"Are you alright?"
Hermione shook her head violently. "NO."
"Well, what's wrong?" Draco leaned forward with a towel, trying to wipe the freezing water off of her.
She glared at him. "What's wrong? Everything! I was trying to hang out with you for once without that stupid Pansy hanging over us and I get pushed into a freezing frog pond! And to make matters worse, you waited for a whole ten minutes before helping me!"
He snorted. "That pond is only a meter deep, 'Mione."
"It's still cold!" The indignant eight-year old stood up. "And it took you quite long to get that towel. And the edges were slippery and I kept slipping back into the water."
"Stop making excuses." Draco muttered, harshly scrubbing at her hair.
She huffed in annoyance and sat back down on the patio chair. Once Draco was finished, she looked at him and managed a smile. "Thanks, Drakey."
He groaned. "Stop calling me that! I'm not a baby anymore!"
"You are to me." She grinned, gripping his cheeks with both hands.
"Stop it!" Draco slapped at her hands. "I mean it. I'm a grown boy now, nine-years old; I am not going to be treated as a child anymore."
"Stop being such a prat. You've only been nine for two hours, you don't need to be so prideful. And besides, is it really so fun as to be older? Why would you ever want to grow up?" Hermione huffed, crossing her arms.
Draco shrugged. "Maybe so I can go to Hogwarts earlier than you."
"Unlikely," She answered, a smug smile on her face. "They would never separate us just because you're a month older." She tapped his head. "You've really got to get some sense into that brain of yours. Maybe you could let me give it a good knock?"
"No!" The young boy sprung up, arms stacked protectively on top of his head. "Never."
She laughed."Alright, I'll leave your head alone."
The two children headed towards the manor hand in hand.
"Do you think the cake is gone?" Hermione asked.
"Even if it is, I saved a slice for you when I got the towel," Draco answered, smiling proudly.
"Hah!" Hermione stabbed a finger in his face.
"What is it now?" He whined.
"You do like me!"
He scrunched his nose. "Why would you ever think that?"
"You saved me a piece of cake. If you didn't like me, why would you do that?"
"Well, you're my best friend."
She slumped, but looked happy anyway. "Best friend?"
"Forever," he said with a nod.
She grinned. "Forever."
0000000000
"Hermione!" She opened her eyes slightly, feeling a migraine. Everything looked fuzzy and shapeless, like cotton balls. Or watercolor paintings. She closed her eyes.
"Draco?" She croaked, her throat throbbing dryly.
"No! Ew!" A hand slapped her face lightly. "You must be having a nightmare if you're dreaming about him!"
"Water," she said, trying to urge her eyes open, but her brain felt like it were being stabbed by millions of tiny needles. A cool glass was forced to her lips and she took the liquid gratefully. Once she downed the whole cup, the voice spoke again.
"'Mione! Wake up; you'll be late for class!" It was definitely Ginny's voice, her octaves rising and falling in the exact same way.
Hermione shook her head. "I don't give a damn."
She heard Ginny gasp. "Hermione, watch your language, and how can you ever not want to go to class?"
She groaned. "My head. It hurts."
She felt Ginny tap her head with her wand a few times. The pain receded and she could finally open her eyes.
Ginny was sitting beside her while she lay on her bed.
"Hermione Granger, where were you last night?"
"Here," Hermione said, reaching for another glass of water. She took a sip before setting it back down on her nightstand.
Ginny shook her head. "No you weren't. You were found outside the dorm."
Hermione closed her eyes in thought. "I don't really remember anything from last night. Rather strange as I do remember leaving bed, but not what I did."
Ginny looked at her carefully. "Did- did anyone obliviate you I wonder?"
"Why on earth would they do that?"
"Maybe you saw something you shouldn't have seen, or heard something you shouldn't have heard. Maybe they thought you would have told people and their secret would be ruined." Ginny touched her forehead. "I deem you well enough to go to breakfast and then class."
Hermione groaned. "I can't believe there would be a day again when I am once again not the 'mother' but the child."
Ginny smiled. "I'm the Grandmother, 'Mione, Harry and Ron are certainly like your children."
Hermione smiled. "Alright, I can live with that." She got up and straightened her clothes before following Ginny to breakfast.
"Hermione! Are you alright now then?" Harry asked, scrutinizing her carefully.
"'Mione! I saved you a spot!" Ron exclaimed, patting beside him. "How you feeling?"
"I feel like I'm not the 'mother' at all now, I'm just the child of everyone!" Hermione joked, taking her seat.
Harry looked at her seriously. "It's time someone worried about you, since all you do is worry about us."
And Draco, Hermione added. She nodded understandingly. "I get it. You all think I spend too much time worrying about you and neglecting myself."
