A BIG Mistake

"Granger," Draco said curtly, the tone telling her she wasn't welcome.

The greeting threw Hermione off guard and she hesitated. "Oh, um-"

He crossed his arms across his chest, impatience seeping through every pore of his being. "Well? What do you want? Why are you here?"

For the second time that day, the urge to cry took over her, which was quite frustrating.

"I wanted to talk to you. You know, about yesterday," she told him while trying to keep her voice steady.

He blinked twice. "Well?" He repeated, his voice dripping with annoyance. "What do you want to talk about? There's nothing to say."

Her voice broke. "But-listen," she pleaded, "I need to tell you why I left. Can we sit?" She was determined to get this out.

Draco rolled his eyes, causing Hermione to feel like she had done something wrong. And she knew she did. He had every right to be angry with her for ditching him the day before. She wanted to know why he was acting like the Draco she had known at Hogwarts, though.

She gestured for him to sit in one of the chairs that were closest to them.

"Listen, Draco," she started and tried to let her walls down like Harry suggested, "I've been alone all my adult life, and even as a child I felt alone. I never got my parents back after the War, and I've convinced myself that I am okay." She surveyed his face to see his reaction which was the same as before. "Anyway, being with Brent and Jeremiah only convinced me more, that it was better to be alone. It didn't seem worth it to be with people after that."

"And?" Draco was agitated and looking anywhere else but her.

Hermione was puzzled. He changed so much in only one day as if he was no longer the Draco she grew to know over the last few years. It was like he was the Draco Malfoy from school. The one who bullied and tormented her.

"And, when I was with you, I was frightened. Frightened because you weren't the same as everyone else. You seemed to care what happened to me."

His expression hadn't changed.

"That's it," she snapped, standing up. "I'm done with you, Malfoy. I poured out my heart and told you things I have never told anyone else, and you just sit there and snub me."

"Draco will never change," Hermione thought. "Harry was wrong. Keeping my walls up has kept me safe all these years, and I should have never lowered them for someone like Draco Malfoy."

She turned around and walked right out the door, never getting the drink she came in for.