The summer between Draco's second and third years at Hogwarts was one of the worst he had ever experienced. Somehow, Harry Potter had tricked Draco's father into freeing their house elf, leaving Draco to pick up the harrowing responsibilities of keeping Malfoy Manor up to his parents high expectations, and ensuring that his mother and father's standard of comfort never faltered. Almost since the moment Draco arrived home, he felt like a prisoner. Though he tried many times, he was unable to slip away, through the woods to where he knew Hermione was waiting for him. After weeks of not showing up, he wondered if she gave up waiting and stopped going to the park altogether. He wanted to send her a letter, to explain his absence, but he knew that if his father intercepted the owl, Draco would be putting Hermione and her whole family in potential danger.
Now Draco stood on Platform 9 ¾ finally awaiting the train which would return him to Hogwarts, and his only chance of seeing his best friend, after long last. His eyes trailed around the platform looking for that familiar brown curly hair. When he finally saw her, he almost had to do a double take. Perhaps it was just because he hadn't seen her all summer, but Hermione looked strangely different. Draco noticed that she had cut her hair a little shorter than she normally kept it, and something about the way she carried herself left Draco rooted for a moment, entranced with watching her climb onto the train. Draco shook his head, and boarded as well, finding his usual compartment with Crabbe and Goyle.
As the train barreled down the tracks towards Hogwarts, Draco flung open the door to Potter's cabin, Crabbe and Goyle right behind him. "Well look who it is." He drawled. "Potty and the Weasel." He completely ignored Hermione, not being able to bring himself to look at her. He knew her face would show the fury and disappointment that the summer had undoubtedly caused her. He only taunted Potter and Weasley for a moment though before a stirring in the corner caught his eye.
"New teacher." Potter said, and with a look of annoyance, Draco departed. Only moments after returning to his cabin, the train screeched to a halt, and everything went black.
"What's happening?" Draco asked, a slight note of panic in his voice.
But then, before he could say anything else, a wave of misery swept over him, accompanied by an icy chill. Hermione did hate him. He knew it. He knew she would never want to see him again. And why would she? Why would she waste time on Draco when she was best friends with the famous Potter. The ice had reached his bones. What could he expect anyway? No one truly loved him after all. He was just a disappointment to his father..a pathetic, weak son that his father could never be proud of..Draco's breath was freezing in his lungs. He knew he would never be happy again.
And then the darkness lifted just as suddenly as it came, and Draco felt a breath of warm air rush into his body, the feeling slowly returning to his numb fingers. He heard people shouting along the corridor of the train about Dementors being on board. He was nothing short of ecstatic when the train finally pulled into the Hogsmeade station, and they were allowed to depart.
Draco found the first day of classes as dull as ever. He had a few new classes this year, which, in the case of Care of Magical Creatures class, meant spending even more unwanted time with the Gryffindors. He like the idea of having classes with Hermione, but Potter's presence always brought out the worst in Draco. He knew Hermione hated the way Draco treated her friends, but he just couldn't help himself. Standing in their new class, Draco found himself becoming increasingly irritated.
"How can they let this great oaf teach us?" Draco sneered to Goyle, gesturing towards Hagrid. "It's ridiculous!" Goyle laughed.
Hagrid was explaining something about the hippogriff which was the object of today's lesson, but Draco's annoyance was pulling his attention away, and he wasn't listening to a word Hagrid was saying.
"When my father hears that this half-wit is teaching us, he's going to be furious." Draco just couldn't see how anyone could think Hagrid was qualified to teach.
After Potter had once again made a spectacle of himself in front of the class, the rest of them were allowed to move forward towards the creatures. Draco, a little tense, made his bow to the hippogriff, and when prompted by the creature, moved forward to pat it.
"This is very easy," Draco said, bewildered at why Potter had received such impressive responses from his classmates. "I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it...I bet you're not dangerous at all are you?" He looked toward the hippogriff. "Are you, you great ugly brute?"
The creature moved swifter than Draco would have imagined a creature of it's size capable. Sharp pain tore through Draco's arm and he fell to the ground in a scream of pain. The creature had slashed him! He was bleeding everywhere, his vision blurring from the pain. As he rolled on the ground, clutching his arm, he felt Hagrid lift him from the ground, and start towards the castle. The last thing Draco saw before he slipped into unconsciousness, was Hermione's concerned face as she held open the paddock gate for Hagrid.
