Chapter 2
All characters belong to JK Rowling.
A/N: The flashbacks will not be at every chapter, only if a back story is needed.
Draco stared blankly at the moving scenery outside the train window. Her words were still replaying in his head. It was replaying when he walked back to the castle. It was replaying when he walked to the carriage to board the train. It was replaying now.
"because of us, filthy, disgusting, mudbloods"
He had not thought of her filthy and disgusting for a long time. Witnessing his own aunt casting the Cruciatus Curse on her, carving mudblood into her skin sobered him up. He did not have the hateful capability as a Death Eater. He could not deny that he enjoyed taunting mudbloods whenever there was an opportunity in the past. He knew he said he wished she was the next target when the Chamber of Secrets was opened. Things changed when he saw her lying down on his drawing-room, screaming, he almost wanted to stop his aunt. Not because of any affection towards her but her scream was deafening. Her scream was haunting. Her scream was not the juvenile shriek when he made her teeth bigger in fourth-year.
"because of us, filthy, disgusting, mudbloods"
She mentioned about Potter's mother. He never realised it either. If only Lily Potter never gave up her life, everyone's life on this train would be very different. If his sixth-year never happened, he probably would say life would be better. Of course, sixth-year happened. Seventh-year happened too. He always hated Professor Burbage, teaching the useless Mudblood Studies, as he once called it. A few times he told his Slytherin friends that Hogwarts would be a better school if that subject was gone. If that useless professor was gone. He got his wish. That professor was floating above his dining room table and coldly murdered. He passed out after seeing that professor died. When he woke up, he heard someone mentioned that Nagini ate that professor as dinner. He passed out again.
"because of us, filthy, disgusting, mudbloods"
"Daphne, did Hermione say anything to you?" Daphne slightly jerked with the sudden question from him.
"About her attending muggle school?" asked her. Draco gazed into Daphne's eyes to see if she was feigning ignorance. He curtly nodded as an answer. So, Daphne knew about Cambridge but not about her reason. Seeing Daphne's neutral reaction, he knew she did not tell Daphne the same way as when she told him.
"She is not going to attend the school," Daphne smugly said. He looked up hearing this.
"How do you know?"
"Hermione told me the examination will be held next week and she had not been studying much since she prioritised N.E.W.T. I did my research; Cambridge acceptance rate is really low. I doubt she can study enough for the next seven days or so to catch up the entire muggle education that she missed," Daphne continued to explain smugly.
"I don't know, Daph, she is the brightest witch of our age. Her not-studying-much is probably equivalent to all of our study efforts combined," said Theo.
"Theodore, it's Daphne, and I refused to believe she will be leaving our world for some muggle school. She can't do that to her friends!"
"Seriously, Daphne, you are friends with her for a year and suddenly you are sad that she may leave to the place she belongs? You should be happy that she is returning to her rightful place." Draco clenched his fist hearing Pansy's sneer. He was reminded of the image when Hermione told her that she would be leaving the wizarding world. He never realised it then, but he had mental pictures of them after graduation. There were flashes of images of them hanging out together with the other eight-years, them attending quidditch games together with their friends and them having dinner together. Just him and her. She threw ice-cold water to those images with her cutting words.
"What is wrong with you and Draco? I thought both of you have grown up! She is a friend, we spent so much time together for the past year!" Daphne stood up and walked out of the Slytherin carriage. Blaise followed her. Theo pretended to take a nap to avoid the awkward silence. Pansy was fuming, feeling betrayed that her close friend sided Hermione. Draco stood up and chose to walk out of the carriage.
"because of us, filthy, disgusting, mudbloods"
Another thing that happened after the war, everyone was free to enter other houses' carriage. Previously, stares would be thrown when one invaded another carriage. After the war, such restriction seemed silly and everyone simply walked in and out of their designated carriages. Draco gave himself a pitiful chuckle. Indirectly, the reason he could freely walk towards where she sat was because of her too.
Draco found Hermione, Daphne and Blaise in one of the rowdy compartments, filled with mainly eighth and seventh-years graduates. He saw them laughing together, drinking butterbeer and nibbling on Every Flavour Beans. Judging by the amount of confectionary on the compartment, seemed like someone purchased the entire trolley. He stared at her for some time, wishing she had the easy expression with him again. After a while, Hermione raised her head and saw him. Her expression turned cold. Daphne saw the change in expression and turned her head, immediately shaking her head in annoyance towards him.
"Welcome back, everyone. All of you eight-years, I am just glad to see you here, alive, taking my class," greeted Flitwick. He scanned the room once again and forced himself to cheer up. He started talking about today's lesson. He mentioned since everyone in the room is of age, they would be learning how to turn water into wine. It would be a light-hearted lesson and at the end of the day, everyone would drink whatever liquid on their goblet. Flitwick also mentioned that since there might be possible awkwardness after the war, he would pair up students to work together.
