AN: Hi there! It's my first official HP story, and my first take on DMHG, which I have to say when written well is my favourite pairing ^^ Let's see how we go? Set after the series finish, with me having messed up a few minor details (:
**Editing. Currently reviewing my writing, before I do any more destruction. Chapters and content might shift around a little. Sorry for not being more organized! XD It has been a while since I've read the HP series, if I've blundered into something please don't hesitate to point it out!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JKR, and is only allowed out to play with the plotbunny
- CHAPTER ONE -
Ode to the Dead
Hermione pushed her window open, reveling in another morning. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and started her day in the bathroom.
It had been only a few months since Voldemort's final demise. Things were far from going back to normal. The destruction wasn't purely physical. The vicious scars left in the entire wizarding psyche would take generations to heal. But they would, slowly. The Ministry was slowly pulling themselves together, slowly wading their way through the chaos of broken towns and their broken people.
And Hogwarts? The old school that they'd all lived and loved remained, like everything else damaged physically and emotionally. At night the school's various in habitants wailed their own sorrow, and during the day halls were eerily silent. Like everything else, the school also needed time to heal.
And time did pass. Wounds healed, pain dulled. But memories never faded.
Hermione stepped out of the shower, her skin feeling warm and fresh. She dried her hair, and went to pick out something to wear. Tonight was a rare night – tonight, the scraps of the Ministry had thrown together a Ball. It was to get everyone together, to start becoming a united community again. There was no guest list. Everyone who wanted to come were invited. Too raw in people's minds were the consequences of prejudice.
Since there was no guest list, Hermione had no idea – outside her circle of friends – who would be attending. She had lost contact with so many of the people she couldn't say she was close with, but they were always there. Like trees in a park, or fish in water, she had just expected them to be always there. Schoolmates, shopkeepers. So many who should still be here weren't.
She sniffed, and scolded herself. What was with all this moping? Ginny would be awake any time now, if she didn't even have a dress on she'd be in for some serious lip.
.
"Hey Hermione!"
She spun around. Harry waved at her, a glowing Ginny by his side. She relaxed into an easy smile – this would be the first time in a while that she, Harry and all the Weasleys would be able to get together again. She'd apparated back from her parents' yesterday to stay at the Weasley's, but Harry had only arrived this afternoon. Still the morale booster, he had been busying helping out the wizarding community in various ways.
When they got close enough, she gave Harry a tight hug. "How are you?" She whispered.
"M'alright," he replied softly, letting her go so he could smile at her. She smiled back, a little hesitatingly. They would need to have a long talk later – she felt like it had been months, not weeks, since se had last seen him. Lack of sleep, worry, stress all showed on him, and it made her worry. Ginny closed in on her, gripping her tightly.
"Stop worrying Hermione," she murmured. "Just for tonight. Tonight is when we all start over again."
She nodded, wearing a silly grin as she realized she was crying.
"Now what are you doing that for?" Ron had pushed his way through the crowd, his shock of red hair contrasting pukingly with his green robes.
"Ron!" Ginny stared at her brother in horror, ignoring his open arms. His grin sagged a little.
He turned to Harry. "What? What is it?"
Harry coughed behind his hand, but then his body jerked and it triggered a real coughing fit that had them distracted. Hermione laughed, and pulled Ron into a hug. "Ronald Weasley. Don't ever change." She said fiercely.
He patted her awkwardly on the back. "Er, no problem Hermione." When she didn't let go straight away, he melted a little, and hugged her for real. "Yeah. It's good to see you."
"Come on," Ginny prompted, "Let's get our table."
With five to a table, they had been one person short so Harry pulled an old trick and had invited Luna Lovegood. The dreamy girl turned up in a very Muggle dress, the silver material flowing like water over her skin. Ginny squealed at her, and the two friends started chatting happily about it. Hermione grinned at Ron's expression as he struggled to come up with something witty to say before she walked over to join the girl talk. Harry thumped Ron on the back.
"Cough it up, Buddy."
"Erwha?" Ron coughed. "What?"
"Hello Harry. Hello Ronald." Luna said, her voice just as dreamy but her eyes sparkled brightly. "It's good to see everyone again."
"It really is," Hermione agreed enthusiastically. "What have you been up to, Luna?"
"Oh, nothing much. Daddy's been fixing up the place, I've been helping here and there. But I think my room had been hit the hardest, because there's so much more to fix up there. Daddy's done the living room, the kitchen and the bathroom all by himself, and my room still keeps getting cracks in the floor!"
Harry and Hermione grinned at each other. They'd both bet quite a lot that damage had a lot less to do with Luna helping out in the more public parts of the house and a lot more to do with her questionable taste of decor.
"So. Who else is here?" Ron asked as he inspected the shiny silverware. Luna – much to Hermione's glee – sat down next to Ron, and he almost dropped his fork. Ginny fingered the overflowing floral centerpiece, and Harry leaned over to pluck one from the bouquet and tuck it behind her ear. They smiled at each other, and Hermione looked away, smiling.
