Chapter 20– Hermione Finally Proves Draco's Theory

Present Day:

Draco gave her the sweetest smile he could muster, and turned to the crowd. He said, "Well, no use hiding the truth, yes, I graduated at the top of my class in Magical Law at University. Yes, I gave up that spot, but only because originally I was going to be out of town the weekend of graduation, and since I would not be attending, I declined the chance to give the graduation speech. I asked that the student who was second be awarded the top spot. End of story, nothing gallant, I didn't even know Granger, I mean, Miss Granger, was second." He looked at her smugly.

"No one believes that, Malfoy," Hermione said slowly and surely, with her own smug smile.

"Why not?" he asked, "it's the truth. I'm a selfish person, and everyone knows it. Why would I purposely give up top honours to you? You of all people? Someone, whom I was never friends with, never liked, and who all my life I always assumed was below me, because she was born a mud, a mud," he could not say that word, so he said, "a Muggle-born?" He could not look at her after he said these things. They were true, actually, even though he had not felt that way forever, but he did not want the reporters to know he had changed, but he also did not want to hurt her. He was caught in the middle.

Hermione was quiet for a moment. "So that's the only reason you gave up the spot to me, because you originally were going to be out of town. No other reason? Do you really want to say that to me? Forget what you want the crowd to believe. Is that what you want me to believe?"

Damn, she had him. All eyes went back to Draco. One lone hand rose in the back of the crowd. Draco wanted to change the subject, so he said, "I think someone in the back has a question. Yes, person in the back?"

The person put their hand down, and began to walk toward the pair, weaving in and out of the crowd. He said, "Yes, I have a question, why are you lying, Malfoy?" It was Blaise Zabini. "Surprised to see me here? Anthony Goldstein invited me. Now, tell the reporters, the readers, and most importantly, Hermione, the real reason you gave up the spot to her. I think she already knows actually, but she's still anxious to hear you confirm it."

Draco narrowed his gaze at Zabini, the bastard. He threw up his hands in exasperation and without his usual decorum said, "Fine, I gave up the spot because it was more important to her than it was to me. I did it for her. I did it out of the goodness of my heart."

"And?" Zabini said.

"No other reason, Zabini," Draco said. "There you go folks, I can be a decent person too, but I want you all to think about it. I did one decent thing many years ago. Hermione Granger has done many decent things all her life. Who do you really want for your Minister?"

One reporter raised his hand and said, "Why are you both singing each others praises today, when at the debate, you both were so intent to tear each other apart, what changed?"

Draco looked at Hermione. She shrugged. She didn't know how to answer that one. The same man said, "One would almost think that neither one of you want the job. She already said at the debate that she really didn't want it. So tell us, why are you running, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco said, "You know what, I came here today for a meeting, not for a press junket. This is Miss Granger's press conference, so ask her the questions, not me."

The young female reporter who was going to break the story of their relationship decided to speak. It was apparent to her that the story was going to come out soon. She raised her hand as Draco started to walk away. She said, "One more thing, Mr. Malfoy?"

Hermione looked at Draco as he turned back to the crowd. "So you are saying, publicly, for everyone to hear, for the official record, that you totally, irrevocably, not under any circumstances, have feelings toward Miss Granger, beyond feelings of respect and friendship? You are saying that you absolutely do not love her? Are you saying that the interview you both did with me, acknowledging your love for each other, and in which you asked me to keep under lid until after the election, was a lie? You don't love her?"

Everyone gasped, and the room grew quiet. Harry put his head in his hands. Anthony seethed with anger. Percy looked worried. Ron looked concerned for Hermione and Hermione looked right at Draco. He looked at her. Her eyes looked at him pleadingly.

"Answer her question, Mr. Malfoy," Hermione said evenly.

Draco looked at Hermione. He said, "What do you want me to say?"

"The truth," she said.

"You might not win," he said.

"And you might not either, and I don't care. There are some things more important than winning an election, like the truth and honesty, and love," Hermione said softly.

He gave her a determined looked, grabbed her arm, pulled her to him, and placed his mouth down hard on hers. She was shocked, and did not respond at first. Her arms hung done at her sides, as he swung her back, leaned her over, and kissed her long and hard. He lifted her back up, as she stumbled slightly to regain her footing. The flash from photographers blinded them both, and the roar or the crowd was deafening. He said, "Does that answer everyone's question? I love her, and I have for a long time, so there."

