A/N: All lyrics taken from the album Camino Palmero.
All characters property of JKR
Stigmatized
: Well he can't sleep at night
And he can't do what's right
It was all because she came into his life:
Draco lay awake thinking in the darkness. He had been doing a lot of thinking lately- mainly of her. He didn't understand why he was suddenly feeling like this. He had never felt such an emotion other than deep hatred before. Now he was feeling... well he wasn't really sure what it was that haunted him day and night. His father had brought him up to hate and kill. This wasn't right. He had to get rid of these feelings, but there was no way he was able to. He had tried to get her out of his mind, but how do you do that when the only reason you stay alive is to catch a glimpse of them across the room? How do you rid the sensation of your heart being ripped out just from seeing her with somebody else, knowing you could never have her in that way?
...How do you overcome love?
Draco didn't know the answer to that question, but he knew what he had to do...in the end.
: Worn out and faded
The weakness starts to show:
The next day, Draco got up and carried on as normal. After he had showered and got dressed, he headed down to the Great Hall where all the Slytherins sat sniggering at the Gryffindors and coming up with new ways of entertaining themselves. Only, while everybody else in the hall stuffed their faces with the delicious variety of food, Draco found he was unable to eat. He just sat watching the table opposite, the person she had spent the last six years scowling at. She suddenly appeared to have a quality Draco had never picked up on before. Whether he was suddenly appreciating this beautiful aura Hermione seemed to glow with due to her new found love, or for some other reason, he wasn't sure, but there was undeniably something that had made Draco look at her in a whole new way.
"Malfoy? You okay there?" Blaise Zabini enquired after seeing his housemate stare for three whole minutes at the loved up couple on the table opposite.
"Why wouldn't I be?!" Draco snapped immediately, managing to turn his eyes away from the beautiful woman at the next table.
"Well you've been staring at Potter and Granger for three minutes now. I just wanted to check you were alright." Blaise told him, concerned.
"Well I'm fine okay! For God's sake, can't I even eat my breakfast in peace anymore?" Then Draco stood up abruptly, and stormed out of the hall, leaving everyone at the Slytherin table slightly stunned at that outburst.
Draco took his time getting back to the Slytherin common room, and at the time he passed Gryffindor tower, Hermione and Harry had already reached it, due to leaving the hall shortly after Draco. As he approached, he inwardly cursed himself for coming round this way, and muttered aloud:
"Oh God, don't you two know how to stop touching each other? Anyone would think you'd only just started going out." He drawled, stopping their embrace.
"What are you doing here Malfoy?" Harry spat at him.
"What's it to you?" Draco hissed in return. Harry sighed and rolled his eyes in response. Draco could, and would, do whatever the hell he liked, without having to explain himself to saint bloody Potter! Just because Harry seemed to feel the need to talk non-stop about himself, Draco didn't have to do the same.
"Are you okay? It's just I saw you leave the hall earlier- you looked a little troubled." Hermione asked Draco in her usual caring voice. Why was she watching Draco leave? Had she seen him looking at her? Why was she so concerned?
"Why do you care?" Draco snapped at her. Then he wished he hadn't. Her concerned face turned to hurt, her eyes left him and she looked away.
"Yes, why do you care?" Harry stepped in. Why was his girlfriend enquiring into the well being of his worst enemy?
"I was just concerned okay? I'm Head Girl and I'm supposed to take an interest and concern into other students' problems." She told Harry, frustrated. Then she turned back to Draco who had just been stood watching- admiring- her. He quickly averted his eyes from hers, as she looked his way again. "Sorry I asked." She muttered. Draco went to speak, to apologise, but he stopped himself. Later.
: How I wish I could turn back the hours
But I know I just don't have the power:
Draco didn't bother going to lessons all that day. Neither did he bother going to meals. He hadn't eaten for two days now, and although he may have been hungry, there was only one thing he could feel or think about. And that was Hermione. Why did he have to be so harsh earlier? She was only asking if he was okay. Why was he ever so cruel to her? For six years he had made hurtful comments, yet only recently had he realised how wrong it was. His father filled the answer to the recurring question of 'why?'. Draco had been brought up to believe that any body not from a pureblood background, like the Malfoys, were dirty. Lucius was still on at him to become a Death-Eater; "Just kill", "power in your hand". But Draco didn't want power to kill, he didn't want to be feared- he'd had enough of that already and he was only seventeen. There was only one thing that he did want, but because of his childish behaviour up until now, he could never have it. Just as he was thinking about this, he was disturbed by somebody entering his dorm. He looked at his clock next to his bed- already it was the end of the school day. He sat up and pulled back the silver and green drapes that surrounded his bed.
"Hey Malfoy- Snape's after you." Crabbe managed to say whilst stuffing his mouth with yet more cake.
Draco groaned and fell back onto his bed.
: The louder we scream
The more invisible we seem
Is it gonna last forever?:
"But sir-"
"No Draco, I don't want to hear any excuses. I just want you in my office on Wednesday night at six o'clock to serve detention. Understood?"
"But you don't understand, I wasn't-"
"And I am sure I will be none the wiser once you've wasted my time giving your pathetic excuses, so that will be all thank you." Snape told Draco, making the latter increasingly angry.
"Fine!" Draco snapped, heading towards the door. Just as he was at the exit of the small dimly lit office, Snape called him back.
"Oh, and Mr Malfoy, when you have the time during the week please do come and see me. We need to discuss this sudden attitude you have acquired. Good day." Snape said casually as he reached for a quill, leaving Draco fuming as he stormed out the office and along to the common room.
What was it with everyone today? Wasn't Snape supposed to be the Head of Slytherin? Why was he dishing out detentions to those in his own house? It was certainly a first. And what for exactly? Missing a few lousy lessons? He had a headache! And how many lessons had Potter missed and got away with? Life was so unfair.
: A little paint to cover what's deep inside
A little truth you know we all want to hide:
On Wednesday morning, Draco awoke with a blinding headache once again. He really couldn't face getting out of bed, let alone going to an hour's detention with Snape that evening. But Draco decided it best not to get himself into anymore trouble with the potions master, so he eventually dragged himself out of bed only twelve minutes before first lesson and got himself showered and dressed in the quickest time, making it to Arithmancy four minutes before the bell rang. He didn't mind missing breakfast again as he was boycotting food anyway. He doubted anyone would miss him. After Draco had been thinking about how pointless his life actually was for a minute or two, the answer as to why he was still alive appeared in front of him.
