Unwritten

Chapter Four





It had been a little over a week since Hermione had joined the band. While she was loathed to admit it, she was actually enjoying herself. She really did like to sing, though she knew her friends would never understand it if they found out.



What really surprised her was Draco\'s transformation. He was still the spoiled Prince of Slytherin, but he was a lot nicer to her and he kept his promise about not mentioning her heritage. Maybe Susan was right about him. Maybe he had truly changed. But, it was still a little too early to tell.



Hermione no longer needed to be shown the way to practice. She knew the way by heart and could probably get there blind-folded.



Her main concern was her friends. Thankfully, many of them assumed she was just hiding away from the "school paparazzi," but Harry had not been fooled.



"Where are you going?" he asked one night as she was heading out of the Common Room.



She glanced over her shoulder, not wishing to be late for practice. "There\'s this book I need in the library," she gracefully lied.



"Hermione," he said, stopping her. Somehow, he had managed to come up behind her and had his hand on her shoulder. "I know you\'re not going to the library," he said softly, so the others would not hear. "Where are you really going?"



She turned around and looked up at him. His green eyes were begging to be told the truth and she found she could not lie to him when face-to-face like this. "I can\'t tell you," she said honestly. "At least... not right now. Please try to understand. I promise I\'m not getting myself into trouble."



He looked dubious, but released her, allowing her to leave. It was not until she was halfway to the practice room that it occurred to her he might follow her. There was not anything she could do about it except pray that was not the case.



As she walked along the corridors in the dungeon, she felt that she was being followed. Looking behind her, she smiled when she saw Draco. "Running late?" she asked casually.



She slowed down so he could catch up to her then quicken her pace to keep up with him. "Not really," he answered, returning her smile. "I had to put up my school bags and get out of those robes. It gets hot in that little room."



She nodded in agreement. "I probably should have disrobed as well," she reflected. "I was just in a hurry to not be late. What are we practicing tonight?"



Draco shrugged. "Probably Headstrong and Everytime We Touch," he replied. "I\'m thinking of introducing a new song, too, tonight."



"Me, too."



Startled, he looked at her. He tilted his head to the side. "What sort of song?" he asked.



They approached the room and he opened the door for her. She responded, "You\'ll see."



They stopped immediately upon entering. Their eyes widened as they took in the scene before them. A resounding silence filled the room as the four band members stared at one another in surprise. Anthony and Susan had been caught snogging.



Then, Draco started laughing. The surprise turned into confusion as they listened to him laugh. Then, his laughter became infectious and soon, they were all laughing, though the girls blushed a bit.



Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, Draco said, "I knew the two of you were dating. It\'s about time I caught you at it, too."



"We hadn\'t always been dating," Susan confessed.



"We just couldn\'t stand being apart anymore," Anthony added.



Hermione pierced her lips together. "Is dating within the band a good idea, though? If the two of you start fighting or break up..."



"We\'ll keep our personal lives separate from the band," Anthony explained.



The Gryffindor still looked doubtful. "That\'s not always an easy thing to do, Anthony. It sounds simple enough, but you have to factor in that, if you break up, and I\'m not saying you will, but you\'ll still have to see each other every day, all the time. You\'ll have to put up with each other and deal. It\'s not an easy thing to do," she told him.



Draco patted her on the back. "Always the voice of reason," he said, smiling down at her. "But then, you know this from personal experience, correct?"



Hermione frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded.



He shook his head. "I\'m just stating a fact, Granger," he replied. "You and Weasel never talk anymore. You don\'t even sit next to each other in the Great Hall. I\'m sure it gets tense when the two of you are in the Common Room together."



She had never known Draco to be so insightful. "How do you know that?" she asked.



"Believe it or not, I\'m a very observant person. Especially when it comes to my friends," he told her. "I notice little things that others wouldn\'t normally catch. For example, you and Potter still remain close, though Weaselby seems to be thrown out of your little triangle. Sad thing is, he hasn\'t even noticed it yet."



"We never threw him out," she insisted. "He walked out."



"And walked right into the hands of the first available female," Draco added, though there was no smug look on his face.



