Of Ferrets, Brunettes and Music
—The first time Draco had a piano lesson was when he was 5
—He had seen his mother play the piano in his father’s study before and was utterly fascinated
—So when he requested to learn the piano, his father didn’t show it but he was over-joyed that his son showed a liking to music
—The mentor they paid for was young, pretty and most importantly, extremely talented.
—Draco, being the absolute charmer he was, immediately made his teacher fall in love with him in the first lesson
—Who could blame her? Draco had been abnormally obedient and polite, and he showed real talent.
—At the end of the lesson, Draco asked Ms Fawley where she would be going next, and she informed him she was going home to teach her brother the drums.
—The drums?
—He really didn’t understand why Narcissa looked so horrified when he asked her about them
—That was until she explained that drums were “muggle-instruments”
—Throughout the years, he only learned piano, eventually besting Ms Fawley when he reached his third year at Hogwarts
—However, his mentor had to leave when he became a fifth year and his home started swarming with Death Eaters
—Draco wasn’t thick, he knew what was going to happen to him soon
—He was constantly on the verge of breakdown.
—And surprisingly, joining the Inquisitorial Squad didn’t help
—Capturing Potter and his gang worsened his mood
—He was in denial of the reason: the look Granger threw at him was full of disappointment and sorrow, and somehow something broke inside him
—The brunette had captured his attention since first year, and he had poured some of that emotion into his piano practising
—Not that he would admit it
—And after that look, he needed his piano more than ever
—During classes he didn’t need to pay attention to, he was always composing. During the holidays, he could spend hours and hours shut away in his room strumming away on his piano, drenching every bit of depression and hollowness in his soul
—When he was forced to bear the dreadful mark, the piano just wasn’t enough anymore
—He needed something more carefree, something that broke through usual sequences
—He had read about the exact thing he required when he was a young boy, before the monsters caught up to him
—Turns out the Room Of Requirement wasn’t used to offering muggle objects
—The set of drums in there was close to garbage, with extremely low quality
—It wasn’t even complete for Salazar’s sake!
—And even if it was complete and qualified, Draco didn’t have the time to learn it
—He was too busy worrying about his and his family’s life every day
—He almost vomitted and started sobbing right then and there when he overheard that the Dark Lord commanded his Death Eaters to kill Granger immediately when they invade Hogwarts to get to Potter
—Why did the bitch have to target Granger of all people? Why not Weasel-bee?
—He was sure he had gone bollocks when he walked into his room and destroyed his piano with his bare hands
—While he was punching away on the instrument, all he could think of was that Voldemort had learned his feelings for Granger every time he played said instrument, therefore targeting the brunette as a punishment to Draco
—He was suffocating, he needed to destroy. So he did, both the piano and himself
—His mother found him unconscious next to shards of wood, knuckles red with dried blood
—She hugged her son to her chest and sobbed hysterically
—Draco didn’t want to, but he found himself sitting with his fellow Slytherins in the great hall for the start of his eighth year after the war
—Everyone felt distant, throwing disapproving glances every time he walked passed them
—But what really drove him insane was Hermione Granger’s eyes
—They were full of sympathy, and he felt nauseous every time he saw them.
—No matter what, he was still a Malfoy, pity from a Gryffindor and a Muggle-born was unacceptable no matter what
—Though he had to admit that both of the facts no longer bothered him that much
—However, he destroyed his only connection to sanity two years ago, so if it weren’t for his cold mask, he would’ve broken down whenever the gossipers pointed at him and whispered ,”death eater”, “murderer”, “unworthy”, “why is Malfoy still here?”, “he should be rotting in Azkaban”
—There was one time he heard something pleasant from said gossipers though
—”I heard that the McGonagall bought in a set of drums to the Gryffindor common room.” “Yeah! I also heard that it’s best brand in the muggle world,” “Gryffindors and their priorities…”
—Draco found a way to learn a Gryffindor first year’s secret and threatened him to give the common room password with it
—He sneaked into the red and gold common room at three o’clock in the morning, finding a shiny new set of the percussion tucked in the corner
—He cast a Muffliato and started to play it, investigating the right way to strum it along the way
—He continued this action for two weeks, and to his frustration, he couldn’t seem to get it right
—”Mate,” Blaise said to him one day, “why are you always going to the library nowadays?” Draco rolled his eyes and spat,”what would I be doing? Planning murder? Knew you’d eventually think of me like that,” he stormed away, ignoring Blaise’s calls.
