Hermione awoke with a start, not quite realizing why until Draco pulled her close to him again. She could see that the sun was only just beginning to rise through the window.
"How long have you been awake?"
"Most of the night."
"Really? I'm so sorry Draco I should have stayed up with you." Hermione's stomach dropped.
He turned towards her and gave her a half smile "Don't worry about it. I enjoyed watching you sleep." She took his hand and entwined their fingers, "and there is actually a lot on my mind," he continued. "The entire trial yesterday, speaking to my parents which I never thought I would do again... I've been thinking about my trial a lot too." He added slowly, in a reluctant tone.
"I missed your trial, you know, I was busy looking for my parents during the summer. I didn't even know it took place until school started. I meant to look it up and read up on what happened but the closer we became," she motioned with her hand between the two of them, "the more it seemed like an invasion of privacy."
Draco smirked "you Gryffindors are just too good and noble. I've told you before what happened. Potter and Professor McGonagall saved me." He sighed, rubbing his hand up and down on her arm. Slowly tracing lines over her forearm where he knew her scar laid hidden under her shirt. "After the trial, I spoke with Professor McGonagall briefly. she assured me I was to be on my best behaviour once returning to school. I remember her exact words: 'The Malfoy name is synonymous now with being a Death Eater. For the first time in your life you will understand what it is like to be judged based on something you have no control over. It is also the first time that you can no longer depend on your name, blood status or family money. This is your chance to actually make something of yourself. I hope you don't waste it.'
"She was right, you know. All summer long, wizards and witches would see me and start yelling at me or even try to hex me. I took to hiding out in our manor as much as possible until school started. I still receive threatening letters every day, and you can tell from our roommates behaviour towards me that nothing has really changed."
"Then you have to make it change!" Hermione said earnestly.
He smiled at her determination and naivety over the situation and shrugged. Hermione took his chin in her hands and forced him to look into her eyes. "Draco, you have changed. Look at everything that has happened this year. Look at us!" she blushed "the old Draco would never have considered this," she motioned towards their entwined bodies. "You have changed," she proclaimed earnestly. He shrugged brushing off her comments. There was a long pause when she realized he wasn't going to respond. She wanted him to keep talking. She wanted to hear everything. His hopes, dreams, fears. "What else did Professor McGonagall say?" she prompted softly.
"Not much. She took responsibility for me and my actions this year. The Ministry was very clear that if I stepped one toe out of line, I'd be back in Azcaban faster than a niffler who's picked up the scent of gold."
Hermione remembered something, "is that why you've never got into any fights this year? When we were in Hogsmeade and Ron was threatening you, you never pulled out your wand." She scrunched up her face as something else became clear, "even at the beginning of the year when Ernie was threatening you, you never pulled out your wand."
He nodded, with a half-smile, "I'd love to tell you it's just because I've become a bigger person but there is no way I'm going to back to Azcaban for Weasley or MacMillan."
"What was Azcaban like?" she asked softly.
Draco had a hollow, vacant look and Hermione immediately wished she could take back that question. Draco obviously didn't want to answer "I'll tell you some other time Hermione. For now, we'd better get up and to breakfast, if we don't want to miss any classes today." Hermione's eyes widened as she realized the time before jumping up and running around her room frantically getting ready.
*****
The next couple of weeks passed with Draco and Hermione sharing secret smiles and catching each other's eyes. They hadn't told anyone about what had happened between them and hadn't had any other serious discussions about their relationship, but they continued to spend all their available time together and anytime they found a moment alone typically ended up with a quick make out session behind a tapestry or in a secret passageway in the castle. Draco kept trying to sneak into Hermione's room at night, but was finding it impossible recently as Theo and Blaise tended to stay up late, and whenever Draco made to leave the room, they'd ask a lot of nosy questions with knowing looks on their faces which Draco seriously wanted to curse off. He could swear they were doing it on purpose just to get on his nerves. Hermione on the other hand, was much better at finding moments alone for the two of them. She seemed to always know when no one else was around. Draco had brought it up initially as a joke, but Hermione immediately became beet red and started stammering, making Draco realize she actually was hiding something from him. He kept trying to find out her secret, but she was tight lipped. Hermione, had remembered to send a very long thank you note to Harry for the Christmas gift and mention that she was putting it to good use.
Ginny was also constantly watching Hermione and kept bringing up Draco to gauge Hermione's reaction. Hermione wanted to talk to Ginny about it but really didn't know what to say to her. She wasn't sure what was going on with her and Draco but she was happier than she had felt in a long time and didn't want to mess it up by having the whole school know. She also knew that once it was out, it would be all over the Daily Prophet. A member of the Golden Trio dating a former Death Eater. Rita Skeeter would think she died and gone to heaven.
