Restricted
A week had passed since Hermione’s conversation with Draco in the room of requirement and she still wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. He had said “I don’t want anyone to die on my account,”- what is that supposed to mean? Did he just expect her to know what it meant? Does that mean somebody made an unbreakable vow involving him? Are Harry and Ron right about him working for you know who?
She couldn’t talk to anybody about it. She couldn’t tell Harry and Ron what Draco said. They were her best friends and she loved them but they would never understand. They would immediately jump to conclusions and try to coerce Hermione to tell Dumbledore- that was always Harry’s solution. She couldn’t tell any girls she knew- they would all assume she fancied Draco, as ridiculous as that is.
Who could she tell?
Who would listen?
The corridor was dimly lit as Hermione walked to the library to study. She had mostly been studying in her dorm since school started, but sometimes Lavender’s constant talking became too much of a distraction. Besides, she was only a year away from her NEWTS, and she needed to be as diligent as possible. Maybe she would go in the restricted section and look up some books on unbreakable vows when she was done with her potions essay. As much as she’s hated Draco for all these years, a part of her really wanted to help him. Although she didn’t know what she could help him with.
The library was fairly empty today, it was Sunday after all. Hermione politely nodded hello to Madam Pince who returned a suspicious look back. She went to find a seat at her usual table and cracked open her Potions book. She had just immersed herself in the book when she heard a shuffle from behind her and was greeted by Luna Lovegood. Luna and Hermione had never been close friends, but Luna was always kind and Harry and her were awfully close.
“Hello Hermione,” Luna made her way over to the chair opposite of Hermione and sat down.
“Oh hello Luna,” Hermione really preferred to be alone when she studied.
“What is it you’re working on?”
“Just some stuff for potions- nothing too exciting”
“Oh. I expected to find you in the restricted section,” Luna said with a wistful gaze spread across her face.
“The restricted section? Why?” Hermione asked almost defensively, because the restricted section was exactly where she had planned to go.
“The Malfoy boy was waiting for you there, that’s all,” she said as if it was just a simple sentence.
“Draco?!”
“Yes”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, he was standing around until Madam Pince ran him off,”
“How can you be sure he was waiting for me?”
“Well every day at the same time he walks around the restricted section pretending to look at books but the entire time he seems very distracted, and then just two days ago he asked me if I had seen you. It must’ve been really urgent, he never dares to speak a word to me,”
He’s waiting because he knows I will find a book to help him.
With whatever it is he needs help with.
Luna continued, “You don’t have to tell me why he’s waiting for you and I won’t say a word to anyone, I just thought you should know.”
“Yeah, um thank you Luna,” I responded.
“Anytime, but if you’ll excuse me, I have to go into the forest to feed the thestrals,” Luna said in a very matter of fact sort of way.
Luna got up from the table leaving Hermione in a daze. Well she would just go back to the Gryffindor common room then. She was not the type of girl that was going to wait around the library all evening for Draco Malfoy to show up.
October 1st
Draco had canceled their last tutoring session due to “illness," although he had looked perfectly fine on the quidditch pitch that weekend. He had even been avoiding Hermione in the corridors, turning the other way when he saw her coming and doing anything to avoid making eye contact. At dinner he started sitting with his back turned to the Gryffindor table, which seemed to make it harder than usual to spew nonsense at the Gryffindor first years. She didn’t quite understand why he was avoiding her. It wasn’t like she knew his deepest, darkest secret. Perhaps she was on the brink of finding it out, but she didn’t know it yet. He couldn’t avoid her forever though, because the evening of October 1st Draco and Hermione were locked away in Professor Flitwick’s classroom for tutoring. Hermione had put a silencing spell on the door after Draco walked in, hoping he didn’t see her do it. She had a feeling they would have a few things to talk about today and she didn’t want any other students overhearing.
She sat down in a chair two seats away from Draco and he shot her a confused look.
“Scared of me Granger? I won’t bite” he said.
“These desks are just placed awfully close together, I wanted to give you space,” she responded.
Draco shook his head and said, “Is it the fact that you wanted to give me space or the fact that you’re embarrassed the whole of Gryffindor thinks you fancy me?”
“The whole of Gryffindor does NOT think I fancy YOU!”
“Yeah sure you’re just red in the face for another particular reason,” Draco said.
“I am not red in the face!”
“I’d be embarrassed too if I was the selected good witch of Gryffindor and the whole damn castle thought I fancied the no good knob of Slytherin,” he continued
He had a certain tone in his voice. A tone that made her feel as if he was about to take things too far.
Here it comes. The real Draco. He’s been forcing himself to be civil throughout their tutoring sessions but here comes the real him.
