A/N: So, I just finished writing the story... Still not sure how I feel about that. I've grown very attached to these characters and finishing the story makes me feel a bit sad cause that means writing it is over... At least I still have you guys to post this for! Yay! So updates are going to stay consistently two a week but occasionally I will give you guys a third update (like today). Also, if any of you read my story All's Fair in Love and War, you should know that the sequel for that story will not be happening after all. I don't like the idea that I had for that story so until I get a better thought process for it, that story has currently been abandoned. Sorry guys.

Tallyho!


Chapter 11:

Harry's suspicions were right: Ron would take a while to heal from the splinching. Considering it was too dangerous to move him, Harry brought some of his and Ron's stuff to Grimmauld Place where they would stay until it was safe for Ron to leave the house. Hermione ended up bringing more clothing and necessities to Grimmauld Place since it would be four people who was staying there now instead of the occasional two. Draco and Harry told Hermione and Ron how they destroyed the horcrux; both were speechless but impressed and relieved that there was one less thing to worry about now. Hermione asked if Draco could teach her the Fiendfyre spell but he hesitated since it took him a long time to learn to control the spell. She hadn't convinced him yet, but hoped she would soon.

One morning, Hermione realized that since they'd all be staying at Grimmauld Place while Ron was recuperating, she would have to tell him about her and Draco. That was not something she was looking forward to.

But she had to do it.

After everyone was settled in the house, she went to Ron's room to check on him. When she couldn't avoid it any longer, she put up a silencing charm around the room to talk to him. She watched his face carefully as she explained to her best friend that she was now seeing their worst enemy (well, other than Voldemort). He was emotionless for the better half of it but as Hermione reached the end of her explanation, his face began to turn red.

It was silent in the room when she was done. Hermione awaited anxiously for him to say something but was only answered with silence and an angry stare.

"Please say something." she begged.

"Well, you've certainly moved up in the world," he said, bitterly.

She was taken aback. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Krum, McLaggen, Me, and now Malfoy. You seem to always go for the guy with the big name or the big reputation."

She was speechless."W-what? Are you insane?! That's not the case and you know it. Viktor was and is just a friend, McLaggen, I didn't even date! We just went to Slughorn's party together! And you! We dated for less than a month before you broke it off, Ron. Remember that was your idea, not mine!

"You said you agreed that it was a good idea," Ron interjected.

"And I stand by my decision! But that's not the point! The point is Draco..." she sighed, "he's different, Ron. He's actually very sweet but you've been so caught up in your hatred towards him, you won't even give him a chance!"

"He's a terrible person!"

"You don't even know him!"

"And you do?"

"Yes!"

The redhead was seething but stayed silent as "Does Harry know?"

She nodded in response, too angry to reply.

He bit his cheek and shook his head in disgust. "How could you do this, Hermione?!" he finally exploded. "After all he's done to us, how can you sit there and be okay with the fact that you're dating him?!"

She took a deep breath to calm her anger before speaking. "I told you, Ron, he's different than when we were in school. He's a completely different person when we're alone. The bully we knew in school was just a boy trying to fit in. Please, Ron, understand that he's not a bad person-"

"Not a bad person?! He's a bloody Slytherin! Nothing good ever comes out of Slytherin, Hermione you know that!"

"A house at Hogwarts doesn't define someone's character Ron. It only establishes it. The person has to grow and develop from that. Just because he was in Slytherin doesn't mean he's evil. Just like being in Gryffindor doesn't make you a good person!"

"He's still a prick who called you a… a… that word! And made our lives a living hell for six years! And you're just going to forgive him for that?!"

"Yes." she said simply. She had calmed down enough in order to keep a straight head about this conversation but it didn't seem to be helping much.

Ron was speechless and fuming. He couldn't believe his best friend could do this. He was so angry he couldn't think anymore. "Just go." he said.

"Ron…"

"I said go!"

