Chapter Two
Draco Malfoy sat thinking in the 'game room' of St. Mugles home for the mentally ill. But he was different from the other patients. He, unlike the others was sitting there still, quiet and completely sane. He had just told a Weasley the true story about what had happened in the forbidden forest and he had never told anyone else.
"Master Malfoy are you Alright?" Draco looked up and saw the kind face of Ms. McCane, his nurse. He could almost smile if he hadn't been a Malfoy, but he was a Malfoy. And there was only one person who could make him believe differently. But she was dead. So he replied.
"I'm fine. Thanks"
"Alright." She turned and conversed with some of the other nurses in the room.
The story had come back so clearly to him and yet before telling it he couldn't remember a bit of it. After the adventure Hermione and him seemed to be obsessed with making everything seem normal. Causing fight, throwing curses at each other left and right. Every once in a while Draco would sent Hermione an owl but she never did write back. And even that stopped after a short while. And when school ended Draco became a death eater as his father wanted him too. And to his knowledge Hermione never told a sole what happened in the forest either.
"What a shame." He muttered out loud as he stood. He told his nurse he wanted to leave and leave he did, he went to his room, and fell fast asleep.
It had been a month since Draco had come to the institution. He was in Ginny Weasley's office and he found himself thinking about the next time he met up with Hermione.
"The next time I met up with Hermione, she was a fully qualified auror with eight years of training behind her wand." Draco said, "Most aurors were required to have ten years of training, but times were getting worse with the dark lord and they needed more on our side. well, she was the most intelligent witch of her age but... she should have stayed on those extra two years."
~~~
"Draco Malfoy." Draco stepped forward "Come with me." Draco followed without question to the keep where all the prisoners of the dark side were. To the most highly guarded area was where he was taken and when there her saw the newest captured prisoner. "Mudblood filth." The dark lord spat at the prisoner. "She was captured after taking prisoner a good third of our men. I just thought I'd let you know."
"What are you going to do with her?" Draco asked.
"Kill her obviously. But not yet."
"Why?"
"Patience. The time will come. And one of my death eaters need to be taught a lesson." Draco follower his master out of the keep just then only to return later. When he did he found it strange that there was not a single guard around. No matter, the prisoners didn't need guards to keep them in. The fear of the dark lord was enough. He tiptoed to where the cell he was at earlier was and whispered through the bars,
"Granger." He saw her figure stir and look over at him. When she saw who it was, she rose slowly to her knees then to her feet and calmly walked over to the door. Their eyes locked and a moment past where neither of them were quite sure what to say. They in fact weren't quite sure weather they were friends or enemies. But, soon Draco spoke,
Well, I only came down to thank you." He had an abundance of sarcasm in his voice and Hermione was to tired to think about why so she just asked,
"For?"
"For when you assured me that my whole life was an act. That got me to thinking about other ways to live my life than this and I understand that, that's not good for a death eater."
She nodded absentmindedly thinking about the obscene hours of torture he must have gone through for this simple thing.
"That's what's wrong with men." She finally stated. "You could try to help them all you want, but at the finish they always end in messing everything up anyway." She paused for a moment then added "-and you know what the real problem is? They don't even know how to use a broom for anything but quiddich so they can't clean up all of the crumbs they've left behind."
She blinked then turned around and said, "If you don't mind, I have some thinking to do."
"No doubt about the next insult you're going to throw at me. How pathetic."
Hermione turned back around in false wonder,
"Yes that's just it Malfoy! Boy, are you quick today! You might just want to consider quitting all this dark arts stuff and taking up a career as Trelawny's apprentice! Oh wait, no... damn it." Hermione put her hand to her mouth and ended her statement with,
"I forgot. You killed her. I guess that's out."
Draco sighed allowing her statement to hit him full in the face.
"Can't you just contain yourself for once?" He asked
"Can't you?" Hermione asked back. "and can two people taught from a young age to believe in two completely different things ever stop quarreling? If there parents disciplined them towards believing in one thing, they may still think their own way but might be to frightened to go against what their parents are teaching them." By now Draco was frowning a bit, but Hermione continued.
