She was kissing Draco Malfoy. What was wrong with her? Even more to the point, why was she enjoying it? He pulled away from her slowly. Hermione stood rooted to the spot, dazed and confused. Out of everything that she was expecting, it wasn't that.
"Sorry," he said quickly. "I, um, don't know where that came from."
She was finding it very hard to find her voice.
"It's... okay," she replied meekly.
"I don't even know where to go from here. I can't even remember what I was going to say to you. I had a whole speech planned." He had lost his normal cool exterior and he now just seemed like any ordinary person. He winced. "I have no idea why I just told you that."
Hermione laughed. "Do you want to sit down?"
He nodded and moved closer toward the tree.
"Can you remember what you were going to say yet?" she added sheepishly.
What was wrong with him? What was he doing? He wasn't acting at all like himself. Actually no, he was, that was the issue. How had she broken down his facade so easily? Without even trying, more to the point. He sat down beside her. He moved slightly away from her, hoping she wouldn't notice. He didn't trust himself anymore. What had she done to him? This was Hermione Granger.
"Yeah I remember." He winced to himself as he realised how cold his voice had become once more. "So, I want to know what I can do to make up for what I did? Like I said yesterday, I wasn't there when I should have been. It was cowardice. I don't know if you realise this, but Malfoy's aren't bred to be cowards. Obviously my father wouldn't ever agree to me talking to you like this. He acts like nothing happened at all."
He stopped talking suddenly, starring out over the lake and doing anything to avoid eye contact with Hermione. Hermione was sitting quietly beside him her hands in her lap, just listening to him talk. She could tell that he hadn't meant to say his last two sentences. He turned to face her.
"What can I do?"
"You don't need to do anything Draco. You were in a horrible position yourself. You were stuck in between life and death. Voldemort would have killed you and your family if you helped me."
"Why do you have to be so logical?"
"Because it is who I am. Just like my blood status it isn't something that I can change. Nor something I would."
Draco starred at her. How was she so casual about this? She had been tortured; by his Aunt no less.
"Don't worry Draco." His body relaxed as she said his name. "I have had a lot of time to think about this. More than I would care to think about. You don't owe me anything. To be honest, your apology was light years above what I ever expected from a Malfoy."
Draco's face dropped. "I'm not my father" he burst out suddenly.
"I know," she exclaimed gently. "You have never been that cruel."
Draco's eyes were burning again. She was difficult for him to understand. It was like the last 7 years had never happened. He looked down suddenly realising that her hand was on top of his.
"Stop reading into it Draco. I can see you calculating. You are forgiven. You owe me nothing what-so-ever." She squeezed his hand gently and let go. "But I will settle for friends," she continued as she stood up, brushing herself off as she went.
"Are you leaving?" He was surprised by the sound of desperation in his voice, so he cleared his throat hoping to cover it.
"I have to meet Ginny remember? We are working on our Star charts."
"Oh okay. I guess I will let you go. I will see you in Potions."
"Draco, stand up," she ordered.
"You know I don't follow orders right?"
"You will this time. Stand up." She gestured with her hands.
"Fine." He leapt to his feet gracefully. "But only because I owe you." He smirked at her rolling her eyes.
She pulled on his tie, lowering his head to just inches from her own.
"You need to stop worrying about it. It's the past."
"Is this you ordering me again?" he smirked.
"Oh, shut up" she whispered and pulled him into her lips.
She had been kissing him for minutes. They were standing out in the open. They were so close to each other. What had happened so suddenly between the two of them? They broke apart.
"Sorry" Hermione said this time. "I have no idea what has come over me."
"I think I know" he smirked. "No one can resist the Prince of Slytherin." He laughed, as Hermione rolled her eyes again.
He was bending down again and kissed her lips softly. She had no idea why they kept doing this, but even more strangely she wasn't objecting.
"You need to go to Ginny" Draco said softly, resting his forehead on hers and smiling gently.
"I completely forgot." He looked all too pleased with himself as she spoke. "What time is it? Oh my gosh, she is going to kill me."
Draco pecked her on the cheek. "Go, I will talk to you later."
Hermione smiled over her shoulder as she began to run up the hill to the castle. She stumbled into the library, scanning the main room until she found Ginny.
"What happened to you?" she said surprised, looking Hermione up and down. "What's wrong?"
Hermione sat down across from Ginny looking dazed.
"Well? Spill. We don't have all day."
"I got to the lake and he was there."
"And?" Ginny prompted eagerly.
"And, well, he walked straight up to me and kissed me."
Ginny's mouth fell in an O. "Really? Gosh, I heard that he moved fast but wow. I take it that you kissed him back?"
"Yeah," she blushed. "It kind of just happened out of nowhere. Then before I knew it we had been kissing for minutes."
"So he was good?"
"He was surprisingly. I was expecting him to be a lot rougher. He was actually really gently and ... This is too embarrassing."
"Hermione, stop feeling bad. I can see it written all over your face. You can't help who you like. Besides, everyone keeps talking about how much he has changed since the war. Then what happened?"
This is why Hermione liked talking to Ginny. She never judged. She just listened and commented where necessary.
"Then he tried to find out how to make up for all that had been done..."
"That is why he kissed you huh?" Ginny joked.
"I think he is actually as confused as I am about that. But I told him that he already apologised and that was more than I ever expected. He is really torn up about it actually. I think I annoyed him a little by being so logical about it." Ginny nodded. "He is really at war over what is expected of him still as a Malfoy. I think that he just wants to be a normal boy. He has a lot of pressure on him. Even now. Did you know that his father had locked him in his bedroom on the first day of term so he couldn't come back?"
"No, that is insane. He has really lost the plot that man."
"Mhmm."
"So now what happens?"
"I have no idea Ginny. I really don't. I pretty much ran when I left because I told him I was late. He told me that he would see me in Potions."
"Oh Hermione. You really like him don't you?"
"I think I could find myself liking him, very easily."
Just at that second Draco had walked through the library doors, his bag slung lazily over his shoulder. He scanned the room for an empty table. He did a quick double-take when he noticed Hermione in the corner, but continued scanning the room. His eyes and face were cold once more. The facade was back she thought to herself.
"You wouldn't know he was just kissing someone with that cold face," Ginny exclaimed.
"I think that is the point," she said taking out her star charts.
Why did the idea of him hiding what they had done hurt so much? It's not like they were dating. She didn't date Viktor but she kissed him. What was so different about this?
He of course noticed her the second he entered the library. He couldn't admit it though. He had already made enough of a sceptical of himself in the last two days. He could only imagine what Pansy had said in her letters to her mother. Of course they would be shared with his own mother immediately. He was expecting a howler any second. HOW DARE YOU SPEND TIME WITH THAT FILTHY MUDBLOOD? YOU ARE A MALFOY. YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS EXPECTED OF YOU. IF I HEAR THAT YOU HAVE SPENT TIME WITH HER AGAIN I WILL PULL YOU STRAIGHT OUT OF THAT NO GOOD EXCUSE FOR A SCHOOL.
Of course he would not leave though. He would find some way of convincing his father. He would probably have to plea to his mother to allow him to finish his education. Education was after all extremely important, he thought to himself mockingly.
He wanted to sit next to her. Even if they didn't talk. Why was he so intrigued by her? Was it because she was the one that he could never beat? He was going to have to study harder. He had no competition close to him, in any way, out of the male students. Hermione was always the target to reach. He had felt like that since day one. She was always 2 steps in front of him, while running backwards and taunting him. He was wasting time, he had 3 assignments left. He had to push her out of his mind.