She sighed and walked to the door as she took the silencing charm down. "Don't forget to drink your potion." she said before closing the door behind her. She walked back into Draco's room and found him on the bed reading a book. She flopped onto the bed next to him, covering her face with a pillow and made a sound that was between a scream and a groan.

"That bad, huh?" Draco asked, putting his book down.

She sighed and hugged the pillow to her midsection. "Well… he… ugh! Yeah, that bad."

Draco chuckled. "Well what did you expect?"

She huffed. "I was hoping he'd be understanding like Harry."

"Well, Potter heard us talking and has seen us interact. Weasley hasn't. Potter at least had some confirmation that you're not completely insane. All Weasley has is your word. He'll understand eventually. Maybe not now but someday."

She looked at him with furrowed brows. "Are you actually defending Ron?"

He shrugged. "You're rubbing off on me a little too much I think."

"Clearly." she said chuckling.

He smiled at her. "Come on," he said getting off the bed.

She sat up on her arms. "Come on where?"

"I want to show you something." he said, hardly containing his smile. A smile growing on her face as well, she tossed the pillow aside as she got up and followed him downstairs. He led her to the piano room and sat down at the piano, patting the seat next to him.

He began to play her the song he had composed.

Immediately, it was as if a spell had been cast. Nothing could disturb the song or Draco's playing. It was quiet and beautiful but still full of passion. Hermione smiled as she watched him play; he seemed to zone off into his own world as his fingers played the keys with ease and poise. He seemed so regal and calm, it was easy to see the Malfoy genes in him. He looked as if nothing in the world could bother him; only those who looked closely could see the loneliness and the fear in his eyes that he held deep inside. Draco may have opened himself up to her somewhat, but she could still see that he was a broken man who felt lost and desperate for something in his world to be good. Hermione may have opened that door, but she knew that the only way his world would turn around was if he allowed it to. She was grateful that he had access to the piano; he seemed to be happier when around the instrument. It calmed him and allowed him to just be himself for a while.

Watching him play, Hermione realized that the Draco she had been trying to get Ron and Harry to see was sitting right in front of her. Sweet, caring, a little rough around the edges but passionate; a young man with big dreams in a small world. Someone who was calmed by the keys of a piano and held on to her for dear life after a nightmare. Someone who just wants to be accepted. That was the Draco she wanted her friends to see and get to know. That was the Draco she had grown to care for. That was the Draco she loved.

She shook her head. Wait, loved? she thought. That couldn't be right. They may be seeing each other (hell, most of their relationship was physical) but it wasn't that serious… right?

The last note hung in the air as he finished the song. Hermione looked at him as his eyes met hers. She gave him a small smile. "It's beautiful."

He smiled proudly. "I wrote it myself."

"Really? It's amazing. What's it called?"

He shrugged. "I haven't decided a name for it yet."

She nodded in understanding. Their eyes searched one anothers for a moment as Hermione's mind whirled with thoughts surrounding that dreaded four letter word. She couldn't really be feeling that emotion towards him could she? Sure, she cared for him. She'd even admitted that she liked him. But love? That just… that seemed so wrong.

And yet… at the same time, it felt so right.

He was caught by surprise for a moment when she kissed him but he caught up quickly. The kiss deepened and neither stopped it until air was absolutely necessary. They rested their foreheads together as they caught their breathing. When their eyes met, Draco couldn't help but smile at her.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"I just…" I think I love you. "I don't know. I just felt like doing it." she replied smiling.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Alright then."

She winked at him before taking her turn at the piano. They continued to play the piano for most of the evening, each taking turns at playing different songs and even teaching each other some of their favorites. They shared some laughs and some smiles all the while trying to figure out if that four letter word they had in their heads truly meant anything.


As Ron healed, training was put on hold, however Hermione did ensure that all three boys were keeping up with practicing protections spells and charms. When Mrs. Weasley saw Ron during an Order meeting, she freaked out and demanded to know what happened. Before he could answer, Hermione beat him to the punch by telling Mrs. Weasley that Ron had a splinching accident while apparating but it wasn't as severe as it looked. Ron, although still angry with her, nodded a thanks in her direction for covering for him. If Mrs. Weasley knew how Ron got splinched, she would have lost it on all three of them.

