Chapter 4
"Th-they, they... They TRUST me! I know them... they trust me!" Hermione raved, the truth hurt.
"Yeah, sure. Righto, Hermione, I'm out. Join me for a coffee? I don't know where to get one in mugglesville."
"I'd rather not," she said shortly.
"You'd WHAT?" Draco half-shouted at her. Here he was, asking a mudblood to be in his presence and she REFUSED him?
"Wow. You're an even bigger tosser than I thought!"
He just cast her a more-than-slightly evil glance and stormed out the door.
"What a brat..." She muttered as the hinges creaked closed.
The next morning, as Hermione was getting ready for a strenuous day's work (or sleeping past her alarm, either one really), she was rudely interrupted by her mother.
"Hermy, sweetie-lumpkin, someone's head is in the fireplace for you!"
'Oh, lord,' Hermione thought, 'Please let it not be anyone important.'
"Be down in a jiff, Mum," she called whilst slipping on some pants. She ran to the top of the staircase... and tumbled down.
"Quite graceful, Miss Granger," the head of her headmaster chuckled.
Hermione looked up at the fireplace and grinned sheepishly, "Rather."
Her mother stood in the living room, looking back and forth between the old man and her daughter. "Would anyone care for tea!?!?" Mrs. Granger asked, quite excited.
"No, thank-you, Mum. Disembodied heads are prone to not drinking tea," Hermione said sarcastically. The professor nodded in agreement.
"Well, Hermione, let's get on to business, shall we?" Dumbledore's face abruptly turned from good-natured to solemn. "I've come to talk about Draco."
"You know, Professor, I'd rather not discus him right now. It's my day off."
"It's quite important."
"Proceed, then," Hermione said determinedly, not wanting to disrespect her elder.
"I need you to love him."
"What!?" She spluttered.
"Oh, apologies, that came out wrong. I'm sorry! I went over what I was going to say, as this is a delicate matter and you are- no offense- anything but delicate... All right let me try one more time." Dumbledore cleared his throat in a very Umbridge-like fashion and proceeded, "Just please try and treat him like a friend. Like he was a person you had never met before, it will help with the process of 'rehabilitating' him so to speak..."
"I-I'm not sure I can..." She trailed off, suddenly quite distraught
"Please, Miss Granger. Please will you try? Think of it as a favor to me," the professor said, sincerely hoping he was wearing her down.
Hermione couldn't just go and resist the old bat, but she wasn't going down without a fight. "But... he's been such a right as- Prat to me for all my time in the wizarding world."
"And this is your chance to be the bigger person. Take it. Set this right," he whispered, a twinkle in his eye.
"I'll try. But now I have to go... I see an owl flying toward my window and it looks a bit angry. Good day," She said shortly, wanting him to leave before she bit his head off for being, well, Dumbledore.
Dumbledore nodded his head and it disappeared from the fireplace.
"Agh, What a morning," she said to herself as she trudged up the evil staircase.
When she got to her room she immediately flopped onto her bed, just wanting to relax and forget it all.
BANG!
"Right. Owl." Hermione said to no one in particular. She lay there a while willing the window to open by itself. It didn't, sadly, so she got up and unlocked it herself.
A gorgeous (and rather harassed looking) barn owl flew in to the room, dropped the letter in her hands and promptly left.
Hermione examined the envelope closely, it was unmarked and impeccable. She was hesitant to open it but too curious not to. Tearing the top open, it read:
"Dear Hermione...
"Th-they, they... They TRUST me! I know them... they trust me!" Hermione raved, the truth hurt.
"Yeah, sure. Righto, Hermione, I'm out. Join me for a coffee? I don't know where to get one in mugglesville."
"I'd rather not," she said shortly.
"You'd WHAT?" Draco half-shouted at her. Here he was, asking a mudblood to be in his presence and she REFUSED him?
"Wow. You're an even bigger tosser than I thought!"
He just cast her a more-than-slightly evil glance and stormed out the door.
"What a brat..." She muttered as the hinges creaked closed.
The next morning, as Hermione was getting ready for a strenuous day's work (or sleeping past her alarm, either one really), she was rudely interrupted by her mother.
"Hermy, sweetie-lumpkin, someone's head is in the fireplace for you!"
'Oh, lord,' Hermione thought, 'Please let it not be anyone important.'
"Be down in a jiff, Mum," she called whilst slipping on some pants. She ran to the top of the staircase... and tumbled down.
"Quite graceful, Miss Granger," the head of her headmaster chuckled.
Hermione looked up at the fireplace and grinned sheepishly, "Rather."
Her mother stood in the living room, looking back and forth between the old man and her daughter. "Would anyone care for tea!?!?" Mrs. Granger asked, quite excited.
"No, thank-you, Mum. Disembodied heads are prone to not drinking tea," Hermione said sarcastically. The professor nodded in agreement.
"Well, Hermione, let's get on to business, shall we?" Dumbledore's face abruptly turned from good-natured to solemn. "I've come to talk about Draco."
"You know, Professor, I'd rather not discus him right now. It's my day off."
"It's quite important."
"Proceed, then," Hermione said determinedly, not wanting to disrespect her elder.
"I need you to love him."
"What!?" She spluttered.
"Oh, apologies, that came out wrong. I'm sorry! I went over what I was going to say, as this is a delicate matter and you are- no offense- anything but delicate... All right let me try one more time." Dumbledore cleared his throat in a very Umbridge-like fashion and proceeded, "Just please try and treat him like a friend. Like he was a person you had never met before, it will help with the process of 'rehabilitating' him so to speak..."
"I-I'm not sure I can..." She trailed off, suddenly quite distraught
"Please, Miss Granger. Please will you try? Think of it as a favor to me," the professor said, sincerely hoping he was wearing her down.
Hermione couldn't just go and resist the old bat, but she wasn't going down without a fight. "But... he's been such a right as- Prat to me for all my time in the wizarding world."
"And this is your chance to be the bigger person. Take it. Set this right," he whispered, a twinkle in his eye.
"I'll try. But now I have to go... I see an owl flying toward my window and it looks a bit angry. Good day," She said shortly, wanting him to leave before she bit his head off for being, well, Dumbledore.
Dumbledore nodded his head and it disappeared from the fireplace.
"Agh, What a morning," she said to herself as she trudged up the evil staircase.
When she got to her room she immediately flopped onto her bed, just wanting to relax and forget it all.
BANG!
"Right. Owl." Hermione said to no one in particular. She lay there a while willing the window to open by itself. It didn't, sadly, so she got up and unlocked it herself.
A gorgeous (and rather harassed looking) barn owl flew in to the room, dropped the letter in her hands and promptly left.
Hermione examined the envelope closely, it was unmarked and impeccable. She was hesitant to open it but too curious not to. Tearing the top open, it read:
"Dear Hermione...