AN: Thank you so much for reading. Please review! Let me know what you think.
Chapter 2-Shocking
"What is he doing here? This is no place for a Slytherin much less a Malfoy." Luke asked with malice in his voice when he spotted Draco.
"I have no idea." Hermione paused then continued after they were seated. "I kind of find it refreshing. He is here surrounded by things that are outside of his comfort zone. You know people still look down on him and his family and all the Slytherins that were here for the war. YOU still look down on them and you shouldn't. You are being just as racist as they were. You were in the DA, yes, but you weren't in his house while his aunt tortured me, you didn't see the pain in his eyes when he saw how much pain she was causing me. He looked like he was going to be sick. He looked like he wanted to Avada Bella right then and there. He knew that Harry was the third person with us, but he said he wasn't sure. He said he couldn't be sure. He didn't want to see us hurt or killed. You weren't in the room of requirement with him either. He didn't want to turn us in. He didn't want to kill us or even hurt us. He stood up for us in the best way he could to his family, friends and Voldemort. I think if he really would have had a choice he would have joined our side. I really believe that he isn't bad. I think he is misguided, misdirected, and has made some very piss poor decisions but I don't think he is bad. He deserves to be given another chance. Yes, he is prick but I don't think he is exactly evil. We can't helped the way we were raised." Hermione said maybe a little too loudly because she was sure she saw him look at her this time and give a curt nod. She smiled slightly at him and went back to looking at her menu.
Luke looked surprised at her words. He was down right shocked at her words. He thought of all people that deserved to hate Draco Malfoy, Hermione was one of them and she didn't. He guessed that is what made her such a good person. He didn't say anything, just shook his head decided he'd ask her it later, and decided he wanted a cheeseburger.
Luke and Hermione ordered their meals and didn't talk about Malfoy the rest of their meal. They ate and talked about things going on at Hogwarts and what their friends were doing outside of Hogwarts.
"Hermione what are you going to do once you graduate? Have you given it any thought? I know you can get a job anywhere you want to even now and you don't even have to be back at school."
Hermione sighed, placed the fork on top of the salad bowl and said rather franticly, "I have no earthly idea. I want to do so many things. I want to be a healer, I want to be an auror, I want to be a teacher. I want to travel. I want to research. I have no idea what I'm going to do and it's driving me crazy. I've always been the one with the plan. I have to plan. Even in the war I tried to make plans, even if they failed I had somewhat of an idea. Now, now I know nothing. I have no idea what I want to do. Luke, it's eating at me. I'm not use to not knowing what I want."
Luke just looked around and murmured something sounding like Wow. Stress much? Hermione chose to ignore his rude comment. He, after all, was the one who asked.
"Luke, what are you going to do? I know your family runs some sort of business, are you going to go into that?"
"No, I don't want to go into the family business. I have no desire to learn about parchment. I could care less. My older brother, Lincoln and my younger sister, Lucy, are more interested in that stuff. I think I want to be a lawyer. I am smart enough and my parents said they don't care if I don't go into the family business. I am planning on going to a wizarding university and a wizarding law school."
"For a pretty pureblood family they sure don't think like one do they?"
"No, not really. My great great grandmother was a muggle born, but everyone else is a pure blood. They really think that the whole blood thing is ridiculous. I can't say I blame them."
Malfoy sat with an old friend from America two tables away while all of this was going on. He hadn't seen Roddy since the summer before 6th year. The summer he became a Death Eater. Roddy warned him. He said there was no sense in being connected with that evil. Of corse Draco had just said he didn't have another choice. His father was in prison, his mother needed him to do this. His mother begged him to do it. He couldn't let her down. He loved his mother. She was probably the only person he ever actually loved. He didn't want to do it. He didn't want to join Voldemort. He actually thought he was plumb mad. He didn't believe in blood status. He could care less what someones blood was. It was all red, wasn't it? He did it for his mother. He didn't want to kill anyone. In all reality he liked Dumbledore, he just talked trash because he was Draco Malfoy and that's what he was supposed to do. He could never let his family know he didn't believe in all that stuff or he would be kicked out of his family like his aunt and cousin. Maybe there was too much Black in him.
He was now paying close attention to what Hermione was saying to that Ravenclaw boy, what was his name? Leech, Lucas, Luke... Luke! That was it. That Ravenclaw boy was always 3rd in their class behind Hermione and himself, of course. Had he really just heard her right? His mouth gaped slightly. Did she really just stickup for him? He for sure thought she hated him. He was supposed to be that foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach. How was Granger the only person who had seen through his well placed mask? Maybe she wasn't the only one. Roddy knew well enough that he wasn't that person. So how was it that only an American and a Granger saw through his mask? He closed his mouth trying to pull off a yawn. Roddy wasn't stupid. He'd figure it out or ask a million questions till Draco snapped and told him. Bloody Americans being so nosey all the time!
Roddy sat and watched Draco as Hermione and Luke walked in. He didn't know them but he saw how Draco reacted when they walked in. He saw how shocked Draco was when the girl with brown bushy hair stood up for him. He saw the curt nod Draco gave the girl and the smile returned. Roddy and Draco had met when Draco's parents decided to go to Mexico for a vacation when he and Draco was 6. Roddy and his family happened to be in the same villa for the month. They became fast friends, even if Draco's family scoffed at Roddy and his family. Roddy was a pureblood and therefore Draco's parents allowed them to be friends even if he was American. Roddy thought that Lucius probably never thought they would remain friends after they left the Mexican villa but they did. They owled and floo'd one another all the time, even when they were both in school. Roddy was the only person Draco had ever fully trusted. He was the only one who knew how Draco really felt about blood and being all but forced to join ranks with "the dark lord". They had traveled to see one another many times over the years.
Roddy was going to really have to talk to Draco about what this girl said. He needed to know why she was effecting his friend this way. Something about the girl reminded Roddy of stories Draco had told him about a certain muggleborn girl from Hogwarts. He wondered if that was the girl. If she was and she had just stuck-up for him then Roddy decided that there was going to be a serious shift in Draco's life. He let Draco continue to eavesdrop on their conversation for a while but he, actually, did need to talk to him.