Awakening suddenly in the hospital wing, Draco looked around to see what had startled him back into consciousness. Hermione was standing over him, her hands on her hips. Judging by the pain on the side of Draco's head, she had just given him a quick swat to wake him.
"Hermione.." He said tentatively. Draco hadn't talked to her since before the summer, and was surprised to find her at his bedside.
"You're ridiculous, you know that?" She snapped.
"Oh yeah, I'm fine by the way!" Draco threw back sarcastically, lifting up his bandaged arm.
Hermione sighed. She looked up at the ceiling for a moment, and then plopped down on the edge of his bed. "I waited for you, you know?" She said, and Draco could sense the hurt in her voice. "You broke our pact. I finally had to give up, and go spend the break with Ron and his family."
"What?" Draco said, disgusted. "You spent the summer with those peasants?" Hermione's eyes flashed with anger, and she began to stand. "No, wait! I'm sorry." Draco said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back down onto the bed. "I just meant...I tried to come see you...but I couldn't get away. I was miserable this summer without you!" He stammered quickly.
Hermione gave him a skeptical stare, but in the end, she could tell that he was being genuine, and allowed him to further explain the trials of his summer break.
"Please give me another chance." Draco begged, when he had finished recounting his misery
Hermione thought for a minute, and then said slowly. "You're very lucky that I'm so forgiving."
Draco gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Hermione."
They sat for another moment, and Draco saw that Hermione was staring shiftily at the floor, her hands tugging gently at the neck of her robes.
"What is it?" He asked quizzically.
"I need to tell you something.." She looked up into his eyes. "but you can't breathe a word to anyone."
Draco nodded, and Hermione pulled a small gold chain from beneath her robes. "It's a Time Turner." She explained, launching into the story of her class schedule, and the laws of time travel.
When Draco finally left the hospital wing, his spirits were surprisingly high. With Hermione's new ability to time travel, she had promised to meet Draco any time he needed her. Draco was excited at the thought of being able to spend more time with Hermione this year.
Over the next couple of months, true to her word, Hermione met Draco almost every day. They had discovered an abandoned classroom that they suspected had once been used as a Prefect's lounge, and made it their regular meeting place. Though it was dusty, it was comfortable enough, with large overstuffed armchairs, and small tables holding forgotten books and quills. Draco was happier than he had been in a long time. He had missed Hermione's friendship. As time went on, he could tell that Hermione was becoming increasingly exhausted. Draco knew she had a very demanding schedule, and there were times when she would curl up in an armchair, unable to even keep her eyes open. Draco didn't mind though. Just her presence calmed him, and he didn't mind sitting beside her while she slept, sneaking glances at the way her wild curls flowed around her soft features. He had never really thought of Hermione's appearance before, but he supposed she was rather pretty.
When Hermione was able to keep herself awake, she complained about her friends. Christmas had come and gone, and Hermione was fighting with Potter and Weasley. This brought a smile to Draco's face every time Hermione brought up the subject.
"It's not funny." Hermione insisted. "I'm just trying to look out for Harry! That broom could have been sent by Sirius Black!"
"Who cares Hermione?" Draco rolled his eyes. "If Black wants to kill Potter, I doubt anyone's going to be able to stop him."
Hermione scowled at him. "Thanks for the reassurance." She snapped.
"Oh, come on Hermione." Draco said sitting up properly in the armchair he had been lounging in. "Let's not talk about stupid Potter anymore. There's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up. Since you're not talking to your friends, why don't we meet up in the village?"
Reluctantly, Hermione agreed, and three days later, she was pushing open the door to a filthy, run down bar at the far edge of town.
"Why are we meeting here?" Hermione asked with a less than subtle look of disgust on her face.
"Well obviously we can't just stroll into the Three Broomsticks together, now can we?" Draco rolled his eyes. "There's nothing really wrong with the Hogshead...just a bit on the dodgy side isn't it?" He added, casting a weary eye at a scraggly little witch in the corner.
Draco ordered them some Butterbeer. It felt strange to be sitting with Hermione in public. He was so used to sneaking around, and meeting in secret. He vaguely wondered if they would ever be able to reveal their friendship. After a couple of hours Hermione insisted that she had to be going, and Draco headed off a few minutes later to meet with Crabbe and Goyle. Together, the three of them stalked off toward the Shrieking Shack. Weasley had been spotted heading alone in that direction, and Draco thought it might be a bit of a laugh to taunt him without Potter's presence. How wrong Draco was, for just as he was cruelly remarking about the potential fate of the hippogriff that slashed him, a large splat of mud hit him in the back of the head.
