The Best Of Me Chapter 8: Stories, a harry potter fanfic

The Best Of Me

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in affiliation with Harry Potter or JKR. Nor do I own the song The Best Of Me by The Starting Line.

lyrics

I want to give a special shout out to **Winter Fae** for being the best Beta-reader a girl could have. :)

**A special note to all my readers** Please, if you read this chapter, review. It would mean so much to me. I really want to know if people are reading my story and what they think. It absolutely makes my day every time I get a review. So PLEASE if you read this chapter, and even if you hate it, drop me a note. Okay? Thanks bunches! I love all of you! :)

SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! I HOPE EVERYONE HAD A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!! ENJOY!!!

Chapter 8: Stories

They were, for each other, an escape. It started in 7th year and it would continue for a lifetime. Whenever the world became too tough or the stress and worry too real they would find each other. And the way they comforted each other was somewhat unique, for it in itself showed how strange their relationship really was.

Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy were slowly falling for each other. And soon, with all the feelings and emotions running high, there was a point in the relationship that they realized something very important. They knew very little of the other. So they told stories. This is how they comforted each other.

Stories were told of their pasts and their hopes for the future. They consisted of funny anecdotes from family gatherings, heartbreaking tearjerkers from the hard times and everything in between. The stories connected the two of them, helped them along, and brought them even closer together.

Hermione Granger was worried. No, she was more than worried; she was out of her mind. Christmas Break was slowly coming upon them, which meant major projects and tests. She had millions of things to do for Dumbledore because she was Head Girl. She still had to buy everyone's Christmas presents. And she wasn't worried about any of it. That's what was driving her mad, she had all of this to do and only one thing was on her mind, seeing Draco Malfoy. And maybe kissing him. She hadn't decided yet.

She had to owl him. That was the only solution she could come up with. She couldn't believe how hard it was to see him. For seven years he had been a thorn in her side, always there when she didn't want him to be. And now, the one time she really needed him, he wasn't there.

Did she really need him? Hermione just wasn't sure. They'd only really talked a couple of times, she'd kissed him once, and she'd hated him for the greater part of her life. That's right, she thought, I don't like him, this is just a stupid crush. And yet, even as she thought the words, she soon found herself in the Owlery.

"Uh, okay, you're here Hermione, you have to send the letter now. Don't back down. Come on, you can do it," She slowly muttered to herself.

And with that little bit of encouragement she took the piece of paper out of her pocket, tied it to the leg of an owl, whispered "Draco Malfoy" in its ear and left the Owlery.

Draco was at lunch when he got the owl. He was sitting next to Pansy, who was unusually quiet, eating something he wasn't really acknowledging when the bird flew down towards him. Everyone looked surprised, Malfoy never really got mail, and the whole table quieted down. Pansy looked up from the semi-trance she had been in.

Draco carefully opened the letter and looked at the unfamiliar handwriting. This is what it said:

Draco,

Okay I feel like a dork, well, I am a dork, but you know. Um, I don't know if I can say this. I miss you. Are you avoiding me? I swear I don't know why I'm writing this. How's school? This is the stupidest letter I've ever written. Sorry. So, do you want to talk to me or not? Because I thought you wanted to figure this out, and I'm driving myself crazy wondering. I don't know, just, if you have time, maybe we could talk.

I'm going to go now, before I make a bigger fool of myself.

-Hermione Granger

He read it four times before he looked up. She missed him. She wanted to talk to him. Draco felt a level of happiness he never had before. A smile was trying to push its way out of his mouth, but he forced it not to. Instead, the usually dead, hate filled eyes of Draco Malfoy were now filled with a spark, a light. And the lovely girl next to him noticed this.

There it was again, the look she would never receive. And a feeling of the truth came over her. It was love, Draco felt love, and it wasn't for her. The only thing she had to figure out was whom it was for. But she would do that later, now she just wanted to go up to her room to cry. This was becoming much to familiar for her liking.

Draco was running through the hallways. He didn't know where to find her. He'd checked every spot he could think of; the library, the Great Hall, the old Charms room, she was nowhere. The only place left was the Gryffindor common room. He'd done this once before, sent someone in to get her, pretending it was an emergency. But he wasn't sure he could do that now. It just didn't seem right.

Right about then was when a stray Gryffindor walked right up to the portrait, mumbled the password, and walked in. So Draco, being a cunning Slytherin, followed the boy right in.

"So 'Mione, as I was saying, after we finish practice tomorrow we're all going to Hogsmeade. You're coming right? Cause you all ready said you would," Said Harry as the Trio sat in the Gryffindor common room.

"Yes Harry. I told you I'd be there. Actually I'm sort of excited, I've been so stressed lately I don't know what to do with myself."

"Exactly," Ron chimed in, "You need some good old fashion fun."

Just as Harry was about to speak again, a voice came from entryway to the room.

"Hermione!" and a couple of seconds later it sounded again. "Granger!"

All the heads turned to see what the commotion was, and they were all shocked to see the least likely person they could imagine.

"DRACO!!" Hermione screamed. "What are you doing in here?"

"Uh," He said, stammering, his plan had only gone this far in his head, he couldn't think of anything to say. "I need to talk to you." Also, he added quickly, so as to keep up appearances, "Don't be stupid, you know why I'm here Granger."

Hermione looked up at him with her eyebrows raised. "Really, you need me huh? Well, uh, right now?"

"Yeah, right now would be great"

And with that he took her hand, pulled her up, dropped her hand, and led her out of the common room.

