Hermione
"Hermione!" My eyes slowly open, revealing the face of Ginny Weasley above me. "Get up! We're going to Hogsmeade today!"
Hogsmeade. I had forgotten all about it. I hastily jump out of bed, my knees wobbling as I take my first few steps. Ginny rushes urgently across the room, gathering her things. The sun shines bright through the window, casting our shadows across the room. It seems to be a lovely day for a visit to Hogsmeade.
I clamber around the room, changing into my day clothes and brushing out my hair. My mind buzzes with a dream I had last night. At the thought of it, I can't help but smile.
But being Draco Malfoy's girlfriend can't be real. I'm going to see him, and everything that happened will just have been my imagination.
Sighing, I head out of the dormitory door just as Ginny did a couple of minutes ago. At the end of the stairs, I see that barely anyone is in the common room; even Ginny is gone. I must be very late.
I run through the common room door, maneuver through the corridors, and meander down the stairs until I finally reach the courtyard. Professor McGonagall is taking up permission forms from the last few younger students and letting us leave. I'm about to walk over to her when I realize that Draco doesn't know about Hogsmeade. If he did, he would have mentioned it at some point. He's probably still asleep in the common room.
Quickly, I turn around and make my way back up the stairs towards our common room. As I do, I run into Professor Bane, our Potions teacher. Professor Bane is the new teacher that I saw sitting at the High Table on the first day back at Hogwarts. He is probably twenty-five, much younger than any other Hogwarts professor. He's very polite, and also an exceptional teacher.
"Greetings, Miss Granger," He says, smiling politely.
"Hello, Professor," I answer.
"Aren't you going to Hogsmeade? It's a lovely day to be there, I daresay. I'm on my way myself." He inquires, and I nod my head.
"Yes, sir, but I seem to have forgotten something." I respond.
"Very well. Have a nice day." He says, bowing his head for a second by way of farewell. As nice as he may seem, I have always been skeptical of new teachers at Hogwarts. Who knows what Bane is capable of?
I brush those thoughts out of my head: Voldemort is gone. There's no need in worrying about the Dark Arts finding their way into Hogwarts again. I continue venturing towards Draco's and my common room.
Finally, I reach the door to the common room and draw the pattern, revealing the door. I go inside and begin searching for Draco. Just as I predicted, he is asleep on the couch. Since a fire is blazing in the fireplace, he doesn't have on a blanket or a shirt. His face is relaxed, and it makes him look even younger. I place my hand on his head, stroking his hair, despite my uncertainty of our relationship's standing.
Suddenly, he jerks, his face contorting into a look of agony. He grasps his left arm, and emits a cry of pain. I gasp and place my hands on the side of his face.
"Draco! Draco, wake up! It's just a dream! You're asleep," I yell, but he continues to writhe. I grab his hand, the one that's not gripping his arm. "Wake up!"
Finally, he shudders. His gray eyes pop open, and he sits up. For a few seconds, he looks around frantically, as if looking for someone. But when he sees me, his face and posture relaxes.
"Hermione," He sighs, wrapping me in his embrace. I hug him back, alarmed, and I can feel how fast his heart is beating.
"Draco," I respond, "what happened?" He pulls back and looks at me straight in my eyes, leaving just a hand on my shoulder. A slight smile emerges at the edge of his lips.
"Good morning," He says.
"Same to you," I reply, and he looks down at his bare chest, pulling his pillow out from behind him and placing it in front of him.
"I'm sorry, I'm indecent," He laughs, and I grin, standing up.
"That you are," I joke, "We're going to Hogsmeade today. Do you want to come?"
"Really? That's today?" He asks, looking surprised, "Yeah, of course I'll come, just give me a minute."
"I'll wait outside," I say, walking outside of the door. I only wait outside for about a minute before he emerges. The sight of him is almost breathtaking. He's in a baby blue, long-sleeved polo shirt that brings out his eyes, and his hair- which the shirt also enhances- is neatly combed. I can smell his cologne. He offers me his arm. I take it and we start walking towards the courtyard.
"Don't I feel underdressed?" I laugh, and he looks me up and down. I'm in a pair of jeans and a pink short-sleeved shirt since we don't have to wear our robes to Hogsmeade.
"Oh, come on. You look brilliant." He assures me, and I feel myself blush.
