DISCLAIMER: I own only the plot. Everything else is owned by JKRowling.
***
Rita Skeeter approached me, asking if I had anything "interesting" to say about Hagrid. I didn't know what to do. Hagrid was Hermione's friend. If I said anything bad about him she'd hate me even more. I couldn't face that. But Crabbe and Goyle were with me. Staring at me. Waiting for me to say something.
"Erm..." I began, wondering how to finish.
But Rita Skeeter's Quick-Quotes Quill decided what I was saying for me. "We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything."
Before I could protest, Crabbe said, "And you got attacked by that hippo-thingy. What was it called?"
"A Hippogriff?" prompted Rita.
"Yeah, one of them. And I got bit by a flobberworm." he added. This was a lie of course.
I couldn't say anything. If they thought I was standing up for Hagrid my life wouldn't be worth living. But when Hermione sees this... It didn't bear thinking about.
Seeing Potter being best friends with Hermione did not improve my mood over the next weeks, and in Care of Magical Creatures, I couldn't help gloating about the article. Big mistake. I forgot to get it back off him and the first thing he did was show it to Hermione. The look on her face! She hated me. More than ever probably. I was never going to win her over. Ever.
On the next Hogsmede weekend, I was in the Three Broomsticks with a group of Slytherins. I saw Hermione with Potter and Weasley, drinking Butterbeer and looking miserable. I felt rotten. I'd been taunting Potter since the article in the "Daily Prophet" and for the first time I felt guilty. Hermione looked so sad. I wanted to apologise. But what would the others think? Then Rita Skeeter started talking to them and Hermione went ballistic. She stood up and shouted at Rita in front of the whole pub. The other Slytherins were laughing at her but I couldn't bring myself to. I was in awe of her. Not only beautiful and clever, but willing to stand up for herself and others. None of the Slytherin girls were like that. None of the other girls in the school were like that!
A few days after the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament found me sat in the Slytherin common room, deep in thought about Hermione. How was I going to show her I'm different? That she's got the wrong idea about me?
"Draco... Draco..." Pansy Parkinson was stood over me, a smirk on her pug face, "Have you read this?" She was holding a copy of "Witch Weekly" in her hand.
"Why would I read a woman's magazine you stupid mutt?" I asked grumpily.
A blush crept across her face and she looked startlingly close to tears. "I thought you might find this interesting. It's about the chipmunk." With that she dropped it in my lap and ran to the girls' dormitories.
I read the article about the Potter-Hermione-Krum love triangle with a mixture of hurt and anger. I'd known that she'd gone to the ball with Krum but I had no idea that she was his actual girlfriend. As for Potter, I'd always figured the two of them were just friends. I had always thought I had a fairly clear shot at her. I didn't realise she had this huge love-life going on. It was official. I hated Krum and Potter equally.
Later on, in potions, Pansy had thrown the magazine at Hermione to read but Professor Snape caught her reading it and, to embarrass her and Potter all the more, he read it out loud. Hermione blushed and Potter looked completely humiliated. I don't care about Potter but Snape shouldn't have read it out. It obviously distressed Hermione and I really felt for her. I could feel my own face burning. Snape didn't have any idea how much pain he was inflicting. Every word tormented me.
"What's wrong with you?" Goyle asked me, "You've gone all red."
"I feel sick." I muttered.
I didn't go to any more lessons that day. I went and lay on my bed in the dormitory, thinking about Hermione. What was I supposed to do? We could never be together. Her Muggle parentage meant that my father would never accept her. The amount of Muggles and Muggle-borns he killed when he was a Death Eater! He'd want her dead. He'd want me dead for being involved with her. I couldn't face it. And the majority of my Slytherin friends have parents who were Death Eaters. They would shun me as well.
So I made my decision.
I would wait until the summer and then write to her at home. Persuade her of my feelings. Try to make her see that I'm not all bad. Whether it would work or not was another matter.
I didn't know then what I know now though. That the Dark Lord would be back before the summer holidays. Then I would not only have to make her like me, I would have to keep her safe from harm as well.