It was November now (two weeks since Ron's accident) and he was still not speaking to Hermione. She would try to get Ron to talk to her but he would only grunt and look away from her in return. After expressing her frustrations to Harry, he took matters into his own hands. He sat Ron down in his room one evening and let him have it.

"I don't understand why you can't just be happy for her!"

"It's Draco Malfoy! He tormented us for years and was responsible for Dumbledore's death and yet you're okay with him and Hermione dating?!"

"I'm not okay with it, Ron, I've just accepted it. Hermione's a smart girl, she knows what she's doing-"

"Well clearly she's not that smart-"

"Ron, enough! They're together and that's all there is to it! Hermione is an adult, she's entitled to her own decisions. If this is what she wants, fine. I may not be okay with it but I'm going to support her because she's supported us in everything else we've done. And even if she hasn't supported us, she's been there no matter what. You owe her the same support in return."

Ron muttered inaudibly but Harry was sure he thought he heard a curse in there somewhere.

He sighed. "Ron, she's not asking you to be friends with Malfoy. She just wants you to understand and be happy for her. So, please, just think about it."

Harry turned on his heel and left the room to find Hermione standing outside, next to the door. He looked at her waiting for her reaction: she only gave him a small smile and mouthed "Thank you." He nodded and smiled in return before wrapping his arm around her shoulder and walking downstairs with her to play a game of Wizard's Chess which he had brought over when they moved into Grimmauld Place.

It would be a couple more days before Ron would heed Harry's advice. When he finally did, he found Hermione reading in the piano room while Draco played the piano softly. Neither of them noticed his entrance, so he had to clear his throat to get Hermione's attention. Both looked towards him.

Avoiding eye contact with Draco, Ron looked only at her. "Can we talk?"

Hermione and Draco shared a glance before she looked back at Ron and nodded. Ron's eyes never left her, in turn causing him to miss the glare Draco gave him as they left the room.

He led her to the living room, where they sat down on opposite sides of the room. She curled up on the couch as he remained silent. Finally, the silence became too much for her to handle.

"What did you want to talk about?" she asked, breaking the silence.

Ron sighed. "I- I don't understand why, of all people, you'd choose him," he spat out the word "him," "but Harry's right. You've been there for us through everything and what kind of best friend would I be if I didn't do the same in return? I may not understand it or be okay with it but you're my friend and I love you. So… I'll support you, I guess. And I'm sorry for what I said about you moving up in the world."

Hermione couldn't help the smile that was growing on her face. "Ron, that's… that's so mature of you."

He shrugged. "Yeah, well don't expect me to become best friends with him or anything."

She chuckled. "You've already done more than I could ask for, Ron. That's good enough for me. And of course, you're forgiven." She stood up at the same time Ron did and opened her arms for a hug. He smiled and hugged her back.

"Thank you." she said.

"I wouldn't thank me yet." he said pulling out of the hug. "We may still try to kill each other."

"Not if I have anything to do with it." she said smirking.

He looked at her warily. "You scare me sometimes, you know that?"

She pursed her lips. "I think you've mentioned it once or twice, yes."

He nodded. "Well at least we've established it."

She chuckled and sent him to the dining room so she could tend to his shoulder. It was healing nicely but it still had a ways to go before Ron would be able to apparate again. After she cleaned up his bandage, she left Ron with Harry in the dining room and returned to the piano room to finish her book. Draco was still playing the piano but quieter and slower. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"I take it went well?" he asked.

She nodded. "Great." he said sternly.

She noticed the strain in his voice. "What's wrong?"

He said nothing.

"Draco." she said kissing the base of his neck. "Talk to me. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." he said his voice still stern but strained as he tried to resist her kisses. Hermione reached his cheek when an idea hit her and she stopped.

"You were eavesdropping weren't you?" she asked.

