REBORN

Chapter 5: Interlude

"I'm tellin' you 'Mione something is wrong with him. Like in his head..." Harry trailed off. "He literally cut into his hand! On purpose!" Harry stared straight into Hermione's eyes. "Like who does that?"

"Bloody purebloods that's who," Ron muttered around a mouthful of food.

Both Hermione and Harry turned to him. "What does that mean?" Hermione asked.

"Well," Ron swallowed. "It's like he said. It's a ritual from the old days." Blank stares. "Back when there were more purebloods, you know, before the war." Ron took another bite of toast. "The old families would disown people for just about anything. Like for him, a Slytherin family, being sorted Gryffindor. Disowned. Well, these old families have centuries of familial magic, they start believing that someone's a disgrace to the family they cut them out of the magic." He swallowed again. "S'pos to hurt too."

"But he's a child! He can't just be on his own now." Hermione protested.

"It's old magic 'Mione, you can't force that kind of thing. The ministry has to accept it. He is on his own. Who knows he'll probably end up in ministry care." Ron laughed. "Serves him right."

"Ron, Malfoy's a bully, but no one deserves that... He's fifteen! He's a kid just like us. Imagine willingly cutting yourself off from your family, without hesitation." Hermione held out her hands. "He knew he'd be disowned regardless. Imagine living just knowing that you could be disowned at any moment!"

"I mean I live just fine knowing my aunt and uncle don't care a whit about me," Harry said. "But at least I know I can live there until I'm of age."

Hermione shook her head. "Thinking more about it, I can't imagine what it would be like to have a Deatheater for a father."

Ron continued eating. "I dunno why you two care so much. It's just Malfoy." Both Hermione and Harry stared at him.

Hermione bit her lip. "It's- Ron. Look, we both have good, loving homes. Some people," She tried not to look at Harry, "don't have that.

Ron didn't seem to pick up on the gravity of the situation. "Yeah, well, some people don't deserve it." Ron finally finished chewing. "Look, the way I see it he finally got what he deserved. Why are we even still talking about it?"

"I dunno Ron, maybe it's cuz I know what it's like," Harry said acid in his voice. "I know what it's like to have a family who couldn't care less whether you lived or died. I know what it's like to be stuck with them." Ron finally seemed to register the gravity of the conversation.

"Harry," Ron said. "You know I didn't mean you! The situation is completely different. I mean he's a prat! Com'on look, you're my best mate. And Malfoy, guy's just a git."

"Ron." Hermione sighed. "You never know someone's situation. Maybe we should... I don't know, we should do something."

Ron looked completely affronted but sensed that he didn't want to add any more tension to the situation. Harry however had an odd look on his face. "Well like I said, somethin's wrong with him."

Hermione's eyes widened. She saw Draco's hair flash in the aisles between the tables. His hair was mostly black now, with a shock of his old platinum running through it. "He's here!" Hermione whispered as she watched his progress towards the head table.

"Bloody hell," Ginny whispered from down the table. Harry and Ron's necks practically snapped as they turned to stare at Ginny. "What?" She asked innocently.

"You said that out loud, you know that?" Ron asked.

"Well, yeah but. The hair you know." She said, gesturing vaguely at her own head. Hermione silently agreed, it almost had a blue tinge to it.

Draco reached the table, Hermione, Ron, and Harry all listened intently as the new professor began to simper over him. Draco brought an end to that line of conversation quite quickly and then requested today off of school to go to Diagon Alley.

"Wish I could get off of school that easy," Ron said jokingly.

"Ron," Hermione gasped. "He's disowning himself legally, that's not easy."

"It is kinda messed up Ron..." Harry agreed. Ron rolled his eyes.

Draco and Snape swept out of the Great Hall. Leaving a twittering head table behind them.

"I can't believe we're gonna have Dumbledore as potions teacher," Seamus said from further down the table. "Maybe it'll be bearable." Dean nodded from the seat beside him.

Hermione stood. "Well, I'm going to go get my bag then head to class. See you then?" Harry nodded, and Ron grunted.

Hermione bustled out of the Great Hall and caught a glimpse of Snape's cloak disappearing down the hallway. She bit her lip. Then followed silencing her shoes as she began to run after them. This was definitely a bad idea. But this was a new person, he seemed so different from the person she had known for the past four years, she needed to know more.

She ran catching glimpses of them as turned corners and descended stairs. Finally, they entered Snape's office. Hermione pulled out one of Fred and George's extendable ears that she "borrowed" over the summer. She just had to hope that they didn't exit Snape's office... I was a risk she was willing to take.

She rested the ear against the door and placed the other end of the string in her ear. Draco swallowed. "-professor." She heard Draco hiss faintly.

She heard Snape next, "Draco..." A sigh, before beginning again. "I have always helped you regardless of your fath-'' Snape stopped. "Lord Malfoy's wishes." Against Lord Malfoy's wishes? What exactly did that mean?

She heard Snape continue to talk. "I do not expect that to change regardless of your name, regardless of your house." Snape continued. "You are not alone, Draco." Hermione was surprised, she had never expected Snape to be capable of emotion or that he could care about anyone that way.

There was a long pause. Then Draco's choked voice came through the door. "Thank you." He said. Hermione's mouth dropped open slightly, she had never heard anything vulnerable come from Draco's mouth before.

Snape's voice came through again, "Draco if you need anything, you can come to me."

Then Draco again, "Thanks, Uncle Sev." Uncle! No wonder Draco was always his favorite.

Hermione straightened, hiding the extendable ear away in her skirt pockets. She was already dangerously low on time, she couldn't listen any longer.

She managed to run all the way up to Gryffindor Tower and then make her way to her first class, ancient runes. Harry and Ron would meet her in their first class of the day, defense against the Dark Arts. She had to tell at least Harry, Ron probably wouldn't believe what she had heard was genuine.