"Granger" He nodded towards Hermione, to show he had acknowledged her presence.
"Malfoy" She replied, with a sort of hidden smile in her eyes as she spoke.
"So, Potter managed to take his lips of you long enough for you to get here then?" He drawled with an odd glare. Hermione just rolled her eyes.
"Maybe to you a relationship only involves the physical stuff, but Harry and I happen to have a very meaningful relationship thank you very much." She told him matter-of-factly.
"Ah, true love is it? Sorry, but as every time I see you two you're making out, I was under a very different impression. Apologies though." He sarcastically told her. Hermione sighted deeply and rolled her eyes once more. Why did Malfoy have to be such a prat?
"What?" She asked him after noticing he was staring intently at her with that odd look again after a several moments of silence.
"Nothing." He told her as more students filed into the cramped corridor. "Like you'd care anyway." He muttered quietly afterwards.
: It's a deep obsession taking up his time:
"Well Mr Malfoy?" Professor Vector was staring at Draco expectantly. He had no idea what she had just asked him, or what she had said all lesson in fact. Other things had been occupying his mind that lesson. "I asked: What were the patterns of Liere's findings and what did they prove to the French Ministry at that time?" She repeated. Draco's vacant expression said it all; he had no clue who Liere was, or indeed what his findings were.
"Detention Mr Malfoy. You are aware that you have very important exams coming up in June? You cannot afford to not pay attention in class this close to your NEWTs. Therefore you will spend this evening with me." She said sternly. Draco felt it not quite the right moment to tell her he couldn't come tonight due to detention with Snape. She looked over at him again and sighed once more. "I see that you haven't even made any notes either. Honestly! You'd think you were a first year with your attention span." Professor Vector rubbed her forehead as if it would make Draco a model student, then looked up and continued. "You will have to copy up so if somebody could lend Draco their notes from this lesson...oh but I wanted to set homework...oh well Draco you'll just have to find somebody willing to do their homework tomorrow night instead." She sighed once again and continued with her lesson. "Right then, so moving back to the question, can anybody tell me the answer?" professor Vector glared at Draco before moving back to the small class. Hermione's hand shot straight into the air. "Yes Miss Granger?"
"Liere proved that the land all around the border of France had once been settlements for those in the magical community, leading to the conclusion that at some stage, the whole of France had been occupied by Wizards and Witches. However, when ministry officials went to look into his theory, the Arithmancy based evidence was gone from his lab. Nobody was able to find out after that whether his theory was correct or not due to it being too risky to go out into the muggle world at that time. Up until nearly twenty years ago, a hundred and thirty years after Liere died, the theory was put aside, but then the papers he had written on it were found after an attack on muggles by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and although there is now the proof on paper, nobody can actually prove it by the patterns in the land because of the destruction caused when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named rose to power."
"Excellent Miss Granger. It seems you are well informed about this particular field, so you do not have to do the homework I will set." Draco noticed Hermione's face fall as she was told she didn't have any homework. "Therefore Miss Granger, I would much appreciate it if Mr Malfoy could borrow your notes to copy up as you won't need them tonight. Is that okay with you?" The professor asked Hermione while glaring at Draco.
Hermione shot Draco an odd look, then answered her teacher politely. "Of course Professor. That's fine."
: There's no way out of here:
At the end of the lesson Draco walked over to the front to approach Professor Vector to explain about not being able to do his detention.
"What is it now Mr Malfoy? An apology I should hope." She looked expectantly at her student.
"Well yes, of course Professor. I am deeply sorry." He started. He wanted to get on her good side first. "Its just that I can't come to your detention tonight." He got it over with quickly.
"And why might that be?" She inquired.
"I have one with Professor Snape." He winced, awaiting an outburst. Professor Vector was a fair teacher and he liked her lessons usually, but she was: a) a woman, (and Draco knew form his mother that disobeyed women were able to find their hormones from somewhere super-fast when the occasion arose,) and b) she wasn't exactly enthralled with Draco's work recently, and in this sort of situation he would have expected her to yell at him for an hour, then put him in detention for the rest of the month. But it never came. She just took a very deep breath and looked disappointedly down at Draco.
"Very well then. You can copy up Miss Granger's notes in your own time. Just make sure it's done for next lesson okay? You'll have to find Hermione yourself to get the notes off her. I'd arranged for her to bring them at the time of your detention as she wanted to do the homework, but you'll have to catch up with her yourself." Then Professor Vector turned and walked swiftly out of the classroom with many papers flapping about, leaving Draco alone in the large empty classroom.
"Oh great" He sighed out loud to himself. He would have to approach Hermione. When would he be able to though without Potter and Weasley being there? Every time he went near her she had one of them leeching themselves to her.
He slowly meandered his way down to his next lesson: Care of Magical Creatures. He didn't mind being late for that; the oaf teaching them wouldn't notice, and the longer he was away from Hermione and her boyfriend, the better.
: Take away his doubt, turn him inside out,
Then she can see what he's bee dying to say:
Finally, after Draco's last lesson of the day- Charms with the Ravenclaws- he had started making his way down to Snape's office at five- fifty-five for his detention, when he ran into Hermione. She was, of course, with Potter. Draco inwardly sighed, and tried to walk past without speaking or looking at Hermione. He had just walked past them when he heard her soft voice.
"Malfoy" She called, stopping her own tracks and turning to face the back of him.
Draco slowly came to a halt and turned around to face her. He could see Harry, a little further up from Hermione, staring at her quizzically. Harry walked back down the corridor to where his girlfriend had stopped to call his enemy's name.
"What is it Granger?" Draco said, trying, but not really succeeding in sounding his usual smarmy self.
"Hey! There's no need to talk to her like that!" Harry snapped, just as Hermione was about to speak. Harry may have thought Draco sounded his mudblood-hating self, but both Draco and Hermione knew he hadn't disguised the new caring side of him well enough when he spoke. Hermione turned to Harry, rubbing her delicate hand along his strong arms gently and spoke quietly.
"Why don't you carry on up to the common room- Ron will be alone up there. I'll be fine. I'll be up in a minute. We just have some Arithmancy work to discuss." She smiled sweetly at Harry, and he did as she asked- albeit unwillingly- leaving Draco alone with Hermione for the second time that day. Harry continued to stare at Draco as he walked down the corridor, turning his gaze from him only when he mounted the stairs up to Gryffindor tower. Hermione turned back to Draco.
