IMPORTANT NOTICE- I CHANGED CH10 BECAUSE I DIDN'T LIKE IT SO GO BACK AND RE-READ. I CHANGED IT COMPLETELY. PLEASE R&R. IF YOU DON'T GO BACK AND READ IT I WILL KNOW.
So I don't own and enjoy the chapter- probably the most light hearted one I've written, actually.
Hermione ran out of the common room straight to the Gryffindor tower. It was lunch and so most of the pupils were there. They stared at her quizzically as she searched for Grace. The girl's blonde head appeared through the portrait hole. Hermione hadn't seen Grace in two days since she had stormed out of the head's commons after Draco didn't let her tell Hermione what had happened.
"Hermione!" she said, happy to see the older girl. She frowned when she saw the girl's tears. Grace dragged her to the girl's dorms and sat her down on the bed, performing a silencing charm and closing the curtains around them.
"What did he do now?" the young Malfoy's voice was low and threatening. Hermione couldn't help but notice how she clenched her hands-just like her brother. She was reduced into sobs once again when she saw the scar. The sight of the scar on the boggart was permanently burned into her vision. "He told you didn't he?" she said, frowning. Hermione nodded. Grace ran her hand through her hair with an exasperated sigh- just like her brother. It hurt.
"I'll always love him," she started, and Hermione gasped trying to hold in her tears. "I'll always love him because it's my fault that I left too early after he sent the signal to escape. I'll always love him because he always did all he could to save me. He took the dark mark for me." Hermione looked up at this, confusion written all over her face. "They invade your mind to find the thing most precious to you, if you refuse, they use it to destroy you and force you into submission," Grace said grimly.
"And you couldn't be discovered." Hermione whispered, earning a nod from Grace.
"If I was I would have been killed. To avoid feuds after the first male heir is born any other offspring are killed. I found out when I asked why I couldn't go outside." Hermione felt disgusted at the medieval way of thinking.
"I saw him kill Lucius you know." Hermione shook her head, this was knew information. Grace continued, "The man had trapped me in the Manor after they had discovered where we hiding after the final battle. He forced me into a corner and had his wand trained on me when Draco came up behind him and said the curse." There was no great duel, no drama, just a strained whisper of a spell. "He killed the men that killed our mother as well," Hermione's head shot up at this. He had lied to her. He had lied to her so she would think at least she had one respectable parent. So she wouldn't be so completely ashamed. The woman had after all given away her own daughter, and Grace knew it. Hermione's heart swelled. The lengths he went to, to help his sister were truly admirable, though she knew he would never think of that, just the mistakes that happened after.
"I need to thank you-" the smaller girl started.
"Don't you dare," Hermione said to the little first year. "I din't do nothin' worth your thankin'," she muttered, hugging the girl, her voice showing her less than posh upbringing. Grace just leant back with her jaw hanging loose a bit.
"You-but-detention-grammar freak-" she stuttered ever so eloquently. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Don't tell anyone, or my reputation is down the drain," she said, drying her eyes. Grace smirked.
"I swear I won't tell no one," she attempted, and Hermione laughed a watery laugh.
"Ain't quite there yet sweet heart," Hermione replied, dropping all the t's in the right places. Grace shrugged at Hermione's comment.
"He won't talk to you unless you force him to listen," Grace said after a while, "He's convinced he isn't worth your company and now that you know you'll leave him and so will I."
"That doesn't explain the not talking…"
"He thinks he's lessening the pain for him and us if he is the bad guy when we leave,"
"Which we won't…" Hermione just sat there completely befuddled.
"Boy logic makes no sense at all," Grace explained.
"You're telling me!" Hermione joked. It was funny how she could be reduced to tears and laughing in the same conversation with Grace. The two sat on the bed in comfortable silence for about five minutes, until Grace had a strange glint in her eye.
"What?" Hermione said, wary of the girl's thoughts, and well aware of the fact that first years will always be first years with mischievous ways- and she knew occulemancy. She was royally –
"Do you like Draco?"
"Obviously, he's my friend," maybe she would be alright.
"I'm not stupid-"
"Never said you were-"
"Oh you know what I mean, just answer the question, it's not that hard," Grace said, poking her friend. Unknowingly to Hermione, she had lifted the silencing charm just before she asked the dreaded question and she knew Ginny was in the room.
"Small Malfoy, is there even a need for that question?" the red headed girl said, poking her head between the curtains. Hermione almost had a heart attack and fell backwards.
"Don't do that Ginny!" she gasped. Grace and Ginny fell about in fits of laughter and the Weasley girl sat on the bed too, once again silencing the space around them.
"The name is Grace, and no, you're right, it's obvious enough."
"Nah, I prefer Small Malfoy. If Ferret gets to be Ferret, then you get to be Small Malfoy. He can't be left out, can he?" Hermione and Grace smiled awkwardly, sharing a knowing look.
Hermione realised she hadn't answered the question, instead accepting the fact that she liked him. The way he cared for his close friends and how much he loved his sister, how his intelligence matched her own- almost. With his tall build and stern face, he was undeniably good looking. The depth in his eyes, the bravery shown through the multiple scars all over his body- oh hell she did like him.
She wasn't going to let him push her away.
I'm not so sure I do humour well...review to let me know what you think :)