Chapter Thirteen

The Fallout

Hermione stood in the corridor staring at the spot Theo had been standing in, her heart and thoughts racing at his confession and tender actions. She had to physically shake herself to clear the thoughts from her head. Enforce she could turn to the Fat Lady and give her the password to the portrait. Stepping into the common room she was surprised to see Harry sitting on the couch in front of the fire, having assumed he would have rather avoided seeing her till at least Monday morning.

"So, how's Theodore?" He snapped, his face tight with unspoken accusation.

Taking a deep breath to prevent herself from rising to the bait, she said, "I don't have the energy for this tonight," and proceeded to walk up the stairs to her dormitory.

Falling back onto her bed, she looked up at the canopied top and absently flicked her wand at the drapes to pull them closed. Turning her head she looked at her pillow and felt the urge to scream into it.

What the hell? She thought, giving another wave of her wand to keep her frustrated screams contained within the velvet drapes.

Harry didn't deserve this, and she felt guilty for starting a relationship with him when her life had just been turned on its head. It wasn't fair for her to cling to him the way she had been, especially now that she wasn't sure who she was anymore. Harry deserved someone who could be the support he needed now that he was a major political power player in their world. He would thrive with a witch who would know what was expected of him as the Lord of his houses at his side, and that just wasn't her.

As Hermione slipped into sleep, her last thought was of sky blue eyes promising to help her fulfill her wildest dreams.

Hermione's head connected with the table where she was sitting in the library. She had never been more grateful for how far ahead she was in her classes given her lack of focus all day. Giving up on even trying, she packed her unused things and headed down towards the Great Hall to eat, even though the thought of food made her stomach churn. Harry was still in a foul mood, but Hermione refused to put this off another day.

On her way, she opened up her magic to see if she could sense where Draco was, thinking a small delay wouldn't make things any worse for her. She could feel a vague impression of his magic coming up from the dungeons, so she headed towards the potions classroom. She found him just rounding the corner on the first floor towards the Great Hall, laughing at something Theo had said as a gorgeous blonde rolled her eyes at both boys.

Daphne Greengrass, her mind supplied.

"Evening Hermione, how are you?"

"Hi Theo. I'm...well… How are you?"

"Just amusing your ridiculous brother here."

Hermione snorted at the offense on Draco's face, ignoring his protest at being called ridiculous. She turned to Daphne, not sure how to address the girl but wanting to make an effort with Draco's friends just as he had done with Harry.

"Heiress Greengrass." Adhara kept the tone of her greeting warm and inviting even though her form of address was formal.

"Heiress Malfoy. A pleasure to see you again." Daphne's voice was a little colder, but she wasn't called Slytherin's Ice Queen for her welcoming disposition. Hermione would need to work extra hard to get the blonde to thaw.

"Please, call me Ada or Hermione. I know you're good friends with my brother and I hope you and I can find some common ground as well. Draco tells me you're very interested in fashion, is that correct?"

Daphne's favourite subject was fashion, and her eyes brightened a little.

"Yes, I do enjoy discussing fashion on occasion. Is that one of your interests?"

Adhara grinned ruefully.

"Honestly, no. But I need help with my hair and wardrobe and I'd like to have the opinion of a witch my age. Mother plans on taking me shopping as soon as she can but I'd like to surprise her with some opinions of my own about Wizarding fashion. Would you be up for joining me in Hogsmeade during the next trip and schooling me on the basics for what I need as the Heiress of a Pureblood house?"

Daphne's face lit up and she smiled at Adhara. This was almost better than Yule.

"I would love to. And please call me Daphne. I think you and I will have a wonderful friendship."

Adhara grinned back at Daphne, grateful the other girl was open to helping her out.

"I'm looking forward to it, Daphne. Do you have plans after dinner?"

"Not really, just some studying with Theo and Draco in the common room. Would you like to join us?"

"Am I allowed in the Slytherin Common room? I thought all the houses kept pretty much to themselves in that regard."

"As if Uncle Severus would keep you from coming." Draco snorted. "Even so, I'll let him know to expect a Gryffindor at our door later."

She rolled her eyes at the cheek in her brother's tone. She had always been favored by their Godfather and Draco knew it. She would just ask for the password.

