Chapter 10
The rest of the year was just a blur. They took their O.W.Ls at the end of May, and Hermione hadn't gotten as many as she would have liked. Ron and Harry were worried sick about her, since she didn't seem to care. She tried to tell them O.W.Ls didn't seem like much of a big deal anymore, but they were still worried. And they weren't the only ones.
"Hermione," Professor McGonagall said after Transfiguration. "Are you okay? You certainly didn't get as many O.W.Ls as I expected, and though six out of ten isn't a bad number I - well, I just wondered if you were satisfied with you results. Is something bothering you?"
Yes, Hermione wanted to say sarcastically, I happen to be in love with a pureblood Slytherin. Wouldn't that have made McGonagall jump!
But she only reassured her Transfiguration teacher that everything was absolutely okay and she'd just been having a bad day when she took those O.W.Ls. What she didn't expect was all of the other teachers to come up to her and ask exactly the same thing. Even Professor Snape snidely remarked she hadn't done as well as expected this year. She rewarded him with a glare.
"Ron, I seriously am okay," she told him for the tenth time as they hurried away from Snape. If only she'd known how much attention he'd pay her when she didn't do well back when she was still in love with him. She would have welcomed such attention then.
"Harry, bug off," she cried finally. "Do you want to know why? I've told you! Why must you keep asking?"
Gryffindor played their last game for the Quidditch Cup against Ravenclaw. Slytherin really had not done the best this year and Hermione was sad, if only because it meant she had one less chance to see Draco play.
My goodness, she thought, I must be turning into a lovesick ninny!
The end of the term came quickly. Gryfindor won the House Cup again, like always, and it was presented to them at the End of Year Feast. Hermione couldn't have cared less.
Slowly she packed her trunk, feeling in her heart this year had been a complete failure. She'd spent nearly all of it feeling miserable, and she was so glad she was going home now, getting away from it all. Folding her dress robes up she slid them in the corner of her trunk and sighed. Everything seemed so dull.
Hermione was silent as the carriages took them to the train, and she didn't say much as she got on. She, Ron and Harry found a compartment at the back again, and settled into it. Ron and Harry were chatting animatedly the whole time. Hermione ignored them and stared out the window.
Beneath the train the tracks flew by, and Hermione remembered staring miserably at them exactly the way she was doing now at the beginning of the year. Months passed, and everything had changed. Yet it was still all so similar.
Pansy came in their compartment, to tell Ron good-bye and to ask Hermione to owl her sometime. Hermione told her that she would. She did not hate Pansy now.
The train chugged to a stop at Platform Nine and Three Quarters and Hermione disembarked. Lugging her trunk she headed toward the metal archway when someone stopped her. She turned. It was Draco.
"Need help with that?" he asked, gesturing to her trunk. Hermione shook her head and studied her feet.
"I'll - see you next year," she said, trying to move forward again. Draco caught her by the arm.
"See you next year, too," he said. "I'll - I'll miss you."
Hermione looked up at him. She realized he was still gripping her arm, but she did not want him to let go.
"Yeah, maybe you'll have better luck with Pansy next year," she said. A piece of her hair (Ginny had done it again) fell in her face, and she tucked it behind her ear.
"Pansy?" Draco asked. "Oh no, I've gotten over her. Ages ago."
Shock widened Hermione's eyes as the heat rose in her face. They stood there awkwardly a moment, students pushing past them on their way out. She fiddled with her shirt cuff.
"Hermione," Draco said finally, "You're a really - wonderful girl. And I was wondering … it doesn't matter if you're a mudblood, or a Gryfindor, Hermione…"
Hermione looked up again, up into his eyes, and saw there what she'd been hoping to see, longing to see, ever since she'd first realized she liked him. For one moment her heart stopped, everything around her stopped, then a wave of delirious happiness washed over her.
"I like you too, Draco," she said.
He bent and kissed her then, pressing his lips against hers, and Hemrione forgot they were standing in the middle of Platform Nine and Three Quarters, forgot everything, and if she'd have remembered she wouldn't have cared anyway…
"Hermione!" Ron cried, his mouth agape. "What in the world are you doing?!"
THE END
So that is the end. I hope you've enjoyed reading this. I have to thank all of my wonderful reviewers out there who've kept reading this. This has been my most successful story yet! Thanks so much!
