Chapter 6- How Ironic
Draco had finally given in to Pansy Parkinson and asked her to the ball to stop her incessant comments and sighs. He had dressed in his black velvet dress robes and brought her down to the Great Hall. He had watched couples dancing. He had spotted Granger sitting daintily, her hair glittering under the light, in light blue robes. He had excused himself after half an hour and left the table. He had gone to his room and stayed there for the rest of the night, reading over the letters he had received.
On the night of November first, Draco impatiently paced around his bed, irritating his roommates so much that they had all left within fifteen minutes. The same worries came to him. Another one he had not considered yet fluttered into his mind. What if this person was nothing like he expected? What if he just could not stand her? Butterflies began to settle in his stomach. He angrily yelled at them to get out, then realized how foolish he was being and resumed pacing.
A quick glance at the clock told him that it was almost time for the meeting. Cursing himself for losing track of time, he hurried out to the Room of Requirement.
When the door appeared for him, he hesitated before pushing it open. A few feet from the door, dark red curtains hung from a golden bar on the ceiling, running the length of the room. *Red and gold, how ironic,* Draco thought derisively. He stepped through them, stopping short when he saw the other occupant of the room.
Her back was to him, but her bushy hair and her height made her easily recognizable. He shook his head in wonderment. "I should have known," he said softly.
Hermione spun. "Malfoy? What are you doing here?"
"Aren't you supposed to be smart?" She looked at him blankly, though at the comment her eyes flashed. He sighed and began to explain as though she were not at all as smart as was her reputation. "Well, you see, I've been corresponding with somebody in this school through anonymous letters. In the last one she sent to me, she said she wished we knew each other. I decided to grant her wish, and told her to meet me here, in the Room of Requirement, which she told me exactly how to get to. And now, here we both are."
"I don't believe you wrote those things."
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow at her. She was weakening in her resolve. "Argument through letters. Your friends don't understand you. Potions class to hair regimen. Anything starting to sound familiar? I hate my father. I love someone who is not in love with me. What is life worth. And of course, the one word response, 'See'."
Hermione was clutching her head with her hands. She dropped onto one end of the long overstuffed couch. Draco sat on the other end. It just had to be her, didn't it?
"I don't know…I don't know what to say. You are the last person I would have expected to write things like that. What…what was it you said before?"
"I said I should have known."
"Known what?"
"That it was you."
"What? Why- how?"
*Because life is cruel that way.* "Because of the letters. The way you always talk about school. '…a quarter inch short of three feet so I should add a few more sentences, just to be sure'," he mocked. "And you always reprimand me for swearing."
There was a long silence. Draco was waiting for Hermione to speak, but she did not seem to have anything to say. Hermione finally said, "So…what do we do now?"
"I knew it," Draco said accusingly.
"Knew what?"
"I knew that as soon as you found out I was the one writing to you, you would just abandon me."
"No!" she exclaimed, and fell silent at her outburst. He waited again. She took a deep breath. "I have to admit that I would never think you capable of writing such things. Now that I know it's you, I…it's just you always hated me. What am I supposed to think?"
"I didn't hate you," he said quietly.
"Then why are you always so cruel?"
"It's a cover," he said. "I've been doing that thing you said for my whole life. Pretending to be someone else for the benefit of my father. He would hear about anything I did in school, and then…" he wondered whether it was wise to tell her. Then again, this was the same person he had trusted with every other aspect of his life.
She looked sympathetic. "Okay. Just let me finish now. I guess I'm the only one who knows the real you. Everyone else sees this act. I know what really goes on inside your head. I know you aren't the absolute chit everyone takes you for. You couldn't be. It doesn't matter that you are someone who has been one of my worst enemies since I came to Hogwarts. You still need a friend. I am willing to be your friend. Will you be mine?"
This time it was Draco who was silent. It was all working out, all going well. But why did it have to be her? "That must have been hard for you to say."
"Well…yes, actually. To offer friendship to Draco Malfoy? If anyone had told me this before the letters, I would have laughed."
"Well, thanks."
"I'm sorry. But you know what I mean."
He sighed. "Yeah."
They looked at each other briefly. When she caught his eye, she smiled. He smiled back. It was almost painful. He couldn't remember the last time he had smiled. He didn't know his face muscles moved that way.
"I think we should go back," he said, for lack of anything else to say. "Goodnight, Hermione." Her name was bliss on his tongue.
She looked surprised, and blushed just a little. "Goodnight, Draco." She held out her hand to him. Instead of shaking it, he just held it for a few seconds before letting go and leaving for his bed.
