Invisible Hero: Chapter 10
By: Teenlaunch
a/n: Tenth installment!
A few days after the polyjuice potion testing, Hermione was sitting with Harry and Ron. The mail came right on time, as usual. Hermione spotted a large black owl in the mass of brown, tawny, and white. It fluttered down to Draco. She watched as he stroked the bird affectionately, while detaching its letter. His face grew extremely pale as he read it. Draco shot out of his seat and strode out of the Great Hall. Hermione stood and followed him a few minutes later. She found Draco in a rather deserted part of the library.
"Hey," Hermione whispered. Draco didn't say anything. He just kept his back to her. "I...um, saw you leave. Why were you in such a big hurry?"
"No reason," he mumbled.
"I just thought it had something to do with that letter."
"Maybe..."
"You want to talk?"
"No."
"What is wrong now? What did I do?"
"Nothing..."
"Why are you being so short with me?"
"Because I'm not in a good mood," he said through gritted teeth.
"Why?"
Draco turned around. His face was flushed with anger. "Because, I don't need some stupid little Mudblood know-it-all sticking her nose in my business! Now go away, Granger!" He snapped.
Hermione was quite taken aback. She quickly covered up her surprise and disappointment. "Fine, you want me to go away? I will! I thought you had actually changed. But, you know what they say, once a ferret, always a ferret! You know, now that I think about it, maybe I should have let myself drown or let the spiders eat me! It would have made someone happy! I'll see you later, Malfoy." Hermione turned on her heel and walked away form him, determined not to let him see her cry.
"Grang- Hermione...wait...Hermione, wait!" Draco called quietly after her. Hermione kept on walking, not looking back.
Outside the library, Hermione ran into Ron. "What the- Hermione, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she said as she tried to walk away. Ron grabbed her arm.
"it is not. Why are you crying?"
"Malfoy, that's why! Now, just go away!" Hermione walked away quickly but doubled back to the library after realizing she had left her bag there. Hermione was picking up her bag when she heard Ron's voice from another row of the library.
"You can not be serious! You...You're an idiot!" Ron said in a frustrated voice, trying his best not to yell.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious! I only figured that out ten minutes ago! Thanks to my big mouth she'll probably never talk to me again!" Draco sounded furious. Hermione gasped. This didn't make sense. Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy were talking civilly with each other.
Ron blew out hard. "You sure put yourself in quite a spot."
"Tell me about it." The ancient bookcase creaked as Draco leaned against it. Hermione sneaked out of the library. Ron and Draco were having an actual conversation.
'Let's put it this way. Something smells fishy and it's not the sardines Crookshanks usually steals from the kitchen.'
While she left Ron and Draco continued talking. "Maybe you could...no, that wouldn't work. How about...no, too complicated. Maybe...maybe you could send her a letter!"
Draco snorted. "What good will that do? She'd throw it in the fire before she even read it, especially if-if she knows who it's from!" Ron's plan dawned on Draco. "But, it still wouldn't work."
"Why not?" Ron asked in an exasperated tone.
"I can't apologize through a letter! Besides, I'd have to face her eventually, right?"
"Right." Ron sagged against the bookshelf behind him. "I think the only thing you can do is wait for her to calm down before you talking with her."
"Yeah. And I doubt she'll forgive me very quickly."
"You'll be lucky if she forgives you by Christmas!"
"Wonderful, that just pushed my mood down two more notches." The bookshelves creaked as Ron and Draco stood up. "Hey, thanks, I mean, just because I'm her potions partner, you don't have to make a truce with me."
"Oh, please, you and I both know I'm not that stupid."
"Anyway, thanks."
"Aw, it's nothing. I should be thanking you for not doing anything worse. Of course, I wouldn't have blamed you. I wouldn't want to be stuck at Malfoy Manor with your dad either. Listen bro, I gotta get to Gryffindor Tower. Harry wants to play me in chess."
"What's the point in that?"
"No idea," Ron said.
"See you later, Weasley."
"You too, Malfoy." They left through a back door.
