What Once Could Never Be...

What Once Could Never Be...

Chapter 2: The Conversation and A Plan

Hermione continued to stare at Draco. She realized she was gaping, but there wasn´t a thing she could do about it. She could have sworn that she had either fallen asleep or that she was hallucinating. Draco Malfoy is sitting across from me acting like he wants to have a conversation with me of his own will. Boy, am I losing it.

Draco started to feel awkward under her gaze. He shifted his weight to leaning against the seat. She had not yet answered his question, and he was growing impatient. He repressed the impulse to go over and shake her. Of course, he could understand what this looked like to her. Enemies just didn´t go make conversation with each other out of the blue. Maybe I should prompt her a little more to get a response.

"Hermione, I realize what this looks like. Believe me, I have no intention of being hostile towards you in any way."

"Why should I believe a word that comes out of your mouth, Malfoy?" she hissed in response. Hermione wasn´t certain, but could have sworn that Draco looked hurt at her words. He was even calling her by her first name and not `Granger.´

"Now, there´s no reason to act like that. I have simply come to talk to you."

"Oh, and that´s it, is it? Well excuse me if I couldn´t care less. `Draco Malfoy come to have talk with a Mudblood.´ I´m sure that will happen when hell freezes over," she said with a malevolent glint in her eye. She didn´t care if he was hurt at her words. She was not going to miss the chance at getting back at the same person who had been degrading her for all those years. I´m just letting him have what he deserves.

"Maybe this is a good time to mention that temperatures in hell have just reported reaching the freezing point," he retorted.

"Come off it, Malfoy! Whatever is going on with you, I don´t care! What´s the matter? Did the Slytherins throw you out? It doesn´t matter, you deserved it," she spoke venomously. She instantly regretted it when she saw the expressions that crossed his face. Hurt, pain, and...respect?

He couldn´t believe that she had just insulted him in a way that was worthy of his own. He was hurt by her words, but knew them to be true. Why should she care about his well-being? It seemed ridiculous really that he thought that she might understand. He raised out of his seat and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Well, if that´s the way you feel, Hermione, I suppose you are entitled. I give you my leave." With that he headed for the door.

Hermione, suddenly ashamed of her actions, jumped up and headed him off. She didn´t know what she was going to say, but she did know that she wanted him to stay. The idea of it was ludicrous she knew, but she couldn´t help it. He had looked so pained at her words. The thought of it made her cringe. She had stooped to his level when he was being genuinely nice to her. She thought this might be her only chance to see him without him disguising his emotions with an expressionless mask.

"Wait! Stay for a few more moments."

Draco looked at her, surprised. "Why? So you can insult me even more than you already have? What´s your next topic? My family?" He tried to reach around her to open the door having a height advantage over her.

She gazed at him, her eyes pleading. "I´m sorry I said those things. I didn´t mean to be so ruthless. Its just that, what did you expect me to do? You usually just insult me on a normal day and call me `Mudblood.´ I didn´t know what to say."

He looked at her with admiration. He walked away from the door and sat back down in his former seat and glanced back up at her, waiting for her to do the same. He waited until she was seated comfortably to respond. "I can understand why you reacted in the way that you did. It would not sit well with me either if someone I considered to be an enemy to come up suddenly and start a conversation. I must admit that you were quite vicious, a quality that I would not have pegged you for, Hermione."

She raised an eyebrow. "Should I take that as a compliment, coming from you, Malfoy?"

"Draco, please," he replied with a lazy grin.

"Fine. Draco, then."

"You should take it as a compliment. Among the many other things that I could compliment you on."

A faint blush started to creep upon Hermione´s cheeks. She quickly averted his eyes from his until she was staring at the floor. She looked back up at him, studying him for a few moments before speaking again. "No, I did not."

Draco appeared puzzled. "Did not, what?"

"Have a good summer. I spent most of it thinking about how bad of a year this was going to be." She glanced down and spoke in a small voice, "I assume you´ve heard."

He brushed aside the urge to lift her face to his. She looked so beautiful sitting there, with her eyes downcast and her hair flowing over her shoulders like a chestnut waterfall, that she took his breath away. He didn´t know where these thoughts were coming from, but there they were. His next words came out as a stutter. "H - H - Heard what?"

She lifted her eyes back up and locked on his with a piercing gaze. "About Harry and Ron," she stated simply.

"Potter and Weasley?" he replied indignantly. "What do they have to do with you having a bad summer?"

"Everything. They both ignore me now. I haven´t existed for them since they both started having girlfriends." This was painful for her to say, but she knew it to be true. As she spoke, a tear escaped from the corner of her eye and glided down her cheek. Damn, I didn´t want to cry in front of him. Now, he´s just going to make fun of me.

To her astonishment, Draco reached out with his finger and brushed the tear away. He was peering at her with eyes full of sadness. He looked solemn, but no longer without feeling upon his face. It was a nice change she decided.

"I´m sorry. I shouldn´t have put my troubles on you. Coming and talking to me obviously states that you have problems of your own," she said as a way to change the subject off of her. She looked back down at her feet.

He had leaned forward to brush away her tear and now took hold of her hand making her eyes shoot back up to his face. "No, I´m sorry. I sort of understand in a way. I´ve never had any friends. Just people using me for their own selfish reasons."

She leaned towards him and squeezed his hand in hers. She willed herself to say something but the words wouldn´t come. They just sat there in silence understanding each other´s pain. A mutual surprise that did not escape irony.

The train had arrived at the Hogsmeade station and was slowing to a stop. Without saying a word, Draco and Hermione rose from their seats and made their way out of the compartment, heading for the carriages. They walked, still in silence, still hand-in-hand.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lucius Malfoy stood next to the person he had faithfully served for most of his life, Lord Voldemort. They were in the drawing room at Malfoy Manor discussing what was to become of his son, Draco.

"I know, master. But the boy has refused to serve you."

"You idiot! You know what the boy has been destined to do. Have you not realized what will happen if he does not do what has been planned?"

"He will not come willingly."

"Then, he will be forced. Capture the thing he holds most dear and threaten to kill it. He will come looking and you will make him obey. If he continues to resist, he will perish at my hand. No one that says no to me will live. Either way, he will do what I want him to do."

Lucius´ expression did not change at the news that Voldemort might possibly kill his son. He simply nodded his head and left the room to put the plan into action. He also wanted nothing to disrupt Voldemort´s plans because he was to gain more power than he already possessed. If his son were to die to gain that power, so be it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry and Ron exited their compartment side-by-side with Ginny and Lavender following close behind. The four of them made their way to where the carriages would be awaiting to take them up to the school. As they stepped off the train, a sight caught the eye of both of them.

Harry spoke first. "Is that `Mione over there?"

Ron looked aghast. "What the hell is she doing with Malfoy?"