—Truth is, he wasn’t really frustrated. He just couldn’t think of an excuse for reading muggle books on how to play the drums properly. His defense mechanism was being cold, and it worked again.
—The investigation made him oblivious to the change in Granger’s look towards him
—”What the hell are you doing?” Draco froze that fateful night Granger caught him in the common room.
—She was standing in front of the fireplace, the flames giving the right side of her face beaming light. Her hair was a nest, but he guessed it was only because she just woke up. Her curls started to change from frizzy to wavy during third year, and he had to admit he had fantasized running his fingers through them before…
—”I asked you a question Malfoy!”
—Defense Mechanism! “It’s none of your business,” he snarled
—Fuck it all! Why is she walking towards him?
—”Of course it’s my business, Draco,” why in Merlin’s name isn’t she in Slytherin? She had basically found his weak spot and poked right into it! “Just in case you haven’t noticed, this is the common room of my house. Besides, you’re playing it wrong.”
—What happened next baffled Draco so badly his jaw almost dropped open when Hermione Granger pushed past him and started playing the drums. Her eyes were concentrated, her hands holding the drumsticks and strumming in all the right places at the right time, like it was as easy as performing magic with her wand. It looked as if drum-playing was her second nature.
—He really had no idea why he had ended up sneaking into the Gryffindor common room the following days at 3am not to discover the ways to play the drums on his own, but going to Hermione’s lessons
—He didn’t know when they started to address each other by their first names, probably after the awkward morning when he blushed as red as Weasel’s hair when he apologized for all the mean things he had done to her.
—”Does it still hurt Hermione?” Draco asked 2 months after they started their lessons, “the scar?”
—She bit her lower lip and lowered her head, causing him to lower his head too to see her expression
—”Yes,” she breathed,”yes it does.” Draco felt his insides churn with guilt. “I’m sorry that I just stood there,” he turned his head to look at the fireplace, not daring to meet the brunette’s eyes, for he was sure he would grow speechless once he saw those pools of chocolate, “I don’t deserve any of this.”
—Slowly, Hermione took his hand in her own and slid up his sleeve, Draco felt his breath hitch, now even more afraid to look at those pretty eyes.
—Hermione Granger never failed to surprise. Once the ugly mark—His Mark, the Dark Mark—entered her sight, she bent her head and kissed it.
—Tears tumbled down his face as Hermione shushed him and wiped the droplets. She was the only one who understood him in the whole world. She was an amazing observer, and Draco knew if he didn’t hide anything in his eyes, she’ll know what message he wanted to deliver to her.
—”I play piano too you know,” of course he knows, he had observed her fingers for two months now. “If you learn the drums, we could start a little band of our own!” She broke into a smile, adjusting her body to face him. “We could travel around the world, bringing light to all the damaged souls…”
—His lips crashed into hers, pouring every bit of his passion into the action. How can someone be so perfect? Fuck, even her lips were perfect. Soft, plump…
—Hermione pulled away to gasp for air, and Draco would’ve apologized for his recklessness if the brunette didn’t grasp onto his blond hair and kissed him again.
—If Heaven existed, he was sure that it would be Hermione kissing him all day long.
—Blaise was utterly puzzled when Draco was almost sprinting the day after.
—He didn’t know what happened to Draco, but as long his friend was happy, he didn’t mind totally minded
—He was a Slytherin, wasn’t determination one of the traits?
—He found out why in a broom cupboard, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets when he witnessed Draco Malfoy snogging the daylights out of HERMIONE BLOODY GRANGER.
—”Fuckity fuck Blaise, what the hell are you doing here?”
—”What the fuck did I just see???”
—Unfortunately for our dear Blaise Zabini, it wouldn’t be the first time he witnessed Draco and Hermione crashing lips
—However, he couldn’t be happier for his friend when Draco, clad in his black suit, kissed Hermione Malfoy in front of Potter and Weasel, their fuming faces ignored by the round of applause that came afterwards
—True to her word, Hermione did start a little band after her wedding, which wasn’t little at all after three months of its formation
—The Malfoys’ band was called “Of Ferrets, Brunettes and Music”
end
ϟ pls pls pls DO NOT REPOST, I spent a whole afternoon writing this so plzz don’t break my heart. Thank you so much to those who’ve read this k baii ϟ
