Chapter 5: The Aftermath (Draco)
Draco Malfoy leaned back in his chair, enjoying the comfortable silence in his flat. Blaise Zabini sat across from him, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. The two friends had spent the last hour discussing everything but the one topic that hung in the air between them.
Draco was grateful for the distraction until Pansy Parkinson burst through the door, her eyes bright with excitement. "I just talked to Linda," she announced, not even bothering with a greeting. "You know, the potions expert? She assured me that there's no love potion out there that affects you for more than five days."
Draco arched an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "And?"
Pansy rolled her eyes. "And, I'm starting to think you're right, Draco. What you felt for Granger… maybe it's real."
Draco couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head. "Real? Are you out of your mind, Pansy? That deep infatuation I had with 'the woman of my dreams' is gone. I'm perfectly aware it wasn't real."
Blaise leaned forward, setting his glass down on the table with a soft clink. "Your tone might have changed, Draco, but let's not forget—you've never talked about a girl like this before. Not ever."
Draco scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. "That's because of the love potion. It made everything feel… intense, but it wasn't real. Not really."
Pansy wasn't convinced. She crossed her arms, her gaze piercing as she looked at Draco. "No, Draco. You still talk about her. And let's be honest—you're more offended on her behalf than on your own. Talking about betrayal and all that, worrying about her well-being more than your own. You're acting like… I don't know, like a husband who's more concerned about his wife than himself. Seriously, it's so unlike you."
Draco let out a dry laugh. "Oh, please. It felt real at the time, but I don't have any lingering feelings. That's the truth."
But Pansy didn't back down. "Then what was that yesterday, huh?" she challenged. "You went on and on about betrayal. As far as I know, it's not you Ron betrayed—it's Granger. And yet, you were so affronted on her behalf." She giggled, but there was a serious edge to her words.
Draco's smirk faltered as a memory from the previous day flashed in his mind—a conversation he'd had with Blaise and Pansy.
- Flashback -
"You know what really gets under my skin?" Draco had started, his voice sharp as he paced around his flat. "It's not just that Weasley used a love potion. It's that he did it to her. To Hermione. That kind of manipulation… it's vile. It's the lowest thing anyone could do."
Blaise had watched him closely, his expression unreadable. "You sound like you care more about her than yourself, Draco. Why's that?"
Draco had stopped, staring at Blaise as if the question was absurd. "Because she didn't deserve that. No one does. Least of all her. She was his friend for Merlin's sake. They fought a war together, a war he wouldn't have survived without Granger. Aren't Gryffindors supposed to be caring and loyal and all that shit? Yet stupid Weasley did this - something even we Slytherins dare not do. That bastard, how dare he"
Pansy had snorted, shaking her head in disbelief. "I never thought I'd see the day when Draco Malfoy is more concerned about a Muggle-born than himself". What's happened to you?"
Draco answered truthfully, "You know I don't care about the blood status anymore. The rehabilitation program that I had to go through to stay out of Azkaban made sure of that. I couldn't think badly about them even if I wanted - at least not because of blood status", a hint of laughter in his voice as the last words came out.
- End of Flashback -
Draco shook his head, trying to dispel the memory, but Pansy's laughter brought him back to the present. "See what I mean?" she said, her tone light but her eyes serious. "You're more affected by what happened to her than you're willing to admit."
Draco clenched his jaw, refusing to acknowledge the truth in her words. "It's not like that. It was just the potion. Nothing more."
Pansy crossed her arms, "You know, Draco, you've always had a bit of an obsession with Granger. Sure, Potter and Weasley was in the mix, but let's be honest—it was Granger who really got under your skin. Remember how you used to go on and on about her? Every time an exam came around, or every time she raised her hand in class, it was like she took up permanent residence in your head. It was almost as if you couldn't stop thinking about her, couldn't stop complaining about her."
Draco frowned, though he couldn't entirely dismiss what Pansy was saying. The memories came flooding back—years of sneering remarks and pointed jabs, all aimed at Hermione Granger. It was true; she had always been a thorn in his side. But an obsession? He'd never thought of it that way.
Pansy continued, her voice softer now, more contemplative. "Yes, that obsession wasn't exactly positive. But even back then, Granger had a way of capturing your mind, of holding your attention in a way no other girl ever did. You were focused on her—constantly. Maybe not in a romantic way, but she affected you. It's not so hard to imagine that after everything that's happened, after what you two went through last week, that obsession could have turned into something else… something like love."
Draco blinked, then let out a sharp, genuine laugh that echoed through the room. "That's absurd, Pansy. Absolutely ridiculous. Just because I couldn't stand her back then doesn't mean I'm in love with her now. You're reading way too much into this."
But Blaise, who had been quietly observing the exchange, now spoke up, his tone measured and thoughtful. "I don't know, Draco. Intense emotions have a way of morphing into other intense emotions. Hate turning into love… that's not just some cliché in love stories, it's something that happens. I myself found Pansy extremely annoying in school. But look at us now happily married for the last 2 years."
Draco opened his mouth to argue, but the words seemed to falter on his tongue. He searched for a rebuttal, something to dismiss the uncomfortable idea that Pansy and Blaise were suggesting, but the truth was, he couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that had taken root deep within him. As much as he wanted to deny it, a part of him wondered if they might be right.
But it was Granger. It couldn't be love. The very idea was preposterous. Granger—the girl he had taunted, bullied, and insulted for years—the same girl who had fought on the opposite side during the war, who had stood as a symbol of everything he had been raised to despise. And yet… his thoughts over the past week told a different story.
As the memories of that night began to settle and clear, Draco had found himself seeing Granger in a new light. It was as if the fog of years of prejudice had lifted, allowing him to truly see her for the first time. And what he saw was someone admirable, someone strong and intelligent, someone who had every reason to hate him… and yet, someone he found himself caring about, despite everything.
But love? Could it really be love?
He shook his head, trying to push the thought away, but it clung stubbornly to the corners of his mind. The very possibility unnerved him. If it was love, what did that mean for him?
Draco's chest tightened with unease. Even if he did harbor feelings for Granger—and that was a huge, terrifying "if"—she would never accept it. Not after everything he had done to her, everything he had said. She was a war heroine, after all, celebrated and respected in ways he could never be. The idea that she might ever return his feelings was laughable. She was too good for him, and he knew it.
Yet, he couldn't ignore the fact that over the last week, as his memories of that night with Granger slowly returned, his view of her had shifted. He found himself thinking of her more often, in ways that were… unexpected. He wasn't just fixated on her now; he was intrigued by her, drawn to her in a way that left him feeling off-balance.
Draco rubbed his temples, trying to quell the storm of emotions swirling within him. This was madness. Surely, it couldn't be love. He refused to believe it. Because if it was—if he really was falling in love with Hermione Granger—then he was doomed. The future he had never imagined for himself was suddenly looming on the horizon, and it was one he wasn't sure he was ready to face
A/N: Thanks for reading. Please Review.
