Disclamer: I don't own any of the harry potter characters or hogwarts :) But all that credit goes the genius J.K. Rowling!!
A/N!! Oh MY!!!! I have to thank all of you soooooooo much for reviewing my story!!! It makes me want to write so much more!!! And I am so sorry for taking a while to write this. I will write a little bit more, more often now I think!!!
A Special Thanks goes out to:
spiritofthewolves112 : Nah ;) I plan to make it a not so Head Boy, Head Girl type of story!! :P cuz I know everyone is somewhat used to that plot. But that's all I am saying ;)Thank you so much for reviewing!
odiechick: I'm glad you thought my story was freaky enough ;) Thank you so much for reviewing!
Ezmerelda: Giggle! I knew I was stating the obvious :D but that's what makes it silly! Thank you sooo much for reviewing!!
Artdevil and BlueBird: don't worry about me not writing more ;) cuz I love this story too much to let go of it! Thank you soo much for reviewing!!
magicalferret: You thought he had to pee!! :D :P Giggle!!! That's really silly!! Thank you for reviewing!
Jaded and some1: I am so very glad you thought it was cute! Thank you for reviewing!!
Silver Masamune: ;) don't worry! I had to give him some tissues :O that would have been mean ;) and I am very glad you keep on reviewing my story!! Thank you so very much!
Ivy Crane: Aww..thank you so much for reviewing and thank you :D I thought the rooms were very neat also!! Both Draco and Hermione's rooms.
Secret Destiny and hermione: thank you for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter as much as the others!
Jadziadaxx: I worked really really hard to try to help you out and do lots of Draco thought like I was planning on in this chapter ;) but I also don't want to do too many because then why would you look forward to reading the next chapter!! :D but I hope you like how I did his thoughts! Thank you for reviewing!
Another A/N!!! Thank you for all that reviewed!! Please Read and review for me!!! I will do my best to reply to your reviews like I just did ;) cuz I just love them soooo much!!! Thank you!!
~*~*~*~**~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
And now for your FEATURE PRESENTATION!!!! ;)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cradle the Enemy—Chapter 6—What's in a name?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Bless you a lot, Draco," she kept up her sweet and gentle smile, and his head looked upwards, eyes wide in shock, immediately after he heard his first name. I hadn't imagined it, he thought to himself. She really called him Draco. He thought it sounded…really nice, somewhat enchanting when she said it. He felt warmth rise into his pale cheeks.
"Umm…cad I have a tidsue ... sniff…SNIFF! ?" Draco asked her as he rubbed the back of his wrist against his nose, but quickly regretted the action, because of how stuffy he sounded. Actually, that's exactly why he needed the tissue. Matters got worse when he heard her try to muffle a giggle by putting one of her hands over her mouth. Ughh…now she's laughing at me. But, she does have a cute laugh…
Hermione thought he sounded adorable! She tried to not laugh, but to hear Malfoy sound like this; it was just way too much for her to keep from laughing. She didn't mean it as a bad thing, she truly thought it was cute. She stopped when she found his finger was pointing toward the tissue box located behind her.
"Oh, sorry bout that Malfoy. Here you go," she told him cheerfully, as she placed the entire box of tissues into his large masculine hands.
Slightly confused, Hermione watched as Draco's…No Malfoy's face fall. He roughly tucked the box under right arm, and quickly turned away from her. She carefully listened to his footsteps from the bathroom as he retreated into their new common room. Sniffles could be heard every so often in that direction as well.
"Heh-HeiihShhooo! Etch..et-SHOooo! Ehh…Ehh--Het-HieIhShoo! HieIhShoo! Sniff."
Hermione was now sitting at her new desk in her own room when she could hear the strong sneezes coming from the common room. Poor thing, she thought to herself.
Draco was lying against his Slytherin pillow out on the large couch in the common room. A tissue was pulled from the box, as he brought it up to his nose and tried to rub away his persistent sniffles and tickles. He felt his eyes close, but immediately flutter open again.
Malfoy… I hate that name…
His eyes fluttered and his eyelids pulled at his nightmare world.
