New Days Hold New Secrets
Chapter Three
Author's note -- Hey guys! I'm now on the third chapter...and I'm getting really good reviews...I love all my reviewers...Ya'll rock!
Here's a shout out to all my faithful reviewers I have so far...
IceColdShiva, Readingfreak1, Gurlonthemove, Atruwriter (lol, I think great minds sometimes think alike!) aannnnnnd-------- TheOrangeJedi! Jess...I'll also reply to your review on here...cuz I'm funny like that.
Review Reply - TheOrangeJedi (A.K.A. My BEST friend, Jess!)
I love you too...lol
1. Thank you, I try, I love you too (again)
2. I just graduated from Rogers...Of COURSE I can't spell.
3. He still has a face cuz Hermione will have her fun later on in the story...as you will read in this chapter...lol.
Yes, you did mention that you love me...quite a few times if I am correct. Haha.
Thank you for the compliment...I've been told that my writings have matured, and part of it comes from being 'round you all the time...and from reading all your stories you have written.
P.S. Yes...Miracles DO happen...lmao!
SHOUT OUTS!-- Atruwriter...hehe...I will keep telling everyone who reads this story to read "Blood is Thicker Than Tears" and now your newest one, "Growing". Both are GREAT Dramione fics...and I recommend them!
TheOrangeJedi -- Jess is like, myBEST friend, and she writes Kingdom Hearts Fics...She has 4...Go read "Faded to Forgotten", the run alongside fic for FtF "Axel: The Hidden Chapters" My FAVORITE FIC OF HERS--"Camp Summer Heat OMFGLEIKWHUT?" and, "El Bandito Rojo"
On with the story...
Chapter Three -- Hogwarts Letters.
After having spent the night at Zabini Manor, and having a night-time encounter with a very sleepy, and very blind Draco, Hermione had already made up her mind on whether or not she would stay there or stay with her adoptive parents.
FLASHBACK --
After dinner, and being shown to her room...Hermione sat in her reading area and was curled up in her windowseat reading a book from her library. She was relaxing after such a long dinner and she was mentally exhausted from all the questions. She had been sitting there for about an hour before she drifted into a light doze. after a little while of sleeping, however, she was awoken by someone coming into her room. Grabbing her wand...she tiptoed over towards the door. She heard someone flop down on one of her couches...and she crept closer to see who it was...knowing that Blaise would have knocked before entering, as with any of their other siblings. What she saw shocked her...in both a good and a bad way.
Draco Malfoy was laying on her couch...looking up at the ceiling, almost looking like he was peacefully lost in thought. And...he was wearing...glasses? Apparently, Draco had a slight vision problem... Hermione stood there, looking at him, and caught herself thinking " 'Wow, he actually looks really cute with glasses on'...WAIT! Who said that?...You can NOT think about your mortal enemy like that...'Yeah you can...you just did'...Did not...'did too'...did not!...'did too'...whatever, I'm not arguing with the stupid voice in my head! 'Yeah, you are' --glares at invisible voice--..." And while she was arguing with her conscience, Draco had managed to fall asleep. Looking back down at the form laying on her couch...she decided to wake him up and send him on into his own room...and out of hers.
She reached down and 'gently' shook him, hoping he was a light sleeper. He wasn't. As she reached down to dump him off of the couch...he grabbed her arm and pulled her down next to him (It was a pretty big couch, made for cuddling with someone...hehehe). She struggled for a few minutes, not wanting to cry out, for fear that he would wake up and, well...It's Draco, you know what he would do/say. Draco's retaliation against her struggling was to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her even closer. Rolling her eyes in defeat, She just lay next to him...and after a few minutes...thoughts began popping into her mind...
"Mmmmmm...He is really quite comfortable to lay next to...makes a good pillow. Gah! Bad Hermione! But, he does look peaceful, and , dare I say it, Nice, when he is sleeping. I wonder what Lucius did to him for not taking the Dark Mark? Mum had said that he barely made it here...Was it really that bad?" She thought...
'Yeah, It was...' Said the mysterious voice once again. Hermione glared at the ceiling...not having anywhere else to glare.
"You again." Hermione said in a monotone voice.
'Yep, I'm back! Now, why ever would you be laying with your most hated enemy? Especially in such a, -ahem-, compromising position?' Hermione hadn't noticed in her musings that Draco had thrown a leg over hers, effectively trapping her even more.
"Bite it sideways, Pal. I am not in this position because I want to be."
'Suuuuuure you're not...Just like I am a fairy Godmother dressed in a pink tutu with a sparkly white wand.'
"How am I to know that you really aren't?"
'Trust me, if I was...you would know...'
"Really? How so?"
'And they call you the brightest witch of our time, and you are top of the class, second being Draco...THINK!'
