Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related, nor will I ever. All recognised work and characters belong to the wonderful JK Rowling.
"Hello Granger."
Hermione couldn't stop the slight widening of her eyes when she saw the man on her door step. However, she quickly composed herself -not before he noticed though - and let him into her poor excuse of a home. She quickly shut the door and led him through to the living room, sitting on the chair opposite to the couch he was sitting on. Neither spoke a word and quietly listened to the steady ticking of Hermione's small clock that hung above the fireplace by a hammered-in nail. Malfoy wondered why on earth Granger was living in such a pathetic excuse for a home, however when glimpsing at several muggle photographs of a middle-aged man and woman, he could only conclude that they were Granger's parents and the house he currently sat in was her home. Several photo frames that hung on the walls and sat upon desktops, he noted, were all strangely empty. Many gaps were then noticed by the blonde wizard in the many photos that were visible around the home, the only telltale sign of the charm Hermione had used on her parents before the war.
"So.. uh, what brings you here?" The silence was broken by Hermione's feeble attempt at a cheerful tone. It clearly didn't work due to the slight raise of his right eyebrow.
"Is this yours?" He gestured to the still warm mug filled with tea beside him.
She mutely nodded in return.
"Great." He picked it up by the handle and took a sip, rolling the liquid around his mouth for a bit before swallowing. "Not bad," he commented, eyeing the mug with delight.
Hermione fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Malfoy what do you want?"
The blonde wizard set the mug back down onto the small table. "I'm here to take you up on your offer," he stated simply.
"And what was my offer?" Hermione asked.
"Helping me get back onto the right path."
"Well," Hermione shifted in her seat, "was there anything in particular you wanted me to help you with?"
Malfoy crossed his legs and sat up straighter. "You're familiar with muggle travelling and whatnot, correct?"
Hermione gave him a look as to say "Come on really? Look at who you're talking to."
Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Right. Of course you are. Well, I need you to get me out of London."
Hermione remained silent. What Malfoy had asked of her wasn't something difficult to do, as she was sure that he could just leave London whenever he so pleased. Unless… Hermione sat upright. "You don't just mean leave London to go to another place, do you? You want me to help you settle into the muggle world."
"Well you certainly do pick things up quickly," Malfoy confirmed. "Yes, into the muggle world."
"Malfoy, I may not know a lot about you but I know that you know nothing about the muggle world, or how to co-exist with them for that matter. Why the sudden urge to escape into a place you know nothing about?" She narrowed her eyes at the blonde wizard. "You didn't violate any laws, did you?"
Hermione's scrutinizing glare did not deter Malfoy from his purpose. "What? No of course not, Granger!" Malfoy snapped. "My reasons for leaving are purely confidential. I don't need to confide in you about my intentions."
"There's no way I'm helping you if you don't tell me why." Upon hearing Malfoy groan she quickly added, "I'm not taking any risks. For all I know, I could be helping a criminal. My reasons for wanting to know are completely justified."
"You think I want to get in the Ministry's bad books again, Granger? Right after my family just got cleared of all charges? I'm already a criminal in everyone's eyes. You don't know what it's like to have all your past clinging onto you like it does mine. I'm sure you're smart enough to comprehend that I can't bear to see another pitiful or spiteful stare the next time I step out into public."
Hermione decided to wait a few seconds because speaking. "Alright," she said. "Suppose I do help you escape into the muggle world, how would you live? You don't expect me to believe that you're able to live on your own amongst people who, you've made clear, are beneath you. You know you'd be hopeless at trying to fit in with them."
"My view of muggleborns were, you could say, misplaced. I know that it won't excuse everything I've done when I say that I was only acting on what I believed to be true my whole life. I was born to believe that everything about muggles and muggleborn witches and wizards alike was inferior to the purebred. When I was old enough to understand, I realised the beliefs I held were deeply flawed. As much as it pains me to say, you were the one who disproved the idea that muggleborn magic folk were subordinate to purebloods." Malfoy took a deep breath before continuing smoothly. "Granger I don't just need you to help me leave London. I need you to provide all the necessary requirements to… blend in."
"You're just willing to leave everything you have here behind? What about your parents?"
"My parents need time alone to console each other. They have enough to deal with already – I don't need to be added to their list of problems. As for everything else, I have nothing I'll be missing." He looked at her expectantly. "Now, do we have an agreement?"
Hermione hummed in thought. She knew that she was the one who originally offered to help him but there was still something holding her back from saying yes. Maybe it was the fact that she still wasn't comfortable with spending so much time with him after everything that had happened.
"I understand that this is where you're currently staying," Draco commented as he stood up. "But you know that you can't stay in here much longer – it's a broken home Granger, and soon you will be too if you force yourself to live with the memories this house comes with. I may have lost many things during the war, but I do still retain some riches. If you get me out of here, I can assist in your purchase of a new apartment." He glanced at the brunette, who was listening attentively and quietly while he spoke. "That way you'll get something out of this."
He turned and made his way to the door but stopped when he heard Hermione speak.
"I'll help," she said confidently. "I said I would so I won't go back on my word. But I don't need your money."
Draco raised his eyebrows at her as she continued to speak. "Because unlike some," she spoke proudly, "I don't need to benefit from every situation that I'm in."
A smirk tugged at his lips. "Is that so? Well then, I'll leave you to sort everything out. I'll be back within a week. Until then, Granger."
"Until then, Malfoy."
A/N: Reviews are appreciated! They motivate me for faster updates. :)