Disclaimer: Everything but the plot belongs to J.K. Rowling.
A/N: Sorry this took so long to get up. My beta had computer problems and then I was just lazy with it. I'll be better next time. I promise!
CHAPTER TWO
The next day Hermione woke early as usual, and dressed for a run. Outside the sun was just barely up and the grass was still covered in dew. Going over to one of the benches, she started to stretch and was surprised to see someone else coming out of the castle. It amazed her even more to see that it was Draco Malfoy. Sure, he had a great body; one that only comes from working out, but all the times she had been out running she had never seen him. Maybe he had always done this, but it seemed unlikely as she ran all over the grounds.
He glanced over and saw her looking at him. Raising his eyebrows, he smirked. "Like what you see Granger?"
She sneered back. "Hardly, Malfoy." She finished up her stretching and started jogging to the path that led down towards the greenhouses.
Not really surprised when she heard another set of footsteps behind her, she shook her head. It was not at all like Malfoy to be so friendly to her. Most of the time he just insulted or ignored her. She really preferred the second over the first, but if he did chose the latter, she could always come up with a good comeback. It was almost like a game. Not one that was particularly enjoyed but still, his insults didn't bother her as much as they used to.
When she got back to the castle, she nodded to Malfoy who had come back with her, went up to the Common Rooms, took her shower, and got ready for the day.
Malfoy walked back to his common room and nodded to Pansy and Blaise, who were sitting in the chairs by the fire, were giving him questioning looks. After getting out of the shower he felt a lot better than her had before. He had no idea what had possessed him to go out running. And running with Granger? He must be mad. He thought about what his father would say if he knew that his son had been out running with a Mudblood. Well not running with, exactly, but close enough. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked down at his watch. It was late enough now that people would be headed to breakfast, and no one would think about his but up now.
Piling some pancakes and eggs onto his plate, he looked around to see exactly who was in the Great Hall already. Granger hadn't appeared yet, but both Potter and Weasley were there. Blaise walked in and sat down next to him. Pouring some pumpkin juice, she grinned at him. "Looking for that Granger girl again?"
He choked. "What?"
She grinned nastily at him, "I've seen you watching her the past few days. Caught your fancy has she?" Laughing at his protests, she said, "You forget how well I know you. I can tell. Your father will throw a fit when if he hears."
Draco's face paled. "You wouldn't tell."
"You're right, I wouldn't. But Draco, be careful. No one else that I know of has noticed yet but…" She let the sentence hang. She was right. He was lucky that only she had noticed. He was being careless. He didn't even care for the Mudblood. She wasn't worth getting one of his father's lectures. Finishing up his breakfast, he left the great hall.
Pausing in the Entrance Hall, he thought for a moment, then decided to go to one of the places he loved most. No one else knew about it, but when he had been a first year, his father had told him of a secret room that was near the Astronomy Tower. Walking up to a loose brick, he looked around and pulled it part way out. A door to his right slid open. Walking inside, he muttered "Claudio" and it closed instantly. Walking over to the balcony that had appeared when he walked in, he looked out across the lawn. What side was he on? He knew that he couldn't follow that creature that his father called Lord yet. What was he going to do? He knew that he had to pick a side. Remaining neutral was out of the question. Both sides would pick him as a target. He knew too much for the Dark Side to just let him go and the Order would think him to be on the Dark Side no matter what he said. He was safe right now because his father was sure he would take the Mark. And as long as he was at school, Dumbledore would not harm him.
But he only had a year left. He was going to need to decide sometime soon. Sighing, he conjured up a chair and sat down to think.
After breakfast, Hermione went back up to the Common Room. She was glad that it was Saturday at last. She had homework that she needed to work on and she felt worn down after only about a month at school. It wasn't like her at all. Perhaps she should go see Madam Pomfrey. She shook her head. She would do that later. Right now she had work that she needed to do.
After about 15 minutes of studying star charts and memorizing constellations, an owl knocked on the window. Going over to let it in, she was surprised to see that it carried a letter addressed to her. Why hadn't it delivered whatever the letter was during breakfast?
Taking the letter from the owl, who flew back out the window, she went back to her seat and sat down. Opening it she realized that she knew who it was from without having read the signature at the end. It was from Dumbledore. It was brief and to the point.
Dear Miss Granger,
Professor McGonagall told me that you agreed to work with me on the project. I am pleased to hear it. I will tell you more about what you will be doing later, as I do not want to put it in writing where others may see it. Please meet me in my office at 2:00 today.