"There is a difference, Draco. Between fighting for what you believe in and fighting for what others believe for you."
She looked in his eyes and he looked back. They shared a moment of deep understanding but Draco's stubbornness overcame him and he looked away scowling a bit. With out another word he walked from the keep where Hermione stood waiting for a night full of torture.
Draco didn't go back to see Hemione until three days later. When he did, she looked weak and worn out which was understandable considering all of the victims had to withstand the crusious curse every night.
"Hello." Draco said as he came to the door. Hermione turned around and looked at him for a while then nodded hello. She struggled to stand but succeeded and soon her eyes were level with his eyes.
"Not doing very well are you?" He asked.
"What do you mean? I'm fine." She said sleepily, "Just a little tired."
"You know your right." He said, "about the 'act' thing. You were right all along. Your always right."
Hermione waited but realized he had nothing more to say so she said for him,
"But..."
"But..." Draco picked up, "he's pounded it in to my head so long, I believe it myself."
Hermione closed her eyes and put her hands to her face rubbing her eyes,
"And to think..." She murmured to herself.
"To think what?" Draco asked.
She looked at him and said, "Never mind"
"OK..." Draco said, "You know some times I wonder how things would be different if the dark lord never existed."
"Doesn't everyone?" Hermione asked.
"You have changed so much since Hogwarts."
She raised her eyebrows and said,
"I would hope so."
"Why?" Draco asked.
"I was foolish in Hogwarts."
"Why do you think that? Because you actually started to like me?" Draco asked,
"I never-"
"Never what? Liked me?" Draco finished for her. "Yeah. Well that makes sense." He added looking up at the ceiling. "That's why for an entire day you called me Draco as opposed to Malfoy."
Hermione sighed getting irritated,
"No"
"Then enlighten me. Why did you do such a thing if you had no feelings for me but hatred?"
"I don't hate you." Hermione said and was going to say more when Draco's dark mark began burning.
"Keep that thought." He whispered before running from the keep to disapperate.
Two nights later Draco went back to see her again. This time she could no longer stand from being tortured and food deprived for almost a week. So she just stayed laying on the ground looking at the ceiling as they talked.
"This isn't how I intended to die." She said, "But I guess it's inevitable that I die in this cell." She sighed and looked at him. "Why haven't I been killed yet?" She asked.
"The-the dark lord has mysterious ways"
She seemed satisfied with this answer and looked back at the ceiling.
"When I was little, like really little, I'm talking five of six I used to want to live forever as a princess or queen of some powerful country. But as I learned more in school, I saw royalty wasn't all it was cracked up to be. I soon wanted to be a mother. And only a mother. But even that dream left me as I became more in to my school work. When I first got my Hogwarts letter I thought it was all a brilliant joke, but I soon found myself fantasizing showing off in front of normal people, levitating things from one side of the room to the other. When I read about Harry, I dreamed of marrying him and becoming famous, and when I first heard of the dark lord, I found myself wishing I had as much power as he.
Draco looked surprised,
"Hermione Granger. I never thought you to be so... average."
Hermione smiled, "As I got older I acquired new ideas and I saw myself saving Harry and defeating the dark lord." She laughed a bit, "No I never thought I'd die like this."
It was silent for awhile then Draco spoke,
"Hermione, If you didn't hate me. And you didn't like me, what were you feeling?"
Hermione sighed, "I liked you. I just never wanted to admit it. But it's different now."
"What's different?" Draco asked.
"My feelings for you."
"Oh. How have they changed?"
"I don't like you anymore." Hermione looked at him as his face fell. "I love you."
~~~
Ginny looked up from her desk as Draco recalled what Hermione said and grinned.
She waited for him to say something more and when he didn't she asked,
"That's it?"
"That's all I care to tell today. Someday you'll here more and regret it."
"Why?"
"If I were to tell you, there would be no point in telling the rest of the story. You're just going to have to use your exquisite patience and wait."
She sighed and nodded. "Very well. You may go. Ms. McCane!"
