*Disclaimer in Prologue*
Thanks to everyone that reviewed! It means so much to me that people are responding to this story!
Recna den Erea- Thank you for your kind words! Although this is not my first story (I have done a few (less then a handful), but this is my first Potter story. I just try to write like I want to see others write.and hopefully I get it right.
Paige-I think you're right with what you think happened.just wait and see.
Dawn, Dubybug, and Mandrake- Thank you for reviewing, I'm glad that I peeked your interest and I hope you continue to read and review as I make this journey.
Part One
"Granger?" Draco asked again, thankful that his voice didn't croak as he thought it might. Pausing he watched as her face turned up once more, her eyes finally meeting his. And for the first time in seven long years neither of them was filled with disgust. "Is that you?" He asked once more, still unsure of the girl in front of him. "What happened?"
Pausing she looked down once more and saw the shoe in her hand, finally finding the words she thought were right. "My shoe, it broke." She whispered so low that Draco had to lean in even closer to make them out.
"Well I can bloody well see that Granger, but why the hell are you in the bushes on your hands and knees?" He hissed in a low voice, immediately chiding himself as he saw her shrink back. If this is what he thought it was, despite the fact that he hated her, even Mudblood Granger didn't deserve that.
"I don't know how it happened, but I looked down and it was broken. Can you fix it?" She asked in a small voice, finally raising up to her knees to face Draco who was leaning across from her on his heels.
Slowly he reached his own hand to her outstretched one and took the shoe from her, pretending to examine it closely for show. He saw the snapped strap, the broken heel, and the dirt smudges that now stained it. Turning back to her he took in the rest of her and couldn't help but feel a little almost minuet amount of sympathy for the girl. Her hair was wild and bushy as always, yet it was wet from the snow and had a few scattered dead leaves in it. Her red silk dress was pushed up high around her thighs, where if he looked closely he could see streaks of blood along with signs of bruising. Her hands and legs were red and scratched from crawling through the snow and bushes.
He hated Hermione Granger. Hated her with a passion. Her best friends were his mortal enemies. She had the audacity to smack him and still continued to mock him about the ferret incident. She was a fucking Mudblood. Yet, he couldn't help the bile that rose into his throat. Or the feeling of rage to whomever had reduced this fiery girl into the scared little one that knelt before him.
"I can fix it when we get back, okay?" He said in a soothing voice he didn't know he possessed, especially for her.
"Okay." She said. Looking down at herself she began to feel self conscious, and smoothed her skirt down as far as it would go. Bringing her hands back up she wrung them together and finally noticed why she felt so naked. "My grandmother's bracelet!" She said in a panicked voice. "It's missing. I don't know where it went! You have to help me find it Draco! It's my grandmother's, it's an antique, my grandfather gave it to her, I have to find it!" Falling back onto her hands she began to dig through the snow, tears streaming down her face as she looked for the small golden thread. Suddenly she felt two strong hands on either one of her wrists, stopping them from their mission.
"It's okay, I'll come back and find it later. We need to get you out of here." Draco said as he unfastened his black cloak from his shoulders and wrapped it around her, causing her too finally sit up.
"No!" Hermione sobbed. "You don't understand, I have to find it!"
"I'll buy you a new one for Christ's sake, now would you just calm down!" He yelled once more watching as she finally began to calm down, her chest still heaving as she attempted to stop the sobs.
"But it's not the same." She whispered, tucking her hair behind her ears, trying not to cry as she felt her bare wrist against her cheek.
"I know. But forget the bracelet for now okay? We need to get you out of here. Now do you want me to take you to Potter and Weasley or do you want me to go get them?" He asked.
"No!" She said, exciting herself once again. "No. They don't know I'm here. They can't know. Please Malfoy." She looked up, her eyes pleading with him.
"This isn't my place Granger. Let me get someone to help you. We need to get you back to Hogwarts and take you to Dumbledore, or Madame Pomfrey!"
"No!" Hermione said once more. "Please, can you just get me back and into my room. Don't tell anyone. There's nothing to tell. I just," She paused and choked back a sob, "broke my shoe and lost my bracelet is all. Look I'll beg you Malfoy. Think of it, to know that I have actually begged you. Just please get me back there without anyone finding out. Please."
Staring down at her. The broken Head Girl of Gryffindor House. He knew he couldn't refuse her, his mortal enemy, when she was too weak to fight back. Sure tomorrow when she was better, when her cuts were healed he'd have some smarmy comment about her dirty blood. But now he wouldn't refuse her. No one would know and he could just take it up as a moment of lapsed judgment.
Quickly standing up he pulled her up along with him, ignoring her tense shoulders underneath his palms. Smoothing his palms down her arms, he pulled the Slytherin cloak tighter around her, placing her tiny shoe into the one pocket where he kept his wand. Finally he lifted the hood around her head, concealing her face. If anyone saw them, they would only assume that she was another one of his conquests.
Bending his knees he lifted her up into his arms, surprised at how light she was. Making his way out of the park he watched her one bare foot dangle back and forth, ignoring the feeling of her arms as the squeezed tighter around his neck, and the soft sobs that shook against his chest. Finally he reached the carriages that were waiting to take the sixth and seventh years back to the castle, happy that for once he was finally early.
Stowing her away into the Head carriage he placed her on the seat opposite his and watched as she shrunk up into a ball, staring out the window. To anyone who peeked inside the cabin all they would see is the sea of black that was Draco Malfoy's cloak, mistaking it for just another one of his girls. It would be as if Hermione Granger had never been to Hogsmeade this Valentine's Day.
He'd just get her back to her room and try to convince her to get help. If she refused, well then it was the stupid Mudblood's own fault. He would just forget it ever happened. This was inconsequential in the life of Draco Malfoy. Tomorrow it would all just be a bad memory.
