Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Hermione had broken up with Graham the day after she had her talk with Daphne to the obvious delight of Ron and Harry. "At least now we can give him a proper thrashing on the pitch." Ron had whispered to Harry, but Hermione was pretty sure that he knew that she could hear, too.
Graham hadn't taken it very well, and had told her that she was annoying and swotty, but Hermione found that his words didn't really bother as much as they would have before. Just because she'd updated her look didn't mean that she wasn't still the bookworm she always was, and if that annoyed Graham, then he didn't really like her for her.
Hermione was a little annoyed that Malfoy hadn't sought her out once since she'd broken up with Graham. It had been nearly two weeks. But, she supposed, she had been the one to tell them that their relationship couldn't continue without it being public. Maybe he really just didn't want to date her in public in which case…she was content to be alone for a while until she found someone who was.
"Hey Hermione." Daphne tapped on her shoulder, getting Hermione's attention. "I was wondering if you had time to meet with me tonight? I have another potion recipe I want to go over with you." Daphne had been lugging nearly as many books around as Hermione usually did.
Hermione smiled up at her friend. "Sure, I just have to stop off at the library to return a few books. So, maybe fifteen minutes after?"
"Great! See you then!" Daphne turned and left in the direction of the Slytherin table.
"What potion is she working on?" Harry asked, knowing that the blonde had a reputation for being awful in potions class. He knew that if Professor Snape was still their professor, Daphne wouldn't be in the NEWT level class.
"Oh, she has loads of beauty potions. Hair de-frizzer for instance." Hermione ran her fingers through her wavy hair.
"Ha, so that's what your secret is?" Ginny demanded.
"Yes, it's been a lifesaver. If she ever stopped giving me some, I'd have to find a way to reverse engineer her formula." Hermione said with a serious face. She loved the way her hair looked now. It was still large and a bit chaotic, but it had lost its bushiness and was much more manageable.
"Do you think she'd give some to me?" Ginny asked, her own hands going to her red locks.
"Well, I think she's going to try selling it, but I could let her know that you are willing to try prototypes." Hermione said with a smile.
"Any male beauty potions she might need tested?" Harry asked.
"Harry! First Ron and now you?" Hermione asked jokingly. "I will let her know you're interested, but I wouldn't hold your breath. She's pretty hung up on one guy."
After dinner, Theo escorted Daphne to his room and she settled across his bed like she belonged there. Merlin, he loved this girl. "So, did Hermione agree?" He asked Daphne.
"Yes, she will be at the Room of Requirement a few minutes after dinner. She told me she just needs to pop over to the library." Daphne told him, a fond look on her face.
"Typical Granger." Theo said with a smirk.
"And did you get Malfoy to agree?" Daphne asked.
"Yes, he should already be on his way." Theo responded. Earlier that day, during their free period, Daphne and Theo had gone to set up the Room of Requirement, trying to make it as conducive as possible to discussion, and if things went well, romance. They also had set the room to not let them out until they talked to each other for five minutes at least.
"Great." Daphne said. She was glad that her friend was going to either have a go at a relationship with the boy she wanted to, or have closure on their little trysts. But it still had Daphne longing for her own happy ending, with Theo.
"Listen-" They both started talking at the same time, before awkward silence settled between them for a few beats, each waiting for the other to start talking.
Daphne blushed. "I think I'm finally ready to have that chat about our relationship."
Theo sat down on the bed, making tentative eye contact. "I wanted to say, I'm sorry for how much of a fool I was, about you, about us. You are worth so much more to me than money is." Theo grabbed her hand. "I should have never given you up."
"You really hurt me Theo..." Daphne had tears swimming in her eyes. "I should have fought harder for you. I…I thought that you would resent me, when we didn't have any money. That we'd be destitute. But, Theo, you are all that I need. So, if you'll still have me…"
She trailed off. Theo pounced on her, their lips meeting in a long overdue kiss. Oh, how he'd longed to do this to her. Before things could get too hot and heavy though, he moved to sit next to her, propped up by the pillows and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her to rest against his chest. "I'll get a job. I'm really gifted with arithmancy. I could be a curse breaker at Gringotts or something. I promise I'll take care of you."
Daphne smiled up at his bright green eyes. "I want a job too."
"No, you don't need to do that, sweetheart." Theo kissed the top of her head.
