Open Books
Chapter 3
By the Unlucky-charm
When muggles go out clubbing on weekends, they usually get piss drunk and end up going home with a complete stranger. Usually, when those events took place in that order, the next morning was terrible, filled with a hangover, shame and especially, regret.
That's how I felt in the morning: regretful. I really shouldn't have told Ginny.
"Would you like some syrup, Harry?" She asked her, sounding exaggeratedly polite.
"Um, sure." Harry answered, puzzled.
On top of it all, the little prat wouldn't stop grinning. I shot her several warning looks, but like an incompetent student, she just started giggling to herself. Everyone at the table frowned, confused. To them, Ginny was a serious, intelligent girl, so this behaviour of hers was beyond odd. Even though I had no reason to, I flushed and lowered my eyes, glad that Malfoy was gone or else this would have been beyond embarrassing.
"Ginny, why are you being so silly?" Her mother asked, which resulted in her shaking her head and puffing out another laugh.
After that, I was pretty sure Harry and Ron were sensing my involvement in Ginny's 'silliness'. Luckily, before accusations would be thrown around, a series of owls flew in.
I had received my first letter from Draco Malfoy.
"Granger,
I know it has been no more than 24 hours since I left the Weasley home, but I have been taught in our years at Hogwarts to never underestimate your ability of research. I do not know if you are done with it already, but I wouldn't be surprised if you were. I would just like to ask if it would be possible to send me the results as soon as you get any. It is with great hesitation that I write this, but all of my hopes are resting on you and your books. I thank you for the work you are putting in.
I know it might not mean much at this point, but since I saw Potter recently, my dreams and fantasies have doubled and become more...explicit. Of course, all to my annoyance and anxiety. I'm not sure if this will help you, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to let you know.
P.S. I really would like to keep the clothes he gave me, at least for a little longer... They smell like him, it helps me get through.
The best of luck, Draco Malfoy."
"Oh, poor boy."Hermione whispered to herself and cupped her lips with her hand to muffle it.
She laid down on her bed and reread the letter. She couldn't help the guilt that rose in her chest every time the words "it helps me get through" popped out from the sheet of paper. Even though she was up for some more research, in her subconscious, Hermione knew there was nothing wrong with Malfoy. What was stopping her from completely accepting the truth was the idea of having to tell him. She would never have the heart to tell him and she was aware ofthat. If anyone knew Hermione, it was Hermione. She knew her limits better than anybody else.
Flipping lazily through pages she had already seen a million times before, she thought of ways she could break it to him. Simply sending a letter just didn't seem right.
"Dear Mal –Draco, I hope your symptoms have gotten better. I'm afraid I have some pretty bad news..." Hermione trailed off, planning out loud what she would say to him.
"You are in love with Harry Potter!" She heard a voice announce dramatically from the doorway she made the mistake of leaving open. There stood Ginny, leaning on the doorframe with her crazy grin stretched across her lips.
"Would you keep it down!" She hissed at the redhead.
"Sorry, too excited." She walked over and plopped down right next to Hermione. "So, any cure yet?" She asked casually.
"Ugh, no."
"Oh, that's too bad." She didn't sound very sorry. In fact, she sounded quite pleased with the negative answer.
Hermione decided to ignore Ginny's odd enthusiasm about the even odder couple and continued working, although it was all in vain. Silence reigned and Hermione almost forgot that Ginny was there. The redhead had been fiddling with her hair for the past 5 minutes, barely making any noise.
"Hey Hermione..." Ginny began, like a child who was about to ask something from her mother.
"What is it?" She replied, her eyes still glued on the book.
"I was wondering if...you know, turns out Malfoy isn't actually hexed...I was wondering if I could, you know, be the one to break it to Harry?" She lowered her voice when she spoke the last few words and when Hermione looked up she saw her blush and look away.
"Ginny?"
"I mean, I would just really like to do that." She said shyly, still not meeting the other girl's gaze.
