Ch. 2

"Hey Gin?"

Ginny looked over at her friend as they walked down the corridor. "What's up?"

"Do you ever get the feeling that you're being watched?" Hermione asked, looking at the red head.

"Honestly?" Ginny looked down at the floor. "Yeah, I have. It started at the train station."

"Same," Hermione said. "It's worrying me a bit."

"It could just be paranoia," Ginny offered. "I mean, this is supposed to be our first normal year. Maybe after everything that's happened, we're just not used to the idea of not being in trouble, so our minds are making us think something's wrong."

Hermione contemplated this for a few moments before sighing. "I bet you're right. It will be nice to have a relaxing year. Would be more relaxing though if I didn't have to spend my time avoiding Malfoy constantly."

"Why don't you try avoiding him for a night?" Ginny suggested.

Hermione stared at her. "Why would you even suggest that?"

"Well, you said that he hasn't tried to insult you or anything. And he had plenty of chances in the library to say something rude, and all he did was call you by your first name."

"And you don't think that's weird at all?" Hermione asked skeptically.

"I never said I didn't, but I don't think you should write him off immediately," Ginny said with a shrug. "Remember, he gave Harry his wand in the battle. Maybe he's really changed from the war."

They stopped outside of the Head's Dorm as Hermione sighed. "Maybe you're right."

"If you'd rather come spend the night in my dorm, you're more than welcome to," Ginny offered with a smile. "It would be nice to have a girl's night again."

Hermione smiled at her. "Thanks, I'll let you know if I change my mind and want to come over. And you're always welcome here too."

"That would be nice!" Ginny jumped up and down slightly. "Alright, well I'll see you later maybe!"

They hugged and Ginny walked off towards the Gryffindor dorms, leaving Hermione standing outside of her dorm room. She took in a deep breath and whispered the password to the portrait, causing it to swing open.

She was surprised to see Malfoy already in the common room, reading on one of the couches in front of the fire.

They looked at each other for a few moments before she tore her eyes away and began walking towards her room.

"Granger?"

She stopped and mentally prepared for anything he had to say, looking at him over her shoulder. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

He seemed almost taken aback by her frostiness but went on. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to sit out here and have a drink with me."

She gaped at him, opening and closing her mouth as words failed her. "I...uh...

He smirked slightly. "Did Weasley never want to just sit with you and talk?"

"No, but..." She trailed off, looking down at her feet in confusion.

"It's alright if you're not comfortable with it," He said in a softer tone, setting down the book that was in his hands. "I just wanted to apologize for how I've treated you all these years, and maybe get to know you a little more."

She stared at him. The apology part she could somewhat believe, but getting to know her? He simply looked at her, waiting patiently for her to say something.

There was something about him that made her want to say yes. She didn't understand what exactly it was, and that bothered her. But she still found herself nodding and mumbling something about changing before running off to her room.

She took a deep breath as she leaned back against her door, staring up at the ceiling in confusion. "What on earth was that about?"

She stood there for a few moments before shaking her head and setting her bag at the foot of her bed and going to her wardrobe, taking out a large grey jumper and a pair of black leggings. After changing into them and wrangling her hair into a messier-than-normal bun, she hesitated with her hand on the handle, grabbing her wand at the last minute and hiding it into the front pocket of her jumper before walking out of her room slowly.

Draco was still sitting on the couch, but he now had loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt. He watched her as she slowly sat down on the opposite couch, pulling her legs up to sit cross-legged and casting him glances every so often.

He simply sat quietly, watching her. He thought she looked adorable in her oversized jumper that had sleeves longer than her arms, covering her hands. He could feel her unease rolling off of her in waves, and he cleared his throat slightly before speaking.

"Do you want something to drink?" He asked, standing up and putting his hands in his pockets.

She looked up at him and then shook her head. He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I was going to get some firewhiskey."

She scrunched her nose at the thought, which he found equally as adorable as her jumper. "I'm not much of a firewhiskey person. And we're not supposed to drink, Malfoy."

"And yet, students still do," He countered, grinning. "You haven't been to one of the famous Slytherin parties."

"No, I can't imagine they would be willing to invite me," She said coolly. "I'm not exactly popular in your house."

His grin faltered and he looked down. "Either way. Do you want something to drink or not?"

She looked at him for a few moments before mumbling, "Some wine if there is any. Red."

"Really? I would've pegged you for a white wine drinker," He said, making his way to the kitchen.

