Labyrinth Of Life

Chapter two: An Unexpected Ally

By coeurnoir

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does, her buying price is too high…

A/N: Okay guys here's chapter two, hope you enjoy.

She was sitting at Fortescue's ice cream parlour enjoying the sun and a tall glass of chilled lemon, lime and bitters when she saw the last person in the world that she wanted to see.

Draco Malfoy.

Much to her surprise, Draco ignored her completely. He simply walked in, bought an ice cream and did no more than give her the trademark Malfoy smirk! He always had some kind of derogatory comment for her no matter what. What was happening now? Maybe he hadn't seen her. Her peace now ruined, Hermione headed back to the Leaky Cauldron it was almost teatime anyway and Tom had convinced her to take it in the guest dining room.

There was a downstairs dining room that the guests at the Leaky Cauldron used at teatime rather than to eat in their rooms. Hermione took a table to herself at the back of the room despite Tom's continuous invitations to join others. Hermione thought that dining alone wasn't so bad, she liked just being on her own and reading a book while she ate. She had bought her textbooks for the year ahead already; so sitting in front of her at the moment was her Arithmancy book. Being her favourite subject, she was hoping that it would cheer her up a little bit.

Then another guest strolled in. Draco Malfoy. Since when did he stay at low class establishments like this? She expected to see him staying at the crossed cauldrons on the other end of Diagon Alley, it was far more posh, expensive and up to the famous Malfoy standards.

What was Draco doing here? Why would he stay at a hotel that he had constantly called unkempt and filthy? Oh well. She could easily just ignore him; she wasn't here to pick fights with old enemies.

All throughout the dinner though Hermione noticed Draco giving her odd looks, but every time that Hermione looked up, he had looked away quickly or had become very interested in his food. She studied him intently for a minute, when he noticed her scrutiny he scowled and attacked his steak with renewed concentration, yet with a surprising amount of etiquette.

Hermione finished up quickly and left the dining room, turning down offers to play wizards chess from wizards who had noticed she was alone. She couldn't believe how many people played the game! It was an epidemic! It was also well known in the Leaky Cauldron that she was great friends with Harry Potter, so everyone wanted to get to know her well,. Who knows, they might get to meet Harry Potter himself through her. She let out a sigh of relief as she left the room. No more Malfoy for a little while.

She hadn't gotten that far though before Malfoy confronted her in the hallway. Somehow he'd left before her and was now leaning against the hallway wall, arms crossed and yes, there was the smirk. Same old Malfoy she thought with a sigh. As she approached he stood up and blocked her path.

"I thought I'd be rid of you when I left the dining room, Malfoy. What do you want?" Hermione stood there with her arms crossed knowing that while she couldn't get away, she could always get a rise out of him to entertain herself.

"I don't know. What's a filthy little mud blood like you doing staying here then? Ran away from home did we?" Draco's all too familiar smirk was playing over his face. Hermione's face crumpled. She tried to walk past but he wouldn't let her. She couldn't handle this right now. Malfoy moved closer, forcing Hermione against the wall. His arm blocked her in on one side as he stood in front of her. "Or did your stupid muggle parents finally realise just how loathsome you really are?"

Hermione trembled, as Malfoy's face was only inches from hers. A look of puzzlement came over his face. It wasn't like Hermione to get upset at his words. The last time he had upset her she had socked him a decent right hook to the face. He was waiting for it, but it wasn't coming.

"What's wrong, Granger? Lost your bravery now the boys aren't here to back you up?" She lost it. The tears she had been trying to hold back let loose. And she ran.

Malfoy stood there in shock. He had fully been expected a punch in the face, or worse. He had to admit that it took all the fun out of it for him and now he just felt like an arsehole. Not that he didn't act like one all the time, but that was when his father or friends had been around him and he had to act like the Slytherin Princeling that he was.

He felt an odd sensation, a little twinge in his chest where he supposed his heart was. He felt rotten. Why? Then he hated himself for what he did next, it went against his entire upbringing.

