||Now It's Just Us||

Chapter 13

Hermione resisted the urge to look at Malfoy as he ate his food. He had stubbornly insisted that he wouldn't eat in bed, so Hermione had to help him walk to the kitchen table. She had already finished her salad a while ago, so she patiently waited for him to finish. Once he was done, Hermione took his plate to prevent him from exerting more strain on his body. She felt Malfoy looking at her intently as she washed the plate and placed it on the drying stand.

"Now," Hermione sat back down and placed her wand beside her on the table to emphasize her point, "if you had any plans of obliviating me so that you can run away, I suggest you forget about it now. I want a reasonable explanation to everything."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Malfoy said scornfully. When he showed no signs of speaking further, Hermione huffed and rolled her eyes.

"I have Veritaserum, and a permit to use it," Hermione said coldly, her voice hinting at impatience "and I will use it if you don't start talking."

"Give me a break, Granger," Malfoy drawled. Hermione crossed her arms and waited. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"They named me Undesirable Number One for three months after I disappeared," Malfoy fixed his gaze at a spot on the table. Hermione remembered those three months very well. Everyone was looking for Draco Malfoy, the Malfoy heir and ex Death Eater. It had been a buzz of activity. 

"Why did you disappear?" Hermione asked curiously.

"It wasn't me who did that," Malfoy sounded suddenly earnest, "I didn't attack Gringotts. I don't know who did that, but obviously it's someone who doesn't necessarily like me."

"You're saying," Hermione was still a little skeptical about the whole idea, "someone impersonated you and attacked-"

"That's exactly what I said, now stop interrupting me."

"Sorry."

"It was two weeks before my trial," Malfoy continues after giving her a glare that effectively silenced her, "I had no choice but to run. They were searching everywhere for me, they'd reserved a cell in Azkaban with my name on it. So when the notice arrived that they would search the manor, I ran."

"You left your mother alone," Hermione interjected again.

"I'm well aware of that," Malfoy glared at her again, "it wasn't my choice to do so, I had to do it to protect her. I didn't want her to get pulled into some kind of mess again. She's had to handle enough messes already, including myself and my father.

"I spent two years moving from place to place. I stole a wand because if I used mine the Ministry would be able to track me. Whenever I would hear people talking about my supposed presence, I'd leave and move to somewhere else. I changed my appearance every few weeks to avoid suspicion.

"Then I decided I'd come back to London, be in the midst of the happenings. That way I can take care of my mother if need be. So I came back here, rented this apartment. I don't work, but I have enough money to go without work for another year. That oaf of a woman downstairs-"

"Don't call her that," Hermione snapped at him.

"Whatever," Malfoy shrugged her warning off, "she didn't mention I would have a roommate. So it was a surprise for me when I found one bedroom already occupied. And who had to be my roommate but you, Hermione Granger, Potter's best friend and Gryffindor Princess?"

He spat out the last few words as though they were some kind of terrible slang. Hermione remained silent and didn't voice her hurt. She didn't know how he must be feeling, but she did know that he wasn't particularly in a peachy mood. Silence reigned for the better part of the next three minutes. Malfoy kept throwing her glances full of beseeching, earnesty, and remorse.