Chapter 6

Hermione glanced at Draco at every meal for the past four days—ever since he last rescued her from being dangled in the air like a pretty charm off of a necklace. He surmised that she was still in shock from finding out that one of her enemies has protected her from harm on more than one occasion. He hoped that this would make her see that she shouldn't' be left alone, if one of her enemies was protecting her... but she obviously wasn't thinking that. He's spotted her walking on her own a couple of times and inwardly chided her for doing so. Even if she was a fairly decent witch, she was still in danger of people pouncing on her. No one is immune to that. She's just too proud.

On one particular day two days ago, he was walking in one of the corridors in the most southern part of the castle and spotted her out a window, walking towards that giant Hagrid's place. He could see from his vantage point near an entrance that her two friends were waiting for her down at that hut. But it wasn't her friends, where she was going, or who she was going to visit, that bothered him—it was what she was wearing. She had on casual clothes: blue jeans and a deep red sweater, and both hugged her form, the jeans more like a second skin. Every one of her curves showed, including her chest. That made Draco's pulse rise, and caused heat to enter his fair cheeks.

"She's walking around alone wearing something like that?" he asked himself, irritated. "No wonder she gets harassed."

Draco walked down the corridors as he thought about this. He was headed to see Professor Snape—he received an owl stating that the professor wanted to see him, but he didn't say for what. Probably Death Eater stuff. Snape knew all about what Draco was commanded to do. Probably to give him more ideas since his first couple attempts at ending Dubmbledore hadn't worked, just put two people into the hospital wing, one of which being one of Hermione's best friends. Now how is Annabelle's vision supposed to come true if Hermione finds out that he almost killed one of Hermione's best friends, and the boy who she fancies, without meaning to? Annabelle most likely didn't think about that.

But whatever. Draco still doesn't believe that the vision will come to pass. At least the rest of it. He hopes.

Draco entered the potions master's large office, and saw that he was at his desk. "Professor?" he said, and Snape lifted his black-haired head.

"Come in, Mr. Malfoy," he said in his monotone voice, and Draco walked through the room that had shelves of books against the walls, as well as shelves that had potions. Even if the man wasn't teaching potions anymore, he still favored the subject. Draco stopped in front of his desk.

"You asked to see me."

"I did." He pulled up a long piece of parchment and Draco recognized it as his essay. "I would like to talk to you about this essay."

Draco was confused for a moment. He wants to talk to him about school stuff, not Death Eater stuff? Maybe that's better. Draco held his ground and prepared for the criticism. He's used to it, after all, since he's turned in low-grade assignments to Snape before. Not recently since he has decided to actually get good grades, which he has been doing.

"I would like to tell you, Draco..." He paused, and his black eyes met Draco's blue ones. "This essay is excellent."

Heat rushed into Draco's cheeks. He wasn't expecting that. Well, at least he wasn't expecting his professor and confidant to use that exact word. He was more expecting passable. "Sorry?"

"I said this is an excellent essay," he repeated, and set the essay down on his desk, next to other pieces of parchment. "Did you receive help?"

Oh, he's accusing Draco of cheating. Wouldn't be the first time. Well, he has suddenly been getting good grades, so it only makes sense that he would be accused of cheating. "No, sir."

"Really?" An eyebrow quirked up.

"Yes, Sir."

Snape held up another piece of parchment with curvy handwriting on it. "This is Hermione Granger's essay. She received excellent marks as well."

He knew what his professor was insinuating. "We never collaborated on the essay. We just used the same books as sources."

"I am aware of that, Mr. Malfoy, since I read the two essays," he said with a slight edge to his voice. "But you used the same sources within those books."

That surprised him, mainly from the low odds of that happening. Then again, what are the odds that he would come across a beautiful ghost who had a vision about him falling in love with a non-pureblood who is one of his enemies? "What? How is that...?"

"It is possible," he finished. "If you had her help you."

"I never spoke one word to her about it. In fact, we don't speak. You know I don't like associating with that mudblood."

Snape's eyebrow stayed up and he leaned in, and was successful at being more intimidating. "Are you quite sure, Mr. Malfoy? Would I be able to pour veritaserum down your throat and receive the same answer?"

Draco gulped, and he felt his palms sweat as his hands were clasped behind his back. He has experienced veritaserum before, but not himself. He held Cho Chang down as the stuff was poured down her throat so she could tell Umbridge where Dumbledore's army met. So he knows how it works. "Well... I was desperate to get my essay done before I had to go to that meeting with the Dark Lord, so I went to the library to retrieve those books, but she happened to have them. I admit that we shared the books, but we were at different tables, and we never looked once at each other's essays."

