sekkoon

CHAPTER 3

:::::Hermione stared into Draco Malfoy’s cold blue eyes, which met her glare unblinkingly.

“Yes well. Your cousin.. she murdered my…” Hermione began, wondering why she was defending herself for killing a Death Eater, when Malfoy interrupted.

“Yes yes, I know… she killed Weasel.” He replied, not a touch of sympathy in his voice.
Hermione’s throat burned with anger. How could he talk about him like that? Like his death didn’t even matter?

“And you would know this again how Malfoy? Seeing as how you ran off and hid like a coward and all… did you have a good view from your hiding spot?” Hermione asked, taunting him with her witty remarks.

Draco’s sneer had been removed with a look that could freeze lava.

“If you must know Granger. The details were relayed to me by my dear mother.” Draco answered honestly. His voice lightening at the end of his sentence. Softening, with what seemed, love for his mother.

Hermione was not touched. Anger was still boiling in her stomach from the remark about Ron.

“Was that before or after the Dementors dragged her into Azkaban? Since we are talking about murderers and all…” Hermione asked, conversationally.

All at once, Malfoy had her pinned to a wall, his wand pointing between her eyes.

“Don’t talk about my mother.” He spoke clearly, with anger and hurt washing through every syllable.

Draco released Hermione who remained standing still, her eyes focused on Malfoy’s. Malfoy seemed to collapse into the seat, his face beet red.

Hermione had never seen Malfoy show emotion of any kind, and although he was working hard to keep the one’s flowing through his body hidden, Hermione detected the pain and guilt that he was going through, and involuntarily, her heart softened.

“I’m… I’m sorry.” Hermione said, knowing it was the right thing to do. Draco Malfoy or not, what she had said had been way out of line.

Draco looked up at her from his sitting position. He did nothing but nod that he heard her.

“So.. er… Your Head Boy?” Hermione began, trying to make conversation and get over the awkwardness.

Draco looked at her again, and simply nodded, with a look on his face that screamed “obviously”.

“Well.. um.. If you don’t mind me asking.. how exactly did you get picked for Head boy?” Hermione asked innocently.
“Are you implying I am not capable Granger?” Malfoy spat, his defenses rising.

Hermione blushed in many different beautiful shades of red.

“No! No! I wasn’t implying that at all! No I just wondered… well.. on my letter it told me that qualities that I was chosen as Head Girl upon! I just figured yours did the same! Sorry. Stupid question! Shouldn’t have asked! Of course it would be personal! Of course. I really didn’t mean it like it sounded!” Hermione rambled, speaking very fast. Suddenly realizing how insulting that must sound.

But to Hermione’s surprise Draco began laughing, a first for Hermione to witness.

“Chill out!” He laughed. “I was only jesting you! You honestly wanna know what my note said? It said that Justin Flinch-Fletchy was first pick, but his mother didn’t want him to go back to Hogwarts without Dumbledore there so she sent him to some fancy private school. And obviously Potter and Weasel couldn’t take the position. Zane Ridige was the other option, but he refused the title, because Ravenclaws are ‘oh so humble’ .. so that left me. And here I am. How could I refuse when that had no one left?” Malfoy laughed again, but there was bitterness in this laugh that had not been present in the one former.

Hermione stared at Malfoy in shock. Her eyes as round as galleons.

“Oh. Well.. I erm.. was just wondering..” Hermione said weakly, having no other reply.

“Yeah. Loads of people wondered how a former Death Eater could have been made top authority of the peers at Hogwarts. But h3ll, they didn’t have many other options did they? I mean, my grades are actually at the top ten, believe it or not.”

Now this did come as a shock to Hermione. Malfoy had always seemed so… dim. But what really caught Hermione’s attention was the title of “Former Death Eater” that he bestowed upon himself. Hermione’s thoughts left her tongue before she could stop them.

“So are you still a loyal Death Eater?” Hermione asked. A question meant to never leave her thoughts.

Malfoy’s expression turned stony.

“If you mean do I still have the Mark, yeah. I do.” He practically growled, lifting up the sleeve to his t-shirt, showing a fading scar where the Mark had been burned into his flesh.

Hermione’s stomach revolted, and she had to fight down the urge to vomit.

Malfoy began to come more and more agitated by Hermione’s silence.

“We can’t all be as d@mn perfect at you Granger! Some of us don’t have a fairy tale life, with fairy tale friends, and a warm and fluffy home, with loving parents. Some of us have to actually work for everything we have. Some of us have to live in broken homes and lead hard lives in the real world. Something you are obviously delusional about!” Malfoy raged.

Hermione stood up, anger in her tongue again.

“You know NOTHING about me Malfoy! You know nothing about my family, my home, or my friends. NOTHING! You have had a real conversation with me ONCE in your petty life and you think you know me? You think you have the right to judge me? Well wake up. You don’t! Obviously your pretty little mother didn’t tell you ‘every detail’ like you think, or else you have a funny way of repaying your debt to me!” Hermione roared, before storming out of the compartment, and down the corridor. Not knowing where she was going, as she was blinded by hot tears. Not knowing who to turn to, seeing as how her bestfriends were either dead, or trying to do themselves in. Hermione finally found an empty compartment, threw herself in it, and cried herself back to sleep.

# posted by Sek Koon @ 6:07 AM