He would miss the letters, but he would definitely benefit from having someone he could actually talk to. When he slipped into bed, he felt an unfamiliar feeling. He did not recognize it at first, but just before he was pulled into oblivion it came to him.
Happiness.
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It hit Hermione as she was walking back to the Gryffindor common room that it was the first time she had ever seen Malfoy smile. *I mean, Draco.*
Calling him by his first name was going to take some getting used to. If she was shocked to find out who she had been writing to, and even more shocked that she actually wanted to be his friend, hearing him call her "Hermione" almost sent her into a coma. By then she was physically unable to convey the feeling of shock, but she still felt it.
And coming from him, it had sounded extremely pleasant. His voice seemed to add something when speaking her name. It was something warm and soft but she did not know how to put a single word to it.
She wondered what having Malfoy- Draco for a friend would be like. She had never considered the possibility. Well…she could not imagine. She would have to wait and see.
For the first time in her life, she was looking forward to seeing Draco Malfoy.
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Ron lay awake long into the night, listening to Harry snore softly. Very softly. He almost let out a tiny laugh, but he held it in. The Boy Who Lived, snoring in bed was one of his more humorous recent thoughts.
He thought about Harry more than he wanted to. He worried about him, because he had heard some of the nightmares Harry had. He knew that Harry unnecessarily carried the world on his shoulders.
And he hated himself for wanting-
At that moment, Seamus came in. It was much later than the Irish boy usually stayed up. Usually he was sleeping like a log by this time. Ron pulled aside one of his curtains. "Where have you been?" he whispered.
"Nowhere," Seamus whispered back. "Just go to sleep." He climbed into bed and pulled the hangings closed.
Sighing, Ron leaned back against his pillows. He heard some strange murmuring from Seamus and knew he had just fallen asleep as well. Was he the only one who couldn't sleep? Why the hell did this have to happen to him?
End Chapter 6
I know you've all been waiting with bated breath to read this. Or, at least waiting.
I'm not sure. I like some parts of this chapter more than others. See if you can guess why Malfoy finds it ironic that it's Hermione. I'm gonna copy another author and say don't put it in your review, email it to me, so you don't spoil the surprise. This is one of those really really easy to guess things, so take a shot. My email's in my author profile.
Please review.
Draco had finally given in to Pansy Parkinson and asked her to the ball to stop her incessant comments and sighs. He had dressed in his black velvet dress robes and brought her down to the Great Hall. He had watched couples dancing. He had spotted Granger sitting daintily, her hair glittering under the light, in light blue robes. He had excused himself after half an hour and left the table. He had gone to his room and stayed there for the rest of the night, reading over the letters he had received.
On the night of November first, Draco impatiently paced around his bed, irritating his roommates so much that they had all left within fifteen minutes. The same worries came to him. Another one he had not considered yet fluttered into his mind. What if this person was nothing like he expected? What if he just could not stand her? Butterflies began to settle in his stomach. He angrily yelled at them to get out, then realized how foolish he was being and resumed pacing.
A quick glance at the clock told him that it was almost time for the meeting. Cursing himself for losing track of time, he hurried out to the Room of Requirement.
When the door appeared for him, he hesitated before pushing it open. A few feet from the door, dark red curtains hung from a golden bar on the ceiling, running the length of the room. *Red and gold, how ironic,* Draco thought derisively. He stepped through them, stopping short when he saw the other occupant of the room.
Her back was to him, but her bushy hair and her height made her easily recognizable. He shook his head in wonderment. "I should have known," he said softly.
Hermione spun. "Malfoy? What are you doing here?"
"Aren't you supposed to be smart?" She looked at him blankly, though at the comment her eyes flashed. He sighed and began to explain as though she were not at all as smart as was her reputation. "Well, you see, I've been corresponding with somebody in this school through anonymous letters. In the last one she sent to me, she said she wished we knew each other. I decided to grant her wish, and told her to meet me here, in the Room of Requirement, which she told me exactly how to get to. And now, here we both are."
"I don't believe you wrote those things."
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow at her. She was weakening in her resolve. "Argument through letters. Your friends don't understand you. Potions class to hair regimen. Anything starting to sound familiar? I hate my father. I love someone who is not in love with me. What is life worth. And of course, the one word response, 'See'."
Hermione was clutching her head with her hands. She dropped onto one end of the long overstuffed couch. Draco sat on the other end. It just had to be her, didn't it?
"I don't know…I don't know what to say. You are the last person I would have expected to write things like that. What…what was it you said before?"
