A/N Id just like to thank SaphireRubyHilton, Rose Weasley, and Nikhil Malfoy for reviewing to my last chapter, much appreciated. Looking forward to writing the next chapter! Review if you can and see you at the end.
Chapter 29 - Ring A Ring O' Roses
"Hermione calm down," Draco pleaded but Hermione was screaming incoherently. "Merlin just calm down!" Draco tried, walking over to her but she backed away into the sofa, face contorted in horror. "What did you do?!" She screamed at him, "What happened? What did you do?!" Draco shuffled his feet, seriously wishing he'd cleaned himself up a little before seeing her. Seriously though; he only had a few cuts and bruises - and a gash on his head somewhere behind his left ear causing half of his platinum hair to turn a violent shade of red. But he'd seen her in far worse conditions. "Tell me what -" she began, but was cut off as two figures skidded to a halt outside the portrait hole and a third, smaller figure came panting into view, clutching a stitch. Upon seeing them, Draco clapped a hand to his forehead and groaned. "Fucking hell mate," Blaise murmured from the open portrait hole, stepping in with the other two. "Your an idiot," Theo blurted out, before turning to see Pansy who was seething with rage. He quickly cast a silencing spell around the room and closed the portrait silently. "Pansy -" Draco began but Pansy had erupted in anger.
"Never! Never again am I doing anything for you if you come back looking like this!" She screamed at him.
"It's just a bit of blood!" Draco moaned hopelessly, but Hermione was rounding on him now too.
"And what did you do to get that blood, Draco? Hu? And what's this about Pansy doing - but no. I mean, you wouldn't by any chance have happened to go home today have you?" Hermione asked, suddenly a lot more angry than before. When she saw Draco glance elsewhere, she erupted, "DRACO MALFOY! You told me you were in the Slytherin common room. I TRUSTED you!"
At this, Draco looked up from the floor and said in a deadly whisper, "You think I did this to hurt you? You think I risked my own bloody life because I wanted to? You think I went home just to pop in and say hi? Unbelievable. Salazar Hermione you can be really thick at times. You know that right?" Hermione was close to tears now, Blaise and Theo were dumbstruck and Pansy was looking hurt and angry. He walked over to the sofa and collapsed into it. They all followed suit, Hermione a little more reluctantly than the others.
Nobody said anything. Both Hermione and Pansy were looking furiously at Draco, Hermione seeming fairly hurt, Pansy downright appalled. Blaise and Theo were giving him similar looks, but at least they weren't giving him too hard a time about it. Draco was looking determinedly at the empty grate, concentrating on breathing in the smells around him; lavender and cat. He glanced timidly towards the source of the lavender and the source looked back, somewhat hurt. Far less hurt than he felt, however. Did she really think he'd done this out of choice? He'd grown to like Hermione's lavender body wash more and more recently, almost forgetting his initial hate of the smell. It reminded him of her and, unless he was anywhere near Voldemort, that was always a good thing. Crookshanks hissed at him from Hermione's feet and the other three Slytherins turned in surprise. Pansy longed to pet the creature but thought the timing was highly inappropriate. Still, she did make an "awe it's so cute!" face before here eyes snapped back on Draco, glaring.
"Well if your not going to say anything then get up to the hospital wing," Theo said sharply, somewhat pissed off.
Draco glared at him and grumbled, "It's only a scratch."
"Your head isn't, it's pretty screwed actually," Blaise replied tonelessly.
"I thought you trusted me," Hermione began quietly to which Draco banged his fists on the table and shouted, "Fine! You want to know? I'll tell you. Father wrote ages ago demanding my presence at the manor today because the Dark Lord wants me to complete a task to redeem myself." Pansy, Blaise and Theo looked nervously away, all dreading the time when they'd have to take the mark. "What's... The task?" Hermione asked timidly. Draco looked at her long and hard.
"He wants me to find out where Potter is. If I don't, he'll kill my mother. He punished me for my insolence and lack of loyalty. Must've hit my head on the way down," he muttered.
