Chapter 4: From a Monster to a Hero
Hermione's nerves bounced back with force when she noticed the next name on her list. "Draco Malfoy." Her eyes searched the crowd for the one soul that had taught her she could be wrong. No one in the group seemed to care that he was gone. However, Hermione was not one to be ungrateful and despite the constant lack of respect from Malfoy over the past years, she could not forget what he had sacrificed for her moment before. "Draco Malfoy" There was no motion in the crowd, no one stood, and no one moved. Hermione felt oddly frightened. Something did not feel right about his absence. She called his name once more and when he did not stand, she turned to look over her shoulder at Professor McGonagell. Her mentor merely shrugged.
Clearing her throat, she continued on down the list, but her paranoia kept growing. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, watching her lips move and the blush in her cheeks explode. By the time she had reached Blaise Zabini, she was almost ready to leap off the stage to begin looking for the missing Malfoy. Instead, she held together her composure, and gracefully exited the pitch with the rest of the student body. However, while the rest of her classmates headed back up to the castle for the graduation feast, Hermione took a detour.
Though she didn't know Malfoy, she was positive that she knew where he'd be. She hurried down to the lake, watching where she stepped, so as not to fall and wind up tumbling into the water. The murky depths of the lake were not a place she wanted to visit again. Her first stay had been less than comfortable. Wind blew against her, causing her robes to billow about her form. Her hair fell lose from the bun she had spun it into earlier. The tendrils danced about her face, obstructing her view. But as she drew closer to the edge, she spotted a sole figure on the beach.
"Malfoy?" she called, but her voice was lost in the wind. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted once more. "MALFOY!"
This time he turned to face her. She stopped moving. Something inside had told her to come after him, but now that she was here, she had no idea about what to say. Telling him, "thank you" wasn't enough but anything more was just…She stared at him from where she stood, unsure of what to do next. He appeared to be perplexed about her presence and stared right back.
Hermione held her breath, thinking over what had happened in the last 24 hours. He had caused her pain, it was true. Few other people in this world had caused her such unhappiness, but today… Whether Harry and Ron would admit it or not, Draco Malfoy had given her something that no one else had been able to give. He had used what heart he had and allowed her to have her one last senior fling. As if that wasn't a big enough step towards redemption, he had addressed the entire student body to clear her name. No doubt some, like Lavender and Parvati, would still hold the idea of a naked Head Girl with the Head Boy forever in their minds, but the rest of the population knew the truth. That was what really matter, at least to Hermione.
But why had he done it? What had possessed him to change his tune now? They were less than 12 hours away from leaving this place and starting their new lives. What did it matter if he redeemed himself in her eyes if they were never going to see each other from this moment on? Why did it matter to him? And furthermore, why did it matter to her if he had been there to graduate or not? Didn't he owe her for all the times he had made her cry, made her life harder? Why did she feel the need to come after him?
She shook her head. This is ridiculous, she thought. She turned to go, but paused. There was still a pull, a need to speak with him one last time. Her curiosity was tugging at her. She had always been one to learn, now was hardly the time to pass up the opportunity to reach a better understanding of a Pureblood. Taking a deep breath, Hermione walked down to the beach.
Malfoy's gray storm eyes watched her as she approached. She didn't feel the hate and disgust she normally got from his gaze. Instead, she felt his fear, his desperation. She didn't completely understand it, but a part of her knew why he was here. He was not ready to leave Hogwarts. In some small way, she could connect with him. She was hesitant to leave as well. The connection made her confident enough to speak.
"Hello."
"Hello," he replied, simply.
She watched him, silent and unsure. The wind toyed with his bangs, causing them to dance about his eyes. It looked like it would be annoying. Her hair, much longer flapped around her face, but it was soft and merely tickled her. His hair, so neatly gelled came down in points. She assumed if one of the ends hit him, it would hurt. Instinctively, she reached out and gently pushed a strand away from his eyes.
The instant her skin came in contact with him, he flinched. Hermione withdrew her hand with a gasp, realizing what she had almost done. "I'm sorry," she muttered, staring at her feet. She could feel her cheeks deepen in color. Her mind was reeling as she stepped back from him. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she ridiculed herself internally. Why had she come here?
"Don't go," he caught her wrist. She glanced down, taking in the image of his hand on her skin. It was the first time he had touched her voluntarily without making a comment about her bloodline. He didn't let her go as she raised her eyes to look at his face.
"Stay," he said. She nodded and his grip slipped down to her hand. She shivered at the gentleness of his touch. He led her closer to the water's edge where an old tree lay on its side. He took a seat and motioned for her to do the same. Dropping her hand, he leaned back slightly and closed his eyes. Hermione watched him carefully, trying to understand this new man she saw before her. He was not the Malfoy had come to know, he was an entirely different person.
