Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

A Whole New World	By : nekho-tenchi Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 4668 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry potter nor do i make a profit

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
Authors note: I am extremely sorry for the delay I was reading the Cursed child. The biggest mistake of my life and it made me so mad. Grrr how could jk rowling even be ok with the whole thing is behind my comprehension. I wont spoil it for any one I promise. Please note I am looking for a new beta reader. If you are interested let me know. This is what I need help with: plot development, grammar development and how to close major plot holes. Also I do appreciate criticism but here is the thing I might start a character off as JK rowling portrayed them but they might become out of character because it is how I want to portray them. I do promise this time I wont abandon this story. Like I did the other two times. Also this is still Draco's Dream with a little bit of Hermione's prospective in it. It is just hard to do this with only Draco's prospective so It can get confusing. But it still Draco's dream. Again this is one of my longest chapters 9636 words. PLEASE PM ME IF YOU WANT TO BE A BETA READER AND CO WRITER.
"That bloody woman!" Draco growled as he slammed his textbook onto the table and opened up to the right page. He saw Granger just smile and sit next to him, organising herself a lot more calmly.
"She did warn us this would happen…" she murmured, arranging her quills in a ridiculously neat row on the desk in front of her.
"Yeh well, I didn't think by variables she meant the entire first part of the task would have to be redone."
Granger's smile widened. It irritated him that she felt so comfortable in his presence. She didn't look at all flustered or angry about them having to spend even more time together. Not like him. He was fuming. He could barely stop his teeth from grinding together as he tried not to let himself be distracted by her. He hated how he seemed to be unable to stop himself from peering up at her every few seconds like he had the last time they were here in the library together. If anything, she was completely unruffled by the extra work. Her face was relaxed in a pose of concentration, and her hair was piled haphazardly up in a bun on top of her head with a muggle pencil sticking through it as if she just didn't care about arranging it properly. It was actually endearing the way it flopped over her forehead and ears in twisting strands. He followed one with his eyes as it swayed gently, brushing against her cheek.
Draco shook his head and glared down at the page of answers he had already written out so neatly. With a sigh, he started to scratch over them with his correcting quill, adding in the new numbers Vector had given them. While he worked he couldn't help himself from cursing the infuriating professor under his breath.
"Stupid harridan…irritating bitch…"
"Your whining isn't exactly helping me concentrate..." Granger muttered out of the corner of her mouth, a little smirk on her lips.
"I thought you could block out everything," he retorted petulantly.
She snorted and shook her head.
"Well you have a spectacular talent for breaking down my focus where so many others fail."
"I'm flattered," he sneered, feeling a little proud that he could obviously still get to her. He chose not to think about the fact that they were both pretending as though nothing had happened last time. They were carrying on as if she had never confronted him about his duty for Voldemort and he had never pressed her into the wall and choked down the desire to beg for her help. He remembered with a twinge of embarrassment how the plea had been forming on his lips. She had spoken with such quiet confidence, but he had managed to swallow down the words before they escaped in a desperate whisper. He couldn't ask her for help. No one could help him.
"This is ridiculous," Granger suddenly groaned, slamming down her piece of paper onto the desk. Her lips were pursed and she was furrowing her brow darkly.
"What's wrong?" he asked, immediately scolding himself for sounding so damn polite.
"I changed all the codes that Vector gave us and went through the whole stupid thing again, and reached the same conclusion."
Draco paused and raised his eyes to her in disbelief.
"Are you kidding me?"
She sighed and shook her head.
"Nope. Twice as much work, same answer."
"Maybe you got it wrong…" Draco trailed off when she lifted her gaze to glare at him in mock anger, He put his hands up in a defensive gesture, "…okay, alright. You probably didn't get it wrong. It would be a first."
"What about yours?"
"Let me just finish it-"
Draco scanned his eyes down the page, doing the calculations quickly in his head. The sequence went round and round in circles and wound up with the exact same answer as before.
"Bloody hell," he growled, leaning back in defeat and running his fingers through his hair, not caring how much he messed it up.
"I can't believe she sent us on a wild goose chase!"
"A what?" he exclaimed with a short laugh, picturing someone racing around a garden scrabbling to round up a pair of geese. For some reason in his mind the person looked a bit like that oaf Hagrid.
"Oh, it's a muggle saying. It means to go on a pointless or futile pursuit for something."
Draco nodded, chuckling a bit at the strange saying.
"Right. You mean she made us stir the empty cauldron."
"Stir the empty cauldron? Huh…that's interesting."
"Uh yeh. What exactly do geese have to do with anything? Do muggles often own geese?" he asked in a teasing voice. Hermione little out a little snort of laughter.
"No they don't." said Hermione
Draco raised his eyebrow questioningly "So why say it?"
"Umm…I have no idea. Muggle phrases can be pretty weird sometimes."
Granger giggled again, and the mood was infectious. He couldn't help joining in. At that moment, though, their peace was interrupted by the heavy footfalls of someone entering the herbology section near their little alcove. Whoever it was they were walking with hard, clumsy steps and reeked of cheap cologne. Immediately Draco let his smile drop from his face. He forced a scowl onto his features and lowered his head to finish writing down the working-out on his sheet. It simply wouldn't do to let someone else see them here together having any kind of camaraderie. He might be going insane for acting so friendly around her – and he was seriously questioning his sanity on a daily basis for enjoying her company – but letting anyone else see into their little bubble would be suicide. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Granger do the same and he was pleased to know that she understood the risks as well as he did.
