Draco slowly climbed the steps to the Astronomy Tower. He found himself up there more often than not these days. He needed the solace and comfort of the abandoned space. But today as he neared the top, he heard the angry muttering and cursing of a very agitated witch. It surprised him to find her there first. A broken vase at the base of the wall hinted at what she had been up to. A murmured spell and the shards rose in the air and repaired themselves, only for her to throw it again.
"Violent much Granger?" he asked. She spun around, wand raised for the attack. He paid that no mind but he did notice the tear streaks on her cheeks. Damn it. Tears. Tears had always bothered him. They were a rare sight in the Malfoy home, barely tolerated. His mother's tears had always worried him, mostly because she so infrequently succumbed to them. It meant something was seriously wrong. He had a feeling that Granger wasn't the type to cry at the drop of a hat either.
"Not now Malfoy. Just go away and come back to finish your evil-doing later." She turned away from him and walked to the far end of the tower to gaze below.
"Why would I do that? I think you should head back down to your little friends. I'm sure Weasel and Pothead are more equipped to handle your state of distress. So go on, scuttle on like the little good girl you are. It will be after hours soon, and while I'd just love to have Snape give you detention, I really have more important things to attend to. So shoo." He wanted her gone. He wanted the peace of the Astronomy Tower and the Gryffindor Princess was not going to keep him from it.
"I do not want to see him," Hermione hissed. She levitated the vase again and watched it crash, making Draco flinch. Finally, the truth glimmered. He had heard about the Weasel hooking up with Lavender Brown. It seemed a little pathetic really. Weasley really was quite the idiot. If he truly felt anything for Granger he'd be better off with her than wasting his time with an easy lay.
"Ah. I suppose this is about the Weasel and the Brown girl. It's all over the castle by now." Hermione stiffened and refused to turn around at his bait. He pressed on.
"You can't really be surprised. As much as I hate to admit it Granger, you're not exactly on the slow side. You must have known that things would never work out between you and Weasley." He surprised himself. He meant to sound condescending, but somehow it didn't have the sting he planned on. It still managed to have an effect though.
"Why is that Malfoy? That even a Weasley wouldn't demean himself by getting together with a Muggleborn?" she spat at him. She hated that his world revolved around blood status, it was revolting.
"Hardly Granger. Sometimes you really are daft," he snapped. He was going to have to spell it out for her.
"You really don't see it do you? Weasley's an idiot." He was not going to elaborate. Just because he'd been thinking a little differently about blood status of late, and about Granger in particular, didn't mean he was about to sing her praises or make her feel better.
"Hardly Malfoy! Ron is not an idiot! He's strong and loyal and-" he cut off her diatribe with a wave of his hand.
"That's all well and good, but we all know that without you he and the Boy Wonder would be floundering in most of their classes. And unlike him Granger, you are well aware of the danger that lurks ahead. If he was as smart as you want him to be, he wouldn't be wasting precious time with Brown."
Hermione paused and stared at him. It hurt to admit it, but Malfoy was right. If Ron wanted to be with her, he would have picked her. He wouldn't have hurt her so publicly. And with the war looming, was it worth it to be crying over someone who was certainly not pining over her? And was she truly in love with him? She hadn't made much of an effort to make her feelings known. It seemed that Malfoy had given her quite a bit to think about. Not that she was going to tell him that.
"Why are you up here again anyway?" She switched topics. Malfoy had been oddly insightful tonight and she found it unsettling to say the least. Better to target him. Make him the subject of their discussions.
"Not really any of your business, is it Mudblood?" He replied coolly. He leant against a pillar, deftly avoiding her eyes and attempting to wait her out. One of them would leave eventually.
He was surprised when Granger swiftly moved upon him. "Is something wrong? Are you hurt again?" She tugged at his arm, attempting to look at that bloody wound again. "You look fine, but that could be misleading. I don't think you're feverish." She murmured those last bits, already zoning in on the problem at hand. He wanted to yank his arm away and treat her disdainfully, as he used to. Yet he found himself amused by her efforts. Not many people had fussed over him this way. His father was always impatient, considering all types of illness a weakness. And Malfoys were not weak. But look where being a "Malfoy" had gotten him. The one person he loved in danger and he on the path to destruction.
"I'm fine Granger. For now, at least," his attempt at humour went over her head as she frowned at him and stepped back. Sighing, he pushed back the sleeve of his robe. "See? Nothing there. All good." His skin had healed perfectly, thanks to that salve he had received. He knew that she had somehow gotten it to him. He wondered if he should mention it, but thought better of it. They were on strange, shaky ground here. And he hated to admit it, but he had been lonely of late. He wasn't about to scare off the one person he had somewhat confided in.
Hs friends, if you could call them that, still believed in the glory of the Dark Lord. And since his father's incarceration, they hadn't been all that friendly. He never realized how little respect they actually had for him. Or how little loyalty stood with them. It was strange. Loyalty was supposed to be one of traits Slytherins shared with Gryffindors. Aside from Pansy – and he knew why she was devoted to him – his other friends steered clear of him. And he had to admit, he did the same. Despite their behaviour, they were his friends. The less involved they were the better.
"So why are you up here?" She eyed him shrewdly, as if expecting him to launch an attack. He surprised himself by replying.
