Afraid to Love You (A Dramione Story)

Chapter 5

Hermione made her way back to the Gryffindor common room and saw her friends sitting around the fire talking. Neville gestured for her to join them but she just smiled sadly and shook her head before going upstairs to the girl's dormitory. She changed into her pajamas and lay down in her bed pulling the hangings closed around her before she started to cry.

She heard Ginny open the hangings and climb onto the bed. She had known Ginny would follow her.

"What happened 'Mione?"

Hermione rolled over to face her friend and sighed. "I said something horrible to Malfoy and I feel just terrible."

"What did you say?"

Hermione relayed what happened in the potions classroom to Ginny, excluding some of the more intimate details that Blaise had shared with her about Draco.

"Oh Hermione," Ginny said softly when Hermione finished telling her story.

"I know," Hermione replied with a groan, shifting into a sitting position and hugging her knees to her chest. "I'm doing the very thing I hated him for. Judging him without knowing him." She sighed. "But how do I shake this prejudice, these preconceived notions I have about him?"

"You're going to actually have to get to know him," Ginny said simply.

"You make it sound so easy," Hermione laughed mirthlessly. "But I'd be surprised if he even spoke to me again after this. You didn't see his face. It was like I had slapped him."

"I don't know. Malfoy doesn't seem like the type of person to give up easily. Either way, you owe him an apology."

"I know. First thing tomorrow. Hopefully, he's receptive."

Ginny got up and headed back to the common room to finish some homework and Hermione decided to turn in early to rest up for the next day.

The next morning, Hermione got up early and rummaged in her trunk for awhile looking for a certain book before heading down to the great hall for breakfast. She waited outside hoping to catch Draco before he went in. Eventually, he came up the staircase with Blaise and Pansy. He made eye contact with her and frowned brushing past her to go into the great hall.

"Malfoy wait!" Hermione called after him, grabbing his arm.

He turned and glared at her. "What do you want Granger?" he hissed.

"To talk to you. Just for a minute. Please."

He looked skeptical but nodded and followed her around the corner to a quiet spot.

Hermione fidgeted with the strap on her bag as she tried to think of a way to start.

"You wanted to talk Granger. So talk," Draco said curtly.

"Right. I wanted to apologize for what I said yesterday. I really don't know why I said it, it was uncalled for and rude and presumptive to think that you--"

"You're rambling Granger," Draco said, fighting to keep a smile off of his face.

"Right. I do that when I'm nervous. Sorry. Anyway, I apologize."

"Seems like we do that a lot," Draco said, leaning against the wall and folding his arms across his chest.

"Do what?"

"Apologize to each other," he replied with a smirk.

Hermione flushed and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I guess we do. Anyway, I wanted to offer an olive branch, a real one this time." She took a book out of her bag and extended it toward him.