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Hermione's POV
With just under a week until the Halloween ball, I'm the happiest I've felt in months, even if a little stressed. With all the late-night planning sessions growing in frequency — and to some degree, late-night study sessions for Muggle Studies — Malfoy and I have actually been having fun. We've learned a lot about each other, and to our surprise, we really do share a lot of interests.
He enjoys reading almost as much as I do, and we've taken to recommending new ones to each other every when we can't find anything to read. The most surprising change was his sudden taking interest in streaming music. He has spent hours exploring different popular artists as part of Muggle Studies, and now has a playlist of at least a hundred songs, which is still rapidly expanding. Since we have a similar taste in music, I've been sharing my favourites with him too. Just yesterday, I shared Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, which seems to describe our relationship more each day.
All I knew this morning when I woke
Is I know something now, know something now I didn't before
And all I've seen since eighteen hours ago is green eyes and freckles
And your smile in the back of my mind making me feel like
I just want to know you better, know you better, know you better now
Only a couple of days after our first 'meeting' about the ball, we had made enough of a proposal to submit to McGonagall. She was very pleased with it and thought our theme idea was an excellent way to combine both wizarding and muggle traditions and make it more engaging for the students. "Some friendly competition is very good, especially since it's not connected to any of the houses in particular." Which is very true. The main issue with the competition in Hogwarts is that it's house-based, which itself is based on a hat's opinion of our best traits. It feels like a war as opposed to friendly competition, an attack on character and beliefs.
Although he hadn't been as outwardly excited as I had been, the satisfaction in his eyes was enough for me to know that he was truly glad to have her approval. Another thing I've noticed about him: his mannerisms and expressions hold so much information if you know how to look. Little things, like the way he tilts his head when he walks past someone he knows or respects. Many people don't notice it, but it's still there. Or the way he addresses people, calling people by their last name. The only exceptions are his friends unless they've truly annoyed him. Even with me, he calls me Granger, but these days, there's something else behind it. When he says my name now, he doesn't spit it, but gently calls me, and it feels wonderful.
'Cause all I know is we said hello
And your eyes look like coming home
All I know is a simple name, everything has changed
All I know is you held the door
You'll be mine and I'll be yours
All I know since yesterday is everything has changed
And all I feel in my stomach is butterflies the beautiful kind
Making up for lost time, taking flight, making me feel like
Just last week, we had our first Hogsmeade trip. Draco, Blaise, and I went to the new tech popup in Hogsmeade so in the morning that I could help them look for phones, and then in the afternoon, I met with Ginny.
While we got their phones, I made sure they got earbuds too, as Draco had been borrowing my spare pair for the last while. I also got them a memory drive each to store copies of their files while Blaise got us all fitness tracking watches. Apparently, a very industrious young group of wizards had found a way to track the distance flown, as well as the energy used, on a broomstick and he'd wanted to get them before they sold out.
We had lunch in the Three Broomsticks and then I left them to go browse a bit more while I left to go dress shopping with Ginny.
'Cause all I know is we said hello
And your eyes look like coming home
All I know is a simple name, everything has changed
All I know is you held the door
You'll be mine and I'll be yours
All I know since yesterday is everything has changed
The night of the Hogsmeade trip, Draco, Blaise, and I went to the Head's dorm to watch a movie together; an action film called The Avengers. Draco and Blaise were so impressed with the superheroes, not so much the special effects. Draco in particular liked Loki and Black Widow. When I asked him why he said it was because they reminded him so much of himself.
Come back and tell me why
I'm feeling like I've missed you all this time
And meet me there tonight
And let me know that it's not all in my mind
I just want to know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just want to know you, know you, know you
I found it so sad at first, but then I realized that those characters are so much stronger because of their mistakes, not so much Loki, but Natasha had committed to redeeming herself. I knew at that moment that Draco had changed, and continues to work to change into someone wonderful.
All I know is we said hello
So dust off your highest hopes
All I know is pouring rain
And everything has changed
All I know is a newfound grace
All my days, I'll know your face
All I know since yesterday is everything has changed
"Granger, it's getting late," says Malfoy, interrupting my musings. A glance at the antique clock on our fireplace makes me feel tired almost instantly. Perhaps I shouldn't wait until midnight to retire. "You should probably go to bed soon. Remember we have to do the meeting with the rest of the prefects tomorrow morning, and I expect you to be awake to present your bit. No slacking off." He looks tired himself, standing in his pyjamas at the bottom of the stairs, stifling a yawn while trying to appear serious.
"Noted Malfoy, I'll go to bed soon. I just need to finish the last paragraph of my essay."
"Fine, but I'm not waking you up tomorrow. Goodnight!" he calls over his shoulder, as he makes his way back to his room.
"Goodnight Ferret," I call out teasingly. I swear I can hear a grunt of annoyance from his direction, but for all I know, it could simply be the old wood flooring.
I finish my essay quickly, though not as soon as I had led Draco to believe I could manage. I pack up my stuff and head to my room, barely getting around to tucking my homework back into its respective folder on my desk.
As soon as I'm changed for bed, I fall in. I feel so tired, but also calm and happy. Without even having to set up a playlist, I drift away until morning.
Author's Note: This chapter is a little more of a "flashback" chapter, but oh well. Thanks for all of your support. I've hit a total of 1,000 views on this yay! Please read and review. Have a great week, till next time.