She reached the Great Hall and searched the Gryffindor table for Harry. Once she spotted him, she quickly took a seat next to him and began filling her plate. They ate a few bites in silence before she took a deep breath and said, "Harry, I need to talk to you."

At the same moment Harry said, "Hermione, we need to talk."

The two friends looked at each other and laughed, their tension easing for a moment.

"Guess we're on the same page then huh?" Harry awkwardly asked, wishing tonight would be easier.

He knew he'd been a berk about Theo, and that he needed to get his insecurity under control.

"Yes, we are. Quidditch pitch after dinner?" Hermione asked, slicing a piece of roast chicken and taking a bite.

"Mmhmm."

The two ate in uncomfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts of how they wanted the conversation to go. Hermione was praying to every God she could think of that she could keep Harry from blowing a gasket before she had finished explaining the logical reasons why they would never work long term.

Meanwhile Harry was wondering how much of their conversation would revolve around a certain dark haired Slytherin that had seemed to enter Hermione's life out of nowhere. When they finished picking at their food, they stood together and exited the Great Hall with both a physical and emotional distance between them.

Their conversation was stilted as they talked about classes until they reached the pitch, where Hermione conjured a blanket and sat on the ground. Harry sat opposite her and they both fidgeted before Harry decided to summon his Gryffindor courage.

"Hermione, I want to apologize. I've been a right pillock the last couple days about Theo and that isn't fair to you."

He rubbed the back of his neck, nerves spiking as he waited for her to say something in reply. Hermione collected her thoughts before speaking.

"I don't entirely understand why Theo makes you feel so insecure. Dispassionately I can see how the Dursleys have affected you so much that you don't see all you have to offer. However what I can't seem to separate, is how easily you think I would be swayed. But maybe you know me better than I know myself because while I would like to think I wouldn't have been tempted if you weren't pushing me away, the truth is I was, I am, and that's not fair to you regardless of how you've acted.

"In hindsight, I see that I've been unfair to you from the beginning. I never should have gone forward with a relationship with you so soon after having my entire sense of self rocked.

"You deserve someone who already knows who they are. Someone who can navigate this new Pureblood world we both have been thrown into. Someone like Daphne Greengrass or even Pansy Parkinson."

At that name Harry shuddered, his face blanching as he murmured, "Merlin forbid."

The two friends laughed at that, the thought of Harry getting along with Pansy completely hilarious.

"She's a stage five clinger 'Mione, why would you even say that?" Harry said through his laughter and Hermione snorted, laughing harder at the rather accurate description of the brunette Slytherin girl.

"She really is a limpet."

Harry could only nod as he continued to snicker. As their amusement faded, Hermione looked at Harry again, sorrow in her eyes.

"I don't want to be unfair to you Harry. You deserve better than what I am capable of offering you. I. . . I need time to adjust into who I am supposed to be now. I have to accept Adhara instead of viewing that side of myself as a different person. Until I can combine the Malfoy I'm expected to be, and the Granger that I am, I'm useless to anyone in a romantic relationship. I love you Harry, I really do, but it's not a romantic sort of love."

She bit her lip and looked down at her lap, unable to look Harry in the eye. She heard him struggling to control his breathing as his emotions tried to run away with him. His voice was hard when he finally spoke.

"I don't know how much of your decision to break this off has to do with Nott, and I don't want to know. Please just… keep me in the dark about anything involving him, for a long while. I'm trying to be understanding, but right now I'm too angry and hurt to be any kind of logical. I need some time."

"I swear I never meant to hurt you Harry. I'm so, so sorry about all of this."

Harry scoffed, his disappointment evident while Hermione stood and tearfully walked away. His temper she could handle, but knowing she had disappointed him was the worst sort of feeling.

She met Ginny on her way back into the castle and the redhead just looked sadly at her best girlfriend, giving her a quick hug before continuing on her way to the Pitch, Harry's Firebolt tightly clasped in one hand and her own broom in the other.

Hermione all but ran to the dungeons and knocked on her Godfather's door, opening it upon his drawl of "Enter."

Severus looked up from the grading on his desk and saw the tear tracks on his goddaughter's face.

"Basilisk," was all he said, as he pointed in the direction of the Slytherin dorms.

