43

                                    

                                          
Hermione bit her finger nails, as she sat on her bed.  
She looked down at the floor, then at me, then back at the floor.  
"...what?" I asked.  
I flopped down into my bed.  
I pulled the sheets up, and over my body.   
"But... he's Malfoy. He's supposed to be cruel, and vile." Hermione ran her hands through her hair.  
All this stuff with Draco threw her thoughts in a twist.  
"He's not always that way." I defended him, as I turned away from her.  
Hermione turned the lights out, and laid down in bed.  
It was getting late, the sky was dark.  
"I'm just confused, I guess.  You two hid it so well.  Expesually, when you punched him in the face-" Hermione spoke quietly.  
I cut her off.  
"Well, he seems different now.  Draco is more distant, and punching him in the face was real. I didn't fake that.   It's just... different from when we first started.  He use to write me notes, and meet me places." I closed my eyes, and imagined all the good times we had in the past.  
I missed Draco's touch.  
I missed how we used to be.  
"You've gotta tell me more in the morning, but for now... goodnight." Hermione signaled the end of our conversation.  
I knew she wasn't going to bed right away, she never does.  
She was going to stay up, and try to wrap her head around, Draco and I.  
Hermione was gonna over think, and jump to conclusions.  
"Hermione? You won't tell anyone right?" I asked.
"No, I won't." She simply replied.  
"Thank you, good night." I smiled.  
...
The next day Hermione, and I met at the library.   
"I still don't get it." Hermione flipped through pages of a book.  
"What don't you get?" I laughed, as I leaned my head against the book shelf. 
"Why Malfoy?" 
"That's like me asking you, why Ron?" I crossed my arms over my chest.  
Hermione narrowed her eyes, and glared at me. 
She slammed her book shut, loudly, before grabbing a new one.   
"Don't speak so loudly about it!" She hushed me.  
"Okay, okay," I laughed, "We obviously have different tastes. I like cute blondes, like Draco.... and you like... Ron." 
Hermione hit me in the top of the head, with the book in her hand.   
"Ron is nice, and good looking! Draco isn't, why do you always pick the bad ones?" Hermione rolled her eyes.  
 She began looking for the nearest clock.  
"Where is Harry? He's late." Hermione rolled her eyes, again. 
"There's a quote that I live by, I don't remember who it's by, but it goes, 'all good boys go to heaven, but bad boys bring heaven to you.' Does that answer your question?" I smirked at Hermione.   
"Are you bringing him to Slughorn's Christmas party?" Hermione quickly changed the subject.   
"Ha!" I sarcastically laughed,"bringing him to a party, with lots of people... when Harry is there? When Harry is under the impression that Draco... is a deatheater?" I looked at her dumbfounded.  
I wanted to bring Draco, but I knew it wasn't a good idea. 
"And besides, like I said last night, things are different now.   We don't really talk like we use to, something is off with him... you really think he could be a deatheater?" I asked Hermione.  
Hermione didn't say anything, she just looked at me with apologetic eyes.  
That's when Harry finally decided to show up.  
"There you are!" Hermione said, as he approached us.  
"Yeah, sorry.  If you didn't make this so last minute I wouldn't be late." Harry said.  
"What's this about anyway?" I asked Hermione.   
"About that Christmas party.... since Ron is with lavender.... I invited Cormac.. to make Ron mad..." Hermione trailed off.  
"Cormac?! Really!?" I nearly yelled.  
The whole library hushed me.  
"Well that means you two need dates," Hermione shut her book and put it back on the shelf, "over there is Romilda Vane, there's a rumor that she's trying to slip Harry a love potion. She thinks you're the chosen one." 
Harry smirked a bit.  
"That's because I am the chosen one." Harry chuckled.  
Hermione grabbed a book off the shelf, and wacked him on the head with it, before putting it back.  
"I thought us three were going to go together?" I asked them.   
"Of course! How could I be so stupid?! We could have just gone together!" Hermione covered her face with her hands, embarrassed at her own stupid mistake.  
I can't believe she asked Cormac.  
"Well, I guess I'm going with you, Harry." I gave him a small smile.   
"Well...." Harry trailed off, as he rubbed the back of his neck.  
"What?" 
"I asked Luna to come with me." 
"Shit, now I gotta go by myself!" 
... 
"Thank God, I found this buried in my clothes." I said, as Hermione zipped my dress up.   
I managed to find an old dress, that I bought years ago.  
I forgot about it, mostly cause it was balled up in the corner.  
It was long, silky, and red.   
It had thin straps that laid on my shoulders, and was fitting in the waist. 
"It's not like you were going to show up naked if you didn't find it." Hermione laughed, as I zipped her dress up.  
She wore a light pink dress.  
"Maybe, I would have." I joked.  
"Are you coming with me and Cormac?" Hermione begged.  
"I told Luna and Harry, that I would walk in with them.   I'll stay close by at the party, in case you need to get away." I gave her a weak smile.   
"Ugh, fine.   You better swoop in and save me, if I need it." Hermione rolled her eyes, before leaving for the Christmas party.