House: Ravenclaw
Year: 3rd Year
Category: Themed (Redemption)
Prompt(s): -"Stop expecting loyalty from a person who can't even give you honesty" & "Let's see how deep your betrayal runs,"
W/C: 4,991 (Google Docs); 4,982 (Word)
Notes: Probably an obligatory / cautionary AU note of some sort goes here.
Read & Enjoy
The air is thick, signifying a change in the season. Students aren't in Hogsmeade as often these days, instead packing and partying with their friends before heading home for the summer holiday. Hermione lingers in The Three Broomsticks during sunset because not many people are hanging around by then. A a deep purple hue is shimmering through the windows, bathing the tables in the rich reflection of the day's passing. Hermione likes summer dusks, cool colors counteracting the suffocating humidity.
"I wish we could meet somewhere else," someone sitting on the balcony above her says, someone who she feels she knows but can't pin directly without a face. Of course, the next voice gives her mind a jolt in the right direction.
"I've told you that we can," he growls, just as smoothly as she remembers. His wealth could buy him anything, but Draco Malfoy didn't have to pay for a voice as lush as his has always been. That, Hermione figures, was just a lucky draw from his genetic pool. Hermione homes in on the conversation and just barely catches Draco elaborating further. "But it would have to be somewhere private."
The Three Broomsticks is not at all private, Hermione thinks to herself.
Pansy, his companion, scoffs at him, and points out this same detail. He sputters a lame reply in her direction – "it feels safe here, it feels familiar" – as if Hogsmeade meant something to him. Hermione never knew Draco to spend much time outside of the castle, and when he did, it was usually at lavish events alongside his father. Trying not to laugh aloud, Hermione picks at the pumpkin pasty that has been sitting in front of her for hours. It serves as the perfect distraction while they come down the stairs.
"I can help you face your demons and heal. Please! I just want to spend time with you!" Pansy's voice breaks, and something sounds as if it is dying inside of her, not unlike the yellow light drowning in purple hues as the sun sinks past the horizon. For years she's sought after Draco Malfoy, fully and properly obsessed with the blond fool. Once, only a couple of years ago, Hermione pitied her for being so hopelessly in love with him.
"I told you," Draco snaps at her. Hermione looks up but tries not to move her head. Draco has his hands stuffed deep into his pockets and he's looking straight through Pansy as she shrinks in his shadow. "I need to find my path -"
"To redemption? You can't do it alone!" she argues, reaching out to touch him. Draco recoils before Pansy can make contact and turns his back on her. As he slumps forward a bit, he shakes his head before he begins walking towards the exit again. "Can't we try to do something together?"
"I'm not ready, Parkinson, please stop groveling," he grunts lamely.
Things are different now, though, and Hermione is familiar with the pain of liking someone who just won't make themselves available. She sympathizes with the poor Slytherin girl, tears surely streaming down her cheeks as Draco leaves her behind. Pleading for him to slow down and watch her dying, Pansy uses a chair to keep herself standing while she sobs.
Draco treats her like an inconvenience and uses front door to put a final blockade between them. Pansy sinks to the ground before she calms down enough to apparate back home. At least Hermione really hopes Pansy went home...
Hermione makes it a habit to visit The Three Broomsticks several times a week now. Here she reads the news, visits with the Hogwarts professors in their free time, and writes letters to her parents in Australia. It is so calming, so comforting.
Except for days like this, when Pansy is trailing behind Draco Malfoy yet again.
Whenever she sees the couple together - if they can be called that - Pansy looks worse off, and Draco is somehow less interested in her than the last time. Hermione considered complaining about it to Ginny or Ron, but she wasn't confident that either of them would really understand her frustration about it.
Deciding that she wants to help, she offers to buy Pansy a drink.
"That sounds lovely, actually," she says, no sign of her old hatred for the bushy-haired brunette. Being loyal to Draco, it was not unusual for Pansy to bully Hermione with him. If she's learned anything about people, though, it's that under pressure, anyone will do anything for something they care about. Certainly not a stranger to the mistake of cruelty, she knows it is only right that she forgive Pansy. Second chances give people the ability to do what is right, but redemption can only be found if the opportunity is offered.