Hermione was planning to tell the two boys herself, she had even 'planned' the whole speech, but little did Ginny know that by offering, she was helping her out greatly. However, Hermione refused to give her the upper hand and hid her expression of content and not to mention, relief.
"I don't know Ginny, you're going to have to be very sensitive about it. And delicate."
"I will be!" She blurted out. "I swear I'll be very careful not to scare him."
"I don't think that can be avoided." Hermione mumbled, raising her eyebrows and sighing. "But you're going to have to make it as easy on him as possible. You realise you're volunteering for the hardest part? Draco is already aware of half of it, telling Harry is going to be a pain in the arse."
"Hermione, I promise I will not fail." She reassured her, grabbing her by the shoulders.
"Good. But my I ask why you are so eager?"
Ginny smiled that smile of hers again, showing off a series of perfectly white teeth. "I would never be able to live with myself if I missed his reaction to that."
The brunette frowned and smacked her companion gently over her head with the lightest book she had.
"Ow!" Ginny cried. Let's just say the lightest book she had wasn't really that light.
"You're a horrible person." Hermione laughed.
The task ahead of the two girls was to be a very big and important one. All they could do was grab the bull by the horns and lay down the news in front of the two boys, plain and simple. Although nothing about the news would really be 'plain' or 'simple', but they had to give it their best shot, for the sake of Malfoy's sanity and maybe even Harry's.
That night, Hermione finally put away her books. She had wracked her brain so much during the last few days, she knew she would have to sleep it off before being capable of writing a proper letter. She tried formulating a few sentences, but the words just didn't mesh. Going to bed was her best option.
"Dear Malfoy,
How have you been? I hope you have been improving and that your 'symptoms' haven't been causing you too much trouble. I received your letter and am quite flattered by your praise. I must admit that I am quite good in my research and enjoy it as well.
Unfortunately, I write you this letter baring some bad news. My research has come to an end and I'm afraid you will not be very happy with the results. However, I would much rather discuss things privately and in person; I think it will be easier that way.
Meet me behind Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes at 3 pm tomorrow. I know where to go from there.
Best wishes, Hermione Granger."
Hermione folded the letter and slipped it into the envelope, which she quickly sealed and handed to her owl. She had woken up early to write it, avoiding any questions and peeks from anyone else in the house. Now all that was left to do was wait, which was the hardest part. All she really wanted to do was get it over with. However, this gave her more than 24 hours to get ready and prepare. Surely, she would have her wand at the ready and even though she didn't find it all that necessary, she decided to take some tissues with her...just in case.
Later in the day, everything went by normally; everyone busy with their own activities as Hermione grew more and more impatient and nervous. On the plus side, she was able to let Ginny in on her full plan when they got to be alone in the redhead's room this time.
"You have to come with me tomorrow." She explained. "But you're not going to stay with us. All you have to do is come with me to Hogsmeade so it doesn't raise any question."
"I see." She answered, processing the plan. "But the shop is closed tomorrow, it only opens on weekends when there are students around."
"Exactly. Imagine what would happen if I were caught meeting Draco Malfoy! Complete chaos! Not to mention, Ron would murder the both of us."
Ginny giggled. "Can I be the one to tell Ron too?" She asked deviously.
"No, I think we should leave that to Harry."
"Or Malfoy."
There was a pause in the conversation where the two girl just stood, blinking at each other, before cramping their stomachs with the laughter they tried to suppress.
"He would –like, faint –in his arms!" Ginny squealed between loud chuckles.
"Ha!" Hermione cried and wiped away a tear along with the image of Ron laying unconscious in the arms of Draco Malfoy. A funny thought, but nothing she would want to be left dwelling in her mind, thank you very much.
That night, Ginny crept into her room and kissed her cheek when she was laying down on her bed. She had taken out her books again and was skimming through them one last time, memorizing any material she had missed, in order to be prepared for what was to come the following day.
