A/N: I would just like to thank all my reviewers I am extremely grateful for every single one. I hope you like this chapter!
Disclaimer: I Own Nothing.
Hermione's POV
I'd spent the night at Ginny and Harry's apartment because I feared it might be a little awkward if I went back to mine. I felt so unbelievably stupid about everything that had happened. There was me admitting that I had feelings for him only to discover he was having it away with some other girl.
"Uh…"
I groaned, whilst wandering back down to the apartment. Why was I so bloody upset? We weren't even together and neither of us had said we actually liked each other and now it was evident that he didn't feel the same way.
As I neared the end of my journey back to the apartment I realised I was passing the place where Blaise had forced himself on me last night.
Flashback
"What was I thinking?"
I mumbled to myself in a tear restrained tone as my feet carried me down the narrowing hallway.
"Leaving the party so soon Granger?"
My insides froze as a coldly familiar voice penetrated through the walls of my misery. I spun around instantly to seek the source of the voice but with no luck.
"Who's there?"
After a few seconds of searching with my eyes a figure emerged from a shadowy corridor. I still couldn't make out who it was, their face still concealed by the darkness.
"I'm hurt, I really am Granger."
He said as though I should know who he was, I was feeling rather confused. Seconds later the figure stepped out into the light.
"What do you want Zabini?"
His mouth curled into a wolfish grin as he stepped towards me ominously. I automatically back away as he approached me nearing the cold stone wall as I did.
"I would've thought it was obvious."
His eyes were pools of onyx and glinted forebodingly in the flickering candlelight as he continued to encroach upon my cowering form.
I didn't waste another second after his previous comment and began to retreat down the corridor back to the apartment. Seconds later a felt his hand enclosing upon my arm and pulling me back towards him.
"Get off me!"
I didn't want to let him know that I was now in fact, very frightened so I exuded my tone in false confidence.
The smell of alcohol laced his breath and his feet were rather unsteady, he was drunk.
I tried to wriggle out of his iron grip when I remembered I had left my wand in the cloak Ginny had ordered me to remove at the beginning of the evening, but he was too strong.
"So, you and Draco? I wonder, are you aware of his most recent conquest?"
Once the intent of his words sunk in my desperation to escape his clutches increased and without thinking my free hand collided with his cheek bone with a resounding smack.
His face contorted in suppressed pain and his eyes only darkened further.
"Bitch!"
He growled in his deep baritone.
I instantly regretted my actions when he slammed me up against the wall; I winced as my back collided with the protruding stones. I closed eyes as I waited for the pain to subside when I felt something much worse. His hands were running up and down my thighs until they wandered up, pushing my dress up around my waist.
I tried with all my might to push him off of me but to no avail. He grabbed at my breasts painfully whilst he tried to force his mouth down on mine.
"Get off! What's wrong with you? I'm pregnant with your friend's baby!"
I shouted through his lips as they attempted to crush down on mine. His arctic laugh echoed around me making me shiver once again.
"If you're saving yourself for him let me put you out of your misery, he doesn't care about you. He told me himself."
I felt broken and violated so his words were of little consequence now.
"Come on…just a quick go. I'm sure you would benefit as well, I hold true to my reputation after all."
He looked down at his crotch suggestively, a smirk adorning his mocha lips. His last comment gave me reason to believe that I had a choice in the situation so I calmed down a little bit.
"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint but I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline your offer."
He rolled his eyes in mock-disappointment as if my opinion didn't matter anyway and he'd still do what he wanted with me.
"Then I'm sure you won't deny me this."
Once again he forced his mouth down upon mine and once again I struggled to push him away.
That's when Draco showed up.
END OF FLASHBACK
I shuddered at the memory of his lips on mine and was only soothed by the fact he had never intended to properly force himself upon me if I hadn't consented to it.
The one thing I really hated about the whole fiasco was the fact that Draco had been the one to intervene. The idea that I needed Draco to come and save me was not a pleasant one. I can look after myself!
I suppose I wouldn't feel so very hostile about the idea if I hadn't been witness to one of Draco's sexual escapades only minutes before.
"Bloody hell…"
I murmured when I realised that in front of me was the portrait whole to our apartment and there was no doubt that he would be inside.
"You have no reason to be upset Hermione. It's not like we are even together."
One heavy sigh later I finally convinced myself to enter the apartment. My breathing was laboured and uneven as I stepped through the portrait hole.
The room was quiet and still with a dull scent of alcohol. My eyes scanned the room until they fell on the sofa. Draco.
"Hermione."
His tone almost came across as worried when he spoke.
"Hey, I've got work to do so I'll be upstairs."
It was harder than I originally thought it would be, so I just tried to get out of there as fast as I could and act like nothing was wrong in the process.
