When Hermione woke up the next morning, she found herself feeling vaguely fuzzy and had a headache. She groaned. She rolled out of bed and went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee and take a muggle aspirin. She strolled over to her sofa to sit down and relax. Next thing she knew, she was on her bum because once again, a head appeared in her fireplace.

"Oh, good! You're up!" The woman exclaimed. "I'll be right over." Then her head vanished, completely ignoring the yelp Hermione let out, and her tumble to the floor.

The woman then completely came in through the floo. She was wearing a designer dress and heels.

"Good morning, Pansy." Hermione greeted warily.

"Sorry for scaring you. Although, it was funny." Pansy held out her hands and helped her back up.

"You'll have to give me a moment to wake up." Hermione yawned.

"That's fine. I'm just excited I finally have a girl friend to hang out with. Thank you again for being so kind last night, Hermione." She said earnestly. "I have to say, I was a bit surprised, all things considering."

"Well, I do think we've hit it off now that we've grown up a bit and aren't ruled by house rivalries or blood superiority. Malfoy explained to me a little bit about what happened last night when we left the party with Blaise and Luna. I'm very proud of you, Pansy." Hermione smiled at the woman.

"You trust him enough to trust me, now that's what I find interesting." Pansy pointed out.

Hermione blushed. "I've seen that Malfoy has changed. If he trusts you, then I can too. Besides, you were never actually a Death Eater." She reminded her.

"I might as well have been the way I acted. It was atrocious." Pansy said softly.

"It's all in the past. I'll go take a quick shower and get dressed. You can make yourself at home." Hermione told her.

After Hemione got out of the shower and utilized dry shampoo so she could save time on drying her hair, she got dressed so that her and Pansy could go to Diagon Alley for the day.

Their first stop was to get breakfast at The Egg and I, a popular breakfast restaurant They ordered drinks from the waitress upon getting their menus. When she returned with their drinks, they still weren't ready to order. While glancing at the menus, Pansy asked Hermione what was going on between her and Malfoy.

"Honestly, I don't know. We started to talk last night, but Blaise and Luna came back. It just got dropped completely. He brought you up on the way back to our dorms. He said it was bonkers that we hit it off like we did and then it just turned into how you defected." Hermione answered her. "Although, to be fair, we both had our share of firewhiskey."

"He fancies you, you know." Pansy said bluntly. Hermione nearly spit out her drink.

"For Merlin's sake, Hermione! It isn't a shock. You already know." Pansy reprimanded, standing up to pat her on the back.

"I only just really found out last night." Hermione choked.

The waitress came back to check on them and gave them an odd look. "Are, uh, you two ready to order?" She asked nervously.

"Yes, I think I'll just have waffles." Pansy told her.

"Yeah, me too." Hermione agreed.

"Okay, I'll be back to check on you." The waitress said before walking off.

"Hermione?" A familiar voice called out to her.

"Oh, no." Hermione groaned.

"Who said that?" Pansy asked, looking around.

"It's Ron." Hermione told her simply.

"Weasel?" Pansy scoffed.

"Shhh, Pansy. He's walking over here. Harry's with him." Hermione hissed.

Pansy sat down and whispered over to her. "Well, this is turning out to be an interesting breakfast already AND we don't have the food yet."

Harry and Ron had made their way to the table. Hermione had seen Harry when she went dress shopping with Ginny, but hadn't spoken to Ron since the day they celebrated her birthday. While she stayed on good terms with Harry, it just wasn't the same with Ron. In fact, if she was honest with herself, it hadn't been since the break up. Possibly before that too.

Ron scrunched his face. "Parkinson?"

"Watch that look of disdain, Weasley." Pansy sneered. "There's no reason to act nasty."

"Erm, is Pansy working at Hogwarts now too?" Harry asked, confused.

"Nope, Pansy and I made plans to hang out today after Slughorn's party last night. Her niece goes to Hogwarts and brought her as her plus one." Hermione explained to Harry, not acknowledging Ron.

"Yep, Hermione and I hit it right off. Of course, Draco just thought it was bonkers. His words, not mine." Pansy chimed in cheerily.

"So, you're on first name terms with Malfoy now and hanging out with Slytherins and Death Eaters, Hermione? You're still as mental as the last time I saw you. Didn't I say something like this would happen?" Ron turned to Harry, disgusted.

"Ron, really?" Harry hissed.

