Chapter 16
"So Granger, how was the party last night?" Draco asked.
Granger shrugged and shifted the books in her arms, "It was fun. First Ginny and Harry took me to Hogsmeade, we went shopping, grabbed some dinner, and then went back to the common room and celebrated."
Usually in the mornings Granger was the first one awake and out the door down to breakfast. However, that morning was different. Draco had stayed up all night thinking about the story of her parents and found himself eager to start classes just to take his mind off the subject.
Her tale had put her troubles in perspective; without it he would have never known how distraught Granger secretly was. That thought then made him wonder how many other students had problems like this; how many witches and wizards felt the pain of loss that he had caused them.
"Malfoy?"
Draco knew it wasn't actually his fault that people had died, been tortured, or in Granger's parents case, have their memories erased, but he still felt the burden fall on his shoulders. He had been the one to attempt to kill Dumbledore, he had been the one to fix the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement and let in the Death Eaters, it was Draco's fault that Snape had killed his Headmaster; the only grown wizard that could have defeated the Dark Lord. Draco was the one to blame for the war and death of hundreds of wizards. The one to blame for making Granger wipe her own parents memories.
He didn't know if he would ever sleep again. He felt ashamed and embarrassed to wear the Dark Mark on his arm; but above all, Draco was disgusted.
He would find a way to remove the skull on his arm that had ruined his life along with so many others.
"Oi Malfoy?"
Draco woke from his daze and noticed they were nearly at the Great Hall. Granger was giving him a weird look.
"Huh? Oh I was just thinking, your party couldn't have been that great." He lied and stood up straighter.
She rolled her eyes.
"Want to know why?"
She scoffed, "Well your probably going to tell me even if I say 'no' so-"
"First of all it's because I wasn't there," he said with his nose in the air, "second, because your friends are lame, and third, now I'm just gonna take a guess here: you don't have a hangover so there was no booze. No alcohol equals no fun."
Granger hit the edge of her hand against her head as if she had forgotten something, "Righhhht, so this is why I don't talk to you more often. I knew there was a reason-"
But Granger was interrupted before she could finish her thought.
"Hey Malfoy! Nice badge, maybe turn it into a poster and hang it in Slytherin's changing room." Said a fifth year Gryffindor boy. Draco knew him to be one of Potter's Beaters. His friend was laughing hard behind him. "Then Zabini might realize he's a crap Seeker and Captian-"
Draco moved forward but Granger was faster and held him back. "Five points from Gryffindor McCoy, and if I hear you insulting a Prefect and the Head Boy again, it'll be ten points next time."
Then she disappeared into the Great Hall.
••••••••
The weeks droned on and on until the first few days of October were upon them. The weather had already dropped and the wind was constantly whistling throughout the castle. Trees had begun to change color and the house elves started to light fires in all the common room hearths.
Classes continued to interest Hermione, the new quill Luna had gotten her was already broken into thanks to Professor Groom who was giving them essays every other day. Malfoy was still acting strange, looking over his shoulder constantly or gazing outside to watch the owls land in the Owlery or flutter in through windows.
When he wasn't acting odd, Malfoy was being weirdly nice. Sometimes, after they'd argue for a while, he'd all of a sudden agree with her and then give her some space. Another time during Defense Against the Dark Arts they were practicing nonverbal spells and Dean Thomas had been hit by a curse that made his hands, feet, and eyes twice their normal size; on a regular day Malfoy would've been the first one to holler a witty or rude comment, but instead he merely chuckled and turned his body parts back to normal.
It was during their free period just before Charms that Hermione asked him why he was being so agreeable.
"What's it to you?" He asked gruffly, glancing around, as if posing the question embarrassed him.
Hermione shrugged and headed down the hall to class, "Just wondering."
Like every other lesson, Hermione already knew how to preform each spell and manipulate it correctly, so Flitwick had her walk around the room and help other students. That was why when the Headmistress barged into the classroom Hermione woke from her daze and found herself eager to hear what she had to say.
"Pardon me Filius," burst a harassed looking McGonagall, "but I must borrow Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy quite quickly if you don't mind."
