"Are you nervous?"
"Me? Nervous? Why the very thought makes me laugh!"
"Your hands are shaking"
"It's cold today"
"Harry what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong Mione I'm fine, I've kicked Slytherin arse multiple times", Harry replied confidently.
"Alright if you say so", Hermione said, ending the subject as they walked towards the Quidditch pitch.
Harry was nervous, but not about Quidditch. He was nervous about the tingly feeling he was getting in the pit of his stomach when Hermione grabbed his hand as they were walking.
The tingly feeling had spread from his stomach to the tips of his fingers and he could feel his hands shaking, like Hermione had observed.
`It's just the game that's going to start in less the thirty minutes' he told himself.
But then when Hermione had asked that he had to admit that it wasn't it.
She was talking again.
Rosy lips skimming over perfect teeth, brown eyes sparkling excitedly.
`Ok…. Stopping with the poetic thinking…. Now', Harry commanded internally and forced himself to pay attention to what Hermione was saying.
But before he could, he hear a voice he loathed.
"Excuse me; I have a game to win"
It was Draco, looking obviously good in his Quidditch robes, but since he knew it that took away from the fact he did.
When Draco noticed who was in his way on the path he stopped.
"Potter ready to lose?"
Harry rolled his eyes on the inside, this whole jibbing and cutting at each other was getting really old.
Draco felt the same way, but there was just something so annoying about the stupidly optimistic people like Harry that made him want to throw a rock at his head.
Then Draco noticed Harry's companion. "Why hello there Gran…. Hermione" Draco smiled cunningly at his correction, "how are you this fine afternoon"
Hermione smiled back politely, "very well Draco, you?"
"Gorgeously fabulous, if you don't believe me just ask all the names in my little black book" Draco said with a cocky smile on the side.
Normally Hermione would have rolled her eyes, but it was witty she couldn't help but giggle.
Harry steamed at Hermione, he tried to give her the evilest look until Draco said, "Careful there Potter you're going to break a blood vessel squeezing your face like that, can't say it would improve your looks"
Harry was about to make a nasty remark back, but Hermione knew it was coming so she cut in between them.
"Harry you should go prep and organize a game plan," Hermione smiled at him, then to Draco with a much cooler tone, because of the insult at Harry, "good afternoon Draco."
"Good bye Hermione, cheer for the winners, in other words …. me," Draco said with his usual laidback tone.
Then to Harry in a snobbish way, "Would wish you the best Potter but with your luck it wouldn't do much"
With that Draco walked away towards the Slytherin Quidditch locker room.
Harry's voice broke the silence bitterly, "You know I can't stand him almost all the time?"
"I know Harry, I know, but there has to be some good in him" Hermione pulled Harry closer by hanging off his arm instead of holding his hand now.
"Yes I know", Harry quickly replied so he could enjoy the feeling of having this lovely girl hang on to his arm, and pushing the thoughts of Malfoy away.
They were at the pitch then, Harry went off the go over a game strategy and Hermione went to the bleachers to read a bit of a book before the game got set up and started.
She was on chapter 26 when she heard a voice then felt a tap on the shoulder.
It was Ron.
"Hermione I know you're mad at me and that we're probably never going to be friends again because you hate me. I'm very sorry to have hurt you and that it had to come to that. I could tell you tons of reasons why that happened, but you'd push them aside as excuses. So I won't waste my time. I just felt that you needed to hear an apology, and that I am stupid to have had what I wanted but to have thrown it away with both hands. If you want a reason though it's best you ask Lavender what happened that night so that you won't think it's a bull excuse from me."
Hermione just sat there with her mouth opened wide, there had been so much to absorb in such little time, but she'd gotten the most of it. What really stuck out in her mind were the words, `because you hate me'.
Before she could stop herself she'd gotten up and was hugging Ron, "oh Ron I don't hate you, I just hate what you did, and maybe it was my fault that you did that in the first place, if I hadn't been so busy with school work you wouldn't have felt neglected and have gone looking for other people who had time to be with you."
"No Hermione, that's not a reason or a fault that you have, it's an excuse for a wrong thing. If I had a problem with us, then I should have said something before acting out the way I did" Ron looked physically and emotionally exhausted, "I need to go, I did what I set out to do, I needed to apologize you didn't have to do anything just hear that apology"
Ron got up and left, his robe billowing behind him.