Hermione steered clear of Draco for the next few weeks. The only problem with trying to stay away from Draco was that it was impossible. Between classes and watching Quidditch practices, there was no way to avoid him. Every time Hermione looked around in the corridor he was there. Draco had tried to talk to her a couple times but she had always found a way to avoid him. Eventually, he caught her alone when she was leaving the Quidditch pitch.
"Granger, I need to talk to you," Draco said, forcing her last name out with difficulty. He walked up to her in his Quidditch robes, broom in hand.
"I don't need or want o talk to you, "Hermione snapped as she kept walking. He stepped in front of her.
"I know you're not ready to forgive me for my outburst the other day, but I-"
"Darn right, I'm not! I was concerned about you! But instead of talking to me you decide to blow your top! What reason did you have to be upset anyway? Was it just because of me? It couldn't have been anything else, because, last time I checked, you have the perfect life going!"
"Perfect! Everyone thinks that! I thought you understood what my life is like! I guess I was wrong!"
"Maybe if you talked to me about it, I would understand!"
"Yeah, right! No one can understand! All these years everyone has thought I have the best life going! That I have the best father who gives me anything I want! No one knows that what they think isn't true! No on cares!" Draco was brandishing his broom wildly.
Hermione looked him straight in the face. "You're wrong!" She said quietly.
"How am I wrong? No one cares how my life goes and no one would care if I died on this very spot!" He gestured with his gloved hand.
"You're wrong," Hermione said again.
"What?"
"I said you're wrong!"
"How do you know?"
"I care, Draco! That's how!" Hermione stood there staring at him with a calculating expression for a minute. She could almost see the gears working in Draco's head, almost. She turned on her heel and left.
"You just blew it for another few weeks," Ron said as he walked past Draco.
"Don't remind me," Draco muttered as he stalked away.
"Ron, come on! We have to practice some before it gets dark!" Harry yelled from the air.
"Coming!" Ron jumped onto his broom and took off.
Wow, two chapters in one day! Pretty amazing!
Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.
-2 Timothy 2:14
Teenlaunch
a/n: Tenth installment!
A few days after the polyjuice potion testing, Hermione was sitting with Harry and Ron. The mail came right on time, as usual. Hermione spotted a large black owl in the mass of brown, tawny, and white. It fluttered down to Draco. She watched as he stroked the bird affectionately, while detaching its letter. His face grew extremely pale as he read it. Draco shot out of his seat and strode out of the Great Hall. Hermione stood and followed him a few minutes later. She found Draco in a rather deserted part of the library.
"Hey," Hermione whispered. Draco didn't say anything. He just kept his back to her. "I...um, saw you leave. Why were you in such a big hurry?"
"No reason," he mumbled.
"I just thought it had something to do with that letter."
"Maybe..."
"You want to talk?"
"No."
"What is wrong now? What did I do?"
"Nothing..."
"Why are you being so short with me?"
"Because I'm not in a good mood," he said through gritted teeth.
"Why?"
Draco turned around. His face was flushed with anger. "Because, I don't need some stupid little Mudblood know-it-all sticking her nose in my business! Now go away, Granger!" He snapped.
Hermione was quite taken aback. She quickly covered up her surprise and disappointment. "Fine, you want me to go away? I will! I thought you had actually changed. But, you know what they say, once a ferret, always a ferret! You know, now that I think about it, maybe I should have let myself drown or let the spiders eat me! It would have made someone happy! I'll see you later, Malfoy." Hermione turned on her heel and walked away form him, determined not to let him see her cry.
"Grang- Hermione...wait...Hermione, wait!" Draco called quietly after her. Hermione kept on walking, not looking back.
Outside the library, Hermione ran into Ron. "What the- Hermione, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she said as she tried to walk away. Ron grabbed her arm.
"it is not. Why are you crying?"
"Malfoy, that's why! Now, just go away!" Hermione walked away quickly but doubled back to the library after realizing she had left her bag there. Hermione was picking up her bag when she heard Ron's voice from another row of the library.
