Resentment

chapter 6 - legilimens

Hermione's eyelids flickered as sunlight streams through the blinds, sipping onto her face. As she gazed at the fresh, nutritious food boxes, she felt a sense of calm. Just as she was about to turn over in bed, she felt a firm grip on her hands as she pulled her hand out of the sheets. She might have felt numbness in her finger because she had been sleeping for so long. Observing his angelic face as he rested, one could see dark circles under it. Angelic, such an out-of-place word to describe this human being.

"Are you awake? Are you okay? Do you need anything?" Draco asked softly after sensing someone checking on him. This was something that happened after the war. A constant state of alertness was part of his training. Since Voldemort called on so many meetings, he had always been extremely sleep deprived. With a nod, she gave him the answer he was looking for.

"How did you find me?" Hermione asked with a shred of sadness in her voice. Neither Harry nor Ron or Ginny noticed anything wrong with her, but an enemy, an ex-enemy noticed. How ironic was that. "Around 15 minutes passed and you still hadn't arrived. I thought something had happened. Then I stumbled into your common room." he said.

"What do you mean barged in?"

"I probably cost Slytherin 100 points because I bombarded the common room so that I could go in. I probably caused some stupid fifth year to stop me from going in." he laughed.

It was as if she had been transported back to their first year at Hogwarts when she looked at him with mixed feelings. A feeling of admiration, affection, and irritation. Her curiosity led her to want to know how he felt and why he had treated her that way. This time, he wanted to know what had happened to her. She was brave, wasn't she? Why was she so affected by it?

"Can you tell me what happened this time?" Draco asked.

"Initially, I thought you were angry with me for something, then a few random memories flashed through my mind, but this time I didn't get anything." Hermione explained slowly. Her hatred for herself was overwhelming. Despite the fact that she wasn't weak, she hated being weak.

"Have you gotten better since then? Do you want to do this tonight?" Draco asked as his worries mingled with his voice. If she fainted in Slytherin's common room, she would risked the both of them being exposed and different stupid rumors would come along. "Yes, I have to get the answers. I can't keep doing this." Hermione replied. "What if you faint?" He asked the question she couldn't answer. "In case you faint, I won't be able to hide you," he asserted.

Her understanding of what he meant was clear. Both of them would be messed up if that were to come to light. Regardless of how much explanation she gave, she would risk him being punished by the school and everyone else would think she was being forced by him. It was simply too much for him to handle.

"I'm sorry, but I shouldn't have pulled you into this. You can handle it on your own." Hermione apologized, feeling guilty.

Draco's words meant nothing more than to warn Hermione to be careful, but she misinterpreted it as such. The two of them, for the sake of one another, wanted to keep their distance at this moment.

In a moment of clarity, Draco stood up and ate the box of food as he noticed Hermione looked better. "Slughorn and Mcgonagall need to know about my situation," he continued. The cranky floor squeaked every time he stepped on it when he walked out of the room. "Hey," Hermione raised her voice.

" Thank you!" she responded, and she could see the small smile on his face. After turning around, he walked out of the room. His disappearance in the darkness became more and more obvious as he got further and further away. As she thought about all that had happened, she became emotional. His behavior was different from what he usually did. The man she had pictured was ruthless in a way she hadn't expected.