HARRY
Around probably a month later Hermione and Malfoy were still... dating. Whatever. And Ron still refused to talk to Hermione. Ginny and Hermione had made up though (I don't think I even knew that they were fighting...) and Hermione had someone to sit next to at meal times, which made the fact that I couldn't sit next to her a bit easier on my conscience. And I don't like to think about it this way, but I kind of reckon Hermione won't sit next to me because of how good I've gotten at potions...
"Mail," Ron said, rubbing his hands together, seeing Errol fly towards us. He was probably waiting for some sort of pastries, as if the ones on the Gryffindor table weren't enough. Errol landed not-so-gracefully in front of us, and I heard Ron let out a groan as he saw that there were no sweet-carrying pastries. I grinned and resumed breakfast. "Weird," he said, looking at me.
"What's weird?"
He frowned.
"It's from George... Merlin, I can't believe this..." I raised my eyebrows and he looked at me, thoroughly pissed. Only one thing could make Ron this pissed. And that was... "He's asking about Hermione!"
I choked a bit.
"What?" I asked once I had regained my breath again, eyes watering.
"Prick," Ron muttered. "Look, he's trying to make it sound casual..."
I pushed the letter he was pushing in my face away.
I was quite impressed with Ron. After the little outburst and the whole day of not talking to me, he's been pretty fine. And, if he has to, he talks to Hermione in a calm, measured voice. Though yeah, he scowls at Malfoy every now and then... Heck, so do I. But that's just because I don't like him more than anything else. Even though I'll still never understand girls, or women, or whatever. I mean, what could Hermione possibly see in...? I'll stop now.
"It's ridiculous..." he said, shaking his head. "I mean, what – how did he find out about - ? I ..."
I let him get lost in his thoughts as I read the letter.
Hey, Ron.
What's up?
This is stupid, we both know I don't care.
I frowned a bit at this bit and realized that George just shouldn't joke in letters – it didn't read right.
Hi, Harry. I know that you're going to read this too, but I don't really care.
What I wanted to ask you (guys) was what the hell is that whole Hermione/Malfoy thing?
I put the letter by the side of my plate and stared at it.
How did he find out about Hermione and Malfoy?
I mean, yeah, the whole of Hogwarts knew. But surely the students would have something better to write home about?
See, I don't care who knows – she definitely doesn't, and I don't think Malfoy cares that much either (ew, I'm... understanding him) but I'm going to stand by my premonition that something really bad is going to happen if the wrong kind of people find out – and in this case, by the 'wrong kind of people' I mean Malfoy's fellow Death Eaters. And yeah, when I'm around Hermione (if I get around to her, Malfoy's always around her, it's just too strange, I can't even begin to comprehend... I'll stop now) I have to keep the whole your-boyfriend's-a-Death-Eater thing to a minimal, since at the slightest hint of it she'll stomp of.
I mean, I knew that she was narrowminded, but...
But surely she must have seen something on his arm... I mean, come on – all he has to do is roll up his sleeve, or she could just do it...
But then strange images fill my brain, images that should never enter my brain, images that should never be produced by my brain, images that are just too weird and just mentally scarring for my brain, images that I... that I...
See? I can't even continue. And I completely blame hormones and weird teenager-y stuff on said images and I'm going to throw up now.
"... Bye, Ron."
oOo
I reckoned that I had cheered Ron up considerably after we just went down to the Quidditch pitch to play a bit. I reckoned that I had cheered me up a bit too – it's been a rough couple of weeks, alright? It's hard being the potion's teacher's favorite (actually, the hard bit is avoiding the Slug Club parties...).
But this is were the confusion begins...
This is how it happens...
God! It's so hard for me to organize my thoughts right now!
OK, it starts like this...
Wait, no!
Why is this so hard?
oOo
GINNY
I'm going to find Ron, and I'm going to kill him.
I know, I know... I'm doing a lot of that lately – you know, the finding people and killing them thing. But this is for real. Not kidding.
What right did he had to barge in on me and Dean like that!
And Harry, just standing there... he was no better!
Alright, yes he was, he's still dreamy, but still!
This cannot stand!
The Ron and Harry barging in thing, not the I-think-Harry's-dreamy-straight-after-making-out-with-his-roommate thing.
