Chapter Seven: Smiles, Secrets, and Dreams
There was a knock on Hermione's bedroom door, and she, after shaking her head free of the disappointment she felt at the sight of the door not being there, went to answer it.
"Draco?" Hermione gasped, at the sight of the man who stood before her, "I thought you were asleep?"
"Nope, I just didn't want to talk to anyone right, now." Draco told her, walking, uninvited, into Hermione's room.
"Really?" Hermione asked, eyeing Draco as he sat down on her bed.
"Yup," Draco answered, "Sounds like your feeling better."
"Yeah," Hermione replied, her spirits dropping to the ground in an instant, I had completely forgotten about Ron.
"Sorry," Draco said quickly, "I didn't mean to bring you down."
"No," Hermione assured him, "It's okay, I'm fine, I think."
"No, you're not," Draco told her, standing up, and walking over to her.
"Um, Draco?" Hermione started uncertainly.
"Yeah?" Draco answered her.
"Um, why did you stop Pansy from strangling me?"
Draco's eyes widened in surprise, "You remember?"
"Never really forgot, actually." Hermione told him.
"Then, why didn't you tell Pomfrey, or Potter?" Draco wondered.
"Because, I wasn't one hundred percent sure that it was Pansy, or that it was you that saved me from her," Hermione explained.
"Well, why don't you go tell them, now?" Draco asked.
"There's no point, there's no proof, except for my word." Hermione explained.
"Still," Draco urged, but Hermione cut him short.
"All I want to know is why you stopped her," Hermione said, "I would of thought that me being strangled was a dream come true, for you."
"It's not," Draco admitted, "It's far from the truth, that's what my father wants me to think, and I've tried to think that way, so he wouldn't…"
Draco's voice trailed off, and he looked away. Hermione, without a second thought, went up to him, and wrapped her arms around him, and rested her head on his chest.
"Thank you," Draco said after a minute.
"Your welcome," Hermione smiled at him.
Draco froze, Hermione looked at him, "What's wrong?"
"You smiled," Draco confirmed, amazed.
"Yeah, so?" Hermione said, thinking he'd gone nuts.
"You've never smiled at me before," Draco recalled.
Hermione stared at Draco for a few seconds, and then, smiling a million dollar smile turned and strolled from the room.
Draco watched her go, he's heart going a mile a minute, he felt so at ease when he saw her smile, and that smile she gave him before she left, he felt as though that one had been just for him, and him alone. Draco grinned.
The next day, Draco woke up feeling light as a feather. He couldn't remember the last time he had had such a peace night's sleep. He got out of bed, and went to the bathroom, noticing that the door to Hermione's room still hadn't reappeared. After he came back, he went out to the common room, and headed to the opposite staircase, to have a quick shower before classes that morning.
After soaking for over half an hour in the bath, with chocolate-scented water, and peppermint-scented bubbles. He got out, dried off, tied his robe around his body, and made his way out of the bathroom. When he got onto the second floor landing in front of the bathroom door, he peered down into the common room below, hoping to find Hermione there, perhaps calling Crookshanks from the kitchenette. What he saw instead was Hermione, sitting on one of the armchairs, across from…Potter? Draco thought about what to do I could go back into the bathroom, wait till he leaves? No, this is my common room, too! I'll just tell him to leave! But before Draco do anything, the conversation Hermione, and Potter, were having reached his ears.
"Harry," Hermione was saying.
"Yeah? What's up, Hermione?" Harry said, "What was so important that it couldn't wait till breakfast?"
"Well," Hermione began, and Draco suddenly realized that she was nervous, since when does Hermione get nervous around Potter?
"What is it, Hermione," Harry said again, "Don't worry, you can tell me, I'm your boyfriend, you can trust me."
"Well," Hermione said, "that's just it, Harry. I know I had said yes to you yesterday, but certain…events, have made me really look at my relationships, all of my relationships."
"I kind of figured," Harry admitted.
Hermione looked up at him, surprised at the calm way he had just took her statement, "You did?"
