Disclaimer: Everything except the plot belongs to J.K. Rowling, and not to
me.
"Why isn't Hermione talking to you?" Draco looked up from his Defence Against The Dark Arts notes and found one of the first year Gryffindor girls watching him.
"I don't know." Draco looked tired. He had purple shadows under his eyes and his hair was sticking out as though he'd been repeatedly running his hands through it.
"Have you had a fight?" Draco was surprised that she was brave enough to question him when he didn't really want to talk. From the look on her face, so was she.
"What's your name?"
"Sarah." Her answer was almost a whisper. Draco looked down at the table.
"Well, Sarah, I've done something to upset Hermione, but I don't know what, and she won't tell me. She won't listen when I talk to her."
"That's not very fair of her." He glanced up, amazed that she was criticising one of her own prefects, but she was already running out of the library, her plait bouncing against her back.
*****
"What's wrong?" Ron sat down next to her on the sofa by the common room fire. Hermione shrugged and didn't answer. "Come on, Hermione, I know you well enough to know that something's up."
Hermione didn't want to answer. She'd never told Ron about what had happened between her and Draco, and she really didn't want to explain it now.
"I don't want to talk about it." She said finally in a small voice. Ron put his arm around her.
"You don't have to." Hermione relaxed against him and, much to her horror, started to cry. Ron just hugged her and stroked her hair until she managed to pull herself together. Finally she sniffed, found a tissue in her pocket and wiped her face.
"Sorry."
"That's okay."
Hermione suddenly smiled, a rather watery smiled but a genuine one. It occurred to her that most men would have panicked when confronted with a crying female, especially if they had five brothers.
"What?"
"Nothing." She shook her head and relaxed against him again. Ron just sat with his arm around her, stroking her hand absent-mindedly. Hermione realised that she'd missed this since they'd split up, they'd been careful not to get too close and she'd missed feeling comfortable, feeling safe like this.
"Feeling better now?" She nodded. Ron stood up and smiled down at her. "I've got some chocolate upstairs. I'll go and get it." She smiled back at him and he disappeared up the stairs to his dormitory.
"What's up between you and Draco?" Hermione stopped staring into the fire and looked up at the breathless girl who'd just come in through the portrait hole.
"I'm not speaking to him, Sarah." Hermione sounded tired. "He's a lying, double-crossing Slytherin and I don't want to talk about it."
"You're not much of a Gryffindor." Sarah stood her ground.
"What?" That got a reaction. "How dare you!"
"Draco said…" Sarah guessed that this was the wrong tactic. "The Sorting Hat said that Gryffindors are fair. Well I don't think it's fair that you won't listen to his side of things." Hermione stared at her. Sarah looked nervous, but continued. "It's not very brave either."
"Found them!" Ron came down the stairs waving a box of Chocolate Frogs. He stared as Sarah lost her nerve and bolted back out through the portrait hole. "What's going on?"
"I've just had a first year give me a piece of her mind."
"That was brave of her. I wouldn't dare!" Ron joked, opening the box. Hermione didn't smile as she stood up.
"That's what makes us Gryffindors, Ron. Bravery." She helped herself to a Chocolate Frog and swept out, leaving him opening and shutting his mouth in a pretty good impression of a goldfish.
*****
"Draco." He looked up from the book he wasn't reading as Hermione dropped into the seat opposite him. "I heard Pansy telling Millicent that you're only pretending to be friends with me so that you can tell your dad things about Harry." She folded her arms, sat back, and waited for him to answer. Draco blinked as he took in what she'd said.
"But that's not true!" He thought back to the conversations he'd had with his father over Christmas. "Dad wanted to know why I was hugging you at Kings Cross at Christmas, and I told him that I prefer to have you as a friend than as an enemy. He said that I could use you to get closer to Potter, but that's not why I talk to you. And I wouldn't pass anything you said on to my father even if Potter did do anything other than play Quidditch." He held her gaze for a few moments. Hermione stared back at him, as if trying to read his mind, then her shoulders slumped and she suddenly looked smaller.
"I'm sorry. I should have talked to you first. I should have trusted you…"
"But it seemed odd that I was being nice, and Pansy's explanation seemed plausible?" Draco reached across the table and took hold of her hand. "I don't blame you for not trusting me. I've hardly given you cause to over the past few years."
Hermione moved her hand and twined her fingers through his. "Sorry." She whispered again.
"Friends again?"
