Hermione entered her flat and carefully placed Crookshanks on the floor. She let out a shacky breath, pressing a hand on her chest. For some reason, Draco's words and expression made her feel very uncomfortable. For the first time she felt almost scared of him. She shook her head quickly, trying to clear her mind. His words hurt her more than she dared to admit. All this time she had tried to be nice, to get to know him, but apparently he did not want anything to do with her.
"So, how did it go with your gorgeous neighbor?" Ginny's voice snapped Hermione back to reality.
Due to the shock, she had momentarily forgotten that she had visitors. Harry and Ginny came to see her, wanting to make sure she was not feeling lonely. At Ginny's words, Harry looked at Hermione intently. He had told Ginny all about his conversation with Malfoy and now it was the first time he was seeing Hermione after he found out about what happened in the past.
"I think he was really upset this time." Hermione said airily, trying to sound casual, but Harry quickly picked up on the hurt in her voice. "I really don't understand why Crookshanks is doing this."
"Maybe he likes Malfoy." Ginny snickered, earning a small frown from Harry. "I'm sure he wasn't that upset, Hermione. Maybe you just caught him in a bad mood." She added quickly, seeing Hermione's pensive look.
"Well, I think you should just stay away from him entirely." Harry piped up, clearing his throat, stubbornly avoiding Hermione's curious look.
"Yes, you've kept telling me that several times now. Why, if I may ask, must I stay away from him?" she asked Harry, frowning slightly.
"Because... well because he's a git, that's why." Harry finished with a nod.
"But you've never met him." Hermione said exasperatedly.
"I don't have to. What kind of name is Draco Malfoy anyway? It's a stupid name and he is a stupid bloke." Harry concluded with a huff, avoiding to look at any of the girls.
"Harry!" Hermione said sharply. "You're being unfair and rude."
"Yes, and a bit silly if you ask me." Ginny said, looking at him pointedly.
"Anyway, let's talk about something else." Harry said quickly, sensing the dangerous grounds he was treading on. "Is everything ready for the house-warming party on Saturday?"
"Ah yes, I wanted to ask you." Hermione said, suddenly forgetting all about Draco Malfoy. "Have you written to Neville? Is he coming?"
"Yes. He and Dean and Seamus are all coming." Harry nodded with a smile.
"Luna and Cho as well." Ginny said.
"Perfect. Ron and Lavender have written back saying they might run a little late, but they will be sure to come." Hermione said contently.
She remained silent for a moment, thinking how excited she was to see all her friends. Harry and Ron, now full-time Aurors and colleagues, together with Ginny, were a constant presence in her life, but she had not seen the rest in almost two years.
The newest addition to her closest circle of friends was Lavender Brown. They were never very close while at Hogwarts, but since Ron had started going out with Lavender, Hermione slowly changed her opinion about her. The girl had changed much since the war and was still getting accustomed to being a werewolf after Greyback had bitten her during the Battle of Hogwarts. Ron's family, especially Bill, had helped her a lot during the first months, and soon after that, Ron started having real feelings for her. At first, Hermione had been surprised to know about their relationship, but she soon warmed up to the idea. The same went for the Weasleys, who eventually welcomed Lavender into their family.
"I think Parvati and Padma might come, though. From what I heard, they are going out with Seamus and Dean." Ginny said with a grin, arousing Hermione out of her thoughts.
"That's great." Hermione said, genuinely happy for her friends.
An hour later, Harry and Ginny were back at their place, leaving Hermione to rest.
"Do you really have to be so mean about it?" Ginny suddenly asked Harry.
"Mean about what?" Harry looked at her in confusion.
"About her wanting to get close to Malfoy."
"She doesn't remember him, Ginny, and there is no need for her to get close to him." Harry said, tensing up under Ginny's stern look.
"I know she doesn't remember anything related to him, Harry, but perhaps that's a good thing. Maybe they can get a fresh start, get to know each other. You yourself told me he looks like he's changed."
"I know what I said, and he has changed. Never heard a bad thing about him since he went abroad, and he also helped catch a lot of Dark Wizards during his travels." Harry admitted. "But Ginny this is different." He added hastily, seeing his wife's smile.
"And how is it different?" she insisted, crossing her arms, and raising her eyebrows, reminding Harry so much of Mrs. Weasley.
"It's... well it's... it's about Hermione and... she will end up getting hurt if she gets involved with him." Harry nodded stubbornly, knowing full well his argument was weak and rather lame.
Ginny snorted and shook her head. She knew very well there was no need for an answer.
***
Friday came and Hermione thought about getting some fresh air after coming back from work. It was the end of August and the weather was nice. The small park in front of the building she lived in looked so inviting, that Hermione decided to grab a book, sit on a bench, and read. A few hours went by in this pleasant manner. Hermione read her favorite book, enjoying the banter and growing affections of a certain dashing Mr. Darcy and a witty Elizabeth. A warm wind was blowing, making her hair sway slightly, bringing with it the sweet smells of flowers.
The sky soon grew dark, but Hermione continued to read, unaware that someone was watching her from afar. Draco Malfoy was out on his terrace, enjoying the breeze and the cooler air of the evening. As soon as he looked around he saw Hermione sitting on a bench, reading and he simply could not take his eyes away from her distant figure. Despite his mind telling him to turn around and ignore her, he just could not. The image of Hermione calmly reading, gently brushing her brown hair out of her eyes when a stronger wind blew it around, or the way she shifted on the spot, trying to find a more comfortable position, all this fascinated him. He somehow felt closer to her, closer to knowing more about her.
"You do realize that you act like a bloody stalker, right?" Blaise's sudden voice made Draco jump.
Blaise was leaning against the doorframe, looking almost pityingly at his friend.
"Why don't you just go out there and talk to her? Isn't that loads better than sitting here and pinning over her."
"I'm not pinning over her." Draco snapped, crossing his arms defensively.
"No, you're right. It's not pinning. You're wishfully thinking about being there with her." Blaise mocked.
"Shut up, Zabini." Draco snarled, giving Blaise a dirty look.
"Suit yourself, Malfoy, but trust me when I say, you will end up regretting this." Blaise said in a serious voice before turning back and entering the flat, leaving Draco alone with his thoughts.
Draco glanced at the park, his eyes fixing on Hermione's form for a moment. With a small jerk he leaned back into his chair, rubbing his face, letting out a deep sigh into his hands. He felt tired and confused, not knowing what to do. Half of him knew it was best to stay away, but the selfish half kept urging him to take advantage of the situation and get close to Hermione, getting to know her without fear of being hated for what he used to be.
With a groan he got up and was about to get inside when he decided to take a last look at her. He turned his head and saw her, turning the page. He could not see her face, but he somehow knew she was enjoying herself. She seemed at peace and relaxed. So relaxed that she did not take notice of the noisy group of men that were approaching her.
Draco froze in his spot, frowning and watching intently as the men noticed Hermione sitting on the bench. They nudged each other and closed in on her, whistling and making rude remarks. When he saw one of the men taking a sit next to her, Draco felt his blood raising to his head. He immediately took out his wand and Apparated near the park.
Thank you all for reading this story! Curious what happens next? Well stay tuned for the next update ;) Until tomorrow! Have a wonderful day!