Chapter 12
"Hmm. Did they move the Gryffindor Common Room and forget to send me a memo?" Draco drawled upon seeing Harry, Ron and Ginny standing by the doors to the Head Boy and Girl Common Room.
Three pairs of eyes cast simultaneous glares at him before Harry spoke up, "We wanted to see Hermione. She skipped dinner tonight and we were worried about her."
"What's to worry about? Perhaps the girl just wanted to skip dinner," Draco raised an eyebrow. Honestly, these Gryffindors. The concept of privacy is lost to them.
"We don't need to explain ourselves to you, Malfoy," Ron retorted.
"Oh but you do. I'm the only one here who can open the door so you can go bother Hermione," Draco reminded him.
"We're not going to bother her, Malfoy," Ginny spoke up. "We just want to know if she's ok. Luna said that she saw Hermione step out of McGonogall's office upset."
At Ginny's words, Draco immediately turned and opened the door the Common Room but didn't bother to let the others in. He headed straight to her room and knocked. "Hermione?"
"I'd like to be alone for a bit, Draco," Hermione called out. "Please."
"Yes, of course, but Potter, Weasley and Weaslette are outside the Common Room, and they want to see you," Draco said. He heard shuffling sounds from inside her room and a few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a visibly distraught Hermione. "What's the matter, Hermione?"
"Nothing," she looked uncertain. "I don't feel like seeing them right now."
"I can get rid of them for you, but if the Weaslette does another Bat Bogey Hex on me, I'll hold you responsible," he smirked before turning towards the front door to get rid of the three waiting outside.
"Wait," Hermione stopped him. "I'll do it, Draco. I'm not sure you're the best person to tell my friends to leave me be for a bit."
"Oh I'm pretty sure they won't be docile about it," he smiled. "But then again, one look at your face and I doubt they'll leave you alone."
Hermione bit her bottom lip, thinking about how to politely refuse her friends' company. Draco was right, her friends would badger her for explanations if they see just how upset she was, and she didn't feel like to talking about what upset her at the moment.
"Let's make a deal, Hermione," Draco suggested. "I'll politely tell your friends to go away, and in return you tell me why you're upset. Deal?"
She looked at him for a few seconds before responding. "I don't feel like talking to anyone at the moment, Draco."
"But I'm not just anyone, Hermione," he smirked.
That coaxed a tiny smile out of her. Honestly, this boy is so conceited it's funny.
Draco took that as a yes, but to make sure she didn't renege on their deal, he grabbed her wrist and led her to the Common Room couch before he headed towards the door. He stuck his head out to address the three seething Gryffindors. "Hermione's got one of her migraines right now and she needs to get on with her nap."
"Like we'd believe you, Malfoy," Harry said.
Draco shrugged, "Like I care, Potter." He closed the door on their faces, and headed back to the couch.
"You said you were going to be polite," Hermione said when he returned.
"My politeness to your friends has a very short lifespan. Anything more than five seconds and I go into full body convulsions. Not a pretty sight." he smirked as he took the chair opposite her. "So what gives, Hermione?"
"I had my final Career Assessment with Professor McGonogall today," Hermione began and then sighed.
"Did she tell you that you have way too much brains to be a stripper at the Veela Bar in Diagon Alley?" he asked, thinking that the best way to coax her to tell him what was going on was to humour her.
"I can't be a stripper there because they require all strippers to have Veela blood. I read that in the book, 'Unknown and Unsavoury Modern History of Magic'," she answered.
"Is there anything you haven't read, Hermione?" Draco shook his head, chuckling. Then he decided to bring them back on track. "OK so it's not about being a stripper. What did McGonogall tell you that got you upset? I imagine she told you that you could pursue any career, barring stripping in a Veela Bar, that you put your mind to."
Hermione sighed again, and the amused look on her face from Draco's stripper comments was replaced by that same distraught expression she had when she opened her bedroom door earlier. "Basically, yes. She also told me that a few of the departments in the Ministry of Magic had already asked about my career plans."
"And you're upset with that because...?" he prodded.
She didn't respond for a few seconds, then she whispered, "I'm scared."
"Of?"
"I have so much to look forward to, don't I. So many avenues I can take. So many things I can be," she said, looking down. "But what if I never have the chance to take those avenues? What if I don't live long enough to be what I can be? I can't even look forward to the future because I'm scared I won't have one... When Professor McGonogall told me today about the possibilities for my future, all I could think about was 'what future?' All I could think about was... this war we're in the middle of right now. I--"
"Stop it, Hermione. Stop it right now," Draco interrupted her. She looked up at the urgent tone in his voice to see him shaking his head sadly. "You can't let this... this war get to you, Hermione. You can't let it wear you down. Because if you do, if you allow it to eat you up, then you will lose. Then we will all lose."
"This is exactly why I didn't want to talk to Harry and the others tonight, Draco. Why I wanted to be left on my own. Don't you think I know how my uncertainty, my fear would affect the others?How it would affect Harry? Don't you think I know that the last thing anyone of you needs to hear from Hermione Granger is that she's scared shitless and can't even think about what her future would be like? I can't be scared, you know. Everyone, especially Harry is counting on me to be calm and cool about this whole thing. " she answered back vehemently, tears falling from her pained eyes. "Well, I'm scared, Draco. Scared like you wouldn't believe."
