Hola mis amigos! I appreciate all the reviews, it motivates me to update to story quicker wink wink, hehe. Well I hope this satifies your cravings.
Disclaimer- I own nothing but this plot.
"Hermione, wake up," Draco whispered nudging the sleeping Hermione.
"Mummy, just 5 more minutes please…" Hermione responded as she tried to sleepily swat at Draco.
"I am not your mummy, wake up! C'mon Hermione, I need to ask you something," Draco said trying to get her attention.
"Hmm?" was all he could get from her.
"Where's the bathroom?" Draco whispered into her ear. Hermione perked up immediately as her eyes widened. Her parents had to go run a few errands mainly to get more food and something that was supposed to be a surprise.
"C'mon Draco I'll show you where the bathroom is, but if you would please follow me so I can also show you where you will be sleeping while you are here," Hermione stood up and offered a helping hand for Draco. He winced because the pain that shot straight up his body then back down to his toes.
"Are you ok?" Hermione inquired, she was extremely concerned for him because she didn't know how to help him anymore than she had.
"I'll be fine," he said while struggling to stand up.
"Ok… well follow me," Hermione walked and then waited for Draco to slowly follow. They made it, slowly but surely, up the stairs to where Draco's room would be.
"Here it is, equipped with its own bathroom just for you," Hermione said while smiling at the boy.
"Good, I could really use one at the moment, excuse me for a moment please," he said politely. Draco might not have been extremely loved by his parents but he knew etiquette and had good manners.
Hermione waited on the bed thinking of how she might possibly be able to explain the situation to both Harry and Ron. 'Oh dear… this isn't going to be easy, is it?' Hermione thought. She knew she could handle it though and she jumped a little when Draco flushed the toilet and opened the bathroom door.
"Did I scare you?" Draco teased with a smile playing at his lips.
"Just a little, I was just pondering to myself about a certain issue," Hermione said to him in reply.
"Oh, is it about Potter and Weasley?" Draco asked sitting next to her on the bed.
"Yeah, how did you know? Anyways I just know the two are going to explode when I tell them everything. Do you think that they will-- I don't know… not want me as a friend anymore?" Hermione asked revealing her deepest anxiety to Draco.
"Well Miss Granger, if they are truly your friends, like they claim to be, I'm sure they will forgive you for taking in a bastard like me," Draco replied. Hermione looked shocked; Draco was actually trying to comfort her.
"You're right, I just hope they see it like that too," Hermione whispered.
"So what do you do for fun around here?" asked Draco skillfully trying to change the subject.
"Oh, well we could have a movie night… Hmmm sound good?" Hermione asked still pondering how she would let Harry and Ron know the little situation unfolding in front of her.
"Ok, I don't know what that is, but if it is fun and will help you loosen up a bit, I'll try it," Draco said pulling Hermione up to her feet.
"Oh, ok… but it isn't night yet, it is only 4 in the afternoon," Hermione told Draco.
"Hmmm, now that is an issue, must it happen at night?" asked naïve little Draco.
"Well, it doesn't have to be, but it just makes the movie better, especially if it is scary," Hermione replied thoughtfully.
"Let's do something fun between now and after we eat, what do you do that is fun during the day?" Draco was curious to see how Muggles had fun without magic.
"How about we go outside in the backyard?" Hermione asked.
"But won't we will be seen?" Draco asked worriedly.
"No, the spells cover the house and all the land it is on," Hermione told him.
"Ok, let's do that then," he looked down at Hermione. Draco looked at Hermione and noticed that she was a lot shorter than him. He looked at her and gave her a smile. He realized he had never truly been happy before now.
They traveled downstairs and went outside to see it was raining. Draco looked downhearted 'things just don't seem to be going my way' he thought to himself after all he had gotten a horrid beating from his own father and now it was raining (I know, that should be the least of his worried right?).
"C'mon let's go back inside," said a dejected Draco.
