RELUCTANT HEROES

Chapter Two

Author's Note: I was honestly quite surprised by how many follows and favourites this story received from the first chapter alone. The reviews were also quite a surprise, but I'm glad to hear the initial response was so positive. Thank you very much everyone, I hope you enjoy this second chapter.

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o.O.o

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The entrance to the eighth year common room was hidden behind a large ten-foot canvas, surrounded by an elegant golden frame. The subject of the oil painting laid out upon the canvas was none other than Albus Dumbledore, who was playing absent-mindedly with his beard when Hermione and Pansy approached him. Hermione felt her heartache when the painted version of her former headmaster smiled down at her fondly, and it was then she realised how much she missed him. While she may not have been as close to him as Harry was, Dumbledore had still been there for her in her own moments of need. The book he'd left her in his will, while intended to give her some insight about the Deathly Hallows, was still precious to her beyond measure. She took it everywhere she went.

"Deluminator." Pansy muttered to the portrait, watching with an expression that closely mirrored nervousness. Dumbledore nodded before the portrait swung open, revealing a small passage that lead into a rather cosy, but large common room. There were several alcoves and corners which were filled with bookshelves and tables for studying, while a collection of sofas and armchairs were littered around the room for socialising, the most of which were clustered around a rather grand and detailed looking fireplace.

There was no one else inside, which wasn't all that surprising really, considering all the other students were still probably in the Great Hall, excluding Malfoy who had made himself at home in the library reading Shakespeare of all things. It would seem Pansy wasn't the only one who had changed after the War. Even a Malfoy could change its spots.

"So. What did the She-Weasley say that was bad enough to make you storm out of the Great Hall faster than a Golden Snitch? It was quite shocking to see the Great Hermione Granger lose her cool so quickly." Pansy asked, plopping herself down rather unceremoniously on the sofa opposite the fireplace, patting the spot next to her expectantly. Sighing, Hermione joined her new...could she call Pansy a friend? Was that what had happened between them, had a mutual experience they shared formed a bond?

Sitting down on the sofa beside Pansy, Hermione bit her bottom lip, trying to figure out how to best word her thoughts. It was like trying to make sense of words behind foggy glass. She couldn't quite interpret her own thoughts, and it was incredibly infuriating.

"She basically said I was being a drama queen for running off and complaining none of my friends came to check on me, that I need to grow a pair like everyone else." Hermione stated, running a hand through her hair slowly as she recalled Ginny's harsh words.

"Fuck her. She thinks just because she lost her brother and Potter dumped her ass she's got it worse than everyone else. If anyone's being the drama queen, it's her. Don't dwell on it, Granger. She's not worth your time. Now, onto more important matters. Daphne and I are going to Hogsmeade this weekend for a girl's day, you're invited and we won't take no for an answer." Pansy instructed casually, dismissing any potential attempts of a protest from Hermione in advance with a wave of her hand.

While Pansy's words may have been cruel, they did hold some truth. Ginny had changed ever since Harry had broken up with her – and then not asked her out again once the war was over. She knew Harry was head over heels for Ginny, but he needed time to process everything that had happened. He needed to sort his life out before he accepted her into it and committed to a relationship with her. But Ginny couldn't seem to accept that, it wasn't good enough for her. She'd wanted Harry back the moment Voldemort was gone.

Now everything seemed to be about Ginny. Not in a vain sense, but she somehow managed to twist everyone's problems to seem less than her own. Hermione was sure she wasn't doing it on purpose, or with the intent to hurt anyone, but it just felt like Ginny only cared about herself now. In the aftermath of a War, that was fair enough, but it had been months. People were moving on, trying to heal, everyone except Ginny that is.

Hermione felt like a rose between two thorns. Harry and Ginny were both so wonderful, and such special people in her life, people who she didn't want to lose. She'd been lucky when things had ended between her and Ron, Harry hadn't taken a side of preference or loyalty, he'd spent equal amounts of time with them both after the break up to show he still cared or and loved them both dearly. But Hermione had the feeling Ginny didn't want understanding and compromise. She wanted people to pick a side, specifically: hers.

"A fair warning, Granger, don't let her take you for a girls day out. It's not fun." The voice of Draco Malfoy suddenly scoffed. Looking over her shoulder, Hermione watched as the blonde-haired wizard waltzed through the common room, taking a seat in the armchair to her right, his muggle book still in hand. It was a site few would probably belief upon first glance.

Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were politely conversing with Hermione Granger. A former Death Eater was engaging in polite chit-chat with a member of the Golden Trio, one of the minds that had assisted in the downfall of Lord Voldemort. Hermione herself was struggling to believe that Pansy was even talking to her, let alone Draco. Both had formidable reputations not only in their respective house but throughout the school.

Malfoy was the Slytherin Prince, a bad boy who was fawned over by girls, and some guys even, throughout numerous year groups. He'd been reckless and rebellious during the first years of his education, making life pretty intolerable for Harry in the process. But then he'd grown into a handsome and refined young man who believed he could walk on water. He held himself with an air of confidence and authority, making him seem more important than he actually was at the time. His opinions of Muggle-Borns was also quite well-known.

But now that seemed to have changed, at least for the moment. He was talking to Hermione like he would his friends, or a friendly acquaintance. In the library, he hadn't demanded she get her filthy blood away from him, or grow up, he'd taken an interest in her emotional state by asking her why she was crying. What his motivations were for wanting that knowledge was a mystery to her. Maybe he was just being a nice person and wanted to help in his own weird, Malfoy way. Now here he was, giving her warnings about not to go out with Pansy. It wasn't the warnings that shocked her, more so that he seemed to be going out of his way to give her advice that would benefit her, and not cause her loss.

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy that mani-pedi, Draco." Pansy smirked.

Then there was Pansy Parkinson, who had been cruelly dubbed as the Slut of Slytherin. Whether she had engaged in as much sexual activity as the rumours stated was unknown to Hermione, but even if she had that was Pansy's choice. A woman shouldn't be made to feel shameful for her preference for a more active sexual lifestyle. Men were rewarded for being sexually active by their fathers and friends, but a woman would be labelled a slut if she did the same thing. It was quite unjust and annoyed Hermione in all honesty.

Pansy was also known for her opinions of Muggle-Born Witches and Wizards, but Pansy had been a lot more frequently vocal about them than Malfoy had. Part of Hermione suspected that, like Malfoy, Pansy had been pressured by her old fashioned parents to make "her opinion" known without giving the poor girl a chance to form her own.

"It was the company that I didn't enjoy, not the activities. I'll have you know many a man will happily get a mani-pedi. We like to be pampered too. Besides, I'm pretty certain your idea of a girls day out isn't Granger's scene." Malfoy retorted, a smug grin spreading across his lips, eyebrows wiggling playfully. It was a side of him that Hermione had never seen before. Sure, she'd seen him from across the Great Hall laughing and joking with his friends, but never known what about. She didn't know he could be so...casual, so relaxed. He didn't care that Pansy seemed to be taunting him about his lack of manliness for having a mani-pedi. He just played along and beat her at her own game.

"Oh pray tell, what do you think my 'scene' would be then, Malfoy?" Hermione scoffed. But she didn't feel the need to add a cold or harsh tone to her voice. In fact, there was a faint smile on her lips. She was talking to Draco Malfoy and she was actually enjoying it.

"Curled up in a blanket in front of the fire with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate, not having to listen to Potter or Weasley talk about Quidditch whilst you cuddle that ball of fluff you call a cat." Malfoy shrugged, not lifting his gaze from his book, which he'd now reopened and was reading from intently. Her stunned silence caused him to smirk smugly.

She was honestly quite surprised by how much he'd hit the nail on the head. Hermione, while she enjoyed the odd night out or trip into town every now and then, much preferred staying at home where she was comfortable. Reading a new book in front of the fireplace, there was nothing better in her opinion. It just seemed to have this unexplainable effect on her. She became so much more relaxed and content, all her problems would just disappear from her mind for a moment or two and allow her thoughts to stop racing.

But it made her think: was she that predictable? Had her routine and personality been so easy to pick up on, that Draco Malfoy – who barely knew her – would be able to perfectly guess what she enjoyed doing in her spare time without having to put much thought into it? Or did he actually guess correctly because of some other reason? Maybe his idea of a good time was very much the same thing, so figured a like-minded person would feel the same? They weren't all that different, excluding their blood status and upbringing.

Hermione and Malfoy were both intelligent young adults who had breezed through their exams and homework assignments throughout their education. Neither really had a tolerance for drama and gossip in their late teens, preferring to stay away from anything that didn't involve them. Both had been warped by the fear and chaos of war, coming out the other side with both mental and physical scars alike.

