I Can Feel It In My Heart
Chapter Three
It was three days later. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were sitting in the Common Room and chatting.
"I think Tonks is a really good Defence Again the Dark Arts teacher," said Harry. "I'm glad Dumbledore decided to hire her. What do you think?"
"We haven't had class with her yet," Ginny answered.
Ginny had grown up too. She was thin and tall, as tall as Hermione. Her hair, as red as a flame, was long now and reached the middle of her back. Her face was beautiful. Her sea-blue eyes were looking at Harry, and Hermione could easily see love in them - she wondered why nobody else did. It was so obvious.
Harry and Ginny kept talking. Ron tried to talk to Hermione: "So, what do you think of Tonks?"
Hermione got tensed. She didn't want it to look like two couples sitting there and talking. But that's exactly the way it looked, and she knew it. Harry and Ginny, Ron and her. Wasn't there anything she could do about it?
She got up.
"Hey, where are you going?" asked Ron, surprised.
"I'm going for a walk," Hermione answered.
"I'll join you," said Ron and got up as well.
"No!" said Hermione so quickly, that Harry and Ginny stopped their conversation to look. Ron looked a bit offended. "I just. I need some time alone," said Hermione apologetically.
"Anything wrong?" asked Ginny.
"No, everything is fine," said Hermione untruthfully. "I just need to think."
Soon she was walking in the lawns. Maybe I'll go visit Hagrid, she thought, but she didn't. She went towards the Lake.
It was sunset time. Hermione sat under a tree by the lake and watched the sun. She had always liked the sunset.
"I like this sight, too," someone whispered next to her. She jumped and turned to look.
And there he was. Draco Malfoy. The sun was coloring his hair to dark blond, but his eyes were looking at her, as gray as ever.
Hermione was actually happy to see him there at the first second. Then she beame angry. There he goes, trying to be nice again, she thought. It's not going to work!
"What do you want?" She asked irritably.
"Nothing much," he answered, "but if you let me sit here and watch the sunset with you, I'd be satisfied."
"No way!" She shouted and got up.
"You're going?" He asked and looked and her. She thought she saw a flash of hurt in his eyes. WHY THE HELL DID SHE CARE?!
"Don't go," he asked, his eyes watching her hopefully. Yes, she was seeing hope in his eyes.
She wanted to turn and go away and never think of him again. But those eyes were driving her crazy. She didn't go. Instead, she remained there, watching him.
"Hermione," he started.
"Why are you calling me Hermione all of a sudden?" she asked suspiciously.
"Because that is your name?"
"So what? It has always been my name, but it never bothered you before." She sat again on the grass and frowned at him. Or at least tried to frown.
"Do you want me to call you Granger?"
"I don't care how you call me," she said loudly, "all I care is about you planning something against me and I want to know what!"
"I'm not planning anything."
"Malfoy, I'm not an idiot."
"I know you are not." Their eyes met again. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to kick herself. YOU ARE NOT FALLING FOR HIM!
"What the hell do you want?"
"All I want is to be your friend," Draco answered quietly.
"What?!" She twitched her face. This was the most ridiculous excuse she had ever heard. "Seriously now, what do you want?"
"I'm telling the truth, Hermione."
"Malfoy, I don't know what you're up to, but I can tell you right now, whatever it is, I won't fall for that."
"Can I ask you for a favor?"
"A favor?" she blinked. What was going on?
"Can you call me Draco, and not Malfoy?"
"Why?" she asked.
"Because when you call me Malfoy, it reminds me of all those times I picked on you." He sighed. "If only I could turn back time and start our relationship all over again."
Hermione watched him. Was this happenning for real? Was she dreaming?
"Fine." She tried to said it coldly, but it came out softly. "I'll call you Draco."
"Thank you," he whispered and came closer.
Hermione held her breath.
Draco leaned in close and Hermione swallowed hard and looked at him, confused, upset, but it felt so right. I should stop this, she said to herself, but she couldn't.
He is going to kiss me. He is really going to kiss me.
No.
He changed his mind and backed away. "So," he said casually.
"So," Hermione took a deep breath and sighed. He wasn't going to kiss her after all.
"So can we be friends?" he asked.
Hermione looked at those gray eyes again. She wanted to yell at him: "No way! I am never going to be your friend! I know you are up to something!" But instead she heard herself saying:
"We can try and be friends. But I'm warning you, you better not be planning anything," she took another deep breath and added: "Draco."
And then she got up and ran all the way back to the Gryffindor Common Room.