"I want to though. Hermione suggested that I might try selling some of my beauty potions, and well, I've been developing quite a lot lately, with her help and Neville Longbottom's herbology knowledge. He doesn't know he's been helping me, but perhaps it's time to be formally introduced."
"That seems like a lot of work." Theo said, surprised at this change in Daphne. It seemed like this was something she really wanted, something she was truly passionate about.
"I've been reading all about business plans and accounting. We still have another year of school before we graduate, so I have time to get everything in order." Daphne gave him a cheeky grin. "Who knows, maybe I'll be the one taking care of you."
Theo kiss her again on the lips. "Do you forgive me, Daph?"
"Of course I do." Daphne said finally. She was ready to move on to a new chapter of her life with him. "But, don't think you're getting out of this bed for the rest of the night."
Hermione was a little late leaving the library, as she got stopped by a fourth year Ravenclaw who asked for some advice on an arthimancy project. She hurried through a hall, and hoped that Daphne would forgive her tardiness.
When she got there, she opened the door and stepped in letting the door close behind her with a resounding click. "Sorry, I'm late." She said, not looking up, rummaging through her books to find one she thought might be useful to Daphne.
"You aren't Theo." Said a voice.
The person there had blond hair, but it wasn't Daphne. It was the boy - no man - who she'd been both longing to see and dreading to see. "You aren't Daphne either. What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, her hand back on the door handle behind her.
"Theo asked me to meet him here after dinner." Draco said, understanding flickering over his face. "Let me guess, Daphne asked you to meet her here too?"
"Yes." Hermione said, trying to turn the doorknob, but was surprised to find that it was stuck. Even jiggling it, it wouldn't budge.
"I would just give up on that. I think that our friends wanted us to...talk things over." Draco said.
Hermione sighed, dropping her bag by the door, before moving across the room to sit on the couch Draco was already occupying. "They out Slytherin-ed the King Slytherin?" Hermione asked, slightly amused at the turn the evening had taken. "And here I thought it was just me that Daphne tricked into doing things she wanted. I thought I was special."
"You are special." Draco murmured so quietly, Hermione almost didn't hear him. He stared into the fire, refusing to make eye contact with her.
Annoyed with him avoiding her, Hermione decided to take the conversation by the reins. "I broke up with Graham."
"I'd heard."
"Well." Hermione started, unsure of what she wanted to say. She was frustrated by how closed off, how secretive he was about things. "What do you want with me then?"
"I want…" Draco started, licking his lips to wet them. "I want to continue what we had before."
"We've gone over this, Draco." She said, annoyed. She heard his intake of breath at her use of his first name. "I don't want to mess about in closets if you are afraid to be seen in public with me. I won't be a little mudblood secret. If you don't want…do you even like me?"
Draco was silent for a while. "I think that I've liked you for a very long time." He finally said, looking up and into her eyes, her brown eyes that seemed to make him feel so comfortable. "But, before, when you hid behind bushy hair and baggy jumpers, it was easy to…dismiss it as a classroom rivalry."
Hermione's lips parted slightly, surprised to hear this from him. "But now…" She prodded.
"But now, that I've seen your…and your…and you were those bloody green knickers!" He said, annoyed that she'd haunted his dreams for weeks. Hermione blushed and her eyes widened. "I saw them when you dropped your books that day before potions." He said sheepishly, as an explanation. "Now I can understand that what I feel for you is a little bit more than what I thought it was."
"I feel like you understand me better than my own friends." Hermione said softly. "You seemed to voice all of the things I was feeling, with Ron, with the new attention. I hated that people were acting like I was this new person when I changed my look. And you were the one that made me face it." She reached out and put her hand on his knee.
They were quiet for a few minutes before Hermione spoke again. "Even so, I've just begun to realize that just as others had been judging me without knowing me, I'm just as guilty of doing the same with you." She said, her eyes staring into his mercurial eyes and was shocked again by how much he reminded her of Sirius sometimes. "I don't really know anything about you."
Draco just nodded in agreement. He seemed dejected, like he knew what was already coming. "I think that is true of a lot of people."
"As much as I've really enjoyed snogging you and…more," Hermione said with a blush, seeing his disappointment, "I would really like to get to know you a bit better. Maybe go on a date sometime."
Draco's ears perked up at that. He seemed to think she was here to tell him that they couldn't be seen together. "Are you asking me to Hogsmeade?"
