Of Friendship, Nerves, and Ridiculous Imaginings

A/N: I apologize, once again, for the long amount of time between updates! When I had first begun writing this fic, I was hoping to work on it a little every day and get updates posted within a few days of each other. But, alas, RL has gotten hectic in several ways since I began writing this and has gotten in the way (along with some maniacal plot bunnies for other fics), and I had lost a lot of inspiration for this story. Fortunately, the inspiration is back, and I will be updating more frequently.

Also, I apologize for not responding to all the reviews. I do read them all, but sometimes I forget to reply. I'm kind of an idiot like that. :) But there was one I wanted to answer here just incase anyone else was wondering the same thing. I was asked why Draco is so OOC in that he can't fool the Slytherins. He is a Slytherin, but isn't using his cunning like one.

You're absolutely right. That is a big mistake of mine. When I began this fic, it was the second I had ever written, and I had planned from the beginning to have the Slytherins turn on Draco. When I think about it now, I have no idea why I originally planned on doing that to him. I suppose I was mostly thinking that he was just too upset over Narcissa's death to care about fooling them. Hopefully, you can forgive me for it, and some of the Hurt/Comfort aspect of the story that comes from it made up for it.

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"But if I use the Wronski Feint too many times, aren't the other Seekers going to start figuring out that I'm not really spotting the snitch?"

"Maybe the Ravenclaws, but the Hufflepuff and Slytherin teams are too bloody daft to catch on," Ron answered.

Harry thought about it for a moment before nodding in agreement. They paused in front of the portrait before giving the old man the password. He saluted them, and the painting swung open. Ron began talking about a move he had once seen Charlie do, but Harry wasn't hearing anything. He was too dumbfounded by the scene in front of him.

Noticing Harry's intense glare, Ron stopped talking and turned forward. In the common room, a shirtless and obviously content Draco Malfoy was laying back on the sofa while Hermione, kneeling on the floor in front of him, was rubbing his chest.

"WHAT THE BLEEDING HELL IS THIS?" Ron blurted out.

Draco's left eye popped open, and Hermione quickly turned around, dropping the bottle she had been holding. Her shoulders slumped when she saw the two of them standing in front of her.

"Oh, it's just you two. You startled me." Then, noticing the spilled bottle on the floor, she said, "And you made me drop the damn Bruise-Healing Paste!"

"Bruise-Heal... what are you doing, Hermione?" Harry demanded.

"Well, obviously, I was..." she trailed off as she realized how she and Draco must have looked. "Oh."

"'Oh?' That's all you have to say? 'Oh?'" Ron was completely livid and his face was a burning red.

Hermione held up her hands, palms outward, in defense. "I know this looks awful, but really it's not what it looks like."

"It looks like you're sitting here rubbing," Harry sputtered and waved his hand at the spilled potion, "Bruise-Healing Paste on Malfoy!"

"Oh... then I guess it is what it looks like," Hermione said sheepishly.

Harry and Ron gawked at her even more.

She folded her arms over her chest. "Well, if you can't tell, he's hurt!"

"So what?" Harry began.

"It's Malfoy!" Ron finished for him.

She bit her bottom lip and glanced at Draco. They were right, in a way. To them, it was Malfoy.

"Boys, could you please leave for a moment?"

"WHAT? Hermione..."

"Please," she pleaded. "I promise to explain later. But for now, could you please just leave?"

Ron and Harry rolled their eyes, shot death-threat glares at Draco, and stomped out of the room.

Hermione turned slowly to Draco. She had an odd look on her face.

Draco frowned. "What?"

She slowly sat down on the edge of the sofa. "I think... it's maybe time you told them."

"What? No way, Granger. No way. Didn't you just see that? They'd never believe me!"

"Then don't just tell them, show them. Like Professor Dumbledore showed me."

"Hermione." He sounded weary. "It's not as if they will ever like me or trust me, and I'll never like them. There would be no point."

"It isn't about that anymore." She cupped his right cheek with her hand, studying his swollen eye. He unconsciously leaned into her warm touch. "You're right. You will probably never come to like each other, but with Dumbledore's say-so they'll have to learn to work with you. And I know you can learn to work with them. It can offer some sort of"...she gestured towards the bruises on his chest and ribs..."protection, and the four of us can work together. We can help the Order. You can help Harry."

