Inside Your Mind

welcome home

Welcome Home - Radical Face

November 2nd 1999

Draco knew that Hermione wasn't avoiding him.

It had been hours since he returned with her to The Burrow and they'd not said two words to each other since they were outside Malfoy Manor. Draco had sat out on the front porch alone, occasionally conversing with whoever came out to speak to him, for most of the morning until the rest of the Weasleys arrived a few minutes ago.

Hermione was spending the day catching up with the people that she loved, talking to the people she used to be friends with in school, and getting to know the people she used to strongly dislike (and who had equally disliked her). She was helping them. She was healing with them and Draco didn't want to interfere.

So he knew that she wasn't avoiding him because he was avoiding her.

He didn't mean to at first. He only wanted to give her space while she talked to Harry so, after he had handed her a mug of tea, he slipped out onto the front porch of the Weasley home to sit with his thoughts until he got the chance to speak with her.

He was alone for all of ten minutes before his first visitor disturbed his peace.

'Care to tell me why you're out here brooding alone?' Blaise asked as he took a seat next to Draco on the porch step.

'I'm not brooding.' Draco sighed.

'That's what people say when they're-.'

'Alright.' Draco snapped. 'I'm just thinking about everything.'

'I can see that.' Blaise commented as he watched Draco take a gulp of tea.

Blaise knew that Draco was struggling, had been for months now, but this was the first time he was letting the emotions get to him. Putting himself in Draco's position he could understand why he chose now to begin to crumble - the boy had just found out that his parents were actually alive and he was in love with a girl who may never want to speak to him again, let alone get into a relationship - Blaise just wished that Draco would just do the sensible thing and simply talk to Hermione. But Blaise knew that Draco wasn't always sensible when it came to decisions about a certain curly haired witch.

Not to mention he was god awful when it came to telling other people about his emotions.

'I don't know what to say to her.' Draco finally said.

'Tell her you're sorry for hurting her. Tell her you're sorry for acting like a huge prick when you made her feel like another notch on your-.'

'Watch it, Blaise.' Draco snarled, grabbing Blaise by the collar of his jumper and getting in his face. 'That's not what it was like. I may have pushed her away but that doesn't mean that I didn't feel anything for her when we did that.'

'Calm down,' Blaise said, slightly exasperated at Draco's reaction, but he kept his voice neutral for fear of death by Draco. 'I know that's not what it was for you.'

Draco was still scowling at Blaise, his nostrils flaring in anger, but he removed his hand from Blaise's collar and occupied himself with his tea instead.

'I meant,' Blaise continued as he straightened his clothing out. 'That that's what you made her feel like, whether that was actually the case or not. You need to tell her that it was because you felt something for her, that you still feel something for her.'

'I've already told her why I did everything, I just don't think it's enough for her to forgive me.' Draco sighed as he finished off his mug of tea.