I look forward to seeing you,
A. Dumbledore
Hermione looked at her watch. It was only ten. She sighed and got up. Deciding not to take any chances, she dropped the letter and envelope that it had come in into the fire. Watching it burn, she thought about what she was going to have to do.
She couldn't concentrate anymore. Slamming her book closed in frustration, she stood up. It couldn't have been more than ten minutes since the owl had come. She checked her watch. Five. Five minutes. She couldn't stand it anymore. Deciding that going down to the hospital wing would be a better use of her time, she put her things back in her dorm and walked out of the Common Room.
Looking into the Hospital Wing she was relieved to see that no one was in there. She didn't want anyone to hear about her problems. She wouldn't be able to stand it if people started talking about how the Great Hermione Granger was having problems. She didn't even really want to ask for help. It meant admitting that she wasn't in control over of everything. And that was something that she hated. She needed to be in control.
Walking in she went over to where Madam Pomfrey's office was and looked in. No one was there. She sighed. Great. She would have to wait or leave. Deciding that she would come back later, she turned around to leave. A second later though the nurse walked in carrying bottles of something. Potions, Hermione guessed, to cure some ailment or another. Madam Pomfrey looked startled to see her. Hermione was never someone who visited this area much.
"Miss Granger. What can I do for you?" She asked.
"Ummm well I haven't really been feeling well. I've been really tired and I can't sleep very well. I guess I've just been feeling run down." She neglected to mention that she wasn't eating and was crying much of the time too.
"Hmmm. Well I can give you a sleeping potion to take at night. That should help with the sleeping problem." She gave her a look. "Are you sure that's all? I can help with things like depression which is common around your age. It could be the cause of your not sleeping well…"
Hermione blushed. Apparently she wasn't as good at hiding it as she thought. Still she didn't want to admit that she had a problem. Not right now. It had taken a lot to come ask for something to help her sleep. She couldn't say anything about her other problems. She would deal with those on her own. "No. I'm fine. Just really tired. Really!" she said when Madam Pomfrey looked disbelieving.
"You know it is alright to ask for help if you need it. Okay, okay. Just stay here for a minute and I'll go get you that potion," she said when Hermione glared at her. A few minutes later she came back with a bottle full of little pills. "I dipped these in the potion. Just take one before you go to bed. Just be careful that you can devote at least seven hours to it because they won't start wearing off until then."
Hermione took them greatfully. Putting them in her pocket she gave the nurse a smile and uttered a "Thanks" before leaving.
It was a few hours before Draco left the hidden room. He had thought over and over about what could happen with both roads he had to choose from. Neither one was one that he really wanted to take. But in the long run he decided, it would probably be best to be on Dumbledore's side. Even if it did mean working against his father and with Potter. He sneered at the thought. He really hated that boy. He had everything he could want and yet he pouted because he didn't have his parents. Draco hated that. Sometimes not having them was better than having them. His father had beaten him too many times to count in the past when Draco had displeased him. At least Perfect Potter didn't have to go through that. His mother had tried to stand up for him but she was more interested in her social life than him. And when she did, his father always hit her too. So she stayed out of it most of the time.
Shaking away his thoughts, he headed down to Snape's office. The man had said to tell him when he had come to a decision, and that was exactly what he was going to do. Somehow he knew that he would be proud of him. Snape had always been more like a father to him than Lucius ever had.
Reaching his office, he heard voices. Deciding it was best not to interrupt, he waited outside until McGonagall had left. He didn't know what she had been doing there, but decided not to mention it as Snape didn't seem to be in a good mood. Walking in, he stood behind a chair. "Professor, I've thought about what you said and I decided that I would like to be on Dumbledore's side."
Snape nodded. "I'm glad. I didn't know if you would make the right choice or not, but the Headmaster was confident in you." He smiled at Draco. It was probably the first time Draco had ever seen him do that. In fact, it was probably the first time anyone had seen him do that, he thought to himself. "Well I will inform the Headmaster of your decision immediately. I take it that you would like to work on the project, too?" When Draco nodded, he gave him a look of approval. "I thought so. Well I know that I promised I would tell you more about it, but I think I will leave that up to the Headmaster. You are dismissed for now. I'm sure that you will receive an owl sometime soon telling you when you are to meet with him." He nodded and Draco left.
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