Choose Me Instead II Draco Malfoy x Reader

Love

Three weeks after the Winter Dance ...

On a Tuesday evening in March, clouds gathered over Hogwarts and darkened the sky. The few students who had been outside despite the cold wind had mere seconds to sprint to the castle before the gates to the heavens opened. Rain began to pour down, drenching everyone. You were one of those students.

You cursed once you got inside and whipped out your wand to cast a drying spell while hoping your Potions book wasn't completely ruined. Even though Snape was no longer around to retract at least fifty housepoints for it, you still didn't want to deal with Slughorns disappointed look that he'd give you. "Oh thank Merlin," you mumbled when you saw that it was fine.

"Here, you lost this."

You almost dropped your book when you heard the familiar voice. "Hermione!", you said surprised.

The brown-haired girl stood in front of you, holding out a quill that had slipped out of your bag when you reached for the wand. She smiled awkwardly.

"Thank you." You took the quill from her. She nodded but stayed silent, burying her hand in the pocket of her jacket. It had been three weeks since you last talked to her. The morning after the Winter Dance, you had tried to get her to talk to you. She refused and sent Ginny to let you know that she needed space. You tried one more time a few days later but still – Hermione didn't want to see you.

Your own emotions shifted from guilt that you didn't tell her, to anger that she didn't want to speak to you for three freaking weeks, and then back to guilt because you knew you screwed up with your lies. Now that she was here, you understood that you just missed her. You missed not being able to talk and laugh with your friend.

"Where are you going?", Hermione asked.

"To the common room."

She hesitated and looked back and forth between you and the stairs behind you. "Can I come?"

Relief washed over you. That could only mean that she wanted to talk. "Sure," you replied and smiled at her.

You walked together in silence for the first pair of stairs. Only when you turned a corner and entered the hall that lead to the next stair, did she speak up. Her words surprised you.

"I'm sorry."

You looked at her, stunned. "What for?"

Her gaze was fixated on her shoes. "For not coming to you earlier. I was embarrassed."

You frowned. "I'm the one who lied to you, Hermione."

"I know," she sighed, still not looking at you. "But I overreacted."

You snorted. Not because you found this situation particularly amusing – to be honest, it was ridiculous. You stopped walking, Hermione did the same.

"You didn't." You shook your head. "Seriously. I should have told you the day it first happened. You're my friend and what I did was wrong." You paused. "I hurt you. And I'm deeply sorry for that."

For the first time since you started walking, Hermione looked at you. She pursed her lips but there was no anger written on her face. When she spoke, there was certainty in her voice: "I know. What you did wasn't okay."

You couldn't agree more. "You're right."

"I'm not mad that you slept with him, you know."

"You're not?"

"No. Although ... it's a little weird." She wrinkled her nose and you chuckled softly.

"No, but I'm not mad about it", you friend repeated herself. "He didn't cheat on me. We weren't dating then and ...", she hesitated, "I had my fun as well."