Hope you like it. Please review!
Chapter 3For over a month, Hermione only saw Malfoy in lessons, and found it impossible to let go of the disappointment she felt every time he walked by without so much as looking at her. She kept telling herself it was stupid, that he was still the same old nasty Malfoy, but every time she did, she just saw the pain he'd had in his eyes when he spoke of his father. Could it really be that the Malfoy everyone knew was just the projection of what his father wanted in a son, what he had been bought up to believe he should be? Harry and Ron constantly questioned her mood, but generally decided it must still be shock from the attack.
As Christmas approached, there was another Hogsmeade weekend, and the students went down again accompanied by plenty of staff members on full alert. By now, Hermione appeared back to her normal self, and largely, she was, but as she browsed the muggle section of the bookshop, she came across a new book, the next one in the series of the book she'd seen Malfoy choose that day. Without really thinking too much about it, she bought the book and shoved it to the bottom of her bag.
The Christmas holidays came, and the majority of the students left. Ron and Hermione stayed back with Harry, and as the only girl left in her room, Hermione was rather glad of the peace.
On Christmas day, the friends opened presents early in the morning, and chatted happily all the way down to breakfast, the smells of bacon, eggs, and sausages cooking circulating round the school.
Sitting with Crabbe and Goyle, the only other Slytherin fifth years to have stayed in school, Malfoy talked with them about various presents their parents had sent, and was generally normal Malfoy. When the post came, he was surprised to see an owl swoop down towards him, as his parents had already sent all his presents. He caught the small package and looked at the name on it. 'Draco M.' he frowned and was about to open it, when he felt the edges. It was a book. Now who would… he looked up to where Potter and his friend's were sitting at the Gryfindor table. Weasley and Potter were facing away from him, but Granger, on the other side of the table, looked up when she sensed his gaze. She only looked for a second, but Malfoy was sure he'd seen the slightest of smiles sent his way. He paused for a second, and pocketed the parcel.
Later, when he was alone in his room, as Crabbe and Goyle were still stuffing their faces after Christmas lunch, Malfoy took out the parcel again. Stripping the brown paper, he found a layer of brightly coloured Christmas paper. Removing this too, he found the book that no one else knew he would even touch, and a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it, and read the short note,
Because I know who you are. Merry Christmas.
-H.G xxx
Malfoy carefully folded the note and slipped it into the cover of the book. Then he sat back, head against the wall, just starring into space, and smiled his first genuine smile for many days.
That night, Harry and Ron suggested that Hermione came into the boys room, as they were the only boys left too, but she said she was too tired, she just wanted to go to bed.
Hermione sat in her bed, reading a muggle book Ron had bought her as a joke. As midnight drew near, she closed the book, looked to the window, and sighed, blonde hair still filling her minds eye. God I'm pathetic, she thought. She put the light out, put down the book, and pulled her covers up to her chin.
What seemed like only moments after she'd shut her eyes, Hermione sat up to a tapping sound at her window. She turned the light back on and crept to the window to see an owl hovering just outside. She opened the window quickly, and the bird dropped a small package into her hands, before flying off, obviously annoyed to be sent out on such a cold night. Hermione closed the window and scrambled back under the warm covers, all the time looking at the small parcel in her hand. She unwrapped it to find a small, dark green, velvety box. She opened this, and a small piece of paper fell out, revealing a beautiful silver pendant in the shape of a sun and a cresent moon, with a tiny red stone at the centre of the sun, and a blue one at the bottom of the moon. Her breath catching in her throat, Hermione retrieved the slip of paper and read,
Because I know you know, and it means more to me than the sun or the moon.
Merry Christmas.
- Draco
Hermione bit her lip slightly, and put the necklace on, knowing this present meant more to her than all the others put together, because it meant that all this hoping had not been in vain… Draco was way more than just a Malfoy.
A couple of days later, Hermione was sitting on a window seat in the corner of the Library, reading a book, when Draco came to sit beside her.
"Hey, Granger." He said mock spite lacing the words.
"What do you want?" she grinned.
"To say… thanks." He said in his natural voice.
"You too." She smiled.
"Then you liked it?" he asked eagerly. She nodded, unzipping the top of her jumper to reveal the pendant.
"It's beautiful." She said. Draco smiled broadly and bought out two books, one a dark arts textbook, the other the book she sent him.
"How did you know?"
"It's the one after the one you were looking at when I saw you before." She shrugged.
"Well thanks. It's perfect."
"What's with the textbook?" she asked.
"Got to look after my rep. don't I?" he smiled, laying the novel inside the textbook so it appeared he was reading up on dark arts.
"That's pathetic!" Hermione giggled. "Don't you think the fact you're sitting with a Gryffindor will be a little more damaging?"
Draco smirked,
"I think I'll survive." He said
THE END. *Grins* fluff fluff fluff etc!!