A Turn For The Better (Completed)

Part 14

As I made my way back along to my compartment, I couldn't help but think of Draco, and the fact that I had just kissed him! I blushed slightly, feeling quite embarrassed about that now. Of course he's all I had really thought about for the past week. But it worried me how consumed I felt with him. I was keeping secrets from my friends and to make it worse, I was keeping secrets with the one person they disliked the most. Sure Harry had saved Draco from the fire in the room of requirement, and Draco's mother hadn't given away the fact that Harry was alive when Voldemort presumed him dead. I knew Harry was grateful to Mrs Malfoy for that, but I wasn't entirely sure that it would make Harry want to be friends with Malfoy.

Just as I reached the compartment, someone came up behind me. It was Luna. "Are you feeling alright now, Hermione?" "Er, hi, Luna. Yes I feel quite a bit better actually." "That's good, I guess the boy in the last carriage made you feel better so." she replied in her dreamy voice. I panicked. Stuttering I asked, "What do you mean? I was in the lavatory the whole time!" "No you weren't, but don't worry, I can keep a secret. Here, take this," she handed me the last two weeks editions of the quibbler. "That way Harry, Ron and Ginny won't suspect a thing." "Thanks Luna." "You're welcome, Hermione." She smiled at me and skipped back down the corridor to her compartment. How did she know?

I felt like a total idiot. You can't really keep secrets from friends. Luna and I weren't the closest of friends, but even she knew something was up. She must have seen me hurry to the last carriage, and perhaps even saw Draco before I got there! I tried to calm myself down and entered the compartment. "Where have you been?" asked Ginny. "I was with Luna and Neville in their compartment. But then I started to feel queasy and went to the lavatory, I thought I was going to be sick. I'm fine now though." I said with a reassuring smile. I opened the first copy of the quibbler and began to read, ensuring that they could see it. Then they'd see that I had gone to Luna, as she was the only person aside from myself that read the quibbler. That they knew of anyway.

At lunch time, the usual woman came around to our compartment with the refreshment trolley. "Anything from the trolley, dears?" she asked when she got to us. I decided that I was hungry enough to eat, so I stepped out into the corridor to choose a sandwich and a cauldron cake. I paid for my food and turned to go back into the compartment, and then bumped into someone. "Oh I'm so sorry!" I said without looking up. "Better watch where you're going, Granger!" said  drawling voice. I looked up and sure enough it was Draco, I tried to hide my smile, it wasn't easy but I managed. He gave me a little  wink and I hurried on past him as I couldn't trust myself not to smile at him.

What was he thinking? I asked myself. Winking at me in full view of everyone. Ginny had been close by, what if she had seen? Just as I processed that thought, Ginny came back into the compartment. "Hermione?" she asked. "Erm, yes?" I replied, pretending that I was really interested in my sandwich. "Did I just see Malfoy wink at you? After you almost ran him over that is?" "I-I don't think so, Ginny. Why would Malfoy wink at me?" I asked her with to my disappointment, a slightly nervous laugh. "I guess I must have imagined it. But I could have sworn he did. You should probably be careful, just in case." said Ginny.

"Wait, Malfoy is coming back?" asked Harry suddenly. "I guess he is," said Ginny, "I just saw him at the food trolley, and Hermione almost knocked him down!" "I honestly didn't think he'd be back this year, after everything that's happened. Do you think he and his family are still death eaters?" asked Harry. Was this the time I try to discuss Malfoy? I decided to give it a go. "I don't think so, Harry. If Malfoy was still a death eater, why would he even bother going back to Hogwarts? Would he have even received a letter? And are there even still death eaters around?" I question. "I don't know," said Harry, "I'd honestly like to think that he was different. But its hard to try and trust someone like him. He's always been bad news. I mean what if he is only coming back to try and unravel things again? Its possible that his father is a new leader?" It saddened me that Harry was thinking this way. He was really showing me that he didn't trust Malfoy. Ginny and Ron seemed to agree with him.

We sat and ate lunch in silence. Nobody said anything further about Draco and I didn't want to argue the case any further at the moment. Draco and I would need to come up with a plan. It was fairly obvious that talking things through with Harry and Ron wasn't going to succeed. I did see their point of view. Malfoy never done anything that wouldn't benefit himself, ever. Until now. But how could I make them see that?