Around midnight that same night, Draco sat in the chair nearest the fire in the Slytherin common room. He stared blankly into the flames as his mind wandered. Earlier that day, he'd kissed Hermione Granger and he had absolutely no idea why. He knew that she was attractive, she'd grown up to be beautiful compared to her first year self. But did he feel something for her? Sure, there was friction between the two of them, but it could just be animosity. And also, their fits perfectly together. That could be a coincidence, couldn't it? Draco bit his lip as he thought, a habit he'd picked up during his sixth year at Hogwarts. He sighed as he thought of Hermione, knowing that even if she did like him, a relationship between them would be impossible. Dracos father might actually literally kill him. Then again, why was Draco even considering this? Not only was she a Gryffindor, but also a Mudblood and it would go against everything he'd ever known.
But Draco had nobody now. And he needed someone. He drug himself upstairs and into his bed, where he proceeded to dream of Hermiones face.
When Draco awoke the next morning, he decided that he was going to befriend Hermione. She was loyal to her friends, and very obviously trustworthy. She'd found his journal and returned it, rather than give it to her friends. It didn't seem like that big of a deal, but it honestly was, considering Draco had written all of his recent thoughts and feelings in that journal. Hermione had only read the last entry, and didn't tell her friends about that either. He was really thankful for this. Draco worked hard to keep his mask from slipping, he didn't want anyone to see what was on the inside. He was much better off detached from everything. However, he couldn't be entirely alone anymore. It was becoming too hard to depend only on himself for emotional support. He needed a friend to cry to, who would listen instead of judge, who would comfort him. It seemed ridiculous that Draco Malfoy required comfort at all, but things were no longer what they used to be. He'd gone through a trauma. Everyone despised him, assuming he committed those acts willingly. Anyone who'd been in the situation would've done the same thing.
Draco sat quietly through his classes, until he got to potions. He approached Hermione during the only moment she wasn't accompanied by Harry and Ron. "Hey." he said. Hermione looked at him briefly and then away, "Do you need something, Malfoy?" She asked, obviously still irritated about yesterday's incident.
Draco smiled a little bit, but hid it before Hermione could see. "Could you meet me after classes?" He asked her, biting his lip again. Hermione rolled her eyes and glared at him, "Is it important?"
"I guess." He answered. "Okay. I'll meet you in the room of requirement later." She said as she walked away from him. Harry stared at Hermione as she made her way back to her seat, "What'd Malfoy say to you?" he asked. Hermione avoided eye contact, "Just some pointless insult." she lied. Harry sighed loudly. "Right. Of course. And then when classes are over, you'll disappear, and return late and not in the mood to talk." He snapped. "Say what you really mean." Hermione retorted, grabbing her belongings and storming away. What was Harry's problem?
Draco overhead Harry and Hermiones conversation and laughed to himself. He found pleasure in anything that frustrated Potter. Still, he didn't know why Hermione hadn't just told him the truth. As the day progressed, Draco found himself immensely anxious about meeting with Hermione later. When classes were over, he considered just going down to the dungeons. That was rude, even for Draco and so he headed towards the room or requirement. He stood outside for a few moments, trying to figure out what he planned to say. He stepped inside and looked at Hermione, who was buried in a book on the couch. Draco walked slowly and sat down next to her. Hermione put her book down, "So. What's wrong? Why did you ask me here?"
That was it. Draco'd had all he could take of being a hard-ass. He was human, he had feelings and they were bottled up to the point of explosion. Before he could stop himself, he'd poured out every feeling he had locked away for so long. Hermione listened intently, studying Draco. She noted the faces he made, the tones of his voice, everything that people don't usually notice. He finished talking, and felt incredibly exposed. "I'm so sorry." He blurted out. Hermione pursed her lips, "For what?" She asked. Draco scooted closer to her. "For everything I did to you. For all the things I did. I was a complete nightmare. You never deserved that, Hermione. You're an amazing person." he replied.
Hermione smiled genuinely at him, he looked so helpless and lost. "I forgive you. You know, as long as you don't intend to continue the pattern." She laughed. Draco laughed, and then frowned again. He sighed and looked at her, "I need you right now, so much more than you know."
"It seems ridiculous, I know." Draco said, grabbing her hands. "But I know that you care. And I just.. I need to be cared for. Please don't make me be alone anymore." Hermione smiled wearily, pulling her hands away, "I do care Draco. I promise that I do. But us trying to be friends, or whatever else, it's silly. It could never work. I'm always here to listen, I just don't think that it could ever-" but Draco cut her off mid-sentence by kissing her harshly. Hermione wanted to fight it, but she was tired of fighting. It was what it was. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Draco pulled away and looked deeply into her eyes, "Don't try telling me you don't feel that."
"I won't. We'd both know that I was lying. But regardless of what I feel, or what you feel, it's most likely not real. It's probably just a phase. A phase that would get us more grief than we've ever known." Hermione said, sighed. Truthfully, she hadn't before felt this way. She knew little of Draco, but between his journal and everything he'd said today, Hermione was smitten. She did know that he was broken, and needed fixing. She wanted to fix him.
"It's not a phase." Draco said. Hermione looked down. "How do you know?" she asked. Draco laughed nervously, but kept his voice steady. "Because I know how I feel. I know how I've always felt"
"What do you mean?" Hermione replied, confused. What did he meant by 'always felt'? "How thick can you be? I've watched you for eight years, Hermione. I've always wanted you. But your friends made it completely impossible. You thought so lowly of me, but I wasn't against you. Only them." Draco hesitated, "And then you attended the Yule Ball with that wanker, Viktor Krum. It was the most difficult thing, seeing you look so beautiful only to be taken for granted by someone who could've cared less." he finished, anxious about what she might think of him now.
Instead of responding, Hermione simply hugged Draco, burying her face in his shoulder. "It doesn't have to be difficult anymore." she replied softly.