Bride of Malfoy; Thanks very much. I have just read yours this second.
Sorry I didn't do it straight away (blame revision).
lizzy-black19; My mistake on the Draco rather than Malfoy thing. My apologies. Thanks for reading and reviewing.
Lostgirl920; It was written for a DM.HG fanfic Valentine exchange (although I still haven't received the one that was written for me. Lol) But that doesn't mean to say she can't like both.
Dracohermioneluver; I'm not a big fan of HP/HG (although I prefer it to RW/HG) but I needed a love triangle in it somewhere and Harry could be quite sweet I suppose. Glad you like it so far.
Chapter Two - Back to Hogwarts
Morning at The Burrow dawned busy and bright as everyone scrambled around everyone else in an attempt to get even remotely close to being organised.
"It's half past eight." Mrs Weasley bellowed yet again up the stairs. "Breakfast is on the table and we are leaving in half an hour whether you have all eaten or not."
"For Gods sake Ron will you please grab that owl? He's driving me mad." Hermione shouted through top the boys' room. "He's flying in circles around my wardrobe screeching."
"He's trying to get away from your bloody cat." Ron yelled back, kicking Crookshanks down the stairs, who gave an almighty yelp as he crashed into a sleepy looking George;
"Business as usual I see." He grinned, "The least you could have done would be to keep it down so the rest of us didn't have to get up. Some of us have nowhere to be."
A soapy frying pan flew at his head;
"That's true, but unlike you the rest of the children in this house wish to FINISH school."
"Sorry Mum." George sniggered, trying his best to hide a grin behind his hand whilst retreating back upstairs and into his room.
Half an hour later the small party was surprisingly controlled and everyone was loaded into the back of The Weasley's car which Fred and George had bought with the first load of money they had made from the joke shop.
They reached Kings Cross with minimum fuss considering there were six people, two owls and a large ginger cat to organise. Mrs Weasley hugged each of them goodbye, whispering to Harry, Ron and Hermione;
"Make sure you look after Ginny, the poor thing's still rattled and upset; I don't want her exhausting herself and getting ill."
"Of course we'll look after her." Harry assured, returning the witch's hug as he and Ron boarded the train after Ginny.
"Miss Granger!"
Hermione turned to see Professor McGonagall;
"I trust you know of your duties?"
"Yes Miss." Hermione responded.
"What's this Hermione?" Mrs Weasley asked, looking suspicious.
"Miss Granger is our new Head Girl, surely she informed you?" McGonagall stated.
"No, she didn't. Why didn't you tell us Hermione?"
Hermione felt trapped;
"I...I didn't want to worry you any more, what with Ginny being ill."
"Worry? Dear I shouldn't have worried; I know you will do an exceptional job. Congratulations." Mrs Weasley beamed, hugging Hermione harder, "Now get on that train before it's too late."
Hermione gratefully climbed aboard, only to hear McGonagall shout after her;
"You must go to the end compartment of the third carriage Miss Granger."
Hermione walked down the train until she reached the end of the third carriage, where she pulled back the door and entered, only to find Draco Malfoy waiting for her. He didn't look up.
"That is so rude." Hermione thought angrily, seating herself as far away as possible from the haughty Slytherin.
Draco noticed Hermione enter the carriage, he knew she would eventually. He watched her acknowledge his own presence and sit down at the other end of the compartment, yet he didn't look up from his book. He didn't feel like talking. In fact he didn't feel like very much recently, since the battle.
After his parents had been killed Draco had become the master of Malfoy Manor, a place he loathed with every fibre in his being. He had considered selling it but hadn't yet got around to going over all the paperwork. All his life was nowadays was paperwork; bills, wills, interviews and endless invitations. None of which he wanted to have to deal with. He often wished he could lock away the world so he would never have to deal with it again but there was no such doing, and now there was even more hassle for him; he was Head Boy and Granger was the Head Girl.
