3. The next Hogsmeade weekend:
Hermione sat reading a book, at a bench outside the shop she'd just bought it from. Harry and Ron weren't speaking to her again, though Ron kept looking at her, as if he thought she should apologise. He looked like he was in pain every time he glanced at her. She had decided to go to Hogsmeade, even though she had no-one to go with. Everyone else was going to Hogsmeade, and she would have been left on her own, besides, it was a lovely day. She didn't think about any of this, she was totally engrossed in her book.
The bench creaked to her right, and she glanced up. The first thing she saw was a flash of bright blond hair, and as she focused on him, she saw grey eyes, and a slight smile.
"Draco?" she said, confused. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, it is the Hogsmeade weekend, Granger."
She breathed out heavily through her nose and smiled, which was almost a laugh, from her. "No, I mean, what are you doing here-on this bench-talking to me. You're a Slytherin. I'm a Griffindor."
"Does it bother you that much?" Draco paused. "Don't answer. Anyway, I wanted to thank you."
"What?!" This was the last thing Hermione had expected. Wanting to kill her, maybe, but thank her? "Why?"
Draco shrugged, and smiled. He seemed a lot more relaxed than last time she had seen him. "For telling Dumbledore. I know, I told you not to, but really, it helped. A lot."
"Really?" said Hermione, trying not to sound too pleased with herself.
"Yes. I mean, I felt like everything in my life was so messed up I'd never be able to sort it out. Dumbledore made it all seem OK. He said I should do nothing. He says he doesn't want me risking my life by openly going against Mast-Voldemort. He says I don't have to spy either. He said that I can tell him things if I want to, but if I don't he understands. Now see why everyone likes him, except us Slytherins of course."
They smiled, and Hermione was vaguely conscious of the thought 'No! Why am I doing this?' Popping into her head, as they kissed.
"Ugh, stupid PDAs," Harry muttered to Ron, as he walked past the bench. Ron gave a quick glance in the direction of the bench, and Hermione and Draco.
"Hermione!?" he gaped. Harry turned around, and looked at the couple again. His jaw dropped.
"Oh my god, it is."
Hermione and Draco had already stopped kissing and were looking at Harry and Ron. Hermione looked dazed, and sort of apologetic, but Draco had his chin up high, and a relaxed smile on his face, one side of his face golden in the warm sunlight, and the other side dark and shadowed. Hermione thought this reflected his personality perfectly. Warm, happy, bright,- dark, mysterious, evil.
Ron blanched, and his lips moved, forming the words 'Draco-Hermione-No, oh no' but no sound came out. He took a few deep breaths. "I've got to go to Zonko's Harry. See you." He turned quickly, and walked as briskly as possible away from them.
"Hermione." Harry said, before he was interrupted by Hermione-
"Yes, I know he's a Slytherin, and I know I'm not supposed to have anything to do with them, but it's not up to you. I'm trying to help him. It might surprise you that when I spoke to him the first time, I had no intention of kissing him. It just, happened."
"I'm not bothered about the Slytherin/Gryffindor thing." Harry paused. "Well, actually I am. Very bothered. But it's Ron I'm worried about."
"Ron? This has just as little to do with Ron as it has to do with you." Said Hermione, puzzled.
"It's upsetting him, a lot. The way you totally ignore him, as if it isn't obvious that he." Now it was Hermione and Draco's turn to stare.
"Forget I told you that. I shouldn't have told you that." Harry said, and walked off.
"Oh, oh."
Hermione and Draco sat still, not knowing what to do next. After an awkward silence, Draco leaned forwards, and started kissing Hermione again. She slid away from him, to the far left of the bench.
"No. Draco, I need to think." She dropped her head into her hands, heavily, hair swinging round and covering her face.
"Why do Weasley's feelings affect anything." Draco enquired coldly. Seeing Hermione's expression, he added, "To us I mean. If you had known from the start that Weasl- uh- Ron had a crush on you, you wouldn't have chosen him over me, would you?"
"No!" Hermione said, laughing at the thought that anyone would choose Ron when they could have Draco. "But he's my friend. I don't want to hurt him. Or Harry."
Draco just rolled his eyes. Though things were much better now, he still had a lot to live with. There were the owls from his father, always keeping him informed of what was going on in the Death Eater meetings he couldn't go to, and knowing that the Slytherins would hate him, probably more than the Gryffindors would hate Hermione, for being with a muggle-born Gryffindor. He didn't say any of this to Hermione. They talked about almost everything else, after that. Then as the sun started to set and teachers started to check round Hogsmeade for the last students, they got up and walked back, holding hands. Professor McGonagall saw them together, and practically had a fit. Hermione and Draco spluttered with laugher, and ran.