Hermione sat there and thought about it. Obviously it isnt't her own conscience...her own conscience would not make her think about Draco the way it was...But who could it be?
" -blank thoughts-"
' -sigh-, I'm not telling you if you don't figure it out yourself...I'm going back to sleep, I'll see you tomorrow...G'night!' The yet unnamed voice replied indignantly.
"Blast it all!" Hermione thought..."I'll never sleep because this is bugging me!"
'Serves you right!' a still indignant voice smarted back at her.
Hermione rolled her eyes and lay back against the couch/Draco. She stiffened when she felt him pull her closer, but after being tensed up for a little while...she eventually relaxed and, after about an hour of silently trying to get away...she fell asleep. In the arms of her enemy.
End FLASHBACK.
It was now about 11am, and Blaise was on his way to wake up Hermione and tell her kunch would be ready in about an hour. He knocked on her door, but, no one answered. Wondering if Draco was still in there...he quietly opened the door and walked in.
On the couch was Hermione and Draco, both wrapped up in each others arms, and looking quite content. Blaise hated to be the one who woke them up...but he wanted to see the show! He took out his wand and conjured up a bucket of water...ice water, and dumped on the two sleeping teenagers. Both sat up spluttering, and proceeded to fall off onto the floor, Draco falling on top of Hermione.
"Ooof. Bloody hell that hurt! What the --?" Draco said as he wiped of his glasses and put them on, seeing who he was sitting on top of.
"Blast! They was damned cold! Blaise! Why did you ---? WHY IS THE FERRET SITTING ON TOP OF ME!" Hermione yelled as she snatched her wand from the table and pointed it at him. Draco was swiftly backing away from a now irate Hermione...
"Now, now Granger..."
"Zabini!" Yelled both Blaise and Hermione...
"Er, yes, right. Now see here Zabini, I don't know what you are doing in my room, but I would like it if you left." Hermione's jaw dropped.
"Look around Malfoy...I don't think your room is painted like this...Is it?" Hermione shot at him...Geez, is he always this retarded?
"Actually yes...He is. Try putting up with him all the time!" The damnable voice had indeed returned.
Draco looked around, and slowly, his jaw began to move, but no words were coming out. Hermione shot him a glare filled with venom, and raised her wand. "I give you till the count of three to get out of here...If your not out, I'll hex you...and this is a head start...I'm still going to hex you..." Draco's look of fear just doubled. There wasn't anyone who didn't fear Hermione's hexes. She knew many, and was not afraid to use them. She had even learned the famous Ginny Weasley 'Bat-Bogey Hex', and could now rival the girl in it's effectivness.
"One." Draco dashed from the room.
"Two." Draco took out his wand, and ran for the kitchen, knowing that Athena was down there, and she didn't really approve of hexing in the house. Hermione didn't know this rule.
"Three." And with that, Hermione took off running, she didn't care she was still in her pajamas...all she cared about was hexing the hell out of Draco.
Draco had already made it to the kitchen by the time Hermione yelled, "Three." and was getting odd looks from Athena.
"What did you do to her already?"
"I didn't do anything...I mistakenly thought her room was my room last night, and well...AHHHHHHH!" Draco dropped of into a scream...a very, girly scream I might add. Hermione had just dashed into the room and was pointing her wand at Draco. Athena looked back and forth between the two of them...and shook her head.
"Hermione, what did he do?" While still glaring at a now trembling Draco...Hermione addressed her mother.
"He... He slept in MY ROOM and MADE ME SLEEP WITH HIM!"
"I did NO such thing" Relied an indignant Draco. Hermione rounded on him, and looked to be very, very angry.
"You DID so!" Athena looked at her daughter...and laid a hand on her shoulder in a calming gesture.
"Hermione, explain what happened."
"He walked into my room last night, and just flopped down on one of my couches. Then when I went to wake him, he grabbed me and pulled me onto the couch with him...and then he wouldn't let go of me so I was stuck there all night." Athena just shook her head...and then looked at Hermione.
"Alright, I'll abstain from the 'No hexing in the house' rule for this one time. Hermione, go get'em" Athena said as she walked out of the kitchen. She heard Draco scream like a girl once again, and the pounding of footsteps running out to the hallway leading back upstairs.
By the time Blaise, Jax and Athena reached the hallway Hermione had cornered Draco down, the had just enough time to hear Hermione shout an incantation, and hear Draco shriek. Hermione yelled some indecipherable Latin phrase, and a blinding white light was seen coming from the end of her wand. Blaise had only seen white beams come from one other wand...and that was three years ago, and it was from their Fourth Year DADA teacher Mad-Eye Moody's impersonator, Barty Crouch Jr. He couldn't help but laugh at what the damage was.
