Stolen Glances and Borrowed Time
I do not own Harry Potter or any characters or anything to do with Harry Potter.
Chapter 2
Hermione softly padded down the corridor to the Room Of Requirement. She had been distracted in her classes earlier today with apprehension for this meeting. Uncertainty lingered in her mind because she had no idea if she should inform Draco what occurred with her and Ronald. He himself had called her that awful word for years, how would he understand her pain at one of her best friends saying it? What if she began to cry again?
"Granger?" Hermione was pulled out of her reverie by Draco who stood directly in front of her, so close if she leant foreword slightly she could kiss him. To her great displeasure the idea seemed, dare she admit, desirable.
"Malfoy. Shall we enter since we are both present?"
Draco gave a slight nod before slipping into the recently appeared door. After a moments pause Hermione followed him. The room adorned itself with a fireplace, a white couch, and a coffee table with a few books placed onto it. Smiling softly she slunk over to the couch and lightly drifted onto it.
"Seeing as you appeared upset in potions would you like to discuss whatever happened?"
"I'm not sure you would understand Malfoy."
"Draco, call me Draco. Besides even if I don't understand I can listen without taking sides."
"Ronald called me a daft Mudblood."
The expression which graced Draco's features was something akin to genuine shock and to Hermione's confusion, anger. Before she could further ponder his expressions his face was overtaken into a stony, indifferent expression. If the Gryffindor Princess had looked closely she would have seen his were still a stormy expanse of liquid silver. Swallowing the rage bubbling up his throat he choked out the first thing he which entered his mind.
"Did he apologize?"
"No. Not yet"
"Will he?"
"Who knows, he is likely too distracted in interrogating me. He wanted to know who I was with last night. After I wouldn't tell him…"
To Hermione and Draco's horror tears began to leak out her eyes. Carefully pushing their way onto her face before beating red trails down her delicate and crumbling features. One thing to know about Draco is he couldn't stand when women cried, he hated it.
"Please stop crying Granger, he isn't worth your tears anyway! Granger? GRANGER?" To his great horror and mortification Hermione didn't even show she heard him. Deciding he either made her stop crying or bash his head into the nearest wall he hesitantly sat down next to her and awkwardly patted her back. Hermione's torrent of seemingly never ending tears still continued and at this point he was seriously pondering Avada'ing himself.
"Hermione I'm desperate please don't cry, please? I can't handle it when women cry so please stop it!" He buried his head in her neck murmuring 'Hermione' over and over again her quaking sobs stopped shaking her delicate frame. Eventually she looked up and hastily wiped her eyes.
"Draco? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost my composure. Also I believe you mentioned something about 'not being able to handle it when women cry'. Why is that?" Draco pulled his face out of Hermione's neck and removed his hand from her back.
"Back when I was younger my father did some awful things to my mother and I would constantly see her crying because of it. Whenever I see anyone cry I remember all those times." Draco watched Hermione's expression change into something he couldn't recognize, almost as if she was having an internal battle with herself. After a moment she shakily and softly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he returned the gesture whole heartedly. After what could have been thirty seconds or ten minutes they reluctantly ended the hug.
"Thank you, Draco. I needed this. Let me know when we'll meet again or if something happens I'll contact you." Before Draco comprehended what happened she was gone.
"Hermione! I've been trying to talk to you all day! 'M so sorry 'bout what I said, I didn't mean it. Please forgive me?" The moment she had walked through the portrait Ron ran to her and she could tell he was genuinely haunted about what he had said. His eyes looked genuinely pleading and desperate for her forgiveness.
"Its alright Ron, just please don't call me that ever again."
"Of course, 'Mione! I suppose we could go to the library or maybe sneak down to the kitchens? Say hi to Dobby?" At his words Hermione grinned and accepted Ron's offer to go to the library. To her great surprise however The Gryffindor Princess felt none of the butterflies or light headedness that came with being alone with Ron.
