Life on the Other Side 2
By Maenad
Disclaimer - These are the wonderful creations of JK, except for the wonderful creations that are mine!
Thanks for the reviews guys, they are all really encouraging. Sorry about the format problems - I had difficulty changing it from Word to a txt format. I'm sticking with the D/H, but for all you Ron fans out there I'll try and let him get a little action too. Please keep reviewing!
LIFE ON THE OTHER SIDE 2
"Are you going to be alright with this Hermione?"asked Ron as they walked towards the Great Hall for breakfast, wearing Muggle clothes and carrying suitcases. "Draco's going to make life hell for us, and your parents are really nice - I don't want them to have to put up with his nastiness."
"Don't worry Ron," she replied. "They're used to dealing with stroppy adolescents. One of my brothers - well, if he'd gone to Hogwarts as well, he'd definitely be a Slytherin, he was always getting into trouble and thinking himself superior than the rest of us. I'm clever, I admit, but he's a genius. Besides, none of us are going to have our wands, so Malfoy'll be at a disadvantage. Muggle life is so different to wizarding life that if he doesn't lose some of his attitude he will be at a complete loss, totally incapable of looking after himself. I can handle him, Ron, you'll see."
"Alright, Herm, I trust you - but I'm still going to worry."
"Don't worry too hard then. But I've got some things to tell you as well - I'm very different at home than I am at Hogwarts. You and Harry gave me a taste for rule-breaking, and when I get home - I guess I'm a little more relaxed about things."
Ron looked at Hermione in shock.
"It's OK Ron, I don't sleep around and do drugs. It's just a little bit of disobedience now and then. All I'm saying is, don't look too surprised at anything I say or do. I have a sort of double life, you see..."
They walked into the Great Hall and sat down to breakfast. The news that Hermione and Draco had been teamed up for their assignment had run quickly round the school, and the Gryffindors were wishing her luck and commiserating at her bad fortune. The Slytherins were jeering and sniggering at Draco, who was trying to ignore them. When the morning post came, Draco's owl landed at his table carrying a red envelope that was smoking at the edges. Looking resigned, he opened it.
"HOW DARE YOU ASK ME TO GET YOU OUT OF THIS ASSIGNMENT DRACO! YOU MUST LEARN TO DEAL WITH THESE PROBLEMS AS THEY COME ALONG - YOU CAN'T BE ALWAYS RELYING ON YOUR FATHER TO GET YOU OUT OF THEM! REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE A MALFOY AND START ACTING WITH THE HONOUR AND DIGNITY THAT IS YOUR INHERITANCE! YOU WILL TAKE THIS ASSIGNMENT OR YOU WILL NOT GRADUATE FROM HOGWARTS AND IF YOU DO NOT THEN YOU WILL NO LONGER BE A SON OF MINE! YOU MUST DO THIS DISTASTEFUL THING AND LEARN OBEDIENCE WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!"
The Howler shivelled up and disintegrated into ashes. Draco's face was a bright red, and all the House tables had burst into laughter.
"That'll serve him right!" said Harry. "If darling Daddy insists on his son mingling with Muggles there's no way Malfoy will get out of it!"
"That's the first Howler he's ever got, isn't it?" said Ron. "Poor dear, thinking himself Daddy's golden boy only to find himself publicly humiliated by him!"
Hermione laughed, and turned to look at Draco, who looked as though he was trying to hide. Their eyes met, and Hermione shrugged and raised her hands in the air in a gesture of helplessness. Draco looked away.
After breakfast, the groups collected their Portkeys from Professor McGonagall and hand in their wands. Ron was still trying to swallow his laughter every time he looked at Draco, and Sophie was biting her lip trying not to smile. Draco was still slightly embarrassed at first, but when 9:14 came around and Ron and Sophie showed no signs of letting up, he began to get angry.
"I really don't see what's so funny, Weasley," he snapped.
"The look on your face..." began Ron, only to dissolve into another fit of laughter.
"I'd rather have this look than look like you, Weasley. At least I'm not a..."
At this moment the Portkeys activated. The Great Hall dissolved in front of their eyes, and new surroundings began to appear.
"...rabid Muggle-lover like the rest of you!" Draco finished, and looked around to find himself in a small room, with armchairs, a carpet, curtains and pictures on the wall, and face to face with Hermione's parents.
