Back to You

Dramione - Falling In Love With A Muggle-Born

Fighting back tears, she sat on the steps leading to the Great Hall. How dare Ron accuse her of fraternizing with the enemy! Hermione put her head in her hands and let the tears fall.

He had left the Yule Ball ten minutes before and was still looking for the brown-haired Gryffindor. As Draco strode past the doors to the Great Hall, he heard soft crying. He turned back to the stairs.

"Are you okay? Ron's a git." A quiet, drawling voice spoke right beside her and she jumped. Hermion hid her face behind sleek, straight hair. "Er . . . yeah, I'm fine," she said softly. "I'm okay."

Draco was looking at her. The way she said "I'm okay" unnerved him. It was like Hermione was not only trying to convince him, but herself as well. "I don't believe you, Hermione."

Her head snapped up when she heard her name. Tear tracks lined her cheeks and hair clung to her lips. "You called me by my first name. You never call me by my first name." The shock was plain in her voice. 

He smiled slightly. "I know. It's hard to hate someone who's crying, though." This made her laugh and Draco smiled more at the sound of it. The laughing stopped and the reason became clear quickly.

"First Krum, now MALFOY?!" Ron's voice was loud and indignant. It seemed that he had followed her from the Ball to the stairs. Heat rose to Hermione's cheeks. She stood with clenched fists.

Draco was stunned by the force behind Hermione's slap. "How DARE you! Victor was kind enough to remember that I was a girl! And Draco? He's making sure that I'm okay, for Merlin's sake!"

Ron stared open-mouthed at her. Silence filled the empty hallway as both Ron and Draco watched her take several deep breaths and sit back on the steps. "You should leave, Weasley."

Draco glared at the redhead until Ron left. Once the sound of his footsteps faded, Draco sat beside Hermione. Moving as close as he dared, he place a hand on her back in an attempt to comfort her. 

"Hey. Like I said, Ron's a git." Draco's voice soothed her frayed nerves. Hermione smiled at him. "Thanks, Ma - Draco." It was clear that the change of names was awkward. He continued rubbing her back. 

Sensing her breathing was slow and even, Draco looked at her. Hermione's eyes were closed and her chest was rising and falling slowly. He smiled and picked her up, cradling her sleeping body. 

A light rocking motion reminded her of the boats she took to get to the castle as a first-year. She smiled. She had been happier then. Hermione hadn't known Ron until later that year.

He tried to keep the swaying to a minimum, but the look on Hermione's face told him she liked it. Draco reached the hallway of the Room of Requirement and paced. "I need a place for her to sleep," he thought.

She yawned and opened her eyes. Bright sunlight streamed in through a window. Sitting up in the unfamiliar bed, Hermione spotted Draco Malfoy reading a book by the fire on the other side of the large room.

"Are we in the Room of Requirement?" Her soft voice echoed in the near-vacant room. Draco looked up from the blurry words and nodded. Smiling, he watched her stand and stretch.

Hermione felt Draco's eyes on her as she stretched. "Why did you bring me here, Draco?" It was easier to say his name. Waiting for an answer, she glided over to the multitude of bookshelves in the room.

He wasn't sure how to answer her question."Er - you fell asleep on the stairs. I don't know Gryffindor's password and you wouldn't be welcome in my common room. So this was the best place I could think of."

Looking at him, she felt a pang in her chest. Something changed in Draco Malfoy. It changed him for the better. "Thank you. Did you sleep at all?" At these words, Hermione watched Draco's face go brilliantly red.

It took him a long time to answer. And he could tell that Hermione was shocked when he did. "Yeah. I slept . . . er . . . I slept on the bed with you. But I didn't try anything, I swear." Draco breathed deeply.

She started laughing at the mortified look on Draco's face. When she got her breath back, Hermione responded. "It's okay. I believe you. Don't worry, I won't hit you like last year." Relief visibly showed on his face.

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Several months had passed since Draco had carried Hermione to the Room of Requirement. Over those months, they became closer. Draco was the first person she went to when she was worried about Harry in the Tournament. And Hermione was the first person he went to when he needed to vent about his father. They both comforted each other to the point where they were inseperable. Draco had fallen in love with Hermione over the months that they had spent together. To show her, he had planned a party in Slytherin common room, which she had come to view as a second home. He planned it with Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise. On the night of the party, he danced with Hermione until they both felt dizzy and uncoordinated. Hermione fell asleep around midnight and Draco carried her to the Room of Requirement. He paced the floor, trying to think of what to tell her.

In the morning, when Hermione woke, he knew exactly what to say. Draco watched her stretch and a feeling of deja view washed over him. "M-m-morning, Draco," she greeted him thorugh a yawn. He grinned and replied. Pulling her over to the sofa, Draco sat and gathered his nerves."Hermione, there's something I need to tell you." When she nodded, he continued. "I think I've fallen in love with a Gryffindor brainiac." Silence impregnated the room. Hermione looked at him with glistening brown eyes and smiled. "Well, I've fallen in love with a cunning Slytherin. And I don't care what anyone else thinks. Not even Ron." Then she kissed him, making him forget about all of his worries about his father finding out that he was in love with a Muggle-Born.