"The cruciatus?" The head girl asked tentatively into the silence. Draco nodded and Hermione broke into angry tears. "You should have told me! We could have gone to McGonagall!" She sobbed.
"That wouldn't've stopped him killing my parents would it?" He sneered back. Hermione bit her lip, not liking the coldness in his voice. "Well it was her own fault really," he thought savagely, "If she couldn't trust him to make his own choices - or at least do what he had to do to stop the people he loved from getting murdered."
"You still should have told me, should've trusted -" she began but Draco had lost his tether.
"Do you not get it?!" He shouted, making Pansy jump back in the sofa. Hermione didn't flinch. "I'm a death eater! Look at this! LOOK AT IT!" He roared, ripping up his sleeve to show Hermione the jet black tattoo on his forearm. Now Hermione flinched, trying not to look at the writhing snake and skull but Draco had shoved it right under her nose. This was the first time she'd actually looked at it. "This is who I am! I'm not some good, loyal Gryffindor Order person! I'm not good! I'm not on your side! I'm everything your not and your everything I'm not. I -" but Hermione had slapped him across the face, hard. Draco breathed in sharply, knowing he deserved that. "Shut up. I know none of that's true, at least it's not what you want. You may not be branded a Gryffindor but you are good, loyal. I've seen it. You're loyal to your friends, to me but also to your parents like any other person should be. I get that and I get why you didn't tell me but don't you dare brand yourself as an unloyal death eater because we all know that that's not true," she said angrily, confidently. Draco admired her strong will; a part of him wanted to agree with her but he didn't know if she was right. "I'm a... I'm dangerous Hermione. I'm a monster," he said, voice cracking and eyes welling with stubborn tear which he swatted away.
"No you're not!" Hermione told him firmly.
"Yes, I am."
"Did you choose this?" She asked. He shook his head, closing his eyes and letting the first of the tears fall. "Did you want this?"
"No," he choked hoarsely.
"Would you remove it, if you could, and stop being a death eater and no one would get hurt because of it?" She asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Yes," he whispered, opening his eyes which were glistening with tears.
They sat like that for minutes, no one daring to break the bliss. Eventually, Hermione straightened her back. "Please Draco. I need you to tell me when your leaving. I need you to trust me," she begged.
"I trust you," he said quickly, "Hermione you're one of the only people I truly trust. But it's too dangerous for you to -"
"Shut up. You really want to talk to me about danger?" She asked. She had no idea.
"No I suppose not," he sighed, grinning. She smiled. Blaise coughed, loudly.
"So I guess this means..." Pansy said after a long pause.
"You trust me right mate?" Blaise asked Draco, causing both Pansy and Theo to facepalm. Draco stared at his lack of common sense and said, "yes, although hard to admit maybe but I still trust you when it comes down to it." Blaise smirked.
"I like your cat," Pansy told Hermione.
"Thanks. Now, Draco, hospital wing. Now!" Hermione said, chivying Draco towards the portrait hole. Draco groaned and got up.
Madam Pomfrey fixed Draco up within seconds, thankfully not asking any questions at all - probably presuming he'd got himself into a fight. It was fairly painless, a few twinges and then it was done, vanished. Not even a scratch. He felt a little shaky but put it down to enduring the cruciatus curse for however long he was under it for.
BEEP! A faint ray of sunlight trickled its way into Hermione's dorm on February the 14th. The weather had finally started to warm a little and the snow had completely cleared, leaving great pools of water in the vegetable patch and rivers by the greenhouses. Hermione drew the blankets up to her neck and shivered slightly, a chill rushing through her. BEEP! Yawning and stretching she turned and feebly searched for her alarm clock, eventually finding it and turning it off. She rolled back over, seeing the sunlight now streaming through her window and groaned. Crookshanks leapt up onto her bed and mewed loudly. "Crooks," moaned Hermione, pushing him off the bed. The ginger fur ball landed in a disheveled heap on the ground and hissed at her. "Sorry," she mumbled, burying her face in her pillow. Then it hit her. Today was Valentine's Day! And that meant "I need to get up!" She shot out of bed, nearly trampling Crookshanks who hissed again, and attacked her mane of hair with a hairbrush.