"What the?" Draco tried to stop the mud from dripping down his face, suddenly feeling angry and a little frightened. He, Crabbe and Goyle stumbled around, not understanding what was happening. He looked up just in time to see Potter's head floating in midair. Draco let out a scream, and barreled down the hill away from the house.
Back in the castle, Draco paced the floor in front of Hermione, his insides on fire. "You're friend is a right foul git!" He spat, his nostrils flaring. "Always trying to make a fool of me! I'll show him!" Draco swore loudly, clenching his fists.
Hermione took a step towards him. "Draco, please calm down!" She grabbed his shoulder.
"Get off me!" In his fury, Draco spun around and shoved her away from him. Perhaps a little rougher than he meant to because Hermione was knocked off balance and hit the floor hard. Draco turned away, too angry to apologize. Hermione jumped to her feet, and Draco heard the door slam shut behind him as she exited angrily.
It had been weeks, and Hermione had not spoken to Draco, though she did shoot him angry looks every time she passed him in the corridor. Draco knew he had messed up, but he didn't care. His anger at her friends was consuming him, and every time he saw her with them, he felt his annoyance extend to include her too. He hated everything about Potter and everyone who worshiped him. He couldn't help but find a twisted sort of pleasure when anyone from Potter's circle was upset.
"Look at him blubber!" Draco laughed, as he watched Hagrid hurry back to his hut, spilling gigantic tears down his front. "Have you ever seen anything so pathetic?"
Potter and Weasley made angry movements toward Draco, but before they could reach him, Hermione lunged forward and struck him hard across the face. Draco staggered backward in complete shock.
"Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic! You foul...you evil.." Hermione's eyes were filled with fire.
He tried to compose himself, but Hermione was drawing her wand and pointing it at his chest.
"C'mon," Draco said to Crabbe and Goyle, and they hurried off toward the dungeons.
It turned out that Hermione wasn't going to let Draco off that easily, for only a moment later, as Draco passed by a corridor hidden by a tapestry, Hermione's arm shot out and yanked him in by his robes. She pushed him against the wall, and Draco could see her Time Turner bouncing outside the front of her robes.
"Hermione, what the hell?" Draco snapped quietly, realizing that Crabbe and Goyle were clearly thicker than he thought as they had simply kept walking, oblivious to his sudden disappearance.
"How can you be so foul?" Hermione snapped. "You need to learn how to control yourself!"
Draco gave her a shocked expression. "Control myself?" He yelled. "You just punched me in the face! You call that controlling yourself?"
Hermione glared at him. "You deserved it!" She screamed at him, pushing him hard in the chest. Draco's anger flared up inside him at her touch.
He grabbed both of her wrists and braced himself against her, his face only inches from her's. He saw a small flicker of fear cross her face at his anger and proximity, and it gave him a small satisfied feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Calm yourself down!" He said spat, giving her a little shake before releasing her. "Then come find me." He added quietly as he disappeared back behind the tapestry.
Back in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione was prodded awake by Harry.
"Why didn't you come to Charms?" He asked her.
"What? Oh No!" She had been so flustered when Draco left her that she had stormed back to Gryffindor Tower to clear her head. She must have fallen asleep. "I forgot to go to Charms!" How could she be so stupid.
"You were with us till we were right outside the classroom!" Harry exclaimed.
Hermione gave a frustrated sigh. "It was Malfoy, I was thinking about him and I lost track of things!"
On the verge of tears, Hermione stormed out of the common room. Draco had told her to come find him, so she was sure he would be waiting in their abandoned classroom. She opened the door tentatively, hoping Draco was no longer angry. He was sitting in an armchair, his arms crossed, and a sour look on his face. Hermione approached him.
"We can't fight anymore." She said quietly. He looked at her and raised his eyebrows. "It's just...this is too hard. I'm exhausted, and worn out, and I've accidentally missed a class!" Her eyes were quickly filling up with tears. "And if I'm fighting with you too, it's just going to be too much!" Her voice was high and shaky.
Draco gave a resigned sigh. They had both done and said some horrible things to each other. He knew she was overworked, and emotional, and truth be told, he wanted the fighting to be over too. Getting to his feet, he pulled her into a tight hug. He awkwardly patted her hair as she cried, deciding that for the remaining few weeks of school, he would make sure that he was not the cause of any more tears she shed.