See if You're Human after All
Potter47

~ Chapter Two ~
Running into Malfoy

We walked to Dumbledore's office then. He had never been there before, so I had to show him the way. He had been wandering around, trying to find someone, until he ran into me.

Everything changed that day. Everything. Not a single thing in my life continued as it had before that day.

I fancied Draco Malfoy.

There! I said it! Well, at least I thought it...

Dumbledore seemed quite surprised when the two of us arrived at his office together. As though he actually hadn't expected it. I always thought he expected everything.

He - Draco I mean - he looked Dumbledore straight in the eye, and handed the Headmaster the letter. As Dumbledore read it, it seemed as though something clicked inside his head. Something made sense.

"I take it this is why your mother was killed," he said.

"Yes."

"It certainly explains a lot." He looked shrewdly at the two of us. "Miss Granger? What brings you here?"

"I just...came with him," I said.

Dumbledore showed the slightest hint of a smile, but it was gone as soon as it had appeared.

"Why show this to me, Mr. Malfoy?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well," said Draco, "I wanted to know if I could...help. In the fight against the Dark Lord."

"Really?" Dumbledore's penetrating gaze seemed to look through Draco. "You want to help?"

"Anything I can do."

Dumbledore just looked at him for what seemed like hours. I was wondering if he expected me to leave.

"All right, then," he finally spoke. "I'll let you know if there is anything you can do."

Draco turned around and I began to follow him, but Dumbledore said, "Miss Granger, a word?"

I stopped and turned back, looking questioningly at the Headmaster. Draco continued his way out of the office.

"Yes?" I asked.

As soon as the wall at the bottom of the stairs closed, Dumbledore smiled. "Well," he said, "you certainly seem to be getting along better with Mr. Malfoy. When did this happen?"

I was sure I was blushing. "Well, about ten minutes ago, in the corridor..."

And I told him about the encounter.

"Shakespeare?" he said. "I never would have thought..."

"Me neither. The odd thing is...he just is so...nice...to be around, when he's not being a prat," I told him.

"Yes, well he chose to be like that. And he chose to come to our side. And he chose to be nice to you," he said. "As I told Harry, at the end of his second year, it is our choices that show who we truly are. It seems Draco may have finally made his choice."

* * *

As I said before, that day changed my entire life. I not only didn't fancy Ron any longer, but I fancied Malfoy. Yeah, bit of a difference.

And I still had the little problem of Ron fancying me.

Maybe, I thought, maybe he wouldn't?

No such luck, as he still was trying to get me alone. Still trying to ask. I had, once again, taken refuge in the library.

I should have thought of a less obvious place. As I was browsing the Charms section, just looking for something to distract me, I heard him. He asked Madam Pince if she had seen me, and she told him that I was in Charms.

Damn.

So, I hurriedly put the book I was holding back in its proper place, and ran out the back of the aisle. I passed no one as I swiftly exited the library. He had just reached the Charms section, when Madam Pince tried to get his attention silently.

I did not stick around any longer.

I ran - as fast as was allowed in the corridors - toward Gryffindor Tower. I was intent on hiding out in my dormitory - the one place I was sure he couldn't find me.

I made it two floors, before I ran into him.

Literally.

Yeah, him.

"Granger!" he said. "What're you running from?" He looked over my shoulder, as if expecting to see a throng of Death Eaters on my tail.

"Nothing," I said.

He seemed to notice that he had caught me in his arms, and, much to my chagrin, hurriedly let go. A slight blush rose in his cheeks. He looked nice with a bit of colour.

"I was...er...wondering," he said awkwardly. "You know if Weasley's going to the ball with anyone?"

"Ron?" I asked, appalled.

"NO!" he practically screamed. "I meant his sister! I thought it would be a nice way to go against my father, and the Death Eaters. You know, go with a Gryffindor..."

He still seemed to be blushing. "Er..." I said. "I think she's going with someone. But there are other Gryffindors you could go with," I hurriedly added, not believing the luck that he would want to go with a Gryffindor.

"Who?" he asked. "Patil's going with Thomas. Brown's going with Finnigan. Bell's going with Weasley's brother. Your going with Weasley-"

"I'm what?" I ask.

"Your going with Weasley," he repeated. "You are, aren't you?"

"No!" I said quickly. "What gave you that idea?"

Stupid question.

"Your joking right? It's obvious he fancies you. I thought you fancied him too. It really has seemed obvious..."

"No, I don't fancy Ron." I fancy you, I thought.

"Really?" he asked, bewildered. "News to me. And just about the entire castle. Hell, I bet even people outside the castle thought that..."

"I get it. No, if he fancies me, it's definitely one-sided."

"If? IF? You've got to be kidding me! Remember the slugs? Of course he fancies you. He has for years." I couldn't believe that I was having this conversation with him.

He seemed to be thinking of something. I later would discover that it was something along the lines of Hmm...A Mudblood would be even better than a Weasley....