As she emerged through her dorm door, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist and a voice whispered in her ear, "Happy Valentine's Day love." Hermione's stomach did a little flip.
"Happy Valentine's Day Draco," she smiled back, leaning into him.
"Will you go on a date with me?" He asked softly, "Hogsmeade, lunch?"
"Of course!" Hermione grinned, feeling ecstatic. But then the balloon popped and her shoulders sank. She still didn't have any money. That bloody broomstick! Shed barely had enough to buy his Valentine's present! She'd have to scratch something together. "Everything all right?" Draco asked, concerned.
"Of course it is," Hermione said briskly, untangling his arms from her waist and walking over to the kitchen to make herself a mug of steaming coffee.
The cool morning breeze whipped their hair once they'd left through the oak front gates, sending chills down the couple's spine. Hermione'd met a solemn and miserable looking Ginny in the great hall for breakfast, along with Neville and Luna, Dean and Parvati and Seamus and Leanne. She'd smirked at a disgruntled looking Draco over at the Slytherin table (or the table which was the Slytherin table), who had sat next to Daphne, who'd sat on top of Blaise, heatedly kissing each other for the duration of breakfast.
"Shame that Potter isn't here for your Weaslette friend," Draco said openly. Hermione stared. "Really?" She asked.
"Yep, she looked pretty out of place at breakfast, I mean most you lot have a date today," Draco continued.
"I'm sure Harry is... Fine," Hermione said shortly. Draco eyed her. "I'm not telling you where he is Draco!" She stropped suddenly, "I really can't okay. I don't even know their exact location."
"But -"
"No, Draco. Can we just not talk about this today?"
"Of course," Draco mumbled. "My head's freezing," he said, in a stroppy manor. Hermione smirked, she having brought a hat with her. "How's all your other friends?" He asked.
"They're good, you looked pretty put out though. Breakfast on the Slytherin table not quite satisfactory?" She smirked deviously. He glowered at her.
"There was nothing wrong with breakfast," he said shortly.
"Really? I think Blaise would disagree. I'm pretty sure the only thing he ate for breakfast was Daphne's tongue," Hermione chortled and Draco nudged her, chuckling. "Where we going anyway?" Hermione asked playfully.
"I'm not going to Puddifoot's, so that's Three Broomsticks or Hog's Head," Draco responded.
"Why?" Hermione asked innocently.
"I'm not going for lunch to a pink smoochy teashop," Draco said clearly.
"Okay okay," Hermione laughed, "Hog's Head then, obviously."
The two of them stepped into the dusty building, gazing around at the semi filled room. Couples of all ages were scattered around the room, some dodgy looking men were smoking something which was giving off orange fumes sat in the corner and a small gathering of people were sat chatting at the bar. Pink, heart shaped bunting hung from the wooden beams above their heads and miniature cupids fluttered in and out of the rafters. Pushing their way in slightly, they found a nice little table by the window and sat down. Hermione gazed uneasily out of the window. How could she have been so stupid as to buy him a firebolt for Christmas? She had no means of getting money and she barely had a galleon left in her vault. Noticing her distressed look, Draco gave her a puzzled look and put one of his hands on her's, saying, "Are you sure everything's alright?"
"Yeah," she murmured, turning to face him and smiling as best she could. At least he couldn't tell the difference between her forced smiles and genuine smiles.
He could tell she was forcing herself to smile, but she didn't need to know he knew that. What mattered was that he changed the subject so that she could put on a real smile and forget whatever was bugging her. A gruff looking elderly man came over to their table and asked, "What d'ya want ter drink?"
"Two butterbeers," Draco said.
"Please," Hermione added, glaring at her boyfriend. The bartender narrowed his eyes at the pair of them.
"Aren't you Mr Malfoy's son?" He asked the boy, who glowered and nodded.
"And aren't you -" he began but Hermione cut across him.
"Drinks, please," she said with a false smile.
"Course," the old man said and strode back to the bar where another couple were waiting. Hermione gave Draco an apologetic look but Draco snapped, "There's no need to apologise. I can choose who I want to be seen around with in public. I don't care what they think. I love you." Hermione smiled to herself.