"That would be Ginny," She said. "Though Ginny will drink anything."

He made a mental note to tell Blaise that later and walked back with a glass of red wine for her and firewhiskey for himself. He stopped at the end of the couch and held out the glass of wine to her, watching her intently. She glanced up at him before taking the glass, her fingers brushing his gently.

A sudden electric shock shot up her arm and she jumped slightly, looking up at him. He simply smiled at her and went to sit on his couch, taking a sip of his firewhiskey. She rubbed her arm as the tingling subsided and set the glass down on the table, staring at it.

"Everything alright?" He asked, amused.

"Fine." She avoided his eyes. "Just a shock."

They fell into silence and he could feel her discomfort radiating off of her. It made his Veela side anxious, knowing that she wasn't happy.

He sighed and set his glass down on the table, resting his elbows on his knees and looking at her. "You don't need to stay out here if you're uncomfortable, Hermione."

She finally met his eyes, staring at him. "Why are you using my first name?"

"Well, it is your name, is it not?" He asked.

"Yeah, but..." She sighed. "It's just weird hearing you say that in place of other things."

He grimaced. "I'm so sorry that I called you those names. I was young and stupid, and wanted to impress the other Slytherins. My character was called into question more than once, and unfortunately I used making fun of you and the other Gryffindors as my way of showing my loyalty to my house."

"Why would your house loyalty be called into question?" She asked curiously. "You're the most Slytherin person I can think of."

He grinned slightly. "Certain rumors were spread and I may have panicked for fear of my father finding out."

She smiled slightly. "You always threatened that though. ' What were you afraid of him finding out?"

He simply looked at her, an emotion in his eyes that she couldn't quite place. Was it longing? No, it couldn't be.

"We can discuss that later," He said quietly. He then nodded towards her untouched glass of wine. "Do you no longer want that?"

She looked down at her glass and then back up at him nervously. She didn't want to say it, but she didn't quite trust him yet, and wasn't sure how to say that she wasn't entirely convinced that he wasn't trying to trick her.

Without saying a word, he reached for the glass and took a small drink from it, setting it back down in front of her. "I wouldn't do anything to your drink, Hermione."

She stared at him. "How did you know?"

Shrugging, he smiled. "I can't say I blame you for hesitating. I realize you may not trust me right now, but I'm hoping I can change that with time."

After a few moments, she nodded, taking back her glass and finally taking a drink of the wine. It was one of the best wines she had ever had, and she took another drink.

"This is wonderful," She said to him, holding up the glass. "Where did you get it?"

"You really need to question that?" He laughed. "Malfoys always have the best of everything."

"Oh, how silly of me to forget," She said sarcastically, shaking her head. "I'll try to remember that in the future."

He smiled back at her. He took another drink and nodded towards her. "Tell me about yourself, Hermione."

She raised an eyebrow. "That's a very broad subject, Malfoy."

"Draco."

"What?"

He looked at her imploringly. "Please, I don't want us to be on last-name terms anymore. Please call me Draco."

She looked at him and then nodded. "Okay, Draco."

He smiled at her then, realizing that he could use this time to figure out more about her conversation with Ginny in the library. "Well, maybe start by telling me about your home life. Your parents."

He could feel the air around her grow heavy with sadness, and he cursed himself. She set her glass down and stared at the table, avoiding his eyes. His Veela immediately bristled at the sudden mood change and her unhappiness, causing him to panic slightly.

"I'm sorry, you don't need to tell me about any of that," He offered quickly.

She shook her head, giving him a sad smile. "No, it's alright. It's just hard to talk about still."

He watched as she grabbed her glass and took a long drink, noticing that she was trying to fight back tears. She took a deep breath and looked into the fire.

"My parents are dentists," She started quietly, then looked at him. "Dentists work on teeth, making sure there's nothing wrong with them and there's no disease."

He nodded and motioned for her to continue. She looked back at the fire and sighed. "They're currently living in Australia, I'm not sure where though. I haven't been able to find them."

"How can you not know where they are?" He asked.

She shook her head and wiped away a tear that fell down her cheek before looking down at the floor. He looked at her, confused. "Can't you just reach out to them and find out where they are?"

She  finally  looked  at  him,  anger  and  sadness  both  burning  in  her  eyes.  "I  had  to  modify  their  memories  before  the  war  to  protect  and  send  them  somewhere  safe.  They  have  no  idea  I  exist  anymore."