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A/N Hi all! Sorry for the late update but it wouldnt let me upload the chapter last night. Happy reading and don't forget to review!
Confessions
Quietly evening came at number 12 Grimmauld Place. Hermione fixed Harry and Draco some dinner. Harry ate in the dining room alone, pouring over stacks of papers and learning complicated charms and jinxes. Hermione took her dinner up to eat with Draco and keep an eye on him. Harry wanted more information from him and thought Hermione might be able to get it but Hermione protested. She said he needed to open up on his own time and not until he was well. Harry scowled but left her to her own decision. She knocked softly on the door and found him sleeping soundly on the bed. His chest rose and fell with each labored breath. She gently set the tray on the small table and sat next to him on the bed. Her whole soul hurt with his pain. She didn't know why this was affecting her so. He had been horrible to her for as long as she could remember. Hermione placed her hand on his arm and tenderly shook him awake. His pale silver eyes slowly opened and focused on the brunette that sat next to him.
"What time is it?" he asked groggily.
"About 10, sorry dinner is so late." she told him.
"Its alright." he tried to sit up but Hermione ended up helping him again.
"Thanks." he mumbled. Hermione smiled.
"I brought you some dinner." she said placing a bowl of stew and some bread on his tray. Next she poured him a large glass of pumpkin juice.
"You don't have to do all this." he said embarrassed.
"I know." she replied.
He took large bites of stew and gulped the juice. He ate like a starving man.
"You must be feeling better." she joked sipping her stew nimbly.
"Much." he said finishing what was on the tray.
"Would you like some more?" she asked offering him her bowl.
"No, maybe later if it is not too much trouble."
"Alright. I will leave you alone then." she said standing up with her half-eaten bowl and heading towards the door.
"Granger!" Draco called. She turned around and looked back at the blonde.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Don't go. I am tired of being alone." he admitted turning a deep shade of red that was highly visible on his newly clean skin.
"Are you sure?" she asked raising one eyebrow at him. He smiled weakly. Hermione noticed that when he wiped that smirk off of his face he was quite handsome.
"Alright. What would you like to do?" she asked sitting on the edge of the bed. "And no wizard chess." He shrugged his shoulders.
"I have an idea. Why don't you tell me about your childhood." she said placing her hand on his. He jumped a bit not being used to such close contact.
"You mean talk? Like real people? Why?" he asked suspiciously.
"I think it would help me understand you. You are very complicated Draco." she blushed at the use of his first name. Draco noticed her slip up but chose to ignore it.
"Hmmm…let me think. I don't know where to begin. And what I say stays in this room right?" he asked.
"Like I said before, I can't promise anything." she said.
He scowled.
"How about your first good memory." she said.
"That is easy. My mum reading to me as a small child. Father hated that she mollycoddled me so much so by the time I was 5 she was forbidden to hold or hug me. But since father was gone so much she took every opportunity to spend time with me. She would sneak into my room at bedtime and tell me stories of dragons and knights and princesses. She would hold me in her arms after a beating my father had given me and rock me back and forth telling me everything would be alright in the morning. It rarely was." he looked at Hermione waiting for some sign that she found this funny, but in her eyes all he could see was compassion.
"What about you?" he asked.
"My childhood? Or my first good memory?" she replied.
"Your first good memory." he watched her expression.
"Well my childhood was normal I guess for a muggle. I went to school, watched TV, read books and such. But my first really good memory was when I got my Hogwarts letter. My parents thought it was a joke until Dumbledore met with them and explained things. Then they were happy, but having me at school 10 months out of the year was hard on them. I am an only child and I think it hurt them a little." she smiled slightly. "What about your first bad memory?" she asked.
"I don't have a specific first. Any memory of my father was bad. From as far back as I could remember he would hit me for punishment. Usually used his cane." he stopped there blushing deeply.
"I'm sorry." she whispered. "I shouldn't have asked that.
"It's alright." he said. "Your turn."
"Hmmm…I don't think I have many bad memories before I went to Hogwarts. I didn't have many friends in school so when I got to Hogwarts and had Ron and Harry I was so happy. Honestly my first bad memory is the first time someone called me 'mudblood'." she looked into his eyes to see if he realized who that person was.
"Me." he said emotionlessly.
"Yes, you. I didn't know what it meant at first, but then Ron explained it when we got to Hagrid's house that day. I felt terrible." Her stomach felt tied in knots and she sat there silently looking down at the floor for a moment.
"Sorry." he mumbled.
"Excuse me?" she asked startled.
"I said I was sorry." he repeated.
"I heard you the first time I was just shocked." she replied.
"I should never have said those terrible things to you. I was jealous."
"Of me? Why?" she blurted.
"You had the best grades and lots of friends. I had no one." he said sadly.
"You had Crabbe and Goyle right? And Pansy."
"Crabbe and Goyle were forced to keep an eye on me by father. Same goes for Pansy. She pretended to like me but it was all on father's instructions."
Hermione felt even worse than she had before. She knew how it felt to have no friends at school.
"Now I am the one who is sorry." she said in a soothing voice. "I always thought you had it all together."