When Hermione entered the Slytherin Common room, she saw Draco, Daphne, and Theo sitting at a table near the fireplace, heads bent over their respective assignments. She quickly walked over and slid into the open chair next to Daphne, trying not to disturb anyone. The other girl glanced up as she sat down, understanding dawning on her face as she took in the tears and morose expression.

She reached her hand over and grabbed Adhara's arm, squeezing gently and mouthing 'I'm sorry'. Ada nodded and grabbed her new friend's hand before it slipped away, squeezing back and whispering "Thanks."

The girls released one another and Ada turned to get a book from her bag. As she straightened she made eye contact with Draco, and his face hardened at the state of his sister.

Testing out their bond, he gently pressed against her mind.

You okay? He didn't hurt you did he?

No Dragon, he didn't hurt me. But I hurt him and I don't like knowing I did that.

Anything I can do?

Tolerate my presence more often over the next few weeks? Things are going to be awkward for a while.

Tolerate? If I had my way you'd be out of Gryffindor and down here permanently. I know Theo would be all for it.

His insistence that she should be in Slytherin made her giggle, and she smiled at her brother.

Thank you Draco.

Adhara sent her gratitude across their bond as their link faded. She was glad she had family in the castle now, and while this awkward stage between her and Harry was going to be painful, it would be nice to have the time to keep learning who Draco was and who he wanted to become. Getting to know some of his friends would also help once all the social events started.

She turned back to her book and made a valiant effort to absorb some of the information it held, but she couldn't focus. A growl of frustration escaped her and she shut the book, glaring at the cover as if trying to blame the text for her lack of concentration. Theo looked up at the sound and immediately shut his own book and put his work away. He ran to his dorm to put his bookbag away and grab two cloaks. He walked over to her and gently took the book from in front of her, placing it in her bag and offering her his hand.

She looked up at him in confusion.

"What are you doing?"

"We are going to drop your bag off in your dorm at Gryffindor Tower and then you and I are going to take a walk."

"To where?"

"Does it matter? You need to vent and here in gossip central is not the place. You and Daphne have just met and so you don't feel close enough to her to be able to be emotionally vulnerable. Draco has never handled emotions well because he's a drama queen and can go off half cocked like the worst sort of Gryffindor. You've opened up to me enough in the last two years that I am the logical choice for you to confide in. So come on, we're going."

His quiet tone was kind, but she also knew he would not take no for an answer.

Draco knew this side of Theo, and so ignored what was happening between his best friend and sister.

Daphne was openly staring, having never heard Theo take this kind of tone with a witch before. There was an underlying command that laced his words, and to her complete surprise Adhara gave no argument, just took his hand and stood, allowing Theo to slide her arm through his own and lead her from the dungeon common room.

Draco looked up and saw Daphne's face and snickered.

"Draco what the hell was that? Theo just…"

"Yes."

"And Adhara didn't…?"

"No. She didn't argue with him. She never does when he's like that."

Daphne blinked at Draco, filing this information away to ask Adhara about once they were better friends. Hermione Granger never took orders from anyone other than their professors, and as a child Adhara Malfoy had been the one giving orders to everyone. To see her silently accept Theo taking charge was interesting to say the least.

Out in the halls, Theo and Hermione walked in silence. Hermione didn't understand how Theo did it, but time and again she found herself easily deferring to him. She really had just wanted to hide in the Slytherin Common Room until close to curfew, so she was slightly miffed at herself for not even attempting to argue with him. The more they walked, the more worked up she became until she couldn't take it anymore and yanked him into the nearest empty classroom. She slammed the door shut behind them and warded it before whirling on him.

He had taken a seat, dropping her bag and the cloaks by the door, looking for all the world as relaxed as if he were doing the most mundane of tasks. Not at all the face of a wizard who had been thrown into a classroom with an irate witch the caliber of Hermione Granger.

She glared at him fiercely, and he raised a sardonic eyebrow at her.

"Ready to talk?" He asked, and she shrieked.

"Talk? I don't want to talk! Just let me wallow in peace!"

"I disagree, you need to release it instead of allowing it to fester." His tone remained even, bordering on commanding.

"What if I don't want to talk about it?" Hermione snarked petulantly.

Rarely did she let herself act like such a brat, but the last week had built up a lot of emotional stress and she was tired of everything.

