4.
LEGILIMENS
It took Hermione a moment to see where he'd brought them because there was very little light. Only a single torch had lit up next to the door where they'd entered. They were standing at the top of a circular staircase, similar to the ones that led to the Divination and Defense Against the Dark Arts classrooms, and Hermione couldn't see the bottom as she curiously leaned over the stone handrail. Lit up by another lone torch, she saw another door one floor below on the opposite side. Except for the actual stairs, the rest was dark rough stone, damp and cold.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"Shh!"
She silently walked back to the door where he was still listening and looked at her watch. She hadn't realized how late it had gotten and the two of them were out well past curfew. Any of the professors or prefects making their nightly rounds could have heard them.
Only when he was absolutely certain that nobody was lingering outside did Malfoy finally relax. He let out a long sigh, rubbed his face and then, like an unconscious habit, ran his hands through his hair. Hermione pressed her lips together.
"All right, I think the coast is clear," he said. "Give me back my eggs and you can leave."
"I'm sorry," Hermione responded, clutching her bag. "Did I not make myself clear? You're not getting them back until I hear some explanations. Also…eggs?"
Malfoy let out an exasperated breath as Hermione cast a Muffliato spell. "Of course," he said, sounding completely resigned.
Hermione tried not to watch him too closely as he carefully undid his black tie, letting it hang loosely around his neck. She quickly averted her eyes as he unfastened the top two buttons of his shirt. She felt like she couldn't trust where her own thoughts were going.
He tiredly leaned against the door, letting himself slide down to sit on the floor. Hermione looked at him with surprise. Even she was horrified at him potentially ruining his suit on a dirty staircase floor, not to mention it was probably cold. She stopped him, conjured up a blanket and set it on the floor. Malfoy gave her a strange look but he finally sat down with his back to the door and she followed, sitting down to his left. He looked down at his hands and she could tell by the look on his face that his mind was racing. Hermione found herself thinking about how weirdly comfortable this felt. The fact that Draco Malfoy wasn't deflecting, on the defensive or belittling her left Hermione feeling pleasantly confused. Hermione would have never described Malfoy as cooperative, but their final year of Hogwarts was showing that Malfoy had changed. Strangely, he had been cooperating for a while…and it took her by surprise, but she liked it.
"What kind of eggs am I carrying?" she asked tentatively.
"Those are frozen Ashwinder eggs," he answered with sincerity. "I'm shocked you didn't recognise them."
"Hold on, but—" Hermione began but cut herself off when it suddenly hit her, and whispered. "An unattended magical fire…"
"Exactly."
"So you've been collecting eggs?"
She knew frozen Ashwinder eggs were very valuable, as they were used in several powerful potions like the Love Potion and Felix Felicis, the Liquid Luck Potion. She looked up at his face, trying to read him and realised they were closer than they'd ever been. He hadn't turned so she could only discern his profile.
"That was a fortunate coincidence," he said with a smug side smile, which didn't last long. "At first I thought I'd come to see what was left…I didn't like the thought of the vanishing cabinet still being accessible. No matter how small the possibility. I'm sure Potter told you how I got Death Eaters into the castle. Not my proudest moment."
"So you found the eggs and decided to collect them for potion-making," she guessed.
"It took me a few tries to get in, as you probably remember from that night," he explained. "Then I saw the snakes and the eggs. After that, Scamander's book gave me some answers. I've realised that the room is stuck in a weird loop. The Fyendfire creates Ashwinder snakes, they lay eggs and turn to dust. The eggs ignite shortly after—especially when I open the doors, the oxygen helps—so a new magical fire is created. Even if everything is in ashes, the room is so big and there are so many eggs that somehow it's enough for new snakes to appear and lay new eggs. The freezing spell is not effective for the size of the room, as you saw. I've been trying to find another solution, but in the meantime…yeah, I've been collecting frozen eggs."
He let out a big sigh when he finished. Hermione had been absorbed in the story, picturing the fire and snakes cycle in the Room of Hidden Things as he told it. The mystery she had tried to figure out for two months was something that hadn't yet been solved.
"I'm Ashwinder-frozen-egg-rich," Malfoy added with a scoff, shaking his head. Against her better judgement, Hermione laughed and she felt him turn his head towards her for the first time since they'd sat down.
