A Christmas Scandal Part II
Ginny and Hermione turned to see each other; it had been quite a scandal. "Poor Draco" said Hermione earnestly
"Poor Draco!" exclaimed Ginny frowning "He just humiliated her in front of everyone!" continued Ginny sharply "Although she probably deserved it" finished Ginny and she took another sip of pumpkin juice
"Ginny!" exclaimed this time Hermione
"What?" said Ginny as she put down the goblet and turned to see Hermione "Are you going to tell me you really care about what happens to those two"
There was an uncomfortable silence between them. "Let's talk about something else shall we" said Hermione quickly to break the awkwardness between them.
"Sure" said Ginny, who already had a new topic in mind. "Why didn't you bring a date, I heard many Ravenclaws were interested"
"Just one, not many" said Hermione blushing slightly. "But no thanks after McLaggen I learned that better alone that in bad company" she said very convinced
Ginny laughed "Come on not everyone is like him, I'm sure that "one" Ravenclaw is more agreeable than McLaggen, don't you think?" Ginny finished expecting a confirmation but Hermione was to busy looking at Padma and Ron, who were kissing.
"Hermione" said Ginny as she touched her shoulder
"What" said Hermione turning to see Ginny
"You were staring at them" said Ginny
"I know" said Hermione very slowly and shaking her head "Shouldn't… I know"
"Exactly" said Ginny smiling "Have a piece of pumpkin pie" finished Ginny as she tried to hand Hermione a plate with a slice.
"No way" said Hermione recovering her normal voice
"Why?" asked a surprised Ginny looking at the pie for something strange.
"Because I saw your brother around the pumpkin pie earlier" said Hermione very matter-of-factly
Ginny smirked. "What brother? I have five" finished Ginny looking at Hermione
"Right" said Hermione with a small laugh "Fred"
"Oh" said Ginny giving a second thought to the pie "But it looks so delicious" she looked back at the plate "I don't think they've done anything to it" said Ginny with a voice that tried to sound convincing
"Really?" asked Hermione rhetorically
"I'll have a bite and you tell me if my face suddenly starts growing hair or something" said Ginny briskly; the pie was just too irresistible to her.
"Ok" said Hermione as she looked out of the corner of her eye towards Ron and Padma
"Don't stare at them!" said Ginny as she bitted the pie
Hermione rolled her eyes "I wasn't staring I was just looking at them dance and try to feel nothing like when you look at Parvati and Harry you don't feel anything do you?"
"Of course I do!" said Ginny very bluntly "Do you think is nice to see her dance with him, leaning her head in his shoulder, it kills me… I'm the one who should be in her place" Hermione's jaw dropped, what had just happened.
"I thought…" paused Hermione "Don't you like Dean?" said Hermione in a combination of intrigue and surprise along with a very confused look.
"Of course I like him but not in the way I like Harry!" said Ginny rather sharply. Hermione's eyes went wide open
"Weren't you over him?" said Hermione urgently; what was going on.
"No! I have never given up on him! I'm …"
"Ginny what's wrong with you?" interrupted Hermione desperately and shaking her head, suddenly she saw the pumpkin pie, she then turned to see Ginny and comprehension dawned upon her, the twins had somehow managed to put Veritaserum into the pie, surely they would find it very amusing if everyone talked with the blunt truth to everything they were asked.
"It has Veritaserum" said Hermione in a trance kind of voice staring at the pie "The pie has Veritaserum" she said in a more normal voice addressing a now terrified Ginny.
Ginny clapped her hands to her mouth she just realised what was the extent of the things she had just said, not to mention that she was bright red. And to make things worst Harry and Parvati were apparently tired of dancing and walking towards the table. Harry frowned as he approached them; the girls were looking at him as if he was the devil or what's the same Lord Voldemort.
"Ginny is everything…" started Harry looking intently at her; Hermione's eyes went wide open again; she couldn't let him finish that question because if he did the consequences would be catastrophic. Ginny would tell him that it wasn't ok because she was still in love with him and that she hated seeing him with Parvati.
"We're fine" said Hermione interrupting abruptly "We're terrific" she added standing up and grabbing a petrified Ginny by the arm "We are just a bit tired" and she started to walk a few steps away from them dragging Ginny with her. Harry looked beyond confused and tried to ask another question but Hermione cut him off immediately.
Hermione was ready to start running out of there, but she had to warn Harry about the pie. "Em Harry the pie" Hermione paused what was she going to say "you'll get food poison if you eat it" she said the first thing that came to her mind
Harry and Parvati turned to see the pie "What?" they both said at the same time
"Don't eat it and don't let anyone eat it!" said Hermione sharply.
"What?" repeated Harrry
"Just do it!" said Hermione giving Harry a sharp look "I'm serious" and after one more threatening look she gave her back to the extremely perplexed Harry and Parvati, and started running along with Ginny and they didn't stop until they reached the girls dorms in Gryffindor's tower.
Once there Ginny hugged Hermione. "Thanks you saved my life" said Ginny earnestly as she detached herself from Hermione
"Any time" said Hermione smiling
"Look, what I said…" started Ginny
"Don't talk now" said Hermione comprehensively, Ginny was extremely vulnerable and she didn't want to take advantage on that, she wanted to know only what Ginny wanted to disclose without the effect of some potion "the effect should disappear in a couple of hours" continued Hermione looking at Ginny who was still very red in the face. "The twins really crossed the line this time" she said reprovingly as she shook her head once more.
