November 1996
Hermione was angry.
So angry and hurt.
Stupid Ronald Weasley had gone and gotten himself a girlfriend.
It didn't matter that he had agreed to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with her—it didn't matter that she harbored feelings for the stupid git. All that was moot now that he and Lavender Brown were together.
The thought made her angry, sad, and made her want to throw up all at the same time.
She couldn't very well hang out in the Gryffindor common room, seeing as that was where Ron and Lavender spent most of their time, glued to each other's faces. Her dorm room wasn't much better either since she and Lavender shared the same space and all the girl wanted to do was talk about how good of a kisser Ron was.
So, she found reprieve in the study room that she'd created for herself and Malfoy.
It wasn't their normal day to meet up. Still, Hermione retreated to the space to sulk, work out her anger, and most of all, to nurse her heartache.
She worked on her homework.
She practiced non-verbal spells.
She worked on the Runes project.
She even ate a pint of ice cream.
But nothing took away the ache in her chest.
Resigned to the fact that she was just going to feel miserable for the foreseeable future, Hermione curled up with one of the throw blankets on the couch and simply cried.
Some time after, the door to the room opened and Hermione sat up quickly.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, swiping at her tear-stained cheeks.
Malfoy stopped a few feet into the room and looked at her. "I came here to get some peace and quiet. I take it you're here for the same reason?"
Hermione looked away and sniffled. "Something like that." She laid back down on the couch and stared into the fire. "I'm afraid I won't be much company at the moment, but you're welcome to use the room."
He didn't say anything else but she heard him shuffling around—making tea it sounded like—and she closed her eyes to help quell the urge to cry.
A moment later, he cleared his throat. She looked up at the Slytherin.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked.
"Here." He thrust a mug into her hands, though his face looked uneasy.
She looked at the offering, surprised to find it filled with hot chocolate.
"You…. you made me hot chocolate?"
"Well, I didn't, the room did." He sat down and picked up a second mug from the coffee table.
"Well, thank you nonetheless," she said, taking a sip. The warmth of the chocolate spread throughout and she realized this was just what she needed.
"He's not worth it, you know," Malfoy said quietly a few moments later. Hermione glanced his way and watched as he sipped his drink and stared into the fire.
"How did you know?" she asked meekly.
He rolled his eyes. "Please, everyone knows. They were snogging in the middle of the Great Hall during breakfast."
"Oh, right," Hermione groaned and took another sip.
"I think you dodged a bludger," he said with a shrug. "I don't know what you saw in him in the first place."
Hermione frowned. "You don't know him like I do," she said defensively. "He's actually really kind, and sweet, and—"
"Completely selfish," Malfoy remarked. He looked over and stopped her before she could argue. "Don't deny it. He wasn't thinking of anyone but himself when Brown threw herself onto him even though he agreed to go with you to that Christmas party."
While Malfoy had made a good point, Hermione still felt anger when he talked about Ron like that. "That's rich, coming from you. You're probably the most selfish person I've ever met."
Nonplussed, Malfoy shrugged. "While that might be true, at least I would never snog another witch when I agreed to a date with someone else in just a few weeks time. I have more respect than that."
She shook her head as tears started to threaten again. "He and I never agreed that we were going as anything but friends. I didn't even call it a date, just if he'd go with me. I just assumed that him agreeing to go with me meant he might like me the way I like him."
He scowled at her. "Stop fucking blaming yourself, Granger. You're smarter than that."
She glared at him, eyes filling with tears again. "I'm allowed to have feelings, Malfoy. Maybe you haven't liked someone only to realize they don't like you back in the same way, but I have." She swiped at an errant tear, hating that he's seeing her cry. "It hurts alright? It hurts and it sucks and I don't know what to do about it."
"You don't know what to do about it?" he asked in such a quiet, icy tone she barely heard him. Then his face hardened. "I'll tell you what you do. Act like it doesn't bother you that he's with her. Ask another bloke, preferably one he dislikes, to take his place at that Christmas party. But one thing you should never do is let him see you upset about this—never let him know how much he hurt you. Because he'll use it against you, Granger. If you lay all your cards out on the table, then he knows how to make you fold."
"Ron's not like that," she whispered, horrified at what he said. "He wouldn't—"
"Trust me, he would," Malfoy said flatly.
She didn't know how to respond as she watched the wizard next to her.
Harry had mentioned how Malfoy and Pansy acted on the train to school, him lying with his head in her lap. From what Hermione could recall however, she hadn't seen them together at all since school started.
Had Pansy hurt him the way that Ron hurt her?
Her heart broke all over again. Not over Ron this time, but for Malfoy, who felt he had to be so guarded with his feelings and emotions that he could never be his true self with anyone else…maybe not even with himself.
It was hard to not view Malfoy differently after that night. Hermione could only wonder how perfect his life really was.
Without meaning to, she started to look for him, trying to discern what was the truth and what was a facade about her study partner. She noticed he barely ate and when he did eat, it was rushed. He always seemed to leave the Great Hall in a hurry, shortly after the meal started. There had even been times when he didn't show for meals at all, leaving her to wonder where he was.
His mood was also all over the place when they met to work on their project—some days he was snappy and irritable and other days they actually held a conversation.
One evening she found him asleep on the couch during their planned study time. They were over halfway done, but it was rather inconvenient of him to take a kip just then.
She walked over, intending to wake him up, but when she saw him sleeping, she stopped and just looked at him.
He really was quite handsome when he wasn't scowling or sneering. Her annoyance all but disappeared when she noticed the bags under his eyes and she decided not to wake up the Slytherin.