"Professor Vector told me about the change in arrangements for tonight so I thought you might want the Arithmancy notes." She explained while reaching into her bag.
"Oh right. Well, um, thanks." He replied, forgetting to add malice to his tone as he stumbled to find the words to reply. This is why she wanted him? She could have said all that with Harry attached to her, so why had she sent him away?
He was drawn back to the situation as he felt Hermione's warm skin touch his own cold hand as she passed to roll of parchment to him. As he took it from her, her hand lingered for a moment before rushing back to her side. He gratefully received the parchment she passed him, inwardly cursing himself for enjoying the few moments her hand rested against him, yet longing for just one more second of her touch. He realised he had been stood staring at his hand where hers had brushed against it, and quickly shoved the parchment into his bag.
He looked up, making to look at her face, but her gaze turned him away. He couldn't bare it that she was so close...yet so far. He needed to get away. He ran his long fingers through his platinum locks and started to head back down the corridor after a mumbled "Thanks", but Hermione stopped him: as he hurried away, she grabbed his wrist gently.
"Malfoy... Draco." She added quietly. He turned to look at the beautiful woman that stood holding onto him. He's never heard her say his name before. Hardly anybody, not even the Slytherins, dared to. Why had she? Hermione remained holding onto him, peering kindly into his eyes. "I wanted to ask you, I mean, well I was just wondering if you were okay." She eventually said.
Draco could see the blush creep into her cheeks as she asked him this. He knew this must be a big deal for her. He had been foul to her and her friends since first year; he was worst enemies with her boyfriend; he had called her the filthiest names in the wizarding world for six years, yet here she was asking if he was okay. Why did she have to be so damn caring? He wanted to escape her touch, get away from the aching inside to reach out and tell her how he felt, but he couldn't move. His mind searching rapidly for something to say, Hermione stepped closer, loosening her grip on his arm, but keeping her hand resting on his.
"You called me Draco." He finally said. Hermione smiled slightly.
"It's your name isn't it?" She asked, openly smiling to herself at how shocked his face was when she'd said his name.
"Well yeah, but you've never called me that before- you always called me Malfoy." He told her, amazed at how different they were both being with each other. He looked directly into her cinnamon eyes for what felt like the first time.
"Well you always called me Granger." She said, the smile fading slightly. "...or mudblood." She added quietly after a pause.
It had been weeks, even months since Draco had called her a mudblood- or any other name except for Granger for that matter. Usually, if it wasn't mudblood he attacked her with, it would be some other offensive word, or a name relating to the fact she was dating Harry. It seemed to Hermione that Draco was becoming less of the mudblood-hating brat that she- and the rest of Hogwarts- had come to know in their first year, and was now becoming a mature wizard. He still had the occasional scrap with Harry or Ron, but them two were as much to blame as he was for that. Recently, Draco had not seemed himself for months now, but these past few days in particular he had seemed like a different person entirely.
"Well I never had any reason to call you your name; it's not like we spend a lot of time together is it? And anyway, we've never been introduced." He replied, trying to avoid the fact that last year he called her a mudblood at every opportunity.
This time last year he never could have dreamed he would – that he wanted to-be standing here having a civilised conversation with her.
"Well then Draco, please call me Hermione." She looked up into his grey eyes; the eyes that used to bare such hate for her. Now, the storminess gone from his gaze, a mysterious whirl of thought clouded his mind from the rest of the world.
"Very well." He let a small smile escape his lips as he resigned to Hermione's request. It was hard to say no to her. In his head he always thought of her as Hermione, but he could never recall actually saying it out loud. Hermione noticed that although his mouth was smiling, his eyes were not. They still held the whirlwind of emotion that contained no happiness.
: Could it be any harder to watch you go;
To face what's true:
Hermione suddenly became very aware that her hand was still holding onto Draco's pale skin.
"Right, well I'd better be off. Harry will be waiting." She said uncomfortably.
"Of course. I didn't mean to interrupt true love's couple of the century." Draco added, almost back in his old tone. Hermione pretended not to have heard his comment so continued.
"Good luck with the Arithmancy homework." She said as she slowly took her hand away from his.
As Hermione's warm touch was removed from Draco's cold skin, the tight knot in his stomach that had been growing ever tighter with every moment she held onto him, loosened, leaving Draco feeling empty and uncertain. As she went to leave, she turned once more to face Draco. She hovered uncertainly, as if she was going to speak, but turned again and left. Draco just stood in the spot where she had reached out for him. He felt unable to move. Her touch had sent him into a disturbing sense of paralysis. He watched as she walked away from him, back down the corridor to the Gryffindor tower, back to Harry...
: We're in a world, where nothing's as it seems,
Paved with broken dreams:
The next morning, Draco woke up feeling anxious about something. As he wondered down to the hall to sit in on breakfast, he realised what he had forgotten: Snape. After the inadvertent meeting with Hermione last night, Draco had felt so mixed up, he totally forgot about his detention that he had been on his way down to, and ended up going back to his dorm. He would pay for that today. He had potions first lesson. Apart from the dread of seeing Snape there, he would also encounter Hermione and her boyfriend. Oh the joy of school!
When Draco entered the Great Hall, his head turned immediately to the cheery table of Gryffindors on the opposite side of the hall. As he concentrated on not meeting Snape's eye, he didn't realise he had frozen in the doorway of the hall and was stood staring at Hermione. She lifted her head from reading the letter she had received by Owl post, as she sensed somebody looking her way. She had a feeling the eyes would be a pair of stormy grey ones. She had noticed Draco had been looking at her a lot recently. She always pretended not to have noticed- although she wasn't sure why. It seemed he had changed so much those last few weeks, she wasn't even sure how to converse to him anymore. Not that they used to sit down and have a cosy little chat anyway, but they used to have a battle of their wits between lessons, or have reputable slanging matches. Now, he was always quiet unless someone directly spoke to him.
Last night when they had spoken in the corridor, Hermione felt she was talking to a different person entirely. He just wasn't the same person he used to be: in class he used to get top marks effortlessly and brag to everyone with ears about that or his father. Now it looked as if he couldn't even hear the teacher, like yesterday in Arithmancy. She didn't know why she impulsively grabbed his arm yesterday, but she felt like they had more to talk about. She was going to tell him she was worried about his sudden change in attitude, but the words wouldn't come out. She was worried about him for sure, but how would she tell him that? They had been worst enemies just a couple of months ago. Just because he didn't insult her and her housemates anymore, was that really a cause to worry? It's not like she should give a damn after what he'd put her through. So why did she care? Instead of announcing her true feelings, unclear as they were to her, she had ended up telling him to call her Hermione. Why that had come out she really didn't know- that was probably more of a shock to him than if she'd said she was worried!
