Going Home
Hermione sat up in bed, she heard a retching sound coming from the toilet. She quickly made her way there. She softly pushed the door open. Inside, she saw Blaise hunched over the toilet bowl while Draco patted him on the back soothingly. Blaise stood up straight and went to the basin to goggle the sour taste away.
"Hello, what are you doing up so late?"
Hermione jumped. She had not realised that Blaise had already seen her.
"Are you okay? Are you ill? It's the second night in a row that you have been vomiting."
"Nah, must have been something I ate. I have been eating quite a lot of sweets recently."
Hermione nodded her head while Draco exhaled loudly in a very annoyed manner and looked at Blaise.
He shoved a vial at Blaise and said angrily, "Here! Take this and drink it."
Blaise forced the drink down, "Urgh, tastes awful."
Draco huffed and said scathingly, "It's supposed to taste awful. I'd be worried if it tastes nice."
Blaise grinned at Hermione, "I disturbed his beauty sleep and now he's grumpy."
Draco just opened the connecting door to his room, "Get to bed."
Blaise winked at Hermione and said, "Yes dad." Before walking out.
Hermione smiled good naturedly and turned to go back to sleep. She was just about to open the door when she felt a hand grab her arm and spun her around. She looked at Draco curiously. He didn't say anything and looked at the ground, about a minute after, he said,
"Change back." His voice reminded Hermione of his father. She remembered exactly how commanding his voice was when the six of them were fighting in the Department of Mysteries. Just thinking about it made Hermione's heart beat faster.
"Sorry?" Asked Hermione, surprised at the rough tone of his voice.
"Change back, into the black hair and blue eyes. Change now." He ordered.
Hermione stared at him, even though his voice was as cold as Lucius Malfoy, Hermione would not let him push her around, "I'm not your servant Draco. I don't follow orders!"
Draco tried to collect himself, this is Hermione. She's still Granger remember? You can't order her around, not like Crabbe and Goyle. So, trying to keep his voice impassive, he said,
"Blaise would never tell you himself, but it is your transformations that are causing him to vomit. He wants you to remain as Hermione Granger, no matter how much harm it does to him. There's most probably something in that. But at night, when you're sleeping, could you change? Blaise hasn't had a proper night's sleep for a long time and I can't see logic to that. How can he protect you if he's physically weak? Just change back at night."
He looked at her, his heart sinking as he thought that perhaps she would just ignore him and walk away. But felt his heart leap as Hermione let her black hair fall over her face. Pushing it back, she said,
"Good night."
Gratefully, he smiled, a real nice smile and she walked back into her room to get some sleep.
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Why did she even change? She could have easily dismissed him. But why didn't she? That question was worrying her more than ever. On one side, it seemed that if she befriended them then it would be like she was betraying Harry, the Light side and even herself (for she still couldn't forget all the insults they had thrown her) but then again, she couldn't very well ignore them, not after she saw the amount of effort Blaise was putting in to make her feel comfortable in his presence. And after all, Draco was on the Light side. But like Ron said, who really knows?
Hermione exhaled. What was happening? When did life get so complicated? But this is what war is like, neither side is sure of who is the enemy and who is their friend. How does one take it? She couldn't trust Blaise or Draco, she knew that, but she did or at least beginning to. So many questions need to be answered, but this time, there is no book to give her clear answers to what she should do.
And now, Blaise asked her if she would like to stay at the Zabini Mansion. There wasn't a real answer to that was there? First, she would spend time with her family, who know how long the war would last and whether she would survive. Then go to the Burrow and make decisions from there. She couldn't go to the Mansion anyways, but then, why did she feel guilty? She said she would try to accept him as a brother. What kind of sister doesn't stay with her brother, and also, he said he would introduce her to their mother. There are so many things to do, but the war comes first right? No, family should come first, but they're not family, not really.
Hermione let out a sigh, when she talked to Harry, Ron and Ginny, they had told her not to go. What to do? Hermione decided not to think about it anymore. She rolled on her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin and tried to get some sleep.
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Everyone was drinking and eating to their hearts delight. Jokes were being sent, teasing was taken light heartedly. But everyone went quiet when they heard the small twinkle of the glass. Dumbledore stood up.
"Alas, the time has come for us to bid our students goodbye. Dangerous times have come and all of you are welcomed at Hogwarts. But first I have an award to give. It is the first of it's kind. But the professors deem it necessary, for Hogwarts has never seen such intelligence in a long long time. To our Top Girl for six years running. I think it is safe to say that she will come out top for her N.E.W.Ts too. Hermione Granger!"
The whole Gryffindor table exploded into cheers, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw joined too. The only table that didn't was the Slytherin's. Hermione spied Blaise and Draco whose faces were impassive and bored.
"Hermione, please, come and receive your award."
Hermione got up and slowly walked to Dumbledore. She shook hands with him and accepted the award with thanks.
Dumbledore whispered, "Times that require your intelligence are drawing nearer. Wait for my owl. Gather the faithful."
Nodding her head, she replied, "With pleasure."
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Later on the same night, the last DA meeting was about to end when Harry stood up, she had already told Harry what Dumbledore had said.
"Everyone gather round please. Before the meeting ends, I want to say something."