***
Rita Skeeter approached me, asking if I had anything "interesting" to say about Hagrid. I didn't know what to do. Hagrid was Hermione's friend. If I said anything bad about him she'd hate me even more. I couldn't face that. But Crabbe and Goyle were with me. Staring at me. Waiting for me to say something.
"Erm..." I began, wondering how to finish.
But Rita Skeeter's Quick-Quotes Quill decided what I was saying for me. "We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything."
Before I could protest, Crabbe said, "And you got attacked by that hippo-thingy. What was it called?"
"A Hippogriff?" prompted Rita.
"Yeah, one of them. And I got bit by a flobberworm." he added. This was a lie of course.
I couldn't say anything. If they thought I was standing up for Hagrid my life wouldn't be worth living. But when Hermione sees this... It didn't bear thinking about.
Seeing Potter being best friends with Hermione did not improve my mood over the next weeks, and in Care of Magical Creatures, I couldn't help gloating about the article. Big mistake. I forgot to get it back off him and the first thing he did was show it to Hermione. The look on her face! She hated me. More than ever probably. I was never going to win her over. Ever.
On the next Hogsmede weekend, I was in the Three Broomsticks with a group of Slytherins. I saw Hermione with Potter and Weasley, drinking Butterbeer and looking miserable. I felt rotten. I'd been taunting Potter since the article in the "Daily Prophet" and for the first time I felt guilty. Hermione looked so sad. I wanted to apologise. But what would the others think? Then Rita Skeeter started talking to them and Hermione went ballistic. She stood up and shouted at Rita in front of the whole pub. The other Slytherins were laughing at her but I couldn't bring myself to. I was in awe of her. Not only beautiful and clever, but willing to stand up for herself and others. None of the Slytherin girls were like that. None of the other girls in the school were like that!
A few days after the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament found me sat in the Slytherin common room, deep in thought about Hermione. How was I going to show her I'm different? That she's got the wrong idea about me?
"Draco... Draco..." Pansy Parkinson was stood over me, a smirk on her pug face, "Have you read this?" She was holding a copy of "Witch Weekly" in her hand.
"Why would I read a woman's magazine you stupid mutt?" I asked grumpily.
A blush crept across her face and she looked startlingly close to tears. "I thought you might find this interesting. It's about the chipmunk." With that she dropped it in my lap and ran to the girls' dormitories.
I read the article about the Potter-Hermione-Krum love triangle with a mixture of hurt and anger. I'd known that she'd gone to the ball with Krum but I had no idea that she was his actual girlfriend. As for Potter, I'd always figured the two of them were just friends. I had always thought I had a fairly clear shot at her. I didn't realise she had this huge love-life going on. It was official. I hated Krum and Potter equally.
Later on, in potions, Pansy had thrown the magazine at Hermione to read but Professor Snape caught her reading it and, to embarrass her and Potter all the more, he read it out loud. Hermione blushed and Potter looked completely humiliated. I don't care about Potter but Snape shouldn't have read it out. It obviously distressed Hermione and I really felt for her. I could feel my own face burning. Snape didn't have any idea how much pain he was inflicting. Every word tormented me.
"What's wrong with you?" Goyle asked me, "You've gone all red."
"I feel sick." I muttered.
I didn't go to any more lessons that day. I went and lay on my bed in the dormitory, thinking about Hermione. What was I supposed to do? We could never be together. Her Muggle parentage meant that my father would never accept her. The amount of Muggles and Muggle-borns he killed when he was a Death Eater! He'd want her dead. He'd want me dead for being involved with her. I couldn't face it. And the majority of my Slytherin friends have parents who were Death Eaters. They would shun me as well.
So I made my decision.
I would wait until the summer and then write to her at home. Persuade her of my feelings. Try to make her see that I'm not all bad. Whether it would work or not was another matter.
I didn't know then what I know now though. That the Dark Lord would be back before the summer holidays. Then I would not only have to make her like me, I would have to keep her safe from harm as well.