Disclaimer: Do you honestly think I am JK Rowling? If you do, I'll personally escort you to St. Mungo's.
A/N: Yes, that's right... I'm back! Whew, I'm finally back after a long vacation! By the way, I had fun in Palawan, though, still slightly bored since there is no internet connection! Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't update so now, I am. Anyway, just so you know, here in the Philippines, classes already started (I'm officially a high school freshman, yipee!). So that means I can't update everyday since my mother doesn't like me to use the computer everyday. I'm sorry if this chapter is slightly short but I'm telling you, there would be a slight interaction between Draco and Hermione! Anyway, back to the story.
A Hug for a Friend
The next day, everyone was gathered in the Great Hall for their breakfast. Hermione was looking pointedly tired that day with black bags under her eyes. She was also not touching her food but constantly played with it with the usage of her fork.
The Princess in disguise hadn't slept well yesterday, having nightmares about her identity being exposed in the whole school. She had nightmares that her friends would get angry with her, telling her they betrayed them. Nightmares about Draco getting angry at her. She involuntarily shivered and released a soft groan. Because of the arrival of her parents and the Weasel, Hermione became very fidgety and paranoid.
She looked at the teachers' table and saw her parents talking animatedly with Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape. She raised an eyebrow at the Potions Master. He looked like he was quite enjoying their conversation. Hermione frowned. From the looks of it, her parents looked like they weren't bothered that she was missing. Oh great. They're really angry with her for running away from home. She quickly averted her eyes away from the teachers' table when Queen Danielle looked back at her. Just looking at her mother makes her eyes water. She really misses her. Hermione released a sigh.
Her friends were looking at her with concern and curiosity. The usual happy and bubbly Henry Gordon was missing replaced by a tired and sulky one. Blaise looked at Draco with a raised eyebrow. The blond just shrugged, telling him he doesn't know the reason for the brunette's attitude today. Mika was the only one who really knows the reason why the Princess acts like that today.
Pansy released a groan. "For crying out loud, Henry, what's wrong with you?" she asked exasperatedly. Draco and Mika looked at her in surprise. Blaise, in the other hand, looked at her with awe. Hermione closed her eyes before looking at Pansy with a forced smiled worn on her tired face.
"Nothing, Pansy. I'm fine. No need to worry," she said, trying to sound cheery but failed. She continued to poke on her pancake, not really in the mood to eat it. Someone tapped her on the shoulder and was surprised to see that it was Crabbe.
"Are you going to eat that?" he inquired, looking at her pancake hungrily. At the corner of Hermione's eyes, she saw Draco rolling his eyes. The brunette shook her head and pushed her plate towards Crabbe.
"No, you can have it if you want," she said. Crabbe gave her a goofy grin and started to tuck in. Goyle started to eat with him, too.
Hermione sighed at the sight of the two muscular Slytherins. She envies both of them because of their carefree nature. She doubts that they had problems. Except of course, hunger.
She glanced at the Gryffindor table and caught Ginny's worried look. Hermione gave her a smile which Ginny reluctantly returned and turned her back from the Princess to continue eating her breakfast. She looked at Harry who was beside the red-headed, looking at her with a longing expression and then turning back to Ronald to start another conversation about Quidditch. The brunette snorted slightly. Poor Harry Potter. If he only knew that Ginny's already engaged to someone. She imagined what his expression would be and that made her laugh a little.
Hermione then saw that Potter and the Weasel were looking at her direction right now. She glared when Harry glared and pointed a finger to her. She saw that Ron also glared at her. It seems like Harry had told Ron that she's an enemy. Hermione rolled her eyes and snorted. If only they know that the one they're glaring at is the one and only Princess Hermione Granger of the Wizarding World of France.
Harry and Ron went back into conversing, leaving Hermione alone. She saw the surprise look on Harry's face. 'Probably something that Ron had said,' she thought. She watched as The-Boy-Who-Lived stood up, eyes trained on the teachers' table. To be specific, eyes trained on the royal couple.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, your Highnesses," he said politely. A small smirk formed on his face when everyone looked at him. "But is it true that Princess Hermione, your daughter, ran away from home?"
"Harry!" she heard Ron shout.
Everyone stared at the royal couple with mouths ajar. Hermione saw that Professor Dumbledore's, Professor Snape's, Ginny's, and Mika's eyes were trained on her, making her feel slightly uncomfortable.
She then looked at the royal couple and became worried that her mother started to pale. Her father, in the other hand, has an unreadable expression on his face.
The occupants of the Great Hall murmured, telling out loud if what Harry had told was true.
And then suddenly, Queen Danielle burst into tears. That's a conformation.
Professor Snape comforted the distressed Queen while King Stephen looked at Harry. He bewitched his voice so that it would be louder.