"You want go with me, then?" he asked. "I mean, if you're sure that it's one-sided." He smirked.

"Sure." Ahhhhhhhh!!!! He asked me!!!! I was screaming to myself. Yeah, other girls probably would actually be doing so out of their head, but I'm me, remember?

"Good."

Yeah, he changed quite a bit. Normally, he probably would have just said You're going to the ball with me! And that would be it. I liked the new him. A lot.

* * *

As I walked into the common room that evening, I swear I was glowing. You don't believe me? Ask any one of the other Gryffindors there; they were all staring.

I swaggered (yes, swaggered) to where Harry and Ginny were sitting, and I noticed that Harry seemed not to have asked her yet. He was, or at least was trying to, work on his History of Magic homework. I say trying to, because I doubt that the solution to the any question that Professor Binns would ask can be found within Ginny's hair.

I decided, as I was in such a good mood, that I ought to try to help him once again. You don't think I tried to help him before? Ha! Of course I helped him...

Didn't I?

Well...I did now! At least, I was going to...

"Hello, Harry," I said, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Have you seen Alice in Wonderland? I just saw it last summer, and I cannot believe how much Alice reminded me of Luna. Hmm... Ron and Alice... "Ginny."

"Hey, Hermione," said Harry, dragging his gaze from Ginny's mane.

"What are you so happy about?" asked Ginny, smiling slightly. "Big brother get up the nerve to ask you?"

"No!" I said hurriedly. "Why would Ron ask me? Ask me where?"

"The ball, of course!" she said. "It's obvious he's gonna ask you. Don't tell me you haven't noticed."

"Well," I said, "if he was going to ask, he should have done it already." Thank Merlin he I didn't give him the chance. "I happen to already have a date."

"Good!"

I spun around, and, to the shock of every single living (and non-living) soul in Gryffindor Tower, the speaker was...

Ron.

"What!?" Harry and Ginny exclaimed simultaneously. They looked at each other, and hurriedly away again. I could tell they hadn't expected to be in sync with each other.

"I said, good," Ron said. He looked to be out of breath, which would be logical, as he had been trying to find me. But...what? I thought. I was so sure...

"What d'you mean?" said Ginny. "Why would it be good that Hermione has a date?"

Yeah! I mentally exclaimed. Why?

"Could I speak with Hermione privately?" asked Ron.

"Who's stopping you?" asked Harry.

"Oh," said Ron. "Right. Hermione could you come with me out in the corridor for a minute?"

Still a bit shocked at the turn of events, I nodded, and followed him silently toward the portrait hole.

"Hermione," said Ron once they were in the corridor, "I've been trying to talk to you ever since Dumbledore said there'd be another Yule Ball-"

"It's not a Yule Ball," I corrected automatically. "It's a Christmas Ball. The Yule Ball is only celebrated during the Triwizard Tournament."

"Whatever," he said, before continuing. "Ever since he said there'd be another ball, I've been trying to talk to you. I would've yesterday, but then that git Malfoy showed up and... I don't really know what happened then."

I looked down at my shoes guiltily as he spat the word Malfoy.

"The thing is..." he said, an odd look on his face, as if trying to figure something out that was far beyond his ability. "Two years ago, you told me to ask you before someone else does. And I would have...last year. But now," he stopped a moment, thinking. "Something changed, last year. I...I fancied you before...but then...I just...didn't."

His ears were burning, and I realised how uncomfortable his situation was.

"The past couple days, I've been trying to tell you that I...didn't want to go with you. I want to go with...well, never mind that, but I just don't want to go with you. Just then, when I heard you already had a date...I just, felt so relieved. Who would've thought?"

"Ron," I said, "why didn't you just tell me?"

"I tried to!" he said breathlessly. "But you run bloody fast! You didn't use to." He laughed. "It's as if you were trying to avoid me."

He, he. Imagine that.

"I would never!" I lied. Luckily, he didn't seem too keen on detecting my falsehoods. I never was a very good liar, and I was pretty sure it I wasn't all that believable.

"So?" asked a voice from above us. "Who're you going with?"

We both whirled around, and were face to frame with the Fat Lady. She had been listening to our conversation and, if I didn't know better, I'd swear she was taking notes!

"Can't you block your ears, or something!" Ron hollered.

"Sorry!" she said. "Nothing to block them with!"

She looked around her portrait, as if searching for earplugs. "See? Nothing!"

"How 'bout your bloody fingers!"

"Let's just go," I said, and I told her the password. She reluctantly opened.

"I'll find out one way or another!" she said as the frame closed. "You'll see!"

We were not expecting to see Ginny dashing back to her seat as we came in, nor an innocent Harry, whistling to himself.

"So," asked Ginny as we came back to where they were sitting, "what'd you two talk about?"

"As if you don't know," scoffed Ron.

Ginny gasped dramatically.

"Ron! My own brother! Accuse me of spying?!" she said disbelievingly. "I cannot believe it!"

