Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowlings. No money is being made from this story.
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Chapter 5 ~ Draco Busts a Move
Draco found an opening two days later, when Hermione was rushing through the corridor with an armload of library books she had forgotten to return that morning and were due by five that evening. She had a very good relationship with Madam Pince, the librarian, since she took very good care of the books she borrowed and always returned them on time, but the librarian did not take kindly to books being returned late. That was a sure way to sour the witch. Her books were her children, and she wanted them home on time.
Hermione simply had too many books to start with, add to that she was approaching a group of Slytherins and you had a perfect setup for trouble. Pansy Parkinson stuck out a foot as Hermione passed. The Gryffindor didn�t fall, but she stumbled and dropped the books amid uproarious laughter from the Slytherins. She scowled at the group and looked at her watch. She had five minutes. She began to gather up the books.
“Real nice, Parkinson,” a familiar voice said coldly. “You have all the couth of a charging bicorn.”
The laughter stopped. Hermione noticed another pair of strong hands helping to pick up the tomes. She looked up into the handsome face of Draco Malfoy. Draco gave her a small grin and continued picking up books. Hermione was taken aback and expecting some joke at her expense. Draco straightened.
“Really Granger, you need another set of arms to carry all these books,” he said, looking at the pile in her arms. “I�ll take these for you.”
Hermione looked at Draco incredulously.
“You�ll carry them?” she asked, amazed.
He shrugged. “Sure,” he said, “You�re going to the library right?”
“Yes,” Hermione said, her eyebrows still raised in disbelief.
“I was on my way there anyway. So it�s no bother, Granger,” he said, striding off in the direction of the library. Hermione hurried to catch up. Draco�s housemates stared after them, openmouthed.
Hermione walked alongside the tall, blonde pureblood. Draco had filled out the past couple of years. He had an athletic build and broad shoulders. He was devastatingly good looking, with angular, masculine features, and white-blonde hair. He looked straight ahead as he walked, a sober expression on his face. He turned into the library and deposited the books on the check-in counter just as the clock struck five. He turned and looked down at Hermione, who was depositing her armload of books.
“You made it,” he said, raising an eyebrow at her.
“Thank you, Draco,” Hermione said hesitatingly, “But…but I don�t understand why you bothered.”
Draco looked at her and sighed.
“Listen Granger, since Voldemort�s death and the whole deatheater thing, I�ve had time to re-evaluate some of the beliefs and attitudes I was brought up with. They almost cost my father his freedom, and almost brought the Malfoy family to ruin,” he said, “I�ve decided that they just don�t hold up. A person should be judged by their character, not their bloodline. There are a lot of muggle-borns that are worthy of respect that I treated like dirt for years. They didn�t deserve it. You�re one of them.”
Hermione blinked up at the wizard, speechless as the thought of �pod people” flashed through her head. Where was the real Draco? This couldn�t be him. The blonde wizard continued.
“I can�t make up for the things I�ve done in the past, no matter how much I wish I could, but I can try to be a better person toward you and others starting from right now. Helping you carry your books isn�t a monumental change by any means, but it�s a start. It�s a way to at least let you know how sorry I am,” he said sincerely.
Hermione stared at Draco, not knowing what in the world to say to this. Draco Malfoy admitting he had been wrong about muggle-borns. Hogwarts was going to shake on its foundations. The wizard looked down at her, his clear, ice blue eyes meeting her amber ones, waiting for some kind of response.
She and Malfoy had been enemies for as long as she could remember. His treatment of her as less than a second-class citizen had irked her from the very beginning. He had called her a mudblood at every turn. Now he said he was sorry for all of it. Was he telling her the truth? He certainly looked sincere, and he had carried her books in full sight of his housemates, opening himself up to ridicule by his fellow Slytherins. He didn�t look as if he cared however.
“Well, it�s good to hear that you�ve decided to give those who aren�t purebloods a chance, Draco,” she said carefully.
“Yes,” he replied, “I only hope they�ll give me a chance and not hold the past against me. I�ve been pretty horrible.”
“Yes you have,” Hermione agreed. Draco�s face fell a bit.
“But everyone�s entitled to a second chance. After all, you were raised up believing only purebloods mattered and it is difficult to break away from the beliefs you are raised with,” Hermione said, giving him a small smile. “Even the admission that you were mistaken is quite an accomplishment, all things considered.”
“Thank you,” Draco said, returning Hermione�s small smile with one of his own, “Hermione.”
This was the first time Draco had ever addressed her by her first name. Hermione realized this and just stared at him a moment.
“You�re welcome, Draco,” she replied, rather awkwardly, “Um, I�m going to head down to dinner now.”
“I�ll walk with you. I�m on my way there,” he said.
Hermione frowned up at him. “I thought you said you were on your way here,” she said.
Draco sighed.
“I said that so you wouldn�t protest too much about me carrying your books, Hermione. I knew it would be easier for you to accept my helping you if you thought I was on my way here anyway. I just wanted the chance to talk to you,” he said.