Ughh… My name is Draco, not Malfoy. I wonder, he thought, if my name wasn't Malfoy…would…would…Hermione…could she like me…
Sleep pulled at him, but he tried to resist. It wasn't night time, Malfoy's don't take naps, and they don't need them.
"Weakling brat! Wake up, surely you can't think I am done with you yet do you?!" Cackles followed the screamed threat. His leather whip cracked in the air, threatening his bare skin that lay open to the eye. "GET UP!!" Breathing heavily, blood oozing down his sides, painstaking just to live…
Draco let out a gasp, and tried to breath slowly, he hated thinking of him…he haunted him. Mother… Draco began to whimper quietly. He shook his head to try to rid himself of the thoughts, the memories. His light blond hair was disheveled once again he didn't have his normal look, hair sleeked back, the way that most of Hogwarts was accustomed to seeing.
Another thing Draco hated about this place, no one knew him. Of course they all knew who Draco Malfoy was. They all knew and they were all scared of him. They were all scared of him or hated his guts, maybe some both. But no one knew Draco. Not one person... They only saw his family name, and no one wanted to look past it. He was used to being and acting like a Malfoy should. Brought up in these circumstances. They were forced upon him, and they were stuck there permanently.
He was all-alone…
No one understood him. Only…
His mother, she understood him, but, she … she…
Draco tried to muffle his sob with the pillow. He really didn't want Hermione to hear him. What would she think of him? No…would she tell Potter and Weasel, and then everyone would know. Or maybe, she'd…no she wouldn't…she couldn't want to help…
She would probably be happy, he knew it, for everything he had said to her. He deserved it too. The words he used to call her flooded his mind. Mudblood…You filthy, ugly Mudblood! But was that really him saying all those things. Or was that Malfoy saying those things? Was it his father, that vile deatheater, speaking through him? I don't think those things …Even if I wanted to, I couldn't have done anything to stop being cruel… He would have…Mum… But that's exactly what his father did…wasn't it?
Why?… I don't want to be here anymore… I don't…please…
I want to leave…
With that final thought, Draco had cried himself to sleep.
Hermione glanced out the window at the sky. It looked like it might storm later on. The Cradle had a wonderful view of the Hogwarts lake. It had been splendid earlier, but now the skies had darkened. Dark clouds loomed over the sky like a dark shadow waiting to swallow Hogwarts; a predator ready to take over its vulnerable prey. The clouds looked heavy and ready to let loose rain, lightening and thunder.
She noticed how quiet it had gotten in the common room; she heard no sneezing, or anything.
What's this feeling? Hermione exclaimed to her inner self as she opened her door to look into the common room. She wasn't sure, but when she saw Draco's messy hair with his head laying on the armrest of the couch with a pillow under it, his body spread over the entire couch, something compelled her to take a closer look, but what she found made her heart break.
Draco lay there, body shivering slightly, with puffy red eyes.
Oh my! Had he been crying?! What in the world was wrong… was he all right? For some reason, a shiver went down her spine, as she began to think that there really had been something wrong. Guilt crept over her as she realized that he had been crying all alone, and she had been so near by, yet hadn't noticed.
Hermione wished she knew what was wrong. She had no idea why she urgently needed to know what was wrong with her new roommate. Never having any feelings like this for anyone, she never thought the first person would be him. Hermione was in a definite state of confusion.
"Oh, don't whine like a bloody baby, Granger. Can we pick a password…I would like to sit down for a bit and rest. I have Quidittch practice this evening," Draco asked her impatiently.
I totally forgot! He had Quidittch practice later. He really shouldn't go, but I guess rest is a very smart idea for him now. She grabbed the Gryffindor blanket from the other side of the couch and laid it over his shivering body, which soon ceased its shivering once warmth came over it.
"Mmm-hmm…Mum?" he murmured and shifted in his sleep limbs sprawled across their couch.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
TBC!!!!!
Please read and review!!! Thank you sooo much!! And I hope you enjoyed the chapter!!