"Of course," he squeaked.
Hermione rose from her seat, Malfoy tailing just behind.
"Alright, quickly, I have to give Parsons a good yelling at and a detention, Mr. Malfoy head to the second floor you'll find a second year who needs assistance, Ms. Granger if you'll deal with an issue down by our Care of Magical Creatures professor that would be appreciated." The Headmistress gave Hermione a look that told her to expect anything. It was Hagrid, who knew what had happened.
They spilt up, McGonagall chasing a fifth year boy down the corridor, Malfoy making his way up the moving stairs, and Hermione walking briskly toward the courtyard.
It turned out that Hagrid's Bowtruckles had gone rogue. Students were yelling and running around all over the place, grabbing at their clothes or their hair where the tiny creatures crawled and squirmed.
"Don' crush 'em! Don' hurt 'em! Just stay calm. I'll catch 'em, I'll catch 'em!" He shouted over the chaos.
"Hagrid!"
"Oh blimey Hermione, good tah see yeah-" He called cheerfully.
"Help me with this!" She said as she pointed her wand at the scene. "Immobulous!"
The screaming students and rampaging Bowtruckles froze in their tracks. Hermione and Hagrid quickly went around and picked off the tree creatures from the students robes. They were able to place them carefully in a wicker cage just before the spell was diminished.
Several kids continued their screams until they realized that their attackers were gone. They looked around sheepishly and fixed their hair and straightened their robes.
Hagrid sighed and wiped his sleeve across his forehead, "Thanks for tha'."
"Don't mention it," Hermione grinned. "Well I better head back to class. Good luck with your lesson professor."
She saluted him off and waved goodbye to the students. All who looked at her in awe.
On her way up to the castle Hermione figured she ought to see if Malfoy needed any help with his dilemma. She passed several Ravenclaws who were headed for the library during their free period and two Slytherins who had been ditching class.
"10 points from Slytherin, and don't make me tell Professor Slughorn what you've been up to!" Hermione called as the two rebels raced back to class.
She shook her head and carried on up the staircases. It didn't take her long to find Malfoy or assess the problem. She paused and peaked her head around the corner.
Malfoy was there, sitting up against the wall with a little second year pressed next to him. She was sobbing, tears rolling down her cheeks and her cries coming out unsteady.
"-it's hard letting them go, but they'll always be with you." Malfoy said softly, soothing the girl.
"I-I just m-miss them so much. I-I want m-my mum back . . . a-and J-Jamie." She cried.
Malfoy put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze, "I lost one of my best friends you know. Died in a fire. . . I miss him too, but he's gone, they've all moved on, and we have to let them."
The girl cried harder.
"But what helps me now is that I know that he's happy, and safe. Wherever he may be. . . C'mon Chloe, let's go to Madam Pomfrey." They stood and walked in the opposite direction Hermione was hidden. "Have you ever met her?"
Chloe shook her head.
"That's a shame, well actually it's good, that
means you've never been hurt, but she's very nice-"
That's all Hermione heard before they turned the corner and were out of sight. She fell back against the wall and stood there for several seconds in awe. What has gotten into him? Hermione wondered, and how did it happen?
She walked slowly back to class, still thinking about what she had witnessed. As she reached the door Hermione checked her watch and noticed that there was only four minutes of class left, so instead of practicing for the remainder of time, she doubled back and made for her common room, eager to begin the weekend.
Up the moving staircases and through secret passages Hermione made it to the sixth floor and only saw three other students on the way.
Little did she know it'd soon be five.
On the staircase above the one she occupied stood none other than Ronald Weasley . . . And the Ravenclaw girl he was snogging.
It felt like a kick to the stomach. All the air seemed to have escaped her lungs. Hermione found herself grasping her chest.
It was like sixth year all over again with Ron and Lavender. The pain felt just the same.
Hermione ran, taking a detour, she quickly made it back to the common room. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry . . .
Luckily Malfoy was nowhere to be seen; she couldn't deal with him at the moment. Or ever.
