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I'm skipping any rambling on my part bcoz I have nothing to say as of now.
Maybe at the end of the chapter. Hmmm.
Back to
CHAPTER 25.
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"Hermione ? Is that an owl?" Jean Granger asked her daughter as she entered her room and saw a grey bird fly off from the window.
"Yes mum. I was just coming down to tell you'll something and also ask you'll for permission." Hermione said.
"Permission? What for dear?" Jean asked.
"To go to Diagon Alley with a friend. Mum, You remember Draco Malfoy? A boy from my class." Hermione ventured into the subject, testing the waters.
"That rude, insolent boy with a superiority complex?" Jean asked getting angry.
Hermione wavered.
This was awkward now. She had been contemplating on telling her parents about her friendship with Draco since a long time.
But it wasn't something she wanted to do via a letter.
But gauging her mother's reaction, she wished she had just written a letter and gone against her better judgment.
He parents had already had a prejudice against Draco especially after the 'mudblood' incident and that only deepened after she had been petrified by the basilisk due to the chamber opening, which was all Lucius Malfoy's fault.
Her parents were pretty much informed about what happened at Hogwarts. Arthur and Molly Weasley kept in touch with the Granger's and got them updated with the wizarding world from time to time.
Her parents were increasingly against her putting herself in constant danger and to add to that Hermione had come home every time fuming about something or the other that Malfoy had said or done.
For the first 3 years of her school life, there was no love lost between Hermione and Draco and her parents were more than aware of that.
She had made sure of that.
So how was she supposed to tell them now that she was friends with the same bully who had called her names till there were tears in her eyes and had hexed her and her friends at every opportunity?
Of course they wouldn't believe her.
The Granger's trusted their daughter and her judgment but actually trusting Draco Malfoy might be stretching it too far.
"Umm. Actually mum, he's not so bad. He..."
"Not so bad! Hermione dear, don't you remember the times you've written us or come home crying about how unfair and mean this boy is? And besides, Arthur was telling us the other day that how his father is connected to some evil wizard. Dear, being mean is another thing but being evil is completely different altogether." Her mother explained.
"Draco's not evil mother!" Hermione exclaimed, her voice an octave higher than what her mother would have approved of.
"Don't use that voice child! And why are you suddenly defending him?" Her mother narrowed her eyes.
Hermione sighed.
"He.. He has changed mum. He doesn't mean those things anymore. He's a nice person." Hermione stuttered.
"But his family Hermione .. What can you say about that? A person becomes what his family is at the end of the day. And frankly from what I've heard about him from you and your friends is that he's a mean, bigoted boy who doesn't hesitate to regurgitate any rubbish his equally bigoted parents will brainwash him with. After all, family always comes first and blood is thicker than water." Jean said.
"Mum really? You're talking about blood now?" Hermione said losing her patience.
"Not in the way the purebloods talk about it." Jean snapped.
"You're being prejudiced mum and prejudice is prejudice. What is the difference between them and us then?" Hermione asked equally heatedly.
"Hermione we are concerned with your safety. And such people are not the ones you should be associating with. Either way your father and I worry almost every day about you. We had no idea you were a witch. Then we came to know that you're a muggleborn witch and then we realized the dangers that pose them. I do not want you to be closer to the people who could put you in danger. What if he's only pretending to be friendly with you only to strike you at your weakest hour?" Jean asked.
Hermione gasped. He wouldn't. Would he? Draco was not like that.
In the few weeks she had gotten to know him, she had learned much more about him than she had ever imagined she would know. He had claimed that not even his own parents knew those things about him.
Of course he could be a good actor.
But how could his eyes lie? The same eyes that lit up when he saw her and the ones that crinkled with pleasure when he genuinely smiled at her in private.
Even when he was pretending to be rude and cold towards her in front of other slytherins and Gryffindor, his insults never reached his eyes.
Instead they pleaded her that he was sorry for all that he was saying and it was all an act.
No. She couldn't have been so mistaken.
No one could mask their eyes so well.