Yes, wounds healed.
After the great hall was more or less filled (and expanded twice as large groups of unaccounted for foreign witches and wizards kept appearing) the new Minister for Magic, Barnaby Strife, stood up and cleared his throat for a speech.
In Harry's opinion (as he worked closely with different parts of the Ministry), the man would've been the best leader the Ministry had seen for some generations, if only he hadn't lost his wife in the war. Things were cut far too close to home, and the good man had broken some inside. That aside, he still had an excellent reputation, and had earned the respect and approval of many. He raised his glass, and all eyes turned to him.
He spoke simple words. "My dear friends. We gather here today, in celebration. We celebrate a new beginning, new life, and new ways. We celebrate the end of this great terror that has been the shadow to our bright lives for so very long. We celebrate the strength and courage and most importantly, we celebrate the love that has held us together when times seemed most…" His words trailed off unexpectedly. They all leaned in to see what had the man bowing his head.
The Minister was fighting tears, and the air crackled as every beating heart went out to him. When Strife lifted his head again, his face shined wetly, but his smile was fierce and true. "Let us forgive our enemies, forget old rivals. Great sacrifices have been made to ensure the survival of our peace, and we must do all we can to honour those sacrifices. So I ask you all to raise your glasses." He lifted his above his balding head. "To friendship, and loyalty." His eyes found Harry's in the crowd, and they shared a small nod. "To new beginnings. And to our beloved ones we have lost. Lest we forget."
The hall filled with voices, layers upon layers of murmurs.
"Lest we forget."
.
The rest of the ball was indeed more of a celebration. The music was simple – charmed instruments played faultlessly as their players were allowed to mingle with friends, old new and lost. The five of them moved through the crowd, saying hi and hugging and laughing.
Hermione fanned herself. "Come with me to get drinks?" she asked Luna.
"Yes, alright." She smiled, sashaying off in her silver dress. Hermione narrowed her eyes, not believing that the girl could not see how much she had changed. The girl was stunning. Not one call of Loony had reached their ears, not even when she had stubbornly started pointing at people faces and said they were badly infested with Nargles.
Hermione walked quicker, catching up with Luna at the food table. "Punch? Or something stronger?"
"Stronger, definitely stronger."
She spun around, to see Draco Malfoy leaning against said table, his grin lazy and his hand outstretched.
She looked him up and down. It was him alright – Draco Malfoy, everything from the slicked back blonde hair to the smirk that never went beyond his mouth. Hermione forced herself to be civil.
"Malfoy."
He nodded and shrugged at the same time, as if to say, 'who else?'
"Hello there Draco." Luna smiled at him from behind Hermione, "How very nice that to see that you're alright." And drifted off with her apple juice.
Malfoy stared. "Whoever's trying to help that girl conform to society needs to consider a visit to Mungo's psych ward."
"Don't be cruel," Hermione snapped. There was nothing wrong with Luna – especially compared to those very real patients at St. Mungo's.
Malfoy stared at her, irritated and amused at the same time. It created the strangest line to zigzag down his forehead. "So, going to get me that drink, Granger?"
"Get it yourself. I'm not your hired help." She turned around, hurrying back to Harry and Ron.
Ginny was busy gossiping with one of her Hogwarts classmates and Luna was nodding at their conversation (you couldn't actually tell if she was paying attention or not), sipping her apple juice demurely. Harry and Ron had decided they needed a new scene and were about to make their way to another part of the hall. They both stopped when they saw Hermione's expression.
"What happened?" they asked automatically.
"Nothing," she replied just as automatically, "Just some loser who thought I was the bartender."
.
The ball had closed with a definite note of hope in the air. Many social deals had been closed that night, and plans were being made for serious reconstruction and repairs from all sides – for example, the cleaning and restoration of Diagon Alley, which shouldn't have taken more than a few days, but the locating of each shop's owner had proven a rather difficult task.
Sometime during, Barnaby Strife had floated over for a chat.
"And how is everyone here?" He asked jovially. "Harry, you need to get some more food into you. Weasley, you're getting into the Christmas spirit like there's no tomorrow! Hermione, lovely to see you, as always. I hope that you are well."
Perhaps it should've felt more odd, that a bunch of barely-legals were on first name terms with the Minister of Magic. But Hermione had gotten used to it. They could never have escaped the fame and... glory that followed their actions. It was nice though. She was deep in conversation with the Minister about the merits of getting a job with the Ministry (she wasn't sure that an Auror was now still her best course of action) when Strife suddenly waved at someone over her shoulder.
"Draco! Over here!" He shouted.
Hermione turned around in disbelief. Malfoy had his mouth wide open, just about to pop a tart into it as he was called. He froze for a second, shrugged again, and walked over, taking a bite of the dessert at he walked.
