Chapter 6

Draco rushed out of the Hospital Wing and started running to the one place he knew he could think in quiet. The Room of Requirement. Not only could the space transform into anything he wanted it to, virtually no one else knew about it so he had it to himself most of the time. Draco was running with no aim but to reach the room. He was barreling into students and teachers alike with nothing so much as a look over his shoulder. He had never been in a personal crisis like this before. On one hand, he had not felt the need to stay with the girl as she suffered by herself in the hospital wing, but on the other hand, he had smelled the exact same spearmint toothpaste on her breath that had been in the Amortentia.

He reached the vast expansion of wall in the corridor with no portraits or tapestries and repeated desperately in his mind. I need a place where I can think. I need a place where I can think. I need a place where I can think. He opened his eyes and looked at the previously empty wall. A large door now awaited his vision. With an uneasy glance over his shoulder to make sure nobody was watching, Draco entered the room and gasped.

He had only ever seen the Room where everything was hidden. That version of the Room of Requirement was cluttered and it was impossible to maneuver around in it without tripping and falling on your face. Now, however, Draco was standing on a polished hard wood floor surrounded by large, cushy chairs and a large bookcase containing books about dealing with feelings.

Draco hesitantly sat down in one of the chairs and promptly sank about a foot. With another glance around him, almost every single book had some title relating to loss of family or dealing with emotions. I know the room is more aware of what I am feeling than I am, but wouldn't I know if I had fallen in love with Hermione? Maybe the Amortentia was somehow wrong. But as Draco considered the option, he realized that it could not be true.

Whenever he looked at Hermione, all he saw was a beautiful, warm heart that he wanted more than anything else in the world. Draco desired to spend time with her, even if she only wanted to be his friend. All he wanted was someone who would talk with him, respect his feelings, and be a person who he was not afraid to discuss his feelings with. Hermione fit all of these categories. As he had inspected her, he noticed the way she listened to Potter and Weasley.

Her beautiful brown eyes held nothing but concern as she listened to the two, and he could tell that she deeply cared about what they had to say. If I had someone who cared about me that way, maybe I would end up different than my father. I know that at the rate I'm going, I am going to grow up to be a Death Eater alongside my mother's murderer.

And then there was Weaslebee. Draco had known for years that the two were crushing on each other even though he was well aware that neither of them had not admitted it to the other. I just don't understand what she sees in him. He is rude, he eats like a pig, and he has never contributed any actual help to her and Potter. He is the idiot of the operation. Potter is the brawny one and Hermione is the brainy one. The ginger is just there to stumble alongside them and take credit for everything once whatever they are trying to do has been achieved. Draco chuckled to himself. If a bloke like that could receive the affection of Hermione Granger, surely he could. A small voice in the back of his head laughed at his previous thought and taunted him.

And what have you done for them? In first year you reported Hagrid to your father, in second year you voiced your belief that Hermione would be killed by Slytherin's monster, in third year you reported Hagrid again, in fourth year you taunted Potter and made badges, and in fifth year, you were part on the Inquisitorial Squad. Hermione could never love you back.

"She will love me back!" shouted Draco to nobody in particular. The sound of his voice resonated around the hall many times before it died down. He got up to survey the books, but something else caught his eye. A glimmering object had just appeared on the wall. It was a large, shattered fragment of a mirror. As he got closer, he saw not only his reflection, but also Hermione's. Their two bodies were close together and they were laughing at what seemed to be a particularly funny joke.

Draco looked around just in case the real version of Hermione happened to be standing next to him, but he was disappointed. As Draco inspected the mirror further, he saw that there had previously been a sentence located at the top of the mirror. The fragment was greatly shattered, but he could make out one word from the original piece of mirror. Erised. Draco had heard something about this so called Mirror of Erised as he listened through the door of his father's study. It was said that the mirror showed the observer their deepest desire. Wait, that doesn't even make sense. If the mirror shows what we have the deepest desire for, why don't I see my mother in it?

But Draco knew why he saw Hermione's face and not his mother's. It was because although he felt love for both women, he only had admiration for Hermione. His mother had married his father and stayed with him. What's to admire about remaining in an abusive relationship. Hermione, on the other hand, had overcome adversity in every aspect of her life. She was a muggle-born who quickly rose above half-bloods and pure-bloods both intellectually and physically. Although he was ashamed to admit it, even to himself, she had even overcome his constant ridiculing in the past.

So Hermione is the one person in the world who I desire. I'm sure if Weaselbee looked into the mirror all he would see was himself holding a bucket of fried chicken. How can I make Hermione see that I am the only person in this world who will respect her and care for her and love her as much as she deserves. To convince her to reciprocate my emotions, I need to make a gesture. Even if I start off small, I need to make sure that she knows how special she is to me.

With a smile and an idea forming in his mind, Draco set off once again towards the Hospital Wing.

Draco peeked past the large doors at the entrance to the Hospital Wing and saw Weasley and Hermione arguing about something. He couldn't hear anything but he could tell from their facial expressions that the issue at hand was very controversial. With a final, loud, shout of anger, Weasley stood up noisily from his chair and stormed towards the doors where Draco was standing.

As quickly as he could, Draco ran into a small corridor a few feet from the hospital entrance. A few seconds later, the red haired boy trudged past his hiding place mumbling under his breath and turning a shade of beet red. It was all Draco could do to not burst into laughter. Draco cautiously entered the Hospital Wing and glanced shyly towards Hermione's bed. She was wearing and expression of frustration and it was so unnerving Draco almost turned around. But he was a young man in love, so he kept walking.

Hermione looked up as he drew nearer and frustration turned to confusion on her face.

"Malfoy. What are you doing her?"

"Well, um.." Draco wet his mouth and attempted to start again. "I just felt really bad for hurting your ankle so I came and visited you to make sure that you were doing all right." Is um..is everything okay between you and Weasley?"

"Well that isn't really your business but since I'm so mad at him right now it probably wouldn't do any harm to tell you. He came in to ask me about the notes that I took earlier today in Potions and when I told him that he should start taking his own notes in preparation for the N.E.W.T.s he got really mad at me for no reason and said that if I was truly his friend I would let him copy my notes. So we started yelling and then he left. I just don't understand him. It's like he doesn't care about his education at all."

"That isn't fair for him to take advantage of you, though." responded Draco, "I mean it's bad to copy notes in the first place, but now that you're in here and not allowed to leave it is even worse." He didn't know why he was lending his social advice, but he hated to see her so mad at someone, even if it was Weasley.

"Thanks Draco, but seriously, why are you here?" questioned Hermione. Luckily, at that moment Madame Pomfrey decided to drop a large object in her office so Hermione didn't notice the happy look that came over Draco's face. She had called him Draco. Draco. When she said his name it felt like angels were lifting him up into heaven and laying him to rest on Cloud Nine. Except this was very real.

"I wanted to give you something." without another word, Draco pulled out an object wrapped tissue paper. It was a phoenix feather quill and a golden ink holder.