All characters belong to JK Rowling
Chapter 25 – Hermione has a Headache and Draco has the Cure
Present Day:
Harry Potter felt smug, for he was only acting on a hunch, but Blaise Zabini was feeding right into his hand, so he decided to continue, since things were going his way.
Harry stood up and said, "Why don't you all have a seat, and I will tell you what Blaise is hiding from us."
"Who are you, Potter? A bloody fortune teller?" Blaise asked.
"I rather fancy myself gifted in several areas, Zabini," Harry lauded. He took Hermione's hand, and guided her from the couch to the chair by the door. He motioned for Draco and Blaise to sit on the couch. He stood in front of the fireplace and said, "Hermione, don't you think it's curious that we've known Ron Weasley for almost twenty years, and yet, we had no clue that he was gay. In fact, you dated him for years, had intimate relations with him, and yet, we never had the slightest clue he was gay."
Draco made a face and said, "Please, don't bring up the fact that she's had sex with that man. It's hard enough for me to sit next to Zabini knowing that he deflowered her." Blaise looked smug now, and Hermione looked annoyed.
"Continue Harry, and to answer your question, yes, I think that is rather odd," she said. Harry winked at her.
"Don't you also remember what happened with Percy at the Battle of Hogwarts? Remember how when he finally came to his senses, his biggest regret was the fact that he had let his family down, that he had turned against them? Remember how he promised he would never hurt his family again?"
Hermione stood up and said, "What do you know, Harry?"
Suddenly, Harry forgot that the other two were in the room. He forgot that he was putting on a show, pretending that he already knew what was going on, when he really didn't, so instead, he became excited and began to mull over the facts with Hermione. He took her hand and said, "What if Ron isn't gay? What if Anthony is using him, either under the Imperius, or some sort of potion, and he wanted Percy to really think something was going on with him and Ron."
"But why would the fact that something's going on with Ron and Anthony make Percy want to give up his post?" she said. "He still wouldn't have a reason to do so, and it's not like Anthony could blackmail him into telling people Ron is gay, because even if he threatened Percy with that, Percy wouldn't have to give up his post."
"Hey, you two, other people are in the room," Draco waved from the couch.
Hermione and Harry both turned to the couch and said, "HUSH!" at the same time.
"No manners at all," Draco said, pointing to the pair, but looking at Blaise.
"Tell me about it," Blaise said, seemingly suddenly bored.
"Okay, think about this one, what if Anthony and Percy had a long standing relationship, and then Percy found out that his brother was also seeing Anthony. He wouldn't want to hurt Ron, would he? He would want to end it with Anthony, but maybe Anthony made it clear that he would tell Ron about their relationship, if he didn't step down."
"Still, Potter, not making sense!" Hermione said, now infuriated. "So, what? Anthony has the goods on Percy, threatens to go to his 'lover' Ron, and say what, 'I'm cheating on you with your brother?' If Anthony and Ron are in a relationship, why would Anthony want to hurt someone he cares about?" Hermione said.
Draco raised his hand and cleared his throat. "I can answer that one, if you two will let a third party into your conversation. You yourself said that Anthony always disliked Ron, so he maybe using Ron as a pawn, so to speak. He's using Ron, in a fake relationship, to make Percy think it is real, so Percy must give up his post or else face giving up his brother. It makes perfect sense to me."
Hermione looked more confused than ever. Harry smiled, thinking they had it figured out, while Blaise laughed and said, "You're all a bunch of idiots, and I will be leaving now to have Hermione arrested, Draco discredited, Harry fired, and Percy brought out of office. See you all later." He started to walk out of the room, when Hermione turned him into a rat again.
"Really, again?" Harry asked, looking at her irritated.
"Well, if I'm going to be arrested, he might as well be turned back into a rat," she said. Draco put his foot on the rat's tail.
"I refuse to pick him up and be bitten again," Draco said. Hermione walked over, picked him up and put him back in her purse.
Harry said, "I really thought we were onto something," and he sat down, defeated.
"I thought you knew what you were talking about, I didn't think it was just conjecture," Hermione accused.