"Oi, move out the way!" somebody shouted in Draco's direction as he was barged past by a group of Ravenclaws. It seemed he had been blocking the doorway for a good couple of minutes now; and to bar the entrance to breakfast to a group of hungry teenage wizards was a cardinal sin.
"Sorry." Draco muttered acerbically as he realised what he'd been doing and met Hermione's eye quickly before rushing back out the hall. The smell of all that food, and happiness- made him feel sick. Or that would be his excuse; Snape had just spotted him and Hermione had seen him staring at her. Could his day get any worse? Err, yes... : I could never reach you:
"Hi Draco. Are you okay?" A pleasant voice broke Draco's depressing train of thought. He was brought back down to earth after leaning against the wall just outside the hall for several minutes.
"Yeah I'm fine, you?" Draco replied to Hermione's question. He wasn't really sure how to respond to her. He could hardly tell her the truth: "No I'm fucking not okay- I fucking love you but you'd rather be shacked up to St- fucking- do-gooder – Harry –fucking -Potter! I may as well slit my wrists but don't worry Snape's about to kill me anyway and that would be less messy. But still never mind about me, how are you?" Hmm. He didn't think that would be the best way to carry on a conversation so he just stuck with the old "Yeah, I'm fine."
"I'm good thanks." Hermione responded to Draco's polite reply.
Harry and Ron just stood there, mouths open looking absolutely gob smacked. Since when were Hermione and Malfoy friends, and when did Hermione call Malfoy 'Draco'? This was all to weird. Why was Malfoy being friendly with her? What was he up to? There had to be something.
"Hermione, hadn't we better be going to lessons?" Harry tried to continue, attempting to break up the unlikely friendship between the Slytherin and Gryffindor. He discreetly pinched himself, hoping to find this was all just a horrible dream, but it wasn't, it was real- much to Draco's delight. Harry knew they were too early to go to potions, but being in close proximity to Snape for twice as long as necessary was better than having to watch his girlfriend converse with that toad. He also wanted to talk to Hermione alone himself.
"No it's way too early to go to potions and I can't imagine you'd want to get to it any minute sooner than you absolutely had to. Just hang on a bit." Hermione told him before turning back to Draco.
"Well I suppose I better had be going. You know how Snape looks for any excuse to give us detention. So, um, see you." Hermione told Draco. She could see Harry was getting annoyed so she thought it was best she go with them to lesson or else have to put up with the pair of them in a stress all day.
"Wait," Draco suddenly called as she turned to leave with her friends. He couldn't watch her walk away with Potter and Weasley. He couldn't watch her walk away from him again.
"What is it?" She asked him casually.
"Can I have a word?" Draco started. Hermione raised her eyebrows to question what about, but Draco realised Potter and Weasley were still stood watching so he continued: "in private?" He glared at the over protective Saints that stood eyeing him suspiciously. 'Man, this must be weird for them to watch.' He thought to himself. It was weird enough for him.
"Sure." Hermione replied, glaring at Harry and Ron to leave. Slowly, reading her expression, they turned and walked slowly down the corridor. "What is it?" Hermione asked as they started walking towards a quieter part of the long hallway. "Oh, I meant to ask you," She continued before Draco had chance to reply, "how did the Arithmancy go? Were my notes okay? Could you understand them because I wrote them in such a hurry so they're quite messy." She said.
Draco laughed inside. Messy? Hermione? The words just didn't go together. Her work was neater than anyone's he'd ever seen. She really did have issues if she thought that was messy. He looked at her in awe- that was what he loved about her: she was practically perfect in everything she ever did, and yet she always thought she was never good enough.
"Actually," Draco said, "That's what I wanted to talk to you about: I was reading your notes last night, and going through the text book on Liere's theory, but I just didn't get it. I just don't get Arithmancy full stop to be honest with you." He told her, although he wasn't sure why. What did he want her to do about it? Why was he being honest with her? None of this made any sense. Neither did Arithmancy. His grades were always top in every other subject, but this was the one field he just couldn't get his head around. He'd only taken it because his Father had said he must, but he never understood it. He couldn't plot the tables, draw the graphs, or understand a word all the theories and findings proved. Yet Hermione was top of the class. How she stayed ahead in every subject was beyond Draco. She must do some sort of brain enhancing charm or something!
"Well why don't you talk to Professor Vector. I'm sure she'll be happy to help you if you explain you don't understand. Hermione suggested. She was a little shocked that he'd told her what he had: Draco confessing to a mudblood that he didn't understand the work was a little off character, but Hermione took herself out of shock and got back to the matter in hand. She had another idea to help Draco, but she wasn't sure how he'd feel about it.
"No, that wouldn't work: she hates me anyway, plus she'd tell my Father. I just don't think I could be bothered with him right now." He told her heavily.
"Well...maybe I could help?" She suggested.
"You? What do you mean?" Draco quizzed her.
"Well I could revise things with you; go over what we learn in class; help with homework etc. You know, like explain things so you understand... If you don't mind, of course!" She added quickly. She didn't want him thinking that she was pushy, or taking advantage of his weaknesses as a chance to boast.
"No, that would be...I mean, are you sure you wouldn't mind?"
"Of course not! To be honest, it's my weakest subject too. By going over it with you would really clear tings up for me too." She told him.
Draco scoffed. "Your weakest subject? You're the best in the class! You probably know more than Professor Vector!" He laughed. Hermione's cheeks became flushed and she moved the conversation along quickly, after they both realised they were talking like friends.
"So when do you want to meet?" She asked him.
"It's up to you. Whenever." Draco replied casually, but his insides were squirming. He was to meet up with Hermione on a regular basis with nobody else there. He wasn't sure he could handle that. It could prove interesting.
"Well we could meet tonight. We can go over today's lesson and clear up the points you don't get so much, okay? Say about seven, in the library?" She suggested.
"Sure, that'll be great. Thanks." He genuinely told her with a smile of gratitude. Hermione thought she saw a hint of a smile in his eyes too, but before she could look him in the eye again, they had set of walking towards potions, and the storminess had returned to his distant gaze.