"Is that so? You shared with Miss Granger?"

"I was desperate, like I said. I wanted a good grade."

"Which is first for you, Mr. Malfoy. I am rather impressed with your work." He straightened the other pieces of parchment on his desk, and Draco smirked to himself, liking that his favorite professor was impressed with him.

"Thank you, sir."

Snape didn't look up, and saw Draco staring at him. "What is it, Draco?"

Of course he would ask if Draco was thinking about anything else. His thoughts immediately went to The Dark Lord and the task of killing Dumbledore. He looked down. "Well... I suppose... I'm having a difficult go of it. I mean with... you know what."

Snape sat up straight in his seat and eyed Draco for a moment. "I take it that is why your grades have been going up as of late."

"I needed a distraction, and focusing on my schoolwork seems feasible." And focusing on a girl who is an enemy is not.

"But you are still trying to do what you can?"

Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley came to mind, and what happened to them. His insides started twisting into knots, making his stomach ache. "I am."

"That is all that matters." He leaned in, his dark eyes serious. He said in a low tone, "Remember this, Draco, if you are not able to perform this task..."

"I know," he cut him off, his throat tightening. "I know what you agreed to do."

They held that gaze for a moment, then Snape looked away at the essays on his desk. "We will discuss more of this later. I am expecting another student any moment. Actually, she was supposed to be here the same time as you."

"Oh. Who?"

As if that were the signal, there was a knock at the large office door. Draco turned and saw Hermione poke her bushy head in. His pulse rose, not expecting her to be the student Snape was referring to. Both her and Draco's eyes widened when they saw each other.

"Professor," she let out. "You called for me? I apologize for being late. I had to..."

"No matter, Miss Granger," Snape said. "I just need clarification for something."

Draco eyed his professor. Why talk to them both? He looked down at their essays. Oh.

Hermione slowly walked up to Snape's desk, and cautiously stood next to Draco, herself not in her school robes, but in that same outfit from the other day, the one that made it so Draco couldn't keep his eyes off of her because of her curvy legs and tiny waist. "Clarification for what, Sir?"

"I have already received Mr. Malfoy's side of the story while we were waiting for you," he said, "but now I would like yours." He held up both hers and Draco's essays. "You both received excellent marks on these essays, but you both used the same sources in the same books."

Hermione took that in for a moment. She looked at Draco, then at her professor, appalled. "Professor... are you trying to ask if I cheated?"

"That is precisely what I'm asking. It is only a great concern because Mr. Malfoy here has never received a perfect score before. After our talk, though, I am convinced that this is only a coincidence." His brow quirked up and he gave Hermione a pointed look. "Is it?"

Draco felt a bit irritated that his professor revealed that he has never once received a perfect score, but it's not like it's a surprise to Hermione. Her cheeks turned red—she was clearly unhappy with being accused of cheating. Well, more accurately, helping someone cheat. "Of course it is a coincidence. I don't cheat. I never have in my life. I would never help someone cheat as well."

Draco's eyebrows shot up and he smirked, impressed. She talked back to the most feared professor at Hogwarts! She's gutsy.

"Calm yourself, Miss Granger," Snape said in an even tone. "Mr. Malfoy here has already said you shared books in the library, but sat at different tables, and didn't see each other's essays once."

Hermione stood tall. "That's right, we..."

Her hazel eyes suddenly widened, indicating that something may have come back to her memory. She pursed her lips.

"Is there something you would like to say, Miss Granger?" Snape asked in a calm, yet intimidating voice that made people talk.

"Um..." she let out. Draco's brows pushed together. What is she thinking that could cause her to stammer?

"Yes?" Snape prodded.

She noticeably looked uncomfortable, with her arms folded over her chest. Draco tried not to focus on that area of her, since her arms pushed her chest up a bit, a chest that was rather large for her small frame. Draco immediately looked away from her at Snape's desk. How dare he think that! Heat filled his whole face, and he willed it to cool down. He never really thought how girl-crazy he is until now, noticing breasts, legs, curves, a tine waist...

"Well..." Hermione began, and his attention went back to what they were discussing, "yes, we worked at different tables, but when I was finished with writing for the evening, I stopped by Draco's table and looked over his shoulder and happened to catch a paragraph of what he wrote. I thought it was excellently written, but I didn't incorporate it into my essay."