The mystery intruder rounded the corner and Draco didn't hide the roll of his eyes when he saw that absolute imbecile Cormac McLaggen invade the alcove like he owned the damn place. Draco tended to despise most Gryffindors just on principle, but this maggot really did spark a peculiarly sharp brand of spite in him. There was nothing he hated more than an arrogant fool. At least he had the decency to actually own a brain. He was well within his rights to be proud and boastful, because he had the goods to back it up. McLaggen was a moron, but acted like a prince.
He felt his skin crawl as the stupid ponce noticed Granger sitting there working studiously on their notes for Arithmancy. He put on his most simpering smile, which Draco wanted to punch right off his face, and strode over. It didn't take a genius to figure out that his ugly leering grin was directed at the Gryffindor girl sitting quietly next to him.
"Hey, Granger," he drawled in a low voice, stepping right up to their table and leaning on the side with his arms folded. His eyes flickered briefly over towards Draco but he just blinked in surprise a bit and ignored him, "I've been looking everywhere for you. What are you doing…here?" he looked around the towering shelves of books concealing them with an unmistakable air of disdain.
"I'm working on a project for arithmancy, Cormac," she said through a slightly clenched jaw, and Draco couldn't stop himself from smirking in amusement at her obvious discomfort. He leaned back in his seat ready to enjoy the show.
"With…him?"
"Obviously."
Cormac bristled a bit at her coldness, but then seemed to rally himself and shake it off, leaning closer with a rakish grin.
"I was wondering what time we should meet on Saturday night. I was thinking 7:30 in the common room."
Draco's mouth almost dropped open at the question. He couldn't believe it. There was simply no way that Hermione Granger would ever go on an actual date with this idiot. He waited eagerly for her to flatly refuse him and crush the boy's hopes. Instead she sighed in resignation and lifted her narrowed eyes from her work finally to look at him.
"It starts at seven," she countered with a small frown on her lips.
"Yes, but one simply doesn't arrive on time to these things. I like to be fashionably late."
"Seriously?"
"Let's make an entrance, impress the crowd. That's my style, you know."
"Fine. Whatever," she snapped, waving her hand. She seemed impatient to be rid of him. Draco watched the interaction in stunned silence. Cormac grabbed her hand from where it lay near the table, clenched in frustration and smattered with ink stains. The boy raised it to his lips and placed a gallant kiss on her knuckles, his mouth making a loud smacking sound as he grinned at her like a buffoon. He missed the obvious disgust on Granger's face, or the way she flinched slightly when he touched her. But Draco didn't miss it.
"I'm…very eager to get to know you better, Granger."
"Yeh," she agreed vaguely, trying to look anywhere but at her poor violated hand, "It should be fun."
"Until then," he raised himself off the desk and started backing away with that damn grin spreading his cheeks so wide they might split, "Au revoir."
Draco wasn't sure what he wanted to do more; to vomit or laugh. But damn if that little scene hadn't just made his day.
There was a sort of uncomfortable silence that descended on their little alcove after McLaggen left, in which Granger just buried her head into her work. She seemed to be trying desperately to fight off the dark red blush that threatened to spread over her cheeks. Her shoulders were still very tense and her lips stuck out in a bit of a pouty scowl that made her look like a child who had stepped on a cockroach. But it wasn't until he saw her discretely wipe her offended hand on her shirt that Draco really lost it.
The laughter bubbled in him out of nowhere, and he felt his face stretch into a delighted grin. He simply couldn't hold it in any longer. He burst into chuckles, slapping down his quill and leaning back in his chair as he laughed. Granger glared at him for a few moments, looking mortified, but this just made him laugh harder. He saw her frown tighten a little and could see from the twitch of her lip that revealed she was trying not to smile as well.
"Stop it, Malfoy!"
"Oh please, please tell me I didn't just dream that!"
"I don't see what's so funny."
He widened his eyes at her and snorted.
"Oh come on. McLaggen? You're going on a date with McLaggen?"
"Yes."
"In Merlin's name, why?"
"He's actually…um…very…fit...?" she was floundering for a way to describe the useless boy, and it only made him laugh again. This time she definitely let out a tiny smile before she masked it with a scowl.
"Yes he's fit, I suppose," he agreed solemnly, "And thick as a tree trunk, and immature, and narcissistic, and totally lacking in class or self-awareness."
"Alright, he's not ideal. But I needed to take someone to Slughorn's stupid Christmas party."
Draco shook his head in bemusement.
"You can do a lot better than McLaggen. A flobberworm would make a better date than him."
Granger sat in silence thinking deeply for a moment. Then after a while he saw her frown to herself and raise her eyes to meet his.
"I can do better?"
"What?"
"You said that I can do better than him."
Draco raised one of his eyebrows questioningly, wondering where she was going with this.
"So?"
"So…Cormac is pureblood."
He squirmed in his seat a little, starting to figure out what she was trying to hint at. He should have been more mindful of his words, but had been swept up in a moment of unguarded glee. The smile dropped from his face now as he took in her curious, almost pondering expression.
"Right…well, um-"
"I'm muggleborn, and he's pureblood. And you think I'm too good for him."
Draco thought about what she was saying for a second. Of course she would read too much into his words. And he hated that she was right. He frowned and tried to shrug off her statement.
