Author's Note: Hello again! I hope you are all well and are reading many HP fanfics. Well let's get on with the story!
Draco woke up to the beautiful aroma of cooking chicken. Coughing slightly at the intense smell, he walked down the stairs ,still in a daze and sat at dining room ,resting his head on his arms.
'Someone didn't sleep long last night?' Harry asked ,giving Draco an amused smile. After Hermione had left, Draco had lay in bed thinking about Granger and trust and Granger and Potter and Granger and life in general. He was absolutely surprised at Granger's response to his outbreak of sorrow. She didn't fuel his sorrow but changed the atmosphere entirely. Her unexpected flee left him with an unknown feeling he could not understand.
'Hmm?' Draco asked ,looking up.
'What has got you so sleepy? You slept early last night ,but are still in need of bed rest?' Harry asked ,trying to hide his knowing smile.
'Got caught up with my thoughts' Draco replied ,not untruthfully, as he got up and yawned 'So I couldn't sleep'
'Right' said Harry ,disbelieving ,placing fried chicken on the table before Draco and taking the seat opposite him.
'Did you make this?' Draco asked ,taking a bite of the chicken.
'Uhh...yes. Is it not good? I wasn't sure what you would like and I haven't made this since I was ten. I simply saw the chicken in the fridge and thought that I could do something with it...' harry defended himself ,but stopped when he saw Malfoy's expression of amusement. 'What?'
'You really do have a low self esteem issues ,don't you?' Malfoy replied ,trying to stifle a smile. 'This chicken is really good Potter. No need to fret about it. Thank goodness you are living with me. Our attitudes balance out. You ,Potter are very good at cooking ,probably because of the muggles, but this is the best chicken I have ever tasted' Malfoy then took a large bite of his food and munched it down hungrily. Harry looked surprised at Malfoy for a second before pulling out his wand from his robe pocket and pointing it directly at Malfoy.
Draco ,who was not expecting Harry to act so irrationally, dropped his chicken slice and fumbled in his pocket for his own wand ,but not before Harry asked "Who are you and what have you done with Draco Malfoy?" Draco was shocked. Potter was playing around with him. The Harry Potter was joking with him.
"You almost got me there ,Potter" he replied ,smiling slightly.
"Well, I am a good actor" Harry said puffing out his chest.
"That attitude does not suit you" Draco replied "I think that you should stick with your other one"
Their conversation died down after that ,as they dug into the ravishing chicken.
'Hey Gin! How do I look?" Hermione asked ,walking into the dining room with blonde hair and mercucial grey eyes. Her face was slightly pointed as well and her skin was far paler than before.
"Woah! Hermione, you look... Oh my Gosh!" Ginny gushed as she stood up from the table ,where she was planning tactics for the next Quidditch game. "Whose hair did you use?"
Hermione blushed, remembering her encounter with Draco last night. "I went off to the hideout and got that boy's hair" she said sheepishly. Ginny smiled. She hadn't missed the way Hermione blushed and looked uncomfortable when talking about the mystery boy. There was certainly something going on there. Never in her life had she seen Hermione Granger act that way. Not even when she was with Ron.
"When are you going to tell me who this person is?" Ginny asked. The change in atmosphere was instant. Hermione's eyes widened as she looked at her best friend. No. She couldn't. She couldn't tell Ginny. Flashes of what he had done to gain praise from the Dark Lord flitted through her mind. Ginny would never understand. She would blow up...ditch Harry...unfriend me... No, that couldn't happen. Hermione's figure quivered slightly.
"No, Ginny. I can't. Don't make me. I won't do it" Tears started to well up in Hermione's eyes ,but before Ginny could say another word, Hermione was out of the house and off to St. Mungo's. Defeated, Ginny sat down in her chair and stared blankly at her team tactics. Who was this person? She had to find out. Whoever it was, was doing things to Hermione and sounded dangerous. This called for reinforcement. Not Ron. No. A girl. Luna Lovegood
"Call them up for me then ,Potter" Draco said ,looking up from his passage on muggle millitary. It was nearing night now and Harry and Draco were still putting their plan together. They had caught hold of the phone number of an army general and had decided that it was better if only one of them posed for a place while the others hid under the cloak and stole the bomb and pistols.