“Listen Draco, if you’re going to be a prick then I will cancel our sessions altogether,” Hermione said, shutting her book momentarily.
“Who me? A prick? You’ve lost your mud- muggleborn mind,” he smirked.
There it was. He had almost called her a mudblood. He had called her a Muggleborn. Finally he had done it. He couldn’t contain himself.
“Well if that’s all I am to you then you can just go ahead and fail your NEWTS! Good luck getting a job not knowing how to do potions, wouldn’t want some lousy muggleborn getting one over you,” she said as she picked up her books prepared to storm out.
“Granger, wait, I wasn’t trying to be a prick, it was just for laughs, yeah?”
Some laugh.
“And stop waiting around for me in the library. I study in the Gryffindor common room from now so don't waste your time,” she said indignantly before storming out. Leaving Draco dumbfounded and slightly regretful.
Hermione tried not to cry on her way back to Gryffindor tower. She wasn’t sure why Draco Malfoy behaving just as he always does should upset her. She had no reason to be surprised. No reason at all. And yet she could feel tears trying to force their way down her cheeks.
The Gryffindor common room was full of people lounging around, playing chess, and studying for exams. Harry and Ron appeared to be arguing at a table by the fireplace.
“That was quick,” Ron said when he realized Hermione had already returned from her tutoring session with Draco.
“Yeah, we didn’t need to cover much,” she said quietly.
Harry looked up and could immediately tell something was wrong. Sometimes Hermione thought he knew her better than she knew herself.
“Did something happen, Mione?” Harry asked
“No- no nothing happened,” she replied.
“Did Malfoy do something?” Harry was standing up now
“No it’s fine”
“Because if he did- I swear to Godric I’ll-”
Hermione cut him off.
“Harry, nothing happened. I just don’t particularly feel well. I’m going to head up and finish some homework,”
She proceeded to walk up the staircase to the girls dormitories but Harry grabbed her arm.
“You can talk to us, you know? Not just about Malfoy, but anything. I know you’re worried about your parents and…”
Hermione cut him off.
She didn’t want to talk about her parents.
She also didn’t want to talk about Draco.
“Really Harry, I’m fine. Just feeling a bit under the weather, I suppose.
“Alright then, we’ll see you later”
He could still sense something was wrong. Hermione knew it, maybe she would tell him later. It was too difficult to talk about anything Draco had done with Harry or Ron. Their immediate response would be fighting and Hermione really didn’t want that. But she also needed someone to talk to, and Harry always tried his best to understand.
She couldn’t explain to herself why Draco referring to her as a muggleborn and almost calling her a mudblood had hurt so bad. He had done it before. It’s exactly what she should expect from him.
Hermione had always had a fear that her intelligence would be dismissed in the Wizarding world due to her blood status. People like Draco only saw her for being a muggle born. They didn’t see her as a true witch. She thought that maybe Draco had changed. Maybe he wasn’t the foul, loathsome, evil bloke he had always been. But now she knew…. When he looked at her all he saw was a muggleborn girl, not someone worth talking to.
Hermione didn’t talk to anyone at dinner, but kept her nose buried in her book. She had gotten quite good at tuning out Harry and Ron’s conversations over the years, but while she was busy reading Jane Eyre something Ron said caught her attention.
“Swear I heard it, with my own ears mate,” Ron said
Harry shook his head and answered, “Well we know Snape can’t be trusted, but the question is what sort of involvement does he have with an unbreakable vow?”
“An unbreakable vow?!” Hermione asked putting down her book
“Yeah I heard Snape talking to Dumbledore today while I was mulking about in the corridors. He said something about honoring an unbreakable vow. Dumbledore didn’t question it, so he must’ve already known,” Ron said through a mouth full of food.
"Did he say anything else?" She asked urgently. Harry gave her a quizzical look.
"No, I think Dumbledore sort of sensed that someone was listening. He cast a silencing spell when I got too close to the door," Ron said
"Well if Snape was talking to Dumbledore about it, then it can't be anything too bad," Hermione said
Harry took a bite of his pudding and said, "It can still be bad. I trust Dumbledore wholeheartedly but the man's put me in some dangerous situations before"
"Mum and Dad say he's the only one we can trust, Dumbledore is. With all the shit going on," Ron said in between bites of food
“Well whatever they were talking about, I bet it’s something to do with you know who,” Harry said.
Dread filled Hermione’s body. She picked up her book and told the boys she would see them in the common room later. Her eyes blurred into tunnel vision as she made her way to the library. She wasn’t watching where she was going, so naturally when she made her way into the restricted section she bumped right into a certain tall, blonde Slytherin whom she was trying to avoid.