Finite Incantatem

Dramione (flashback II)

Another Dramione flashback at the beginning! 

WARNING: forced kiss, cheating.

[Hermione is NOT the main character here, and sometimes she'll act in a bad way. If you are too sensitive about this, DON'T READ.]

****

December 1998 [flashback]

The Saturday before the Christmas holidays had always been a very lazy day for the young Wizards and Witches of Hogwarts. Free from lessons and homework, students could sleep longer and go out with friends on their usual trips to Hogsmeade.

Hermione Granger was the only one who would think about getting up early to carry on with her holiday homework. It wasn't just because of her bookworm anxiety, but a deeper desire to have more free time to spend with Ron during the holiday break. It was the first Christmas they'd spent together as a real couple, so her intention was to fully enjoy it.

Since the end of the war, life was getting better, for all of them.

Harry and Ron had already begun their Auror training; Hermione had returned to Hogwarts to finish school and had the honor of becoming Head Girl, but there was a prestigious career at the Ministry waiting for her. At that moment, she didn't think about it. She preferred to enjoy her own quiet routine of parchment sheets and school lessons.

It was early in the morning. The school was silent and the paintings on the walls were dozing. Arriving in the Great Hall, she recognized a few Hufflepuffs and even two blonde heads sitting at the end of the Slytherin table, one was female and the other one looked familiar.

The sound of her footsteps had attracted the attention of Astoria, who gave her a grateful smile; Malfoy, who sat next to her, kept his head close to the bowl of porridge.

Hermione returned her smile and went to sit at the usual Gryffindor table where, upon her arrival, different kinds of food magically appeared. She instinctively discarded the porridge and took the cereal.

She had met Astoria a couple of weeks earlier during a particular circumstance and still couldn't believe how different she was from Malfoy. Given the silence of the Great Hall, she had no trouble straining her ears and listening to her friendly voice tell Malfoy about an amusing incident that had occurred the day before.

Draco didn't utter a single word. He only seemed to notice the girl next to him occasionally. It was hard to guess how he felt about her, but Hermione was pretty sure that he was happy to have her company despite his outward appearance.

Even though they hadn't spoken since their meeting in the third-floor classroom, Hermione knew that Draco had kept his end of their agreement; he continued to take McGonagall's private lessons and avoided problems.

Problems that had decreased in the last month, since the Headmistress had scolded both Malfoy and the entire school during a frightening evening speech. Now nobody spoke to him anymore, they ignored him like a ghost.

Even Hermione had respected their agreement and hadn't tried to speak to him again, but she hadn't forgotten to keep an eye on him. Malfoy's social life wasn't interesting now that there was no more friction, but lately, she'd seen him in Astoria's company.

She was always in a good mood, but not in a silly way; it was clear that she was trying to distract him from his darkest thoughts. Even though Malfoy was silent, Hermione had noticed his serene expression when she was around.

The calm of breakfast was suddenly broken by a succession of heavy thuds, echoing from the corridors into the Great Hall. Hermione looked up at the large wooden doors expecting a herd of elephants to enter, only to discover that they were the tall, fat, pimply-skinned players of the Slytherin Quidditch team.