Author's Note: Hi… I know I've been horrible and haven't updated this in forever and a day but I'm been extremely busy, not to mention the writer's block I've had. So as an added bonus this post is nearly double the length it normally is!
Happy readings!
::Chapter Twenty-Nine: Hero::
A few days passed and even though it seemed as though Hermione had forgiven Draco for telling her that they wouldn't be able to go.
"Hermione!" Parvarti called cheerfully one morning upon entering the Great Hall for breakfast. Hermione looked up from her plate and glanced curiously at her friend. "Did you get Ron and Lavender's wedding invitation?" She asked carrying what looked like the invitation she had received a few days before.
"Yes." Her tone dropped a little.
"Why do you seem so glum? He's your best friend I thought you'd be happy." She paused for a moment and a look of realization crossed her face. "You don't love Ron do you?" She asked in a low voice, checking to make sure Draco wasn't around. Thankfully he wasn't because Hermione began to shout.
"Me love Ron?" She burst into fits of laughter. "Parv, we fought constantly." Parvarti glared at her.
"Oh and you and Draco never fought at all."
"How so?"
"That's entirely different."
"Because Draco isn't like a brother to me."
"I sure hope so." She muttered. "So, how is Ron taking the fact that you're bringing Draco?" Hermione sighed.
"Well for starters, he doesn't know. And second, Draco isn't going."
"What do you mean he isn't going? There is no reason why he can't go. I mean he may not be best friends with everyone there but he's a different Draco than the one that we knew growing up."
"There's too much bad publicity around his name," She began. "And with him being an ex-Death Eater and all it doesn't help."
"Do you want me to talk to him?" Parvarti asked.
"No, it's all right." Hermione shrugged. But what Hermione didn't know was that Draco was having and emotion battle of his own.
Inside of his green clad dormitory, Draco seemed to have taken on a separate personality. 'I feel awful for not being able to be there for Hermione.' He thought to himself, packing back and forth on the plush forest green carpet. 'But I can't just show up at my foe's wedding and expect to just be treated like everyone else. Because I am most definitely not… And I don't think showing up in what is most likely to be a room full of Aurors would be a good idea considering my position right now. But… I love Hermione, and I don't want to see her hurt.' The battle in his head became a full out war when each side seemed to be fighting their battles vigorously. Finally he came to a decision, and he planned to stick with it. The battles had ceased, but he knew that more were to come.
"Milord." The young man bowed lowly nearly touching the floor with his head.
"Stand up." The willowy man snapped. "Do not bother me unless you have some useful information."
"We have found him." The younger man's voice quivered. "The Dark Lord…" The willowy man glared daggers at his servant. "We have found the one sir, the one that we must kill."
"Perfect." He sneered. "Where is he?"
"The only place where he can't escape." The young man smirked, much to the annoyance of his master.
Hermione entered her chamber after another endless day of work. From having to sort through the never ending feuds between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins she was both mentally and physically exhausted. The clock on the wall now read nine o'clock at night and she had one classes papers left to check and grade. The crimson and gold bed just looked so alluring. She glanced between the mahogany desk and the bed looking as the bed wistfully. She craved the warmth of the covers, the relief that swept through her body when her head touched the feather soft pillow. She looked back at the desk, the hard wooden desk, and scowled. The comforts of the bed were too alluring. She felt herself caving into its power, not even bothering to change into her nightclothes. Once the covers were wrapped around her petite body she let out a sigh of content.
"Hermione…" A gentle, male voice, called. She groaned and he took it as her way of saying 'come in'. As Draco entered the room and noticed Hermione in a rather peaceful state a roguish grin shrouded his face. He ran over to her bed and began jumping up and down on it as to arouse her from her slumber.
"Draco, if I didn't love you and value your company, you'd be a dead man." She hissed through clenched teeth. Sitting herself up in the bed she reprimanded him. "You are so childish. A grown man jumping up and down on the bed like a two-year old." She groaned again. "Draco please, I'm exhausted. The only reason I'm awake right now is because tomorrow is a Saturday and I can sleep in sheer bliss. Of course, you're ruining it right now." A scowl pricked at her lips and she welcomed the unkind gesture.
"Fine then. I won't tell you I've decided to come to the wedding with you." He smirked, starting for the mahogany door that matched with the décor of the room. Hermione leapt out of the bed and nearly tackled Draco to the ground.
"Are you serious?" She asked making sure it wasn't just a ploy to get her out of her sanctuary.
"I'm serious. I can't make you miserable because I'm afraid of hundreds of Aurors." He said sardonically.
"You're not like that anymore. And besides, they have no reason to arrest you. You defeated the Dark Lord, well, the second Dark Lord."
"Are you saying I've taken Potter's role of Hero?"
"My hero at least." She smiled softly. He detained her lips in his.
"Milord…" Pritchard nearly whimpered. "This is the place." He pointed out.
"You think of me as a fool?" The man hissed. "I know this is the place, I also know I cannot penetrate the grounds."
"Perhaps not. But I do have a way to get in."
"Before we go to the wedding there's just one last think I'd like for us to do." Hermione said, lying on Draco's bed, watching, as he got dressed for the day.
"What's that?" He asked. Tonight was the rehearsal dinner for the wedding, and the ceremony followed the next day.
"I'd like to make a trip out to the country… Just to visit my parents." Draco's hands fumbled with the tie he was attempting to fasten. "It's not really a big deal."
"Not really a big deal. That's like me telling you we're going to go talk to my mother."
"I'd love to meet your mother."
"And she'd love to meet you. But nerves are involved."