Hermione brings Pansy back to her table while they wait for their butterbeer. During this time they silently grapple with the awkward tension. Someone has to speak first, but Pansy doesn't seem keen on it and Hermione isn't sure what she wants to say. It is only on a whim that Hermione laughs.
"I hope you know that you deserve better," Hermione blurts out between laughs. She really means it, despite the mocking appearance of her delivery. Pansy nods along, though she doesn't look convinced. Deciding that this isn't good enough, Hermione asserts her opinion. "Draco Malfoy has never been good to you, and I don't suspect he ever will be if you let him keep going about things the way he has always done."
Pansy bobbles in her seat, dips her chin, lifts it up again, and then closes her eyes. Clearly emotional at the mention of his treatment of her, the conversation takes a very negative turn. In fact, so negative that Pansy takes a stab at her. "True love grows and requires effort – it doesn't wait for things to be convenient."
Her eyes roll so hard that Hermione finds it surprising that she didn't hear it too. The purples from the sunset have turned black now and the flickering candlelight is casting shadows upon everything. It accentuates how tired Pansy looks - her eyes chiseled deep into her face, dark circles pouring from them onto her cheeks, and her untrimmed bangs framing these details. Nobody could look more a mess, Hermione thinks, but she knows that there is cause for it.
"I think there's a reason Draco won't meet you anywhere else," Hermione declares, all but ignoring Pansy's remark. "And if you ever want help figuring it out, it's here."
"He won't let me in," she sighs. "I want my loyalty to him to mean something."
Diverting her eyes for a moment, Hermione wishes that she had some sort of comfort to offer the sad Slytherin girl. And she was still that, wasn't she? Just a lost girl looking for loyalty where it cannot grow, from a man that clearly cannot love - at least not her.
"Stop expecting loyalty from a person who can't even give you honesty!" Hermione declares shortly, hoping that this advice will be enough to snap Pansy out of her lovesick stupor. Surely she's heard from others the very same thing that Hermione is suggesting now. Draco isn't being honest about something, whether it is his feelings or his actions when Pansy isn't around, and because of this - Pansy will never see her loyalty returned in kind.
"I can't prove anything. I can't even make the accusation because I never see him anywhere but here." Tears fall from her cheeks shamelessly as the bartender comes around with their drinks. Hermione thanks him quickly, and then silently summons a few chocolate frogs from her bag. Since the war, she can't deny having a newfound sweet tooth, which her parents would criticize if they knew. She pushes one over to Pansy and waits to see if she'll talk any more about her situation with Draco.
She doesn't, though, and leaves Hermione sitting there wondering what she can do to help – if she can help. Draco was always cruel to Pansy, but this is different. There's more going on that she isn't seeing, and, for Pansy's sake, Hermione intends to find out.
Ron suggests going around to Madam Puddifoot's rather unexpectedly. Hermione originally thought that he was planning to propose, but once they get there he merely asks if she wants to move in together, that he's been thinking about buying a cottage in Dufftown. Secretly, she is happier this way – living together first. It will give them time to really be in a relationship before they jumped into anything. Ginny and Harry were different, they had more time expressing their feelings where Hermione and Ron had denied them for far longer than either cares to admit, even still.
Their conversation dies, their comfort with one another making it easy and natural. During this time, Ron excuses himself to use the restroom quickly. Unsure what to do just sitting without a newspaper or a file folder in front of her, Hermione glances around the cozy shop. Mostly she sees teenage couples, probably meeting up after their first weekend back to school, lovesick from not seeing their muse for two months. But then she sees something surprising.
Draco Malfoy?
He's sitting alone right now, and, to avoid gawking, Hermione busies herself by eating some of Ron's toffee cake. This isn't his usual meeting place with Pansy. Besides that, it seems far too intimate and cheesy for the way he's been treating her. Who else could he possibly want to bring here? There's no clear answer in Hermione's head, since he didn't really show romantic interest in anyone properly during their time at Hogwarts. Beyond even that, would Hermione have noticed?
Of course, she knows she would have because, if push comes to shove, she will want something to hold over him – or even against him. Hermione doesn't like to admit that she is a warrior at heart, but her tactile approach during the war showed her just how hard she fights.
