Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
CHAPTER 1: SECRETS KEPT
It was a perfectly fine day in a perfectly fine place with perfectly fine people. The sun is shining, the clouds are blue, with only one tiny little flaw: Draco Malfoy is not his usual arrogant self.
Draco Malfoy is known not just as a Malfoy but also as the villain plotting evil schemes about the Golden Trio of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, consisting of the infamous Harry Potter or The-Boy- Who-Lived, red headed and freckled faced Ron Weasley and Know-it-all and Smarty Pants Hermione Granger. But let's not talk about them, let's focus on Draco.
Yes, he is the platinum blonde with a smirk on his face, referred to be the Soon-to-be-Death Eater and born to make everyone's lives a living nightmare. Salazar Slytherin and Lord Voldemort will indeed be very proud.
Draco walked to the compartment he usually shared with his so-called friends Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Luckily, they hadn't arrived yet. He had just boarded the Hogwarts Express that will take him to his school, Hogwarts. It was his last year and like the rest of the students, he had to admit he would be missing the school after he graduate.
But what will become after graduation anyway? He asked himself. He does not know.
Sighing with no particular reason, he leaned on the window and gazed outside. Thoughts of summer haunted him and judging by his pale face and weary eyes, it had been affecting him more than anything. He barely slept and ate like he used to. But of course, he thought, who would care? Who would grieve if he died on the spot? Who would miss him? Who would go to his funeral? Nobody, because he was all alone.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps. He shifted his gaze just in time to see Crabbe and Goyle sit down, grunting all the way.
"Where have you two been? I've been looking all over for you," Draco told them. Of course none of this is true, but they didn't care anyway.
Crabbe grinned and pointed to the pack of sweets on his hand. "Those first years *gave* it to us," he said in his low, deep voice.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Typical," he muttered under his breath. Nobody could beat those two when it came to food. Well, maybe the Weasel could, he thought. Draco wished he could have better company, people who would be fun to talk to, instead of two brainless robots with bottomless pits. He would even be glad to have the Golden Trio in his compartment, he was sure he would enjoy taunting them. But he was sure he wouldn't regain his usual arrogance and his loathing for Potter and his friends, seeing that now, he was as weak as them.
"Oh, Drakie..." someone sang in his ear, startling him.
Draco groaned and scowled, not even bothering to hide his disgust. He knew that voice, that supposed-to-be-sweet and irritating voice that could only come from one person... "Pansy," he said dully, without even looking at her pug-like face.
"Oh, Drakie! I've missed you so much! Why did you not write to me all summer?" Pansy said. She scooted closer to Draco and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Ugh!" Draco exclaimed, pushing her away and sending her flying across the floor.
Crabbe and Goyle continued munching on sweets without a care in the world.
"Oh, Drakie, you don't have to be shy because Crabbe and Goyle are watching! But that's ok, I'll forgive you. See you later," Pansy said and with a wink at Draco, walked out of the compartment.
"Eww! Can you believe that girl?!" Draco told Crabbe and Goyle in disgust.
Crabbe and Goyle grunted in response.
Goyle shrugged. "She likes you," he said, stating the obvious.
Just then, for the first time in his entire life, Vincent Crabbe remembered something. "We haven't visited Potter yet," he told Draco.
Draco was surprised at his "friend's" memory. "Oh, right," he said. He really wasn't in the mood to visit Potter and his supporters but he doesn't want to sound suspicious if he didn't continue his yearly routine.
Standing up, he said, "Let's go."
+++++++++++++++++++++++
"Hermione! Over here!"
Hermione Granger, the brains of the Dream Team and this year's Head Girl, smiled and walked towards her best friends and fellow members of the Golden Trio, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.
"Hey!" she called. As soon as she stepped inside their usual compartment, she was greeted by tight hugs from Harry and Ron who were so eager to see her.
"I-can't...breathe," she muttered.
"Oops, sorry," Harry said and let go of his best friend. Ron did the same.
"So, how's life?" Hermione asked, taking a seat opposite them to have a better look at her friends. Harry, bespectacled and green eyed, was no longer skinny and was at least six feat tall, his black hair as untidy as ever while Ron was just an inch shorter with a muscular built thanks to Quidditch.
"Awesome! Harry and I went to Romania with Mum, Dad, Fred, George and Ginny to visit Charlie. The best part was no Percy!" Ron told her, grinning broadly. "And you?"
