Chapter 11
"It's called a television," Draco said, turning on the set. "I swear, Hermione moved in, and I didn't leave the sofa for a week. It's addictive. She hid the channel changer from me, which is the only reason I ever got up."
Greg stared at the screen dubiously. "What's fun about moving pictures?" he wondered as Draco rapidly changed channels. He stopped on a football match and set the remote aside. "What the hell is this?"
Draco chuckled. "Something Hermione hates," he replied. "I'm only allowed to watch football when she's not home."
Half an hour passed as Draco explained the rules ("Like Quidditch without the brooms") and they shared a bag of crisps. The longer they watched, the more into it Greg got. Hermione returned home to find crumbs on the floor and two happy men high-fiving one another. She smiled, unbothered by the mess. While he'd never been one to make promises, Draco often strove to fulfill the ones he made to her. Seeing him with Greg Goyle, enjoying an afternoon together, made her happy.
"We'll clean up when the game is over," Draco said guiltily when he spotted her. She waved him off and walked to the kitchen, returning minutes later with butterbeer bottles and a new bag of crisps. Giving Greg's shoulder a gentle squeeze, she excused herself and entered her bedroom.
"Things good there?" Greg asked, opening a butterbeer.
Draco shrugged before nodding. "Really good," he replied, eyes trained on the television.
"She's nice," Greg continued, less interested in the game than his friend was. "I don't get why she wants to be friends with us."
Muting the game, Draco turned to him. "Because she firmly believes that everyone has good in them," he said. "She sees the best in people. I don't know what she saw in us, but she finds us deserving of her friendship. I'm not about to question her motives."
"Me neither," Greg agreed, smiling. Just as quickly as it came, it disappeared. "What about Potter and Weasley? What happened to them?"
Sighing, Draco hung his head. "Me," he told him. "They promised her that being friends with me wouldn't change things, and then they stopped speaking to her."
Greg shook his head sadly. "She deserves better," he muttered. Their attention returned to the game, and neither spoke until it ended. Rising from the sofa to stretch his legs, Greg looked around. "Malfoy, why did you ask me to come over?"
Taken aback by the question, Draco sat silently as he shut off the TV. "I, um, ya know, with Pansy and Hermione, and you and Pansy now-"
"You don't have to be my friend if you don't want to," Greg said, cutting off Draco's stuttered response. "It's not like we ever were before, right? If you don't want to be friends, don't pretend to do it just for the girls."
"Ya know, over the years I've done a lot for Hermione because it's what she wanted me to do," Draco told him. "And yeah, she asked me to make more of an effort to be nicer to you. Inviting you over was my idea though. As much as you and Crabbe annoyed me in school, you were the most loyal friends I had. Most of the time, you were the only friends I had. So, yeah, I want to be friends, and not because of the girls."
Nodding, Gregory Goyle smiled. "Thanks, Malfoy," he replied. "Um, I should get going. Tell Hermione I said goodbye."
When he was gone, Draco entered Hermione's room and laid down on the bed beside her. "How was your day?" she asked, eyes still glued to the pages of her book.
He took the book from her hands, marked the page, and set it aside before wrapping his arms around her. "We had a good time," he replied, resting his head on her shoulder as he closed his eyes. "Am I a bad person?" he wondered. "Growing up, I always assumed Crabbe and Goyle just blindly followed me because it was what they were supposed to do. I didn't care that I insulted them constantly because it didn't occur to me that they had feelings."
She stroked his cheek as he finished speaking. Until their sixth year, she did believe him to be a bad person. In the years since, though, she had been granted permission to see a different side of him. And that was what she told him. "We all grew up," she continued. "We all did things we regret. That's why I think you're a good person. You realized you've done bad things, but you've also done some really wonderful things to make up for them. Look at us. If you were a bad person, would we be together?"
"I guess not," he mumbled. "But what if you're the only person I know how to care about?"
"We both know that isn't true," she interrupted. "I've seen you with Pansy. You're protective of her. Do you remember your mother's Christmas party last year? One of your father's business associates was harassing her. You ditched me, mid conversation, to come to her aid. I watched you, you know. The way you put your arm around her shoulders, the scared look disappearing from her face, the intimidating one you wore. I couldn't hear what you said, but she looked so relieved to have you by her side."
Draco blushed as he opened his eyes, but refused to meet her gaze. "I told him I'd break his legs, slowly and painfully, if he ever went near her again," he admitted. "I hate when people try to take advantage of her."
"Thanks for proving my point," Hermione remarked. "There's room in your heart for more than a couple of people. It all depends on who you choose to let in."
"Maybe we should take that trip with them," Draco suggested, sitting up.
Smiling, she appreciated his desire to be a better friend. "And how will you be paying for it, Mr. Malfoy?" she inquired.
Frowning, he shrugged. "Can I get an advance on my paycheck?" he asked. "I'd really like to take my girlfriend on vacation."
"Sweetheart, as much as I want to go, we can't afford it," she told him sadly. He nodded, knowing she was right. Sighing, he laid back down. "Maybe we could afford to close the shop and go for a day or two."
Sitting up again, his brows furrowed as he took in the hesitant look in her eyes. "Are you sure?" he asked.
Sighing, she sat up straighter and stared down at her hands. "I am," she replied. "I could use a break. The other day, Harry and Ron came into the shop. I tried to talk to them, but they ignored me. Wouldn't even let me ring up their purchases. I realized something then - I have friends who want to talk me and spend time with me. I'm not going to waste my time on people who want nothing to do with me. So, yes, I'm sure that I want to go."
