'Granger, move over!' demanded Draco as he slid into the chair next to her. He looked pointedly at the sheets of parchment which were scattered over the small desk. Hermione didn't notice his stare as she played with a beautiful ring on her finger, 'Granger, I can't believe you are the one that is tutoring me! What is that git Dumbledore playing at?!'
'Dumbledore has got me tutoring other people too, Malfoy. It's not just you who gets the special treatment,' Hermione lied straight to his - she was getting better at it too, she noticed. Hermione waved her wand swiftly and the parchments gathered in a pile in front of her so that Draco had space for his own work that he had with him... the lack of work, Hermione thought as she watched him take out the notes he had done in class today. Draco had only a parchment full of notes while Hermione had five parchment. She shrugged this off, 'I think we should start off with that Potions assignment that Snape set us.'
'Oh, please!' Draco snorted, leaning back in his chair with his quill in his hands. Hermione closed her eyes and tried to remain calm at his arrogance, it was a hard thing to do too, 'I can do that assignment better in an hour than you can in a day.'
'I'm trying to help you, Malfoy,' Hermione said, turning to watch him as his eyes darted to the clock like he did every time they were here. Anger sped through her and she sighed, 'whoever you're so anxious to meet can wait until we are done studying, Malfoy!'
'I'm not anxious to meet anyone. Although, I am pretty anxious to get away from you, mudblood,' Draco sneered and the four legs of the chair hit the ground with a thud that made Hermione's heart flip and he glared at her, 'I'm sure Weasley won't be anxious to meet you.'
'I thi-think we should d-do-' Hermione muttered, ignoring his harmful jibes, and she started to sort through the parchment to find some other piece of work they could study. Draco, however, knew how much he was getting to her and he planned on getting her to snap.
'I saw him the other day, you know. He was on the fourth floor with that hot brunette, you know the one that won't let go of him or his lips? She could give Pansy a run for her money, the little... anyway, what's her name? You know it, don't you, Granger? Of course you do, you’ve probably researched everything about her. Come on then, tell me her name. Something to do with a flower... you do know who I'm talking about, don't you?' Draco was not tiring from his make-Hermione-so-jealous-so-that-she-snaps game.
He shifted his body a little towards her so that he could see her clearly. Every raw emotion that passed through her face, changing every second until finally she snapped. Hermione stood up suddenly, pushing her chair backwards so it hit the wall of books behind her and a few toppled to the ground helplessly. She slammed the textbook shut and gathered her papers. Draco had never seen her look so careless and angry as she swiped all her books, parchments and quills into her bag. Usually she was so careful with her books.
'Oh, Granger. Love hurts doesn't it?' Draco said, smirking as he got to his feet, leaving everything behind, and started to follow her down the cold and dark library. Hermione ignored him and Draco chuckled slightly but he soon stopped short when he saw that she was crying. Draco grabbed her arms, spun her around and kept a tight hold on her. Hermione tried to glare at him but he rolled his eyes, 'I'm not letting you leave if you don't stop crying! People will think that I... took advantage of you or something. Of course, they know that I would never do anything with a mudblood... especially one that is as ugly as-’
'You're a real git, Malfoy!' Hermione shouted and if anyone else had been in the library at that time, Draco would have threatened her with his wand if she didn't stop shouting. Luckily, it was an hour before curfew and nobody - except Hermione, presumed Draco - came to the library at this time. So he let her shout, 'haven't you ever loved a girl who got together with another person?! Have you never had your heart broken?'
'Nope. I've never loved a girl,' Draco stated and Hermione grew still. Draco let her arms go suddenly as though he had just realised he was touching someone with bad blood.
'What about Pansy?' asked Hermione, hitching her bag up on her shoulder and straightening her hair with her hands to make it look a little less wild, which seemed to be impossible.
'Pansy and I have a relationship but it isn't love,' then Draco smirked, 'well, not romantically. Physically... that's a different story.’
'You're making me sick,' Hermione moaned and turned her back on him, 'how you treat girls is appalling!'
'You mean 'appealing', don't you? You are just so... naive, Granger. I don't ask girls to be with me, they volunteer,' Draco leaned against the bookshelf and sighed as he looked at her. Hermione wiped away her tears and sniffed a little. She turned to face him, 'are you a virgin?'
'I... I don't... think-' Hermione stuttered, her mouth falling open at the simplicity and unorthodox question. He really had no idea how to talk around girls. Draco raised his eyebrow and interrupted with a full on smirk on his face.
'You don't think so? Who's the poor man who had to bear you in bed?' asked Draco and then he chuckled as Hermione let out a frustrated groan, ‘were you studying with him too? Isn’t that all you do – study?’
