"Why did you kiss me?"
Draco looked down, unable to answer. He wondered if he should tell her the whole truth, or if he should stand up and leave, acting like this never happened, but he needed his wand. Or he could lie. Lying was a good option.
Before he could concoct a seamless, believable fake story, Hermione asked a different question. "What happened?"
What happened?
Draco's last 12 hours had been unbelievably eventful and emotional; he couldn't even keep up.
Beautiful Astoria… He missed her so much. He wanted to see her, hold her, love her at least one more time. But she even didn't make it to seeing her last name change to his.
Her beautiful green eyes and cheerful smile, how could he possibly live without her?
Thinking these woeful thoughts, tears began to slide down his cheeks and drop onto his lap, leaving dark spots on his cloak where they landed. He felt so alone in this world, where no one could sympathize with him, knew what he was going through.
Draco flinched as a arm slid around him, urging his head to lean on its shoulder, to accept its warm embrace and cry.
Under normal circumstances, Hermione would recoil at the touch of this boy in her arms. But watching him cry over something unseen but painful enough to break his spirit, it was heartbreaking to leave someone like that to fend for themselves.
"Her name was Astoria…" his wobbly voice began to tell, but it broke off into a lurching sob as he heard her name roll off his tongue. He wanted to call her name and hear her answer again.
"No, no… You don't have to tell me." Hermione said, her voice as calming as a lullaby.
"I need to tell someone. Even you'll do." Hermione rubbed his back in slow circles as he hiccupped. "Her name was Astoria Greengrass. I loved her so much, so much that she was going to marry me.
"Her parents said she was pureblood, so that she could be married to me and my family would accept her, because she loved me. And I loved her.
"But when my parents found out that she was actually a Muggle-born and that her parents had lied, my mother sent out a henchman and ordered to him that she and her family shall be destroyed." Draco wiped his eyes with the heels of his hands roughly and his expression became bitter and furious.
"She took her from me. My own mother took her from me." He stated heatedly. He looked forward with red eyes intensely, his fist clenched so tight his knuckles turned white.
"Mmm. Oh I'm so sorry." Hermione said at his shoulder.
He swiveled around at looked her dead serious in the eyes. "That's why you have to marry me."