"Then blow up the classroom, I have a rather deft hand at repairing charms."

"Fine. We'll start with you then." Hermione growled, aiming her wand at the boy.

"Me? What did I do?"

Theo was intrigued at the sharp turn this had taken. He eyed her wand warily, knowing she had every intention of hexing his arse into the next century if he gave her an opening.

"Why are you so impossible? What is it about you that makes me obey, especially when I want nothing more than to do the opposite of what you tell me? Why do you continue to call me Hermione? And why for the love baby Gryffindors did you wait until last night to tell me how you felt?"

As each question came, so did an offensive spell. Theo stayed seated, lazily deflecting each one until she took a breath so he could answer.

"I'm impossible because I will not be budged on making sure you are taken care of, and if that means I have to domineer you into taking care of yourself then I will. Besides, you'll find I rather enjoy it. I continue to call you Hermione because that is who you are. Adhara is someone you have not fully accepted as equal to Hermione in your mind and until that occurs, I shall continue calling you Hermione. And I think you know why I waited until yesterday, but I will spell it out anyway.

"My father is a bastard on a good day and would have put me in the ground if he ever caught wind of his precious Heir even entertaining the idea of marrying a Muggleborn. I could not act upon my feelings for you because selfishly I wanted to continue living and worse still the best sort of punishment he could have given me for it was killing you instead. He is already threatening to break off our betrothal contract because you were Muggle-raised for the last ten years and he considers you to be tainted by their filth. Lucius is going to need to talk him down during Yule break, and you are going to have to show him that even though you were not raised in our world, you are still every inch the daughter of House Malfoy that you are expected to be."

Theo's words made some of Hermione's irate fire go out, only to resurge greater as comprehension crept in.

"I will not bow and scrape to a bigoted Supremacist who wouldn't be able to last one hour without breaking the Statute of Secrecy in Muggle London." She hissed, the very idea of simpering to such a coward making her blood boil.

"Nor would I want you to. However if we are to survive the coming war then you must act the part."

"It's not fair! It's not fair that Harry will be forced to rub shoulders with the followers of the man who murdered his parents and act like nothing is wrong. He shouldn't have to deal with that alone!"

Hermione took aim at the nearest set of desks and blasted it, attacking the chairs for good measure, her heart hurting for her best friend.

"But he isn't alone. He has you and his Godfather. And by extension Draco, your parents and Godfather, and me, though admittedly it's with reluctance, to guide him."

"How can he trust me again when I have hurt him though?" Hermione's eyes filled with tears once again.

"He will trust you because you have always been honest with him. Did you lie to him over the last week?" Theo's voice was softer as he stood and walked towards her.

"No," Hermione sniffed.

Theo's silent steps had carried him to Hermione's side and he slowly reached out to put an arm around her. At the physical contact Hermione crumpled, turning into Theo's arms and clinging to him.

"I don't know who I'm supposed to be anymore Theo. I feel like I have a split personality. I was happy being just Hermione Granger. I don't know how to accept Adhara as an equal because I hate how she's supposed to act. I'm not superior to anyone else and I hate having to act like I am. She is this mask I'm forced to wear to appease people like your father."

Theo wrapped his arms fully around Hermione, one hand tangling in her curls as he cradled her head to his chest and let her cry.

"All I've ever wanted was to be seen for who I am. Not as a Muggleborn who is exceptionally talented, not as the Malfoy Heiress that everyone wants a piece of because of my family name. I just want to be Hermione, and I'm terrified that I'm going to lose who that person is because of who everyone will expect me to be. I can't be everything for everyone all the time."

Theo slowly sank to the floor as he held Hermione, bringing her to rest on his lap.

"I saw you, Hermione. Past the labels and your considerable talent, I saw you. And you haven't lost who that girl is. Looking back, I don't know how I didn't recognize you as Adhara sooner. You're more similar than you realise. Adhara was just as passionate about her life at Malfoy Manor as you are about your home life in Hampstead with the Grangers. You both have the most compassionate heart I've ever seen, and a sense of right and wrong that would put everyone around you back in line." Theo's voice washed over Hermione as she settled her head in the crook of his neck.

