Her Sweet, Decadent Smile(A Harry Potter Story)

Chapter 11

Talking to Dennis had always made her feel better.

By the time Hermione had returned to the Manor, it was already dark.

The entire time she'd spent in the hospital, she had decidedly maintained a smile on her face. She hadn't let her emotions slip, not even once—else she would burst into tears. She had made sure to only show Dennis her enthusiastic and happy demeanor. It was just too sad seeing Dennis in his condition, so weak and fragile. She didn't want him to know she was breaking apart inside because of it.

That was one of the many things she had learned from him. Dennis was a quiet soul, not in the literal sense, but he was quiet in a way that he kept his emotions buried deep inside of him. He didn't let other people see the sad side.

He was always smiling, always happy.

But sometimes the ones who always seem so happy are the saddest of them all, suffering at their core.

She shook her head and brushed the miserable thoughts aside. She was going to finish the Denovorum and save him. She shouldn't think otherwise.

She decided to investigate the Manor and look for clues that might help her understand Draco's motives. She had to trust her instincts. She had to stop him, whatever it was he was planning.

She knew she shouldn't be thinking of him so cruelly, but somehow it always invaded her mind like some infectious disease. She replayed their conversation at the entrance of SFOWW a few months previous in her head over and over again. Draco had been so nonchalant in the way he had spoken back then, so uncaring. As if he hadn't been serious at all.

"I think it's quite obvious, isn't it?" he said mockingly. "I'm staring at this door intensely."

"Yes, but why?" Hermione asked as she neared him, her wand aimed at the back of his skull. He remained immobile. "You're not planning to go in there, are you?"

He shrugged.

"Perhaps I am."

She couldn't believe she had ignored such an important conversation for all these months.

Draco never joked about such things. He had always been true to his words. He was indeed trying to break into the underground vaults.

But why?

She opted to start investigating in the Malfoy Family Library first, because Draco spent most of his time there, but one of the maids had stopped her and told her she had a guest waiting for her in the sitting room.

Wondering who it could be at this time, she walked towards the sitting room to find a man facing the large glass window. He looked rather tall and skinny from her vantage point at the door. His hair was long and black, elegantly tied back with a bow. His robes looked impeccable and expensive, she could tell, even with his back turned.

"Ah, Ms. Granger," he whispered in a strained voice as he notice her standing by the doorway. "Ve meet again."

She suddenly felt a dreadful chill crawling up her skin. She touched her wand placed inside her robes, in case something unpleasant happened.

He turned around and allowed her to have a good look of his shadowed appearance. Hermione's eyes widened at the sight of it. There were huge burn marks on the left side—red and blotchy marks— covering half of his face.

"I'm sorry," she said in confusion. "I don't believe we've met."

His smile widened and he took leisurely steps towards her.

"You mean you don't remember me?" he replied, sounding somewhat disappointed. But Hermione had a feeling he wasn't disappointed at all. "Ve met about a year ago."