She made it to her room and slammed the door. Hermione fell to the floor and let out a sob; she covered mouth and scrunched her face. Get a grip. She wiped her tears with the edge of her hand then stood. Hermione walked to the window and stared at the cloudy grey sky. The trees below shook in the wind, leaves of all colors flying in all directions.
She couldn't stay there; all holed up in her room she was bound to start crying over Ron. Hermione needed to escape, to clear her head, and think about almost anything other than the boy who kept crushing her heart.
•••••••••
The outskirts of Hogsmeade were as desolate as always, even more so with the return of the cold wind, as Draco searched the line of shops.
One of them, he figured, were bound to be a potions or remedy shop. He knew he could have just gone up into the main part of town and found one just as easily, but he needed something specific, something rather sketchy.
It was his scar. The thought of the skull on his forearm made Draco sick. He couldn't stand looking at it any longer.
He had heard rumors about a certain potion which had been brewed for one purpose, one the Dark Lord had been livid about during his rule over the Wizarding World. The potions main objective was to erase all signs of the Dark Mark.
The idea that one potion could remove all traces of evil from ones body would've brought Draco great joy; but many of the batches brewed were destroyed, along with their makers. The Dark Lord did not stand for weak traitors who ran from power.
Yet Draco searched. He went into each building hoping to find a hidden bottle, but to no avail. It was getting dark and the cold wind was biting his ears and nose. He turned towards the main part of town, figuring he'd enjoy the warmth of a Firewhiskey or mulled mead—
"Watch where you're going!" Draco yelled, falling onto the leaf strewn oath.
"Oi apologies mate!" Spoke the hooded figure who had barreled into Draco. He quickly dropped to his knees and scrambled to pick up phials and tiny bottles of all different colors that had fallen from his cloak.
Draco got to his feet and dusted off his clothes, sneering at the man. "What are those?"
The man grabbed the last phial and held it up to show Draco. "I concoct potions, mate. Bit of a side job really."
The stranger, who had a thick Irish accent, stood at his full height which wasn't really his full height because he was very slouched.
Draco looked at him quizzically, his eyebrows knit together, "What kinds of potions?"
If the man had pulled off his hood, Draco would have been willing to bet that he was smiling.
"Many different ones. . . But perhaps the one you seek the most."
••••••••••
Outside the castle doors proved to be as gloomy as it looked. The smell of wet leaves and rain filled the autumn air; the dull sun sinking beneath more rain clouds. Hermione strode along the gravel path that gradually led into Hogsmeade, a gentle wind pushing her closer to the village.
Hermione shivered and balled the sleeves of her sweater into her fists, shielding her fingers from the cold. It was a nice change of temperature, from being boiling hot after witnessing Ron snogging that girl, to a chilling breeze from the evening air.
The closer she got to Hogsmeade the more it smelled like autumn. Leaves tumbled in midair, falling from their barren branches and onto the ground. The scent of warm apple cider wafted through the brightly lit shops. Pumpkin and the faint smell of cinnamon carried her to the window of Honeydukes.
There weren't very many witches or wizards about and hardly any students. The usual crowded stores were nearly empty. Good. Hermione wasn't in a mood to be gawked at or whispered about.
Minutes later she found herself at the Three Broomsticks. Given that Hermione wasn't much of a drinker she ordered a Butterbeer from Madam Rosmerta and took a seat at the end of the bar.
She sighed, swirling the foaming golden contents of her Butterbeer and took a sip; the familiar taste was comforting due to the fact she normally had her friends at her side, it reminded her of all the fun times they'd had together at Hogsmeade or the Burrow and even the Gryffindor common room.
A blast of chilly October air entered the pub as the door opened and snapped shut by the wind; the tiny bell at the top of the frame chiming loudly. Hermione found the latest issue of the Daily Prophet sitting crinkled and beer stained on the stool beside her. She scanned for any interesting news about anyone she knew or had known. She took another sip of her Butterbeer.
"Fancy seeing you here Granger."
Hermione didn't even have to look up to know who sat in her presence. She clenched her teeth and put down the paper.
"I'm not in the mood Malfoy," she put her head tiredly in her hands and rubbed her eyes.
