A/N: When I started writing for this the Strictly Dramione 18+Facebook Group Spring Writing Fest, and saw that the word limit was 50K, I thought there was no way I would come close to that. Little did I know, our lovely pair had other plans. I am happy to say this will be my first completed multi-chapter fic. I don't have many notes for this story, other than near the end, there is a song that Draco had written and performs. It is a song that was released in the last few years, so I used it in that context. I hope that you listen to it, I was tempted to change the lyrics, because it is a country song, but I didn't. The song is Your Daddy's Boots by Dustin Lynch. I also want to give a shout out to my amazing and wonderful beta. There are days when I send her three chapters at a time and she never complains and sometimes often has them back that day or the next. Shelli, Frogster, you are amazing and I love you! I hope you all enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Prompt: Tell Me No More Secrets: (Hogwarts seems to be full of secrets. Secret rooms, secret friends, secret spells, - secret romance.) Side pairings - (Ginny and Nott)
Chapter 1
"You have to write every week at least, girls. I'll send you sweets every day." Mrs. Weasley was tearful from the platform, wiping her cheeks with a worn and tattered handkerchief. Hermione and Ginny were leaving for Hogwarts to finish their education. The war had been over for a little more than a year. The wizarding world had been rebuilt. Hogwarts had been restored and was accepting students again.
"We will, Mum, but we really need to go now." Ginny peeled herself from her mum's embrace much to her own relief, only for Hermione to be swept up into the plump woman's arms. Hermione had been living with the Weasleys since the war had ended. She had left her parents in Australia.
After the war, she had gone to restore their memories, but when she found them, they were flourishing. They had a bakery, a little cottage by the beach, and a dog. She couldn't bring herself to do it. It was a risk to try and restore their memories anyway, and she didn't want to take that risk. So she apparated away and spent the next two days alternating between crying in Ginny's arms and crying in Harry's.
Three weeks later, Harry had convinced her to return to Australia with him, and together, they both worked at the memory charms on her parents. It took them four full days to slowly break down the thick walls, but they had finally managed to completely reverse the charms, bringing her parents' memories back successfully. The next day, Hermione and Harry apparated them back to their old house and their old lives.
Pulling herself free from Mrs. Weasley's arms, she smiled at the woman. "I promise to make her write, Mrs. Weasley. I'll write as well." Harry and Ron hadn't come to see them off, but only because they were currently deep into Auror training. They had said their goodbyes at the Burrow.
The train horn blew, steam clouding up the platform. Across the way, she saw a shock of blonde hair saying goodbye to an older couple. The Malfoys had placed themselves off to the side, isolating themselves from passersby. They still were seen as pariahs in the wizarding community, even though they had turned to fight with the Order. Draco had changed his parents' minds.
When he was tasked to kill Dumbledore, he couldn't follow through. Dumbledore had offered him help, a safe haven, and Draco had grasped the lifeline with all of his might. A plan had been set up with the Order and they had swooped in to extract Lucius and Narcissa and get them to a safe house.
There had still been trials for them, though. The three of them had gotten light sentences, thanks to Harry, Hermione, and the Order's testimonies—only a year of house arrest with their magic suspended. It couldn't have been pleasant, but it was much better than Azkaban, that was for sure. Even if the wizarding prison wasn't guarded by Dementors anymore.
The second train whistle blew, giving them their final warning. Ginny and Hermione rushed off and climbed aboard, waving from the open doorway one last time, before moving to find a compartment. It proved difficult to find one that wasn't already occupied, but when they came upon one that held Luna and one other student, they entered, preferring to sit with their friend.
When they slid the compartment door open, the young man looked up, a smile gracing his face, and Hermione recognized him as Theodore Nott. He had also turned from the dark side of the war, before he was branded a Death Eater. He had always been in the background in Draco's group of followers, but he had never been rude to her as Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy had.
He had actually helped the remaining members of Dumbledore's Army who had been left behind in Hogwarts. "Hello, Hermione. Ginny, it's nice to see you again." There was an undertone to his voice when he addressed Ginny, who was blushing, that piqued Hermione's interest, but she didn't question it.
"Come in and shut the door before the wrackspurts fly in," Luna piped up, her airy voice floating through the air. Ginny slid the door shut, her blush diminishing now, and took a seat opposite Theodore. Hermione sat next to Luna, giving her a hug. "Luna, I'm so happy to see you."
"Oh, Hermione, it is so lovely to see you." Luna turned her attention to Ginny, who was studiously ignoring Theodore, which only made Hermione even more curious. "Ginny, you are being very quiet. That is unlike you."
Ginny's blush returned and she spluttered a bit. "I just...I didn't sleep well last night. That is all. It's nice to see you, Luna." The last sentence was said pointedly, but it clearly rolled right off of Luna as she pulled out a new edition of The Quibbler and proceeded to read it.