Draco said, "I think you were onto something, but Blaise couldn't give away his hand. He knew you were just hypothesizing the way you acted like a little girl who received her first hickey over there with Granger, all excited, hopping up and down. He knew in that instant that you weren't sure, so he decided to play it cool, and leave while he could."
"There's one way to find out for sure," Harry said. "I need to get to Ron. There's a test to perform to see if someone is under the Imperius. Next, I need to get Percy to confide in me. You two stay put, right here. I might be gone most of the night. Put the rat somewhere safe, and we'll figure out what we're to do with him later." Harry ran upstairs for a moment, and came back. He kissed Hermione on the cheek and promptly left.
Hermione held her purse away from her. It was moving, and the rat inside was squealing. "We can't really keep him a rat, can we?" she asked.
"I don't see that we have a choice," Draco said. He took the purse from her and held it up to his mouth. "Now stop moving all around, Blaise, or I might accidentally drop you down the drain or the toilet or something." Draco began to swing the purse back and forth.
"Draco, stop that," Hermione laughed. She took the purse from him and opened it up. She took the rat out of the purse. "Poor little thing looks half-seasick."
She looked around, found a teacup, and transfigured it into a cage. She put a pillow in the bottom, and laid the rat inside. "There, that should keep him safe for a while." She looked down at the little rat and said, "You know, Blaise, I really did care for you once, and I thought you cared for me."
"Words of love to a rat? Where are the photographers when I need them?" Draco asked.
"Remember, we're fighting fair now, same side and all," she reminded.
"Oh, yeah," Draco said, disappointed.
Flashback:
"Draco Malfoy is a first class rat fink!" Hermione said to Harry as she walked into her office. She rubbed her temples, because she had a terrible headache.
"What pray tell, has he done now?" Harry quizzed,, taking a bite of his sandwich, as he stood up from her desk to let her sit down.
"He's fighting the new trade law, just like he did three years ago," she said, as she put her head on her desk. "I've worked on this law for months now, trying to make sure it's fair to everyone, and he comes in and tries to muck it all up, and he has enough members of the Wizengamot in his pocket to stop the vote, damn him. I know he's just doing this to bother me."
Harry took another bite, rubbed her back, and said, "And I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that this law will cost his company millions of galleons a year. It's all just to get back at you."
"Exactly," she said.
Harry sat on top of her desk and said, "What is with you guys? Last summer you seemed almost like you liked each other, and now, he's your adversary again. It doesn't make sense; of course, nothing about your personal life makes sense."
"Coming from the man who says he'll never marry," Hermione laughed sarcastically.
"Maybe you and I should just marry," Harry said.
"Yuck, sick," she said.
"Thanks for at least stroking my ego for a millisecond," Harry said. "Now, tell me, what is with you and Malfoy? Anyone can see that he's liked you for ages, and I suspect the reason you won't commit to anyone, and indeed, keep going back to Anthony, the prat, Goldstein, when you know it will never work, is because you like Malfoy as well."
Hermione stood up and pointed toward her office door and said, "Leave my office, Harry Potter, and bite your tongue! I cannot stand that man, and he certainly doesn't like me!"
She sat back down and Harry said, "Really, Hermione? You really don't think he likes you?"
She was quiet for a while, and then softly said, "Even if that was true at one time, he doesn't anymore. It's too late." She put her head on the desk. "I have a really bad headache."
"Shut your eyes, and rest. I'll go get a headache potion for you, okay?" He leaned down and kissed her forehead, as she shut her eyes. She brought her arms up to cradle her head. Draco Malfoy had given her a headache. Yes, she would even blame him for that.
She had not seen him since August at Harry's pool party. It was now November. She had no idea what was going on with the two of them. Sometimes she thought he liked her, and other times she thought he was just playing games with her, infuriating her for fun, but then there was that kiss at Harry's house that past summer. What was that about? It was bordering on brutal. It was not how she imagined him kissing her, not that she had ever imagined it or anything.
