It was a party, one she couldn't remember the reason of, and at the Malfoy Manor. The adults milling about were all purebloods, high on the social ladder, and poised as social monarchies. Hermione winded her way through the crowd, trying to find Draco. Where on earth could that prat be hiding?
Finally, she reached the edge of the group and quickly grabbed a glass and filled it up with juice. Taking a sip, she surveyed her surroundings. She spotted Draco across the room and set her nearly empty cup on the table, to avoid the bright red juice spilling onto her lavish lavender dress. Taking a deep breath, she began her fight through the people to reach Malfoy.
Once she found herself on the other side, she straightened her dress and approached her friend with a smile before realizing that he was talking to Daphne and Pansy. Her spirits dropped and she quickly rearranged her face into a more appropriate expression; pure nothingness.
Draco looked extremely bored to her opinion, but the two girls chatted relentlessly to him and he was amazing at feigning interest. His act was ended when he spotted her and broke out into a smirk.
Hermione strutted forward and planted herself between Draco and Pansy. "Good evening," She said, a light smile gracing her face. "Parkinson, Greengrass," She nodded at each as she spoke. "Malfoy."
He nodded back at her, but with a twinkle in his eye. "Evening, Granger," He looked her up and down. "What lovely attire you are dressed in," He winked at her. Loving this game, she kept up the act.
"Why thank you, dearest Draco. I had it imported from Vatican City. Isn't it the most glamorous you've ever seen?" She batted her eyelashes, mocking the pureblooded women most certainly doing this right behind her.
Pansy, completely clueless, nodded, albeit grudgingly. Her parents must have told her to be polite. "It's gorgeous. My parents only ever let me get things from Paris. Lucky you,"
Hermione and Draco shared a look at the expense of Pansy's idiocy. Clearly, she was going to grow up to be no different from the adult women fawning over each other's more expensive dresses. It was like a constant competition to see who had paid the most and had the dress sent the farthest.
Daphne wasn't as dull though, for she knew what game they were playing at. "I think my dress is far more beautiful than yours. It's made from real Italian silk, and imported from Siberia!" She said, her face still the cool, collected rich girl, but Hermione could see the mischievous glint in her eye.
Draco laughed. "I think I've heard enough about dresses." He took Hermione's hand. "Shall we go visit Zabini and Nott?"
She groaned. "If you insist."
He pulled her along the edge of the party and up the swirling staircase until he found the door he was looking for and tugged her inside.
Blaise and Theo were in the room, lounging on the couches and sharing butterbeer. Draco collapsed on the loveseat, the only other available seat left. She strode over to where he was sitting and nudged his knee.
"Move over Malfoy." She said.
He looked up at her. "Why? Can't you just sit with Theo and Blaise on the threesome sofa?"
She looked back him. "Really? Because I am not comfortable sitting with them in such close proximity. Just let me bloody sit down."
"Ouch, that hurt Granger," Theo said, grinning.
Blaise grinned slyly. "Then why are you comfortable sitting with Draco? It's a damn loveseat for a reason. You wouldn't be embarrassed?"
She rolled her eyes. "Please. I've known him longer, know he's so much more respectable than either of you, and he and I are not involved in that way so why should I be bloody embarrassed about nothing?"
Draco snorted at this. He moved over though and that's all Hermione cared about.
She glanced over at the disgruntled blonde. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing. Just the fact that you have been implying for years that I have an undeniable crush on you and then when someone mentions that sitting together would make us seem like a couple, you completely deny the fact."
Her eyes widened. "Are you serious?"
He glared at her. "Of course." He leaned towards her and a smirk graced his lips. "You know you love me."
"Over my dead body," She joked. But seeing he was serious she looked over at his friends. They were watching with wide eyes as if they were some romance film. She lowered her voice. "Are you serious?" She repeated.
He shrugged, his grey eyes reverting from her to the boys. "If you want it to be. I understand if you wouldn't want to be together like that." He flashed a smile, one so full of emotion.
She pondered the situation. She knew she loved Draco, but she had always thought of it as friendship, like Harry or Ron or Ginny. Never had she ever actually thought about dating Draco. The love, she decided, wasn't the love he wanted, it was friendship. But what kind of love didn't start off as a friendship? Why wouldn't she give him a chance?
Because, her mind whispered, you know once he finds out about your blood status, he'll leave you the next second.
She swallowed, glancing at the white-blonde in question. She did know that Draco would freak about it, but she had never allowed herself to think about what would happen if he decided she wasn't worth the trouble. Being his girlfriend could insure he would stay with her longer, if only to make their break up more hurtful, but she knew she could never use him that way.
