Draco skipped lunch that afternoon and instead could be found outside, pacing the perimeter of the lake, the silence bringing forth his thoughts.
It had been a year since Draco had realized that his hatred and spite for the Boy-Who-Lived, one Harry Potter, was merely a mask for a deeper, more benign feeling. He discovered he had a crush on Harry.
For a few months, Draco shoved it aside, ignoring it. But it welled up inside him. Every time he saw Harry, it was like feeding wood to the flame, until it became an untamed obsession. And then that morning…
It wasn't Hermione's fault, for once, so Draco felt no hostility toward the muggle born girl. After all, she couldn't have known. Draco had underestimated her and did not think she would know the spell, much less cast it.
He also felt a sense of gratitude toward her. After all, she could have humiliated him even more. It was something he would have done. But instead she had offered him an apology, and comfort. As he stood by the lake, he made a solemn vow never to call her a Mudblood again.
Turning, he came face-to-face with none other than Hermione herself. She smiled at him. "I brought you some lunch," she said, proffering a napkin full of finger foods. He smiled gratefully, and sat down, taking the food from her.
"What are you going to tell Harry?" she asked. He shrugged one shoulder.
"Nothing." She rolled her eyes and handed him a flask of Pumpkin Juice.
"You can't just pretend like it didn't happen. The whole school saw it!" Draco winced.
"What do you propose I do, Hermione? Tell Harry that I have a massive crush on him?"
"Well, maybe…"
"Hermione, think about it. 'Hi, Harry! Yeah, about breakfast, Hermione put a spell on me, and so I did what I wanted to do most: I shoved my tongue down your throat." Hermione wrinkled her nose.
"I didn't need to know all the gruesome details," she said sarcastically. He grinned.
"I didn't find them all that gruesome." Hermione gave him a look that clearly said, "Well, duh."
"Anyways, who's going home for Christmas in your year?"
"Um…most of my house. My friend anyway," Draco said, realizing it for the first time.
"But you're staying?" He nodded.
"Yeah. My parents are going to New Zealand." She smiled.
"Good. Ron is going home to his parents, and I am going to Ireland to visit my cousins. So you now have a mission: When I come back, I want you and Harry to be friends, okay?" He looked nervous.
"What if he hates me?" She smiled faintly, as if remembering something.
"He won't. Promise." Draco chewed thoughtfully, then nodded.
"Okay, I'll try."