To be continued... Please read and review!
All characters property of JKR
Stigmatized
: Well he can't sleep at night
And he can't do what's right
It was all because she came into his life:
Draco lay awake thinking in the darkness. He had been doing a lot of thinking lately- mainly of her. He didn't understand why he was suddenly feeling like this. He had never felt such an emotion other than deep hatred before. Now he was feeling... well he wasn't really sure what it was that haunted him day and night. His father had brought him up to hate and kill. This wasn't right. He had to get rid of these feelings, but there was no way he was able to. He had tried to get her out of his mind, but how do you do that when the only reason you stay alive is to catch a glimpse of them across the room? How do you rid the sensation of your heart being ripped out just from seeing her with somebody else, knowing you could never have her in that way?
...How do you overcome love?
Draco didn't know the answer to that question, but he knew what he had to do...in the end.
: Worn out and faded
The weakness starts to show:
The next day, Draco got up and carried on as normal. After he had showered and got dressed, he headed down to the Great Hall where all the Slytherins sat sniggering at the Gryffindors and coming up with new ways of entertaining themselves. Only, while everybody else in the hall stuffed their faces with the delicious variety of food, Draco found he was unable to eat. He just sat watching the table opposite, the person she had spent the last six years scowling at. She suddenly appeared to have a quality Draco had never picked up on before. Whether he was suddenly appreciating this beautiful aura Hermione seemed to glow with due to her new found love, or for some other reason, he wasn't sure, but there was undeniably something that had made Draco look at her in a whole new way.
"Malfoy? You okay there?" Blaise Zabini enquired after seeing his housemate stare for three whole minutes at the loved up couple on the table opposite.
"Why wouldn't I be?!" Draco snapped immediately, managing to turn his eyes away from the beautiful woman at the next table.
"Well you've been staring at Potter and Granger for three minutes now. I just wanted to check you were alright." Blaise told him, concerned.
"Well I'm fine okay! For God's sake, can't I even eat my breakfast in peace anymore?" Then Draco stood up abruptly, and stormed out of the hall, leaving everyone at the Slytherin table slightly stunned at that outburst.
Draco took his time getting back to the Slytherin common room, and at the time he passed Gryffindor tower, Hermione and Harry had already reached it, due to leaving the hall shortly after Draco. As he approached, he inwardly cursed himself for coming round this way, and muttered aloud:
"Oh God, don't you two know how to stop touching each other? Anyone would think you'd only just started going out." He drawled, stopping their embrace.
"What are you doing here Malfoy?" Harry spat at him.
"What's it to you?" Draco hissed in return. Harry sighed and rolled his eyes in response. Draco could, and would, do whatever the hell he liked, without having to explain himself to saint bloody Potter! Just because Harry seemed to feel the need to talk non-stop about himself, Draco didn't have to do the same.
"Are you okay? It's just I saw you leave the hall earlier- you looked a little troubled." Hermione asked Draco in her usual caring voice. Why was she watching Draco leave? Had she seen him looking at her? Why was she so concerned?
"Why do you care?" Draco snapped at her. Then he wished he hadn't. Her concerned face turned to hurt, her eyes left him and she looked away.
"Yes, why do you care?" Harry stepped in. Why was his girlfriend enquiring into the well being of his worst enemy?
"I was just concerned okay? I'm Head Girl and I'm supposed to take an interest and concern into other students' problems." She told Harry, frustrated. Then she turned back to Draco who had just been stood watching- admiring- her. He quickly averted his eyes from hers, as she looked his way again. "Sorry I asked." She muttered. Draco went to speak, to apologise, but he stopped himself. Later.
: How I wish I could turn back the hours
But I know I just don't have the power:
Draco didn't bother going to lessons all that day. Neither did he bother going to meals. He hadn't eaten for two days now, and although he may have been hungry, there was only one thing he could feel or think about. And that was Hermione. Why did he have to be so harsh earlier? She was only asking if he was okay. Why was he ever so cruel to her? For six years he had made hurtful comments, yet only recently had he realised how wrong it was. His father filled the answer to the recurring question of 'why?'. Draco had been brought up to believe that any body not from a pureblood background, like the Malfoys, were dirty. Lucius was still on at him to become a Death-Eater; "Just kill", "power in your hand". But Draco didn't want power to kill, he didn't want to be feared- he'd had enough of that already and he was only seventeen. There was only one thing that he did want, but because of his childish behaviour up until now, he could never have it. Just as he was thinking about this, he was disturbed by somebody entering his dorm. He looked at his clock next to his bed- already it was the end of the school day. He sat up and pulled back the silver and green drapes that surrounded his bed.
"Hey Malfoy- Snape's after you." Crabbe managed to say whilst stuffing his mouth with yet more cake.
Draco groaned and fell back onto his bed.
: The louder we scream
The more invisible we seem
Is it gonna last forever?:
"But sir-"
"No Draco, I don't want to hear any excuses. I just want you in my office on Wednesday night at six o'clock to serve detention. Understood?"
"But you don't understand, I wasn't-"
"And I am sure I will be none the wiser once you've wasted my time giving your pathetic excuses, so that will be all thank you." Snape told Draco, making the latter increasingly angry.
"Fine!" Draco snapped, heading towards the door. Just as he was at the exit of the small dimly lit office, Snape called him back.
"Oh, and Mr Malfoy, when you have the time during the week please do come and see me. We need to discuss this sudden attitude you have acquired. Good day." Snape said casually as he reached for a quill, leaving Draco fuming as he stormed out the office and along to the common room.
What was it with everyone today? Wasn't Snape supposed to be the Head of Slytherin? Why was he dishing out detentions to those in his own house? It was certainly a first. And what for exactly? Missing a few lousy lessons? He had a headache! And how many lessons had Potter missed and got away with? Life was so unfair.
: A little paint to cover what's deep inside
A little truth you know we all want to hide:
On Wednesday morning, Draco awoke with a blinding headache once again. He really couldn't face getting out of bed, let alone going to an hour's detention with Snape that evening. But Draco decided it best not to get himself into anymore trouble with the potions master, so he eventually dragged himself out of bed only twelve minutes before first lesson and got himself showered and dressed in the quickest time, making it to Arithmancy four minutes before the bell rang. He didn't mind missing breakfast again as he was boycotting food anyway. He doubted anyone would miss him. After Draco had been thinking about how pointless his life actually was for a minute or two, the answer as to why he was still alive appeared in front of him.