"Draco," She began, making up her mind. "I would prefer it if we stayed friends." She looked away to avoid seeing the look in his eyes. "I don't think I love you that way,"
He nodded. "I understand." He turned back to Theo and Blaise. "Well, why don't we have some fun? Pass the butterbeer," Theo tossed him the bottle and he chugged some down before offering it to Hermione.
She grinned, but shook her head. "I should get going. My parents have something early in the morning and so they're leaving early."
"Why don't you stay then?" Blaise asked, snatching the bottle back.
"My mother doesn't trust you boys to stay with me," She smirked. "Well, the night is still young, so enjoy!" She stepped out and shut the door on their protests before quickly merging into the crowd and finding her parents.
As they stepped into the fireplace, Hermione looked up onto the balcony and saw Draco there, watching her. She smiled and waved before throwing the Floo powder in and shouting out the name of her home and disappearing.
00000000000
Her talk with Draco in the gardens had left an irritating voice in her head, one that was constantly arguing with her mind. It kept telling her she was the one being unfair, that she had left Draco behind when she became so involved with Harry and Ron and hiding that she was a muggle-born from him. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. It wasn't her fault. It couldn't be. She wasn't the one who had abandoned someone in their time of need.
Oh, so now you say Harry and Ron and Ginny weren't enough. What did you say when you had Draco? The voice sneered.
I never said that Harry and Ron were enough! I needed Draco as much as I needed my other friends. She protested. It couldn't be. She wasn't like that. Hermione Granger was a very caring person in situations regarding others' feelings. She wouldn't have been so careless with Draco. Could she?
Reaching the castle, she stepped into the warmth and relaxed when she entered the common room. Harry and Ron were playing a game of Wizards' chess on the floor, Ron very obviously in the lead.
She smiled at them and their normalcy. "Did you finish your essays yet?" This was her own attempt at normal life.
They shared guilty looks and Harry answered her bashfully. "Not quite, 'Mione. We wanted to take a break before continuing."
She sighed and nodded; only half listening as she rubbed her face of tiredness. Hermione collapsed on the sofa and closed her eyes.
Ron spoke with concern laced in his voice. "Are you alright, 'Mione?"
"Yeah, why?"
"It's just," Harry said, sharing another glance with Ron. "You would normally reprimand us on our neglecting our homework. And things seem to be stressing you out." He looked at Ron with a question in his eyes. Ron nodded. "And, we saw Malfoy storming past in the hallway. Only one person could have riled him up like that."
She sighed. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. I'm just a little… worried, that's all."
"Worried? Why?" Ron said.
She opened her eyes and looked at her best friends. "I have a feeling Draco's got something to do with Voldemort. He- he didn't want me to look at his arm, and he's very obviously hiding something." She paused. "And I saw him on the seventh floor after curfew the other day, and the only place I can think of there is the Room of Requirement."
Harry sat up. "You mean to say he's doing something in there?"
She nodded, looking away, trying to ignore the feeling of betrayal in her heart. I have to do this. Helping Harry defeat Voldemort is the most important thing there is. She convinced herself. If that meant exposing secrets of Draco's, so be it.
"That-that ferret! I always knew he was up to something!" Ron sputtered. He looked at Hermione. "Don't worry, 'Mione, we'll find out what he's doing."
She managed a weak smile before getting up and heading for her bed. "I'm tired, I'll see you tomorrow?"
Harry nodded and Ron smiled at her, before returning to their game of chess. As she reached the door of her bedroom, she heard Ron shout with glee. She smiled. So he'd won again.
0000000000
The next day throughout the morning, she avoided crossing paths with Draco, so she wouldn't have to see his cold face and stony smirk. Even before, that was enough to drive her crazy. The way he would act all calm and emotionless even though she knew that he was screaming inside. There wasn't a reason to hide his feelings from her, if he actually considered her a friend.
At lunch, she had accidently glanced over at the Slytherin table and to her horror had caught his gaze as he looked up too. She scowled at him before spinning to the side to talk to Ginny. She could almost feel his sneer burning in to the side of her face and she purposely dangled her hair in his view to obscure her expression; one blushing furiously.
"Hermione, are you alright?" Ginny asked. She reached out a hand to touch her forehead. "You look like you've got a fever. But your head feels fine. Maybe you should go see Madam Pomfrey."
Hermione smiled, grateful for her concern. "I feel fine, Ginny."
Ginny shook her head. "Mum says you can never be too careful and that means you will be going to visit Madam Pomfrey this instant."
Hermione let out a light laugh and stood up. "Alright." She stepped out of the hall and traveled quietly down the corridor. Hearing more footsteps behind her, she spun around to see Draco.