Draco got up from his chair and knelt before her. "I know, Hermione. And I don't care one whit about how the rest would be affected by your fears.You know damn well I don't really care about how it will affect your precious Potter. I care about how you're letting this affect you. Because you will survive this war, and in order to do that, you will have to believe that you will. You will have to look forward to that day when you finally set up the first S.P.E.W. Headquarters right in the middle of Diagon Alley. How you would eventually get all house-elves free and wanting equal wage for equal labour. How you would turn my former house-elf into the poster child of your movement, and possibly the first non-human Minister of Magic. If you stop believing that you can do those things, Hermione, you might as well Avada Kedavra yourself now. No need to wait for Voldemort and his Death Eaters to do it for you."
Hermione's tears stopped the moment Draco started speaking, and she looked at him in shock. This is Draco Malfoy? Why is he saying these things? He's changed yes, but I've never seen him this way before. Why does it seem like he cares?
She broke the silence that descended upon them at the end of his rant, "Why?"
"Why what?" he looked at her.
"Why are you telling me these things?" she asked tentatively.
Yes, Draco, enlighten us, why do you care so much that Granger remains hopeful about her future? Why do you care if she's afraid? Why do you care that she survives the war? the tiny Lucius in his head asked snidely, and Draco could almost imagine his father sneering at him.
Oh, do shut up, you sore loser, the inner Draco sneered back at his father, and he decided to tell Hermione the truth.
"Because this world, our world, the only one I know and have lived in, would be so much paler without you in it, Hermione Granger," he whispered.
Hermione gasped. This was not Draco Malfoy. "Wha--? Why are you--?" she stuttered.
He smiled at her stunned look and her stutter. After all this time, all I needed to do to get her incoherent was to be kind to her. Should have tried this earlier. He decided to give it another go.
"Why are you so surprised, Hermione? You of all people should know that change is possible. If you could get Rita Skeeter to be a responsible journalist for The Quibbler, surely you can get Draco Malfoy to do random acts of kindness."
She sobbed and chuckled at the same time, then closed her eyes at the unexplainable wave of happiness she felt at that moment. She opened her eyes to look at him and smiled. "Thank you, Draco."
So this is what if feels like to be Harry Potter. To have this amazing girl smile at you like you had just saved the day, Draco thought. I could get addicted to this. And I don't mind.
"Hmm. Did they move the Gryffindor Common Room and forget to send me a memo?" Draco drawled upon seeing Harry, Ron and Ginny standing by the doors to the Head Boy and Girl Common Room.
Three pairs of eyes cast simultaneous glares at him before Harry spoke up, "We wanted to see Hermione. She skipped dinner tonight and we were worried about her."
"What's to worry about? Perhaps the girl just wanted to skip dinner," Draco raised an eyebrow. Honestly, these Gryffindors. The concept of privacy is lost to them.
"We don't need to explain ourselves to you, Malfoy," Ron retorted.
"Oh but you do. I'm the only one here who can open the door so you can go bother Hermione," Draco reminded him.
"We're not going to bother her, Malfoy," Ginny spoke up. "We just want to know if she's ok. Luna said that she saw Hermione step out of McGonogall's office upset."
At Ginny's words, Draco immediately turned and opened the door the Common Room but didn't bother to let the others in. He headed straight to her room and knocked. "Hermione?"
"I'd like to be alone for a bit, Draco," Hermione called out. "Please."
"Yes, of course, but Potter, Weasley and Weaslette are outside the Common Room, and they want to see you," Draco said. He heard shuffling sounds from inside her room and a few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a visibly distraught Hermione. "What's the matter, Hermione?"
"Nothing," she looked uncertain. "I don't feel like seeing them right now."
"I can get rid of them for you, but if the Weaslette does another Bat Bogey Hex on me, I'll hold you responsible," he smirked before turning towards the front door to get rid of the three waiting outside.
"Wait," Hermione stopped him. "I'll do it, Draco. I'm not sure you're the best person to tell my friends to leave me be for a bit."
"Oh I'm pretty sure they won't be docile about it," he smiled. "But then again, one look at your face and I doubt they'll leave you alone."
Hermione bit her bottom lip, thinking about how to politely refuse her friends' company. Draco was right, her friends would badger her for explanations if they see just how upset she was, and she didn't feel like to talking about what upset her at the moment.
"Let's make a deal, Hermione," Draco suggested. "I'll politely tell your friends to go away, and in return you tell me why you're upset. Deal?"
She looked at him for a few seconds before responding. "I don't feel like talking to anyone at the moment, Draco."
"But I'm not just anyone, Hermione," he smirked.
That coaxed a tiny smile out of her. Honestly, this boy is so conceited it's funny.
Draco took that as a yes, but to make sure she didn't renege on their deal, he grabbed her wrist and led her to the Common Room couch before he headed towards the door. He stuck his head out to address the three seething Gryffindors. "Hermione's got one of her migraines right now and she needs to get on with her nap."
