Unwritten

Chapter Seven



Hermione felt someone staring at her. As she glanced up from her book, she was surprised to see Ron Weasley standing only a few inches from her. She looked around and saw that Harry and Ginny were standing off to the side.



It had been a quiet evening in the Common Room. A nice, cheery fire roared from the fireplace, making the room warm and cozy. There were a few scattered lurkers, though Hermione knew most of them would be heading to bed soon.



She met Ron\'s blue eyes again. "May I help you?" she asked, politely.



He scrunched up his face in what she could see was concern. "I was talking to Dean Thomas today. He claims he saw you chatting it up with Malfoy," he told her.



She rolled her eyes and turned back to her book. She was intent on ignoring him, but he would have none of it. He took the book from her, forcing her attention.



"He also said you and Malfoy are going steady," he claimed.



Hermione gave an annoyed sigh. "I don\'t know why you would care, Ronald," she growled. "Where\'s Lavender?"



"I do care, Hermione. We all do," he said, indicating Harry and Ginny as well. He ignored her question about Lavender. "I know I\'ve been ignoring all of you lately, and I\'m sorry. But, you shouldn\'t do something so drastic as this. I\'m not worth it."



She snorted. "You think my relation with Malfoy has something to do with you?" she questioned in disbelief. "You know, I know you\'ve gotten a bit pigheaded over the last few months, but I didn\'t think your head was that swollen."



"I know you\'re still trying to get over me," he began.



Hermione stood up and glared at him. Her fists were planted in her hips. "Let me tell you something, Weasley!" she snarled. "You haven\'t been in my life for the past three months. Don\'t you dare come now and try to tell me how to live my life. Draco and I aren\'t going steady, but if we were, it would be none of your bloody business. What I do, or don\'t do, is none of your concern. You lost that right the moment you turned your back on Harry, your family, and me. You have your fame that you so desperately craved. Now, turn right back around and go find one of your little puppets to boss around. Your days of running my life are over!"



She didn\'t bother to wait for his response. She snatched her book out of his hands and stormed towards the girl dormitories.



"Hermione..." Ginny spoke up.



The brunette wheeled on her. "And you two! You thought Ronald would be able to \'talk some sense into me?\'" she snapped, glaring at Harry and Ginny. "Malfoy and I are friends. We are working on a project together. What part of that do neither of you understand?"



"We just want to make sure you\'re being cautious," Ginny pointed out. "Malfoy isn\'t to be trusted."



"And I told you I had everything under control," Hermione reminded her. "I don\'t need a bunch of babysitters. I can take care of myself."



Harry walked up to his best friend and put a hand on each of her shoulders. He stared into her mahogany eyes. "If you say you are okay," he whispered, "I trust you. That doesn\'t mean I won\'t worry for you."



"I haven\'t forgotten Malfoy Manor," she said softly.



He nodded and pulled her into a hug. "Neither have I," he breathed into her ear. "And I haven\'t forgotten that night on the Astronomy Tower." He pulled away from her slightly to look back into her eyes. "While I will never fully trust Malfoy, I have always trusted you. I know the type of person he can be. I\'ve seen it with my own eyes. And I know that you can bring that person out of him. Just be careful."



"I will," she promised him. "Thank you."



He nodded and she turned and left the Common Room.



(II)



"We\'re being stared at," Hermione whispered to Draco as they made their way to Hogsmeade.



"Are you surprised?" he asked.



She shook her head and giggled. "Who would have ever thought that the purest pureblood would be escorting a Muggle-born to Hogsmeade?"



"The same person who truly believed that lemon drops were actually worthy of use as a password," he answered with a smirk.



Hermione threw her head back and laughed. They entered the village and made their way towards the Three Broomsticks. "I suppose he would have thought it, huh?" she asked.



He nodded. "He was known for all sorts of delusions," he told her. "It was one of the many reasons Father tried to have him sacked."



He opened the door for her and followed her into the bar. It was bustling with activity from other students and regular customers. "Two butterbeers," Draco ordered when he caught Rosemerta\'s eye.



"I\'m surprised she still allows you in here after what you did to her," Hermione commented as they found a table close by a window.



Draco shrugged. "I don\'t even know why. My only guess is that she must have spoken with Potter or someone. Though, what they would have said..."



Hermione shook her head. "I know nothing," she said honestly.



"So, what was that song you were singing the other day?" he asked, changing the subject.



She smiled.



(III)



The rest of the day had been spent shopping, laughing, and having fun. They visited several shops, including Honeydukes, Zonko\'s, Scrivenshaft\'s, and Gladrags. They even stopped by the Shrieking Shack, where Hermione finally told Draco the true story of the "ghosts."



To Hermione\'s surprise, Draco had paid for most of the stuff, even when Hermione offered to pay. By the time they returned to the castle, both were ladened with packages, but neither seemed worse for wear. They were happy. A mischievous gleam painted their eyes as they carried their packages passed the caretaker and into the castle.



"I think you\'ll like what I have in mind for these clothes," Hermione told him as they walked up the stairs.



Draco smirked. "I have that feeling. You were being real particular about what you bought. It almost makes me nervous. Especially that silver thing that you called a shirt," he said.



She laughed. "I promise I will not make you wear a silver shirt," she told him.



She dropped her packages and indicated that he should do the same. Then, she pointed her wand at them and made them small enough to fit in her robe pockets. "I really had a great time today, Draco."



He nodded. "I did, too. Actually, it\'s the first time in a long time that I\'ve had so much fun," he confessed.



"I suppose it\'s hard when all your friends turn their backs on you," she said solemnly.



He just shrugged. "It\'s not so bad. Sometimes I even wonder if they really ever were my friends. It seems as though they just used me for my position," he told her. "When my father lost his position in the Dark Lord\'s ranks, people started to not respect me as much. My father\'s downfall became my downfall. And, honestly? I couldn\'t be happier for it."



"When does he get out?" she asked, looking at him with concern.



He shook his head sadly. "Not for another ten years or so. Thankfully, the Minister banned the dementors from Azkaban. I don\'t have to worry about my father\'s sanity."



She nodded in agreement. "I suppose you\'re keeping the manor up for him?"



Draco snorted. "I haven\'t been to the manor since he was sentenced. My mother brought me with her to Paris until school started," he told her. "And, I\'ve been told to spend Christmas here."



"Alone?"



He nodded. "Susan and Anthony said they were going to stay with me, though. So, I won\'t be completely alone."



"I\'ll stay, too," she promised.



"You should go be with your family."



She shook her head. "I\'ll have all the time in the world to spend with my family once school is out," she said. "We have a concert in a few short months and not nearly enough songs. We could use the Christmas break to come up with more songs. Not to mention all the practice we\'ll get to have without having to do schoolwork."



He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" he asked.



She gave an affirmative nod. "Now, if you don\'t mind, I\'m going to my dormitory so that I may begin working on our costumes. We have a lot of work and not enough time to do it in," she said, her bossy nature kicking in. "Thank you, Draco, for a wonderful day. I have a lot of fun and was in excellent company."



He smiled. "Yes, the company was good, wasn\'t it?" he agreed. "Thank you, for sharing the day with me. It was nice to be around someone who wasn\'t trying to get something out of me."



She gave him a friendly smile and heading to Gryffindor Tower.



As he watched her leave, he felt a small jolt in the pits of his heart. He pinched his lips at the feel of it and his eyebrows furrowed. He was so tempted to call her back... and he didn\'t know why.

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Author\'s Note: Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you all had a great Christmas. I know I did.



Again, no songs in this chapter, but I didn\'t think it would be missed too much. Especially considering it was kinda nice. Gotta love Ron.