Interview with a Mudblooded Malfoy

Chapter 3 - Good Enough


~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~
Hey your glass is empty
It's a hell of a long way home
Why don't you let me take you
It's no good to go alone
I never would have opened up
But you seemed so real to me
After all the bullshit I've heard
It's refreshing not to see
I don't have to pretend
She doesn't expect it from me
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~


The morning after Hermione and Draco’s alcohol filled fun night of talking and ranting had been nothing but a blur… well for Draco that is. Hermione hadn’t really indulged, mostly because it went completely against her nature. But Draco…Draco had drank enough for the both of them, he was obviously a man who drank away his problems when he couldn’t find another way.

Hermione and awoken remembering everything. All that he had spilled to her while he was under the influence. He had told her about his father and his demanding ways, not that Hermione was surprised by this. He told her about how he didn’t want to be part of the Dark Lord’s army. That he might not have liked mud bloods but where was the fun in being able to insult and belittle them if they weren’t around anymore? Hermione did understand that. You grew to love something, even if for him it was hurting people, and then someone wants to completely take that away. He also told her that he did not want to follow someone who would treat him as if his life had no value, someone who would not care in the slightest about him if he could no longer be of use. Why should he put everything at risk for someone who felt like that? Hermione could identify with this. She also knew that he probably wouldn’t remember what he told her and in all honesty she was thankful for that. If he remembered he’d probably have to kill her… Well okay maybe nothing that extreme. But at least track her down and force her to swear not to leak a word of it to anyone.

Hermione sat in her room and thought over the events before she sighed a little bringing her hand to her head, she hadn’t gotten much sleep because of their little night and she could feel the beginnings of a headache. As she went to her wardrobe and pulled out her clothes for the day, her mind wandered to those days classes.

“Potions with Harry and…” She paused for a second and closed her eyes letting out a sigh. “Ron.” She had almost forgotten all about him. She felt her stomach drop, in a similar manner to what had happened yesterday when she saw him and Luna together. She hated that feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew she would probably feel it now anytime she saw either him or Luna, whether they were together or on their own. She inhaled taking a deep breath before letting it out slowly, then opened her eyes and tried to shake all the memories off.

Hermione had gotten dressed in her white button up shirt and her knee length skirt before pulling the robe on. She grabbed her books for the day before quietly making her way through the common room and eventually ended up at the great hall for breakfast.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~--~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~--~-~-~-~

Draco sat straight up in bed his hands holding his head. He looked over and saw an empty bottle of Wizard’s Whiskey next to him. He picked it up and looked over the bottle and shook his head. He wasn’t too surprised. He didn’t really remember much from the night before.

He did however remember talking to someone… but whom? Someone, that was all he knew and as he thought about whoever it was he got a feeling of familiarity and of fading hatred. Like trying to recall a dream and all you can remember is that you felt a certain way. He hated that feeling. He wanted to know who it had been.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~--~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~--~-~-~-~

Hermione was standing outside the doors to the great hall pacing back and forth in the corridor as she mumbled to herself.

“He doesn’t know…” She said with a small nod. “He doesn’t know how you feel. So why feel embarrassed?” She kept repeating trying to convince herself of its truth. “He doesn’t know you saw. So why would it have to be awkward?” She stopped pacing and drew in a deep breath. “And he doesn’t know that you’re standing right out here talking to yourself… so why would he be thinking you’ve lost it?” She gave herself another nod. That last thought was enough to convince her.

She then pushed the door open and walked in confidently taking her seat across from the two boys. Don’t look at him… don’t…. I swear to myself if I look at him I will….. Ohhhh… I looked. Hermione thought as her eyes met Ron’s for a brief second before she looked hurriedly down at her food. Luckily Ron hadn’t even registered the awkward glance.

“… Right Hermione?” Harry asked looking over to her. Hermione suddenly realized that she hadn’t even been paying attention to him.

“What? I’m sorry, Harry… I was kind of off in my own little world.” She said with a small laugh and an apologetic smile towards him.

Harry nodded understandingly and repeated his earlier story. “Well yesterday I was flying around the Quidditch field, minding my own business when I was knocked off my broom by Malfoy, I was just saying how arrogant he is.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Always is, isn’t he?”

