Harry, Ron and Hermione sat near each other in transfiguration. They weren't talking very much. They were, however, keeping their eyes on Malfoy.
"He keeps looking over here!" Ron said in a hissed whisper.
"Well, what do you expect? He's been through as much as Ginny and I have." Hermione said.
"The way you talk about him you'd think he was innocent!" Ron exclaimed.
"He is!" Hermione protested.
"So you feel sorry for him?" asked Harry.
"Well, he is as much of a victim as I am." Hermione replied.
Ron looked at Harry in disbelief.
The rest of the class passed quickly. Hermione had been one of the only people who had been able to successfully accomplish the lesson. The bell sounded and the students headed out the door towards their care of magical creatures class with Hagrid.
Ron, Harry and Hermione had stopped to talk when Hermione felt a tap on her shoulder, she spun around. It was Malfoy.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron said with no effort to hide his distaste. Malfoy ignored him.
"Can I have a word for with you?" he asked Hermione. "Alone?"
"Sure" Hermione said.
"Hermione-- " the boys began.
"I'll catch up later. I'll be fine." She whispered.
Then with obvious effort Harry led Ron away.
Hermione saw that Malfoy was trying to look directly at her, but much to his dismay, it wasn't working.
"Look Granger, I just wanted say to you that I'm sorry about what happened to you, you know,Peeves using my body to-- um--"
"It's okay. Well it's not okay, but somehow I feel like you would never do that to anyone, no matter how much you hate them."
"You think I hate you?" Malfoy asked surprised and he sounded offended, yet curious.
Hermione thought he should have know that already.
"Well, yeah. I mean the last few years have been--"
"I don't hate you." Malfoy stated.
Hermione was very confused, she thought she had everything figured out like usual.
"Y-you don't?" She asked quietly. She could feel herself blushing because she was embarrassed.
Malfoy didn't reply. His features agree with his statement by the way he gave a quick nonsense smile.
"Look, either way, the baby's mine and I don't think that any child should be raised without a father."
"Draco-- " Hermione started. She had surprised herself at the way she had said his name, it had a ring to it.
Malfoy interrupted her.
"No, please, just don't teach it to hate me." he asked with a sort of responsibility to his voice.
Hermione nodded speechless. It was so strange, like the whole world had turned upside down.
Malfoy nodded back to her then, not knowing what else to do, he walked away. Hermione stood still for a minute pondering their conversation. Then she headed to class things still weighing heavily on her mind.