Seeing how fearful his eyes were when his Aunt had tortured Hermione that day in the Manor made her realise he didn't want to be there. Draco Malfoy was a victim just as she was, trapped by the loyalty to his parents, not the Dark Lord. It was revealed in his trial that he'd been forced to take the Mark by Voldemort as punishment for Lucius' failings. After Draco had received the Mark, both Malfoy men were then forced to watch Narcissa be tortured under the Cruciatus Curse until she passed out from exhaustion.

Malfoy was not a bad person, he'd just been through some terrible experiences. He'd grown up with a narrow-minded Father who forced his son to take on his own opinions. He'd been thrown into a war that he had no part in fighting for, given a horrible task no child should ever have to even think about, let alone perform. She could see it in his eyes. He was a changed person, he didn't think the same things his younger self had thought.

"One disagreement with Ginny and you're fraternising with the enemy? Really, Hermione, I thought you were better than this." Padma Patil's voice suddenly scoffed, bringing Hermione's attention to the small group of eighth-year students standing near the entrance to the common room. Pansy and Draco soon looked up, both scowling.

"Do you hear yourself? We have no enemies, the war is over. Pansy fought alongside us during the Battle! She saved Luna from a Cruciatus from Bellatrix! If that doesn't prove her loyalty I don't know what will." Hermione sighed as she stood up from her seat.

"It's not her we're referring to. It's him, the Death Eater scum who should be locked away in Azkaban!" Dean Thomas practically hissed, his venomous gaze turning to lock on Draco Malfoy, who was staring back at him with an equal amount of hatred burning in his eyes.

"I seriously hope you're not referring to the person who didn't identify Harry when we were captured by snatchers to delay summoning the Dark Lord, which gave us a chance to escape." Hermione huffed, hands moving to rest firmly on her hips.

She saw Dean's eyes flicker slightly, a slither of hesitation and dare she say, guilt, flashing past them. But he quickly composed himself and sorted out his posture, head held eye with a new aura of morality and justice surrounding him. It was then Hermione knew, no matter what she said she was not going to get through to him any time soon. Or the others. They'd formed an opinion of Draco Malfoy and they weren't going to change it.

"Even if he did do that, which you have no proof of by the way, he still went over to the Dark Lord when we thought Harry was dead. His loyalty has always been with that snake, and always will." Hannah Abbot snarled, fixing Draco with her own vicious glare.

"Your precious Potter testified at Draco's hearing, Abbot, confirming what Draco did for the Golden Trio. Or did that little fact conveniently escape your thick skull?" Pansy smirked, causing another look of guilt to flash across the eyes of the small group.

It was true, Harry had been present at Malfoy's trial and spoke about the young Wizard in a positive light when no one else seemed to want to. Harry had revealed to the court that when Dumbledore had been murdered, Draco had been lowering his wand which was a clear indication he was planning to not perform the task the Dark Lord had given him. In the Room of Requirements, Draco had once again shown a lot of hesitance to cause anyone harm, and have even left the scene after being rescued by Harry, Ron and Hermione when he'd had the perfect opportunity to catch them off guard. At the Manor, he'd clearly known it was Harry behind the disfigured face but had said nothing.

There had been an article about it in the Daily Prophet, so there was no doubt her peers had seen and read the article out of curiosity. They knew Harry had defended Malfoy. They just wanted to gloss over the fact because they believed they were the ones in the right. That deeply upset Hermione. These people were her friends, kind souls who had been more than understanding when Harry had done something wrong and forgiven him in time. Why couldn't they do the same with Draco Malfoy? It honestly befuddled her.

"Look, Hermione, we know you've got a big heart and are willing to forgive and forget a lot quicker than the rest of us. But he's...a monster! He cursed Katie Bell, he almost killed Ron with poison that was meant for Dumbledore! Some people can't be redeemed. The things he's done, they can't be forgiven." Parvati sighed, irritation and anger lacing her voice.

Looking back at Malfoy, who had returned his attention to his book and was clearly fed up at the conversation by this point, Hermione couldn't find a correlation between him and the word 'monster'. Draco Malfoy was many things, but a monster was not one of them. Not saying another word, she turned and sat back down on the sofa, staring into the fire, trying her best to ignore her peers calling her a lost cause, a sympathiser, traitor, and other cruel names before they left her, renouncing their ties to the Gryffindor Princess.