Draco stared at her with wide eyes. He'd forgotten about her looking over his shoulder!

"Is that so?" Snape asked, then looked over both essays, his eyes glancing back and forth at each one, reading them. He stopped midway, then looked up at Hermione. "It seems that there is a similar paragraph."

Both Draco and Hermione stared at him, shocked. Draco's nose twitched and he looked at Hermione, annoyed with her. Her whole face started to turn pink.

"Can you both assure me that Draco didn't look at your essay, Miss Granger?"

"I didn't look at it once," Draco said. "Honest."

Draco heard Hermione swallow, and horror appeared on her features. She knew what Snape was going to do next. "Well, Miss Granger, looks like I have to mark you down, since you did look at Mr. Malfoy's essay. And I don't care if you happened to remember the words and wrote them subconsciously." He crossed out the current grade at the top of her essay and lowered it a several points. "You two may go now."

Hermione huffed through her nose and abruptly left. Draco stayed a moment, and when Snape didn't look up, he left as well. He saw Hermione leaning against the corridor wall when he exited the dungeons, a lighted torch hanging above her. No one else was in the corridor since it was getting close to curfew.

"It was just a few points, Granger," he said as he stopped in front of her, his form towering over her since the top of her head went to his chin.

"Leave me be," she said in a choked voice.

"Blymee, Granger, it was just an essay."

She sent a glare full of daggers his way. "It was half my grade! I worked hard on it!"

"As did everyone else."

Her eyes turned red and bloodshot. They etched in confusion. "You got excellent marks. Perfect marks, even."

He folded his arms. "Shocked to find that I actually have some brains?"

"Yes, actually. I was shocked that time you memorized the euphoria elixir as well."

He frowned at her never thinking he actually had a brain in his blonde head. He shouldn't have asked.

"You never cared about school before," she said.

He glared at her. "I told you not assume you know things about me," he bit out.

"But it's a fact," she countered. "I saw you in our beginning years, and you didn't care in the least about school, just torturing people."

He doesn't need to be reminded of that again. "I've come a long way since then, Granger." He sneered at her, "And is it so bad to want good grades and do excellently on assignments?"

She paused and looked away at the other wall. "No... I guess not, considering I'm that way, too. But with you... it seems that studying and getting good grades is foreign to you."

He folded his arms, trying to appear intimidating. "I told you not go assuming things about me. People can change."

She didn't say anything to that, probably because she was in shock that he revealed that to her. Or because she was just in shock that he's changed. Hopefully she doesn't try to guess why. She just stared at his eyes with that shocked expression, and he ever-noticed the light from the torches in the corridor flicker off her face and eyes. He glanced down at that attractive body of hers. Heat encumbered his neck, and he looked away.

"Enough talking. I'm leaving." He turned to walk away, but Hermione said his name. He turned his head to her, and he tried to focus on her face and bushy hair, not her petite form. "What? I said I don't want to talk anymore."

She walked up to him and he noticed again her hazel eyes glisten from the torch above them. "I suppose... well, I just wanted to say that it shouldn't surprise me that you got a decent grade on that essay. Today, I was curious as to where I stand on the honors list, so I went to go look at it in the academics office and was shocked to see your name there. Above mine."

He blinked, remembering where he was on said list. He smirked with pride. "You finally found out, have you? How does it feel to not be at the top of the school anymore?"

"Dreadful," she confessed loudly, her voice echoing through the corridor. Draco laughed.

"Well get used to, Granger, because your name may change because you happened to look over my shoulder at the library."

Fire ignited in her eyes. "I was just... Look, I wasn't meaning to cheat. I would never do that."

He folded his arms. "Not according to Snape."

"Well, Snape is a..." She snapped her mouth shut. She took a deep breath. "Nevermind. What's done is done." She paused for a moment and looked off to the side. A few seconds passed before she revealed, "I was serious, you know—when I complimented your essay."

He had the urge to thank her, but said instead, "Well, we learn something every day, don't we? Now you know I'm not a brain dead git."

"You're still a git," she muttered and his chest pricked at the insult. She took a deep breath and let it out. "Well, I'm going back to my common room. Goodnight, Draco."

She walked passed him, and Draco turned to watch her go. He thought of those fools Crabbe and Goyle. He knew they weren't in the common room yet since he passed them on the way to Snape's office. Was he really going to walk off a few minutes ago and let Hermione go back to her common room unprotected? "Granger," he said and Hermione abruptly stopped.