'I meant.... I don't think you should be asking that sort of question! Hasn't your mother taught you any manners?' asked Hermione, a little angrily. She hated it that he was taking words out of her mouth - words that she had never even said in the first place!
She let her bag fall off her shoulder until she had it grasped in her hand like a weapon. Without thinking and in a spur of anger, she threw the bag towards Draco to get rid of that stupid arrogant smirk on his face. Draco had already anticipated her reaction and the smirk grew wider as he waved his wand in that split second and Hermione's bag burst open revealing all of her books, parchments and all of the other things she needed and were important to her. The books fell with a thud to the ground and Hermione let out a strangled sound. Her ripped bag floated like a leaf to land on top of the mess that Draco had created as though it was the cheery on top of the bitter cake.
They stared at the mess for a few seconds and there was no other noise after what had just happened. Draco looked up at Hermione and saw her shocked, annoyed and a little helpless expression. The hilarity of the situation caught up with Draco and the smirk that he had been wearing cracked as he opened his mouth and bellowed a spurt of loud laughter. Draco nearly doubled over and clutched his stomach since he could not stop laughing. He didn't notice when Hermione extracted her wand and muttered a spell under her breath, pointing it towards Draco. Suddenly his hair turned a bright red colour, almost like the Weasley's and the best part was that... Draco hadn't even noticed.
'I hope you're happy, Malfoy,' Hermione muttered and waved her wand. All of her belongings soared through the air towards her and Hermione nearly fell from all the weight. She steadied herself and tried to keep a hold of everything in her hands. Draco's laughter just got a little more pronounced as he held up her ripped bag. He calmed down a little and then muttered 'reparo'. The bag twitched in his hands a little and then seemed to sew itself up so that it looked brand new. Hermione turned a bright red as Draco waved his wand and all the books in her hands settled themselves into her bag.
'Are you sure you're a witch?' he asked, handing her the bag. Hermione just glowered at him and Draco held up his hands in surrender, 'It was pretty funny though, you must admit!'
'I found nothing funny at all about this whole situation!' Hermione yelled, her eyes darting to his newly red hair and she turned on her heel, making for the door. She got to the door and then turned to face Draco whose eyes were a little below her face. She shook her head to show her disgust and then left the room with a bang of the door.
Draco used the spell Accio to get his belongings and they came to him, one by one. The smile on his face didn't leave him as he left the room. He started to make his way to the room of requirement and only then did his smile fade. He had work to do now. No time for silly games or annoying mudbloods. A red headed Draco, who had no idea why he was getting weird looks, went into the room of requirements for another attempt at fixing the Vanishing Cabinet.
---
*Earlier*
‘I don’t understand why it has to be me?’ Hermione tried desperately to explain to them that she was not able to do what they wanted her to, ‘he hates me! He doesn’t miss an opportunity to call me a mudblood!’
‘It must be you, Miss Granger,’ Dumbledore said, patiently. Respect rose for the old professor in Hermione’s heart. They had been debating over this situation for a while now and Dumbledore had never once lost his temper or became impatient, ‘you are really smart,’ (Hermione blushed a little at this), ‘and we need a capable body to watch out for Draco Malfoy and the only way you can do that is if he is forced to spend time with you.’
‘Hermione, I agree,’ Harry said, sitting next to her. Ron was on her other side but she paid him no attention. She was angry at him and didn't hide it in the slightest. He could snog Lavender all he wanted, Hermione thought bitterly. She turned to look at her best friend, Harry Potter, ‘you have to watch out for him. As Dumbledore says he has something to hide and we need somebody to find out what it is. You can pretend to tutor him and that’ll work out fine because, let’s admit it, you are the smartest out of the three of us and there is no way we can get someone else to do our dirty work.’
‘So I tutor him...’ Hermione started uncertainly, glancing at Dumbledore who was unwrapping a sweet with a little smile on his face.
‘You must not let him know that we are, as the young ones say, onto him,’ Dumbledore said calmly, ‘try and be nice to him. Draco Malfoy is not a bad man, he has just been forced into that position whether you believe it or not.’
‘Fine, Professor Dumbledore. I will tutor him,’ Hermione nodded and Dumbledore smiled. He leaned forward and offered her a sweet which Hermione refused with a little smile. Dumbledore urged them to take one and Harry, Ron and Hermione did so reluctantly. All of their eyes glanced at Dumbledore’s blackened hand and then they looked away quickly.
Their was a quick rasp at the door and it opened to reveal Professor Snape. His black and essentially soulless eyes went from Ron to Hermione then to Harry. He walked in, his cloak billowing behind him as though there was a wind in the room.
