Disclaimer: The places and characters aren't mine. They belong to J.K. Rowling.
Author's note: I hope you won't be disappointed in this chapter. I personally was a bit... but... I just couldn't... ah, you'll see in the end. All angry reviews are welcome, as are the not angry ones, as always.
PS! The beginning is a bit angsty... I think I must have been in a really bad mood when I wrote that...
Chapter 3: Hermione and Draco
One day you just might understand that the world is not the right place for you.
It might not be a special day by any means, it might be pretty usual. The average soggy morning followed by a rainy afternoon; nothing special. The trees shedding their brownish-yellow leaves into the water below, nothing special. The usual day in early October when it would be called a Golden Autumn if only the sun shone, and the moist has not yet achieved the unfathomable measures it will in some weeks' time.
A usual day by any means. A hot and strong cup of coffee in the morning. Shower and make-up, just so that other people would not faint looking at you. Superficial smiles you give to everyone you meet, and you receive from them. The usual humming and buzzing around you where people indifferently discuss the sullen weather in the brightest words they can imagine, just so they can be sure of being friends with everyone, so that they can ask their help whenever needed.
One day you just might understand that the selfish approach of "Do you want to hire me?" has long ago turned to "Do you need me?", and from that it has been reduced to "Could you possibly, in any way, involve me..." And that is the day. Nothing special in any way.
For Hermione, this was the day.
As it was Saturday she wasn't having any lectures at the Healer Academy where she was studying, and therefore she was standing at the counter in a small robe shop, looking hopefully up at the attendant.
"I'm really sorry, Miss, but there's nothing we can do." The blonde witch in a mini-skirt tried so hard to make her smile seem apologetic instead of amusing as she leaned too low on the counter, making Hermione embarrassed at how revealing the top was. "You could come again in three weeks' time; we might have an opening then."
It looked as if the blonde barely managed to subdue her laughter when Hermione left the shop, tears in her eyes. Not knowing the implications, she dared to think the cursed thought — this day can't get any worse…
"Look what has dared to come out to the public," Malfoy snarled, noticing her stepping out of the building.
"Get lost before I tear you apart, limb by limb!" Hermione hissed menacingly, willing herself not to attack the politely amused blond.
"Hey-hey, someone's in a touchy mood today, aren't you?"
"I can TOLERATE," she screamed the last word, then let her voice drop back to the silent threat, "your presence at the Academy, but I will not let you RUIN," she screeched the last word again, "my weekends."
"I think you need something to cheer you up," Malfoy suggested with a smirk.
"I already AM cheerful!" Hermione answered as loudly as her voice allowed.
"Sure," Malfoy answered, then grabbed firmly her arm, and tore her after him. "You're coming with me."
Hermione hadn't expected that.
"Leave me alone," she said silently, not angry any more, just disappointed in the world in general. "Leave me alone so I can pity myself."
"Nope, you're coming with me," Draco answered, and she obediently followed him down the Alley.
After some minutes of silent walking, their feet muddy now and their cloaks soaked, Hermione dared to open her mouth again.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see," was the answer, and nothing more.
They walked some more time in silence, until Draco stopped in front of Gringotts. Hermione gave him a suspecting look.
"You brought me to the bank?"
"Yeah," Malfoy answered with a smile, and not a smirk.
"You say you're going to cheer me up, and for that you take me to the bank?"
"Exactly," Malfoy replied, and made his way up the stairs and into the huge building, all the while keeping a firm hold on Hermione's arm.
"You must be really daft!" Hermione said angrily.
"Why?" was the still polite reply.
"Because you don't understand that it isn't money that makes people happy! After all you've been through, you still don't see that being face to face with piles of gold is not the way to lighten somebody's mood!"
"Then, if that's what you think," Draco said, still as politely as ever, "then you're daft."
"What?" Hermione was beyond surprised.
"Come with me," Draco just said, and led her to a counter.
"To room 817. The exquisite cart," Malfoy told the goblin there, and soon a baffled Hermione was sitting next to her all-time enemy in a coach-like cart with squashy seats and green embroidered pillows. The goblin didn't even come into the cart; he stood next to it, and tapped it with his finger, saying,
"You've got five minutes at the vault before the cart returns."
And in a moment they took off, at such speed that Hermione felt her insides had been left behind. The cart flew down into valleys and up onto the peaks of the tunnels, taking such wild turns that Hermione couldn't but squeal in fright and delight. Wind brushed into her face, and she felt her hair flowing loose behind her. At one especially steep slope she couldn't but grab hold around Draco, completely forgetting who he was.
When they came to the stop in front of number 817, she released him quickly, blushing.
"Sorry, it was frightening," she murmured.
Draco didn't say anything for some time, just sat there next to her, immobile.
"Why aren't you going to your vault?" Hermione finally asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"I didn't come here for that. And I think we should turn around, unless you want to do the return ride backwards."
"What do you mean? Why did you come then? There is no other reason to coming to the bank besides changing currency or visiting your vault, is there!" she laughed, slapping him merrily on his hand, but they both stood up and sat on the other seat of the cart, now facing the way they had come.
"I came here to cheer you up. Those rides always do that to me," was the quiet answer, and with a jolt Hermione realised she really wasn't feeling as bad as she had felt before.
"I… Thank you," she said, looking him straight in his eye.
At that moment the cart took off with a small jump, once more, and this time both of them were squealing at every turn, and screaming just out of happiness and the excitement the speed gave them. They were back with the goblin before Hermione had grown tired of the ride.
"Thank you, thank you so much!" Hermione said, hugging Draco, this time in all earnest. "Now I can do it whenever I feel down, and I'll always be thinking about you at those times!"
"Will you marry me?" Malfoy suddenly said out of the blue, still in Hermione's embrace.
Hermione let go so quickly as if someone had let a jolt of electricity through Draco.
"What?"
"Will you marry me?"
"No! What gave you the idea! It was just a friendly hug, nothing serious!"
"Well… it seemed to me that you just said that you'll repeat this ride whenever you're feeling down, but this cart, and the unaccompanied ride, and the breathtaking speed, they're only available to the members of some… certain… families…" He finished nervously, reprimanding himself for whatever it had been that made him start the sentence in the first place.
"Oh," Hermione said.
"Yeah," Draco said.
"So, I suppose I won't be repeating it, then. I'm sorry."
"I suppose I am, too," Draco replied, giving Hermione his hand to shake.
Hermione took it.
"Friends?" she asked with a wistful smile.
"Friends," Draco said, seemingly in more of his element now, because the smirk was reappearing on his lips. "But don't you imagine that this means I'll let you use me so you could go on mushy rides on that with the Weasel, don't you imagine that!"
Author's note (again): OK. You were disappointed, weren't you? I know you were. I was, too. So, leave me a review to let me know what exactly you thought.
Next chapter (I'll post it when I'm in a good mood thanks to all those reviews you are going to post), will be about Narcissa and Lucius.
And one more thing - There's a story, Chess, that I suggest you read! Half of it's really good (and the other half's written by me). You can find the link to it in my profile!