CHAPTER 3
September 1 came quickly. Before he knew it, Draco was in the Great Hall with the rest of the Slytherins. Crabbe and Goyle were on one side of him, and Pansy Parkinson was on the other.
"Drakey, hunny, you want me to come to your dorm after the feast. I know it must be terrible living with the Mudblood," Pansy wailed.
"Pansy, I never liked you and I never will. I will never hug you and I would never dream of kissing you. I hate you. I hate the way you're always around me, holding on to me, and I despise when you call me Drakey. And don't ever let me hear you call Granger a Mudblood again!"
By now, most of the Great Hall was staring at Draco and Pansy. His cheeks turned pink because he hadn't meant for everyone to hear him. "Go back to your food."
After saying this, he stormed out of the Great Hall.
Hermione looked around at Harry and Ron. "I've gotta go," she said.
"Why?" said Ron. "You gunna go comfort Ferret Boy?"
"Don't call him that!" she snapped as she stood up.
"Hermione, you alright?" asked Harry.
"I'm fine."
She hurried out the Great Hall to find Draco.
Draco went out the oak doors and onto the grounds. He stood, staring out at the lake and watching the giant squid dance across it.
"Draco?" came a voice
He whirled around and saw Hermione. "What?" Then he turned to face the lake a gain.
"I-uh-well-I wanted to thank you for-well sticking up for me."
"It was nothing. I just figured if I can't call you that, than no one can."
"If it makes you feel any better, I told off Ron for calling you what I said I wouldn't."
He just nodded, then turned to face her. "Did you just call me Draco?"
"Um," she blushed a deep shade of red. "Well, yeah."
He smiled, then said, "Thanks, Hermione."
Draco pulled Hermione into a hug, and they just stood there for a while, totally oblivious to the world.
"Let's go back in," suggested Draco. "The feast is probably almost over. And they need to announce Head Boy and Girl. They can't do that without us." He smirked and Hermione smiled as they headed toward the Great Hall.
Dumbledore looked up when they walked in. "And our new Head Boy and Girl.Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger."
The students and teachers broke into applause as Draco and Hermione sat in their seats. Draco watched Hermione as she sat between Harry and Ron. She was blushing furiously, but neither Harry nor Ron were smiling or clapping.
He continued watching as they started hissing something to her. Her face lost all color and she looked like she was going to cry.
It angered Draco to see Hermione so upset. He got up and walked over to the Gryffindor table. "What the hell are you saying to her?" he yelled at Harry and Ron.
"That's none of your damn business, Malfoy," answered Ron.
"Yeah, so get the hell outta here you slimy git, before I make you," threatened Harry.
"How will you make me, you scrawny piece of shit? I would stay away from Hermione if you don't wanna get your asses kicked. "You hurt her and I swear to God-" Draco broke off, then said to Hermione, "Come on, let's go."
She willingly got up and followed him back to their common room. They walked most of the way in silence before Draco asked, "What did those assholes say to you?"
"They said that they didn't want me hanging around you. And I told them I had to because we're Head Boy and Head Girl. Then they said-Darkness is Forever-they said that you're bad news and if I start hanging out with you, I'd be just like you. Then I said that you'd changed, and they said that someone like you can't change and you're just 'a stupid mother fucker who's using me.' I told them that you weren't and that you were actually pretty nice when you wanted to be. They said, 'Malfoy's wouldn't know what nice was if it kicked them up the ass.' That's when you came over and saved me."
They were sitting on a couch and Draco had his arm around her. "Don't listen to them. Friends like that aren't real friends. You have to make your own decisions, they can't make them for you," he said.
"We've had fights before," she continued, "but they were never over who I could be friends with. I hate when they team up. And it's always them versus me. I hate it! Sometimes I hate them!"
"I know you don't hate them, that's my job, not yours." Draco smirked.
This brought a smile to her face. "You're right. I don't hate them, I'm just mad at them."
"I get mad at my friends all the time, it's not illegal. I know they'll get over it. You guys are never mad at each other for very long, right? The golden trio will be back before you know it."
