its all about blood - angelrider93

Chapter 5 - Appreciation and Awkwardness

Draco sat in his bed in the hospital wing as he listened to his parents tell him all about the happenings in the last twenty four hours,

"Wait, hold on, you said that Granger created a spell that translates ancient runes" Draco interrupted,

"Yes Draco dear, indeed she did, and it worked too" Narcissa replied to her son,

"She is a very talented witch" Lucius added,

"Yes Dad, I know, but it still confuses me as to why she would save my life" Draco admitted,

"You could always ask her" Lucius suggested dryly,

"I couldn't! she probably won't even let me speak to her" Draco replied,

"And why not? She speaks to your mother and I" Lucius intoned,

"But that's different" Draco insisted,

"How so? Speaking from experience, I have done far worse things in this life than you have, and yet the Potters, and the Weasleys all speak to me" Lucius retorted,

"Dad, you don't know what I've done to her"

"You insulted her on a regular basis, called her mudblood more times than you or she could count, ridiculed her, hexed her, belittled her and generally made her life hell. Is there anything else? Did you lay a hand on her? Abuse her physically?" Lucius asked candidly,

"NO! No, I would never lay a hand in anger on a woman, she's the one who punched me" Draco cried, insulted that they had thought that he would ever hit a woman,

"Ah yes, in your third year I believe it was. Draco you will find that there quite a few people in this world who are willing to forgive others for mistakes, Hermione is one of them" Lucius answered,

"Hermione? You call her Hermione?" Draco asked stunned,

"Yes, she asked us to" Narcissa replied,

"Draco, why do you pick on her so much? It can't just be because she is a muggleborn, there are hundreds in Hogwarts, and yet you pick on her, why?" Lucius asked curiously,

"Well at first it was because she was friends with Potter, then it became somewhat of a game really, I'd insult her, she would insult me back and it would go on from there. Its hard to explain, but, everytime she and I would fight, I would feel like I was alive, not just this emotionless shell, that's why I would go out of my way to annoy her and pick fights with her, it was invigorating, and for the few brief moments when we were clashing wits, I didn't feel the loneliness that haunted me, I felt like I was whole, instead of being empty. I was jealous of her, everyone loves her, and for good reason, and yet she's not conceited, she never once believed that she was better than me because she was the top student of our year and I was second, she always saw me as an equal, regardless of how I treated her, when she punched me in third year I wasn't even angry, I felt respect for her, but I couldn't show it. Blaise is the only one who knows all this, he is really the only person I class as a true friend" Draco confessed, Narcissa stared at her son sadly,

"Draco, the way you felt was our fault, we knew that you wanted a loving home and family, but we couldn't give it to you"

"I know mum, and I don't blame you or feel angry at you for it, you did what you did to keep me safe" Draco replied,

"Draco you said that Blaise was the only true friend that you have, yet you are one of the most popular boys in this school, every girl wants you and every guy wants to be you in some way" Lucius stated confused, Draco sighed,

"Dad, the girls want me because of my looks and because of the Malfoy fortune, even the ones who hate me, still want to try their luck with me, all except Granger of course, and the guys? Well they only want to be me so that they could have the girls that throw themselves at me, I hate it, and yet I let everyone think that I love being that way, I'm not the playboy prince of Slytherin that everyone makes me out to be, I live with the reputation, and encourage it, and yet its totally false, the stories everyone hears about me? Its not me, it's the other guys" Draco blushed a bit as he finished his statement, "I've never gone that far with a girl, Pansy scared them all away, and I wasn't going to do anything like that with her, so I just didn't" Lucius nodded in understanding,