The Contract
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter in anyway, shape, or form (though I wish I did because J. K. Rowling has to be one of the richest people in the world by now).
Special Thanks to: Everyone! I really enjoyed reading your review(s)
Chapter 15
Hermione stared at Malfoy's frozen form with her mouth wide open in shock. Had he just asked her to love him? Was he out of his bloody mind? Hermione shook herself mentally, but was mortified when her thoughts escaped through her mouth.
"Are you out of your bloody mind?" she halfway shrieked. She instantly felt guilt at Malfoy's hurt glance. He'd just poured his heart out to her and she'd stomped on it.
"Shh!" the librarian called. Hermione nodded before breathing deeply to calm herself.
"Malfoy," she whispered softly. "I don't know what to say to that. We've been nothing but enemies since first year and to spring something like this on me…well, it's just shocking." Malfoy glanced sulkily at his hands. Hermione smiled at him. "Malfoy look at me." He did so, but hesitantly.
"What?" he growled. "You've already made it plain that you don't want anything to do with me. That you could never like me."
"I never said that," Hermione denied. "I said that it's weird, you know, you wanting to be with me after all these years of us sneering at one another." She reached across the table as Malfoy tried to turn away. She placed her hands on either side of his face and forced him to look at her.
"You told me a moment ago that if I saved you, you wouldn't be evil," she whispered staring into his eyes feelingly. If he was serious about this she wouldn't turn him away. She didn't want Malfoy to be evil either. If he could live the way she hoped to live, she would be happy for him. "I can't love you the way you want to be loved." Malfoy tried to jerk his face away to hide his disappointment, but Hermione held fast onto his face.
"Then let me alone," he whispered back at her tortured. "Stay out of my head. Get out of my heart." Hermione shook her head as she felt herself tear up. Before she knew it, tears were flowing freely down her face.
"I can't love you the way you want to be loved," she repeated. "But I will love you as a friend. You don't love me, Malfoy. You love that I can save you."
"I don't want your friendship." Hermione nodded.
"Yes you do."
"Why can't you love me?" Malfoy asked as he finally released his head from Hermione's hands. He looked willingly into her face.
"I think I'm already in love with someone."
"Who?" Ron whispered loudly.
"Shh!" Harry and the twins reprimanded before peeking back through the bookshelves.
"This just keeps getting better and better," Fred whispered to George. "I'm almost certain that she's about to admit her love for Oliver."
"Almost?" George echoed.
"Almost. Either that or she's madly in love with me and can't wait to have my children."
"Oh," George responded with an understanding nod before looking back to Hermione and Malfoy.
Almost an hour later, Hermione and Malfoy were found sitting way in the back of the library, speaking in hushed tones. Hermione was smiling at Malfoy who was uncharacteristically shy all of a sudden.
"Malfoy," Hermione sighed. "Tell me about it."
"About what?" Malfoy asked her. He glanced innocently at her.
"You know what I'm talking about." He sighed and sat back in his chair. He studied the pattern of the table as his eyes became glassy with memories.
"Have you ever been punished for doing nothing at all?" Malfoy asked. Hermione didn't answer, afraid that if she did, he'd stop talking. "Have you ever been placed under a painful spell because you wanted affection? Hermione, when I grow up I want to have children in a world where I am allowed to show my affection. I don't want them to be afraid that if they tell daddy they love him, he will break their arm for showing a weakness."
Hermione held back a gasp. Was this what Malfoy dealt with at home? Was this the reason he thought Hermione's love would help him?
"I've seen Voldemort and I'm not impressed. His time is over," Malfoy said flatly. "My father and the others all fall under his whim because they believe his power is returning. It's not. Voldemort's reign is over and I have no doubt that Harry will stop him."
"Is this a way of saving your own skin?" Hermione couldn't stop herself. "If you're wrong and Harry fails. If we fail, will you return to the way of the Death Eater?"
"I'm not a Death Eater," Malfoy said through clenched teeth. "I don't want to be and I don't want to have to tell everyone I meet that they don't have to fear me. I don't want to be evil, Hermione. It has nothing to do with who's going to win this war. I just don't want to be like that." Hermione nodded and stood. She walked over to Malfoy and framed his face between her hands.
"You don't have to be that way," she assured him with a smile. "Coming to me and telling me that, just by telling me that you don't want to be that way means that you won't." She kissed his forehead lightly. "I'm here for you, Malfoy. I'll save you." This she said with a whisper.
"Fred," Ron asked disbelievingly. "Are you crying?"
"No," Fred sniffed. "The dust from the shelves is making my eyes water."
"George is crying," Harry said in the same tone as he stared at the boy in wonder.
"I'm sorry," George said placing a hand on his chest. "But this is very emotional for me." Ron turned and looked as Hermione placed a light kiss on Malfoy's forehead just as Oliver walked in.
"Uh oh," he said causing the others to look also.
"What?" Harry asked.
"It's about to be very emotional for Wood too. He just walked in."
"Well," Oliver said clearing his throat. His voice made Hermione jump guiltily away from Malfoy. "This is a cozy scene, isn't it?" He walked over to Malfoy and patted him lightly on the shoulder. "Best of luck, mate." He turned to leave as Hermione called out to him.
"Oliver, wait!" she ran over to him. "It's not what it looks like." Oliver turned and gave Hermione a smile that didn't warm the ice in his eyes.
"It fits though," he responded as though he hadn't heard her. "You were telling the truth when you said you didn't like me. I just wish you'd have told me why. Well, good luck to you." He turned and left the library.
"Well, this complicates things," George said as he wiped the last of the moisture from his face.
"I'll say," Harry commented. "Okay, I don't like Malfoy that much, but I'm with Hermione. If he wants the chance, we'll give him one. We'll let him start over with us." Ron nodded grudgingly.
"Fine," he said stiffly. "We'll let the bloody ferret switch sides."
"Okay, that's settled," Fred said. "Now what are we going to do about that little scene we just witnessed? Oliver thinks Hermione's with Malfoy. That complicates things a bit."
"A bit?" George asked. "It makes it bloody impossible! Oliver's too pigheaded to let Hermione explain and nothing we say could change his mind. How are we going to fix this?" Harry shook his head.
"I don't know," he answered with a strangled cry of frustration.
"Harry, are you crying?" Ron asked.
"No," Harry denied hotly. "I'm exasperated. Have I mentioned that I hate what dating does to our lives?"
"No, but I'll be sure to tell Ginny."