"Friends again." She smiled suddenly. "I know someone who's got a crush on you…"
"Why isn't Hermione talking to you?" Draco looked up from his Defence Against The Dark Arts notes and found one of the first year Gryffindor girls watching him.
"I don't know." Draco looked tired. He had purple shadows under his eyes and his hair was sticking out as though he'd been repeatedly running his hands through it.
"Have you had a fight?" Draco was surprised that she was brave enough to question him when he didn't really want to talk. From the look on her face, so was she.
"What's your name?"
"Sarah." Her answer was almost a whisper. Draco looked down at the table.
"Well, Sarah, I've done something to upset Hermione, but I don't know what, and she won't tell me. She won't listen when I talk to her."
"That's not very fair of her." He glanced up, amazed that she was criticising one of her own prefects, but she was already running out of the library, her plait bouncing against her back.
*****
"What's wrong?" Ron sat down next to her on the sofa by the common room fire. Hermione shrugged and didn't answer. "Come on, Hermione, I know you well enough to know that something's up."
Hermione didn't want to answer. She'd never told Ron about what had happened between her and Draco, and she really didn't want to explain it now.
"I don't want to talk about it." She said finally in a small voice. Ron put his arm around her.
"You don't have to." Hermione relaxed against him and, much to her horror, started to cry. Ron just hugged her and stroked her hair until she managed to pull herself together. Finally she sniffed, found a tissue in her pocket and wiped her face.
"Sorry."
"That's okay."
Hermione suddenly smiled, a rather watery smiled but a genuine one. It occurred to her that most men would have panicked when confronted with a crying female, especially if they had five brothers.
"What?"
"Nothing." She shook her head and relaxed against him again. Ron just sat with his arm around her, stroking her hand absent-mindedly. Hermione realised that she'd missed this since they'd split up, they'd been careful not to get too close and she'd missed feeling comfortable, feeling safe like this.
"Feeling better now?" She nodded. Ron stood up and smiled down at her. "I've got some chocolate upstairs. I'll go and get it." She smiled back at him and he disappeared up the stairs to his dormitory.
"What's up between you and Draco?" Hermione stopped staring into the fire and looked up at the breathless girl who'd just come in through the portrait hole.
"I'm not speaking to him, Sarah." Hermione sounded tired. "He's a lying, double-crossing Slytherin and I don't want to talk about it."
"You're not much of a Gryffindor." Sarah stood her ground.
"What?" That got a reaction. "How dare you!"
"Draco said…" Sarah guessed that this was the wrong tactic. "The Sorting Hat said that Gryffindors are fair. Well I don't think it's fair that you won't listen to his side of things." Hermione stared at her. Sarah looked nervous, but continued. "It's not very brave either."
"Found them!" Ron came down the stairs waving a box of Chocolate Frogs. He stared as Sarah lost her nerve and bolted back out through the portrait hole. "What's going on?"
"I've just had a first year give me a piece of her mind."
"That was brave of her. I wouldn't dare!" Ron joked, opening the box. Hermione didn't smile as she stood up.
"That's what makes us Gryffindors, Ron. Bravery." She helped herself to a Chocolate Frog and swept out, leaving him opening and shutting his mouth in a pretty good impression of a goldfish.
*****
"Draco." He looked up from the book he wasn't reading as Hermione dropped into the seat opposite him. "I heard Pansy telling Millicent that you're only pretending to be friends with me so that you can tell your dad things about Harry." She folded her arms, sat back, and waited for him to answer. Draco blinked as he took in what she'd said.
"But that's not true!" He thought back to the conversations he'd had with his father over Christmas. "Dad wanted to know why I was hugging you at Kings Cross at Christmas, and I told him that I prefer to have you as a friend than as an enemy. He said that I could use you to get closer to Potter, but that's not why I talk to you. And I wouldn't pass anything you said on to my father even if Potter did do anything other than play Quidditch." He held her gaze for a few moments. Hermione stared back at him, as if trying to read his mind, then her shoulders slumped and she suddenly looked smaller.
"I'm sorry. I should have talked to you first. I should have trusted you…"
"But it seemed odd that I was being nice, and Pansy's explanation seemed plausible?" Draco reached across the table and took hold of her hand. "I don't blame you for not trusting me. I've hardly given you cause to over the past few years."
Hermione moved her hand and twined her fingers through his. "Sorry." She whispered again.
"Friends again?"
"Friends again." She smiled suddenly. "I know someone who's got a crush on you…"