"Like we'd believe you, Malfoy," Harry said.
Draco shrugged, "Like I care, Potter." He closed the door on their faces, and headed back to the couch.
"You said you were going to be polite," Hermione said when he returned.
"My politeness to your friends has a very short lifespan. Anything more than five seconds and I go into full body convulsions. Not a pretty sight." he smirked as he took the chair opposite her. "So what gives, Hermione?"
"I had my final Career Assessment with Professor McGonogall today," Hermione began and then sighed.
"Did she tell you that you have way too much brains to be a stripper at the Veela Bar in Diagon Alley?" he asked, thinking that the best way to coax her to tell him what was going on was to humour her.
"I can't be a stripper there because they require all strippers to have Veela blood. I read that in the book, 'Unknown and Unsavoury Modern History of Magic'," she answered.
"Is there anything you haven't read, Hermione?" Draco shook his head, chuckling. Then he decided to bring them back on track. "OK so it's not about being a stripper. What did McGonogall tell you that got you upset? I imagine she told you that you could pursue any career, barring stripping in a Veela Bar, that you put your mind to."
Hermione sighed again, and the amused look on her face from Draco's stripper comments was replaced by that same distraught expression she had when she opened her bedroom door earlier. "Basically, yes. She also told me that a few of the departments in the Ministry of Magic had already asked about my career plans."
"And you're upset with that because...?" he prodded.
She didn't respond for a few seconds, then she whispered, "I'm scared."
"Of?"
"I have so much to look forward to, don't I. So many avenues I can take. So many things I can be," she said, looking down. "But what if I never have the chance to take those avenues? What if I don't live long enough to be what I can be? I can't even look forward to the future because I'm scared I won't have one... When Professor McGonogall told me today about the possibilities for my future, all I could think about was 'what future?' All I could think about was... this war we're in the middle of right now. I--"
"Stop it, Hermione. Stop it right now," Draco interrupted her. She looked up at the urgent tone in his voice to see him shaking his head sadly. "You can't let this... this war get to you, Hermione. You can't let it wear you down. Because if you do, if you allow it to eat you up, then you will lose. Then we will all lose."
"This is exactly why I didn't want to talk to Harry and the others tonight, Draco. Why I wanted to be left on my own. Don't you think I know how my uncertainty, my fear would affect the others?How it would affect Harry? Don't you think I know that the last thing anyone of you needs to hear from Hermione Granger is that she's scared shitless and can't even think about what her future would be like? I can't be scared, you know. Everyone, especially Harry is counting on me to be calm and cool about this whole thing. " she answered back vehemently, tears falling from her pained eyes. "Well, I'm scared, Draco. Scared like you wouldn't believe."
Draco got up from his chair and knelt before her. "I know, Hermione. And I don't care one whit about how the rest would be affected by your fears.You know damn well I don't really care about how it will affect your precious Potter. I care about how you're letting this affect you. Because you will survive this war, and in order to do that, you will have to believe that you will. You will have to look forward to that day when you finally set up the first S.P.E.W. Headquarters right in the middle of Diagon Alley. How you would eventually get all house-elves free and wanting equal wage for equal labour. How you would turn my former house-elf into the poster child of your movement, and possibly the first non-human Minister of Magic. If you stop believing that you can do those things, Hermione, you might as well Avada Kedavra yourself now. No need to wait for Voldemort and his Death Eaters to do it for you."
Hermione's tears stopped the moment Draco started speaking, and she looked at him in shock. This is Draco Malfoy? Why is he saying these things? He's changed yes, but I've never seen him this way before. Why does it seem like he cares?
She broke the silence that descended upon them at the end of his rant, "Why?"
"Why what?" he looked at her.
"Why are you telling me these things?" she asked tentatively.
Yes, Draco, enlighten us, why do you care so much that Granger remains hopeful about her future? Why do you care if she's afraid? Why do you care that she survives the war? the tiny Lucius in his head asked snidely, and Draco could almost imagine his father sneering at him.
Oh, do shut up, you sore loser, the inner Draco sneered back at his father, and he decided to tell Hermione the truth.
"Because this world, our world, the only one I know and have lived in, would be so much paler without you in it, Hermione Granger," he whispered.
Hermione gasped. This was not Draco Malfoy. "Wha--? Why are you--?" she stuttered.
He smiled at her stunned look and her stutter. After all this time, all I needed to do to get her incoherent was to be kind to her. Should have tried this earlier. He decided to give it another go.
"Why are you so surprised, Hermione? You of all people should know that change is possible. If you could get Rita Skeeter to be a responsible journalist for The Quibbler, surely you can get Draco Malfoy to do random acts of kindness."
She sobbed and chuckled at the same time, then closed her eyes at the unexplainable wave of happiness she felt at that moment. She opened her eyes to look at him and smiled. "Thank you, Draco."
So this is what if feels like to be Harry Potter. To have this amazing girl smile at you like you had just saved the day, Draco thought. I could get addicted to this. And I don't mind.