"Granger" He nodded towards Hermione, to show he had acknowledged her presence.
"Malfoy" She replied, with a sort of hidden smile in her eyes as she spoke.
"So, Potter managed to take his lips of you long enough for you to get here then?" He drawled with an odd glare. Hermione just rolled her eyes.
"Maybe to you a relationship only involves the physical stuff, but Harry and I happen to have a very meaningful relationship thank you very much." She told him matter-of-factly.
"Ah, true love is it? Sorry, but as every time I see you two you're making out, I was under a very different impression. Apologies though." He sarcastically told her. Hermione sighted deeply and rolled her eyes once more. Why did Malfoy have to be such a prat?
"What?" She asked him after noticing he was staring intently at her with that odd look again after a several moments of silence.
"Nothing." He told her as more students filed into the cramped corridor. "Like you'd care anyway." He muttered quietly afterwards.
: It's a deep obsession taking up his time:
"Well Mr Malfoy?" Professor Vector was staring at Draco expectantly. He had no idea what she had just asked him, or what she had said all lesson in fact. Other things had been occupying his mind that lesson. "I asked: What were the patterns of Liere's findings and what did they prove to the French Ministry at that time?" She repeated. Draco's vacant expression said it all; he had no clue who Liere was, or indeed what his findings were.
"Detention Mr Malfoy. You are aware that you have very important exams coming up in June? You cannot afford to not pay attention in class this close to your NEWTs. Therefore you will spend this evening with me." She said sternly. Draco felt it not quite the right moment to tell her he couldn't come tonight due to detention with Snape. She looked over at him again and sighed once more. "I see that you haven't even made any notes either. Honestly! You'd think you were a first year with your attention span." Professor Vector rubbed her forehead as if it would make Draco a model student, then looked up and continued. "You will have to copy up so if somebody could lend Draco their notes from this lesson...oh but I wanted to set homework...oh well Draco you'll just have to find somebody willing to do their homework tomorrow night instead." She sighed once again and continued with her lesson. "Right then, so moving back to the question, can anybody tell me the answer?" professor Vector glared at Draco before moving back to the small class. Hermione's hand shot straight into the air. "Yes Miss Granger?"
"Liere proved that the land all around the border of France had once been settlements for those in the magical community, leading to the conclusion that at some stage, the whole of France had been occupied by Wizards and Witches. However, when ministry officials went to look into his theory, the Arithmancy based evidence was gone from his lab. Nobody was able to find out after that whether his theory was correct or not due to it being too risky to go out into the muggle world at that time. Up until nearly twenty years ago, a hundred and thirty years after Liere died, the theory was put aside, but then the papers he had written on it were found after an attack on muggles by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and although there is now the proof on paper, nobody can actually prove it by the patterns in the land because of the destruction caused when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named rose to power."
"Excellent Miss Granger. It seems you are well informed about this particular field, so you do not have to do the homework I will set." Draco noticed Hermione's face fall as she was told she didn't have any homework. "Therefore Miss Granger, I would much appreciate it if Mr Malfoy could borrow your notes to copy up as you won't need them tonight. Is that okay with you?" The professor asked Hermione while glaring at Draco.
Hermione shot Draco an odd look, then answered her teacher politely. "Of course Professor. That's fine."
: There's no way out of here:
At the end of the lesson Draco walked over to the front to approach Professor Vector to explain about not being able to do his detention.
"What is it now Mr Malfoy? An apology I should hope." She looked expectantly at her student.
"Well yes, of course Professor. I am deeply sorry." He started. He wanted to get on her good side first. "Its just that I can't come to your detention tonight." He got it over with quickly.
"And why might that be?" She inquired.
"I have one with Professor Snape." He winced, awaiting an outburst. Professor Vector was a fair teacher and he liked her lessons usually, but she was: a) a woman, (and Draco knew form his mother that disobeyed women were able to find their hormones from somewhere super-fast when the occasion arose,) and b) she wasn't exactly enthralled with Draco's work recently, and in this sort of situation he would have expected her to yell at him for an hour, then put him in detention for the rest of the month. But it never came. She just took a very deep breath and looked disappointedly down at Draco.
"Very well then. You can copy up Miss Granger's notes in your own time. Just make sure it's done for next lesson okay? You'll have to find Hermione yourself to get the notes off her. I'd arranged for her to bring them at the time of your detention as she wanted to do the homework, but you'll have to catch up with her yourself." Then Professor Vector turned and walked swiftly out of the classroom with many papers flapping about, leaving Draco alone in the large empty classroom.
"Oh great" He sighed out loud to himself. He would have to approach Hermione. When would he be able to though without Potter and Weasley being there? Every time he went near her she had one of them leeching themselves to her.
He slowly meandered his way down to his next lesson: Care of Magical Creatures. He didn't mind being late for that; the oaf teaching them wouldn't notice, and the longer he was away from Hermione and her boyfriend, the better.
: Take away his doubt, turn him inside out,
Then she can see what he's bee dying to say:
Finally, after Draco's last lesson of the day- Charms with the Ravenclaws- he had started making his way down to Snape's office at five- fifty-five for his detention, when he ran into Hermione. She was, of course, with Potter. Draco inwardly sighed, and tried to walk past without speaking or looking at Hermione. He had just walked past them when he heard her soft voice.
"Malfoy" She called, stopping her own tracks and turning to face the back of him.
Draco slowly came to a halt and turned around to face her. He could see Harry, a little further up from Hermione, staring at her quizzically. Harry walked back down the corridor to where his girlfriend had stopped to call his enemy's name.
"What is it Granger?" Draco said, trying, but not really succeeding in sounding his usual smarmy self.
"Hey! There's no need to talk to her like that!" Harry snapped, just as Hermione was about to speak. Harry may have thought Draco sounded his mudblood-hating self, but both Draco and Hermione knew he hadn't disguised the new caring side of him well enough when he spoke. Hermione turned to Harry, rubbing her delicate hand along his strong arms gently and spoke quietly.
"Why don't you carry on up to the common room- Ron will be alone up there. I'll be fine. I'll be up in a minute. We just have some Arithmancy work to discuss." She smiled sweetly at Harry, and he did as she asked- albeit unwillingly- leaving Draco alone with Hermione for the second time that day. Harry continued to stare at Draco as he walked down the corridor, turning his gaze from him only when he mounted the stairs up to Gryffindor tower. Hermione turned back to Draco.
