Chapter 11: Convincing The Other
Hermione sat in the library the next day catching up on homework she hadn't done the night before. She missed the smell of books and the quiet environment. Her hair was tied in a bun, which helped her from being distracted by dangling hair as she wrote down notes and assignments on the parchment. The noise of her quill was all that could be heard and it was quite peaceful.
"Hermione?" A familiar voice spoke caused her to stop in mid sentence.
"Hmm?" Hermione replied not looking up as she scribbled a few more things down.
"I see you're busy." He spoke.
"Sorry..just...almost.." Hermione rushed as quickly as she could then satisfied with her work put the quill down. "..finished." Hermione looked up to see the dazzling blue eyes stare back at her.
"Good, just needed to talk to someone." Blaise said sitting down next to her, placing his bag on top of the desk with the rest of the parchments and books lying about.
"All right, I'm here to listen." She replied leaning back on her seat comfortably. Her eyes drown into his blue ones.
"Well you see, I have this little problem.." Blaise said, he seemed to be struggling with the words to say next. "..and it's kind of a new situation for me but I don't want to cause any further complications."
"It's okay, you can tell me. I can keep a secret." Hermione said kindly.
"Thanks, that's why I knew I could come to you. I would never have told girls like Pansy or guys like Crabbe and Goyle." Hermione nodded and waited for him to continue. "Well, I have this deed to do and I don't want to do it. In other words it's like tradition but I'm not the type of person to do that."
"Then don't do it. Breaking a few silly traditions won't kill anyone."
"That's the problem Hermione. It can kill." Blaise said sadly. Hermione sat up on her seat and watched him carefully, by the look on his face this was serious.
"What kind of problem?"
"I can't tell you right now. Actually I don't know if I can ever tell you. But I needed to let it out somehow. It's been bugging me since last Halloween." Blaise replied. Hermione arched her eyebrow, she had no clue what to say. Usually it was easy for her to comfort a friend but what was she suppose to tell him?
"Hermione!" Harry said walking over to her and slamming his book on the table. Hermione rolled her eyes at him and looked at Blaise sympathetically.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"Just thought I'd join you in studying." Harry replied staring at Blaise carefully.
"Fine, but please don't be so loud." She said calmly then looked at Blaise. He didn't budge but he also didn't seem to be in reality. His eyes were fuzzy and he was staring off in space. Hermione gave him a little shove. "Blaise?" Hermione said quizzically.
"Oh, sorry." Blaise said coming out of his state. He noticed Harry and then got up quickly.
"Blaise, stay." Hermione said.
"No, no. You have to continue studying so I'll leave." He slung his bag over his shoulder.
"What about what you wanted to tell me?" Hermione asked.
"It wasn't important. So continue your work. Bye!" Blaise said quickly and gave her hug then left. Hermione glared at Harry who just gave a shrug and plopped down on his seat and opened his book.
"Did you have to do that?!" Hermione hissed a bit irritated.
"What? Was I interrupting a snogging session?" Harry said dryly. Obviously, it was bothering him that Hermione was making friends with him but the least he could do was trust her to make her own mistakes. Blaise wasn't a bad guy and she had a gut feeling about that.
"You weren't interrupting anything." She said looking back down at her notes. "And we are not a couple. So snogging is out of the question." Hermione replied. He gave her a disbelieving look and grunted.
"Whatever." Harry replied.
"NO! Not whatever! If you're my best friend then respect my wishes. And I wish for you to trust me on this. He's not a bad guy." Hermione said angrily.
"I never said he was!" Harry said but his face gave it away. He was having a hard time trusting her on this.
"You're impossible!" Hermione said and got up from her seat. She began to stack her things into her school bag.
"Where are you going?" Harry asked.
"I'm off to snog Blaise!" Hermione replied dryly and walked out of the library. Hermione quickly paced down the corridors and to the front of the school. She opened the large doors and walked outside towards the lake. She needed time to clear her head and do the impossible tonight. She had made up her mind after the kiss with Draco that she would discuss his Death Eater initiation and if worse came to worse she would have to beg him. Hermione gave a dry little chuckle, the things she would do for the famous Harry Potter and he doesn't even know how much she's fighting with herself inside.
