Draco was staring blankly at nothing. "I’m okay." he lied, deciding that speaking would keep his mind busy. "My mother knew of course, Hermione and I became sort of friends in our fifth year, and she knew Hermione was worried about me in our sixth year. Mother knew that without Hermione, there was no way that Potter could win. He might have been the chosen one, but Hermione was and still is the brightest witch of our age. What I didn't know back then is that I had already started to care about her, however my mother knew, she knew I felt more for Hermione than I led on, she knew before I did. I... I wasn't myself back then. I tried to shut down and not feel a thing. I just wanted my mother and me to survive the war, I didn't care for anything else, or at least that's what I told myself."