Chapter 11

Hermione sat down next to Draco Malfoy for the fifth class in a row to the point where no one even turned a curious head to see what she was up to by sitting next to him. Even Malfoy himself didn't give her a look of annoyance or anger at her gesture, and instead just chose to ignore her, she had spent the last few classes doing.

Luckily for her, none of her peers were as gossipy as she thought, so Harry and Ron had no idea that she was paired with Malfoy for class, or that she had insisted on sitting next to him every lecture and attempted to try and get him to work with her on their assignment together.

And as Professor Vector lectured, she tried hard not to let her attention wander to the boy beside her. He had changed since their entrance into sixth year, and she wished she knew what was going on with him. Even with all she had annoyed him over their assignment, using it as a guise to try and find out what he was hiding, he hadn't snapped and insulted her or her heritage. And for how freely he had thrown around the word mudblood before, he was very careful not to use it any longer.

Was it solely because his father had been locked up? Or was it also because of the change in the Ministry? Had something happened with Voldemort that he was trying to keep a low profile?

She couldn't help but wonder what was going through the boy's head, even if she knew she would need to be very careful just how she chose to proceed with her curiosity. The last thing she needed to do was push too hard and have him pull away all together and chose himself off from her.

Hermione wasn't even sure why she cared so much; he had been so horrible to her in previous years, and had been the reason she had cried herself to sleep several nights when she was younger. She had doubted her place in the wizarding world, and in turn had studied harder to prove that she was capable, that she did belong, and that she wasn't some mistake. So why was she so keen on helping Draco Malfoy when he had brought her nothing but pain in the past?

The lecture part of class had ended moments later, and Hermione turned to Malfoy, ready to discuss their project with him.

"So I've been looking into the Hebrew origins of the Chaldean Method, and in particular, why the number nine is not used in the method, and really it's quite fascinating! I'm planning on including a section on it, as it could account for several differences between it and the Agrippan method, even though they can both still be used to gain the same ending results," Hermione started. "It all can be traced back to the late 17th century when the method first began to be developed by-"

"Salazaar!" Malfoy interrupted her, looking pained, "You aren't going to give up bothering me unless I agree to work with you, are you? You're going to insist on bothering me every class on useless tidbits that I could give an elf's ass about! Is it too much for me to ask to be able to sit through one lecture without having to listen to your mind whirl around in circles each class! If it will finally get you off my back, I'll work with you, Granger!"

"Really?" She asked, as she felt a sense of accomplishment on getting him to agree to do so.

"It's hardly as if you're giving me all that much of a choice," Mafoy said in annoyance. "Meet me at the library after dinner. We can get a solid hour of work on the assignment done, and then I have other places I need to be. And leave your two sidekicks behind. I don't need them coming down and accusing me of trying to lure you to your death."

She rolled her eyes, "I won't tell Harry or Ron if that's what it takes to get you to agree to work with me on your group assignment."

"Good," he said firmly, as he looked her in the eyes. And when Professor Vector dismissed them, he was the first to rush out of the class.

Hermione took a deep breath as she watched Rose and James go off to play after dinner, and she turned to her two friends.

"I need to talk to you both," she said softly, and at that Harry gave her a worried look while Ginny looked concerned. "I'm going to officially file for divorce tomorrow. I can't keep pretending that everything is fine with him, no matter how much he wishes to see the truth. He'll never accept the fact that I want to be a career woman, and I can never be happy without one. I cannot love him as you two love each other, no matter how hard I've tried to be a better girlfriend, then wife. I can never be who he wants me to be, and I can't keep putting myself second for his happiness."

"I see," Harry said, nodding. "You know, when you and Ron first got together, I was ecstatic. I was so happy that my two friends seemed to care about each other just as I loved Ginny. But as your marriage went to, it became increasingly clear that neither of you were happy together, even if you wouldn't admit it. Ron needs someone like his mother, who would cater to his every need, and insist on putting family first over a career. You, on the other hand, need someone who understands your ambition, and understands that you can have a healthy balance between home and work without making sacrifices. You need someone who understands that you need a challenge, to constantly be fighting to make the world a better place. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if one day you ended up as the Minister for Magic."

Her eyes watered slightly, and Ginny hugged her gently.