For a moment, Hermione thought she might as well tell them the truth, after all, they were her best friends. She wanted to burst all her bottled feelings, the most unfortunate events that took place in her life that summer. But she couldn't. She would never, ever tell them unless she and her friends were ready. She didn't want to burden them any longer. Harry was already busy dealing with his painful scar and nightmares about Voldemort, not to mention the memory of Sirius' death. Ron, on the other hand, was having financial problems with his family.
"Um, fine. The usual, you know, reading et cetera," Hermione lied. A wave of guilt washed over her. She never liked lying.
"You know, you really should spent vacation with us next time. I'm not surprised you don't know the word fun," Ron told her, shaking his head.
"Ron!"
"Better than life with the Dursleys," Harry said bitterly.
"Where's Ginny, by the way?" Hermione asked.
"With her other friends, crying over her break up with some guy named Mark from Hufflepuff," Ron said.
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "You didn't beat him, did you?" she said, knowing the answer.
Harry and Ron flashed her innocent grins.
Hermione's eyes widened. "You did?! Oh, Harry, Ron, that was very dangerous! You might get expelled!"
Ron rolled her eyes. "Stop overreacting, Hermione!" he told her.
Hermione sighed. There was nothing she could do to separate her friends from trouble. "Knowing you two, the guy's probably sent back home," she said.
"Not really, we're not that merciless, Hermione. But..." Harry said thoughtfully, "...he'll probably need to go to the hospital wing first thing when we reach Hogwarts."
Hermione shook her head. "You two will never learn," she muttered.
"Anyway, congratulations for making Head Girl. We knew you would bag the title. From the first time we saw you on the train and when we felt your prescence..." Ron said dramatically.
"Ron! But thanks, guys," Hermione said, smiling. She was glad at least Harry and Ron cared, not unlike other people. Suddenly, she felt like crying as memories came back to her. Oh no, she thought, not here!
Harry noticed her and knitted his brows in worry. "What's wrong, Hermione?" he asked.
Hermione tried her best to smile but deep inside she was panicking. "N-nothing!" she blurted out, louder than she intended to, which made Harry and Ron more suspicious.
"You sure?"
"Yes, of course," Hermione lied.
Just then, the compartment doors opened and Draco Malfoy came in with the Malfoy smirk on his face, accompanied by his cronies Crabbe and Goyle.
"Why hello, Potter, Weasley, Granger," he drawled, although there was something wrong the way he said their names. The disgust and loathing was nowhere and Hermione was surprised he didn't call her "Mudblood".
"Go away, Malfoy," Ron said fiercely.
Draco smirked. "Fine, I don't like the air around here anyway," he said, shrugging and the trio was even more surprised when he indeed stepped out of the compartment, Crabbe and Goyle both looking confused.
"Ok...what was that all about?" Hermione asked, puzzled.
"What do you mean? He may be a little weird, but he still hates us all the same," Ron told her with a bite of his chocolate frog.
"Yeah, though he *was* acting very strange," Harry said. "I wonder what he's up to."
Hermione and Ron shrugged. "Knowing him, nothing good."
+++++++++++++++++++
"Go away, Pansy!" Draco said irritably at the Slytherin table.
"Drakie..."
"Leave me alone!!!" Draco yelled, making the plates rattle.
Pansy immediately closed her mouth. Everybody knew better not to get in Draco Malfoy's way, especially when he is in a bad mood.
The Sorting had just finished together with some of Dumbledore's announcements. Draco didn't feel like eating and had instead, been poking and playing with his food. He was sure he left the Golden Trio confused by that act he did on the train.
Walking in their compartment without calling names, Draco Malfoy, what were you thinking?! His inner voice screamed.
"Well then, I'll just have to tease them later," he thought.
He looked up and met Hermione's eye. She was looking at him, almost scrutinizing him. The nerve! he thought angrily and glared at her. She in turn, glared back and whispered something to her friends and they all looked at his direction.
Probably talking about me, he thought.
Suddenly, Dumbledore's voice rang throughout the Great Hall, startling everyone. "I am very sorry to interrupt your meals, but somehow I had forgotten to announce our new Head Boy and Girl," he said loudly.
"This year's Head Girl could only be Hermione Granger from Gryffindor..." Dumbledore announced. There were loud clapping and cheers, mostly from the Gryffindors. "...and the Head Boy is none other than Draco Malfoy from Slytherin." The Slytherins cheered with all their might, receiving glares from the Gryffindors, and many girls practically drooled when his name was announced.