“Err… I have a little announcement.” Ron piped up and turning his friend’s attention to himself. “Today after dinner Luna and I invited a few of our friends to the Gryffindor common room to tell everyone something. Well, its you see…it’s just that her and me, well,” He gulped before continuing in a rush, “We’re together. You know what I mean?”

Instantly Harry was grinning and he thumped Ron on the back with a laugh. “About time you got a girlfriend. Well done, Mate!” Ron nodded and smiled back.

“Thanks a lot, we’re both pretty chuffed about it.”

All Hermione could do was force a fake smile.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~--~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~--~-~-~-~

“Pansy Stop it… Pansy I mean it, move it… not farther up… not around…. Pansy take your hand off… No I didn’t say I wanted off… I want you off… No. I didn’t mean it that way either… Ok if you do not take your hand off my thigh this instant I will remove it myself, permanently… with my butter knife.” Pansy’s hand instantly moved away from Draco’s leg. “Wise decision.” He drawled as he took a bite of his bread.

“Someone’s in a pissy mood this morning.” Pansy said sharply her nose pointing prominently in the air. When Draco didn’t react she began to ignore him and continued with her breakfast. Had it been Pansy he talked with last night? No couldn’t have been, drunk with her he’d probably of drowned himself… or her.

“I have a hangover the size of that filthy giant Hagrid.” He informed them before taking a drink of his pumpkin juice.

“Who did you get drunk with last night? What was the occasion?” Blaise asked curiously. Out of all the Slytherins Blaise was probably the one Draco could most stand. Compared to the others he was a shining light of both pride and intelligence, indeed, he was almost equal to Draco himself.

Draco knew that there was no way to answer this question. If he named someone then it would insinuate he slept with them. Not that that mattered but normally if he needed an out he would say Pansy but she was right next to him and he couldn’t. Also the fact he couldn’t remember who it had been didn’t help. If he said he drank alone due to an encounter with his father, then Blaise would be curious about what his father had wanted and why it had pushed him to an attempt at drowning his sorrows and he really didn’t need any of that right now.

“That would be telling.” He raised an eyebrow, “Why? Because I felt like it.” Was his response and no one really felt the need to question it.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~--~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~--~-~-~-~

Hermione was early for Potion’s class, as she tended to be. She walked in and saw Draco already there along with Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle. She looked away from them quickly not wanting to draw their attention to her.

Just as Hermione turned away Draco had looked up spotting her, he got that familiar dream-like feeling again but he couldn’t quite figure out what it was. He watched her as she walked over to her friends and sat down. He continued to watch her as he tried to place the feeling, he saw Hermione’s eyes look over at Ron and Draco recognised the pained look in her eyes. He remembered that look.

Suddenly the events from the night before came flying back to him hitting him like a brick. As he sat there shocked he hadn’t noticed all the students coming into the classroom or Professor Snape standing before the class.


“Today, Class we are going to re-learn about Veritaserum. Miss Granger don’t bother raising you hand because we know what you’re going to ask.” Professor Snape said bitterly. “I have been directed to re-teach this to all the classes because of that little incident we had last year. Everyone’s head turned towards Pansy and she simply smirked.

----------
FLASHBACK
----------

The Great Hall was in chaos. Students and teachers had their hands clasped to their mouths as everyone ran around the hall trying to get out through the doors and safely to their dorms where hopefully people would stop asking questions. Everyone was in a mix of asking questioning them.

“Are you really related to Circe?”
“Does you family really go to Africa every year?”
“How many girls have you really slept with?”
“Are you in love with Millicent?”
“Did you cheat on me with that skank?!”
“Does your father really work at the Ministry of Magic?”
“Did you cheat on your N.E.W.T.S?”

----------
END FLASHBACK
----------

Everyone turned away from Pansy as she showed no remorse.

“I have been told to re-teach all the laws, rules, and side effects. I will not be asking any questions what-so-ever so please no raised hands. And yes you will have a test on this next class, no homework, only study” A few heads turned to Hermione and she looked down, blushing slightly. She was never too comfortable with being the centre of attention.

Professor Snape continued. “Veritaserum is the most powerful truth serum available; this colorless, odorless potion forces the drinker to tell the truth.” The Professor held up a small vial of what looked like water.

“Because of its physical attributes its hard to determine what exactly it is and could be thought of as anything or mixed in with anything. Just as Miss. Parkinson proved last year as she mixed in with the pumpkin juice. It only works if ingested and there is an antidote.” Professor Snape put the vial down before continuing on with the ministry’s rules that went along with the potion.