He said nothing again.

"Draco!"

"Well, can you blame me? He's been ignoring you for weeks and finally he wants to talk? Of course I was going to listen; I was curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat you know." she said.

"What?" he asked with furrowed brows.

She shook her head. "Muggle saying. That's not the point. The point is you shouldn't have eavesdropped. It was a private conversation."

"I'm not sure it was that private since you probably would've told me what he said anyway…"

She gave him a warning glance. He put his hands up in defeat. "Alright, alright, no more eavesdropping."

"Good." she said as she kissed his cheek and began to walk out of the room.

"If I do, I just won't tell you." he muttered quietly.

"I heard that!" Hermione called causing him to chuckle to himself.

A few nights later, Draco was reading one of Hermione's books when she entered his room with a gleam in her eye. He noticed immediately and put the book down in curiosity. She sat down on the bed in front of him and bit her lip. They stared at each other in silence, waiting for the other to speak. After a moment, Draco spoke. "Is there a reason you're eyeing me like a hawk watches it's dinner? Because if you wanted to get cozy, all you had to do was ask."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be crude, Draco."

He feigned shock and put his hand on his heart. "Me? Crude? Never!"

She smirked and shook her head. Draco put the book aside and rested his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward towards his girlfriend. "Alright, what are you scheming?"

Her brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"You only have that gleam in your eye when you're scheming something."

She was taken aback. "I- I don't have a gleam in my eye, nor do I scheme!"

"Yes you do!" several voices replied instead of one. Hermione recognized the other two immediately. She turned around to find Harry and Ron walking by Draco's bedroom door on the way to their rooms.

"You're not helping!" Hermione said as she got up and walked to the doorway. Harry simply laughed. She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at her best friend before closing the door and reclaiming her spot on the bed. "Now, where was I?"

"You were scheming." Draco replied with a small smile on his lips.

"I- I don't- forget it." she said, shaking her head. "Anyway, the reason why I apparently look like I'm scheming is because something occurred to me regarding training."

"Which would be what?"

"Do you know how to conjure a patronus charm?"

His eyes widened in surprise at the question. He hadn't been prepared for that. Frankly, if he was honest, he'd forgotten all about Patronus charms. He'd been so wrapped up in worrying about his mother that he hadn't thought about anything regarding training except when they were training, so he was quite taken aback when Hermione brought it up.

"Um… n-no." he confessed, looking at his hands.

Hermione gave him a small smile. "You want to learn?"

His head shot up. "I- you- In front of Potter and Weasley? No way!" he said.

She shook her head. "They wouldn't be there. Harry learned to conjure one back in Third Year and Ron and I learned in Fifth during our time with the D. A. If you wanted to learn, it'd just be you and me."

He shook his head. "Why would I need to learn to conjure one anyway?"

She gave him a knowing look. "The dementors are working with Voldemort. When it comes time to face him, we need every bit of protection that we can get. That includes Patronus charms. Now do you want to learn how to conjure one or not?"

"Yes!" he said before he could stop himself. His eyes widened and he hid his face in his hands out of embarrassment. He felt soft hands grab his and pull them off his face. Before he could open his eyes, he felt a soft pair of lips meet his. It ended all too soon however, when she pulled away. He opened his eyes to find her chocolate brown ones looking at him.

"It's okay to want to learn, you know. All great wizards had to start somewhere."

He huffed as some of his hair fell into his eyes. "Yeah, well Malfoys aren't ones who usually ask for help. We try to figure out everything on our own. We're stubborn that way. Besides, I'm not a great wizard; I'm a Death Eater remember?"

Hermione's eyes softened. She moved closer to him until their knees were touching. She held both of his hands in hers and laid her forehead against his. Slowly, she moved one hand to his arm that held the Dark Mark. She began to slowly move his sleeve up his arm but his hand covered hers abruptly to stop her.

"Draco,"

"Don't."