The bearded man came back with two drinks and set them down upon the table with a slight clatter. Hermione scratched around in a small leather pouch, counting knuts but Draco had already handed the bartender four, shimmering sickles. The bearded man peered down his long nose, counting the sickles before pocketing them and walking off. "I could've paid -" Hermione began but Draco cut in saying, "Don't be ridiculous. This is my treat." So what if his father was cutting his allowance short? He could afford two butterbeers for Salazar's sake. If he really wanted then he could ask for his cut for when he moved out now but somehow he thought that it wouldn't be as easy as that.
They both took a menu from the stand on the wooden table and read down the short list of pub choices: steak, sausages and lasagna popped at at Hermione's eyes. "Hmm," Hermione pondered, tracing her finger down the page. Draco raised his eyebrows at a few dishes, seemingly unconvinced. Within minutes they'd decided and we're just hoping they'd catch the bartender's eye.
Mere moments later, Hermione was digging in her small, beaded bag for her gift to Draco and in the end had to accio it out. "That's better," she said and handed him the present saying, "Happy Valentine's Day." She'd handed him two packages, one rather lumpy and one in a box shape. He smiled and pealed back the paper on the lumpy package and found a woolly green and silver hat. "Thanks," he grinned, pulling the hat on, "now my ears won't be cold." Hermione smiled and looked expectantly at the other parcel, which he took and shook slightly. A rattling sound escaped the box. He gave her a puzzled glance before tearing off the paper and grinning broadly. "Geez! Thanks 'Mione!" Draco exclaimed, putting the box of 'Honeydukes' finest' on the table. He could smell the different chocolates seeping through the slits in the box.
Just when Draco was about to open his mouth, the gruff man came over again and asked roughly, "Any food?"
"A lemon herb roasted chicken please," Hermione said politely, ignoring the old man's tone.
"Shepherd's pie sounds good," Draco said, taking a further sip of butterbeer.
"Right away," the man replied, turning on his heel.
"What are you smiling about?" Draco grinned, seeing Hermione smiling happily.
"Nothing," Hermione said slyly.
"Spit it out," joked Draco.
"Remember the last time we were here?" She asked.
"When I asked you if you'd be my girlfriend and you said yes? How could I ever forget," Draco grinned.
Once the man was back behind the bar, Draco took out a rose and velvety black box and pushed it across the table towards his girlfriend, rose on box. "Happy Valentine's Day," he said warmly and her eyes widened to double their usual size. She removed the blood red rose and picked up the small box, gently prising it open and gasping at the contents. "Draco it's beautiful!" She exclaimed, putting on the shimmering ring. It was a beautiful silver ring finished a small, dazzling diamond. "Look at the inside," Draco murmured. Hermione slipped it off her finger and peered at the inside of the ring, where she saw a word engraved into the silver. "Forever," she murmured, then exclaiming, "Thank you Draco! It's really beautiful." A tear was starting to gather in her eye. She couldn't repay him. How could she? As if reading her thoughts, he replied easily, "I never could understand what I did to deserve you, Hermione. But I do know that I love you." Hermione beamed and leant over the table to kiss him but just as she did so, she saw a streak of red from the corner of her eye, running past the window. She bolted up right, squinting at the figure before saying, "Be right back," to Draco and hurriedly walking out the pub.
Once outside, she put on a spurt of speed, ignoring Draco who was calling her name indignantly. "Ginny!" She called, catching up with the girl and turning her around. "Merlin Gin what happened?" She asked the girl who was crying her heart out, mascara smudging her eyes and streaming down her cheeks, flaming red hair tangled in the wind. Ginny shook her head so Hermione opened her arms out for the girl to collapse in them, which she did, bundling her face in Hermione's jumper. "Ginny, what ever is the matter sweetheart?" Hermione murmured into the tangles of red hair. Ginny backed away and looked at her, trembling and sobbing. "P-P-Percy," she stammered, uncontrollably crying. Hermione's eyes filled with confusement. Percy?
"Percy?" She asked, bewildered.
