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Change of Mind	By : hermyoneminusone Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 26841 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
- 16
Hermione and Draco sat side by side along the edge of the tub, each wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe. They had been sitting in silence for a while, watching the tub drain in a slow, rhythmic whirlpool of hot water and oil.
Draco turned to the witch sitting next to him, watching her follow the lazy swirl of liquid, her brown orbs moving back and forth. He couldn't bring himself to leave the Prefect's bathroom immediately after their shag in the tub. What was it about her that had him so captivated? He didn't normally act this way with girls. But Hermione was… different. He thought that he would have gotten over his little infatuation with her after their romp on Christmas day, but on the contrary, he now found himself wanting her even more.
This was the first time in weeks he had been able to catch the Gryffindor outside her dormitory. She had made herself scarce after classes, she was never in the Great Hall during meals, and he noticed the way she was now behaving around Potter and Weasley in Potions. He figured she told the oafs about their relationship, but he didn't expect the trio to break up.
Quite frankly, he couldn't give two fucks about Scarface and Weasel, but he found that Hermione's recent gloomy demeanor had also affected him as well. He wanted desperately to comfort her whenever he saw her in class looking so glum. He wanted to kiss her soft lips, press her body against his, let her know that he wanted her. Draco didn't know what to make of these feelings, but they scared him shitless. He couldn't deny that he was developing feelings for the Gryffindor, but what was he going to do about it? He was never one to express his emotions openly, and he wasn't exactly going to start now.
Besides, what would Granger think of all this? He had no intention of telling her, and he wasn't sure he could deal with rejection. It was best for him to keep his mouth shut, and just enjoy the time he could spend with her, even if it wasn't going anywhere. He felt his heart tighten at that thought; but he shook it off. He just wasn't going to let his feelings get the best of him, no matter how strongly he felt.
"I don't think I've ever seen you go for this long without smirking." Hermione teased as she broke the silence, a small smile curling on her lips.
Draco smirked instinctively, but remained silent. He hadn't realized how lost in thought he'd gotten.
Hermione shifted her attention back to the tub, which was now completely empty.
"Why did you choose to confront Zabini?" She asked quietly, the smile no longer on her face.
Draco was taken aback at her question. He chose his words carefully before speaking.
"Zabini chose to meddle where he ought not have meddled. It's quite simple, really."
Hermione let his words rattle in her mind for a few moments. She didn't know what she expected to hear.
Zabini hurt you, and he needed to pay for the stupidity of his actions.
I was concerned for you.
I wanted to make sure you were okay.
Hermione mentally scolded herself for thinking such silly things. She looked up at the blonde and nodded in understanding.
"And you're sure he doesn't remember anything?"
Draco glanced over at her. "Are you doubting my abilities, Granger?" He teased.
"No," Hermione responded solemnly. "I just don't want to chance it."
Draco felt a bit guilty for poking fun at her question when she was being completely serious. He couldn't find it in himself to look her directly in the eye; he felt as though the whole mess with Blaise was his fault. He just had to make sure that nothing like that ever happened again.
"Zabini thinks he had a bad slip in the shower. He doesn't suspect a thing." Draco said simply, keeping as much emotion out of his voice as he could.
Hermione looked down at her hands. More silence ensued.
"You need to stop hiding up in your tower," Draco began suddenly. "People are starting to talk."
Hermione felt the color rush to her cheeks. How dare he!
"Where I choose to be is really none of your concern, let alone the rest of the castle." She snapped.
Draco couldn't help but smirk at her outburst. She was so easy to rile up.
"I'm not telling you what to do, Granger. I'm just saying that people have noticed your absence, and they're going to eventually figure out that you're no longer on speaking terms with Potter and his sidekick."
Hermione opened her mouth to retort, but found that she wasn't able to form any words. How did he know?
"I'm not daft," he said dryly in response to the Gryffindor's stunned expression. "You three were inseparable, and it's quite obvious that something has caused a rift in your relationship."
Hermione twisted her hands in her lap. She hadn't talked to anyone about Harry or Ron except her roommates, and she still felt as awful as she had when Harry walked away from her weeks ago.
"I didn't expect them to understand." She said in a small voice. "I just didn't think they would hate me for what I did with you."
Draco eyed her inquisitively. "And yet here you are, sitting next to me. If I'm not mistaken, you still are fraternizing with the enemy." He gave her a cheeky grin. "Have you not been able to get enough of me?"
