Draco.
If Draco said he knew how to handle the weeping woman in front of him, it would be a lie. It made him wildly uncomfortable to watch as tears poured from her chocolate brown eyes and her shoulders shake softly. What he had said really affected her. He had never meant it to, but it had and Draco deeply regretted it.
He squirmed in his seat as he tried to figure out how to cope with this. At first, he tried to shush her quietly but she merely shook her head and proceeded to whimper and tremble. She looked completely broken and lost and Draco had no idea how to help her.
He had never experienced such raw emotion before, certainly not growing up in a Malfoy household. Malfoy's did not cry. He had never seen either of his parents cry. He wasn't sure if they were even capable of such a thing. They rarely showed any positive emotion at all. Only anger and fear, but never once had they cried. So to have Granger sitting in front of him sobbing helplessly left him clueless.
"Don't cry…" he whispered, giving her shoulder an awkward pat. Her breathing was disjointed as she ceased crying as she finally gazed up. He could see that her eyes were pink and puffy.
"S-sorry" she stuttered, regaining her breath, "B-but I can't believe I d-deserted them… They're my b-best friends; they would n-never of abandoned me… Ohhh!" She threw her head into her folded arms on the table and began to cry once more.
Draco had to put an end to this.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her from the table forcibly. She looked shocked, but still continued to sniff and whimper. He wanted to get her away from this stuffy little pub and allow her to embrace the fresh air that may calm her down. He also wanted to give her a good talking to without anybody around.
He dragged her through the streets carefully, manoeuvring their way through the crowds of people, before arriving to a small and utterly empty park. He sat her down on a nearby bench.
Looking down at her, he felt sorry for her. But he knew that you had to be cruel to be kind, so at that moment he exploded.
"Right, that's enough Granger! You have got to stop crying… Man up! You're starting to look pathetic" he declared, throwing his hands arm.
He had definitely not expected what was following these words. Instantly Granger stopped crying and shot him a sinister look. If looks could kill, Draco would be saying hello to an early grave. She lifted herself up from the bench and pointed a single finger at him threatening.
"How dare you call me pathetic" You don't know what I'm thinking, what I'm feeling, you know nothing!" She squealed angrily, continuing to rant. "You probably aren't even capable of any kind of emotion. You bring me to this awful little park so you can shout in my face and tell me to stop being upset… Well I am upset! I can't help it! And you're just an inconsiderate egotistical bastard!"
As soon as she had finished ranting, she sighed and glowered at him through squinted eyes, expecting him to say something; she probably craved for him to fight back. But he didn't.
She didn't even deserve an answer. How dare she speak to him like that? He was trying to help her, trying to tell it to her straight so she could get her fucking act together.
Draco was fuming. She was nothing more than a filthy mudblood and he didn't know why he had even attempted to speak to her in the first place. And without another word, Draco turned and stormed away from her, exiting the park and into the bustling streets of London. Not giving a second glance to the harsh and utterly rude Hermione Granger.
Hermione.
She was speechless yet still extremely mad. Malfoy telling her she was being pathetic? How dare he! She had every right to be upset, what she had done was horrible, she couldn't go back. But was crying going to solve anything? Was it going to change what she had done? No. It meant she was unable to control her emotions, she was pathetic. And once again, however infuriating it was, Malfoy was right. He was starting to make a scary habit of it.
Crying her eyes out in front of him was completely unnecessary and not to mention embarrassing. It made her look weak. Yes, she was sad about Ron, but bleeding her heart dry of emotion only made her feel worse. There was no need for it and she had to be strong for her own sake.
She realised that lashing out at Malfoy was wrong. He was trying to stop her from crying and he was right… she did look pathetic. Couldn't she do anything right? Why was her life slowly turning into a hopeless mess? Malfoy was helping her… She'd no idea why, but he was. And she had shouted at him and insulted him and been an utter bitch to him. He had every right to storm off. He didn't deserve her cruel words. She didn't deserve his kindness.
And now she was all alone. Standing in an empty park with no one there to comfort her. Everyone who would have wanted to comfort her now couldn't stand the sight of her. She had made a complete state of everything but intended to fix it. She wanted comfort, friendship… but above all, she wanted love. So without thinking, she ran… No, she sprinted after Draco.
Out of the park gate and into the crowds of people. Shouting apologises as she pushed past the startled people. She jumped into the air desperate to see where Malfoy has disappeared to. He can't of apparated, not with so many muggles around. So she continued to run, until her legs became weak and her sides felt as though they were going to split.
She slowed down and panted furiously, leaning against a wall for support in fear she might collapse. She couldn't go on and there was no sign of Draco.
But she wouldn't give up. She had given up on too many things in her life… her relationship with Ron, her chance at having a normal life. She wouldn't give up anymore. She and Malfoy may not be friends, but over their short yet revealing conversation she had realised that he had changed. Although he still insulted people, it did it in a light hearted spirit and not the cruel manner he used to possess. Maybe they could be friends. Either way, she was desperate to find him.
Suddenly, she saw a tall, blonde man in a crisp black tuxedo strolling on the opposite side of the street. Instantly realising it was Draco, she shouted his name at the top of her lungs,
"DRACO!" She screamed. His head whipped up quickly as he spotted her looking extremely exhausted from her run. He halted and gave her a distasteful look, which Hermione felt she deserved. However, without any kind of thought, she began to race towards him carelessly.
All common sense went out the window. You would have thought growing up around muggles would cause her to realise the danger of running onto a busy road. But no.
She did not notice the road in which she had persisted onto and she certainly did not notice the oncoming car that screeched and broke in aim to miss her. But it was too late…
A/N: Bet you didn't expect that! I hope that you liked a bit more action in this chapter considering they have done nothing but sit in a pub so far. Wonder will happen to Hermione? Hmm…