Hermione was shocked. "Hagrid…" she started weakly. "This is Ron we're talking about. After all these years-"
"Yeh should know, Hermione, that Arthur an' Molly think of yeh as their second daughter, an' will look after yeh no matter what, even if it is agains' Ron's favor. An' they jus' sent me a letter yesterday that worries me very much."
Hermione looked at Draco, who was looking right back at her, his face expressionless. But in that detachment and calm, Hermione could tell that he was only trying to remain emotionless so that she could think clearly without having to worry too much about him.
"Anyways," Hagrid continued. "ter make a long story short, Harry sent 'em a secret letter using a borrowed owl, saying that Ron's almost completely infatuated wi' a certain 'Jane Dawlish' wherever they are, an' that he's had a fight wi' her husband o'er her. They actually had an actual duel, an' Ron couldn' stand a chance anyways; he was fighting a full grown Auror! Harry told Molly an' Arthur that Ron's on the verge o' giving up everything just ter be wi' that woman. Arthur an' Molly want…" At this, Hagrid trailed off.
"What is it, Hagrid?" asked Hermione earnestly. She was even surprised at herself that Ron's now very evident betrayal didn't hurt her one bit. In fact, it was almost reliving, for she wasn't the only one that found their relationship to be less than satisfactory and had fallen for someone else.
"They want yeh ter end it wi' him, before he does somethin' stupid an' embarrassing. They woulda' just sent yeh the letter directly, but they thought it would be better fer me ter break it ter yeh." Hagrid said finally. "Really, Hermione, they're on'y just passing on Harry's opinion-"
"Thank you, Hagrid." said Hermione, on the verge of tears as she got up and hugged Hagrid. "I've been wanting to end it since…" she looked at Draco, and that was enough.
Hagrid patted her gently on the back, and said, "I know, I know. I ne'er thought I'd live ter see this, but you and Malfoy here have struck up a love I'll probably ne'er understand, an' I'm happy for yeh two."
Hermione released her hug, and went back over to Draco, who was also smiling while trying to heave Fang's dripping head off of himself. "Thank you, Professor, for your blessing." said Draco respectfully after managing to stand up again.
Hagrid smiled his crinkle-eyed smile at him and Hermione thought she could see tears in his eyes, too, before he said gruffly, "Well, what are yeh two waiting for? Go an' send a letter to Ron. Immediately!"
Hermione gave Hagrid another quick hug, and Draco went over to shake his hand. Hagrid showed them out, and after watching them mount onto the Firebolt and take off, went inside his hut humming an old love song that he had danced to with Madame Maxime.
As Draco and Hermione flew back slowly to Montecino Tower, Hermione gripped Draco's waist as tightly as she had before, and rested her chin over his right shoulder. The sun was a bright and fiery orange as it began to set, and made Draco's hair look like pure gold, to Hermione's delight.
When they finally dismounted on the balcony, Draco held the door for her as she went in, and asked her suddenly, "Hermione. Would you like to make me a happy man?"
Hermione laughed as she went inside her room to look for a brush to tame her wind-whipped hair. "Isn't my belonging to you forever and ever not enough to make you a happy man?" Draco leaned the Firebolt against the wall next to her door and came in as well, sitting down on her duvet gingerly and watching her.
As she dragged her brush unceremoniously through her curls, Draco stood up and walked over to her, gently taking the brush from her, and then softly brushing each curl with great care.
"I just wanted to ask a favor." he amended softly, as Hermione closed her eyes and relaxed.
"Anything." She smiled, feeling him studiously unknot a strand of tangled hair.
"Well… I was hoping that when you send the letter to Weasel… you could use Bubble as the messenger. I think it would be… rather fitting."
Hermione laughed great pealing bells of the sweet laughter Draco had grown to love and treasure. "You spiteful thing! Ron would go insane if he saw Bubble; he knows what your owl looks like!"
Draco smirked. "Exactly."
Hermione opened her eyes and waited a moment. Then, thoughtfully, she said, "Maybe that is a good idea. Then I can just write in the letter that I'm seeing someone else now, and not have to disclose your name and have him come to Hogwarts and try to kill you. Not that I think he would stoop that low, especially now that he's with the Dawlish woman." She turned around to look at Draco.
"Personally, I think it would be so much fun to have Weasel try and kill me." Draco drawled, handing her back the brush. As she went to put it away, he added, "And I think I should at least teach him a lesson for being so unfaithful."
Hermione smiled guiltily, went to take Draco's hand, and they started walking out of her room. "But I was unfaithful, too." she said quietly. "Not that I regret it, but still, I feel like it's not entirely Ron's fault."