Draco Malfoy sat thinking in the 'game room' of St. Mugles home for the mentally ill. But he was different from the other patients. He, unlike the others was sitting there still, quiet and completely sane. He had just told a Weasley the true story about what had happened in the forbidden forest and he had never told anyone else.
"Master Malfoy are you Alright?" Draco looked up and saw the kind face of Ms. McCane, his nurse. He could almost smile if he hadn't been a Malfoy, but he was a Malfoy. And there was only one person who could make him believe differently. But she was dead. So he replied.
"I'm fine. Thanks"
"Alright." She turned and conversed with some of the other nurses in the room.
The story had come back so clearly to him and yet before telling it he couldn't remember a bit of it. After the adventure Hermione and him seemed to be obsessed with making everything seem normal. Causing fight, throwing curses at each other left and right. Every once in a while Draco would sent Hermione an owl but she never did write back. And even that stopped after a short while. And when school ended Draco became a death eater as his father wanted him too. And to his knowledge Hermione never told a sole what happened in the forest either.
"What a shame." He muttered out loud as he stood. He told his nurse he wanted to leave and leave he did, he went to his room, and fell fast asleep.
It had been a month since Draco had come to the institution. He was in Ginny Weasley's office and he found himself thinking about the next time he met up with Hermione.
"The next time I met up with Hermione, she was a fully qualified auror with eight years of training behind her wand." Draco said, "Most aurors were required to have ten years of training, but times were getting worse with the dark lord and they needed more on our side. well, she was the most intelligent witch of her age but... she should have stayed on those extra two years."
~~~
"Draco Malfoy." Draco stepped forward "Come with me." Draco followed without question to the keep where all the prisoners of the dark side were. To the most highly guarded area was where he was taken and when there her saw the newest captured prisoner. "Mudblood filth." The dark lord spat at the prisoner. "She was captured after taking prisoner a good third of our men. I just thought I'd let you know."
"What are you going to do with her?" Draco asked.
"Kill her obviously. But not yet."
"Why?"
"Patience. The time will come. And one of my death eaters need to be taught a lesson." Draco follower his master out of the keep just then only to return later. When he did he found it strange that there was not a single guard around. No matter, the prisoners didn't need guards to keep them in. The fear of the dark lord was enough. He tiptoed to where the cell he was at earlier was and whispered through the bars,
"Granger." He saw her figure stir and look over at him. When she saw who it was, she rose slowly to her knees then to her feet and calmly walked over to the door. Their eyes locked and a moment past where neither of them were quite sure what to say. They in fact weren't quite sure weather they were friends or enemies. But, soon Draco spoke,
Well, I only came down to thank you." He had an abundance of sarcasm in his voice and Hermione was to tired to think about why so she just asked,
"For?"
"For when you assured me that my whole life was an act. That got me to thinking about other ways to live my life than this and I understand that, that's not good for a death eater."
She nodded absentmindedly thinking about the obscene hours of torture he must have gone through for this simple thing.
"That's what's wrong with men." She finally stated. "You could try to help them all you want, but at the finish they always end in messing everything up anyway." She paused for a moment then added "-and you know what the real problem is? They don't even know how to use a broom for anything but quiddich so they can't clean up all of the crumbs they've left behind."
She blinked then turned around and said, "If you don't mind, I have some thinking to do."
"No doubt about the next insult you're going to throw at me. How pathetic."
Hermione turned back around in false wonder,
"Yes that's just it Malfoy! Boy, are you quick today! You might just want to consider quitting all this dark arts stuff and taking up a career as Trelawny's apprentice! Oh wait, no... damn it." Hermione put her hand to her mouth and ended her statement with,
"I forgot. You killed her. I guess that's out."
Draco sighed allowing her statement to hit him full in the face.
"Can't you just contain yourself for once?" He asked
"Can't you?" Hermione asked back. "and can two people taught from a young age to believe in two completely different things ever stop quarreling? If there parents disciplined them towards believing in one thing, they may still think their own way but might be to frightened to go against what their parents are teaching them." By now Draco was frowning a bit, but Hermione continued.