"What?" she said and turned to him.

"You're not walking those corridors alone, especially with Crabbe and Goyle walking about."

She glared at him with annoyance. "I can so walk these corridors by myself. And I'm not worried about those two Neanderthals."

"Do you want to be suspended in mid-air again?" he tried her.

She continued to stare at him, then looked away, debating with herself. "I don't want to be seen walking with you."

Oh, so that's why. She doesn't want her precious reputation tarnished by being seen with the school bully. Well, he doesn't want his reputation to be tarnished by being seen with a Gryffindor. Good thing it was almost curfew and no one would be around. He folded his arms. "Fine. Get hung upside down with your undergarments showing. I'm sure all the boys around would love to see that."

He walked on and left Hermione there. He counted to ten, and at ten, Hermione called his name. He smiled. Right on. He turned to face her. "What, change your mind, Granger?"

"Yes," she said, and he lifted his eyebrows. "Fine. Just... walk behind me."

He stared at her hazel eyes for a moment, then her bushy light-brown hair. She let that pride of her hers get knocked down several notches if she was will to at least let him walk behind her. He fought smiling. "Alright."

The two started walking, with Draco a few meters behind Hermione. He watched her backside—not that he could help it since he was behind her—and watched how she walked. Her hips swayed just a bit, and her bottom moved under those tight jeans as she walked. He noticed just how curvy it was, as well as her legs, now that he had a good view of them... His gaze rose to her small waist where her sweater hugged her.

His cheeks burned. Hermione has a nice figure. An intensely attractive one. No wonder Crabbe and Goyle made those suggestive remarks about her as she dangled in the air. They are guys, too—they noticed her form. But they still hated her. Does he?

No, he doesn't. He has realized it before, but now, he really can't deny it, and his past self would hate him and call him a lunatic if he found out...

He fancies Hermione Granger. The proud, determined, intelligent and annoying Hermione Granger.

Hermione suddenly turned to him, and he almost rammed into her since he was so absorbed in his thoughts... of her. "Why'd you stop all of a sudden?" he asked.

"We're at my common room."

He looked over and saw that they indeed were there, and the fat lady in there gave him looks, looks that were asking why the most popular of Slytherins was there at the Gryffindor common room door.

"I can go on from this point," Hermione said.

"Alright."

He turned to go down the moving stairs, and heard Hermione let out a "thank you," but he didn't bother to respond. He walked on to his common room, not seeing Annabelle, nor Crabbe or Goyle. He was glad that his bully friends weren't around.

He couldn't believe he walked Hermione all the way from Snape's office to the Gryffindor common room. That's essentially the full length of the castle. He was keeping an eye on her and he was checking her out for a full ten minutes. He's really pathetic, isn't he? At least he was able to look out for Crabbe and Goyle at the same time.

Draco came to breakfast the next morning and sat down. He looked up and saw Crabbe and Goyle staring at him from across the table. "What?" he demanded.

"What's going on with you, Draco?" Crabbe asked.

"What do you mean what's been going on with me?" he quipped as he poured milk into his Wheat O's, and then dipped his spoon into them.

Crabbe leaned in. "We saw you walking behind that mudblood last night."

Draco stopped as his spoon was half-way to his mouth. So they were lurking in the shadows? And he didn't notice? Maybe he was paying too much attention to Hermione's backside to even notice. But, good thing he was with her, or else they would have gone after her. He would smirk at liking the fact that he was protecting her without knowing it, but he didn't want his two thug friends to suspect anything, even though they may already. "So? I wasn't walking with her."

"But you were walking close enough," Goyle countered.

Draco put his spoon back into his bowl and gave them a hard look. "What are two insinuating?"

"I think you know," Crabbe said.

There was a moment's pause, then Goyle let out in a rush, "Why're you so protective of that mudblood? We're not stupid. We know why you told us to scram after we were toying around with her that time."

That made Draco's heart pound sharply, causing it to beat faster, and in irritation. He leaned in, glaring at them. "Let me get this straight. I'm not protective of her, I'm just sick and tired of you two idiots harassing people for no reason."

"But you did it along with us not that long ago," Crabbe argued.

Draco took a bite of his cereal. "Things change." He met their eyes. "I have more important things to worry about. Now, let me eat my breakfast in peace."

