Tears

AU: Nine Year Old's

"You know boys aren't supposed to cry," she said swottily.

"Leave me alone," he shouted through his tears.

"I can't," she said and sat down beside him.

"Leave me alone Granger," he said again while wiping his face on his jacket sleeve. "I don't like you and I don't want to talk to you."

"Malfoy, I can't leave you alone to cry. It's impolite."

"Of course, little miss perfect wants to have good manners. I bet you just want to run back to your stupid friends and tell them they made me cry."

He glanced up at her with red eyes and tear streaked cheeks. "Go on then Granger. Go tell Neville and Potter that their stupid teasing made me cry. You can get some revenge that way, right?"

Hermione shook her head at the little boy sitting next to her on the cold sidewalk. "Draco," she said patting his shoulder, "if they hurt your feelings that bad why didn't you say something? Why did you just run away?"

"Are you stupid Granger? I ran away because I didn't want them to know they hurt my feelings! You said it yourself that boys aren't supposed to cry! Well we aren't supposed to get our feelings hurt either! That's for girls and babies."

"And you are not a girl or a baby is that right?"

"Of course, not you silly girl! I am a boy and I am 9 years old!"

Hermione shrugged. "Seems stupid to me. I mean if boys weren't supposed to cry why do they have tear ducts like girls?"

"What the bloody hell is a tear duck?"

"Draco! There is no need to curse! And it is tear ducts, not duck. They are a part of your eyes that carry tears."

"You would know something like that, wouldn't you!"

"You would too if you payed attention in class Draco."

"Stop calling me Draco."

"Why? It's your name."

"It's weird. You and Neville, Potter, and Ronnie always call me Malfoy. It's weird to hear you say Draco."

"I like your name."
"You would, it's weird like yours."

"You know it means dragon, right?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes, Hermione, my mom always calls me her little dragon. Yours is from Shakespeare, right?"

"Yep," she said with a grin. "Feel better now?"

"I don't want to go back and play with them if that's what you are asking."

"We don't have too, we can sit here on the cold sidewalk for as long as you want too, but there may be a problem."
"What's that Granger?" he asked with a smirk.

"There's a line of ants moving closer to us and I don't want to get bitten."

"Damnit Granger! Why didn't you say something sooner?" Draco jumped up from the sidewalk and brushed his pants off in case any of the ants had gotten to him already.

Hermione giggled at him. He rolled his eyes and offered her his hand to help her stand from her seated position. "Thank you Draco," she said with a wide smile.

He smirked at her and shrugged. "Quit calling me Draco, Granger. The others will think you like me or something."

Her mouth fell open. "As if!"

"You know you love me Granger," he said seriously.

"Always will Malfoy."

FIN