The next morning Hermione entered the Great Hall for breakfast and took her usual seat with Ron and Harry. Oddly enough after a few minutes of chatting amiably Hermione began to feel the prickle one gets when being watched. That's strange, who on earth would watch me? Slowly she lifted her eyes without moving her head and locked gazes with a pair of stormy silver-grey orbs. As soon as their eyes met he shot her a questioning glance which she quirked an eyebrow at amusedly. After a few seconds he suddenly stood from his seat and left the Great Hall. Eventually she lowered her eyes back to the food and relished in the delectable tastes rolling over her tongue from breakfast.
"Oy, bushy haired know-it-all, I need to borrow your book!" It was the fifth period of their day and Draco and Hermione both had a free period and Draco had a message he greatly needed to pass. After she gave it to him barely looking up he scrawled a note and slipped it into the second page of the old and musty tome. The note was a short, concise message.
Granger,
What are you doing? Your talking to the git now? After crying about it just last night? Meet me in the room of requirement now. This instant.
Draco allowed a teasing smirk to invade his features as Hermione fixed him with a glare and a small nod. Pleased, Draco stalked off in a manner akin to that of Professor Snape. Before long he was in the corridor which sheltered the Room of Requirement listening as the footfalls behind him grew louder and louder. Once Hermione approached him the door to their meeting place showed itself, beckoning them to enter. Moments after it swung shut he rounded on her.
"Why are you talking to him? You were clearly so hurt by what he said, crying like your bloody life depended on it, now what? You two were amicably talking!" After the words tumbled out of his mouth he realized how foolish he was being. However he also had his pride so he continued to press the issue.
"Well, Granger? Don't you have a bloody explanation? Love really is blind isn't it?"
"Malfoy, I fail to see how it may possibly concern you but Ron apologized last night! As he doesn't have a time turner there is nothing more he can do and I find brooding on issues deplorable! Why make him suffer when he is clearly sincere in his remorse!"
"He deserves suffering!" Hermione huffed and swept out of the Room Of Requirement the rest of the day passing in a blur for them both.
"Drakie! Let's walk to dinner together! Apparently Dumbledore has a big announcement!"
"Sure Parkinson, whatever."
"It's Pansy, Drakikins!" Draco sighed as Pansy trapped his arm in hers with a boa constrictor-like grip and dragged him to the Great Hall.
irk
"We're sitting with Blaise, Parkinson." He may as well have to suffer through this too.
"Why do you call him Blaise and me Parkinson, Draki-poo?"
"He doesn't give me nicknames." Draco smirked as Pansy rolled her eyes and pulled him over to Blaise, who upon seeing Pansy started to find a notch in the table fascinating.
"Hey Blaisie!"
"Parkinson, Drake." Now it was Pansy's turn to fix Draco with a smirk that could rival his.
"You were saying earlier, Drakie, about nicknames?"
"Uhm…well, I, erm, Blaise have you heard of Dumbledore's announcement?"
"Yeah?"
"STUDENTS!" Albus Dumbledore's voice rung out across the dining hall, amplified by the sonorous charm. "WE WILL BE HOSTING A MASQUERADE BALL A FEW WEEKS FROM NOW, DATES ARE NECESSARY AND EVERYONE, FOURTH YEARS AND UP, MUST ATTEND. YOUNGER YEARS MAY ATTEND IF THEY WISH TO ATTEND HOWEVER IT IS NOT REQUIRED. THANK YOU, ENJOY YOUR MEAL."
Five seconds until Pansy asks me. Five, four, three, two-
"Drakie, your attending with me, we can make fun of the Mudblood all night!" How dare she!
"Don't call her that!"
Hmm is Hermione right with forgiving Ron? Also who reprimanded Pansy? Was it Draco? Leave you guesses, and your opinion on this chapter in reviews. If you could check out my other Dramione story too I would greatly appreciate it.