‘You wished to see me, Headmaster?’ he asked in his usual voice. His nose turned up slightly and Harry glared at him which Snape ignored.
‘Yes, Severus, right after I dismiss these three,’ Dumbledore said and the trio took this as their turn to leave. They left quickly and closed the door behind them. Snape cast a spell which stopped people from listening to their conversation since he didn’t trust that Harry and his friends had left them yet. Snape guessed he had his ear pressed against the door but the spell would stop him from hearing anything.
‘The curse, Albus,’ Snape said abruptly and he moved over to Dumbledore. He took his blackened hand and inspected it carefully, ‘the curse will remain in your hand for the time being... It will spread, Albus.’
‘How long?’ asked Dumbledore without a pause. He had accepted his death for he believed that he had lived a long life. Happy was not in the description. His life had not been happy at all, quite the contrary. Snape looked up at him and the black eyes met Dumbledore’s. Snape recognised that tone and wondered why he wasn’t fighting for his life like any other sane person would. But Dumbledore was not sane and everyone knew that – insanely brilliant, he was.
‘Maybe a year,’ Snape muttered and in one swift movement he was on his feet and turned his back on Dumbledore.
‘Don’t ignore me, Severus,’ Dumbledore said, the small smile that had been adorning his face was long gone. Snape stopped and turned halfway towards the dying man, ‘we both know Lord Voldemort had ordered the Malfoy boy to murder me. We also know that Draco Malfoy is not a bad person. He doesn’t deserve this and he won’t kill me.’
‘If you know that then why are you involving the Granger girl?’ asked Snape although he knew why Hermione was being asked to stay close to Draco. Snape scoffed angrily, ‘love will the boy nowhere, Albus.’
‘He has feelings for Hermione Granger but he is afraid to act on them because of the dark lord and his family. He needs to realise how important she is to him, Severus. He will change for her, mark my words,’ Dumbledore said and shook his head before getting to the matter at hand, ‘should he fail the act of murdering me, I should presume the dark lord will turn to you, Severus.’
Snape paused and a flicker of emotion barely passed his face. He didn't believe what Dumbledore was trying to say to him until he said it out loud.
‘You must be the one to kill me, Severus,’ Dumbledore said, never removing his eyes off the black eyes that had an ability to love Lily Potter, which Dumbledore never would have guessed, ‘It is the only way. Only then will the dark lord trust you completely. There will come a time where Harry Potter must be told something but you must wait until Lord Voldemort is at his most vulnerable.’
‘Must be told what?’ asked Snape, standing in the middle of the room. There was a horrible pause where Dumbledore closed his eyes for an infinity before opening them in what looked like pain.
‘On the night Lord Voldemort went to Godric’s Hollow to kill Harry and Lily Potter cast herself between them... the curse... rebounded. When that happened, a part of Voldemort’s soul latched itself onto Harry. There is a reason Harry can talk to snakes. There is a reason he can look into Lord Voldemort’s mind. A part... of Voldemort... lives inside him,’ Dumbledore explained, watching to see if Snape understood what he was trying to say.
‘So when the time comes... the boy must die?’ Snape asked with a frown. Dumbledore nodded solemnly and grabbed the back of the chair for support.
‘Yes, he must die.’
‘You’ve kept him alive so he can die at the proper moment,’ Snape never blinked, didn't move and just stared at Dumbledore as though Snape didn't think he realised what was happening, ‘you’ve been raising him like a pig for slaughter!’
‘Don’t tell me now that you’ve grown to care for the boy?’ Dumbledore stated.
Severus Snape didn't take his eyes off of the man he had been loyal to all of these years. Words were not strong enough to describe his feelings so Snape grabbed his wand and muttered ‘expecto patronum’ as he waved his wand over his head. A beautiful white doe galloped out of his wand and they followed it with his eyes for a second until it jumped through the window, disappearing unlike the love Snape felt for Lily Potter.
‘Lily,’ Dumbledore uttered, turning to Snape in disbelief, ‘after all this time?’
A memory flashed in Snape’s head. He was holding Lily on the floor, surrounded by all the mess that seemed to reflect how his head was feeling. The coldness of her body was pressing onto him and tears leaked from Snape’s eyes as though he had never cried before in his life. He let them fall, ignoring the incessant wailing of the toddler behind him and the half legs that belonged to James Potter who had fallen in front of the door. He cried for his lost love, for all the things he had been through just to get to this moment to see Lily Potter dead. Snape snapped back to reality and uttered the one word that seemed to weigh more than a million other words.
‘Always.’
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A/N - I was trying to write my Fremione but I got bored and wrote Dramione instead. Then I got an idea and it turned into that ^ (the story above). I hope you like it, darlings <3