Time Changes Everything

Tom came back over with Draco’s soda quickly and left them to their conversation. Hermione nodded unsurprised by his response to her question. She’d ran into several of the Slytherin’s on her travels. Blaise was the only one that had done anything of interest in her eyes though. “How on earth did you get Crabbe and Goyle to stop tagging along after you?” She asked with an amused smile. She didn’t really expect an answer from him.

“Do you know that most of our year are doing things unexciting or remotely interesting?” Hermione asked in shock. “There are only a few I think are doing anything worth mentioning. “Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff is working at St. Mudos. She’s on the fast track to become a top physician there,” Hermione said taking a drink of her soda thinking of others. “Michael Corner from Ravenclaw is designing new brooms. He just helped perfect the newest fastest model. Blaise and Neville are Professors at Hogwarts now . . .”

Hermione paused realizing she hadn’t said Blaise’s last name just his first. She wondered if Malfoy would pick up on that. She took another drink of her soda knowing it was too late to add it. “Harry and Ron are aurors now,” she continued shaking her head remembering how they’d tried to get her to join them. “You and I are collecting things. Really, I hear or run into other students from before or after our year and I can’t help but feel disappointed by it. They’re all off doing such amazing things,” Hermione sighed and took a bite of her soup. “Mmmm,” she said in satisfaction, “Are you sure you don’t want anything else? Tom does make the best soup in the world. There’s nothing like it.”
 
Thanking the man as he set down his soda, Draco pulled it in front of him as he looked down at it, letting his thoughts roam as he took in her question. Sighing heavily, the male focused his attention back on Hermione, “Crabbe died in the war.” The simple statement didn’t seem to affect the man, and it really didn’t. Crabbe had basically given up on him in the last moments of his life, and Draco really had no respect or like for the man, even if he was dead. The spell that Crabbe used, which also killed him, almost killed Draco. If it hadn’t been for Harry, of course. The thought made him narrow his eyes, before he pushed it back and resumed his earlier emotionless look.

Raising a brow curiously as he listened to her talk about their former classmates, Draco took a small sip of his soda, letting his gaze drift around the place. Hearing the last bit of Hermione’s words, he turned to her with a brow raised, “Blaise? Since when did you start calling him by his first name?” Draco was interested now. It wasn’t a common thing for Hermione to call any of them by their first names. So when she casually called his former friend by his first name, it made Draco wonder why exactly she was doing that. Did the two of them speak now? Were they friends? Draco almost laughed at the thought, but kept himself under control.

Shrugging his shoulders as if he didn’t care what the rest of their year was doing, Draco took another drink of his soda, “A lot were affected terribly by the war.” The male ran a hand through his hair, watching as Hermione took a bite of her food, shaking his head as she questioned him, “I’m making a dinner for my mother later, don’t want to spoil my appetite.”
 
Hermione paused raising her eye brows when he told her Crabbe had died in the war. He said it like he didn’t care. Was he that cold towards his minion or was there something else that had affected his thoughts towards him? She saw his eyes narrow for just a moment. She was curious what thought had crossed his mind but decided not to ask.

Sighing deeply she pursed her lips when he mentioned her slip up. She could choose to ignore his question about Blaise however Malfoy wouldn’t let it slip that easily. She could tell him the extent of their relationship or she could down play it hoping he let it drop. She glanced at Draco wondering if he’d let it go that easily. She could hope so though. “He’s a interesting character to talk to. We write occasionally,” Hermione said simply with a shrug though she couldn’t help smiling down to her new bracelet.

Hermione nodded at his comment about the war. It was true that the war had taken a gave effect on everyone that survived it. She still had nightmares about death eaters trying to capture her, about how it would have went if Harry hadn’t of killed Voldemort. His comment about his mother caught her off guard and her eyes widened in surprise before smiling sweetly. “You’re a very surprising man recently Malfoy,” She said taking a drink and another bite of the stew.
 
Lifting the glass to his lips, Draco took a long sip of his soda as he wondered why Hermione had mentioned Blaise by his first name. It was tugging at him in a way he wasn’t certain of, a way that made him feel slightly uneasy. Focusing on Hermione again, he listened to how she described her relationship with Blaise, but Draco wasn’t buying it. Especially when she looked down and smiled to herself. Chuckling softly, the blonde shook his head, “You must take me for a fool, giving me that lame excuse.” A smirk played across his lips as he looked at Hermione, knowing full well that she was lying to him now, “Clearly there’s something you’re not telling me about dear Blaise.”

