Chapter 10 – Back to reality or supposedly anyhow
Hermione turned around and went to her common room
"Hogwarts unite" she said to the portrait and walked in.
Draco was sat on the sofa staring into space
"Hermione!" he said "you're home"
"Yes" she smiled "and I feel a lot better too"
"That's great, did you want to go and see Harry and Ron?" he asked
"no not tonight I would just like to rest and see how much homework I am going to have to catch up on tomorrow" she said sitting down
"No homework I'm afraid" he said "the teachers have been too busy with something to set homework the lessons the last few days haven't been planned either, they have been simple reading of text books, rubbish"
"Oh" she said "but I have already read all my text books"
"Why am I not surprised" he laughed and rolled his eyes at her
"Look Draco I don't know if I should mention it or not but when we kissed the other night, I was just looking for some comfort" she told him, she was fidgeting with the hem of her robe as she spoke. She felt uncomfortable mentioning this, it had been a pretty amazing kiss. Nothing like the one Harry had given to her, but she didn't know if she had meant it or not and didn't feel now was the right time to go looking into that sort of thing. She hoped he would understand.
"I know" he said "its fine. I was trying to comfort you, that's why I responded"
"I see" she said "I think I might go to bed"
"Goodnight Hermione" he said and smiled at her
He watched her walk up the stairs, the truth was the last couple of days he had thought of nothing but their kiss. He had kissed a few girls and never had sparks like that ever, it was amazing it was as if they were both made for each other. But Draco had learnt to be hard hearted throughout his life and was not fond of rejection so whilst Hermione said this he had decided to not tell her he had been glad of the kiss.
He had dreamt of it. It had even stopped him from having the dreams of his father, he was thankful for that.
He sat on the sofa staring into space for another few hours, if there was one thing that Draco was good at it was sulking
All of a sudden he heard screaming 'not again' he thought rushing to Hermione's room. He opened the door, but she was dreaming.
"No no not mummy" she was crying, it was obvious she was imagining her parents being killed
"Hermione wake up" he said to her and stroked her hair "come on wake up"
She didn't wake up she just cried and then let out an almighty scream she was writhing and flailing her arms about
He pressed her arms down and whispered to her
She woke up then and started crying even harder. He held her to him and let her sob into his shoulder
"Sorry" she was saying over and over again into his robe
"Shhhhh" he said and stroked her hair some more, she seemed to like having her hair stroked it calmed her down
"I can't do it" she said "I can't"
"Cant do what?" he asked
"I can't forget"
"You have to" he told her "eventually you will"
"What if I don't?" she whispered, she had never been so scared in all her life
"You will, trust me" He said and tipped her chin up so he was looking at her.
"I do" she said and looked at him, his grey eyes were piercing, she felt they could see all the way into her heart and mind
he looked down at her, she made his heart ache, he had known when they first had come to this common room, that this girl would do something to his life, he wasn't so sure what it would be after all she was not at the time his friend, but he knew how she was, she was one of the most amazing people he had ever met, she had slapped him in their third year, and nobody except his father ever had stood up to him like that. Even though he had been greatly maddened by it, it had earned her a touch of respect within him. Not one he would have ever admitted to but it was there.
She has the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes that you felt you could swim in. they were so warm and gentle. Even when they had tears coming from them
"Good" he said "did you want to go back to sleep now?"
"Yeah, thanks" she said and he went to his room
He doubted he would sleep but you never knew, and even if he didn't he could always get a potion off Snape.
Turns out he did get quite a bit of sleep, he had fell into a dream about Hermione and it was quite pleasant until the end part where she turned round to him and said "I can't be with you Draco, we are not meant to be"
He woke up in a cold sweat, he had an urgent feeling it wasn't a dream, it was a vision of the future, how soon in the future he could not tell. But he knew
"Morning Draco" Hermione said as she came out of the bathroom
"Stop" he said to her and walked right up to her, he took hold of her face and looked at her then wiped the toothpaste off the corner of her mouth with his thumb.
She had thought he was going to kiss her again. But she had toothpaste by her mouth, how dumb she thought to herself, what she would have done though if he had she did not know.
She didn't know. She liked Draco but she was as confused by him as she was Harry, she knew Ron liked her too, he had since about their second year. And by fourth year it was rather painfully obvious, however despite all this he had never said anything to her. He had gone out with a few girls from their year but always said they weren't right for various reasons.