"Draco, sorry for being a tad late," a girlish tone chimes only slightly louder than the bells ringing when she emerges from the front door. Hermione tries to sneak a glance, but Ron returns and obstructs her view. He starts talking but she tunes him out completely.
"No worries, Astoria, I'll wait for you however long it takes," Draco had said. It was the most gentlemanly Hermione had ever heard him be to another person. As far as she knew, he was only that polite with his father, but this tone is very different. Had she heard him speaking for the first time now, Hermione might've thought him a very nice man.
"Are you even listening to me, 'Mione?" Ron asks angrily. This happens often and it makes her feel awful. Hermione offers her apologies quickly, while also saying that he should grab another toffee cake.
"I hadn't realized I was so hungry," her offers comes lazily, but Ron scoffs with a smile. More often than not, Hermione poaches the overloaded plates that Ron brings to the dinner tables at the Burrow. He harasses her to get her own plate, though she is perfectly content to pick from his large servings anyway.
As he goes back to the counter to get a fresh slice of toffee cake, Hermione is able to confirm that Draco Malfoy is having a spot of tea with Astoria Greengrass. Her hair is pulled into a beautiful plait down her back, dangling earrings glinting occasionally in the lowlight. Effort was clearly put into her appearance.
Hermione recalls the other Greengrass – Daphne – who was in their year at Hogwarts. Astoria is her younger sibling, as she recalls, and it is somewhat obvious by the way she sits with her legs crossed and her body leaning across the table to talk to Draco. Had Hermione not just heard Draco call her Astoria, she might've guessed that it was Daphne joining him.
Madam Puddifoot's makes more sense now. Astoria just finished her final year at Hogwarts, probably isn't even working yet, so this is where she feels comfortable. This is the only romantic place that she knows, decorated with tan and pink laces. Dark hardwoods are embossed and painted in brilliant purples to contrast. Everything is a bit overdone and sort of like a teenager's Valentine's Day party, though it is familiar and cozy. Anyone could feel at peace in these romantic colors, including Draco Malfoy - who is willing to wait for Astoria. He's willing accommodate her, and make her happy.
Everything that he should be doing for Pansy...
"Pansy came around for dinner last week, Daph invited her," Astoria is saying, stern and confident. Ron returns before Hermione can listen to the rest of the conversation between the secret Slytherin couple, and she won't ignore him twice. He begins babbling about wanting to get some new furniture together for their cottage. It does sound lovely and they begin making plans to meet up later in the week to shop around.
All the while, however, Hermione is wondering how quickly she can get to The Three Broomsticks to tell Pansy about what she knows.
Sitting just below the balcony seats again, Hermione is expecting a confrontation between Pansy and Draco. Just a few days ago she detailed in a letter what she saw at Madam Puddifoot's in vague enough details that it could have been anyone that saw them. Of course, she sent that to Pansy Parkinson to do with what she pleased, though Hermione has been hoping that she'll take back the confidence that Draco stole from her.
Redemption is a powerful thing, and while many thought that Draco redeemed himself by refusing to continue standing at Voldemort's side, she knew better. Hermione is sure that if anyone can redeem themselves for their past mistakes, it is Pansy Parkinson. For years she followed Draco around not unlike a stray dog, begging for praise and flaunting herself in any way to gain his love and affection – which he never once gave her in return for her loyalty.
How funny – loyalty. Pansy is, perhaps, one of the most loyal people that Hermione knows. She sticks to her guns unapologetically in every setting; a loyalty not only to her opinion, but her profound dedication to those from Slytherin house is remarkable. Despite their flaws, crimes, and prejudices, Pansy felt secure in defending those by her side proudly. Realistically, her loyalty is her fatal flaw.
"I ordered your favorite," Pansy says, an uncomfortable cheer to her tone. The sound of the mug goes unnoticed by everyone else in The Three Broomsticks. Hermione keeps her focus on the purple scarf she has lying on the table next to her file folders. She should be working but cannot put her attention to it properly. Mostly the piece of parchment is covered in illegible notes and doodles of how she hopes to convince Ron to arrange the furniture in the cottage once it has all arrived.