Watching Hermione’s eyes widen and a smile play across her lips, Draco narrowed his eyes on her, “Why? Because I’m not the same as I once was. There’s a lot you no longer know about me, Granger.” His words were a bit snapped, and he quickly wondered why. It’s not like her words had hurt him, or had they? Shifting in his seat, Draco scuffed and shook his head, as if trying to tell himself her words were nothing. He shouldn’t be hurt by her words, this was Granger for heavens sake. He didn’t care what she thought of him. Right?
 
Sighing Hermione raised her brow and tilted her head to one side as he assumed she was lying. Laughing lightly Hermione shook her head. “I didn’t think you were a fool by any means Malfoy though I might have to reconsider now,” she said disappointment lacing her light voice. “I actually think you’ve always been quite brilliant which is one of the reasons I invited you to lunch . . . but if you’re a fool . . . I might have to reconsider further actions.”

Taking a drink of her soda she leaned towards him and continued, “I wasn’t lying. Part of the reason I associate with Blaise is because he is quite the conversationalist and we do write occasionally. However you’d be correct in thinking there is more to the story. But tell me this Malfoy. Why should I tell you the extent of Blaise and my relationship when everything you’ve told me so far I’ve had to question you to drag it out in the open? So the deal I offer is this if you’re interested enough. Tell me something Malfoy. . . anything you want to share but it has to be the truth.”

She let all of her words sink in before shrugging as if it didn’t matter to her what he decided though she was curious to know what exactly he’d choose to share with her. “You can always take your chances writing or dropping by on Blaise if you’d like. Though I really can’t tell you how that conversation would go,” Hermione added with a amused smile on her soft lips. However the amusement was gone when he got a little snappy with her because of her comment about him surprising her.

She was a little startled by his sudden outburst. She had meant for it to be a compliment however he’d obviously taken it as an insult or perhaps she’d worked her way under his skin already? She wanted to see which one it was but how? Smiling softly she looked directly into his eyes and said, “Everyone changes Draco. . . well all the smart ones do at least. It’s a good thing that there’s a lot I don’t know about you. Otherwise I’d be bored and would give you a second look.” She watched his reaction wondering if she’d be able to figure out if she’d gotten under his skin by his body language.
 
Setting his elbows on the table, Draco laced his fingers together as he kept his hands in front of his mouth, the smirk still evident on his lips as he listened to Hermione talk. Of course she thought he was brilliant, everyone did, and Draco chuckled as if she could really call him a fool. Though he wondered on something else, as she had said one of the reasons, meaning she had more than one reason in inviting him to lunch, and now he wanted to know what they were. And he wanted to know if they were good or bad. Though he was unsure of why he wanted to know that.

Raising a brow as she leaned towards him, Draco was curious as to what she was going to tell him, though he was somewhat disappointed when she simply stated there was more but that she wasn’t going to tell him. That is, unless he confessed some kind of truth about himself. Furrowing his brows, the male wondered what kind of truth he could tell Hermione, something that was simple yet wouldn’t lead to anything else. Shifting in his seat, he wondered on that, but then soon wondered why he was even going to tell her anything. Why did he want to know so much about her and Blaise’s relationship? Not like he had spoken to Blaise since leaving school. The relationship between them was no longer there, or was very faint, leading to only casual conversation.

Rubbing a hand on his chin and then pushing it through his hair, Draco sighed heavily as he looked across the table at Hermione, “Fine, would you like a bit of truth?” Lifting his drink to his lips, Draco took another sip as he wondered what he was going to tell her, “I haven’t spoken to any of our classmates in the last four years or so.” It wasn’t that big of a truth out of him, but it definitely was something that Draco wasn’t lying about.

Focusing his gaze on her face, the man searched it as he listened to he speak, chuckling lightly at her words, “Obviously, Granger. And I can assure you, I’m anything but boring.” Letting the smirk fall back onto his lips, Draco placed his hands back down on the table, one on top of the other as he focused on the female before him.
 
