Disclaimer: Life is not fair. If it really were, then Harry Potter would be mine, and you would all be my minions.

Chapter Fourteen: The Calm before the Storm

Once outside, Draco and Hermione saw only one broom leaning outside the broom shed. Apparently, Dumbledore had anticipated that Hermione wouldn't want to fly alone.

Draco walked up to the broom, "Up!" he said confidently, and it rose into his ready fingers.

Hermione stayed back apprehensively, watching as he mounted the broom, and then raised his eyebrow at her expectantly. She sighed and gingerly placed one leg over it before settling down uneasily on the thin wood. Could that really support the both of them?

"Ready?" he asked her, the amusement evident in his voice.

"No!" she squealed uncharacteristically.

"Hold on tight!" he said anyway, and took off from the ground. Hermione grabbed his waist in a quick, fluid motion.

Once they were up, Draco turned around briefly and saw that she had her eyes tightly shut.

"Hermione," he breathed, "Do you trust me?"

She whimpered, "Draco…"

"Do you trust me, Hermione?" he asked her again.

"More than anyone. You know that."

"Then, open your eyes," he said, gently.

Slowly, her eyelids lifted, and she gasped.

"Don't look down," he told her, "Look around us."

So she did, and what she saw took her breath away. It was beautiful, and for some reason she felt suddenly like crying. The night sky was clear, and completely dark, excepting the full shimmering moon that seemed to glide along them, watching over them. It felt like this was just her and Draco, together.

Draco accelerated, and smiled widely when he heard her laugh appreciatively, "Exhilarating, isn't it?"

"I love this," she said happily, still taking care not to look down, "I'm glad Dumbledore couldn't get us the carriages."

Draco grinned, and felt like he could do this forever as they continued to scale the darkness, and Hermione put her head on his shoulder, their cheeks resting against each other.

Much too soon, Hermione felt them descending. They landed with a soft 'thud' and Draco helped Hermione off the broomstick.

"We're here," she whispered, staring at the majestic mansion in front of her and feeling unnerved.

"Welcome to the Malfoy Manor," he said, and knocked on the large ornamented door.

A few moments later, it opened and a tall, slender woman stood at the doorstep. She ran forward and engulfed Draco in her arms.

"Draco, you came…" she murmured, tears streaming down her startlingly beautiful face. Hermione watched as he patted his mother comfortingly, and she felt a sudden rush of affection for him.

"Come in, come in," Narcissa Malfoy ushered him in. Only then did she notice Hermione.

"This is my friend, Hermione, mother," Draco said quickly.

Hermione held out her hand to shake but Narcissa didn't take it. The elder woman simply stared at her, dumbfounded, and Hermione let it drop to her side awkwardly.

Draco took her hand and pulled her inside, and she turned red.

The door closed behind them and Narcissa mumbled, "I'm sorry, but you're Hermione Granger… these are not safe times, my dear, for you to be around the Manor…"

"Why not, Mrs. Malfoy?"

"Please, call me Narcissa," she said, seeming to regret her previous lack of hospitality, "You shouldn't have come. It's lucky the funeral has only Draco and me in attendance… You see, I didn't want to call the Death Eaters… and well, the Dark Lord wouldn't…"

Hermione understood and nodded slowly, "If it is my safety you're worried about, then please don't bother. I want to be here for Draco…"

Narcissa looked confused, and then stared fixedly at their interlocked fingers. Draco made no move to release Hermione's hand, but she began to fidget.

"I'll show Hermione her room for the night, then mother?" Draco asked.

"Yes… Be down in a while for dinner, though," she said, "The funeral is early in the morning so we must retire to our beds in time…"

Draco shrugged and guided Hermione up the stairs, but not before she noticed for the first time the sadness in the depths of Narcissa Malfoy's grey eyes.

Once they had reached the first landing, Draco pointed to a door, and Hermione went through it. The room inside was spacious, and well furnished.

"Thank you, Draco," Hermione said and removed her Hogwarts robes. A piece of paper fell out immediately, and Draco dived to retrieve it.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Oh," Hermione reached it, "That's a note Ron gave to me, to read later…"

"Have you read it, yet?"