Hermione glared at him, but she couldn't deny that he was right. Harry and Ron couldn't accept what she had done, but there she was, naked in a bathrobe sitting next to the very person who created this whole mess. She should have hexed that stupid grin right off his face, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't want to do it.
"I suppose you're right. I could have put an end to all this long ago… But I didn't."
She looked down and slowly began tracing lines up Draco's long, slender fingers.
"Why not?" He asked, his voice low.
Hermione continued drawing little lines on his hand.
"I don't know." She answered honestly.
Draco looked at her, studying her vulnerable features intently. If he wasn't mistaken, he saw something in her eyes that had become all too familiar to him in the last few weeks. Could she be feeling the same way he was?
...
Hermione began eating her meals down in the Great Hall once more. She sat in her usual spot in the middle of the table, and discovered that Harry and Ron had now migrated down to sit with Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. Hermione found that being around her former best friends wasn't as difficult as she had imagined, and not many people seemed to notice the strain between the trio.
Lavender and Theodore Nott were now an item, although they weren't officially dating. After Nott finally plucked up the courage to tell her that he fancied her, they had been caught snogging and groping each other around the castle on one too many occasions. Nott was actually the one who inadvertently informed Lavender of Draco's weekly bathing habits, and she and Parvati had plotted so that Hermione would be in the Prefect's bathroom at the same time as the blonde. Hermione was a bit stunned at the duo's cunning when they revealed what they did, but she was secretly glad they took it upon themselves to invade in her personal business.
"Isn't this all so funny?" Lavender had asked Hermione the other day.
"What do you mean?"
"All this inter-house love!" Lavender giggled. "With me and Theo, and you and Malfoy! Who would have thought that we'd be going for Slytherins?"
Lavender's comment had been stuck in Hermione's mind for quite a while now. She hadn't really thought about it that way. Was she going for a Slytherin? They certainly weren't dating, and she didn't think of Draco as her boyfriend… And yet, she found herself constantly wanting to be around him. She still made little contact with him in public, but she had seen him a few more times in private after their encounter in the Prefect's bathroom.
She did find herself thinking about him more often, day dreaming about his handsome features, about the small things they shared together. The last time they met, they hadn't even shagged. Draco had brought her up to the astronomy tower past curfew, and they just lay under the stars. It was actually one of the most romantic things Hermione had ever done, despite the fact that Draco didn't say or even do much. He didn't bring her flowers, he didn't sing her a song, or even recite poetry to her. Hermione snorted inwardly. She couldn't imagine him doing something so… silly. They just lay side by side, staring at the glittering stars and constellations that freckled the night sky. It was when she started falling asleep that the blonde suggested they head back to their respective rooms, and call it a night.
Hermione couldn't help but feel giddy remembering the way he snuck glances at her, or how he had the tiniest of smiles painted on his face as she told him about all the constellations she recognized in the sky. She knew that there was something more to their relationship now, she could feel it. This thought comforted her, and although she wished she was still friends with Harry and Ron, it made their separation a bit more bearable. She doubted Draco would ever tell her how he felt, but she was content knowing that he actually enjoyed being with her. If he truly didn't care for her, he would have made it obvious by now. Right?
…
Hermione sat in the Great Hall on a Monday morning, sipping on some coffee, immersed in the daily paper a brown tawny owl had just delivered. She rolled her eyes as she skimmed the sports section; apparently a series of drunken celebratory riots started up in Wales, following a massive victory from the Holyhead Harpies who were now top contenders for the Quidditch World Cup. Honestly, why would people choose to celebrate by rioting? Hermione never quite understood such things when it came to sports. An article about a new research project beginning in St. Mungo's caught her eye, and she perused the story until some nearby yelling caught her attention.
Down the table, Richard Praxley and a girl from Ravenclaw stood facing the Gryffindor table. Ron and Harry were also standing up, facing the couple in front of them. The Hall had gone silent, and all eyes were focused on them. Richard said something that Hermione couldn't quite hear, and the girl beside him sniggered.
"You shut your mouth!" Ron yelled angrily, pulling out his wand.
"Or what, Weasley?" Richard drawled, looking smug.
"Or I'll shut it for you, Praxley!" Ron retorted, fuming.
Richard faltered at his response, but the girl standing next to him seemed to be egging him on.
"The only reason you're acting like this is because you know it's true! She was just a tease, and I'm sure she did the same to –" Richard's words were cut short as his mouth zipped tight with a wave of Ron's wand. Several spectators gasped.
Hermione stood up. She needed to stop this before somebody got hurt. Before she could even make it down the table, both Richard and the girl next to him had their wands pointed in Ron's face, and they simultaneously cast their spells on him.
