"Hermione," Draco's voice was loud, and excited, when it called out her name, "Hey," his body swung around the doorframe of the library, "I thought I might find you here." He looked amused as his gaze fell on the brunette. She was hunched over one of the wooden tables in the Library, and Draco could see that she had been there a long time; her hair had long fallen from its neat bun, her eyes looked weary, and she was surrounded by books.
She met his eyes levelly, "It was a good guess," she allowed, "I'm here most of the time…" she smiled, "Though, I usually don't get visitors. Harry and Ron always hated it when I dragged them to the Library." She smiled ruefully.
Draco smiled back at her, "Well, I hate to tell you this… but I'm not here to catch up on my studies…" he slumped into the seat next to Hermione, draping one arm lazily over the back of her chair. She didn't notice. She looked at him through the small sections of hair obscuring her eyes. Draco carried on, "I'm here to force you to rip yourself away from your books for a few minutes… to come out to the Quiditch field with a load of us Slytherins." When he saw her grimace, he slammed the book she was reading shut and looked at her persistently, "Come on, Hermione." He whined.
Hermione smiled at him, "I would… but I agreed to meet Harry and Ron here. We're brainstorming." She leaned back in her chair, and jumped a little- startled- when she felt Draco's arm curved behind her back. She didn't move away though.
Draco felt a little triumphant as she relaxed against his arm, but he furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "Brainstorming what?" his feet were kicked up on the chair opposite him, under the table.
Hermione looked uncertain, "Ways to get back in Gryffindor." She swallowed nervously, "Don't get me wrong. Slytherin is great and everything- way better than I thought it would be…" She looked down at the closed book; the embossed title was smooth under her fingertips. "But Gryffindor… it's home. The same way Slytherin is your home." She smiled at him, hoping he wouldn't take it personally.
Draco sighed, but he seemed to understand. Or, at least, that's the impression he gave her. Inside, he was kicking himself, wondering why he couldn't have kept his mouth shut when the idea had first presented itself to him. He didn't want her to leave. He didn't want her to happily run off, back to Gryffindor, and leave him (along with the other Slytherins), treating them like a distant- unpleasant- dream. He scoffed, Dream… no; nightmare… perhaps. He looked blankly at the embossed title of the closed book, "Oh," he said, "Right."
Casting a sad look over the brunette, he withdrew his arm from the top of her chair, feeling stupid for putting it there in the first place. He scolded himself for ever believing that he could ever really be her friend. He could never mean to Hermione, what Harry Potter and Ron Weasley meant to her. He wanted nothing more than to go and chuck a load of curses at the both of them… he didn't though; Hermione wouldn't like it, or see his poetic reasoning behind the curses.
Hermione was feeling as disappointed as Draco. She wished she could go back and make up some excuse; she wasn't feeling too good, it was cold outside… she was going to wash her hair, or feed Crookshanks… any poor excuse would have been better than the truth, which made her seem like an ungrateful bitch, "You can stay if you like…" she told him, really not expecting him to take her up on the offer.
But he did.
His arm flung around her shoulder this time, and he smiled at her, "Sure," he said, looking pleased. He looked out of the nearest window, where storm clouds were beginning to gather and sulk moodily in the sky, "It looks pretty cold out there anyway." he added. Hermione nodded. "So, when will your friends get here?" he asked, refraining from calling them Potter and Weasel, and holding back that old sneer which seemed to accompany their names ever so well. Hermione noticed that, and smiled.
"Ron and Harry should be here in a few minutes." She said. She looked down at the books on the desk, and now Draco took a moment to read the titles. They were all based around Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hogwarts Houses, Gryffindor, Slytherin, etc. "I've been reading up on the qualities you need to have to be in Gryffindor; bravery, courage, etc. I don't see how I'm supposed to put those into practice though. I mean, there aren't really any proper opportunities to show bravery, are there?"
"Well," Draco said, smirking, "You could always pitch yourself off a building… that'd be pretty brave. And reckless, you know what? Forget I said that." He smiled at her. She seemed quite content next to him, and he could see that she didn't mind having his arm resting around her shoulders, and he was happy to have it there.
"On the other hand," said a voice from the Library doorway, "You could just pitch Malfoy from a building. that'd be pretty brave too." Ron came into the room and flopped his body down in the chair opposite Hermione. He scowled across at Draco, "You'd be doing us all a favour." His eyes narrowed in on Draco's arm, and his hand on her far shoulder. "What's he doing here, anyway?" he asked rudely, "I thought it was just gonna be me, you and Harry." He directed this question at Hermione, but he was still glaring at Draco.
Draco scoffed, shaking his head, "Shut up, Weasel." Draco finally said, feeling insulted and indignant.
Ron went red in the face, and looked, startled, at Hermione. He was waiting for her to defend him- like she used to - and when she didn't, he said, "Hermione, are you just gonna let Malfoy-" the name rolled off his tongue much like and insult would "-talk to me like that?"