Mr Granger was a tall, thin man with mousey brown hair and glasses. Mrs Granger had blonde frizzy hair and was slightly plump. They both had impeccable smiles on their faces, which had dimmed somewhat on hearing Draco's words. They rallied themselves well, however, and reached forward to hug Hermione hard.
"Are you alright dear? That method of transport is a bit surprising. We knew you would be here today at this time but we didn't expect you to arrive in this fashion," said Mr Granger.
"Don't worry Dad, it's perfectly safe," she replied. "That's the only bit of magic you'll be seeing while we're here, until we leave. Are you both well?" she continued, turning to her mother.
"We're all fine dear. Now, why don't you introduce us to your friends? Ah, Ron, isn't it? Are you well?"
"Fine thanks, Mrs Granger," he replied, and stepped forward to shake their hands.
"Marian, dear, call me Marian."
"And I'm Hugh. Pleased to meet you again Ron."
"Mum, this is Maria Delaney from Ravenclaw, and Sophie Finchett from Hufflepuff," said Hermione, gesturing to the girls in question. The Grangers shook their hands, and Mrs Granger kissed them both on the cheek. "And this is Draco Malfoy from Slytherin," she continued, gesturing to Draco.
"Ah, yes. Well, pleased to meet you Draco," said Mr Granger, extending his hand. Draco shook it, then stepped forward and kissed Mrs Granger's hand.
"Thank you very much for allowing us to spend some time in your charming home," he said, smiling politely at them.
"Mi casa es su casa," said Mr Granger, extending his arms to include the whole party. "Now Hermione, why don't you show everyone where they're staying? We can put the two young men in George's old room, and the two girls in Richard's room. You've had breakfast I assume? Well then, take as long as you want to get settled in."
The party thanked the Grangers once more, then Hermione led them upstairs to the bedrooms.
"You guys are in this room on the right, the girls are in the room on the left. My room is next to the girls' room, and the bathroom is at the end of the corridor. Shall we all sort our stuff out?"
Hermione was busy unpacking her suitcase when she heard a knock on the door.
"Come in!" she said. It was Draco, who entered, shut the door behind him, looked around and sat on a chair by her desk.
"You have a very pleasant room," he said, not looking at her.
"Not as large as yours, I'm sure," she replied snappily.
"No, but... it feels more comfortable," he said. Hermione's room was small, true, but it was decorated in a dark red colour, with old books and oak furniture, and adorned with plants and posters of old paintings. Draco was quiet for a few seconds and then said "I want to apologise for my bad behaviour earlier. Your parents were very gracious."
"An apology from Draco Malfoy?" said Hermione, looking at him astonished. "Not an everyday event."
"Such courtesy from people when I've insulted them, even inadvertently, is not an everyday event where I come from," he replied. "Is it then really so strange if I act out of character?"
"I suppose not. But Draco, it isn't really me you should apologise to," she said.
"I'll apologise to your parents later, when I've improved their opinion of me a little. Look, after I sent an owl to my father last night, I did a little thinking. I didn't really want to come, and I thought it would be worth trying to get out of it through my father's influence, but I didn't really think it would work. I wasn't expecting that Howler this morning, though."
"No, I can imagine not."
"So I decided that a week of tolerance towards Muggles wouldn't be so hard - it would only be for a week after all - and it was something I would need to do in order to graduate. But your parents were very different to anything I expected, and now - I need to do some thinking. The things I've seen and the things I've heard... so far, they don't seem to add up."
"Well, i'ts a start, I suppose, but you may change your opinion once you discover what Muggles have to do for work and housekeeping when they don't have magic!"
Draco grinned. "Probably!" he said. "I don't see how their lives can work, and you don't really expect me to have a change of heart overnight, do you?" He got up and stretched lazily.
"No I don't!" laughed Hermione. "But I've got to finish unpacking now, and I expect my parents are going to work soon and we'll need some money, so I'll talk to everyone later."
"OK," said Draco, who smiled at her and left.
When the door closed behind him, Hermione sat down on her bed and thought. This was a change indeed! Malfoy actually being nice? And... She thought over their conversation. Had she actually called him Draco? It was all very strange. She didn't trust him at all, yet he'd laid on the charm for her parents, who seemed to have instantly forgotten his rather insulting faux pas. Was he trying to charm her as well? Probably. She decided to keep an eye on him.