"Yeah," Harry said, "and I can't blame you either, I mean, Ron was supposedly our best friend, then he says that to you? Now, that, to me, isn't what a friend is suppose to do."
Hermione was silent for a moment, or two, then, Draco could just barely see it, smiled at Potter.
"Don't worry about me, Hermione," Harry assured her, raising from the armchair, "I'm happy as long as you are."
"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said, "that means a lot, really, it does."
"No problem." Harry said, waving away Hermione compliment, Harry made his way to the portrait door, and then stopped and looked around, Draco ducked down so that he wouldn't see him, but kept listening, unable to stop himself, "did that jerk get your stuff to you, all right?"
"What jerk?" Hermione wondered, Draco aloud himself a small smirk, even he knew that Potter was talking about him.
"Malfoy!" Harry exclaimed.
"Oh," Hermione said, "Harry, please, don't call him a jerk."
"WHAT?" Harry barked in disbelief, "He's Malfoy, we've always called him a jerk, Hermione."
"Yeah, and it's not right!" Hermione said.
"But," Harry said, but he couldn't think of much of a come back.
"Harry, please?" Hermione begged.
"Hermione," Harry moaned.
"Please," Hermione repeated.
"Okay, I won't call Malfoy a jerk," Harry agreed, then his head snapped back around to look at Hermione, "Wait, does this have anything to do with what you saw during that Mind Attachment Potion thing?"
Draco froze his heart almost stopped beating. She wouldn't, she wouldn't tell him, she couldn't tell him! Please, please, don't tell him! Draco begged silently.
"No," Hermione said, and Draco noticed that her voice seemed uneasy.
Harry didn't say anything for a while, and Draco's heartbeat slowly returned, it sounded like Potter was giving up on the subject, but after a couple minutes, said, "What did you see in Malfoy's memory, anyway?"
Draco's body tensed once more, his heartbeat withered away, and his mind went back to begging, silently, that Hermione wouldn't tell.
"Um, actually," Hermione said, Draco tensed to the extreme, please don't tell please don't tell, as Hermione answered, "I don't remember, I think it had something to do with Quiddtich, not being able to play, or something like that."
"Quiddtich?" Harry repeated, completely unconvinced.
"Yeah," Hermione confirmed.
"Why the hell would that make Malfoy act that way in class the way that he did?" Harry questioned, still not sounding convinced.
"Well, he kept talking about you, the potion wasn't that well done, so I couldn't hear much. It was about how you were able to play on your house team, in first year, and he wasn't."
"Yeah, I guess that would have pissed him off!" Harry gloated, Draco's body started to relax, slightly.
"Don't gloat like that!" Hermione said.
"Aw, come on, Hermione," Harry pleaded, 'just a little gloating won't hurt."
"Harry," Hermione urged.
"Okay, I won't gloat."
"Thank you."
"Why do you keep sticking up for Malfoy?"
"I'm not, I would have said the same thing if it were any other kid."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Okay, I believe you, then."
"You do?
"Yes, you're my best friend."
"At least you are."
"Don't worry about Ron, as much as I wish he were still my friend, what he said to you was uncalled for. So, don't go forgiving him, just so that we all can be friends again."
"Yeah, okay."
"Okay, then, I have to get to breakfast."
"When is your first DADA class?"
"Monday, during my extra periods."
"How many extra's do you have?"
"None, now that I have to teach."
Hermione laughed, "Meaning, how many classes do you have?"
"I think three, on Monday at least."
"Wow, that's awesome!"
"Hey, when do you have DADA class?"
"Um, let's see," Hermione dug into her book bag, which had been lying on the floor beside her chair, and pulled out her timetable and consulted it, "Monday, right after lunch, with…Slytherin!"
"Slytherin!"
"Yeah."
"Oh, well," Harry shrugged, "Had to have them at some point, well, I'll see you Hermione."
"Yeah, see you, Harry."