"How nice of you." I answer, and he smiles. As I expected, neither of us mention last night. In a way, I am relieved by this, but I am also curious: are we really dating, or was that part just a dream? Sure, I suppose the answer is pretty clear in this moment, given the fact that our arms are interlocked as we venture down the corridor, and that he said I look brilliant.
"Hermione!" Someone shouts from behind me, and when I turn around, I see that it's Harry. Instinctively, I pull my arm away from Draco's and step away from him.
"Yes?" I ask, breathing hard. That was close. Harry can't know about Draco and me for a while.
"Can I talk to you," he inquires, and, upon looking at Draco, adds, "alone?"
I nod, and Draco walks away, suddenly becoming very interested in a random portrait on the wall. Harry grabs my wrist and pulls me even farther away from Draco.
"What is it?" I ask, hoping it isn't about Draco, but knowing that it will be.
"Yesterday Ron told me he was going to be at the Quidditch pitch-"
Oh Merlin, no.
"-so I went looking for him."
It feels like a weight has been dropped onto my shoulders. I steal a glance at Draco over Harry's shoulder; he's watching us with his eyebrows raised, probably aware of where this is going.
"Oh, yeah? Did you find him?" I ask, acting oblivious.
"No, I didn't see Ron." He looks me dead in the eyes, electric green meeting dark brown.
"Oh, I'm sorry-" I begin, but he cuts me off.
"But I did see something else."
My heart rate increases rapidly. What is he going to say? How angry will he be? I can't lose Ron and him as a friend. I simply can't. I look away from him, down at the floor. But now at least I know that it wasn't a dream.
"Hermione."
What am I supposed to say? Yeah, Harry, I did kiss our worst enemy, but it'd be terribly foolish to be mad about it.
"Harry, I-" I begin, but I have no idea what I'm going to say, so I abruptly stop talking. Harry's lips are pursed.
"Why, Hermione? How did it come to that?" He asks.
"You don't understand, Harry, what he's been through-"
"But look at what he's put us through!" Harry's voice is rising to a shout, and I signal for him to quiet down; Draco is still looking at us.
"It's not- That wasn't this Draco! If you just gave him a chance-" I explain, keeping my voice low.
"You're throwing your trust around like it's disposable, like it's no big deal! That's not the Hermione I know." This hits me like a blow in the stomach. I haven't changed; Draco has. But maybe he has changed me, too.
"He worked for the man who killed my parents!" Harry yells, and this sends me over the edge.
"SHUT UP ABOUT MY BOYFRIEND, HARRY!" I scream, breathing hard with anger. Harry is taken aback and his jaw drops. He starts shaking his head slowly.
"Look," I say, very calmly despite my previous outburst, "Draco really has changed. You can choose whether to believe me or not. But whether you do or don't, I'm not going to lose our friendship over this, okay?" He nods his head, and unexpectedly hugs me.
"I'm sorry, Hermione." He says, and he pulls away and looks at me in the eyes, now without any harshness.
I nod and answer, "It's okay, Harry. Now, I think Ginny might be looking for you."
I walk past him and towards Draco. When I turn around to find Harry, I am quite surprised to see him following me. What is he doing? When we reach Draco, none of us say anything for a second, until he finally sticks out his hand.
"Draco," He simply says, and Draco takes his hand and shakes it.
"Harry." Seeing Harry shake hands with Draco means so much to me. Harry overcame his indifferences with Draco for me, which shows how valuable our friendship is to him.
They both give a curt nod, and Harry turns to me. "I'll see you in Hogsmeade." He says with a faint smile.
"See you then." I smile back at him, but mine is much more noticeable. Harry walks away, leaving Draco and me alone.
"Y-You can go with him if you want. Don't feel obligated to stay with me today." He stutters, and I look at him, interlocking our arms.
"Draco, I want to stay with you." I assure him, and he smiles.
"So, do I want to know what that was about?" He asks, looking at me as we walk down the corridor.
"Probably not, but I'll tell you anyway: long story short, he saw us," At his puzzled look, I add, "on the Quidditch pitch."
His eyes widen. "Oh my- I didn't see him, or else I wouldn't have-"
"Shh, Draco. I don't have any regrets and neither should you. It's no big deal now. We mulled it over."
"Hermione, if being with me is going to cause so much trouble in your life, then-" I cut him off, moving to stand in front of him.
"Being with you overrules anything that may happen. Can't you see how happy you make me?" I flash an over-exaggerated grin, and he laughs.