"I could let it be—the room, I mean," he finally said after a long moment. She felt his breath moving her hair. It had started to frizz up again and she nervously tugged at the ends, trying to pull them straight. "But it's my fault it ended up like that."
When she turned her head, he looked away.
"I have to fix it," he continued. "I brought Crabbe and Goyle in there after Potter. As soon as we found out that you'd organised Dumbledore's Army, I started training them. Well, as much as they could be trained anyway, the stupid gits. Goyle wasn't a great duellist, but Crabbe turned out to be pretty decent. He was just too self-confident in his abilities, I suppose."
Hermione paid attention to his tone when he spoke about his old cronies. She didn't detect an ounce of affection for them or hurt from Crabbe's death. He only seemed remorseful that he'd destroyed the Room of Hidden Things. She had always known that Crabbe and Goyle were accessories to Malfoy, but she assumed that they were still his closest friends. Now he seemed to regard them with bitterness and resentment.
Without giving it much thought, she reached out and grabbed his forearm to comfort him. She immediately regretted it when he hissed and moved it closer to his chest. He inhaled sharply, as though she'd hurt him. The realisation hit her when she looked at his face and saw how he was trying to not let her see his pain. She reached again for his forearm and he tried to move away from her, but there was a wall stopping him.
"Don't," he warned.
"Let me see," she demanded. She knew what she'd see there, but it wasn't supposed to hurt now, was it? "Come on."
He gritted his teeth, moving his head to one side and closing his eyes. "No."
"Please," she whispered. I have no idea why, but I want to help you, she wanted to say, but couldn't find the courage.
Malfoy let out a grunt, but he finally conceded and shrugged off his suit jacket. Carefully, he undid the two sleeve buttons on his black shirt and rolled the sleeve up. He stopped when he reached his elbow, his head rolling back against the door and his eyes closing again.
"Why is this happening?" he muttered quietly, almost inaudibly.
She gently grabbed his arm and turned it up towards her, revealing a nasty sight. She knew what she was expecting and this wasn't it.
"What the—" she began.
He moved his arm to free himself, but she didn't let him. In the place where Voldemort's Dark Mark had once been was now a mixture of slightly raised scar tissue and fresh wounds, like a gruesome allergic reaction and deep scratches going in different directions.
"You have to go to Madam Pomfrey!" Hermione said urgently. "This is—"
"What happens when you stupidly get involved with dark magic," he finished and sighed, finally freeing himself and rolling his sleeve back down. "It started before Voldemort died. I fucked it up further by scratching it and it got infected. Serves me right."
Hermione appreciated the fact that he was able to say the Dark Lord's name without flinching.
"What do you mean it started before?" she asked.
"I don't know, it rejected me or something," he responded.
"Or you rejected him."
Malfoy looked at her in wonder and visibly swallowed hard. "I witnessed things I'll never be able to unsee."
She saw his eyes travel down to the base of her throat, where a two-inch-long, thin and bright white scar was still there from Bellatrix's enchanted knife.
"It's not all your fault, you know. You were chosen by Voldemort to carry out a heinous task but you didn't do it. Harry told me everything that happened." He looked away while she spoke. "And then you didn't give him away to Bellatrix. That was brave."
"I saw what they were really like. My aunt…She was vicious, even my father was scared of her. But Snape—He saved me," he said shaking his head. "I was so stubborn! I had to do it, I needed to. For my parents…my mother." He said the last word in a choked voice.
Hermione looked at his profile and noticed a tear had escaped while his eyes were closed. She couldn't explain what she felt at that moment. This boy, now a man, had suffered alone for so long and was now opening his heart to her, trusting her with this other side of him, his agonising past and family. She thought about her own parents and what she'd pulled herself through for them. She'd saved their lives and lost them in the process.
"We all had to do what was necessary to save our family," she said in a whisper. "To survive."
Hermione could feel her own eyes brimming with tears. He fixed his glassy eyes to hers and she saw them shine in the torchlight. She swallowed the lump in her throat. For the first time since she'd been reintroduced to this new Draco Malfoy, she let herself really feel and was able to admit to herself that she found him attractive. And not just on a physical level. He was still going through the process of letting go of old prejudices but it was obvious he'd already changed on a deeper level.