Ginny sat on her bed. Hermione looked out the window.
"I think I'm going to take a walk" said Hermione after a couple of minutes. "But without this high heels… they are killing me" she said casually as she sat on the bed besides Ginny. Hermione took of her high heels and changed into sneakers.
"Hey don't forget your jacket" said Ginny and she threw it to Hermione who was just about to leave the room "It's freezing out there" added Ginny. Hermione caught the jacket and gave Ginny one final smile before she left the room.
After the Scandal
Hermione was walking around the grounds without any real direction, when she spotted Draco sitting in one of the swings. Hermione approached the swings and sat in the one next to him but didn't say a word. She looked at him, for the first time in all the years she had known him; he seemed vulnerable. He had a completely lost stare.
"Hey" whispered Hermione. Draco turned to see her but didn't say a thing; his eyes reflected an indescribable sadness. "I'm sorry that it ended that way" Draco shrugged "You and Pansy really seemed to have something very strong" said Hermione earnestly; somehow she had never pictured Draco without Pansy, they had seemed since the very beginning like a perfect match.
Draco laughed hard; this took Hermione by surprise and was now staring at him.
"The match was made when we were 5 years old" said Draco bitterly "So we both knew that at some point we just had to get together, there was no room for no one else, there couldn't be, so the night of the Yule Ball I just asked her to be my girlfriend" Draco paused as he remembered that night "the destiny had to be fulfilled" he paused again but when he resumed his voice was filled of sadness "and I tried, I really did, I wanted to love her, I had to love her but I couldn't" Draco paused again but when he continued he did it in a more normal way "I know that she says she loves me, but she doesn't, she just wants to believe it because she knows she has too" said Draco trying in some way to justify her behaviour towards Pansy.
Hermione listened to Draco's confession quietly she didn't know what to say to make it better.
"I don't think we are even really friends" continued Draco "I don't think I have friends at all"
"What are you talking about" interrupted Hermione "You have Crabbe and Goyle" Draco laughed again
"Them" said Draco shaking his head, "they know they have to be with me at my service, just as their fathers are to my father" continued Draco bitterly "but they are no friends too me, in fact I don't think they like me very much, that's ok I don't like them much also" he shrugged "but that's the way it has to be, we have to be like our fathers, we are supposed to followed their footsteps and become death eaters at the service of…"
Draco stopped, suddenly he had come of the trance that had made him tell Hermione all those things, what was he doing confiding in her his secrets, he blushed slightly and looked away from her. Hermione on the other hand, didn't know what to do; certainly she had never expected the confession to go to that extent. They both started swinging as they had nothing else to do with themselves.
Draco leapt out of his swing "I'm going to hogsmeade, it's really beautiful this time of the year" a small smile appeared in his face and without even realising he asked Hermione to accompany him.
"But we are not supposed to leave the school, plus dementors are surely surrounding hogsmeade" said Hermione in response to his question
"There won't be any dementors" said Draco very matter of factly
"How do you know?" inquired Hermione
"I have my sources" answered Draco as he started to walk away
"Of course you are death eater's son" said Hermione to herself "I'm going to regret this" she thought as she leapt of her swing to join Draco.
There was a gigantic tree full of snow at the entrance of hogsmeade and kids were running all around it, the stores were full with smiling people and "merry x-mas and happy new year" was written in every store window and as Draco had said there were no dementors, everything was joy, no matter the dark circumstances.
Draco and Hermione stopped before a choir that was performing some Christmas carols, they walked by the ice rink and watched people skate, and they also looked a large group of kids having a major snow fight.
"It's really beautiful" said Hermione as they were about to leave hogsmeade; they had not said a word to each other since they had left Hogwarts.
"Yes it is, I come every year with my…" Draco stopped, he really didn't want to remember, much less mention, his family "I come here every year" Draco rephrased.
Suddenly a young man with flowers approached them "Here have this" and he tried to hand Draco a beautiful artificial blue flower "for your lovely girlfriend"
Hermione and Draco jumped a foot in the opposite direction of each other and immediately stated that they were not a couple.
"Oh!" said the young man "still, have this" and he handed the flower to Hermione "beautiful young lady"
She accepted the flower but with a terrified look in her face, a look that didn't disappear in all her way back to Hogwarts, it had been that last statement that had really brought her back to her senses. What had she been doing? Escaping with Draco from Hogwarts; risking detention for him. And she was not the only one; Draco was also rethinking his acts of that night what could've possibly been going on in his mind to ask her to accompany him.
When they were finally back in Hogwarts safe, undiscovered and ready to go different ways, Hermione spoke
"It's probably better that we don't tell anyone about this" Hermione could see in her mind the faces of the fuming Ron and Harry if they ever found about their little adventure.
"Yes, it's better if people don't know about it" said Draco trying to sound casual as he imagined too the scandal in the Slytherin house if they ever found about it.
They were both blushing terribly and parted different ways without even saying good-bye. To Hermione's good fortune everyone was asleep when she arrived to the girls dorms and she could stash the guilty proof of her time with the Draco (the blue flower) under the bed without problem.
