Pride and Polyjuice Potion

Chapter 15

When Hermione returned to Lusca Lodge, she found herself consumed by agitation and tears. How could Malfoy allow himself to destroy poor Luna's heart? Blaise too must have suffered greatly. The great tumult of her thoughts brought about a severe headache that prevented her going into town with the others in the early afternoon. Tonks seemed very concerned with her health and promised to see what she could find in town to help cure her.

When they were gone, Hermione read over Luna's letter again in attempt to exasperate herself as much as possible against Malfoy. There was no sign of a complaint, only a lack of cheerfulness that used to constitute her manner of writing. All she wanted was to be reunited with her friend, although she knew she could never tell her the details of the event, fearing it would only make her feel worse.

She was quite startled when the door bell rang, thinking at first that one of her friends might have forgotten something and so returned with such haste. Her hair was a mess and she was wearing a large oversized t-shirt and baggy trousers.

To her utter amazement, she opened the door to Draco Malfoy.

"Well, aren't you going to welcome me in? It's kind of pissing it down out here."

His hair and suit were drenched in rain, but it could not get a single shiver out of him. She had not even noticed the state of the weather and immediately felt concern for her friends who were exposed to it.

"Yes, of course, please come in," she said, unsure what else to say.

She lead him to Tonks and Lupin's sitting room and gestured for him to sit down but he refused and instead remained standing, in a position leaned against the wooden mantelpiece. She wondered whether she should offer him something to drink or something to help him dry off but she decided against it, waiting for him to start the conversation. But he spoke not, which puzzled Hermione exceedingly. Why would he have taken the trouble to come if he had nothing to say?

After pacing back and forth across the room, and taking a deep breath, he finally began.

"I have struggled and fought for way too fucking long. I give up now. You must allow me tell you how ardently I admire you and-"

He paused and now looked over at her, noticing her silent astonishment. This he considered sufficient encouragement and so he continued.

"In saying this I am aware I will violently be going against the wishes of my family, my friends, and I hardly need add, my own better judgement. Your repulsive blood status matched with my purity, added to the fact that you're a fucking Gryffindor and I'm a Slytherin, would make an alliance between us a highly reprehensible connection. As a rational man, I regard it as such myself. But it cannot be helped. Relieve my suffering and consent to be my date for the Yule Ball."

While he spoke anxiously, his facial expressions suggested real security, as though there could be no possible way for Hermione to reject him after such a condescension. This inspired so intense a rage within her, that the most civil response she could give was:

"I think I am supposed to thank you in a situation like this. But I cannot. I have told you before that I have never desired your good opinion and your words just now have given me every reason to continue feeling so. If I caused you any pain, it was unconsciously done but I will not apologise for it. The reasons you give for not liking me will help you to quickly overcome these feelings, I should imagine."

His face was filled with anger and astonishment.

"What? That's it? That's all you're going to fucking say to me? Do you care to inform me as to why I am rejected with such a half arsed attempt at civility?"