"A match made in heaven." He scoffed to himself silently, secretly watching the Gryffindor over the top of his book.
If she wasn't such a stuck up know-it-all he would be able to see the attraction; she was tall, but not too tall, thin, but not too thin, pretty, but not too pretty. She was perfect...if you liked that sort of thing of course.
"Why are you looking at me?" Hermione asked Draco, suddenly aware that he had been watching her.
"I wasn't." Draco answered, panicking and returning to his book.
"You can talk to me you know; I won't bite."
"I know that Granger."
"So why not talk to me?"
"Why? Because we have so many thing in common?" Draco sneered.
"No, because you want to."
"Oh, do I?"
"I think you do. How are you?"
"Great Granger, absolutely fan-fucking-tastic; my life is full of dull paperwork, I'm stuck in a house I hate, my parents are dead and I wish I was too. I couldn't be better"
"You can't mean that." Hermione gasped, shocked at both his openness and obvious upset.
"Can't I?"
"But why do you think that? Being dead wouldn't solve anything."
"It would save me a lot of hassle when it comes to attending parties of people I don't like who I stupidly thought would be out of my life now the war's over."
"People like who?"
"Death Eaters who escaped." Draco answered simply, surprised at how easily he could speak to the Gryffindor.
"The ministry caught all the Death Eaters."
"No, it didn't. Fudge thinks he's clever but really he's only got about half of Voldemort's followers. Luckily for him all the most dangerous ones were killed or caught and those that are left throw huge parties where they all stand around discussing and planning a comeback and reign of terror, but not a single one of them has the guts or brains to carry out any of the plans. Rather pathetic really."
"So, don't you get on with the Death Eaters? I thought you were one of them?" Hermione found herself blurting out without thinking.
Draco laughed and rolled back his sleeves, showing her the tender flesh of his inner arms;
"Do you see a Mark?" He asked, slightly ridiculing the girls' accusation, "I was never one of them. I may be a Slytherin and my father may have been Lucius Malfoy, but that doesn't make me like him. Unlike my ex-father I am no sheep that will follow a crazed lunatic who wants world domination for no apparent reason. I have a brain and I use it, hopefully in a more productive way than my father used his."
Hermione nodded, regretting her silly outburst.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, feeling ashamed at being so narrow minded.
"It's alright, but above all people you should understand not to judge a person by its cover."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, confused.
"Well, look at you; you're muggleborn and one of the cleverest witches Hogwarts has ever had; despite what people think."
Hermione sat, shocked, looking at the young man before her. Could this handsome, polite and open minded wizard really be the same Draco Malfoy who had taunted her for so many years?
"You didn't call me a Mudblood." Was all she could think to say.
"Come on Granger, I just said you were clever, don't disappoint me now by stating the complete obvious." Draco laughed.
There was silence between them. It wasn't awkward yet nor was it in place.
"Tell me about the battle." Draco said suddenly.
"Pardon?" Hermione had phased out, watching the scenery fly past the window, her eyes flitting over the grassy hills and mounds of heather.
"Please will you tell me what happened at the battle?"
"Why?"
"Because I wasn't there and I want to know what happened. How my...how it all happened."
"It was horrible. There were screams and blood and masses of people; good and bad. It was so hectic I can't remember very much of it." Hermione's large, brown eyes glazed over as she remembered the hot summer evening of a few months ago; "As you remember Dumbledore had closed the school earlier and sent most of the students home. Those on the dark side left to fight and those who still refused to believe Voldemort had returned left the school early without complaint, but those of us who believed in what was about to happen remained to fight for good. I remember we all assembled just outside of Hogsmeade. We knew what was coming but nothing could have prepared us fully.