"Right. I hope they come to their senses. Sometimes they're so dense."
"Sometimes?" Draco snorted.
Hermione play punched him in the arm. "I'm going to bed. G'night, Draco."
"'Night, Hermione."
Draco walked slowly up to his room, found his journal and began writing.
** Everyone came back to Hogwarts today. At the feast, I finally told Pansy to leave me alone because I hate her. Potthead and Weasel yelled at Hermione today because she followed me out of the Great Hall, so I yelled at them a little and then took her back to the common room. She told me what happened, and I told her not to hate them because they've been friends for so long, and she agreed. I'm pretty pleased with myself because I made her smile when she was sad. She actually called me Draco today, and I called her Hermione. It's kinda weird though because I never thought I'd actually hear her say my name, but it did feel good to be called by my real name. **
Draco hid his journal and changed into his pajamas, then fell asleep with pictures of Hermione in his mind. ~ The next morning, he took a shower, got dressed, and started reading even before Hermione woke up. He heard the shower go on, and knew she was running late otherwise she would have used the bath.
When Hermione came into the common room, Draco greeted her. "Good morning Hermione. Feeling better?"
"Good morning Draco. I'm feeling much better, thanks. Wanna go down to breakfast?" "Of course. Hey, did you get the new schedules yet?"
They walked out of the portrait.
"Nope, have you?"
"No. I wanna know how many classes we have together though."
"Me too. I hope we have most together. I'm not gunna be able to stand dealing with Harry and Ron without you there to help me. I actually think they're scared of you sometimes."
"Really?" he asked, slightly shocked.
"Well yeah. They talk about beating the crap out of you, but they would never do it. They both know that you're much stronger than they are."
By now they had entered the Great Hall along with the rest of the school. The schedules were handed to the students. First, Draco had Care of Magical Creatures with Gryffindor. Then he had Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, lunch was after, then double Potions with Gryffindor.
"Well, two out of three isn't bad," he thought.
When he finished eating, Draco left the Great Hall and walked down to Hagrid's hut. Crabbe and Goyle followed him, but not too closely because they thought that he'd been acting weird.
When he got there, he saw two crates filled with a bunch of hairy puff balls. "What the hell are those?" Draco asked in his usual drawl.
"Kellyfiggles!" boomed Hagrid, who was smiling brightly at Harry and Ron. Draco saw him look at Harry and Ron, then at Hermione who was standing off by herself, but he continued talking. "These are real useful. They can find people who are untrustworthy at the time. They'll roll around and stop at your feet. Here I'll show you." He dumped over the two crates and about 25 fluff balls came rolling out. They started rolling all over and stopping at people's feet.
Hermione was standing off by herself, and one of the Kellyfiggles rolled over and stopped at her feet. Draco was too busy staring at Hermione to notice the one that had stopped at his own feet.
They were both just staring at each other. Neither of them heard what was going on around them. Everyone else was lying and playing tricks on each other to try and get one of them to stop by them. Draco and Hermione weren't laughing and or joking around, they were just staring.
They didn't notice everyone was picking up the Kellyfiggles and putting them back in the crates.
"Hermione! Draco!" boomed Hagrid. They both snapped out of their trances and turned toward Hagrid. "Put your Kellyfiggles back in the crates, the bell's about to ring."
When the bell rang, Draco watched Hermione walk back to the school talking to Parvati and Lavender.
"Hey, Draco, what's wrong with you?" Crabbe asked.
"Nothing," he snapped. "I'm fine!"
"Well, you don't seem fine," said Goyle. "You told Pansy to fuck off, basically, and you didn't say anything during Care of Magical Creatures. All you did was stare at Mudblood."
Draco grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. Goyle winced in pain. "Don't you dare call Hermione Granger Mudblood again if you don't wanna die!"
Goyle nodded dumbly and Draco let go. The Slytherins all looked at him. "That goes for all of you! No one calls her Mudblood."
They all nodded their heads and headed for the greenhouse. When they entered and were waiting for the Hufflepuffs, Blaise Zabini walked over to Draco and said, "Do you need to talk?"