"I see that Monsieur Weasley has already told you about this Mr. Potter," King Stephen answered. He then looked at the whole Great Hall. "I am sure that all of you are wondering why my wife and I together with Monsieur Weasley came here in Hogwarts. Am I correct?"
Almost all of the students nodded.
"We are here," King Stephen continued, "because like what Mr. Potter here had said, our daughter, our Princess Hermione Granger, ran away from home." Everyone started to murmur again. The King raised a hand to silence everyone. "We are here to find her."
"Is it because of her arranged marriage with Ron?" Harry inquired loudly. Ron, beside him, turned red because of embarrassment. Harry Potter absolutely has a big mouth.
King Stephen's eyes flickered to Harry again. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were hard. The-Boy-Who-Lived slightly became afraid at the King right now. He looked absolutely livid. "Yes, Mr. Potter. My daughter doesn't wish to marry Monsieur Weasley. And because of that, she did the irrational. She ran away from the Granger castle."
Hermione looked down, slightly feeling ashamed. Her father was still angry with her, she knows that. And her mother. Her poor, poor mother. Queen Danielle was very worried with her. She knows that. Her tears were good proofs for that. And for the very first time, Hermione slightly wishes to go back home… to reveal herself… to marry the Weasel. But slightly only.
King Stephen then excused himself and went out of the Great Hall. Queen Danielle was still crying on Snape's shoulders. The Great Hall was silent for a few minutes and then started to converse with each other. Their topic: Princess Hermione's running away from home.
"Wow, so this Princess is a rebel-type of girl," Blaise commented, running a hand through his hair. "I want to see her badly already."
"She's not a rebel, Blaisy," Mika answered, pouting. Her eyes were trained on the said Princess. "Maybe Princess Hermy has her reasons why she doesn't want to marry the Weasel."
"And what are her reasons?" Blaise asked, raising an eyebrow.
Before the little Malfoy could answer, Hermione started to talk. "Maybe, Blaise… she's being persuaded to marry Monsieur Weasley which she doesn't want to do at all because if she did, she'll regret it for the rest of her life," she answered, eyes still on the floor. "Maybe because… she wants to marry for love. To marry the man that is really destined for her."
Blaise knitted his eyebrows. "Henry, where did you get that? You are sounding like Draco, you know."
The blond glared at him, his cheeks slightly pink.
Hermione shook her head and slowly stood up. "Nowhere, Blaise," she answered. She then looked at her friends. "I'll go back to my room now. I'm really not feeling well." Before they can answer, the Princess in disguise went out of the Great Hall.
"What's his problem?" Blaise asked, looking at the others with a frown on his face. "You know, he's acting quite weird since yesterday."
Draco nodded in agreement. Pansy, in the other hand, started to stand up to follow Hermione but the blond pulled her down on her seat.
"I'll follow him," Draco said to Pansy. The Slytherin girl frowned but nodded hesitantly. Draco then gave her a small smile and then stood up. Mika immediately climbed up on Pansy's lap, watching as her big brother went out of the Great Hall, following the Princess in disguise.
Mika grinned. 'Go comfort her, brother!' she thought.
Hermione arrived in the Common Room with a frown on her face. She sat down on one of the couches and crossed her arms, staring at the unlit fireplace.
The brunette felt quite guilty right now because of two reasons. 1) She was making her parents worry and 2) she was making her friends worry, too. She massaged her temples, knowing that she'll have a headache soon. If only she didn't run away from home… no, she doesn't regret that greatly. If only her father didn't arrange any marriages for her… he shouldn't have arranged a marriage between her and the Weasel. If only her father knew that she wants to marry for love. Then everything would be all right.
Hermione sighed. Ginny was right. Her father was just too blinded by fame and fortune. It's really unfair. She was a big girl now and she can decide for herself already. King Stephen shouldn't have decided who her husband would be. She should be the one who will decide who she will marry.
Her thoughts then drifted to Draco. She has a feeling that what Ginny had told her was honestly the truth… that she's in love with him already. He'd been very kind to her since the very first day of school. He'd been a good friend, a good classmate… everything. Hermione had finally found the missing piece of her life.
But she was quite bothered by this thought. If Draco discovered that she's been lying to him… to all of them since the very first day, would he get angry with her? Would he think she betrayed them? Hermione sighed. She hopes not.
And then, the object of her affection came inside the Common Room without anyone besides himself. Draco saw her and smiled, approaching the brunette. Hermione looked down as a slight blush crept on both of his cheeks. His confession was still vivid in her mind, by the way. She then felt him sitting beside her on the couch.
At first, both didn't say any word. Hermione was thankful for this because his mere presence already comforts her. His mere presence makes her forget about her problems. Merlin, his mere presence makes her want to reveal to him that she and Sabrina Baker are one.
Suddenly, Draco sighed.
