Things Change

Chapter 46

| “ After all, it's one thing to run away when someone's chasing you. It's entirely another to be running all alone."

-Jennifer E. Smith |

Hermione had been wrong. Fortunately, the next day, Draco came back. But he obviously wasn't in the mood to talk. When he saw Hermione on the couch, finishing up some homework, he didn't spare her a glance as he swiftly walked into his room.

Hermione figured he was just upset that he had revealed some sort of emotion to her. Typical Draco. But she didn't know the rest of the story. Maybe if she did, she would've handled things better.

She felt her heart twitch at the sight of him, but she was used to it now. It was something that hist came with him - like his mood swings. Some things are just better than others. But you can't just stick around for the good and leave once things go bad. That's what her mum always tell her.

She sighed and went back to her book. Hermione figured Draco was just getting a blast from the past and regretted everything. She figured that he was upset about everything he already had done. She didn't even ponder the possibility that this might be a hint to the prophecy. She didn't even think. Which is not like her.

Hermione's POV

I was starting to become "friendly" with Draco again, and that needed to stop if I was going to help Harry with this stupid prophecy.

Every night I would have these horrible dreams about Voldemort and the Death Eaters. It was all so terrifying so most of the time, I preferred to be awake. It was so hard to imagine Voldemort coming back. Again. It just made me so stressed. Not to mention terrified - and I'm never really terrified.

Draco just did something to me. I can't explaining how or why but he just made me want to almost forget everything, you know? Forget who I was, who he was, what he had done, what we shouldn't be doing. All of it.

Just forget it.

But we couldn't do that. Maybe before, but not now. For reasons. Like, how I didn't fully trust him yet again, I didn't know what would happen between us, I had no idea about the prophecy... A lot of things actually...

It was all so complicated because it seemed like Draco was trying so hard to be nice and trying to be friendly and I didn't want to be a jerk and ignore him, but I couldn't really become friends with him because of what Harry had said. But I don't really think we should listen to that old bat, she's never been right before, so why should we listen now? It's all just very complicated... and stressing.

Draco's POV

I don't know why I broke down in tears. I don't know why I let her comfort me. I don't know why I ran. I don't know why I came back. I pretty much don't know anything.

I guess everything finally caught up with me and hit me dead in the face. The reality of this all, the danger, the risk, suddenly caught up with me. And I'll admit it, it was too much. It all just became too much for me to handle.

But I couldn't just hide in the crowd and go with the flow. Yes, that was the easy choice - that's why I'd done it the first time - but it was time to try something different. I'd have to talk to Potter. As disgusting as it is, I have to. Or maybe I could just talk to Hermione? That might be better... Yeah, Hermione.

I just didn't know how or what I could say. This would not be easy, me being me and all. I don't like to confide in people. I don't trust people. Don't really like them, minus a few.

No POV

Over the next few days, Draco had tried multiple times to say something. One time, he'd gotten all the way up to the point where he approached her. But he backed out when she snapped at him, saying she was busy.