Hermione closed her eyes and turned her face away from him. She could not be mad at him, for he was speaking the truth. But, it still hurt. A lot. Her heart ached for Ron so badly. Just thinking about him was painful.



She felt hands on her shoulders and opened her eyes to see Draco\'s gray eyes seeking hers out. She looked up at him. "I\'m sorry, Granger," he said sincerely. "I can\'t imagine the pain you must be going through."



Then, he did something she never would have expected Draco Malfoy to do. He pulled her into a hug. And they just stood there, holding one another. "Yes, you can," she whispered into his chest and he knew what she meant.



Draco\'s parents were gone. His friends had all but abandoned him. He had no one.



Well, that was not entirely true, Hermione surmised. He had the band.



She pulled away just slightly so she could look up into his eyes and offer him a small, hopeful smile. He raised a single blond eyebrow and smirked. "Shall we play?" he asked.



She nodded happily and they let go of one another. Susan and Anthony gave each other knowing looks that, thankfully, Hermione and Draco did not catch. "So, what are we playing?" Susan asked.



"Hermione said she has a new song," Draco told them.



The Gryffindor held her breath. He had never said her first name before. She looked at him, her eyes widened. When he caught her gaze, he just smiled. "Friends?" he asked.



A slow smile crept up on her face and she nodded. "Friends," she confirmed.



She quickly snapped out of her trance and handed some music to Susan. "This is the song I\'ve been working on," she told the girl.



Susan nearly groaned. "Piano again?" she whined.



Draco walked up to her and glanced at the paper. "Why don\'t we try it in guitar?" he asked Hermione. "I have an acoustic that would be good for this."



Hermione looked skeptical. "I don\'t know. I like the way it sounds on piano," she said.



He looked at her curiously. "How would you know how it sounds on piano?" he inquired.



She pointed to her head. "I can hear it in my mind. It sounds good."



He smiled, took the music, and patted her on the shoulder. "Let\'s try it in acoustic. You might like it better," he suggested.



She sighed, knowing it was impossible to try arguing with him. Though they all had fair say, it was Draco\'s band. Draco grabbed his acoustic guitar, strummed it a bit, then began playing the song.



Hermione closed her eyes and stepped up to the microphone. To her surprise, Susan came in with a violin sound from her keyboard and Anthony tapped the cymbals. Hermione began singing:



"There\'s a song that\'s inside

Of my soul

It\'s the one that I\'ve tried

To write over and over again

I\'m awake in the infinite cold

But you sing to me over

and over and over again



So I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands and pray

To be only yours

I pray

To be only yours

I know now you\'re my

Only hope"



She opened her eyes and caught Draco\'s gaze. They held it while she continued to sing:



"Sing to me the song of the stars

Of your galaxy dancing and laughing

and laughing again

When it feels like my dreams are so far

Sing to me of the plans that you have for me over again



So I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands and pray

To be only yours

I pray

To be only yours

I know now you\'re my

Only hope



I give you my destiny

I\'m giving you all of me

I want your symphony

Singing in all that I am

At the top of my lungs

I\'m giving it back



So I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands and pray

To be only yours

I pray to be only yours

I pray to be only yours

I know now you\'re my only hope..."



No one spoke as they finished the song. For a while, Draco and Hermione just stared at each other. Then, Anthony cleared his throat, and they snapped back to reality.



Draco cleared his throat as well and licked his parched lips. "Good song," he said, breaking eye contact with Hermione. "It\'s definitely a keeper."



Hermione looked down, embarrassed by the effect she had gotten from the song and staring at him while she sang it. She was not sure of herself, of her feelings, or of the way he looked at her. Something had changed in those few brief minutes. The air around them was filled with static and tension.



Then Draco began the first notes of Headstrong. Relief washed over Hermione as she sat back and drank in the deafening notes. The tension seemed to wash away as Draco sang the song.

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Author\'s Note: Awwwww, Draco and Hermione share a hug! The song is called "Only Hope" and is sung by two people, actually; Mandy Moore and Switchfoot.