Ron fell onto the ground with a loud thud, and Harry was now pointing his wand at the duo before him, seething.
Horrified, Hermione ran over to the scuffle, and thankfully, Professor McGonagall was on the scene as well. She swiftly disarmed the students before her, and their wands were securely in her hand before Hermione could even blink.
"What is the meaning of all this?!" McGonagall cried out, alarm and fury etched onto her stern features.
Richard began mumbling incoherently through his sealed lips, while the girl beside him glared at McGonagall through narrowed eyes.
Harry opened his mouth to respond when McGonagall cut him off. "Potter, I don't want to hear it. Finnigan, please take Weasley to the Hospital Wing, and you three, follow me."
She marched out of the hall with an authoritative click in her heels while Harry, Richard, and the unknown Ravenclaw followed close behind her. Once they were out of the Hall, everybody began whispering, turning to look at Hermione as though she were an animal on display at a zoo.
Unnerved, something told Hermione that she was somehow involved in what just happened. She looked at her watch, and it was only minutes before classes were to begin. She put her wand to her throat and amplified her voice.
"Please be aware that classes begin in FIVE minutes. Clear out of the Great Hall or I will be forced to report you to your Heads of Houses for tardiness." Hermione declared in her most prefect-worthy voice. The students began reluctantly shuffling out of the Hall, still whispering furiously amongst one another. Hermione grimly made her way to Arithmancy, but she was already impatiently waiting to be excused from class.
…
Once Professor Vector had bid Hermione's class a good day, the Gryffindor was the first person out of the classroom and she was already making her way to the Hospital Wing.
She found Ron laying in a bed, sleeping soundly. He had some grey fuzzy patches all around his pale face, and his nose was bloody. Hermione pulled up a chair and gingerly sat down beside her former friend.
Madame Pomfrey bustled in with a jar grasped tightly in one hand and her wand in the other.
"Madame Pomfrey!" Hermione exclaimed as the nurse came around Ron's bed. "What's happened to Ron? Is he going to be okay?"
Madame Pomfrey huffed impatiently as she unscrewed the cap of the jar, revealing a thick, orange paste. "Teenagers are such violent creatures," she began, agitated, as she started applying the ointment on the grey spots on Ron's face. "A Bat Bogey hex and a Stupefy all at once?! He's lucky one of the casters was not adept in wandless magic; that Stupefy could have well given him a concussion!"
Hermione clasped her hands over her mouth. Madame Pomfrey softened her expression at Hermione's emotional reaction. "He will be fine, Miss Granger. This ointment will get rid of any traces of bat on his face and in his nasal passages, and all he'll be needing is some rest. Lucky for Mr. Weasley he has such caring friends such as yourself." She waved her wand above Ron's face, and the dried up blood instantly disappeared. She gave Hermione a small smile and brusquely walked back to her office.
Hermione looked sadly at Ron's figure as he slept. They weren't friends anymore. She doubted Ron would appreciate her being there; he probably never wanted to speak to her again. She sat for a while, and turned when she heard footsteps approaching. Her heart jumped and she stood up as she saw that it was Harry.
"Madame Pomfrey said he'll be fine. He took a Bat Bogey hex as well as a Stupefy." Hermione said quietly after a few moments.
"I know," Harry said simply, looking at Ron.
Hermione didn't budge. "What – what happened?"
Harry averted his gaze to the witch before him, and he stared at her for a few seconds. Hermione was unsure whether he would answer her.
"Praxley is dating this Ravenclaw girl, Claire Larsen. They were walking out the Hall when they started talking about you."
"Me?" Hermione asked, her face going red.
"Yes. They weren't saying very nice things, mind you."
"But why?"
Harry shrugged. "Larsen called you an air-headed slag."
Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Ron overhead, and told her that she should keep her comments to herself, and then Richard got involved."
Hermione glanced over at the freckled figure on the hospital bed, and she couldn't help but beam inwardly. Ron had stood up for her.
"What happened with McGonagall?"
"She docked points, as usual. We all got a week's worth of detentions, as well as Ron."
Hermione stared at the floor. They didn't have to say anything, or get involved. But they did. She wanted to give Harry a big hug. She looked up at the wizard in front of her who gazed back at her with a sober expression.
"Don't tell Ron I was here." Hermione said as she started making her way to the door. Harry said nothing.
She turned to him once more before she left. "Thank you." She smiled weakly.
He remained silent, but she could see a twinkle in his eyes that told her that Harry did not regret what he did.
- 14
- 15
- 16
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