"Look who I find." A happy voice spoke. Hermione looked up and saw Luna walking towards her. She had her favorite little magazine in her hand.
"Hey there." Hermione replied.
"So, Herms, Hermie, Hermillia.." Luna said jokingly. "..what's up?"
"I'm just going through a rough stage with my friends." She replied.
"Oh, the whole Blaise thing?" Luna said sitting down next to her on the rocks.
"How do you know?" Hermione asked.
"Let's just call it a hunch." Luna said. Hermione gave her a tell-me-how-or-you-shall-feel-my-wrath look.
"Okay, okay!" Luna said getting the point. "I heard from Ginny who heard from Harry and Ron."
"Figures." Hermione said calmly.
"What is going on between you two? I heard you had a date with him yesterday."
"I did not! We were just hanging out." Hermione said calmly. Luna smacked her with the magazine on the arm lightly.
"Whatever you say girl. But like everyone is probably telling you. Be careful." Luna said getting up from the rock.
"I will."
"Bye then. I have to find Ginny." And then she was off towards the school. Hermione went back to watching the beautiful lake and gave a short sigh. After a few minutes of silence, she decided she needed to head back in. Hermione strolled into the school and found Draco entertaining a few of his Slytherin friends while Pansy clung on to him like some insect. Hermione met his eyes and he quickly turned his head back to his friends as though he never saw her at all.
To her that was just fine, she didn't need attention from him. She continued to walk down the corridors when she came upon Neville and Dean.
"Hey boys." Hermione said cheerfully although there wasn't anything to be cheerful about.
"Hi Hermione." Neville replied and as usual Dean nodded his head which was his sign language for saying hi. Hermione kept walking when she found Ron holding Crookshanks near the portrait hole of the Prefects House. Hermione wondered what he was doing holding her cat, specially when he didn't like her cat at all.
"Ron, what are you doing with Crookshanks?" Hermione asked picking up the cat from him and allowing it to nozzle in her chest.
"It was in my room and it wouldn't leave me alone. It scratched me too." Ron whined.
"Oh Ron, Let me see it." Hermione said in a mother tone. Ron rolled up his school shirt and showed a mark three long scratches near his elbow. It was red but the bleeding had stopped. "Ouch, that got to hurt."
"Duh, Herms. I can't stand this cat. Please find it a cage to keep it in."
"Cages are for birds. Cat's can roam around. Plus, Crookshanks didn't mean no harm." Hermione replied patting the back of her lovely cat. Ron gave a grunt and walked inside the common room. Hermione followed quickly behind and set her cat on the floor. She had trained Crookshanks to be obedient and the only reason he would scratch Ron is because of protection.
"Anyways, I'm sleepy. Need a nap. Make sure that cat stays away from my room." Ron said yawning and ran up the staircase. Hermione flung herself on the couch and relaxed herself a bit.
Bang!
Hermione jumped up in her seat and looked behind the couch to see Draco slamming his bag on the floor in frustration. He didn't notice her until he turned half way around and then gave her a glare.
"Hello to you too." Hermione said sarcastically.
"Don't speak to me." Draco sneered and walked up the staircase to his room. Then she heard his door slam shut. She bit her lip and wondered weather she should talk to him. Her courage once again got the best of her and she ran up the staircase and knocked on the familiar door.
"Go away Pansy!" Draco shouted from inside.
"It's not Pansy." Hermione replied. She heard a few noises here and there then the door clicked open and she was facing Draco.
"What?" Draco asked irritated to see her.
"I need to really talk to you."
"And I don't need to talk to you." Draco said trying to close the door in her face but Hermione stuck her hand out.
"Please?" Hermione pleaded. Draco watched her for a second and then gave up his defense.
"What?" He asked again.
"It's about that night I followed you." Draco put his finger to her lips and dragged her inside making sure he looked down the hall. He then slammed the door shut and turned around to face her.
"You can't just talk about things like that in public." Draco said angrily.
