Draco Malfoy and everyone else in his year are in 7th year.
Draco sat at the back of the potions class with Crabbe on one side and Goyle on his other. Draco usually did all the talking, but today they were at the back of the class not the front, so he could see everyone and he was a bit distracted. He couldn't help but sit there and stare at Hermione Granger. For the last 4 years he had been struggling fiercely with his feelings for the muggle-born witch. He knew that his father would not accept his love for… one of them.
All his life he'd been taught that anyone who didn't have wizarding parents weren't good people. They didn't deserve to be given the right to use magic. But then he met Hermione. His crush had started near the end of second year, but of course back then, it was just that… a crush. Since then he'd sat back and observed her, watched her with her friends Potter and Weasley, who then her boyfriend, Weasley. He couldn't believe Hermione, an incredibly smart and beautiful witch would ever even consider going out with someone like Ronald Weasley. He could never appreciate her like Draco would.
So there he sat, a row over and two desks behind Hermione, watching her. She was talking to Potter about his quidditch match later that week, but he could see she was holding Weasley's hand under the table. Everyone said they made the cutest couple, head-boy and girl together… that they looked so good together and that they'd be so happy. Draco thought better of it. He thought… no he knew that he and Hermione would make a much better couple. How could she have a real conversation with someone as dense has Weasley.
The bell rang and Draco realised that he had missed the entire class. He hoped that Crabbe had been keeping notes but a glance at his notebook told him otherwise. He was about to walk by Hermione. He should say something… what though? Something clever, to impress her… or maybe he just ignore her, play hard to get. He finally decided that the best approach would be just to say a very cool "hey".
"Hey mud-blood," he said as he walked by. He saw Weasley make a very rude gesture in his direction. That did not come out as he had planned. Why did he say "mud-blood"? He surely didn't want to. His father had implanted that crap in his head, he was brain-washed. He wished he could turn back time and take back what he had said. He saw that Hermione didn't really care about what he had said. That just made him feel worse. He had insulted her so many times that it ceased to matter to her.
It was one week to Hermione's birthday. One week. Weasley wasn't going to be there. His father had been promoted recently and there was going to be a party at their house, Weasley thought it would be a good opportunity to meet more people from the Ministry of Magic, maybe even the new Minister of Magic. Hermione was going to be alone, and he was sure that she would be, well, lonely. He thought that maybe they could do something together… he could ask her to help him study for the transfiguration exam. It was months away, but he knew that Hermione had started studying in early January. But when could he ask her?
He would go to the library, eventually Hermione would enter, probably by herself because she didn't like studying with Potter and Weasley. He understood why too, they could be very annoying. After dinner that's where he would go… the library. He'd sit there and wait for Hermione, and he was sure she'd show up. She just had to…
***************************************After Dinner************************************
Draco got up from his table after telling Crabbe and Goyle to meet him in the common room later, and then giving them directions to their common room and reminding them of the password. He walked slowly to the library, stopping to examine his favourite paintings. No one knew, but he had a passion for art. He loved to paint and sketch, but his father hated it. He had to make sure that his father never found a single one of his drawings. For him, Hogwarts was like a never-ending museum.
As he was strolling through the hallways he saw someone come out of the girls' washroom, and they were obviously flustered. They were sobbing and had their hands covering their face, but then he realised who it was. It was Hermione. What could of possibly happened to her? He needed to find out. Weasley probably did something to get her upset, Hermione wouldn't just start crying for no reason. She ran by him, and he turned quickly and ran after her.
"Hermione! Hermione! Stop!" he yelled after her, and he caught up and grabbed her arm. She turned sharply at him, and looked up at him. Her eyes were bloodshot, but she still looked gorgeous.
"Malfoy, let go of me. I don't need to hear any smart comments from you right now." she said, her voice a bit shaky. He had never seen her this upset before, and he had always been close by when she was upset.
"Hermione, what happened? Are you alright?" he asked tenderly. Hermione looked up at him. She couldn't believe that Malfoy had just talked like that to her, he sounded as if he actually cared about her. What is going on? And what did he just call her? She had never heard him call her by her first name.
"What are you playing at?" she asked knowingly, "Why do you care all of a sudden?" He looked at her, with sadness in his eyes. Maybe he needed help just like she did. Maybe he wasn't all that bad. But he was!
"Well if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to… I just thought I'd offer an ear…" he said stupidly. He should of known Hermione wouldn't accept his help. Why should she? He had never done anything nice for her before. She probably thought he had some evil scheme to make her feel even worse.
"No it's not you. I don't really want to talk to anyone right now, Draco. I'll be alright… Ron and I… we… well never mind, I don't want to trouble you." she said. What she really meant was that it was none of his business. He had tricked her into saying that, and now she had revealed too much.
"Well okay then, sorry about Weas -- Ron and everything. Err.. While your here. I know this is really bad timing, but I was wondering if you could help me study for my transfiguration exam?" he asked, hoping he sounded casual. She looked at him oddly.
"Well sure, I guess I could do that. When?" she asked. He looked like he needed someone to talk to. She guessed she couldn't blame him, I mean he couldn't really have a conversation with someone as dense as Crabbe or Goyle. And it was true that he wasn't very good at transfiguration, it was his weakest subject after all.
"Err.. Is next Saturday alright?" he asked.
"March 18th? Alright. That's great. It's my birthday, but I don't think I'll be doing anything." she said. She hoped she sounded happy, she didn't want Malfoy to think anything really bad had happened. Then she sighed heavily. She'd nearly forgotten what had happened while she was talking with Draco, but no such luck after all.
