525.600 Minutes: In Truths That She Learned, or The Times That He Cried

Chapter Seventeen

Their friendship was an odd one. For it was neither public nor conventional. They kept their friendship hidden, knowing full and well that if people knew, they would most likely loose their special bond.

They threw rude remarks and glares at each other whenever in passing during the day. Making it seem, if possible, that they hated each other even more. But during their patrols on Friday nights, their quick meetings in the library, and when they met in the kitchens every Sunday they laughed at the obscure, and might I add, new remarks that they came up with, or the ice cold glares that they were caught giving each other. In fact, their seemingly unending hate turned into a new game for the new found friends. Each trying to out do the other. They would then argue when they met about who had topped the other on that day. Even when they were caught together, in the library or if they found a student out of bed, no one seemed to notice they had become friends. Which was what made the friendship odd.

They still seemed to insult each other, but not out of hate. It was out of sarcasm, a playful manner that they kept between the two of them. And they had yet to stop calling each other by their surnames, like most friends do. Why they did this they did not know. Perhaps calling each other by their last names was because they had never called the other by their first name, ever and they were so accustomed to using the others surname. Or perhaps the use of the surname was a way to identify their relationship, or a way to remind the other who it was, exactly, that they had become friends with. Or maybe, they simply chose not to call the other by their respected first names. For the last names became their thing, something that made the bond closer, stronger. The use of surnames became a sort of pet name, you could call it, that they unknowingly gave to the other.

Neither was exactly sure how it happened, or why, but it did. Something had happened in the kitchens that night. Something they couldn't explain, but they knew that the hate the held for each other could no longer rule over the bond that had unwillingly formed.

They held each other's gaze for a moment after Hermione had spoken her last words, Hermione's hand still placed delicately on his shoulder.

Malfoy finally tore his eyes from Hermione's, letting his tears finally stop. "You're parents have been in St. Mungo's for a month now, haven't they?" Hermione nodded.

"Yes," she paused, wondering if she could confide in Malfoy like he had done in her. "They were moved to a different ward today. A long-term resident ward." He didn't say he was sorry, he just nodded his head. Even though he hardly showed sympathy, Hermione felt a small weight being lifted off her shoulders. When she had told Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna and Neville, they had constantly apologized saying how sorry they were. But that weight was still there. But Malfoy didn't need to say how sorry he was to here the news, a simple nod of the head was able to take that horrid knot out of her stomach and they weight off her shoulders. He truly understood.

"How did- well, I mean-" Malfoy didn't know how to ask his question.

But Hermione understood, "After finding out that Annabeth was Ryn-" she told him the story. "-I suppose I was lucky the Order got there when they did." she finished. "I can't help but imagine-" she broke off, the tears that had been forming started to slowly leak from her eyes.

"Yes, Death Eaters are-"

"Cruel." Hermione finished the sentence with Malfoy.

"I can't believe it's already a month." she whispered again, now looking into the mesmerizing flames of the fire. "It's gone by so-"

"fast." Hermione and Malfoy said. They let out a small laugh at the fact that they had just completed the other's sentence twice.

"Yes."