"Listen." Hermione said, getting up from the bed to assist him with his tie. "Just be the sweet, charming, adorable, man that I know you can be and you'll be fine."
"What if he goes into hiding and 'Malfoy the Prat' comes back?" That caused her to giggle.
"Then he'll have to deal with me." He smirked. "Or should I say, he'll have to deal with the insufferable know-it-all version of me."
"You're no fun."
"Come on, we're going to be late."
"You're serious?"
"Completely."
"When do we attack?" Pritchard asked. It seemed as though his voice never ceased to quake.
"Tonight, after they return from dinner." The man collapsed his hands together.
"Mum, Dad. This is Draco." Hermione said as her mum stood there at the door with her father standing behind her.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Draco, we've heard so much about you." Andrew Granger stepped up.
"Hopefully it was all good things." Draco's cheeks flushed ever so slightly.
"They were wonderful things." Helen Granger said moving out of the way of the door. "Won't you two come in?"
"Thanks Mum." Hermione said walking into the foyer, nearly dragging Draco behind her.
"How's the job going?" Helen asked her daughter as they sat down in the living room.
"Good."
"What is it you do, Draco?" Andrew asked.
"I'm teaching at Hogwarts currently."
"Really? What course?" Helen asked. "Those magic courses have always interested me. It's such as shame that Hermione is the only one in our intermediate family with magical abilities."
"Potions." He said.
"Oh, fantastic. All of the ingredients and the complex directions. It must be fascinating."
"It is. But it's nothing like Hermione's Transfiguration course."
"Well we're very proud of her." Helen smiled, and Hermione flushed.
"Now that we're past formalities, I need to ask a rather important question." Andrew began, Hermione and Draco felt their stomachs do somersaults. "What are your plans for my daughter?"
"Plans, Sir?"
"Yes, what do you see for you two in the future?"
"Hermione and I have been through a lot together, and it just seems like someday I'd like to ask her to marry me. I'm not saying it's going to be anytime soon, or anything that we'd rush into. But I do love her, and I think it's something we're going to come to eventually." The room was silent for a minute and Draco shifted in his seat uncomfortably.
"Good answer." Mr. Granger said.
"See, that wasn't so bad." Hermione said as they arrived at the dinner hall for the rehearsal dinner. She gripped his hand in hers as though it was the only thing keeping her from running out of the hall.
"That's because you weren't the one being interrogated." Draco said as they made their way toward the room being used.
"No, but this is the part I'm dreading." She took a sharp intake of breath and exhaled slowly to attempt to calm her nerves.
"Relax, it's going to be alright."
"Right, nothing anyone can say is going to effect us. You're not a Death Eater, you're not a criminal, and this is just a room full of Aurors…"
"Just, relax. Deep calming breaths." Draco told her as he opened the door. For once he thanked Hermione's want to be early. Only a few people were there.
"Hermione!" Molly Weasley yelped, embracing the girl who had become a daughter-like figure. "So it's true." She mused looking down at their hands in each other's. "Draco Malfoy… Nice to see you." She forced out.
"Mrs. Weasley, he isn't the Death Eater he used to be." Hermione said. "He really has changed. If anything can change your opinion, maybe it's the fact that I love him." Molly forced a smile.
"Just don't let Harry hear you say that. He's not quite over the break up." The elder Weasley said in a low voice. Hermione bit her lip and looked down at the ground.
"Hermione, don't be ashamed. You should follow your heart. Not your head." She tapped the young woman on her head lightly.
"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley. Well, I supposed I best go say hello to Ron." Hermione said spotting her best friends across the room.
"Of course, dear." She said, moving to go talk to her husband.
"Hello Ron, Lavender." Hermione said with a smile upon approaching the group. She spotted a figure she hadn't noticed before. "Hello Harry." She choked out.
"Oh my god, it's true?" Lavender grinned. Lavender Brown… always was the gossip queen. Hermione held back the sudden urge to roll her eyes.
"Yes, it is." She glanced at Harry to see if he made any movement at all, he didn't.
"Hermione…" Ron began. "I think we need to talk." She sighed.
"Draco, can you please excuse us for a minute?" She asked.
"Of course." He said as she pulled Ron outside of the hall.
"What?" She asked.
"Malfoy?!" He yelled. "Are you mad?!"
"Ron, did I say anything when you started dating Lavender?"
"No."
"Then it's your turn to keep quite about my relationships."
"I did. Harry, remember him? Your best friend, the guy who proposed to you…"
"Ron, I know who Harry is. He's my bloody best friend." Her temper began to rise.
"You sure don't act like it anymore. I can't believe you cheated on him."
"It's not like I planned it, Ron." She nearly yelled out exasperated.
"It sure seems otherwise. How long did this last?"
"Well… For… A while." A nervous voice left her mouth.
"How long?"
"Six months…" She said. He opened his mouth to chide her. "Plus the three when he kidnapped me."
"You have got to be kidding me."
"I'm so sorry Ron. I feel like I've betrayed you."
"Betrayed? No. Hurt? Yes. 'Mione you have no idea how upset Harry has been over this whole thing. You were his world and to find out that you cheated on him with our sworn enemy kills him."
"What am I supposed to do to make it up? It's not like I can just pretend that I don't have feelings for Draco. My god Ron, I'm in love with him."
"I know."
"Then why are you doing this to me?"
"Harry's my best friend…" Hermione cut him off.
"He's mine too!"
"It doesn't seem like it anymore."
"Ron, let's drop it. This isn't about me, or Harry, or Draco. This is about you and Lavender."
"Right. Let's get back to the group." He held open the door for her and they made their way back to the group.