"It's got nothing to do with blood. It's purely about personality."
Granger stared at him intently for a few moments, her brown eyes catching his breath and not releasing him. He felt himself start to flush a bit at the deep well of emotion in her eyes.
"Exactly," she said at last, and he felt his mouth go dry. There was nothing really he could say to that, or he might just get himself into more trouble. So he just stayed quiet, clenching his jaw and letting his eyes drop back down to his work. He grew uncomfortable from her piercing gaze and wriggled a bit in his seat.
"You're reading too much into it, Granger. McLaggen is slime." He was hoping she would drop it, but she just cocked her head to the side curiously.
"And I'm mud, right? Perfect match, wouldn't you say?"
He growled a little, softly, unintentionally. He knew what she was trying to say. She was proving to him that she knew he didn't believe in his own ideals anymore. Draco couldn't help but picture the kind of couple that Granger and McLaggen would make, since they were both technically supposed to mean nothing to him. She was a muggleborn and he was a simpleton. But he couldn't even begin to imagine it. She really was too good for him. And she knew it too, that's why she was taunting him.
"Not everything is black and white," he grumbled at last.
"I know," she said a bit smugly, making him frown at her in annoyance, "I just wanted to make sure you knew that."
"Bloody Gryffindor," he grumbled, tyring not to smirk a little in appreciation of her trap. She had a way of cleverly using his words against him that was both infuriating and impressive. He sook his head and bent over to concentrate on his work again. They were silent for a little while longer as they completed a sheet each, before Draco raised his eyes to watch her again. He wasn't sure what it was about her than intrigued him so, but he couldn't stop glancing her way. It had become a terrible habit. He had found himself staring at her in the Great Hall when they were eating meals; his eyes would pierce her from across the room, trying to figure her out, juts like he knew she was trying to figure him out. In class he sometimes just glared at the back of her head, as if he could make her turn around with the weight of one heated look. Maybe she really had infected him, and this was a symptom of his madness. He just wanted to know why she cared. What had made this girl, who he had treated so cruelly for so many years, suddenly give a damn about him? The thought of this fiercely intelligent girl caring about him stirred something inside him, but he simply couldn't put a name to it.
"I think we're done," she said with a sigh as she put down her quill and cracked her knuckles. Her face was scrunched up in a tired expression and she even gave a cute little yawn. He matched her posture and smirked at her.
"Thank Merlin," he said wryly, "I was worried you'd pull out the hot chocolate next."
Granger gave a sly little chuckle, having the decency to look a bit shamefaced.
"How did you know?"
"Your bleeding heart is quite predictable. You seem determined to win me over."
"It's easier than I thought it would be," she teased with a smile.
"I'll have to make it harder then," he retorted, scooping up his belongings and stuffing them into his bag.
"I would expect no less. I like a challenge," she quipped bossily, copying his movements as she filled up her already overflowing satchel. The two of them organized themselves silently, occasionally looking up and blushing when their eyes met. Draco studied her from under his lashes. She seemed pleased. Maybe she had realized just how much she had wormed her way into his thoughts this week working together. He had never collaborated so effectively on a task with someone before in his life, and he suspected neither had she. It had thawed his icy exterior more than he was comfortable with. As he turned to leave their spot in the library he gave her a little smirk over his shoulder, which turned out to be more of a sneer.
"Enjoy your date," he said, earning a glare from her as he chuckled and left. It turned out that riling Granger up for fun was a lot more rewarding than when he had done it to be cruel.
So she succeeded in getting under my skin after all, he thought.
Fifty points to Gryffindor…
It was a strange time for someone to be standing alone on the astronomy tower as the snow began to fall, but that was where Draco found himself that weekend. He was frowning down at the letter that had arrived earlier that day during breakfast. It was from his mother, and he could tell from reading between the lines she was worried about him, even though the contents themselves sounded quite banal. She was scared. His mother had never been the sort of person to show much distress or compassion. She had a severe face and an arrogant and solemn personality that didn't inspire a lot of warmth, but Draco always knew his mother cared deeply about him. A simple touch of his cheek, stroking of his hair or word of praise could be so meaningful from her.
She was clearly not the same person who had been so in love with Lucius all those years ago. Draco knew if his father hadn't been imprisoned, he would have been encouraging his son to take up his mission with zeal and do his sacred duty to the Dark Lord. But his mother didn't really care about any of that. She was certainly a pureblood snob through and through, but she didn't like the Dark Lord or his mad agenda. It was too violent for her, too bleak. She liked a different kind of order and class. She was an aristocrat.
It tugged at his heartstrings knowing she was worried about him. This was the only reason why he was doing it. For her. To protect her.
The only reason?
Malfoy leaned against the railing of the astronomy tower and took a deep breath of the cool wind that was whipping around him. He was finally able to admit it to himself. While outwardly he seemed like the ideal little Death Eater, on the inside he was tormented. Maybe Granger was right; he really was a coward. Because all he wanted to do was flee; to run away and hide and not have anything to do with this war or the death and destruction it wreaked daily.