"I said I should have known."
"Known what?"
"That it was you."
"What? Why- how?"
*Because life is cruel that way.* "Because of the letters. The way you always talk about school. '…a quarter inch short of three feet so I should add a few more sentences, just to be sure'," he mocked. "And you always reprimand me for swearing."
There was a long silence. Draco was waiting for Hermione to speak, but she did not seem to have anything to say. Hermione finally said, "So…what do we do now?"
"I knew it," Draco said accusingly.
"Knew what?"
"I knew that as soon as you found out I was the one writing to you, you would just abandon me."
"No!" she exclaimed, and fell silent at her outburst. He waited again. She took a deep breath. "I have to admit that I would never think you capable of writing such things. Now that I know it's you, I…it's just you always hated me. What am I supposed to think?"
"I didn't hate you," he said quietly.
"Then why are you always so cruel?"
"It's a cover," he said. "I've been doing that thing you said for my whole life. Pretending to be someone else for the benefit of my father. He would hear about anything I did in school, and then…" he wondered whether it was wise to tell her. Then again, this was the same person he had trusted with every other aspect of his life.
She looked sympathetic. "Okay. Just let me finish now. I guess I'm the only one who knows the real you. Everyone else sees this act. I know what really goes on inside your head. I know you aren't the absolute chit everyone takes you for. You couldn't be. It doesn't matter that you are someone who has been one of my worst enemies since I came to Hogwarts. You still need a friend. I am willing to be your friend. Will you be mine?"
This time it was Draco who was silent. It was all working out, all going well. But why did it have to be her? "That must have been hard for you to say."
"Well…yes, actually. To offer friendship to Draco Malfoy? If anyone had told me this before the letters, I would have laughed."
"Well, thanks."
"I'm sorry. But you know what I mean."
He sighed. "Yeah."
They looked at each other briefly. When she caught his eye, she smiled. He smiled back. It was almost painful. He couldn't remember the last time he had smiled. He didn't know his face muscles moved that way.
"I think we should go back," he said, for lack of anything else to say. "Goodnight, Hermione." Her name was bliss on his tongue.
She looked surprised, and blushed just a little. "Goodnight, Draco." She held out her hand to him. Instead of shaking it, he just held it for a few seconds before letting go and leaving for his bed.
He would miss the letters, but he would definitely benefit from having someone he could actually talk to. When he slipped into bed, he felt an unfamiliar feeling. He did not recognize it at first, but just before he was pulled into oblivion it came to him.
Happiness.
************************************************************************
It hit Hermione as she was walking back to the Gryffindor common room that it was the first time she had ever seen Malfoy smile. *I mean, Draco.*
Calling him by his first name was going to take some getting used to. If she was shocked to find out who she had been writing to, and even more shocked that she actually wanted to be his friend, hearing him call her "Hermione" almost sent her into a coma. By then she was physically unable to convey the feeling of shock, but she still felt it.
And coming from him, it had sounded extremely pleasant. His voice seemed to add something when speaking her name. It was something warm and soft but she did not know how to put a single word to it.
She wondered what having Malfoy- Draco for a friend would be like. She had never considered the possibility. Well…she could not imagine. She would have to wait and see.
For the first time in her life, she was looking forward to seeing Draco Malfoy.
************************************************************************
Ron lay awake long into the night, listening to Harry snore softly. Very softly. He almost let out a tiny laugh, but he held it in. The Boy Who Lived, snoring in bed was one of his more humorous recent thoughts.
He thought about Harry more than he wanted to. He worried about him, because he had heard some of the nightmares Harry had. He knew that Harry unnecessarily carried the world on his shoulders.
And he hated himself for wanting-
At that moment, Seamus came in. It was much later than the Irish boy usually stayed up. Usually he was sleeping like a log by this time. Ron pulled aside one of his curtains. "Where have you been?" he whispered.
"Nowhere," Seamus whispered back. "Just go to sleep." He climbed into bed and pulled the hangings closed.
Sighing, Ron leaned back against his pillows. He heard some strange murmuring from Seamus and knew he had just fallen asleep as well. Was he the only one who couldn't sleep? Why the hell did this have to happen to him?
End Chapter 6
I know you've all been waiting with bated breath to read this. Or, at least waiting.
I'm not sure. I like some parts of this chapter more than others. See if you can guess why Malfoy finds it ironic that it's Hermione. I'm gonna copy another author and say don't put it in your review, email it to me, so you don't spoil the surprise. This is one of those really really easy to guess things, so take a shot. My email's in my author profile.
Please review.