Disclaimer: All characters and places in the Harry Potter series are owned
by J.K. Rowling. I have created a few characters and places of my own in
relation to this story. But everything else is owned by Rowling.
Chapter 6: "By the Lake"
Hermione didn't want to walk back to the common room with Draco but she would rather suffer his intolerable comments than walk alone. Suddenly, the hallways of Hogwarts had made her feel uneasy, it was rather creepy.
They walked in silence, occasionally glancing at each other, but neither of them speaking.
When they reached the portrait hole of the Gryffindor common room, Hermione stopped and looked at Draco.
"What? It's not like I don't know your password. It's Potterhead, isn't it?" Draco said, with yet another smirk.
"Not until I change it, after I get in," Hermione said. But she noticed that the Fat Lady had already opened the door for her. Obviously, it had heard Draco speak the password. "So, goodbye. And thanks, I think."
"No problem, Grangery," Draco replied.
Hermione's face turned red with fury and she turned around before having the chance to climb back into the common room. "What did you call me?" The Fat Lady decided to close the hole once more.
Draco could see the furious expression lined in Hermione's face. "Ah, nothing, Hermione."
"I swear in Merlin's name that I would cross out your face if you call me names again, Malfoy!" she exclaimed.
"Actually, Merlin has got an X on his face. If you'd like, I'll show you. It's kinda cool, actually."
"Malfoy!" Hermione shouted. "I'm not kidding."
"So am I," Draco answered.
"I promise after this day, I will never talk to you again," Hermione said, turning around for the common room. But Draco touched her shoulder. She flinched.
"Don't touch me, you big jerk!"
"Insult taken. But would you please hear me out?"
"I'm not going to listen to yet another insult." Hermione's hand was groping inside her pocket for her wand but it seems to be missing. *I might have dropped in somewhere. The hallway!*
"Hermione, are you even listening to me?" Draco said.
"Shut up, Malfoy. Just leave me alone."
"Not before you hear me out."
"In your dreams. Potterhead!" Just when Hermione was about to climb back into the common room, Draco had lunged forward and pushed the door close once again, leaning by the portrait amidst the cries of the Fat Lady.
"If you're going to keep this up, my dears, then you might as well sleep outside. And stop leaning on my portrait, you're smearing the paint!" cried the Fat Lady.
"Draco, what are you doing? Let me in!" Hermione shouted.
"Just listen to me, it'll only take a minute," Draco answered.
"For crying out loud, just hear the boy out! It won't do any irreversible damage like what he's done to my colors!" exclaimed the Fat Lady.
Draco moved away from the portrait and withdrew his wand.
"Now he's going to burn me!" shouted the Fat Lady.
"Reparo!" Draco uttered. With one swift light, the portrait was as good as new.
"Oh, oh, thank you, I think," said the Fat Lady. "Now move away from me, please."
"Now, will you listen to what I have to say?" Draco asked, turning to look at a dumbfounded Hermione.
"I will listen but I can't promise you anything," Hermione replied.
"Well, that's good enough for me. For now."
***
"I wonder what's taking Hermione so long. She's supposed to be here right now," Harry wondered out loud. He was pacing back and forth in front of the couch, where Ron was seated watching him in delight.
"For the hundredth time, calm down! Do you think she might have entered without us noticing?" Ron said. "I mean, that bushy hair is the most prominent thing in the whole school, well, besides your scar, and my red hair, and Ginny's."
"That's my girl you're talking about!" Harry exclaimed.
"Ginny?"
"Hermione!"
"Oh, yah. Sorry. Let's just wait a little longer, okay?"
"What other choice have I got?"
***
Draco and Hermione have settled by the lake. Draco wanted to talk to her inside an empty classroom they passed but Hermione refused. Draco immediately understood that Hermione still hasn't learned to trust him. She led him by the lake where many people can see them. Draco was unsure if that's what she wanted them to see.
"What was it you wanted to tell me?" Hermione said, sitting by the grass and staring at the lake.
Draco began touching his hair and brushing it with his fingers. "First of all, I. I."
"Draco, I haven't got all afternoon," Hermione said, turning to face him.
"Look, I'm sorry for the way I treated you before," Draco blurted out.
"When is before?"