"Wait, I know you're upset."
He clasped his hand around my wrist as I walked past him, stopping me from going anywhere.
"Upset? Why would I be upset?"
He sighed deeply and it was almost as though he knew I was lying.
"Please, just let me explain"
I shook my wrist free from his grip and looked at him, deeply in the eyes.
"There isn't anything for you to explain, I understand perfectly."
As he gazed at me with those silvery, entrancing orbs I found it increasingly harder to remain so emotionally detached.
I could feel a few tears brimming in the corners of my eyes so I turned my head away from him, not wanting him to see me upset.
"Like I said, I've got work to do."
And with that I began to walk up to the bedroom and to safety when I remembered there was something I had to tell him.
"Just to let you know, there's a check up today in the hospital wing."
"I'll be there."
When I reached the top of the stairs I could still feel his eyes on me so I daren't turn around so I just locked myself away in the bedroom.
As soon as the door clicked shut I collapsed against the closed door in a heap of tears on the floor.
Draco's POV
I held my head in my hands as I sat down on the couch, completely overwhelmed by everything. I knew she was upset, she wasn't very good at hiding her emotions. As for me, I feel terrible, miserable and angry I've let the only girl I've ever really cared about slip through my fingers.
"I've been so very stupid."
My anger was only worsened by what Zabini had done. I clenched my fists at just the memory of it. Who knows what would've happened if I hadn't intervened.
As I neared the portrait hole I heard a single choked sob from upstairs and then silence. I raked my hand through my tousled hair as feelings of guilt washed over me continuously. I wanted to go up there and tell her everything that I was thinking but I knew she wouldn't listen. She's trying to put up this façade of indifference about everything, but I know I'd crushed her.
Getting the feeling I should probably give Hermione some space I headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast, with a heavy heart.
When I reached the overcrowded room my eyes went straight to the Slytherin table, Zabini. I desperately tried to suppress the rage I felt building inside of me as scenes of last night replayed in my mind.
When he saw me approaching I noticed his eyes widen very slightly and he quickly averted his dark gaze.
A few seconds later he got up from his seat, at the long mahogany table and made his way towards the exit. I quickly changed my direction and retraced my steps back the way I had just come as I followed him out of the Great Hall.
His pace was quickening and soon enough he had reached the large double doors. Moments later I had left the Great Hall as well and managed to grab his arm, roughly before he disappeared out of my view.
"Are you going to explain or am I going to have to beat it out of you?"
He shook his arm out of my tight grasp and glared at me before the ferocity of his gaze dissipated.
"Look, I was really drunk last night and I didn't really know what I was doing. I never would've actually done anything to her."
It wasn't the best reason but it was still a reason, unluckily I still wasn't satisfied.
"I don't care if you were drunk you should never have touched her! You had her dress up around her waist for fuck's sake! Oh and not to mention she's pregnant, with my child you prat."
"You know I'm not like that mate like I said I was completely smashed! I had no idea what I was doing."
I was extremely good at reading people and I could tell whether they were lying or not instantly, and Zabini wasn't lying but I wasn't going to let him know that.
The intensity of my glare increased as I stood opposite him.
"That's not good enough."
He threw his hands up in complete surrender obviously not wanting to be on the receiving end of any curse that may 'accidently' escape from my wand.
"Okay, okay I'm sorry."
Without another word from him I shoved him up against the stone wall.
"Do it again, and I'll make you wish you'd never been born."
I shouted venomously before letting him go.
"Does this mean you like her then? It's not like you'd react like that if you didn't."
At first I felt angry that he had asked me this when I was in such a bad mood with him but then I thought about it further. If I admitted it to someone else wouldn't I find it easier to admit to myself? I knew that I cared about her and that I was very attracted to her but there was something more that I felt for her that I wasn't able to put my finger on.
"Okay, okay I like her…morethan like her but I fucked everything up."
I said collapsing against a large arched window, opposite to Zabini.
"So why did you shag that other girl?"
My hands raked through my hair and I sighed deeply as I remembered the look on Hermione's face when she saw us.
"I don't know really, I guess I was just trying to distract myself from the way I felt about her. It's not as though we're a perfect match is it? I'm a pureblood, she's a muggleborn, she's in Gryffindor, I'm in Slytherin, I used to be a deatheater, and she was in the D.A and not forgetting that we've both been at each other's throats since first year."
I could tell Zabini didn't really know what to say after all of that so he just shrugged and raised his eyebrows.
"I've been brought up to hate her, and now…"
I couldn't believe I was telling him all of this stuff; this whole situation seemed so surreal.
"Why don't you just tell her how you feel?"
