Yours Truly, Hermione

Olive Branch | ᴅʀᴀᴄᴏ ᴍ. (t)

• Draco Malfoy || Hogwarts 6th Year 

 ̶«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶̶̶ ̶«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ・☽ ༓ ☾・  ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶̶̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶  ̶̶̶̶

She couldn't believe him. She could hardly stand to look at him right now, much less talk to him. How in the world could Harry have used a dark spell on Malfoy? Sure, there was hardly any lost love between them, but how could he be so bloody reckless. 

Hermione's angry strides led her straight to the hospital wing before her brain even had the time to process. Just as she approached the door, the one Professor who potentially despised her met her in her tracks as he exited the wing. 

"Miss Granger," he warned in a deceptively calm voice that had her hackles rising. "I won't have you going in there just to tear into him when your friend already did such a thorough job of it." 

"I-" Hermione blanked as Professor Snape looked down at her in disapproval. "I'm not here to hurt him. Or yell at him." 

"Oh? Then what could you possibly be doing here," he drawled obnoxiously. 

"I just wanted to make sure he's okay," Hermione rushed out. 

"Hmm, and you think he wants you at his bedside? My, my, we're being a little presumptuous these days aren't we."      

"I never said he wanted me there." She ground her teeth in barely restrained frustration. "But I won't make the mistake of letting him think we believe this is okay." 

"We? I only see you here," Snape pointed out with a raised eyebrow. 

"One makes all the difference, Professor." 

Snape studied her sharply for a moment, his eyes flickering in indecision for a moment. She could only guess why. But he nodded briefly, allowing her to walk by him with a sigh. 

"Don't think this erases what Potter has done," Snape warned as she walked away. 

Hermione turned her head. "I wouldn't dream of it, Professor. Harry deserves the consequences of his actions. Under no circumstances was what happened today okay." 

She nimbly slipped into the wing, not waiting to hear his response. If she had, she'd have seen the rare look of surprise on her Professor's face. She'd have seen the grudging respect he afforded her. 

She couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness as she approached his bed. He was the only patient in the wing. His eyes were closed and skin even paler than normal. He looked like a corpse, to be frank. When she neared, he pulled his eyes open at the approach of footsteps. Initially he thought he was being delusional- there was no way Hermione fucking Granger could be by his bedside as he lay useless. Yet as she came to a stand beside his bed, the warm, sweet scent of amber and parchment that seemed to accompany her flooded his senses, warning him that this was very much not a hallucination. 

"Granger." He hated how weak his voice sounded. He'd meant it to come out with a sneer. 

"Malfoy," she said quietly, merely looking at him at a loss. 

"Come to gloat?" He asked bitterly. "Don't bother." 

"No, I actually came to apologize. For Harry. He is sorry, though I doubt he'll say it to your face." Hermione said, her face scrunching in anger at her friend. 

"If that's all you're here for, you can see yourself out. I don't need your bloody apologies. It doesn't change a thing, you're just worried about his arse landing in trouble." 

"That's not true," she insisted firmly. "I- I wanted to make sure you were alright." 

Malfoy stared at her in disbelief for a moment before catching himself. He opened his mouth, ready to spew forth his normal round of vitriol to send the witch scampering to lick her wounds. But he found himself too exhausted to do so. He'd been avoiding her all year for this very reason. With the Dark Lord occupying his home, everything that had seemed mundane and routine all seemed so unnecessary now- taunting Gryffindors, flaunting his status, even riling Granger up- it all lost its appeal. 

"Why would you?" He found himself asking the question he was really thinking, rather than the practiced insult meant to make her leave. "You hate me." 

Hermione met his eyes, hesitating for a moment. "You- you annoy me, even anger me. But hate is a strong word. I wouldn't wish this even on you, so I must not truly hate you," she admitted. 

When Malfoy stared at her for a moment too long, she cleared her throat, looking around at the clinically clean area around him. Where were his friends? His things? No get well chocolates? 

"I can owl your housemates if you like," she suggested. "Maybe they can get you some of your things while you reco-" 

"NO," he exclaimed, immediately wincing from the exertion.    

She stared at him with wide eyes, feeling uneasy at the panic in them. 

"I just want rest," he said quickly.  

"Where are your friends, Malfoy?" She asked softly. 

"Have you seen those buffoons?" He scoffed, trying to divert her. "Like I'd get any rest with them bumbling around here."    

"But-" 

"What about you, Granger? What do your friends think of you coming down here to check on the enemy?" 

Hermione gave him a humorless smile. "You're not my enemy. Besides, they don't know I'm here." 

He looked at her quizzically. She'd actually come here without telling Scarhead and Weasel? They'd lose their shit if they found it.   

"But you're right," she surged ahead with her Gryffindor bravery. "You need your rest, I'm only keeping you from it. I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright, and you know... apologize." 

He watched as she backed away from his bed, beginning to ramble. 

"I'm glad you're okay, and I hope you feel better soon."  

He watched half in amusement and half in confusion as she turned and swiftly left the wing, muttering to herself. That girl really had no inhibitions when it came to doing things she felt she needed to. 

Hermione closed the door behind her, puzzled at what happened all while berating herself. What was she thinking trying to be friendly with Draco bloody Malfoy? Why was it actually working? He wasn't exactly his normal rude self. Hermione shook it off. It was probably the numerous potions he was intoxicated from, she told herself. 

Draco watched her leave, freezing when he caught himself smiling. He'd figured she'd only come to yell at him or nag. But this had to have been the most cordial conversation he'd had with her in all their years knowing each other. Now that he had to watch his every move around the other Slytherins, never knowing where a set of watchful eyes waited to report back to the Dark Lord, it felt refreshingly calming to interact with someone when the stakes weren't that high. 

Who knew the very same witch who'd driven him up a wall all these years could bring that calm.