One With Their Intentions

Chapter Two

Draco Malfoy thought he must be having some kind of strange, lucid dream. He had just voluntarily touched a mudblood. And not just any mudblood. Out of everyone at this pathetic excuse for a school, the one person to disrupt his reading just had to be Hermione bloody Granger, queen of all things he despised.

He knew he looked a mess; no matter how hard he tried, he could not sleep at night, and he had too much to do to waste time in the Great Hall having meals. There was just too much on his mind, so much he needed to do... and for what? Though he would never voice these thoughts aloud, or even think them in the presence of his soon-to-be Lord, he was just so tired. Tired of it all, of the way his father, a man who he had idolised for his power and control, was made a blubbering mess in the presence of his Lord, mercy to another man's every whim. He despised it.

But he respected his father.

And believed in the cause. A world without tainted blood, where only those of true, pure magical ancestry and would reign supreme. Paradise.

Only stupid Granger blood had to open her big, holier-than-thou mouth. He must admit, she had a certain way with words; an odd kind of charm about her, which was surprising considering how insufferable she had always been. And she only confused him further when he didn't absolutely loathe her company, as he should have.

He tried to convince himself that the sole reason for him agreeing to her company was his mind being addled from stress and lack of food and sleep. However her slumped posture and defeated expression and sheer lack of composure, even when she had evidently battled to maintain some sense of dignity, made him realise that while they will never agree on anything else, he could see that she was tired, too.

He stared at the handkerchief she had so delicately folded on top of his pile of books, frowning. Granger had folded it in such a way that the careful embroidery was on full display, and he wondered if it was intentional. She must have noticed his staring at it, because she asked, in a voice unusually small, "what does it mean?"

Draco knew instantly what she was referring to. For a brief moment, he forgot her ridiculous proposal he had blindly accepted. He surveyed her quietly, his inner Slytherin trained at searching for signs of malice or deception. She was dressed in what must have been muggle attire, and he sneered inwardly at their odd fashions. Her skin seemed slightly paler than what he thought it should be, and her face was still flushed, with pink blotches high on her cheekbones from her crying outburst, and her excuse for hair was somehow bushier than usual, but had a blend of softer, more defined curls that he had no reason to notice before. Her posture and expression displayed signs of nervousness, her entire disposition seeming mainly unsure and bemused at their situation - he felt the same sense of confusion at not wanting to gouge his eyeballs out, which should have been a much preferred way to spend his time, but somehow wasn't. But her eyes were alight with what he could only define as genuine curiosity, in what he surmised was true mudbl- Granger fashion: her inherent thirst for knowledge of absolutely everything. Including him, apparently. Odd.

He surprised even himself slightly when he responded. "The flower is an amaryllis, which supposedly means determination, beauty and love," he paused and glared at her, daring her to laugh. She only nodded, her eyes seemingly brighter, her full attention on him. "It's also known to mean success, or pride, or a very strong and beautiful woman."

Granger looked thoughtful, her brow furrowing slightly. "I don't quite understand. Does this amaryllis hold any particular meaning to your family? I mean, that's what I'm assuming it is - a symbol of the Malfoy family," she pondered.

"Yes, you're right in assuming that is one of the symbols of my family, but a... lesser known one," he paused. "More of an inside joke, really," he smirked. "The amaryllis is my mother's favourite flower. My father gave one to her every day while they were courting, due to what the flower is supposed to represent. So, the flower represents my parents' affections for each other, and the serpent coiled around it is a reminder that their love was founded due to the Malfoy family wanting to unite with the Black family," he smirked, "my mother likes to think of it as she being the amaryllis and father being the serpent."