Hermione ran all the way to the girl’s dormitory in Gryffindor tower, and threw herself crying onto her bed.
‘I’m so stupid!’ she thought.
She didn’t know how long she cried into her pillow; an image of his eyes the last thing she saw before falling asleep.
*~*~*~*~
Harry was still stunned that Hermione had actually stupefied Draco. He didn’t understand what was going on, but he could tell by Draco’s face when he had seen Hermione standing there that something was wrong, or that’s what he hoped.
‘Well, I can’t leave him like this, and I might as well get to the bottom of this.’
“Ennervate,” Harry pointed his wand at Draco and waited for him to wake up.
Draco opened his eyes and tried to remember what had happened. He was telling something to Pansy then Hermione came and heard all the things he said to Pansy.
“Hermione!” exclaimed Draco, immediately sitting up.
“Don’t bother she’s already gone back to the castle.”
Draco jumped. He hadn’t even noticed Harry standing there.
“Now look,” it was Harry who began the interrogation. “I don’t know what the hell is going on here but I want to know right now if what you said to Parkinson was true or not.”
‘No one knows about this, I can’t tell him,’ Draco thought. ‘But if I don’t tell him he will probably hex me and leave me here.’
Harry could see Draco struggling with his thoughts.
‘No, I have to tell him. Hermione has to at least know that I didn’t mean it, whether she believes it or not.’
“No Potter, it wasn’t true.” He stated matter-of-factly.
“You better not be lying, because I swear, if you are then -”
“I’m not lying!” Draco interrupted. “I really was waiting for Hermione, and not to play a trick on her either.”
Both Harry and Draco noticed the sudden use of Hermione’s name. Harry stood there appraising him for a few moments.
“Well,” Harry shrugged, “you need to tell her that, because she -”
“She what!?” Draco’s voice slightly rose in volume. “She what Potter? She wanted to be my friend? Ha! That’s doubtful.”
“You are a bigger idiot than we all think. She likes you Malfoy!” Harry had to shout to keep Draco from interrupting him again.
“And yes,” he continued, “she does want to be your friend, well did, because she knew that that was the only thing she had the slightest hope of making a reality.”
Draco just stared.
‘She likes me? but, but that’s…’
“She likes me?” all of a sudden Draco’s sense of secrecy left him.
“Yeah well you’ve done a fine job of ruining that haven’t you?”
“I…I didn’t know,” Draco couldn’t even think straight.
‘She likes me? Why would she like me?’
“Hey, I don’t really like the whole idea, but if you will make Hermione happy then you better get up to the castle and see about telling her.” Harry hated how he was being forced to help Draco.
‘It’s for Hermione.’ He kept saying to himself over and over again.
“No.”
Draco was tuning to look up the path that led to the castle.
“No Potter, I can’t. She won’t hear a word from me now. You have to tell her.” He turned to Harry with pleading in his eyes.
“Are you crazy!? She will murder me if I even bring the subject of you up!” Harry was not stupid; he wasn’t going to go looking for a fight with Hermione now that he knew what she would do if pushed to it.
“You are the only one she will listen to Potter, please. Please tell her.”
‘I can’t believe that Draco is actually begging’ he thought. Harry decided however, that for Hermione he would give it a try.
“I’ll try, but I am not going to force Hermione to listen to me.”
Draco just nodded his head.
They both left the village; separately from each other, and headed back to the castle.
Draco thinking all the while of her angry, hurt and tear-filled eyes.
*~*~*~*~
By the time Hermione woke up dinner was already half way through. She didn’t feel like going down and facing anyone just now. Her swollen eyes and pale face would attract more attention than she wanted right now.
She got out of bed, and went into the bathroom to wash her face. When she came back, she noticed that Hedwig was perched right on top of her pillow, holding a note in her beak.
“Hedwig, I hope Harry didn’t send you to tell me to come down to the great hall.”
She looked at the snowy owl suspiciously and took the note from her. Hedwig hooted then took off out of Hermione’s bedroom window.
Hermione,
Meet me in the common room I want to talk to you.
Harry
P.S. I brought you some food.
She folded up the note and thought.
‘He probably wants to talk about Draco, but I’m not going to let him. I don’t want to hear another word about him ever again.’
She decided she wouldn’t let Harry just sit there after he had brought her something to eat, so she went down to the common room to find him.
He was sitting at a table in the corner of the room, and she gratefully accepted the food when he offered it to her.
“Thanks Harry.” she said feebly.
Harry watched her for a while as she slowly ate the food he had brought for her. He still didn’t have the faintest idea how he was going to bring Draco up. Hermione however gave him the solution.
“I know that you want to talk to me about Draco,” she was looking at her food not at Harry, “but I don’t want to hear anything about him Harry. I was stupid but I have learned my mistake.” She couldn’t keep the tears from forming again.
“Hermione, you have to hear something, Draco -”
“No Harry, stop. I don’t want to hear it,” it hurt too much to hear his name.
“I don’t care.” She got up and went back upstairs to her room.
Harry sighed; he knew that she still cared about Draco.