Chapter 5: Better Together

Charms passed by in a blur. Though Hermione usually found Professor Flitwick's teachings to be inspiring, today she struggled to listen to anything he had to say. She was still coming down from the thrill of flying. When she had gone with Harry or Ron, the sudden rise and fall had made her feel sick to her stomach. The air rushing past her drowned out all other noise, deafening her as her insecurities took hold. This morning had been the reverse of that. Learning to direct herself upwards allowed her to control the speed and upward angle. The wind served to keep her hair out of her face and for that she was glad. If her hair had blocked her vision, she would have missed the gorgeous view.

For a moment, up there above the school grounds, she felt as if the war never happened. It was so peaceful, so serene. She couldn't hear anything except her own breathing. In that moment, she didn't feel the burden of being Hermione Granger. She didn't need to worry about keeping up appearances for the sake of her reputation or what others expected of her. She could simply enjoy her tiny accomplishment.

She had been terrified earlier. Recalling how she had plummeted in the Room of Requirement, she was grateful to Malfoy for being careful enough to begin inside first. His characteristic manipulation of the situation had actually served to rid her of her humiliation. The suggestion was preposterous and he knew it. She had laughed about it and brushed it off until they were on the Quidditch pitch. Something had changed.

When he had called her by her first name, she saw his expression. There was not a hint of humor in it. His eyes were lighter than she had ever seen them before. Then later, she had turned to him and found him staring at her. His eyes were still light. At first she expected him to make a snarky comment. Instead, he had turned away and announced it was time to go back. There was no name-calling, no jabs at her House-pride, nothing from his typical arsenal of insults. For a second, she had wondered if he fancied her. Immediately, heat had erupted against her cheeks. Now that was preposterous.

Malfoy didn't fancy anyone besides himself. If there was anyone at this school he cared for, it was a short list and there was no chance she was on there. Just because they were roommates and taking similar classes, didn't make them friends. It barely made them acquaintances.

"Miss Granger?" Professor Flitwick called upon her.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Apologies, Professor. I was reading ahead. What was the question?"

"Could you please remind us all of the removal spell for the Atmospheric Charm?"

"That would be Meteolojinx Recanto, Sir."

"Very good. Would you care to demonstrate for us?"

Hermione noticed the thunderstorm brewing above their heads. Some of the students had already cast umbrella charms in anticipation. She expertly twirled her wand, reciting the incantation. Immediately the clouds dissipated and the ceiling of the classroom returned to normal.

"Excellent."

Professor Flitwick returned to his lesson, lecturing on the needs for using the charm. Hermione felt guilty for lying, but she couldn't be caught daydreaming in one of her N.E.W.T.S. classes, especially in front of the other students, name one in particular. She spent the rest of the lesson taking copious notes, keeping her head down and focused on the task at hand.

When she got back to their chambers, she found Pig waiting in the common area. He was carrying another letter.

Mione,

I can't believe you missed the ceremony today. Kingsley asked where you were. I was so embarrassed. I thought my girlfriend would be there to support me. I had to stand in between Neville and Harry while they got their badges. No one was there for them either, but I thought if you were there it would make for a better shot in the Prophet. I miss the old days when you were always around.

Corrine even asked where you were. She's going to be the Auror office secretary. She asked for a transfer after the ceremony. I made the mistake of telling Mum how good her baking is. The next morning when Harry and I came down for breakfast, Mum had made about twenty types of fudge. She muttered something about how she never had to worry about you upstaging her because you don't bake. Harry nearly snorted fudge from his nose. George started choking. See what fun you're missing?

See you soon...hopefully,
Ron

Hermione rolled her eyes at the nickname. She couldn't remember who had started between Ron and Harry but she had never liked it. Her name wasn't difficult to pronounce. She had a momentary flashback of Viktor attempting to say it and laughed to herself. Maybe it wasn't easy for a non-native speaker. When it came to her best friends, it shouldn't have been a problem. Even Ginny did it sometimes and Hermione had confided in her fourth year that the nickname bothered her. What was the need to shorten everything?

"Again?" She all but screamed out loud when she noticed how he had signed the letter. Furious, she took Pig and the letter into her bedroom so she could pen a response back. Ronald Weasley was not going to like what she had to say about this...not one bit.

Ron,

If you're so worried about me, why don't you come to Hogwarts? I'm sure your fans would love to see you. The Halloween feast will be coming up in a few more weeks. As I recall, you prefer the fudge at Hogwarts.

