Hermione awoke with a smile on her face. The clock read 5:30. She rose out
of bed, looking around her Gryffindor clad room. Red and Gold was covering
the walls, and her bed was king size, embroidered with the Gryffindor
crest. The canopy was a sheer gold, and a beautiful golden chandelier hung
from the ceiling. She loved the solitude. She opened the door quietly as to
not wake Draco. 'Draco.' she thought, 'I kissed Draco Malfoy.' She had
forgotten all of her problems when she was with him. No one could make her
feel the way he did. Not even Harry or Ron. She walked into the bathroom,
and stopped dead at the door. Draco was in nothing but a towel. Hermione
was blushing furiously.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think."
"Don't worry about it, Granger," he smirked.
'Granger? Didn't he just call me Hermione last night?' Hermione's mind was racing. Draco noticed her confusion, and quickly attempted to cover his mistake.
"I still haven't gotten used to calling you by your first name."
"It's fine Mal-Draco," Hermione laughed lightly, "I see what you mean. I guess it's a bit hard to when you've been enemies with someone your entire life."
"I thought I was the only one who woke up this early?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Apparently not. I've always woken up early. I always want to have an early start on my studies."
"Know-it-all," he mumbled, loudly enough so she could hear. She punched him playfully.
"Well I'm going to get ready, meet me in the common room in 30?"
Draco nodded, and left to his dormitory. Hermione quickly shed her pajamas and jumped into the shower. As the hot water poured over her, her mind turned from Draco to the summer events. Almost instantly, the feelings of remorse overtook her. She thought about it all-her mother's heartbreak, her parents' words to each other, her father's expression. She turned off the water and brushed her teeth. She pulled on her pajamas and walked back into her room. She pulled out her black school robes and put them on slowly. Looking into the mirror, she performed a drying spell on it. She began to run a brush through it, and it curled into soft ringlets. Angry tears were rolling down her cheeks. She punched the mirror, causing a loud crash, and her knees went out. She willingly fell to the ground. Draco burst through the door, almost immediately. He looked at Hermione's hand, then to the mirror, and ran to her side. Her face was tear-streaked but there was no more tears coming from her eyes. He pulled out his wand and muttered a 'Reparo' at the mirror and then focused his attention on her hand. After a few spells, her hand was normal, but she still felt the pain. Neither said a word, but sat there in a comfortable silence.
"Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn't he have just left, if he didn't care he didn't have to stay there and cause up more pain. I'm afraid for my mother. I'm afraid he'll do something drastic," Hermione said softly.
"She'll be okay, Hermione. Things will get better," Draco tried to comfort her.
"No, Draco. It won't be okay. I can feel it."
She looked up at Draco and their eyes met. They rose from the ground and each grabbed their bags. On the common room table sat a bundle of papers, which they assumed to be the timetables. They each picked up half and carefully put them into their bags. They were silent the entire way toward the Great Hall
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*
A week had passed since the Draco and Hermione had their silent understanding. Since then they had grown much closer, and awoke to the same routine: an early start, talking, and then leaving to the Great Hall. The morning and secret meetings were all they had, with their patrolling duties and all of their friends constantly in their common room after classes.
Hermione awoke again with a smile on her face, and went through her regimen. She showered, brushed her teeth, dressed, finished her hair, and talked to Draco. Once they reached the Great Hall, they'd go their separate ways. Preparing to cover her lament. She opened the doors of the Great Hall. She scanned the crowd of Gryffindors for her two best friends, and found them sitting in deep discussion. She walked toward them, a smile playing on her lips. They saw her approaching, and she noted that they immediately hushed their conversation. She decided not to comment, and sat in her usual seat between the two.
"Morning Mione," Ron and Harry said in unison.
"Morning. Sleep well?" Hermione asked.
Ron shifted nervously, while Harry looked as if he was trying to stifle a laugh. Hermione was amused, and decided to push the subject a bit further.
"Pleasant dreams, I hope?" she asked.
Harry put his knuckles in his mouth in an attempt to keep from laughing. Ron looked incredibly uncomfortable. Hermione looked at Harry, and his eyes begged her to continue with her questioning. She smiled.
"So what have you been dreaming about?"
"BLOODY HELL DOES IT MATTER WHAT I DREAM ABOUT?! SO WHAT IF I HAD A DREAM ABOUT SNAPE!!" Ron shouted, immediately regretting it.
The Great Hall was silent, and then everyone burst out laughing. Hermione and Harry were grasping onto each other for support. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, and most of the teachers were trying to hold back their giggles. Snape was furious and blushing red. Ron was also incredibly red, which only made people laugh harder, as his face matched his hair. Hermione noticed Ron stopped eating.
