A/N: thank you for all the alerts and favourites!
As expected, Ravenclaw hammered Hufflepuff 450 – 10. Later that evening, Ron, Harry, Fred and George were retailing Hermione with a blow by blow account of the match when she got up from her armchair and prodded Ron in the back of the head.
"Come on, we have to go."
"What for?" asked Ron, who was doing an impression of the Hufflepuff seeker, Zacharias Smith lunging for the snitch and looked up from his sprawled position on the floor.
"Prefect duty" Hermione told him, rolling her eyes.
"Oh Crap, forgot about that" said Ron, hastily jumping up and heading for the portrait hole.
"You can't honestly be that eager." Fred looked at him incredulously.
"And to think he's our brother" said George sadly, shaking his head in mock despair.
"McGonagall said she'd put me in detention if I was late again" Ron replied, grabbing Hermione by the arm and pulling her after him. "Come on Mione."
Due to Ron's sense of panic, they reached the entrance hall with ten minutes to spare, so were sitting on the staircase chatting when Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson came up from the dungeons.
"Look Draco" said Pansy gleefully when she spotted Hermione. "If it isn't our favourite frizzy haired freak. Oh, and the blood traitor too."
Ron turned red and made a move to stand up, but Hermione placed a calming hand on his shoulder.
"Don't rise to it Ron" she told him, shooting the Slytherin a cold look. "She's just trying to provoke you, don't give her the satisfaction of responding to it."
"Ahh how adorable, sticking up for your scum sucker. Oops, I mean boyfriend" Pansy smiled nastily.
"Ignore her, just ignore her" Hermione whispered to Ron in an undertone as he went purple.
"What I'd like to know Weasley is what you see in the mudblood" Pansy continued.
"Don't call her that!" yelled Ron furiously, jumping up and taking a step towards her.
"I believe she may call Granger whatever she wishes" said Malfoy softly, speaking up for the first time. His eyes were fixed on Hermione as he sauntered slowly towards them. She let in a small intake of breath at the intensity of his gaze.
"After all, that's what you Gryffindors do isn't it? Call people by whatever name you can think of, never mind if it's utterly unfounded."
"What the hell are you on about Malfoy?" Ron demanded.
"Nothing that concerns you Weasel. This is between me and Granger."
"There is nothing between you and Hermione" Ron snarled, closing the gap between them and prodding the blonde in the chest.
Malfoy ignored this and smirked, never once breaking eye contact with Hermione. "I wonder, did Granger tell you about our little… encounter in the bathroom?"
"What?" this cry of outrage came from both Ron and Pansy.
"What's going on here?" Professor McGonagall's strict voice rang across the entrance hall. She had just come out of the Great Hall with a scandalised expression on her face, followed by the prefects from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. She gave the situation an appraising look before turning to Hermione.
"Miss Granger, would you care to explain why Mr Weasley and Mr Malfoy are currently having a – I believe he phrase is "stand off" in the middle of the entrance hall, when they are supposed to be assembled up at the staff table awaiting my instructions?"
"He called Hermione a mudblood" said Ron aggressively.
"Silence Mr Weasley, I do not believe I asked for your opinion" said McGonagall curtly. "Is this true Mr Malfoy?" she added sharply.
"Actually, it was Pansy" said Hermione in a small voice.
Ron spun round to face her looking incredulous, whilst an ugly expression crossed Pansy's face. Malfoy raised an eyebrow.
"If that is the case then I will take ten points from Slytherin and Miss Parkinson will receive a detention. I hope never to hear such foul language coming from your mouth in my presence. Now follow me into the hall please, all four of you."
"Why didn't you say it was Malfoy" hissed Ron as they traipsed after her, "you could have landed him in detention."
"He didn't say it" Hermione muttered back.
"He's said it enough in the past. Just for once there was a teacher around to hear it."
But luckily McGonagall began telling them their duties would be for that night before Ron could say anything else.
"I will divide you into pairs and you shall patrol the corridors looking for students out after hours. If you discover anybody, simply send your patronus to find me and I will come and administer punishments. It is half past nine now, I will except you to report back to me at eleven in the entrance hall. Hmmm…"
She was looking at the piece of parchment she was holding and frowning. "I have Mr Malfoy and Mr Weasley down as being partners for the night, so perhaps I will have to change that. Miss Abbott with Mr Boot, Miss Parkinson with Mr Weasley if you please. That leaves Macmillan with Miss Patil and Malfoy with Miss Granger. Off you go."
Hermione followed the others nervously, trying to avoid looking at Malfoy who was walking quietly beside her. In the entrance hall the pairs split up, Hannah Abbott and Terry Boot taking the corridor that led to the kitchens and Ron and Pansy going down to the dungeons, Ron shooting Malfoy a dirty look over his shoulder as he went. The remaining four went up to the first floor.