Thanks to everyone that reviewed! It means so much to me that people are responding to this story!
Recna den Erea- Thank you for your kind words! Although this is not my first story (I have done a few (less then a handful), but this is my first Potter story. I just try to write like I want to see others write.and hopefully I get it right.
Paige-I think you're right with what you think happened.just wait and see.
Dawn, Dubybug, and Mandrake- Thank you for reviewing, I'm glad that I peeked your interest and I hope you continue to read and review as I make this journey.
Part One
"Granger?" Draco asked again, thankful that his voice didn't croak as he thought it might. Pausing he watched as her face turned up once more, her eyes finally meeting his. And for the first time in seven long years neither of them was filled with disgust. "Is that you?" He asked once more, still unsure of the girl in front of him. "What happened?"
Pausing she looked down once more and saw the shoe in her hand, finally finding the words she thought were right. "My shoe, it broke." She whispered so low that Draco had to lean in even closer to make them out.
"Well I can bloody well see that Granger, but why the hell are you in the bushes on your hands and knees?" He hissed in a low voice, immediately chiding himself as he saw her shrink back. If this is what he thought it was, despite the fact that he hated her, even Mudblood Granger didn't deserve that.
"I don't know how it happened, but I looked down and it was broken. Can you fix it?" She asked in a small voice, finally raising up to her knees to face Draco who was leaning across from her on his heels.
Slowly he reached his own hand to her outstretched one and took the shoe from her, pretending to examine it closely for show. He saw the snapped strap, the broken heel, and the dirt smudges that now stained it. Turning back to her he took in the rest of her and couldn't help but feel a little almost minuet amount of sympathy for the girl. Her hair was wild and bushy as always, yet it was wet from the snow and had a few scattered dead leaves in it. Her red silk dress was pushed up high around her thighs, where if he looked closely he could see streaks of blood along with signs of bruising. Her hands and legs were red and scratched from crawling through the snow and bushes.
He hated Hermione Granger. Hated her with a passion. Her best friends were his mortal enemies. She had the audacity to smack him and still continued to mock him about the ferret incident. She was a fucking Mudblood. Yet, he couldn't help the bile that rose into his throat. Or the feeling of rage to whomever had reduced this fiery girl into the scared little one that knelt before him.
"I can fix it when we get back, okay?" He said in a soothing voice he didn't know he possessed, especially for her.
"Okay." She said. Looking down at herself she began to feel self conscious, and smoothed her skirt down as far as it would go. Bringing her hands back up she wrung them together and finally noticed why she felt so naked. "My grandmother's bracelet!" She said in a panicked voice. "It's missing. I don't know where it went! You have to help me find it Draco! It's my grandmother's, it's an antique, my grandfather gave it to her, I have to find it!" Falling back onto her hands she began to dig through the snow, tears streaming down her face as she looked for the small golden thread. Suddenly she felt two strong hands on either one of her wrists, stopping them from their mission.
"It's okay, I'll come back and find it later. We need to get you out of here." Draco said as he unfastened his black cloak from his shoulders and wrapped it around her, causing her too finally sit up.
"No!" Hermione sobbed. "You don't understand, I have to find it!"
"I'll buy you a new one for Christ's sake, now would you just calm down!" He yelled once more watching as she finally began to calm down, her chest still heaving as she attempted to stop the sobs.
"But it's not the same." She whispered, tucking her hair behind her ears, trying not to cry as she felt her bare wrist against her cheek.
"I know. But forget the bracelet for now okay? We need to get you out of here. Now do you want me to take you to Potter and Weasley or do you want me to go get them?" He asked.
"No!" She said, exciting herself once again. "No. They don't know I'm here. They can't know. Please Malfoy." She looked up, her eyes pleading with him.
"This isn't my place Granger. Let me get someone to help you. We need to get you back to Hogwarts and take you to Dumbledore, or Madame Pomfrey!"
"No!" Hermione said once more. "Please, can you just get me back and into my room. Don't tell anyone. There's nothing to tell. I just," She paused and choked back a sob, "broke my shoe and lost my bracelet is all. Look I'll beg you Malfoy. Think of it, to know that I have actually begged you. Just please get me back there without anyone finding out. Please."
Staring down at her. The broken Head Girl of Gryffindor House. He knew he couldn't refuse her, his mortal enemy, when she was too weak to fight back. Sure tomorrow when she was better, when her cuts were healed he'd have some smarmy comment about her dirty blood. But now he wouldn't refuse her. No one would know and he could just take it up as a moment of lapsed judgment.
Quickly standing up he pulled her up along with him, ignoring her tense shoulders underneath his palms. Smoothing his palms down her arms, he pulled the Slytherin cloak tighter around her, placing her tiny shoe into the one pocket where he kept his wand. Finally he lifted the hood around her head, concealing her face. If anyone saw them, they would only assume that she was another one of his conquests.
Bending his knees he lifted her up into his arms, surprised at how light she was. Making his way out of the park he watched her one bare foot dangle back and forth, ignoring the feeling of her arms as the squeezed tighter around his neck, and the soft sobs that shook against his chest. Finally he reached the carriages that were waiting to take the sixth and seventh years back to the castle, happy that for once he was finally early.
Stowing her away into the Head carriage he placed her on the seat opposite his and watched as she shrunk up into a ball, staring out the window. To anyone who peeked inside the cabin all they would see is the sea of black that was Draco Malfoy's cloak, mistaking it for just another one of his girls. It would be as if Hermione Granger had never been to Hogsmeade this Valentine's Day.
He'd just get her back to her room and try to convince her to get help. If she refused, well then it was the stupid Mudblood's own fault. He would just forget it ever happened. This was inconsequential in the life of Draco Malfoy. Tomorrow it would all just be a bad memory.