Chapter7
"You would have thought that after nearly 10 years Harry would have remembered not to get on your bad side in the morning!" Draco laughed. Hermione playfully slapped his arm.
"I'll have you know I'm a morning person! I'm quite cheerful except when people wake me up for stupid reasons." Hermione pouted.
"I'm sure you are! Look I have to run I have a meeting in…" looking at his watch "10 minutes and if I'm not there, people won't know what to do…" Draco said waiting for her answer. When she didn't, he kissed her on the head and said "Sorry?" he moved toward the grate of the fireplace. Throwing floo powder…
"What's there to be sorry about...? I'm used to one night stands!" Hermione responded spitefully. Draco bit his lip, but as he was about to respond she turned and walked towards the door, then turning back to see him gone. Hermione sighed thoughtfully.
"So what have you been up to?" Ron asked "I heard you are an Auror, how's the pay?" said Ron sounding interested. Harry still hadn't answered him; he had his head in his hands thinking of what to say about Hermione and if he should say anything or if she would rather like to break the news herself.
"Harry? Are you awake?" Ron whispered, annoyed that his so-called friend wasn't listening to him. Ron sighed as Hermione walked into the kitchen; he quickly stood up seeing the old Hermione with her curly brown hair again. Harry raised his head looking at Hermione and Ron wondering if he should leave. Hermione smiled warmly at her two best friends and wondered if she should tell Ron and if Ron would understand. Hermione looked at the table and noticed teabags arranged in a circle around the teapot. Hermione broke the layered silence.
"Tea?… anyone?…I'll call for a house elf to get us some tea or maybe coffee?" she said nervously.
"When did you start calling upon house elves? You never like the way they are" Ron mocked. "Enslaved" continued Ron in a girly voice. Harry grinned.
Annoyed she crossed the room toward the remaining chair. "Shut up…" she smiled "Dobby…?" she said. Sitting herself down. There was a tiny pop and a house elf appeared.
"Misses called for Dobby?" bowing, the elf's tennis ball eyes widened even more making them almost fall out "Harry Potter sir" he squeaked bowing even lower and making his nose touch the stone of the floor. "Tis been too long sir Harry Potter sir!" Harry smiled at the elf. Making the elf even more existed the elf gave a small jump.
"Dobby I didn't know you still worked here, how are you?" Harry asked. Making Dobby, tear up with happiness.
"Dobby been busy Harry Potter sir, Dobby been starting a family, Harry Potter sir." Said Dobby wiping his eyes with the scarf Hermione put out to save house elves in year 5.
"Who with Dobby?" Harry asked questionably
"Winky sir Harry Potter sir" squeaked Dobby "She is much better now that she not drinking sir Harry Potter sir!" dobby informed them nodding his head. Harry smiled.
"I always knew you'll be happy one day Dobby you deserve it after what the Malfoy did to you!" Dobby nodded his head then stopping quickly he made a run for the closed door. Remembering Dobby in his school years Harry quickly grabbed Dobby by the wrist holding him tight so his couldn't get away.
"Sorry Harry potter sir Dobby still forgets that Harry Potter saved dobby sir" dobby smiled. Hermione had been smiling at Harry and Dobby talking and remembering when they were at school when she had SPEW running she had giving up on that in seventh year. She couldn't remember why she had given it up, she was thinking about it when Dobby made a run for the door and it hit her some house elves didn't want to be left without a family for them to look after and some that wanted to be set free couldn't get over the fact that they were free just like dobby he couldn't stop hurting himself when he said or did something that was to offend the Malfoy family. She had to stop thinking about the Malfoy's because she was still cross at the fact that Draco just left like that. Hermione clearing her throat and head. Dobby spun around in fright.
"Dobby is sorry misses dobby bad, bad dobby" the elf struggling against Harry's grip. "Dobby bad elf." the elf started to hit his head on Harry's knee and Harry pulling the elf away from his knee.
"Dobby stop what's wrong?" Harry called out to the elf but he just continued trying to get to Harry's knee. Hermione was just staring in shock at what was going on then it clicked the elf was scared of her. Dobby didn't remember that Hermione was in fact Harry's friend.
"Um… Dobby please stop! It didn't mean anything I just cleared my throat. That's all!" The elf stopped and just hung loosely in Harry's hands. Harry was looking in shock at Hermione as if to 'What the hell' Hermione just looked at Ron who was still standing and looking at the scene that presented itself. Hermione was worried that Ron had got some idea about why the elf was acting the way it was.
"Um… Dobby I don't want you to hurt yourself okay!" the elf nodded "So can Harry let you go now" the elf nodded again. "Okay Harry let him go…" Hermione mumbled. Harry let him go but kept a close eye on him just incase he went for the door again.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked the elf.
"Yes sir Harry potter sir… must dobby get you anything misses?" dobby kept looking at Hermione in fear, as if she would just bite him. Hermione kept looking at Ron in fear that he knew what she was but he was looking fine he didn't look disgusted or look as if he had lost a friend he actually looked as if he was about to burst out laughing.
"Uh… yes dobby um… Harry would like…"
"Coffee…! I've got a Migrain…" Harry smiled weakly
"Ron…?" Hermione asked. Her heart beating rapidly against her breast.
"Coffee…!" Ron grinned, and began talking to Harry taking no notice of Hermione's order to Dobby. Hermione sigh in relief
"Dobby can I have the normal please…?" Hermione whispered. With that the elf bowed and with a tiny pop he was gone.
"What did you get Hermy?" Ron asked ending his conversation with Harry, as Harry went to the bathroom.
"Uh…just…um Cherry cola" she stuttered. She guessed that Harry had left to give them time to catch up on each other's lives. "So… how have you been…? I…" she continued stuttering.
"Well considering… I've been locked up in some mental hospital with healers poking, prodding and jabbing me I couldn't be any better." He replied heatedly.
"I… didn't mean… err…Ron I'm sorry if I'd known, I would have visited, but I've problems myself…" she responded. She was sick of everyone making as if their problems were the greatest problems of all.
"Oh… well that's interesting… what kind of problems might you have besides…mmmm…one sec I thinking…see nothing comes to mind" spat Ron. Giving her a small wink.
"You know what get out…"
"What?" baffled-ness appearing on his face
"GET…OUT…NOW!" she threatened. Pointing her finger at the door leading to the living area.
"And what if I said no! What are you going to do hit me with a book?" he smiled. In a millionth of a second she had her wand jabbed in his neck. Her eyes blazed with intoxicating flames. He gasped at her speed it certainly increased by ten fold since he last dueled with her. He looked into her intoxicating honey specked brown eyes. There was no fear, no emotions, nothing in them and he wondered what had happened to her to make her so deadly that she would have no problem hexing or cursing her friend let alone her ex-boyfriend. He shifted slightly under her gaze and smiled.
"Are you going to kill me…Hermione…?" he whispered. His blue eyes locking with her fearless gaze. She didn't react the way he hoped and he mentally kicked himself for being stupid to think that she was still the same Hermione he went out with. He sighed and continued in a whisper "Do it I dare you…I have nothing to live for" pushing his neck into the wand.
"What do you two think your doing?" came Harry's voice from the door having heard Hermione threaten Ron he thought he would investigate only to find Ron daring Hermione to kill him. Hermione didn't face him because she feared his disappointment, and Ron didn't dare take his eyes of her just incase she were to curse him. "Hermione! lower your wand!" she didn't react immediately until "NOW!" she jumped blinked back her bloody tears she dropped her arm.
"I want him out of my apartment! I never want to see his red head, freckled face again." she spat. She turned away and walked out of the room heading to her bedroom.