"I needed some time away. To think." He shrugged his shoulders and headed for the railing. He felt a sense of peace in the Astronomy Tower. Away from his friends, professors, classmates. Away from any reminders of the task at hand. Sometimes he felt like he was drowning in those halls.
Hermione watched Malfoy stare out at the lake. She could understand why he came up here. Her feet had led her here as she flew from the Common Room in her hurt and rage. There was something that was comforting in the isolation of the Tower. Away, yet still part of it all.
She wondered what he thought about as he stared into the horizon. It wasn't as if she was about to ask. They weren't friends or anything. Yet it didn't feel as if they were enemies anymore either. Something had changed that first night she found him. She didn't want to put a name to it, but she thought she might have seen a hint of respect in his eyes when he thanked her. It was boggling.
She thought she saw it again when he talked about Ron. And thinking about it, he had complimented her in a roundabout way. What he said suggested that he thought that she was too good for Ron. And wasn't that unexpected?
Her mind drifted back to Ron. The pain was still there, yes. But shockingly, Malfoy had managed to effectively distract her. That was surprising too. She suddenly realized that she probably shouldn't be hanging around the tower aimlessly. Malfoy had been right when he approached her. It would be after hours soon.
"I'm glad your arm has healed." She murmured the words, so as not to startle him. He didn't seem surprised that she was still there. He turned back to look at her, leaning back against the railing. Her eyes widened at his reckless action, but she wasn't about to say anything. At least that's what she told herself right before she opened her mouth.
"Lean forward, that's ridiculously reckless!" she snapped, her bossy nature and fear of heights overcoming her. He smirked at her, but stepped away from the rail. She turned away and shuffled her feet. She really should be heading back. But truthfully, she didn't want to. She didn't want to go back to the Common Room and see the pitying glances. She hadn't exactly hidden her emotions well. That was more of a Slytherin thing.
"I suppose I'll head back down now. Thank you for your insight," her words came out awkwardly. Hell, this whole situation was awkward. He raised an eyebrow at her. Holding her gaze, Malfoy did the most surprising thing. He made a helpful suggestion.
"You know, Granger, you don't have to go back there tonight." Her cheeks flamed. Was he suggesting? Of all the most outrageous..!
Draco burst out laughing, in what felt like the first time in forever. He had not been propositioning the witch!
"Don't be ridiculous Granger. Use that clever little brain of yours. I'm sure you'll find a room to give you exactly what you need for the night." He quickly passed by her, leaving her to herself in the Tower. It turned out he had left first after all.
Hermione woke feeling surprisingly refreshed. A night in the Room of Requirement had exactly fit the bill. She hadn't been ready to face Lavender or Ron last night. But this morning, her emotions were more in check. She was astonished to find that her heart wasn't as broken as it should be. Somehow talking to Malfoy and recalling the severity of the situation at hand made her realize the truth in his words. This wasn't the time for fleeting fancies. If Ron felt that he should be with Lavender, then he should be with Lavender. It stung, she wouldn't pretend it didn't. But the three of them couldn't afford to have a rift like in fourth year right now. There was too much at stake.
As the day progressed, Hermione realized that keeping the peace was going to be more difficult than she anticipated. Lavender was obscenely flaunting the relationship in her face in an attempt to rile her up, she was certain. Ron was behaving like a self-righteous prat and Harry had blinders on in his desire to stay out of it all.
So she did what she did best. She went to the library. And when she was done with her school work, she started on a new project. The incident with Malfoy had made her determined to learn as much as she could about Healing. She wasn't sure why she kept delving deeper and deeper into this mess. Into his world of pain and torture. But she had convinced herself that Draco Malfoy was not the only person who would benefit from her use of this knowledge. And so she studied. Healing charms, salves, potions… anything she might find useful for the coming war. The salve she had managed to get to Malfoy had just been a start. She couldn't talk about it with Ron or Harry, but it had opened her eyes to the reality of her lack of Healing knowledge. So she studied. She would be prepared should something happen. She spent hours reading, jotting notes, simply acquiring as much information as she could. Until she tired herself out. She tossed her quill aside as she closed another book, her sense of accomplishment accompanied by a desire to share her success with someone.
It was strange, but she wished she could talk to Malfoy. He seemed to listen to her in ways the others hadn't in the past. It wasn't as if they spoke a lot. Had numerous deep conversations. But it felt like they could have. And she missed talking to Harry and Ron. She was lonely. Usually she'd find her solace in books, but keeping secrets from the boys didn't sit well with her. It ate away at her conscious. And the more she thought about it the angrier she became. At Malfoy. At his father. And the bloody war in general. She was sixteen years old. She shouldn't be contemplating whether or not she had saved the life of a boy who would possibly attempt to destroy her in the months to come. No, she should be focused on her studies. On her weekend plans. Hell, even on Ron and Lavender.
As much as Ron and Lavender's behaviour irritated her, it didn't linger with her when they weren't in her sight. It was easier to put them out of her mind than it was to erase the image of Draco Malfoy bleeding on the floor.
That thought caused a frown to mar her features all the way to the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Oh dear. Don't let them get you down. Frowns cause wrinkles you know, and that certainly won't help you attract another man." Hermione looked up at the Fat Lady's ludicrous comment.
"Balderdash." She snipped in reply.
The portrait heaved an overly dramatic sigh and swung open at the password. Some students were so touchy.