"What my husband is trying to say in a roundabout way, is that we love you, Hermione. And we support you and your decision to leave Ron. It's not going to be easy, but it will be for the best, for both of you even if Ron cannot see it yet. And that you are more than welcome to stay here with Rose for as long as you need," Ginny comforted her.

"I am going to start looking into flats soon," she admitted, "I love you both, but it isn't fair for me to burden you for too long."

"And if you need any help, we would be happy to come along with you," Harry smiled at her, "But there is also no rush for you to leave either. If you wish to stay here throughout the course of your divorce proceeding so you have a support system, we would be more than happy to stand by you."

"I'm worried about it," she said softly, looking down, "It's not just a divorce case, but a custody case as well. And wizarding laws tend to lean in favour of the father, as it gives them an heir to the line. I've read the books while studying magical law. I know it doesn't really apply to our family, but what if I lose custody of Rose? I can't have her staying with him full time, not while he still drinks and she could be harmed. But I can't think of a way to get custody without having to drag his name through the mud. And doing so would tarnish his reputation and my relationship with the family."

"First of all, we all support you regardless of what it takes," Ginny cut her off. "Even mum, who would be the most reluctant to see the truth, has started to see how hard the last few years have been for you. We understand, Hermione. And in terms of a divorce, there are a million reasons why it is going to be a long road, given who you are, and who he is. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't go through with this. You deserve to put yourself first for once, and that is something you haven't done in a long time. You deserve to be happy. And when it comes down to it, we can all testify for you in a court a law. As you said, our family hardly cares about heirs to carry out the line, and even if we did, it would be Bill's children who were considered heirs, and not Ron's. Additionally, I doubt you are going to keep the rest of us from seeing Rose; it's not as if you are planning on running off to another country with her. The trial will be hard, but we will be there for you, every step of the way."

She felt her eyes water up, and Harry kissed her forehead gently, "It's going to be fine, Hermione," he promised her. "We'll get through this."

She nodded slightly, "I know it will be eventually, but it's going to be a long road from here to there."

Harry looked like he wanted to respond, but a series of laughs reminded them of their kids in the next door room, getting up to who knows what.

"I'll be right back," Harry sighed, as he stood up to ensure his son and goddaughter hadn't broken anything or gotten up to other mischief.

"So?" Ginny asked her softly.

"So?" Hermione questioned her friend back.

"What's going on with you and Draco Malfoy?" she asked her friend slyly. "And not those stupid Prophet rumours. Are you planning on starting to see him again now that you're leaving Ron?"

"I-" Hermione started, looking around to ensure Harry wasn't coming back into the room any time soon. "I don't know, if I am being completely honest with you."

"You both cared for each other while we were in school," Ginny reminded her softly, and Hermione let out a sigh.

She had never told Harry and Ron about her school romance, because she knew very well just how they would have reacted. But Ginny and her had formed a kinship back between fifth and sixth year, between her only having male friends, and Ginny having six older brothers, both of them needed female perspective from time to time. And while now she was on good terms with Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, during school, she never felt as if she could talk to the two of them. But quite frankly if either of them knew that she had been seeing Draco, the rumour most likely would have spread out through the entire school before dinner. And it was imperative that no one knew, not when Voldemort had followers everywhere, none of whom would have hesitated to have killed Narcissa for Draco's disobedience, or even kill her to hurt Draco. They hardly had the sort of romance that during the time wouldn't be plastered all over the Daily Prophet. But Ginny understood, despite her initial hesitance. Ginny had known that she was trying to get Malfoy to open up to her during their project, that she had started to fall for him, and had comforted her when their relationship had ended because of the war.

"Yes," Hermione said softly, "But that was a long time ago. So much has changed since then, Ginny. I moved on and dated Ron, and married him. I have a child, and am going through a divorce. I'm a single mother balancing a child and a career. I can hardly date anyone right now."

"But do you want to be dating Draco Malfoy?" Ginny asked her. "And in all honesty, you were only with Ron because everyone pushed you towards him. It seemed like a natural pairing to everyone who couldn't see how unhappy it made you. And then you ended up getting married because the rest of us were, and I know very well that you wanted to wait before having children, except next thing you know, Rose was born."