They nodded.
"Alright, I'll take a break of you guys and think about myself for once. Happy?" She spooned some porridge into her mouth.
"Very much so," Ginny said.
0000000000
Classes went by quickly and before she knew it, she was huddled in the library scribbling down her homework on rolls of fresh parchment. Once she had tweaked all of her answers very carefully and checked it over several times, she pulled out her muggle book.
"Little Women," She murmured, caressing the worn cover. Reading the publishing date, she smiled. "Why, aren't you a fancy looking classic?"
She flipped to the first page, immediately entranced by the lives of girls long ago. The author made everything seem so real, although Hermione could hardly imagine these activities the girls were prone to do. If she had had siblings, she would much rather read with them, or practice spells together, not act out make-believe plays and create a newspaper.
She read for a good while and only looked up when the clock chimed that the library was closing.
"Oh, Merlin!" She mumbled, quickly packing up her things, and rushing out the doors. She would only have ten minutes to arrive at her dorm before curfew was in place.
She rushed up the stairs, but stopped when she saw a shadow move. Hermione pressed herself up against the wall and scooted slowly forward to avoid alerting the figure. His hood fell back and she gasped at his blonde hair. He turned, his blue-gray eyes scanning the surrounding area. Finding nothing to latch onto, he turns and continues on.
Hermione followed him, watching as he went to the seventh floor and disappeared before she could turn the corner. She let out a light breath and turned to continue back to her dorm, this time avoiding any prefects on patrol.
As she lay in bed, she pondered why Draco had been on the seventh floor. Then it hit her. The Room of Requirement was located there. How had he found it? And what was he doing with it? She lay back down and closed her eyes. "Please be not doing something you'll regret, Malfoy. Please?" she whispered.
0000000000
It was her birthday, and her parents were both on business trips, unable to wish aher a happy birthday other than the packages they had sent. No one had showed up, although the Weasley family had sent her a gift and Harry didn't have the chance. Draco was probably off with one of his dates. He seemed to have a lot of those recently, since he hardly ever spoke to her now.
She flopped onto her bed, positive her birthday was going to be the worst ever. Hermione picked up her book and began reading, trying to lose herself in the words of a make-believe life. She missed the doorbell and only looked up when she heard a knocking sound on her window.
It was Draco, flying on his new broom, an annoyed expression on his face. She got up and opened the window, though barring his way in.
"What are you here for?" She asked.
He rolled his eyes. "It's your blasted birthday."
"I know that." She answered crossing her arms.
"Then what the hell did you ask for?"
"Where's my present?" She asked.
He smirked and pulled out a small box from his cloak. "So that's all you cared about."
"Maybe." She smiled. "Or, maybe I'm just skeptical as to why you decided to spend your precious time with me."
He frowned. "I spend all my time with you. Now let me in."
She moved away from the window and watched him as he climbed in. "Then what do you call your dates that take up your whole week?"
"Those," he smirked, "are none of your concern."
She pouted. "But I'd like to know my future sister-in-law wouldn't I?"
"Since when were we siblings, and since when was I going to marry the girls?" He asked, handing over her present.
"We've always been siblings." She answered, surveying his reaction to that. But he had put his cool mask on. She looked down at the box and opened in carefully, gasping, as she saw the delicate silver chain. It had a silver snake coiled around a ruby as its pendant, and the chain was fine and had the tiniest chinks.
"Thank you," She said, smiling up at the boy. "Help me put it on."
He complied, standing behind her and receiving the chain before clasping it on the nape of her neck. She admired herself in the mirror and he leaned down on her shoulder. "How's it look?" he asked.
"It's beautiful," She murmured, stroking the pendant. She turned to face him. "Thank you."
"You might not want to wear it at Hogwarts though. It's a snake and that's obviously is a Slytherin thing." Draco said, fingering the chain.
"You're right, but I'll wear it anyway." She smiled at him. "And besides, the ruby makes up for it don't you think?"
"Right." Draco answered, finally smiling back.
Hermione gave him a sly smile. "So? Does this finally mean that you like me?"
He groaned. "This again."
"What? You do all these nice things for me. I won't believe you if you say you do it for every girl you meet. You'd have girls falling all over their feet to be your girlfriend then."
"Who's to say they don't already?" he smirked.
Hermione's face fell."Well, if that's the case, I would feel rather betrayed seeing as how you said I'm your best friend. I wouldn't want you treating me like some random girl off the street."
He laughed. "I don't like you Granger. But I also don't treat normal girls like this."
"I find it hard to believe that you aren't falling for my charm," She mocked, flipping her hair, mimicking the girls he had dated.
"It would be so much more charming if you shut that mouth of yours."