"Is it terrible if I say all I wanted was for you to see me?" She sniffed, her tears slowing as she pulled back to look at Theo's face.

"Not even a little." Theo smiled, gently tucking her hair behind her ear before pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her hair.

"Merlin, just saying that makes me feel even worse." Hermione frowned, hating all this emotional insanity.

Theo hummed. "You feel guilty because you broke up with Harry a little over an hour ago, and now you're sitting here with me, a boy who you know has feelings for you. You feel like you've cheated Harry in some way because you've never stopped interacting with me like you always have, but you also don't like feeling that you're forcing me to talk about your most recent ex when you know how I feel. Admitting out loud that you wanted my attention makes you feel cheap, and that is something you will never be."

Hermione jerked back in shock, staring at the blue eyed Slytherin.

"How the hell do you do that? Just casually explain my own emotional state to me?"

He chuckled as he looked at her expression.

"I told you Hermione, I noticed you. I saw through all the facades that Potter and Weasley were too dense to see as fronts. You aren't a simple witch and I won't treat you as one."

Hermione couldn't stop the blush if she tried. It was nice to know that someone had been paying attention. She hugged Theo tightly.

"Thank you for seeing me Theo."

He hugged her back, knowing that his patience was finally paying off.

"I'm always here."

The two sat in content silence for a while before Theo looked down to check his watch.

"Shite!" He swore. "I need to get you back to Gryffindor Tower before McGonagall and Snape have my head for keeping you out past curfew."

"What? It's already that late?" Hermione looked slightly annoyed, she wanted to stay in this little bubble a while longer.

Theo gently moved her off his lap and stood, turning to help her up once he was on his feet. They quickly repaired the broken chairs and desks in the room and Hermione un-warded the door while Theo collected the cloaks and her bag. The pair walked to the tower as quickly as possible, and Theo left Hermione with a swift kiss on the cheek before turning and sprinting back down the halls towards the dungeons.

As Hermione entered the Gryffindor Common room, all chatter stopped. She spotted multiple copies of the Prophet article from yesterday being passed around, and so she took the Manticore by the horns and addressed everyone at once.

"The article in yesterday's paper was intentionally published by the Malfoy family. I had no knowledge of their importance in my life until a week ago, and I do not plan on following whatever plans Voldemort may think he has for me or my parents and brother. I will not be getting re-sorted into Slytherin, and the DMLE is handling everything involving my kidnapping and subsequent return to the Wizarding World, and no, I will not tell any of you what I know about it.

"I am still adjusting to everyone's new expectations for what they believe I am supposed to be, but I can tell you now I do not support the ideas of Pureblood Supremacy and neither do the other members of the Malfoy family. Your sudden interest in me proves how shallow our house can be, so you lot can shove off if you're thinking of trying to use my newfound status for any sort of personal gain. My personality has not shifted just because my surname now holds more weight."

With that said she marched straight to her dorm room without a backward glance. School was going to be hell for the foreseeable future, and right now all Hermione wanted was her mums, a large bowl of popcorn, and her favorite movie on replay.

Dumbledore was scrambling. He didn't have to worry about handling the two Order members who had taken the child for him, they were conveniently killed a few months later in a Death Eater attack. The loss of the Prewett brothers had been a blow, but it was a conveniently tied up loose end.

The involvement of the DMLE was the most pressing concern. Amelia Bones answered to no one except the Minister, and her sense of justice was unparalleled. She would not spare Dumbledore when his involvement came to light. Albus was on his back foot, not knowing what information Lucius Malfoy had given to the Aurors.

He sat at his desk and penned a quick missive to Molly Weasley.

Molly,

Bones is now involved in the investigation of Malfoy's disappearance. Get your house in order, however necessary. Make sure the boy knows to keep his mouth shut.

A.D.

He rolled the parchment up and summoned a school owl, tying the message to its leg quickly and sending it off.

When Molly read Albus's note, she quickly retrieved anything that could implicate her or Ron from Grimmauld Place. She hid one full set of ingredients in Arthur's shed, in a back corner so covered in dust she knew he hadn't looked there in months, probably years.

So much useless Muggle junk she thought. This time it is to my advantage.

For good measure, she placed a Notice me Not over the area and walked away, locking the shed behind her and heading off to write a note to her youngest son.