Still, for the past five years, ever since she graduated from college, he had been telling her off and on that he loved her. No, wait a minute; didn't it even start before then? During school? Hermione couldn't remember. She didn't want to remember. He confused her so much. They had shared so many nice moments together over the past few years, and just as many awful ones.
Now there was this stupid article in the paper about him. If she were honest, it was the article, and not the fact that he was trying to overturn a law, which made her upset.
The article said he was engaged to be married. There was even a picture of him and the stupid bint, whoever the hell she was. They looked so pretty together. It made Hermione want to hurl. Her head was pounding now. What was worse, she was expected to go to her parents' house tonight, and she was supposed to take Anthony, but she didn't want to do either. She and Anthony had decided a while ago to just remain friends. Anthony said that other people didn't have to know that. Anthony thought that they should 'appear' to remain dating, and Hermione couldn't see the harm, so she agreed.
She was just tired of pretending. She wanted someone who would really love her, and only her. Someone who wanted to spend time with her, treat her well, kiss her lips gently, and tell her she was pretty. Someone who did nice things for her, and who bought her nice presents, and told her they loved her. Oh, heaven help her, she wanted Draco Malfoy. He was all of those things, he had done all those things, but she let him go, and by golly, she couldn't do anything about it now.
That didn't mean she loved him, or anything. No, she definitely did not love him. He was an insufferable arse-hole and she did not love him at all!
Her head hurt enough that she wanted to cry. The headache made her tears start to fall, not any other reason, and certainly not the fact that she had lost her chance with Draco Malfoy.
She heard her door open. She kept her eyes closed. She didn't want Harry to see her crying, because he would think it was because of Malfoy, and not the headache. She said, "Just put the headache potion on my desk, Harry. I'll take it later. I can't even see straight, my head hurts so badly." She sniffled and continued to cry. "And before you say anything, I'm only crying because my head hurts so very badly."
She felt a hand gently go to her head, and begin to stroke her hair. She cried harder. The hand withdrew and she said, "No, Harry that felt good, continue. I lied before. I'm not only crying about my head. I'm crying because no one loves me, but also because my head hurts."
She heard a chuckle. She said, "It's really not funny, Harry. Maybe you're right; maybe you and I should say 'damn the torpedoes' and just get married to each other. Screw the rest of them, right? You know better than anyone that Anthony and I will never marry."
The hand stroked her hair again. The person stood behind her chair, and placed the other hand on her shoulder. She said, "Did you see in the paper where Draco Malfoy is getting married?"
"Hmm," he answered. His hand temporarily stroked her cheek, as her head lay sideways on her arms. He brushed her tears away with the tips of his fingers, and then both hands went down her shoulders and up again.
"Well, good for him for finding someone he loves. See, you were wrong, he doesn't care for me," she said, stifling a whimper. Her tears hitched in her throat, as her body began to rack harder with tears. "I mean, I might have thought he cared for me at once, and I might have thought that I cared for him, but we were both wrong, apparently."
The person behind her began to massage her neck and shoulders. She left her head on her arms, on her desk, and tried to control her crying. One of his hands moved her hair slightly off her face, as it lay on her arm. He put her hair behind her ear, as she said, "At least you love me, don't you?" He leaned down and kissed her cheek lightly, and then her neck. His right hand stayed on her shoulder, as his left hand went under her hair, and stayed on the back of her neck.
"Yes," he whispered in response. He put a hand on her forehead, stroked her hair, and then placed both hands back on her back. He rubbed her shoulders again, and she began to relax. Her crying stopped. She felt lethargic and sleepy all of the sudden.
She said, "I could go to sleep, that feels so good. It's even helped my headache."
He leaned down once more, and kissed her cheek again. He whispered softly in her ear, "Go to sleep, it will be alright."
"No it won't because you are right, I might have really have had a relationship with Draco, if I hadn't been so stupid. It's too late now." She began to cry anew. She started to raise her head from the desk, but he put his hand on her head softly, stroking it again, keeping her from sitting upright. He put his hand softly over her eyes.
He leaned down again and whispered, "Close your eyes." He moved to the side of her now, and leaned down once more and kissed the top of her head. His hand moved in circles on her back.