"There is a difference, Draco. Between fighting for what you believe in and fighting for what others believe for you."
She looked in his eyes and he looked back. They shared a moment of deep understanding but Draco's stubbornness overcame him and he looked away scowling a bit. With out another word he walked from the keep where Hermione stood waiting for a night full of torture.
Draco didn't go back to see Hemione until three days later. When he did, she looked weak and worn out which was understandable considering all of the victims had to withstand the crusious curse every night.
"Hello." Draco said as he came to the door. Hermione turned around and looked at him for a while then nodded hello. She struggled to stand but succeeded and soon her eyes were level with his eyes.
"Not doing very well are you?" He asked.
"What do you mean? I'm fine." She said sleepily, "Just a little tired."
"You know your right." He said, "about the 'act' thing. You were right all along. Your always right."
Hermione waited but realized he had nothing more to say so she said for him,
"But..."
"But..." Draco picked up, "he's pounded it in to my head so long, I believe it myself."
Hermione closed her eyes and put her hands to her face rubbing her eyes,
"And to think..." She murmured to herself.
"To think what?" Draco asked.
She looked at him and said, "Never mind"
"OK..." Draco said, "You know some times I wonder how things would be different if the dark lord never existed."
"Doesn't everyone?" Hermione asked.
"You have changed so much since Hogwarts."
She raised her eyebrows and said,
"I would hope so."
"Why?" Draco asked.
"I was foolish in Hogwarts."
"Why do you think that? Because you actually started to like me?" Draco asked,
"I never-"
"Never what? Liked me?" Draco finished for her. "Yeah. Well that makes sense." He added looking up at the ceiling. "That's why for an entire day you called me Draco as opposed to Malfoy."
Hermione sighed getting irritated,
"No"
"Then enlighten me. Why did you do such a thing if you had no feelings for me but hatred?"
"I don't hate you." Hermione said and was going to say more when Draco's dark mark began burning.
"Keep that thought." He whispered before running from the keep to disapperate.
Two nights later Draco went back to see her again. This time she could no longer stand from being tortured and food deprived for almost a week. So she just stayed laying on the ground looking at the ceiling as they talked.
"This isn't how I intended to die." She said, "But I guess it's inevitable that I die in this cell." She sighed and looked at him. "Why haven't I been killed yet?" She asked.
"The-the dark lord has mysterious ways"
She seemed satisfied with this answer and looked back at the ceiling.
"When I was little, like really little, I'm talking five of six I used to want to live forever as a princess or queen of some powerful country. But as I learned more in school, I saw royalty wasn't all it was cracked up to be. I soon wanted to be a mother. And only a mother. But even that dream left me as I became more in to my school work. When I first got my Hogwarts letter I thought it was all a brilliant joke, but I soon found myself fantasizing showing off in front of normal people, levitating things from one side of the room to the other. When I read about Harry, I dreamed of marrying him and becoming famous, and when I first heard of the dark lord, I found myself wishing I had as much power as he.
Draco looked surprised,
"Hermione Granger. I never thought you to be so... average."
Hermione smiled, "As I got older I acquired new ideas and I saw myself saving Harry and defeating the dark lord." She laughed a bit, "No I never thought I'd die like this."
It was silent for awhile then Draco spoke,
"Hermione, If you didn't hate me. And you didn't like me, what were you feeling?"
Hermione sighed, "I liked you. I just never wanted to admit it. But it's different now."
"What's different?" Draco asked.
"My feelings for you."
"Oh. How have they changed?"
"I don't like you anymore." Hermione looked at him as his face fell. "I love you."
~~~
Ginny looked up from her desk as Draco recalled what Hermione said and grinned.
She waited for him to say something more and when he didn't she asked,
"That's it?"
"That's all I care to tell today. Someday you'll here more and regret it."
"Why?"
"If I were to tell you, there would be no point in telling the rest of the story. You're just going to have to use your exquisite patience and wait."
She sighed and nodded. "Very well. You may go. Ms. McCane!"