"Professor Vector told me about the change in arrangements for tonight so I thought you might want the Arithmancy notes." She explained while reaching into her bag.
"Oh right. Well, um, thanks." He replied, forgetting to add malice to his tone as he stumbled to find the words to reply. This is why she wanted him? She could have said all that with Harry attached to her, so why had she sent him away?
He was drawn back to the situation as he felt Hermione's warm skin touch his own cold hand as she passed to roll of parchment to him. As he took it from her, her hand lingered for a moment before rushing back to her side. He gratefully received the parchment she passed him, inwardly cursing himself for enjoying the few moments her hand rested against him, yet longing for just one more second of her touch. He realised he had been stood staring at his hand where hers had brushed against it, and quickly shoved the parchment into his bag.
He looked up, making to look at her face, but her gaze turned him away. He couldn't bare it that she was so close...yet so far. He needed to get away. He ran his long fingers through his platinum locks and started to head back down the corridor after a mumbled "Thanks", but Hermione stopped him: as he hurried away, she grabbed his wrist gently.
"Malfoy... Draco." She added quietly. He turned to look at the beautiful woman that stood holding onto him. He's never heard her say his name before. Hardly anybody, not even the Slytherins, dared to. Why had she? Hermione remained holding onto him, peering kindly into his eyes. "I wanted to ask you, I mean, well I was just wondering if you were okay." She eventually said.
Draco could see the blush creep into her cheeks as she asked him this. He knew this must be a big deal for her. He had been foul to her and her friends since first year; he was worst enemies with her boyfriend; he had called her the filthiest names in the wizarding world for six years, yet here she was asking if he was okay. Why did she have to be so damn caring? He wanted to escape her touch, get away from the aching inside to reach out and tell her how he felt, but he couldn't move. His mind searching rapidly for something to say, Hermione stepped closer, loosening her grip on his arm, but keeping her hand resting on his.
"You called me Draco." He finally said. Hermione smiled slightly.
"It's your name isn't it?" She asked, openly smiling to herself at how shocked his face was when she'd said his name.
"Well yeah, but you've never called me that before- you always called me Malfoy." He told her, amazed at how different they were both being with each other. He looked directly into her cinnamon eyes for what felt like the first time.
"Well you always called me Granger." She said, the smile fading slightly. "...or mudblood." She added quietly after a pause.
It had been weeks, even months since Draco had called her a mudblood- or any other name except for Granger for that matter. Usually, if it wasn't mudblood he attacked her with, it would be some other offensive word, or a name relating to the fact she was dating Harry. It seemed to Hermione that Draco was becoming less of the mudblood-hating brat that she- and the rest of Hogwarts- had come to know in their first year, and was now becoming a mature wizard. He still had the occasional scrap with Harry or Ron, but them two were as much to blame as he was for that. Recently, Draco had not seemed himself for months now, but these past few days in particular he had seemed like a different person entirely.
"Well I never had any reason to call you your name; it's not like we spend a lot of time together is it? And anyway, we've never been introduced." He replied, trying to avoid the fact that last year he called her a mudblood at every opportunity.
This time last year he never could have dreamed he would – that he wanted to-be standing here having a civilised conversation with her.
"Well then Draco, please call me Hermione." She looked up into his grey eyes; the eyes that used to bare such hate for her. Now, the storminess gone from his gaze, a mysterious whirl of thought clouded his mind from the rest of the world.
"Very well." He let a small smile escape his lips as he resigned to Hermione's request. It was hard to say no to her. In his head he always thought of her as Hermione, but he could never recall actually saying it out loud. Hermione noticed that although his mouth was smiling, his eyes were not. They still held the whirlwind of emotion that contained no happiness.
: Could it be any harder to watch you go;
To face what's true:
Hermione suddenly became very aware that her hand was still holding onto Draco's pale skin.
"Right, well I'd better be off. Harry will be waiting." She said uncomfortably.
"Of course. I didn't mean to interrupt true love's couple of the century." Draco added, almost back in his old tone. Hermione pretended not to have heard his comment so continued.
"Good luck with the Arithmancy homework." She said as she slowly took her hand away from his.
As Hermione's warm touch was removed from Draco's cold skin, the tight knot in his stomach that had been growing ever tighter with every moment she held onto him, loosened, leaving Draco feeling empty and uncertain. As she went to leave, she turned once more to face Draco. She hovered uncertainly, as if she was going to speak, but turned again and left. Draco just stood in the spot where she had reached out for him. He felt unable to move. Her touch had sent him into a disturbing sense of paralysis. He watched as she walked away from him, back down the corridor to the Gryffindor tower, back to Harry...
: We're in a world, where nothing's as it seems,
Paved with broken dreams:
The next morning, Draco woke up feeling anxious about something. As he wondered down to the hall to sit in on breakfast, he realised what he had forgotten: Snape. After the inadvertent meeting with Hermione last night, Draco had felt so mixed up, he totally forgot about his detention that he had been on his way down to, and ended up going back to his dorm. He would pay for that today. He had potions first lesson. Apart from the dread of seeing Snape there, he would also encounter Hermione and her boyfriend. Oh the joy of school!
When Draco entered the Great Hall, his head turned immediately to the cheery table of Gryffindors on the opposite side of the hall. As he concentrated on not meeting Snape's eye, he didn't realise he had frozen in the doorway of the hall and was stood staring at Hermione. She lifted her head from reading the letter she had received by Owl post, as she sensed somebody looking her way. She had a feeling the eyes would be a pair of stormy grey ones. She had noticed Draco had been looking at her a lot recently. She always pretended not to have noticed- although she wasn't sure why. It seemed he had changed so much those last few weeks, she wasn't even sure how to converse to him anymore. Not that they used to sit down and have a cosy little chat anyway, but they used to have a battle of their wits between lessons, or have reputable slanging matches. Now, he was always quiet unless someone directly spoke to him.
Last night when they had spoken in the corridor, Hermione felt she was talking to a different person entirely. He just wasn't the same person he used to be: in class he used to get top marks effortlessly and brag to everyone with ears about that or his father. Now it looked as if he couldn't even hear the teacher, like yesterday in Arithmancy. She didn't know why she impulsively grabbed his arm yesterday, but she felt like they had more to talk about. She was going to tell him she was worried about his sudden change in attitude, but the words wouldn't come out. She was worried about him for sure, but how would she tell him that? They had been worst enemies just a couple of months ago. Just because he didn't insult her and her housemates anymore, was that really a cause to worry? It's not like she should give a damn after what he'd put her through. So why did she care? Instead of announcing her true feelings, unclear as they were to her, she had ended up telling him to call her Hermione. Why that had come out she really didn't know- that was probably more of a shock to him than if she'd said she was worried!