Her friends, they had watched this exchange very closely. To them the differences were slowly becoming more noticeable. Neither Hermione nor Draco had looked disgusted about touching the other, and both had been not nearly reluctant enough about whatever it was they had to do together. Things were indeed changing.

They were running. As fast as they could, down the hallway, around corners, trying to make it to the old room. They were holding hands, clasping on to each other. They were laughing, gut wrenching laughs, laughs of relief, and laughs of something a little stronger than like.

When they reached the entrance, he stepped out in front and opened the door for her. And Hermione, she had never seen Draco act like anything close to a gentleman, so she laughed some more, and she kissed him on his cheek. And he laughed some more.

It was one of the oddest scenes the school of Hogwarts had ever seen. And to both of them, it was perfect.

"Draco," she said once they had quieted down and seated themselves in a corner of the room, "I'm guessing you got my letter."

"Yeah, and you're right, you are a dork…"

"Shut up! Well, at least I'm dorky enough to do something about this. Sheesh, two days ago everything was fine and then you disappeared."

"I did not disappear, 'Mione it was just like you, I got busy. It's not like I was avoiding you."

"Yes it was. That's what it was like for me. I don't understand what's really going on here. I mean, what are we doing?"

"We're hanging out. We're talking."

"Yeah, I get that, but why? Why are we doing this? I mean YOU kissed ME! This is not just a friendship Draco. That's impossible."

Draco ducked his eyes, trying to think of how to evade the question. He didn't know what to say, he couldn't give her a real reason. It was just happening. "Why is it so impossible?"

"Because Draco, we can't be friends, that's not an option for us. Maybe, maybe if a long time ago we made some different choices, but not now. We're stuck where we are. I can't just be your friend. And I was thinking that I couldn't be your enemy either. But hey, I guess that's just me."

"'Mione, don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

"Don't close up on me. Don't say that you're the only one in this. Don't be stupid."

"Do NOT tell me what to do Draco Malfoy," She took a deep breath, "I did not come here to fight with you, I've done that enough for one lifetime, okay?"

He started to say something and then he closed his mouth. And the next second he brought himself closer and wrapped his arms around her. "'Mione," He whispered in her ear, "We're going to work this out. Okay?"

"Okay," She said as she snuggled herself into his arms, all reason and fight leaving her.

"Let me tell you a story," He said, trying to think of something that might cheer her up. "I was five years old when I learned to fly. I thought I was the coolest kid in England. Everyday that's all I wanted to do. Seriously, you should ask my mom, she called me 'The cutest thing ever on a broomstick'. It was like a second home to me. But, you see, I had this ratty old broom. Of course, it didn't matter to me, I just wanted to fly around, but everyone in my family started this whole deal about how I needed an amazing top of the line 'flying apparatus'."

Hermione chimed in at this part, "Did you even know what that meant?"

"No, I didn't, but that's not the point, I mean, it sounded cool. So I was all for it. So a couple of weeks later we went shopping. And I knew it, I mean, I was positive, I was going to get my new broom. But-"

"You didn't get it! Right?"

"Right. We shopped for hours and hours and no broom. I was devastated. I almost refused to fly. I don't think I've ever pouted that much again in my whole life."

"Shut up! You pouted! I didn't even know you knew how to do that."

"'Mione, shhh, I'm trying to finish a story here. So anyway, after a few days I returned to flying around all the time. Yet for me, the world was a different place, darker, I was heart broken."

"You were so dramatic. That's the cutest thing I've ever heard."

"ANYWAY, a couple weeks pass and it's Christmas. Now, that had never really been one of my favorite holidays. We spent way too much time with the 'elder Malfoy's' for my liking. And that year was just the same. So Christmas morning I come downstairs, positive that I will get nothing good. And there it is, right in front of the tree, one amazing, shiny, new broom."

"And you were happy. Right? There is going to be a happy ending to this story?"

"Uh huh, and I was happy. That was and still is the greatest Christmas that I have ever had. So, what did you think?"

"I think I liked it," she said softly as she looked up into his eyes, "I think I like you."

He saw the sparkle in her eyes and felt something completely new by knowing he had put them there. "I was hoping that," he said just as he bent his head down to kiss her.

And then he kissed her again. Then, she kissed him. It was, for her, something completely surprising. She had never really kissed much, and this was like a whole different world. And it was, for him, unsuspecting. He had kissed many girls in his life, even this one once, yet these were different, these were special, these were right.

"Drake," she said once the had relaxed again into each others arms, "I have to get back."

"Why?"

"Because, pretty little Gryffindors aren't supposed to stay out late with big bad Slytherins. You know that."

"But aren't you spending the whole day with your Gryffindor people tomorrow?"

"Well," she said, sighing, "Yeah, I am. Fine, I'll stay awhile more."

"Good, cause 'Mione, I want this to work. This, us, all of it. Okay?"

"Yeah, me too. A lot," She paused for a second, leaning her head into the crook of his shoulder. "Tell me another story."

"About anything?"

"Yeah, anything, as long as it's about you."

Thank you's

Anonymous- Thanks for the review and the encouragement!

Iwhoistoolazytosignin- I'm glad you like the story, and don't worry, there will be sad parts, but first we need some happiness.

ReeMarie Yukimo LeBeau- I'm glad you love my story! And I have no problem with you using the old classroom thing. Go ahead!

Stefy- Thanks for the review! I liked the Pacey and Joey comment too; I just had to put it in there ;)

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