He turned and smiled at her. She could not help but smile back. She said, softly, for only his ears, "I love you, too, and I think I've loved you for a long time, and you did the right thing by the way."

"Yes, and I intend to do an even better thing," he said. He turned back to the crowd and said, "In fact, that's the only reason I ran for office, to make her notice me, and fall in love with me in return. For that reason alone, you should vote for her." He turned back to her, smiled, winked, and said, "Let's see who wins now, Granger.

He laughed and kissed her hand, as she stood wide-eyed, and mouth agape. He said, "I'll see you up in your office, because my meeting was with you, sweetheart." He laughed the entire way to the lifts.

Hermione turned to the crowd, as they yelled out more questions. Now Anthony could not contain his joy. Malfoy just dug his own grave, in his opinion. He stepped in front of Hermione and told the press that at least Hermione had honest reasons for running, and that she was doing the honourable thing by wanting to serve the needs of the people, and placing their needs before her own. He then told them he would issue a statement later, and they all needed to leave. He shook hands with Blaise Zabini, who did not look at all pleased. He ran up to Percy, shook his hand and said, "It's going in our favour after all. She's going to win, Percy."

Ron took Hermione by the hand and led her to the stairs. Harry stood there and watched Percy and Anthony as they plotted their next move. He knew one thing, no one was going to use his best friend and get away with it.

Flashback:

It was dark and Hermione Granger was somewhat afraid and apprehensive. She had a meeting with her staff, which lasted longer than she thought it would, and now, she was on her way to a big Christmas open house at Malfoy Global International. Anthony, whom she was 'sort of' dating again, was supposed to meet her there. She thought he was quite inconsiderate not to escort her there, considering the fact that Malfoy's company was located in what appeared, on the outside, to be a large abandoned warehouse, in the shipping district of Muggle London. Hermione would have apparated there, but she did not know if she would have access, and Anthony had the invitation, so she did not know what the instructions or directions were to apparating in the building.

She took a cab to the warehouse district, and had to walk the rest of the way on foot, since the Muggle cab driver refused to drive her directly there.

She felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle, which could be from the cold, but could also be from the fact that she was afraid.

Inside, Anthony grabbed another glass of wine. Harry came up to him and said, "Where's Hermione?"

"Late meeting," Anthony said cryptically.

"Is she coming?" he asked.

"I think so," he said back.

Harry said, "How can she apparate without the invitation? The instructions on the invitations said that you had to have one to apparate in here," Harry asked, concerned.

"She will have to take a cab, and come through the doors, I suppose," Anthony said. "Stop worrying, Potter. This is Hermione, she'll be fine."

"Well, I don't like it," Harry said. He decided to go back to the Ministry, look for her, and then apparate with her to the party, using his invitation, since her 'boyfriend' didn't seem to care.

Draco Malfoy, who was a gracious host, overheard the exchange. He hated that pompous arse, Anthony Goldstein. Was Granger dating him again? The whole reason Draco even decided to hold this Christmas party was so she could come, and she was not even here. He was about to go to the Ministry himself, when he saw Potter apparate back to the room.

"Anthony!" Harry called out, waving to the arse-hole.

Anthony was having a good laugh with Ron. He looked at Harry and said, "What?"

"She's not at the Ministry. One of her staff members said she was taking a cab home, and then another cab here. No one knows where she is," Harry said.

"Maybe she's still home, I'm not her keeper," Anthony said, approaching Harry.

"Well, dammit, you're supposed to be her boyfriend. I'm going to check her house," and Harry left again.

Draco decided to see if she had arrived by cab. He disapparated outside.

Hermione was already regretting her decision to walk on foot. She started across the street, toward the correct warehouse, when two Muggle men crossed toward her from the other side of the street.

"Hello, Darlin'," one of the men said.

The other went behind her and said, "What are you doing here, sweetheart?"

Hermione reached for her wand, which was in her purse. She said, "I'm meeting a friend. Let me pass."

The one behind her grabbed her purse, before she knew it. Her wand, which was partially in her purse, and partially in her hand, fell to the ground. She whipped around to demand her purse back, when the first man grabbed her by the waist, and started to pull her off the street. He put a hand over her mouth, so she could not scream. The smell of smoke and perspiration, mixed with the smell of her own fear, made her feel sick.

Draco Malfoy apparated in time to see the entire exchange. He ran toward them, found her wand on the ground, and picked it up, as they took her to the mouth of the alley.

