Recall

Damn. Hermione bent down and washed her face.

She held onto the tiled countertop as the next realization hit her.

Damn, I do.

She splashed more water to her face.

I do like him.

(oo)…(oo)…(oo)

Chapter 25

Doomed

(oo)…(oo)…(oo)

Hermione was all set as she walked out and thought about it. She had a clear head but when Draco came into view, it seemed to be all messed up and she couldn't stop herself from wanting to return to the washroom and locking herself in there. She understood now. The hesitation, the anger and the way her stomach jumped.

It was clear and she never took time to consider the possibility that she liked Draco.

I'm an idiot, Hermione thought as she sat down in front of Draco. Draco didn't react to her return and Hermione felt her mood drop when she thought of being separated from him.

You're an idiot, Hermione, she scolded herself. How could you like him?

Hermione continued to eat or at least, she pretended to.

He was never kind to you. He was always hurting you, Hermione run through her head all the things Draco did but it didn't seem to affect the way she had been hurt by the idea of being separated from him.

"Something on my face?" Draco asked and she was pulled back to her body.

"Pardon?" Hermione replied, snapping back from her trail of thought.

"Stop staring," Draco muttered and she looked away, embarrassed.

When did I start liking him? Hermione thought and her eyebrows furrowed. Will I even tell him that I like… NO! He'll tease me all throughout the year!

Hermione pushed her food to one side of the plate then pushed it to the other side as she continued to think. He won't be able to tease me if I leave and he goes back or the other way around.

She stared at her food. The silence that enveloped them didn't seem so unusual to Draco so he didn't mind her that much.

Blaise noticed. Malfoy noticed it too. Is it that obvious? How come I didn't know this earlier?

Hermione sighed.

Draco looked up at her and saw her pushing her food around the plate thoughtfully. "Have you decided?"

"Sorry?" Hermione looked up at him when she heard his voice break her thoughts.

"Have you decided?" Draco asked again.

"Er…"

"Go back or run away?" Draco asked.

"Run away," Hermione let her mouth say. I won't see my parents. "I mean, go back."

Draco eyed her. "What do you really want to do?"

"I don't know," Hermione felt her shoulders slacken in defeat. She really didn't know. The sudden realization of her liking him became a complication to her almost-always organized head. Liking Draco messed up what she had thought of for the past days.

Hermione felt two strong hands grip her upper arms and pull her up to stand. She looked up, wondering why he did it. Draco pulled her by the elbow.

"We – we haven't paid yet," Hermione protested to him leading her out the door.

"We'll go straight to the counter then," Draco led her to the cashier and Hermione paid for their meal. Draco grabbed her upper arm but without the force that bruised her in the past. He pulled her out of the restaurant as he carried her bags in the other hand.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked.

"You need air. You're over thinking."

Over thinking? Hermione wondered as she was led by him to the front of a closed shop. Draco turned and pushed her gently to the wall. She had ideas running through her head of what he wanted to do but before she could be hopeful, he let go of her and walked back a few steps.

"Close your eyes," Draco commanded. Hermione didn't follow.

"We have to decide now," Draco said in an almost-angry tone. "I know what the decision will be but I want you to see it."

Hermione stopped herself from smiling as she replayed what he said a few times, not really understanding what he meant about seeing the decision but she liked how the "we" and the "I want you to see it" sounded.

"Close your eyes," Draco said again and she complied. Hermione felt the atmosphere for any indication of movement. Draco moved to turn his back on the wall beside Hermione and leaned on it. He closed his eyes and sighed. Hermione had other ideas in her head but somehow she felt how genuine Draco's intentions were when he said that she wanted her to see the decision for herself.

"Think," Draco instructed.

"I thought I was over thinking," Hermione said, her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes remained closed.

"Think of all the reasons for you to run away," Draco continued, ignoring what she had said.

"Fear; The Dark Lord; The dark mark; My feelings for you." was Hermione's mental answer.

After a few more moments, "Think of all the reasons for you to go back."

"Mum and Dad, Grandma, Aunt Antonella, Rafael, Blaise… my family. Harry, Ron, Ginny… my friends. Me liking you," Hermione thought.

"Open your eyes and tell me what pull is greater – to run or go back?" Draco said. Hermione opened her eyes and Draco watched her blinking and adjusting to the light.

Go back, Hermione cleared her throat. "I want to go back."

Draco huffed. "Settled."

"And you?" Hermione asked him.

"I'm going back."

(oo)…(oo)…(oo)

"How do we get back then?" Hermione looked around Diagon Alley.

"Let's buy a broom and fly there," Draco said with a smirk.

"No," Hermione protested right away. "Let's floo ourselves to the manor then I can owl my parents to fetch me."

"My father…"

Hermione didn't hear the rest of the sentence when she remembered that Lucius locked it for a while and was deep in thought of what to do. She smiled to herself.

"The Weasley's place?" Hermione asked him and his eyes narrowed.

"Do you want us dead?" Draco said menacingly as they dodged the crowd and stood still at the side.

"Why? They won't kill us," Hermione defended. "I can explain."

"You don't look like the mudblood that they know," Draco huffed. "And why are you making them a choice in the situation?"

Hermione grimaced. "I'll run to them one day," she threatened.