Harry paused, waiting for everyone to get seated.
"After Hermione received her award, Dumbledore said something to Hermione. He asked her to gather the faithful. That is why I am asking all of you now. Whether you would like to join Dumbledore and help us fight in the war. If you think you are not ready then it doesn't matter. I am not forcing you to join, but as it is, you guys are more or less 'trained' to fight, at least better than the average student."
"Wait a minute. Does this mean that the award was a fake?" Asked Ernie with his hand raised in the sir.
Harry frowned, "No, it was just Dumbledore's way of communicating with Hermione."
"So it's fake then." He said with an air of finality.
Ron huffed and said loudly, "It doesn't matter whether it was fake or not. Either way, all of us know that Hermione deserves it. So just shut up and listen already."
Hermione's cheeks turned into a delicate shade of pink. She really wasn't used to compliments.
Susan asked curiously, "Why couldn't Dumbledore just tell Harry or something instead of waiting to give her the award?"
Ginny's face was plastered with a cheeky smile, "It's Dumbledore isn't it? He doesn't need a reason."
Murmurs of agreement rang through the room. Slowly, people began to contemplate their situation.
"I expect I'm too young to join or do they accept those under 17?" Ginny asked. She and Harry had already talked about all of this and he had told that under no circumstances was she ever to fight in the war. But who was he to tell her what to do? She had her own mind, and she had already decided to fight. Nothing he said or do could change that and she was letting him know that, right there and then. He had already left her in someway, he had broken up with her a year ago and had been a friend. Ginny couldn't help but feel otherwise, she loved him and she knew he loved her. So why couldn't they be together? All because of his stupid, noble reasons.
Harry narrowed his eyes, "Yes, we do not accept those under 17."
"But isn't this a war? Don't we have to accept whatever help we get?" She countered back, knowing full well that Harry wouldn't make a scene, not in front of everyone. He had made special care so that anything that had or would happen between them, stayed exactly that. Between them.
"We want help, yes. But we will not blindly send inexperienced people to fight. This is not up for discussion."
Ginny kept quiet and Harry was trying to avoid her eyes. Dean expressed his wishes to join and Hermione immediately took out a piece of parchment for him to write his name down.
"This isn't hexed, is it?" He asked jokingly.
"Yeah, last time was child's play. What if this time we drop dead?" Seamus laughed.
Everyone laughed and chuckled and all those who were 17 wrote their names down.
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The silence was unnerving. She was sitting in the Heads Compartment with Draco. Both of them weren't doing anything. While she was uncomfortable, Draco looked right at home. It was as if he liked the silence or was used to it. At times, silence is nice, like when you're sitting in front the fire with your friends and reading. Now, she just felt really nervous. Didn't he understand? They just finished school. They don't have that natural protection that Hogwarts provided, not anymore. And they were at a war! How could he sit there calmly?
"Hermione? This is for you." Draco said, passing her an envelope.
"When did you get this?" She asked curiously.
"I got it from the owl." He said, and it was then that she noticed that the window was open and a fluffy owl was sitting on Draco's lap. She said her thanks and took the letter from him.
Dear Ms Granger,
We regret to inform you that your house in Muggle London has been a victim of an attack led by Death Eaters. Your parents, unfortunately, did not make it. It might be easier for you to know that they did not suffer before their deaths. Reasons why the Death Eaters have attacked are still obscure.
My deepest consolations,
Jerry Quandrulin
Head Auror, division M
Grief spread all over her heart and tears gathered under her lids. Her parents, they were dead?
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Blaise was making his way to the Heads Compartment. He'd just had about enough of Pansy. He was startled to see Harry, Ron and Ginny rushing towards the Heads Compartment too.
"Hello." He said, somewhat surprise.
"Zabini, move we've got to get to Hermione." Ginny said urgently.
"What happened?" he asked joining them.
"Not now." Ginny said as they reached the Compartment. They suddenly heard a cry of 'Hermione!" from within. Ron quickly pulled the door aside. Draco was staring at Hermione in shock who was crying silently. Ginny pulled her arms around Hermione who hugged her back tightly as Harry took the letter from her. After a while, Hermione tried her best to stop crying.
"I got a letter from Dumbledore." Harry said. "He says not to go back to your house. It wouldn't be safe. He proposes that, that you-"
Harry hesitated and with an encouraging nod from Hermione, he continued, "He proposes that you stay with Zabini for a while. He says that the Death Eaters would be on the lookout for you now. They don't know that you're a Zabini and Ron's place is too obvious. As it is, the whole Weasley family is staying at Grimmauld's place now."
When he finished, he looked down at his shoes ashamed. It was all his fault. If she wasn't his friend then this would have never happened to her.
"Don't you dare blame yourself Harry." She said warningly.
"But Hermione, if it wasn't for me, your parents wouldn't have died." He started.
"If it wasn't for you then there'd be nobody to defeat Voldemort. I chose to be your friend, can't you respect that? And face it, you need me." She said lightly but with concern written all over her face. Harry gave her a small smile. She turned to Blaise.
"Could I?" She asked.
"Of course, but just so you know, Draco's going to be there too." He said.
Hermione smiled sadly and turned to look out the window. All of a sudden, she preferred the silence