The Death Eaters appeared first and the curses soon filled the air. We lost people from our side within the first few minutes." Hermione sniffed as she remembered those that had been lost. "Padma, Justin, Hannah, Colin, Tonks, Kingsley, Cho and others who had come from miles away to fight. Then he arrived and the fighting really began. Harry and Dumbledore immediately duelled with him, whilst everyone else kept the Death Eaters away. Ginny managed to kill Bellatrix Lestrange, which didn't go down too well with many of Voldemort's followers. I was duelling with your father when I was hit from behind with a curse. I don't remember much about it as I blacked out for the remains of the battle which, I've been told, was over soon after."
Apparently it was a badly aimed curse on Neville's part that knocked me out. But he was also the one to...to kill your father. When I woke up it was all over and your dad was dead, about five inches from my face. It was so scary. Harry had killed Voldemort whilst Dumbledore had distracted him momentarily. The Death Eaters were rounded up; your mother amongst them. They were in the process of snapping their wands in half, and they hadn't reached her yet, but when she saw your dad dead she screamed and demanded to know who had done it. One of the other Death Eater's shouted it was Neville and your mum cursed and killed him right were he stood. She was killed by a ministry official."
Hermione fell silent and Draco could see silent tears streaming down her face. He moved to sit next to her.
"I'm sorry." He said, "I didn't think how upsetting it would be for you. I shouldn't have asked."
"No, you had every right to know. I'm shocked you didn't know already."
"I never wanted to know until now." Draco answered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm glad it was you that told me."
Hermione stared at him, confusion mixing in with the sadness and Draco couldn't help but reach out to wipe away. She looked so beautiful.
Hermione closed her eyes as she felt Draco's cool fingers gently wipe away one of her tears. She couldn't help but lean into his touch. Draco also moved in closer, closing his eyes. Soon there lips met in a mixture of passion, need and comfort. Hermione felt things she didn't know possible and Draco drank in her scent as though he would die without it.
Within moments of the kiss beginning the train was screeching to a stop and the pair quickly pulled apart, fussing in a hurried endeavour to look like the respectable Head Boy and Girl they were supposed to be.
"See you later Granger." Draco quickly spoke, leaving the compartment quickly.
"Yeah, bye." Hermione whispered after him
Draco licked his lips as he left the compartment, savouring her taste on his lips.
lizzy-black19; My mistake on the Draco rather than Malfoy thing. My apologies. Thanks for reading and reviewing.
Lostgirl920; It was written for a DM.HG fanfic Valentine exchange (although I still haven't received the one that was written for me. Lol) But that doesn't mean to say she can't like both.
Dracohermioneluver; I'm not a big fan of HP/HG (although I prefer it to RW/HG) but I needed a love triangle in it somewhere and Harry could be quite sweet I suppose. Glad you like it so far.
Chapter Two - Back to Hogwarts
Morning at The Burrow dawned busy and bright as everyone scrambled around everyone else in an attempt to get even remotely close to being organised.
"It's half past eight." Mrs Weasley bellowed yet again up the stairs. "Breakfast is on the table and we are leaving in half an hour whether you have all eaten or not."
"For Gods sake Ron will you please grab that owl? He's driving me mad." Hermione shouted through top the boys' room. "He's flying in circles around my wardrobe screeching."
"He's trying to get away from your bloody cat." Ron yelled back, kicking Crookshanks down the stairs, who gave an almighty yelp as he crashed into a sleepy looking George;
"Business as usual I see." He grinned, "The least you could have done would be to keep it down so the rest of us didn't have to get up. Some of us have nowhere to be."
A soapy frying pan flew at his head;
"That's true, but unlike you the rest of the children in this house wish to FINISH school."
"Sorry Mum." George sniggered, trying his best to hide a grin behind his hand whilst retreating back upstairs and into his room.
Half an hour later the small party was surprisingly controlled and everyone was loaded into the back of The Weasley's car which Fred and George had bought with the first load of money they had made from the joke shop.
They reached Kings Cross with minimum fuss considering there were six people, two owls and a large ginger cat to organise. Mrs Weasley hugged each of them goodbye, whispering to Harry, Ron and Hermione;
"Make sure you look after Ginny, the poor thing's still rattled and upset; I don't want her exhausting herself and getting ill."
