Chapter 10: Remember to see the perspective in a new light

A partial list of reasons not to consider Draco Malfoy as a potential partner:

A privileged and pretentious creature like him will always have a hard time behaving himself around others, regardless he tries or not. Example: He'd pick on anyone who's not a Slytherin at any given chance, and sometimes even Slytherins fall victim to his offensive sarcasm.

That cunning and devilish smile of his made him a master manipulator. No one has yet to turn him down after he cast that charm. Example: Bloody hell, where should I even start?

Honestly, I couldn't remember when the last time was when I felt the amount of anxiety I felt after I was reluctantly dragged into the Slytherin common room. It was the kind of stress akin to an innocent prey getting stalked by a group of vicious predators while having every single escape route cut off.

"Why are you doing this?" I whispered to Malfoy when we stood before the Slytherins. In a mere few seconds, they would notice my presence, and I was nowhere near ready for what was to come.

"You need to make a good impression," he grinned. "It's time."

"Parkinson will murder me," I squeezed those words through my teeth. "And that's absolutely not the way I'd like to go."

"No one dares to hurt you in any shape or form when I'm around," he whispered softly into my ears. Though he sounded genuine, I remained on guard. Part of me was certain that Malfoy was cultivating a plan to make a fool out of me. "You need to trust me more."

"Can I go?" I pleaded. The situation was looking grave, and my heart began to pound. "Please?"

"Hermione," he caught me off guard when he addressed me by my first name in a firm but gentle tone, "you'll be fine. Trust me. I'd like my friends to get along with you."

My mind raced. A million different thoughts ran through my head, and I didn't know which one to listen to.

Should I trust him? Why would I ever trust him? He's no one to me, and he means nothing. He's the devil I made a stupid pact with and somehow foolishly fell for. That's all he is, right? Right?

Wait, what?!

"Everyone," before I could process the voices, Malfoy cleared his throat, "I hope you don't mind me bringing a guest here."

All eyes were on me. I wished I had an invisible cloak.

Malfoy put his arms around me and pulled me in. My cheeks turned red against my will.

"You know who she is," Malfoy smiled at me before looking to the crowd. "And if you don't, well, this is Hermione, a Gryffindor, and the cleverest witch of her time. But most importantly, she's with me."

"Shameless," Parkinson directed her anger at me. "What are you doing here? This is no place for a Gryffindor. We don't want you here."

"I want her here," Malfoy narrowed his eyes. "And that's enough. After all that we've been through, are you still holding onto those prejudice ideas?"

"Draco," Zabini pinched his nose bridge, "what are you getting at?"

"I'd like you to get know Hermione," Malfoy squeezed my shoulder. "Because she's important to me. And it'd be a shame if you, whom I consider as my acquaintances, continue to view her as the hideous thing you've portrayed her as in your dated minds. I'm sure most of you have told by your parents that you must get along with the young Malfoy, and now it's the time to try and get on my not-so-bad side."

Then he put on that smile; that damned smile that made his demand irrefutable.

I had no idea how he could talk to others like that, but considering who he was, it didn't come as too much of a surprise. However, I didn't know how to react, or what to say. The Slytherins were eyeing me up and down, waiting for me to speak. Malfoy nudged me gently, urging me to say something. Usually, I would have a somewhat decent opener, but now, under all the pressure, all I could say was:

"Um, hi, glad to be here, I brought some pastries."

Good work, Hermione Granger, this was definitely going to earn you some friends in a room filled with people who hate you for no reason, I thought to myself defeatedly and proceed to smile awkwardly.

At first, they were reluctant to talk to me, and I didn't blame them. It would probably be worse if I had asked the Gryffindors to be kind to Malfoy. But slowly - whether that was because they had decided to be more open-minded, or the pressure Malfoy placed on them – they began making small talks with me. The encounter with the Slytherins wasn't as bad I thought it would be.

"No way, you really do have extensive knowledge over the different species of evergreens!" I was amazed by Zabini talking about his interest. "Excuse me for a moment, I'm going to get some more water."

In a surprisingly cheerful mood, I went to the corner of the common room to fill up my glass of water. As I was pouring water, I felt someone was standing next to me. I glanced over and met eyes with Malfoy.

"Didn't I tell you that it will be fine?" He said with a proud smile.

"I hate to say admit it, but yes, you are right.," I smiled back at him. "And I suppose I'll need to thank you for inviting me."

"Never thought I'd hear you thanking me," he curled his bottom lip. He then winked. "I think your baking won them over."

"Clearly personality doesn't matter to Slytherins," I said jokingly, which made him laugh.

"Alright, Granger," he set his cup on the table, "let's go."

"Where to?" I was confused. "I thought you wanted me here."

"The goal has been achieved," he took my hand, "and it's time to get out of here."

I hurriedly left my glass on the table and let him lead me away. I knew I should say something, but I didn't. His grip was tight, as if he worried that we'd be separated by the crowd. We squeezed past the Slytherins, got out of the common room, headed down the halls, climbed up the stairs and found ourselves at the observatory again.

We were quiet on the way there, and he was a step or two ahead of me. My hand was in his, and never once had he loosened his grip. I wondered what he was thinking and if he felt what I was feeling. Mixed emotions fluxed through me, though one particular thought stood out.

It was the thought that although I realized how selfish it was, I still desperately wanted to keep him around.

"That was a very nice thing for you to do," I said as we sat down at our usual spot. "I appreciate your effort trying to break the wall between our houses."

"I just think it's about time to shelf all the unfounded prejudices," he leaned on the wall, "they've been getting on my nerves."

"Do you want me to do the same?" I asked carefully. "Do you want me to introduce you to the Gryffindors?"

"No," he slowly turned to look at me in the eye. "It's easy to make a Slytherin accept something they don't believe for the sake of their reputation and connections. But that won't do for a Gryffindor. Gryffindors tend to believe what they want to believe, and what they think it's right."

"But you've changed what I think of you," I said without thinking and regretted it immediately.

"And how long did that take? Months," his threw me a complicated look before a mischievous grin bloomed on his thin lips. "Plus, you love me."

It was not a question; it was a statement. And Instead of denying it, I opened my mouth and couldn't make a sound. After a few seconds of silence and him smiling with that devilish smile, I said firmly:

"You love me too, Malfoy."

His eyes widen. I smirked.