Hermione saw the old arrogance flash into his demeanor at her comment about his brilliance. She watched as her words about Blaise sunk in. He seemed curious as to what went on between the two of them enough to tell her something in return. Though he seemed undecided about what exactly to say. She noticed him shifting in his seat wondering what he was thinking at that very moment to cause him to seem uneasy. Though she pushed this aside for later as he told her that he hadn’t spoken to any of their classmates in four year.

Her eyes widened in shock and sadness flitted through them thinking about how lonely she’d be if she didn’t have her friends. She wondered if Draco even had anyone he really counted on. Smiling bright however she just nodded and said, “That’ll be good enough for now. It was nearly one year ago that I stumbled into Blaise’s arms quite literally and completely intentional. It was here at my birthday part last year. Harry and Ron were being complete asses and Fred and George just kept ordering me shots. I forget exactly what Ron said but the next thing I knew I saw Blaise and was attacking him . . . but not with my wand.” Hermione smiled fondly at the slightly blurred memory.

“We spent a week in Italy together. It was a rather wonderful birthday present to myself,” Blushing slightly she looked away from Draco’s gaze “Over this past year we’ve dropped in on one another quite often, we argue over topics we’re both passionate about like wizarding regulations and teaching methods, we talk endlessly about other things as well. We never date though we are each other’s back up dates and nighttime company after rough days. We’re in-between friends and more so I suppose.”

Looking back to meet his gaze she laughed at his comment. She saw how focused he was on her at that very minute and even though she had been just speaking about his fellow slytherin she found herself strangely drawn forward by his gaze. “I believe that is just my luck. I’m have a wonderful time chatting with you Malfoy,” Hermione said taking a drink of soda.
 
Rolling his eyes as he noticed Hermione’s grow out of shock of hearing his words, Draco found it quite annoying that it was some great surprise. Did everyone assume he had fallen off the face of the Earth? He hadn’t been seen in London in years, hadn’t spoken to anyone other than his mother, and yet he still found it annoying that Hermione was surprised by his confession. Choosing to ignore her look of surprise and something else, Draco listened to her speak about the relationship that had taken place between her and Blaise.

Raising a brow, Draco found it interesting that his old housemate and his rival had gotten quite close over the last year. Close enough that they had slept together. As that flitted through his mind, Draco wondered what that annoying tug in his mind was, something that made him uneasy as he continued to listen to Hermione speak. Why did he care if Blaise and Hermione had gotten close? And why did he care if they had slept together? He no longer cared for the whole muggle aspect of life, and he hadn’t spoken to Blaise in years. Though something continued to tug at him, and Draco did his best to push it to the back of his mind.

“How interesting that you and my dear old housemate got so close. Guess people do change.” He smirked as he used what she had said only moments before. Lifting his glass to his lips, Draco drank the last bit of soda that was left. Setting down the glass, he pushed it to the side as he looked back up at Hermione, “I suppose it is.” The male chose not to comment on the part about Hermione having a wonderful time chatting with him, simply because Draco was not the type to speak like that. Also, he didn’t know what kind of time he was having, seeing as he was feeling too much unease and discomfort from hearing her confess different things to him.
 
Hermione sighed deeply looking off past Draco at his comment about people changing. “You have no idea Malfoy,” Hermione said darkly. Thinking back to her time with Harry and Ron she knew she was truly happy at the time. She was proud and thankful that she’d been there by their sides fighting for the greater good. But that wasn’t all she had to offer. Whenever someone talked to her that was all they saw. Ms. Hermione Granger, part of the golden trio, mrs. Never did anything illegal.

She shook her head and took the bowl of stew away from her in disgust. She knew if she came out about her double life as Lady H she’d be in huge trouble however there was a small part of her that wanted everyone to know that there was another side to her. Taking a deep breath she pushed a smile onto her face and turned her attention back to Draco. “Do you have plans tomorrow?” She asked curiously though it didn’t really concern her.
 
His eyes flashed at her words, and Draco smirked lightly as he shook his head. It seemed he wasn’t the only surprising one. Hermione had certainly changed, but he was trying to figure out why. What had prompted her to change? For him, it simply called for it. He had been hated back when he was at Hogwarts. For the things he did, for the mark on his forearm, for being simply apart of the Malfoy family. He had changed so that he wouldn’t have to deal with that, deal with his past and what it meant for him. He liked his new life, nobody to question him about his past, nobody to judge him or be afraid of him. He was able to do what he loved without having questioning eyes on him at all times.