Jax walked into the hallway to see what the commotion was all about...and was startled to see Hermione pointing her wand at a fairly large, trembling, white ferret. He strode over and grabbed Hermione's wand.
"Hermione! I may not have known you for most of your life, but I thought you would have been better than to harm a small defenseless animal. You should be ashamed of yourself!" Jax reprimanded his sister...not realizing who the ferret was. Hermione rolled her eyes, and looked to Blaise, who, was doubled over in silent laughter. Athen just looked from Hermione, to the ferret, and back, before looking to Blaise, and just fell over laughing.
Jax thought his family had lost it. Being mean to some poor defenseless animal was uncalled for, and they were laughing about it! And, at that exact moment, Alan came walking own the hallway, carrying Jordie. Upon seeing the fuzzy little ferret, he dumped Jordie into Hermione's arms, andpicked it up...cooing to it the whole time...
"Awwww...Poor wittle fewwet. Are the big mean people scawing you? Don't you worry...I'll take care of you!" He said as he walked past Hermione to Athena, probably so he could ask her if he could keep it. As soon as he walked past Jordie, however, she locked eyes with Mal-Ferret and began screaming at the top of her lungs. hermione just laughed, knowing that her little sister was going to be one smart witch when she got older if she could already feel people aura's. Jax looked confused. Jordie loved all animals...the only thing she ever screamed that loud about was when she saw Draco. As a look of realization dawned on his face, Blaise, Athena, and Hermione all had to sit on the floor while they laughed...
While they were laughing, nobody noticed the three owls that came in through the window at the end of the hallway until they dropped letters onto Hermione and Blaise's laps, and the one that was delivering Draco's letter was looking at him hungrily. Hermione took some pity upon Draco and turned him back into his Human self before he got eaten by a hungry owl. As he changed back into his human self, the owl was startled and dropped the letter into his lap. All three of them looked at the letters, and saw that they were their school letters. Hermione ripped into hers, while the boys just calmly opened them and read the letters. A screech was soon heard, and the owner was Hermione.
"I got it! I can't believe it!" Hermione kept yelling while she grabbed Blaise and began dancing around, while everyone looked at her like she lost her mind.
"Honey, What did you get?" Athena asked her daughter.
"Head Girl!" Was the energetic reply. After a moment, Draco let out a strangled cry, and sank to the floor. Everyone looked over at him.
"I- I got it. I made it! I didn't think I would get it, but I did!" He finally let out as he jumped up and hugged everyone in the room, minus Hermione.
"What did you get?" Asked Jax, curious to know what could make Draco this happy so soon after being turned into a ferret.
"Head Boy!" Hermione's jaw dropped, and she let out a strained yell.
"NO! Why did it have to be you? Why not Blaise, or Ron, or even Harry! I am going to have to live with you all year! ARGH!" Draco dropped his head, and walked out of the room. He looked very depressed. Blaise looked over at his twin and admonished her.
"Alanna Hermione Zabini! That was just a little harsh, don't you think? He isn't as bad as you think he is. If he was he would still be living with Lucius! Why can't you just give him a break for once? The guy was actually happy because he got something he earned and you had to go and rip him down like a heartless bitch!" Athena looked to her middle son, and her daughter. Blaise was fuming and was now walking out of the room to find his best friend and see if he was ok. Athena looked at Hermione and saw that she was about to cry. Athena went to put a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder when Hermione pulled away sharply.
"I guess I might as well go home now..." Athena looked sharply at her daughter.
"Why ever would you say something like that?" Hermione heaved a sigh and began to walk off...
"Because, I just seem to cause trouble around here. and Blaise is mad at me now." It took alot for Athena to not roll her eyes.
"Hermione, just because one bad thing happens does not mean you can just run away from everything. I think that if you go and apologize to Draco, and maybe to Blaise too, then everything will be ok. Just, try not to judge Draco for his past actions. He was never really that way, he was forced to be that way by Lucius, and he actually regrets having been that way to you, Ron and Harry...He has told me this many times during our talks. He is like a son to me now, and I would hate to have family members fighting over something as pointless as this." Hermione looked up at her mother, and slowly nodded her head, and began to walk away.
"They will be in the garden...go to the back of the kitchen and it's the last doorway...and remember, Be sincere." And with that, Athena walked off to her room...All the time thinking 'I wonder what hell Draco put her through for her to react in such a way...'
Hermione made her way downstairs, and went out into the garden. She heard muffled voices coming from pretty far in, and she made her way towards them.
"Blaise, she meant every word of that, and you know it...I don't really blame her though. I have been a pretty big prat since First Year." She heard Blaise sigh before he answered.
"Yes, you were, but most of that was Lucius talking through you...you're really not that evil. You can be a right git sometimes, but your never that bad. She shouldn't have cut you down like she did."
