Disclaimer: Making no money off of this. Characters/setting/everything familiar belongs to J K Rowling.
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Mostly by M, but thanks to H for her brilliant input.
Of Useless Fights and Unwanted Knights
A red flash whizzed past Hermione's head, and she spun on her heel to face the direction from whence it came. There she saw a smirking Pansy Parkinson, who was aiming her wand to fire another hex at the head girl.
"I'll make you pay for poisoning my Draco with your love potions!" A purple beam erupted from her wand and Hermione ducked as it sped past where her nose had been. "Damn," she heard Pansy whisper before aiming once again.
"Twenty points from Slytherin! You can't hex the head girl in the corridor! You can't hex anyone for that matt – " another red spell silenced her as it shot past her ear. Hermione spun to face her second attacker.
"How dare you call yourself Draco's girlfriend? Is this your attempt at slander? Trying to ruin his reputation?" Zabini spat at her, glaring down his nose at the frizzy haired head girl.
Girlfriend. So that's why they were doing this. Hermione hated herself right then for ruining everything with the suggestion that they tell their friends about their relationship. What a stupid girl she was. Couldn't leave it be, could you? Couldn't be happy with what you had?
Happy, she had been. Hermione and Draco had been made head boy and girl, and, as such, had made a truce in September. They were civil and cordial towards each other for months before things began to get almost friendly. In front of anyone else they continued acting purely professional, but privately they had certainly relaxed into a kind of comfortable familiarity.
Then one day, Draco hadn't shown up for a heads meeting. He had never been late before, ever, and Hermione began to worry. As more time passed with no sign of the head boy, Hermione was so concerned that she began a search for him. She searched the dungeons and the astronomy tower, the empty corridors and the Room of Requirement. She eventually braved the snowstorm to search for him in the last place she could think to look – the quidditch pitch. There she had found him. He had apparently sent word with a second-year that he wouldn't be able to make that night's meeting, but she had never received the message. Draco had then questioned her as to why she had trekked all the way out to the quidditch pitch, and after she admitted that she had been worried about him (and used his first name for the first time in doing so), he gave her his patented smirk, ("Really Granger? And here I thought you didn't even care,") pulled her to him before she could protest, and kissed her soundly. Whatever the reason for the unexpected kiss, Hermione had enjoyed that evening. It had been past curfew by the time they returned to the castle.
Another hex was cast at her from her right. This time, though, it met its mark, and Hermione's arm began to swell at an alarming rate. After calmly reversing the hex, Hermione glared at the perpetrator – Millicent Bullstrode, who was cackling at the entrance to the corridor.
"Draco would never go out with a mudblood like you!"
Although Hermione hardly reacted outwardly to that word anymore, she winced because, well, Draco wasn't going out with a mudblood like her. She had officially been single for an hour and 43 minutes now. The hurt was, obviously, still fresh, so the reminder stung a little.
It was all so stupid, really. It had been Hermione who suggested they tell their friends about their relationship, thinking it would be healthy for them to stop hiding. The secret thing had been exciting at first - a thrill, sure, but after a few months, it had gotten a little old. After a bit of cajoling, Draco had finally conceded that it may be a good idea, and they both went about planning how the information would be presented to their respective friends.
She hadn't quite expected his fellow Slytherins to take the news with all smiles and friendliness, but she certainly hadn't expected the need to look over corners before turning in fright of getting hexed.
Hermione hadn't expected Harry and Ron to take the news incredibly well either, but she had hoped that it wouldn't take them too long to get over the shock and be supportive of their best friend. She was right about the not-taking-it-incredibly-well thing; there were a good ten minutes spent with Harry and Ron in various stages of shock (slack-jawed), disbelief (you're kidding, right?), and anger (I'm gonna tear his bloody head off!). Although Hermione had expected the anger and disbelief, she wasn't prepared for Harry's confrontation later that night.
Harry knew his Hermione well, that's for sure. He knew she wouldn't respond to criticism angrily yelled her way, and so had, instead, taken the time to form logical arguments against her relationship with Draco. Harry came to her room that night, and after a bit of friendly chatter, had begun asking questions about her relationship, and pointing out Draco's flaws. When Hermione got frustrated with this, Harry explained to her that he had thought about their relationship for a while, and just couldn't see how it worked. Confused and hurt, Hermione listened as Harry listed off many reasons why the two of them were incompatible, most of which were logical, legitimate concerns ("You're a muggleborn Hermione, and you say he's changed, but has his family?"). Hermione had come up with counter arguments to his points, but Harry had still left her that night questioning herself and her relationship with the blond wizard.
When Hermione tried to bring up Harry's concerns with Draco the next day, Draco had started out dismissive. "I don't care what Potter has to say about us. Let's not waste our time with his useless thoughts."
"Don't you see? That's exactly what Harry was talking about! For a relationship to work, we at least have to be civil towards each other's friends!"
As she continued to press the issue, he got defensive. "He doesn't know what he's talking about! What would Potter know about compatibility? He and Cho clashed like no other!"
"Yes, but Draco! They clashed because they had nothing in common except Cedric and quidditch! What do we have in common? Cleverness and obstinance? Can a relationship really be built on that?"