She sighed, turning her head away to look at the wall. "Why do you keep insisting on seeing me everywhere? Can I not have a few bloody moments to myself?"
He shrugged, a half-developed smirk sitting on his lips. "I just can't get enough of Mudblood."
She scoffed before turning her back on him to continue walking. "Is that supposed to mean you're infatuated with my muggle- born blood status?"
He caught up with her, walking slightly behind to the left. "If you want it to be."
She sucked in a breath, her heart clenching. He couldn't possibly know that was the dream she was having that night. "I'm not sure what I want anymore. But I am sure that I am tired of you and I want some freaking alone time- by myself."
She quickened her steps, trying to distance herself with the boy following her. As his steps grew quicker, she broke into a run, turning the corner, trying to get away, but she could hear his breaths getting closer and his footsteps getting louder. Suddenly she was pulled to a stop and slammed against the wall, her head aching from the impact.
Once her head cleared, she struggled, careful to keep her head leaned forward to keep from hitting it again. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Malfoy?" She pushed at his chest, but could barely fit her arms up since his body was pressed up against hers.
"I don't know." Then he swooped down and put his lips on hers, suckling her skin and urging her to respond. Her eyes widened and she froze, her arms finally caught by his hands and trapped against the wall. His lips moved and she tried not to like it and when she felt his tongue, trying to slip in, she bit down hard and he pulled away holding his mouth as he let her arms loose.
She wiped her mouth and felt tears in the corners of her eyes. She sucked them back so he wouldn't have the pleasure of seeing her cry. She whipped out her wand and aimed it at him, her hand shaking. "What. Was. That?" She panted.
He was still holding his tongue, and he licked around the inside of his mouth before trying to speak. "I was just bloody kissing you. You let me do it all the time before."
It hurt her to hear him say that, like she was just like the girls he'd date for about 24 hours and then snog another one. Like she wasn't important to him before. Like she wasn't important to him now. But if she was really just a girl to kiss every so often, why did he constantly run into her? At this point, she didn't exactly think this was just a coincidence.
"I let you kiss me because I thought you liked me. I thought we were becoming something more than just simple friends." She spat, wiping her mouth again. "But it looks like my brain has been doing its bad habit of over thinking things, like you always tell me I do."
His eyes flashed with something like pain. But then his face hardened and his sneer put back in place. "You were the one that rejected me. You didn't want more."
"I wasn't ready. We were so young!" She narrowed her eyes. "And besides, you still would have left me when I told you. It was only a matter of time. I just wanted to make it less painful for the both of us."
His expression softened, now the pure pain seeping in. He stepped closer to her but she stepped back, down the hall. He halted his steps when he saw this. He looked into her eyes. "There wasn't a choice, Hermione."
"What do you mean? There's always a choice. You chose to follow your parents' beliefs." She stepped back again.
"There was never a choice. You don't know anything. My father- he was too involved in Voldemort's plans. One slip of loyalty and my family dies. Staying friends with you and- and even being a couple with you would have been such a bad image, my mother and my father and I would have been dead in an instant. Your heritage was going to get out. There was no way of hiding it. So I had to blow up at you, throw you away like you were nothing. Even then, Voldemort tortured us for days, trying to make sure we didn't have any ties left with you." Draco said, his eyes pleading, his voice begging. "I didn't want to hurt you. There was no choice."
Hermione stopped moving backwards. She hesitated before she spoke. "There's always a choice." Before Draco could groan with anger and frustration, she added. "Your choice was friend or family." She stepped forward, pulling Draco's hands into hers. "I'm so proud of you for choosing family." She whispered, leaning her head on his chest and hugging him tightly.
She could feel him tense and relax, then his hands lifting her head up and his lips crashing down on hers. She smiled into his lips and moved her mouth along with him. He groaned into her mouth before breaking their kiss and hugging her close and digging his nose into her hair to smell her sweet fragrance.
"I missed you." She said, stroking his back.
"I missed you too." He pulled away, looking into her eyes. "I'm sorry for what I said yesterday."
Her jaw dropped. "Draco Malfoy is apologizing to me?"
He rolled his eyes and nodded.
"Fine. I forgive you." She pulled him in for another hug.
He still held her out after a few moments.
"Now what?" She groaned.
"Nothing in our normal life changes. If any of my friends suspects we made up or any one suspects anything at all, my family dies. So I'm afraid I'll still have to torment you every day." His gray eyes were hard and his smile was gone.
She smiled at him, cupping his cheek. It was an understanding smile. Why did she have to be so accepting of everything? Didn't she know that being so understanding just made him love her even more? "I know. Family always comes first, Draco. Never forget that."