Draco heard the portrait door close, and Hermione's feet walk along the ground to the kitchenette, he couldn't see her, he was still crouching down, behind the banister, not believing what he had just heard, Hermione broke up with Potter, and she told him not to call me a jerk, or to gloat about him being on the Gryffindor Quiddtich team in his first year. She didn't even tell what she really saw in my memory!
A few minutes later, Hermione called out "Crookshanks," and Draco watched as the ginger cat bounded lightly from Hermione's bedroom door, and went to Hermione to get his food.
After a few more minutes, Draco stood up and went downstairs. There, as he expected, in the kitchen, was Hermione kneeled down in front of Crookshanks, fully dressed in a pair of light blue jeans, a plain white two-inches-to-short tee shirt, and a light blue denim jacket, but Draco couldn't take his eyes away from her face, which he could just see.
"Hey, are you okay?" Draco asked, in a small comforting voice.
Hermione looked up at Draco, and then quickly looked away, wiping her teary eyes with her hand, "I'm fine, why?"
"That's a lie, and you know it," Draco said, edging closer to Hermione, "come on, you can tell me, what's wrong?"
Hermione stayed silent.
Draco was now right beside her, he knelt down, and put a hand on each of her shoulders, she looked at him when he did. Draco could see there were still tears in her eyes, let alone, on her cheeks. He raised one hand of Hermione's shoulder, and skimmed it across Hermione's cheek, causing her to break down completely. She covered her face with her hands, and sunk fully onto the floor, sobbing.
"Hey," Draco said, "it's okay, shhh, it's all right, I'm right here."
Hermione suddenly looked up at Draco, for a moment she looked confused, but then, her face broke out into, although a weak one, a smile.
"What?" Draco asked, wondering if he had done something to make her smile.
"You've said that before," Hermione reminded him.
Draco scanned his memory for the last time he had said those words, Draco looked at Hermione, he remembered, now, it was when they were in Hermione's memory of that disgusting jerk, Victor Krum.
"I remember," Draco said, leaning towards Hermione slightly, "and, everything I said was true, you know."
Hermione seemed confused slightly, but she suddenly smile brightly, and threw her arms around Draco's waist, and whispered, "Thank you."
"No, Thank you," Draco said, returning Hermione's hug. She's so warm, so pure, innocent, I shouldn't even be aloud near her, let alone touch her; with that thought Draco let go of Hermione.
"Why," Hermione asked, "why would you have to thank me?"
"You didn't tell Potter," Draco explained, knowing Hermione would probably get mad, knowing that he had been eavesdropping on her, and Potter's, conversation.
"You heard, huh?"
Draco stared at Hermione in disbelief, and then, to make sure he hadn't imagined it, asked, "Your not mad?"
"Why should I be?" Hermione wondered.
"Why I eavesdropped," Draco told her.
"Well," Hermione mulled, she looked over at Draco.
Draco's eyes widen when he saw the look on Hermione's face. She looks so lonely, but why? Did Potter mean that much to her? Draco tried to find an answer to the questions in his head, but none came.
"I'm taking a nap." Hermione announced, walking over to the sofa, "we'll have to go to Professor Dumbledore later, though."
"What?" Draco asked, surprise at the sudden change of subject.
"A nap," Hermione repeated, now lying down on the couch, squired a bit in efforts to make her more comfortable, then closed her eyes.
"Okay," Draco said, more to himself then to Hermione.
Draco went up to his bedroom, paced he's room for a while, then, not even bothering to change out of he's bath robe, went downstairs to grab something from the kitchenette, when he saw Hermione, asleep on the couch. He just smiled at her, and then turned towards the kitchenette.
"Draco?" A hushed voice called out.
Draco turned to see who had called his name, he looked at Hermione; was she the one who had said his name. Draco took a few steps closer to her, listening intently, then he heard it again.
"Draco?" It was Hermione! He watched as she moved her lips, to form his name.
Is she dreaming about me Draco thought to himself, his heart hammered, and another, this time, unquestioned, smile appeared on his lips.
