Pain, Hurt, and… Love?

Chapter four

Imperfection

            As Hermione slept Draco watched. He was fascinated by her. Muggle born or not Hermione Granger was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He had never noticed before because he wasn't allowed to. That's no excuse Draco. You could have treated her better. She might trust you more if you would have. Draco ignored the little voice. He knew that if he had shown any weakness to Hermione that his father would have done away with her. He obviously had tried to but it didn't work out as planned. He couldn't let Hermione down now though. He had shown to her that he didn't hate her; he thought that Hermione understood him for the most part. But Draco wasn't sure if he understood himself sometimes.

            Hermione stirred. She had a pained look on her face. He couldn't tell if it was from the pain of the fall or because of something in her dreams. He wasn't sure so he just layed still and watched her. He had seen many girls in his lifetime. Most of them begging for a chance for a little something, but never has he lain and watched one sleep. Hermione Granger must have had some sort of thing around her that made him just want to watch her for all eternity.

            She moaned. Draco looked worriedly down on her.

            "No…Mommy…don't go again…don't let him hurt me again…no mommy…" Draco was scared. What was Hermione talking about? Don't let who hurt her again. What did her mother have to with this? "Mommy…mommy…he did it again…please don't leave…" Draco felt like he was invading in her life by listening, but what choice did he really have? She was talking in her sleep and he was afraid to move for he didn't want to wake her. "NO!!! Daddy!! Please no!!! It hurts…daddy…please…help me…someone anyone…no more…" That was it Draco couldn't take it anymore. Just as he was about to wake Hermione p she gave a blood curtling scream. She sat up. She was sweaty and breathing like she had run a marathon.

            She looked around the room wildly. Her eyes landed on Draco. He would help. She threw her arm around him and cried. She didn't know what else to do. She just cried like there was no tomorrow.

            "Now, now Hermione. It will be alright. Tell me what happened?" Hermione shook her head. The wounds were still to fresh, to sore to talk about. "It's okay Hermione you don't have to tell me. Lets lay down." He didn't know where this gentleness came from but he knew it had to be his mother. He couldn't just let Hermione cry all by herself.

            Hermione in Draco's warm and comforting arms lay down. She was exausted from her nightmare and was ready to go back to bed. Draco was holding her now. He wouldn't let anyone hurt her again. She was sure he would protect her.

          Hermione didn't know where these thoughts came from. How could she be sure that Draco was going to protect her? Well she didn't really. But she believed that he would. That he would keep away the nightmares and her father and all of that. She would tell him about her imperfect life tomorrow. Or today; she had no idea what time it was.

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            The next day Hermione woke up to an empty bed. He must have gone down to eat.  Just as Hermione was about to pull herself out of bed Draco came in holding, or rather, levitating a large tray of breakfast big enough for five people.

            "Who is all this for?"

            "Why for you. And of course for me too." Draco smirked that smirk that made Hermione smile.  He came and sat down where he had been sleeping. Gave Hermione his wand so that the food would stay levitated, and climbed into the bed. He pulled all of his blankets up and around his chin and then took back his wand.

            When Hermione and Draco were done, he called in one of the house elfs and he took the dishes down stairs. Hermione looked at Draco. She could tell him about this right? He would understand and help her…

            "Draco? Can I tell you something?" Draco looked over to Hermione. She looked a little worried.

            "Of course you can Hermione. What is it that's troubling you?"  Hermione looked up at him with troubled and haunted eyes.

            "I don't know what happened…one day my mum started not coming home from work with my dad. He didn't like the fact that she wouldn't be home until after midnight some days. It made me worry too. I didn't know what was going on and it frightened me when I saw my father. In all of my years I had never seen him mad. My mother was always making sure that I was back from the library before dark though. She always would leave the number of where she would be and tell me to call when I got home." Hermione paused.

            Draco looked at Hermione. He was concerned. Obvously more had happened then Hermione and told so far, but he didn't like the way things were going. Hermione took a shaking breath and continued.

            "My father was never one to hit…that was before mother ran off with other men. What provoked her to do such a stupid thing I don't know but I didn't like it. Mother would leave sometimes…she would come home, shower and leave. That always made father angrier. He started to take it out on me. And first it was bad. He would hit me once or twice but not much…then he started to yell. Horrible things at me. The hitting stopped. It was odd. I thought that the mental abuse came before the physical but what do I know. He would tell me that I was going to be just as good for nothing as my mother. I would b-b-become a whore like she was…" Hermione stopped. She started to cry. She couldn't go on. But she didn't need to. Enough was said so that Draco knew that Hermione didn't have it all.

            "Shhhh now Hermione. You can stop now. I know now what has happened. I'm sorry. I really am." Hermione hugged him and laughed a little tiny laugh but it was a start.

            Nacrissa knocked on the door some time later. Draco picked Hermione up carefully and set her back down. She had fallen asleep to Draco humming a tuneless tune.

            "What happened in here? I heard Hermione scream but what was wrong?" Nacrissa peeked into the room. She saw Hermione sleeping. She was smiling slightly now though.

            "It was nothing mother. She just a had a bad dream and now she is alright. She talked to me about it. I feel awful for anytime I ever felt a loathing to her." His mother looked up at him expecting to hear the whole story but he just shook his head and walked back into the room. He didn't close the door.

            He climbed in next to Hermione and pulled her to him again. She smiled a little and dreamed a peaceful dream. Nacrissa watched in amasement at her son's sudden change in attitude towards muggle borns. He seemed to care about this girl a great deal, though she wasn't sure if it was the wisest choice. Lucius was still out there and when he finds out that Hermione isn't dead he is going to try again. He didn't care that their son had been made Head Boy. No it didn't matter at all to him.

            To Draco it appeared that all that mattered to him and a bushy haired brunette, with a lot of mouth and a lot of brain. Nacrissa thought that they looked wonderful together. The way her son held Hermione so carefully, like she would break if he touched her to roughly. He loved her. Nacrissa knew but it was up to her son to decide what he wanted to become of this new found friendship.

            Draco wanted nothing more then to hold Hermione forever. Something inside him got all twisted and knotted up when he looked at her. He didn't know what it was. It was something that he hadn't felt in a very long time…if ever in his life. He knew that Hermione meant a lot to him but could it be more then just friends…could Draco Malfoy, king of the Slytherins, really like Hermione Granger, queen of the Gryffindors? He didn't know how or why it had happened but it had and that was all that mattered to Draco. He was ready to let the whole world know that he had fallen in love with the most beautiful bushy haired muggle born witch in the world!!!

A/N: Ahhhhh gag me!! I think that I over did it with the mushyness…but I had to update and it just sort of went with it…well I hoped that you liked it! Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I have been out of town and all. But that you to al of my faithful revwiers! And of course my number one fan Maionefan4ever!!! Thank you all so much! Love you all!

~*DHL*~