Everything seemed perfect, their house had won the quidditch match, but she felt out of place among those who resided in the Common Room. Everyone was pouring drinks, hooting and hollering about such a triumphant victory. No one had seen her leave or even slip away. Ron was busy celebrating with Lavender, as he would put it, she was a girl. Hermione felt as though he looked right through her forgetting who she really was beside the one to fix everything for them.
She was the fixer.
She was the one who solved the problems. He never seemed to ensure she was okay or how she felt. He treated her like one of the boys. He didn't understand that she loved him. She watched as the little brown birds she conjured from a charm spell.
The sky was a shadowy gray, the rainclouds seemed to weigh heavy over the Black Lake as the moon tried to seep through. There was a chill in the air, and the aroma of the sulfur from the fireworks from the quidditch stadium lingered within the old castle walls. Everything seemed so quiet, the distant roar from the celebration was barely above a mumble.
She could hear footsteps coming up the cobblestone steps. Harry was probably coming to find her and drag her back to the celebration. She moved her hand pulling the edge of her sleeve down and used the sleeve of her pink sweater to wipe the tears away. She didn't want to go back; she didn't want to watch Ron snog Lavender so openly. She opened her honey eyes to see Malfoy standing just a few feet away. He was wearing a white buttoned-up shirt with a black jacket, and black pants. "I would have thought with your house winning the match tonight you would be off celebrating, not sitting here crying and playing with charms."
Why of all people did it have to be Malfoy to stumble upon her at her lowest moment. "I just wanted a bit of quiet to practice my charms. The common room is far too loud and even if I went to the shared bedroom, it would be far too cramped."
"You were never a very good liar Granger." He spoke with a smirk.
Hermione looked away back out the broken-out window that had looked like it was slowly decaying, before she stood up. "I should be going." She didn't feel up to his random insults, she didn't want to hear him call her a mudblood. She didn't feel up to battling the platinum blonde before her. The little birds followed above her as she walked past him towards the stairs.
"Why do you let them treat you like this?" He spoke as she walked by.
She stopped when she heard his words. "Treat me like what? I'm not dating either one of them, they can do whatever they want."
"Do whatever they want? Just like the night of the Yule Ball, they left you crying on the steps?" He looked past her and to the staircase she had just got up from. "At least I'm a monster to your face."
Hermione lowered her head, he was right, he never said anything behind her back that she knew of. He was upfront and honest, no matter how cruel it was. Both were competitive when it came to their classes, they didn't share the same house or circle of friends. Even now Malfoy appeared to pull away from everyone, ever since she saw him with his mother when they entered a shady-looking business. Harry had mentioned that he had already been recruited to become a new Death Eater. But did he want to even follow in his father's footsteps? His father was out of reach, locked away. Did he want to eventually share the same fate as his father? "Malfoy, why are you even bothering to talk to me?"
He hesitated for a moment, the silence was cold, and the only sounds that echoed were that of the little brown birds that were flying close to her. "Because I didn't the last time I saw you crying."
"At the Yule Ball?" She whispered.
He nodded, but he still wouldn't look at her directly. "You are the brightest witch of our generation. Yet you are truly alone even among those who you call friends."
Her body tensed. He was right no one had chased after her, they didn't even notice that she had left the Common Room. "I think, things are complicated right now."
"Because Weasley is with a girl you aren't even fond of? I saw him sneaking around with her before the match even started today." He glanced over at her with his somber grey eyes.
She could feel her cheeks grow red as she felt tears start to creep up. "I really don't care what he does."
"If that was true you wouldn't be hiding out here." He spoke softly. "I think you need to reevaluate your life before you find yourself on the wrong side of this war. On the wrong side of those who you can trust and can't when the time comes."
She placed a left hand on her right arm as she looked down. He did find her alone away from everyone. He wasn't wrong, she had tried over and over to fix everything, to help stop this impending war. She even defended Malfoy at one point when they were heading to school on the train. "The way you speak to me. It makes me wonder if you plan to follow your father?"
"Do you think I have a choice?" He responded back coldly.
"Everyone deserves to have a choice. Even you." She spoke sincerely.
Malfoy shook his head, "I don't think you would be saying that if you knew what I have to do." Malfoy looked away from her. "You've stopped crying. It's time I take my leave I still have things I need to do." He whispered as he took a step back.
"Spearmint." She spoke up.
