The Grey In His Eyes! Dramoine Story (Draco & Hermione)

Chapter Three ~ North & South

Adjusting to their new campsite wasn't easy for anyone, not even Draco. The skirmish back at their old location had reminded him of the bitter taste of reality.
War. War was pain. Nothing good came out of war. Nothing. Granger's absence from meetings and duty and even from outside her room in their tent proved as much. Even he cared. It was so out of character. The fierce and intelligent witch wasn't one to succumb to emotional or physical pain. And there she was, doing it.

Another thing war did was bring out sides of people no one ever saw. Draco discovered that himself when he killed his first Death Eater on his second week being a Phoenix. A single Death Eater was spying at the edge of the wards, and though the Death Eater couldn't see him, he had killed him without second thought. His first kill of any other living thing had left an unclean mark in his already questionable soul.

The worse thing was that he couldn't console in anyone. He could make small talk with Blaize Zabini, perhaps even a little with Potter; But everyone else still despised him. He was fairly sure Potter did too. But war also brought unlikely alliances.

A particular conversation was the deepest one he had had in a long time. This particular conversation about morals and God broke out over a midnight game of cards between him, Longbottom and Potter. Everyone else was asleep.

"They're lucky" said Draco, abruptly breaking the concentrated silence.

"Who is?" asked Longbottom, who was obviously clueless.

Draco snorted. "I wouldn't expect any more wit from you, Longbottom; everyone who's sleeping, everyone who's at peace".

"They're hardly at peace" argued Potter quietly. "Hardly at all".

"They're more at peace than me. I haven't slept in four days" he replied softly, biting his lip. "I haven't been the same since I took the life out of someone".

"I remember my first kill," Longbottom mused. "I remember how - how horrible it was. I didn't feel right for days".

"I don't think any of us will ever feel right, Longbottom" replied Draco. There was a short silence. The statement was so true that it was almost uncomfortable.

"You didn't kill before Yaxley?" inquired Potter incredulously.

The blonde shook his head once. "Not a soul. I - I avoided it. But I just felt that I had to after last time... It's like a life for a life. I didn't want to hear the bell toll again... To have us discovered" he sighed. "Speaking of which, has Granger come out yet?"

"Why do you care?" Potter furrowed his brow.

"I've knocked on her door several times, Potter".

"She gets like this when someone dies" Neville said, his voice barely more than a whisper. "She always does. Always has".

"She doesn't seem like -

"Hermione doesn't seem like anything she is" Potter interjected. "She's more than meets the eye... But Malfoy, she was touched that you stood up for her".

"How wonderful for her" he feigned yawning.

"You still hate her?"

Draco raised his platinum blonde eyebrows. "Since when did I give you the impression that that had changed? I think I woke the whole camp before the bell screeching back and forth with her".

"You're going to have to stop hating her eventually... There isn't any room for more hate in war then the hate that's necessary".

"My hate for Granger will always be necessary".

Potter shrugged. "You'd be surprised" the dark haired wizard smirked. "I would've thought the same for my hate for you, but that's changed. You're not so bad, Malfoy".