*****

Harry and Ron walked out of Dumbledore's office looking dazed and puzzled. A smiling Dumbledore closed the door behind them after shouting, "I'll see you boys later then," and waving goodbye.

Walking down the hall, Harry asked Ron, "Do you really think Malfoy has... changed?"

"I suppose seeing that could change a person... but... I'm so confused..."

*****

Sitting between Ron and Harry, Hermione shot an apologetic look at Draco across the Great Hall. He sat at the end of his house's table alone, avoiding the blatant stares of the two Gryffindors gawking at him.

Their meal had been oddly silent, and the boys used their dinner time to stare at Draco with expressions of puzzlement and suspicion. After their meeting with Dumbledore, they met up with Hermione who could sense that they were still a little miffed at her. But they spent the rest of the day in silence, Harry and Ron attempting to straighten out their own thoughts and Hermione finishing up her Charms homework. On their walk to the Great Hall, Harry and Ron had walked on either side of her in an overbearingly protective fashion and remained in their defensive positions as they sat down, leaving Hermione squashed between the two tense boys.

She was almost relieved that they would both be leaving that Saturday for the Burrow for the Christmas holidays. It would give them time to get used to the idea of Draco being an ally. Hermione had decided to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays, planning to use the time for more NEWTs preparation.

Draco, having no one to return home to for the holidays, would be staying at Hogwarts for Christmas. He currently stared across the Hall at the two boys flanking Hermione. He held back a chuckle at the expressions on their faces. When they realized he was looking at them, they quickly narrowed their eyes at him and shoveled food even more quickly into their mouths.

His eyes drifted to the girl sitting between the two boys, and he noticed the apologetic look in her eyes. He sighed and thought about how much she had already done for him. Not that she needed to help me at all, he thought. God knows I don't deserve her forgiveness, let alone her friendship.

The Slytherin frowned at his plate while he thought about how much she had already done for him. She had disregarded six years of cruelty and showed him compassion. Draco suddenly decided that he needed to do something for her. To show her his appreciation. Christmas was coming. He would do something for her for Christmas. And not because he felt obligated to, but because he wanted to.

*****

It was Friday, and Hermione finally had some time to relax. The week had been busy with preparations for the holidays, and she felt as if she hadn't had a single moment to rest. She was curled up on her bed with Crookshanks reading and was well into the fourth chapter of her book when she heard Draco knocking on her door.

Draco had been pacing in the common room for nearly a half hour before he finally knocked on the Head Girl's bedroom door. He had realized that with most of the Slytherins gone for the holidays he could safely spend some time with Hermione outside of their common room. Tomorrow, while most of the students were going home, those staying behind were allowed to go into Hogsmeade. Draco decided he would ask Hermione to go Christmas shopping with him and then take her out for lunch. It would be nice to spend the extra time with her. They were friends now, after all. Plus, he could gauge her reaction to different items they spotted to give him some kind of idea of something to buy for her.

But what if she thinks it's a date? What if she thinks it's a date and she says no? He ignored the fact that he felt slightly disappointed at that thought. What if she thinks it's a date and says yes? Would that be so bad? He shook his head and fiercely told himself, Of course that would be bad! She's Granger. We may be friends now, but that doesn't mean I want to date the girl!

He rubbed at his temples and continued his internal debate. His mind wandered and came up with dozens of different ways things could go wrong in Hogsmeade. He imagined Potter and Weasley swooping in on brooms to save her and hex him. He imagined running into Viktor Krum, and Hermione leaving him behind to have lunch with the Quidditch star. When his mind came up with a scenario including Snape in a Santa costume, he realized how ridiculous he was being and knocked on her door before his mind began to wander again.

When Hermione opened the door and smiled at him, he immediately felt his nervousness melt away.

"Um, hi. Tomorrow, I have some Christmas shopping to do. I was wondering if you wanted to join me... I mean, I know Potter and Weasley will be leaving so..."

He stopped talking when she nodded. "That would be great, Draco. Um, I told Harry and Ron that I would walk with them to the train, but we could meet up after that." She smiled again, and he couldn't help smiling back.

"Okay, and we could do lunch after the shopping?"

She nodded again. "That sounds good."

Draco couldn't stop smiling to himself as he got ready for bed.

Hermione had never been so nervous and excited about shopping before.

TBC