Chapter 3- an attempted escape
Hermione relaxed as the soft warm sheets caressed her skin, she pulled them over her and sank her head into the pillow. Her smile faded into a sigh, it had been three uneventful days since she had spoken to Draco, she was intrigued by him, never realizing the problems he had to face.alone. She wanted to think she had helped him, but he hadn't spoken to her, only seeing him at classes or across tables wasn't enough now. She had discovered something in Draco when they had spoken, something she wanted to revisit. She gripped the sheets angrily. "I had been nice to him, did he even care? Obviously not." Her grip loosened, she knew she was wrong, she wanted believed that she had helped and he was thankful. The thoughts disappeared as she forced herself into sleep.
Hermione woke with a letter floating on her bed, sitting up startled she rubbed sleep from her eyes and opened it. Inside was a letter from Harry telling her to meet him and probably Ron at the lake. She got dressed and hurried down to her destination, the sun shining brightly in her sleepy eyes. She waved to the boys who came running to meet her. They where wearing identical huge grins as they shoved something under Hermione's face, she scanned it, it was a photo of a girl she had long curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes that glistened in the sun. Hermione looked unimpressed as she handed it back to them. "Isn't it great!" Ron burst waving the photograph in the crisp air. "Her name is Hannah! She's our age and lives near Harry. You lucky devil!" He laughed nudging his friend. "I got a letter from her with the photo, she went to the same lower school as me and had been sending letters to the Dursley's all summer until she tracked me down. A wizard too, she gets tutored though, which is a shame." Harry gloated, his cheeks turning slightly crimson. Hermione smiled weakly, there was a time when this would have teared her apart when she had feelings for Harry, but he was too oblivious to see and they had faded thankfully. The rest of the afternoon was spent by Harry and Ron ogling over the picture and ranting and raving about wonderful Hannah, Hermione kept quiet and didn't even attempt to sound interested, keeping her responses short and blunt. She clenched her fists; this was getting too much, your intitled to be happy and go on about good things. She was happy for Harry but she was being totally forgotten and getting more upset by the minute, in fact it took the boys an hour before they realized Hermione had left.
Hermione ran, ran through the darkness letting the cold night air nip and claw at her tear-stained face. She was running across the hills, where the three where earlier, she had walked away quite easily from them, they hadn't noticed she had left. She had heard them knocking at the door hours later shouting hollow apologies but she didn't respond, instead she waited until darkness had fell slipped outside and began her attempted escape. Hermione looked across the glistening lake, it was in the bleak distance, she had ran out further than she had ever ventured, in fact she had no idea where she was. She saw the tree she and Draco had sat underneath that night, causing bitter tears to stream down her face. The fact that she was alone, running through an unknown place didn't bother her, she tripped over the root of a huge tree, clusters of blossom hung proudly overhead each individual flower sparkling. Thousands of petals glided through the air and fell softly to the ground, each one not losing its beauty. The sight was so beautiful, but it didn't matter to Hermione, nothing did, nor did it matter that Draco was walking up to her, a shower of petals falling over his handsome face.
"Hermione." He began, he had never dealt with a crying girl before but his instincts took over him, he walked over to her and put his arm around her. Hermione didn't push his arm away instead she let it rest comfortably across her slender shoulders, trying to push back her tears. "You can cry you know." Draco's tone taking on a soft whisper. "Even you said yourself that there is nothing wrong with crying, it just shows you have feelings. Care to share these feelings?" "Oh Draco." She whimpered putting her head in her hands. "Nothing matters anymore, I used to think my life was good, I had a good education, good friends or so I thought. Friends who just talk about stupid girls they fancy and forget that you're there and that YOU have feelings, friends who take you for granted friends who don't care. So why should I care?" She spluttered closing her eyes and tugged at her hair. "This isn't just about Potter. I mean Harry and Ron is it? They aren't worth your tears." Draco said angrily. "Sort of. Today was the last straw, I was only going on for my friends but now that they have proved how much I mean to them, what is so special in my life that I should stay for?" "Hermione." Draco said sternly, surprising her. "Don't do anything stupid, please, you know it's all stupid, you're just upset talking rubbish. But I don't mind, talk all you want." Hermione leaned forward to Draco and hugged him; his shoulder muffled her sobbing. He was a little taken aback by her action, it was Granger after all the person he was meant to hate, the person he had caused so much grief and pain for years and years, who was now sharing secrets and hugging him. But he didn't pull away; it felt right. Hermione sat up after a few minutes, and forced a smile. "Thank you Draco." He laughed softly. "Look at you, you stupid girl." He said, but with kindness and smiled. She looked to the floor, her cheeks glowing. He reached to her cheeks and wiped the rivers of tears away bringing his head closer to hers. She moved in closer as his hands caressed her hair, she wrapped her hands around his neck as they both fell into the kiss, both returned by the other. The kiss lasted quite long until they broke apart and took in gasps of breath, they both looked to the floor and to the sky, anywhere but at each other. Then both standing up without words, they walked back to their rooms reading the silence, with Draco's arm around Hermione, and Hermione's head resting on his shoulder.
