Chapter Six: Planning Ahead
"Ah, there you are Hermione." Ron said as he looked up at Hermione.
Hermione walked briskly into the room and sat on the bed beside Ron. Harry was sitting across from his friends on the extra twin bed Hermione conjured up from a lumpy cot.
"We were just discussiny maybe having Malfoy stay with Figg across the street."
"Ron, how many times do i haev to tell you that if he were to stay with her, then that would only put her life in danger and his in even more. We have to keep him here." Harry said sternly.
"Don't worry guys. I will keep him in the room at all times. There's a private bathroom connected to the bedroom, I can make an extra bed, I'll get him back to health and get information from him. He will be safe and so will we." Hermione said. She did not want to tell them what had just happened in the other room. They still did not know about fifth year when she and Malfoy were even friends.
"'Mione, are you sure that you want to do this?" Harry asked.
"Positive. Tomorrow, Ron and I can do your chores while you speak with Malfoy. Before I go to sleep tonight, I'll write a letter to McGonagall telling her of this. Hopefully she will let us handle it."
"Like hell! She'll take him away the second she finds out where he is!" Ron yelled. "That or Hagrid will crush every bone in his body with one hand."
"Listen, it's almost nine right now. We should think about what to talk to him about." Harry said, finally bringing up the importance of having Malfoy alive.
"I'll talk to him tonight, see what i can get out of him. Tomorrow, you try to guilt him a little, make him crack. Get stuff from the past few years and see if everything makes sense. We can record the whole thing if you want with a camcorder or something. Then, when Ron and I finish, I'll start on dinner, since I can use magic and Ron isn't allowed near food with his wand. It will take a few minutes only. You guys can come down and eat, we'll give hi msome extra clothes to change into so he can bathe while we eat. After we finish, quickly, might i add, we can go over what he told you guys and then either go in together, or take turns until about ten, so we can let him sleep and regain his strength. We can take some time of of the gym and early morning work-outs and stuff, but both of you still need to do sit ups and whatnot." Hermione refused to take time off of their workout schedual.
"Aw Hermione-"
"Ron, I would think that working out would be the least of your concerns." Harry turned to Hermione. "Great idea Hermione. So when Ron is there with me, we can discuss what happened this year and-"
"No Harry. Though the information from this year and the future is important, we still must make sure that he has the information we need and that we can trust him, y'know. Wait a few days. Then bring up last year, and next week or so we'll begin discussing present information." Herimione was taking this as seriously as she could.
"Hermine, we need the information as soon as possible."
"Harry, I know that, but for now let's just wait a few days. Give him time to deal with his mother's death. We need hi mto relax and not cause him to have a psychotic break because of his trauma. Now i suggest that the two of you calm down. We have to behave very deilcately without showing him any remorse. It's going to be veryhard and tomorrow will definately be a long day so i suggest that the two of you get ready to go to sleep. I will see you in the morning at breakfast." With that, Hermione turned around and left the room.
"I hate to admit it, but she's right about the trauma thing."Harry sighed. "We do have to treat this delicately."
Ron punched the pillow before getting up to change into his pajamas.
Hermione walked into the bedroom. Draco was sitting up on the bed, waiting for her. She closed the door softly behind her and walked over and sat beside him.
"Harry will be-"
"Hermione, I don't want to talk about Harry, or tomorrow." Draco interrupted slowly. "I just want to say that I'm sorry." Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Draco continued before sound could leave her mouth. "I know that i already apologized for all the shit that i did before. But now I'm apologizing to you. I want you to know that i never meant to hurt you in any way."
"No, you have to go to sleep. You have to regain your strength for tomorrow." Hermione didn't want him to say any more. It was killing her inside. She had cared deeply for him and now he was the enemy once more.
"First I want you to say that you forgive me."
"I can give you some clean pajamas to wear tonight." Hermione quickly said as she stood up to walk over to her trunk.
"Hermione, I would sleep naked in the snow to get you to look me in the eye and not tell me that you miss me." Draco said as he stood up and walked beside her.
"Here," Hermione handed Draco a large T-shirt and a pair of boxers she transfigured to fit him. "You can keep them." She whispered.
"Thank you" Draco whispered. He took the pajamas, slowly. It was obvious how much he had hurt her.
As he bagan to walk away, Hermione whipped her head around and took his hand. Draco turned his head and looked her in the eyes. They were so beautiful, he could look into then forever and still not want to look away.
The two stood in silence, neither wanting to look away.
Hermione suddenly snapped back into reality. Harry and Ron were down the hall. Sirius and Dumbledore were dead. Voldemort was at large. She couldn't do this and mentally slapped herself.
"No," she looked away. She couldn't do this. Not to Harry. Not to Ron. Not to herself.
Draco looked down, refusing to admit defeat, but choosing to let her see that he was not there to hurt her.
He turned around slowly and walked into the bathroom to change into the pajamas.
Hermione turned around just in time to see him stagger into the bathroom and close the door. As soon as she heard the door click shut, she flopped onto the bed and thought about what was going on.
The summer had been going pretty okay so far. She, Harry and Ron had never been closer. She had finally grown out of her awkward phase when she was a bushy haird brunette who hid behind big books and baggy clothes. She was having fun and coming out of her shell while preparing to fight Lord Voldemort. AND NOW THIS!
"This can't be happening" she said quietly to herself, not hearing the bathroom door open. She put her hands over her eyes and laid in the dark. "Why couldn't I have just left him alone?"
"Because you're a kind, giving, considerate, sweet, and all around amazing person," Hermione practically jumped up. She looked to her side and saw Draco standing beside the bed looking down at her.
'NO! I can't smile! I can't be touched by this! There is not way I can let him get to me! Especially not now!' She thought.
Draco sat on the bed beside her with one leg hanging off. Hermione crossed her legs as the tried to think of what to say.
"Are you tired?" He asked.
"Oh, um I guess. Are you? I mean, after traveling here, you must be." Hermione mentally slapped herself again. He must think that she was a rambling idiot, not that she would care.
"Hermione," Draco took her hands in his, "nothing could keep me from you. That's why I searched to find out about the D.A., but when Zabini and them found out that I knew, I-I, I'm just so sorry Hermione."
"Draco-"
"Please, Hermione, if yuo don't want me here, i have an aunt who I know would take me in, but I want to help." He stepped in a little bit and looked down into her beautiful chocolate eyes. Oh how he would not look away from them during their long talks, even if they were not talking. "You are the only one that I will leave for."
Hermione had to look away. His blue eyes seemed endless and she could just get lost in them for forever. "Please," she croaked, "don't do this to me."
"Then I guess that I will leave." Draco walked slowly towards the door.
"Where will you go?" Hermione asked as she whipped her head around.
"Somewhere. I don't really know, but no matter what, I will be going after Voldemort."
"I still don't see why he's staying with Hermione. Why don't we all just stay in one room together?" Ron exclaimed, though quietly, to an almost asleep Harry.
"Let it go Ron. On our first day here I hid a bunch of detectors and stuff around the house with Hermione while you decided to take a nap." Harry replied as he tried to hide his ears under the covers some more.
"But what if-"
"Ron, go to sleep."