Something Albus Dumbledore said during one of his new school year speeches still resonated with her: "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." For this one moment, Hermione decided to let some light into her heart.
She searched his eyes for a clue that they weren't on the same page but didn't find any. He leaned in closer and paused for a second to give her a chance to stop him. She didn't want to. The next moment, she was closing her eyes as his lips made contact with hers. They felt slightly chapped and the kiss wasn't what she'd described as sweet, but she didn't mind. Malfoy's mouth moved expertly and assertively over hers before licking her lower lip, seeking permission. When she granted it, opening her mouth a bit more, she felt his tongue twisting with hers effortlessly. She heard a low moan and realised it came out of her when she imagined what other talents he possessed when he was that good of a kisser.
Much too soon, he broke the kiss, pulling back and taking in some air. She noticed then how, in the process, they'd moved their bodies completely towards each other and he'd put his hand on her knee. She could feel his warmth through her sheer tights. She willed her heart to subside its pounding beats and brought her hands to her cheeks. They felt like they were on fire.
As for Malfoy, his eyes were looking at her wide open, seemingly in disbelief. "Bloody Hell," he whispered.
"Yeah," she whispered back.
He cleared his throat and removed his hand from her leg, looking down. All of a sudden, the air was thick with awkwardness.
"It's late," Hermione finally said after a few seconds of heavy silence.
"Right," he said before standing up.
He surprised her by extending his hand for her to take. She looked at it, feeling it was a more significant offering than it seemed, so she took it. He gently pulled her to stand and she got rid of the blanket with a swish of her wand.
"I'll see you around, Granger," he said moving towards the first staircase steps.
"Where does that lead to?" she asked curiously.
"The door on the next floor goes to Slughorn's office," he explained. "The rest leads to the dungeons on the Potions classroom side of the marble stairs."
Hermione nodded in understanding but Malfoy didn't leave. Instead, he approached her again and gave her a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth.
"I liked it, by the way," he said softly. "Don't want to leave you with a different impression."
"Okay," she said with a smile, suddenly giddy. "Me too, yeah."
"Take care of my eggs, will you?" he said while walking down the staircase, flashing her a cheeky smile.
"Sure." Hermione chuckled. "And I'll help you find a solution to fix the room."
She saw him salute her and after making sure nobody was outside, she left for Gryffindor Tower with her heart feeling much lighter than it had in months.
· - ·
The following week, Hermione was glad to see the dark circles under Malfoy's eyes slowly disappear but that only happened at the expense of seeing him less in the library. However, she believed it was because he trusted her to help him.
Hermione was thankful to find Ginny asleep when she returned to the dormitory on Halloween night. Hermione was even more thankful that her friend seemingly forgot about her sudden disappearance because she hadn't asked about it. But by Monday during class, Ginny seemed to hover more closely to Hermione, who in turn, tried to avoid Malfoy's gaze and prevent her blush from instantly appearing.
On Saturday at eleven, there was a highly-anticipated Quidditch match: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Ginny was playing, so Hermione walked together with Luna—who was sporting her famous lion-topped hat in support of Gryffindor—towards the pitch, following the big crowd. Before they arrived there, Hermione spotted Malfoy, Nott and Zabini walking, clad in their green and silver ensemble. She hadn't talked to them all week and felt weird approaching them, so she just kept an eye on them. The two girls managed to find a seat a few rows above the trio and they blended right in with a group of Gryffindor fifth-years led by Dennis Creevey.
Hermione didn't enjoy flying herself, but she always had fun watching Quidditch. Even though Harry had made her heart stop more than once, he'd been a natural seeker since their first year at Hogwarts. Later on, she got to watch Ron play keeper, but he wasn't at the same skill level as Harry or Ginny. He loved being part of the team and played well when he had the confidence, but it was obvious that he was only an average player.
