The Spring of the Satyr

It was all Hermione could do not to skip through Kings Cross Station. She'd been so happy since getting her letter from Hogwarts. She had busied herself with preparations in the interim, getting the books on her list, restocking her supplies. She'd spent the rest of her free time helping her parents in the dental office. Anything to keep herself occupied. There still had been no word from Ron, but Harry and Ginny had both written several times, both assuring her that whatever had happened between them Ron was only being his typical, stubborn self and would soon be over it. Hermione wasn't so sure. Still, the thought of school had raised her spirits to their highest peak in over a year. She wasn't about to let Ron, or those blasted mysterious dreams dampen it!

There it was! The brick wall barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 stood before her like one of her best old friends. She looked at her wristwatch. Only 2 hours early! She stepped through the barrier and on to the already waiting train. She made her way to their usual compartment near the back, stowed her trunk and pulled out one of her new school books. She knew that Ginny, Neville and Luna would all be coming back. She was almost too excited to read! Well, almost.

Fifteen minutes later she dropped her book into her lap and held her breath as she heard footsteps coming down the aisle. Were they here already? The footsteps passed her compartment towards the last one on the train. She listened carefully. She could tell from the sound that it was only one person. "Oh well." She thought. "There's still loads of time." Glimpsing movement out of the corner of her eye she peered out the window and gasped. A man was standing on the platform only inches away from her window, staring directly at her. Lucius Malfoy!

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to get here before everyone else." She thought fearfully, heart fluttering in her chest, then breathed easier as she saw other people bustling nearer the front of the train. The snack trolley was being loaded on. She looked back. He was standing there, icy eyes locked on her. What was wrong with him? Hermione kept her eyes on his unnaturally colored ones for as long as she could stand, and then lowered them. How could he dare to show himself here? She raised her gaze again. He was STILL there! What the bloody hell was he doing? Was he trying to intimidate her? As she bravely returned his stare Hermione thought he looked different, a bit older perhaps, but that wasn't the real change. She suddenly realized that she didn't see the arrogant sneer that usually colored his every expression. Instead he looked,,,,shocked, sad,, and perhaps slightly,, she wasn't sure, but possibly,,,, lonely?. She felt an impossible urge to smile at him, but fought it down. "Brilliant Hermione!" She taunted herself. "Let's be nice to one of the nasty death-eaters who wanted to kill you! Maybe he really wants to be friends, have a chat, catch up on old times!"

Lucius couldn't breathe. Frozen to the spot, he stared at her in a daze. Only inches away, looking back at him was the girl who had invaded every atom of his being for the past two years. "No, no longer a girl." He thought. "Definitely a woman, and a beautiful one at that." How many nights had he lain in his bed, thinking of her, touching himself, wondering where she was, how she was, if she had found someone else? He'd re-lived every moment of their time together so many times! Sometimes the longing felt too hard to bear.

And now she was there - right there. He was so close he could see the tiny color variations in her brown eyes. He knew he must be alarming and embarrassing her, yet he couldn't look away. She was paler than he remembered, with subtle dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't been sleeping well. His brow furrowed in concern. Was she well? Was she happy?

Oh, how he wished he could let her remember,, if only for a single day! But no, not now, especially not now. How could he let her remember what they'd shared? The last time she'd really seen him was at the Manor - while he was allowing her to be tortured! He'd been able to protect her the year before at the Department of Mysteries - a simple yet powerful shielding charm - she'd barely been scratched - but a few months ago,,, when Bellatrix,,,. The agony that the sight and sounds of Hermione's torture had caused him! Wandless and impotent to do anything without risking even worse, he'd stood there and let it happen. She might have even thought he'd been a part of it! His dreams for the last few months had been filled with the sound of her screams. The guilt finally forced him to look away. "I don't deserve you my love." He whispered to her, safe in the fact that she couldn't hear him through the glass. He smiled at Hermione, a melancholy little smile that barely touched his lips before disappearing, and then gave the slightest of bows before turning away.

*******

With growing interest, Draco watched from the window behind Hermione as his father disappeared through the barrier. "That was curious." He thought, trying to figure out what it all had meant. He'd never seen that broken, lost expression on his father's arrogant face before. He'd also seen his father's lips move, saying something to whomever was in the compartment in front of him. He hadn't been able to make the whole thing out, but she could have sworn his last words were "my love". "Who is in that bloody compartment?"

To the best of his knowledge the train was still empty of students except for him and obviously the person in front of him. Curiosity overwhelming his dread of seeing unfriendly schoolmates, he stepped out into the aisle. As he stood before the compartment door he'd so wanted to open he was struck by a thought. "This was Potter's old compartment!" He wondered why in the hell his father had been so interested in this particular window? He turned the knob and stood there stupidly. Granger! Of course, he thought. Who else but perfect little mudblood Granger would have gotten to the train this early? But why had his father spoken to Granger of all people? Why had he called her his "love"? Had the old man been her lover? Was he still? Interesting!

Hermione's eyes snapped wide in alarm as the door swung open. "Malfoy?" She asked, raising her wand off of the seat beside her. "What do YOU want?"

Draco, still trying to get to the bottom of the mystery, took in Hermione's raised wand and smiled. "Relax Granger." He drawled. "I was bored and wanted to see who was on the train with me. I didn't know it was you." He stepped further into the compartment and gestured to the seat opposite her. "Can I sit?"