Malfoy stopped and looked back at her, "What are you talking about?"
"You smell like spearmint and new parchment paper." She looked away from him when he turned back.
He was a bit confused before he realized what she meant. The day in potions, she described what she smelled with the love potion. He hesitated for a moment, he remembered that day she looked so confused like she was familiar with the smells, but she couldn't place who the smells belonged to. He ignored her after that and focused on the rest of the class. "You know if I wasn't in potion class with you that day, I would find this to be an odd response from you."
"Freshly mowed grass, The first time. Right after the first snow melt, after a week-long rainstorm that washes the rest of the snow away. That was a memory I grew up with. I don't know if you know Greek mythology, but there is a story depending on what version you go with there was a God named Hades who kidnapped a Goddess named Persephone. She saw how lonely the man was, but she wanted to return to the world above. She wasn't made to live in the Underworld. She refused to eat, but at the very end, she ate six pomegranate seeds. Because she ate those seeds, she was tied to the Underworld for six months. She is the queen of the Underworld for six months out of the year, but when she returns to the world above, she brings with her spring. My father used to read me stories like this when I was younger. I think a lot of it he toned down because I was fairly young, but when I see the last bit of snow vanish, I know she is able to leave her forced marriage." She paused for a moment. "But spearmint and new parchment paper I couldn't place why those smells were important, until now." She spoke softly.
"Granger." Malfoy walked back over to her where he was less than a few inches from her.
She looked up to him as if still lost in her thoughts. "She felt sorry for Hades, he was alone ruling a world that was nothing, but death. She found that he really wasn't scary at all as she grew to understand him." Before he could even place a hand on her cheek, a loud bang and giggling could be heard from the other side of the room as a wooden door with decorative metals opened, the sound of wood scrapping over the worse-for-wear cobblestone floor. Malfoy withdrew his pale hand hastily.
Ron and Lavender walked out. Lavender was hanging off his right arm, Ron stopped and gave Hermione a questionable look. "Hermione, what are you doing with him?"
Lavender looked at him a little upset as she tugged on his right arm, "Come on, I think it's a little crowded in here lets go." Lavender let go as she stepped away and headed up the staircase.
Malfoy could see the anger welling up within Hermione's fiery honey eyes. "Nothing, we were just talking."
"You are talking to the enemy; you bloody know he's up to no good," Ron responded.
"You can't just assume that of people Ron." She snapped back.
"Bloody hell, his father nearly killed you at the Ministry and you are standing here getting cozy." Ron spat back.
Hermione took a step forward. "He was checking on me, that's all it was, he was leaving."
"Checking on you for what?" Ron folded his arms across his chest. "You have been acting like such a prude ever since I started hanging out with Lavender, you act as if you are some crazy jealous girl." He didn't have much time to dodge the little brown birds that dove towards him. "Bloody hell, what is your problem Hermione?" Ron took off after Lavender up the spiral staircase.
She could feel herself on the brink of breaking again. Ron was so cruel to her. He acted as if she was crazy. She felt a hand reach out and take hers. "Come on." Malfoy whispered.
She held onto his hand as she followed him out of the hallway. There was no one out as he led her through a few dimly lit hallways and up a set of metal steps. Malfoy and Hermione both stepped out onto the astronomy tower's landing. The dark clouds from before were slowly letting out a winter storm. "I've only been up here a handful of times." She whispered, she could see her breath from the drop in temperature as she stood in an open room. This was the highest tower at the school, one that was often off-limits unless classes were in session.
"Come to think of it one of the times I've been up here, you were the reason we got in trouble after we got caught sending a baby dragon off to Ron's brother Charlie once." She thought back to her first year. Her steps echoed as the wooden floorboards creaked uneasily as she walked around the tower. She placed her hand on a cold circular metal structure. She never took the time to take in the scenery of the open space.
"It's quiet," He responded as he walked out and leaned over the metal railing looking out over the Black Lake. "You aren't ready to go back are you?"
Hermione shook her head as she walked over to where he stood. "He really irritates me."
"I can tell." He looked straight ahead, he paused for a moment before he continued. "Did my father really attack you at the Ministry of Magic?"
Hermione frowned as she looked up at him. Had he only heard small things about the attack, or did he just want her side? "He tried to kill us. A lot of the Death Eaters chased us and hunted us when we went. Your father held a wand to my throat." She was a bit hesitant when she told him what his father had done to her.