Hermione looked shocked; Ron had apologized but didn't want anything else? That was so odd. But Hermione was a little happier about how things were beginning to turn out for them.
Then she remembered that if she wanted to know the whole story she would have to talk to Lavender. That idea didn't appeal to her at the moment; it was too soon to talk to that slag.
`But I can't put it off, sooner or later we're going to talk', Hermione reasoned as she returned to her book.
/././././
"Look out! There's a bludger coming right to you!"
"Faster you gits faster"
"Go Gryffindor!"
"Go Slytherin"
This game was intense; the rivalry between these two houses had even spread between the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, who'd taken sides with Gryffindor and Slytherin.
Hermione too was caught up in the game, screaming her lungs out; this was a crucial game to determine who'd have the upper hand for the rest of the season.
The roar of the crowd was deafening, they sounded like they wanted blood.
Draco caught a chuckle in his throat at how people could be so satisfied by seeing gore and suffering. He'd seen it too many times. It was almost like the time when his father had used a TimeTurner to show him gladiator battles.
There was a thrill and getting caught up in the excitement of the crowd, but Draco now knew the thrill wasn't worth the sacrifice of lives.
That's when Draco knew he wouldn't be a Death Eater.
"Snitch get the Snitch!"
Draco snapped his head back into the game; his eyes darted around looking for the fluttering gold ball, so far nothing it was still hiding.
He turned his attention to Harry incase he'd seen something he hadn't.
`Damn! Stupid Potter's too good at hiding emotions!' Draco thought furiously.
While Draco was getting mad at Harry for not giving away any extra knowledge he might know about the Snitch, he was right.
Harry did know where the snitch was, the score was 70 to 40 in favor of Slytherin, Harry wanted to wait so that either the scores would be close so the victory would be more of a slap in the face.
Harry knew this was a bratty way to play but it was more fun. Besides he was always nice about everything, Quidditch was an outlet to be nasty.
`There it is to the left, I'll just look straight, Malfoy can't see my eyes moving just my head, he'll be none the wiser' Harry thought he was very clever.
That was until Draco started to move, he started to move fast.
He was headed past Harry to where Harry had seen the Snitch.
`Oh God he's going to get it!' Harry panicked before diving after Draco.
The announcer was going wild with this new bit of action, "Can it be Draco's seen the Snitch and is going to get it! He's going to beat Harry! This is unbelievable! Look out Harry's closing in fast! He's neck and neck! Who's going to be the bad one and push the other off their broom! Well that's obvious the lousy Slyther…. Ouch sorry Professor" winced Semus as he corrected his biased commentary, "Oh wow would you look at that! Harry's swung out away from Draco, wonder why he did that?"
Harry knew exactly why he'd done that, he'd swing out far enough to get the proper momentum to hit Draco harder to get him off course.
What Harry didn't count on was Draco doing the same thing, like Newton's law when two objects of equal distance collide the force at which they hit rebounds them that same amount. In other words Harry and Draco moved to hit each other at the same time and Smack! Flew off in opposite directions.
Hermione leaned forward further to see if Harry was alright. She sighed with relief then screamed her urging of Harry to get the Snitch.
Harry's gazed darted upward for a second to the stands at the corner where he knew Hermione was, and then quickly refocused his attention.
But that second was all Draco needed, the Snitch turned and Wack! Hit Draco's open hand.
`I can't believe it!'
`I can't believe it!'
`I won! Yes I won!'
`He won?! How did that happen?'
Harry looked very defeated as he landed back down, and started to head off the pitch with the rest of his dejected team.
Draco was ecstatic, he'd beat Harry! He'd never beaten Harry! Draco the boy whose emotions seemed to fill a thimble was whooping and hollering with the rest of his team.
Hermione, who'd been jumping around and screaming like a mad woman had stopped mid cheer, was now racing after Harry to attempt to make things better.
"Harry wait up!" Hermione called after Harry, who was storming away back to the Gryffindor tower.
Harry didn't turn around.
"Harry please wait!"
But Harry couldn't hear Hermione; he was too upset at himself for having to be a showoff and losing the game.
Hermione slowed her pace, `I guess he needs to be alone now', she thought.
Hermione stopped then remembered she'd left her book in her rush after Harry.
./././././.
She made her way over to the Quidditch pitch, under the bleacher was her book, she left the pitch, and started to jog back towards the castle.
Even though it was Saturday she still wanted to start working on an essay before dinner.