By Maenad
Disclaimer - These are the wonderful creations of JK, except for the wonderful creations that are mine!
Thanks for the reviews guys, they are all really encouraging. Sorry about the format problems - I had difficulty changing it from Word to a txt format. I'm sticking with the D/H, but for all you Ron fans out there I'll try and let him get a little action too. Please keep reviewing!
LIFE ON THE OTHER SIDE 2
"Are you going to be alright with this Hermione?"asked Ron as they walked towards the Great Hall for breakfast, wearing Muggle clothes and carrying suitcases. "Draco's going to make life hell for us, and your parents are really nice - I don't want them to have to put up with his nastiness."
"Don't worry Ron," she replied. "They're used to dealing with stroppy adolescents. One of my brothers - well, if he'd gone to Hogwarts as well, he'd definitely be a Slytherin, he was always getting into trouble and thinking himself superior than the rest of us. I'm clever, I admit, but he's a genius. Besides, none of us are going to have our wands, so Malfoy'll be at a disadvantage. Muggle life is so different to wizarding life that if he doesn't lose some of his attitude he will be at a complete loss, totally incapable of looking after himself. I can handle him, Ron, you'll see."
"Alright, Herm, I trust you - but I'm still going to worry."
"Don't worry too hard then. But I've got some things to tell you as well - I'm very different at home than I am at Hogwarts. You and Harry gave me a taste for rule-breaking, and when I get home - I guess I'm a little more relaxed about things."
Ron looked at Hermione in shock.
"It's OK Ron, I don't sleep around and do drugs. It's just a little bit of disobedience now and then. All I'm saying is, don't look too surprised at anything I say or do. I have a sort of double life, you see..."
They walked into the Great Hall and sat down to breakfast. The news that Hermione and Draco had been teamed up for their assignment had run quickly round the school, and the Gryffindors were wishing her luck and commiserating at her bad fortune. The Slytherins were jeering and sniggering at Draco, who was trying to ignore them. When the morning post came, Draco's owl landed at his table carrying a red envelope that was smoking at the edges. Looking resigned, he opened it.
"HOW DARE YOU ASK ME TO GET YOU OUT OF THIS ASSIGNMENT DRACO! YOU MUST LEARN TO DEAL WITH THESE PROBLEMS AS THEY COME ALONG - YOU CAN'T BE ALWAYS RELYING ON YOUR FATHER TO GET YOU OUT OF THEM! REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE A MALFOY AND START ACTING WITH THE HONOUR AND DIGNITY THAT IS YOUR INHERITANCE! YOU WILL TAKE THIS ASSIGNMENT OR YOU WILL NOT GRADUATE FROM HOGWARTS AND IF YOU DO NOT THEN YOU WILL NO LONGER BE A SON OF MINE! YOU MUST DO THIS DISTASTEFUL THING AND LEARN OBEDIENCE WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!"
The Howler shivelled up and disintegrated into ashes. Draco's face was a bright red, and all the House tables had burst into laughter.
"That'll serve him right!" said Harry. "If darling Daddy insists on his son mingling with Muggles there's no way Malfoy will get out of it!"
"That's the first Howler he's ever got, isn't it?" said Ron. "Poor dear, thinking himself Daddy's golden boy only to find himself publicly humiliated by him!"
Hermione laughed, and turned to look at Draco, who looked as though he was trying to hide. Their eyes met, and Hermione shrugged and raised her hands in the air in a gesture of helplessness. Draco looked away.
After breakfast, the groups collected their Portkeys from Professor McGonagall and hand in their wands. Ron was still trying to swallow his laughter every time he looked at Draco, and Sophie was biting her lip trying not to smile. Draco was still slightly embarrassed at first, but when 9:14 came around and Ron and Sophie showed no signs of letting up, he began to get angry.
"I really don't see what's so funny, Weasley," he snapped.
"The look on your face..." began Ron, only to dissolve into another fit of laughter.
"I'd rather have this look than look like you, Weasley. At least I'm not a..."
At this moment the Portkeys activated. The Great Hall dissolved in front of their eyes, and new surroundings began to appear.
"...rabid Muggle-lover like the rest of you!" Draco finished, and looked around to find himself in a small room, with armchairs, a carpet, curtains and pictures on the wall, and face to face with Hermione's parents.