"I knew about the attack, but I didn't know what really happened. I know that a lot of prophecies were destroyed. My aunt killed someone from the Order, but not much else. I know Lord Voldemort almost had Harry within his grasp." His voice was low, he couldn't look at her. "I didn't know."
Hermione swallowed. "You were probably only told what you were meant to hear. It's not your fault." She was starting to grow cold in the open space. He glanced back when he caught her moving her arms around her body.
He removed his jacket and took a step forward draping it over her shoulders. She looked up at him as the rain started across the dark sky. "You were so beautiful that night at the Yule Ball. You were so confident in yourself. I hadn't seen that spark in some time." He leaned in slowly as he took her hands into his. She closed her eyes only to find that he had placed a kiss on the top of her forehead.
She thought for a moment he was going to kiss her on her lips, but he gently kissed the top of her forehead. She opened her eyes only to meet his cold steel-colored eyes. Why was he being gentle towards her after all this time? Why wasn't he upset that she was the reason why his father was put away? The sound of rain had vanished. She felt a snowflake drop on her left cheek. She looked out over the observation deck. She watched as a silent blanket of snow now started to fall across the castle. She felt him pull his jacket around her more. "I don't understand."
Malfoy looked up for a moment. "What is there to understand."
Hermione frowned. "Since the moment you found me, you've been rather gentle."
"Would you rather me be cruel?" He smirked.
Hermione wasn't quite sure what was going on, but for a moment she didn't feel like she was in any danger or even uncomfortable. "No, I just, can I ask you a question?"
Malfoy nodded as he took a step back from her and leaned against the railing again looking out into the snowy sky. "What is it then?"
"The love potion from class that day, what did you smell?" She asked curiously.
Malfoy seemed to pause for a moment before he spoke. "Lilacs with vanilla, new books, and the last rain of the summer after a lightning storm." He placed his hands on the cold iron of the railing. "Are you a little surprised?"
Hermione shook her head as she watched him. "No, I mean everyone has certain smells they find attractive." She was a little bit unsure how to react to his answers, had he been referring to the lilac vanilla perfume she had started wearing in her 4th year at Hogwarts. "Maybe we should head to bed. It's getting late and I'm sure you don't want anyone to see you talking to me."
"Why not?" He asked. "I'm on my own, people fear me, many would rather avoid my presence, and others wouldn't question why I would be prodding you for answers."
"Prodding me for answers? Is that why you talked to me tonight?" She asked feeling a little hurt, but she should have expected it from the bully that tormented her from day one. "One of my many reasons, but I got what I wanted. You got something out of it right Granger?"
"I think all I got from you was confusion." She spoke feeling a sense of defeat now. She shouldn't have followed him up here. She should never have been so vulnerable in his presence revealing how she almost died at his father's hands. She thought maybe he was starting to be open to her, maybe wanting to offer a branch of friendship to her. The kiss on her forehead was a little confusing, maybe the kiss was a way to pull her into a false sense of security. She thought maybe he was willing to move past the fact she was muggleborn, but now she wasn't sure anymore.
"Spearmint and new parchment paper?" He spoke softly.
Her heart sank. He used her weakness, what she smelled from the love potion. "I should never have told you that."
"Why? Do you think it upsets me that two of the smells you tie directly to me?" He chuckled. "You seemed so surprised when you told me."
Hermione was starting to question everything he said now. Malfoy seemed to act caring towards her. He made sure she was okay when he found her crying alone, he even mentioned how he should have stepped up after he saw her crying on the steps at the Yule Ball. He covered her in his jacket to keep her warm. She wasn't understanding. "How do you really feel about me Malfoy?"
"Probably the same way the God of the Underworld felt when he only got Persephone six months out of the year." He whispered as he took a step towards her. "He was left alone and isolated while she enjoyed the warmth of spring as he waited below in the cold fires of hell, waiting for her to return to her rightful place next to his throne. He took her forcefully, but she always returned to his side." He brushed a piece of her auburn hair back behind her left ear. Another snowflake landed on her cheek, the warmth melting the ice away as she blushed faintly.
Malfoy had listened to her talk about the story, and he replied back with what he actually knew about the story of Hades and Persephone. Hermione felt that she was being drawn below to the depths with him lingering close to her, but at this moment she didn't fear the hell he carried behind those steely eyes.