Relinquished

Chapter Four – Renewed

She was going to be a tough nut to crack.

He jogged out of the villa and into the street, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the sun. He saw her hurrying down the hill, not running but moving very quickly. He shook his head. She seemed to be doing a lot of that today.

“Granger, wait please,” he called after her. She stopped and turned around. He started after her and she shook her head, holding up her hand for him to stop. When he didn’t she turned around and began to move away from him quickly. He broke into a jog and followed after her. He might not be as fit as he had been at school, but he still caught up to her easily and fell into pace beside her.

“You know, the Hermione Granger I know would never run away, no matter how scared she was,” he said to her. She stopped and looked at him, haughtily. He watched as her eyes searched his face, earnestly looking for something.

“Come back to the house, and we’ll talk, OK?” he asked. She shook her head.

“No, I couldn’t,” she said glancing up the hill to where she knew Narcissa was. She was mortified that Malfoy had checked her out like that in front of the other woman. She knew that his mother had seen the evidence of appreciation as clearly as she had. The thought made her blanch at ever being able to be in the same room as the woman again.

“I’m sorry about what happened there, Granger,” he said, his face blushing slightly. It was humiliating for him to have been caught out like that.

“What were you doing anyway? It’s me, Hermione Granger, remember. You hate me,” she said loudly, motioning to herself. She shook her head and turned around to leave.

“Will you stop doing that?” Draco said, reaching out for her arm again, “All you’ve been doing all day is turning away and running from me. What are you afraid of?”

“I’m not afraid of you, Malfoy,” she said, “I just don’t like you.”

“Look, if you won’t come up to the house with me, let’s go somewhere else, somewhere neutral,” he said gently. She looked up at his face. She was tall but he was a good foot or so taller. He was standing very close to her and she could smell his cologne. She realised that she was leaning in to him and pulled herself up straight. He had a small smile and seemed so friendly. She nodded.

“The beach?” he asked gesturing for her to go first. Again, she stared as if she wasn’t sure whether to trust him, or expect to be hexed as soon as her back was turned. He felt a pang of guilt for all the times he’d made her feel bad, as it was clearly having an effect on her now.

They were silent as they walked slowly towards the shore, both lost in their thoughts. The late afternoon sun was low and they shielded their eyes from it. Every so often, she tilted her head slightly to take in his profile. She couldn’t deny that he was good looking. His face she knew, but she discreetly let her gaze rake over his body, much in the same way he’d done to her earlier. His shoulders were broad and she could tell he was muscular through the fabric of his shirt. The only other bit of skin that was exposed was his hands, and she couldn’t help but notice they were big. She remembered something Ginny had said about the size of a man’s hands compared with other parts of him and she found her gaze shifting to that spot as her cheeks coloured again. She felt kind of flattered that he’d so obviously approved of her, as she had never considered herself any great beauty.

By the time they reached the sand, the sun was starting to dip below the horizon, and they remained silent as they watched it fall beneath the water.

“Oh, I love it here,” she breathed, mostly to herself. He looked at her. Her eyes were closed and the expression on her face was peaceful. She looked stunning, the loose parts of her hair falling around her face and a slight smile on her full lips. He wanted to kiss her, to taste those lips. In his imagination he saw himself doing just that. His dream Hermione submitted to him and they shared a passionate kiss. He shook his head. In reality, he’d be dead before he hit the ground if he tried that. He couldn’t help but be drawn to her though. Not only was she attractive to him, but he’d been so long without company his own age, that this familiar part of the past felt like a comfy pair of pants, easy to slip in to. He smiled at the image that this refection bought to mind just as she opened her eyes to look at him.

He was looking at her again, with a smile on his face and a look in his eyes that she didn’t quite trust.

“What?” she asked nervously. He cleared his throat and shook his head.

“Um, nothing,” he replied motioning for her to sit in the sand that still held the warmth of the suns rays. When she was settled he joined her, his shoulder just barely in contact with her own. She shivered at the contact and shifted away from him slightly. He frowned slightly.

“I want to apologize for my behaviour at the house before,” he said, “It was rude and embarrassing for you, I know.”

She looked away, out towards the water for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. He let her think, watching her profile. Whatever she was thinking and feeling was not evident on her face.

“Why are you being so polite to me?” she asked when she finally looked back at him.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” The playful smile touched the corners of him mouth again. She found it really unnerving.

“Forgive me for saying so, but the last time I saw you was that night, and before then you’d hardly seen me worthy to talk to.”

He lowered his head.

“In school, I was the product of my father’s influence. He raised me to take his place in all things. The opinions I held were his, not mine. I have since made up my own mind about things. Please believe that the things I once thought were true, I now know aren’t.”

“What happened to you, after that night I mean?” she said softly. He looked away, not willing to share with her the emotion he felt about that time.

“Serverus hid me, so that The Dark Lord couldn’t punish me for failing in my task. He took the foresight of warning my mother as well, so she would be safe from him. As you know, he was working for the Order. Once he was able to intercede on my behalf with the Order and the Ministry, I was taken out of England, and hidden in the French countryside. It drove my mother crazy. They couldn’t risk telling her where I was lest it be tortured out of her by people she called friends, and I couldn’t write to her, in case the letters were intercepted and traced back to me. Once You-Know-You was defeated, and the Minister of Magic had cleared me of all charges, I was allowed to come home. Unfortunately for me, society doesn’t forgive very easily, and I’ve been treated as less that welcome in most circles I’ve travelled in. Most people hold me responsible for what happened to Dumbledore.”

He looked into her eyes, letting her see the remorse he felt, hoping that it would help change her mind about him. She looked away, unable to handle the intensity of his gaze. She understood why he was different now, but that didn’t help kill the feeling within her that he was indeed to blame for Dumbledore’s death.

“Malfoy, I won’t pretend that I don’t feel that way, as well. I can see that you are different, but that can’t erase everything that has already happened.” She raised herself and stood over him. He looked up, squinting slightly as she shook the sand of her skirt.

“I wish you all the best, I really do, but I don’t think I’m comfortable around you, and I’d appreciate it if you would just leave me alone,” she said turning on her heel, and leaving again. He watched her disappear into the darkness that was now surrounding him. When she reached the street, she was illuminated slightly by a street light, before heading up the same alleyway she had earlier in the day. Then she was gone.

He looked out at the water again, and sighed. Redemption wasn’t going to be easy, but if he could win over Granger, he would have a powerful ally. He didn’t want their acquaintance to be over, so he was determined that he would melt her hard exterior.

Beside, he needed a friend, and she was the only one around that would fully understand him. He nodded his head with resolution and stood, brushing the sand of his pants before turning towards the villa.

He was going to have to work hard though. He only had two months.