Mr Granger was a tall, thin man with mousey brown hair and glasses. Mrs Granger had blonde frizzy hair and was slightly plump. They both had impeccable smiles on their faces, which had dimmed somewhat on hearing Draco's words. They rallied themselves well, however, and reached forward to hug Hermione hard.
"Are you alright dear? That method of transport is a bit surprising. We knew you would be here today at this time but we didn't expect you to arrive in this fashion," said Mr Granger.
"Don't worry Dad, it's perfectly safe," she replied. "That's the only bit of magic you'll be seeing while we're here, until we leave. Are you both well?" she continued, turning to her mother.
"We're all fine dear. Now, why don't you introduce us to your friends? Ah, Ron, isn't it? Are you well?"
"Fine thanks, Mrs Granger," he replied, and stepped forward to shake their hands.
"Marian, dear, call me Marian."
"And I'm Hugh. Pleased to meet you again Ron."
"Mum, this is Maria Delaney from Ravenclaw, and Sophie Finchett from Hufflepuff," said Hermione, gesturing to the girls in question. The Grangers shook their hands, and Mrs Granger kissed them both on the cheek. "And this is Draco Malfoy from Slytherin," she continued, gesturing to Draco.
"Ah, yes. Well, pleased to meet you Draco," said Mr Granger, extending his hand. Draco shook it, then stepped forward and kissed Mrs Granger's hand.
"Thank you very much for allowing us to spend some time in your charming home," he said, smiling politely at them.
"Mi casa es su casa," said Mr Granger, extending his arms to include the whole party. "Now Hermione, why don't you show everyone where they're staying? We can put the two young men in George's old room, and the two girls in Richard's room. You've had breakfast I assume? Well then, take as long as you want to get settled in."
The party thanked the Grangers once more, then Hermione led them upstairs to the bedrooms.
"You guys are in this room on the right, the girls are in the room on the left. My room is next to the girls' room, and the bathroom is at the end of the corridor. Shall we all sort our stuff out?"
Hermione was busy unpacking her suitcase when she heard a knock on the door.
"Come in!" she said. It was Draco, who entered, shut the door behind him, looked around and sat on a chair by her desk.
"You have a very pleasant room," he said, not looking at her.
"Not as large as yours, I'm sure," she replied snappily.
"No, but... it feels more comfortable," he said. Hermione's room was small, true, but it was decorated in a dark red colour, with old books and oak furniture, and adorned with plants and posters of old paintings. Draco was quiet for a few seconds and then said "I want to apologise for my bad behaviour earlier. Your parents were very gracious."
"An apology from Draco Malfoy?" said Hermione, looking at him astonished. "Not an everyday event."
"Such courtesy from people when I've insulted them, even inadvertently, is not an everyday event where I come from," he replied. "Is it then really so strange if I act out of character?"
"I suppose not. But Draco, it isn't really me you should apologise to," she said.
"I'll apologise to your parents later, when I've improved their opinion of me a little. Look, after I sent an owl to my father last night, I did a little thinking. I didn't really want to come, and I thought it would be worth trying to get out of it through my father's influence, but I didn't really think it would work. I wasn't expecting that Howler this morning, though."
"No, I can imagine not."
"So I decided that a week of tolerance towards Muggles wouldn't be so hard - it would only be for a week after all - and it was something I would need to do in order to graduate. But your parents were very different to anything I expected, and now - I need to do some thinking. The things I've seen and the things I've heard... so far, they don't seem to add up."
"Well, i'ts a start, I suppose, but you may change your opinion once you discover what Muggles have to do for work and housekeeping when they don't have magic!"
Draco grinned. "Probably!" he said. "I don't see how their lives can work, and you don't really expect me to have a change of heart overnight, do you?" He got up and stretched lazily.
"No I don't!" laughed Hermione. "But I've got to finish unpacking now, and I expect my parents are going to work soon and we'll need some money, so I'll talk to everyone later."
"OK," said Draco, who smiled at her and left.
When the door closed behind him, Hermione sat down on her bed and thought. This was a change indeed! Malfoy actually being nice? And... She thought over their conversation. Had she actually called him Draco? It was all very strange. She didn't trust him at all, yet he'd laid on the charm for her parents, who seemed to have instantly forgotten his rather insulting faux pas. Was he trying to charm her as well? Probably. She decided to keep an eye on him.