Chapter 8
Draco's point of view
When I woke up there was a warm indent where Hermione was meant to be. I looked and saw that her bag was missing so she'd probably already gone down to breakfast. I put my school uniform on and headed down to the Great Hall hoping to see her, to make sure she was alright after what had happened last night. I still couldn't believe that the Weasel could be so hurtful towards her, they were supposed to be the best of friends.
I sat down at the Slytherin table occasionally glancing over at Hermione; she wasn't talking. That was a bad sign. She was staring solemnly at her food ignoring whatever was being said. The Weasel was talking animatedly to his new wife- the needy affectionate one- and seemed oblivious to the hurt that Hermione was clearly still feeling. It was like Hermione wasn't even at the table because every time he'd glance in that direction it was to get food. He was ignoring her as if he had something to be mad about. He was stupid but that was nothing new.
I was angrier because I hated him now, before he had just been slightly irritating and I didn't really care much about him. Coming to Hogwarts this year I wanted to be a better person and when I found out that I was to marry Hermione I wanted to apologise to both Potter and Weasley. But now Weasley had messed that up, he had insulted Hermione because he didn't trust me. The only thing I could do to stop that lack of trust was to show him that I cared about Hermione and that I was sincerely very sorry for all I did pre-war. I would also need to forgive him for what he said, but I'd only do that when Hermione forgave him.
I wasn't excited for today as today was our first life counselling class. I'd never really thought about having kids, I'd always assumed that I'd have to have at least one male heir and then when I had that I wouldn't be forced to have anymore. Kids were never a priority for me, they were just something I thought I had to have. I didn't know how many Hermione would want, probably only the one. I felt bad for her because her situation isn't the easiest- she has an ex Death Eater for a husband and she's being forced to have a child with me or she'll have her magic stripped away from her.
In the classroom we sat in our couples on multicoloured bean bags that were arranged in a circle. The new teacher- Professor Shade- also sat on a bean bag. She had the longest blonde hair that was plaited all the way to her ankles and the glasses she wore were a deep cherry red and seemed to take up all the room on the face. When I first saw her I was tempted to laugh, but I held it in.
"Alright class today we are going to assess where you are at with one another. Some of you are bound to be closer and some of you will... well you won't be, but that is perfectly understandable. There is no judgement. Remember everyone is different and everyone will have a different experience." Her voice was very high pitched but she spoke very soothingly as if she was scared that we would be frightened. I suppose the topics could be considered quite frightening.
She then handed out some parchment with questions to everyone, "Now I want you all to pull your bean bags to a different part of the room so that your answers are private. There is no right or wrong answer here, I just want you to be truthful because then I will know where you are at in your relationship and that is essential for your future wellbeing. You have the next 20 minutes to complete the questionnaire." She smiled happily and then we all moved.
The questionnaire was...weird. I tried to answer as truthfully as possible.
Name: Draco Malfoy
Partner: Hermione Malfoy(Granger)
Have you and your partner talked?
Yes
Do you get along with your partner?
Yes
Do you consider yourself as husband and wife?
Not really
Do you consider yourself as friends?
Yes
Do you consider yourself as acquaintances?
No
Are you comfortable around your partner?
Yes
Briefly describe sleeping arrangements.
We share the bed
Describe briefly how you view your partner?
She's pretty, smart, caring and funny.
Do you find your partner attractive?
Yes
Do you like your partner?
Yes
Do you love your partner?
Maybe
Have you and your partner kissed?
No
If you haven't kissed your partner would you like to?
Yes
Have you and your partner had more intimate relations?
No
Do you want a child with your partner?
I don't know
Can you imagine a future with your partner?
Maybe
It was hard to answer all of the questions, a bit embarrassing also. I did want to kiss Hermione, she was beautiful and amazing but I wasn't sure if I loved her yet. I could feel myself liking her and caring for her more and more each day but I think that the Professor wants a less complicated answer. Maybe I'm just too scared to admit how I really feel because she might not like me back.
Hermione's point of view
This is how I answered the questionnaire:
Name: Hermione Malfoy
Partner: Draco Malfoy
Have you and your partner talked?
Yes
Do you get along with your partner?
Yes
Do you consider yourself as husband and wife?
No
Do you consider yourself as friends?
Yes
Do you consider yourself as acquaintances?
Not at all
Are you comfortable around your partner?
Yes
Briefly describe sleeping arrangements.
We share the double bed in our bedroom
Describe briefly how you view your partner?
He's kind and soft inside, he cares a lot about me and he's very smart
Do you find your partner attractive?
Yes
Do you like your partner?
Yes
Do you love your partner?
I don't know, not yet
Have you and your partner kissed?
No
If you haven't kissed your partner would you like to?
I think so
Have you and your partner had more intimate relations?
No
Do you want a child with your partner?
I want a child but I'm not sure
Can you imagine a future with your partner?
It depends on how he feels
It was definitely weird evaluating how I felt about Draco. I didn't love him yet but I liked him- strongly. I was quite vague but some questions I just couldn't answer because in order to see a future I'd need to know whether Draco was invested in that future and if he wasn't then I wouldn't be able to imagine it. It also felt extremely weird writing Hermione Malfoy as my name, I hadn't had the need to do it before now. And Draco was attractive with his lean figure, his white blond hair and mesmerising blue grey eyes. I had definitely felt myself blush when I answered that question, I hope no one saw it.
Professor Shade collected all of the papers in and then she sorted then out into the couples.
"Don't worry class these are all confidential so only I will be able to see them, no one else, I hope you've answered all these questions truthfully because it will have a big impact on your journey in this class. Now I want you to use the remaining time to have a deep conversation about what you want out of your relationships with your partner. So find them and talk." She sat down on her bean bag and began to compare two questionnaires together. Before I'd even have a chance to find Draco he had pulled his bean bag over to me and sat down. Awkward silence ensued. I decided to be the brave one and ask him the question that had been bugging me since the questionnaire.
"Do you see us having a future?" His eyes widened in shock and I looked down at my hands as my face reddened. If he answered in the way I wanted him to then I'd know how he might feel about me.
"I want us to have a future, do you see us having a future together?" It was his turn for his cheeks to redden. It actually was quite endearing, I'd never seen him properly blush before. But his answer was still vague, he could not have any feelings for me and might want to because it would definitely make it easier for the both of us but then he could have feelings for me. My heart soared at the notion. "Hermione do you?"
"I do."
A/N:Please review and let me know what you think about the story so far :).