The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy. –Kalu Kalu

After the painful explanation I had been given about Draco yesterday, I laid awake in my and Ron's bed. He was sound asleep, I could tell by the loud snoring that was going on beside me, it usually kept me awake at night, which was why I was fully awake now staring up at the ceiling thinking about Draco Malfoy's heartbreaking truth.

I wanted to make him not feel that sadness that had crept into his life and had planted itself there. Sadness doesn't have to be permanent, I know. It can feel like it is, but things can always get better, even in Draco's case.

After sitting up all night, contemplating on what would cheer Draco up the most I headed into town at first sunrise before anyone else in the house stirred. Draco had been a long thought about what to get, he was smart and sometimes smart people aren't amused by mindless things, so Fred and George's, or really just the Weasley shop nowadays, wouldn't be where I needed to look. So, I headed to this small shop that had been down the road from the bookstore I worked at. I knew what to get him, and it was something I hadn't seen in his corridors.

When I arrived at the Manor Draco was already sitting up and was in the small common room.

"Granger, what do you have there?" He asked as I walked into the room with a large bag that held a present inside.

"A surprise."

My surprise was the questionable look on his face, but like everyone he was curious about what a surprise was.

"Oh, what for?"

"Something to keep your mind busy. Something to entertain us both." I explained as I walked to the table that was beside some bookshelves. Draco followed in his chair.

"What are you on about, Granger?"

I took out the chess set that was already perfectly set up, thank you magic, and sat it out on the table.

"What do you think?" I asked. "I thought you and I could play some rounds, chess always kills time. And it can get pretty routine and dull around here."

He stared at it. I couldn't tell what he thought about. However, the longer he was quiet the anxious I felt. I didn't want to mess up. I wanted him to have fun, with wizarding chess one didn't even need to use their hands. It was perfect.

"Would you like to play a game before lunch?" I asked to break the silence.

He sighed and looked up at me; I couldn't read the expression in his silver eyes that I had always thought to be blue. They were blue rings around silver eyes that had small flicks of hazel in them.

"You'd be no match for me, Granger, so no. I don't want to play a game that wouldn't be a challenge. I'd like some more Mudblood tea though." I looked at him before I walked away into the kitchen to make him tea he asked for.

Sean showed up an hour later, commented on the chess set and asked me for if he would like to play a match. I accepted and ignored the small glares Draco kept giving us. Sean told him he could play me next round, but he said the same thing as earlier. I knew I could've been a match for him, but I didn't want him to be annoyed.

The next day I showed up with another bag full of surprises. Draco was not amused by seeing another bag but his face was different when he saw me dump a pile of books on the other table, I had made sure to check all of the books on the bookshelves and all of these books weren't there. I had gotten him a bunch of brand new books for his intelligent mind to enjoy. He peered at them and I walked away before to get him more 'Mudblood Tea' before he even asked.

When I returned with the tea for him he looked at me. Today was a different look though, there wasn't blankness there that I couldn't read like the day before. Today his eyes held something with a spark to them. I didn't know what it meant, but they seemed happy. At least content.

"Granger…." He mumbled when I turned back around to go straighten up.

"Yes?"

"I like books….but not anymore. So, if you could rid of them."

"What?" I was dumbfounded.

"I don't read anymore, Granger." His tone had gotten harsher now, and the spark in his eyes were gone and were replaced once more with blankness.

"Well, why?" I pushed.

He looked around, "Seriously?"

Silence was my answer, that and the look on my face that said I had zero idea what the problem could be.

"Granger, what do you need to read?"

"A brain." I replied instantly.

"Do I have a brain?" Even with my playful answer he just got more irritated it seemed.

"I would assume so. I smart one too, second in our class."

"Behind a mudblood, of course. Which is funny, because I don't think you have a smart brain."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Because, not only do you need a brain to read words on a page in a book, but you also need workable arms. Forearms help with some things, Granger but I can't pick up the damn book and hold it out to read it."

How could I have been so stupid? He was right, I had even thought about his arms for the books. Sure for the chess set it would've been fine, Ron and Harry had shown me how to play before and all they did was say where they wanted their game pieces to go. But with books, it was different. I had assumed his arms were well enough to pick one of them up.

How could I have been so inconsiderate?

"I'm going to go take a nap." Draco said as he headed toward his room. His door slammed shut and I was left alone with a pile of books.

I started to organize them by author before I headed to go clean. I was ignored the rest of that day. It had been a few days later whenever Draco actually acknowledged me, which was just to ask for Mudblood lunch.

"Please stop calling everything I make you that." I stated before I turned and left him in his room. I glanced over at the pile of books that I knew would gather dust, which instantly broke my heart. I brought him what he deemed mudblood lunch.

As he ate it I sat down and looked at him, "You know, Malfoy, I could just…read to you."

All I could hear was his chewing while he looked down at the sandwhich I had been feeding him.

"You know," he started to say, "your mudblood food isn't bad. I think it deserves a better name than mudblood food."

"I agree, Malfoy." I lifted the sandwich so he could have another bite. He dodged out of its way.

"Back to surnames?" He asked.

"I guess I am. I mean you still call me by my surname. And you never called me by my name."

"Alright."