"You know, when I heard I was going to be coming here, my first thought was to make a new life for myself," he told her. "I figured being away from the mansion would grant me freedom. I thought I wouldn't have to worry about keeping up the Malfoy image, that people here wouldn't be shadows of their parents." He chuckled softly and shook his head. Hermione just listened, intently.
He looked over at her. "Guess you can tell that Hogwarts wasn't what I expected it to be. Despite my earliest intentions, I still became my father." His head dropped. "I'm just as ruthless and dangerous as he is. I'm the same monster."
"No," she snapped. "You are not Lucius Malfoy. He would never have let a Muggle-born take his position as valedictorian speaker." Malfoy laughed. "And he most definitely would not have cleared my name." Malfoy nodded in agreement. Hermione reached over to put her hand on his shoulder. His eyes met hers. "Your original intentions may have been lost, but you made the choice today to change. You sacrificed your reputation to do what you thought was right, regardless of the consequences. That isn't the tale of a monster; it's the tale of a hero."
Malfoy did not say anything this time. Hermione removed her hand, fearing she had over stepped her boundaries. She had never said anything like that to a Slytherin. Most of the time, encouraging words such as those were saved for Harry or one of the Weasleys. She had never expected to use them on Draco Malfoy. She waited for his response.
At first, nothing happened. The two sat, with only the sounds of the wind and the lapping water to interfere with the silence between them. Then, Malfoy stood up and began walking back to the castle. Hermione sat still, scared to follow him. She bite back her bottom lip. She didn't think her words could have disgraced him, but not everyone understood her way of thinking. Even Harry and Ron had a hard time following her thoughts sometimes. Yet, how could he think she was mocking him when she had come out here to make sure he was alright?
Suddenly, she become angry. How dare he make her come out here, feeling guilty about him missing his graduation and then leave her here without a resolution? Getting to her face, she ran after him. As she reached the castle grounds, someone grabbed her and pulled her aside.
"Hermione!" Ron shouted. "Where have you been?"
"What?" she stared at her two friends. The three of them were standing in an alcove outside the Great Hall. "Where did you two come from?"
"We were wondering the same thing about you," Harry commented, looking around the empty corridor. "What happened to you after the ceremony? McGonagall has been looking all over for you."
"I was…" she looked past them both, searching the Great Hall for a hint of platinum blonde hair. "I went for a walk," she told them sternly. "What is wrong with that?"
"You could have told us," Ron mumbled, looking sore.
Still gazing over their shoulders, she said, "I just wanted to have a few moments to myself. I am going to miss this place."
"This place or someone?" Harry asked, noticing where she was looking.
Hermione stared at her friend. "Listen, I needed some time alone, away from everyone, alright? I'm here now. Let's just get some dinner."
"Alright," Ron's face broke into a grin. He pushed through the others to head on in, but Harry's face was less enthused.
"Mione," he started, but she brushed past him, following Ron's lead. The last thing she wanted to do was try to explain to Harry why she was trying to locate his arch-nemesis. It wasn't good table talk.
She refrained from surveying the Slytherin table and took her regular seat in between Harry and Ron. All the décor on their side was the traditional gold and red. She was comforted to see it, even if it was the last time. She truly felt as though she was in her element. She was surrounded by her friends of seven years, eating the best food the elves had to offer, and being congratulated on her position at the Ministry of Magic. Her last night at Hogwarts was supposed to be like this.
However, her happiness was not complete. Some small part of her was still worried over the incident Malfoy. As she reached across Ron to grab a dinner roll, she stole a quick glance at the Slytherin table. Adorned with silver and emerald colored garbs, many of the students blended together in perfect unison. She was disappointed not to spot a singular person with piercing silver eyes or blonde hair. Quietly, she sliced her roll down the middle and applied a thin slab of butter.
"Mione, are you alright?" Ron asked through mouthfuls. "I thought you said you were starved."
She put on a fake smile for him. "I'm fine, Ron. Just pacing myself. I want to have a little of everything since this is my last dinner here." He nodded, understanding and gave her a thumbs up. On her right side, Harry merely gave her a look of disbelief, which she ignored. She did not want to start a fight with her best friend on their last evening at Hogwarts.
"May I have everyone's attention, please," the Headmaster announced from the front of the room. All eyes turned to him. "I would just like to address our recent graduates. This afternoon, we witness a rather extraordinary event in the form of understanding and compassion."
"I am sure you are all very well aware of the difficulties Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy have been going through since the start of this term. Being in Head positions and living together through this year proved to be a rather demanding task. Yet, I believe both have come out of this experience with new ideas regarding their former beliefs about the other."