Hermione was biting her lip, "Well," she began unsurely, "You did start it, Ron. That was really mean." She looked up at Draco, smiling sympathetically, "Draco is here because he is my friend and he kindly offered to help us brainstorm." She looked at Ron, "Be nice, Ron."
Ron looked incredulous, and then he looked past Draco, spotting his friend in the doorway of the Library, "Did you hear that, Harry?" he asked. Draco looked round, and saw that Harry Potter was walking towards their table. He sat down opposite Draco, looking a lot like a person who had just noticed that he had willingly stepped into bear cave. "Hermione has joined the dark side." Ron remarked. Draco could tell that he didn't really mean it, but Hermione looked upset.
"Ron, don't say that." Harry said, and Ron looked very disappointed to have been treated that way by both his best friends. He folded his arms and sulked to himself. Harry looked across at Draco, and did his best to be polite, "Hello… Malfoy," he couldn't really bring himself to use the Draco's first name.
"Potter," Draco nodded at him, feeling much the same about the prospect of calling him Harry.
"I was just telling Draco," Hermione said, smiling now, "That I've done some research into Gryffindor traits, and Slytherin too. I could just try to follow the general Gryffindor creed, and not the Slytherin one. See how that works?"
Harry laughed, smiling at his old friend and feeling more comfortable, "Hermione, you don't have to do research on Gryffindors. You were one." Harry's smile was a warm, comforting one, and for a moment, Hermione felt as if she were home again, surrounded by warm gold and red furniture and talking with her two best friends. Ron was the one to break the moment.
"You are one." Ron argued, unfolding his arms, "And I don't see why that wouldn't work. Just be nice and brave- than you are being a Gryffindor." He smirked at Draco, "And as long as you don't act like a slimy, scheming coward, you won't be Slytherin." He looked back at Hermione now.
Frowning, she said, "Ron-" she looked embarrassed, and she quickly looked across at Draco, hoping that he wouldn't be too angry. She was surprised to see that he, actually, looked rather amused.
"I don't see how that would work." Draco said, "The Sorting hat isn't going to be watching your every smile and kind comment. It might notice a big gesture or something, but you'll have to do something in front of it- something to prove that you are Gryffindor." Draco was, once again, wondering why he couldn't keep his damn mouth closed. Was he trying to send her away?
Harry nodded, looking thoughtful, "You're right. The hat will want evidence. It'll probably do another re-sorting if it senses that you have changed enough."
Draco frowned, and his voice was quiet, "Are yu sure you want to do this, Hermione?" He asked, and Hermione's head turned swiftly to him, "I mean, you could just stay where you are." He shrugged, wishing he hadn't said anything. She obviously wanted to go back to Gryffindor, so what was he hoping for? Was he expecting her to agree with him?
Ron looked at Draco as if he had just realised something. It was a light-bulb moment if Draco had ever seen one. "So you want her to stay in Slytherin." He said coldly, "I don't know what you want with Hermione, but you can't stay her any longer."
"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, her cheeks bright red.
"No, Hermione, he is obviously listening to our plans, so he can sabotage them later. I don't trust him, I never will. I don't know why you think you can trust him, Hermione. He is a waste of space. You've always hated him- as much as me and Harry do! What the hell changed?" He looked angry; betrayed, even.
"Ron!" she said again, her voice strained, "Draco and the other Slytherins have been really good to me. Better than you guys would have been, had a Slytherin had to join you!" She looked really angry, and Draco gazed down at her cautiously, "I may have… disliked Draco at one time, but I don't anymore. He's a good person, and he doesn't deserve this. Come on, Draco, let's go."
Draco didn't know what to do. He couldn't let her walk away from her friends, could he? He stood up, and leaned close to her, whispering, "You don't have to do this." Hermione looked determined though.
"I'm sorry, Harry," she said, "Maybe we can meet up again soon? I don't want to stay here while Ron insults my friend." She nodded once at Harry, who looked understanding- maybe even sympathetic. Hermione spun on her heel, leaving the library. Draco grimaced at the two Gryffindors- one looking awkward, the other looking shell-shocked- and then left, following the brunette out of the Library.
Hermione had stopped to wait for Draco outside the Library, hidden from view. Draco had jumped a little when she suddenly spoke, stepping out from the shadows of the doorway, "I'm so sorry Ron acted like that. I can't believe him!" she looked more upset that Draco.
"It's fine," Draco said, "Come on, if you don't want to go back in there, let's go up to the Slytherin common room. No one will be up there; we can talk there." He took Hermione's hand, and she let him lead her to the green and silver common room.
She couldn't explain why exactly, but she liked the feeling of her hand in his. His hand was larger than hers, and it was a warm, gentle gesture. She copied his pace, and they walked together to the common room; they were both smiling.