Discalimer: The Harry Potter series and all the characters except the ones I created belong to J.K. Rowling. I don't make any profit.

Beta: Myka Ren

Tales In The Mist

Chapter 5

The ride from Tokyo to Kyoto was a pleasant one. Instead of the bus, as Granger had proposed, they took the train and reached the Kyotoshiyakusho-Mae Station after 3 hours. Draco couldn't complain. They reached the town way faster than they would do if they had taken the bus.

"Renji lives near a cafe named Kissa Ashijima. Its a four minute walk from here." Granger started looking at her map.

Draco on the meanwhile was looking around observing the place. He had never been to Japan before and he could say that it was a nice place. And their magic was really advanced. A wide range of potion ingredients as oni blood, jubokko resin, a shard of the blade of a Shinigami, and they hadn't even read all of the bottles yet. But what was even more magnificent than the potion supplies was the magic itself. It practically exuded beauty. The magical creatures that existed here were almost the double number of those back home. He only had read about Japan and its creatures but, being here was completely different. It was as if he had walked in his favourite shop and everything he wanted was free. He snorted as he realised that he had just sounded like the woman next to him, but he waved off the thought. He was simply excited.

" Do you know how to take us there?" He asked looking at the path she was drawing on the map with a pen.

"Of course I know." Granger scoffed and started walking looking at the shops.

She was oddly quiet and that was worrying him. She usually would have told him all about Kyoto and all the things she found interested here but she wasn't talking. She just kept looking at her map, walk ahead and look at the shops from time to time. Merlin he wanted to shake her. He hadn't annoyed her and certainly didn't say anything bad about her friends or Potty.

Turning his head he caught sight of a man materialising in an alley. It didn't take long for him to realise that that man was from the Ministry. Turning back ahead he reached her side with two fast steps and connected their hands lacing their fingers giving her a squeeze.

"Ministry employee, alley on our left" he mumbled and felt her squeeze back.

That woman was even more infuriating when she didn't speak. He wanted to hear her speak, he needed to hear it. He knew that hours ago he wished that she left him all alone live his life but now he wanted her to speak to him. The Granger he knew would talk, the Granger that fought him could light a fire just with the fired on her eyes, the Granger he liked would call him wrong.

The Granger he liked...

No.

Shaking his head he scolded himself. There was no Granger he liked. He didn't like Granger. No. No. No. He shouldn't be acting like this. He had a fiancée and he liked her. Astoria was nice, sweet, beautiful, an angel compared to him, but he was now claiming he liked the obnoxious woman, whose hand was so small and warm that made him feel like he had the world in his hands.

Granger eventually took a turn and stopped. He observed her as she looked around and then again at her map. She was still silent. He could practically hear the gears turning in her head as she watched the map and with a sigh he took the map from her hands gently and she didn't fight back.

" Why aren't you talking?" He started closing the map, "That's not like you at all. Its annoying." He nagged as she narrowed her eyes.

"Weren't you the one complaining when I started asking you things?" She debated giving him her most annoyed look.

"Yes I was but I feel threatened. You should have told me all about Kyoto and its magical population by now and you are just sulking looking at that map and completely ignoring me." He hissed narrowing his eyes.

" Oh is it because the great Draco Malfoy is not used to not getting all the attention? Oh poor Draco is probably going to start crying if the mudblood doesn't start talking and then he's going to start threatening people that he will commit suicide if he hears her talking more." She mocked him when suddenly she was pushed against the wall, her eyes darting up to stormy grey ones.

" Never call yourself a mudblood" he spat holding her in place, " That word caused you enough damage Granger and don't act as if I don't know it. I heard you. Yesterday when you were sleeping. You know I know exactly what day it is today. Not because you were crying in your sleep but because it was one of the worst in my life." He hissed as she looked up at him confusion mixed with anger in her amber orbs.

"You don't know me. And don't pretend that it marked you for life. You helped us that day but don't act all hurt. You used to love the word that your crazy aunt curved in my arm" she replied her words dripping with venom.

"That day scarred me." He whispered easing his grip on her, "Do you think that I enjoyed it? Guess what I didn't." He said now letting her arms free , "On that day too many things got in place in my head. Yes I don't know you but I know that you are still hurting and I'm sorry for that. You didn't deserve it. No one ever did. The war was wrong and it only took me seeing you get tortured to realise it." He said admitting something to her that he hadn't admitted even to himself.

Stepping away from her he walked away and looked at the cafe they were looking for. Looking at the map once last time he returned it to her before entering it. He wanted to be alone for a while and he knew that she would find him once she talked with that guy that would let them live with him.

That place was damn full. Both stories were full of people and the only table that seemed almost empty was one close to him where an old man was sitting. Turning to look at the man again he decided to just go for it and use whatever knowledge of Japanese he had to ask him to sit.

"Konnichiwa. Suwatte mo ii to ka?" He asked hoping that the man would let him sit. He really needed that coffee.

"You are not from here, are you?" The man asked his Japanese accent strong in his English.

"No" Draco started surprised, "I'm from England." He explained as the man nodded

" You may sit." The man said as Draco sat trying his best to not upset him.

"You confused the girl greatly." The man said again turning to look to Granger from the window.

She was still there. Her hair had returned to its bushy state and she was talking to a man that was smiling like he had won the lotto. How he wished that he could be in that man's place. How he wanted Granger to look at him so happy and expectant like she did to Renji. How he wanted her to look only that for him and only him.

For once again he froze. Granger was a dangerous topic that he had addressed way too many times in his mind already.

" You know whatever you do, you will not stop from thinking about her. " the man suddenly said breaking their silence.

"How-" Draco started but the man shook his head, "You never buried those feelings properly." He said turning to look at Draco his eyes shining with a gleam that he would have found suspicious. But that man made him feel open. He couldn't pick up his walls. He was naked in front of that man. "You always kept them alive even when you fooled yourself that you loved another woman. Before you say anything I know you are going to argue that you have to marry the Greengrass girl as its expected from you but let me ask you this Draco Malfoy." The man said making him freak out. What if this was a trap? But no one ever knew of what he felt about Granger not even his mother. "Can you see the red thread in your finger?" The man asked as Draco immediately took his eyes off him and looked at him hand, only to see a red thread being tied hard on his pinky finger.

"What is that?" He asked his eyes betraying his calm facade with the panic that was taking over him.

The older man chuckled and motioned him to look out of the window. "Follow the thread" he only said resting his head on his joined hands.

Draco looked at his hand and touched the thread, pulling it slightly as he watched where it lead. It made a loop in the middle of the road and then it reached Granger's hand. He froze. What was this thread? Why was it connecting him to Granger? Why couldn't he cut it? Who was that man? What was the meaning of this?

Turning sharply he opened his mouth to insult the man into answering him but he saw no one. He was alone and looking again at his hand he didn't see the thread again.

A girl was standing next to him smiling trying to gain his attention but he was too frozen. Who was that? What had happened? What did he mean by living up to expectations? He didn't and marrying Astoria wasn't one. He wanted to do it.

But there was this voice in his head that made him close his eyes trying to just estrange himself from the world. The voice was whispering, singing sounding exactly like the lullabies his mother used to sing him.

'You want her. Admit it. You want Hermione Granger'

A/N: Hey! I put the A/N in the end to not ruin the suspense of the story. The Japanese Draco speaks hopefully means ' Hello may I sit with you?' If any of you knows Japanese and its wrong please tell me to change it. I hope Draco wasn't ooc as I thought that I made him be a bit ooc in some moments. I love your reviews so please comment anything and thank you for following this story!