Healing the Heart (Dramione)

05|| Lazing and Cloud Gazing

It had been weeks since she had really spoken to or seen Ron. He was staying with Harry and Ginny, which made it uncomfortable to visit. She spent most of her evenings savoring the dying warmth of autumn by wandering the streets of London or reading in the park. This particular afternoon consisted of reading on a small hill under the shade of a tree she found.

Hermione's eyes lifted from her book when a tall figure came into her line of sight. "Malfoy? How did you find me?"

The blonde looked down at her before plopping onto the ground and laying his head down on the grass. "Hello, Granger." He laced his fingers behind his head and closed his eyes. "I just thought, Where would a depressed Granger go? Bars? Maybe, but it isn't an ungodly hour so probably not. You rather enjoy taking walks, and this park seems to be your favorite spot so I wandered around a bit and here we are."

"But why did you find me?"

"I needed someone to pester."

She smiled at that. Seizing the opportunity, she decided to study him as he relaxed beside her. Her eyes traveled from his long legs up his torso till they rested upon his face. His dark lashes fanned gently over his fair skin and she found herself feeling a little jealous.

"Take a picture, Granger."

She snorted. "In your dreams, I was just noticing how crooked your nose is."

Draco's brows furrowed. "My nose, like the rest of me, is perfect." He opened his eyes. "Have you spoken to Weasley lately?"

Hermione's face grew grim. "I haven't seen or spoken to him since that day." She turned her eyes skyward. "It's ending." She told him. "I know it is."

Draco pushed himself onto his elbows. Guilt gripped his stomach. "You really think so?"

She sent him a dead look. "Don't you? We're not the same anymore." He didn't respond. Hermione closed her book and laid down next to Draco. After a few minutes, she pointed up at the sky. "I love watching the clouds, don't you?"

He focused on the clouds. "They're just clouds."

She shook her head and touched his arm. "That one looks like a boat."

"No it doesn't."

"Just use your imagination, if you have one." She pointed to another. "What does that one look like?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "A cloud. Ouch!" He rubbed the arm she pinched him. "Why are you so violent?"

"Try again."

Letting out an annoyed sigh, he glared the sky. "It looks like a tree. Sort of."

She leaned her head closer to his. "That one looks like cat."

Draco rolled his face towards hers. "Is this what you've been doing since that day?"

Hermione turned her head towards his, bringing their faces close together. "Along with other things. I thought about buying a cat the other day, then I considered a dog, but I settled on a book." She smiled sadly. "Gotta have something to keep me company."

"Don't be so depressing. You have friends, people you can spend time with." He wanted to break eye contact with her but something was keeping his eyes glued to hers. He reached over and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

Her eyes closed at the contact and she exhaled softly. "Do you think we could have been friends in Hogwarts? If things had been different."

Draco turned his face skyward again. "Different, how?"

She rolled onto her side and pulled at pieces of grass. "If I hadn't been Muggle-Born, or if your family hadn't been so against my kind."

"There's nothing wrong with your kind."

She started tying knots in the blades of grass. "If you hadn't been pureblood, or if you had been sorted into Gryffindor, maybe I had been sorted into Slytherin."

Draco shook his head. "You're not a snake. You never would have been sorted into Slytherin, you're too good." He propped himself up on his side. "I think we could have been friends. Better than you and Potter, even."

Hermione smiled at that. "He's a tough one to beat."

He snorted. "I'm far better than him, you would have found that out very quickly."

She flicked her knotted grass away and leaned her head on her shoulder. "Malfoy... I-"

Not wanting the subject to get any heavier, he interrupted. "I knew one day you would regret being so mean to me in school. If you hadn't bullied me so much, we could have been friends."

She blinked as a slow smile crept onto her face. "Me?" She lifted her book and swung at his shoulder. "Anything I did to you, you deserved!" She grinned as he lifted his arms to protect himself.

"No! Not the face! I'm too beautiful to be beaten!" He reached over and shoved her shoulder, sending her backwards onto the grass. "Look at you, still bullying me even outside of school."

She giggled and turned her head towards him. "Thank you."

"For what?"

Hermione sat up and closed her eyes. "For distracting me. For being here. For just being you."

He rolled onto his knees. "You and Weasley will make-up. You two always do. How many fights have you gotten into with him since I started working with you?"

She frowned. "I don't see how-"

"So many fights! But each time you two make-up. You're too good of friends not to. You may not remain his girlfriend, but you will still be his friend." He stood and offered his hand.

She hesitated but ended up gripping his fingers and letting him pull her to her feet. He was right, she and Ron were too good of friends to let anything come between them permanently. Once they both cooled off, they'd be able to become friends again.

"You're too good for him, even as a friend. He doesn't deserve you." Draco gave her a light wave and strutted down the sidewalk.

Hermione picked up her book and silently followed after him.