"See you later Hermione" Ernie said pompously as he disappeared through a portrait of Sir Evril the Ernest after Padma.
Hermione continued walking in silence, so tense that her hands were balled into fists at her sides. She kept her eyes on the floor. She had no idea what to say to Malfoy, not after what had happened in the Library. Was he still furious? And what on earth had that all been about in the Entrance Hall? She's practically stuck up for him in front of Professor McGonagall. A Gryffindor defending a Slytherin – it was unheard of. But the way he'd been looking at her, it hadn't been with the usual amount of hatred; it had just seemed calculating, as if he was trying to figure her out.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a polite cough.
"You're going to have to look at me at some point you realise" Malfoy murmured, and Hermione was shocked to hear the amusement in his voice. She looked up at him, startled.
"That's better" he smirked.
"What -?"
"I've decided Granger, that so long as we keep getting thrown into these odd situations together, I had better be honest with you."
"Honest?" she croaked, not sure that she wanted to hear the rest of what he was going to say. She was entirely wrong footed now. He hadn't even insulted her.
"Yes" replied Malfoy simply, turning away from her to gaze out the window. It was dark outside, the lake lit like a silvery mirror, reflecting the light from the moon. The minutes passed in silence as they wandered up the shadowy corridor.
"Malfoy?" Hermione asked tentatively.
He then turned back to her with a sigh and she could see that he'd been steeling himself to say whatever it was he was about to tell her.
"In the Library you called me a Death Eater. I know you're not the only person to think this, I'm sure pretty much the whole castle is under the impression that I'm in league with the Dark Lord."
He paused for a second and glanced down at her, his eyes unreadable. The fact that she wasn't staring at him in disbelief or loathing, simply curiosity seemed to spur him on and he continued.
"But the truth is I'm not. I know you of all people will find this hardest to believe after the way I've treated you for the past six years, but I don't think I can continue like this any more. There's a war coming and I'll be damned if I fight on the side of my father."
Hermione watched him silently, careful to keep a neutral expression on her face. Inside, her brain was in turmoil. Was Malfoy being serious? In a few sentences he'd entirely demolished the opinion she'd had of him the since her first day at Hogwarts. Where was the arrogance? The snide retorts and swaggering superiority? The boy in front of her looked almost vulnerable, if it wasn't for the fierce determination in his eyes. He was claiming that he'd never supported Voldemort, that he hated his father. He was shaking the foundations of an assumption that had been deeply ingrained in Hermione's life for six years – the idea of Malfoy being good was almost as absurd as the idea of Harry being evil. One of the constants in her life was at risk of collapsing and it was extremely unsettling. And unsettled was not an emotion that Hermione Granger did well.
"Are you telling me that you've never expressed a desire to be a death eater? That the bullying and insults and haughtiness have been leading up to a different profession entirely?" This came out more sarcastic than she had meant, but her defences were well and truly up.
Malfoy ran a hand through his hair and muttered "I knew this was going to be hard."
"Minister for magic perhaps?" Hermione continued sardonically, "or why not go the whole hog and become a healer – I'm sure St Mungo's would be delighted to have someone as pleasant as you on their staff."
At this, Malfoy cocked as eyebrow. "Look, I know I haven't been very nice to you – "
"Haven't been very nice!" she repeated heatedly, "haven't been very nice?
That is the biggest understatement I've ever heard and that includes Neville telling me that he's finding Potions slightly difficult!"
Then the last thing she would ever have expected to see at Hogwarts happened – Malfoy started laughing. It caused his face to relax into a warm, natural expression and all of a sudden he became impossibly attractive. This was way too much for Hermione to handle in one night.
"Are you laughing?" she asked weakly.
"It has been known to happen, Granger. And while we're on the subject, I don't think it's very nice of you to mock Longbottom like that – he can't help turning into a gibbering wreck every time Snape looks at him." He was smiling as he spoke and Hermione could tell he was teasing her.
"Why are you being like this?" she said in a small voice and abruptly, Malfoy was serious again.
"My father has controlled my life since I was born. I've been ridiculed and tortured and trapped in an isolated mansion where I had no-one to turn to. He used to hit my mother every time she tried to help me after I'd been used as a punch bag for his foul death eater friends to practise unforgiveable curses on. I was six when he told me if I ever betrayed him I would die and to make his point he killed my pet dog in front on me. But ridiculously I was given anything I wanted – the latest model of broomstick, the finest robes, the handsomest owl my father could buy. All to show the world that the Malfoy's were superior; better than muggles and blood traitors and mudbloods. "
He said this word with utter contempt, but not in a way Hermione had ever heard him use before. All of his hatred was directed not at her, but at his father. But maybe it had always been like that and she'd never realised. Her hand moved to cover her mouth and she looked up at him with large, tearful eyes. Malfoy's head was bent slightly.