"Well, yeah, if you'd like to go with me." Hermione said.
"Aren't you worried about what Potter and Weaselbee will say?" He asked, surprised by her bravery to face her friends.
"Please, they owe me big time for all of the grief they've given me this semester." Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "Not to mention that I've got a standing promise from the pair of them to give whoever I date a chance. They trust my judgment on this. Are you worried about what your friends might say? Or your parents?"
"I can handle my friends. The ones that matter wouldn't care, although they might ask some questions. As for Pansy and Blaise and the like, they can stuff it." Draco said, bitterly. "As for my parents…it's just one date. It's not like I'm taking you home to tell them we're getting married."
Hermione blushed at that. "Well, then it's settled we'll go to Hogsmeade together." Draco looked pleased and nodded. "Now…how long do you think the room will give us privacy?" Hermione asked, giving him a devilish smirk.
Draco stared over her shoulder at the door before shrugging. Then he pounced on her and pushed her back into the couch, his lips meeting hers in a desperate kiss. Hermione eagerly returned it, her hands darting into his hair to pull him closer to her.
She felt his fingers undoing her top few buttons on her shirt, revealing her green lace bra to his eyes again. He hissed, letting his fingers trace the edge of the lace. "Fuck, it's better than I imagined."
Hermione was shocked that he'd admit something, but was too eager to have his lips back on hers again. She pulled him to her and settled in for an enjoyable hour or so of snogging before curfew.
Hermione sat down at breakfast, very excited for her date. She didn't wear a sexy dress like last time, but she still opted for a green jumper, finding that it suited her coloring well, and jeans. "Good morning boys."
"Morning Hermione." Ron said with a yawn. "So, are you finally going to go to a Hogsmeade weekend with us?" He asked.
Hermione bit her lip. "Actually, I have a date." She saw Harry's surprise at her statement. "We are going to the Hog's Head again, to try and stay away from the crowds, but can we meet you after at the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer?" Hermione asked, a sweet smile on her face.
"Of course, Hermione. Won't you tell us who it is?" Harry asked, truly curious about who it could be.
"I want it to be a surprise." Hermione said, with a smirk on her face. She knew that both Ron and Harry told her that they would give whoever she dated a chance, but she knew that showing up with Malfoy would still come as a huge shock to her friends.
"Do you mind if I tag along?" Ginny asked, sitting down next to Hermione.
"Oh, uh, of course." Harry said. "Aren't you going with Dean, though?" He asked, truly curious. He'd been so annoyed that his roommate was dating Ginny, someone who he'd really grown to like over the year, especially seeing how much she cared about her friends.
"No, we've broken up." Ginny said with a small frown. "It was mutual. We just don't work that well together."
"Great!" Harry said, before a blush appeared on his face. "Oh, I uh, I mean, not great that you broke up, but great that I won't be a third wheel with Ron and Lavender again this time." Harry looked like he'd like nothing more than to disappear into the ground.
"Alright, well, I better get going." Hermione stood from the table. "So meet up with you all later?" With her friends confirmation, Hermione left the Great Hall in search of Draco.
She found him in the main entrance and they made their way to the carriages. Hermione frowned seeing that their carriage was shared by a trio of Slytherin fourth year boys that Hermione didn't know. They stared at the other pair in the carriage with them with absolute shock, until Draco finally snapped at them, "What? You've never seen someone on a date before?"
That snapped them out of it and they started to quietly chat amongst themselves. Hermione just smiled, seeing that Draco was true to his word. Draco took her hand lacing their fingers together and kissing the back on her hand. The rest of the carriage ride was uneventful.
When they got to the Hog's Head, they ran into Theo and Daphne, who happily told them they were also on a date, but that perhaps they could meet up later. Hermione was really happy that her friend was able to get what she wanted as well. The pair seemed happier than Hermione had seen either of them before.
"Draco and I are meeting up with some of my friends at the Three Broomsticks afterwards." Hermione said with a smile. She didn't miss Theo's eyebrows raised in surprise at the statement. "You should join us if you'd like." Daphne happily agreed before the pair went their separate ways.
Draco and Hermione enjoyed a quiet lunch together, getting to know each other a little bit better. Draco was still painfully closed off about his home life, but he had emphatically told Hermione that he had no intention of ever becoming a Death Eater. She had asked if he was worried about his mother and he told her that she'd been dealing with Death Eaters all her life, and she could hold her own.
