Library Love

Part 7

My dear friend, Severus,

        I know you would never let me down, Severus; or at least, I thought I knew. You see, I have had reports from some of my witnesses at Hogwarts, and my witnesses never let me down. They tell me that they witnessed most recently a young wizard with a young witch during the last Hogsmeade trip. That news is not what concerns me.

        What concerns me, is that the two involved are reported to have been Draco Malfoy, my son, with a Gryffindor. Not just any Gryffindor, either, or so I am told. My son was sighted with none other than the mudblood Hermione Granger! Have you any knowledge of this? Have you not told Draco that this irrational behaviour is unacceptable? 

        I don't know what is being taught at that school, Severus, but to my knowledge - and my knowledge is outstanding -  it is most surely not appropriate to mix pureblood lines with that of half-breeds. To ensure that this does not happen again I shall be removing Draco from Hogwarts right after my meeting with Dumbledore. 

        Yours, 

                Lucius Malfoy.

"Draco!" Hermione shouted through the hall as she ran after him. She flicked her wand out and pointed it at a wall in front of Draco, sending green sparks bouncing off the brick. Draco jumped back in shock and turned around, shaking his head. "Sweetie?" She said in a gentle voice, slowly nearing Draco, noticing tears slowly sliding down his pale face. His eyes showed such pain. 

Hermione gasped and wrapped her arms around Draco, but he pushed her back, shaking his head. "Draco? W-" she began, but he cut her off with a vigorous shake of the head. Still shaking his head, he started to back away into the darkness of the hall. But she wouldn't just let him disappear, not like that. 

She rushes to keep up with him, slipping her hand in his. For a moment she expects to feel his fingers pulling back out, but instead she feels a reassuring squeez. They walk through the halls in silence for a while, hand in hand, avoiding the popular places and the sound of footsteps moving in their direction. 

Finally Draco dropped to his knees on the hard concrete floor. He leaned his head far forward, until his pale forehead and the cold hard ground were touching, and he began to cry. Gasping, Hermione knelt down beside him and pulled his head into her lap, stroking his fair hair. 

"It's okay, sweetie," she said in a soothing voice. "It'll be okay."

Draco heaved in a big breath and rolled onto his back, manouvering himself so as to keep his head in Hermione's lap. He liked the feel of her fingers running through his hair, and he didn't want it to stop - but he knew it couldn't last forever. The thought of never seeing Hermione again startled more tears to his eyes. He blinked back the salty water and forced his eyes to land on Hermione's. 

"I don't want to go," he choked. Another tear rolled across his cheek, which Hermione's quick fingers quickly swept away. He tried to smile before returning to a worried frown. 

"Go where?" Hermione asked, also adopting a worried expression. Where was he going?

Draco bit back another sob and burried his face in Hermione's lap. After a little while he said, "my dad's going to 'remove me from Hogwarts'. He's going to take me away from you!" He sat up and stared her in the face. "He'll probably send me to Durmstrang or somewhere... probably even somewhere on Mars, just to get me away from the 'stupid mudbloods.'"

Now Hermione looked in danger of crying, but she gathered herself into a mask of composure. "Well, first of all, you can't breathe on Mars..." she joked. Draco chuckled and wiped his eyes. 

"Yeah..." he chuckled, trailing off and leaning in to kiss Hermione gently. The feel of her soft lips on his seemed to calm him instantly. His lips lingered there a moment, hovering on hers, until she wraped her arms around his neck and pulled him in.

Hermione broke away for a moment. "Besides," she objected, "your father can't send you to Durmstrang, your mother would never allow it."

"Ahhhh... Hermione, you're a genious. Wait 'til my mother hears about this!" He laughed before diving his face towards hers again.