"Why, haven't you ever played in the rain before?" Hermione asked while spinning in the rain giggling her head off.
"No…" Draco replied staring at Hermione who was twirling in such a carefree manner that he was sure she never exposed at Hogwarts.
"Come dance in the rain with me Draco!" Hermione giggled out. She held her hands out from him to come and join her. Draco with a confused look ran over to her and took her hands.
"But there is no music," Draco shouted over the sound of the pouring rain.
"Wait a second," Hermione fixed that little problem with a swish and flick of her wand. Music drifted in the air like steam from a warm piece of pie.
Draco took her hands again and the danced together and nothing else in the world matter to either of them. Draco never realized that life was supposed to be truly fun and enjoyable. He spun Hermione and she smiled up at him, she really was a sight to see. Her hair all wet, her clothes looked heavy because they were drenched with rain, but all the while she began to look more and more like an angel. All at once she took both of his hands and they both began to twirl in a circle relying on each other for balance otherwise they would both end up on the ground.
"Are you having fun yet Draco?" Hermione yelled while laughing.
"Why yes I am! Are you?" Draco shouted in reply he too was laughing.
"Wait I think my parents are home," Hermione said while she stopped and looked at the driveway. Sure enough her parents were home and were bringing in several bags.
"Do you need help with that?" Hermione yelled over the fence at her parents.
"No sweetie we got it; thanks for asking though," her mother said in reply staring curiously at them.
"Let's go inside to see what they got," Hermione whispered to Draco pulling him inside.
"What were you two doing outside in the rain like that?" her father inquired, "You're sopping wet! Go change Hermione, Draco we got you something."
"You didn't have to Mr. and Mrs. Granger," Draco said extremely shocked at how generous Hermione's parents were.
In two different bags were clothes, some t-shirts, some polos, some pants, some shorts, you name it there it was. Draco's mouth hung open, how could a family be so giving?
"Wow… Thank you," Draco's awe at such generosity was shown in his voice.
"You are very welcome dear, now both of you go change, you are going to catch a cold if you don't soon," Hermione's mother order them.
"Hermione, why are you and your family so nice to me? I never did anything to deserve the kindness that all of you are showing me. How can I repay you for all that you have done for me?" Draco said to Hermione in the hallway between their bedrooms. He had stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder, she looked at him smiling.
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That is how I have been raised Draco, I want to help you. I know you have never done anything to cause me to want to help you but I really do. I see a future for you and I know I can help somehow, besides if I am nice to you, hopefully you will be nice to me; see, hasn't it worked so far? Plus I know the only reasons you picked on me was because of your father as well as the fact I am Harry's friend and now that you are away from him and school, you can be yourself with me. I don't care what anyone, even Harry and Ron, will say, I want to help you Draco," Hermione said and gave Draco a smile. He looked down at her and he gave her the first true hug he had ever given to anyone in his life.
"Thank you, you really are an amazing person," Draco whispered in her ear.
"I'm going to take a shower I will be down in time for dinner ok? Can you tell my parents that when you go downstairs?" Hermione asked.
"Sure, I will see you when you come down then," Draco replied. He scurried into his room and sat on his bed. He zoned out for about a minute and then he realized he was soaking wet. He got up and changed into a new shirt and some shorts that Hermione's parents had to willingly bought for him. He smiled because they fit him perfectly. The Grangers were so nice to him, 'one day I will repay them' vowed Draco as he left his room.
"Mr. Granger, Hermione said she will be down in time for dinner, I hope that it is ok," Draco said when he saw Hermione's father starting to cook dinner in the kitchen.
"That is fine Draco, how about you go sit in the living room and watch some TV, I'm sure Hermione taught you how to use it while we were gone," Mr. Granger said kindly to Draco.