Hermione turned her attention to their other compartment companion. "So, Theodore, what have you been doing since the war ended?"
She watched as he cringed. "Please, call me Theo, Hermione. I have been getting all of my father's various estates and things in order. He left them in quite a disarray before he died."
"I'm very sorry for your loss, Theo," Hermione said, her eyes full of sorrow, but when he snorted, she was taken aback.
"Please, don't be. He was a right bastard and if I had continued to follow in his footsteps I would have ended up with that forsaken mark on my arm as well. Not to mention, I'd likely be in hell right along side him. And I prefer being among the living."
The last was said with an almost imperceptible glance at Ginny; had Hermione not been watching him closely, she would have missed it. "Well, we were certainly grateful for your help, Theo. It might well have just been the help we needed to successfully evacuate the school. Not to mention the integral part you played in the war."
A slight pink tinged the tops of his ears. "I simply fought alongside all of you, Hermione, for a better world. A world that wouldn't be living in fear every day, ruled by a psychopath. I'm just glad, again, that I saw reason before it was too late. That mark would have been my death-"
The compartment door slid open yet again, all eyes turned to look at the new presence standing in the open doorway. No one said anything for a moment, but it was Luna who broke the silence. "Draco, I was wondering when you would join us." Hermione's head snapped around, looking at Luna. It was as if the girl was clairvoyant, but as far as Hermione knew, she wasn't. "What? He's been standing at the window for ages," Luna said dreamily.
Draco ducked his head and blushed. "I didn't want to intrude on your conversation. But Luna waved me in and so I thought I would come on in, everywhere else is full. Is it alright if I join you?" He seemed shy, the first time since Hermione had known him.
"Of course you can, Draco. We don't mind. But do hurry, the Wrackspurts are swarming."
Hermione stifled a giggle as Draco's eyes widened at Luna's statement and she mimed sliding the compartment door shut. He followed her directions and greeted Theo with a handshake. "Nott."
"Malfoy." Theo returned with a nod.
Draco took a seat on the same side as Theo, as the girls were on the opposite side of the compartment. The whole atmosphere had become awkward and tense with Draco's arrival and Hermione didn't know how to break the tension.
"What do you reckon our sleeping arrangements will be, Hermione?" Theo asked and Hermione shrugged.
"In all my correspondence with Professor McGonagall she never once gave away any information about what to expect this year, aside from house unity. Though she did tell me that there would be a set of eighth year Heads, but they wouldn't be announced until the feast. Which confused me. Because normally, they tell the students in their yearly letter. So, your guess is just as good as mine is, Theo." Hermione sighed, crossing her legs.
Theo nodded, sitting back in silence. The compartment once again covered with an awkwardness that made Hermione uncomfortable. Until Luna spoke up, "I'm going to go and find Neville. He should be on here somewhere." Everyone's heads swiveled to the blonde and watched as she rose and left.
"Well, that was random." Draco said, the first words he'd uttered since he sat down.
"That's Luna." Hermione answered with a small smile in his direction. "She's random and quirky, but smart and daring. She's weird, but I'd want her in my corner in any fight. Though I hope that never has to happen again."
Draco nodded, giving Hermione his own small smile, just a lift at the corner of his lips. "I remember seeing her fighting at the battle. She is a fierce and fearless witch, that much is certain. I would have hated to be on the firing end of her wand."
Hermione was entranced by Draco, this version of him was intriguing her. He was visibly different from his previous self, he held himself differently. His poise was still confident, but less haughty than before. He didn't sneer as much as he had when they had first been at Hogwarts. He even spoke differently. "She does have a very nasty stinging hex."
Draco and Hermione both were locked into some kind of trance, almost going around each other in a dance, though they hadn't moved from their seats. So lost to their surroundings as they continued their conversation that they didn't notice the looks that Theo and Ginny were throwing their way before the pair got up and left the compartment. Leaving Draco and Hermione to their wolfish dance.
"I can recall another witch who has a nasty right hook as well." Draco grinned then, his hand coming up, fingers gently rubbing at the small scar on his nose.
Hermione giggled quietly, watching as he rubbed his nose. "I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not. You deserved that." She watched as he nodded, relaxing back into the cushioned seat.
"I did deserve it, I was a right tosser. It was my fault that the hippogriff attacked me anyway. I was jealous of Potter, getting to ride the hippogriff and I just wanted to be like him. Oh, don't look so shocked, Granger."
Hermione tried to wipe the look of surprise from her face. "I'm sorry. It's just...I always kind of knew you might have been a little jealous of Harry, but I didn't expect it to go that far."
