An Innocence Restored
Thanks to anyone who read the previous chapter! I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. I've just gotten seven exams out of the way, but I'm on study leave and I only have three left, so I should be able to update a lot quicker than I was! Hope you all enjoy this chapter and please keep the feedback coming!
Lyrics: It don't do me any good. It's just a waste of time. What use is it to you what's on my mind?
Chapter Seven
How on Earth was Hermione supposed to tell Harry and Ron that she was going to Hogsmeade with Draco!? It wasn't like something like that could ever casually come up in conversation. Certainly not without someone getting slapped. Ron would be infuriated with her. It would be ten times worse than the arguments about Scabbers back in their third year.
As Hermione pulled her baby blue jumper over her head, she wondered what it was she was actually worrying about. If Ron wanted to be mad at her for visiting Hogsmeade with Draco, it wasn't any of her business. As far as she was concerned, it was him with the problem. She would just have to act as though going to Hogsmeade with Draco was a completely regular occurrence. Yes, she would do just that.
As she left the common room, she felt a surge of pride over finally standing up against Ron. This was going to be a good day. She could feel it already.
As she stepped outside, the bubble of excited chatter invaded her ears and infected her along with it. Everyone always knew when a Hogsmeade trip was on. It was like the whole atmosphere in the castle changed.
"Hermione, where are you going?" An all too familiar voice asked as she strode past her usual group, pretending not to notice them. Hmm, perhaps she was more of a coward than she usually believed herself to be. She must never act like that again.
"Oh, I'm going to Hogsmeade with someone different this trip" She answered, meeting the confused eyes of none other than Ron Weasley. As soon as those eyes fixed on her, she felt a wave of guilt crash over her. What was she doing? He had been her best friend since their very first year at Hogwarts and now she was abandoning him to go to Hogsmeade with Draco Malfoy! If she went along with this, she was most certainly going to hell.
Even when she fabricated this perfectly acceptable argument in her head, she simply couldn't go back on her promise with Draco. The temptation was too much for even her to handle.
"Oh right" Ron said delicately, tentatively tasting the words as though they physically caused him sickness. After all, this seemed practically unheard of. "Who are you going with?"
"Draco" Hermione answered in such a casual manner that angered Ron even more than the initial going to Hogsmeade with Draco.
"You're going…Draco…Hogsmeade…what?!" Ron spluttered as he clenched and unclenched his fists as though he was literally trying to grope for the answer out of thin air.
"Yes, I'm going to Hogsmeade with Draco" Hermione answered once more, feigning annoyance as she tapped her foot impatiently off the stone ground in an impatient manner for effect. The look on Ron's face was priceless. He looked positively shocked and floundered. Yes, Hermione had done her job correctly and by God it felt good. "Are we done now?"
Ron said nothing.
The look of shock drained from his face before a one of anger and betrayal took over, his eyes narrowing into slits that Hermione could barely see. She couldn't remember ever seeing him this mad at her.
"Go on then" He muttered ominously as his fists clenched and unclenched. Yes, Hermione was almost sure that this was the angriest that she had ever seen her red-headed friend. Oddly, she felt ever so proud at the fact that it was her to make him feel like this. Was Draco Malfoy rubbing off on her? She couldn't tell if that would be a good thing or a bad thing. "Go to your new best friend. See if we care."
"Fine, I will" Hermione huffed, strutting away from Ron and where Draco was waiting for her. She was so annoyed at him! Why had he not put up much a fight for her to go to Hogsmeade with him? After all, they had been best friends for several years. Was it really that easy for him to just throw that away as though none of it meant anything?
"What on Earth has gotten into you?" Draco asked as he led Hermione away from her friends. "You look as though you could kill someone with looks alone."
"I feel as though I could kill someone with looks alone" Hermione grumbled in agreement as she fiddled with her hands in agitation. Why was she letting Ron bug her so much?
"What's up?" Draco asked with what seemed like genuine concern over a friend.
"Oh, it's a long and pointless story" Hermione replied, waving it off as though it really was nothing even though it was weighing down on her heavily. "I'll tell you another day. I just really want to enjoy this Hogsmeade trip with you. It'll be a chance to get to know you better."
"Oh, that's wonderful" Draco mumbled. He really had been hoping to keep some distance with this girl. After all, he did plan to let her down when the right time came. All he had to do was make sure that she didn't really fall in love with him. That shouldn't be too hard, right?
…
By the time we finally arrived at Hogsmeade, I was ready to let my hair down a little. It had seemed like so long ago since I was last here. Well, the death of a father can make good times seem like years ago. It tends to make things a little more depressing.