Hermione

She gave Pig a treat, which he gobbled down gratefully. He nipped at her fingers lightly, asking for more, which she happily provided. Gently stroking his feathers, while he ate, she thought about her letter. All of the words were dripping with disdain and sarcasm. She had been extremely short. Even though she was upset he had still not asked her about her coursework or her position, she wasn't going to be the one to bring it up. She was not about to reward his terrible behaviour with a long, warm letter. Instead she was going to give him a clear sign that this was not how she expected their relationship to go. She had supported him for years. She demanded he support her now. It was unlike her. Normally she was more in control of her emotions. Typically, she would have let all of this roll off her shoulders. Maybe Malfoy was rubbing off on her.

Pig chirped at her, threatening to begin one of his songs. She realized she had stopped petting him. "Take that to Ron, please." She instructed, giving him one last treat. He took off out her window.

Hermione noted the time. She ventured down to the Great Hall, joining Ginny and Romilda at the Gryffindor table. The three caught up on how their classes were going, before the subject turned to the Gryffindor house Quidditch team. Romilda was excited about the teams training and looking forward to their first game, the Saturday after the Ravenclaw Slytherin game. She was trying to explain their new strategies to Hermione, while the Head Girl ate. When the topic shifted to the subject of significant others, Hermione didn't comment. This did not go by unnoticed by her best friend. Before she could stop herself, Hermione was sharing the situation with both witches. Her anger had snowballed into a new level of frustration with the predicament, causing her to fight back tears by the end of the story.

"Hermione," Ginny said gently, taking her friends hand. "I love Ron. He's my brother, but-." She made a face. "You and I both know Ron is not the most perceptive."

"I thought things would be different now that we're officially together."

"This is why I go for girls," Romilda interjected. "There isn't this level of drama."

"Maybe when he comes to the Halloween feast, you can tell him how you are feeling," Ginny suggested, ignoring Romilda's comment.

The Head Girl shook her head. "I wasn't serious. I was being ironic."

"Again," Ginny laughed. "Ron isn't perceptive. I don't think he'll understand. He probably will see it as an invitation."

"Yeah, for his fans," Hermione muttered, annoyed.

"You're his biggest fan."

"I think that title goes to Corrine Donovan."

"Oh." Ginny's face fell slightly. "He brought her up to you, did he?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "He did."

"Oh."

"Ginny?"

The red-headed witch busied herself with the food on her plate.

"Ginny?" Hermione asked again, not letting up.

The youngest Weasley sighed, pushing her plate away from her and turning in her seat to face her friend. "Harry may have mentioned in one of his letters that he didn't like the looks of her. Called her a glory-seeking, gold-digger or something like that. He was under the impression that she was after Ron for his fame, despite the fact that he has you, his girlfriend."

"And you're only just telling me about this now?"

"I didn't want to upset you. I know you've been stressed over your workload what with Divination and all."

"Actually, I quit."

"You what?" Ginny's voice rose to a volume that caused several heads to turn. Hermione grimaced. "You quit?" Her friend asked in a softer tone.

"She was out of line."

"Big surprise," Romilda chuckled. "She's bat-ass crazy, that one."

"I agree," Hermione smiled.

"But wait," Ginny held up a hand, putting the pieces together. "If you quit, then won't you have to take exams for Flying?"

"Yes."

"Yes? Just like that?"

"I don't have a choice."

"This will be interesting," Ginny mused aloud. "When do you want to practice?"

"It's ok, really. I actually already went out today. It wasn't too bad."

"You went by yourself? That's really not safe, Hermione. What if you would have fallen? Who would have known you were even out there?"

"I wasn't by myself."

Ginny looked at her teammate, expectantly.

"I didn't take her," Romilda held up her hands.

"Malfoy did."

"What?" Both girls chorused.

"I told him I'd help him with his Muggle Studies if he helped me learn to fly."

"Muggle Studies." Romilda broke into a fit of laughter. Ginny, however, was not as pleased by her friend's announcement.

"Malfoy, as in Draco Malfoy? The prat who used to torment you on a daily basis because you are Muggle-born?"

"One in the same."

"I think I need a Firewhiskey."

Hermione chuckled. "You and he could fight for the Biggest Drama Queen title."

"Do not," Ginny pointed a finger at her, creating a rather likable impression of Mrs. Weasley. "Do not compare me to him!"

"If you say so," Hermione grinned.

The girls finished up with their dinner, turning the topic of conversation onto a far less sensitive subject: the new professors. Neither Ginny nor Romilda brought up either Ron or Malfoy the remainder of dinner, which Hermione was thankful for. After being around the boys for the last several years, it was comforting to have some girls she could talk to. Ginny had been there, of course, but now without the threat of war looming over them, or Harry and Ron's antics, they could actually have a normal school experience...whatever that was. Hermione had to admit. She did find it refreshing to have girl friends. It was a very different perspective.