Draco lifts the mug, it sounds like, but Hermione supposes it could just be him shifting as well. "Appreciate it," he confirms, and then grunts or groans at her impatiently. "So – why are we here? It's not one of our usual nights for a drink."
"You know, I brought your favorite snack too, actually," her voice trails off as she shuffles around for something in the bag she's keeping on the ground. Unsure of what the snack might be, she considers why this matters to her so much. Pansy Parkinson was never kind to her, Draco was undeserving of any merciful pity, and Astoria Greengrass was so neutral that Hermione felt no obligation to her – so what had it been that made her want to help?
Reaching out for her blue scarf that she had felt inclined to wear, without reason, that morning. Hermione winces at the memory of her own past wrongs as she holds it in her hands. In particular she remembers Marietta Edgecombe…
Hermione had made mistakes in the name of loyalty too. Marietta Edgecombe, a Ravenclaw that betrayed the D.A., though only under the duress of Professors Snape and Umbridge, paid the price greatly. The scars of Hermione's mistake will forever live on in plain sight on Marietta's face. Pulling the scarf over her neck, regret sinking into her bones.
She's doing this to, in some small way, redeem herself, and to let Pansy take redemption in her own hands before she has no volition left to do so. Loyalty to a fault is only that: a fault.
"Do you like my outfit today?" Pansy practically sings. This is unexpected. Hermione jerks her head upwards even though she knows that she will see nothing through the boards. Then she is caught off guard again when Draco laughs, answering Pansy very loudly.
"It makes you look more desperate, which I didn't think was possible."
Silence hangs between them, and Hermione can feel it dripping through the boards. Horror settles over her as she begins to realize what it is that Pansy has done. Slamming a hand over her mouth, Hermione chooses to sit back and just listen.
"Let's find out exactly how deep your betrayal runs," Pansy snarls, letting Draco bask in the realization that he's been dosed with none other than Veritaserum. There's rustling above but Pansy beats Draco's apparition attempt with a whispered binding spell. When Draco threatens to scream, Pansy counters him by jabbing him with her wand. At least, Hermione assumed it is her wand since she would have to have it out in order to detain Draco in the first place.
"Do you care about me?" she asks.
No, he says.
"Did you ever care about me?" Pansy questions.
No, he says.
"Do you love someone else?" she demands.
Yes, he says.
"Have you been seeing her?" she growls.
Yes, he says.
"When did you last see her?" Pansy inquires.
Today, he reveals.
"Tell me why," Pansy directs, clearly deflated by his truths. She coerced this honesty from him but it hurts just the same. Hermione puts a hand on her stomach, sick from secondhand sorrow. Before Draco even begins talking, she is sure that she's going to cry for Pansy.
"She is better than I am," Draco begins slowly at first but then gushes easily about what has brought him to this point. "Astoria won't have me until I prove my heart. In her eyes, I am not redeemed enough."
The Greengrass sisters were not aligned with the purists, and worked hard to maintain that neutrality throughout the war. While that was not totally honorable, their dedication was notable. Astoria apparently vocalized to Draco that she will raise tolerant children, should she have them, and that if Draco wished to be part of that future that he would have to prove his heart as an equally tolerant man. "And a compassionate one."
That was it, Hermione concludes. That is why he has not let go of Pansy. His true muse, the lady in control of his heart, would not have him unless he found a way to prove that he is compassionate enough to father children. Simply put – Draco has to show that he can be good. Astoria must mean that he has to find a way to let Pansy down easily.
That's going well, Hermione thinks to herself.
She doubts whether he will ever be worthy of redemption in anyone's eyes as he continues his explanation. Astoria Greengrass surely can't believe that Draco Malfoy will be the man of her dreams, can she? Hand still pressing against her lips, she begins stacking her belongings to be packed.
"So I'm just a backup plan?" Pansy sobs, the sound of her kicking the table in frustration. Nobody could blame her if they knew the circumstances. Tears are pooling in Hermione's eyes. How can anyone be this cruel? The damage of Draco's heartless manipulation will last forever. Hermione knows the pain of this and she cannot fathom wanting for it after knowing the turmoil it can cause. If Draco was the redeemed man the papers spoke of, then how can he do this to Pansy after how good she has always been to him?
