Yes ridiculously long time, usual excuses. But I've finished my university applications! Yay! That's one thing out of the way..
Washington and Oregon were amazing, and while I was there I re-read Deathly Hallows. It gave me a chance to make lots of lovely notes for this fic, so there should be some cool stuff when I eventually get there.
If you knew me, then you'd know that I hate writing about Christmas unless it is around the Christmas period, or at least winter. Hence the difficulty I had in writing this chapter, I needed to be in the Christmas spirit (it is also the reason why my Scorpius/Rose fic hasn't been updated since March). But it's out of the way now, so writing will hopefully be easier.. Anyway, enough blabbering, on with the story!
/\
Hermione walked towards the open balcony door to see if she could hear Harry and Draco's conversation. She couldn't. If only I had an Extendable Ear!
The balcony wrapped around the side of the castle, Draco and Harry were pretty much as far away from the open door as possible. Hermione eased through the doorway and crept towards them.
Noticing an alcove in the wall, she walked quickly over, making sure neither boy saw, and cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself. It felt like a raw egg had been cracked upon her head, but she knew they wouldn't be able to see her. And she could now hear their discussion.
"So what did Snape say?"
"Not much, just told me to be more careful. Then he went on and on about an unbreakable vow."
"An unbreakable vow?"
"Yeah, he made one with my mother apparently. I didn't know about it though."
"Snape's right," Hermione could hear the hesitation in Harry's voice. "You have to be more careful. You don't want to get expelled..."
"I didn't have anything to do with it, all right?"
There was a pause.
"I hope you are telling the truth, because you can't afford to take risks like this. That isn't what we agreed. You've got to lay low, Malfoy, you're already suspected of having a hand in it."
"Who suspects me?" said Malfoy angrily. "For the last time, I didn't do it, OK? That Bell girl must've had an enemy no one knows about – don't look at me like that!"
"I'm not quite sure whether to believe you," Harry sighed. "I advise you to keep away from the evil activities, yeah? Remember which side you're on."
Harry stepped away from Draco and began walking towards the door back and to the party. The hairs on the back of Hermione's neck stood on end as she felt her best friend brush past her.
Harry stopped short before he disappeared from view, turning to Draco.
"Oh, and by the way: it was Hermione who suspected you, remember? She told me all about it. I know she has forgiven you now, or whatever, but please stay away from her. I don't want her to be caught up in this."
Draco nodded, running his hands through his hair anxiously.
/\
Hermione waited until Draco finally went inside, before returning to the party herself.
Luckily, Cormac had seemed to have disappeared into a crowd of girls, but Hermione could still hear his rather loud and obnoxious voice over the buzz of the party. She navigated her way through the sea of people; past Harry and Luna, past Ginny (she wasn't with Dean), past Melinda Bobbin (who smiled and offered her a drink), and out of Slughorn's office.
She took a few paces down the corridor, then stopped and collapsed onto a stone bench beneath one of the windows. Her mind was racing. What now?
Her head fell into her hands and she closed her eyes.
Harry wanted her to stay away from Draco, not to get caught up in something. Draco being a Death Eater? Was Draco a Death Eater? What did Harry mean 'remember which side you're on'? Which side was Draco on? Did she need to break up with him? Why did Snape take an unbreakable vow? What was...
"Hermione?"
"What?" Hermione mumbled, not moving. She already knew who it was.
She felt Draco sit down next to her, and reached to pull her hands away from her face.
"What's up?"
"Nothing." Hermione mumbled, her fingers still clamped over her eyes. Draco attempted to pull her hands away again, this time succeeding.
"Hermione?"
"I'm fine, really, just tired that's all."
"Do you want me to walk you back to your tower?" Draco asked, still holding her hands. Hermione nodded.
He let go of one of her hands and pulled her up form her seat with the other, slipping his fingers between hers. They walked slowly down the corridor in a comfortable silence, luckily they didn't see anyone else.
As they reached the Fat Lady, Draco pulled Hermione's hand to his lips and kissed the inside of her wrist.
"Oh, so that's where it was," he mused, inspecting the emerald pendant nestled between the two other silver bracelets. "It looks quite nice as a bracelet, maybe that's what I'll get you for Christmas."
Hermione smiled hesitantly before saying goodbye and turning to the portrait hanging in front of her. Draco slipped quietly down the staircase at the end of the corridor.
"Password?"
"Baubles."
"Very good dear," the Fat Lady said, swinging open slowly. "You know, I'm all for house unity, but a Slytherin? Really?"
Hermione said nothing and climbed inside.
/\
"What's that box, 'Mione?"
Hermione was sat cross-legged on the floor in her living room, her parents on the sofa. She had opted to stay home this Christmas, whereas Harry had gone with Ron to the Burrow. Returning home was always a down to earth experience for her, Hermione lived this time just like any other muggle girl. She had helped her mum at the supermarket, wrapped presents (without the aid of magic) and even helped with preparing Christmas dinner.