"Minister," he bobbed his head. He turned to Hermione, and that familiar smirk twisted his lips. "Granger."
"You know each other! I had always thought that the friendships formed within Hogwarts were exquisite."
"Exquisite isn't quite the word you're looking for there, Minister." Harry had seen Malfoy walk up, and had suddenly appeared on Hermione's other side. He wasn't as hostile as he once would've been, but cautionary.
"Nor is friendship." Ron muttered, standing behind Harry, every bit as hostile as he had always been.
Draco's lazy expression twitched, but he knew better than to voice whatever quip he had in front of the Minister.
Barnaby looked around at the four people, but his expression was not confused, but crestfallen. "After all that's happened, tussles between schoolmates still stand so strong?"
Hermione was immediately ashamed, and ducked her head. "Minister, it's really not like that." She said quickly, but earnestly. "We just haven't seen each other for so long, and we haven't really had time to work out our differences."
Harry and Ron shared looks, but Malfoy's expression was musing. The Minister's expression cleared up a little at her explanation, and then brightened. "Is that it?" He looked around, and the other three nodded, albeit a little reluctantly. Barnaby nodded. "Then we shall have to fix this. The Ministry is throwing another party, just for their staff, as a little back-on-our-feet thing. I was wondering if you four would attend, as my special guests?"
They looked at each other. Specifically, Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other. Draco seemed to have a talent of mind-reading or whatever because nothing that had come out of the Minister's mouth seemed to surprise him.
After they had agreed (Hermione insisted) the Minister had been called away by another man. Ron rounded on Draco. "We're not friends, we're not going to know each other better, and - "
"Save yourself the dramatic act, Weasley," Malfoy said coldly. "Do you really think that I would want your company? Things haven't changed that much."
"Don't do this," Hermione interjected, physically putting herself between the two boys. "This isn't good for us. Remember what the Minister said? Let us forgive our enemies, forget old rivals. Great sacrifices have been made to ensure the survival of our peace, and we must do all we can to honour those sacrifices. You," she rounded on Ron, "Respect that. You," she snapped her head back to Draco, "Stop making things difficult. I know you have an innate talent for rubbing people the wrong way, so just shut your trap, okay?"
Ron nodded meekly, probably happier about the fact Malfoy got told off a bit more than he did. Malfoy's expression had gone flat again, though it looked like he was fighting back something to say. Hermione didn't look away from him, determined that they wouldn't squabble like school kids again. They'd seen too much for things like that to have any type of hold on their lives now.
Draco ended up biting back his words, and just walked away. Harry put his hand on Hermione's shoulder. "That was nice of you."
"What? She just told him off! That wasn't being nice." Ron said hotly.
Harry shook his head. "You really might want to think about what the Minister said. Our problem with Malfoy doesn't exist anymore. We're not going to be enemies. Not any more."
"Yeah, because he said he was really, really sorry. Really," Ron rolled his eyes.
"He had the decency to admit to what he did wrong. Everything. Even some things that Wizangemot hadn't even known he had been involved with." Hermione objected.
"And he has been to Azkaban for it." Harry added, quietly. The boy had been sentenced to a year in the wizarding prison, but appeals saw him get out within a few months. His father on the other hand, had a life sentence. Nothing was going to change that.
Ron looked at them both in disbelief, and then scratched his head. "I dunno what's happened to make you two seem so chummy with him," he muttered, "But I'm not convinced. I'll stop trying to piss him off," he added, as Harry and Hermione opened their mouths again, "But I'm not promising you anything more than that. If he does something stupid, or something Slytherin, he's gonna get it."
Neither of them asked exactly what Malfoy was going to get. Ginny and Luna appeared again, the first dragging Harry onto the dance floor, and the latter, much to Hermione's amusement, dragged Ron.
"Hey, but, what? Wait!" Ron complained, stumbling awkwardly over his own big feet.
Hermione smiled after them, and went to refill her punch. Someone was already there. She sighed, and even though she had just been arguing his case, irritation laced her tone as Draco sculled the mixture he was making himself.
"What are you doing?" she said impatiently. "Trying to get hammered at a community gathering? Where'd all your class go?"
He turned around, again wearing that strange mix of irritation and amusement on his face. "What are you talking about?" She flicked her head in the direction of his drink. He raised up his glass, "This? Are you serious? Take a whiff." He shoved the cup under her nose. Hermione jerked away, but not before she realized there was nothing alcoholic in that drink. He smirked at her.
"But you said that you wanted something stronger," she said, feeling stupid.
"You didn't give it to me, did you?" He sighed dramatically.
Her eyes narrowed. "What's wrong with you?" she blurted the question. Being mocked didn't usually bring out anyone's good side.
Malfoy stilled. Then he reached for the ladle, and refilled his drink. "Oh, nothing." He tossed his head back as he walked away. "Much."