Draco nodded and left the kitchen and sat on the couch facing the TV. 'Wow, my father would kill me if he saw me acting the way I am; then again, he already tried to kill me, so I guess it really makes no difference. I am beginning to believe that it doesn't matter what you are but what matters is who you are. Muggles or not, Hermione's family is so open and caring and I hope that one day I can do the same for someone else.' Draco thought to himself while zoning in front of the TV.
"Draco? What are you doing?" Hermione asked a still dazed Draco Malfoy.
"Hmm? Oh, just thinking that's all," answered Draco.
"Ok, well what movies would you like to watch tonight, scary or funny?" Hermione inquired as she went over to movie case.
"Whatever you want Hermione, I don't really know anything about movies," Draco told her while sitting and staring at her.
"Ok, scary it is!" Hermione said while laughing.
"Alright, if that is what you want then let's watch a scary movie."
"Stay Alive is scary; do you want to watch that?" Hermione asked sitting next to Draco on the couch.
"Sure, what is it about?"
"Well the plot line is that there is this video game that people play and that when they die in the game, they die exactly the same way in real life," Hermione explained to Draco.
"What is a video game?" Draco asked feeling stupid. He had no clue as to what anything was. The TV confused him to no end, 'how do people fit in there?' he kept wondering. And now he had no clue what a video game was.
"A video game is what Muggles play for entertainment, it is complicated to explain but they use to the TV to play the game."
'O great,' thought Draco, 'another thing that has to do with the TV.'
"Hermione, Draco, dinner is ready!" Hermione's mom said to them from the kitchen.
The Grangers and Draco ate a nice dinner of stake and bake potatoes. Draco saw how much the family of three cared for each other by the way they laughed and talked to one another. At the manor, dinners were not for conversing with one another but they were for eating. His parents never told funny storied from yester years or how work went. Draco was actually glad he didn't hear about his dad's 'work,' which mainly consisted of taking innocent people hostage for the Dark Lord. But here in the Granger household, Hermione's mom would joke about when she and Hermione's father were younger and were at school together. 'They did some crazy things back then' thought Draco. And Hermione's father talked about how silly his patients act when they are under laughing gas. Hermione laughed so hard that her drink came out her nose. Draco laughed at Hermione, and he too had his drink fly straight out his nose. Everyone was happy in the Granger household just hours after Hermione had found Draco on the verge of death.
"Ready to watch Stay Alive?" Hermione asked Draco after dinner was over.
"Yes, I have been waiting since before dinner for this," Draco answered. He was having so much fun the best part though was that he thought that he could never actually have fun.
Hermione and Draco spread out some blankets on the floor along with some huge throw pillows. Hermione placed the movie in and sat down next to a curious Draco. The movie began with three deaths and throughout the whole movie the deaths escalated until only three were left alive. The evil lady in the tower scared the hell out of Draco; he let out a yelp when her dead corpse sat up in bed near the end. Hermione smiled a little but she too always hated that scene. In the end when the ugly old lady died and the end revealed itself, Draco was confused.
"Hermione, I don't understand, what about the other copies of the game? Will they kill people too?" Draco pondered.
"The movie leaves you hanging doesn't it?" Hermione answered while laughing.
"Hermione I am tired," Draco said through a yawn.
"Well I would think you should be. I just want you to know you are safe here and that I believe that McGonagall will let you stay here. I will protect you ok? You have been through so much in your life, stuff I hope I never experience and I am heart broken that you had to go through it. So I will make sure you are safe," Hermione whispered to Draco.
"Thanks Hermione, you are indeed a much better person than I was or may ever be," Draco whispered back and tried to stand up and felt some pain that had subsided until now. His face told Hermione all she needed to know and she said a spell to soothe his pain and the two teenagers went up the stairs to sleep and dream of a better future.
Hey all! I have made this chapter a little more light hearted, next time McGonagall will appear and the story will be 'heavier' again. Thanks for all the kind feedback, I really love to hear it. But if you like it I'm not going to beg you to review because it means more to me for you all to do it without my request. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed it!