Maybe it really was Hermione Granger who had finally tipped him over the edge. Before she entered his awareness this year he had been reluctant but still determined to do things right. But she continued to make him question everything he did or believed in. It wasn't even her direct challenges that he found confronting. It was all the little things. Like the weight of her personality, the fiercely intelligent look in her eyes when she was working. Their gazes meeting over breakfast in the Great Hall briefly each day. Every morning without fail now she would catch his eye and flick them pointedly down towards his food, encouraging him to eat. Even from a distance she was incredibly bossy. He would just roll his eyes at her or shake his head with a wry smile. But she persisted.
He actually liked the way they had finally started working together efficiently in Arithmancy – they were so far ahead of the class, Vector had given them extension work. The mad woman seemed to be overly excited and flustered that the two of them were accomplishing so much. He liked the way it made Granger sit up straight in her seat and smile with pride over each little ounce of praise. He had also been secretly delighted when a certain hot chocolate started appearing in front of his seat in the great hall sometimes after dinner when he was feeling particularly tired. It warmed his body and cheered his spirit each time without fail. Granger must have convinced the house elves to show him this kindness, which didn't surprise him. She could probably sweet-talk the pants off an ogre.
It was quite a simple concept to him now. She cared about him. A muggleborn cared about him. And he wanted her to. He wanted to see those warm chocolate eyes, like the drink she had so kindly enticed him with, turned upon him with that endless compassion she seemed to be made of. It made him feel like, just for a moment, he wasn't alone. And he could see that she knew he was cracking. The secret, coy little smile on her face gave it away every time they chatted in class or in the library.
Draco turned his attention back down to the letter from his mother. His heart ached for her. As he read over her sombre words he felt his eyes prick a little and he didn't know if the wet sensation on his cheeks was from his tears falling or the gentle kiss of snowflakes as they drifted down around him. He needed to protect her. He couldn't let Voldemort punish him by hurting her. Which meant that this mission had to succeed. No matter the outcome, or who got hurt, as long as he pleased the Dark Lord then she would be safe.
Maybe after everything went down, he and his mother could escape somewhere far away. The only thing still nagging at his newly awoken awareness is what would happen to Granger. He felt like he owed her something. She clearly cared about him so he was compelled by some deeper force to care about her too. And if Death Eaters attacked Hogwarts…well, as Harry Potter's best friend she was probably the most notorious muggleborn in this place. She would be in grave danger.
Draco sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. It had started to snow more heavily as the sun went down. He heard laughing and the distant murmuring of voices below and knew that Slughorn's stupid party had begun. The music drifted up the stairwell in a cheerful melody that grated on his nerves.
Of course he hadn't been invited. Without Snape's genius for potions, he had lost a lot of interest in the subject, but that wasn't the reason Slughorn didn't like him. His father was in prison, and the old slug-face only wanted to surround himself with success. That's why he liked Granger. She may not have connections to anyone important in the wizarding world, or any connections at all, but the old geezer knew that she was special, that she would do brilliant things one day.
In DADA a couple of days ago, he'd heard Weasley complaining about not being invited too, and was glad at least the idiot was also considered insignificant or tainted. But then again, Weasley's problem wasn't so much that he wasn't invited, but that both his friends had been. And he hadn't. Draco rolled his eyes. He was such a jealous brat. The moron simply couldn't understand why his curly haired friend had been invited instead of him, when neither of them were of any particular importance. But Draco could see clear as day how Slughorn had a soft spot for the girl who could brew perfect potions off the top of her head. He didn't degrade her like Snape used to. He saw and admired that indefinable spark she had.
Steady on, Draco, he thought with a shake of his head, trying to put her out of his mind, though it was harder than it should away from the ledge with a shiver as the new wave of snow froze him to his bones, Draco slowly wandered back down the spiralling staircase, determined to get in some more time in the Room of Requirement before curfew, while everyone was distracted at the Slug Club.
As he rounded a corner on the sixth floor, he only heard the slight sniffling sound a split second too late to warn him before he ran headlong into none other than Granger herself. It was like his mind had jinxed him for thinking about her too much, and she had materialised out of thin air.
His gut dropped unpleasantly. He didn't really want to talk to her; she gave him a headache and he was struggling enough as it was with his confused emotions tonight. But he had literally bowled her over when they crashed together, and he reached out a quick hand to grab her waist and steady her to stop her from falling. They both managed to catch their balance before their eyes met.
And then Draco froze.
He had of course thought once or twice about her appearance recently in his weaker moments, but had always tried to accept it as a passing objective thought. Yes, he found her mildly attractive, but his mind would normally distract itself by reciting all the other things he disliked about her. Irritating, self-righteous, sentimental, over-achieving, bossy. The list played on a loop in his brain late at night when he was alone in bed and feeling vulnerable.
But now…
Now he couldn't possibly not notice that she looked stunning. She was wearing a simple dress in a deep red colour that hugged her tightly. It wasn't anything like the flouncy things that other girls such as Pansy wore. It was elegant, mature. Her curls were swept tantalisingly over one shoulder and she was wearing some kind of gloss on her delicate heart shaped lips. The couple of pieces of gold jewellery on her ears and around her wrist brought out the flicker of colour in her brown eyes. He was dumbfounded. He had never seen her look like this. Even at the Yule Ball she had merely looked pretty. But this was different; there was only one word for it… sexy.
It wasn't until he blinked again in disbelief that he realised that her eyes were shimmering unnaturally and he saw a single crystalline tear slip off her perfect lashes and glide down her cheek. He realised he was still holding onto her waist and released her suddenly, making her stumble a little. He was suddenly irrationally mad at her for sucking the very air from his lungs, so he lashed out angrily.