Maybe I am a bit of a sl-
No, Ginny! Do not let Hermione's hurt hurtful words bring you down! She even apologized and said that it wasn't true!
I...
oOo
HERMIONE
"Hermione. Hermione? Hermione!"
I jumped and woke up from my homework trance.
"Harry!" I said as he frowned at me, and then I cringed. "Sorry... I have to get this in by tomorrow..."
He looked at me, surprised.
"You mean... you've left homework until the last minute?" he asked in awe.
I was about to answer and explain, but then I saw his look of awe twist into a grin.
I scowled at him.
"Go annoy Ron instead," I scolded.
He stopped grinning and sat down next to me – we were in the Gryffindor common room. You see, this is the only place I can actually do any work – library, Malfoy follows. Anywhere other than the Gryffindor common room Malfoy follows. Which is nice and all of that, but one simply cannot do his or her homework with an incredibly good-looking person next to you!
"Listen, Hermione..."
I realized something strange was going on. He pulled this strange face, and then looked at his feet and then looked like he wanted to hit something.
"What's wrong?" I asked, reluctant to put the Arithmancy essay down.
"I – I promised!" he suddenly spluttered.
I was surprised and lent back. "You promised what?"
"I promised that... Gah! Don't you remember? What I promised?"
"Harry, what's the matter? Is it...?" I mouthed the word Sirius. He had been avoiding that certain topic forever. Talk about keeping your emotions in and all that...
"No, it's not Sirius," he said, annoyed. "Hermione, I can't really talk about it, it's too weird..."
"Harry, I really don't understand-"
"Oh, I am so dead," he said, putting his head in his hands. "I mean, I don't know what I was thinking..."
I really had no idea about what he talked, but those words gave me the horrible feeling of Dejavu.
"What did you say?" I asked.
"I said..." he stopped looked at me, shaking his head. "Listen, this isn't working," he said, standing up. "I know that I promised you and everything, but I just can't. It's too strange."
"Harry, I have no idea of what you're talking about!"
"And you're supposed to be smart!" he snapped back, and then ran his fingers through his hair as I stared at him, forever confused. "I'm gonna go to bed. 'Night."
"Oh, alright. Goodnight," I sighed.
And, as he left, I remembered from who's lips I had heard it from first.
oOo
"Hermione," Draco greeted with a genuine smile. It had begun to get creepy because I was so used to scowls and smirks. But I wasn't complaining... even though I kind of was by saying that it was creepy...
"Draco," I said naturally.
We kissed.
I got a funny feeling in my stomach.
A good funny feeling.
We parted.
"I've got to ask you something," I said.
He raised one eyebrow.
"What does madame require?" he asked. I ignored the way in which he had asked it.
"You know last month... you know, the day we..."
"Began," he finished naturally.
"Yes," I nodded. "You said that you were 'so dead'."
He nodded.
"I think I did..." And then he grinned. "Yeah, I did." And then his expression became grave. Make up your mind already!
"Well... why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you say that?"
He pulled a face and walked past me. He knew that I was going to follow – he was just making it clear that that was a sensible subject and that he probably didn't want me to know the answer, or that I didn't want to know the answer. Which just made me want to know more (I know, I know him well, that's creepy too).
"Does it have anything to do with Harry?" I pressed.
He gave out a strangled laugh but then became serious again. I took that as a no.
"Ginny?" I asked. "Did she threaten you?"
"What?" he asked skeptically. "Why would she threaten me...?"
I bit my lip.
"Well then what?"
HE seemed to be having an inner battle, and then breathed, "Wrong Weasley." It seemed to take everything for him to say just that, and it wasn't as if he was being specific...
Realization dawned on me.
"Ron?"
"Yes, yes, beloved Ronald," he said in a mock voice.
"Did he threaten you?" I asked.
He didn't answer.
This time I took it as a yes.
"Not that I took any notice, mind you," he pointed out.
"Yes, that much is clear to me," I said through gritted teeth. What gave Ron the right to...?
"How did he threaten you?" I asked, hoping that it would be a minor offense.
He didn't answer again.
Oh dear...
"How did he threaten you?" I asked again, and a little more sternly.
No answer.
"How did he threat-"
"Who's threatening who now?"
"Blaise!" Draco said in... joy? Blaise flashed a smiled at us. "Hey... I'm going now. Hermione, you can hang out with Blaise. Have fun."