Hermione stared at him in disbelief. She felt her head swimming. This had to have been the most incomprehensible 5 minutes of her life! Draco, hands raised in a "Don't Shoot" gesture, sat on the seat he'd proposed. Hermione let him. A strangely familiar scent filled her senses, an intoxicating, extraordinarily male cologne that sent tingles down her spine. Visions of a soft, black turtleneck sweater flashed mystifyingly before her eyes. She knew without doubt that she'd smelled this cologne on the black sweater. But who was wearing it at the time? "Come for me!" She heard the whispered words in her head. She breathed deeply, the scent tickling at something deep in her sub conscience – definitely something to do with the dreams! Her brows came together suddenly and she looked more closely at Draco. She let her eyes rake him up and down, lingering here and there as if with a measuring tape. No, the body was wrong,, nice, but shorter and too thin. No, she thought she could safely rule out Draco Malfoy as the invisible man in her dreams. Thank goodness! But,,, there was SOMETHING about him that tickled the images, some connection she just hadn't discovered yet. How infuriating!

Draco sat alertly, watching her measure him from head to toe. He saw her eyes linger on his face and hair as if searching for something or maybe just "checking him out". Draco felt a stirring in his groin as her gaze lingered there for an indecently long time. First the business with his father,,, now this. Had everyone gone mental? He'd give her one thing though; the little mudblood had grown into a really good-looking girl. He could almost understand what his father saw in her. He grinned as all sorts of foul, exciting possibilities presented themselves. School could be fun this year after all, especially if he could annoy his father in the bargain! "Granger?" He asked, wiggling a hand in front of her face. "Earth to Granger."

Snapping out of her musings, she sighed tiredly. "What exactly is it that you want Draco?"

"Why were you staring at me like that?" He challenged her.

"Like what?"

"Like you wanted to eat me up." Draco grinned devilishly.

Hermione blushed furiously. Damn! "I SO did not!"

"Have it your way." Draco leaned back on the seat and crossed his long legs. "I know what I saw."

Fuming with embarrassment, Hermione looked away. Draco continued to sit with her, staring out the window. Was he going to just stay here with her? Should she move?

"Did you have a good summer?"

Mouth falling open, Hermione stared in disbelief. Draco Malfoy had never - in 7 years - spoken a civil word to her. Now he was sharing her compartment, looking at her like she was something tasty and asking about her summer? Still, never one to be rude, Hermione answered. "Yes, it was very nice. And yours?"

"Oh, perfectly splendid. Couldn't have been better." He drawled sarcastically. He saw Hermione frown. Shit! He wasn't going to get anywhere like that. Smiling sheepishly, he shrugged his shoulders. She couldn't possibly know what the last few years had been like for him - and he certainly could never see a circumstance under which he would tell her. Turning on the charm, he looked her squarely in the eye. "I've come back to Hogwarts to turn over a new leaf." He looked at her as earnestly as he was able. "Look Gra,, Hermione,, this isn't easy for me," He paused and stifled a wicked grin as her eyes got even wider, "but the real reason I came in here was to tell you that,,,, I'm sorry for the way I've treated you."

As if struck by a stunning spell, Hermione sat there, slack-jawed as he stared at her, eyes wide and appealing, waiting for a reply. What did one say when your mortal enemy,, apologized to you? This was too absurd for words. "Have you ever been to Venice?" She asked, sputtering out the first thing that came to mind.

“Okay”, he thought, a new turn in the conversation. Interesting. "Yes, several times. I think my mother and father had "associates" there. Why, is that where you went this summer?"

"No. I was just wondering. How about Paris?"

"Many times. Why the geography questions Hermione? Will that be part of our studies this year? Are we "study buddies" now?" His dark brow raised in amusement.

Hermione pulled a folded pen and ink drawing she had made of the castle in her dreams from the book in her lap. "Do you know where this is?" She asked him, heart hammering.

Draco took the drawing and studied it for a moment before handing it back. "Sorry. I don't know it. Is it another wizard school? I suppose it looks a bit like Durmstrang." He held the paper out to her. "Did you do the drawing? It's quite good."

Hermione nodded distractedly, ignoring the compliment. What in the hell did Draco have to do with the dreams? There had to be something – she felt it! As she leaned forward to take her drawing the cologne he wore invaded her senses again, inexplicably hitting her squarely between her legs. She nearly groaned with longing, but caught herself. "What is the scent you're wearing?” She asked, trying to keep her voice steady. “I can't help but think I know it."

The cologne he wore had been specially made for his father by the top wizard perfumier in Paris. His father had paid a fortune for it, partly because of the rare ingredients, and partly to obtain a guarantee from the man that no bottle would ever be sold to anyone else. The few times, like today, that Draco had worn it he'd had to sneak it off his father's dressing table. The fact that Hermione knew it so well only served to sharpen his suspicions, yet he didn't want to give anything away. "Impossible. It's specially made, one of a kind." Draco smiled seductively. "But I'm glad you like it."

They sat in silence for what seemed to Hermione to be an eternity. "Why does he insist on staring at me like that?" She wondered nervously. "It's like he's picturing me without my clothes on!"

Other students were coming merrily through the platform. "Guess that's my cue. I don't think your other friends will be as accepting of my "change of heart" as you've been. Thanks for keeping me company." Draco stood and looked Hermione over again, making her blush. "I'll be in the compartment behind you,, alone I'm sure. If you get bored on the trip come and say hello."

With that he left the compartment, leaving Hermione alone, shaking on her seat, lost in incomprehension. But one thing she knew, for a fact. She would NOT be visiting him! No, until she had this dream thing figured out and under control she thought she would stay as far away from Draco Malfoy as she could get.

*******