"Henry," he started. Hermione shifted uncomfortably. "We noticed since yesterday, you are acting weird. Are you all right?" Honestly, they had been asking her that same question ever since the first day of school.
Hermione didn't say anything and continued to stare on the carpeted floor.
"We're worried, do you know that?" the blond continued, worry evident in his voice. "You are rarely eating, you know. Is there something wrong?"
'Oh, there is, Draco. There is,' the brunette bitterly thought, now staring on her folded arms on her lap.
"Come on, tell me what's wrong," Draco urged. "I'm your best friend, aren't I? And best friends tell each other's secrets, don't they? Go on, Henry. Tell me what's wrong."
"Draco," Hermione said. The blond looked at her with one blond eyebrow raised. The brunette gulped, thinking that he looks absolutely handsome that time. "Draco," she repeated, "if you found out I lied to you, would you get angry with me?"
The Slytherin blond contemplated for a few moments. "Err… it depends," he slowly said.
"On?" the brunette asked.
"On the weight of your lie," Draco said and then shrugged. "I don't really know."
"What if I did lie to all of you ever since the first day of school, would you get mad?" Hermione asked, eyes still trained on the floor. "What if I'm not what you think I am? What if I'm someone who has an important role in the Wizarding World?"
Draco looked at her curiously. "All right, enough of 'what ifs'," he said, noticing the distressed look on his friend's face. "Why do you suddenly ask those questions?"
Hermione bit her bottom lip, refusing to answer.
She heard him releasing a huge sigh. And then, Draco did the unexpected. He gave Hermione a brief hug, but still, a hug. The brunette felt herself blushing again and looked at Draco with a curious look on her face. The blond just smiled back at her.
"It's a friendly hug, Henry," he said, softly chuckling. "Can't you hug a friend?"
Hermione then couldn't help but smile. She remembered when rumors about her and Ginny spread around Hogwarts. She boldly hugged Draco, telling Pansy it's a friendly hug. His words were exactly what she had told Pansy.
Draco chuckled again and mussed Hermione's short, brown hair. "Now, now, Henry. Eat properly from now on. Even though you are a guy and almost all of the girls in Hogwarts like you, you honestly have a petite body just like a woman's."
Hermione slightly froze at his comment. 'Because I'm a woman,' she thought.
He mussed her hair again. "Come on, Henry, you should eat breakfast," he said, standing up. "It's the most important meal of the day." He waited for Hermione to stand who reluctantly did. And together, they went back to the Great Hall.
"Hermione, I'm sorry about what had happened this morning," Ginny said, looking at her feet. They were again in the Room of Requirement. "Harry's a stupid git with a big mouth. I'm glad Ron had scolded him."
Hermione just shrugged and made a small smile. "It already happened. I can't do anything about it," she simply answered.
Ginny looked at the Princess in disbelief. "Did something happen?" she asked her. "Hermione, everyone knows that Princess Hermione Granger is missing." She dropped her voice a few notches. "By the way, King Stephen announced that there would be a reward to the person who found you."
The brunette looked at her incredulously. "No he didn't."
"Yes, he did," the red-head said. "Your father's desperate to find you, you know." Ginny then held Hermione's hand. "So, that means you have to always be safe. Stick with your friends and don't go near King Stephen, Queen Danielle or my brother if you don't want to get caught."
The Princess in disguise nodded. "That's what Professor Dumbledore told me," she answered.
"Wait, you went out of the Great Hall after the reward thing was announced, right?" Ginny asked, suddenly getting a bit excited when Hermione nodded. "I saw Draco following you. Tell me what happened."
Hermione slightly blushed. "He told me he's worried about me," she said, allowing herself to slightly smile.
Ginny squealed, making Hermione laugh. "What else, Hermione? What else?"
"God, look at me. Gossiping, when I should be worrying about other things," the brunette said, slightly laughing.
The red-head ignored that comment. "What else happened?" Ginny persuaded. "Come on, Hermione. Tell me. What happened?"
"All right, all right," the brunette said. "He hugged me. There, I said it. Happy?"
"Very!" the red-headed squealed. "How did you feel after the hug? The 'special feelings'? Did you feel it?"
Hermione slightly scowled. "No, I didn't feel that." Of course, she was telling the truth because she had thought about her 'special feelings' as what Ginny quoted before Draco hugged her.
Ginny pouted. "Then, what did you feel?"
The brunette smiled, thinking about this particular handsome blond. "Happy, of course," she said. "His mere hug made me forget about my worries."
The red-head smiled at her friend.
Hermione then looked at her. "You know what, Ginny? I thank Merlin because despite how nervous and scared I feel right now, I still have a friend who can still make me smile," she said.
And Ginny knew she wasn't talking about her but a certain blond.
A/N: End of chapter! Now, time for your reviews!
xoxoxo2booklover4 :)