"You can not be serious! You...You're an idiot!" Ron said in a frustrated voice, trying his best not to yell.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious! I only figured that out ten minutes ago! Thanks to my big mouth she'll probably never talk to me again!" Draco sounded furious. Hermione gasped. This didn't make sense. Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy were talking civilly with each other.
Ron blew out hard. "You sure put yourself in quite a spot."
"Tell me about it." The ancient bookcase creaked as Draco leaned against it. Hermione sneaked out of the library. Ron and Draco were having an actual conversation.
'Let's put it this way. Something smells fishy and it's not the sardines Crookshanks usually steals from the kitchen.'
While she left Ron and Draco continued talking. "Maybe you could...no, that wouldn't work. How about...no, too complicated. Maybe...maybe you could send her a letter!"
Draco snorted. "What good will that do? She'd throw it in the fire before she even read it, especially if-if she knows who it's from!" Ron's plan dawned on Draco. "But, it still wouldn't work."
"Why not?" Ron asked in an exasperated tone.
"I can't apologize through a letter! Besides, I'd have to face her eventually, right?"
"Right." Ron sagged against the bookshelf behind him. "I think the only thing you can do is wait for her to calm down before you talking with her."
"Yeah. And I doubt she'll forgive me very quickly."
"You'll be lucky if she forgives you by Christmas!"
"Wonderful, that just pushed my mood down two more notches." The bookshelves creaked as Ron and Draco stood up. "Hey, thanks, I mean, just because I'm her potions partner, you don't have to make a truce with me."
"Oh, please, you and I both know I'm not that stupid."
"Anyway, thanks."
"Aw, it's nothing. I should be thanking you for not doing anything worse. Of course, I wouldn't have blamed you. I wouldn't want to be stuck at Malfoy Manor with your dad either. Listen bro, I gotta get to Gryffindor Tower. Harry wants to play me in chess."
"What's the point in that?"
"No idea," Ron said.
"See you later, Weasley."
"You too, Malfoy." They left through a back door.
Hermione steered clear of Draco for the next few weeks. The only problem with trying to stay away from Draco was that it was impossible. Between classes and watching Quidditch practices, there was no way to avoid him. Every time Hermione looked around in the corridor he was there. Draco had tried to talk to her a couple times but she had always found a way to avoid him. Eventually, he caught her alone when she was leaving the Quidditch pitch.
"Granger, I need to talk to you," Draco said, forcing her last name out with difficulty. He walked up to her in his Quidditch robes, broom in hand.
"I don't need or want o talk to you, "Hermione snapped as she kept walking. He stepped in front of her.
"I know you're not ready to forgive me for my outburst the other day, but I-"
"Darn right, I'm not! I was concerned about you! But instead of talking to me you decide to blow your top! What reason did you have to be upset anyway? Was it just because of me? It couldn't have been anything else, because, last time I checked, you have the perfect life going!"
"Perfect! Everyone thinks that! I thought you understood what my life is like! I guess I was wrong!"
"Maybe if you talked to me about it, I would understand!"
"Yeah, right! No one can understand! All these years everyone has thought I have the best life going! That I have the best father who gives me anything I want! No one knows that what they think isn't true! No on cares!" Draco was brandishing his broom wildly.
Hermione looked him straight in the face. "You're wrong!" She said quietly.
"How am I wrong? No one cares how my life goes and no one would care if I died on this very spot!" He gestured with his gloved hand.
"You're wrong," Hermione said again.
"What?"
"I said you're wrong!"
"How do you know?"
"I care, Draco! That's how!" Hermione stood there staring at him with a calculating expression for a minute. She could almost see the gears working in Draco's head, almost. She turned on her heel and left.
"You just blew it for another few weeks," Ron said as he walked past Draco.
"Don't remind me," Draco muttered as he stalked away.
"Ron, come on! We have to practice some before it gets dark!" Harry yelled from the air.
"Coming!" Ron jumped onto his broom and took off.
Wow, two chapters in one day! Pretty amazing!
Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.
-2 Timothy 2:14
Teenlaunch