"What are you trying to say?" Draco narrowed his eyes at Hermione, "Potter only said those things because he's jealous, you know."
"Harry is not jealous! He likes Ginny!"
"Really? He's not jealous? What, did you not notice that you are already friends with his friends? That you two have a million things in common, not to mention a shared history seven years long? Potter's trying to steal you away from me, don't you see? But I won't let him! You're mine, not Potter's, and we are done talking about him."
"Whatever, it doesn't matter. Harry knows I don't feel the same way. And what is that supposed to mean, 'you're mine'? Am I some kind of possession? A fancy trinket? A piece of meat? You don't own me, Draco!" And, in the heat of the moment, she added, "You don't even respect me, do you? Harry would never say something so condescending and offensive!"
Draco was fuming. "Run off to Potter then! You two are clearly perfect for each other! I don't have to take this shit!"
Hermione was so angry she couldn't speak. Her face was tomato red and there may as well have been steam coming out of her ears. After glaring at Draco for a moment, she spun on her heel marched towards the door. When she reached it, Hermione turned around and fixed Draco with a cold glare, keeping her voice low and controlled as she said, "Fine. I'll see you next week for our heads meeting. Good bye, Malfoy." With that, she exited, and slammed the door behind her.
She had gone straight to the library, where she could have herself a good cry and not be disturbed. When she had finally calmed down, Hermione realized she was hungry. As it was far past dinnertime, she was making her way to the kitchens when Pansy had thrown the first hex.
Hermione dodged yet another curse, and looked around to find herself surrounded by angry Slytherins. Crabbe and Goyle had appeared, and she was now outnumbered five to one. Wonderful. They didn't look all too bright in class, but it seemed that, being Slytherins, they could put hate behind every hex they threw at her, which helped to amplify the effects.
Hermione was a skilled witch, and could fight them off as long as they were disorganized. It was only once Parkinson and Zabini started synchronizing their attacks that she began to falter. The time she took to reverse the hexes that hit her was enough for the Slytherins to send more her way. She was falling behind, getting hit with three for every one that she could undo, when
"Protego! Protego!" An angry male voice deflected two curses back towards their origins. Crabbe fell backward, and Bulstrode let out a scream as her face erupted in boils.
Hermione was suddenly encased in a shield charm, and the Slytherins were taken down one by one until Zabini, the last one standing, ran off toward the dungeons. The shield charm was lifted, but Hermione didn't turn around to thank her knight in shining armor. Instead, she stared resolutely in the opposite direction.
"Why did you have to do that?" She demanded, her pride severely bruised. "I had it covered!" It was humiliating enough to see him so soon after her furious departure, but for him to walk in on her losing a fight? And finish off her opponents for her, without asking her if she wanted his help? Hermione was absolutely mortified.
She felt hands grip her forearms, and they turned her so that she faced him. She was still fuming, glaring into his stormy gray eyes.
"Oh really, Granger? It certainly looked like you 'had it covered.' Too bad I came and saved you, right? It would have been so fun with your entire face covered in boils." He looked over at Millicent, then back at her, frustrated, running an angry hand through him platinum mane.
She looked at him furiously, "Who cares Malfoy? I would have dealt with it, same as I dealt with it before 'us'," she spat the last word with venom, "Who the hell are you to save me?"
"Oh, I'm sorry Granger. Were you waiting for Potty?" he sneered.
She was glaring at him now, and he was surprised that he wasn't covered in a sheet of ice.
"Merlin Malfoy, for someone that's supposedly second in class you're awfully thick aren't you? I told you I don't like him like that, and up until two hours ago you were the only one I did like like that!"
He seemed to calm himself at that, and looked at her through his fringe of hair. He sighed as he took in the sight of her - red in the face, strands of curly hair escaping the bun on the nape of her neck.
"Listen Granger. I'm sorry I yelled, and I'm sorry that I called you 'mine,' but I'm a jealous bastard, Hermione, and I can't help it. Whatever your feelings are towards Potter, he feels something more than friendship. I just...I just don't want to lose you..."
She had momentarily softened in hearing his admission, but the fire lived on, "You didn't even let me explain Malfoy! You didn't even listen! You didn't trust me, how can I be with you if you don't even trust me?" She broke down towards the end, tears stinging at her eyes, arms coming around her body to hug herself.
Seeing her so vulnerable, he pulled her, unwillingly, into his arms. She tried to fight him, her hands pushing on his chest, but he only held her more tightly, placing a kiss on her forehead. Draco held her there for over a minute before her tears subsided, her frustrations now just wet tracks down her face. She sniffled as she snuggled her face into the spot where his neck met his shoulder, and her arms snuck around his back. Draco rested his chin on her head, and everything was right again in her world.
"I really am sorry about earlier Hermione," he implored her to believe, quietly, of course. Apologies coming from him were for her ears only.
She looked up at him, "I'm sorry too, I know I shouldn't have let Harry get all of those thoughts in my head..."
"Shh…Let's not talk about that. And, if you don't mind, I'd prefer if you didn't discuss our relationship with Potter anymore." She saw the sly grin on his face.
Hermione laughed. "Never again."