Luna pointed her wand at her hat, which let out a very realistic roar, and everyone seated near them sharply turned around, looking for the source of it. Hermione's eyes travelled down to the blond boy, who she realised was watching her. He flashed her a smirk which she hoped nobody noticed, until Theo Nott, in between the other two, turned to his friend. He looked around and found Hermione, who saw him chuckle and wave before turning back around. The fifth-years surrounding her were chatting excitedly amongst themselves and Dennis quickly began talking her ear off before the game started. Meanwhile, Hermione felt suddenly hot, almost suffocatingly so in her Gryffindor hat and scarf. What had Nott seen in Malfoy's face to make him search for the cause and chuckle at her? Had the blond told him what transpired in the staircase?
It ended up not being a very long game. The Slytherin team was lacking a solid defence and their seeker wasn't as sharp as Ginny. All in all, Gryffindor won by a landslide and the crowd cheered loudly before exiting the stadium. Hermione and Luna sat down, waiting for people to disperse as neither of them were fond of crowds. Hermione saw the Slytherin trio, who were also waiting in their seats, was joined by Roman Higgs. She was glad to see how they accepted the first-year boy without much fuss, commenting on the game while watching some players still on their brooms, flying about in celebration. She wondered whether Malfoy missed playing as he'd also been a seeker since his second year.
When most students had left the bleachers, Hermione tentatively led Luna down to where the boys were now standing, ready to leave. Before she could say anything, Nott spotted her again.
"Good game, Gryffindor!" he exclaimed. "Congrats."
"Yeah, thanks," Hermione answered smiling.
"Your friend Weasley is fun to watch," Zabini interjected. "She's spunky."
This surprised Hermione. It was probably the first positive thing she'd heard Zabini say, when not referring to himself, anyway.
"Especially next to our lousy team," Malfoy murmured, shaking his head. "What a disgrace."
Nott nudged his friend and said, "They could use a seeker like you back on it."
"Are you mental?" Malfoy said indignantly. "I have enough to do without my evenings filled with practise as well."
His eyes fell on Hermione who'd been watching this interaction. Their comradery amused her for some reason.
"Hey, Miss Hermione!" Roman greeted her.
"Hi, Roman," Hermione said and turned to her friend, whose eyes were down on the now-empty pitch. "This is Luna Lovegood."
Luna's eyes seemed to refocus and register the people around her for the first time.
"Hello," she said politely, looking at the Slytherin boys.
"Hi," the boy said, his cheeks turning a little pink.
The six of them began walking towards the exit and down the stairs with Malfoy and Zabini in the front, followed by Luna and Roman, and finally Hermione and Nott a few steps behind them. A gust of wind blew the loosely-tied scarf from around her neck and Hermione had to climb back up several steps to retrieve it. Much to her surprise, Nott was still on the same step patiently waiting for her. Zabini had engaged Malfoy in a rather intense looking conversation so they hadn't noticed and kept on walking. Roman seemed to be focusing on Luna, staring at her every few seconds while she observed the path's surroundings distractedly.
"So," Nott said while Hermione wrapped the scarf around her neck more firmly.
"Hmm?" she asked. He'd started walking a bit slower to put more distance between them and his friends.
"What's up with you and Draco?" he asked quietly.
It was a good thing she'd pulled her scarf higher because now it hid her flaming cheeks. She felt both embarrassed and angry imagining Malfoy could have told Nott about what happened.
"I don't know what you mean, Nott," she deflected.
"First of all, I've told you to call me Theo," he said. "Second of all, dumb doesn't suit you, Hermione. So spill, because he won't and I'm curious."
"He won't?" she asked surprised, mostly wondering to herself. Theo sighed.
"He's the most stubborn person I know," he said before eyeing her. "Well, maybe not anymore."
Hermione let out a weak grunt of protest.
"He came back late after dinner last week and Quidditch Queen over there," he said pointing to the stadium now behind them, "says you also came back late."
"You've talked to Ginny about me?"
Hermione stopped walking and he did the same beside her. She thought Ginny either hadn't noticed, had forgotten or decided not to question her about getting back after curfew. Hermione couldn't decide whether she preferred her friend's or Theo's interrogation.
"I only asked her because I had my suspicions," Theo said firmly. "So am I right then, that you've been seeing my handsome friend behind our backs?"
"I'm not sure how to answer that," Hermione said. Both she and Malfoy hadn't told their closest friends for some reason.