"No. Why would I need to talk to anyone?" he answered.
"Well, you seem more tense and stressed since I saw you last year. Did something happen over the summer?"
"A lot happened over the summer, and I don't care to talk about it. I don't see why everybody in the goddamn House seems to have a problem with me this year. We've been back less than a day and already everyone thinks I've gone mad, or something."
"Well, with the way you've been acting toward Granger, we have a right to think you've gone mad," she said coldly.
Draco looked into her bright blue eyes and noticed that they had been just as cold as his once were. "Yeah, so me and Granger get along, I don't see any problem. I'll be living with her for the remainder of the year. I wanna be on good terms with someone in this damn school before I leave. Why not Granger?"
The Hufflepuffs were filing into the greenhouse and Blaise said, "Listen, Draco, I've known you my whole life, we've been friends since we were babies. You have always been able to talk to me. I've kept some of your deepest secrets, but right now, there are some things that you're just not telling me. If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me."
"Thanks, Blaise. I'll keep that in mind," Draco answered.
She nodded and Professor Sprout began to speak. Draco hated Herbology, and it always seemed to go by so slow. When the bell finally rang, he was the first out the door and into the castle.
He hid behind a tapestry near the Great Hall. When Hermione came by, he grabbed her and put one hand over her mouth so she couldn't scream, the other he put around her waist so she couldn't go anywhere. "Shh, it's me," he whispered into her hair.
He took his hands off her and she said, "All the Gryffindors were bugging me last period. They are all saying that I'm not telling them something, and they're saying I should because Gryffindors are honest. I don't feel like telling them anything though, and they're really pissing me off, especially Harry and Ron."
"I'm getting the same thing. Everyone wants me to tell them what's going on, and they're saying that I'm mad."
"God, why can't they just accept the fact that we-" but she couldn't finish the sentence because Draco's lips were on top of her's. She responded to the kiss and it deepened.
After a few seconds though, Draco broke away and mumbled, "Sorry."
He walked away and Hermione called after him, "Draco, wait!" But he didn't listen, just kept on walking.
September 1 came quickly. Before he knew it, Draco was in the Great Hall with the rest of the Slytherins. Crabbe and Goyle were on one side of him, and Pansy Parkinson was on the other.
"Drakey, hunny, you want me to come to your dorm after the feast. I know it must be terrible living with the Mudblood," Pansy wailed.
"Pansy, I never liked you and I never will. I will never hug you and I would never dream of kissing you. I hate you. I hate the way you're always around me, holding on to me, and I despise when you call me Drakey. And don't ever let me hear you call Granger a Mudblood again!"
By now, most of the Great Hall was staring at Draco and Pansy. His cheeks turned pink because he hadn't meant for everyone to hear him. "Go back to your food."
After saying this, he stormed out of the Great Hall.
Hermione looked around at Harry and Ron. "I've gotta go," she said.
"Why?" said Ron. "You gunna go comfort Ferret Boy?"
"Don't call him that!" she snapped as she stood up.
"Hermione, you alright?" asked Harry.
"I'm fine."
She hurried out the Great Hall to find Draco.
Draco went out the oak doors and onto the grounds. He stood, staring out at the lake and watching the giant squid dance across it.
"Draco?" came a voice
He whirled around and saw Hermione. "What?" Then he turned to face the lake a gain.
"I-uh-well-I wanted to thank you for-well sticking up for me."
"It was nothing. I just figured if I can't call you that, than no one can."
"If it makes you feel any better, I told off Ron for calling you what I said I wouldn't."
He just nodded, then turned to face her. "Did you just call me Draco?"
"Um," she blushed a deep shade of red. "Well, yeah."
He smiled, then said, "Thanks, Hermione."
Draco pulled Hermione into a hug, and they just stood there for a while, totally oblivious to the world.
"Let's go back in," suggested Draco. "The feast is probably almost over. And they need to announce Head Boy and Girl. They can't do that without us." He smirked and Hermione smiled as they headed toward the Great Hall.
Dumbledore looked up when they walked in. "And our new Head Boy and Girl.Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger."