The second man grabbed her kicking legs. They took her deep into an alleyway. They dropped her roughly to the ground, where she hit her head hard. That was the last thing she remembered. She woke up a few moments later, a black cloak over her body, and lying upon a soft, comfortable white couch. She sat up quickly, and took in her surroundings. Her head hurt, her dress was ripped, and as she swung her feet over to the floor, she saw she was missing a shoe.

She stood up, but fell back down. Harry came running into the office from what appeared to be a bathroom, with a cold compress in his hand. "Sit back down," he urged. He handed her the compress.

She sat down and said, "What happened?"

"You were attacked," he answered.

"Did you save me?" she asked.

"Not exactly," Harry said. "Someone else must have helped you before I got there. I saw a flash of light, and I ran to the alley. I saw you on the ground and I swear, I was so scared, I thought you were dead. I saw a man unconscious beside you, and another man running down the alley. I swear I heard someone disapparate. I don't know who helped you. I ran after the first man, and after I caught him, I called another Auror to come take care of the crime scene."

"Where's my wand?" she asked suddenly, as she looked around her.

"I found it beside you," he said, handing it to her. "You couldn't have incapacitated the first man, because you were unconscious as well." He sat beside her and took her hand.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"Draco Malfoy's office. He appeared right after I did, although, well, I am not sure, but I think he might have been the one to come to your aid first. I think he saved you. He was white as a sheet when he left you just now. He brought you up here and placed you on the couch, and wrapped you in his cloak. He went to tell all the partygoers to leave. He'll be back shortly."

"I want to leave before he returns. Can I go home?" she asked.

"Well, I need to question you, and then you can go, but you really should stay here. You hit your head pretty hard, and per protocol, I have to take you to St. Mungo's. Also, don't you want to tell Draco thank you?"

"I suppose," she said. Really, she just wanted to go home.

He patted her hand and said, "Stay here. I'll be right back." He walked out the door. She stood up and roamed the office. She almost felt like crying. What a terrible ordeal. Who saved her from those men? She didn't know what she felt about all that happened. Stupid Anthony. If he had just waited for her, as a boyfriend should, this wouldn't have happened. Could Harry have been right? Was Draco the one that had saved her?

She walked over to Draco's desk, and decided to write him a thank you note, and then she wanted to go home. She sat down at his desk and began to cry. Why was she crying, like some idiot? She wiped her tears and opened his top desk drawer, to look for a piece of parchment. She opened the top right drawer to look for a quill or a pen. Instead, in that drawer, she found the photograph that she had given him a week before, in the silver frame with the green ribbon. She found a pen, wrote him a quick note that read: "Thank you, Draco. Love, Hermione." She placed the note on his desk, and quickly shut the drawer and went home.

Present Day:

Hermione and Ron walked to her office. She opened the door and told him goodbye. She knew Draco would be there when she entered. She didn't know what to feel. He told the whole world that he loved her, but did he say it because he wanted to be honest, or did he honestly want her to win the election, and that was why he proclaimed it to the world.

She would have to wait to find out; as she closed her door, he looked up from her desk. He was writing her a note. He said, "I was leaving you a note. I didn't know if you would want to see me or not."

"What does the note say?" she asked.

"Thank you, Hermione, Love, Draco," he read. He handed her the note. She placed it back on her desk without looking at it.

"Why are you thanking me?" she asked.

"You made me tell everyone the truth," he responded.

"You told everyone the truth all on your own," she said.

"Well, you didn't leave me much choice, did you? You were trying to make everyone believe I was a better person than I am, and I had to show them that you are the better of us two. In addition, I really didn't want to deny it. I'm tired of denying it." He rose and walked over to her. He stood in front of her, but didn't touch her.

"Tired of denying it? Hell, Malfoy, you have been saying it for years now. Apparently all my friends and colleagues have already known that you loved me even before I did," she said. "Merlin, Malfoy, I've loved you forever, how could I not have known that?"

"How indeed?" he agreed.

"I've been in denial all this time," she reiterated.

"And isn't that a shame," he answered.

"Yes, it is," she agreed. She looked at her feet. He put a finger under her chin and forced her head up, to make her look at him.

"Why was it that everyone else figured it out, and you never did?" he asked.

"Figured out what? That you have loved me for years or that I have loved you for years?" she asked.

He could not help but smile. "Damn, Granger, its bloody well time you figured the second one out," he said. "I knew you loved me, even if you didn't. You've finally proved my theory, that you've always loved me as much as I've loved you."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" she asked.

