Enchanted ~ A Hermione x Draco fanfic

Astoria Greengrass.

Draco bolted upright. Upon glancing around the dormitory he noticed he was the only one awake, although he could distinctly hear Crabbe snoring away in the bed below his.

'Pig.' Draco muttered, checking the room around him before stealthily climbing down from his top bunk into the Common-room. He was shocked to find a girl sat in her pyjamas, reading, crossed legged by the fire. Draco cleared his throat quietly, but loud enough so she heard, craning her head up from the newspaper. She raised her dark eyebrows.

'What are you doing up so late?' Draco asked accusingly.

'I could ask you the same.' Said the girl, who after sweeping a wavy lock of dark brown hair, continued to read. Draco blushed and sat by the opposite couch, warming his hands near the fire.

'What's your name?' She asked suddenly, smiling.

'Draco Malfoy. Yours?' He replied in a proud way.

'Astoria. I thought you Malfoys wouldn't dare be seen talking to anyone except a pure-blood wizard or witch.' She snorted, rolling up the sleeves of her green and blue pyjama t-shirt. 'I'm a half-blood. My dad's a muggle.'

Draco didn't really know how to reply. 'What's your last name?' He said, changing the subject.

'Greengrass.'

'Your sister's in my year, she's a slytherin too.' Daphne Greengrass was an easily agitated pretty brunette girl who happened to be in Pansy Parkinson's group of friends. 

'I know.' She replied, irritating him further. 'I heard you got in a fight with three Gryffindors on the train.'

'So what if I did?'

'I heard you called Hermione Granger a Mudblood and her friend cursed your ears.' Astoria said smirking. Draco's fists clenched in rage.

'Who told you that?!' 

Astoria seemed pleased at Draco's infuriated expression. She didn't answer, and silence filled the room, until Draco spoke. 

'Yeah, that happened; I hit her with a curse to make her skin peel.' He said guiltily.

'She's nice, we're partners for Arithmancy. Why?' Astoria asked sadly. Her green eyes flickered in light of the bright orange flames beside her. Draco wanted to explain how she was a blood traitor, unworthy, a disgrace, but no words came out. The only thing that escaped his lips was; 'Father doesn't like mudbloods.' 

Once he'd realised what he'd said, his hand was clamped firmly over his own mouth. Astoria frowned. 'So? My father doesn't like quidditch, but I've played since I was 10.' Draco imagined a young Astoria, giggling as she zoomed back and forth on a broomstick, throwing an over-sized ball around a garden. It was quite a different example but the general idea was clear. 'He's not you, Draco. Does he really mean so much to you that you'd bully a perfectly nice girl?' 

Draco opened his mouth to argue, but Astoria was on her feet, stretching. She tossed her copy of The Daily Prophet to Draco.

'And that article was mean. Maybe you should be nicer, Malfoy.' And with that she was gone, wobbling tiredly back to the girl's dormitory.

~*~*~*~

'Pansy, tell me about Astoria Greengrass.' 

Pansy looked horrified as Draco asked her this, scowling and replying with 'Why?!' 

'I want to know.' He snapped, growing weary of Pansy's jealous mood swings.

'Ugh! All I know is she's my friend Daphne's little sister.' 

Draco returned to his porridge, which looked more disgusting than usual. Straight after breakfast was Study Of Ancient Runes, in which Professor Babbling literally babbled the lesson away.

Draco also remembered that he was forced to sit next to 'Loony' Luna Lovegood, who was no help to copy from as she made up various words, and also exceptionally nutty, as many students made clear. Blaise and Pansy often stole her shoes, flowery pink and purple converse, and hid them around the school, with help from Peeves the ghost to put in high places. She'd totter around shoeless looking for them, or putting up notices that read something like: 'KEEP A LOOK OUT FOR LUNA'S SHY YET SHIFTY SHIFTING SHOES'

Pansy was in a remarkable bad mood for the rest of the day, and Draco swore he heard her wailing something about Astoria being 'ugly anyway'.

And to top it all off, Study Of Ancient Runes went as bad as could be. Percy Weasley, a prefect from a year or two before came to 'Observe' the lesson, and made it clear he didn't have anything to do with his twin brothers' pranking schemes at the beginning of the lesson, making everyone considerably less joyous. Well; everyone except Hermione, who grinned to herself when he announced it.

Then, professor Babbling made everyone translate some runes Granger used in one of her many paragraphs. 

'Now, this word, Eihwaz.. Draco!' Babbled professor Babbling, and everyone turned to Draco, who had been doodling little inky hearts on the front of Luna's book. Luna was oblivious to this, twirling her waist-length wavy blond hair in a ponytail.

'Uh, that meeaaansss... ' He started, flipping through Luna's notes. 'Partnership!' He almost yelled, finding something in Luna's notes that made sense.

'I think you'll find that's Ehwaz.' Shouted Hermione's voice from across the classroom. 'Something you're clearly incapable of performing.' She said, loud enough so he heard.

'UM that's enough. 15 points to Gryffindor for Miss Granger's excellent runes knowledge! Mr Malfoy, you can have 5 for trying.' Professor Babbling announced, giving Draco a patronizing smile.

He heard a hearty laugh from across the room and saw Blaise Zabini grinning at him. He was mouthing something, but as he leaned in to see, Hermione stepped in front of him, passing to get a book.

'MOVE!' He shouted, and was greeted with Hermione's not-amused face. 

'Oh, I-I'm Sorry I thought you were-' He stuttered, before Hermione cut him off.

'And there we are again, saying sorry but not meaning it.' She said in an exaggerated voice, but Draco quickly replied with 'I do mean it Granger.'

She didn't say anything, but looked slightly dubious, raising one eyebrow.

'I do. I said I was sorry about the train.. And just now- I mean it.' Draco said.

'Sure. You can tell my parents why you wrote that horrible article then.' Hermione said in a way that suggested she thought she'd won. But; to her surprise, Draco said in a proud voice 'Alright then.' Hermione started to laugh, and began to walk away, but Draco blocked her. 'I will. I'm sorry. It was unfair of me to say that stuff.'

'Fine,' She hissed, 'You can meet me in the library tomorrow after your detention with Snape. That's if you really mean it.'

'Whatever.' Draco replied coolly.

'And don't even think about bringing Crabbe or Goyle, they're banned from the library.' 

'Wasn't planning on it. Just you and me.' Said Draco, and Hermione struggled to hide the fact that she was blushing rose red and smirking girlishly.

~*~*~*~

Author's note: The girl on the left is Astoria Greengrass :)