Chapter 6: And Konstantine's Walking Down the Stairs…
Hermione awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of someone crying. She quietly slipped out of bed and to the source of the sobbing. She found Draco kneeling by the fire crying uncontrollably. The fire was emerald green which lead her to believe that someone had been there talking to him recently. Hermione stood beside his crouching figure. He looked up and tried to quickly dry his tears.
"What the hell do you want, Granger?" he snapped.
"You don't have to stop crying just because I'm here," she soothed. "I promise on my mom's life I won't tell anyone."
Draco broke down and began to bawl into his hands. Hermione got down on her knees beside him and put an arm around his shoulder.
"What happened, Malfoy?" she asked softly.
"My mom, they found her body 20 miles south of here. That was a ministry representative who contacted me," he explained still sobbing.
"I know how you feel…"
"Shut the fuck up, Granger! You don't know how I feel! I just lost the last thing worth living for! My dad hates me and now my mom's gone, so don't you dare tell me you know how I feel!"
"Look, Malfoy," she said calmly. "My life isn't as perfect as you think."
"Yeah right, you and your perfect muggle world!"
"My brother's gone and my dad is in prison. I know exactly how you feel," she said. She put her arms around him trying to console him. He held onto her like it was the only thing keeping him from death.
"I'll help you to bed," she said walking him to his bedroom. She was about to leave, when Draco called out to her.
"Her…Granger," he said. She turned around.
"I don't want to be alone tonight," he told her. She smiled at him and slowly turned back to the bed. She lay down beside him. Draco looked to see that his hand was dangerously close to hers. That was when something went through his mind. Something that made his stomach feel funny, something that made his head get light. Just take it, that certain something said, just take it.
It was amazing how he could bed a girl and not think twice about it, but to be so nervous as to hold Hermione's hand, well…it was simply absurd. What are you waiting for? Do it now!
He slowly reached out for her hand still resting next to his and touched it lightly with one finger. Hermione looked over at him and smiled. Draco smiled (not smirked) back and laced his fingers with hers.
"Thanks for being here," he whispered to her.
"Don't ever mention it. You know I won't," she joked. Draco felt sleep wash over him a few moments later. Hermione's smiled slowly turned to a frown as she realized what she must do. She gave the sleeping Draco one last look before separating their hands and began to search the room. She checked his trunk, the dresser, even a shows box beneath the bed, but there was no information she could use. She got frustrated and hit the wall nearest the bed. She heard a rumbling noise and the wall lifted up to reveal a room. She gazed around in wonder. Pictures filled this room. Pictures that were hand drawn. She saw one of Draco's mother, another was of a faceless boy smoking a cigarette and looking down upon a dark city (thank you Grant for the inspiration), another was of the same boy in a grave yard drinking from a bottle next to a tomb stone that read, "RIP Lost Soul."
"Oh, Draco," she said looking at the pictures he had drawn. They were all about the deep depression that he had gone into after that summer. But Hermione didn't know, she had no idea the true pain behind these pictures. She turned and saw the most shocking picture of all, it was of her. Her hair was blowing in the wind and she was smiling softly. She touched the picture and felt something inside of her. I guess I do care about him, she thought. She spotted a notebook on the ground and picked it up. Jackpot!
"Duosmotos," she muttered. An exact replica of the book appeared in her other hand. She placed the notebook exactly where she had found it and went back to Draco.
"I'm always there for you," she whispered laying down beside him once again before falling asleep.