"I don't want to be alone," Draco reveals, something sad in his voice. "I love her, but I can't be alone if I'm not good enough."
Pansy scoffs, rustling bag and jumping to her feet. It is clear to Hermione that their conversation is over and something inside of her sets fire. Moving her hands in a swift motion to pack her things, she stands beside her chair and waits. "I deserve honesty, loyalty, and love. I won't be second best to a girl who wants you to 'prove your heart' before she'll give you all that I have. This – is – done."
The familiar crack of apparition echoes through the pub, signifying that Pansy has left, and Hermione waits for a second one. Though it is not necessarily true that the binding spell will wear off when the caster leaves, it is possible that the severed link puts an end to the effect. When Draco does not apparate as well, Hermione joins him upstairs, taking Pansy's seat and folding her arms over her waist as she sits.
"How dare you, Draco Malfoy," she says with a scowl on her face.
He rolls his eyes. "What do you care, Granger?"
"It's a shame she was in Slytherin. Loyal to a fault, she is," Hermione says.
Draco laughs, leaning forward to rest on the table. He is no longer bound. This means Hermione will have to be precise and delicate if she wants to get underneath his skin and truly set him straight in this rude awakening. "And you would make a fine Slytherin, if we're being honest."
"At least I'd do so honestly," Hermione bites at him, her cheeks warming under the heat of her aggressive frustration.
"I suppose I should be glad it's just Veritaserum and not a nasty scar across my face? Have you seen Marietta lately, 'cause she's still a 'sneak' as I understand it." This comment nearly sends Hermione on her way, but Draco takes it further still. "Funny how you're wearing blue today. Will you wear a green tomorrow to commemorate this travesty?"
Hermione wants throw the table on him, curse him, hit him, and see him left in shambles at her feet. Were she less composed or mature, perhaps she would succumb to those wicked desires, but today she redeems herself too. She is not here to dole out punishment.
"You deserved better, Draco, but she does too," she affirms that, in the end, Pansy's choice was the right one. No matter what it entails for him, it was exactly what she needed. Hermione will always believe in that.
Ron's hands are clasped over Hermione's eyes with vehement devotion. Everything about today has been a surprise, a mystery, and it was especially important to him that Hermione did not know where they were going to end their evening. As they step out of the cab, Ron presses his body close to hers and guides her somewhere. It seems that they are walking on a sidewalk but she's not sure.
Then, he whips his hands away from her eyes to reveal where they've come. "The Velvet Sky, mademoiselle!"
His French accent is bad. Fleur would have laughed at him, then criticized his 'technique' in mimicking her native tongue. Regardless, Hermione only dwells on it for a moment. This is where her parents used to bring her when she was young – a special treat when she returned to London from school – and a place very near to her heart. "Oh, Ron."
The only people to know about this restaurant were her parents and Ginny. If the day were not already one filled with romance and laughs, this moment would have given away Ron's plans instantly. Hermione only knows one reason why he would bring her here. She is in a stupor when he begins ushering her inside of the beautiful restaurant.
The Velvet Sky boasts velvet chairs bathed in lavender, accented with maple wood. Cool pastels, creams, and wine glasses are in every direction, and Hermione feels so inexplicably at peace. She takes his hand as they are escorted to their table, a small alcove in the back of the restaurant that is more private, and thinks about what kind of life she'll share with him.
They sit, order their drinks, and reflect on the day. A ride on the Ferris wheel, a matinee show of 'Giselle,' and a few shopping trips around town at some shops that Hermione loves. They walked through a park, took a cooking class, and other small things in the mall until Ron said it was time to leave. Hermione's heart swells with each happy thing they relive while waiting for the server to return to take their order for the first course.
"It's been a lovely day, Ron, really, I don't know how you'll ever top it," Hermione swoons, resting her head on his shoulder. He smells fresh and sweet, likely cologne he put on in anticipation of the day's events, and while it does smell good, his natural scent is better.