I reached up to give him a bite.

"Hermione," he said once he finished chewing. I honestly hadn't expected his voice to sound so velvety when he spoke my name, maybe it was because I had never heard him say it before. It was always Granger and Mudblood. "I would like to read the book in the middle by Charlie Fitz. I don't remember the name, but I keep looking back at that one."

I couldn't help but smile. We finished lunch and then I picked out the book he had asked me for.

A few weeks have passed since I started occasionally reading out loud to Draco. Not keeping score but I had read to him twenty-three books aloud to him. Both wizarding books and muggle ones, although I was sure he didn't know that they were and I wasn't going to tell him because not only was he happily listening to the stories I told him but he had even gotten to the point of discussing the storyline and character building with me. Who we liked and disliked. It was quite relaxing, Ron never liked to read books.

Said he would rather watch a quidditch match, ones that Draco Malfoy didn't play in.

There no friendship really built I felt like, but it did make my job a bit easier knowing we shared at least one small thing in common. Although, that was only on good days. On the bad ones he continued to tell me to shup up that he didn't want to hear me blather. Those days he also continued to call my tea and food mudblood.

Today was a bad day. One of the worse. He didn't get out of bed again, I kept getting him his medicine, and he had stopped calling me Hermione and was back to Granger, although that had stopped nearly right after it happened.

I still called him Draco though.

He was lying down and I was rereading one of the books I had already read aloud. Suddenly lightening went across the windows and thunder started. I was off in thirty minutes. I sighed, I really didn't want to walk down their walkway in the rain because you couldn't disapperate into their manor.

I sat the book down, I would just leave early and come in early tomorrow. I had done it once, it was fine. I went to Draco's room where he was supposed to be taking a nap. He wasn't though.

"Draco…I'm going to leave. Before the storm sets in. I'll be here early tomorrow."

He just stared at me. I waited for his reply and when I didn't get one I nodded and moved to shut the door.

"Wait." I barely heard him say. I moved back into the door frame to look at him. Although once again he didn't say anything. I nodded, "Draco it's about to storm badly. I want to not have to walk out into it to get home, so…I'm going to leave now."

"You…you don't have to walk out into it…."

"I do if I want to get home tonight."

He sighed, I could tell he wanted to say something. But once again when he didn't I went to shut the door again. Once more, his voice stopped me.

"It's a thunderstorm coming." He stated.

"Yes."

"It was during a thunderstorm…." He said, and it took me a moment to realize he was talking about his accident.

I nodded.

"Thunderstorms are the worst nights…." He continued as a loud sound happened signaling that the storm was getting closer.

"Draco, I-"

"Hermione, will you stay. Thunderstorms…they bring nightmares…mum can't hear me when I have them…so…I really don't want to be alone."

I was shocked. Draco Malfoy had just asked me to stay with him so his nightmares wouldn't be bad, or at least someone could wake him from them.

Just then, the rain started. "I suppose I will now, seeing as it just started to pour down rain."

Draco nodded.

"I'll go get you a book…I'll read some."

I returned with a book and some tea, helped him drink his tea and then started to read to him. At first, when the storm was just starting out, he listened and talked to me a little bit. Slowly though, around the third or fourth chapter I looked up and saw that he had drifted off to sleep. Sure, I'd seen him asleep before, but hadn't really looked at him before. In sleep he was peaceful, he was normal. Just someone who had fallen asleep.

His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow. He was completely normal.

I continued to read the book that I had already started and before I knew it I was awoken by a sound of thunder and the book falling on the floor. I looked around and realized I had fallen asleep in the chair beside Draco's bed.

I looked at him and saw that he was sweating and moving his head around. I realized he was dreaming, and he had said when thunderstorms happen, so do nightmares. I got to my feet and went right beside him. I shook him some, but it only seemed to make matter worse. He started to mumble and say random things and shake his head more violently.

I can tell he's trying to move around, but his body just won't allow him to.

"Draco." I say and shake him again. Nothing happens.

"Draco." I repeat, only shaking him a little bit harder than before.

"Draco!" I say louder which causes him to quickly open his eyes and suck in a deep breath of air.

He takes a few deep breaths and I rub his hair with my hand while he calms himself down from the nightmare he had just had. I reach to the bedside table and grab one of the washcloths there and gently start to wipe of the sweat that has beaded up on his temple.

"Hermione?" He crooked. I tried not to let him see my smile when he said my name. The same velvet sound was there, even though his voice was strained.

"Yes?"

"I was falling…." He said more to himself than to me. I just looked down at him and ran my fingers through his soft blonde hair.

"But you're not now."

"It…it was that day…I was falling. I could see the ground. I remember falling…or that's what it must have been like. There…there was nothing below me holding me up…I don't know what happened to my broom…I was already in pain…and I could see the ground hurdling towards me."

A tear escaped down his face. I reached and wiped it away, hoping he wouldn't even realize that he had shed a tear.

He clenched his eyes shut then and freely let more tears fall down his cheeks. I didn't know what to do. So, I let my nurturing side take over and I crawled into the spot on his bed beside him and held on to him until I was for sure he had fallen back asleep, and then I too found myself drifting off into my dreams where I saw Draco walking around and happily living the life he deserved.