Draco led a weeping Hermione to the comfort of the Gryffindor common room to settle down on the closest sofa. He sat awkwardly beside her, not quite sure how to comfort anybody seeing as how he never had to. He thought of his mother, how she sat on some evenings by his father when he was at his worst. Sometimes Lucius was so consumed by anxiety and stress-Draco and Narcissa got to see him the way nobody else ever would: his long white hair sticking up in all ends a tangled mess after so many times that he tangled his own fingers in it, pulling and yanking whenever the Dark Lord sent a message. His nails, torn and mostly absent from his anxious biting. His clothes, made from only the best materials, were rumpled and wrinkled, torn at ends, and his yes were the eyes of a dead man. It was a painful sight. It was these days that Draco would see his mother, with worried, sad eyes sit by Lucius whispering soft calming words to him, rubbing his back, making him lose the tension slightly. She kept him from going absolutely mad.
Hermione was a mess now, her inhales too sharp as she tried to hold in her sobs-only to end in a puddle of tears. He allowed himself to scoot closer to her, and to his surprise she once again let herself fall into him, needing the comfort he wasn't sure he could provide. He hesitated, his arm moving to wrap around her shoulders then bouncing back-finally he allowed it to fall. She didn't seem to notice, and eventually his worry of awkwardness faded into his own oblivion as it was replaced with concern. "What happened?" he asked. Her eyes remained on the crackling fire, her expression haunted as she spoke, "Nothing to me I suppose...it's The Weasleys nightmare not mine. They're alright but their house has been burned to ashes...I just keep hearing Arthur and picturing Molly...both so distraught and I keep thinking that maybe if I had gone when they asked then maybe I could help...maybe I could have prevent-" "Prevent? So this was done on purpose? By who?" Draco asked, and immediately wished he hadn't. Her eyes seemed to focus for the first time since he arrived and it looked as though she had just woken from a dream-a nightmare Draco had not realized how close Hermione was until she moved away, he felt the sudden absence of her at his side, feeling cold. Her big brown eyes seemed to stare right into him, focused on something in particular. He followed her straight gaze and his eyes met the dark ink that was to define him. His dark mark, just the tail of it-poking out from under his long sleeves always worn to hide it. He hastily pulled down the sleeve, covering up but it was too late. "It was Bellatrix." she spat. "Dear Auntie Bella." she added with such disgust, her voice so thick with anger, with a hate that scared Draco beyond belief. She took a few steps back. Holding a hand up when he opened his mouth, not letting him say a word-though if she hadn't Draco was not quite sure what he would have said anyway. She turned once more to stare angrily into the crackling, spitting fire, as though she could no longer bare to look at him. "Hermione, I'm so sorry." he said, standing, rushing to her side. "Hermione I'm not like them, please you know I had nothing to do with this." he pleaded. Draco longed for her to face him, for a glance into those brown eyes. He needed some type of idea what she was thinking. "Leave," she whispered. "Please just leave."
...
The guilt was consuming her, the truth that she had become so close to the nephew of the women who made their lives miserable. The woman who burned down the house, tortured Neville's parents, killed her own cousin-the only family Harry ever had, and all for the wizarding world's greatest enemy. The very enemy who had killed her best friends parents, and millions of others. She couldn't fathom the days she spent with Draco, who's father detested people like her, who would given his way, wipe this very world of mudbloods. Mudbloods, blood-traitors, half bloods, filth filth filth! The words rang in her ears so loudly-in a mixture of the voices she loathed until she was hearing only one. The countless times Draco had spat words at her were all coming at her at once, blinding her in these moments of rage and hate. The hate that a part of her, the part too small to listen to at the moment, told her Draco no longer deserved. Hermione needed to be away from him.
...
"Hermione please." he whispered, "I can't ....I can't lose you." the words came out of his mouth just before he realized them to be true. This girl, this amazing girl, had now meant so much to him, and the thought of losing her was unbelievable, unbearable, impossible. Yet, none of this seemed to reach Hermione, who finally turned to face him, he took it all in, her eyes puffy from crying, and suddenly she so strongly resembled the Hermione she was in first year, looking at the Draco he was in first year, and out of the same lips that brought him the only words that could ever make him happy anymore, whispered the single word that would ruin him, "Go."
12.5K+ !! I cannot believe how many reads this fanfiction has now, and I can't fathom how many of you there are out there reading this. I cannot thank you enough for the happiness you bring to me everyday with your votes and encouraging comments. I would now like to apologize (again) for my lack of writing. I know it has been a while since I updated this fanfic and I am sorry to those who have asked me to write more and those who have have stuck with me for this long. School has been crazy, and I am in several competitions that require practice everyday after school. I entered a few writing competitions that I will be participating in next month, along with many speaking events which means I have about three scripts I am trying to memorize right now, all that and homework. I hope you can understand that it has been hard for me to write but I will try to get on top of things, as I have been in the place of a reader of fanfiction and I know what it's like when the author does not update. It is maddening.
Please leave a comment with your thoughts on the chapter, and once again, thank you so much! -jazzyjstar*
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Everything Changes (A Dramione fanfic)
FanfictionHermione Granger was one of the great few who had the gift of seeing potential in a person. She understood that everything changes, including people, and that everyone deserves the chance to change. This time, it just so happened to be Draco Malfoy.