Draco shrugged, straightening the cuffs of his shirt. "I was a young impressionable boy. I had spent my whole childhood hearing about Harry Potter and how he defeated the Dark Lord. Of course, most of those things were from my father. But there were some, where I would find old copies of the Daily Prophet and I would read them. He was a hero to many, and to me, when I was little."
"So why did you start to taunt him so?" Hermione tilted her head, looking at the man seated across from her. For that was what he was now, a man. Not the young boy he had been. He no longer slicked his hair back, but wore it in a different style, swept to the side and held there. It was very becoming of him.
"Because, when I tried to befriend him, he blew me off and that was before I even knew who he was. It was in Madam Malkin's. I was simply just talking to him and he didn't say much of anything back, of course, I did insult Hagrid. I know now how wrong I was about the half-giant. Then at Hogwarts, I was just so angry that he didn't want to be my friend. Hell, I was a spoiled brat and when I didn't get what I wanted, I acted out. But I didn't know any better. I do now." Draco sighed quietly, turning his head to look out of the window.
Hermione studied his profile, the sharp jawline, the high cheekbones, the aristocratic nose. From this angle, she could tell his hair had darkened some since their school days. As if just a year in war had darkened him. "Well, if it's any consolation, I am glad that you know better now."
XxX
Down in another compartment, Theo had run a few first years out and had shut himself inside with Ginny. He pulled the curtains down and turned, grabbing Ginny by the waist and tugged her in close. Their lips met in a heated kiss as he slid a hand into her fiery hair. Her hands were gripping his shirt at the band of his muggle jeans as she lifted herself up on her toes. "I've missed you," she mumbled against his lips and he chuckled low against hers.
"Merlin, I can't begin to tell you how much I've missed you, Gin." His hands moved and cradled her face, brushing his thumbs along her cheeks. "You look so beautiful today. Do you know how hard it was to keep my hands off of you in that compartment? We're going to have to tell people eventually, Gin. We're safe now, the war is over. We're free to love who we want, free to be together."
Ginny leaned into the hands of her boyfriend, smiling up into his baby blue eyes. "I know, Theo. Trust me, I want people to know, I do. I'm just scared of how my family will react. You know how my brothers are. Especially Ron. I don't want them to do anything to you. Even though you fought for our side, he still wouldn't understand. He's such a pigheaded oaf."
Theo made to speak again, but Ginny waved him off. "Enough about that, we have more pressing matters to attend to."
A frown creased his forehead as he tilted his head, he wasn't blind. He could see she was up to something. "More pressing matters? Gin, what the bloody hell are you on about now? I see that devilish gleam in your eyes. What are you planning?"
That smirk of hers made an appearance as she started to pace the limited space of the compartment. "Tell me you didn't feel that sexual tension between them. They didn't even realize we left. And I bet they still haven't realized it."
It took Theo a moment to catch up to her train of thought, but when he did, he shook his head. "Ginny, no. We tried setting up Blaise and Luna. That blew up in our faces, remember? No, we are not meddling in someone else's love life."
She whirled on him, her hair flying behind her like a flame, hands on her hips and for a moment, he was reminded of her mother at the final battle, facing down Bellatrix. "If you think for one second, that I will let you talk me out of this, Theodore Cassius Nott, you are seriously mistaken."
Well, that was it. His seed of hope that he wouldn't get tied into someone else's love life disappeared. She had full-named him. He was doomed. With a groan he sank down onto the seat, hanging his head. "What exactly do you have planned?"
Sensing her victory, she clapped her hands and squealed as she jumped up and down. "So, we obviously will have to set them up on a blind date. Because there's no way they'll both agree to a date if they know it's with each other."
Theo nodded, scrubbing his face with his hands, "Yes, but who's to say that they won't just leave when they arrive and see each other?"
He looked up at his girlfriend, the love of his life, and could virtually see the wheels turning in her brain. Another of her deviant grins split her face wide. "What about that secret chamber? The one down in the dungeons, just outside the Slytherin common room? The one where we used to have our little rendezvous?"
A low groan rolled free of his throat as he replayed those moments Ginny was referring to. "That could work. I could tweak the charm on the room so that the password would change once they were inside. And since they wouldn't know the password, they couldn't get out until I let them out."
Ginny bounced up and down on the balls of her feet with a grin. "This is perfect! We need to work on this as soon as possible. Yes, I'll start working on Hermione, get her to test the waters and you can work on Draco."
The light in her eyes was one that he loved, it was the reason he fell for her in the first place. When they would talk battle strategy before the war broke out, she would always get this fire in them. It was like it was a banked fire, only restrained by her eyes, fueled by her hair. With a sigh of defeat and a grin of his own, he agreed. "Fine, I'll work on Draco."