As she wandered back to the Head's room, she remember that she owed Malfoy a Muggle Studies lesson. She hadn't had a chance to speak with him since their morning outing. Despite her earlier distraction in Charms, she had to admit she was eager to begin. Spending time with him had actually been enjoyable. It was almost as if he was starting to open up to her. She wondered how much of it was real and how much of it was due to the fact that he had no one else. This year, unlike prior years, he didn't have his faithful cronies tagging along.

He wasn't back yet from dinner. She parked herself on the couch in the common area and read through her Potions essay.

"Hey," she greeted him, as he entered the dorm. She had been trying to look busy so he wouldn't realize she had been waiting.

"Granger." He moved to sit down across from her in the arm chair.

"Do you want a crash course in Muggle?" He rolled his eyes dramatically, but she could see the hints of a smile. "I'll take that as a yes."

"I just sat down!"

Ignoring his lazy protests, she led them back through the castle. They returned to the Room of Requirement, where Hermione silently requested several items that would help her explain the way Muggles lived without magic. When they walked inside, it reminder her of a museum she had visited once. The room had what appeared to be an oversized doll-house, large enough for them to move through. Inside were the items she had requested, with the exception of a pair of bikes and car sitting just outside.

"What is that?" Malfoy pointed to the bicycles.

"A bike."

"What is it for?"

She laughed, recalling how impressed Mr. Weasley was with all Muggle items. She had bought him a bike last Christmas. He still couldn't ride it properly. Harry had attempted to help her teach the Weasley patriarch, but he still struggled with the balancing while peddling part.

"It's a mode of transportation."

"So it flies like a broom?"

"Not exactly."

Hermione got on one of the bikes, demonstrating how to properly ride it. She peddled about, circling Malfoy, then the car, and finally the house as a whole. "As easy as riding a broom," she grinned.

"Isn't it powered by elects?"

"Electricity," Hermione corrected. "And no, it's user-operated. You have to peddle. Muggles use this as recreation and exercise." She gestured for him to try it out.

He took the other bike, swaying side to side as he got on. His balance was a bit shaky. He peddled slowly along, the bike threatening to tilt over on either side a couple of times before it slid out from underneath him, completely. Hermione muffled a laugh. He ignored her, chasing after the object.

"Salazzar," Malfoy cursed, as he tried again. This time he peddled too fast and didn't turn in time to avoid hit the wall.

Hermione walked over, straightening him out. "Here," she said, standing next to him so she could position his hands in the correct spots on the handle bars. "You need to be able to steer to avoid," she paused to giggle lightly, "obstacles."

"Very funny," he snapped.

"And your feet," she bent down to grab his ankle, pushing it forward. "You need to have them more firmly on the pedals to they don't slip off." She did the same for his other foot. Backing away, she gave him a satisfied grin. "Now try."

Draco felt ridiculous. This Muggle contraption, the bicycle, was a pain in the ass. He felt like a total tosser. The only thing that kept him going was the need to out-do Granger. She had picked up on how to fly. He needed to excel with this. In past years, they had been the top two students in marks. He expected to get all "O's" on his N.E.W.T.S. He knew she did as well, but he wanted the coveted number one spot this year. With the absence of Quidditch from his schedule this year, earning higher grades than her should be achievable. In order to get a passing grade for Muggle Studies though, he relied on her. And she was good instructor.

That's all this is, he told himself. It has nothing to do with her smile.

He attempted to ride the bike again. On his third attempt, he found a rhythm to advancing the pedals forward. After Granger had adjusted his feet, he found he was able to move along with less force. Steering was straightforward. The hand placement differed from a broom, but the balanced required to drive both was similar. With a few moments, he was cycling through the room with ease. He glanced over at Granger, who was beaming.

She clapped her hands together, happily. "Look at you go!"

"Yeah, yeah, it's nothing special," he complained. "I'm sure a first year could do it."

He didn't want her to know how pleased he was that he had accomplished the task so quickly. She had required a bit more work on the broomstick. There was no need for him to know how to ride a bike. One he graduated, he would probably never even see one again. With magic at his disposal, it wasn't a practical mode of transportation. Regardless, he admired the various ways Muggles had adapted to getting from point A to point B.

"Actually most Muggle children learn at an earlier age, like four or five."

"Thanks," he rolled his eyes.