Draco was paired with Seamus. To say the wine tasted horrible was putting it mildly. It tasted like as if instead of fermenting, the grapes rotted. Flitwick mentioned because there was no chemistry when they both cast the spell. Again, that was probably putting it mildly. Seamus hated his partner. Draco knew the hate was justified but he refused to swallow his pride. Instead, he probably made it worse by taunting the Irish. Draco was more surprised that no explosion happened when they both tried to cast the spell.
Meanwhile, Hermione and Daphne were paired together. While they did not interact much throughout the years, they were also civil enough to each other. Daphne had never bullied Hermione. At the end of the lesson, Hermione and Daphne seemed to become best friends. Their wine was perfect, as expected. Pansy snorted, there was hate dancing in her eyes seeing one of her close friends being friendly with her enemy.
After that Charms lesson, Daphne and Hermione started hanging out together. Sometimes, Ginny would join one of their girly sessions. Daphne also slowly asked her Slytherin friends to hang out with Hermione. Blaise and Theo were the first to welcome her. Just like Daphne, the two of them had never openly shown hostility towards Hermione. Pansy had never accepted her. She would not join anytime they hung out with Hermione. No love was lost from Hermione either.
Draco was at the hardest spot. Initially, he did not know how to behave around her. They had too many unpleasant histories together. Putting aside his school bullying, how could they recover from the skirmish at his house? He saw her arm, the word had faded, to an unsuspecting eye, it was simply an ugly scar. To him, he could still read "mudblood". As part of his personal repentance, he would force himself to join Daphne's get together, just to show that he could hang with muggle-borns. He would keep quiet most of the time unless to talk to Blaise or Theo. Hermione would talk to everyone and pretended he was not there.
Finally, on one occasion, Hermione was grimacing at the mention of quidditch. Draco retorted, defending his favourite sport. It was reflex, without realising who he was arguing with. Suddenly, everyone was silent. That was the first time they both exchange words to each other. She chose to break the silence by continuing the grimace. He too continued his defence. Ginny joined to defend quidditch. Daphne sided with Hermione. Blaise was torn, to side with his girlfriend or to side with his love for quidditch. Since that day, he continued to tease her, although it was never with hate. They never once had a proper and civil conversation. But they both knew; they would be fine.
Until now. Draco gulped.
He was thinking of entering the compartment and asked Hermione to come and talk to him. What would he say? He never had a proper conversation with her. He could swallow his pride and apologize for whatever she heard at Potions classroom. He could but he did not want to. Humbling himself was such a foreign concept to him. What made her so special that he should swallow his pride for her? He chuckled silently, nothing. With that, he turned his body and strolled back to the Slytherin carriage. Every step he took, he could hear himself asking if she was nothing, why were his steps felt so heavy?
"because of us, filthy, disgusting, mudbloods"
The train had finally come to a halt at King's Cross. All the students were rushing out, looking for their parents. Hermione stepped out from the train and held back her tears. There was nobody to welcome her. She would go back to her parents' house from King's Cross. She would then start studying for A-Level. All alone.
She was getting her trunk out when a hand snatched it away. Hermione turned back, ready to hex the person when she saw Harry. She hugged him immediately.
"What are you doing here!" Hermione heard herself screeching. Between his training and her studying for two major examinations, they did not have the chance to meet up.
"Picking you up," answered Harry calmly. Ginny now had joined them. She looked at the couple, puzzled at Harry's action.
"You are staying with me at Grimmauld Place while you study for your A-Level and it is not up for discussion."
"I can't do that! I will be imposing on you!"
"Hermione, there is only me and Kreacher at the big house. Kreacher will probably be happy he has someone to cook for other than me," said Harry drily. Hermione looked at Ginny.
"It was my idea. You did not say it but I know you hate your childhood home now. Going back alone will be too cruel for you." Ginny choked. Hermione hugged her. She did not realise it but she was crying. She thought she hide it well enough, that it did not hurt to not see her parents welcoming her. It did not hurt for her to be alone in her house. It did not hurt to study for Cambridge for the parents that she lost. But it did. Everything hurt.
They broke the hug; Ginny was patting her back. Harry was carrying her trunk, asking her if she was ready to go back.
"Good luck, Granger." Hermione froze at the words. Draco Malfoy was sneering at her. The sneer did not reach his eyes, she observed.
"Enjoy your peace, Malfoy," she replied coldly. The ice reached her eyes, he observed.
Narcissa Malfoy approached the three of them. She gave a curt greeting towards Harry, a slight nod of head towards Ginny and nothing for Hermione. The silence was so sharp, it could probably kill someone.
"We shall make our move. It was nice meeting you." Narcissa finally spoke something after a few beats. Her farewell was meant for Harry and all five of them knew that. She slowly walked away, Draco following behind her while pushing his trolley. After about twenty steps, he stopped and looked behind. He was wishing hard that she was watching him walk away.
He was looking at an empty space. The three of them had left to wherever they were going. That was it, he thought. That was his goodbye with her. He heard his mother called his name and he quickly pushed his trolley to join her. Maybe, perhaps, if only he looked behind after ten steps, he would see what he wanted to see.