A/N: ok, ok, here it is. Thanks to all of my reviewers. Here are some
notes for all of you:
Sugar-coated sushi---thanks for the feedback. And per your suggestion, I decided to write this chappie to explain why Hermione fell in love with him.
Senna---Thanks for the review!
Granger17---I definitely agree about the unrealistic part, which is what makes D/H soooo much fun.
Emma Lovegood---you can't intimidate me, Emma, I too know where you sleep.. Remember that. Loveya
lynn---I'm glad that you like it!
Ok, here it goes!
It had started at the beginning of sixth year, Hermione's love for Draco. She knew that it was stupid, but she couldn't stop. Draco had begun to appear kinder in her eyes. Or perhaps it was the Howler that put it into perspective a bit for her and everyone.
The Howler came in the mail on the drizzly morning of the beginning of term. Even the Gryffendors on the opposite side of the room from the Slytherins heard Draco's yell when his morning mail came, delivering the scarlet envelope. All heads turned as Draco jumped from his seat and tore into the entrance hall. But even though there were two thick doors between the great hall and the entrance hall, all ears in the great hall could hear as the Howler burst open. DRACO! THE MINUTE YOU WERE BORN I TOLD YOUR MOTHER THAT YOU WERE NO GOOD AND THAT YOU WOULD BRING OUR FAMILY DOWN IN THE WORLD. AND NOW THIS!!!!!! YOU SLOBBERING, FILTHY, HALFBRED SLOB! HOW COULD YOU WITHHOLD INFORMATION FROM ME, PARTICULARLY THIS TYPE OF INFORMATION. AND THEN THERE'S YOUR GRADES. CATASROPHIC! YOU WILL DO BETTER, DRACO HORATIO MALFOY, OR I WILL CURSE YOU INTO OBLIVION. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?
A ringing silence echoed and swarmed around the Great Hall. And then Dumbledore had stood and said, in his magisterial voice "Well, eat!" and chatter had commenced.Draco hadn't been in potions later that day, and Hermione suspected that the red rims under his eyes that she saw later in Herbology weren't from lack of sleep.
The Howler had made Hermione realize that Draco couldn't be pure git. Before, she had thought that he was snide and competitive because he was evil. But now she found herself thinking that Draco was cruel to others to protect himself, and that really, he was just a sweet boy born into the wrong family when she ran this theory by Harry and Ron, they both vehemently disagreed. But, Hermione still kept a little seed of hope in her brain, fertilizing, until the day came that she would have true proof of his true nature that would turn the seed into a blossom.
The proof came soon, and also in the form of mail. It came in a letter that Dumbledore received at breakfast one morning. Dumbledore never received mail in the Great Hall, so, naturally, everyone was curious. Heads turned to look up at the teacher's table, and students meandered casually close, to try and get a glimpse under the pretext of crossing over to another house table. An even greater oddity was when Dumbledore levered himself out of his chair, whispered a few words into Professor McGonnagal's ear, and left the Great Hall. All of the students turned and began to yammer and conjecture to their neighbors.
Hermione found later what that letter was. Harry had been having bad dreams again, prophetic dreams, and Dumbledore was instructing him in Occlumency. When Harry came for his afterhours lesson, Dumbledore had said "Yes, er, Harry, I have some small business to attend to, please wait for me here." And he had left out of a small side door in his office. Harry had stood idly for a few minutes, talking to Fawkes, and then he had seen the letter lying on the desk. Never being one who could contain his curiosity, Harry had picked up the letter and read it with astonishment.
It was a letter from Arthur Weasley who had heard of the and incedent involving the Malfoy family. The letter detailed how Draco Malfoy had withheld information on the goings on of Voldemort that he had heard through Crabbe, and that he was supposed to relay to his father(who had recently escaped from Azkaban). His father had finally found the information out and had sent Malfoy the Howler. Malfoy, in return, had sent a letter back home, saying that he had withheld the information on purpose and that he didn't want to waste his life away in the service of another. Most of all, he had said he didn't want to end up like his father. In response, Lucius Malfoy had disowned Draco from the family. It was now Dumbledore's job to find a place for Malfoy to stay. Arthur suggested later in the letter that Malfoy should stay at #12, Grimmauld place next summer.
Harry couldn't finish the letter, however, because he could hear Dumbledore approaching the office and he had to drop the letter hurriedly back on the desk. Later, after Occlumency, Harry had relayed the incedent to Hermione and Ron, and all of the contents of the letter that he remembered.
This letter was Hermione's proof. She had already had a small crush on Malfoy before. He was mean to her, it was true, but his blonde hair, and gray-green eyes haunted Hermione, and each time he taunted her, she kept a secret hope that he was just lashing out because of his home life, and she liked him all the more.
But she doubted herself. It seemed that ever since the letter detailing his eviction from the family, nothing had changed in Draco. She tried every day to see past his exterior into the sweetness that she was sure was inside, like a honeycomb, spiky on the outside, dripping with honey on the inside. Every day that she tried to figure him out, she just found herself being drawn like a magnet to it's exact opposite magnet. Rather than feeling like she was gaining knowledge, she felt like she was careening out of control into a black hole.
She usually stayed within the safe circle of her knowledge and her books. Now, in her infatuation and love, she felt as if she were a trapeze artist. She could almost feel herself letting go of the trapeze and flying out into space. It looked like a long way down to fall, and she didn't know if she could catch herself. When had she gone from a literary recluse to a trapeze artist? She was scared for her safety.