`You have two weeks before it's due' Hermione reminded herself.
Her intellectual side argued back, `don't put off today what could be done for tomorrow'
`That's not how the saying goes'
`I improved it'
"Oh forget it!" Hermione sharply muttered out loud.
She saw an orangey tinge on the ground surrounding her shadow, the days were getting shorter.
Hermione turned and saw the sun and the sky turning into pink with purple clouds hanging low.
`There's only one place to go and enjoy this'
She turned and walked back to her tree by the lake.
When she got there she saw her spot had been occupied.
"Draco what are you doing here?"
"You know I could answer that question two ways," Draco said without turning to look away from the lake, "1 I could say `it's called sitting stupid' or 2 I could say `just thinking', which do you prefer?
"Well no one likes to be called stupid and it is obvious that you're sitting… "
"In that case, I'm just thinking Hermione", Draco turned to her without any real expression on his face but his eyes were the saddest thing Hermione had ever seen.
"Do you mind if I join you?"
"Not at all, unless you want to go off and start raving at me about something I did to Potter during the game", Draco said with a half grin.
Hermione shook her head as she sat down next to him, and leaned back against the tree.
"Why would I criticize you when you won without cheating? Unless you did? Did you?" Hermione quickly turn toward Draco to give him an evil eye.
"You know something? You could pass for a Slytherin with that glare", Draco looked back at her intently, before turning to look at the water again.
"You didn't answer the question", Hermione pressed, she wasn't going to be distracted by sort of a compliment.
"You're hard to distract, and no I didn't do anything to make me win."
"Why are you here, shouldn't you be at a party, throwing darts at a picture of Harry?"
Draco laughed, before answering back, "You must really think I'm evil, throwing darts at people's pictures." He sighed and continued, still not looking at her, "of course I'm happy to have won, I made my appearances to adoring fans, but once the party started I stepped back from the crowd," he turned to look at her again, with those sad eyes, "I went to change I came back and no one knew I was gone or back, they couldn't careless about me, they only care about winning and themselves."
"So you're upset that they didn't dote on you more?" Hermione said trying to understand.
"No that's not it, it's just that all those people who know me don't, and everyone who I've called a friend has only been a friend to help themselves."
Draco put his hand to his forehead, shielding his eyes, and he continued.
"I just realized that then, and it made me wonder about everyone I've ever known, even my parents! They don't love me they needed me I'm not wanted by them, I could tell from the way my father talked to me, like I was an object to be had, not wanted."
Hermione tried to cut in but he waved his hand to stop her.
Draco continued saying, "Look don't say anything please, I just need to tell someone, anyone about this and you're available, and don't try to say anything such as `of course your parents love you' because you don't know them. See you're different; you have nothing to gain by acting nice towards me. You're friends with Harry Potter! Draco Malfoy is a nothing, and with the way I've always treated you I deserve to be treated that way, but you don't I can't understand it"
Hermione noticed that his voice wavered a bit. She knew he was hurting but she also knew that Draco showing this much emotion it was very embarrassing for him, but he couldn't help it.
The sun was now dipping its toes into the water, the orange sky was brilliant, but Hermione didn't notice, she just saw a young man who was still very much a boy in some ways.
Hermione didn't say anything; she just knelt sideways and leaned against him wrapping her arms around him.
He'd moved into a protective stance, knees drawn up to his chest, his head leaning against them.
As soon as Draco felt a weight pressed against his side, and felt an arm coil behind his back, he lifted his head a bit and turned to look at her.
Hermione had turned her head sideways and was leaning against his shoulder with her eyes closed, he saw tears clinging to her eyelashes, or he thought they were tears, he had a few of his own marring his vision. Her lips were rosy and seemed to be moving with silent words.
Draco lowered his head again, and then he heard the word being whispered by Hermione.
She kept repeating the same phrases over again.
"You're not nothing, you're a good person, don't ever think less of yourself, I chose you I wanted to"
Draco felt more of the stinging sensation that came with trying to hold back tears.
Hermione lifted her head when she felt Draco shudder. She opened her eyes, before nuzzling her head against his shoulder again.
"You can cry I won't tell, I promise you"
She felt hot tears against her arm, which was clasping Draco in the front, she held him tighter slowly rocked back and forth.
The sun had disappeared now, and as sky started to fade with the afterglow of sunset, they clung to each other for awhile after.
-->