"Oi, move out the way!" somebody shouted in Draco's direction as he was barged past by a group of Ravenclaws. It seemed he had been blocking the doorway for a good couple of minutes now; and to bar the entrance to breakfast to a group of hungry teenage wizards was a cardinal sin.
"Sorry." Draco muttered acerbically as he realised what he'd been doing and met Hermione's eye quickly before rushing back out the hall. The smell of all that food, and happiness- made him feel sick. Or that would be his excuse; Snape had just spotted him and Hermione had seen him staring at her. Could his day get any worse? Err, yes... : I could never reach you:
"Hi Draco. Are you okay?" A pleasant voice broke Draco's depressing train of thought. He was brought back down to earth after leaning against the wall just outside the hall for several minutes.
"Yeah I'm fine, you?" Draco replied to Hermione's question. He wasn't really sure how to respond to her. He could hardly tell her the truth: "No I'm fucking not okay- I fucking love you but you'd rather be shacked up to St- fucking- do-gooder – Harry –fucking -Potter! I may as well slit my wrists but don't worry Snape's about to kill me anyway and that would be less messy. But still never mind about me, how are you?" Hmm. He didn't think that would be the best way to carry on a conversation so he just stuck with the old "Yeah, I'm fine."
"I'm good thanks." Hermione responded to Draco's polite reply.
Harry and Ron just stood there, mouths open looking absolutely gob smacked. Since when were Hermione and Malfoy friends, and when did Hermione call Malfoy 'Draco'? This was all to weird. Why was Malfoy being friendly with her? What was he up to? There had to be something.
"Hermione, hadn't we better be going to lessons?" Harry tried to continue, attempting to break up the unlikely friendship between the Slytherin and Gryffindor. He discreetly pinched himself, hoping to find this was all just a horrible dream, but it wasn't, it was real- much to Draco's delight. Harry knew they were too early to go to potions, but being in close proximity to Snape for twice as long as necessary was better than having to watch his girlfriend converse with that toad. He also wanted to talk to Hermione alone himself.
"No it's way too early to go to potions and I can't imagine you'd want to get to it any minute sooner than you absolutely had to. Just hang on a bit." Hermione told him before turning back to Draco.
"Well I suppose I better had be going. You know how Snape looks for any excuse to give us detention. So, um, see you." Hermione told Draco. She could see Harry was getting annoyed so she thought it was best she go with them to lesson or else have to put up with the pair of them in a stress all day.
"Wait," Draco suddenly called as she turned to leave with her friends. He couldn't watch her walk away with Potter and Weasley. He couldn't watch her walk away from him again.
"What is it?" She asked him casually.
"Can I have a word?" Draco started. Hermione raised her eyebrows to question what about, but Draco realised Potter and Weasley were still stood watching so he continued: "in private?" He glared at the over protective Saints that stood eyeing him suspiciously. 'Man, this must be weird for them to watch.' He thought to himself. It was weird enough for him.
"Sure." Hermione replied, glaring at Harry and Ron to leave. Slowly, reading her expression, they turned and walked slowly down the corridor. "What is it?" Hermione asked as they started walking towards a quieter part of the long hallway. "Oh, I meant to ask you," She continued before Draco had chance to reply, "how did the Arithmancy go? Were my notes okay? Could you understand them because I wrote them in such a hurry so they're quite messy." She said.
Draco laughed inside. Messy? Hermione? The words just didn't go together. Her work was neater than anyone's he'd ever seen. She really did have issues if she thought that was messy. He looked at her in awe- that was what he loved about her: she was practically perfect in everything she ever did, and yet she always thought she was never good enough.
"Actually," Draco said, "That's what I wanted to talk to you about: I was reading your notes last night, and going through the text book on Liere's theory, but I just didn't get it. I just don't get Arithmancy full stop to be honest with you." He told her, although he wasn't sure why. What did he want her to do about it? Why was he being honest with her? None of this made any sense. Neither did Arithmancy. His grades were always top in every other subject, but this was the one field he just couldn't get his head around. He'd only taken it because his Father had said he must, but he never understood it. He couldn't plot the tables, draw the graphs, or understand a word all the theories and findings proved. Yet Hermione was top of the class. How she stayed ahead in every subject was beyond Draco. She must do some sort of brain enhancing charm or something!
"Well why don't you talk to Professor Vector. I'm sure she'll be happy to help you if you explain you don't understand. Hermione suggested. She was a little shocked that he'd told her what he had: Draco confessing to a mudblood that he didn't understand the work was a little off character, but Hermione took herself out of shock and got back to the matter in hand. She had another idea to help Draco, but she wasn't sure how he'd feel about it.
"No, that wouldn't work: she hates me anyway, plus she'd tell my Father. I just don't think I could be bothered with him right now." He told her heavily.
"Well...maybe I could help?" She suggested.
"You? What do you mean?" Draco quizzed her.
"Well I could revise things with you; go over what we learn in class; help with homework etc. You know, like explain things so you understand... If you don't mind, of course!" She added quickly. She didn't want him thinking that she was pushy, or taking advantage of his weaknesses as a chance to boast.
"No, that would be...I mean, are you sure you wouldn't mind?"
"Of course not! To be honest, it's my weakest subject too. By going over it with you would really clear tings up for me too." She told him.
Draco scoffed. "Your weakest subject? You're the best in the class! You probably know more than Professor Vector!" He laughed. Hermione's cheeks became flushed and she moved the conversation along quickly, after they both realised they were talking like friends.
"So when do you want to meet?" She asked him.
"It's up to you. Whenever." Draco replied casually, but his insides were squirming. He was to meet up with Hermione on a regular basis with nobody else there. He wasn't sure he could handle that. It could prove interesting.
"Well we could meet tonight. We can go over today's lesson and clear up the points you don't get so much, okay? Say about seven, in the library?" She suggested.
"Sure, that'll be great. Thanks." He genuinely told her with a smile of gratitude. Hermione thought she saw a hint of a smile in his eyes too, but before she could look him in the eye again, they had set of walking towards potions, and the storminess had returned to his distant gaze.
To be continued... Please read and review!