"Of course we'll look after her." Harry assured, returning the witch's hug as he and Ron boarded the train after Ginny.
"Miss Granger!"
Hermione turned to see Professor McGonagall;
"I trust you know of your duties?"
"Yes Miss." Hermione responded.
"What's this Hermione?" Mrs Weasley asked, looking suspicious.
"Miss Granger is our new Head Girl, surely she informed you?" McGonagall stated.
"No, she didn't. Why didn't you tell us Hermione?"
Hermione felt trapped;
"I...I didn't want to worry you any more, what with Ginny being ill."
"Worry? Dear I shouldn't have worried; I know you will do an exceptional job. Congratulations." Mrs Weasley beamed, hugging Hermione harder, "Now get on that train before it's too late."
Hermione gratefully climbed aboard, only to hear McGonagall shout after her;
"You must go to the end compartment of the third carriage Miss Granger."
Hermione walked down the train until she reached the end of the third carriage, where she pulled back the door and entered, only to find Draco Malfoy waiting for her. He didn't look up.
"That is so rude." Hermione thought angrily, seating herself as far away as possible from the haughty Slytherin.
Draco noticed Hermione enter the carriage, he knew she would eventually. He watched her acknowledge his own presence and sit down at the other end of the compartment, yet he didn't look up from his book. He didn't feel like talking. In fact he didn't feel like very much recently, since the battle.
After his parents had been killed Draco had become the master of Malfoy Manor, a place he loathed with every fibre in his being. He had considered selling it but hadn't yet got around to going over all the paperwork. All his life was nowadays was paperwork; bills, wills, interviews and endless invitations. None of which he wanted to have to deal with. He often wished he could lock away the world so he would never have to deal with it again but there was no such doing, and now there was even more hassle for him; he was Head Boy and Granger was the Head Girl.
"A match made in heaven." He scoffed to himself silently, secretly watching the Gryffindor over the top of his book.
If she wasn't such a stuck up know-it-all he would be able to see the attraction; she was tall, but not too tall, thin, but not too thin, pretty, but not too pretty. She was perfect...if you liked that sort of thing of course.
"Why are you looking at me?" Hermione asked Draco, suddenly aware that he had been watching her.
"I wasn't." Draco answered, panicking and returning to his book.
"You can talk to me you know; I won't bite."
"I know that Granger."
"So why not talk to me?"
"Why? Because we have so many thing in common?" Draco sneered.
"No, because you want to."
"Oh, do I?"
"I think you do. How are you?"
"Great Granger, absolutely fan-fucking-tastic; my life is full of dull paperwork, I'm stuck in a house I hate, my parents are dead and I wish I was too. I couldn't be better"
"You can't mean that." Hermione gasped, shocked at both his openness and obvious upset.
"Can't I?"
"But why do you think that? Being dead wouldn't solve anything."
"It would save me a lot of hassle when it comes to attending parties of people I don't like who I stupidly thought would be out of my life now the war's over."
"People like who?"
"Death Eaters who escaped." Draco answered simply, surprised at how easily he could speak to the Gryffindor.
"The ministry caught all the Death Eaters."
"No, it didn't. Fudge thinks he's clever but really he's only got about half of Voldemort's followers. Luckily for him all the most dangerous ones were killed or caught and those that are left throw huge parties where they all stand around discussing and planning a comeback and reign of terror, but not a single one of them has the guts or brains to carry out any of the plans. Rather pathetic really."
"So, don't you get on with the Death Eaters? I thought you were one of them?" Hermione found herself blurting out without thinking.
Draco laughed and rolled back his sleeves, showing her the tender flesh of his inner arms;
"Do you see a Mark?" He asked, slightly ridiculing the girls' accusation, "I was never one of them. I may be a Slytherin and my father may have been Lucius Malfoy, but that doesn't make me like him. Unlike my ex-father I am no sheep that will follow a crazed lunatic who wants world domination for no apparent reason. I have a brain and I use it, hopefully in a more productive way than my father used his."