"So did the boy finally step all over those smug feathers of yours, Granger?" he asked, sneering with contempt.
"Excuse me?" she responded with a hiccough, and he could see her angering already. That was good. Angry Granger he could deal with. Weepy Granger was distinctly scary.
"You heard me. Or did McLaggen realise you're just a cold fish and dump you?"
Her desolate wide eyes morphed into a look of outrage, and rather than making him happy, Draco found himself now in a worse position. She looked bloody hot when she was cross. He was starting to feel the quickening pulse in his body as it spread out from his beating chest and his skin heated hungrily with this acute awareness of her. He was out of the frying pan and into the fire, so to speak.
Shit, he swore to himself, pull yourself together!
"How dare you!" she spat at him.
"Oh come on, Granger. Did you actually think you would fit in with this fancy crowd? You have absolutely no value to them."
She furiously wiped the tears from her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. He supposed she was trying to look intimidating or cross, or maybe it was a defensive gesture. But all he could really focus on was how much he enjoyed seeing her start to bristle, her fury looking more adorable to him than it did menacing.
"You're just jealous that you didn't get invited," she said petulantly.
Draco chuckled and leaned in closer to her with a dark smile.
"Ah but then I'd have to associate with people like you."
Granger gave him a withering glare.
"Merlin forbid," she drawled.
Draco snorted.
"So what brought on the waterworks? You look like a dripping tap."
She frowned at his description, and if anything her shoulders hunched over more. He didn't know why he'd asked. He was supposed to be making her mad, and now he sounded like a concerned friend.
"That's none of your business," she mumbled in response.
"Which never seems to stop you from prying into my business," he countered in a teasing voice, trying to bring her out of her own misery. She sighed.
"True. But trust me, you don't give a damn about this. It's just something Ron said to me."
Draco shuffled uncomfortably on his feet. He was not good at this stuff.
"Well… Weasley is a useless little fuck."
Granger's eyes widened and met his in surprise.
"That's awfully nasty, even for you."
Draco shrugged.
"The idiot makes me want to vomit most of the time."
"Usually during dinner…"
Granger slapped a hand to her mouth in surprise that she'd joined in his teasing. He couldn't contain his little burst of laughter at the horror on her face.
"I guess there's hope for you yet, Granger," Draco grinned, surprised at the strange and easy humour they were sharing. Granger seemed unable to fight off a smile too, and she ducked her head as she blushed. He watched the way her curls wrapped around her slender neck as she moved, and had to fight down the sudden impulse to reach out and twist one around his finger.
"I shouldn't have said that," she murmured bashfully.
"Oh please do it again. I enjoyed it immensely."
She glared at him in a mockery of accusation.
"I think you're a bad influence on me," she drawled, making his smile widen even further. But before he could answer both their heads shot up when they heard a couple of fifth year boys laughing and moving on their way from the party. Draco became painfully aware then of how close he was standing to her. They were practically breathing into each other's lungs, and they mutually leapt apart at the noise. Both were jittery, their eyes darting around the corridor to check for anyone looking.
"I…I should go," Granger muttered.
Draco just nodded as she turned away. But before she got too far she sneaked one more glance back before the loud boys around the corner got any closer to them.
"Thank you."
He stared at her in confusion for a moment.
"What the hell for?"
She let out a shaky breath.
"Distracting me…"
And then she was gone and, after the boys walked past him drunkenly, he could only move robotically towards his intended destination. Which was where Filch found him.
The time quickly passed by and soon it was discovered that there was a large mass break out of Azkaban and most of the death eaters had rejoined The Dark Lord. Draco of course was happy his father was out, but he couldn't hold the same sentiment for the other death eaters. Soon it was time for Arithmancy and both Hermione and Draco both sat together, not even bothering to argue or bargain to swap partners anymore. Vector had gotten very fond of paring them together just to watch the amazing work they accomplished. They'd stopped bothering to fight it. And besides, they were almost getting along now. Not that Malfoy would ever admit it, she thought ruefully. They were like reluctant, but curious allies.
While the rest of the class were still talking and laughing as they waited for their teacher to finish a discussion outside with professor McGonagall, Hermione shuffled minutely closer to him. He kept his gaze fixed on the blackboard ahead of them, his kncules white from gripping his books as he stared sightlessly. She let her yes wander over him worriedly. He was very pale, but in contrast to his clammy cheeks she could see that the now typical rings under his eyes had deepened to a mean purple. Tilting her head closer, she murmured out of the courner of her mouth, "Are you okay?"
Malfoy rolled his eyes very slightly. But at least he had heard her.
"Leave it alone, Granger."
She let out a frustrated breath when he didn't even bother turning to face her. They usually enjoyed a little banter back and forth before the lesson stared. It could still sound quite nasty to an outsider, but it had lost a lot of the bit from their earlier years.
"your father-" Hermione whispered
Draco rolled his eyes "I don't want to talk about it. Nosy Gryffindor."
"Stubborn Slytherin"
Malfoy huffed, and she wasn't sure if it was a laugh or an annoyed breath. She was just pleased that he was responding at all. When she continued to just stare at him, she saw him brsitel a bit and turn his head slightly, He didn't face her, just angled his head so that he was closer to her when he spoke in a softer, more somber voice.
"Seriously, Granger. I'm fine. Stop worrying."
