"What do you want Ferret?" Ron practically growled
Draco, already wanting to punch the weasel for the way he had been looking at Hermione, had to restrain himself even further.
"Potter." He said nodding his head at Harry who nodded back, "Granger," he said turning to Hermione, "I need to speak to you later…in the common room about next week's rounds."
"Ok, what time were you thinking?" Hermione said, hoping no one could hear the slight tremble in her voice.
"How about 5:30?"
"That's fine."
Draco just nodded and walked away. Hoping that his adrenaline would stop pumping, one of these days he was going to punch Weaslebee, especially if he kept looking at Hermione like that.
This had been the longest day of Draco's life and he knew that the hardest had yet to come. First he had to tell Hermione, and then he would have to let the Death Eaters in, and then…Professor Dumbledore was going to die.
Hermione was stressing to say the least. It felt like she was having a full blown panic attack. Draco had just made a real effort to speak to her later. Something big was going to happen, he would not have run to find her or spoken to her in front of Harry and Ron if it was not something very important.
She tried very hard to stay focused on what the boys were talking about but it was not working out too well. She was just waiting for 5:30 to come around.
"Hermione…did you hear what I said?" Harry said
"What? Oh, Harry I'm so sorry. Please repeat it."
"Dumbledore and I are going out tonight. He thinks he's found one."
"Tonight? Really? Are you sure you're ready for this? This is huge and dangerous and I just hope that you will be careful. Dumbledore is asking an awful lot from you."
"We are about to be in a war, a war that I'm going to be singlehandedly responsible for ending. You want to talk about huge and dangerous? I have to start somewhere."
"Harry James Potter! You will be doing nothing singlehandedly, Ron, the Order and I will be with you every step of the way. You should know this by now."
"I'm sorry, but you know that when it comes down to it, I'M the one who is going to have to kill him. I'M the one who is the chosen one, whether we like it or not." Harry said his face turning very grim at the end.
Hermione reached her hand across the table to grab Harry's hand, oblivious to the fact that Ron's eyes zeroed in on the two essentially holding hands.
"You're right. I'm so sorry. But you know that we are here with you. Anything you need and we can help we will do everything in our power to do it. We love you."
Ron's eyes narrowed even further. A slow rage growing inside of him that neither of his two best friends noticed.
"I know 'Mione." Harry said with a slight smile squeezing her hand then letting it go, giving her a small smile.
"I'll go to the library and see if there's anything I've been missing before I have to have my chat with Malfoy."
"Sounds good, I've got to head to Dumbledore's office anyways. Good luck."
Harry got up and left the table, sparing a glance at his best friends before he left the hall. Hermione could not help the foreboding feeling in her stomach that after tonight everything was going to change. She could hardly wait for 5:30.
A/N: So I'm almost done with Chapter 11 and I'm kind of sort of hoping you guys could give me some reviews?
Would that be possible? Pretty Please :D