But... She's a Malfoy (A Hermione Granger GxG Fanfic)

Chapter 13

Hermione couldn't concentrate as they read in the library one Friday evening. She couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach whenever she's with Sam or whenever she's holding Sam's hand in hers.

Hermione was supposed to be reviewing her Charms homework for the third time. Sam was reading her book again, the old tattered looking book with no title on the front.

"Sam..," Hermione said, as she stared intently at the book in front of her. Now that Sam and her were very closed, she could look at Sam or at her things without feeling guilty.

"Mm?"

"I've just noticed that you've been reading that book since..."

"Oh, this book?" Sam turned the book in her hands, now smiling. "It's my mother's."

"Your mother's an author?" Hermione couldn't help but feel sorry for Sam.

"No," Sam immediately replied. "Not professionally, I guess, although she used to want to write her own book. This was more like her diary, it's filled with lots of amazing stuff about her work. Here, look..."

Sam gave her the book and Hermione treated it with a lot of care as she scanned the pages.

Sam went on. "It's very informational. Plus it's got crazy secrets too... And it's all I've got left from her since she...."

"I'm sorry, Sam-"

"Oh, no, it's okay, it's fine now."

Hermione licked her lips nervously. Then she whispered back, "I know what can make you happy."

"Mm?" Sam looked at Hermione quizzically, her eyebrows frowning.

Hermione pulled a wrapped purple box from her bag and slid it through the table to Sam.

When she opened the box before her, Sam found a whole round Treacle Tart inside.

Sam looked at Hermione with happy bewildered eyes, "How did you get-"

"I have means," Hermione interjected as she went back to her reading, avoiding Sam's eyes.

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"Are you up for an adventure?" Sam  suddenly asked.

It was Saturday morning after breakfast when Hermione decided to spend some time in the library to catch up with some Ancient Runes reading. But mostly the reason was because Sam would be there too.

"What do you mean?" Hermione answered. She couldn't help but get a whiff of a freshly showered Sam. Lavenders.

"Well... I was walking through the grounds this morning after Quidditch practice," Sam continued. "And I saw these... dark winged creatures..... and when I asked Draco what these were, he said there was absolutely nothing before us. That I was just maybe hungry or something that I started seeing things."

"Okay," Hermione said, gulping nervously as she closed her book. "Have you eaten, Sam?"

"Don't be silly, Hermione," Sam said with a laugh. "Come on, follow me."

As Sam held Hermione's warm hand, Hermione felt butterflies in her stomach again.

"Wait," Hermione argued, as she packed her things into her bag.

As soon as they exited the library, Sam held Hermione's hand again, leading her to the grounds.

It must be weird walking around the school hand in hand with a Slytherin, Hermione thought. Eyes followed them as they walked through corridors after corridors.

As they reached the fields, Sam let go of Hermione's hand and pointed at something from afar.

"Tell me you can see them too," Sam said, her voice now worried.

Hermione looked around. Sure there were bats flying in the sky but she couldn't tell if that was what Sam really meant. Has she not seen bats before? Are there no bats in America?

"I have gone crazy, haven't I?" Sam asked when Hermione just stayed silent.

Hermione shook her head as she replied, "Maybe my eyesight is just poor-"

Then Sam went running heading towards the trees.

"Hey, Sam, wait!" Hermione shouted as she followed her.

Hermione came to a stop when she saw Sam looking up at something Hermione couldn't see. She appeared to be looking at a tree or something. Then Sam's hand crept up to touch something in the air.

Then Sam chuckled. "Hermione, come here!"

Hermione hesitantly walked towards her, "Sam, to be honest, I also couldn't see a thing."

Sam looked at her and smiled. It was reassuring type of smile. Then Sam went to hold her hand again, and she placed it on something Hermione thought was just nothing.

Hermione jumped with surprise. She could feel its warm body, she could feel its heart thumping. Sam wasn't kidding. There really was something Sam could only see.

"Oh, merlins," Hermione exclaimed.

"I'm not crazy, right?" Sam said, laughing.

Hermione shook her head, laughing back nervously. "No, you're not, I... how..."

"How could I see them and you don't? I certainly have no idea...," Sam answered.

"What does it look like again?"

"Like a horse, mmm, a dark winged horse...."

"Wow," Hermione said as her hand caressed what appears to be the horse's chest. Then she could see a billow of smoke coming probably from its nose.

"She likes you," Sam said.

Hermione looked at Sam with her face flushed. "How can you tell?"

"Do you want to ride it?"

"Oh no, most certainly not," Hermione said as she stepped back.

Sam burst out laughing. "I was joking, Hermione."

And as they got closer, more like inches apart, that Hermione could already see through Sam's beautiful piercing grey eyes looking at her, Sam leaned forward.

Was this it? Was Sam about to kiss her? So Hermione's gut was right? Sam was aiming to be more than friends with her. Hermione wanted that. She knew deep down inside she wanted that.

But Hermione wasn't sure if she was ready for that. What if others could see them? What if they would not approve a Gryffindor and Slytherin together? Much less to think they were both girls.

Hermione quickly bowed down her head, avoiding Sam. And Sam immediately stepped back, embarrassment written all over her face, as she said, "I'm sorry, I thought-"

"It's okay," Hermione answered quickly. "It's fine, Sam."

"They're called Thestrals," Luna suddenly appeared out of nowhere, giving the two a surprise. Hermione and Sam thought they were alone.

"Don't you know? They've been pulling our carriages from the train platform to Hogwarts."

Hermione shook her head and stole a glance at Sam. She wanted to take back what she did. She wanted to talk about what happened with Sam. But Sam wasn't looking at Hermione anymore. Instead, Sam was busy caressing the creature before her. 

"You can see them too?" Sam asked Luna.

Luna nodded back as she took a slice of meat from her bag and threw it to the creature. Hermione jumped from the sudden disappearance of the meat thrown in the air and the sound of something chewing.

"Why? Draco and Hermione couldn't see them," Sam asked.

"They can only be seen by those who have seen death," Luna responded as she caressed the creature before her.

Hermione felt like she was letting Sam down. And she felt really sorry for what she did.