Hermione relaxed as the soft warm sheets caressed her skin, she pulled them over her and sank her head into the pillow. Her smile faded into a sigh, it had been three uneventful days since she had spoken to Draco, she was intrigued by him, never realizing the problems he had to face.alone. She wanted to think she had helped him, but he hadn't spoken to her, only seeing him at classes or across tables wasn't enough now. She had discovered something in Draco when they had spoken, something she wanted to revisit. She gripped the sheets angrily. "I had been nice to him, did he even care? Obviously not." Her grip loosened, she knew she was wrong, she wanted believed that she had helped and he was thankful. The thoughts disappeared as she forced herself into sleep.
Hermione woke with a letter floating on her bed, sitting up startled she rubbed sleep from her eyes and opened it. Inside was a letter from Harry telling her to meet him and probably Ron at the lake. She got dressed and hurried down to her destination, the sun shining brightly in her sleepy eyes. She waved to the boys who came running to meet her. They where wearing identical huge grins as they shoved something under Hermione's face, she scanned it, it was a photo of a girl she had long curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes that glistened in the sun. Hermione looked unimpressed as she handed it back to them. "Isn't it great!" Ron burst waving the photograph in the crisp air. "Her name is Hannah! She's our age and lives near Harry. You lucky devil!" He laughed nudging his friend. "I got a letter from her with the photo, she went to the same lower school as me and had been sending letters to the Dursley's all summer until she tracked me down. A wizard too, she gets tutored though, which is a shame." Harry gloated, his cheeks turning slightly crimson. Hermione smiled weakly, there was a time when this would have teared her apart when she had feelings for Harry, but he was too oblivious to see and they had faded thankfully. The rest of the afternoon was spent by Harry and Ron ogling over the picture and ranting and raving about wonderful Hannah, Hermione kept quiet and didn't even attempt to sound interested, keeping her responses short and blunt. She clenched her fists; this was getting too much, your intitled to be happy and go on about good things. She was happy for Harry but she was being totally forgotten and getting more upset by the minute, in fact it took the boys an hour before they realized Hermione had left.
Hermione ran, ran through the darkness letting the cold night air nip and claw at her tear-stained face. She was running across the hills, where the three where earlier, she had walked away quite easily from them, they hadn't noticed she had left. She had heard them knocking at the door hours later shouting hollow apologies but she didn't respond, instead she waited until darkness had fell slipped outside and began her attempted escape. Hermione looked across the glistening lake, it was in the bleak distance, she had ran out further than she had ever ventured, in fact she had no idea where she was. She saw the tree she and Draco had sat underneath that night, causing bitter tears to stream down her face. The fact that she was alone, running through an unknown place didn't bother her, she tripped over the root of a huge tree, clusters of blossom hung proudly overhead each individual flower sparkling. Thousands of petals glided through the air and fell softly to the ground, each one not losing its beauty. The sight was so beautiful, but it didn't matter to Hermione, nothing did, nor did it matter that Draco was walking up to her, a shower of petals falling over his handsome face.
"Hermione." He began, he had never dealt with a crying girl before but his instincts took over him, he walked over to her and put his arm around her. Hermione didn't push his arm away instead she let it rest comfortably across her slender shoulders, trying to push back her tears. "You can cry you know." Draco's tone taking on a soft whisper. "Even you said yourself that there is nothing wrong with crying, it just shows you have feelings. Care to share these feelings?" "Oh Draco." She whimpered putting her head in her hands. "Nothing matters anymore, I used to think my life was good, I had a good education, good friends or so I thought. Friends who just talk about stupid girls they fancy and forget that you're there and that YOU have feelings, friends who take you for granted friends who don't care. So why should I care?" She spluttered closing her eyes and tugged at her hair. "This isn't just about Potter. I mean Harry and Ron is it? They aren't worth your tears." Draco said angrily. "Sort of. Today was the last straw, I was only going on for my friends but now that they have proved how much I mean to them, what is so special in my life that I should stay for?" "Hermione." Draco said sternly, surprising her. "Don't do anything stupid, please, you know it's all stupid, you're just upset talking rubbish. But I don't mind, talk all you want." Hermione leaned forward to Draco and hugged him; his shoulder muffled her sobbing. He was a little taken aback by her action, it was Granger after all the person he was meant to hate, the person he had caused so much grief and pain for years and years, who was now sharing secrets and hugging him. But he didn't pull away; it felt right. Hermione sat up after a few minutes, and forced a smile. "Thank you Draco." He laughed softly. "Look at you, you stupid girl." He said, but with kindness and smiled. She looked to the floor, her cheeks glowing. He reached to her cheeks and wiped the rivers of tears away bringing his head closer to hers. She moved in closer as his hands caressed her hair, she wrapped her hands around his neck as they both fell into the kiss, both returned by the other. The kiss lasted quite long until they broke apart and took in gasps of breath, they both looked to the floor and to the sky, anywhere but at each other. Then both standing up without words, they walked back to their rooms reading the silence, with Draco's arm around Hermione, and Hermione's head resting on his shoulder.
