Only You

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

A couple weeks had passed. Classes had begun and already the schoolwork was piling up for Draco. In the past, he hadn't really cared for school. To be honest, he still didn't, but he knew that he could no longer rely on his families' social status in life. He would have to earn a job. Problem was, he had no idea what he wanted to do and therefore had no direction or motivation within his classes. He had met with Slughorn a few times to discuss career choices, but nothing was very appealing. He was afraid he would graduate without any direction. Hermione would never be with him then.

As he waited in the library for Leanne to tutor him, he daydreamed of his future. He imagined himself happily married to Hermione, living in a small apartment in London. In his mind, he saw her cradling her swollen stomach, their precious miracle inside. He smiled to himself then. He would wrap her into his arms holding her tight against his chest and whispering sweet nothings into her ear. She would smile and laugh that beautiful laugh. Then she would turn her head bringing her soft lips closer to his until...

"Ehem!"

He jumped a little at the sudden intrusion of his dreams. Then, coming into focus he realized it wasn't Leanne who had interrupted him, but the very star of his imagination.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to, erm, startle you. Leanne asked me to come help tutor you because you were, erm... I think her words were 'terribly hopeless and bound to fail'." Hermione's sweet voice brought a blush to his ears. He couldn't believe Leanne would do this to him. Of course she didn't know he was utterly in love with Hermione, but he was sure that she could have guessed.

"I-erm-I'm not- totally hopeless. I just have a little problem concentrating is all." He responded, rubbing his neck and avoiding her eyes. He was determined not to make her uncomfortable, even though he was pretty sure his very presence did that. He couldn't forget how terrible he was to her. His shame kept building in him, alongside panic that seemed to rise whenever remembering his past decisions. His hands began to quiver, his breaths were shallow, and his legs shook violently beneath the table. How could he do that to her? Why must he have been so cruel?

"Draco, please calm down." Hermione said, tentatively touching one of his hands. Where their hands touched, Draco's skin burned. "I'm sure you're not hopeless. That's why I've come. To try to help. After all, if Ron can pass, so can you."

"Weasley didn't pass. He dropped out." Draco sneered, withdrawing his hand from her burning touch.

He looked deep into her eyes, and for a moment, he was Malfoy again, but as soon as he was there he was gone. Embarrassment covered his previous actions as he crossed his arms protectively and studied his shoes. Hermione sat back, startled by the sudden change. She was sure he was different, but it seemed like the old Malfoy still lingered. Maybe he hadn't changed at all. He was a Slytherin after all. They were cunning folk. He was probably just tricking her and everyone else around him.

"You know what. This was a mistake. I thought you had changed, but clearly I was wrong." She fused and she slammed her books shut and began to pack them before adding under her breath, "I really should've listened to Ron."

"Well I'm sorry I'm not perfect like good ole Ronald Weasley! How is the boyfriend anyways? Sure there's no other woman catching his eye at the Auror Academy?" Draco heatedly added, following Hermione out of the library into the abandoned corridors. It had gotten quite late. Draco wasn't sure why he was still following her. It almost felt like her gravity was pulling him with her.

"Don't even compare yourself to him. You couldn't even come close. Unlike you, he never joined forces with Voldemort! He's never killed anybody!"

Flashes of the battle stopped Draco in his tracks. Fighting his fellow students, trying his very hardest not to hurt anyone. Warning people that Voldemort was coming even as they attacked him. Watching Lavender Brown get eaten by Greyback. The fire in the Room of Requirement. Each image flashed before his eyes within seconds, but the power of them dizzied him. He slumped to the ground. It had happened before a couple times over the summer. His mother's nurse said it was most likely PTSD, something many soldiers from the battle were facing.

"Draco?" Hermione asked tentatively. "Are you okay? You're paler than usual."

Draco clasped his head between his hands. "Ya I'm just peachy." When the room finally stopped spinning he stood carefully. He was surprised to see Hermione still there. "Look, I'm sorry."

"About what?" Hermione's arms were crossed protectively against her chest. She leaned against the wall across from him defiantly.

"For so many things. For insulting your boyfriend for starters. For helping the Dark Lor-erm- Voldemort. For bullying you when we were kids. For teasing and tormenting you. I am sorry for so many things I probably couldn't even name them all, but basically anything before this moment right now. I am so sorry for it all." He paused, watching her reaction. She seemed less defensive than before. He decided it was safe to join her against the wall. "Truth is I think I felt threatened by you. By wizarding standards, you had nothing and I had everything. And yet, you were so far ahead of me in everything. I liked power, but you had a power that I could never get. It drove me crazy, it made me hate you. And the way I was raised just enforced that hatred. Of course there is no excuse for what I did ever, I just wanted to give you my-erm- reasoning. I guess."

Hermione couldn't believe the whiplash she was getting from him. Maybe he wasn't completely changed, but he did seem to be putting in a huge amount of effort into changing. She doubted he had much practice apologizing. And, even though she didn't like his reasoning, it made sense.

"Even so, what you did to me was not okay." She responded finally.

"I know." Draco's voice was so small.

"I forgive you. As long as you never treat me that way again, I forgive you."

His surprise and joy at her response was etched so clearly on his face that it made Hermione chuckle. No, this was definitely not the same boy as before.

"Now then." she continued, "Will you let me tutor you? A little squirrel told me you were in desperate need of my assistance."

"The little squirrel was downplaying how much I really need you."

"Alright. As long as you stay committed, I'll help you. We'll meet at the library every night at 8 until curfew. Don't be late, okay? And don't expect me to do your homework for you."

Draco beamed. "It's a date!" He quickly turned around and bolted off to his dormitory. Only later would he realize what exactly he had said. The same comment, however, left Hermione stunned in the same spot until a Prefect reminded her that curfew was about to begin. After much deliberation, she finally decided that it had simply been an accident, because there was no way that Draco Malfoy would ever go on a date with her. Even so, that one simple phrase kept both of them awake late into the night.