"That is all. You may proceed with your meals. Thank you."
Six years ago, Draco would've stormed to Dumbledore and complain. He would certainly call his father and together they would demand that Hermione was not worthy of the position. But that was before, before he found out about the dreadful secret. Now he didn't feel like doing anything.
Pansy, who had noticed that Draco had cooled off, began cooing in his ear. "It's too bad you have to share a room with the mudblood," she said.
"Shut up, Pansy," Draco replied calmly as he sliced his chicken.
"A filthy, worthless, pathetic mudblood...such dirty parents she has, that Granger doesn't deserve to be Head Girl. Oh, Drakie, why do you have to suffer so much?" Pansy went on.
"I SAID SHUT UP PANSY!" Draco yelled out loud for the whole Great Hall to hear. Everybody looked to watch the scene that had taken place.
Pansy flinched and cowered in her seat. "D...ra..."
"Say another word and you'll regret you ever lived," Draco whispered dangerously, his eyes glinting with anger.
Dumbledore, who had seen what had happened, rose from his seat. "Could the Head Boy and Girl come here for a second?" he said.
++++++++++++++++
Hermione followed Professor McGonagall to the Heads' dormitories, Draco keeping a fair distance from her.
Finally, they stopped in front of a painting of a unicorn.
"Your password is 'Dragonheart'," Professor McGonagall said and the portrait swung open, revealing the best room Hermione and Draco had seen in Hogwarts so far.
"I believe the Headmaster and I had already mentioned all the information regarding your duties. I will leave you now to rest," Professor McGonagall told them and left Hermione alone with Draco.
Hermione didn't want to deal with Draco right now, mainly because she was so spooked of the blonde. She knew even though he hadn't insulted her yet, sooner or later, he will. Harry and Ron made sure of that. But when she looked at him standing beside her, he didn't look so obnoxious, unlike the Draco everyone knew.
"Well, Know-it-all, wouldn't you like to know where our rooms are? As you can see, there are no other doors except the entrance here," Draco spoke.
"See? I knew he'd taunt me!" Hermione said to herself, though she didn't feel insulted at her being called a Know-it-all. "I mean, even Harry and Ron call me that," she thought.
"Hello? Granger? I'm talking to you!" Draco exclaimed, shaking Hermione out of her reverie.
"Oh! Well, if you were so kind as to listen to what Dumbledore was saying earlier, you would know that those identical statues in the corner lead to our rooms. Mine's on the left, yours on the right. Tap them three times and it will reveal the door to your room," Hermione said matter-of- factly.
"Whatever," Draco muttered and without even thanking her, strode on to the statue on the right and bumped Hermione accidentally.
"Watch it, mu-Granger!" Draco said, the word almost slipped off her tongue. He just couldn't say it.
"Ouch! You are the one who suddenly bumped me on purpose!" Hermione retorted, clutching her shoulder that hurt. She fell to the floor the moment the arrogant Draco brushed past her.
"I didn't do it on purpose!" Draco argued. But then, his expression changed when he saw something. There enough, as Hermion was rubbing her shoulder, exposed was a large, almost purple bruise that was once covered by her robes. He began to wonder how she could have gotten wounded.
"Well, Malfoy, are you just going to stand there and watch me suffer?" Hermione said angrily as she got up from the floor.
"Yes," Draco replied. He tapped the statue three times and when a door finally appeared, he went inside and locked the door. He lied down on his bed and began to ponder reasons regarding Hermione's bruise. He must admit that it was a little suspicious for her to have gotten one since she was always little Miss Perfect and she usually never gets into trouble. He thought that maybe something terribly bad happened to her. But then again, there are a million reasons that don't involve her being strange. But one thing was for sure, whatever the reason was, Draco was bound to find out.
++++++++++++++++
Hermione lay in her room, curled into a ball, thinking about, this may sound crazy, but Draco Malfoy, the mudblood hater himself. She didn't want to admit it, but Draco had been kind of civil towards her. She couldn't help but think that it was very odd for him to not call her "Mudblood" like he used to. And she didn't fail to notice that just minutes ago, he had almost called her the disgusting term. Almost. Hermione did not know what force made him stop from doing so.
"First, the incident on the train, then that scene in the Great Hall, and now..." she muttered to herself.
But being the curious know-it-all who always wanted answers to everything, she was determined to solve the mystery surrounding Draco, at all costs.
A/N: So, what do you say? Let me know by reviewing!
