Chapter 14
Hermione closed her laptop and turned her light off. But before she laid down to sleep, she sat on her bed, staring out into the darkness. She was still trying to process what had happened between her and Draco throughout the day.
What surprised her most was how she responded to Draco's distress over all those cameras in his home. She always thought she would love to see Draco experience the same emotional torment he had put her through by showing such prejudice against her.
But now that the tables were turned and Draco was being discriminated against, she felt sympathy-- there was no part of her that felt proud to see her former enemy get the same treatment he had put her through.
Not too mention, she was also thankful how Draco didn’t hide that he was under such distress from all the discrimination. The Malfoy had expressed how tense he was feeling about it all-- he didn’t try to cover it up out of fear of looking weak….something she had never expected him-- or any Slytherin-- to do.
Perhaps he just got too overwhelmed and showed a teeny hint of his vulnerable side by accident, she thought. He's probably regretting it by now….he'll probably end up behaving even more critical and abrasive to compensate for the tiny bit of sensitivity he showed.
Hermione then laid on her bed, hoping strongly that wouldn’t happen. And even if he did….she still found herself feeling a wave of sympathy. If he becomes even more discriminating and prejudiced against me, it would only reflect how hurt HE is to be undergoing such discrimination. And me getting critical with his behavior wouldn’t solve anything.
If anything, Draco almost seemed remorseful after she had told him how even someone like him didn’t deserve to be experiencing the discriminating acts Arthur was putting him through. As if he almost seemed to regret treating her how he did, now that he was experiencing similar treatment.
Hermione found herself longing to see more of the small hint of humanity she had seen in Draco earlier that day. Not because she wanted to see him go through what he had put her through, but because she wanted to see how even a prejudiced git like him could show potential for growth.