"You are dreaming about me, aren't you?" Draco whispered to her, he knelt down beside her and looked, intently, into her face. I wonder what she's dreaming about me for. Draco wondered.
"Oh, please, Draco," Hermione whispered in an urgent tone, she sounded as though she was pleading for her life.
Is she dreaming about me killing her? Draco's smile faded immediately for his face. Do I scare her that much?
"Please, not Draco, please don't take Draco." Hermione murmured.
Don't take Draco? Is she pleading for my life?
Draco, who had been lost in his thoughts, was pulled from them when he heard what Hermione said next, "Because, I love him." Hermione's words seemed echo throughout the room.
I love him…I love him…The words echoed though Draco's mind, as well, did she just say that she…loves me? His thoughts were broken again by Hermione's pleading voice.
"Please, don't, please don't kill him, take me, just don't kill…" There was a small pause then, "DRACO!"
Before Draco could do a thing, Hermione sat bolt upright on the couch. She looked around, and that's when she saw Draco.
Draco, who knew what was coming, closed his eyes really for her to yell at him for watching her sleep like he had been, but it never came. Instead, he felt something warm wrap around his waist, then something else lay against his covered-only-by-a-robe chest. Draco opened his eyes; Hermione was no longer lying on the couch she was, now, on the floor in front of him, and her arms around his waist, and her head against his chest.
At first, Draco was going to pull away, but something made him stop. Maybe it was the fact that she had sounded like she had been pleading for his life, not hers, in her dream, she had even offered to take his place, no one had ever done that before, not his mother, and, defiantly, not his father.
He had even been close to death a few years ago, right before his father's eyes, at the hands of Voldemort, who, surprisingly, and obviously, had let him live, but it hadn't been because his father had stepped in, it was because Draco had offered to do Voldemort's bidding, however dangerous it was. His father had actually gotten mad at him for saying that to Voldemort, and hit him with another "Crucio," and that was his punishment for trying to keep his own life.
Whatever the reason, Draco didn't, and, frankly, didn't want to, pull away from the girl wrapped around him. Hermione was now crying into his chest, she was shakily uncontrollably, as well. Draco placed his arms lightly around her, he could feel every tremble, and hear every sob, that issued from her petit little body.
Then a voice that didn't sound like his own voice, came from his mouth, it spoke gently, calmly, and soothingly, to the girl in his arms. "It's alright, Hermione, it's okay. Your fine."
"That's not what's upsetting me, it was you." Hermione sobbed into his chest, "You, you were,"
Draco never heard what he was, although he had a pretty good guess at what he was, because that was when Hermione broke down completely. She sobbed, and sobbed. Then when she couldn't cry anymore, she pulled Draco closer, as if trying to make sure that he was still there, Draco, though, had no intention of leaving her, and when she pulled him closer, he obliged without question, his voice, returning to it's normal tone, continued to sooth her.
About an hour later, Draco noticed Hermione had finally stopped crying, though her arms were still wrapped securely around his mid-section. He lifted his head a fraction of an inch; to get a view of her tear strained face that was sleeping soundly against his chest.
Draco smiled, this time, though, he knew exactly why. It was because he realized that this girl, even after all the years he had called her a "mudblood", and teased her, and her friends, Harry, and Ron, she cared about him, or at least enough that she would be sad if he died. He never before thought anyone would care if died, and that's what, for the most part, made him smile, that there was someone that would be sad to see him die, whether or not; she felt this way about everyone dying, he didn't know, nor did he care. Just the fact that he was one of those people made his heart as light as a feather. He laid his head back against the couch behind him, and, after making sure Hermione was wrapped securely in his arms, and that he was in hers, he drifted off into a content sleep.
Hermione woke up, about an hour and a half later, to find herself asleep on Draco's robe-covered chest. Ohmigod! What the hell happened? Hermione buried her head into his chest slightly, trying to think.
"Are you okay?" A voice whispered from above her head. Hermione looked up into pale blue eyes that had the slightest tinge of gray to them. Malfoy was awake, and looking at her with an odd expression on his face.