"Yeah, yeah," said Ron. "You're so convincing."

"So?" she asked.

"So, what?" I said.

"You said you had a date! With who?"

"Yeah, Hermione," said Harry. "Who?"

He seemed noticeably more comfortable, and less embarrassed. The only reason for that, I thought, must be...

"Who are you going with Harry?" I countered. "And you, Ginny?"

"You'll find out at the ball!" said Ginny, and, head held high, she marched off to her dormitory. Clearly, she didn't think we deserved to know, if we wouldn't tell her who we were going with.

"Yeah!" said Harry, following Ginny's lead. At the last moment, he even remembered to turn, and go up to his dorm. If he hadn't, he'd have been on the floor, with dozens off girls laughing at him.

"They are so obvious!" I said, once both Harry and Ginny were out of earshot.

"Yeah," said Ron softly.

"So," I said. "We'll find out at the ball, who you're going with?"

"Yep," he said. "And the same for you."

"Right," I said. "Goodnight."

"G'night."

And with that, I headed to bed.

I couldn't help thinking what a surprise he was in for, when I turned up with Draco.

Little did I know, I'd be in for quite a surprise myself.

* * *

"Luna!" I exclaimed, seeing the blond girl coming down the marble stairs, and into the entrance hall.

It was Christmas, the night of the ball and I hadn't seen her in quite a while. In fact, not since the day the ball was announced.

"Yes?" she said, as she neared me.

"Who are you go-"

I stopped short then, seeing Draco come up from the door that lead to the dungeons. I had expected him to be wearing green, or black. With maybe some silver. But no, I shouldn't of thought that. I should have known that he wouldn't wear Slytherin colours. The only reason he was my date was because he was defying his family, right?

He was wearing scarlet dress robes. I laughed at the thought that they were almost maroon.

I walked over to him, completely ignoring Luna, who had just walked off toward Ron as if I hadn't said a thing. Draco's eyes noticeably softened when he saw me.

"Y-you look nice," I said, blushing.

"You too."

* * *

And that was how it all began. That was how Draco and I changed, from enemies, to friends, to more. And to think, I owe it all to Luna.

Oh, I didn't tell you? Ron, unbeknownst to anyone, even himself, had fallen for her that year, and had that not happened, he wouldn't have been trying to talk to me. We wouldn't have run into Draco. I never would've seen the letter. Everything would have been different.

Ron and Luna eventually did have children, with red hair, huge eyes, and an obsession with the letter 'q'. Imagine the deja-vu I had when I saw them chattering about 'cwumple-howrned snowkacks.'

Harry and Ginny, of course did go to the ball together. And for the remainder of Ginny's time at Hogwarts, he never missed a Hogsmeade weekend. Never. Not once. In fact, they seemed to like the village so much, that they bought a house there after she graduated, and have lived there ever since.

You're probably thinking, What's with the different tenses? And you're right. At the beginning, I wrote in past tense, then present, then past. There's a simple explanation really. The beginnings of the story, the first chapter, I wrote when they happened. In a diary. I recently found them, and decided to take the time to finish the tale.

I decided the title, Advising Girls About Fancying a Boy, and then Not Fancying a Boy, but He Fancies You... was a bit too long to fit on a cover. So, when I was listening to a CD, a week or two ago, I heard the lyric, See if you're human after all. It fit amazingly well, not just with the story, but on the cover as well. And there you have it.

And us? Draco and I? Well, I'm sorry to say it, but he was killed, in battle. By Lucius himself. I gladly returned the favour, but that didn't bring him back. Believe me when I say I wish it did. But he did what he wanted. He fought against the Dark Lord. Without him, Harry never would have had the chance to end it all.

Since graduating, I've taken a position at Hogwarts. Potions. Professor Snape finally got the Defence job in seventh year, and actually broke the curse on the position. He's been teaching in Quirrel, Lockhart, Lupin, Moody, Umbridge, and Shacklebolt's classroom for nearly twelve years now, and he's still going strong.

Dumbledore was also killed in battle, and Minerva is now Headmistress at Hogwarts. (It's still odd to call her 'Minerva'.) I hope to follow in her footsteps, (or pawprints) someday, but for now, I'm perfectly fine teaching in the Potions Dungeon.

After all, for seven years, I hardly ever saw that room without Draco in it. I can feel his spirit in the place. It's comforting.

And most definitely human.

~ The End ~

Author's Note: Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, SORRY!

I did not mean to take this long! This was supposed to be a Christmas story, for crying out loud!

I just...couldn't...write it.

If any of you liked the H/G and R/L of this, then I suggest you read the cause of my slowness, Living inside Yesterday. It's novel-length, and more than half done. (And I update regularly)

Once again, I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, please review, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, please review, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, please review, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, please review, sorry, sorry, sorry, please review, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, please review, sorry, and SORRY!

PS: Sorry!

PPS: Please review!