The Wish List

Part Three

   21st December

   Draco held her hand as they sat huddled together in the Library, only themselves for company nextto the warm fire. Hermione knew he was unsure at first and she wished that he would stop being sohesitant... almost scared of the rejection that he thought he was going to get from her. 

   So, when her fingers squeezed his and she gave him an encouraging smile, his hand held hers morefirmly. It was all the incentive he needed to relax and let himself sink gracefully into theacceptance that she was giving him. 

   They stayed that way as they sat there reading in the quiet of each other's company.

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   22nd December

   The Quidditch pitch was a pretty sight when it had been snowing. Everything was covered in thefresh, white powder and he often wondered how long the Pitch could stay perfectly untouched forbefore someone came stomping through the freshly laid snow in their big, clonking Quidditchboots. 

   From up here, he could see everything clearly. He had the air in his lungs and the wind blewthrough his hair, whipping it about as it got into his eyes. 

   Draco hadn't felt the need to touch his hair for more of the day. His hands had not rang themselvesthrough it in a bit to calm his anxieties. Small steps... if only his mind healer could see him now.Draco was sure that when he reported back that the old man would be more than happy with hisprogress. 

   It had been a sudden shift, but it hadn't. It had been a long road, but his latest route had been quiteshort. The relief from the tension that he had felt himself letting go of whenever he was aroundGranger was nothing short of elation. She set him right... she made him forget himself. She madehim think of other things besides the thoughts of the past that clung to the crevices of his mind,ready to pounce and bring him under. 

   She was his calm. 

   She was his. 

   A slightly bitter thought crossed his mind then as he looked up at the sky, letting the wind blowright through him as he battled in the fresh air on his broom. 

   She would never be his. Not really. 

   For now, while they were in this little personal bubble that they had put around themselves, theywere safe and their new friendship had been going from strength to strength. But what about after?What about when there was no more wish list and there was no more need for her to accompanyhim to places and join him whilst he experienced parts of life that he had missed? 

   What then? 

   Draco frowned at the sky as sleet started to fall from the grey clouds. 

   What happens after? What did they do then? 

   What did he do then, without her?

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   23rd December

   Hermione knew that Draco was looking at her wide-eyed. Nobody, him especially, had expectedthe words to come out of her mouth, but she felt quite strongly about the fact that she had needed tosay them. 

   Seamus was looking at her rather quizzically while Dean just shook his head with a small smile.Hermione could hear Pansy Parkinson tittering to Blaise Zibini in the background, causing Dracoto give them a small smirk.