Chapter 36
Draco looked at Hermione in disbelief.
"Ron? As in the Weasley? That Ron?" Hermione nodded slowly, her eyes moved away from Draco and glazed over as she stared deeply into the flickering flames.
"What other Ron do we know?" Hermione asked him shock still etched in her voice.
"It couldn't possibly him. He's a scumbag sure but even I would never picture him doing something that low." Draco tried to shake the notion from his head; he tried to find some other person that could possibly do something like this, some Slytherin. The fact that a Gryffindor, let alone Hermione's best… well former best friend, he couldn't wrap his brain around.
"Think about it Draco what other person would want me to be as far away from you as possible, that know about us?" Draco's mouth opened to protest but no words could come out to retort. Hermione's logic made sense; Ron was the only one that he could think of that would do anything to keep them apart. He resisted the urge of hitting something, like the stone wall, and sat down next to Hermione and stared into the fire as well.
"Hermione, what did my father say to you exactly?"
"To stay away from you or else he'll—" Hermione looked at Draco, her eyes wide.
"Kill you." Draco finished for her.
"Yeah. Do you think we should tell Dumbledore about this and what we think?" asked Hermione.
"You know how I hate trusting that old coot." Draco protested, he didn't want to have to go back to Dumbledore in the same day with another problem.
"Well the other option is that I stay away from you. I'm sure you would love that."
"Not really." Draco sighed knowing that he would pick the Dumbledore option; despite is hatred of having to depend on others. He had always been taught that Malfoy's don't need to depend on anyone but themselves, despite the fact that being a bloody Malfoy had got him into this whole disaster.
"Right, so go to Dumbledore or follow your father's terms you pick."
"Anything to keep you around." Draco chuckled tensely.
"Thanks." A momentary silence fell between the two. Hermione leaned against Draco's heaving chest and closed her eyes as Draco wrapped the arm that was lying on the back of the couch around her gently, pulling her closer to him.
"Draco?" Hermione whispered.
"Hmm?" Draco pulled his eyes from the flickering flames and looked down into Hermione's eyes.
"I'm scared."
"I know, I'm scared too." Draco pulled her even closer to him wiping away a single tear that fell from her eye.
"Do you think it would be better if I do just stay away from you?"
"Hermione," Draco lifted her chin with her finger so that he could gaze at her with ease. "Don't ever think that. I will do all in my power to protect you, no matter what." Hermione nodded and wrapped her arms around Draco's waist holding onto him to make sure he didn't disappear into thin air. Draco closed his eyes and bent down to kiss the top of Hermione's head, then began to stroke the back of her bushy chestnut brown hair.
"You know we still have to patrol the school tonight." Hermione said softly as she continued to hold on tightly to Draco.
"I wonder how interesting tonight is going to be, how many couples to you think we'll find tonight?"
"I dunno, maybe about four, what do you think?" Hermione breathed
"I was thinking that we wouldn't find any." Hermione gave Draco an odd look as he normal guessed about eight or nine. Draco looked down at Hermione and gave her a sly wink before returning his gaze to the roaring fire.