She looked at the last present that remained unopened, the wrapping paper was awfully familiar. Her mind whizzed back to Christmas in her fourth year, seeing a box almost exactly the same on her bed in her dormitory at Hogwarts.
"It's just another from one of my friends from school, I'll open it later."
"You've opened all of the rest, dear, you might as well open this one." Mrs Granger said.
Hermione sighed and pulled at the deep purple ribbon holding the silver paper together. A blue box fell into her lap. She lifted the lid slowly to reveal exactly what she was expecting. A silver bracelet. But this gift had one aspect that Hermione did not expect. Instead of an emerald teardrop hanging from it, there was a garnet.
Hermione lifted it from the wrapping, holding it up so that the light reflected from the gemstone's surface.
"Oh, that's lovely!" Mrs Granger cooed, getting up from the sofa to have a closer look. She helped her daughter fasten the bracelet, inspecting the stone as she did so. "Was it from Ronald?"
Hermione shook her head.
"No, he sent that jumper and the Christmas cake, remember? Well, his family did, anyway." Hermione replied, trailing off by the end of the sentence.
Mrs Granger stood up, smoothing down her skirt as she did so.
"Well, whoever bought it for you is very thoughtful and considerate." she said. "I'm just going to check on the food."
Hermione also stood up, but so she sit on the sofa with her father. Mr Granger picked up the television remote and smiled.
"Nearly time for the Queen's speech, I think."
/\
Hermione took one last look at her room as she finished packing her trunk. It seemed like an empty shell to her, without piles of books on her windowsill and photos blue-tacked on the walls. They were all in her trunk.
Only one photo remained, developed in a potion that made the subjects move.
Hermione was stood in the middle, Harry and Ron on either side. It was a photo that Colin Creevey had took at the end of their second year, and Hermione had secretly asked for a copy of.
It was a simpler time, there was less to worry about. Well, except that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened and muggle-born students had been petrified, including herself. But Ron and Harry had solved everything, Ginny was rescued and the basilisk killed.
It was before Hermione had even thought about seeing Malfoy as anything more than a snobbish, arrogant little prick. This Hermione wouldn't have dreamed of meeting up with said Draco Malfoy in the library at the beginning of their fourth year, sparking a romance between the two of them.
Part of Hermione wished that things were like they were at the end of second year. Things were, simpler.
/\
Hermione hurried towards the Fat Lady, seeing Ron, Harry and Ginny outside.
"I got back a couple of hours ago, I've just been down to visit Hagrid and Buck- I mean Witherwings," she said breathlessly. "Did you have a good Christmas?"
"Yea," said Ron at once, "pretty eventful, Rufus Scrim-"
"I've got something for you, Harry" said Hermione, neither looking at Ron nor giving any sign that she had heard him.
"Oh, hang on – password. Abstinence."
"Precisely," said that Fat Lady in a feeble voice, and swung forwards to reveal the portrait hole.
They climbed inside and walked into the common room. Hermione rummaged in her pocket as they did so, pulling out a scroll with Dumbledore's writing on it.
"Great," said Harry, unrolling it at once. "I've got loads to tell him – and you. Let's sit down -"
But at that moment there was a loud squeal of "Won-Won!" and Lavender Brown came hurtling out of nowhere and flung herself into Ron's arms. Several onlookers sniggered; Hermione gave a tinkling laugh and said, "There's a table over here … coming, Ginny?"
"No, thanks, I said I'd meet Dean," said Ginny. Hermione noticed that she looked less than enthusiastic about the prospect of meeting Dean.
Ginny disappeared into the crowd, Harry and Hermione collapsed into two chairs.
"How was your holiday then?"
"It was good," Hermione replied. "Pretty uneventful though. How was Christmas at Won-Won's?"
"Hermione..." Harry began, running his fingers through his hair.
"I'm just asking a question." Hermione shrugged.
"Will you lay off Ron about Lavender, please? You barely talk to him, and when you do it's usually something about her. You're really starting to get to him."
"Am I?" Hermione asked, feigning innocence.
"Stop it."
"Oh, all right," Hermione sighed, "I'll stop, I've had my fun."
They both looked over to Ron, who was trying to talk to Dean while Lavender draped herself over him. Every time she tried to snuggle up to him, Ron did his best to push her away.
"He's trying to work out how to dump her," Harry said in a low voice. "He can't deal with her following him around all the time. She never shuts up."
"He should try sharing a dormitory with her for six years." Hermione muttered.
/\
I'd make it longer, but this sort of comes to a natural close here. After this there's quite a big jump. I find it weird that there's barely any quotes in this chapter, does it still work?
Anyway, I'd better get working on the next chapter...
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