"I didn't know the wall's had ears." Hermione replied sarcastically.
"Shut up and get to the point."
"It's about the night you're getting initiated."
"Yeah, not much to it. Get the dark mark become a death eater and kill mudbloods like yourself." Draco said bluntly. Hermione gave him a staggered look. How could he just say that as though it meant nothing.
"Can you reconsider becoming one?" Hermione asked. Draco looked at her as though he was waiting for something, like a punch line. And then he began to laugh.
"Can I reconsider? Can I, Draco Malfoy son of Lucius Malfoy who happens to be a faithful Death Eater, reconsider?" Hermione nodded her head and was praying he would just at least give it a thought. "WOW! Yes, it's true then you have gone mad, bloody mad. I do not have a choice in this matter."
"But you do, Malfoy."
"You're right. I do...the other option I have is to die." Draco said.
"No! I know this is a really hard thing, to be forced-"
"-You don't know anything about how I feel and how hard it is Granger. Don't come here expecting me to change my mind about this. I'm becoming a death eater and you, Potter and Weasley have to deal with it."
"But Harry is going to become a death eater if you do. I don't want him in the hands of a crazy wizard. I don't know what spell he casted on you and Harry but it's not right!"
"Nothing in this damn world is right! Granger, you don't expect Voldemort to sit on his thrown and wait for Potter to come waltzing in. He's going to do the unthinkable and even though I know I'm part of his plan. I rather live being a death eater then die saving Potter."
"You don't mean that, do you?"
"I in fact do mean it."
"You rather become like your father, a cold hearted man?" Hermione asked. She had seen Lucius and that man seemed to have lost his mind.
"Like I said before, don't ever talk about my father."
"You're defending him after he brutally attacked you?" Hermione said shocked. Then she realized what she had slipped out of her mouth. Draco noticed this as well and frowned at her.
"Granger how do you know he attacked me?"
"I..uh.." Draco grabbed her arms and shook her lightly.
"HOW DO YOU KNOW?!"
"Hands off of me!" Hermione yelled and he let her go. "Damn it! It was a mistake I came here." Hermione said frustrated and tried to walk to the door but Draco blocked it.
"Why do you always run away from questions?"
"I do not!"
"Tell me, I need to know. How do you know about what my father did?"
"It's a long story, let's just say that I was there that night at the hut. I didn't see everything but I found you unconscious on the floor."
"So it wasn't some stupid dream I had! I could have sworn I saw you that night as well!" Draco said surprised as he put his hands through his hair. "You and Weasley were there, I seen you two. I remember clearly but I wasn't sure that it was true or if I was dreaming. What the hell were you doing there that night?"
"Don't ask questions."
"I bloody hell can!"
"This was just a stupid mistake! I knew that you'd rather become a servant of that stupid Voldemort rather then do what is right!"
"You say this like it's the easiest thing in the world."
"It's not, I know it's not. But trying to do what's right is far better then becoming something you know you'll regret."
"You're right..." Draco said calmly. Hermione's face brighten, was he reconsidering? "..this was a mistake, don't come in my room and don't speak to me. Tell Potter for all I care but don't ever speak to me again mudblood." His cold voice returned and Hermione was crestfallen. He was far more complicated then she thought but who was she to argue with him. Hermione walked out of the room and he slammed the door shut behind her. Hermione turned to face the closed door and wished she could storm back in there and talk to him again. He was making the biggest mistake in his life and most importantly she was worried for him.
Sneak Peak:
Ron stared at Hermione with wide eyes he was thinking the same thing as her, what was that sound? Before she could move any closer to the couch Ron sat on another horrible crashing sound was made. Ron jumped up at stared at the direction of the noise. The source of the noise was coming from the Slytherin staircase leading to Draco and Pansy's dorm.
"Herms, what the hell was that?"
"I don't know." Hermione replied just as curious. Another loud crash came this time it sounded like shattering glass. Ron grabbed her arm and took out his wand the same time she did. They both walked up the staircase and came upon Draco's room. Ron knocked on it hard but there was no answer.