He laughed, threw his hands in the air, and said, "You didn't even believe me all the times that I said that I loved you, so do you honestly think you would have believed me if I said that YOU loved ME? Get real, Granger." His hand went lightly to her cheek, cupped it softly, and he leaned in and kissed her lips.

As he parted from her, she said, "Well it would have been nice to have been clued in, that's all. I'm like the last person to know." She had to smile at her own statement. She added, "What are we going to do about the election? I don't want to continue with these games, and I don't think we know how to fight fair."

He pulled her over to sit on the couch. He sat down first, and pulled her to his lap. He wrapped his arms around her. He put his head on her shoulder, and kissed her collarbone. He lifted her arm, held her hand in his, and kissed her wrist.

"Draco, are you going to answer my question? What are we to do now?" she asked, turning slightly to look him.

"I thought I was answering your question," he laughed. "Sorry, I guess I was ravishing you instead. Those two things are so closely related."

She touched his face with one finger. She rimmed his mouth with the same finger, and kissed him once more. She said, "And to think, I wanted to kill you earlier."

"Do tell, and why was that?" he asked.

"Oh, the reasons I want to kill you changes from day to day, so frankly, I'm not sure why you were thrown into the fray today. I do remember, I wanted to kill Anthony first, Percy second, you third and Blaise fourth. Yes, definitely in that order, but now that you claimed to the world that you love me, I would change that order slightly. Put Zabini before you."

Draco gave a clipped laugh and entwined her fingers in his. He kissed her inner elbow and said, "Why kill me at all? Why not give me a reprieve, a pardon so to speak; since I did indeed say that I loved you, in front of the whole world, and you didn't even say it back, well, you said it back, but so quietly that only I heard you. The headlines tomorrow will say that I'm a lovesick fool who loves his opponent with unrequited love."

"Fine, you're off my hit list, but cross me again," she kissed his jaw line with three little kisses, "and you shall die."

"Duly noted," he said. He pushed her to her back suddenly, so that her back was against the sofa seat, and her legs were still on his lap. His hand went from her knee to her thigh, under her dress. He added, "What colour knickers do you have on today?"

"Come find out, Malfoy, if you dare," she grinned.

He smiled widely and said, "Bloody hell, Granger! That should be on your posters. 'Come find out what colour knickers I have on, mates'. I bet you would win hands down. Speaking of hands…" he trailed off as both his hands continued up her dress.

There was a knock at her door. She tried to stand, but he put a hand on her stomach to hold her down. He said, "Come in."

She looked at him and said, "It's my office, I decide who comes in and who doesn't."

"Is that important?" he asked.

She tried to get off the sofa, put he moved her legs so that they were trapped underneath one of his. She leaned up on her elbows and said, "There are boundaries, Malfoy. You have to learn to respect that. This is my office, so I say who comes in and who doesn't. Also, I'm in a compromising position here."

"I didn't see the problem with saying, 'come in', and as for your position, only those with a dirty mind would deduce that my hands under your dress were there for a perverted reason," he gleamed.

A man cleared his throat. They both finally turned to look at who had entered. It was Blaise Zabini. Draco stood up so quickly that Hermione fell to the ground. Draco stepped over her to approach his former 'friend'.

From the ground, Hermione said, "Don't help me up, or anything." She struggled to her knees as Draco pushed Blaise toward the door.

"Get out of here, Zabini," Draco said.

"Didn't you hear her?" Blaise asked. "It's her office, if she wants me to leave, I will, however, I think you both might want to hear me out, because while I was digging up dirt on her for you, and you for her, I found some other things that might be advantageous to both of you. May I sit?" Without waiting for approval, he sat down on the couch where the lovers had just sat. He placed his arm over the back of the sofa and crossed his legs.

Draco locked Hermione's door, and sat down on her desk. She finally stood and sat on the other end of the couch. Draco said, "Well, apparently we're waiting. Talk Zabini, because I heard that earlier Granger wanted us both dead, and while I'm sure she has changed her mind about me, your fate is dubious at best. Talk."

Blaise grinned, turned toward Hermione, and raised an eyebrow. "You wanted to kill me?"

Hermione said with a perfectly straight face, and no sign of anger, "I still do actually, so I concur with Malfoy. Start talking, and depending on what you have to say, you might or not might live to walk out of here."

Blaise laughed. "Okay, here goes."