If only it were that easy, she was never going to see me in that light after she'd seen….that.
"Because she saw me, with that girl and now she won't even here me out."
He winced slightly expressing in his features, that basically…I was screwed.
"I don't really know what to tell you mate."
Another deep sigh later I got up from my position on the floor and with a curt nod to Blaise and left.
Hermione's POV
Finally I unstuck myself from the wooden floor and wiped my tearstained cheeks dry. As I staggered over to the mirror I peeled off the pieces of clothing that Ginny had leant me to return to the apartment in.
"Dear Merlin, I look awful."
My eyes were red rimmed and small from my tears and I looked extremely tired. I cast a few charms to rid me of my tired appearance and the evidence that I had been crying, before I got dressed.
"You've got to get over this Hermione it's just a program and nothing more."
I told myself over and over again as I tied my hair up in a loose bun. However many times I told myself that I still couldn't convince the feelings of hurt to go away.
Once I was satisfied with my appearance I went over to my bag to find the piece of paper that told me what time the check up was. After a few minutes of riffling through each of the full pockets with no success I decided I should probably go to the hospital wing to check.
I groaned at the prospect of climbing so many stairs only to have to do it again a few hours later. When I'd put everything back in my bag and secured my wand in the back pocket of my jeans I left the apartment.
"Uh! How many stairs do there have to be? Why can't they get an elevator?"
I groaned as my feet clambered up the never ending flights of stairs. I could feel a stitch slicing through my flesh as I neared the top so I leant against the banister rail for a moment in an attempt to sooth the searing pain in my side.
My eyes closed and I let my head fall back slightly as I regained my breath.
"Granger, can I talk to you?"
My head jerked back almost painfully as my eyes opened and I almost wished I'd kept them closed.
"Stay away from me Zabini!"
My voiced exuded hatred and poison as I glared at him before attempting to barge past him.
"Look, I'm sorry about last night ok? But this is about Malfoy."
I winced at his name as all the hurt I'd suppressed broke free from my internal restraints.
"I don't care! Just leave me alone."
I half shouted as my second attempt to barge past him failed.
"If you won't listen to him you're going to listen to me!"
Who the hell did he think he was? I didn't have to listen to anybody, I was sick of everyone telling me what to do and how to act! If only everyone would just leave me alone for once.
Although my curiosity was increasing to find out what his reason was but that was before my logic kicked in. Just hours ago this guy was slamming me up against a wall and forcing himself on me and I was actually considering talking to him.
"You know you're bloody lucky I didn't report you for what you did, the only reason I didn't was…"
He cocked his eyebrows annoyingly, waiting for me to continue.
"Was?"
He whispered deeply encouraging me to continue. I just stood there looking gaumless as I tried to think of another reason for why I hadn't told anyone.
"Could it possibly be, because you're head girl and you weren't supposed to at that party last night and you would've had to tell them what you were doing out of bed?"
I narrowed my eyes at him for figuring out the real reason before I could fabricate another story.
"Just get out of my way Zabini!"
This time I successfully managed to get past him, storming off up the stairs once again.
"He cares about you!"
I froze as his words sunk in, what would give Blaise Zabini cause to say that?
"Why would you say that?"
I half shouted at him, feeling the only explanation was that he was just trying to torment me.
"He knows you won't listen to him after what happened."
Now becoming slightly more interested I took a few steps back towards Zabini.
"And how do you know 'what happened'?"
To be honest I didn't really want to have this conversation right now. It was just bringing up memories of the night before.
"That's not the point, the point his he only did what he did because he was confused by what he felt for you because of everything that has happened so he just sought a distraction."
I couldn't help but laugh at that, what a pitiful explanation.
"I'm sorry, but you wouldn't do that if you cared about someone."
The topic had now become somewhat tiresome so I decided to continue my journey up to the hospital wing.
"Don't try and pretend that you don't have feelings for him. You would've found it just as absurd and foreign as Malfoy, he's just got a strange way of dealing with it."
I couldn't deny that I had found it rather odd when I had started to feel more than hatred for Draco and I had tried to convince myself as much as possible that I didn't
"Why are you even telling me this, what's it to you?"
Suddenly a few first years came thundering down the stairs nearly knocking me over as they went.
"Watch where you're going!"
He bellowed after the stampede of first years. I found myself clutching my stomach as a natural reflex and I immediately pulled my hand away from my middle when I noticed Blaise examining my actions.
"I'm not a bad guy Granger and I was really drunk last night and wouldn't have done what I did otherwise. Plus, Malfoy nearly beat the shit out of me for what I did. So I suppose I owe it to both of you."
