Hermione and Draco were surrounded by boxes in the common room of their dorms. They were filled with decorations for the dance the next day, from cages of live bats to boxes of "Madam Ghoul's Touch N' Go Streamers: with just a touch from your wand, these streamers flow through the air to make any party a magical occasion." There were boxes filled with exotic food mixes that were to be sent down to the kitchens for preparation just hours before the dance. All of these things had only just arrived by owl at ten o' clock on Friday evening, making it Draco and Hermione's job to sort everything out.
"You did owl the prefects to let them know the stuff was here, right?"
"Yes," Draco grumbled. "They know, but they all had some sort of excuse as to why they aren't able to help. They'll be here tomorrow afternoon to help set everything up in the Great Hall."
"Right, only when it'll be fun," mumbled Hermione as she tried to wrangle a loose bat back into its cage.
They continued working in a silent, grumpy manner, checking off the things on their list to make sure that everything had come. Draco had just finished checking off "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes Canary Creams: New Flavors!" when a sleek black owl tapped at the window.
"Not another package!"
Hermione flung open the window, grumbling about last minute deliveries. The owl flew in past her, dropped a letter at Draco's feet, and flew back out again without even bothering for an owl treat. Draco picked up the piece of parchment and sat down in the nearest chair to read it. Hermione watched as Draco's face wrinkled in both thought and disgust. She wanted to know the contents of the letter so much that she was tempted to try and read over his shoulder, but sneaking and stealth were never her greatest skills. Draco rolled his eyes as he finished the letter, wrinkling it up in his hand and clenching his fist. Hermione couldn't resist.
"What is it?"
"Father wrote to tell me he's planning an attack with a few other exiled Death Eaters to show the ministry that they are still alive and not afraid."
"What! Why would he write to tell you that?" Hermione was shocked at Draco's careless attitude in the manner.
"Oh he writes me about these things all the time. Wants to show me that he's still a man, that he's no coward just hiding out until things are safe for him again. I think sometimes he hopes that I'll offer to help but most of the time he doesn't even go through with big plans like this. He's carried out a few minor things, but nothing serious."
"Well, does he give you any details about what he's planning?"
"Of course. I mean, obviously not too much or he risks giving himself away, but yea, a lot of the stuff is right here." He waved the crumpled letter carelessly in the air.
"Draco, turn that into Professor Dumbledore! You could stop his attacks!"
"What, and turn my Father in? I'm no stoolpidgeon Hermione. Besides I very much doubt he'll carry out anything of this magnitude anyway."
"Of this magnitude?" Hermione was floored. "What does that mean?"
"This is a much bigger plan than he usually makes. People could die with this. But like I said he never carries it out."
"Draco," Hermione's voice was low and concerned. "You should really turn this in to somebody. You could stop a serious attack!"
Draco knitted his brows together. "Now listen, I told you I'm not going to turn in my Father like this."
"Fine," Hermione stood up. "If you won't, then I will!"
She made a move towards Draco and reached for the letter. Draco, however, was faster than her and stood from his chair, moving toward the blazing fire. Quickly, he threw his father's letter into the flames and Hermione could only watch as the parchment curled up and turned into ashes. Furiously, she turned on Draco.
"I don't get you!" She cried. "You say you don't want to be like your dad, but you won't fight for what's right! You won't fight against the wrong your father is doing!"
"Who are you to say what's right and what's wrong?"
"Voldemort and his Death Eaters are wrong! They've killed innocent people, they're prejudiced against muggles, and they've never done one thing right in their lives! The Order, now they're the ones who've got it right. They are noble people fighting for the side of good! You just threw away a piece of evidence that could convict the side of evil, that could do something good. I don't understand, you could have gone to Dumbledore, and with you receiving information like that frequently you could be a spy for good!"
"I'm not going to take a side in this war Hermione."
"You have as good as chosen the dark side, Draco."
"And which side is dark and which is light? Yes, the Death Eaters have killed, but so has the Order!"
"Only as a last resort and only for the most serious of criminals! You remember the trolley witch on the Hogwart's Express? Her only children and grandchildren were murdered in cold blood just because they wouldn't give any information and now what has she got? Voldemort has ruined lives!"
"Yes, I agree that wasn't the best, but at least they were given a chance out! How hard would it have been to give information or try to help? Sometimes being brave and self-righteous will get you and your loved ones killed."
"How can you say that? How can you argue for the side of evil?"
