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The storm continued to rage outside as I started into a new book of fairy tales. Each of them had a happy ending, and it gave me hope that just maybe my story would end that way too. When I finished the volume, around dinner time I estimated, I started to reread.
"Again Granger?"
I glanced up from the story, and looked at Malfoy walking through the door.
"Yes," I answered, noticing a bubbling cauldron and potions book levitating behind him.
He sat down on the couch and set the cauldron on the table with a heavy sigh. I ignored him, trying not to remember his tears earlier, and turned the page.
"Damn it!" He yelled out a couple more profanities.
I turned away from the book and looked over at him.
"What did I do wrong?" He asked.
"Are you asking me?"
"Yes," he snapped, exasperated.
I stood up and noticed Malfoy studying the areas of my body that we knew were covered in bruises. He turned the book towards me as I knelt down in front of the table. The recipe was for Death Cap Draught. I recognized the yellowing pages of the thick book. It was Moste Potente Potions.
The potion was a simple poison and was supposed to be dark red when complete. Malfoy's was more of a sickly orangish yellow and much runnier than it was supposed to be.
With a faint smile I studied the recipe, trying to figure out what he could have possibly done wrong, not even bothering to wonder why he was making such a nasty potion. With Snape running Hogwarts, I doubted potions lessons were one of the greater evils.
"You read fairy tales?" Malfoy laughed, holding up my book skeptically.
"I find them soothing," I answered, not taking my eyes off the book but staying aware that he had somehow moved from the couch to my place on the floor without me noticing.
"Why?"
"Because there's always a happy ending. No matter how bad things get the protagonist always wins in the end. There are a few notable exceptions of course, but in general."
"The villain never gets a happy ending though," I detected sadness in Malfoy's voice and I turned to look at him.
"But they can choose to become good, and if they do then they get a happy ending."
"I guess that's why they're called fairy tales, because that isn't how it works in real life," he slammed the book shut and I went back to studying the recipe.
"I have seen some stupid mistakes made by Ron and Harry but this... this tops them all," I said when I realized what he'd done.
He peered down at the book from over my shoulder and I scooted a little bit away from him.
"Step eleven. Add two stems of the death cap mushroom and stir three times counter clockwise." I read and he only looked at me. "You added one and stirred clockwise."
"Well can you fix it?" He snapped.
"Why should I?"
"Because I need to send it in the next hour and if I don't I'll be tortured."
"Should I care?" I asked but I realized that I did care.
I never again wanted to see his face twisted in pain the way it was in his memory.
"No, but you do," he responded.
"Put in another stem and stir six times counter clockwise. Add a vial of water, stir two times clockwise and add two mouse tails," I ordered, relenting and he summoned the ingredients and did as I said.
He spooned the now dark red potion into a flask and tied it to an owl, shooing it out the window and into the storm.
"Dinner, now... Granger."
I shut the book and started to take in what he had said about fairy tales not being real life. He was right of course, I knew that, and I knew my story probably wouldn't have a happy ending. But what he said about no happy endings for villains bothered me. It was obvious he considered himself a villain.
I followed him into the dining area and we sat in awkward silence eating. Before he could protest I inhaled my food and went upstairs for a shower, hoping he would finish eating and not creep outside the door. The shower was over practically before it had started.
A new change of clothes waited on the counter and I dressed quickly and left running right into Malfoy as he came up the stairs.
"Watch it!" He snarled.
I stepped out of his way.
"For a while there I thought you were changing. I guess I was wrong," I bit out.
If I could come up with a comeback I might as well use it.
He turned on me, "Yes you were! You are still nothing but..." he stopped.
"But what!? What Malfoy!? A mudblood!? Is that what you are trying to say?" Angry tears filled my eyes and I realized a moment later they weren't out of anger, I was upset because I had let myself believe that he could possibly care about me. "Thank you for reminding me because I wasn't sure that my scar did that well enough without you too!" I screamed.
"I didn't mean for that to come out like that," he glanced at the floor, away from my tears.
"Yes! Yes you did."
He looked afraid for a moment, but that was all it took for me to realize what this was.
"That's what this is. You brought me out of the dungeon for whatever reason but you never realized that maybe, just maybe you would see what you did and actually regret it. That you would care!" I realized.
Malfoy put his hands on the wall on either side of me, "You're wrong! I don't care about-"
"You keep telling yourself that, because I know you do. I saw you cry."
With that I ducked under his arm and into his bedroom.
I'd screwed up. If he by some chance cared he would never admit it now. Stop crying I told myself. That seemed to be all I did these days. With tears in my eyes, I fell asleep.
"Malfoy!" I awoke with a scream.
Sobbing from my nightmare I lay back down, hoping I could fake sleep before Malfoy could yell at me for something I couldn't help.
"Get up Granger," he commanded.
Too late. I stood and he pointed to the edge of the bed where I sat down, staring at him expectantly. His hair reflected the moonlight, the only light in the room.
"I am not going to hurt you again Hermione. I promise."
"The word of a Slytherin means so much to me!" I cried.
"I'm going to tell you a story, and you are going to be quiet and listen through the whole thing understand?"
When I nodded and he sat down next to me and I moved as far away from him as I could.
"Once upon a time there was an arrogant pure blooded, blonde boy who thought he was superior to all others. There was also a brown haired muggle born witch who beat him at everything, except flying," he began. "They went to the same school and hated each other, naturally. Then one day the blonde boy got a hippogriff sentenced to death and the day of the execution the brown haired girl hit him, because she loved the hippogriff. During the execution the blonde boy watch the girl cry in her friend's arms."
This sounded a lot like our years at Hogwarts and I rolled my eyes.
"Then the next year their school had this dance, along with two other schools. Of course they didn't go together because their hate ran too deep. He saw her come down the stairs though, looking more beautiful than he had ever seen, but he didn't say anything to her. The next time he saw her she was dancing with a famous Quidditch player, having a grand time. Then the last time he saw her she was arguing with one of her closest friends and then he left and she sat on the stairs and cried the rest of the night away."
I tried to ask him why he was repeating my life story to me but he held up a hand.
"The blonde boy wanted to go comfort her but he didn't because he was better than her and she deserved it. At least that's what he told himself. In reality he was terrified how his father would act if he knew they had associated with each other. If he knew how bad the boy wanted to get to know the brightest witch of their age."
He looked over at me expectantly and I knew immediately that he had just told me the story of why my tears bothered him, and he had told it in the form of a fairy tale. I realized he was making me the princess, the one who no matter how bad things got always got a happy ending, and in doing so made himself the villain.
"You'll get a happy ending, Draco."
"Did you just call me Draco?" He asked turning to look at me.
"I don't know. Did you call me Hermione earlier?"
So I was thinking of writing this fic from Draco's point of view and maybe publishing that as a separate story. If you would read something like that please leave a comment. Thank you all again. I forgot to thank the people, guests and people who don't follow this, for reading as well.
Have a great night and please review!