A/N- This is Caroline, sorry it took me so long, my computer broke.
A/N from Maggie- Caroline wanted to add ch.8… yay! Her pc is fixed up!
Disclaimer- Duh, own no one.
Draco slowly went into the great Hall, where the Slytherins were all waiting for him to tell his tale. But that's not what he wanted. Where's Hermione?
Draco scanned the room, sitting down in his usual seat at the Slytherin table. Nobody would dare to take his seat, not after he beat a few kids up who did less then set a corner of their plate in his own area.
He was showered with questions, which could have easily driven someone mad. He simply ignored them, but they buzzed by his ears, slow and sliding by like the whispers of silk against skin.
"Draco, where were you?"
"Are you all right?"
"Are you going to be all right, are you coming to classes tomarrow?"
"Can I get you anything, Draco?"
Get away for a while
Here I amout on my own again
Won't blame it on myself
Just then Hermione walked in, she sat down across from Ron and Harry at Gryffindor table. Her eyes trailed to Draco, almost embarrassed, very unsure whether to acknowledge his presence. Draco, still somewhat embarrassed with himself, nodded very slightly to show he saw her and wished her a good day, but then he returned his gaze to his plate.
"Oh, look, it's Mudblood Granger." said Pansy, glaring at her across the room.
"Hey, don't call her that." Draco said, hoarsely. He couldn't understand his own voice, it just came out. "She sort of helped me out."
" Oh, really?" Pansy frowned. " Then go thank her, you baby!"
" Maybe I will go thank her." Draco said, angrily, and then stood, then headed to the Gryffindor table, where he sat down in the empty seat next to Hermione. The Slytherins and Gryffindors were now staring towards Draco and Hermione, almost expecting Draco to say it was a joke.
Standing on the shore
Calling out your name
I was here before
I could see your face
"What do you want here, Malfoy? Leave her alone." Ron said angrily.
"Ron!" Hermione said, suddenly. " What, Draco?" She turned her head to him, almost expecting him to pull a trick. She knew that they had something between one another, but she wasn't sure whether he was really going to just come up to her in front of everyone for no reason at all.
"Can I talk to you alone?" He asked.
"Now?" asked Hermione, taken back.
Draco nodded and they headed to the outside of the Hall. Draco wasn't about to go and talk to her aloud in front of everyone. He had to thank her in seclusion, so that the Slytherins wouldn't give him a hard time about it. After all, he owed a lot to Hermione, and he had to pay her back somehow.
Alone I can hear
Hear our song
Playing for me again
Won't blame it on myself
The Hogwarts hallway was filled with students that were studying, kneeling or sitting Indian-style on the floor, books balanced in their laps. This wasn't a good place and time to discuss things with Hermione. Draco looked at her nervously, the Malfoy pride shining in his eyes like new shillings. Hermione shrugged and said, softly: "We can go outside."
He took the lead, keeping a humiliated step away from her. This was going to take some getting used to. Finally, they walked around the high wall outside the building and eventually ended up by the lake. Draco climbed up the rock by the waterside and held out his hand to Hermione. She took it gingerly and climbed up beside him.
"Hermione, are you busy tonight?" He said, finally. " I was thinking that I'd take you to Hogsmeade, since tomorrow isn't a school day and all." He skipped a rock across the water. It didn't skip very far and his ears turned red. " I was… I mean, I need to pay you back. Somehow. I can't just do this all for free."
Hermione was surprised by his words, since he had told her his secret, she figured he'd be a little shy around her. Then again, he was acting shy anyhow, but she judged from his words that he was making progress. She hadn't thought he'd want to involve himself with her any longer after getting everything out of his system to her.
"Uh, Draco, I don't... I don't know what to say... I can't." She looked at her hands. Her capped fingernails had dirt beneath them. She suddenly realized that she should have cleaned them out after taking the Quidditch supplies the day before.
"Just say yes. I can't have this hanging over my head." He spoke as if he couldn't care less about the date, but just the honor of it.
"Yeah, sure, Draco." She shrugged, also nonchalant.
"Really?!" He looked at her, not bothering to feign ignorance or nonchalance. He truly was happy. For a second, his face flickered to the dull, uptight grimace and he said: " I mean, that's good." Then, he laughed and did something odd. Draco threw his arms around her neck.
Hermione cautiously patted his back. She hated to admit it but she felt comforted by his warmth. She felt safe.
Oh blame it on the weatherman
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Hermione climbed throught the portrait of the fat lady around midnight. The common room was nearly cleared with the exception of Ron and Harry.
"Hermione!"
"Hermione! Where were you?"
Hermione, just smiled and sat down. It had been a wonderful night. Draco had taken her out to Hogsmeade, and after wonderful butter beer, they sat talking the whole night. They did have a couple things in common, a book they had read in their childhood, a similar and silly phobia of the dark, which they both laughed over. Draco had gone as far as sneaking into the kitchens and he emerged with desserts and two self-burning candles. At the end of the night, Draco had kissed her, but on the cheek, and then he turned very red and said: " Just because I'm happy that I paid back my debt to you." He didn't look as if he wanted to end his 'paying back' there, for he asked if she'd like to do it again.
Now, standing there, confronted with her best friends, she heard Harry say:
"Don't tell me you had fun with Malfoy?"
" Maybe." She said, putting on Malfoy's nonchalant face. Then, she burst out laughing, and Ron and Harry could never figure out what she meant.
A/N- Please review!!
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