She kept her eyes shut, and soon, the gentle stroking of her hair, and the occasional rubbing of her neck, shoulders and back, lulled her off to sleep.
She awoke a short moment later to the sound of Harry coming in the office, with a vial of headache potion in one hand, and a glass of water in the other. She looked up from the desk, and was confused. He said, "Sorry it took me so long, but I was talking to Percy. Here's the headache potion."
She sat up completely now and said, "Weren't you just here?"
"No, I've been gone for about twenty minutes. I just got back," he said, handing her the vial.
She looked around her office, bewildered and puzzled. On her desk was a note that said, "Don't worry, it's not too late."
What happened here? Was it all a dream? What wasn't too late?
Present day:
Draco was sitting outside by Harry's pool, and Hermione came outside, with a cup of tea. "Do you want a cup?" she asked.
"No, thank you. Potter not back yet?" he asked.
"Not yet," she confirmed.
"Where's the rat?" he asked, smiling.
"I gave him some water, and he appears to be sleeping." She started to sit in the chair beside him, but he patted his lap. She smiled and climbed on his lap. He put his arms tight around her. She said, "I have a slight headache."
"I'm sorry, I am sure you do. It's been quite a day," he said. He took the cup from her and as she rested her head on his shoulder, he began to stroke her head. "Does that help?"
"Yes, it does," she said. She realized that this wasn't the first time he had done this to her. Without opening her eyes, for fear of what she might see, she said, "What made you wait for me for so long?"
"I loved you," he answered plainly. "What made you wait so long to tell me that you loved me? I suspect you knew that you did for a long time, I mean; you more or less told me that you suspected you did as well. Why didn't you just come out and say it sooner?"
She felt like crying. She threw both arms around his shoulders, kissed his neck, and said, "It's my fault that we wasted so much time, isn't it?"
She looked up at him, and he was smiling. He nodded his head and said, "Yes, yes it is. It's your fault entirely." His smile relayed the fact that he was lightly teasing her, yet there was truth in his words.
"I tried to ask you this earlier," she said, "but you never really answered. Do you want me to concede my nomination?"
"No, I want to win or not win on my own merit. I think if you win, I would make an awesome Undersecretary, don't you?" He kissed her cheek, and trailed a row of kisses over to her neck and back again. He put his hand on one breast, over her dress, and stroked it back and forth, until he felt her nipple become erect.
He said, "Did you know that day, so long ago, at Potter's little pool party, I kept waiting to get a good look of you, and I wanted to make love to you right there in that pool. Damn all those other people for being there."
"Too bad the pool is covered and it's too cold for swimming," she said.
"I notice he has a hot tub," Draco said, cocking his head toward the hot tub.
Hermione looked in the direction Draco motioned, and frowned. "When did he get that, the randy little bugger?"
"Shall we try it out, you and I?" Draco asked.
"We don't have swimsuits," she laughed.
"Now, Granger, we are a bit past the swimsuit stage of our relationship," he scolded.
"This is a Muggle neighbourhood, and I know he has a pretty high fence, but still I don't know what types of charms and wards he has around his yard." Hermione looked around. "What if someone would see us?"
"So, some Muggle neighbour of Potter's sees us in the hot tub, making love? Do we care? Come on, I practically raped you in a Muggle restaurant, and you didn't complain, unless all those little moans and groans were your way of telling me to stop."
She hit his chest. She said, "If something bad comes from this, I will hold you personally responsible."
"You always do, and by something bad, do you mean like a rash or something?" he said, amused.
"I mean if anyone finds out or anything." She rolled her eyes and said, "A rash, indeed."
"Is that a yes?" he asked, all happy all of the sudden.
"Go get naked, and I'll meet you out here, after I get some towels," she said.
Draco jumped up, pushing her off his lap. He said, "Happy, happy, joy, joy!"
Hermione laughed and said, "Okay, don't get all insane on me." She went up to get some towels. Draco went in the house to undress.
In addition, a photographer far away adjusted his zoom lens.