He went after her.

He knew she didn't go to her room, he'd scoped that out on his first day at the pub, making sure that none of his father's cronies had made it as far as to know where he ran off to. So Draco continued to go up the stairs to where he knew that Tom had a rather shabby owlery. It was from here that he heard Hermione's sniffing and her softly swearing at herself.

Draco sat down on the other side of the owlery, pretending not to notice the pile of poop he squished into. Hermione started, having not heard him come up the stairs. He stayed silent for a minute, each of them just staring at the other, not daring to look away. Then it hit him. For the first time in his life, Draco Malfoy was unsure of what to do!

"Granger, I…" Draco fumbled for words. He cleared his throat and tried again.

"Granger, I feel… no. Are you okay?" Hermione stared at him wordlessly. "I mean you never get upset when I pick on you. I was expecting you to sock me one in the nose. I guess I was looking for it. I just wanted to know what happened?"

"You don't want to know," Hermione muttered. Malfoy bristled at that.

"Granger, if I ask a question I don't ask because I don't want to know. I ask because I want to know." Realising his tone was harsh he softened it so that she wouldn't get more upset. "Please? What did I say?"

Hermione sniffed and looked out the windows of the owlery at the stars. Unlike in London you could see these stars. Hermione didn't know what to say, it was Malfoy after all! But he wasn't acting like Malfoy. Well I don't have to tell him everything I guess. She took a deep breath.

"You said that my parents didn't want me, found me loathsome. I don't think you know how true that is." She stared off into the distance, pain in her heart, remembering. Malfoy moved a bit closer, he was next to her now.

"You're kidding me right? I've seen you at the train station; you're lucky that they even let you go! That kid brother of yours didn't seem to want to let you go either! The one that looks exactly like you? I wish I had a brother."

At the mention of her brother Hermione froze. She was all cried out, she had cried so much in the past six weeks that she didn't believe it physically possible to cry anymore.

Draco sensed that he had hit a sore spot and backed off a little bit. Well I'm sure that your parents love you. It would be impossible not to. (He said this with mother in mind not his father.) He also felt that he had probed enough for a day. He couldn't believe that he was being friendly with "the Mudblood". But he'd only done it 'cause his father made him, then he just did it again out of habit.

Malfoy rose, until he was crouching on his toes and looked at her. "Hermione, I'm going to bed because I'm covered in owl shit and it's not very comfortable. I suggest you do the same." He hadn't even noticed that he'd called her by her first name. She had, she was looking at him confused.

"Um, goodnight – Draco."

Draco went straight back to his room and changed into a clean pair of boxers before jumping into bed. He stayed up late, lying awake in his bed, thinking of Hermione and wondering what had happened, with her brother especially. He wouldn't force it out of her but he was curious.

Hermione however stayed up in the owlery until very late thinking about Draco and what was making him be nice? Why wasn't he at home? She eventually decided that it was time to go back to her room. But before she could move a snowy white ball of feathers landed on her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek.

"Hedwig! What are you doing here? I haven't heard from Harry for a month!" She untied the tiny scroll from her outstretched leg and gave her a scratch on the head before she flew to the water dish.

Dear Hermione,

I'm at the Burrow for my normal summer visit. Mrs Weasley says that we'll be going for our Hogwarts shopping trip in a week on Thursday. We hope that this finds you and that we can see you there. Take care.

Harry.

Hermione ran down to her room so that she could quickly pen a reply. She wrote that she would meet them at Fortescue's at 9. then sent Hedwig off with her reply.

Shoot, that was nine days away! What was she going to do for nine days?

A/N: this chapter is a bit shorter but I felt it was needed so that Hermione and Draco could get to meet. I'll try to not have Hermione being a sop too much but considering her circumstances I'll cut her some slack.

I need more reviews! So that I can write the story well I need to know what you think and your ideas on the story. I may not go with every idea but constructive criticism goes a long way! A saying I got off another writer is that "if you can read it you can review it! "