"I'm happy to see Potter at least, has grown up and still as nice as I remember him to be." Pansy said. "Granted, we didn't get along Potter, and I won't pretend we ever did. But you were always a good person."

"Erm, thanks Pansy." Harry said awkwardly. He had looked uncomfortable throughout the whole exchange.

"Just so you're aware, Pansy defected. Maybe you should try to summon a decent bone in your body to try to be kind to people, Ronald. People change." Hermione said hotly.

"Well, I think we'll just go now. It looks like your food is on the way. Come on, Ron. See ya around Hermione. Good seeing you, Pansy." Harry steered Ron away from the table, visibly shaking.

As the waitress brought their food to the table, she remarked "That explains a lot. Ex boyfriend?"

Hermione just nodded and Pansy thanked her for bringing out the food.

"So, you'll have to tell me what's up with that. You and Potter seem chummy still, but by the looks of things, not so much with Weasel." Pansy frowned. "Thank you for defending me too. You don't even really know me."

"It's okay. Yeah, I'll explain." So Hermione opened up to Pansy and told her everything that had ever happened between her and Ron. Since meeting him their first year, the Yule Ball, Lavender, when he abandoned her and Harry during the war, their relationship after the war, and everything that happened recently. She told her everything. She even told Pansy what Harry nor anyone else had ever known about the relationship, just because Pansy already didn't like him anyway and she didn't want any of their mutual friends to know everything about her break up with Ronald.

"H-he hit you though?" Pansy looked horrified.

"He was drunk. I came home after a long night at work. He had another witch in bed with him. He was completely inebriated. He'd always had anger issues and I never thought he would cheat on me or-or hit me. When I walked in and started screaming at the both of them, he went mad. He slapped me. I asked him what the fuck was he thinking.. He beat me with the naked witch still in our bed. I thought I'd gotten a concussion. It was pretty bad. I was bleeding from my nose and mouth. I was an auror, though. I healed myself after he fell asleep. I don't know when the other witch left, I just know it was sometime later...Before he woke up the next morning. I locked myself in our guest room. He woke up the next morning and I ended it right then and there. He says he doesn't remember doing it, but I had the outline of his hand on me the next day. It was the only thing I didn't heal so that he could see it. He swore he didn't remember, so I just never told anyone. It's just been very strained since then. I told him we could still be best friends. I would save face. I've tried too. I really have."

"Is that why you don't like to drink?" Pansy asked.

"I never did like it, really. But that didn't help." She explained.

"That filth is an auror? He has the audacity to speak poorly of Draco and I?" Pansy screeched.

"He's also the same one who said he would protect me if Malfoy got out of line." Hermione whispered.

"Who's the real monster? From all that you've told me even since you were children, he has been a manipulative twat. He has played with your mind, Hermione. You're so intelligent and kind. How could you have not seen that? First, he's nice to you to let down the walls that he helped you build and then he goes back to the same old shit! Even going so far as to beat you!" Pansy looked murderous. "And you've never shared this with anyone?"

"No, I haven't." Hermione told her. "I didn't want to be a victim in the war and I don't want to be one now."

"Do you really think if you didn't tell your other friends that they wouldn't believe you?" Pansy asked.

"It's not a risk I was or am willing to take. But I've decided to completely cut him off now, Pansy." She told her quietly. "The funny thing is, back before I left to teach at Hogwarts, he did ask me if me leaving had anything to do with him. I told him no and comforted him. I told him that no matter what happened, he would always be my best friend. Looking back now, I'm disgusted with myself. I said that and Pansy, I meant it." Hermione bit into her waffle, feeling like a weight had been lifted off of her.

"He's brainwashed you and controlled you for so long, you can't blame yourself. He's a toxic person." Pansy reached her hand out to pat Hermione's arm. "But I'm here for you. I didn't expect you to open up to me like that, but Hermione, I'm not going anywhere now. You're stuck with me. And I do believe you. I saw how he talked to you. He's nothing but trash."

"Thank you, Pansy. I think you were right last night. I think we will be great friends." Hermione didn't realize she had been crying. "So, will you tell me about what got you to be in the good place you're in now?"

Pansy gave her a half smile. "Just know it took a lot of work to get to where I am today."

"I won't judge you. All I see is the person in front of me now." Hermione told her reassuringly.