"So you have," Theo declared with a satisfied smile and walking ahead.
"I didn't say that!" she called loudly after him.
Malfoy, Zabini, Roman and Luna heard her yelling and turned to see them far behind.
"What are you two gossiping about?" Malfoy asked suspiciously.
"Dunno," Theo said when he reached his friends before continuing mockingly, "Do your mind magic, see what you find."
He said it so matter-of-factly that Hermione thought he wasn't teasing anymore, but actually suggesting it.
"What mind magic?" she asked, frowning and struggling to keep up with the boys' long strides.
"You ever heard of legilimency?" Theo asked. "Probably the best thing Draco learned while enlisted in the dark side."
"Shut up, Theo," Malfoy said irritably and the six of them fell silent.
She'd heard of legilimency, of course. Voldemort had been the most powerful Legilimens of his time, being able to use that link to infiltrate Harry's mind from a distance and use it as a tool to lure him into a trap at the Ministry's Department of Mysteries. Professor Snape had been tasked with teaching Harry occlumency so that he could try and block Voldemort's powers on him.
Had Malfoy used it on her? Whenever she felt like his eyes gleamed on her intently, was he reading her mind? But it needed an incantation and a wand. Surely he wasn't so skilled that he could nonverbally use the spell…or was he? Did he know how she was attracted to him and used it to his advantage?
"What's legilimency?" Roman asked.
"Legilimens is a charm used to see into somebody's mind and Occlumens is used to block it," Luna recited as though she was reading a textbook. "It's quite advanced magic."
"Woah!" Roman exclaimed, impressed. "You can do that, Draco? You can read minds?"
Malfoy stopped walking and faced the others who looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and bafflement. He sighed, looking almost resigned at first, but then seemed determined to end the conversation.
"I'd prefer not to discuss something that's none of your concern," he said harshly, his eyes searching the others until he found Hermione's at the end of the group. Finally, he looked back at Roman, who seemed alarmed by Malfoy's response. "Also, don't call it mind-reading. It's not as simple as that."
To Hermione it seemed as though he'd just confirmed it, but she couldn't be sure until she talked to him. As they reached the castle and climbed the stairs up to the Great Hall for lunch, she was still pondering whether it was something she ought to bring up to him, especially when he seemed angry with Theo.
· - ·
Ginny joined Hermione and Luna for lunch shortly after the Slytherins dispersed to their own table. While her redheaded friend yapped about the game, Hermione couldn't stop thinking about the implications of what she'd learned. She didn't regret sharing that intimate moment with Malfoy and she'd eventually have to talk to him and have him explain everything, but that left her questioning yet again whether she could trust him. She hadn't expected to be publicly declared as his girlfriend after one kiss, but the fact that they were both keeping their encounter in the dark made her wonder what else he was hiding. Was this new potential friendship worth it?
She didn't want to bother Ginny at the moment, though she knew she'd have to tell her soon. But then who else could she talk to?
The Gryffindor table during lunch held the rowdiest crowd. Any other day and from another table, it would have felt annoying, but seeing the happiness on Ginny's face and the rest of the team was infectious. They were radiating with energy and lifting the spirits of everyone at the Gryffindor table. The Slytherins looked completely deflated and everyone at their table seemed resigned. Hermione avoided looking over at the losing team's table, especially when she realized that Theo and Malfoy were trying to catch her gaze.
When Hermione left the Great Hall, however, she couldn't escape them anymore. She told Ginny she was heading to the Gryffindor common room to finish revising an Ancient Runes essay and was walking up the marble staircase when Theo Nott caught up to her.
"Hermione, hold up," he called.
She stopped and sighed, but didn't turn around. He climbed the stairs and stood one step above her, his palms raised in a placating manner.
"He's not evil, okay? I promise," he said faster than usual and in an almost desperate tone. Used to his jokes and teasing, she had to admit he sounded honest. "I thought you'd be impressed, not appalled. I swear you can trust him. And me. You can trust us."
"I believe you," she conceded after a moment. And it was true. For some reason, she believed they were genuine. The problem was, could she trust herself? Could she give into whatever it was she felt towards Malfoy as quickly as she'd done a week before?