"Yes, well-" And Draco's next words were cut off as Hermione same walking around the corner of the Rosehedge. She looked from Draco to Blaise and back again. She dropped her head, and spoke quietly.
"Blaise, can I speak with Mal-Draco?" Blaise nodded his head, but didn't get up.
"Alone, please?" Blaise shook his head...
"Uh no. And let you cut into him again? I think not." Draco raised his hand.
"Uh, I should be able to decide whether or not I can be talked to alone, since I am me. Blaise, you can go, I can send for you if something happens." Blaise looked skeptical, but, nonetheless, he went back to the kitchen so he could be within shouting distance.
Draco looked to Hermione and noticed that she was still looking at the ground, and was making no move to talk, or sit.
"Hermione, I believe that you came to talk to me?" Hermione's ears reddend a bit as she heard his casual tone. She cleared her throat and began...
"Uh, Draco...I'm sorry I jumped down your throat like that. I, uh, shouldn't have done that. I guess I just, well, I just wasn't expecting you to be Head Boy, and you've nothing but nice to me since I found out I was a Zabini, and I guess I was a 'Heartless Bitch' as Blaise put it. I just find it hard to not see you as the same Malfoy that you were for the past 6 years of school. I hope you'll forgive me for being so harsh on you..." Hermione just trailed of, knowing that he would probably laugh at her, and walk away. But what he said surprised her.
"Hermione, of course I'll forgive you. I understand you not being quite sure of me since I was an ass for the last 6 years, but I want you to know that I really, truly never meant any of the hurtful things that I said. Ok, maybe I meant a few of them, but only the ones that I thought of, not the ones that Lucius told me to say. My reason for being so hideous to you, Potter and Weasley was becuase I was so envious of the friendship you three had. All I have is Blaise, and he's great, don't get me wrong, but sometimes a guy just needs someone other than his best friend to turn to for advice. Potter had either you or Weasley, and Weasley had either you or Potter, and you had either Potter or Weasley...All I have is Blaise. Sometimes, it just doesn't work to only have one true friend on your side." Draco took her hand and pulled her into a hug...not even noticing that she put up a light struggle. "I hope that maybe we can be friends...eventually." And with that, he turned her loose and walked over to where he could see the door to the kitchen. Hermione just stood there...stunned that he had hugged her, and kind of tingling where he had touched her.
"Oi! Blaise! All's clear and we didn't kill each other...you can come back out now." And with that, she heard Blaise's footsteps coming towards them. Draco turned and looked at her and said, "You need to talk with your brother...I'll find you later and we can talk some more." In a flash, Draco was gone. Blaise came up and was looking suspicious when she was alone.
"Where did Draco go?"
Hermione shrugged her shoulders, and turned to Blaise.
"Look, I'm sorry I went all psychobitch on him earlier...I didn't mean to. It was my 'Granger' reaction. I'm going to try and be friends with him, but it may take awhile for me to." Blaise raised an eyebrow...
" 'Granger' reaction?" Hermione laughed.
"Yes, when I was Hermione Granger, that would have been my reaction. Even though I have only been a true Zabini for 2 days now...I can already feel the shift in perspective. Here, everyone's nice to me, even though I was probably a total bitch to them...even if I wasn't, I acted like I was afraid to be here, and caused trouble. I'm going to try harder to be myself, my true self. Being a Granger greatly distorted my views on things...And now being a Zabini gives me a chance to rethink a few things." Blaise looked at Hermione, and shook his head.
"It's not going to stop the long-winded answers. That's hereditary. Mum is the same way. Let's head inside...we missed lunch, and I'm a growing boy...I need my food." Hermione shook her head at her brother...and they walked inside to have a late, late lunch.
Draco sat up in his room, looking out of the window that overlooks the garden...watching. He was watching Blaise talk to Hermione, and he was mostly watching Hermione. No one knew it, but part of the reason he picked on Hermione so much was because he liked her. When she was Granger, she was unattainable, She was a Muggleborn, something he could not have. He litterally would have been killed if he pursued a relationship with her. Now that she was a Zabini, she was still unattainable. She was more wary of him than ever, even after finding out about what Lucius did to him, and after he showed her that he had changed. He was just going to have to prove to her that he was worthy of her attention. He turned back to the window, and watched as she and Blaise walked into the kitchen, the rays of sunlight catching her shimmering black hair, almost blinding him. 'Gods, she's beautiful. She always was.' He thought.
"One day. One day, Hermione, you'll love me like I love you." Draco said out loud as he made his way downstairs for lunch/dinner.
OK...Ok...That was a LOOOOONG chapter for me...I really worked hard on this for a few days now...I hope ya'll like it. It may not be my best, but I've been fighting with my allergies these past few days, and trying to figure out college stuff doesn't help any. Lol...
Read and Review. I'll have the next chapter up in a few days.