Draco sat at the back of the potions class with Crabbe on one side and Goyle on his other. Draco usually did all the talking, but today they were at the back of the class not the front, so he could see everyone and he was a bit distracted. He couldn't help but sit there and stare at Hermione Granger. For the last 4 years he had been struggling fiercely with his feelings for the muggle-born witch. He knew that his father would not accept his love for… one of them.
All his life he'd been taught that anyone who didn't have wizarding parents weren't good people. They didn't deserve to be given the right to use magic. But then he met Hermione. His crush had started near the end of second year, but of course back then, it was just that… a crush. Since then he'd sat back and observed her, watched her with her friends Potter and Weasley, who then her boyfriend, Weasley. He couldn't believe Hermione, an incredibly smart and beautiful witch would ever even consider going out with someone like Ronald Weasley. He could never appreciate her like Draco would.
So there he sat, a row over and two desks behind Hermione, watching her. She was talking to Potter about his quidditch match later that week, but he could see she was holding Weasley's hand under the table. Everyone said they made the cutest couple, head-boy and girl together… that they looked so good together and that they'd be so happy. Draco thought better of it. He thought… no he knew that he and Hermione would make a much better couple. How could she have a real conversation with someone as dense has Weasley.
The bell rang and Draco realised that he had missed the entire class. He hoped that Crabbe had been keeping notes but a glance at his notebook told him otherwise. He was about to walk by Hermione. He should say something… what though? Something clever, to impress her… or maybe he just ignore her, play hard to get. He finally decided that the best approach would be just to say a very cool "hey".
"Hey mud-blood," he said as he walked by. He saw Weasley make a very rude gesture in his direction. That did not come out as he had planned. Why did he say "mud-blood"? He surely didn't want to. His father had implanted that crap in his head, he was brain-washed. He wished he could turn back time and take back what he had said. He saw that Hermione didn't really care about what he had said. That just made him feel worse. He had insulted her so many times that it ceased to matter to her.
It was one week to Hermione's birthday. One week. Weasley wasn't going to be there. His father had been promoted recently and there was going to be a party at their house, Weasley thought it would be a good opportunity to meet more people from the Ministry of Magic, maybe even the new Minister of Magic. Hermione was going to be alone, and he was sure that she would be, well, lonely. He thought that maybe they could do something together… he could ask her to help him study for the transfiguration exam. It was months away, but he knew that Hermione had started studying in early January. But when could he ask her?
He would go to the library, eventually Hermione would enter, probably by herself because she didn't like studying with Potter and Weasley. He understood why too, they could be very annoying. After dinner that's where he would go… the library. He'd sit there and wait for Hermione, and he was sure she'd show up. She just had to…
***************************************After Dinner************************************
Draco got up from his table after telling Crabbe and Goyle to meet him in the common room later, and then giving them directions to their common room and reminding them of the password. He walked slowly to the library, stopping to examine his favourite paintings. No one knew, but he had a passion for art. He loved to paint and sketch, but his father hated it. He had to make sure that his father never found a single one of his drawings. For him, Hogwarts was like a never-ending museum.
As he was strolling through the hallways he saw someone come out of the girls' washroom, and they were obviously flustered. They were sobbing and had their hands covering their face, but then he realised who it was. It was Hermione. What could of possibly happened to her? He needed to find out. Weasley probably did something to get her upset, Hermione wouldn't just start crying for no reason. She ran by him, and he turned quickly and ran after her.
"Hermione! Hermione! Stop!" he yelled after her, and he caught up and grabbed her arm. She turned sharply at him, and looked up at him. Her eyes were bloodshot, but she still looked gorgeous.
"Malfoy, let go of me. I don't need to hear any smart comments from you right now." she said, her voice a bit shaky. He had never seen her this upset before, and he had always been close by when she was upset.
"Hermione, what happened? Are you alright?" he asked tenderly. Hermione looked up at him. She couldn't believe that Malfoy had just talked like that to her, he sounded as if he actually cared about her. What is going on? And what did he just call her? She had never heard him call her by her first name.
"What are you playing at?" she asked knowingly, "Why do you care all of a sudden?" He looked at her, with sadness in his eyes. Maybe he needed help just like she did. Maybe he wasn't all that bad. But he was!
"Well if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to… I just thought I'd offer an ear…" he said stupidly. He should of known Hermione wouldn't accept his help. Why should she? He had never done anything nice for her before. She probably thought he had some evil scheme to make her feel even worse.
"No it's not you. I don't really want to talk to anyone right now, Draco. I'll be alright… Ron and I… we… well never mind, I don't want to trouble you." she said. What she really meant was that it was none of his business. He had tricked her into saying that, and now she had revealed too much.
"Well okay then, sorry about Weas -- Ron and everything. Err.. While your here. I know this is really bad timing, but I was wondering if you could help me study for my transfiguration exam?" he asked, hoping he sounded casual. She looked at him oddly.
"Well sure, I guess I could do that. When?" she asked. He looked like he needed someone to talk to. She guessed she couldn't blame him, I mean he couldn't really have a conversation with someone as dense as Crabbe or Goyle. And it was true that he wasn't very good at transfiguration, it was his weakest subject after all.
"Err.. Is next Saturday alright?" he asked.
"March 18th? Alright. That's great. It's my birthday, but I don't think I'll be doing anything." she said. She hoped she sounded happy, she didn't want Malfoy to think anything really bad had happened. Then she sighed heavily. She'd nearly forgotten what had happened while she was talking with Draco, but no such luck after all.