"Will you talk to him?" Theo asked. "Please?"
"Yes, of course." If she was to help Malfoy, she couldn't avoid him forever, could she?
"Thanks," Theo said grinning happily. "Hopefully now he'll stop being upset with me, the git."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's not your fault we don't know each other that well."
"Right? It's what I said!" Theo chuckled and winked at her. "By the way, I never talked to Ginny, but now I know."
He descended the stairs, leaving Hermione behind with her mouth open. Theo Nott was a Slytherin, all right!
"You, cunning—" She began.
"See you around, Hermione," Theo ended with a fake dreamy voice.
He disappeared at the end of the staircase, walking through the door that led to the Slytherin common room just as Malfoy and Zabini walked out of the Great Hall. They'd certainly heard their friend, and Malfoy looked up to see Hermione on the stairs. She nodded once at him before continuing on to the seventh floor.
· - ·
Sunday passed by in a blur of homework and revisions, and before long it was Monday again, which was packed with classes for Hermione. During lunch, Professor McGonagall approached her with a request to see her the next day, when Hermione's schedule was free. Noticing the girl's anxious face, McGonagall assured her there was no reason to worry, as she simply wanted to discuss her future career plans. That didn't comfort Hermione, who still hadn't decided what she wanted to do beyond Hogwarts.
Thus, the next day, she trudged up to the Headmistress' tower nervously. The gargoyle at the entrance to the Headmistress office must have had instructions to let Hermione in, unlike last time. Hermione entered the circular room where everything was in precise order, just like she remembered.
"Hello, Miss Granger," a voice upon the opposite wall to the door greeted. Hermione looked up in its direction to see the kind, warm and wise expression on Albus Dumbledore's face from his portrait above the desk.
It was the first time she'd heard him speak. From what she knew about paintings in the magical world, she'd hoped she'd get to talk to him one day. Theoretically, the more powerful the witch or wizard and the more precise the portrait was, the more accurate they'd behave according to how they were in real life when they still lived. Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard in the world and the great detail in his painting, which made him look like a mere reflection on a mirror, made her suspect this portrait to be almost the same as having him in the flesh.
"Hello, Sir," she responded, smiling.
"I believe there was cause for celebration this weekend," Dumbledore said with a characteristic twinkle in his eyes.
"Oh, yes," she said. "The Gryffindor Quidditch team played an excellent game. It was almost too easy."
"Indeed." He winked at her before sobering slightly. "Professor McGonagall is in a meeting right now."
"I know," Hermione said nervously. "She told me to wait for her."
"Is there something on your mind I can help you with?" Dumbledore asked kindly.
"We're supposed to be discussing what I'd like to do in the future, I think?" she said questioningly. "I just don't know…Well, I have a general idea, but I'm not sure yet."
"That's quite all right, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said. "Sometimes having broad interests and knowledge opens up so many options we don't know how to choose only one."
"Sir, how do I know what's the best option?" she asked.
"Oh, there might not be a 'best' one at all," he responded. "You must figure out how to make it work with whichever hat you pick, or you'll end up spending your whole life trying on different ones."
Hermione was well aware of Dumbledore's wisdom and he had a history of giving great advice, but she thought this might have been one of the least helpful. Perhaps, accurate portraits or not, talking to one didn't do the real person justice at all.
"You could start going down the path of least resistance first," he continued, "or you could fight for a more challenging, yet rewarding one."
"Right," she responded looking down, suddenly wishing for McGonagall to show up soon.
"You have many wonderful qualities, indeed. You should lean on them and find inside yourself what you most desire for your future," Dumbledore said vaguely. "Forgiveness is one of your most powerful."
"What?" she asked alarmed.
"I know things, Miss Granger," he explained. "I have my…connections, you see."
He opened his arms, motioning to the other paintings in McGonagall's office, and Hermione looked around. She saw a particular old man in a small portrait, one of the other previous Hogwarts headmasters, giggling conspiratorially and she immediately understood. They probably told Dumbledore what happened all over the castle, just like they used to do when he occupied this office. And he now could travel about the other paintings as well and tell Professor McGonagall what he saw and knew.
It occurred to her that some, if not all, of Dumbledore's knowledge may still reside inside these walls.