He managed a weak smile and a laugh. They both sat there in an uncomfortable silence for a moment. She looked at the clock by the window and realized it was nearly 12. She had slept in the chair last night and it did nothing for her. But Malfoy was sleeping in her bed. She decided to conjure another bed in her room so she could keep an eye on Malfoy.
"Do you need anything before I turn in?" she asked. He shook his head no. She nodded and waved her wand. A large bed appeared in the opposite corner of the room.
"I'll be right back then." she said before leaving the room.
Draco sat there for a moment. He had just shared an actual conversation with Granger. He told her things he had kept inside for years and years. Just talking to her made him want to open up and let all of his pent up emotions out. He smiled and blew out the candle on the nightstand. It darkened the room immediately and bathed it in moonlight from the tall windows. She returned fifteen minutes later in a long white cotton nightgown smelling of vanilla and lavender. His eyes grazed across her figure as she walked towards his bed.
"Are you sure you don't need anything?" she asked. She touched his hand gently and smiled.
"I am sure." he replied. "Thank you for everything."
Hermione suddenly was overcome with emotions. Tears poured from her cinnamon eyes onto Draco's sheets.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"I just…I feel so bad for everything you have been through." she sighed. "It just got to me that's all."
He couldn't help but feel content that someone was there for him.
"Don't cry over me." he said in a husky voice.
Suddenly she leaned over and hugged him tightly. He was taken aback by her warm body pressed against his. Her curls cascaded across his bare chest tickling him. He inhaled her scent and reached up around her neck to hug her back. For the first time in a long time he felt safe and happy. She held him briefly and then let him go.
"Everything will be okay in the morning." she said softly as she walked towards her bed.
"I know." he smiled.
Morning peaked just outside of the windows early the next day. Hermione was up first. She stood up and stretched looking around the room. Crimson streaks of morning light fell across Draco's head giving his hair the appearance of being on fire. She smiled and left the room to get breakfast. Harry was asleep at the table on top of a pile of papers. She shook her head and walked over to him.
"Harry? Harry wake up." she said as gently as possible.
"'Mione what time is it?" he asked groggily.
"Early, around 6. Do you want breakfast?" Harry shook his head no.
"Ron will be back today." Harry suddenly remembered. "He's not going to be pleased about Malfoy's presence." he said.
"He will have to get over it. I think Malfoy knows more than he realizes. It's just a matter of getting close." Hermione stated.
"Just don't get too close. We don't know what he is or what he is capable of just yet. All you are to do is get information." Harry lectured her. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
"I can't help but feel sorry for him. His life was terrible living with that monster Lucius." she told him.
"Well just keep in mind who you are dealing with." Harry warned before starting in on his papers once more.
Hermione fixed a quick breakfast and went upstairs to wake Draco up. When she opened the door she realized quickly that she had forgotten to lock it. Draco was not in bed. Frantic she ran up the hallway to Harry's room. He was not there either.
"Harry!" she yelled. "Harry come quickly!" Footfalls approached as Harry ran down the hall to find her.
"Hermione what is the matter?" he asked.
"Malfoy is gone. I forgot to lock the door and when I came back up he wasn't in bed!" she cried.
"He is still in the house. No one can leave without knowing how." Harry said calmly. Just then both of them heard the toilet flush. Draco walked out of the bathroom and stared at Hermione who was frantic and Harry who was stunned.
"Morning." he grinned.
"You prat!" she yelled. "I thought something happened and you left. You scared the daylights out of me." she slapped him on the arm playfully. Harry rolled his eyes and walked back downstairs.
"Nature called." he said. "I couldn't wait any longer. Besides, I promised Potter I would stay for a while and a Malfoy is good on his word." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.
"Breakfast is ready." she said calmly walking down the hall towards her room. Draco followed at a much slower pace but did not require help. He was out of breath by the time they reached the room and Hermione helped him to sit up in a nearby chair.
"Feeling better I see?" she asked mockingly. He was too busy shoving food in his mouth in a good imitation of Ron at the dinner table.
"Ron will be back today. I don't know how he will react so try to be civil." she said.
"I will if he does."
"Fair enough." she said taking tiny bites of fruit. The sunlight was pouring into the windows night lighting up Hermione's caramel hair with highlights of gold. Her skin was glowing as she sat across from him silently eating. He was still reeling over the hug they shared last night. How could she go from hating him to treating him so nicely after all he had done to her?
"Why are you being so nice?" he suddenly asked.
"This is my nature. I have always had to take care of Ron and Harry. I am used to it." she said matter-of-factly.
"I hope they appreciate you." he told her. She beamed at him.
"Do you fell well enough to go downstairs today?" she asked him.
"I think so." he replied.
"Look, I need to ask you something, Harry will have my head if he knew." she said nervously biting her lip.
"What?" he replied.
"Well it's just that you know Harry is the one that is going to defeat Voldemort." Draco looked skeptical.
"It's just that if you have any information that might help us…all the deaths…I can't take much more." she said. "All I am asking you to do is go over some papers with Harry and see if you know anything. It's not like I am asking you to join the order or anything." Draco pondered this for a moment. If Potter defeated the dark lord he might be free. And being free was what he wanted the most. Free to live his own life.
"I will look them over," he said "but I can't promise anything."
Hermione smiled.
"Finish your breakfast and we will get started."