She trusted him.
She had known and loved her parents all her life and how long had she been acquainted with Draco for?
Barely few months.
So logically her mum was right. But something inside her tugged at her heart and told her that her judgement about him was right too.
"But mum..." She whined.
"No buts Hermione. I need to talk to your father about this. In the meantime I forbid you to exchange letters with him. Your father and I will discuss this and let you know by dinner what we think about this." Jean said, closing the topic and Hermione's door.
Hermione looked at her mother's retreating figure as she shut the door.
Her parents had also shut their minds in the same way.
Of course they had their own valid reasons, she couldn't deny but at least they could have heard her out.
She was their daughter.
They should have trusted her judgement.
Her father had supported his wife in the related argument and after a heated dinner discussion that eventually led Hermione to leave her meal midway and stomp up to her room in rebellion, the Granger's had come to the decision that in no way was she allowed to associate with Draco Malfoy.
Her father had written Arthur and Molly Weasley and asked them to talk sense into her since she seemed to consider them as second parents.
Arthur and Molly had agreed to talk to her and promised that they would not reveal any of this to Harry and Ron. It was Hermione's secret and if she wished to share this with them then she would tell them.
The Weasley's had agreed that it was better if Hermione stayed away from anything Malfoy. And Arthur being a member of the Order of Phoenix had held more reservation about the budding friendship.
He worried about the muggle born witch and so unwantingly he had had to intervene and talk to Hermione about stopping her association with Draco for her own safety.
Hermione had been livid.
She was never the type to throw a tantrum or rebel but ever since her parents had pulled this on her, she had almost stopped talking to them.
Until one day Draco had turned up on her doorstep with Dobby.
He had been worried about her lack of response to his letters and luckily the Granger's were not at home.
She had flung herself at him and in between angry dialogues she had exactly told him what the problem was.
Contrary to what she had expected, Draco had sighed and sat down at the edge of her bed dejectedly.
"I'm not surprised Hermione. Your parents are in all ways right about this. You should not behave this way with them." He had said softly as if for the first time realizing the implications of their unusual friendship.
"Are you mad? How can you even say something like that?" Hermione had yelled.
"Don't be hasty in making your judgements Hermione. What they've said is totally true. We are in the midst of war. The ministry is getting weaker day by day. I hear father talk about it all the time. He has so many visitors all day and he's constantly busy with something or the other. And I'm not entirely sure if it's good. And in all of this, you're a muggle born. The most targeted one. Your association with me will be not only a scandal but a very dangerous situation for you." Draco had explained.
"So what you're saying is that we should forget our friendship and be back to what we were?" Hermione said coldly.
Draco's face had adopted a pained look by now. "No.. No way Hermione. I.. I didn't mean that. I couldn't ... "
"Then what would you suggest?" She asked.
After thinking for a few moments he said "I think we should continue to be friends in hiding. Our friendship just for the two of us. That way your parents won't worry and you also will escape the radar of my father and other pureblooded lunatics."
"Are you saying you want to hide our friendship?" Hermione raised her voice. "You're ashamed of being seen with me." She said, her cold words slicing through his skin like shards of sharp glass and she had stood up and moved away from him, leaving him with a feeling of bereftment.
"You don't want your friends and family to know that you associate with a mudblood." She shrieked.
"Are you even hearing yourself? Do you really believe that Hermione?" Draco had started yelling too at this point.
He was unable to fathom how she had digressed to such a level.
"Why else would you agree with my parents? I am ready here to risk the relationship I share with my parents arguing in your favour so that we can continue to be friends and you want to hide our friendship like a coward? So that dear perfect Draco Malfoy, pureblooded slytherin can maintain his bloody image!" She ranted.
"Don't be ridiculous. You are such a bloody Gryffindor through and through. Courage be damned, insane levels of stupidity should be your house specialty." Draco yelled back.
"Oh yes. Just like how cowardice and deceit should be the slytherin mantra." Hermione shot back.