The students and teachers broke into applause as Draco and Hermione sat in their seats. Draco watched Hermione as she sat between Harry and Ron. She was blushing furiously, but neither Harry nor Ron were smiling or clapping.
He continued watching as they started hissing something to her. Her face lost all color and she looked like she was going to cry.
It angered Draco to see Hermione so upset. He got up and walked over to the Gryffindor table. "What the hell are you saying to her?" he yelled at Harry and Ron.
"That's none of your damn business, Malfoy," answered Ron.
"Yeah, so get the hell outta here you slimy git, before I make you," threatened Harry.
"How will you make me, you scrawny piece of shit? I would stay away from Hermione if you don't wanna get your asses kicked. "You hurt her and I swear to God-" Draco broke off, then said to Hermione, "Come on, let's go."
She willingly got up and followed him back to their common room. They walked most of the way in silence before Draco asked, "What did those assholes say to you?"
"They said that they didn't want me hanging around you. And I told them I had to because we're Head Boy and Head Girl. Then they said-Darkness is Forever-they said that you're bad news and if I start hanging out with you, I'd be just like you. Then I said that you'd changed, and they said that someone like you can't change and you're just 'a stupid mother fucker who's using me.' I told them that you weren't and that you were actually pretty nice when you wanted to be. They said, 'Malfoy's wouldn't know what nice was if it kicked them up the ass.' That's when you came over and saved me."
They were sitting on a couch and Draco had his arm around her. "Don't listen to them. Friends like that aren't real friends. You have to make your own decisions, they can't make them for you," he said.
"We've had fights before," she continued, "but they were never over who I could be friends with. I hate when they team up. And it's always them versus me. I hate it! Sometimes I hate them!"
"I know you don't hate them, that's my job, not yours." Draco smirked.
This brought a smile to her face. "You're right. I don't hate them, I'm just mad at them."
"I get mad at my friends all the time, it's not illegal. I know they'll get over it. You guys are never mad at each other for very long, right? The golden trio will be back before you know it."
"Right. I hope they come to their senses. Sometimes they're so dense."
"Sometimes?" Draco snorted.
Hermione play punched him in the arm. "I'm going to bed. G'night, Draco."
"'Night, Hermione."
Draco walked slowly up to his room, found his journal and began writing.
** Everyone came back to Hogwarts today. At the feast, I finally told Pansy to leave me alone because I hate her. Potthead and Weasel yelled at Hermione today because she followed me out of the Great Hall, so I yelled at them a little and then took her back to the common room. She told me what happened, and I told her not to hate them because they've been friends for so long, and she agreed. I'm pretty pleased with myself because I made her smile when she was sad. She actually called me Draco today, and I called her Hermione. It's kinda weird though because I never thought I'd actually hear her say my name, but it did feel good to be called by my real name. **
Draco hid his journal and changed into his pajamas, then fell asleep with pictures of Hermione in his mind. ~ The next morning, he took a shower, got dressed, and started reading even before Hermione woke up. He heard the shower go on, and knew she was running late otherwise she would have used the bath.
When Hermione came into the common room, Draco greeted her. "Good morning Hermione. Feeling better?"
"Good morning Draco. I'm feeling much better, thanks. Wanna go down to breakfast?" "Of course. Hey, did you get the new schedules yet?"
They walked out of the portrait.
"Nope, have you?"
"No. I wanna know how many classes we have together though."
"Me too. I hope we have most together. I'm not gunna be able to stand dealing with Harry and Ron without you there to help me. I actually think they're scared of you sometimes."
"Really?" he asked, slightly shocked.
"Well yeah. They talk about beating the crap out of you, but they would never do it. They both know that you're much stronger than they are."
By now they had entered the Great Hall along with the rest of the school. The schedules were handed to the students. First, Draco had Care of Magical Creatures with Gryffindor. Then he had Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, lunch was after, then double Potions with Gryffindor.
"Well, two out of three isn't bad," he thought.
When he finished eating, Draco left the Great Hall and walked down to Hagrid's hut. Crabbe and Goyle followed him, but not too closely because they thought that he'd been acting weird.
