Hermione and Draco began spending more time together over the weeks, blaming it on their project but ending up goofing off instead. They'd seem to talk for hours. Hermione started to consider him a friend.
He wasn't the same boy from first year. He'd grown into his features. He'd become tall and quite strong in build.
It was a cold day in late November and Hermione decided to go watch his quidditch practice.
As she approached the field, Pansy came up to her and sneered, "What's the mud blood filth doing here? It's slytherins time with the field. Go away."
"I'm here to watch one of the boys Parkinson." She replied.
Pansy scowled, "A slytherin boy? Which one?"
Draco landed where they were talking just then, cheeks rosy from the cold.
"Heya Hermione," Draco stated giving her a quick hug.
Pansy gaped, "Draco babe stay away from her. You'll get mud on your clothes."
"Grow up Pansy. We're head boy and girl, it's polite to be cordial. Besides houses won't matter in the real world."
Pansy huffed and stormed away.
Hermione laughed as she retreated.
"What's up?" Draco asked.
"Oh nothing much. I just came to say hi. Watch you practice."
His eyebrows furrowed, "You came to watch me?"
"Is that okay?" She asked.
A genuine smile crosses his face, "My father didn't even come to my games. Not once. And you're just here watching me practice?"
She shrugs, "Well yeah. You're my friend."
He wraps her in a hug taking her by surprise. "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."
After that, she begun coming to all his practices. She figured if it meant so much to him, she would go. It didn't inconvenience her and it meant a lot to the boy she now called a friend.
Walking back to their dorm, Hermione plays with her fingers. "Draco?"
He turns slightly, opening their door, "Hm?"
"Well..." She starts but thinks better of it, "No never mind. It's silly."
"Go on. Just say it." He insists.
"I was just wondering if you'd like to come home with me for Christmas break?"
He chuckles, "Yeah I wanna spend my holiday with muggles."
Almost ashamed she bites her lip, "Right. Yeah forget it."
She moves to go to her room. He grabs her arm, "Hermione wait. It was a joke, I'm sorry. That was mean. If you really mean it...I'd really like to come with you."
A grin overtakes her face, "Okay."
While she was happy to have him and give him a place to go, the real reason for inviting him was much more selfish. She figured if Draco was with her the whole break, her stepbrother wouldn't be able to try anything with ber.
She wrote a letter to her mother telling her that a friend was going to join them for holiday this year before turning her night lights on and drifting off to sleep.