Chapter Three
It was three days later. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were sitting in the Common Room and chatting.
"I think Tonks is a really good Defence Again the Dark Arts teacher," said Harry. "I'm glad Dumbledore decided to hire her. What do you think?"
"We haven't had class with her yet," Ginny answered.
Ginny had grown up too. She was thin and tall, as tall as Hermione. Her hair, as red as a flame, was long now and reached the middle of her back. Her face was beautiful. Her sea-blue eyes were looking at Harry, and Hermione could easily see love in them - she wondered why nobody else did. It was so obvious.
Harry and Ginny kept talking. Ron tried to talk to Hermione: "So, what do you think of Tonks?"
Hermione got tensed. She didn't want it to look like two couples sitting there and talking. But that's exactly the way it looked, and she knew it. Harry and Ginny, Ron and her. Wasn't there anything she could do about it?
She got up.
"Hey, where are you going?" asked Ron, surprised.
"I'm going for a walk," Hermione answered.
"I'll join you," said Ron and got up as well.
"No!" said Hermione so quickly, that Harry and Ginny stopped their conversation to look. Ron looked a bit offended. "I just. I need some time alone," said Hermione apologetically.
"Anything wrong?" asked Ginny.
"No, everything is fine," said Hermione untruthfully. "I just need to think."
Soon she was walking in the lawns. Maybe I'll go visit Hagrid, she thought, but she didn't. She went towards the Lake.
It was sunset time. Hermione sat under a tree by the lake and watched the sun. She had always liked the sunset.
"I like this sight, too," someone whispered next to her. She jumped and turned to look.
And there he was. Draco Malfoy. The sun was coloring his hair to dark blond, but his eyes were looking at her, as gray as ever.
Hermione was actually happy to see him there at the first second. Then she beame angry. There he goes, trying to be nice again, she thought. It's not going to work!
"What do you want?" She asked irritably.
"Nothing much," he answered, "but if you let me sit here and watch the sunset with you, I'd be satisfied."
"No way!" She shouted and got up.
"You're going?" He asked and looked and her. She thought she saw a flash of hurt in his eyes. WHY THE HELL DID SHE CARE?!
"Don't go," he asked, his eyes watching her hopefully. Yes, she was seeing hope in his eyes.
She wanted to turn and go away and never think of him again. But those eyes were driving her crazy. She didn't go. Instead, she remained there, watching him.
"Hermione," he started.
"Why are you calling me Hermione all of a sudden?" she asked suspiciously.
"Because that is your name?"
"So what? It has always been my name, but it never bothered you before." She sat again on the grass and frowned at him. Or at least tried to frown.
"Do you want me to call you Granger?"
"I don't care how you call me," she said loudly, "all I care is about you planning something against me and I want to know what!"
"I'm not planning anything."
"Malfoy, I'm not an idiot."
"I know you are not." Their eyes met again. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to kick herself. YOU ARE NOT FALLING FOR HIM!
"What the hell do you want?"
"All I want is to be your friend," Draco answered quietly.
"What?!" She twitched her face. This was the most ridiculous excuse she had ever heard. "Seriously now, what do you want?"
"I'm telling the truth, Hermione."
"Malfoy, I don't know what you're up to, but I can tell you right now, whatever it is, I won't fall for that."
"Can I ask you for a favor?"
"A favor?" she blinked. What was going on?
"Can you call me Draco, and not Malfoy?"
"Why?" she asked.
"Because when you call me Malfoy, it reminds me of all those times I picked on you." He sighed. "If only I could turn back time and start our relationship all over again."
Hermione watched him. Was this happenning for real? Was she dreaming?
"Fine." She tried to said it coldly, but it came out softly. "I'll call you Draco."
"Thank you," he whispered and came closer.
Hermione held her breath.
Draco leaned in close and Hermione swallowed hard and looked at him, confused, upset, but it felt so right. I should stop this, she said to herself, but she couldn't.
He is going to kiss me. He is really going to kiss me.
No.
He changed his mind and backed away. "So," he said casually.
"So," Hermione took a deep breath and sighed. He wasn't going to kiss her after all.
"So can we be friends?" he asked.
Hermione looked at those gray eyes again. She wanted to yell at him: "No way! I am never going to be your friend! I know you are up to something!" But instead she heard herself saying:
"We can try and be friends. But I'm warning you, you better not be planning anything," she took another deep breath and added: "Draco."
And then she got up and ran all the way back to the Gryffindor Common Room.