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The first time Draco Malfoy saw Hermione Granger cry was in fourth grade at the end of the Yule Ball.
When he was on his way to the Slytherin dorms, he saw her sitting at the bottom of the staircase that led to the upper floors, with her hands and head rested on her knees, whimpering so hard. Maybe the Krum guy realised with who he was and dumped her.
In a certain way, seeing her like that satisfied him, he had always wanted to see her suffer after that humiliating slap last year and because she was a mudblood. In his ego, he thought, he was sure he had made her cried at least once with the insults he threw at her, but right now something or someone else had made her cry.
He smiled wickedly and started walking towards her. It was tempting, he wanted to taunt her, to tell her that no matter how different she looked outside right now, she will always be a mudblood. Then, Granger noticed his presence and as she realised his intentions, she wiped her tears, got up from the staircase and started running upwards.
Fuck.
He missed his chance, maybe another time.
—
The second time Draco Malfoy saw Hermione Granger cry was in sixth year.
He was up to the 7th floor to continue with his task. She was sitting near a corner in the 5th floor, in the same position as she was two years ago, but this time he didn’t have the energy to do anything, he had other more important things to do than bother himself with the mudblood.
Nevertheless, it would be a good idea, just so he would feel better with himself and release the anxiety he was going through in someone else. Time was passing by and still he couldn’t end the work he was entrusted to do. Maybe if he annoyed her, he would feel like he was in control.
But he didn’t do what he had in mind, he just walked in front of her and ignored her, not even looking at her surprised expression of her waiting for him to say anything cruel. Draco was angry with himself, he should be the one making her cry not Weasley.
—
The first time Hermione Granger saw Draco Malfoy cry was in one of the Prefects’ bathrooms.
He couldn’t handle it anymore. He knew that if he didn’t complete his mission by the next few weeks, he and his family would be dead. He was desperate. He had tried and failed terribly in all his attempts, he was about to explode.
And there he was, crying in front of the mirror, thinking he would be alone as most of the students were out in Hogsmeade. Draco was screaming and breaking things when suddenly he heard a muffled voice.
“Malfoy?”
Granger was standing in the entrance, wand in hand, shocked. In that moment, he felt like she was breaking his vulnerability and before he could throw a spell towards her, she was gone.
The next day Draco already expected everyone in the Great Hall to know about what Granger saw, but no one was looking at him, not even the Gryffindors, then he realised she wasn’t that kind of girl. For a brief moment, they exchanged glances. She had been observing him since he entered the room. She wasn’t a fool and knew something was different about him.
—
The third time Draco Malfoy saw Hermione Granger cry was in the drawing room of his house.
He thought he wouldn’t see her again in a long future, but then she was lying on the floor in front of him. Broken, afraid and vulnerable, like he felt last year when she saw him crying in the bathroom. The difference was that he didn’t even want to look at her. Bellatrix went over it with the Cruciatus Curse that for a moment he thought she wouldn’t make it, because he knew that kind of pain.
Even more so, his aunt carved on her arm that word with a cursed knife, scarlet liquid dripping from her forearm. The word he had used constantly ever since meeting her.
In this war no matter who you were, your blood status meant the same, everyone would have the same fate.
Draco couldn’t bear it anymore, her screams would haunt him for the rest of his life. Maybe in the past he thought so much about hurting Granger but in that moment he was repeating to himself that he really didn’t mean it. He didn’t mean any of this to happen.
How much a war can change things and thoughts.
He was trying to breathe, his blood going up to his head and the screams weren’t stopping.
Please, make it stop.
But his aunt carried on trying to get an answer from her, how they got inside her vault to get the sword and what else they took. Draco was sure Granger didn’t know what Bellatrix was talking about.
And then, he turned his face towards her and they were looking at each other again, for a longer moment, both hearts beating fast. Tears falling from her eyes, just like older times. Her gaze seemed like she was pleading Draco something, maybe to stop the pain, Hermione pleading him to end her suffering right there, to be the one to kill her.
Unsure, he took his wand from his pocket and muted a spell. Suddenly, Hermione was closing her eyes and feeling like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders, one last tear running from her face, without looking away from him.
Then everything happened so fast: the chandelier falling, Potter grabbing his wand, Weasley embracing a sleepy Granger, Bellatrix throwing the knife and the three of them were gone.
Draco released a heavy breath and knew Hermione was going to be alright.
It was then when Draco Malfoy swore to never see Hermione Granger cry again.