Hermione sat reading a book, at a bench outside the shop she'd just bought it from. Harry and Ron weren't speaking to her again, though Ron kept looking at her, as if he thought she should apologise. He looked like he was in pain every time he glanced at her. She had decided to go to Hogsmeade, even though she had no-one to go with. Everyone else was going to Hogsmeade, and she would have been left on her own, besides, it was a lovely day. She didn't think about any of this, she was totally engrossed in her book.
The bench creaked to her right, and she glanced up. The first thing she saw was a flash of bright blond hair, and as she focused on him, she saw grey eyes, and a slight smile.
"Draco?" she said, confused. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, it is the Hogsmeade weekend, Granger."
She breathed out heavily through her nose and smiled, which was almost a laugh, from her. "No, I mean, what are you doing here-on this bench-talking to me. You're a Slytherin. I'm a Griffindor."
"Does it bother you that much?" Draco paused. "Don't answer. Anyway, I wanted to thank you."
"What?!" This was the last thing Hermione had expected. Wanting to kill her, maybe, but thank her? "Why?"
Draco shrugged, and smiled. He seemed a lot more relaxed than last time she had seen him. "For telling Dumbledore. I know, I told you not to, but really, it helped. A lot."
"Really?" said Hermione, trying not to sound too pleased with herself.
"Yes. I mean, I felt like everything in my life was so messed up I'd never be able to sort it out. Dumbledore made it all seem OK. He said I should do nothing. He says he doesn't want me risking my life by openly going against Mast-Voldemort. He says I don't have to spy either. He said that I can tell him things if I want to, but if I don't he understands. Now see why everyone likes him, except us Slytherins of course."
They smiled, and Hermione was vaguely conscious of the thought 'No! Why am I doing this?' Popping into her head, as they kissed.
"Ugh, stupid PDAs," Harry muttered to Ron, as he walked past the bench. Ron gave a quick glance in the direction of the bench, and Hermione and Draco.
"Hermione!?" he gaped. Harry turned around, and looked at the couple again. His jaw dropped.
"Oh my god, it is."
Hermione and Draco had already stopped kissing and were looking at Harry and Ron. Hermione looked dazed, and sort of apologetic, but Draco had his chin up high, and a relaxed smile on his face, one side of his face golden in the warm sunlight, and the other side dark and shadowed. Hermione thought this reflected his personality perfectly. Warm, happy, bright,- dark, mysterious, evil.
Ron blanched, and his lips moved, forming the words 'Draco-Hermione-No, oh no' but no sound came out. He took a few deep breaths. "I've got to go to Zonko's Harry. See you." He turned quickly, and walked as briskly as possible away from them.
"Hermione." Harry said, before he was interrupted by Hermione-
"Yes, I know he's a Slytherin, and I know I'm not supposed to have anything to do with them, but it's not up to you. I'm trying to help him. It might surprise you that when I spoke to him the first time, I had no intention of kissing him. It just, happened."
"I'm not bothered about the Slytherin/Gryffindor thing." Harry paused. "Well, actually I am. Very bothered. But it's Ron I'm worried about."
"Ron? This has just as little to do with Ron as it has to do with you." Said Hermione, puzzled.
"It's upsetting him, a lot. The way you totally ignore him, as if it isn't obvious that he." Now it was Hermione and Draco's turn to stare.
"Forget I told you that. I shouldn't have told you that." Harry said, and walked off.
"Oh, oh."
Hermione and Draco sat still, not knowing what to do next. After an awkward silence, Draco leaned forwards, and started kissing Hermione again. She slid away from him, to the far left of the bench.
"No. Draco, I need to think." She dropped her head into her hands, heavily, hair swinging round and covering her face.
"Why do Weasley's feelings affect anything." Draco enquired coldly. Seeing Hermione's expression, he added, "To us I mean. If you had known from the start that Weasl- uh- Ron had a crush on you, you wouldn't have chosen him over me, would you?"
"No!" Hermione said, laughing at the thought that anyone would choose Ron when they could have Draco. "But he's my friend. I don't want to hurt him. Or Harry."
Draco just rolled his eyes. Though things were much better now, he still had a lot to live with. There were the owls from his father, always keeping him informed of what was going on in the Death Eater meetings he couldn't go to, and knowing that the Slytherins would hate him, probably more than the Gryffindors would hate Hermione, for being with a muggle-born Gryffindor. He didn't say any of this to Hermione. They talked about almost everything else, after that. Then as the sun started to set and teachers started to check round Hogsmeade for the last students, they got up and walked back, holding hands. Professor McGonagall saw them together, and practically had a fit. Hermione and Draco spluttered with laugher, and ran.