Hermione instantly felt lighter. It wasn't often he actually responded to her meddling. And he had indeed reluctantly answered her question after only a very small amount of his usual prickliness.
"Alright class, lets begin this weeks quiz." Vector re-entered the classroom, guns blazing, and began distributing papers quickly, her wand flickering around so fast it was a blur, " Quills out, ready to write!"
As Hermione reached into her bag to get her quill, she also produced something cold and glass. Her heart thudded as she debated again whether to take the risk and finally she grit her teeth with determination. It was quite possible that he would recoil in fear and storm out of the room, but at least she would have tried to make him feel better.
Reaching over under the table she grabbed his hand with her fingers. She felt Malfoy physically jump next to her and try to prise his hand away out of shock. She held on tight and carefully slipped the small glass vial into his palm. Malfoy finally had the sense to take it, but she held on for just a moment longer. His hand was so cold. She waited a second as his skin warmed a little under her touch and then gave him a small squeeze and released him. She picked up her quill as if nothing had happened and started to tackle the first question on the paper in front of her. Hermione knew that she had perhaps held on for too long, but his hand had been sweaty and shaking, and she couldn't help but offer him some small amount of comfort. She also couldn't help but notice that he hadn't exactly thrown her off, either. He had sat there and accepted her bold move in stunned silence. She only hoped that her gift would be appreciated enough for him to forgive her brazenness.
….
It took Draco a few minutes to calm his racing heart and start breathing normally again. He had literally frozen from the shock of Granger grabbing him below the table. Her hand had been so soft, and he had felt that warmth spread through him from top to bottom. It had been…dizzying. His whole body had gone taut at the contact.
Finally he glanced downwards to the object clenched tightly in his hand. He could feel it was a potion vial, but looking down he read the label and saw the words "dreamless sleep" scrawled on it. He was speechless. The warmth that had filled him with her touch surged up inside him once more. He could feel a clenching in his gut, below his naval as he took a deep steadying breath and smelled her apricot shampoo. He wished she hadn't let go of his hand. It had been soft, so unbelievably soft, and comforting.
Of course Granger had known that he wouldn't be able to sleep. His father was free from prison and he was dreading what that could mean for him. Now Voldemort had two people to hold over his head and blackmail him with. Not to mention his own feelings towards his father were conflicted and uncertain. He honestly couldn't say for sure that he loved his father. Maybe he never had. There was too much resentment, too much pain that the older Malfoy had inflicted upon him throughout his childhood. Lucius was the reason that he had been forced to take the Dark Mark over the summer. And Draco wasn't sure he could forgive that. So Granger had given him a potion to help him sleep. It was a bit scary how she knew him so well. He wasn't sure whether he should worry about how close he had let her get to him. But she was close enough to see what everyone else seemed oblivious to. And she cared enough to try and help, even if it was in just some small way. He wanted her to see him for what he really was. Suddenly he was no longer happy to have her thinking of him as a bigoted little death eater.
For a brief moment he wanted to turn his head and whisper a thank you to her. No one would overhear them. But his jaw was stiff and unresponsive. He couldn't do it. He opened his mouth a few times, but just ended up snapping it closed and frowning at his own weakness. Why couldn't he just do it? It was just two simple words; thank…you. He knew he should say it and that she deserved to hear it, but he was literally paralysed. So he just kept working, a little more distractedly than usual. He barely completed more than a few sums, scratching his quill mindlessly over the numbers as he scowled down at the paper. He was disappointed with himself.
Before he knew it, the class was over, and he still hadn't worked up the courage to do the right thing. The vial was still clenched like a vice in his now sweaty palm. But with a tinge of regret he watched as Granger calmly packed her bag and left the room without a backwards glance.
Maybe she understood how hard this whole situation was for him. She obviously knew that he was a complete novice at showing gratitude, and didn't want to make him feel embarrassed. So she just gave him his space and accepted all the most reticent parts of his personality.
Draco sighed and rubbed his hand over his face, shivering with the force of the sensory memory of the soft skin of her hand holding his.
He was in so much trouble.
When Harry was called to Dumbledore's office in the middle of the day for another secret meeting, Hermione was left in a sticky situation.
"Alright everybody," Slughorn said with a cheerful, if a little distracted, voice. "The instructions are on the board, so you can assign tasks between you and your partner to finish the first step of the potion. Miss Granger, my dear, since Harry is otherwise engaged this lesson, you are free to sit this one out and complete other homework or study. You can put your feet up, so to speak."
Hermione stared at the portly old teacher in outrage. Why should she have to sit out the lesson? It's not like she couldn't complete the potion on her own, anyway. Harry was by no means a fabulous Potions partner. From the look on Slughorn's pudgy face he obviously expected her to feel ecstatic about having some time to 'chill out'. He clearly didn't know her reputation very well. She spluttered uselessly for a moment, but before she could argue, he had turned to help Theodore Nott, and she was left gaping like a fish out of water.
"Damn, Hermione, you're so lucky. I knew I should've partnered Harry," Ron murmured, as he turned away to help Seamus with the ingredients.
She just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest petulantly.
What was she supposed to do now? She'd done all her homework, of course. And there was only one chapter to go in her book. She began tapping her fingers on the desk, a dark scowl on her face. Hermione heard a chuckle behind her, and she spun to see Malfoy slicing a valerian root with a teasing smile directed at her.