"Hermione." Draco stopped walking and cupped her face in his hands. "You wanted to end it with Weasel before we did anything, but because you're so selfless, you decided to wait for his sake, so he could finish whatever he needed to finish without having to be conflicted by your decision. He, sorry, I mean 'It,' on the other hand, immediately started doing God-knows-what with that Dawlish woman as soon as they touched Albanian soil. For months, you waited for any news from him, just to be sure that he was safe and to know that he still felt for you. But when the letters came, Potty was more your boyfriend than Weasel was. It hasn't been a good boyfriend, Hermione. If it were me, I would've come back to school rather than run off with Potty to Albania, just so I could be with you."
Draco said this so fervently that Hermione started getting teary-eyed again. "But still…"
Having no more of Hermione feeling bad, Draco leaned in, and kissed her with a passion that could have set the castle on fire, and they wouldn't even have noticed. She had never been kissed like this, not from Viktor nor Ron, and he had never kissed anyone like this, not Pansy nor any of the other girls in Slytherin he had drunkenly kissed back in his 'bad boy' days. She automatically wrapped her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his around her waist, pulling her impossibly close to him. They were both in utter bliss, inhaling each others' scents, tasting each others' soul, and feeling each others' love. This probably could have gone on for another few hours or so, if not for Sir Cadogan's loud protestations.
"What villains are these that trespass upon my private lands? Who dares challenge Sir Cadogan? Back, you scurvy braggarts, you rogues!"
They broke apart, gasping for air, but not taking their eyes off of each other. It was finally Hermione that spoke first, breaking that ineffable magic. "Shall we- erm, we should check on Sir Cadogan."
"Right, we should. His racket will drive the whole castle mad if we don't." Draco was still pink in the face, slightly embarrassed that he could kiss anyone with so much… emotion. Shyly, he took Hermione's hand, and they went to the portrait entrance.
They pushed it open, only to see Professor Flitwick, Professor Rhyllian, and Professor McGonagall standing outside… with Lady Montecino's portrait!
Hermione gasped, and Draco's eyes widened, but their hands remained joined together. "Professor…" Hermione squeaked.
"Good afternoon, Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy. We're here to reinstate Lady Montecino's portrait, as she has recovered from her assault, and is ready to resume her post." Professor McGonagall said this without much warmth, and Hermione could immediately tell that something was wrong. But she could guess what it was, judging from the even more devastated look on Professor Flitwick's face.
"Professor…" she tried again.
"Why don't you to run down to the Great Hall?" Professor Flitwick squeaked. "Dinner's about to be served, and there will be important announcements made tonight."
"And this process could take a while, and be rather noisy." added on Professor Rhyllian, who looked the least agitated out of the three teachers. "Sir Cadogan won't go without a fight, I'm sure."
"As a matter of fact, I do have some parting words for these young people." said Sir Cadogan as Draco and Hermione turned to leave, although they wished they could say something to Lady Montecino. They froze, and reluctantly looked back. "Farewell, comrades." he cried. "If ever you have the need of a noble heart and steely sinew call upon Sir Cadogan."
"Fat chance." Draco muttered as Hermione smiled forcefully and bobbed her head up and down. With a quick farewell, the two scampered down the staircase swinging hands. "I forgot to bring ink and parchment to write that letter to Ron!" Hermione panted as they finally reached the bottom door. "And why doesn't Bubble stay in Montecino Tower with you, anyways?"
"As to your first question, I'm sure Ginny or Zacharias have those materials. As to your second question, use your head, darling. I shared a dormitory with Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini all these years. Did you think I was going to let Bubble stay with them and be either tortured, disemboweled, eaten, or all of the above?"
"Oh." said Hermione, mentally kicking herself for not thinking of that particular detail. "So, does he live in the Owlery?" They had almost reached the entrance of the Great Hall.
"Yep." Draco replied, pulling her closer to him. "You know, I would consider letting him stay with us, but there's your infernal cat to be worried about. Does Crookshanks like owl?"
"Crookshanks would never touch a feather on Bubble!" Hermione said defensively. "Since third year, he and Hedwig have gotten along fine, and he only wanted to attack Pigwidgeon because he wouldn't shut up!"
Draco wrinkled his nose. "Weasel's owl, eh? Well, if Crookshanks had gotten him, then he would be much higher up on my list. Who's Hedwig?"
"She's Harry's owl." said Hermione. "Or, she was. She was killed in the same skirmish in which Harry lost his Firebolt." She suddenly felt terrible. That battle brought back more memories somehow when it was mentioned later in the day… George losing his ear, Moody's body never being recovered…
"Hey." said Draco, looking worriedly at her with his luminous gray eyes. "Happy thoughts, okay? It's dinner time, and you mustn't spoil your appetite! You need your energy to write that letter you've been wanting to write for a while."