"What can you tell me about legilimency, Professor?" Hermione asked. "I know a skilled Legilimens can control someone else's mind. Voldemort did it to Harry."
"You are correct."
"Did Voldemort teach legilimency to Death Eaters, Sir?" she asked.
"I don't think so, no," Dumbledore answered after a moment.
"Professor Snape taught Harry," Hermione said. "And he'd been a Death Eater."
"Yes, but he only had a special interest in it for his survival."
Hermione pondered this while pacing in front of the portrait and she could see how Snape's situation could apply to Malfoy, learning a skill only for personal survival reasons.
"I don't need a charm to know you have something on your mind, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said with a knowing expression. "Is this about your new friend?"
She looked up at him and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Of course, he knew.
"I just learned the other day that Draco Malfoy is a Legilimens," she said earnestly. "I just wonder if he might be skilled enough to use the charm wandlessly, as well as nonverbally."
"You're questioning whether he can enter your mind," Dumbledore clarified.
As cryptic as the real Dumbledore had been, this new version of him was much too bold for Hermione's taste. She blushed slightly, looking away and muttering affirmatively.
"I believe," Dumbledore paused. "I believe young Malfoy is a very powerful wizard and certainly talented in many subjects, including legilimency and occlumency."
Hermione took a breath and held it, fearing he might confirm the worst suspicions at the back of her mind.
"But being powerful and skilled is not a detriment to the other many qualities he also possesses," Dumbledore stated. "I found he showed me a great deal of compassion, for instance."
He didn't murder you, Hermione thought crudely.
"I myself was a Legilimens and from my experience," Dumbledore began pointedly, "he is highly skilled at legilimency and occlumency. Malfoy is certainly very powerful at wandless and nonverbal magic, but his character also goes to show that he has great potential to turn his life around. And I believe he's already started doing it."
Just as Hermione was about to ask him to elaborate, the door to the office opened and Professor McGonagall came striding in through it.
"Inter-house unity, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said loudly. "That is the key."
· - ·
After a brief conversation with McGonagall about her future, Hermione left the Headmistress' office. Hermione had little to offer the Professor in terms of her future career, but the conversation with Dumbledore had enlightened her somehow.
As she walked up the stairs, her thoughts went back to Malfoy. He had always been a strong wizard. She recalled him using difficult spells they hadn't been taught. He summoned a snake during Duelling Club their second year, he managed to fix a vanishing cabinet, and successfully performed unforgivable courses, or at least was capable of them. And like Dumbledore said, Malfoy was multitalented, very knowledgeable of potions and other N.E.W.T. level subjects, and an excellent flyer and seeker. Most notably, having grown up in a pureblood family and knowing all his life that he was a wizard, gave him a great advantage before he even stepped foot in Hogwarts. The fact that at one point he'd used all his potential for the dark arts unnerved Hermione.
She wondered what his career would be after Hogwarts. She assumed he didn't have as many options as her. Seeing how some people still treated him inside of school, she could only imagine what it must be like for him outside. Many businesses openly refused people like the Malfoys and other families related to known Death Eaters. Some simply put signs on their doors, while others blatantly ignored them and refused to offer their services.
McGonagall hadn't seemed worried when Hermione told her she was still thinking about what she wanted to do, but urged her to find something before the school year ended. The sense of immediacy in the woman's words scared her. What if she couldn't decide on a proper job and got stuck working in a Ministry department as her secure option? She hated to think of Dumbledore's words: the path of least resistance.
By the time she was approaching the fifth floor, her mind started spiralling, her palms sweating, her heart beating faster and she noticed a constant ringing in her ears. She tried taking a few calming breaths, but it wasn't working. She knew what it meant when the world surrounding her started dimming, dizzying her, she was hyperventilating and her arms and hands felt numb and tingling. She felt like she was going to pass out in the middle of the staircase, maybe fall down and break her neck. Nobody was around but they'd eventually find her sprawled on the landing below.
Slowly and faintly, she felt how she was floating in mid-air travelling through a bright corridor. She closed her eyes. She felt cold under her as she landed on a hard surface, but something enveloped her, something soft that made her huddle against it, seeking its warmth. A familiar scent overwhelmed her, a smooth voice murmured in her ear, and little by little her heart rate went down. She wasn't struggling to breathe as much and she could consciously start to calm down.