Well, maybe the Slytherins had changed after the war because this couldn't be further away from their stereotypical character. Maybe this was a chance for Draco and me to start again, if what Zabini was saying was true then maybe I had misjudged Draco's intentions.
"Thank you, but I need to here it from him."
With that I turned for the final time and made my way back up the stairs.
"I've never seen him like this over a girl before Granger."
I pretended I hadn't heard him but I had. Was he actually telling the truth, did Draco really care about me?
I'd got back a few hours ago and was currently waiting for Draco to return to the apartment so we could go to the check up. I would've gone alone but it was compulsory for both parents to attend all of the check ups. I was just about to leave when the portrait swung open and a breathless Draco staggered in.
"I'm sorry I'm late I had to…"
I smiled weakly at him which was enough to stop him midsentence. I didn't really know why I had smiled at him it just felt sort of natural.
"We've got to be there in a couple of minutes."
He nodded and subsequently followed me out of the open portrait hole.
The journey up to the hospital wing was fairly awkward due to our hostile interaction earlier today. We had nearly reached the entrance when Draco spoke for the first time since we left.
"Hermione I know you don't want to listen but please, hear me out."
I waited for the crowd of students also heading towards the hospital wing to pass and then waited for him to continue.
"I was freaking out about everything I didn't know what to do about all the stuff I was feeling so I just did that to forget. I thought that if I did what I did then I wouldn't feel anything for you anymore because I didn't know what to think, I mean we've been at each other's throats for Merlin knows how long and everything else. I feel absolutely terrible, that other girl meant nothing but you…you mean everything."
He said as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. He'd spoken so fast he was barely breathing. As he tucked that strand of hair behind my ear the butterflies were back again, I felt safe. When he looked at me like that my knees went weak and all my morals seemed to be thrown out the window. But no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get images of him with that girl out of my head.
"I can't deal with this right now."
And with that I turned away from him and went into the hospital wing. I sat down on one of the clinical looking chairs that had been assembled in a linear fashion and waited for my name to be called. A few minutes later Draco strutted in with his hands in his pockets and his head hanging slightly lower that normal. However much it annoyed me I couldn't deny the fact that I returned his feelings. I didn't want to, but I did and there was nothing I could do about it. I didn't want to forgive him just like that because then he might get the idea that he could walk all over me and I'd still forgive him.
"Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy"
Madame Pomfrey called as she poked her out from behind a white screen. We both got up instantly and walked behind the screen.
"If you could just hop up on the bed for me dear and I'll begin."
Once I was up on the bed I rested my head against the large white pillow and pulled my top up, over my protruding stomach.
"This might be a bit cold."
She said kindly as she smoothed a cold gel over my skin and then proceeded to cast a silent charm. Moments later what looked like a hologram appeared in front of me and Draco. There was a small beanlike thing in the centre of the image.
"That's your baby."
My eyes darted over to Draco at that moment and he was smiling and that was a very rare occurrence. The more I looked at the picture in front of me the more emotional I felt and I suddenly noticed the smile that had graced my lips as well.
"That's our baby?"
I asked feeling completely overwhelmed.
"It certainly is. Would you like to feel the heartbeat?"
I nodded, anxiously and waited for her to cast the second charm.
"Put your hand on your stomach…now."
Slightly nervously I rested my hand on my bump, my hand moulding to the curvature of my stomach as I did.
"Thump thump….thump thump."
I gasped as the feeling of the baby's heartbeat thumped strongly against my hand.
"That's amazing."
Madame Pomfrey smiled warmly at me before leaving the room to call the next couple behind another screen.
"Can I…?"
Draco sounded so uncertain it was almost adorable but it didn't matter how annoying he had been I wasn't going to deny him this.
I shivered at the feel of his hand on my skin as he rested it where mine had just been. He couldn't speak he just looked completely elated and blown away at the same time.
It was obvious he was slightly uncertain about touching me after what had happened over the last two days so he pulled away rather prematurely. I knew he wanted to keep his hand there for longer though so I clasped my small hand around him and placed it tenderly back on my stomach. He looked down at me confusedly but didn't question anything when he me smiling up at him.
I regretted it when I felt him pull his hand out of mine but relaxed once again when he simply placed it over mine on my stomach.
Our eyes didn't separate for what seemed like an age, we just gazed at each other completely oblivious to what was going on round us.
Our hands broke for a second as he lifted it away from my stomach and interlaced his fingers with mine before ghosting a kiss over my wrist.
"I'm sorry."
He whispered against our entwined hands.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter just to let you know Hermione has begun to forgive Draco but she hasn't told him yet so all is yet to be revealed. Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers I am sincerely grateful to all of you. I should be updating again soon so look out. Please please review I love hearing all of your opinions. Thank you for reading.