"Just relax, Granger," he said in a low, teasing murmur so that only she would hear. She glared at him.
"Oh, piss off!" she retorted with a mocking frown, her bottom lip sticking out in a pout.
"Temper, temper!"
"This is so not fair."
He chuckled again, and she allowed her lips to curve up into a reluctant smile.
"Maybe this is payback for all that…"
What he was going to say got cut off, as Pansy returned with a couple more supplies from the cupboard. Hermione shook her head with a laugh as he looked guiltily at Pansy and tried to pretend he was just sneering at her. Now that she could see through him more, she knew it was a superb fake, and she pulled a nasty mocking face in return at him, that was supposed to imitate his signature scowl. When his eyes widened in surprise, she turned back around innocently to face the front, leaving him gaping at the back of her head. It wasn't all that mature to tease him, but she couldn't help it; he took himself so seriously sometimes. And he probably never got poked fun at by his own worshipping fans in Slytherin.
Draco didn't seem to take well to her laughing, though, because next thing she knew a newt's eyeball hit her sharply on the cheek and dropped to the floor. He had obviously flicked it towards her, but when she glared at him he was suddenly busy doing more chopping and not meeting her eye. Rolling her eyes she crossed her leg over her other knee and tapped her foot in time to the rhythm of a song in her head. After only a couple of minutes, she was already bored stiff. She had started staring daggers at the clock, willing it to go faster. When another newt eye hit her, she spun around to give Draco a piece of her mind. But when she opened her mouth ready to hiss insults at him, she saw that Pansy was gone once again and he was leaning onto his counter closer to her, smirking casually.
"You look so bored you're even putting me to sleep, Granger!"
"I've finished all my homework!" she whispered back.
He rolled his eyes.
"Of course you have, swot."
She just narrowed her eyes at him. He sighed.
"Fine! Granger, check in my bag, it's just next to you there…" she looked over curiously and saw an expensive looking leather book satchel she knew to be his leaning against the table leg, "There's a book in it on apparition charms you might find interesting."
With a look of surprise, she bent forwards and flipped the bag open. There were a couple of advanced books on complex vanishing charms in there, but also the book he'd mentioned. The A-Z Appendix of Apparition. She snapped it up excitedly and opened it to the first page, flicking through the contents and reading with interest. Hermione heard a snort behind her, and glanced back to see Malfoy looking at her with a smug smile. She shook her head, returning the smile with a blush and a self-deprecating shrug of her shoulders. The easy interaction between them surprised and pleased her.
"Thanks," she murmured softly, but he just scoffed and turned back to his potion, ignoring her, but smiling secretly also.
"Thank you," he murmured under his breath, and Hermione knew he was referring to the dreamless sleep vial she had given him. It was a bit delayed, but she appreciated his gratitude nonetheless. She shook her head fondly, and buried her head in the book. But behind her he still had a smirk on his face as he sliced his roots, occasionally looking up to watch the back of her curly head as she read.
….
"Watch where you're going, mudblood," Draco snarled, causing the few Slytherins around him to snigger and share meaningful looks. He had no idea what had possessed her to bump into him like that. He had been walking down the hallway as normal on his way to the last class of the day, when out of nowhere Granger had smacked straight into him, sending both their bags sprawling to the floor. Their books and equipment had been strewn out across the stone. The curly haired witch immediately ducked down to scoop everything up. She didn't even bother to respond to his angry words. She knew that he was just saying it for show, so his friends wouldn't get suspicious. They quickly tidied their bags, very conscious of the stares of all those around them. Draco watched closely as she stood to her feet with an armful of her belongings. She managed to catch his eye and she looked pointedly at the last book left on the floor. He grabbed it and turned it over. It was the text on apparitions that he had given her in Potions.
He pursed his lips to stop himself from laughing as she strode down the corridor without another word. Granger had obviously bumped into him on purpose to return it. As his friends lost interest in the little drama – Granger had done a good job of ignoring them all – he flipped through the pages of the book. He raised an eyebrow curiously as he saw a little note slip out into his hand. Draco unfolded the note and smirked to himself at what was written there.
I saw how little you ate at breakfast – make sure you have a big dinner!
Of course she had noticed him at breakfast. He had only been able to stomach a few mouthfuls of cereal. He shook his head as he noticed a tight rumbling sensation in his stomach. He really was hungry. Damnit, she was right again. He chuckled to himself as he followed his friends to the last class of the day. He admitted to himself reluctantly that he quite liked having someone watching over him. And he was glad it was her.
….
Hermione wasn't a very good liar, so trying to reassure Harry that his theory about Draco Malfoy being a Death Eater was almost impossible. Especially since he was pretty much spot on. And Harry wasn't prepared to see the world in shades of grey yet. To him, you were either a good guy or a bad guy. And Malfoy fell into the latter category. So instead of arguing about it again, both Harry and Hermione had decided to just stay silent and go back to watching the pale face of their red headed friend relaxed and sleeping in the hospital wing He had been poisoned, almost killed. By Malfoy.
What in Merlin's name was he thinking?
It had only taken one fleeting look across the great hall between them for her to realise that he was responsible. He had looked so guilty that his face was scrunched up in a rictus of shame.
But clearly Malfoy's mission this year wasn't to kill Ron Weasley of all people. It hardly seemed worth the bother. Something else had happened to throw his real plan off kilter. She kept trying to convince Harry that he was being irrational, and prayed that her friend wouldn't act impulsively. But it was hard to keep Harry under control when she herself also wanted to smack the blond Slytherin across the face again.