At that moment Dobby popped into the room with two cups of steaming tea.
"Dobby brings Master Draco and miss Master Draco's secret friend some tea." He said, placing the tray on the bed between the fighting friends.
"Dobby knows miss secret friend likes cardamom tea very much. And Master Draco likes lemongrass." Dobby said, pointing out to the respective cups.
Hermione softened a bit and said "thank you very much Dobby but you didn't need to do this."
"Master Draco feels good after tea miss. And he talks nice about miss secret friend. I bring tea so miss and master can talk nice again." Dobby said with his large innocent eyes betraying the fright and sadness that it held because of the raised voices and fight that had just occurred.
"Thank you Dobby." Draco said dismissing the elf.
"Wait! Dobby. How did you know I like cardamom tea?" Hermione asked.
Dobby looked apologetically in Draco's direction wondering if he had done something bad by knowing and bringing her favourite tea to her.
"I'm very thankful Dobby. That's very thoughtful of you." Hermione said kindly, hoping that Dobby would not feel bad.
He grinned and said. "Master Draco tells Dobby that miss secret friend loves books and loves tea with cardamom. Miss goes to sleep reading with a cup of tea. Master is many times in last week talking of miss."
Hermione looked towards Draco who by now was glaring at Dobby who had returned to his sad expression that meant that his master was not happy with his answer.
Draco continued to glare at the elf and prevent meeting Hermione's eye.
"Oh come on Draco. Give it a rest. Don't be so harsh on the poor elf. And why is he still with you? I thought Harry had freed him from your father." Hermione asked.
"Oh miss. Dobby hates Master Malfoy. He beats and kicks and burns Dobby. But Master Draco saves Dobby many times. And plays with Dobby when he was small. Dobby only answers Hogwarts orders and in holidays answers master Draco only." Dobby piped enthusiastically.
"Is that so?" Hermione asked kindly.
Unable to contain herself she turned toward Dobby, "does Master Draco behave well with Dobby?"
Dobby flashed a wide grin and pointed at his t-shirt that reached his ankles. "Oh yes. Master also gives Dobby his favourite sleeping shirt. Master wants to give Dobby the pants even but Dobby does not like pants. Dobby feels free in shirt but tight in pants." He said wrinkling his nose causing Hermione to laugh out loud and unwantingly Draco smiled too.
"That's wonderful Dobby." Hermione encouraged him.
Dobby nodded crazily, now charged by the fact that not only Master Draco wanted to talk to him but also miss secret friend spoke to him.
Master Draco was right. Miss secret friend was really nice.
"Hims gives Dobby two more shirts." He declared proudly.
Then he plunged his hand into the pocket of the shirt and removed a few assorted knuts and sickles. "Look miss secret friend, Dobby gets gold from Master Draco too. Master Draco is much much nicer wizard than master Malfoy."
Hermione almost sniffed loudly at Dobby's statements. She could not help looking amazed and she realized just then that not only did she like Draco but she respected him too. Her judgement was not wrong.
"That's wonderful Dobby." She repeated. "Your master indeed is a nice wizard."
"Miss secret friend is also Mr. Harry Potter's friend?" Dobby asked, narrowing his eyes and finger on his temple as if deep in though.
Draco and Hermione looked worried suddenly at his realization.
"Miss must be very nice. Mr. Harry Potter too nice wizard like Master Draco. Both nice wizards talk nice to miss secret friend." Dobby said.
"That's enough Dobby. I think we have spoken a lot today don't you?" Draco said.
Dobby straightened up immediately.
"Miss secret friend must remain secret, do you understand Dobby?" Draco insisted. "You must not tell anyone, absolutely anyone that miss here is friends with me. All right?"
Dobby nodded fervently. "Miss's secret is safe."
Draco looked relieved and Dobby popped out of thin air.
There was a moment of heavy silence in the air after the talkative Dobby had left.
"So I'm already a secret friend?" Hermione asked detachedly.