She stuck her tongue out. There was a comfortable pause before she spoke again. "How much longer do you think we will be best friends for, Malfoy?"
He looked at her with an unfathomable expression. "Why are you asking me this?"
"Just answer me." She looked down. She knew it was time. She finally had Draco all alone and she was fifteen now. She could get through this.
"Forever." He said, trying to catch her eye, but she didn't look at him. "What's wrong, Granger?"
"Forever," She sighed. "Two years ago, my parents had a talk with me."
"Okay?"
"They-"She stopped, sucked in a breath. "Promise not to get angry. Promise me you'll think about that 'forever'."
He nodded. "Promise."
She continued. "They told me I wasn't their child. They had adopted me." She looked at him, but couldn't stand the look on his face so she stared at the bindings of her books on the shelf. "And not just from any orphanage. A muggleborn one. I'm a muggleborn, Draco. I've always been a muggleborn. I can't- I know it's hard for you to think that your best friend is a muggleborn, especially since you hate them, but-"
Draco let out a laugh. "Oh, Granger, you have the worst jokes."
Her heart sank. He hadn't understood and now she had to break it down for him. She shook her head. "It's not a joke. I really am born to muggles. I'm not a pureblood you thought I was."
The humor drained from his face and he backed away from her like she was emitting poison into the air. "What. The hell. Are. You. Talking. About?"
Hermione reached out for him, her eyes pleading. "Drakey-"
"Don't call me that." His tone was so cold her heart clenched.
"Fine, Draco-"
"You aren't worthy to say my name." He continued backing away. "Get away from me."
"Malfoy, please just understand."
"You knew. You knew and you didn't tell me. What happened to our fucking forever?" He spat.
"I knew you would react like this. I didn't want to lose you! I didn't want to lose my best friend." She stepped closer to him. "Please, Malfoy, we can still have our forever. If you would just look past your parents' teachings, you can see me for who I was before today."
"You're nothing." Draco said, grabbing his broom. "Don't you dare try to ever talk to me again," He left through the window.
Hermione collapsed on her bed, her head hanging in sorrow. Once again, tears threatened the dam of her eyes, but she swallowed them back, refusing to succumb to weakness. How could it end up like this? Why couldn't he see that she was the same Hermione as before? Why did he have to treat her like a nobody when they both knew how important she was to him?
She thought about the day her parents had told her. She wished that day had never occurred. She wished everything could have stayed the same. Forever.
0000000000
The next day was tiring, since Hermione had gotten only a few hours of sleep since she had been worrying about Draco. Breakfast went by in a flash, as did classes, and once more, she found herself in the library for hours on end.
Sick and tired of the beloved smell of the ancient books, she headed out onto the grounds for a walk. She strolled around the gardens before finding a bench to continue her book. She was almost done with part one and had enjoyed the pleasures of life the poor girls made the best of. Sometimes it reminded her of herself, since being muggleborn was nearly as devastating in society as poverty.
She heard leaves being crunched and looked up to see Draco walking to her. He had his usual smirk which grew once he saw the book she was holding.
"Reading muggle books now, are we?" he asked, sitting beside here, albeit keeping his distance.
"I'm surprised you recognized it, Malfoy." She said, avoiding his gaze by reading from her open page. She looked up at him though, remembering where she had seen him last night.
"Where did you go after curfew last night?" She asked, catching his steely gray gaze. For good measure, since she was still pondering the night before that, she added, "And the night before?"
He shrugged to feign indifference although she knew him well enough to see how his body tensed. "In my bed." He smirked at her. "I've got a girl who can vouch for me."
She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Was that last night or the night before?"
"What if I said both?"
"I know you'd be lying." She said. "I saw you, last night on the seventh floor. What were you doing there?"
His demeanor changed immediately. Now there was no harsh humor or casualness. "None of your concern, Mudblood." He stood.
She spoke quickly, aware she was losing him. "What about the night before then? You wouldn't have any idea about how I ended up obliviated of the night's memories?"
He smirked, but this time is was a cold, harsh smirk. Where was this Draco coming from? He had never looked at her like that before. "That was because you have an uncanny ability to find out things you don't need to know."
"What did I find out, Malfoy?" She clenched her teeth, frustrated with his Malfoy Mask.
"Obviously, you're daft. I just said it was something you don't need to know, meaning, I won't tell you since you don't have to know." He said, scoffing.
She sighed. "How long will it take you to understand that you can trust me? I'm the same Hermione from before, I'm no different!"
He laughed. "Oh the irony,"
"Of what?" she snapped.
"Of my answer, Granger. How long will it take me to trust you?" He leaned in close, his eyes trained on hers to convey his spite. "Forever."