"Sleep well, you have a long day tomorrow." Ginny whispered and slid out into the hallway. She had just been out of the shower since her damp hair had stuck to Hermione's neck when she had bent over.
With a sigh, she put the book down on the night table beside her bed and pulled the covers up to her neck. She only wished she could have Ginny by her side tomorrow, that would have given her so much more confidence and courage. Blowing out one last sigh, she shut her eyes and went to sleep.
The next morning, she woke up late. It was around noon when she was roused from the slumber by George Weasley tripping in the hallway behind her door and yelling out a profanity, followed my a pecking noise coming from her window. Snapping her to the right, she found her beloved owl perched outside her window, a letter in its mouth. Even from a few meters away, Hermione was able to recognize the capital letters 'D' and 'M'.
"I'll meet you there."
That was all the letter said.
"Well, we're off!" Ginny announced giddily, standing in front of the fireplace.
"Yes..." Hermione sighed. "Does anyone need anything from Hogsmeade?"
"Could you just check on the shop?" George asked from the kitchen, where he was making himself a sandwich.
"Sure." They both said and at the same time. "Hogsmeade." They added and disappeared in a mist of green flames and powder.
The two young witches appeared in a corner of the street, a few yards away from the shop. The street itself had a very little amount of people walking around, seeing as it was a weekday and that the children were not present. They were mostly bar goers and grocery shoppers roaming around aimlessly, browsing for a cheap Firewhiskey or a good deal on sprouts for the soup they were to make for dinner.
"Do you see him?" Ginny asked excitedly, extending her neck in order to see as well as she could.
"We're meeting behind the shop, how do you expect me to see him yet. Besides, this is where we part." Hermione told Ginny who pouted and frowned.
"Not fair." She said, crossing her arms over her chest childishly. "I wanna see his reaction."
"Ginny! He can't see you! Do you understand?" Hermione snapped at her in her motherly tone.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm meeting Dean now anyway." She huffed and turned away. "Good luck!" She called.
Hermione mumbled a thank you, pulled up the collar of her jacket and quickly walked toward the back of the shop, trying to be as unsuspicious as possible. Nobody head recognized her so far and she would like to keep it that way.
The shop wasn't big per say and only looked it that way on the inside because of the magic that widened that space. The small boutique was separated from it's neighbouring store by a narrow alleyway that led to what you could call a 'backyard'. Basically, it was where George would grow his plants for certain love and sneezing potions, not to mention some cures just in case something went horribly wrong. It wasn't a necessarily large space he had, but the garden itself was very pretty, varying from pinks to purples and darker indigos, not to mention the millions of shades of green. On the back wall stood Draco Malfoy, leaning on the bricks and fidgeting as he stared questioningly at the pots of Gillyweed.
"H-hello?"
His head snapped up and met her with a petrified look. Hermione had to resist the reflex of turning around to see if there was anything dangerous behind her. Draco Malfoy had not slept and neither had he had any rest whatsoever. The dark circles under his eyes and the paleness of his face told Hermione all she needed to know.
"Hi." He paused. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble..."
"Oh, no. It wasn't, really. I'm sorry I –"
"It's all right. It's not like it's your fault." His icy eyes that had been lingering over the plants suddenly shifted to Hermione's face. "I just need to know what it is."
Hermione tried hard not to tear up because she felt as if the boy's life was in her hands. Well, it's not like he was to die, but nothing would ever be the same.
"Draco." She used his name, trying to make him feel as comfortable as possible before the final blow. "There was never really anything wrong with you..."
She saw him gulp and swallow hard. Had he been anticipating this? By the look in his face, it seemed that he had an idea of what was coming up.
"What are you implying?" He asked. His tone would have been menacing if this were a few years ago, only now it was more desperate than anything.
"Your feelings are...natural." She continued, avoiding the blunt answer that would be the right one to describe his situation. They're just words, she kept telling herself, but all she could do was reform the sentence and spew out vague answers.