It didn't help her stress levels that all the teachers and even Harry thought that she was weeping over her loved one's comatose form in the hospital. She'd almost come to blows with Lavender Brown. Everyone was convinced that they were destined to be together, and that she was heartbroken. But was she really crying for Ron? There was a reason she was called the brightest witch of her age. Harry had administered the Bezoar quite quickly after the poisoning had happened and Madam Pomfrey had taken him into her knowledgeable care ever since, so Hermione knew logically that Ron would make a full recovery. That clearly wasn't why she was weeping. Not that she'd tell anyone the real reason.
She supposed she felt betrayed. Her disappointment was practically a palpable thing. Malfoy had almost killed one of her best friends. After all the kindness she had shown him. Clearly he didn't care who he hurt on his mission this year. Because Ron was just collateral damage, someone who got in the way of his real target. She couldn't believe he had been so stupid.
But that's where she had to stop and think about it, because Malfoy wasn't actually a stupid wizard. An arrogant, self-serving bastard, yes. But not stupid.
In fact, he was impressively smart. She'd come to respect his intelligence and common sense a over the course of their Arithmancy projects. She might be the top witch in their year, but he was still miles above the next best student.
Hermione sighed and rubbed her face tiredly. Harry had said that Slughorn claimed the wine was a present for Dumbledore. So Hermione had to assume that Malfoy intended to poison Dumbledore. That could certainly be a mission that Voldemort would assign to Malfoy. An impossible task, really, but with Lucius's failure and imprisonment after the ministry battle, she figured the task was meant to be some kind of punishment or test of loyalty.
What really bothered her was how desperate this attempt seemed. To try and trick Dumbledore with poison through a gift from Professor Slughorn was a long shot. Slughorn was notoriously greedy. So Malfoy must be really panicking to try something as far fetched as that.
Hermione shook her head and excused herself from the hospital as she saw Lavender returning. She honestly didn't have the energy to pretend to be involved in a teenage love spat.
She gave Harry a wan smile as she left. He was still looking very grim about the whole incident. It had been a hard job convincing him not to run after Malfoy and hex him. Harry was convinced that the Slytherin was responsible and she had tried all the cleverness in her arsenal to dissuade him.
As she wandered through the corridors aimlessly, she frowned down at her feet. What if the next time Ron wasn't so lucky? What if Harry hadn't found that bezoar in time? Her mind spun with the horrible possibilities as she scowled to herself. It was too frightening to consider. She needed to protect her friends better.
Maybe she was done with Draco sodding Malfoy after all.
….
When another distorted apple came out of the cabinet, Draco picked it up and hurled it across the room violently into the piles of trash. He gave a pitiful growl, clenching his fists so hard that the nails dug into his palms.
Rumours had been circulating wildly around Hogwarts about the love triangle going on in the Hospital Wing. All the girls in Slytherin were whispering about how Lavender Brown had dumped her boyfriend because she had discovered that he was romantically involved with Granger. Pansy had been chattering excitedly about how the curly haired muggle-born had only confessed her love to the ginger weasel after seeing him lying so helplessly in his hospital bed. Of course, the gossips might be exaggerating it a bit, but there was usually plenty of truth to rumours too.
He couldn't believe it.
Somehow his bumbling, panicked attempt at poisoning the headmaster had wound up pushing Granger into the arms of the idiot menace with half a brain. Not that cared who Granger dated really, he reminded himself. She just deserved someone a bit smarter, that's all. Weasley was even worse than that oaf McLaggen. At least with McLaggen he knew that she wasn't really serious. But it was quite possible that she had genuine feelings for the weasel.
Draco sighed and collapsed back on an old rickety desk. He had no business thinking about Granger's love life. For fuck sakes, he couldn't even say her first name. So why did he feel strangely possessive over her? Why did he want to march into the hospital wing, confess his role in the poisoning just to see the git's face go red, then punch him right in his big ugly nose?
He needed to get out of here. The claustrophobia wasn't helping. But as he strode through the halls, up the winding stairs towards the astronomy tower, he couldn't help but wonder whether Granger had worked it out.
Who am I kidding, of course she has, he thought wryly. She was too damn smart for her own good. When their eyes had met in the great hall she had narrowed her eyes at him in that way she often did when she was unravelling a puzzle. He had panicked and fled. But it was very likely that she had taken that as a sign of his guilt.
Was she angry with him? If she had indeed realised that he was responsible for the poison then he was extremely anxious to see how she behaved next time he saw her. He had become addicted to their little interactions. He craved her company like one of his limbs, and he worried that if she ended their bizarre relationship that he wouldn't cope. He needed someone to worry about him. He needed her gentle presence in his life to remind him that not everything was dark and going to shit. She was like a balm to his frayed nerves every time she gave him that precious little smile she reserved only for him.
He wanted to go hunt her down now just to confront her. To make sure that she knew it was an accident. But as soon as he leapt to his feet to stride out the door and go find her, he paused. A wave of misery washed over him. He was such a desperate and pathetic loser. Draco grit his teeth and made the determination to hold off until he saw her at breakfast tomorrow. At least she couldn't hex him in public. He would just have to wait a few more hours and see if he really had ruined things forever with her.
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A Whole New World