Second Chances {Dramione}

Chapter Four - Books, books and Draco Malfoy's story

She had been serious, that was something he found out quite quick. Not that he minded, though. Seeing her this happy was something he could do all day and while she looked through books over books, he did so too, always near her to watch over her and just feeling her nearby.

From time to time, she showed him something and after an hour he knew pretty well, that Hermione Granger did not have such a thing as a "type" for books. She read everything she could get and it didn't matter to her at all if it was a fantasy novel, a text about beetles or a drama. She read, and that was it.

For her, it seemed like an escape, even when it was a book about something as banal as a beetle. He on the other hand had an appetite for everything romantic. You wouldn't think so, but it was true. He was a sucker for a romantic novel, it could be as cliché and cheesy as they come and he would read it.

That was his thing. And even if Hermione seemed to be in her own little world, she noticed which of the books she showed him he liked, and which of those he didn't. And she also had an eye for the books he looked at and she read the titles without him knowing. And somehow, she found it sweet. She would have never in a million years thought he was a romance kind of guy, but it was a surprise and she loved those really much.

"Did you find something you want to lend?", he asked after they spend over two and a half hours wandering through the aisles.

"I don't think I'll be back here to return these, so I'll probably won't, no", she answered and he looked at her confused.

"Why don't you just come back?"

She sighed and didn't answer the question. "Are you hungry? I could have a bite."

He accepted that she didn't want to talk about what would keep her from returning to the library and just nodded at her question.

Outside the library, they soon found a nice restaurant that wasn't too swamped with tourists and while eating Pizza, she asked him a simple, yet so difficult question.

"Why are you in London, Draco? What made you move here and live such a normal life?"

"Well, I hope you've brought time with you, Hermione. This could take some time", he informed her and she just nodded.

"I have nothing else to do today but to listen to you."

He laughed and began telling her his story.

"After Hogwarts, I came back to Malfoy Manor and my mother was just sitting there in an armchair, talking about how she missed my father and her old life. And I really get that she misses him, she loves him, I know that. But after all, he did to me, to the people, I can't bear her praising him and my relatives up into the sky when in reality, they are nothing but criminals that killed for fun. I knew that the press would always haunt me, for being one of them and after all the other students treated me like I was rubbish, I knew that there was no place for me left in that world. So, I did the only thing that came to my mind. London has always been a place where many people from different backgrounds meet, I knew that much, so I just packed my stuff and off I went. My mother was furious because I left her alone, but she didn't know where I was, so she couldn't persuade me to go somewhere else, preferably to her. And somehow London healed me. Being surrounded by people who didn't give a damn about who I was, what I have experienced and what I've done wrong so far was so refreshing that I just decided to stay for good. I got a flat and got used to the muggle-way of life. And I like it very much."

She looked at him and the look on her face wanted to make him puke. This kind of "I'm so sorry for you" is something he never wanted.

"I'm sorry we all treated you that way. I can't exclude myself only because I was bullied by you when we were younger."