CHAPTER 1: SECRETS KEPT
It was a perfectly fine day in a perfectly fine place with perfectly fine people. The sun is shining, the clouds are blue, with only one tiny little flaw: Draco Malfoy is not his usual arrogant self.
Draco Malfoy is known not just as a Malfoy but also as the villain plotting evil schemes about the Golden Trio of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, consisting of the infamous Harry Potter or The-Boy- Who-Lived, red headed and freckled faced Ron Weasley and Know-it-all and Smarty Pants Hermione Granger. But let's not talk about them, let's focus on Draco.
Yes, he is the platinum blonde with a smirk on his face, referred to be the Soon-to-be-Death Eater and born to make everyone's lives a living nightmare. Salazar Slytherin and Lord Voldemort will indeed be very proud.
Draco walked to the compartment he usually shared with his so-called friends Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Luckily, they hadn't arrived yet. He had just boarded the Hogwarts Express that will take him to his school, Hogwarts. It was his last year and like the rest of the students, he had to admit he would be missing the school after he graduate.
But what will become after graduation anyway? He asked himself. He does not know.
Sighing with no particular reason, he leaned on the window and gazed outside. Thoughts of summer haunted him and judging by his pale face and weary eyes, it had been affecting him more than anything. He barely slept and ate like he used to. But of course, he thought, who would care? Who would grieve if he died on the spot? Who would miss him? Who would go to his funeral? Nobody, because he was all alone.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps. He shifted his gaze just in time to see Crabbe and Goyle sit down, grunting all the way.
"Where have you two been? I've been looking all over for you," Draco told them. Of course none of this is true, but they didn't care anyway.
Crabbe grinned and pointed to the pack of sweets on his hand. "Those first years *gave* it to us," he said in his low, deep voice.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Typical," he muttered under his breath. Nobody could beat those two when it came to food. Well, maybe the Weasel could, he thought. Draco wished he could have better company, people who would be fun to talk to, instead of two brainless robots with bottomless pits. He would even be glad to have the Golden Trio in his compartment, he was sure he would enjoy taunting them. But he was sure he wouldn't regain his usual arrogance and his loathing for Potter and his friends, seeing that now, he was as weak as them.
"Oh, Drakie..." someone sang in his ear, startling him.
Draco groaned and scowled, not even bothering to hide his disgust. He knew that voice, that supposed-to-be-sweet and irritating voice that could only come from one person... "Pansy," he said dully, without even looking at her pug-like face.
"Oh, Drakie! I've missed you so much! Why did you not write to me all summer?" Pansy said. She scooted closer to Draco and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Ugh!" Draco exclaimed, pushing her away and sending her flying across the floor.
Crabbe and Goyle continued munching on sweets without a care in the world.
"Oh, Drakie, you don't have to be shy because Crabbe and Goyle are watching! But that's ok, I'll forgive you. See you later," Pansy said and with a wink at Draco, walked out of the compartment.
"Eww! Can you believe that girl?!" Draco told Crabbe and Goyle in disgust.
Crabbe and Goyle grunted in response.
Goyle shrugged. "She likes you," he said, stating the obvious.
Just then, for the first time in his entire life, Vincent Crabbe remembered something. "We haven't visited Potter yet," he told Draco.
Draco was surprised at his "friend's" memory. "Oh, right," he said. He really wasn't in the mood to visit Potter and his supporters but he doesn't want to sound suspicious if he didn't continue his yearly routine.
Standing up, he said, "Let's go."
+++++++++++++++++++++++
"Hermione! Over here!"
Hermione Granger, the brains of the Dream Team and this year's Head Girl, smiled and walked towards her best friends and fellow members of the Golden Trio, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.
"Hey!" she called. As soon as she stepped inside their usual compartment, she was greeted by tight hugs from Harry and Ron who were so eager to see her.
"I-can't...breathe," she muttered.
"Oops, sorry," Harry said and let go of his best friend. Ron did the same.
"So, how's life?" Hermione asked, taking a seat opposite them to have a better look at her friends. Harry, bespectacled and green eyed, was no longer skinny and was at least six feat tall, his black hair as untidy as ever while Ron was just an inch shorter with a muscular built thanks to Quidditch.
"Awesome! Harry and I went to Romania with Mum, Dad, Fred, George and Ginny to visit Charlie. The best part was no Percy!" Ron told her, grinning broadly. "And you?"