He's right. Hermione thought. She smiled slightly to mollify him, and soon, they reached their table and saw Ginny and Zacharias already at theirs. Hermione was relieved to see that Zacharias's appetite had returned, and she greeted them with relief that things were getting back to normal.
"Hey, Gin." Hermione said as she sat down, while Draco was at Zacharias's side, no doubt to inform him of Lady Montecino's portrait returning. "We went to visit Hagrid again. You should go see him, too. I think he's having Weasley Withdrawal Symptoms."
Ginny laughed. "I wonder what'll happen to him after this year, then. Why don't we all go next Saturday? Quidditch tryouts will be over and with no party and no shopping, we'll have plenty of time to do homework and relax."
"Sounds good." Hermione grinned as Draco took his seat beside her. Zacharias immediately claimed Ginny's attention right afterwards, telling her about Lady Montecino's recovery.
People still came up to get Hermione's and Ginny's autographs, to Draco and Zacharias's annoyance. Only when they caught on that it was because of their new fashion status, and not because of their bloody association to Harry Potter, did they indulge in it.
Halfway through the meal, though, Professor McGongall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Rhyllian came through the double doors, and those students in a line in front of Hermione's and Ginny's tables scampered back to their seats.
While Professor Flitwick and Professor Rhyllian took their seats, Professor McGonagall stood in front of her chair, and cleared her throat loudly for everyone's attention. Draco, Ginny, Hermione, and Zacharias turned around in their seats. "Good evening, students." came Professor McGonagall's grave voice.
"Good evening, Headmistress." the whole room reverberated.
"I have some news for you." Professor McGonagall continued. "And they are not good news, so bear with me."
Draco and Hermione exchanged glances that plainly said Did Trevor do something bad enough so that Professor McGonagall would have to tell the whole school about it? Or did Jimmy?
"Two fellow students were questioned in my office today, for one of them was accused of attempted forced entry into a dormitory as well as assault on a school portrait. The other student was a witness to this, but his testimony was questionable and if proven false, would incriminate himself."
"As some of you may have noticed, Trevor Birch and Jimmy Peakes are not here right now. Jimmy is the first student I mentioned, and Trevor is the second one. Trevor is in the custody of the Ministry and Jimmy is at St. Mungo's. I am only telling you this, and what is to come next, so that rumors will not fly, and that the whole truth is presented."
Murmurs started up around the room, and Hermione and Ginny exchanged glances.
"Quiet, please! This is what happened: With new evidence, we have confirmed that Mr. Peakes was under the Imperius Curse cast by Mr. Birch when he tried to force his way into the dormitory, and when he damaged the portrait."
A collective gasp came about the room. Hermione looked at Draco with wide eyes, to which he smirked. "It just gets worse and worse, doesn't it? First he publicly humiliates himself with his brother for the newspapers, and in revenge against his brother for stealing his girlfriend, he Imperiuses poor Peakes to frighten you and make you run to him. Pathetic. I wonder if this can get worse."
"I doubt it." said Ginny, who seemed a little fazed. "Are we ever going to have a normal year?"
Zacharias snorted. "Wouldn't be Hogwarts, then, would it?"
The other three laughed slightly, and then contemplated the bedlam that was going on. Ranging from terror to anger, people were already fighting again, especially between students from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Houses. "I'm so glad we can Apparate." Zacharias said appreciatively, Disapparating with a "Pop!"
Ginny followed, ignoring the food on her plate. Hermione was rather amused that Zacharias had learned to eat more quickly in case of situations like this, where he would be forced to abandon his meal. Draco shrugged at his leftovers, and looked at Hermione, who nodded. Professor McGonagall can take of this onslaught without our help. We can't do anything besides take points away and hand out detention, anyways.
She took Draco's hand, and he pulled them into the sucking vortex of Apparition. They appeared in front of Lady Montecino's portrait, where Ginny and Zacharias were backed against the wall to avoid being Apparated on.
"It's great to see you again, Lady Montecino." said Ginny earnestly for them all. The gentle woman smiled, and replied, "It's wonderful to see you again, too, Miss Weasley. And of course, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Smith, and Miss Granger. You all look lovely."
"Lady Montecino, could you tell us what happened with Trevor and Jimmy…" Hermione began, but Lady Montecino shook her head.
"Later, dear. Right now, I know that you four surely have some homework that needs to be completed. Later in the evening, children."
"She's right, Hermione." said Draco firmly. "We can wait. House Unity."
Lady Montecino swung forward, and the four friends went in. Ginny and Zacharias Disapparated after realizing that they had left their belongings in their dormitories, and so Hermione and Draco sat down side by side, brooding over what in the world was going on with Trevor's situation.