"How can I say that?" His face turned grave. "You know Pansy Parkinson? She had a great family. A family of Slytherins, yes, and a family who had once associated with Voldemort in the beginning. I knew both her parents, had dinner at their house a few times. They had turned over a new leaf since Pansy was born. The moment they found out Mrs. Parkinson was expecting they backed out of the Death Eaters, which Voldemort allowed. You seem shocked that he would allow such a thing... but even Voldemort understood the value of a new baby; not from the standpoint of love and joy but from the standpoint of a future ally, a future Death Eater. He wanted that baby to have a chance to grow up in safety, and a Death Eater's life is not that kind of life. Mr. Parkinson was probably one of Voldemort's most eager followers. But that little girl, that new life changed his life and his attitude forever. He did not raise her in an environment that would encourage darkness in her, or light... but raised her the best way they knew how. They most respectfully told Voldemort that they could not promise him allegiance anymore, because their allegiance belonged to their child. All he asked of them was that they not take any action to turn in any Death Eater or tell any secrets, and for that he would allow them to raise their daughter in peace. If Pansy decided to be a Death Eater, then her parents would allow her to, because they believed in her choosing her own path. None of that was easy for them.
"You may wonder why I'm telling you all this. Now you will have your answer. The ministry knew of the Parkinsons' involvement with the Death Eaters, but a the court had long ago cleared their names. There was an attack in their town on a few muggles, an attack that had Death Eater written all over it. So do you know what the ministry did? Sent their aurors into the Parkinson manor with only one order: to kill. No questions were asked, no fair trial, not even so much as a warning. Pansy woke up to the sound of four aurors screaming the Unforgivable curse and a blinding green light that blew the door off to her parents' bedroom. She screamed and cried and cried and refused to let the Aurors take her away like they planned on doing, so they bound her up and took her against her will. They never let her see her parents, never gave them a proper burial. They found the REAL Death Eaters responsible a week later. Yet they never offered Pansy or her family any apology. For a long time she wasn't even allowed to live in her own home, she had to live with an auror's family until the ministry was satisfied that she was no evil child. She lives with her aunt now, and she's perfectly miserable.
"Do you think that makes her sympathetic to the side of 'light'? Or do you think that makes her hungry for revenge, do you think that it keeps her awake at night plotting everyway she can get compensation for her parents' murder?"
Hermione was stunned into silence.
"There are so many stories in Slytherin like Pansy's, Hermione. No one ever takes the time to listen; no one ever takes the time to maybe try to understand anyone in Slytherin. You want to talk about prejudice, Hermione? Ask someone in Slytherin how it feels to be looked at as purely evil, to be isolated from all the other houses just because of the occasional kid gone wrong. Every house has had one of those, yet you all manage to over look those bad seeds. Slytherin doesn't breed Death Eaters. HATRED and PREJUDICE breeds Death Eaters.
"And so we've learned to isolate ourselves. Learned that no one outside of Slytherin is trustworthy and so we've built our walls up higher and made our shells thicker. You can only handle being pushed aside for so long before you break.
"THAT is why I refuse to take a side. How can you say that either side is right, that either side is fighting for a good cause? There is no benefit in taking sides. You pit yourself against someone when you take sides, and that can only bring enemies and death. By taking a side, you are ultimately choosing death and misery."
Hermione finally found words. "But don't you feel in the least bit cowardly, not standing up for what you believe is right?"
"This is what I believe is right. Call it cowardly. I call it living."
"You know that what Voldemort is doing is wrong."
"And why is that? Because he kills innocent people? If you're going on that, Hermione, then you can also say that Dumbledore and his followers are just as wrong."
"Not Dumbledore… he's fighting for something good. Voldemort is just... he's evil."
"Hermione, if you can't let go of what you're being told to see that either side is capable of good or evil, then what's the point of having this conversation?"
Draco stood from his chair and made his way towards the stairs. He was fed up of Hermione's blindness and furiously climbed up to his room. Hermione quickly stood and followed him.
"Draco, wait."
"I thought you were smarter than this Hermione, I thought you were more capable of free thought." He was storming towards his room, but Hermione was close behind him.
"Draco, don't go like this." She grabbed his hand desperately as he reached to fling his curtain open. "Please," she whispered.
Draco turned around, his anger melting away at the sight of her pleading eyes. He was so close, so intoxicatingly close. Without thought, he let go of the green curtain and slowly reached up to touch the side of her face. His fingertips barely grazed her cheek as he moved his hand to cup her face. Hermione's eyes fluttered for a moment, then shut as Draco tucked her soft hair behind her ear.
He looked at her for almost a minute, unable to tear his eyes away or to move his hand. Then a need took over Draco, a need that had existed for nearly a year. Without any further hesitation, he leaned down and captured Hermione's lips with his own. She let out a small gasp of surprise, but moved her arms around his neck to pull him closer to her. He let his now free hand rest on her hip as Hermione moved into the kiss. While the kiss had started out full of passion and need, it softened into a slow, romantic kiss that told either one all they needed to know. There was love between them, and it was no longer deniable. The emotions and electricity between them intensified to the point where Hermione could no longer handle it. She quickly pulled back from Draco, leaving his arms empty.
"I...um, it's late, we've got a busy day tomorrow, see you in the morning!"
Before Draco could even reply, the curtain to Hermione's room was shut. He reached up and touched his lips where he could still feel Hermione's soft lips against his own.
"Yea...in the morning..."
Draco crawled into bed, and for a long time he was unable to sleep because of the thoughts rushing through his head.