She sighed and pulled back to look at him. They hadn't talked about his Death Eater past or his Dark Mark before; neither had brought it up because it was such a difficult subject. However, over the couple of months that they had spent together, both had grown more comfortable around one another and Hermione decided it was time they discussed it. The only way to help Draco was to help him face his past and acknowledge that it was just that: his past.

"You're not a Death Eater, Draco."

He snorted. "I'm serious." she continued. "Just because you have the Mark doesn't mean you're one of them. You're not like them."

"How would you know? How do you know what I'm like? How do you know what they're like?" he challenged, tears threatening to escape his eyes. He wasn't one to cry but he had held so much inside him over the past year that it was all starting to spill over and threatening to come out. He closed his eyes trying to stop the tears but a few still fell down his face. Hermione gently wiped the tears away and then entwined her fingers with his as he opened his eyes.

"I know because I've seen how the Death Eaters work." she said. "I've seen how ruthless they are, I've seen their disregard for the innocent. Their views are twisted and wrong but yours are not. You came to me asking for help. You know that they're wrong, you know better than them. You didn't want the Mark, you just wanted to survive. Death Eaters don't come to the Light seeking help so they can save their mothers. You've never been a bad person, Draco; you made few bad decisions because you were seeking acceptance and didn't know any better at the time.

"I know all this about you because I see you. The real you. The you that nobody else sees unless they really look at you. A boy without a choice. Someone who became a man too soon. Someone who just wants to protect his mother. Someone who's too afraid to trust because he's been let down too many times. Someone who thinks that their Hogwarts house and the Mark on their arm defines them."

She began to push his sleeve up again but this time, he didn't stop her. She rolled it up to his elbow and traced the outline of the Mark with her finger. "It's like I told Ron, a house at Hogwarts doesn't define someone's character, just like this Mark," she put her hand over it, "does not define who you are."

He looked at where her hand was on his arm and put his hand over hers. He couldn't help but be amazed at how easily she touched the Mark; as if it didn't mean he was supposed to be devoted to Voldemort. As if it were just another mark on the body; perhaps a scar of sorts. Nothing more.

He looked up to find her eyes searching his face. The corner of his lips grew into a crooked small smile which she returned. "Why are you so accepting of me?" he asked.

She sighed. "Because I'm stubborn, and I want to believe that there is good in everyone. You might say it's a Gryffindor tendency, but it's actually just how I was raised. And when I look at you, I'm reminded why I believe it. You left Voldemort's army to join the Light to rescue your mother and in turn help us win. That right there is proof that there's good in you. If I'm being honest, I think there was always good in you; you were just never given the opportunity to prove it."

He smiled at her. His hand caressed her face as he pulled her close to kiss her. She smiled as their lips met. Her hands wrapped around his neck as his fingers became tangled in her hair. He pulled her closer as the kiss deepened and laid them both down on the bed. As he began to leave a trail of kisses down her neck, she grabbed her wand and muttered a silencing charm around the room before recapturing his mouth with hers. They shared kisses, smiles, and laughter throughout the night. This rendezvous was not like the others they had shared; something was different about this one. It was more intimate and gentle in the way that they touched one another, as if they were trying to memorize each other: every curve, the feel of their skin touching, the way their lips felt when they met.

The early hours of the morning found them tangled together, every part of their body touching. Their breathing was slow and steady as their foreheads touched and their fingers entwined while their eyes stared into each other. The only movement was the rise and fall of their chests and the small smile that was growing on Draco's face.

"What?" Hermione asked noticing the smile.

"Nothing." he replied. "It's just… thank you."

Her brows furrowed. "For what?"

"For not giving up on me. For believing that I can actually do something right. And… just for being amazing in general."

A smile tugged on the edge of her lips. She leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss. She pulled back and bit her lip while trying to hide her smile. "So… you think I'm amazing, huh?"

He rolled his eyes. "You're never going to let me live that down now, are you?"

She shook her head as she giggled. He chuckled and kissed her to quiet her laughter before falling asleep with sleep with a smile on his face.