"So, where do you want to go first?" Hermione asked excitedly as her eyes scanned the whole of Hogsmeade with a look of wonderment that Draco hadn't seen in a long time. It certainly wasn't a look that Draco would expect to see on Hermione's face when she was in the company of Draco himself.
"Wherever you want to go is fine by me" Draco answered with a sweet smile that was half-real. He had to admit that this trip to Hogsmeade was a lot better than he expected it was going to be.
"Well aren't you the most considerate friend ever?" Hermione noted with a grin as she led Draco straight towards the three broomsticks. "Harry and Ron usually dictate all of these Hogsmeade visits."
Once again, Draco found a window of opportunity. "That's because they're selfish. They don't seem to realise that you may actually have wants and needs too." A look of confusion swept over Hermione's face. She couldn't begin to understand how to respond to that. Everything that Draco said was what she had been telling herself for years. When it came to their trio, Hermione often seemed to come last. She knew that. Draco knew that. So, there shouldn't be a problem. But there was. It was different hearing it come from Draco. If she agreed with him then it would be a betrayal towards Harry and Ron which was something that she wasn't prepared to do. If she stayed silent, she would be acting as though Harry and Ron were saints which was ever so far from the truth.
"Oh, I wouldn't go as far as to call them selfish" Hermione chuckled weakly. It must be incredibly obvious to Draco that she was lying right through her teeth. "They're just rather enthusiastic about Hogsmeade. There are so many things for them to do that they're moving at one hundred miles per minute. They only reason that we don't really get to do what I want to do is because I'm so quiet."
Lying didn't suit her whatsoever. Well, she could do it to a teacher if it meant getting out of trouble, but she just couldn't seem to do that with Draco. Especially not now that she was calling him her friend. Friends shouldn't lie to each other, right? Then why was she doing it to Draco right now? For the first time in her life, no answer came to mind.
"Whatever you say, dear" Draco smiled…genuinely as he placed a glass of butterbeer down for her, already taking a sip of his own. "You know that you don't have to pretend when you're with me, right? I promise you that I won't tell anyone what you may say about Weasley and Potter."
"Oh, I know that you wouldn't do anything like that" Hermione assured, fixing him with a smile of her own. "It wouldn't be the worst thing if you did tell them anything I might say about them. At least it would teach them a lesson. It's just hard to explain how I feel. If I say something to you, I still feel as though I'm doing wrong by them."
"Ah, yes" Draco agreed. "I almost forgot that they're not my biggest fans. Of course they wouldn't like it if it was me you were confiding in."
"I'm glad you understand" Hermione sighed sadly as she rested her head on her hands and stared into her butterbeer as though it was the most mesmerising thing on the planet. Anything was worth it to avoid Draco's eyes at the moment. "It seems like you're the only one who actually does understand why people act the way they do lately."
"Oh come on, please don't be like this" Draco whined, a glint of teasing shimmering in his eyes. This was clearly his way of trying to cheer Hermione up. "Come on, this was supposed to be a fun trip to Hogsmeade and you're harshing the vibe."
"Did you just say I was harshing the vibe?" Hermione laughed loudly, causing several people to shoot her a glare as they attempted to drink in peace.
"Yes I did" Draco answered seriously with a firm nod as assurance. "You're making me so miserable that you've forced me to use that dastardly phrase."
"Okay, okay, okay" Hermione sighed with a smile. It was funny to see how much the boy she had hated not so long ago, could brighten up her day in a mere heartbeat. "You win, Draco. I'll be cheerful and make this the best Hogsmeade trip you have ever been on."
"Now there's the Hermione Granger I know and occasionally hate, but love really." Draco cheered as he sipped at his butterbeer once more.
"I'm not expert, but I'm pretty sure that that's not the phrase" Hermione pointed out with a raise of her eyebrows.
"Hermione Granger's not an expert at something?" Draco asked as he feigned shock. "Someone call the police. This is not happening!"
"Shut up, Malfoy" Hermione chuckled with a shake of her head, still unable to believe that this was possibly her best Hogsmeade trip in all of her years at Hogwarts.
"Nope, I have freedom of speech" Draco declared, believing that now was as good a moment as any to do what he had been planning to do for days. He leaned over the table, pressed his lips to hers in a brief, chaste kiss and then leaned back. No one could say it was romantic, but it was just enough to get Hermione's heart racing. "Well would you look at that? I got Hermione Granger to shut up. Come on, buddy. There's plenty more that we need to get through today." Yes, it was just a friendly kiss, but it was enough to make Hermione wonder what else was in store for them.
Again, I apologise for taking so long to update, but hopefully this small kiss has made up for it ;) I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter and please keep the feedback coming!