"Hermione listen to me. You don't know anything about where I live, the people I'm surrounded by. It's safer for you. Trust me. Even if your parents had not suggested it, I would have still insisted we keep us a secret. The lesser anyone knows the better." Draco sighed.
"Why can't you just stand up for me? If you believe yourself to be my friend why can you not just stand up for me in front of your parents like how I did?" Hermione demanded.
Draco raked his fingers through his hair and brought his palms in front of his eyes.
When he opened his eyes, his face looked tired from all the arguing.
"Hermione how can you not understand? This is not some run of the mill situation where our parents don't approve of our association and we can fight and rebel against them. My father is a brainwashed pureblooded fanatic and he expects the same of me. To put it mildly, the Malfoy name and tradition is more important than family and love. He won't think twice about harming you so that I can be free of you. He will pin my refusal to follow his footsteps on you and you will be at the receiving end of his wrath. He won't even hesitate to harm your parents. My father loathes muggles. Hermione I want you to be safe. I'm ashamed to say that my father would resort to violence to separate us if he finds out." Draco said.
Hermione stood shocked at what she had heard.
She knew that Lucius Malfoy could be cold and non loving. But to be so cold hearted that he wouldn't even blink before harming someone was very difficult to imagine.
But then again this was the same man who had put Tom Riddle's diary in Ginny's bag and risked her life only so that Voldemort got stronger.
And then it hit her. Like a wall of bricks.
Lucius Malfoy was a Voldemort supporter. And hater of muggle borns.
And a muggle born who was his son's friend would be unacceptable. It would get too personal. It would be like an insult to his heritage.
And he would never let anything tarnish the Malfoy name in their bigoted society.
"Draco !" She breathed and sat down abruptly on her bed, her head swimming with all the realizations.
Draco rushed to her side and held her straight.
"Oh my God Draco. He would never ever let me be your friend. He would punish you and me both severely for it." Hermione stated in a panicked voice.
Draco nodded slowly although he wished with all his heart that what she had said would actually be untrue.
"You get it don't you?" Draco asked finally.
She nodded weakly.
"Do you really believe I would be ashamed of you?" Draco asked in a voice that was so low that if he wasn't currently holding her, she would have barely heard it.
Hermione's heart wrenched at his question.
How could she have been so stupid? So naïve?
How had she even thought that let alone scream it out to him?
She looked up into his eyes that were unfeeling at the moment and caused her own to glaze over.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry Draco. I don't know what came over me. First mum says no and then dad says no and they talk to Mr. Weasley and he's usually so nice and then he says no and warns me just like how you did and all I want is to be friends with you and you come along and say no and I ... "She rambled incoherently as her voice started hitching and gasping mixed with sobs.
Draco hugged her and patted her back uncomfortably.
He hadn't ever been the types to hug or comfort.
Normally he would've looked at anyone crying with disgust and leave but this was Hermione.
She had assaulted him with hugs whenever she had decided that he needed one.
At first he would stand stiff like a log and slowly after a few hugs he started moulding into it and now for the first time he had initiated one.
But he was still uncomfortable because she was crying in front of him and he didn't know one damn thing about consolation.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I really am." She whispered between sniffing.
"It's ok?" Draco said, forgetting about being angry with her for thinking that he would ever be ashamed of her.
She dabbed her eyes gently and looked up at Draco.
Then her eyes brightened with some realization and she clutched his arm excitedly. "Draco! You hugged! On your own! Oh this is amazing!"
Draco rolled his eyes at her attention span. Her usually focussed self was very flighty today.
Even in a situation like this she could remember to realize that he had initiated the hug.
Hermione had made an insane promise to herself to 'sort' Draco out. And that somehow included increasing his emotional range.
And hugging and being hugged apparently was a big deal.
Then getting serious she remembered all the awful things she had yelled at him in the heat of the argument.
Cringing she said, "All the things I said ... Draco I'm so sorry I didn't mean them. Nothing. None of it. I was just so upset."