"From the time we first met until just half an hour ago at the hallway."
"You know sorry won't change anything."
"But it means a lot."
"Like what?"
"Like how I regret every immature game I've played on you, every insult I threw at you, and every pain I've put you through."
Hermione turned to face the lake once more. The sun is about to set at the vast sky above them. "Words may mean a lot, but sometimes they can be so empty."
"What do you mean?"
"You know as much as I do that actions speak louder than words."
"That's why I've been wanting to show you how much I've changed. But you never gave me a chance."
"Chances are for people you trust. People you are sure would never hurt you."
"Then I guess I should move to gain your trust."
"It's not that easy."
"I'll try."
"Then goodluck."
Draco stood up. He couldn't take Hermione's stoicism any longer.
"Why is it so hard for you to trust me?"
"It's because I'm afraid to take the risk and end up getting hurt."
"I will never hurt you again."
"It's so hard to believe."
Draco punched the bark of the tree that was standing beside him. He punched it so hard that he wounded his fist. But he didn't care. He was mad that it was this difficult for Hermione to open her heart to him. He was mad because he knows that somehow, he deserves it.
"I know I haven't been the friendliest person to you. But I swear I'll do anything to prove to you that I can be your friend."
"If all doors and windows have been closed on you, where do you start?"
"I'll start by having faith. I know that somewhere in your heart is a small unlocked window that I can get into, somehow."
Hermione stood up, turned to face Draco and looked him straight in the eye. "I'm sorry, Draco. But my heart is locked from you." She then started moving towards the castle.
As she passed by Draco, she heard him speak. "Faith will be my key."
Hermione stopped. "Faith has nothing to do with how I feel, and with how you can change it." She then continued walking.
"Faith is building a bridge for the one you love," Draco spoke.
Hermione's feet came to a halt. She wasn't sure if she heard him right, but something in what he said struck a part of her. Maybe her heart.
She ignored him and tried to move back up the castle as quickly as she could.
Draco was left standing there, leaning by the tree, watching the sun gradually descend to welcome the night sky. "Someday you'll learn to love me, Hermione. As I have learned to love you."
***
Disclaimer: I quoted "Faith is building a bridge for the one you love" from the Korean movie, "My Sassy Girl."
Chapter 6: "By the Lake"
Hermione didn't want to walk back to the common room with Draco but she would rather suffer his intolerable comments than walk alone. Suddenly, the hallways of Hogwarts had made her feel uneasy, it was rather creepy.
They walked in silence, occasionally glancing at each other, but neither of them speaking.
When they reached the portrait hole of the Gryffindor common room, Hermione stopped and looked at Draco.
"What? It's not like I don't know your password. It's Potterhead, isn't it?" Draco said, with yet another smirk.
"Not until I change it, after I get in," Hermione said. But she noticed that the Fat Lady had already opened the door for her. Obviously, it had heard Draco speak the password. "So, goodbye. And thanks, I think."
"No problem, Grangery," Draco replied.
Hermione's face turned red with fury and she turned around before having the chance to climb back into the common room. "What did you call me?" The Fat Lady decided to close the hole once more.
Draco could see the furious expression lined in Hermione's face. "Ah, nothing, Hermione."
"I swear in Merlin's name that I would cross out your face if you call me names again, Malfoy!" she exclaimed.
"Actually, Merlin has got an X on his face. If you'd like, I'll show you. It's kinda cool, actually."
"Malfoy!" Hermione shouted. "I'm not kidding."
"So am I," Draco answered.
"I promise after this day, I will never talk to you again," Hermione said, turning around for the common room. But Draco touched her shoulder. She flinched.
"Don't touch me, you big jerk!"
"Insult taken. But would you please hear me out?"
"I'm not going to listen to yet another insult." Hermione's hand was groping inside her pocket for her wand but it seems to be missing. *I might have dropped in somewhere. The hallway!*
"Hermione, are you even listening to me?" Draco said.
"Shut up, Malfoy. Just leave me alone."
"Not before you hear me out."
"In your dreams. Potterhead!" Just when Hermione was about to climb back into the common room, Draco had lunged forward and pushed the door close once again, leaning by the portrait amidst the cries of the Fat Lady.