"Ron, don't worry about it. It will pass over," Hermione said, still laughing a bit, and put her hand on his shoulder.
He immediately shook it off. "No, Hermione, it won't just pass over. And it's entirely your fault. If you hadn't pushed me to say it, then I wouldn't have to worry about all of these insults that will be thrown at me now. Not to mention in addition to all the rest of the insults I already get."
"Ron, I didn't think-"
"That's it Hermione, you didn't think! For someone as intelligent as you, you'd think you'd know when to give it a rest, and not be so stupid as to push me that far!"
The Great Hall was silent, and all eyes were on the two Gryffindors.
"Ron, why won't you just listen-"
"BECAUSE I DON'T CARE!"
Hermione slapped him. Hard. "You listen to me, Ronald Weasley. I do not deserve to be treated like this by you. If you want to jeopardize this friendship over something as little as a dream, then let's jeopardize it. For now, I don't even want to look at you. I don't deserve to be treated like I'm not good enough, especially not from you."
Hermione turned around and walked away.
Ron looked up at her again, with angry eyes. "You don't deserve respect, especially not from someone like me. You aren't good enough Hermione. You are never going to be good enough. I never thought I'd say this, but I know I mean it. You are a filthy mudblood."
Hermione stopped in her tracks and winced. Tears began to flow down her cheeks.
"How dare you. How dare you ever call me your friend. You know what? I do deserve respect, I know I am better than you. I am a better friend than you. I must be daft to even think you cared." Hermione whispered, barely audible.
She looked up to find all eyes upon her. She met a pair of silver eyes. She looked back at Ron and smiled sadly.
"But I know someone cares about me," she whispered.
She turned around and left the Great Hall, tears pouring out of her eyes. She found herself leaning against the wall for support, and then sliding down in sobs. She heard the doors open, and saw a group of people walking toward her. It was Harry, Ginny, Lavender, Padma, Parvati, and Neville. They enveloped her in hugs, and she eventually convinced them to leave her be, and that she needed to be alone. They left he to go back to breakfast hesitantly, and continually asked her if she would go back, and she refused. She back down, and was feeling significantly better. She heard the doors close, and she heard the faint echo of chatter in the Great Hall again. Again, the doors opened, and instinctively, Hermione said 'I'm fine you guys, really.'
"Are you sure, Granger?" a voice asked.
She looked up and saw Draco. She smiled and stood up. He enveloped her in a hug.
"Now I am," she whispered into his ear.
He smiled. "Meet me at 10 tonight at the lake," he whispered back, "it's important."
"It's a promise," she whispered, smiling.
They parted as they heard the chatter growing louder. Neither had noticed a pair of emerald green eyes watching them.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think."
"Don't worry about it, Granger," he smirked.
'Granger? Didn't he just call me Hermione last night?' Hermione's mind was racing. Draco noticed her confusion, and quickly attempted to cover his mistake.
"I still haven't gotten used to calling you by your first name."
"It's fine Mal-Draco," Hermione laughed lightly, "I see what you mean. I guess it's a bit hard to when you've been enemies with someone your entire life."
"I thought I was the only one who woke up this early?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Apparently not. I've always woken up early. I always want to have an early start on my studies."
"Know-it-all," he mumbled, loudly enough so she could hear. She punched him playfully.
"Well I'm going to get ready, meet me in the common room in 30?"
Draco nodded, and left to his dormitory. Hermione quickly shed her pajamas and jumped into the shower. As the hot water poured over her, her mind turned from Draco to the summer events. Almost instantly, the feelings of remorse overtook her. She thought about it all-her mother's heartbreak, her parents' words to each other, her father's expression. She turned off the water and brushed her teeth. She pulled on her pajamas and walked back into her room. She pulled out her black school robes and put them on slowly. Looking into the mirror, she performed a drying spell on it. She began to run a brush through it, and it curled into soft ringlets. Angry tears were rolling down her cheeks. She punched the mirror, causing a loud crash, and her knees went out. She willingly fell to the ground. Draco burst through the door, almost immediately. He looked at Hermione's hand, then to the mirror, and ran to her side. Her face was tear-streaked but there was no more tears coming from her eyes. He pulled out his wand and muttered a 'Reparo' at the mirror and then focused his attention on her hand. After a few spells, her hand was normal, but she still felt the pain. Neither said a word, but sat there in a comfortable silence.
"Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn't he have just left, if he didn't care he didn't have to stay there and cause up more pain. I'm afraid for my mother. I'm afraid he'll do something drastic," Hermione said softly.
"She'll be okay, Hermione. Things will get better," Draco tried to comfort her.
"No, Draco. It won't be okay. I can feel it."
