Chapter 6 – Getting acquainted

The next few days passed quite smoothly. Malfoy and Hermione spent a little bit of time on their own in the common room and got to know each other a little better.

"Draco would you mind if Harry, Ron and I came with you to Hogsmeade on Saturday to just hang out a bit I think it might do us all some good?" she asked him

"Sure, I don't see why not. I haven't really been hanging around with anyone from slytherin too much just lately and a lot of them understand that I don't want to join voldemort now" he said "they probably won't care anyway"

"Why do you say that?" she asked him, he was staring into the fire with a sad look on his face. Probably the only real hint of emotion Hermione had ever seen him show. It made her realise that he was only a human being much the same as she and everybody else. The Draco Malfoy of old would have had everybody believing that Malfoy's don't feel emotions. This humbled her a little.

"Well all the time I've been here I haven't really had any friends, people who ask if they can hang out with me you know" he said staring more intently at the burning embers.

"what about Crabbe and Goyle? What about Blaise?" Hermione asked

"They were never like that" he told her "I would always just say right we're going to Hogsmeade now and they would follow me because that's what they did. Never asked hardly even bloody speak them two. And they were only really my friends because their fathers forced them too."

"I see" Hermione said. A solitary tear escaped one of Draco's steely grey eyes. Hermione wiped it away with her thumb and looked him in the eyes. "Well maybe we can be friends?"

"You know what I think I would like that" he told her and smiled, not the classic Draco Malfoy smirk but a genuine smile. His eyes smiled at the same time. It was the nicest she had ever seen him look

'Oh boy! Hermione thought to herself. 'You don't want to start thinking like that girl or there is just going to be a whole heap of trouble'

She looked like she was berating herself inwardly as Draco turned to look at her. He looked at her she had her eyes shut slightly and she was frowning. 'Crazy girl' he thought to himself.

"Well I think it's about time for dinner" Hermione said to him suddenly "you hungry?"

"Starving" he said

They both made their way down to the great hall for dinner. When they arrived Hermione saw Ron, Harry and Ginny deep in debate about quidditch

"Not quidditch again" she groaned

"Don't you like it?" Draco asked

"I like watching it, but not hearing about it sixteen times a day" she replied

"Come sit with me then" he said "it'll give me someone to talk to and also it will get you away from the quidditch discussion?"

"Erm I dunno, I am not sure. Harry and Ron might get a little bit funny about it" she said "tell you what let me go tell them then I will come over"

"Ok" he said simply "I'll save you a seat"

Hermione walked over to the Gryffindor table and tapped Harry on the shoulder. He turned to look at her

"Hey Hermione" he said and grinned up at her

"I was just coming to see if you guys minded if I go and sit with Draco as he is feeling a bit lonely now. Because of his situation he doesn't really have any friends in slytherin much anymore."

"Sure Hermione" Harry said

"Wait a minute" Ron said, they all thought he was going to start shouting "why don't you ask him to come sit over here?"

Hermione was a little taken aback by this. Ron had definitely done a lot of growing up over the summer.

"Well I would" she said "but he has already sat down now and started eating, I will get him to next time"

"Ok" they both said "see you in a bit"

Hermione wasn't too sure about the way Ron was being it made her feel slightly uncomfortable but if he was being genuine then she was so pleased. It was something she had always hoped of. A Ron that loses his temper easily and shouts a lot wasn't always her favourite kind of person.

She walked over to the slytherin table and they all gave her funny looks as she sat down next to Draco.

"What are you lot looking at?" he asked them, they quickly all looked away. After all he might not be a bad person anymore but he still scared them.

Pansy was glaring at Hermione, so she nudged Draco.

"What's her problem?" she whispered

"Jealous" Draco shrugged "we stopped seeing each other, so now she thinks I shouldn't talk to other girls or look at them. In fact I think she reckons I shouldn't be allowed to breathe the same air. But you never know with that little slut to be honest"

"That's not a nice name to call somebody" Hermione said she was a bit shocked as she wasn't really used to bad language

"Well sorry but she is. I walked into my bedroom and found her in bed with Crabbe and Goyle" he said "well they can have her, after that I found out she has slept with nearly every male slytherin in our year and half of the Hufflepuff lot too"

"Crabbe and Goyle?" Hermione asked checking she had heard right "Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!"

"Exactly" he said

They finished dinner and Hermione noticed her friends had already gone

"Great" she sighed

"Well we could go up to the tower?" Draco suggested

"Nah" Hermione said "I wanted some fresh air"

"You don't like flying do you?" he said

"Yeah I do" she answered "most people think I don't its just that I prefer to do other things. I don't mind it though"

"Ok then lets go for a ride?" he said

"Ok accio broom" Hermione shouted and a shiny steel broom flew to her from the broom shed

"A firebolt excel" Draco said raising an eyebrow "whose is that?"

"Mine" Hermione said proudly "I sent off for it at the end of last year, but I didn't tell anybody because I knew they would all want to be riding on it"

"Nifty" he said "accio broom"

A broom much the same as Hermione's but a metallic green colour flew towards them

"What kind of broom is that?" she asked

"Actually it's just a custom built one. It's based on your broom but then it has a few bits that I requested to be added myself"

They both mounted their brooms and flew over to the quidditch pitch

"Does it go faster than mine?" Hermione asked

"No not really your broom has the top speed to it for the time being and until they do some more enhancements in that area nothing will go faster" Draco explained "oh god I am boring you, sorry!"

"Not at all" she said smiling at the new Draco's consideration for her

"Let's have a race" she said

"ok but I am warning you Hermione I am a skilled quidditch player and have flown many more times than you, so don't feel too bad when you lose ok" he said

"Cant keep that ego in can you" she laughed at him "I will try not to be too upset"

They both set off and Draco was winning by a little way when Hermione swerved into him knocking him off course and made it round to the entrance to the quidditch pitch, which they had decided would be the finish line

"I don't feel too upset" she said smirking "how about you?"

"Wow!" he said getting off his broom "that was some pretty neat flying where did you learn that?"

"Just by watching everybody else really" she said and yawned

"Mm that fresh airs wiped me out, let's go to bed"

"Why Hermione! I thought you would never ask" Draco said laughing at her

She just rolled her eyes at him and went to put her broom away.