The server comes for their orders and refills their glasses. Hermione, having already drunk through hers a couple of times, realizes that she needs a trip to the bathroom. After pardoning herself, she rushes to the loo. Most trips to the toilet are uneventful, and Hermione and her friends have really high standards as to what makes a bathroom break memorable, but nothing lives up to the anxiety that she feel when she steps out of her stall.
Silky, shoulder length black hair bounces around the slender woman's shoulders. Though her relaxed features and downcast eyes alter her face, Hermione recognizes the woman as Astoria Greengrass. A vibrant cotton blouse, a muted plum, is tucked into a black pencil skirt. She looks classy, vibrant, and happy. Hermione had heard that she did, eventually, end up dating Draco Malfoy.
Cautiously, she joins her at the sinks, and twists the hot water knob. Astoria glances toward Hermione and smiles. Now that she is close enough, she sees that Astoria's make-up matches her outfit perfectly: shiny plum eyeshadow and brownish-purple lipstick. Even her earrings fit, amethyst stones dangling at the end of a short silver chain.
"Miss Granger, what a surprise to see you here!" She smiles through her words and it looks so forced that Hermione changes her mind. Astoria looks gaudy and exhausted, like maybe she spent too much time trying to look well put together and dignified. For all the magic and make-up, she looks aged somehow. Maybe she isn't so happy after all.
Astoria's voice is warm. A woman who loves Draco Malfoy cannot be warm, can she? Hermione lets go of her judgment and smiles at her kindly. "My parents used to bring me during the holidays. It's one of my favorite places."
"You have good taste," she comments, turning off her faucet and moving towards the paper towel dispenser. It is strange to see a pureblood witch, using Muggle contraptions and it makes her wonder. Is this Astoria's favorite restaurant as well? Did her family often mingle with the Muggle world?
Half expecting the other to speak, neither addresses the awkwardness. Astoria continues drying her hands, while Hermione keeps her hands turning beneath the hot water. Rightfully, she should thank Astoria for her compliment, but she has too many questions. Specifically, she's curious who brought her.
But Astoria beats her to the question. "Are you here with Ronald, then?"
"Yes, we've spent the day in London. He brought me here as a surprise, actually. I'm delighted," she says, airily and loosely. She wants to seem natural and at ease. She glances into the mirror to see Astoria's reaction, and it appears that she is crying. Hermione opens her mouth to speak but Astoria beats her yet again.
Her hands fold in front of her. "I want you to know that he told me the truth. Draco is not a perfect man, sometimes he's not even a good man, but he is an honest one – at least with me. I just feel that you deserve to be thanked for helping."
Astoria lingers, wringing her hands while staring at Hermione's reflection in the mirror. It takes some work for her to keep hide her emotions, to hold back her prying questions. Knowing that she has to say something, Hermione takes a breath while nodding to buy some time. "I had very little to do with it, I'm afraid, but I am glad to hear that things are well for you."
"Redemption is a long road, but thankfully it is well travelled," Astoria shares, eyes downcast. Hermione watches blankly as she raises her left hand for a small wave before leaving. It looks like she might be smiling as she goes but Hermione forgets the garish image of Astoria Greengrass the instant she rejoins Ron back at their table.
There is a moment of quiet as Ron clearly toys with something in his pocket. Hermione dares, again, to consider why it is he's brought her to The Velvet Sky for dinner after such a romantic day. If she's honest, Ron wasn't always the sort of man she would've hoped to love someday.
And that must be what Astoria meant.
The road to redemption looks different for all who travel it – but that is why it is well travelled. Hermione thinks that there's still more for her to make up for in the ways of lost time, particularly with Ron, and she gulps back an imaginary dose of courage before breathing the question herself: "Will you marry me, Ronald Weasley?"
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to a couple of gals that went through the arduous task of reading this story through from beginning to end: 2DaughtersofAthena and ouranose. These two folks are super talented and you should read their amazing stories!
I also want to shout out to Celestia0909 for reading the opening pages of my draft, ensuring that the opening scene was strong and effective. She also has some amazing work that is work your time.
We cannot create our best work alone, and I am forever thankful for the support system I have in my fellow Ravenclaw writers.