She looked up at Draco and their eyes met. They rose from the ground and each grabbed their bags. On the common room table sat a bundle of papers, which they assumed to be the timetables. They each picked up half and carefully put them into their bags. They were silent the entire way toward the Great Hall
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*
A week had passed since the Draco and Hermione had their silent understanding. Since then they had grown much closer, and awoke to the same routine: an early start, talking, and then leaving to the Great Hall. The morning and secret meetings were all they had, with their patrolling duties and all of their friends constantly in their common room after classes.
Hermione awoke again with a smile on her face, and went through her regimen. She showered, brushed her teeth, dressed, finished her hair, and talked to Draco. Once they reached the Great Hall, they'd go their separate ways. Preparing to cover her lament. She opened the doors of the Great Hall. She scanned the crowd of Gryffindors for her two best friends, and found them sitting in deep discussion. She walked toward them, a smile playing on her lips. They saw her approaching, and she noted that they immediately hushed their conversation. She decided not to comment, and sat in her usual seat between the two.
"Morning Mione," Ron and Harry said in unison.
"Morning. Sleep well?" Hermione asked.
Ron shifted nervously, while Harry looked as if he was trying to stifle a laugh. Hermione was amused, and decided to push the subject a bit further.
"Pleasant dreams, I hope?" she asked.
Harry put his knuckles in his mouth in an attempt to keep from laughing. Ron looked incredibly uncomfortable. Hermione looked at Harry, and his eyes begged her to continue with her questioning. She smiled.
"So what have you been dreaming about?"
"BLOODY HELL DOES IT MATTER WHAT I DREAM ABOUT?! SO WHAT IF I HAD A DREAM ABOUT SNAPE!!" Ron shouted, immediately regretting it.
The Great Hall was silent, and then everyone burst out laughing. Hermione and Harry were grasping onto each other for support. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, and most of the teachers were trying to hold back their giggles. Snape was furious and blushing red. Ron was also incredibly red, which only made people laugh harder, as his face matched his hair. Hermione noticed Ron stopped eating.
"Ron, don't worry about it. It will pass over," Hermione said, still laughing a bit, and put her hand on his shoulder.
He immediately shook it off. "No, Hermione, it won't just pass over. And it's entirely your fault. If you hadn't pushed me to say it, then I wouldn't have to worry about all of these insults that will be thrown at me now. Not to mention in addition to all the rest of the insults I already get."
"Ron, I didn't think-"
"That's it Hermione, you didn't think! For someone as intelligent as you, you'd think you'd know when to give it a rest, and not be so stupid as to push me that far!"
The Great Hall was silent, and all eyes were on the two Gryffindors.
"Ron, why won't you just listen-"
"BECAUSE I DON'T CARE!"
Hermione slapped him. Hard. "You listen to me, Ronald Weasley. I do not deserve to be treated like this by you. If you want to jeopardize this friendship over something as little as a dream, then let's jeopardize it. For now, I don't even want to look at you. I don't deserve to be treated like I'm not good enough, especially not from you."
Hermione turned around and walked away.
Ron looked up at her again, with angry eyes. "You don't deserve respect, especially not from someone like me. You aren't good enough Hermione. You are never going to be good enough. I never thought I'd say this, but I know I mean it. You are a filthy mudblood."
Hermione stopped in her tracks and winced. Tears began to flow down her cheeks.
"How dare you. How dare you ever call me your friend. You know what? I do deserve respect, I know I am better than you. I am a better friend than you. I must be daft to even think you cared." Hermione whispered, barely audible.
She looked up to find all eyes upon her. She met a pair of silver eyes. She looked back at Ron and smiled sadly.
"But I know someone cares about me," she whispered.
She turned around and left the Great Hall, tears pouring out of her eyes. She found herself leaning against the wall for support, and then sliding down in sobs. She heard the doors open, and saw a group of people walking toward her. It was Harry, Ginny, Lavender, Padma, Parvati, and Neville. They enveloped her in hugs, and she eventually convinced them to leave her be, and that she needed to be alone. They left he to go back to breakfast hesitantly, and continually asked her if she would go back, and she refused. She back down, and was feeling significantly better. She heard the doors close, and she heard the faint echo of chatter in the Great Hall again. Again, the doors opened, and instinctively, Hermione said 'I'm fine you guys, really.'
"Are you sure, Granger?" a voice asked.
She looked up and saw Draco. She smiled and stood up. He enveloped her in a hug.
"Now I am," she whispered into his ear.
He smiled. "Meet me at 10 tonight at the lake," he whispered back, "it's important."
"It's a promise," she whispered, smiling.
They parted as they heard the chatter growing louder. Neither had noticed a pair of emerald green eyes watching them.