"Ok. Alright" harry replied ,picking up the Iphone they had summoned so they can contact the millitary general. 'I'll go and facetime him in the library"
Getting up and leaving the room, Harry went to the library ,leaving Draco to carry on with his boring passage. Where was Hermione when they needed her? Not for the first time that day, Draco's mind wandered over to Hermione and her bushy brown curls with chocolate brown eyes. The image on her face just before she ran from the room. He needed to get back to his passage. Hermione would be back in two weeks and he wanted to impress upon her what they could do even if she weren't around.
Two weeks later, Hermione came back from St. Mungo's with a massive smile on her face.
"They said that I can return any time I want and if I was going to try for a job in the healing industry, they would be more than happy to be my reference" Hermione said ,walking into the dining room to see Ginny having a chat with Luna. "Oh sorry Luna. I didn't know you were here"
"It's alright Hermione." Luna said "I would ask you to sit down but I believe that you need to go and pack your bag and then head off"
"Oh yes!" Hermione squealed before running up the stairs to her room.
"She seems really excited to be going back" Luna observed.
"Yes, she has been all jumpy and excited for the last few days" Ginny sighed.
"Don't worry. She'll be back and by then perhaps Voldemort will be dead" Luna comforted Ginny ,placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah. Perhaps. But we still don't know who this mystery boy is. The only person I can think of is Draco Malfoy ,but I know that Harry and Hermione would never work with him even if it did mean that Voldemort would be done for"
"I think we should look at it from a different angle" Luna said dreamily. Ginny was about to ask what she meant but at that moment Hermione came back in the room with her beaded bag around her neck.
She hugged Ginny and Luna before saying "I will miss you"
"Don't worry. You will have other things to think about other than us"
"And you will always be welcome to Grimmauld Place"
With that Hermione rushed out of the door and apparated.
Draco was having a snooze on the couch after his army training when Hermione knocked on the door. Suddenly up and awake he made his way towards the door, his wand held high.
"Who is it?" He called ,after placing a voice changing charm on himself.
"Who are you?" Hermione asked ,her eyes widening, also after placing a voice changing charm on himself.
"Are you Granger?" Draco asked ,knowing that today was the day she was coming back.
"Are you Draco Malfoy?" Hermione asked ,knowing that only Malfoy would call her Granger.
"Which hand did Hermione Granger punch me in third year?" Malfoy asked.
"Right hand?" Hermione tried.
"Correct" Draco swung the door open and there stood Hermione ,beaming back at him.
Changing their voices back to normal, Hermione walked into the drawing room. It was messier than she left it and boys' shirts were scattered around. Hermione saw Harry in the kitchen.
"Harry!" she squealed ,running froward and hugging Harry around the neck.
"Oh, hello Hermione!" Harry greeted her ,leaving his beef casserole in the oven to bake. "How have you been? Is Ginny all right?"
"I'm fine ,Harry, and so is Ginny" Hermione reassured him.
"I missed you so much" Harry said ,hugging her tightly. Draco felt a pang of jealousy as Harry ignored Hermione's personal space boundaries.
"I think we should tell Granger about our progress in the process" Draco drawled.
"Wait a minute" Hermione held her hand up. "Did you guys learn to get along or not? That was the reason I left albeit in an angry fit"
"You don't see any dead bodies do you?" Draco said "And after you see the progress we have made ,you will have to believe us"
"Oh yeah! Come and sit down. We will tell you what we have accomplished." Harry added.
A/N: Sorry that it has been ages ,but I have not been able to post my fanfictions. Please read and review. And ,this must sound stupid, but what exactly is a beta? I have heard it many times ,but still have no idea what it is.