"It's really okay Hermione. I think I understand. You don't think we are doing anything wrong by being friends and you don't want to hide. You don't want to sneak around and lie to meet me and you don't think it should be a secret. I get that. But this is about safety Hermione. And I will never ever let our friendship come in the way of your safety. Your life is more important than any of this." Draco said seriously.
"Our friendship is important too." Hermione pouted.
"It is. But if you're alive then our friendship is intact. I really won't have much use of it if you're in danger or worse threatened because of it." Draco said matter of factly.
Hermione sighed.
"What a mess. My parents dislike you. Yours hate me. And I can't believe I actually would be endangering both our lives by being friends. When did children's friendships get so complicated?" She said sadly.
"I'm sorry for that. But I can't deal with not having you as a friend. Cutting you out completely from my life isn't even an option. So we'll have to suffice with the secrecy." Draco concluded.
Hermione nodded understandingly.
"I won't be able to write to you." She said sadly. "And there's still an entire month left before we start school."
Draco smiled widely at that and she thought he had gone mad now.
Then he pulled out a small diary from his pocket. It was so delicate and sweet, it fit in the palm of her hand.
He handed it to her and said, "This is for you."
She looked at it quizzically and opened it.
It was blank.
Suddenly the words 'hello there' came on the paper.
She jumped and looked at Draco, who was holding a quill and a similar looking diary in his hand.
"Oh my! Draco! Don't tell me, it can't be! Is this a two way diary?" Hermione asked jumping excitedly.
Draco nodded, pleased by her reaction.
"I figured we'd need this. We don't need any owls now." Draco said smugly.
Hermione flung herself onto him again. "This is amazing. Thank you."
"I couldn't spend a long lonely month at the manor without your letters. And besides there's always danger of my letters being intercepted. This is safe. I've charmed it so that only we can see the words on it." Draco said.
"That's very clever." Hermione exclaimed.
"Thanks." Draco said. "I think I should leave. Mother must be getting suspicious."
"Draco?" Hermione stopped him.
"How does Dobby know about my favourite tea?" Hermione asked.
He looked taken aback by the question. And then he looked at his feet and answered, "I may have told him."
Hermione smiled. "And do you say nice things about me to him?" She teased.
"Dobby thinks nice things about everybody." Draco defended himself.
"Really?" Hermione raised one eyebrow mocking him.
Draco was quite taken by her one eyebrow raising. So far his mother had done that and she only did that when she wanted to silently reprimand him.
Seeing the same action in this context was a fresh change and he seemed to like Hermione's eyebrow raise much more.
"Whatever." He mumbled.
"He likes you. You're kind to him. That's extremely sweet of you." Hermione said.
"One more thing to hide from father. I don't know what will anger him more. The fact that I'm friends with you or that Dobby chose me as master after freeing himself from his clutches." Draco said.
Hermione laughed. "Well then we'll just work towards keeping both secrets."
Draco smiled. "I should go."
"Yes. Right." Hermione said.
"Bye then." Draco said hesitantly.
"Bye. I'll write." Hermione said.
"Me too. I'll reply." Draco said stupidly.
"Okay." Hermione said.
"Right then. Goodbye." Draco said and called for Dobby who arrived within a fraction of a second.
"Come dobby let's go." Draco said.
"Goodbye miss." Dobby said and Hermione waved at him.
Dobby held Draco's hand and got ready when Draco suddenly said, "one moment Dobby."
He walked up to Hermione and stood close to her, looking deep into her eyes till she thought she was being hypnotized.
"I could never ever be ashamed of you." He said his steel grey irises boring into hers. "If there's one thing I'm proud of, it's my decision to be your friend. Don't ever doubt that." He stopped as if he wasn't quite done. "Please." He added almost pleading.
Hermione could only nod vaguely and look into his eyes and before she could blink, Dobby and Draco had disappeared.
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Whoa!
Full chapter flash! this is my longest chapter ever! hope you'll like !
Long one but an important one. Laying the base of the story!
Please get back to me with feedback!
I love hearing from you'll!
Thanks for reading.
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