"I suppose," she sighed softly, "But even without all the pressure to be with Ron, I'm not entirely sure that I would have drifted back towards Draco anyways. It wasn't until recent years when we reconnected at work. He was busy trying to prove his innocence after the war, and a relationship between us would have been slandered instantly as they would have spun it to make it seem as if he was using me to clear his name. And after we reconnected, he was seeing some French heiress and I was about to be married."

"None of his relationships have lasted longer than a few months," Ginny reminded her. "And from what Harry tells me, it's only because he's humouring his mother who wishes him to be married. He has no interest in any of them. Besides, all of that is in the past. What matters now is that you and Draco are both single. So do you wish to pursue a relationship with him?"

"I don't know," she admitted after a moment, "The timing is hardly ideal, is it? I just got out of a marriage, and I need to think of Rose first. She always needs to be my first priority, and I need to be there for her. Maybe one day in the future, I guess, if we get the chance."

Ginny snorted at that, "Hermione, the timing will never be ideal. I fell in love with Harry while we were in the middle of a war. I had to go back to school while he was off somewhere in the country trying to bring down Voldemort. I had no idea if he was alive or dead half the time. Love will never be ideal, but if it's real, true love, then it's worth pursuing. And if Draco truly cares for you, he'll understand that Rose is a priority in your life. He won't try and push you for anything that you're not ready for. He'll simply stand by your side and be there for you every step of the way. Besides, if you're worried that he and Rose won't get along, you've never seen him with kids. Back when James was in his fussy days, Draco always had a way of calming him down, and getting him to sleep. James still gets excited when Uncle Draco comes over."

She felt her heart flutter slightly at that, but took a deep breath, "Maybe one day in the future," she said more to convince herself than Ginny, "But for now I need some time to come to terms with everything before I put myself out there again. And first, I need to actually hand Ron the divorce papers and ensure he knows that there is no way the two of us will be together ever again."

Ginny nodded pensively, as she held Hermione's hand lightly.

It was going to be a long road to her own personal happiness, but she would get there eventually.

Draco was sitting in his office, reading through reports of a string of recent break-ins at several stores in Hogsmeade, while Harry was looking through witness statements. It was hardly an interesting case, it perpetrator most likely being a student, given the items that were being stolen, yet it was up to them to pinpoint exactly which student was behind the various attacks on the village.

He only looked up when a wisp of light flooded their office, and he looked up to see a patronus in front of them, carrying a message. Harry held his wand tightly in his hand, as he knew that using a patronus charm meant that whatever was occurring, would be of urgent nature, as they rarely used the communication method anymore.

"Potter, Malfoy, report to Diagon Alley now!" They heard the head of the department's voice through a patronus charm as it burst into their office, "There is a inferi attack in progress!"

"Inferi?' Harry asked Draco as they both rushed to grab their wands and head to Diagon Alley.

Draco looked at him grimly, "If there really is an inferi attack, it means someone used dark magic to resurrect bodies to a puppet like state. It hardly is a good sign, given the state of the wizarding world currently."

They both left the office, apparating right into the middle of the Alley, only to be left in shock. Stores were left ravaged, and there were wizards and witches left screaming and running away from the scene while the inferi grabbed innocent bystanders, trying to devour them. By his count, it appeared to be as if there were at least twenty of them, and Harry knew if he didn't act fast, they could cause immense damage.

"Incendio!" Harry cried out as he hit one of the bodies with a spell, and the inferius dropped to the ground, disintegrated.

Draco quickly followed suit, alongside the other Aurors, as they fought to stop the attack on the alley, but it seemed as if the inferi were relentlessly pushing forward, stampeding over bodies of fallen wizards and witches, as they tried to evade capture, but also under an order to pursue the Aurors.

He hit an inferi as it grabbed onto a middle-aged witch, who was screaming as she was being pulled by the inferi into a corner of the alley, and released the woman from its grasp as she immediately fled inside a store.

Draco was about to cast another spell, when he felt something grab his arm tightly, and he turned to see several inferi surrounding him, grabbing onto him and pulling tightly. And as his arm cracked, he was filled with immense pain, as he felt a flash of light before he was met with nothing but darkness surrounding him on all sides.