Draco Malfoy- Four Years Later
She looked forward to this half-hour every week. The closest she got to privacy anymore. Mostly because nobody was interested in seeing Azkaban's resident mudblood bitch bathe, or she had a friend somewhere. Not even Alastor Moody guarded her, the sick fuck.
Here in this cold, drafty pit that Aurors called the bathing room, left completely alone, she saw stars. The only stars she saw anymore, pin-pricks and tiny shots of light, orgasm induced stars. As far as she was concerned 'real' stars didn't exist anymore. Not much existed beyond her dank cell, the bathing pit, and a bit of dull grey hallway that connected the two. She closed her eyes to bring herself as she thought of her first crush. A crush she didn't understand at the time but was now more than obvious. He was almost everything she secretly wanted to be then, not anymore. Just like faces and pictures weren't enough to satisfy her anymore.
She needed situations and conversations to stimulate herself. It was worth it, even as terrible and guilty as she felt for abusing her memories in that way. Even through the disrespect showed it was worth it. Nothing felt sacred anymore but for a few glorious moments she would be alive again.
Draco Malfoy. Smooth pale skin with hair to match. His arrogant stance and grey eyes that confidently moved across her body; looks that heated her cheeks and flushed her neck. It was during then sixth year that the two of them had come to a shaky truce, in the name of sanity, but it wasn't until the beginning of their seventh year that the truce changed, became more. It was not until their seventh year that they strayed from the 'safe subjects' that they had their first real conversation, and Hermione realized for the first time that Draco Malfoy was just as real as her. He had beliefs, interests, and opinions. He was more than a two-dimensional character whose sole purpose was to disturb the peace in her and her friends' lives. He lived outside that role. He always existed, always living beyond what she saw of him. He was a sneaky, conniving, petty, whiny, cruel boy but was that all he was? Is that how his parents saw him, his love interest? Maybe.
It was also the first time he treated her as something beside a two-dimensional character in his own life; because somehow through-out the years, he had let her become something different than that. Somewhere along the line she had begun to interest him. It happened after a particularly difficult and tiring detenition they served together thanks to Harry and Weasley's childish antics. Draco had made some careless comment on the walke out of the forbidden forest. She didn't rembmer the exact words they exchanged so she had to fill in some of the blanks, but she never forgot the tone and almost polite interest they had for what the other said. And that was what was important. Hermione lay her half-dreaded mess of hair against the cold stone.
"Slytherin doesn't own the rights to any behavior even if it is cunning and subtelety, and you lot certainly aren't the only ambitious students in Hogwars. Being presumptuous doesn't become you." Hermione said in her signature haughty, know-it-all tone and was surprised he let her get so many words out, disagreeable words.
"Dazzle me with your superior observational skills then Granger," Draco said, not missing a beat. "I want three examples."
"As if I need to prove my point to the likes of you… but, for the sake of argument and my reputation… I am my first example."
"You can't count yourself." Draco stated, a bit incredulously. "You aren't even past one and you are resorting to cheating. Are you that desperate?"
Hermione broke their steady pace abruptly, putting her hand on her hips, she shifted her weight to her right foot and sighed impatiently; a tactic she had often seen her mother employ when dealing with patronizing Daddy dearest. "AND who made that a rule Malfoy?"
Draco lazily folded his arms across his chest in retaliation. "I never said it was a rule. It is only common sense, no?"
Obviously frustrated, Hermione began illustrating her words with her hands. "And I never said that you said it was a rule. If it isn't a rule… just, never mind. You are being childish. Maybe because you know I am right." They looked at each other for a few very quiet seconds. "Well why, oh genius that is Malfoy, can I not use myself as an example?"
"Because Granger, he said, ridiculously slow, "You are an anomaly. If I were more vulgar and had less manners I might say you were Nature's freak. I still want three examples."
"Like that makes sense," Hermione mumbled, rolling her eyes. Hermione counted on her pointer finger. "Percy." Seeing Draco's expression she explained further. "So he isn't particularly clever, but you have to be fairly ambitious to become junior assistant to the minister only one year out of Hogwarts. And obviously he didn't care how he got the position." She counted two on her middle finger while Malfoy waited, patiently? "Dumbledore, he isnt' ambitious in the conventional sense what with turning down numerous offers for the position of Minister of Magic. You know what I mean?" She asked a little uncertainly, but continues with her old fervor. "But you wouldn't let that fool you." She looked pointedly at Draco but received no reaction or response.
"He is ambitious, cunning, and even arrogant," she added softly. "He would resort to less 'moral' means in pursuit of those ambitions, even if he believes he is doing what is right for most of the Wizarding world. And that in itself is arrogant, to think that he could possibly know what is the best for everyone. Messing in peoples lives." Draco continued to look at her neither bored nor interested, but unaffected.
"'Those folks use any means to achieve their ends.' Sound familiar?"
"It sounds suspiciously like a ratty old hat Granger. Do you remember everything?"
"No," she said testily, thinking of Harry and Ron. "Just what I think may be useful alter." Draco smiled, "Tut, tut, tut, Granger, giving yourself away at every turn."
"Don't interrupt me. I was going to say that from time to time Dumbledore is known to conveniently forget laws and he isn't above ruthlessly using people." Truth was he lost her respect when he broke his own moral code. "In fact," Hermione paused for effect, "That means he is more dangerous because people don't expect those sort of tactics from an honorable former head of Gryffindor."
"Perhaps," Draco began, somewhat smugly, "they deserve to be used if they are going to be so gullible. Who is to say what they do not know will not hurt them."
"That is exactly my point. You can't be assuming and you can not categorize people."
"Then this is where we disagree" Draco smirked condescendingly. "Most of them can be categorized anyway. Let us see: Freaks of Nature; you, Dumbledore, and my father. Gullible idiots; anyone who is under the impression that Dumbledore is a twinkly old wizard. Then, there are people worth knowing and beyond that, the uninformative, know-nothing, mindless mass. Which, by the way, every Weasel who has ever lived falls under. I suppose boy-wonder belongs in the reak of nature category as well. Forgot about him," Draco sneered.
"Does that mean you are admitting that you, a Malfoy, can be categorized?" Hermione demanded unconsciously mimicking Draco's sneer.
Draco replied with his usual lazy confidence. "Only as far as not being in any of the idiot categories. You see, anybody in the worth knowing category can't be categorized, just set apart from the others, that being the common factor. That is one reason they are worth knowing. Perhaps there should be a group of freaks of nature worth knowing and another group that is worthless." Draco said, actually contemplating the idea. "You could be worth knowing, like my father. Don't look at me that way Granger, take it for the compliment it is. Potter… I'm not sure about. It certainly has not done me any good knowing him. But I would be content never having known Dumbledore."
"Me too," said Hermione, for the first time in her life verbally agreeing with Draco Malfoy, a.k.a ferret face. "So, your father and I are in the same category?" She asked a scowl on her face.
Hermione came back to herself, stiff a little sore but almost boneless. It was time to go back to her cell.