Hermione finished getting ready and went down to the great hall and found a seat with Harry, Ron and Draco
"Morning" they said to her
"How are you feeling?" Harry asked
"Much better" she said and smiled at him. He could see some kind of cloud in her eyes and wondered why this was there. She looked at Harry and then all of a sudden there was a flitter of realisation across her face and she looked away from him
"Hey what's up?" he asked
She ignored him
"Mione what's the matter?" Ron asked
she continued to look down, all of a sudden there was the sound of professor McGonagall tinkling her wine glass with a spoon "your attention please"
The students all turned to look, except Hermione who continued to look at the floor
"You may have all noticed the last few days that your classes have been fairly simple" Dumbledore said
"This is because myself and the other teachers have been strengthening the wards around the castle and this is very complex and tiring magic. But now it is finished your academics shall return to their normality. Thank you"
Harry turned round to tell Hermione that he thought she would be pleased by this news but she had gone, she hadn't stayed to hear the end of the headmaster's announcement.
She had run straight to the dungeons where they would be having potions and a minute later Draco arrived to see her red eyed leaning on the wall.
"Hey what the hell happened back there?" he asked, he sounded concerned but he was a little annoyed by it
"Nothing" she said "I just realised something"
"What's that?" he asked
"I can't tell you" she said
"After everything I told you?" he asked, he was hurt that she wouldn't tell him so he lashed out
"you're an ungrateful bitch" he said "I tried to help you and all you can do is bottle up your feelings, its not bad enough that you tried to take the cowards way out but now you wont even confide in the one who has tried to help you the most"
He stormed into the classroom and sat at the back. Snape wasn't there yet but he didn't particularly care it wasn't as if he would be in trouble he never was.
Hermione stalked in a moment later. She sat next to Draco and he raised his blonde eyebrow at her and went to make an exceptionally nasty comment about her parents, but luckily she made a gesture for him to be silent and he did so.
She turned to him and said "let me explain something to you"
"Ok" he said
"When we went to Hogsmeade the other day, Harry kissed me" she said, he began to interrupt but Hermione continued anyway. "I don't have feelings for Harry like that, but he told me that it was too dangerous for us, I just realised at breakfast that someone must have seen him kissing me and decided to kill my parents to get at him through me"
"Quite possible" Draco muttered "there are still quite a lot of death eaters spying"
"So its harry's fault my parents are dead" she stated
"Well yes but he realised his mistake didn't he?" Draco asked
"Yes, but too late. Not before it had cost them their lives. He should have thought of that before he went and did it" she said
"Maybe so, maybe so" Draco said "we are making that potion today you know"
"Oh I totally lost track of time" Hermione said
Harry and Ron came in at the same time as Snape and never had chance to speak to Hermione. She was glad of this and they all set to work on brewing their potion.
Hermione and Draco worked well together and they had their potion finished twenty minutes before everyone else
"It looks right"Snape said and smiled at them both"ten points to slytherin and five points to Gryffindor"
Hermione was totally taken aback. Snape giving points to Gryffindor whatever next
"Only five?" she asked
"Shhhhh" Malfoy said "or he will take them back"
"You two may drink your potions" he said
They each poured some into a cup. Hermione plucked a hair from her head and placed it into Draco's cup where it dissolved instantly. Draco placed one of his own and put it into her cup
"You had better have washed your hair" she said to him
"Malfoy's wash their hair twice a day" he said to her
She rolled her eyes at him.
"Bottoms up then" they said and downed the foul tasting concoction.
'Yuk' Draco thought
'I agree that is the worst potion I have ever tasted' Hermione thought 'hold on it worked'
"Of course it worked" Draco said aloud. "We are Hogwarts best students. Like it wouldn't have"
"So can you two read each others minds?" Snape asked
"Yes sir" they replied in unison
"Very good" he said and went back to his desk
Everyone else managed to get theirs finished and Harry and Ron instantly looked annoyed.
Even Neville and Crabbe had gotten theirs right, Hermione was quite surprised
"You do realise most of Gryffindor will need therapy by the end of the week don't you?" Draco said "Slytherin are a disturbed lot"
"Will I?" she asked
"You could do with a bit of therapy anyway" he said, he was trying to cheer her up and it was working a bit
Harry walked up to her after class
"About
earlier?" he asked "you realised didn't you?"
"Yes"
she said quietly
"I am so sorry Hermione, if there was anything I could do to take it all back I truly truly would, and I cant expect you to forgive me, god knows I would never forgive peter Pettigrew"
He said
Hermione didn't see him in the same light as Pettigrew but Harry obviously did. This made her realise how bad he must feel
"Harry you didn't mean for it to happen" she said and hugged him
"Oh Hermione" he said and started crying "you don't know how happy I am you don't hate me"
"I could never hate you" she said
"Well I am glad you have sorted it out" Ron said "ewww Goyle's thoughts are disgusting"
"what's
he thinking about?" they asked him
"Snape in his underwear"
Ron said and laughed
"That's truly disgusting" Hermione said
'Hey Draco' she thought, he had gone ahead earlier
'Yes'
'Did you know Goyle's gay?'
'No but it explains a lot'
Hermione laughed, Harry and Ron looked at her strangely
"Delayed reaction" she said