Hermione worked for nearly a half hour by herself before Malfoy finally woke up. He mumbled an apology as he made his way over to the tea station to prepare himself a cuppa. After a few sips, he seemed to wake up more and sat at the desk area to begin work as well.
Working with him now, even in silence, wasn't nearly as bad or uncomfortable as it was in the beginning—she didn't mind their study sessions. She knew she didn't have to worry about checking his work or worrying about him needing to copy her notes.
It also helped that he didn't feel the need to fill the silence like most people she knew, especially with things she wasn't interested in, like quidditch.
"I think I'm going to take your advice," she said when she was done working for the day.
He raised a brow. "What advice?"
"Where you suggested I ask someone else to Slughorn's party. Someone who'll make Ron jealous."
Malfoy set down his quill on the desk, giving her his full attention. "Who did you have in mind?"
"Well, actually, I originally thought you'd be the person who'd piss him off the most, but I thought better of it."
Malfoy chortled. "That would have been fun to watch his face though. Potter's too, for that matter.'
"Yes, well, if I did bring you, Harry would assume you Imperiused me or something."
A bit of color drained from Malfoy's already pale face. "Why would he think that?"
Hermione grimaced. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but Harry thinks you're up to something." She chuckled softly. "I told him he's being ridiculous."
"Yeah, ridiculous," Malfoy said quietly, looking away.
Hermione continued on. "Anyway, I think the next best option would be Cormac." She bit her lip. "What do you think?"
Malfoy seemed to ponder her suggestion for a moment before he smirked. "Not bad, Granger. Asking the bloke who almost beat him out of his Keeper position. That'll definitely mess with the Weasel."
Hermione grinned. "That's what I was going for."
He stared at her for a moment, as if assessing her.
"What?" she asked, feeling nervous under his gaze.
"Just thinking how Slytherin wouldn't have been a bad house for you."
Hermione shrugged. "The Sorting Hat said I'd do well in any house."
"I'm surprised it didn't put you in Ravenclaw."
"You and me both," she laughed and was surprised when he actually gave a small smile.
"What house would you want to be in if you weren't predestined for Slytherin?" she asked.
"Ravenclaw," he said without hesitation.
Hermione rested her chin on her propped up hand. "How come?"
"Well, I'd probably get disinherited if I ended up in Gryffindor," he deadpanned. "And I'd rather transfer schools than be in Hufflepuff."
"Hufflepuff isn't that bad of a house!" she defended as she crossed her arms. "In fact, you know the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? It was written by Newt Scamander. A Hufflepuff. Also, I happen to know one of the youngest Aurors at the Ministry, and she's a Hufflepuff too. Not to mention, if the Triwizard Cup hadn't been tampered with and spit out Harry's name, Hogwarts only champion would have been Cedric, also a Hufflepuff. And—"
"Alright, alright, I get it," Malfoy said, holding his hands up slightly in surrender. "Hufflepuff wouldn't have been that bad to get sorted into," he conceded.
She nodded in agreement. "So, back to our conversation, I'll ask Cormac to attend the party with me. He's a bit arrogant and self absorbed, but I think I can handle him for an evening."
Malfoy smirked. "If you can handle me for two nights a week, I'm sure you'll manage with McLaggen."
Between classes and working on the project with Malfoy, Hermione had less time for Daphne—she only saw her during classes and even then their talking was limited due to the amount of work they were doing.
However, the notebooks provided a way for the friends to stay in touch.
Hey Daph! How's your project with Terry going?
It's going so well! We're nearly done. How about you and Draco? I see you two haven't killed each other yet, so that's good!
It was a rocky start, that's for sure. But we've developed a system that works for us.
Where do you two work anyway? I never see you in the library.
We found a room so that no one would bother us or ask questions as to why we're working together.
Ooh, So you've been alone with Draco have you? I'm waggling my eyebrows, in case you couldn't tell.
And I'm rolling my eyes. Nothing is going on between us. Just working on the project. We're also nearly done.
Oh my goddess, I forgot to tell you! Terry asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him the next time we go! He said he'd buy me a butterbeer and some sweets from Honeydukes. How sweet is that?
Sounds like you've got yourself a date! Be sure to tell me how it goes! I think Tomes and Scrolls has some new books. Plus, I also need to start my Christmas shopping.
Are you going to get Draco a gift?
I wouldn't know what to get him if I did.
He's got a pretty big sweet tooth, if you haven't figured that out already.
I've definitely noticed. I don't know about getting him a gift, though. Do you think it would be weird?
Not at all! I mean, you hang out with the guy a few times a week. You're practically friends!
I wouldn't go that far. We tolerate each other, at best. But, I'll think about the gift idea. For now though, I'm going to go to bed before everyone else comes back to the dorm.
Still avoiding Lavender?
Do you blame me?
Not at all. Goodnight, Hermione! Sweet dreams!
As Hermione laid in bed that night, she thought about what Daphne suggested.
Should she get a present for Malfoy? It wouldn't hurt to look around Honeydukes and see if anything caught her eye.
Maybe she should be prepared, in case he got her something. Not that it was likely, though thought made her chuckle.
And if she were honest with herself, slightly nervous as well.
A/N: Hello readers! I need your help! I want to get fanart done for this story but I need help deciding what to get drawn. What is a scene from what you have ready so far that you think I should commission? I'll compile all the suggestions and I'll pick my top three and let you guys vote on the final one! Then I'll need to find an artist lol
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'll see you all next week. xoxoHufflepuffMommy