Love's Horrid Fruit

Draco

Hermione was brilliant.

With her help, I was able to locate a book all about Vanishing Cabinets. Whatever made Snape think the pre-historic magic section was going to help me was dead wrong. The only good that section did was give Hermione and I a place to talk alone. I mean, yes, it did give me the Opal Necklace as well, but that's really about it.

I was currently sitting under a tree by the lake, reading about the various problems a Vanishing Cabinet could have. It wasn't warped, splintered, or holey, which was excellent seeing that those injuries required a specialist. As it were, I was not specialized in cabinets. However, fixing their pathways could be done by anyone with the proper instructions.

Lucky me, this book gave detailed, step-by-step instructions. As I read over the spells, I found that the magic was way beyond my skill level. But I was determined to do it.

My main goal now, in completing my task for the Dark Lord, is to find a way to deliver the Opal Necklace to it's intended target, and to figure out if the pathways between cabinets is blocked - then which way and how.

I was glad that it was Saturday, and even a little thankful that we lost the Quidditch match. With that being on everyones mind, no one would dare talk to the losing Seeker. It being mostly his fault for losing, assuming his team mates were actually doing their jobs....

The only people who seemed to be oblivious to my want to be alone were Crabbe and Goyle.

"Hey, Malfoy," said Crabbe, "Um... tough loss."

I sighed, "Yeah, kind of."

"The whole house was cheering for you."

"Thanks." Sadly, my sarcasm didn't click.

"What are you doing," Goyle asked.

"Reading."

"Why?" He looked horrified.

"Because I can."

Both Crabbe and Goyle looked like they were going to be sick. I had hoped they would leave, but they didn't. Sitting down with two awful thuds, they began talking about a first year they had just jinxed in the halls. I scoffed at their poor choice of victim, not finding it at all amusing.

My mind began to wonder from the book to my past five years at Hogwarts, and I actually felt ashamed. My father had always told me that we were pure bloods, and we were better than everyone else.

And I believed him.

I walked through this school with my head held high like I owned it. Now, I wanted to be as far away from this hell hole as I could manage. The only thing keeping me here is Hermione.

And my mission, of course....

It was weird how the tables of my life had turned. How I went from wanting to be the best, to just wanting to get away. I'm tired of being here. I'm tired of keeping my image in place - or what was left of it after the papers chewed us up and spat us out. I'm tired of this growing tension over a war that was never going to happen.

And I'm tired of having to wear this stupid cloth over my arm.

"Malfoy, you comin'?" Crabbe asked.

"Coming where?"

"To dinner, of course."

Looking around I saw how dark it had gotten. Jumping up I looked at the clock tower and saw I had five minutes left to get everything ready for Hermione. "Um, sorry guys," I said, "I'm too busy to eat. You go on."

Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other, then back at me, "What are you doing?"

"Reading. I've got homework."

"Can't you do it later?"

Frustrated I said, "No! Now leave me alone."

Crabbe and Goyle stayed by the tree while I ran to the castle. Walking into the Entrance Hall, I sighed at the sight of everyone funneling into the Great Hall. For a moment I was going to wait, but then remembered that I was Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prefect, and it was either my way or no way at all. Walking to the staircase, I started shoving people.

"Move it," I said, "Move it or I'll write you up all of you, for obstructing a Prefect."

As they saw me coming, they parted ways to let me pass. I was at the back of the heard in no time, and was running up the stairs to the Room of Requirements. I was about to start my thought process when Hermione came up.

"You forgot didn't you?" She was in a foul mood still.

"No... I just made my way through the dinner crowd."

"So you're late."

I frowned, "I meant to get here... I just forgot about the entire school flocking down the stairs."

"Fine."

I gave her a smile, "Give me one minute... I have to see if everything is perfect."

Hermione took a step back, and I paced in front of the room, thinking my thought. A door appeared and I quickly entered it and smiled.

The room was shaped like my parent's dining room, one of my favorite rooms in the house - architecturally speaking. The only difference was that instead of dark stained wood, everything was the color of Hermione's hair - or as close as I could manage. The walls were violet, going along with the rugs, chair cushions, and table cloth. The purples I got from her Yule Ball dress our forth year. The silverware, dishes, goblets, and candelabras were all silver, along with the other fixtures in the room. I lit the candles, then I got Hermione.

Closing the door, I pulled out a blindfold, "It's sort of a surprise."

She didn't look amused, but allowed me to tie the cloth around her eyes anyway. I turned her to the door and lead her into the room. I didn't warn her when I would be taking it off, but when I did she gasped.

Turning she said, "Draco... it's beautiful."

I smiled, glad to see I finally won my way back into her good graces and said, "Would you like to sit down?"

"Yes please." We walked over to the table and I pulled out her chair allowing her to sit, "Thank you." I helped her push her seat in, then rounded the table to sit down myself, "This is really beautiful, Draco."

I smiled, "I... did it for you."

"Why is it purple?" She smiled, "If you don't mind me asking."

"I-It was the colors in your dress."

She frowned, "What dress?"

"The one you wore to the Yule Ball."

She fought back a smile.

"And the wood is to match the color of your hair."

The smile won, spreading across her face. She blushed as she looked down at her empty plate, "I didn't know you noticed my dress."

"You were very talked about that night. Along with that girl from Bauxbaton."

"This is perfect."

I smiled.

"What are we eating?"

"Well," I said, "Seeing that everyone eats the same meal at Hogwarts, I didn't know what you liked... so I thought we could... ask the room for our favorite meals."

"I like that idea," she smiled, "So... I just think about it?"

As soon as she asked, our plates - and the table - filled with our favorite dishes and sides. Hermione had a type of white fish, a garden salad, and a dessert I had never seen before. I had a seaweed salad, with a plate of sushi, and chocolate mousse cake. In both goblets was butterbeer. Normally I didn't drink it, but I had felt that this was a special occasion.

"Sushi?"

I smiled, "My parents hate it... but I love it. I, um... went to Japan on my own one summer and it was literally all I ate."

"I didn't know you traveled," she said.

Blushing I replied, "I don't."

She gave a confused look.

"I ran away, when I was thirteen."

"Ran... away?"

I nodded, "I filled a bag with clothes, got on my broom and flew in the first direction I could point myself. It just happened to take me to Japan." I looked down at my salad and said, "Some Muggles eventually found me out, which alerted their Muggle Awareness Organization, which deported me back to London, where my parents came to pick me up."

"Why did you run away?"

I looked at my plate again and said, "I um... don't feel comfortable talking about it right now."

She nodded.

"But lets not focus on me.... I want to get to know you better. What is your favorite color? Your favorite animal? Do you have pets? Siblings? What do your parents do in the Muggle world?"

She smiled, "My favorite color is purple. I enjoy cats, and actually have one. His name is Crookshanks. I'm an only child, and my parents are dentists."

"What's a dentist?"

"Um... they care for people's teeth."

"Why? What's wrong with them? Can't people take care of their own teeth?"

Hermione giggled and it forced me to smile as well.

"Sorry... I um... don't know much about Muggles. Family thing if you know what I mean."

She smiled, "Well, lucky you, I am an expert on everything Muggle."

Smiling back I said, "That's brilliant."