It was quiet for several minutes before he spoke up again.
"You alright," he asked awkwardly but after a few seconds laughed. "I feel like I'm always asking you this question now."
"I'm fine." She said staring at the counter. Anywhere but him.
Again silence seeped in between the two.
"Two Firewhiskey's please," she heard Malfoy ask Madam Rosemerta.
"Thirsty?" she mumbled.
Hermione heard the clink of the bottles and felt the warmth of her Butterbeer leave her hands. She looked up as Malfoy pushed her glass to the side.
"It looks like you could use a drink."
Hermione looked at him and grabbed her glass of Butterbeer. "What did you think this was?"
He chuckled, "A real drink Granger."
Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed. All she wanted was some peace and quiet, but what did she get instead? Malfoy.
"So what brings a little Gryffindor to the Three Broomsticks, all alone, on a rainy night like this?" Malfoy asked opening both of their bottles.
"Why ask? You don't care," she said hotly. He placed the Firewhiskey in front of her and looked at her expectantly.
She stared blankly at him and slowly took the bottle into her hands.
"Ron," she spat. "What else could it possibly have been?"
Malfoy frowned and then nodded, "I figured it was either the Weasel or me."
"Trust me, if it were you I would have hexed you by now."
They both took a swig of their whiskey.
Malfoy chugged a huge sip and sighed at the burning in his throat. Hermione took a small sip and sputtered.
"Oh God," she said wiping at her mouth. "How can you drink this?!" Hermione pushed the Firewhiskey away from her and grabbed for the remains of her Butterbeer.
Malfoy chuckled and took another cocky sip from his bottle. "Your weak Granger, c'mon that was a girls sip."
"Well seeing as though I am a girl and I did take a sip, yes, that would mean I did take a 'girls sip,'" Hermione shot back. "Has no one noticed that I am girl? First Ron and now you-"
"Eugh-don't compare me to Weaselbee," Malfoy said pretending to vomit.
Hermione took another tiny swig of whiskey and forced it down her throat. It burned and set her lungs on fire yet, oddly enough, it was just the thing she needed. Only moments before she had been sitting all alone, angry and depressed, but now she felt alive, and alert, drinking with Draco Malfoy.
"Why do you keep crying over that red-headed weasel anyways? I mean what's so special about him that makes you want to get back together with him, when all he does is hurt you?" Malfoy asked slowly, he was sure that she would go off on him.
"Fist of all, I am not crying," Hermione said motioning to her face. "And sure he broke my heart and stomped on it with his bloody feet, but I still have ties to Ron. You can't just throw away eight years of a friendship. No matter what happens I will always love him. Maybe not in the form of a relationship, but he will always be my best friend." Hermione stared in front of her and frowned.
"Well there you have it," he said.
"Have what?" Hermione said taking a gulp. She winced.
"Your solution," Malfoy said rolling his eyes. "Honestly Granger your being daft about this; you just said you'd rather be his best friend then his girlfriend so just go back to being that. It's not that complicated."
Hermione scoffed and took a lengthy chug from her bottle, "Not that complicated? He hasn't talked to me in weeks, and not even an hour ago he was snogging some Ravenclaw girl right in front of me. He's a bloody prick and the most stubborn idiot I've ever met."
Malfoy shrugged, "I'd disagree. I know someone else just as stubborn, if not more."
Hermione snorted, "Oh and just who might that be?"
"I'm looking at her."
She crossed her arms, "Hey! I'm not that stubborn."
"Pssh, don't kid yourself— wait you said Ravenclaw?" He asked, his bottle halfway to his lips.
"Yeah. . ."
He looked at her curiously, "Could've sworn I saw him with a Hufflepuff three days ago."
Hermione groaned and let her head fall to the bar counter, banging it to get the image of another girl, this one in yellow, out of her head.
"Thanks for that," she said sarcastically.
Malfoy shrugged, "You can't let it bother you Granger. . . Just forget about it."
She looked up. "And how do I do that?"
Malfoy smiled and tapped on the bottle in her hand.
"Cheers."