Chapter Six: The unspoken Bond..

The weeks passed in a blur of unease and anticipation. Draco had been working hard to change the course of history, to rewrite the moments he had so recklessly allowed to slip away. He still watched Hermione from afar—admiring the way her hair glistened under the sunlight, the way she laughed at a joke Ron made, her voice still strong, still unwavering, and filled with that fire he had come to love.

But he wasn’t the only one noticing the changes.

Hermione had grown more observant of Draco, too. At first, she had chalked up his gentleness and willingness to help as a fleeting phase—some temporary shift in behavior, perhaps tied to his recent isolation in the Slytherin common room or his growing unease with his housemates. But as the weeks went on, she found herself wondering if something deeper had shifted.

Draco’s sudden acts of kindness weren’t for public display. There were no grand gestures, no attention-seeking moves. Instead, it was in the small things. A quiet offer to walk her back from class when it was late, a shared glance when they bumped into each other in the library, and the subtle way he listened to her during debates, as if he was genuinely considering her opinion.

At first, Hermione hesitated. Was this just another attempt to manipulate her, like so many before? Or had something truly changed in him? It was the latter that gave her pause. She began to trust him more with every passing day, though her instincts still screamed that something was off.

But there was a part of her—small but growing—that couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t the same Draco she had known. And that scared her. After all, she wasn’t sure she could let go of the past so easily. Not after everything he had done to them—especially during the war.

One night, after an evening spent in the library together, working on a project for Professor McGonagall, Hermione found herself alone with Draco in one of the quieter hallways. She was startled to see him standing there, just outside the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower.

"Draco?" she asked, unsure if she should be surprised or worried.

He turned, his gaze soft but laden with an emotion she couldn't quite place.

"I've been thinking," Draco began, his voice low, almost hesitant. "I don’t expect you to forgive me for everything that happened in the past. But I want you to know that I’m not the person I was back then."

Hermione narrowed her eyes, considering his words. "Is that supposed to make me trust you?"

Draco flinched, but quickly recovered, stepping closer, his expression earnest. "I don’t expect trust to come easily, Hermione. I just... need you to see that I’ve changed. That I want to make things right between us. I’m not asking for anything more than that."

Hermione’s heart beat faster, a mixture of confusion and curiosity battling in her chest. She wanted to believe him, wanted to believe that people could change. But she couldn’t help but feel like there was still so much she didn’t understand about his transformation. Why now? Why her? What was he really after?

Before she could respond, the sound of footsteps echoed from behind them, and she turned to find Ron hurrying toward them, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Hey, you two okay?" Ron asked, clearly oblivious to the moment that had just passed between them.

Hermione forced a smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She glanced back at Draco, who gave her a single, almost imperceptible nod before turning to leave.

Ron raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. The tension hung in the air, but neither of them spoke as they continued toward the Gryffindor common room.

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