"Well, after hearing all about Weasel, I'm beginning to understand your forgiving nature a lot more now." Pansy contemplated, then let out a sigh. "I suppose I'll start from the beginning. My older brother is quite a bit older than I am. Thirteen years, to be exact. When he was eighteen, my parents found out about him falling in love with a muggle born. They'd been together since their fifth year, but they didn't find out until he told them that he loved her and was choosing her. They cut him off and he was not to get his inheritance. They got married. They did everything right. Well, a couple years later, he wanted to make peace with the family because he had a child with her. A beautiful baby girl. He named her Peony. He was inspired by my name. So, he made the mistake of bringing his new baby girl and wife over hoping that after seeing the baby, their grandchild, our parents would come to their senses." She paused and her cheeks started to flush. Her blue eyes became teary.

"Anyway," she continued after composing herself. "My mother and my-my daddy, who was surprisingly the more lenient one, well, they got angry. My brother was holding Peony, just begging for them to see her. Something so innocent and sweet was not worse off for having a muggle born for a mother. My parents killed Peony's mom with Avada Kedavra. My brother nearly dropped Peony as an infant trying to get to his wife. She was his true love, Hermione. He has raised her and has never been with another woman since then. My parents killed my nieces mother in cold blood just for being muggle born and having a child with their son."

"I-I'm so sorry, Pansy. I never knew. Did he not call anyone from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?"

"The official ruling was insufficient evidence. In other words, my family is loaded." Pansy spat.

"That's awful. I'm sorry." Hermione pat her friends arm the same way she had done for her earlier.

"So, after the war, my parents found out I left with the other Slytherins. They thought I was such a disgrace. My dad did his part by filling Voldemort's pockets, but never once became a Death Eater. He expected me to join them. When I came home, him and my mum weren't pleased. I was part of the reason that they had lost so much money investing in this great cause because one person can change the outcome of war. Can you believe that? Anyway, I hadn't seen my brother in ten years, but I tracked him down. Peony was getting ready to start her first year at Hogwarts and I decided to finish my seventh the right way with her. When I first got to my brothers, I'll admit, I still had so much prejudice towards muggle borns. I thought it was all their fault for existing that everything happened to my family and I. To others as well. But, after a few months with my brother and going back to Hogwarts, somewhere along the way, I changed my outlook on everything. I recognized that my parents and people like them and Voldemort were to blame." Pansy finished her story.

Hermione got up and hugged her. They paid for their meal and tipped the waitress before heading back out to Diagon Alley.

Draco got a taste of his own medicine when Blaise popped into his living room through the floo while he was grading homework.

"Merlin, Zabini!" Draco yelped, clutching his chest.

"Don't be so dramatic, Malfoy. You started this nonsense. It's about time I get you back." Blaise smiled smugly.

"You're back a bit soon, aren't you?" Draco mumbled.

"Am I really? It's after one. Luna just left." He smirked.

"Bloody hell, she actually did floo from Granger's dorm to your flat?" Draco asked dully.

"She did. She's weird. I really like her." Blaise said.

"As in you like her?" Draco emphasized like.

"Yeah, mate. I do. I think, well, I'm gonna take her out on dates. I might try cooking for her, but I'm rubbish in the kitchen."

"You're serious about Lovegood?" Draco really had seen everything now.

"Yeah, I really did connect with her last night. Sure, she's a bit odd. But it's bloody endearing, you know?" Blaise said eagerly.

"I'm afraid I don't, but if you're happy with her, that's what matters." Draco answered.

"So, that's kind of why I'm here. Plus, scaring you after you've gotten me was an upside too." Blaise said cheerily.

"So, you came here to tell me about Lovegood..?" Draco trailed.

"That, and to say thank you. If you hadn't invited me, I would have never met her." Blaise said sincerely.

"Well, Granger's gonna be upset when she finds out you're taking her friend more permanently now." Draco smirked.

"Or, you could just distract her since both of you fancy each other. That way, she can't be mad at me for taking Luna because then she'd be a hypocrite. You know why? I could tell her she took you from me. I had no choice in the matter." Blaise schemed.

"You sound bloody five." Draco laughed.

Blaise wiggled his eyebrows. "It's only logical. That's Granger's language. Also, thank you for not trying to fight me after saying you two fancy each other. You didn't deny fancying her this time. I'd say you're moving on up with being honest with yourself."

"I've had about enough of you for two days." Draco muttered.

"Which is why I am going to bid you adieu." Seconds later, Blaise was gone.

Draco groaned to himself. He had too many papers and students to keep up with without worrying about Granger.