Draco told Hermione about his ambition to get a Potions mastery after his schooling was complete, which was no surprise to Hermione. Although she'd been annoyed at the time, he'd been a brilliant partner in class. Draco had been surprised to learn that Hermione didn't want to be an auror after school, given her involvement with Dumbledore's Army. She'd told him it was an unfortunate necessity right now, but, that she was really interested in Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures.
Draco spent the rest of the date teasing her about her failed S.P.E.W. days.
Before long, their lunch was finished and they left the Hog's Head for brighter pastures at the Three Broomsticks. She knew that Draco was nervous, so she grabbed Draco's hand tightly in her own, the warmth and pressure a welcome reassurance.
She spotted her friends and dragged Draco through the crowds of people, leaving whispers in their wake. "Hey guys." Hermione said with a bright smile. "I believe you know Draco?"
Everyone at the table's mouths dropped at the unlikely pair showing up together. "Malfoy?" Harry, finally cried breaking the tension. "You went on a date with Malfoy?"
"Did he imperious you?" Ron demanded, pulling her away from the blond man standing next to her.
"What? No Ronald." Hermione said with a frown. "Come on, you guys promised!" She whined. She'd known this was going to be difficult, but she didn't know that Ron would immediately jump to unforgivable curses.
"But, Hermione, it's Malfoy. You know, always teases you and calls you names." Harry said, imploring her to see reason.
"Well, we've recently come to a different understanding of each other." Hermione said with a smile for Draco. "We've both seen the other in other lights now."
Draco was smirking at the two boys at the table. Harry tried. "I-I." He ran his hands across his face. "I...Fine Hermione. I made a promise and I will give him a chance." Hermione smiled at him brightly. "But if he steps one toe out of line, that's it!"
Ron was even more reluctant to agree, but the threat of physical violence had him on board. "Yeah, don't forget Malfoy I've got five other brothers who would love to hurt you too if you hurt Hermione."
"And me too!" Ginny piped up with a vicious little smile.
Threats in place, they allowed the other couple to sit and join them at the table. "Jeez, we are just going on one date." Hermione said. "It's not like we are getting married or anything."
"Hermione! A bloke is trying to eat here." Ron said, horrified. "You can't just say something like that."
Luckily, the tension was saved when Daphne and Theo joined them and asked if the offer to join their table was still open. The boys seemed happy to let Hermione's pretty new friend join, but were less inclined to allow room for Theo. Hermione smirked, thinking that she heard Ron mumbling about snakes.
Ginny began to ask about Daphne's plans to market beauty potions and the temporary tension at the table, while Draco began quietly talking with Theo about how he might soon find himself disowned, but that he had a plan to become a curse breaker. Hermione was happy to join in on that discussion, as it was something she'd thought about before as well and had discussed it with Ron's older brother Bill once.
Under the table, Draco grabbed her hand and let their fingers tangle together. Hermione gave his had a little squeeze, glad that with the way that things had worked out since meeting Daphne. She'd grown in confidence in herself, thought that she actually looked quite pretty, wasn't afraid to go after what she wanted, and was still true to herself.
Really, she ought to send Marcus Flint a thank you note.
A/N: So that's it! Last chapter of Can't Change the Way I Am! I hope it was everything you hoped for! Did I miss anything you wanted resolved?
Huge, huge thank you to those of you who favorited or followed after last chapter and this whole time. Big ups to my reviewers from last chapter: Dramione101, CrazyPendantic, SereniteRose, Analyn d'Ettore, WeDreamWhatWeWishToBecome, Pwrmom2, marianna79, strivengoddess, laumirot, QueenOfThieves, trinka belle, everlastingtrueromance, LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL, BlueMarian, HarryPGinnyW4eva, boobearhplover, fai, pianomouse, and Bentears! You guys rock. And big huge thanks to everyone who reviewed this whole story! It really ended up being more popular than I would have anticipated!
If you are looking for more Dramione, I have two others called Arrivederci and Aberdeen. Currently, I am working on a James/Hermione story, so you could check that out; or, I will begin posting a Rabastan/Hermione story the Wednesday after next. Also, I will be posting a short story in four parts, Sirius/Hermione, beginning this Friday! I would love it if you would check out some of my other works.
Thank you all again for reading! Please let me know what you thought of chapter nine!