A/N: Only the Characters are JK's, the plot is mine.
Chapter two: Unlikely conspirators
Draco sealed the missive and immediately sent it off with one of his family's owls. He hoped Potter would get it and reply soon. He still couldn't believe that arse Weasley had cheated on Hermione...and with Lavender Brown of all witches. Draco had never met a more annoying witch, with her constant chatter. Hermoine was smarter, more loyal, more courageous, and much more beautiful than Brown. He just had to find a way to make her want him, like he had always wanted her.
He let his mind wander back to when he first realized that he loved the brave Gryffindor witch. It was when she was dueling his Aunt Bellatrix with Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood in the Great Hall during the battle in which Potter finally triumphed over the Dark Lord. Hermione had just dodged a killing curse, and Draco had felt his heart drop. He was halfway to her side to protect her when Molly Weasley stepped in and began dueling Bellatrix to save the three girls. He had always thought her beautiful, and Merlin knows she's got a wonderful mind, but in that single moment, he knew that his life would never be complete until he had her love.
--
Harry Potter, read over the scroll from Malfoy for the third time in a row. He let a small grin flit across his face, and looked over at Hermione. This was going to be an interesting year at Hogwarts. He was now very glad that Ginny and Draco had convinced him to return to make up the last year. He had gotten to know Draco very well, and amazingly the two had become mates.
There were going to be sparks flying in the Head's Dormitory. He read the four words again and pondered how hard it must have been for Draco to write them, and how he knew that she was now free from Ron. "Help me get Hermione."
Malfoy had confided in the raven-haired man earlier this summer when he was helping him rebuild the Potters' cottage in Godric's Hollow. He had been dumbfounded that Ron took Hermione so for granted and didn't seem to treasure her like he should, and Harry had overheard him calling Ron an "undeserving, arrogant prat." After much questioning from Harry, Draco had finally relented and admitted his feeling for her.
Harry chuckled to himself and drafted his response to the blond haired wizard. It was just one single line in response to the question that Draco had posed to him. "Meet Ginny and I at The Leaky Cauldron tomorrow at 2 p.m., we can talk then."
At precisely two o'clock the following day Draco flooed into the fireplace at The Leaky Cauldron. He was wearing a gray jumper and black pinstriped trousers. His steely gaze immediately fell upon the famous couple that was discreetly snogging in a secluded booth.
He gave a small head nod and made his way to their table. Ginny looked up with a smirk said, "Draco, how can we help you?" She took in the great delight in the flush that stole its way into Draco's face, so she added, "Surely Draco Malfoy, the Pureblood Prince of Slytherin House, doesn't want the help of blood traitors and half–bloods just to land a muggleborn witch?"
He glared at the pretty redhead, "Look Potter, I didn't ask you here to have your girlfriend, mock my feelings. And those are real, Weasley," he said tight-lipped.
Draco relaxed his face and then addressed the young man in front of him, "Harry, you and I had a discussion in July when we were rebuilding the roof of your cottage. I told you how I have felt about Hermione for the last few years, remember?"
At his nod Draco continued, "You said that you saw me trying to help Hermione when Bellatrix had her under the Cruciatus Curse, for Merlin's sake I gave you back the wands so that you could escape with her and make sure she was OK. What else must I do to make you understand how I feel about her?"
Ginny interrupted to ask, "How do you feel about Hermione, Malfoy?"
Draco was finally so frustrated that he bellowed, "For the love of Merlin, Weasley, I love her!"
Ginny smirked at Draco, and leaned in to say, "Well, I'm glad we got that settled. Now, this is what you will have to do..."
--
One month later, on the first of September, Harry, Ginny, and Hermione came through the barrier onto Platform 9 3/4. Ron, who was finally trying to be decent about the whole situation, had already come through with Lavender.
Harry looked around; searching for the blond hair of the man they were meeting. He caught Draco's eye and gave him the smallest of nods, indicating that he should approach and engage them all in conversation. So far, everything was going according to plan.
At that moment, however, Lavender Brown came bouncing over and threw her arms around Draco and started gushing to him about her summer, and wasn't it wonderful that McGonagall was letting them all come back to finish and/or retake their seventh year?
Draco shook her off with a withering glare and said, "Excuse me Lavender, but I am afraid that I no longer associate myself with slags and losers. Now, if you don't mind, I was trying to go and speak with Hermione about official Head business." Draco looked over at Hermione and smirked before heading over to talk to her.
Hermione had to use all of her resources to keep an unholy smirk off of her own face. She waited for Draco to come over with a sweet smile on her beautiful face. He made his way over to her, and engaged her in conversation in tones quiet enough to seem intimate, and he gloried in the look of utter hatred directed at him from Lavender, and the longing directed at Hermione from Ron Weasley. It seemed that the stupid little git was regretting breaking her heart. Good.
Draco offered his arm to Hermione and she accepted his assistance onto the train and into the private Head's compartment where they received the prefects and gave everyone their assignments. They needed to stay in the compartment in case anyone needed anything.
Hermione looked over at the Head Boy and said tentatively, "Malfoy, thank you so much, I have wanted to see that look on his face ever since I walked into the sitting room of Harry's house. He thought he was so clever using Grimmauld Place for is meetings with Lavender..."
She broke off with a quiet sob. Draco wasn't sure what to do with a crying Hermione, so he took a chance and brought her into his arms, and allowed her to cry softly on his shoulder. He brushed his lips over her forehead and murmured nonsense, to try to quiet her tears.
She finally quieted and pulled away to look up into is clear, gray eyes. She hesitantly brushed a light kiss on his cheek and murmured a quiet thank you before pulling out of the circle of his arms.
"Better now? " he queried, only to be cut off by the sound of knocking on the compartment door.
She gave him a tremulous smile, and then proceeded to answer the door. He turned around at her sound of distress, and saw Ron Weasley in the doorway, being forcibly held back by Harry and Ginny.
"What do you think you are doing staying in here with him Hermione, he is a Death Eater!" roared Ron.
Ginny walked up to him and slapped him across the face, and yelled, "He is worth 10 of you Ron, Malfoy risked his life, to give information to the Order. Don't you remember what Kingsley said, he was never a Death Eater, and he never took the Dark Mark. What he did he did for no other reason than because it was the right thing to do."
"Sorry to disappoint you, after that glowing recommendation Ginny," Draco interjected, " but I did not do those things only because it was the right thing to do. I also had an ulterior motive behind them. I needed to prove to the woman that I love that I am worthy of her."
Hermione felt her heart contract at his words, and was perplexed, she didn't like Draco Malfoy did she? But, who was this woman that he loved?