Chapter 6
Draco felt like he was dying when an owl form Hermione informed him, she fully hated hit guts, but would not turn him in for rape. Stating even though he should have stayed away from her, she knew it was better than her raping him out of madness. She then went on to tell him never to speak of what happened and to leave her alone! Or she'd tell her friends about the bookstore fight. He didn't know what hurt more, the nonstop reminder she hated him, the leave her alone part or that fact she seemed to think he had just wanted sex out of the whole thing. The fact she had never noticed how deeply in love with her he was made him want to walk in front of a bus.
Draco had spent weeks taking sneak peeks at her hoping to see her looking at him the way she had before. She not only wouldn't look his way that way, she wouldn't look his way at all! If she saw him, she made a bee line for the fasted rout away from him. At dinner she sat with her back to his table and when his first game came. The one he had been working so hard to win, the one he knew she knew matter a lot to him, Hermione hadn't even show up, even though it was against her own house. He had managed to win, by pure insane luck. The snick had latterly flow into his out starched hand, Draco sighed even though he beat Potter it just didn't fill his heart with joy.
Draco started a sad empty patter after that, more girls in his bed than ever before. More trips into town to drink his life away and more thoughts of just ending his life all together. He was slightly drunk always. He had also got a camera he paid good money for. With the help of some potions and spells Draco moved through the halls at times, following Hermione the only way he could invisibility. He had taken to snapping photos of her, as just something to hold onto. Sure it was kind of creepy, but when your true love hates your guts, creepy was all that was left.
Sometimes he just follow her around, watch her reading in the library or talking with her friends. He heard them make fun of him a lot, which always hurt to see her laughing at him, but he couldn't stop himself. Just to be close to her made him feel a little bit better. He spent a lot of time flipping through photos of her, or just watching her. Somehow he managed to keep good grades, deep down he was thinking about if they were both heads next year she couldn't avoid him. The first half of the year went by fast for everyone but Draco. However as time drawl closer to the Charismas holiday, Draco did something crazy.
Draco bout Hermione a few really nice gifts, first a book he knew she'd been dying to have. Then a heart shape necklace with a purple stone. Just to make sure she didn't know it was him and finely an owl of her very own, he had heard her say a few times how much he'd like her own Owl. He had them all packed and ready for shipping for when the big day came. No clue would be given, just her name on them and a short note, which he didn't write. Draco used a private mailing group as away to make sure no one found out it was him.
At that very moment he was sitting on the train, someone would pick him up at the station and he'd get to spend time at home for a few days. All the years before this one, he had looked forward to it. This year all he could think was how much being apart from Hermione bugged him. If she had been staying at school that year he would of as well, but she was going to the Weasel family's home like Potter. Draco had brought some of his snap shots of Hermione with him. He could at last look at them when alone. The train came to a stop sending kids running off to greet their loved ones. Draco staid where he was watching his love joined her group, for hugs and such. He took one last photo of her smiling as she handed something to Ginny. "That is going to be a nice one." He said putting his things away to exit the train and meet up with his mum.
Narcissa asked Draco about every little thing she could. His mother hug him a few times once alone and just chatted up a storm. Sometimes he had to wonder how his father had won her over. Like himself Draco father was cold and hard to get to, but his mum was just so bright and cheery. Maybe that was part of why he loved Hermione so much. She seemed to see the best in everyone except him of course, kind of like his mum. Draco did his best to act happy, tell his mum all the great things that happened at school that year. He had to make up a few do to his suckly life, but that was nothing new. "I missed you so much baby" She hug him one more time before going inside the large house. Draco said much the same as he joined her and his father for dinner.
It was Christmas at last! Hermione had just about jump out of her bed on Ginny floor to rush to get dressed. After the awful beginning to this school year she was looking forward to a new year. She was also happy to see her life was back on track. She had gone out of her way to make sure of it. Cutting as much time as she could of seeing, speaking or dealing with Malfoy at all costs had made it all possible. She had finely got her friends to believe she was not raped; it was just a very long lasting potion and she had not wished to share the ugly truth of it all. She did tell them a lot of it, but left out the fact her lover was Malfoy and he had used her for sex.
Her life was filled with love and she couldn't be happier at how well it was going. She did however noticed Malfoy looked kind of different. It almost seemed like he was drunk a lot, but she didn't care it was not her problem! Once the whole group was up and feed the gifts where passed around. Everyone pleased with what was got or given. As she was handing Harry his, a huge black owl flow in the window, it had a cage which held other gifts and a card in it beck. Fred took the card looking it over "It's for you Hermione" He said handing it over.
This was odd; she got all the gifts from everyone she knew, who sent her an owl cage with gifts in it? All eyes were on her as she opened the card. The hand writing was kind of hard to read, she had to read it three times over before reading it out loud:
"To the girl of my dreams Hermione, I hope this day finds you well. Here are some small tokens of my affiance loving you from afar yours truly forever PS. All that in or on the cage is for you"
Ginny ask who it was form of course, Hermione looked the card over there was no name "It…It doesn't say" She heard a lot of open the gifts, before turning back to noticed the owl was on the cage! "Oh my gods whoever it is got me an owl!"
"WOW, this guy must really like you!" Harry said as Ron and his brothers nodded in agreement. She pulled out what was in the cage. The first few things being for her new pet and then two boxes. She opened the bigger one first and gasped as she held the first addition of 'A Hogwarts history' soon to be passed around with a 'be careful with it' form her as she turned to the last gift. She slowly opened it to find a lovely gold heart shape necklace with a purple stone "It's beautiful!" The rest of the day was spent trying to figure out who sent the gifts and naming her new pet 'Token'.