Draco had stopped listening pretty much from the beginning of the lesson. He looked down at Hermione keeping his eyes on her as he tried to remember exactly what he had told her. From what he remembered so far he knew that it was more than enough to ruin him.

He would have to talk to her, a serious talk that he was sure she would remember, get it through her head to keep her mouth shut.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~--~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~--~-~-~-~

“Granger!” Draco called out to Hermione from their common room. “Come out here now!”

Hermione was in her room, they all had just gotten back from supper and she was brushing her hair before preparing to go to the Gryffindor common room to see Ron and congratulate him on his new found relationship. As she watched herself in the mirror tears started to form behind her eyes. She swallowed hard. “Stop it now, Hermione.” She mumbled to herself. “You are a big girl and no guy should ever make you cry.” Her little pep talk to herself wasn’t helping and then she heard Draco.

As she left her room and walked into the common room she felt her tears becoming harder to hold back. She walked over to Draco folding her arms, defensively across her chest.

“What do you want?” She asked with a glare as if demanding why he felt the need to interrupt her pity fest? He’d had no right.

The first thing Draco noticed when she came down wasn’t her stomping, or what she said but the tears in her eyes. Suddenly he had forgotten what he had wanted to say to her.

“I… I just…” It wasn’t like him at all to stumble across his words and both he and Hermione noticed it. “Look, are you alright? … Not that I care,” he added hurriedly, “I just… don’t want your mood spoiling my own” The last part he tacked on rather lamely.

Hermione rolled her eyes and uncrossed her arms. “I’m fine, ok? But I highly doubt you shouted me down here to check on my current mood, so why not just get to what you wanted to say.”

Draco nodded. “Well during potions today I remembered what had happened last night. I therefore wanted to ensure you didn’t open your large Gryffindork mouth about anything….”

She interrupted him. “Whoa Snake boy, what exactly do you think happened last night?” She asked re-crossing her arms as her nervousness increased. Why would he be like this if all they did was talk? He obviously thought something else had gone on. Despite her best efforts she could still fell tears slowly coming to her eyes. Only half of her attention was centred on him, the other half was constantly returning to Ron and his new girlfriend.

He looked at her slightly confused before ignoring her interruption. “We talked… more importantly we talked about my situation. I just need to ensure you don’t spill a word of it to anyone. And I mean anyone. Not your hero boy and not your boy toy. Nobody.”

Hermione shook her head and rolled her eyes again, which to her dismay caused a few tears to break and fall slowly down her face. Draco saw and tried to ignore it, her crying bothered him and he didn’t really know why. Hermione couldn’t believe he had come to her with something as pointless as this.

She swallowed hard and shook her head not daring to speak as a few sobs were threatening to take over her chest. Draco heard her holding them back and that made him become more nervous.

“Listen Malfoy. I’m not going to tell anybody…” A few more tears fell as faint sobs became audible. “Right now I have to go and walk into a room full of people I’m supposed to love…” More tears and more sobs.

“And I’m supposed to be happy for my best friend…” She looked up a little trying to hold back some tears that were now stinging her eyes. She brought her hand up wiping some away. “And I find that very hard. I am having a bit of a hard time pretending I’m not bothered that someone I have loved for years loves someone else when my legs can barely stand. And I know you don’t get it and you never will. So I’m just going to go and you’re going to leave me….”

Hermione was suddenly interrupted by Draco’s hand slowly moving around her neck to the back of her head. She jerked away and stepped back.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She asked him watching his hand fall and a softer look grace his face.

“Sometimes we all just need to… to care.” The last word that came out of his mouth seemed more foreign than the rest of what he had said. He reached again and moved his hand around her neck and to the back of her head pulling her against him and giving her an awkward hug. No matter how much of an ass he was, he knew that sometimes a girl just needed a hug, apparently even mud bloods.

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~
So don't tell me why
He's never been good to you
Don't tell me why
He's never been there for you
Don't you know that why
Is simply not good enough
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

AN- Song is "Good Enough" by Sarah Mclaughlin. Ummm well this is only the start of something good. My Beta Sam is AMAZING.
miadrake - I'm glad you're liking it!
gruffindorclutz - I'm hoping I don't go too out of character, becaue with stories with the two of them its sooo easy to go out of character.
adrias - Drunk Draco is always a treat and don't worry, its coming ;)