"Natural?" His voice shook.
"You have no control over it." She went again.
"What do you mean?"
He needed to hear it, Hermione thought. Sending him signals and avoiding the subject itself was a waste of time because the blonde boy standing in front of him wasn't going to give up until he heard it loud and clear from her. It would be the weirdest thing she would ever have to say and suddenly she wished for more time. She pursed her lips together into a straight line and looked away. She heard him say her name and take a step forward, but ignored it. He said it again.
"What is it?" She asked softly.
"You're not answering. I don't understand."
"Draco –" Her voice broke and tears began to trail down her cheeks. "I don't –I don't want to tell you." She sobbed quietly.
"What? Wait, don't cry. What's the matter? Why can't you tell me?" He asked urgently, pulling out a handkerchief and handing it to her. She pushed it away, pulling out her own tissues.
"I –I don't want to tell you." She whispered, sponging at the wetness, her eyes lightly shut.
"Why not?"
"Because..." She crumpled the tissue in her fist and stared straight at him like the strong girl she was. "Because I don't know how to help you after this."
"After what?"
"You love him." She stated. "You're in love with him. That's the only logical explanation."
For exactly 14 seconds (Hermione counted), he froze in place and blinked at her. His expression was unreadable other than the obvious shock. His body was tense and it took some time for it to relax a little, along with his facial muscles, which oddly enough, twisted into a grin.
What's going on, Hermione thought, now on her guard just in case.
"No." Draco chuckled. "That's ridiculous, I think I'd know if I were in love with a person."
"Shit." Hermione whispered so that Draco wouldn't hear. Millions of words and explanations flew around in her head but only one stood out the most.
Denial.
"I mean, this is Potter we're talking about. He's a bloke."
"Yes...maybe it was just too crazy to believe." Hermione said, putting a hand onto his shoulder.
"N –no. How is that possible? Hermione I can't..." He stopped dead in the middle on his sentence and just stared at her.
She didn't answer him and he didn't say anything either, leaving silence to reign over them for the longest of moments. Malfoy had stopped staring at her a while ago and was now watching the ground with an empty gaze. Hermione saw the thoughts rushing around in his head through his eyes, which made her wonder how he was exactly handling it.
"So I'm actually...ATTRACTED to Harry Potter?"
"Yes, my hunch is that it's just a simple crush." She tried to console him, although it WAS one of the craziest things she had ever said in her entire life.
"No..." He mumbled, almost to himself. He spun around and turned his back on her. He began to play around and pick at a few flowers and leaves, keeping his hands busy.
"Malfoy?"
"N-no, it's like...it's more than that." He whispered eerily. It got her a little worried how he was starting to sound like those crazy people from St-Mugo's who spoke to themselves all the time.
"Um...hey." Hermione tried to get his attention and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Huh?" he started and spun around to face her. "Oh. Sorry... it's not just a crush." He informed her.
"Yes, obviously it's somewhat sexual but –"
When the 's' word left her mouth, his eyes instantly widened.
"Don't SAY that Granger!" He cried, shielding his ears with his hands like a child.
She rolled her eyes at his foolishness and decided to take things into her own hands. She grabbed him tightly by the shoulders and pushed downwards. He obeyed, submitted to the force and sat down on the ground.
"Malfoy. There's one thing you have to understand. This is YOUR problem. I am just here to help. If you want this to go anywhere, you need to tell me what. To. Do." She nagged, jabbing a finger into his chest several times for emphasis. The boy just stared back at her with complete astonishment. The news was huge, that she could understand, but the bloke needed to get himself together. She couldn't have him falling apart like that, like some crazed teenage girl.
"I don't know Granger! Apparently, I have involuntarily fallen madly in love with a bloke! I can't really THINK at the moment, you know?" He argued, grabbing at his hair and making frantic hand gestures. Plus, Hermione's face softening didn't help with the confusion. She tried to hide her smile, but failed and instead giggled on top of everything. It all sounded so much cuter when he said it.
