The Muggle Project

Try With Me

After Draco and I unpacked our things and got settled in we made our way out onto our extravagant balcony that overlooked the majority of the town. We had an amazing view because our pent house was on the top floor.

"Look!" I exclaimed as I pointed to a dingy building just down the street and across the way. "It's the Leaky Cauldron."

Draco followed to where I had been pointing at and smiled. "Wow, oh, is that Seamus and Faye?" he added.

If it wasn't for me knowing what the two wore that day I wouldn't be able to tell them apart from any other person down there. But sure enough, Faye's love for bright colors gave them away. From their rapid hand movements and their body language it appeared that they were fighting.

"It is sad that they don't get along." I said as I leaned my head on his shoulder. "Faye had a huge crush on Seamus since year one. She was fascinated with his explosions."

"Hmmm." Draco responded.

Of course he wouldn't really have much to say since we were basically enemies since day one.

"You might not believe this but I felt the same for you."

I quickly lifted my head of his shoulder and turned to look at him. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Since year one, I had a huge thing for you."

I rose an eyebrow to him. "You made my life a living hell, and all because I was a muggleborn, Draco."

"Exactly. Hermione, you weren't the only muggleborn at Hogwarts. I had maybe one hundred to choose from, but I chose to pick on you."

"But I was also Harry's friend and you had it out for him too."

"No, now you are reading too much into it. I picked on you constantly because I was afraid that if I didn't the other Slytherin's would catch on. Didn't you ever wonder why out of all the muggle borns that us Slytherin's picked on, why you were left alone by all but me?"

My brows furrowed as I thought about this. Torturing muggleborns was a Slytherin's favorite past time. Yet the only Slytherin that ever really picked on me -apart from Milicent Bulstrode- was Draco.

"Hermione, after I learned that you were petrified in our second year I all but lost it. I feared that you might never wake up. But when you did, I promised to protect you from anyone that might hurt you. And in Slytherin House they have this game that is basically about torturing muggle borns and seeing who can do it better."

"What!" My voice rose several ocataves.

"They have a chart in the common room, everyone starts out torturing a muggle born in any way they want and whoever does it better without getting caught wins. So many people wanted to go after you because you were Harry's friend and I told them that if they as so much as touched a hair on your head, I would do things to them that my aunt Bella taught me. I told them that you were mine to torture because you were Potter's friend and I wanted to get back at him from the humiliation he put me through."

Though he was twisted in the way he went about things he did me a solid and saved my life. Who knows what sickening things those Slytherin's would've done to me if he hadn't of told them off.

"Thanks." I grinned as I picked up the packet that sat on the small patio table behind us. "Let's see what privelages we have while we are here."

The first page told us about why we were selected as one of the student pairs that would be staying at the Claridge Hotel. It also listed our point total and our current grades on our assignments in our class.

The second page told about the dr appointment tomorrow and listed where the drs office was and instructions on how to get there. It also gave us a list of choices for transportation that would be free of cost for us. The Knight bus was on there and so was walking the mile and a half to the office building.

The third page was what I was looking for.

"It says that only those staying at the Claridge Hotel have free reign to go anywhere we want, as long as we are inside the hotel by our 10pm curfew." I read to Draco.

"Nice, I never really got to visit London, unless you count Diagon Alley. " He explained.

His father has strict against anything having to do with Muggles, so walking in close proximities was a definite no-no in the Lucius Malfoy handbook.

I glanced up and took a peek at Big Ben's clock. It read 45 minutes after 3. We had about 7 hours before our curfew and a world of possibilites when it came to what we were able to do to fill the hours.

"Want to go to Diagon Alley and get some ice cream?" I suggested as I glanced towards the Leaky Cauldron again.

Draco nodded his head. "And while we are there I can stop by Gringotts to get some muggle money for our shopping tomorrow."

"You shouldn't spend too much money, Draco." I said to him as we headed back into our penthouse suite.

"Why not? Hermione, this is our son or daughter and they deserve the best that I can give to them."

I pulled Draco to a stop, just outside our bedroom door. "Draco, it isn't really our child."

"I know."

"Then you also know that at the end of our final year it will disappear forever and we will go our seperate ways." I added. I felt my heart clench.

I know Draco said he loved me but there was no place for a muggleborn in his life. Right now we were forced to play house together and this is his only outlet for expressing his true feelings towards me. But once this was over, he had to move on.

The Dark Lord no longer existed and muggleborns didn't have to live in fear anymore but that didn't mean everything changed. The noble house of Malfoy was and always would be a name associated with purebloods. And I could bet his father would break out of Azkaban and kill just to keep it untainted with the likes of myself.