Watching Hermione push her lunch away with a look of disgust on her face, Draco raised a brow curiously but didn’t question her further about the matter. Sighing lightly, the man chanced a glance around them once again, letting his mind wander on a few things. Looking back at Hermione at her question, his brow rose once again, “Not at the moment. Except perhaps leaving this place once again.” He was unsure of when he was actually going to leave, perhaps tomorrow, or maybe he would stay a few more days for his mother’s benefit above all else.
 
Hermione was thankful he didn't asks about her darkened demeanor. When he said he might leave tomorrow Hermione felt a little disappointed by this news. "You should stay for a few more days," She said flashing him a dazzling smile, "The muggles in the lower districts hold a street fair every year. It's a massive blowout starting in the morning and going till dawn! Food, games, rides, dancing. Have you ever been to one? You'll be sorry if you miss it honestly. I try to go every year though sometimes business gets in the way. This will be the first time I've been in two years." Her face lit up remembering the bliss of the fun filled evening. It was a whirlwind of everything imaginable.

Sighing she looked at her watch once more. She'd promised Ginny last night she'd come over visit more and she knew Bill and Charlie wanted to argue with her some more. Putting 9 galleons on the table for her meal she took a final drink of her soda and looked Draco over once more. "You should drop by and join in on the fun," Hermione said nodding thinking if anyone could use some it would be him. "I've got to go visit with the Weasley's for a bit," She said though her voice held a small amount of disappointment. "Stay in touch with someone, if not me," she said after standing up and slipping back into her jacket. "Can't let the wizarding world think they've won, can you?" With a smirk she nodded and went over to the flop fire place disappearing in a blaze of green fire.
 
Looking at Hermione with a brow raised, Draco listened to her talk about how he should stay a few more days and how he should go to this fair the muggles were throwing. Thinking it over, the male was unsure if he would go just yet, or if he would just take off first thing tomorrow morning. Watching the way Hermione’s face lit up as she no doubt remembered previous years at the fair, Draco wondered once more about going to it. He’d think about it later, when he had some time to himself.

Watching her stand up, Draco ran a hand through his hair as he leaned back in his chair, “I’ll think about it.” It was a simple response, and Draco didn’t think he needed to say anything else. Her words and statements didn’t mean much to him, and he wondered why she was so concerned with him staying in touch or having fun at some fair. As she left, Draco placed his money on the table as he stood up. Now he would need to go get items for dinner that night and then head home to make it.
 
“Hermione’s here!” Ginny yelled as soon as Hermione’s feet touched down in the Burrow’s fireplace. Laughing Hermione used a quick cleansing charm to remove the soot from her clothes and hair before stepping out into the living room. Linking arms with Ginny she whispered, “You couldn’t have just let me sneak upstairs could you?” At that moment Molly came in from the kitchen pulling Hermione into a suffocating hug much like the one from last night. Ginny easily slipped her arm from Hermione’s grasps leaving her struggling to breath earning her a well deserved glare.

“Mum, let Hermione breath,” Bill said with a chuckle as Charlie and he walked in on the scene. “Yeah,” Charlie agreed, “If you strangle her on accident you’ll be mighty sorry.” Molly let her go only so that she could shoot a freezing glare at her two eldest sons, “Perhaps if you two brought home respectable women I wouldn’t miss Hermione so much.” Ginny and Hermione grinned as Molly let them all into the kitchen were she was bustling around concocting tons of delicious goodies. Charlie peaked into the biggest pot only to be rewarded with a hiss of steam blasting in his face. Hermione and Ginny burst into a fit of giggles.

As Molly began ranting about ‘boys always messing with her cooking’ Hermione and Ginny slipped out of the kitchen leaving Bill and Charlie to handle their mother. Going up to Ron’s old room in the attic they sank onto the lumpy bed laughing as they mimicked Mrs. Weasley. “I’m glad you’re home,” Ginny said after they caught their breaths. “Me too Ginny. I missed all of you so much,” Hermione said with a sigh. “So tell me all the details about what’s happened while I’ve been away,” Hermione said kicking off her shoes and sitting indian style on the bed.