"He-He's been attacked! He was in the ministry and the death eaters they... They tortured him for information and... We were outnumbered and Percy only just got away but he's been seriously wounded and the death eaters are causing havoc in St Mungos and -"
"Oh Godric Ginny I, I'm so sorry," Hermione murmured, hand to her mouth. She could hear Draco calling from behind her but she ignored him. He could wait. "And he can't be treated there so he's being treated at headquarters but there isn't the right equipment and he might... I don't want... Hermione he's -"
"Shhh it's alright," Hermione soothed, bringing her back into her arms comfortingly.
"I don't know if he'll be okay," Ginny mumbled, "Mum wrote to me this morning. And Ron doesn't know. What if he d-d-dies and Ron doesn't find out about it?" She sobbed.
"He's going to be alright," Hermione said, "The Order will sort something out."
"Why him?! Why my brother?!" She wailed, soaking Hermione's jumper in salty tears.
"Hey hey hey it's okay. He's going to be just fine alright?" Hermione said, looking up to see Draco's cold stare upon her. Cold? Really? "It's okay, I'm going to take you back to the castle and we can have a warm mug of hot chocolate. Okay?" She decided comfortingly and Ginny nodded.
"Seriously? You're just going to leave me here?" Draco began, hurt and angrily to which Hermione let go of Ginny and stared at him, shocked.
"What is wrong with you?!" She asked outraged, "My best friend is hurt and she needs me. At least let me see her back to the castle! I can't leave her!" She walked over to him so that Ginny couldn't hear them.
"So you can leave me on Valentine's Day but not her right?" He asked defiantly, feeling hurt and rejected. He should never have given her that ring.
"I'm sorry, really I am. But it's not the same! You're not upset are you!"
"I am now! You know what whatever! Any other girl would be head over heels for me if they'd been given that ring, or even the chance to be my Valentine!"
"So that's what I am is it? Any other girl?! Surely you understand that I can't just leave her?!"
"That's not what I said!"
"Unbelievable!"
"Fuck you!" Draco yelled, turning back and heading back towards the pub. Hermione gasped but she was too angry to show the hurt flooding through her shivering veins. "Come on," she said softly, tears beginning to roll down her face too, "Let's get you back to the castle." Ginny needed someone right now and everyone else who cared about her were out celebrating. Surely Draco could understand that once he was a little less angry.
Draco sat back down at the table just as the man arrived with two dishes. "Here you are," he said gruffly, "One shepherd's pie and one lemon herb roasted chicken." He held out his hand and Draco shoved a lump of cash into it. "Five firewhiskys please," he said in a low, angry voice. The barman nodded and walked away. He thumped the table angrily. "Happy fucking Valentine's Day to you too," he muttered furiously.
By the time Draco had returned that night Hermione could hear he was excessively drunk. The breathing, staggered steps and curses said it all really. And the smell. Merlin it smelt so bad. She couldn't sleep after knowing what she'd done and it was well gone midnight by the time he'd got back. She never knew how long he was at the pub, seeing as they'd gone for lunch. Hermione was barricaded in her room, emotions streaming through her veins like poison. Hate, love, hurt, anger, guilt but most of all: shock. He'd told her to fuck off. The very thought of it brought tears to her mascara smudged eyes. She tore her hair out of its band and threw herself back on the bed. Listening at the door had proved too exhausting. If only Molly hadn't written that day... Any other day and she wouldn't be filled with this guilt. She'd abandoned her boyfriend on Valentine's Day. He'd never forgive her. Well he should; she was helping her best friend who was upset. That was good enough reason to leave him. Leave him. The words still felt foreign and guilty in her brain. She tossed and turned, trying to fall asleep, trying to block out his ragged breathing from two rooms away, trying to ignore how drunk she'd gotten him, trying to ignore the growing guilt. Trying to ignore the ring sparkling in the moonlight on her dresser. She turned so as to block out the ring. Merlin, she felt like the worst girlfriend ever.
A/N Opinions? Percy is one of my least favourite characters, tied with Lucius and Cormac. Really looking forward to writing next chapter, review and see you in two Tuesdays!