Hermione nodded, regretting her silly outburst.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, feeling ashamed at being so narrow minded.
"It's alright, but above all people you should understand not to judge a person by its cover."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, confused.
"Well, look at you; you're muggleborn and one of the cleverest witches Hogwarts has ever had; despite what people think."
Hermione sat, shocked, looking at the young man before her. Could this handsome, polite and open minded wizard really be the same Draco Malfoy who had taunted her for so many years?
"You didn't call me a Mudblood." Was all she could think to say.
"Come on Granger, I just said you were clever, don't disappoint me now by stating the complete obvious." Draco laughed.
There was silence between them. It wasn't awkward yet nor was it in place.
"Tell me about the battle." Draco said suddenly.
"Pardon?" Hermione had phased out, watching the scenery fly past the window, her eyes flitting over the grassy hills and mounds of heather.
"Please will you tell me what happened at the battle?"
"Why?"
"Because I wasn't there and I want to know what happened. How my...how it all happened."
"It was horrible. There were screams and blood and masses of people; good and bad. It was so hectic I can't remember very much of it." Hermione's large, brown eyes glazed over as she remembered the hot summer evening of a few months ago; "As you remember Dumbledore had closed the school earlier and sent most of the students home. Those on the dark side left to fight and those who still refused to believe Voldemort had returned left the school early without complaint, but those of us who believed in what was about to happen remained to fight for good. I remember we all assembled just outside of Hogsmeade. We knew what was coming but nothing could have prepared us fully.
The Death Eaters appeared first and the curses soon filled the air. We lost people from our side within the first few minutes." Hermione sniffed as she remembered those that had been lost. "Padma, Justin, Hannah, Colin, Tonks, Kingsley, Cho and others who had come from miles away to fight. Then he arrived and the fighting really began. Harry and Dumbledore immediately duelled with him, whilst everyone else kept the Death Eaters away. Ginny managed to kill Bellatrix Lestrange, which didn't go down too well with many of Voldemort's followers. I was duelling with your father when I was hit from behind with a curse. I don't remember much about it as I blacked out for the remains of the battle which, I've been told, was over soon after."
Apparently it was a badly aimed curse on Neville's part that knocked me out. But he was also the one to...to kill your father. When I woke up it was all over and your dad was dead, about five inches from my face. It was so scary. Harry had killed Voldemort whilst Dumbledore had distracted him momentarily. The Death Eaters were rounded up; your mother amongst them. They were in the process of snapping their wands in half, and they hadn't reached her yet, but when she saw your dad dead she screamed and demanded to know who had done it. One of the other Death Eater's shouted it was Neville and your mum cursed and killed him right were he stood. She was killed by a ministry official."
Hermione fell silent and Draco could see silent tears streaming down her face. He moved to sit next to her.
"I'm sorry." He said, "I didn't think how upsetting it would be for you. I shouldn't have asked."
"No, you had every right to know. I'm shocked you didn't know already."
"I never wanted to know until now." Draco answered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm glad it was you that told me."
Hermione stared at him, confusion mixing in with the sadness and Draco couldn't help but reach out to wipe away. She looked so beautiful.
Hermione closed her eyes as she felt Draco's cool fingers gently wipe away one of her tears. She couldn't help but lean into his touch. Draco also moved in closer, closing his eyes. Soon there lips met in a mixture of passion, need and comfort. Hermione felt things she didn't know possible and Draco drank in her scent as though he would die without it.
Within moments of the kiss beginning the train was screeching to a stop and the pair quickly pulled apart, fussing in a hurried endeavour to look like the respectable Head Boy and Girl they were supposed to be.
"See you later Granger." Draco quickly spoke, leaving the compartment quickly.
"Yeah, bye." Hermione whispered after him
Draco licked his lips as he left the compartment, savouring her taste on his lips.