Sugar-coated sushi---thanks for the feedback. And per your suggestion, I decided to write this chappie to explain why Hermione fell in love with him.
Senna---Thanks for the review!
Granger17---I definitely agree about the unrealistic part, which is what makes D/H soooo much fun.
Emma Lovegood---you can't intimidate me, Emma, I too know where you sleep.. Remember that. Loveya
lynn---I'm glad that you like it!
Ok, here it goes!
It had started at the beginning of sixth year, Hermione's love for Draco. She knew that it was stupid, but she couldn't stop. Draco had begun to appear kinder in her eyes. Or perhaps it was the Howler that put it into perspective a bit for her and everyone.
The Howler came in the mail on the drizzly morning of the beginning of term. Even the Gryffendors on the opposite side of the room from the Slytherins heard Draco's yell when his morning mail came, delivering the scarlet envelope. All heads turned as Draco jumped from his seat and tore into the entrance hall. But even though there were two thick doors between the great hall and the entrance hall, all ears in the great hall could hear as the Howler burst open. DRACO! THE MINUTE YOU WERE BORN I TOLD YOUR MOTHER THAT YOU WERE NO GOOD AND THAT YOU WOULD BRING OUR FAMILY DOWN IN THE WORLD. AND NOW THIS!!!!!! YOU SLOBBERING, FILTHY, HALFBRED SLOB! HOW COULD YOU WITHHOLD INFORMATION FROM ME, PARTICULARLY THIS TYPE OF INFORMATION. AND THEN THERE'S YOUR GRADES. CATASROPHIC! YOU WILL DO BETTER, DRACO HORATIO MALFOY, OR I WILL CURSE YOU INTO OBLIVION. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?
A ringing silence echoed and swarmed around the Great Hall. And then Dumbledore had stood and said, in his magisterial voice "Well, eat!" and chatter had commenced.Draco hadn't been in potions later that day, and Hermione suspected that the red rims under his eyes that she saw later in Herbology weren't from lack of sleep.
The Howler had made Hermione realize that Draco couldn't be pure git. Before, she had thought that he was snide and competitive because he was evil. But now she found herself thinking that Draco was cruel to others to protect himself, and that really, he was just a sweet boy born into the wrong family when she ran this theory by Harry and Ron, they both vehemently disagreed. But, Hermione still kept a little seed of hope in her brain, fertilizing, until the day came that she would have true proof of his true nature that would turn the seed into a blossom.
The proof came soon, and also in the form of mail. It came in a letter that Dumbledore received at breakfast one morning. Dumbledore never received mail in the Great Hall, so, naturally, everyone was curious. Heads turned to look up at the teacher's table, and students meandered casually close, to try and get a glimpse under the pretext of crossing over to another house table. An even greater oddity was when Dumbledore levered himself out of his chair, whispered a few words into Professor McGonnagal's ear, and left the Great Hall. All of the students turned and began to yammer and conjecture to their neighbors.
Hermione found later what that letter was. Harry had been having bad dreams again, prophetic dreams, and Dumbledore was instructing him in Occlumency. When Harry came for his afterhours lesson, Dumbledore had said "Yes, er, Harry, I have some small business to attend to, please wait for me here." And he had left out of a small side door in his office. Harry had stood idly for a few minutes, talking to Fawkes, and then he had seen the letter lying on the desk. Never being one who could contain his curiosity, Harry had picked up the letter and read it with astonishment.
It was a letter from Arthur Weasley who had heard of the and incedent involving the Malfoy family. The letter detailed how Draco Malfoy had withheld information on the goings on of Voldemort that he had heard through Crabbe, and that he was supposed to relay to his father(who had recently escaped from Azkaban). His father had finally found the information out and had sent Malfoy the Howler. Malfoy, in return, had sent a letter back home, saying that he had withheld the information on purpose and that he didn't want to waste his life away in the service of another. Most of all, he had said he didn't want to end up like his father. In response, Lucius Malfoy had disowned Draco from the family. It was now Dumbledore's job to find a place for Malfoy to stay. Arthur suggested later in the letter that Malfoy should stay at #12, Grimmauld place next summer.
Harry couldn't finish the letter, however, because he could hear Dumbledore approaching the office and he had to drop the letter hurriedly back on the desk. Later, after Occlumency, Harry had relayed the incedent to Hermione and Ron, and all of the contents of the letter that he remembered.
This letter was Hermione's proof. She had already had a small crush on Malfoy before. He was mean to her, it was true, but his blonde hair, and gray-green eyes haunted Hermione, and each time he taunted her, she kept a secret hope that he was just lashing out because of his home life, and she liked him all the more.
But she doubted herself. It seemed that ever since the letter detailing his eviction from the family, nothing had changed in Draco. She tried every day to see past his exterior into the sweetness that she was sure was inside, like a honeycomb, spiky on the outside, dripping with honey on the inside. Every day that she tried to figure him out, she just found herself being drawn like a magnet to it's exact opposite magnet. Rather than feeling like she was gaining knowledge, she felt like she was careening out of control into a black hole.
She usually stayed within the safe circle of her knowledge and her books. Now, in her infatuation and love, she felt as if she were a trapeze artist. She could almost feel herself letting go of the trapeze and flying out into space. It looked like a long way down to fall, and she didn't know if she could catch herself. When had she gone from a literary recluse to a trapeze artist? She was scared for her safety.