"This afternoon, we saw Mr. Malfoy denounce his position as stand-in for valedictorian so he could give it over to Ms. Granger. I am sure that every student in this hall would have done the same," the Headmaster grinned, his eyes never leaving the Slytherin table, whose members were sulking. "That said, I would like to extent a warm thanks to Mr. Malfoy for crossing the borders of the Houses and allowing Ms. Granger to fulfill her valedictorian requirements."
The hall was reluctant to clap until some very persuasive looks from the faculty changed their minds. "Remind me why we are clapping for that prat again?" Ron leaned across Hermione to ask Harry. Harry gave a knowing glance at Hermione, who pretended not to notice either of them.
"Is Mr. Malfoy present?" Dumbledore asked, searching the crowd of students. Hermione willed herself to watch the Headmaster and not lend her own eyes to the hunt. "Mr. Malfoy?" Snape stood up, stalking over to his House table. Apparently no one knew where the Head Boy had disappeared to. "Well, it seems that someone is being rather modest," the Headmaster grinned. "Very well. Please continue your feast everyone."
As the students went back to eating, two people remained motionless. Hermione was frozen staring at her plate. Aside of her, Harry watched her face as she fought internally over what to do. Though the Boy-Who-Lived did not understand what had happened between his enemy and his best friend, he knew that Hermione would not care about someone who didn't deserve it. He waited to see if she would speak to him and when she didn't, he continued with his meal.
Shortly after dinner came to a close. Hermione made her way back to her dormitory. It was the last time she would have to utter her password, the final time she would sleep in her bed. As she stepped through the doorway, she caught the silhouette of someone sitting on the couch.
"Malfoy?"
"Who else would have the password, Granger?"
She stormed over, ready to punch him. "You! You big, obnoxious prat!"
Malfoy held his hands up. "Woah, Granger. Calm down."
"Where, the bloody hell, were you?" she cried.
A smirk appeared on his lips. "Why, miss me?"
Hermione's hand flew before she could restrain herself. He caught her hand before it made contact with his face. "Now Granger, we don't want a repeat of this morning's performance, do we?" he taunted. She moved to slap him with her opposite hand and he yanked her down towards him. Losing her balance, she landed in his lap. "Maybe we should repeat this morning," he grinned, taking in how close they were.
Blushing, the Head Girl tried to get off of him, but Malfoy wasn't allowing it. He was much stronger than he looked, a perk of being the Quidditch captain for so many years.
"Malfoy," her voice came out a weak plea. "Please, let me go." Malfoy disregarded her and reached his hand up to her face. "Malfoy," she struggled against him, but he continued working his fingers around her face and into her hair. "Malfoy, knock it off. You don't know what you are doing."
"Granger?"
"Yes?"
"Shut up."
He was so close now, she could feel his breath against her face. She knew what was going to happen and she was powerless to stop it. The odd thing was, she realized she didn't care. She could feel Malfoy's forehead pressing against hers and knew it was close. Anticipating, she closed her eyes.
KNOCK "Mione? Are you in there?" KNOCK, KNOCK
"It's Harry and Ron," Hermione whispered, eyes still closed.
"Sod them," Malfoy whispered back, running his thumb down her cheek. A shiver ran Hermione's spine and she leaned into his touch.
KNOCK, KNOCK "MIONE!" KNOCK, KNOCK
Hermione groaned and pulled away. "I better get that." Malfoy watched her stand up and walk over to the door. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
Opening the door, Hermione forced herself to smile. "Hi guys," she greeted her best friends.
"Hey, don't you want to join us up in Gryffindor tower?" Ron asked. "Everyone's wondering where you are."
"Um, actually Ron, I was going to-."
"Great!" Ron shouted, totally missing her hint. He grabbed her by the hand. "Let's go!"
"Er, Ron, Mione might be tired," Harry said, trying to make Ron understand.
"Nah, not our Hermione. Remember that night she stayed up with us, studying for our O.W.L.S.? We were up for 48 hours straight, but Mione, she hadn't been out of the library for a week!" Ron started to drag Hermione down the hall. "Come on. It's our last night. We need to celebrate."
"Um, just give me a second, Ron." Hermione pulled away from him. "I need to get my- um…my cloak. It's a bit drafty up there."
"Alright!"
She darted back inside her dorm, but the living room was empty. Malfoy's door was shut. She knocked, hoping he'd come out, but he didn't. "Malfoy," she called softly. "Malfoy." There was no answer. "Malfoy, I'm sorry. I didn't know they were coming. Can we please just talk?" Still no answer.
"Mione!"
"I'm coming," she called out to Ron.
"Malfoy, please talk to me."
Silence.
"MIONE!"
"Alright, Ron. I'm coming." She gave one last look at Malfoy's door and then she went out to meet her friends.