By the way, I've starting posting another Draco story (Dueling Club), so if you liked this one…
The rest of the year was just a blur. They took their O.W.Ls at the end of May, and Hermione hadn't gotten as many as she would have liked. Ron and Harry were worried sick about her, since she didn't seem to care. She tried to tell them O.W.Ls didn't seem like much of a big deal anymore, but they were still worried. And they weren't the only ones.
"Hermione," Professor McGonagall said after Transfiguration. "Are you okay? You certainly didn't get as many O.W.Ls as I expected, and though six out of ten isn't a bad number I - well, I just wondered if you were satisfied with you results. Is something bothering you?"
Yes, Hermione wanted to say sarcastically, I happen to be in love with a pureblood Slytherin. Wouldn't that have made McGonagall jump!
But she only reassured her Transfiguration teacher that everything was absolutely okay and she'd just been having a bad day when she took those O.W.Ls. What she didn't expect was all of the other teachers to come up to her and ask exactly the same thing. Even Professor Snape snidely remarked she hadn't done as well as expected this year. She rewarded him with a glare.
"Ron, I seriously am okay," she told him for the tenth time as they hurried away from Snape. If only she'd known how much attention he'd pay her when she didn't do well back when she was still in love with him. She would have welcomed such attention then.
"Harry, bug off," she cried finally. "Do you want to know why? I've told you! Why must you keep asking?"
Gryffindor played their last game for the Quidditch Cup against Ravenclaw. Slytherin really had not done the best this year and Hermione was sad, if only because it meant she had one less chance to see Draco play.
My goodness, she thought, I must be turning into a lovesick ninny!
The end of the term came quickly. Gryfindor won the House Cup again, like always, and it was presented to them at the End of Year Feast. Hermione couldn't have cared less.
Slowly she packed her trunk, feeling in her heart this year had been a complete failure. She'd spent nearly all of it feeling miserable, and she was so glad she was going home now, getting away from it all. Folding her dress robes up she slid them in the corner of her trunk and sighed. Everything seemed so dull.
Hermione was silent as the carriages took them to the train, and she didn't say much as she got on. She, Ron and Harry found a compartment at the back again, and settled into it. Ron and Harry were chatting animatedly the whole time. Hermione ignored them and stared out the window.
Beneath the train the tracks flew by, and Hermione remembered staring miserably at them exactly the way she was doing now at the beginning of the year. Months passed, and everything had changed. Yet it was still all so similar.
Pansy came in their compartment, to tell Ron good-bye and to ask Hermione to owl her sometime. Hermione told her that she would. She did not hate Pansy now.
The train chugged to a stop at Platform Nine and Three Quarters and Hermione disembarked. Lugging her trunk she headed toward the metal archway when someone stopped her. She turned. It was Draco.
"Need help with that?" he asked, gesturing to her trunk. Hermione shook her head and studied her feet.
"I'll - see you next year," she said, trying to move forward again. Draco caught her by the arm.
"See you next year, too," he said. "I'll - I'll miss you."
Hermione looked up at him. She realized he was still gripping her arm, but she did not want him to let go.
"Yeah, maybe you'll have better luck with Pansy next year," she said. A piece of her hair (Ginny had done it again) fell in her face, and she tucked it behind her ear.
"Pansy?" Draco asked. "Oh no, I've gotten over her. Ages ago."
Shock widened Hermione's eyes as the heat rose in her face. They stood there awkwardly a moment, students pushing past them on their way out. She fiddled with her shirt cuff.
"Hermione," Draco said finally, "You're a really - wonderful girl. And I was wondering … it doesn't matter if you're a mudblood, or a Gryfindor, Hermione…"
Hermione looked up again, up into his eyes, and saw there what she'd been hoping to see, longing to see, ever since she'd first realized she liked him. For one moment her heart stopped, everything around her stopped, then a wave of delirious happiness washed over her.
"I like you too, Draco," she said.
He bent and kissed her then, pressing his lips against hers, and Hemrione forgot they were standing in the middle of Platform Nine and Three Quarters, forgot everything, and if she'd have remembered she wouldn't have cared anyway…
"Hermione!" Ron cried, his mouth agape. "What in the world are you doing?!"
THE END
So that is the end. I hope you've enjoyed reading this. I have to thank all of my wonderful reviewers out there who've kept reading this. This has been my most successful story yet! Thanks so much!
By the way, I've starting posting another Draco story (Dueling Club), so if you liked this one…