"What…what do you mean?" asked Hermione uncertainly.
"You don't remember?" Malfoy asked her, stunned, and she couldn't help but notice that his eyes seemed to have become grayer looking.
"I, I don't know," Hermione admitted to Malfoy, she racked her brain trying to remember. Then somewhere from the depths of her mind, she heard something, screaming. "I remember screaming."
Malfoy was silent for a moment, than said, "Nothing else?"
Hermione dug further into her mind, while still staying in Malfoy's, astonishingly, comforting arms. They felt so good around her; they were not only comforting, but also warm, and safe feeling. Suddenly, she noticed that this feeling of warmth, and safety was oddly familiar to her.
"I remember," Hermione started.
"Yes?" Malfoy encouraged her.
"This." Hermione told him, Malfoy, for a split second didn't seem to know what she meant, but then it looked as though his mind clicked into place. He pulled her closer to him, and rested his head on hers, as she placed it back against his chest once more.
"Do," Malfoy began, "do you mind this?"
Hermione pulled her head back slightly so she could look his in the eye. They were a bright blue color that Hermione had never seen before. She searched Malfoy's eyes for any sign of wittiness, or sarcasm, but found only the look of anticipation dancing in his eyes.
She was even slightly surprised that his eyes didn't hold anything inappropriate, either. His look was soft, gentle, and soothing, and, if it was possible with it being Malfoy, friendly.
Hermione smiled at him, but he only barely returned it, he was waiting for an answer, when Hermione, who had no clue as to how to answer him, stayed silent he loosened his already loose grip around her waist, and made to stand up.
She was about to back off when the words finally made it to her lips, "No, I don't mind this, please, stay."
Malfoy looked down at her, then he took her hands in his and stood up, bringing her up with him, he then sat down on the couch, and Hermione, led by the tender touch of his hands fell down beside him as he wrapped his arms around her once again.
Although neither would probably ever admit it, at that moment they were on the same level. There was no "pureblood", and no "mudblood", at that moment Hermione and Malfoy seemed to share something that existed on a deeper level, what it was Hermione had no clue, and she didn't really care.
Malfoy, all of a sudden broke the silence that surrounded them, "In here, I be here for you. I'll be," he hesitated a moment, then finished his outspoken thought with, "your friend…Hermione."
This made Hermione's heart almost stop. She never expected Malfoy to act this way, he was putting his whole reputation on the line, which was probably the reason that made her trust the words Draco, had just said to her.
"Thank you…Draco," Hermione said to Draco, "that means a lot, really it does."
Draco stayed silent, but she new what he was thinking, and she knew that he would never admit to it.
"It means a lot to me, too, Hermione."
Hermione's jaw dropped, he had admitted it. She looked up at Draco, trying to see, again, if he was just toying with her. In his eyes, that were now a light icy blue, she saw no trace of anything except one thing she never thought she would ever find in those eyes, hope, and slight anticipation. He was telling her the truth; she could feel it deep down in the pit of her stomach.
She smiled up at him, and he grinned back.
"So, your all right, now?" Draco asked her again.
"Will you hold me longer if I say, 'no'." Hermione asked him, a small, teasing, smile playing on her lips.
"I'd hold you longer either way," Draco told her, than he looked down at her with a sly smile placed upon his lips, "whether you said yes, or no."
Hermione smiled, Draco pulled her back to rest on his chest, and Hermione closed her eyes, and sighed deeply, taking in the smell of Draco's warm body.
A/N- How did you like that chapter. Please Read&Review! Bye bye!
By the way, i take suggestions on what could/should happen,so,feel free to add a suggestion to your reviews, and don't think you won't get credit, I'll list the people who gave me suggestions thatI used, and even ones that gave me a writers blast, I'll even put an extra chapter at the end of the story, thanking everyone who helped me, too! So, please, go right ahead and suggests things that you'd like to see happen, i'll try my best to use as many as I can!