For a moment, Hermione thought she might as well tell them the truth, after all, they were her best friends. She wanted to burst all her bottled feelings, the most unfortunate events that took place in her life that summer. But she couldn't. She would never, ever tell them unless she and her friends were ready. She didn't want to burden them any longer. Harry was already busy dealing with his painful scar and nightmares about Voldemort, not to mention the memory of Sirius' death. Ron, on the other hand, was having financial problems with his family.
"Um, fine. The usual, you know, reading et cetera," Hermione lied. A wave of guilt washed over her. She never liked lying.
"You know, you really should spent vacation with us next time. I'm not surprised you don't know the word fun," Ron told her, shaking his head.
"Ron!"
"Better than life with the Dursleys," Harry said bitterly.
"Where's Ginny, by the way?" Hermione asked.
"With her other friends, crying over her break up with some guy named Mark from Hufflepuff," Ron said.
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "You didn't beat him, did you?" she said, knowing the answer.
Harry and Ron flashed her innocent grins.
Hermione's eyes widened. "You did?! Oh, Harry, Ron, that was very dangerous! You might get expelled!"
Ron rolled her eyes. "Stop overreacting, Hermione!" he told her.
Hermione sighed. There was nothing she could do to separate her friends from trouble. "Knowing you two, the guy's probably sent back home," she said.
"Not really, we're not that merciless, Hermione. But..." Harry said thoughtfully, "...he'll probably need to go to the hospital wing first thing when we reach Hogwarts."
Hermione shook her head. "You two will never learn," she muttered.
"Anyway, congratulations for making Head Girl. We knew you would bag the title. From the first time we saw you on the train and when we felt your prescence..." Ron said dramatically.
"Ron! But thanks, guys," Hermione said, smiling. She was glad at least Harry and Ron cared, not unlike other people. Suddenly, she felt like crying as memories came back to her. Oh no, she thought, not here!
Harry noticed her and knitted his brows in worry. "What's wrong, Hermione?" he asked.
Hermione tried her best to smile but deep inside she was panicking. "N-nothing!" she blurted out, louder than she intended to, which made Harry and Ron more suspicious.
"You sure?"
"Yes, of course," Hermione lied.
Just then, the compartment doors opened and Draco Malfoy came in with the Malfoy smirk on his face, accompanied by his cronies Crabbe and Goyle.
"Why hello, Potter, Weasley, Granger," he drawled, although there was something wrong the way he said their names. The disgust and loathing was nowhere and Hermione was surprised he didn't call her "Mudblood".
"Go away, Malfoy," Ron said fiercely.
Draco smirked. "Fine, I don't like the air around here anyway," he said, shrugging and the trio was even more surprised when he indeed stepped out of the compartment, Crabbe and Goyle both looking confused.
"Ok...what was that all about?" Hermione asked, puzzled.
"What do you mean? He may be a little weird, but he still hates us all the same," Ron told her with a bite of his chocolate frog.
"Yeah, though he *was* acting very strange," Harry said. "I wonder what he's up to."
Hermione and Ron shrugged. "Knowing him, nothing good."
+++++++++++++++++++
"Go away, Pansy!" Draco said irritably at the Slytherin table.
"Drakie..."
"Leave me alone!!!" Draco yelled, making the plates rattle.
Pansy immediately closed her mouth. Everybody knew better not to get in Draco Malfoy's way, especially when he is in a bad mood.
The Sorting had just finished together with some of Dumbledore's announcements. Draco didn't feel like eating and had instead, been poking and playing with his food. He was sure he left the Golden Trio confused by that act he did on the train.
Walking in their compartment without calling names, Draco Malfoy, what were you thinking?! His inner voice screamed.
"Well then, I'll just have to tease them later," he thought.
He looked up and met Hermione's eye. She was looking at him, almost scrutinizing him. The nerve! he thought angrily and glared at her. She in turn, glared back and whispered something to her friends and they all looked at his direction.
Probably talking about me, he thought.
Suddenly, Dumbledore's voice rang throughout the Great Hall, startling everyone. "I am very sorry to interrupt your meals, but somehow I had forgotten to announce our new Head Boy and Girl," he said loudly.
"This year's Head Girl could only be Hermione Granger from Gryffindor..." Dumbledore announced. There were loud clapping and cheers, mostly from the Gryffindors. "...and the Head Boy is none other than Draco Malfoy from Slytherin." The Slytherins cheered with all their might, receiving glares from the Gryffindors, and many girls practically drooled when his name was announced.