"Can't wait," Draco challenged and walked on. He turned to Knockturn alley and Hermione, who was scared of the sudden change in ambience; she caught up with him, keeping close distance.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked.

They entered a shop and the bell clinked once to announce their entrance. The shop was filled with ancient artifacts and things unknown. A man turned to them slowly as if trying to add horror to the place. He didn't seem to have showered in days, Hermione noticed. She stayed behind Draco.

"I need to borrow an owl," Draco announced his intention in entering the shop. Mr. Borgin, the owner, eyed him for a long time then glanced at Hermione before motioning Draco to follow him to a cage at the back of the room, behind a mountain of stuff. When Hermione was about to follow, Mr. Borgin turned to her.

"Stay there and don't touch anything," he pointed at Hermione and walked away with Draco.

"What did you do?" Hermione asked, unable to keep the curiosity out of her face, as soon as Draco came back.

"Sent his owl to the manor," Draco said and waved his hand behind him nonchalantly. "We have some time, what do you want to do?"

"I'm hungry," Hermione touched her stomach consciously.

"Let's eat then," Draco turned to leave but Hermione stopped him.

"Aren't you going to thank him?"

Draco raised an eyebrow and left the shop. Hermione turned to Mr. Borgin and thanked him before running out after Draco.

(oo)…(oo)…(oo)

A few hours have passed and they haven't received a reply. Draco glanced at the clock mounted on the wall of the bookshop then out the window.

"You reckon they're with the Dark Lord?" Hermione asked, passing by the shelf that he was staring at for the past hour.

"Or they don't want us back," Draco wondered aloud.

Hermione's brows met in worry, "I don't… I… maybe… they're our parents for Merlin's sake! They can't push us out just like that," Hermione blurted before she could control her words.

Draco hushed her. "Not if another wizarding war is about to break out."

Hermione frowned and said after thinking it over and over: "The more we have to return."

Draco felt the reality of the sudden push their parents did and he was annoyed at how impulsive the idea seemed to be. They were not supposed to throw him out just like that and they didn't even prepare him for it.

"Maybe we should owl someone else," Hermione suggested when Draco remained silent.

"Don't say Potter of Weasley," Draco said in a threatening tone. Hermione scowled and folded her arms across her chest.

"I'll go to them! You don't need to go with me…" Hermione said the last two words in a whisper. She wasn't sure if she really could, considering that she returned to the wizarding world partly because of him. As soon as she said it, she felt the same thing she felt when he talked about going separate ways. She felt her stomach turn inside out and she instantly regretted saying it.

"Don't even try," Draco said gravely and that made Hermione wonder about his allegiance. But the thought was interrupted by an image of her grandmother.

"We'll owl grandma! She'll come and pick us up!" Hermione beamed.

Draco considered this and nodded when he couldn't come up with anything better. He couldn't remember an aunt, uncle or grandparent whom he could call on.

(oo)…(oo)…(oo)

"Thank you grandma," Hermione whispered to Eilynn to break the silence that filled the car. Eilynn turned to her and smiled, tucking a wisp of hair behind Hermione's ear.

They were all sitting at the back, Hermione sat between Draco and her grandmother and she could feel their thoughts were in sync: they were all thinking about what the parents did.

As Hermione and Draco thought of why their parents would even push them away, Eilynn wondered if she did the right thing picking them up even if she knew that the parents wanted them to run away.

The parents were sitting separately, still and silent, when Eilynn, Draco and Hermione entered the Roquelle's home.

"Draco," Narcissa's attention was entirely focused on him and him alone.

Thalia was the first to move, rushing to Hermione immediately.

"What happened dear? What went wrong?" Thalia started talking and searching for an injury, patting Hermione's thick coat as if she could find a knife sticking out of it.

"Mum," Hermione held her mother's hand and tried to steady her. "Mum."

Thalia didn't fight her grip and she looked up at her daughter.

"I'm fine," Hermione assured her.

"Then… why are you here?" Narcissa's voice broke Thalia's focused attention. Narcissa held her son by the shoulders. Draco raised an eyebrow and stepped away from his mother's grip.

"You…" Thalia's voice trailed off, realizing that they came back by choice. She bit her lower lip and hugged her daughter. Hermione hugged her back, feeling her mother shake and sob.

"Mum," Hermione tried to pull away but Thalia didn't let her.

Marco approached them and pulled Thalia away.

"Let's go home," he said in a broken tone. Hermione felt the air of disappointment that her father exuded and she understood why. Thalia was still crying when Marco pulled her away. Eilynn stepped forward and hugged Thalia, without saying anything, she knew of the desperation that Marco and Thalia felt: the same desperation she felt many, many years ago wanting to save at least a part of her.

Hermione glanced at Draco and his parents. Lucius had a serious look on his face like he was about to shout while Narcissa didn't keep the worry from invading every crease on her face. They all looked pale. Sick-looking blondes – even their hair seemed to be paler.

Draco glanced at her while she stared and the corners of his mouth seemed to have been pulled tight, like he was playing stare-and-don't-blink with everyone in the room. This made her worry.

(oo)…(oo)…(oo)

Author's Note: Sorry to disappoint roniloveu and TheHouseOfBlack (and you). ;) It's kind of a semi-solid plot. PyroAngel8605 and spikeecat, I'm waiting for him too but no worries, this is a Draco/Hermione fic after all. :)