Draco felt himself deflate. Granger may have taken longer to get comfortable with flying, but he was learning a toddler's level of skill. Flying was something first years were taught in school because of the danger risk. She was still ahead of him. He returned the bike to where he had found it.

"Do you know any games? Durian mentioned we'd be getting into them later this term."

"Oh, sure," she motioned for him to follow her into the make-shift house. "There are tons. Solitaire, Dominoes, board games like Candy Land, Hangman-."

"Let's play that."

"Ok."

Granger reviewed the details of the game. It seemed to be elementary. "If you don't guess the word or phrase before your opponent draws the hangman, you lose." She finished with her explanation.

"And you think Wizards Chess is barbaric," he teased.

"I guess it could be considered cruel from an outsider's perspective," she mused, stepping back from the chalkboard to review the image. "So do you want to buy a vowel?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind, it's from a TV-show," she laughed to herself.

"TV?"

"We'll talk about that another time."

They had a lot of ground to cover. The Muggle games were strange. He wasn't sure why there was so much effort involved in each of them. Despite the confusing rules and unsatisfying completions, he was enjoying it. Learning about the culture wasn't as entertaining as watching Granger teach it was. She was eager to share with him every detail of Muggle life. She often went on about certain customs or objects he had no idea about, then realized her mistake and back tracked. He wished she was his professor instead of the boring Professor Durian. His seminar this week had been so bland that Draco had considered pulling his hair out one by one, just to keep himself occupied. He had decided that he was too attractive to remove his naturally platinum locks.

After playing a round of Hangman, which he barely won, she introduced another game called Rock-Paper-Scissors.

"What is the point?"

"Of the game?"

"No, Granger, of life. Yes the game."

"It usually is used for fun or to settle disputes between friends or siblings."

"I never had any," he remarked offhand.

"Me either."

They had something in common. He wasn't entirely sure why he had told her that. It wasn't as if it was a secret. He was sure she had already known or had guessed. Just because his parents were wealthy enough to have a household full of children like the Weasleys didn't mean they wanted to. Sometimes he felt his mother would have liked to have had another. He would have liked a sibling, preferably younger so he could boss him or her around. Being the sole heir to the Malfoy bloodline, estate, and fortune meant a great deal of pressure. Lucius excelled at applying it. It had been his main hobby throughout Draco's entire upbringing.

His early childhood had been typical per Pureblood standards. He had no idea what typical was for Muggleborns, especially someone who had such natural talent, such as Granger. Draco found himself wondering what she had been like. As a small magical child in her world, all alone, with no knowledge of the wizarding world, he could see it being lonely. He tried to imagine what had triggered her first use of her powers. Draco envisioned a miniature version of her causing books to fly about the room, or finding wounded animals outside and magically healing them, or attempting to fix her bushy hair only to set it on fire. The last image made him chuckle out loud.

"Something funny?"

"Just thinking how I"m going to ace this class and you are going to be in second place for once."

"Over my dead body."

"I'll rock-paper-scissors you for it."

"You're on."

"Rock, paper, scissors...shoot!"

They both threw their hands out at each other. He had chosen rock. Granger had chosen paper. Her face broke into a grin and her eye twinkled. "Ha!" she cried, jumping up from the floor. "Eat that Malfoy!"

"I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be gracious winners," he mumbled, but he couldn't hold back his own smile as he watched her do a little victory dance.

Maybe they had more in common than both being the only child in their families. They had both come out of the war with scars. They had both decided to come back to Hogwarts to complete their studies. They had both been forced to take additional coursework they weren't interested in. He didn't have any friends. Her friends weren't around. Sometimes it felt that they were the only ones who saw the other.

Maybe they were better together.

A/N: Thank you to all my faithful readers who have been leaving reviews and following. I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far. Each time I get a new one, it inspires me to write more and continue with the story.

thegrangermalfoy: Thanks for the love!
SageMcMae: I'm so glad you're back. Are you going to write more for the Labyrinth fandom?
lasvegasskye: Oh she did and there's going to be even more of that in the next couple of chapters.
SavingAngel8: Thank you for your comments. I agree. When I read Dramione, I lose interest if they just get together right away. Though I love the couple, to me the most interesting part is how they find their way to each other. I honestly believe they are the best for one another and that they can bring out what they truly need, but the story isn't believable if they just forget the past completely and get together. Just my opinion. Thanks for the review.
Guest: Hope this update was soon enough for you. I really appreciate how you feel it's authentic. I write and re-write sections to keep it that way. I'm not our Queen, J.K. Rowling, but I do try to honor her beautiful world.
Legolas' Girl 31: Hope this chapter was as awesome as the earlier ones. Thanks for sticking with this story.