"Granger, for the love of God, please stop smiling like that. You're making me nervous." He whined. "Look, I don't know what the bloody hell is going on, but I need you to..." He thought for a moment, his expression twisting into a contemplating frown. "It's probably crazy and impossible, but –"
"Hook you up?" She cut in.
"WHAT! Granger, you can't expect the man to just hop into bed with me! I just need some alone time with him! Some contact...that's all."
"Sure...but why exactly?" She knew the answer, just wanted to hear it from him.
Malfoy went red and seemed to suddenly be interesting about something on the ground...or his feet. He cracked his knuckles and then tried to crack them again, his fingers clenching around each other.
"It makes me happy...seeing him. I felt better is all. I just need my...'dosage' I guess. It helps me get through."
The last words were the same ones from the letter he had sent a few days ago: 'it helps me get through'. If that's what he wanted, that's what Hermione would make happen; anything that would help him 'get through' and get it all over with.
"So, like a date?"
"Yes." He answered, followed by a sarcastic chuckle. "A date with Harry fucking Potter."
Hermione was not sure if Ginny was excited or absolutely unhappy about the idea.
"A date?" She asked, looking at her as if she was insane. "How the bloody hell are we supposed to get those two to go on a DATE?"
"I don't know Ginny." She answered, exasperated. After the whole Malfoy ordeal she dealt with that afternoon, Hermione was dead tired and did not feel like explaining herself to Ginny.
"So all he needs is to get close to him? Why don't we just invite him over here again?"
"That'll look suspicious." She answered and pulled the pillow over her face.
"What if we invite him over and then trip him into Harry's lap."
"How is that any better?"
"Yeah I guess... Why don't we just trick Harry?" She suggested.
Of course, leave it to Ginny to find the most unorthodox way of dealing with things. Sure, let's go ahead and trick Harry into dating Malfoy. How the fuck was that supposed to work? Drug him with a potion? Use charms? No way; Malfoy would definitely notice.
"Oh I have an idea!" She said a moment later, but Hermione didn't answer, hoping the redhead would think she was asleep and leave her alone. "But I need you to write Draco a letter. I don't want him to be in on it, but I still want him to have an idea to what you're up to."
With an exaggerated sigh, Hermione pushed off the pillow and sat up on her bed. "Ginny, what is this plan?" She demanded impatiently.
"It's nothing! Not even that sneaky!" She waved her concerns away with her hand, pulling out some parchment from a drawer. "We'll just be opening up a few opportunities for him!"
"And how, pray tell, will we do that?"
"Easy stuff, dearest. The only problem will be getting Ron out of the way."
And so, Ginny filled Hermione in on her newest scheme. The redheaded girl never seemed to run out of them, since she had the sneakiest of minds, which nobody gave her credit for, except for Hermione of course. The plan wasn't an amazing one nor was it complicated, but what was good was that there wasn't much that could go wrong. So, that night, Hermione was dragged out of bed by Ginny and forced to write a new letter to Draco Malfoy.
"Dear Malfoy,
I have spent the hours since our last meeting thinking of a way to satisfy your needs concerning Harry. Luckily, I have devised a plan that will get you to be alone with him for undetermined amount of time. Hopefully it will be enough to calm you down for a while. But, I must warn you, I will not be fully explaining my plan to you in this letter; instead, I will give you a simple warning of what to expect. In two days, I am going to need you to be at the Leaky Cauldron, 10 minutes before they close the shop. Once you see us, jut play along. Trust me.
Best of wishes, Hermione.
P.S. Ginny will be there as well, so do not be alarmed by her presence.
A/N: I hate this chapter. I really, really hate it. I just need it to get the story running cause I really had no other ideas. But I can feel that the next one is gonna be really epic, so you can look forward to that.
Please review anyway! :)