That silenced them. Goyle muttered something about wondering if they were friends with Draco anymore. Draco's nose twitched. He's starting to have the desire to not spend his time with them if they are going to go around hurting people, especially a person he thought he would never have feelings for. Actually, it has never crossed his mind until Annabelle said something about it. Now his friends are starting to clue in on his character change. But good thing they just noticed that he was just protective of Hermione, not that he has a crush on her now.

As Draco ate the rest of his cereal, he couldn't help but glance up and look in between Crabbe and Goyle's heads at Hermione as she cheerfully talked with her friends.

He really is protective of her. He wondered if Annabelle has seen anything that has unfolded in the past days. Most likely, knowing her. He should ask her the next time he sees her.

As Draco walked back to his common room after classes that day, he happened to spot Annabelle in her corridor, and no one else was walking through it. He came up to her directly, which caused her ghostly, yet, pretty eyes to widen.

"Hello, Draco," she greeted with a smile. "Well, this is a nice surprise, you coming up to me for once."

"Hello," he said, and got right to business. "I want to talk to you about something."

"Oh, and is this about Hermione, and how you two found something in common?"

He blinked. "Something in common?"

"Yes. Do I need to re-tell the conversation you two had outside of the dungeons, after you talked with Professor Snape about the essays that you two wrote for his class?"

He looked through her light-blue form into the wall behind her, but focused on her eyes. Seems like she already answered his question about whether she saw he and Hermione near the dungeons. But it doesn't answer the question of if she saw it in her vision.

"You both are academics," she said.

He was growing impatient. "Yes, I already realized that a long time ago, so I don't need to be reminded of it. I just wanted to ask you if you saw anything that has happened the past few days in that vision of yours."

She thought for a moment, then said, "Yes, I did. I saw you two walking together in a corridor as you walked behind her, and I saw you two work in a library together, at separate tables."

Draco took that in and ran a hand through his hair when he realized that this vision was indeed a vision and not just a wild dream. "Blymee..."

"Blymee is right. I think it's amazing that my vision is unfolding just as I dreamed it. And you know, it's great that you and Hermione have something in common. Something important. It will help."

"Help with what?"

"Being friends with her. Then eventually falling in love."

She's mentioned it before, but the concept was still foreign to him. He snorted. "Love? I don't think so."

"And why not? You talk to each other now, and you fancy her, don't you? The next step is love."

He really couldn't believe that he was actually able to agree with her on the fact that he fancies Hermione Granger, even though he has already accepted it. "Okay, so... maybe you're right about the fancying part, but love? No way."

"And how do you know that? Everything has played out just as I envisioned. I think the rest will happen."

"Can't you just tell me what happens next?"

She started laughing. "Then that would take away the fun of it all! I love watching you figure things out."

"You mean, you enjoy watching me suffer through all of this?"

"No. I just enjoy you discovering things about yourself and other people that you haven't noticed before. For example, you're actually a kind person underneath all that negativity. You wouldn't have stopped those two boys from harassing Hermione if you didn't have at least some kindness in you."

He bit the inside of his bottom lip and stared at her beautiful face, thinking about that... thinking about how much he has really changed.

"I'm right, aren't I?" she asked.

"I... suppose so."

She beamed. "Well, it's great that you realized that. I told you that all this would help not just Hermione, but you as well. You have stopped with the bullying since you realized just how desperate you were to become a better person. I think no being, not even the Dark Lord, can take away the innate kindness that you have in you."

Draco felt his eyes sting. If Annabelle was a real person, he would hug her out of thankfulness of her saying something that he really needed to hear.

"Draco, are you crying?"

Alarmed, he brought a hand up to his face and felt wet on his cheeks. He wiped it away with his robes. "Dammit..."

"It's alright. I'm really happy for you, you know. You realized that there is some good in you, good that cannot be touched."

She rose her hand and he felt that cool sensation on his cheek, and he disliked the fact that he couldn't take her hand. He noticed someone walk by and he took a step away from her.

"I'm going to head off. I'll see you later."

He left, not letting her say anything more. As he walked to his common room, what Annabelle said really sank in. Is there really good in him that came out just from noticing what he has done to people, especially Hermione? Does she think the same as Annabelle, that there's good in him? What would she say if she asked what she thought of him, now that he has rescued her from his friends and that pillar? If she thought well of him, she and Annabelle may be the only souls who think so.

He wants to ask her. He's itching to know just what she thinks about him.