As her surroundings came back to focus, she knew she was on the floor and somebody was hugging her. She burrowed her face into his chest, inhaling his comforting scent.
"You're okay," he was whispering. "You're safe. I have you."
She slowly came to the realisation that for the first time since coming back to Hogwarts, she'd had a panic attack in the open. It hadn't been the worst to date because for the first time she had someone to lean on. Draco Malfoy had come to her rescue when she most needed it. And as much as she hated showing him her greatest weakness, she was also grateful, because he seemed to know what to do to help.
"You're okay," he repeated with his mouth against her ear. "Let it pass, that's it. Breathe in and out, just focus on that."
Several minutes passed and it was long after her anxiety had subsided when she allowed herself to open her eyes. They were in the prefects' bathroom, on the floor next to the giant tub. Malfoy was propped on a pillar with Hermione between his legs and arms. They'd been silent for a while.
She finally raised her head and saw him watching her, his eyelids half-closed. She swallowed hard and looked down to his neck which was level with her eyes. She didn't know where to begin thanking him. She moved back a bit, so his hands stopped their soothing circles on her back and travelled down her arms.
"Feeling better?" he asked.
"Much," she responded in a hoarse voice. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," he said in a worried tone. "Glad I found you."
"Yeah, well," she muttered. "Now you know how weak I am, no need to read my mind."
He lightly squeezed her wrists. Had she been watching his face, she would have seen him flinch.
"You are not weak, Hermione Granger," he said firmly, his loud voice breaking the peace of the room. "Not by any means. And I don't have to tell you, because I think you know that."
She raised her head sharply and their gazes connected. It was true that she'd never been outwardly self-deprecating. But after the war, the more she'd felt that now-familiar debilitating anxiety and the more she'd researched muggle psychology books, the more it had chipped away at her confidence. She felt silly voicing it to Malfoy, but even more so hearing him raise her up.
"You're said to be the brightest witch of your age for a reason, are you not?" he continued, shaking his head. "Do you know how many times I went back home and had to admit defeat at being second best after you? It was infuriating! But then to top it all off, you're not just a swot, you're also a Gryffindor, so bloody brave and just…noble and forgiving. And you know what? You're the hardest person to read here! I wouldn't try invading your mind, but when you approached me, I just had to know your intentions. I could only sense that you wanted to genuinely help me, that's it. I think because your mind probably has so many more layers—" Malfoy ran out of breath and let her wrists go to put his hands on her cheeks.
"You're bloody brilliant, Hermione," he said looking at her intently. "You can cite any passage from any book you've ever read, you can recall any quote from anybody…You're just the best in any subject you put your mind to. A stupid panic attack is not going to change that."
She was about to cry, but she swallowed the lump in her throat and put her hands over his on her face.
"What did you just call me?" she asked with a deeply buried emotion blooming in her chest.
"Sorry?" He sounded like he didn't know what she was referring to, but maybe felt he'd offended her somehow.
"No! You said my name!"
"Oh," he said realising he'd called her by her given name instead of Granger like usual. His face changed from confused to indignant. "Is that all you took from my whole speech, that I called you Hermione?"
A smile took over her entire face and a heavy weight had been lifted from her.
"I like it," she confessed.
"I prefer Granger myself, but okay," he said smugly.
"Thank you," she said soberly. She didn't specify what for, but she hoped he understood.
"You're welcome," he responded. "But I wasn't done."
"Oh?" she said, raising her brows.
"Yeah, uh," he said and cleared his throat. "You're also very fit. But anybody with a pair of eyes can see that."
Hermione giggled, feeling like a schoolgirl. Draco Malfoy had complimented her for five minutes straight, including her looks. What kind of an alternate reality was this? Whatever response she might have had was silenced with his searing kiss, which she welcomed greatly.
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A/N. Aaaay! AurorEowyn Girl of Chaos rock! :3
Happy Summer Solstice, everyone (in the Northern Hemisphere, that is). We're halfway through this insane year, so hang in there. See you next Monday!