Hermione thought about this. He was right. She wouldn�t have wanted him to go out of his way and would have taken her books back. Draco seemed to know her.
“I see,” she said shortly.
Both of them headed out of the library. They walked up the hall in silence. A few students did a double take at seeing the two enemies walking side by side without threatening to hex each other.
“Um, Hermione,” Draco said, hesitantly.
“Yes, Draco,” Hermione said looking up at the wizard.
“I wanted to ask you if we could bury the axe. If others I hurt over the years saw that we could get along, it might make it easier for me to eventually make amends to them as well,” he said.
Hermione looked at him.
“I don�t know Draco. We have a history of bad blood. It�s not that easy just to forget about that,” she said.
“I�m not asking you to forget, Hermione. I�m just asking you to give me a chance to show you and everyone else I�ve changed. Just a chance. I�m not a bad sort, really,” he said lifting his eyebrows and looking as innocent as he could.
Hermione smirked.
“All right. I�ll give you a clean slate, Draco. But if you put one mark on it, the war is back on,” she said, her eyes narrowed.
“Not a mark. Not a smidgeon of one,” he agreed, smiling at her broadly.
They approached the doors to the Great Hall. Hermione stopped.
“Do you want to go in first, or do you want me to?” she asked him.
“How about we walk in together?” he responded, looking at her with a challenge in his eye, “Unless, of course, you�re afraid the House of Gryffindor will disown you.”
Hermione snorted, “Hardly. But your Slytherin housemates might very well shun you.”
Draco shrugged.
“Slytherin is not like Gryffindor,” he said, “It�s usually everybody for themselves anyway. We aren�t all that close. Friendships are generally based on what the association can do for you. They won�t shun me because of my family connections.”
He opened the door for her.
“Shall we enter, Gryffindor?” he asked, bowing slightly to the witch.
“Yes, Slytherin,” Hermione replied, stepping into the Great Hall and waiting for him to join her.
They walked up the aisle side by side, clearly in each other�s company. Both Gryffindor and Slytherin tables stopped talking as they walked in. Draco stopped and waited for Hermione to seat herself between an incredulous Harry and Ron, before walking to the Slytherin table and taking a seat at the end of the table and helping himself to food, ignoring the stares of his housemates.
Professor Snape had watched the two students enter the Hall together, and instantly wondered what game Draco was playing. The Professor was aware how much Draco hated Miss Granger. That he would escort her to the Great Hall was completely out of character for the pureblood, unless he had some kind of scheme. Which was more than likely. The Professor was also aware of Draco�s very active sex life. He had caught the young wizard in rather compromising positions more than once with a different witch each time, and he wasn�t particular about what house they belonged to either. Draco had quite a number of conquests under his belt. Was he now targeting Miss Granger?
The Professor frowned. Surely Miss Granger wouldn�t be swayed by Draco. They had such a history that she simply couldn�t fall for his charm. He looked over at the Slytherin table. Malfoy had already charmed his housemates into ignoring his fraternization with a Gryffindor, and was chatting with them. The young wizard was very smooth. Very convincing.
Snape returned to his meal. Miss Granger wasn�t like these other bubble headed females. She wouldn�t fall for a handsome face and a handful of compliments. Anyway, she was still focused on him, he was sure. She couldn�t have just done an about face so quickly. Or could she? Maybe after talking to him, she decided to find someone to fuck just to get it out her system. Knowing Miss Granger, she might see that as the logical thing to do. Draco Malfoy would probably be more than willing to accommodate her, for his own twisted reasons. He was a lot like his father. Once he took a dislike to someone, he never changed his mind about him or her. If Miss Granger fell for his charm, she was probably in for a world of hurt.
But then again, he wasn�t a watchdog for Miss Granger�s virtue. If she decided to cock her legs for the pureblood, it wasn�t any of his concern. She was the age of consent after all, and as long as he didn�t catch her at it in some hallway or niche, she was free to do as she pleased. Snape looked at Hermione, who was arguing with Ronald Weasley, probably about her entrance with Draco. Her eyes were flashing, and her face was flushed with anger. She certainly looked every bit the lioness when she was pissed off. Suddenly she picked up a bowl of mashed potatoes and shoved them in Mr. Weasley�s face. Then she stood up and stormed out of the hall, amid the raucous laughter of the other students.
Draco smirked at the mashed potato covered Weasley. The Slytherin knew he had won a small victory. If anything would drive the Gryffindor witch closer to him, it would be others telling her she couldn�t become close to him. She was a contrary little chit.
Snape noticed Draco�s smirk, and didn�t like it. The boy was up to something unsavory. The Potions Master would have to pay closer attention to him over the next few days and find out what it was. Not because of Miss Granger mind you. He was just�curious.
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A/N: Tsk, tsk. Hermione is just too soft. She better watch it or Draco will charm the knickers off her. Snape doesn�t seem to be pleased at Draco paying attention to Hermione.
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The Burning Pen
The List
by Ruth Solomon
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