And he left. Before I had the chance to speak, he left!
I went on tiptoes frantically to see over the sea of heads but Blaise pulled my back down.
"Hey!" I protested, and he just smirked. What is that... a Slytherin thing? Because it is very annoying. "What are you doing?" I demanded when he wouldn't let go of my arm.
"Making sure that you don't follow," he said simply. I gritted my teeth.
"Let go of my arm," I hissed.
He put his hands up, therefore letting go of my arm. "If you say so," he said. I scowled at him and followed after the bobbing head of blond hair.
But then I stopped and remembered my promise to Ginny. I looked behind me and saw Blaise, walking away from where we had been standing... surely I owed it to her to... stir her life up a bit...?
I decided to put my harassing-Malfoy plans on hold (mostly because I knew that he wasn't going to say a thing and that it would probably end in snogging) and followed after the darker Slytherin.
"Blaise," I called. "Blaise!"
I ran up to him and grabbed him arm. He looked surprised and raised his eyebrows at me.
"We need to talk," I breathed.
He frowned.
"About what?"
"I..."
C'mon, Hermione, Ginny made this look so easy when she talked to Neville about you...
That memory alone was enough to get me to do it.
"About Ginny," I said defiantly. He looked startled. I startled Blaise Zabini. This was so amazing.
"Why?" he asked.
"Well... are you guys friends, or...?"
"Why?" he asked again.
"Well, I'm worried about her. You being a Slytherin and all..."
Now he just looked amused. And he had a right to. That had the most ridiculous...
"Yeah, we're friends," he said with a sly smile.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What do you think it means?" he asked, raising an eyebrow too. I raised my other eyebrow. So did he. This proved nothing. "Listen, you can't outsmart her," he said.
Now it was my turn to be startled.
"I... what do you mean?"
"You're going behind her back trying to be sneaky, and that's nice and stuff. But she is queen of sneaky. I really don't know why she wasn't put in Slytherin," he said thoughtfully.
I tried denial. "I really have no idea of what you're talking about..."
"Yes you do."
I failed at denial...
"Well, I can still outsmart her," I said, standing my ground. "And you."
He smirked.
"No you can't."
"I can! I'm cleverer than all of..." I stopped, realizing that I was getting a bit out of proportion with the modesty I wore so well.
He laughed.
"Alright. Whatever. I'm late for dinner."
I stared determinedly after him.
oOo
"Hermione, what is this I hear about you going behind my back to try and hook me up with Blaise?"
All I could do was blink. I swear. I couldn't speak, I couldn't move. I was just astonished.
And then she broke out into a smile.
"It's an art, love, it takes a while to learn it." And she patted me on the back and walked away.
oOo
HARRY
"Harry, you're looking a bit pale," Ron said.
I hadn't even noticed he was there.
"Oh... yeah."
"You should really eat something."
"I... wait a second, what? Who are you, Hermione?"
He had been grinning but he wasn't anymore.
This was getting stupid.
I wasn't in the mood.
I tore my gaze away from Dean and Ginny and looked at him better.
"Ron, it's the three of us. It's always been the three of us. You're being a real prick. Do you think that you throwing a strop is going to make her like you any better?"
He swallowed.
"No! That's not what I-"
"Get over yourself, alright?" I asked.
He shut up.
See, we were making real progress. Not.
It's Christmas.
I've been a bit cranky lately.
And there's a reason.
I literally have to use the passageways just to get away from girls under mistletoe. It is not amusing. In any way. It's beyond unfunny. Even though both Ron and Hermione think that it's hilarious. Of course, separately. Idiots.
I was reduced to massaging my head on the breakfast table.
"Have you thought of anyone to take to the Slugclub's Christmas party?" Ron asked, changing subject. Real progress.
I fought with my eyes... do not flicker towards Ginny... do NOT flicker towards Ginny...
"No, not really," I said, once more reduced to staring at my food.
"Well you should."
"Thanks. Genius," I said.
"Who... who's Hermione taking?"
"Ask her yourself," I asked, not in the mood. It was obviously obvious, and very annoying that he had to ask. I suppose I should have enthused this interest in Hermione's life, but, like I said, I wasn't in the mood.
oOo
GINNY
"What is wrong with you?" I demanded, hitting Ron around the head. Harry stared at me as Ron exclaimed loudly.