"No, read it out, will you?"

"You don't mind my seeing it?" he asked, "It might be private."

Hermione nodded impatiently.

"If you're sure…" Draco said and began to read Ron's messy handwriting, "Hermione, if you're reading this then I'm not with you."

Draco rolled his eyes and continued, "I'm sorry, but this is the only way I could think of to tell you this. The truth is I am in love with you. I've liked you for so long, and I can't keep this a secret anymore. I want you, Hermione, and I hope you feel the same way. Please tell me tomorrow once you are back from your trip, if you do. If you don't, then I hope this won't affect our friendship. Love, Ron."

Every word in the letter had angered Draco. His voice had remained cool, but Hermione detected the steel behind it. His hand shook slightly as he gave her the parchment.

Draco folded his arms and stared at her, analyzing her reaction stonily, "Told you it would be private."

Hermione's eyes were wide open, and she seemed beyond communication.

"He loves me," she said finally, "That is just… that's…"

Draco waited for her to finish, unexplainable hatred for the redhead rising within him.

"That is just wrong," she continued, "I think of him as a brother, nothing more… How could he possibly think that…?"

Hermione continued to mumble incoherently, and Draco released the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

"Hermione…" Draco began, raking a hand through his hair, "Why haven't you told him about us yet? You know Potter would want to know, and Weasley…" he struggled to regain composure, "Weasley should know."

"I wanted to… I tried to…but I just couldn't do it," she said, "I'm so sorry, Draco. I swear I will tell Ron everything after the funeral. Let's just get through tomorrow, okay?"

"Don't apologize to me," Draco said, disgruntled.

"But this is my fault," she persisted, "And you have enough on your plate as it is. I'm sorry this had to happen today, Draco."

He just nodded and fell silent. The two of them sat like that, on her bed, for a few moments before she spoke again.

"You're still angry," she whispered.

"I'm not angry."

"Yes, you are. What did I do?"

He sighed, "You didn't do anything wrong. Only…"

"Only…?" she prompted him.

"I wish Weasley hadn't told you he loved you before I did."

Hermione's breath caught in her throat, "Is that all?"

He nodded slowly, unsurely.

"It didn't mean anything when he said it, because I don't feel anything for him. And the way I feel about you is just…" she stopped, trying to find words to describe it, "I don't know if this is love, because it feels so much stronger than that. It's like I'd lose everything if you left me again…"

Draco looked up, and gently put his palm on her cheek, caressing it the way he had done when they'd first kissed.

"I will never leave you again," he said determinedly, "I'll always be a part of your life, somehow."

"I know…" she sighed, "But I feel like this is… the calm before the storm, or something like that. You make me so happy. It seems too good to be true."

"Hermione," he said, his expression betraying pain, "I want to always be there for you, no matter what. I'm not going anywhere… I need you to believe me."

"I believe you," she said, before capturing his lips with her own. He put his arms around her, containing her, and kissed her back passionately.

They didn't know how long they stayed like that, in each others arms, before she pulled back, breathing heavily.

"We should…go down to dinner," Draco said reluctantly.

"Okay," Hermione said, but she leaned in and kissed him again.

"I'm serious," he said, sounding weak to his own ears. He felt her lips smiling against his, and she got off the bed, holding the door open.

He shook his head, "Ladies first," and she walked out agreeably, feeling happier than she had when she'd walked in.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Narcissa had maintained polite conversation with Hermione, but the younger girl's intuition told her that Draco's mother was, for some reason, unhappy with her presence.

After eating, Draco and Hermione wished Narcissa goodnight, and went up to their rooms.

"I'll stay up all night," Draco told her, "because I'll know that you're sleeping in the room just opposite mine."

Hermione laughed despite herself, "Please get some rest, Draco… See you in the morning."

He smiled wryly, "Goodnight, Hermione."

And he closed the door behind him, before drifting off to sleep to thoughts of a certain brown-eyed girl.

_-_-_-_

A/N: A short chapter, I know. I will try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can, in which I'll include the funeral, something I'm planning for Dramione, as well as the Hermione/Ron confrontation. So it will be a long one. I hope that's enough to leave you hanging with. (:

DracozMudblood