As I looked into Draco's eyes I saw pain. "I know this too." He cleared his throat. "And... that is why I want to make the most of it. It doesn't matter if it isn't forever. I ..." He cleared his throat again and looked away. "Let's go get some ice cream." He said before walking off.

As he cut through the living room towards the foyer, I could have sworn I hear him sniffle as if he was crying.

The elevator ride down was quiet and he avoided looking me in the eye. The second the doors opened he exited and made his way towards the lobby doors.

"Hermione!" I heard Neville shout from behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Neville and Luna making there way over to me.

"Hey." I said, not slowing my pace.

Luna and Neville had to job a bit just to make it to my side. Then they slowed their pace to match mine.

"We went and knocked on your and Draco's room but two french men answered." Neville explained as we crossed the street.

Draco was thirty yards ahead of us so I did my best to keep him in my sights.

"Yeah, the hotel manager said our room was double booked and so we were upgraded for the inconveinence. We are in a penthouse on the top floor." I said casually.

When we turned into the Leaky Cauldron, I bumped into Draco who had stopped just over the threshold. He took my hand into his and then led me through the crowd and into the small courtyard. He quickly tapped the appropriate bricks and stepped back as the wall opened up, revealing Diagon Alley.

"Join us for ice cream?" Draco asked.

Neville and Luna polietly declined because they wanted to go to a new shop that opened up beside Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. This left Draco and I to our own company.

At Florean Fortescue's I ordered a simple vanilla cone and Draco had chocolate.We took a seat outside the parlor and licked happily at our ice cream cones while basking in the sunlight.

"I'm sorry." I said to Draco once I had finished my own.

He glanced up from his half-eaten ice cream, his eyesbrows risen curiously.

"I'm sorry about what I said back at the hotel. I understand how you feel and how hard it must be to have interest in someone who is on the opposite end of the spectrum in your life."

"Oh, that." Draco mumbled, his voice once again melancholy. "Between you and I, Hermione, I would give up everything in my life to be with you. Even if it meant converting to the muggle world. I mean, look how well we are doing without using magic. We could live-"

I cut him off, holding up my hand. "That's completely ludicrous, Draco. For a while I thought that maybe after graduation, what we had could continue. But back at the hotel, with the manager-"

"Hermione, I did that for you."

"That isn't the point."

"Then tell me what is."

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to relax myself. I couldn't allow myself to get worked up over things because stress could harm the baby. When I was confident that I was calm again I opened my eyes and looked at Draco.

"You come from a world of riches and being able to get things you want just by intimidation. I, on the other hand, grew up in a family that got everything by hard work. I don't belong in your rich world, Draco and it is clear that you would never be able to convert to mine."

His placed his hand over mine. "Hermione, please. We have a chance to actually be together. No one, no fear, can keep us apart now. Please..." The look on his face I had never seen before now. It was clear desperation.

"What do you want me to say, Draco?" I asked.

He brought his other hand up and cupped my hand between both of his before kissing them. "Tell me that after the year is over, once we have graduated, that you will try with me. That you won't give up on something so amazing and so rare just because it might be hard... or scary... or real."

I bit my lip, doing my best to force back tears.

"Draco..."

"After everything that you have been through, you owe it to yourself to have a chance at this. You know you want this, you want us." His voice was hard, but gentle at the same time.

No matter how I looked at it I couldn't deny how right he was. Not only was I afraid for my blood status and his, but I was worried about where we might go. If this was real, if we lasted, I could very well be the next Malfoy.

Even though Voldemort was gone. Bellatrix and several of his most dangerous followers were dead and the remaining locked away for life in Azkaban, I was still afraid. More so of what would be expected of me as a Malfoy and how society would view us.

If I married Draco society could either see it as me going dark or Draco turning light. There was a fifty/fifty chance that it could go either way and I wasn't sure if I could handle it if things took a turn for the worse.

But I loved him. Draco made me happy.He wasn't afraid to show his love for me now that it was safe for us to do so. He was bold, brave, loving, caring, smart, funny, handsome. I knew that he would protect me for as long as he lived as he had protected me during the majority of our years at Hogwarts.

He was perfect for me. He balanced me out in a way I never knew was possible. And I felt complete with him by my side.

If I gave that up what would happen to me? Would I fall apart? Would I even be able to last a day without him in my life?

I looked down at the hands that embraced mine and then looked up into his eyes. Those grey eyes, my favorite grey eyes. I thought about the first time we made love together and then the morning I woke up with him at my side.

"Okay." I took a deep breath to settle myself as I prepared for what I was about to say next. "I promise."