"He told me if I didn't get sorted into Slytherin I might as well never come back as he would disown me. But I did. So I had to behave the way he would expect of me – looking down on anyone with inferior ancestry, only making friends with people he had selected. And then Potter came along and I was supposed to treat him the worst of all. He was the reason our family wasn't ruling alongside the Dark Lord, the reason why we were mistrusted by half the magical community. So I did. And now the Dark Lord has returned, and my father expects me to become a death eater as soon as I turn seventeen."
As he fell silent, Hermione looked at Draco Malfoy properly for the first time. Blonde hair, pale complexion, defined muscles under his white school shirt – he was as gorgeous as Lavender and Partvati had always said; something she'd always denied because of the insufferable git that he was. But as she looked closer, she saw things she was sure they wouldn't have noticed. He had dark circles under his eyes and an almost defensive stance, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.
"I didn't know" she said quietly, looking away so he didn't catch her studying him but then looking back, unable to keep her eyes from him.
He laughed hollowly. "Why would you? I've spent my whole life making sure people didn't."
"I'm sorry" she whispered.
"For what?"
"Everything."
His mouth curved into an ironic smile. "Who would have thought it? Hermione Granger apologising to a Slytherin."
She laughed in a choked up kind of way. "And Draco Malfoy making a joke."
They were silent again for a minute, but it was a restful silence. Hermione let everything that had been said soak in, still not entirely sure it was all happening and feeling sorry for Malfoy and slightly happy all at once.
"So." He said, pushing off the wall and indicating with a tilt of his head that they should continue patrolling.
"What are you going to do?" she asked him as they walked along.
"That's what me and Blaise have been discussing since the start of term" he said darkly.
"Zabini?"
"Yeah, he's in the same position as me. His mother married a Death Eater –Theodore Nott's father."
"So they're half brothers" said Hermione, surprised.
"Yeah, but Theodore's turning into a perfect clone of his father and Blaise doesn't want anything to do with it. He's been told he'll be killed unless he gets the mark this summer too. We both know too much otherwise, living with the people we do."
"I'm glad my parents are dentists" Hermione said with feeling.
Malfoy met her eye and the ghost of a grin flickered across his face.
"What a typically muggle born thing to say" he said.
"Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger."
Professor McGonagall was striding towards wearing a tartan dressing gown and a stern expression.
"Would you care to explain why you failed to patrol the third floor corridor? I have just had to send Miss Chang and Mr Davies back to bed with 20 points from Ravenclaw, not my duty to do so!"
"We – " Hermione began, but then trailed off, unsure what to say.
Professor McGonagall's expression became even more severe.
"We were making sure we patrolled this corridor thoroughly" said Malfoy smoothly, "we wouldn't want any untoward behaviour carrying on under our very noses professor."
"I do believe you're being facetious, Mr Malfoy" said McGonagall curtly, her nostrils flaring.
"I wouldn't dare be so impertinent" he drawled and Hermione had the most absurd urge to laugh. McGonagall's eyes snapped instantly to hers and she put her head down, attempting to hide her smile.
"Well" said McGonagall, and her voice sounded strange, almost as is she herself was trying not to show amusement. "Well. I suppose you had better meet the others back in the Entrance Hall. It's nearly eleven."
"Yes Professor" they said in unison – another Hogwart's first. This time, they both had to hide their smiles as they tried not to catch each other's eye. This is utter madness thought Hermione as they followed McGonagall down the corridor, side by side.
"There's one thing I ask of you" Malfoy murmured in her ear as they reached the staircase.
"What?" she whispered back.
"Don't tell anyone what I've told you, not yet at least."
Hermione considered what it must have cost to Malfoy to tell her what he had and the danger it had put him in if his disobedience got back to his father.
"I promise" she said sincerely, resolving not even to tell Harry and Ron.
"Thank you Gr – " Malfoy broke off and briefly closed his eyes. "Hermione."
It was strange to hear her name spoken in his voice and it created a butterfly sensation in her stomach, even as she casually replied.
"First names? Really?"
He smirked at her, before putting his hands in his pockets and swaggering ahead of her into the Great Hall. She rolled her eyes at his pretentious entrance.
"Really" he called over his shoulder.
"Draco?" She spoke quietly, knowing the others were gathered round the Teachers table and would hear if she said it too loudly. He didn't turn round, but she could tell from the slowing down of his saunter that he'd heard her.
"You're still a dick" she muttered and quickened her pace so that she walked past him.
A low chuckle told her that he wasn't too offended.
Please review, I'd love to know what you think :) Let me know if you have any suggestions for what should happen next! Ron/Draco showdown?