"If you're going to keep this up, my dears, then you might as well sleep outside. And stop leaning on my portrait, you're smearing the paint!" cried the Fat Lady.
"Draco, what are you doing? Let me in!" Hermione shouted.
"Just listen to me, it'll only take a minute," Draco answered.
"For crying out loud, just hear the boy out! It won't do any irreversible damage like what he's done to my colors!" exclaimed the Fat Lady.
Draco moved away from the portrait and withdrew his wand.
"Now he's going to burn me!" shouted the Fat Lady.
"Reparo!" Draco uttered. With one swift light, the portrait was as good as new.
"Oh, oh, thank you, I think," said the Fat Lady. "Now move away from me, please."
"Now, will you listen to what I have to say?" Draco asked, turning to look at a dumbfounded Hermione.
"I will listen but I can't promise you anything," Hermione replied.
"Well, that's good enough for me. For now."
***
"I wonder what's taking Hermione so long. She's supposed to be here right now," Harry wondered out loud. He was pacing back and forth in front of the couch, where Ron was seated watching him in delight.
"For the hundredth time, calm down! Do you think she might have entered without us noticing?" Ron said. "I mean, that bushy hair is the most prominent thing in the whole school, well, besides your scar, and my red hair, and Ginny's."
"That's my girl you're talking about!" Harry exclaimed.
"Ginny?"
"Hermione!"
"Oh, yah. Sorry. Let's just wait a little longer, okay?"
"What other choice have I got?"
***
Draco and Hermione have settled by the lake. Draco wanted to talk to her inside an empty classroom they passed but Hermione refused. Draco immediately understood that Hermione still hasn't learned to trust him. She led him by the lake where many people can see them. Draco was unsure if that's what she wanted them to see.
"What was it you wanted to tell me?" Hermione said, sitting by the grass and staring at the lake.
Draco began touching his hair and brushing it with his fingers. "First of all, I. I."
"Draco, I haven't got all afternoon," Hermione said, turning to face him.
"Look, I'm sorry for the way I treated you before," Draco blurted out.
"When is before?"
"From the time we first met until just half an hour ago at the hallway."
"You know sorry won't change anything."
"But it means a lot."
"Like what?"
"Like how I regret every immature game I've played on you, every insult I threw at you, and every pain I've put you through."
Hermione turned to face the lake once more. The sun is about to set at the vast sky above them. "Words may mean a lot, but sometimes they can be so empty."
"What do you mean?"
"You know as much as I do that actions speak louder than words."
"That's why I've been wanting to show you how much I've changed. But you never gave me a chance."
"Chances are for people you trust. People you are sure would never hurt you."
"Then I guess I should move to gain your trust."
"It's not that easy."
"I'll try."
"Then goodluck."
Draco stood up. He couldn't take Hermione's stoicism any longer.
"Why is it so hard for you to trust me?"
"It's because I'm afraid to take the risk and end up getting hurt."
"I will never hurt you again."
"It's so hard to believe."
Draco punched the bark of the tree that was standing beside him. He punched it so hard that he wounded his fist. But he didn't care. He was mad that it was this difficult for Hermione to open her heart to him. He was mad because he knows that somehow, he deserves it.
"I know I haven't been the friendliest person to you. But I swear I'll do anything to prove to you that I can be your friend."
"If all doors and windows have been closed on you, where do you start?"
"I'll start by having faith. I know that somewhere in your heart is a small unlocked window that I can get into, somehow."
Hermione stood up, turned to face Draco and looked him straight in the eye. "I'm sorry, Draco. But my heart is locked from you." She then started moving towards the castle.
As she passed by Draco, she heard him speak. "Faith will be my key."
Hermione stopped. "Faith has nothing to do with how I feel, and with how you can change it." She then continued walking.
"Faith is building a bridge for the one you love," Draco spoke.
Hermione's feet came to a halt. She wasn't sure if she heard him right, but something in what he said struck a part of her. Maybe her heart.
She ignored him and tried to move back up the castle as quickly as she could.
Draco was left standing there, leaning by the tree, watching the sun gradually descend to welcome the night sky. "Someday you'll learn to love me, Hermione. As I have learned to love you."
***
Disclaimer: I quoted "Faith is building a bridge for the one you love" from the Korean movie, "My Sassy Girl."