Things Change

Chapter 45

|"The defects and faults of the mind are like wounds in the body; after all imaginable care has been taken to heal them up, still there will be a scar left behind, and they are in continual danger of breaking the skin and bursting out again."

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld|

Days turned into weeks and before anyone knew it, it was March. Things between Hermione and Draco were... complicated. She tried to ignore him and he the same but there were moments when they forgot who they were exactly. That was always the danger for them. But there were always subtle hints. Hints that suggested maybe she didn't totally hate him, hints that he wasn't completely over her.

Draco's letter? That was a different story. He'd had to go to the Manor twice the last couple weeks because they thought they were ready, only to find out they weren't. You'd think they'd have this more planned out... But no.

Of course Hermione noticed his little disappearances every now and then, but he wasn't her business. Never was. But every since that night when he found him with Blaise and Pansy, she'd been paying more attentions to his actions.

Nothing much had happened. Slytherin won against Hufflepuff, there's only one match left. Hermione dedicated herself to studying, forcing it onto Ginny and Harry, trying to get Draco to at least attempt it. Things were almost - dare she say - normal?

Hermione's POV

It was March 3. A tuesday. I was reading one of my History of Magic textbooks, trying to remember the year of the Goblin war, when I heard Draco chuckle to himself. I gave him a look from over my book that suggested he was mad and that made him laugh even more.

I slowly closed my book, and watched him as he laughed. His nose crinkled slightly at the corners and he had a half-smile on his lips. It was like that thing never went away.

After a few moments he stopped laughing, I raised an eyebrow. "Is there something you find funny, Malfoy?" Yes, we had resorted back to last names. It just felt more safe that way. More natural.

"Nothing," he said shaking his head, looking back down at the book he was reading.

"Mhm," I hummed, knowing he was lying.

"What?" he said defensively when he noticed my gaze. "I - it's just that you look funny. Your face was all scrunched up in thought and you just looked so..." He didn't finish the sentence, instead trailed off as a blush crept up his cheeks.

I shook my head with a slight chuckle and went back to studying.

Sometimes, times like this, it was almost as if nothing had happened. But then I would remember it, and yell at myself for letting my guard down. Harry said I couldn't trust him, and since i had no proof against it, I had to obey. We'd been trying to figure out what the prophecy meant but it was just so bloody hard! Harry told Ginny about it and she agreed that we should be cautious of Draco. But as I thought more and more, another person came to mind...

Just maybe.

Draco's POV

Things were getting a bit to casual for my liking. At times, I would notice Hermione let her guard down - which is a bad thing because that's how that all started.

I kept aware of what was happen and was cautious. About everything. But sometimes I'd forget our situation and catch myself doing something I shouldn't be, but that's what it's gonna be like. It's what it's going to have to be like.

The last letter I received, had said something about May... but that's unlikely. They had first said January, then February and so on. You'd think, with something this big they'd have it more planned out. But they don't.