"Ow!"
"You are coming with me," I said, picking him up. The whole common room was watching. I didn't care.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, OW!" Ron was saying as I dragged him by his hair out of there. "What the hell?" he demanded, rubbing his head as we stood outside of the common room.
"I can't believe this!" I exclaimed.
"You can't believe what?" he asked, staring at me. I frowned at him. "Ginny, you've finally lost it-"
"I have not lost it Ronald Billius Weasley!" I shouted. He swallowed.
"What did I do?"
"Oh, what did you do? I want to know when did you do it!"
"When did I do what?" he asked, completely oblivious, apparently, to the fact that he had beaten up Draco Malfoy as a threat to stay away from Hermione.
"You can not beat people up to get what you please!" I hissed, this time lowering my voice. The lie was sad, but his face gave it all away.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
I hit him around the head again and he cried out.
"You're one to talk!"
"I'm allowed, you're my brother!" I defended, and then I sighed as he lent against the wall, feeling his head sheepishly. "Why?" I asked resignedly. "If she finds out, she'll never talk to you again."
"And that's a big improvement," he muttered sarcastically. I breathed out again.
"Listen, you're the one that's supposed to apologize to her," I made clear. He said nothing. "I can't believe this..."
"Really, Ginny? Because, if you look at it, in a way this is all your fault."
My heart dropped in surprise, and I think my face said it all. He stood up from the wall and looked at me angrily, pointing a finger at me.
"You're the one giving me hints, egging me on. You're the one insinuating that we're made for each other, that we can all be one big happy family! Well it's not your choice, by the way! It's mine! And hers. I don't know why I did what I did, alright? And you certainly don't seem to have any answers so right now you're wasting my time! But I would want to waste your time... I did it because I care about her, Ginny. And I don't have to talk to her if I don't want to, because have you ever stopped to think about how much it hurts? This isn't some game! This is my heart on the line here, not yours! I'm – I'm afraid, Ginny. I'm afraid that if I dare open my mouth to her, I'll just make everything worse than it is! And I honestly don't want that, for me or for her! If not talking to her is the best way I can go about it, that's what I'm going to do. And you obviously needed to hear this all because you obviously have to be in charge of everything that goes on between me and anyone else."
I blinked stupidly before I could say a thing, and he just stared at me, as if daring me to say anything.
"Ron, I..."
"Save it, Ginny," he cut in, shaking his head. "I don't want to talk about it."
"I really..."
"I said save it," he muttered, walking straight past me and back into the Gryffindor common room as I just stared stupidly into space.
I felt terrible. I felt so terrible I wanted to just cry.
"Ginny? What are you doing here?"
I wiped the tears that had been threatening to fall and turned to face Hermione, who had just come back from being with I-Know-Who.
"You're back late," I grinned. But then my face fell. "And that's OK! You can come back late if you want to, I don't mind..."
Hermione blinked at me.
"I hurried because I heard shouting," she explained. "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah," I lied. "Everything's fine. I just needed a bit of fresh air, that's all."
Hermione nodded.
"Well, it is late. We should get back inside."
"Yeah," I agreed. "Fine."
oOo
DRACO
Christmas this year is not funny.
"Mr Malfoy, may I have a word?"
I don't like Snape anymore. He spends a lot of his time sticking his nose into my business and that's not cool.
I stopped myself from saying, 'Yeah, you can have two, piss off.'
Hermione looked up at Snape and reddened. Which was ridiculous. He wasn't my dad.
"I'm sure Miss Granger can survive two seconds without your presence," he said stonily. I glared up at him but got up anyways.
I suppose he was probably pissed about the parchment balls I had been throwing around the classroom, but I knew better than to say that was the biggest of his preoccupations.
We stood in the corner of the Defense classroom and he whispered to me in a slow and urgent tone.
"Have you given your plan anymore thought?" he demanded.
I swallowed. I didn't like talking about that stuff with Hermione anywhere near me. I looked over to our table and she was writing silently and with a look of deep concentrating, which was just adorable.
Snape clapped loudly in front of my face, making the whole classroom jump.
"You cannot spend the whole year doing nothing but dawdling with -" he started to his, but I stopped him.
"I can't be a teenager? Is that what you're saying to me?"
