Disclaimer: *sigh* No, I don't and will never own Harry Potter.

Chapter 9

After Hermione had left the kitchens she did not returned to Gryffindor tower. Instead she had gone to the prefect's bathroom on the fourth floor for a bath. She stayed there for a long time soaking in the warm scented water. By the time she had finished washing and had cleaned her clothes with a spell it was too late to get any sleep so she decided to answer Ron and Harry's letter. She was used to pulling all-nighters when she was studying for exams so she knew it wouldn't affect her to badly so long as she got a good nights sleep tonight.

She made her way up to the Owlery, arriving slightly out of breath from climbing the spiral staircase. It was a cold, clear mid-November morning and she could just make out in the grey dawn the trees of the Forbidden Forest swaying in the sharp breeze. She took parchment, quill and ink from her bag and wrote the letter, leaning on the windowsill of the enormous window for support.

She briefly outlined how her year was going, eliminating all the details about Malfoy and anything else that might worry or upset them. She told them the date for the next Hogsmeade weekend, the 14th of December, and then signed off before scanning the perches looking for Pidwidgeon. Once she located him she called him down and tried to attach the letter to the excitable bird's leg but had to calm him down with a couple of owl nuts before having any success.

The minute the letter was firmly in place Pidwidgeon took off out the window. She stood and watched the miniature owl disappear into the grey sky.

The sound of feet climbing the stairs reached her and she turned. Malfoy was standing in the doorway. At first he did not seem to notice her, he was looking around for an owl to give the package he was carrying to, so she cleared her throat to let him know she was there. He started and turned his head to look at her.

"Oh Her-, Em… Granger" he stuttered "I'm sorry, I didn't realise you'd be here, I can come back later". He turned to go but she stopped him.

"No it's fine Malfoy; I was just about to leave anyway". She began to pack her bag and he turned to the eagle owl which had flown down to him. He started tying the small parcel to the leg that the owl held out for him.

She was almost finished with her bag and ready to go when he spoke.

"Oh Granger, I just remembered, I was reading through one of those books from the library and I found some really interesting stuff. There was even a chapter on Amimagi that I thought you would enjoy".

He pulled the book from his bag and offered it to her. She took it and flicked to the chapter he had mentioned. She immediately saw that the information in this book could be highly influential on their project.

"This is brilliant Malfoy! This book will definitely help us with our research".

"That's what I thought".

She shot him a small smile and suddenly the words that Parvati had thrown at her last night swam to the front of her mind. Anger flared up inside her.

"I have to go Malfoy" she said quickly and started to almost run out of the room, grabbing her bag as she went.

A confused, hurt look flashed across his face and when she was just out of the room she heard him call after her.

"Wait Granger, it wasn't something I said, was it?"

She chuckled at this and a ferocious grin leapt onto her face. "Not at all Malfoy, I just have to have a little word with my housemate"

With that she ran down the stone steps, taking them two at a time, and landed at the bottom her heart racing and her blood boiling.

She raced to the Great Hall. It was still early and she knew that this was the time Parvati usually breakfasted. And indeed, when she arrived, panting, the girl was sitting at the Gryffindor table. She looked up and sneered when she saw Hermione. She opened her mouth and looked to be about to speak when Hermione cut her off

"Don't say a word" she said in a hard voice heavy with anger "just sit there and listen to what I have to say". Parvati shrank back, looking shocked.

"You know who I was just talking to? Draco Malfoy. Yes, the Slytherin, the "evil scum" according to you. And once I would have agreed with you, I would have been quite happy to sit here and bitch about him for the whole day. But it seems that you're too blinded by your own grief to see how other people have changed. It was their prejudice that caused the war but it will be yours that will ensure we never move past it. You say that I have forgotten the war. How could you even think that anyone could forget that amount of death and destruction? I remember it as well as you do, but I have realised that the only way to fully heal is to try to forgive those who hurt you, if they deserve it. And Malfoy does. You should ask him to tell you his story and maybe then you would understand that you were not the only one who was been hurt. We all were" She paused for breath and Parvati spoke. Her voice was shaky and unsure, polar opposite to the angry, hot-headed girl from the night before.

"But… he's bad. He let the Death Eaters into the school, he was on their side. Why should we forgive someone like that?"

"We should forgive him because he had no choice and our hate will tear us apart if we don't. I know that this will be hard for you, you think you need someone to blame, someone to take your grief out on. But the only person to blame is dead. Voldemort caused the deaths, not Draco Malfoy. He was a pawn to powers that had complete control over him. And I'm not saying that he did not make bad choices, he did. But he's trying to make up for them and I'm willing to at least give him a chance"

Parvati didn't reply straight away and Hermione knew not to push it. She had given her a lot to think about. Eventually Parvati spoke again.

"I'm sorry Hermione. I've been a bitch. I was pretending to myself that it was because of the war, that I hated everyone who was responsible for the deaths but that's not it. I resent them Hermione. I resent each and every person who survived where she did not" She did not have to say the name for Hermione to know she was talking about Lavender. The tears were flowing down Parvati's cheeks now, leaving shining tear tracks.

"When I see him, walking, talking, living, while she is cold and gone I just want to kill him or do anything to bring her back" Hermione moved towards her to comfort her but she put up a hand to stop her. "No don't, I don't deserve you're sympathy".

She looked up at Hermione with watery eyes. "I can't forgive him. Until I forget the pain and anger at her death I cannot forgive him".

She rose and ran from the room, leaving her uneaten breakfast and a distressed Hermione behind.

Authors Note: So, what did you think? Please let me know:) I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you tomorrow.

ShHpBookworm xxx