It was a Thursday afternoon when Hermione found herself leaving Professor McGonagall's office after discussing career options and heading to the library. Hermione was still not sure what she should do after Hogwarts. She wanted to make a difference in the wizarding world. Make the world a better place but just wasn't sure how to do that.
Hermione aimlessly wandered the library removing books from the shelves at random before returning each one and moving on. She was looking for something new and interesting to read but nothing was quite grabbing her attention.
As she passed the restricted section she saw the back of a familiar head of platinum blonde hair sitting at a table across from Theo, Blaise and Daphne. Hermione hesitated, she wanting to approach them but was unsure of the reception she would receive from Daphne. She let out a deep breath and started walking towards them. She wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing.
"Hey guys," she greeted them as she took the empty chair next to Draco. Draco frantically closed the textbook he was reviewing and tried to stuff it in his bag with his notes.
"What were you looking at?" asked Hermione, genuinely intrigued. Based on Draco's reaction, he was clearly trying to hide something from her. She glanced up and saw the huge grins on the other Slytherins' faces.
"Yeah Draco, what was that you were reading?" asked Theo innocently.
"Nothing." Draco was giving a death glare across the table which caused the other three to break into peals of laughter.
Hermione did not enjoy being the only one in the dark about what Draco was hiding. She thought that he cared for her and now he was clearly hiding something from her. "Come on Draco, you can tell me."
"It's honestly nothing Granger."
Hermione considered leaving it be, for about three seconds, but based on the expressions on Blaise and Theo's faces she just had to know. Even Daphne seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself.
One of Draco's notes flew out of his bag and straight into Hermione's hand as she wandlessly and non-verbally performed the accio spell. Draco frantically grabbed at it, but he was a second too late and Hermione already scanned the page, her mouth falling open as she read it. She glanced up, eyes popping open in utter disbelief at Draco, who she was even further shocked to see was blushing. She had never seen him anything but composed before.
"This can't be what I think it is?"
She looked at Draco who was remaining as stoic as possible and then towards the rest of the table who looked like it was Christmas morning.
"Please tell us Hermione, what does it look like?" asked Blaise as seriously as possible which was ruined a second later when he snorted trying to hold in his laughter.
"Draco, since when have you been interested in this?" she asked again.
Draco let out a deep sigh, "if you must know Granger, I'm taking Muggle Studies."
Theo was gasping for air as he was laughing so hard. "Princess, Princess, ask him why none of the other eighth years told you about this!"
That was a fair question. Draco Malfoy taking Muggle Studies would have been huge gossip and by this time in the year, Hermione should have heard about it. There were a few other eighth years in the course and Hermione spoke to them quite often. How was it possible she didn't know.
Draco looked like he was going to jinx Theo on the spot. He let out a breath and turned towards Hermione, "because I'm taking first year Muggle Studies so I'm taking classes with the third years."
This was too much for Blaise, Daphne and Theo who were killing themselves laughing, gasping for air. Hermione thought they may actually start rolling on the floor they were laughing so hard. Hermione would have joined in except she was still in shock.
"You three out!" Madame Pince yelled suddenly making the entire table jump. Hermione wasn't surprised. They weren't exactly being quiet and Madame Pince hated anyone making noise in her library. Blaise, Theo and Daphne quickly got up and strolled out, still trying to repress their laughter. Leaving Draco and Hermione alone.
"Why are you taking Muggle Studies? You've never struck me as one who is that interested in muggles." Hermione said slyly. Draco looked at her and let out a huff before visibly relaxing.
"It was part of the terms of my release. After Professor McGonagall had me reinstated to Hogwarts she required that I enroll in Muggle Studies to have a better understanding of the muggle population. I clearly couldn't start taking this course with the eighth years since I had never taken it before." He paused taking in Hermione's expression, "wipe that smirk off your face Granger. It's not that funny."
Hermione tried and failed to maintain a serious expression. "How are you liking it?"
"I just don't understand it. How can people live like this? No magic! I don't understand how they get anything done and how living this type of life could even be interesting or fun."
Hermione's smile vanished as she dryly responded "it may shock you to know that people can easily live without magic and still have fulfilling lives."
"Yeah I guess," he said clearly disbelieving.
Hermione was about to respond but caught herself. She didn't want to start fighting with Draco over this. She could appreciate that it must be difficult for him to understand what the non-magical world would be like, having never experienced it. It would be just like how she felt when she found out she was a witch for the first time. She spent that entire summer before first year imagining what Hogwarts would be like but she really didn't know. That was one of the reasons she read all of her textbooks before arriving at school. She wanted to be as prepared as possible and understand as much as she could. Clearly for Draco, reading was not helping him understand muggles. It was time for some firsthand experience.