A/N: Sorry for not updated for AGES. Lots of stress.. You understand. Haha. Neway, I'm updating now! So be happy. It's all for you.
Disclaimer: I still don't own Draco Malfoy. Life sucks.
I Think You're Beautiful
:Flashback:
Draco stepped out from behind the pillar. Draco could feel the ugly green monster of envy awakening inside of him.Who was this Matthew bloke? And what was he doing chasing after his Hermione?
Then Draco laughed. How uncanny it was, calling the Muggle-born Gryffindor—whom he had hated so much before—his. It seemed so silly and hypocritical.
As he was passing the two Gryffindor wenches, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil (though he didn't remember their names), he overheard one of them saying, "Yeah, Matthew Woods. He transferred from Fignius or something, into our year. He's SO cute."
Draco walked on. Sounded like this Matthew bloke was definitely getting noticed. He had to do something to get rid of this Matthew bloke, before he took Hermione away.
:End of Flashback:
The Next Morning at Hogwarts Castle…
"I'll see you guys later at class, yeah?" Hermione Granger said to her two still-hungry best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.
"Yup. Shee you wayter Verminee," said Ron with his mouth full. He waved, his hands covered with toast crumbs. Harry grinned, his mouth filled with porridge.
Hermione rolled her eyes and proceeded to walk briskly out of the Great Hall and made for the Potions classroom down in the dungeons.
&&&&&&
Matthew watched Hermione walk out of the Great Hall with love and admiration on his face. He was sitting with Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan, both of whom he had told about his feelings for Hermione after he had sworn them to secrecy.
Matthew turn to look at their two grinning faces. "What?" he tried to act innocent, but they all knew what he was: guilty as charged.
"Go after her, mate," said Dean.
"They like to be chased," nodded Seamus.
Matthew gave them a so-sue-me shrug, got up, and ran after Hermione.
&&&&&&
"Hey, Hermione!" cried Matthew as he ran after her. "Wait up!"
Hermione stopped and turned around. She saw Matthew running after, and smiled. Ginny must be right (she always was when it came to guys!); he really did like her. Matthew finally reached where Hermione was standing and said, "Potions next, right?" with a grin.
Hermione grinned back. "Yup. With Severus Snape. Joy." They continued walking together while they talked about how Snape was always swooping around the castle like an overgrown bat like he had nothing else to do.
They arrived at the Potions classrooms grinning joyfully, and Lavender and Parvati threw Hermione looks of pure envy. They were obviously taken with Matthew, by his good-looks and charming personality.
Even pug-faced Pansy Parkinson, who was obsessed with Draco Malfoy, couldn't help but turn green. Just as Draco was coming in, she hissed at Hermione, "Stop being so smug, Mudblood. He's only talking to you out of pity."
Hermione glared at her and said, "Really? Wow. I'm surprised Matthew didn't talk to you out of pity the moment he saw you then."
Pansy stuck her nose in the air. Draco chuckled. Hermione was bewildered that Draco was actually laughing at something she said. And not that smug, proud laugh filled with contempt. This laugh was… genuine?
Pansy started lunging insults at Hermione again, after she saw Draco's reaction at Hermione's comeback. The usual "Mudblood" torment, "ugly bucktoothed freak" (which wasn't true anymore), "show-off Know-It-All", et cetera, until—
"Give it a rest, Parkinson," Draco said, annoyed.
Hermione looked at Draco questioningly. What was up with him lately? Draco shrugged, and grinned. Hermione shook her head and gave him a half-grin back. Maybe he has changed…
&&&&&&
About a week down the road on a Saturday, about six owls landed in front of Hermione. One was her usual copy of the Daily Prophet, and the five others were…
"Hate mail?" Harry and Ron were reading them over her shoulders as she opened them one by one. It was your kind of basic hate mail: "You're awful, no one likes you and you're stuck-up" sort of thing, until she read the last one and… It really hurt.
She blocked it from Harry and Ron's view. It was…terrible. Hermione's eyes filled up with wet tears.
"Mione? Are…are you okay?" Harry asked, glancing at Ron.
Ron, being his usual—shall we say—insensitive self, asked, "What does it say?"
Hermione looked up from the letter, which she scrunched up and brushed the area around her eyes. "It's…it's nothing. I'll see you guys later, I'm going to…have a bath." She naturally would have said "go to the library", but somehow different words formed in her mouth and came out. "See you." And she left.
&&&&&&
Draco watched as Hermione looked down at a letter she got. He saw her eyes fill with tears and watched her leave the Great Hall. What did the letter say? Why was it so awful that it made Hermione cry? Because Hermione was naturally a strong girl, who couldn't be hurt easily by petty insults. Draco should know, having thrown a fair amount of insults at her himself.
But that phase of him was over now. He got up and followed Hermione.
&&&&&&
She was in the Head Bathroom when he got to their common room. He hurried into his room and put a charm on the bathroom door so he could hear her.
It was a small trick he had been doing ever since that first night he had heard Hermione sing. He realized it was a total invasion of privacy, but it wasn't like he could see her, or anything.
Anyway, he heard Hermione crying. Or sobbing. Then she started saying something. Or singing. Another Muggle song. ("Honestly, doesn't she know any songs from the wizarding world?" Draco wondered.) The song went:
"When I was seven
They said I was strange
I noticed that my eyes and hair weren't the same
I asked my parents if I was okay
They said you're more beautiful
And that's the way they show that they wish
That they had your smile
So my confidence was up for a while
I got real comfortable with my own style
I knew that they were only jealous coz
"People are all the same
And we only get judged by what we do
Personality reflects name
And if I'm ugly then
So are you
So are you."
Hermione stopped, and blew her nose. She ran some more water; there was a sound of water hitting water. She continued singing, with a happier voice,
"There was a time when I felt like I cared
That I was shorter than everyone there
People made me feel like life was unfair
And I did things that made me ashamed
Cos I didn't know my body would change
I grew taller than them in more ways
But there will always be the one who will say
Something bad to make them feel great."
Draco leaned back and listened to her singing the chorus twice. Her voice really was fantastic.
"Everybody talks bad about somebody
And never realizes how it affects somebody
And you bet it won't be forgotten
Envy is the only thing it could be…"
&&&&&&
After Hermione came out of the bathroom and went into the common room, Draco went up to her and said, "Granger. You should know…I heard you singing that song and…You're not ugly. I think you're…beautiful."
Hermione stared, speechless.
A/N: Yay! Done. I realize Draco is a little out of character near the end of this chappie, but even though he's J.K. Rowling's character, this is my fanfic, and I can do what I want with him. Tee hee. Okay, sorry. But did you enjoy this chapter? Did you hate it? Love it? Let me know by REVIEWING! Thanks. luv always, windsinger257. xxx