"That is all. You may proceed with your meals. Thank you."
Six years ago, Draco would've stormed to Dumbledore and complain. He would certainly call his father and together they would demand that Hermione was not worthy of the position. But that was before, before he found out about the dreadful secret. Now he didn't feel like doing anything.
Pansy, who had noticed that Draco had cooled off, began cooing in his ear. "It's too bad you have to share a room with the mudblood," she said.
"Shut up, Pansy," Draco replied calmly as he sliced his chicken.
"A filthy, worthless, pathetic mudblood...such dirty parents she has, that Granger doesn't deserve to be Head Girl. Oh, Drakie, why do you have to suffer so much?" Pansy went on.
"I SAID SHUT UP PANSY!" Draco yelled out loud for the whole Great Hall to hear. Everybody looked to watch the scene that had taken place.
Pansy flinched and cowered in her seat. "D...ra..."
"Say another word and you'll regret you ever lived," Draco whispered dangerously, his eyes glinting with anger.
Dumbledore, who had seen what had happened, rose from his seat. "Could the Head Boy and Girl come here for a second?" he said.
++++++++++++++++
Hermione followed Professor McGonagall to the Heads' dormitories, Draco keeping a fair distance from her.
Finally, they stopped in front of a painting of a unicorn.
"Your password is 'Dragonheart'," Professor McGonagall said and the portrait swung open, revealing the best room Hermione and Draco had seen in Hogwarts so far.
"I believe the Headmaster and I had already mentioned all the information regarding your duties. I will leave you now to rest," Professor McGonagall told them and left Hermione alone with Draco.
Hermione didn't want to deal with Draco right now, mainly because she was so spooked of the blonde. She knew even though he hadn't insulted her yet, sooner or later, he will. Harry and Ron made sure of that. But when she looked at him standing beside her, he didn't look so obnoxious, unlike the Draco everyone knew.
"Well, Know-it-all, wouldn't you like to know where our rooms are? As you can see, there are no other doors except the entrance here," Draco spoke.
"See? I knew he'd taunt me!" Hermione said to herself, though she didn't feel insulted at her being called a Know-it-all. "I mean, even Harry and Ron call me that," she thought.
"Hello? Granger? I'm talking to you!" Draco exclaimed, shaking Hermione out of her reverie.
"Oh! Well, if you were so kind as to listen to what Dumbledore was saying earlier, you would know that those identical statues in the corner lead to our rooms. Mine's on the left, yours on the right. Tap them three times and it will reveal the door to your room," Hermione said matter-of- factly.
"Whatever," Draco muttered and without even thanking her, strode on to the statue on the right and bumped Hermione accidentally.
"Watch it, mu-Granger!" Draco said, the word almost slipped off her tongue. He just couldn't say it.
"Ouch! You are the one who suddenly bumped me on purpose!" Hermione retorted, clutching her shoulder that hurt. She fell to the floor the moment the arrogant Draco brushed past her.
"I didn't do it on purpose!" Draco argued. But then, his expression changed when he saw something. There enough, as Hermion was rubbing her shoulder, exposed was a large, almost purple bruise that was once covered by her robes. He began to wonder how she could have gotten wounded.
"Well, Malfoy, are you just going to stand there and watch me suffer?" Hermione said angrily as she got up from the floor.
"Yes," Draco replied. He tapped the statue three times and when a door finally appeared, he went inside and locked the door. He lied down on his bed and began to ponder reasons regarding Hermione's bruise. He must admit that it was a little suspicious for her to have gotten one since she was always little Miss Perfect and she usually never gets into trouble. He thought that maybe something terribly bad happened to her. But then again, there are a million reasons that don't involve her being strange. But one thing was for sure, whatever the reason was, Draco was bound to find out.
++++++++++++++++
Hermione lay in her room, curled into a ball, thinking about, this may sound crazy, but Draco Malfoy, the mudblood hater himself. She didn't want to admit it, but Draco had been kind of civil towards her. She couldn't help but think that it was very odd for him to not call her "Mudblood" like he used to. And she didn't fail to notice that just minutes ago, he had almost called her the disgusting term. Almost. Hermione did not know what force made him stop from doing so.
"First, the incident on the train, then that scene in the Great Hall, and now..." she muttered to herself.
But being the curious know-it-all who always wanted answers to everything, she was determined to solve the mystery surrounding Draco, at all costs.
A/N: So, what do you say? Let me know by reviewing!