"You knew the price of accepting!" he said, raising his voice slightly. And then his gaze flickered towards Potter, who was obviously listening. Idiot.
"You know that I didn't have a choice," I reminded him in a venomous voice. "I'll think of something," I then said, annoyed, and I went back to my desk.
Hermione was writing but I knew that she had been listening to every word, along with Potty and co. Stupid Snape, and in the middle of a lesson...
oOo
HERMIONE
Harry tried it again. I suppose his argument was a little more called for – I'm not ignoring the Snape thing though! He says I am. But I'm not.
Draco, on the other hand, was completely ignoring it. It wasn't even funny. But I wasn't going to bring it up... I didn't want to bring it up!
He did sense that something was wrong though.
I didn't lift my gaze to look at him that afternoon. The tree under the lake had become our spot. Nobody else set foot there anymore – I think it's because that Draco threatened to hex anyone if they did. But I didn't exactly mind. Actually, it was kind of nice. In a strange, weird way I didn't quite understand...
But it was winter now, and nearly Christmas, so it was, naturally freezing. I had conjured my usual flame in a jar, and he had insisted on making me sit on his coat – but I had refused, of course.
"You're mad at me," he said finally, sitting up straight. Neither of us had talked in a while. I swallowed but didn't take my eyes away from my quill.
"I'm not," I said calmly.
"Yes you are," he said, scooting nearer to me.
"No, I'm not."
"You are."
You could at least say why you think I'm mad...
"It's too late, you know."
Right. That made me confused. I looked up and he shrugged.
"It's way too late," he laughed smugly.
"Too late for what?" I asked, annoyed.
"It's too late for you to back out. I have you now. I'm not going to let you go."
He said this so calmly, with a matter-of-fact tone, but his gray eyes were piercing into mine with a tone of urgency.
"What about your parents?" I challenged. "I mean, your mother?" I corrected, embarrassed. He let it go.
"I haven't read a single letter. They've been bombarding in from everywhere."
I bit my lip. That didn't seem right... it didn't seem right that he had to cut off his own mother because of me...
"I don't mind," he assured me, reading my mind. "They're probably death threats from Bella anyways."
I gasped.
"It's nothing," he assured me again. I really didn't see how that could be nothing.
"How the hell can that be nothing?" I demanded.
"I won't let her near you," he said certainly. I suddenly forgot that I was mad. I had been assuming that the death threats were for him... He realized this and put an arm around me firmly. "It's alright," he said.
"No, it's not alright."
"I'm not letting you go," he said, squeezing me as if to prove his point.
"I don't need your permission," I whispered stonily.
He froze and I realized that I had gone a bit too far... perhaps I was overreacting...
"You could really leave this?" he whispered into my ear.
I felt the warm prickle of his breath run down my neck as he pushed my hair gently behind my ear. I swallowed silently as he lay his lips on my neck.
"Please stop," I whispered, trying to ignore him as hard as I could but not doing a very good job of fighting him off. "This is serious-"
"And this isn't?" he judged quietly, trying to find my lips. I couldn't help it as I kissed him back.
"This doesn't top death threats," I sighed as I lent my forehead on his, parting our lips but having our noses touch each other lightly.
"I'd have to disagree," he said, and I'm sure that he was smiling.
oOo
I'm angry at him again. I completely forgot about why I was angry in the first place!
I turned over in my bed, free to think now that Lavender and Pavarti were asleep.
I couldn't sleep at all.
I didn't want to sleep.
If I slept, I wouldn't be able to hear anyone coming...
This might sound childish, but it's not.
There is a psychopath that has allegedly posed death threats against me. I know that Malfoy read his letters. I would if my aunt might want to kill him. I guess he wasn't so much of a good liar, but he was a very good distracter...
AN - I'm writing the AN at the end so you guys didn't have to wait even longer for a new chapter. By the way, teachers and exams suck.
AND HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS ROCKS SO BAD OH MY GOD IT HAS TO BE MY FAVORITE FILM EVER AAAAAAHHHHHH!
I am in awe! It was just too awesome! If you haven't seen it, GO AND SEE IT NOW!
Aw... I want to babble about it but if you haven't seen it that'll just suck for you. So I'm trying really hard not to write anything at all ...
eiowh n ihfosofidkm dofiks
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