promises // dramione

chapter nine

Draco flopped down onto the bench at the Slytherin table, a smile on his face as he piled his plate up with breakfast.

"What's got you so happy this morning?" Blaise asked.

"Nothing."

"Then why are you smiling like an idiot?" Pansy said, smirking.

Draco's smile turned into a scowl. "I am not. It's simply a nice day."

"Are you sure it doesn't have anything to do with a certain Gryffindor?"

Draco stared down at his food, trying to keep himself from smiling again. "Maybe."

"Oh, that's right! You had your date yesterday." Blaise exclaimed, causing Draco to shoot daggers at him when the entire table turned in their direction.

"Thanks, Blaise, just yell it louder so the rest of the school knows."

"DRACO WENT ON A DATE WITH—"

"Blaise! What the fuck!" Draco growled as he pulled his friend down from standing on the bench.

"You told me to." Blaise said, smiling innocently.

Draco put his head on the table. "Why am I friends with you?"

"Because you're both idiots." Pansy smiled, getting a groan from Draco. "Sooo, how'd it go?"

Draco lifted his head up, smiling slightly as he remembered last night. "It was great."

He shifted so his chin was now resting on his hand, his smile widening. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Hermione keeps turning out to be more amazing than I had originally thought."

"Aww, Draco's in loove." Blaise interrupted, getting another glare from Draco.

"Could you shut up?"

Blaise snorted. "What? You've never talked about any girl like this."

"Well, she's not like the other girls." Draco replied. "She's...different."

Pansy smirked. "Smooth, Malfoy."

Draco rolled his eyes at her. "You know what I mean. First of all, she's the first person who's not a Slytherin to not be completely repulsed by me. Second, she actually likes me. I still don't know why. Third, she managed to get Weasel to try to be nice to me. I wish Potter would do the same, because I saw how much it hurt her to see him avoiding her, but Merlin knows what's happened to his brain."

"I hope she can do that for the rest of the Slytherins." Pansy sighed. "While I do like to intimidate people, it's like everyone thinks all Slytherins are secretly plotting to bring Voldemort back."

She frowned as she realized Draco hadn't even been listening to her. He looked like he was completely in a different world, and she followed his gaze over to the Gryffindor table. Hermione Granger was sitting there, laughing along with her Weasley friends. Pansy smirked as she saw her look over at Draco and blush. Draco finally realized what was happening, and his face turned red as he saw her looking back at him.

"You are so done for." Pansy said, laughing.

"Oh, shut up." Draco replied, a smile still creeping onto his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione smiled as she half-listened to Ginny's story, eyes wandering every so often over to the Slytherin table. Draco was talking to his friends, and he genuinely looked happy to be there. She blushed at the fact that she could be the reason for that.

Suddenly, Blaise stood up on the bench, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"DRACO WENT ON A DATE WITH—"

Almost the entire school turned around for a moment to look at the Slytherins in confusion, and Hermione had to stifle a laugh as she watched Draco yank Blaise down, and then put his head on the table in annoyance.

"What was that all about?" Ron asked.

"I think Malfoy told his friends about him and Hermione's date." Ginny said, smirking at her friend's reddening face.

"I still don't understand what you see in him, 'Mione." Ron said.

Hermione smiled. "You'll see eventually."

"So, how was the date?" Ginny asked. "Where'd you go?"

"We actually didn't go to a five star restaurant," Hermione replied. "He took me to this adorable diner called Harry's." She smiled dreamily, remembering. "I was so overdressed, so I said I could go change, but he was so nice about it and just told me I looked beautiful and that I didn't need to."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Ginny exclaimed, then laughed. "I never thought I'd say that about Malfoy, but it's true."

"We talked for hours," Hermione continued. "It was like talking to a whole new person, a person who totally understood me. But at the same time, he was still Draco Malfoy."

"Who knew that Malfoy could actually be nice." Ron snorted. "He must really like you."

Hermione chuckled at that, a blush forming across her cheeks. She looked back over at the Slytherin table, only to find that Draco was already looking at her.

She blushed deeper, smiling as Draco realized he was looking at her and returned her smile.

"And Merlin, is he beautiful." She sighed.

"Malfoy?! Beautiful?!"

Hermione looked over to find Ginny laughing and Ron staring at her in disbelief.

"Did I say that out loud?"

Ginny snorted, nodding. She looked over at her brother. "It's not like she's the only one, Ron. Malfoy's been practically every girl's crush at some point or another." She looked over at Hermione and smirked. "She's just the lucky girl that got him to like her back."

Ron turned his stare of disbelief onto his sister. "Even you?"

"Well, maybe with the exception of me. But I do agree that he's quite attractive."

Ron looked at her incredulously. "I'm going to go talk to the boys now. This Malfoy stuff is making me feel weird."

Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes, laughing.

"Well, anyways, I'm glad you're happy." Ginny said.

"Me too." Hermione smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another Slytherin watched as their Slytherin Prince gushed about Hermione Granger, and scrunched their nose in disgust at the sight of the two of them looking at each other and blushing.

Suddenly, they smirked. That was it. They just needed Hermione, and then they could get both the revenge they wanted, and the person they loved.

Just a little more time, and they would be ready to put their plan in action.