When he got there, he saw two crates filled with a bunch of hairy puff balls. "What the hell are those?" Draco asked in his usual drawl.
"Kellyfiggles!" boomed Hagrid, who was smiling brightly at Harry and Ron. Draco saw him look at Harry and Ron, then at Hermione who was standing off by herself, but he continued talking. "These are real useful. They can find people who are untrustworthy at the time. They'll roll around and stop at your feet. Here I'll show you." He dumped over the two crates and about 25 fluff balls came rolling out. They started rolling all over and stopping at people's feet.
Hermione was standing off by herself, and one of the Kellyfiggles rolled over and stopped at her feet. Draco was too busy staring at Hermione to notice the one that had stopped at his own feet.
They were both just staring at each other. Neither of them heard what was going on around them. Everyone else was lying and playing tricks on each other to try and get one of them to stop by them. Draco and Hermione weren't laughing and or joking around, they were just staring.
They didn't notice everyone was picking up the Kellyfiggles and putting them back in the crates.
"Hermione! Draco!" boomed Hagrid. They both snapped out of their trances and turned toward Hagrid. "Put your Kellyfiggles back in the crates, the bell's about to ring."
When the bell rang, Draco watched Hermione walk back to the school talking to Parvati and Lavender.
"Hey, Draco, what's wrong with you?" Crabbe asked.
"Nothing," he snapped. "I'm fine!"
"Well, you don't seem fine," said Goyle. "You told Pansy to fuck off, basically, and you didn't say anything during Care of Magical Creatures. All you did was stare at Mudblood."
Draco grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. Goyle winced in pain. "Don't you dare call Hermione Granger Mudblood again if you don't wanna die!"
Goyle nodded dumbly and Draco let go. The Slytherins all looked at him. "That goes for all of you! No one calls her Mudblood."
They all nodded their heads and headed for the greenhouse. When they entered and were waiting for the Hufflepuffs, Blaise Zabini walked over to Draco and said, "Do you need to talk?"
"No. Why would I need to talk to anyone?" he answered.
"Well, you seem more tense and stressed since I saw you last year. Did something happen over the summer?"
"A lot happened over the summer, and I don't care to talk about it. I don't see why everybody in the goddamn House seems to have a problem with me this year. We've been back less than a day and already everyone thinks I've gone mad, or something."
"Well, with the way you've been acting toward Granger, we have a right to think you've gone mad," she said coldly.
Draco looked into her bright blue eyes and noticed that they had been just as cold as his once were. "Yeah, so me and Granger get along, I don't see any problem. I'll be living with her for the remainder of the year. I wanna be on good terms with someone in this damn school before I leave. Why not Granger?"
The Hufflepuffs were filing into the greenhouse and Blaise said, "Listen, Draco, I've known you my whole life, we've been friends since we were babies. You have always been able to talk to me. I've kept some of your deepest secrets, but right now, there are some things that you're just not telling me. If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me."
"Thanks, Blaise. I'll keep that in mind," Draco answered.
She nodded and Professor Sprout began to speak. Draco hated Herbology, and it always seemed to go by so slow. When the bell finally rang, he was the first out the door and into the castle.
He hid behind a tapestry near the Great Hall. When Hermione came by, he grabbed her and put one hand over her mouth so she couldn't scream, the other he put around her waist so she couldn't go anywhere. "Shh, it's me," he whispered into her hair.
He took his hands off her and she said, "All the Gryffindors were bugging me last period. They are all saying that I'm not telling them something, and they're saying I should because Gryffindors are honest. I don't feel like telling them anything though, and they're really pissing me off, especially Harry and Ron."
"I'm getting the same thing. Everyone wants me to tell them what's going on, and they're saying that I'm mad."
"God, why can't they just accept the fact that we-" but she couldn't finish the sentence because Draco's lips were on top of her's. She responded to the kiss and it deepened.
After a few seconds though, Draco broke away and mumbled, "Sorry."
He walked away and Hermione called after him, "Draco, wait!" But he didn't listen, just kept on walking.