"Good, because I wasn't going to let you get away that easily anyway." He jokes, and I chuckle, playfully punching his arm.
* * *
"Where do you want to go?"
Draco and I arrived in Hogsmeade about five minutes ago. It's packed with people, and we have to talk loudly to be able to hear each other. I point straight ahead, and we begin to walk. It's quite hot outside today; I can feel drops of sweat forming on my forehead. Although since it's the end of September, it should be cooling down a bit. I can hardly wait to get into a store where they'll have cooling spells, the wizard version of air conditioners.
There are quite a few older wizards in Hogsmeade today. Ever since Voldemort was vanquished, everyone seems to be extra cheery and sociable, which is quite understandable. People smile and wave at me since I am one of The Boy who Lived's closest friends. But then again, some of the same people give me odd stares as they notice who I'm walking with.
When we reach the store I pointed to, Draco looks up and reads the name aloud. "Madam Puddifoot's?" He asks in a condescending voice, obviously not too thrilled with the idea of visiting such a frilly tea shop.
"I know it's cheesy, but their tea is the best." I explain, and he shrugs, holding the door open for me. Immediately, an elderly wizard in pink robes rushes up to us.
"A table for two?" She asks, smiling, which exposes her measly amount of teeth. Draco nods, and we follow her across the shop to a table in the far back corner.
The last time I was in here, I thought they just had it decorated for Valentine's Day: how wrong I was! The place is still covered in hearts with frilly, pink tablecloths, and tiny Cupids flying around. It definitely has the potential to create an awkward environment for people who enter it unknowingly.
"I didn't know this place was this... delicate." I admit, and Draco looks around. I can tell he's stifling a laugh.
"It quite accurately captures my inner essence." He jokes, and I laugh heartily. The waitress comes over to us, holding a notepad and quill.
"What can I get you?" She asks, and Draco and I look at each other. Neither of us know what to order. "May I suggest the Tea du Jour? It's a lovely blend of peaches and mint herbs."
"Two of those," Draco tells her, and she writes it down on her notepad, skipping away. Draco transfers his gaze from the waitress to me.
"I suppose it is quite a lovely place for a first date." He says, beaming. I didn't even think about that. This is our first date.
"I suppose so." I answer.
"I've never been in here before," He comments, "with good reason, too."
"Oh, come on, Draco. It isn't that bad."
"I was joking, you know. I'd rather be here with you than without you anywhere else." He grins at me, and I do the same to him. I never realized just how charming he was.
Ever since this morning, a particular thought has been tugging at the edge of my mind: what was Draco dreaming about that had him so scared? I want to ask him now, but I feel that it would ruin the mood.
"Your tea," The waitress, who has crept up unexpectedly, announces, putting down two small cups of tea before both of us. Draco reaches into his pocket, pulls out a couple of Galleons, and gives them to the waitress. She thanks him and scurries away. I take a sip of the tea. It's warm, and the taste is refreshing.
"This is bloody awful!" Draco exclaims, and I can't help but giggle at his expression. His eyes are shut tight, his nose crinkled.
"It's an acquired taste." I inform him, and he shakes his head, wincing. "I'm sorry that it didn't live up to your expectations, drama queen," I joke, and I reach over and take his cup of tea. "but I'm quite fond of it. No sense in wasting it anyway."
A few minutes later, I have finished both cups of tea, and I figure that now is as good of a time as any to finally ask about his dream.
"Draco?"
"Yeah?" He looks up at me.
"This morning... what were you dreaming about?" I ask. He purses his lips and looks at the empty cups of tea. He doesn't say anything for about a minute, but he finally speaks.
"It's not important. It's just a dream."
"Please, tell me. I want to know what was bothering you. You looked so... hurt." I plead.
"Later, okay?" He says, and I know that it's not really a question. And with that, he looks over my shoulder, out of the window. For a second, a look of disbelief registers on his face, and I can almost hear him gasp as he squints his eyes. I whip around, but all I see is a retreating figure.
"What was that?" I ask, and he looks back at me. He seems to regain his composure as he smiles at me.
"You really do look brilliant today, Hermione." He compliments me, and he stands up. Realizing that I'm not going to let the subject go, he adds, "I-I thought I saw my dad, but it wasn't him. He's in Azkaban, anyway."
I nod, even though I'm not entirely sure if I believe him. I stand up beside him and together we walk out of the shop and back into the crowd of people.