Disclaimer: It's been so long since I've written this, I can't remember who
owns it. I JJJust KKKnow it isn't RRReally mine.
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CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT: Jitters
"Harry, Ron!" she called, causing the two seventh years to look up just in time to be knocked back by their friend.
"Gee, Hermione, it's nice to see you too," Ron said as she squeezed him. Hermione giggled and let go, moving on to her other friend, who lost the amused smile on his face. Now Ron smirked as Harry wheezed in her grasp.
"I missed you guys," she said and they both smiled.
"We missed you too," Harry said, then looked at Ron, who smirked.
"Hermione sandwich?" he suggested and Hermione looked horrified.
"No!" she said, but Harry smirked and nodded once.
"Hermione sandwich," he agreed and she shrieked, trying to run away, but Harry and Ron were ready and caught her between them, squeezing her from both sides.
"Eee! Let me go!" she cried and her friends laughed. Ron pulled away first.
"We better listen, Harry. Her BOYFRIEND might get jealous," he said and mockingly batted his eyelashes.
"Shut up!" Hermione said, laughing and gasping for breath. Harry laughed.
"You're probably right, Ron. Where is lover boy, anyway?" he asked and Hermione scowled.
"He's with Dumbledore; Draco's going to sort the first years," she told them sourly, but then smiled. Ron, however, dropped his grin.
"He left you alone?" he asked and Hermione glared.
"I can't believe you'd even acknowledge that, Ron! I am perfectly capable of sitting in a train station by myself, although, if you must know, Hagrid was here. No reason to get angry," she scolded, crossing her arms. Ron smirked.
"Not angry, just surprised," he said and she playfully hit his arm. Harry laughed.
"Why aren't you with him, then?" he asked as they began slowly toward the carriages.
"Despite what he may sometimes think, Draco is not the only person in the world. I wanted to come meet my two best friends after not seeing them in forever, but I see how much I'm appreciated," Hermione said with a smile and her friends both smirked.
"But Hermione, you saw me a week ago," Ron reminded her and she rolled her eyes.
"Yes, I quite remember that."
"And we saw you two days ago," Harry added and Hermione blushed, turning her eyes away.
"So you were watching; Draco said you might have been. You didn't, by any chance, tell Parvarti or Lavender, did you?" she asked and they laughed.
"No, but Lav owled us with the news not ten minutes later," Ron said and she smiled.
"Any idea how distorted the story has become?"
"I've heard everything between 'It was a joke' to 'Lucius is back from the dead and forcing them to get married, because Hermione is pregnant with Voldemort's heir.'" Harry explained, shaking his head in amusement. Hermione groaned.
"It's worse than I thought; is it just me, or does that make absolutely no sense?"
"That makes absolutely no sense," Ron agreed.
"Both Voldemort and Lucius are long gone dead, I am no where near pregnant, and even if I was, I would abort it before I let it become the heir to the dark throne. Anyway, how were your holidays?" Harry and Ron laughed.
"Alright, and yours?" asked Harry, causing Hermione to groan again.
"Not so good..." she complained, sparking the boys' curiosity.
"Well? Do tell," Ron urged and Hermione sighed.
"It got a little boring just sitting around on Christmas, so I took Draco to my house. Every-"
"Hey!" Ron interrupted. "We've never been to your house!"
"Well you never asked to come, now, did you? Anyway, we were playing pool with my friend Thisbe and my parents just showed up. They weren't supposed to come home until yesterday but, low and behold, there they were. In the process of devising a plan of escape, we told Thisbe about magic-folk. My mom flipped; I think she's afraid someone will break down the door and kill us all or something. Worst of it was, she sort-of blamed it on Draco, even though he didn't do anything, and went into 'I hate everyone except muggles' mode... and threw him out. Talk about embarrassing... and scary as hell. I've never seen her that angry." Ron was looking thoughtful, but Harry was suppressing giggles. "What's so funny?" Hermione asked with a smile.
"I'm trying to imagine your tiny, frail little mother throwing Malfoy out of your house," he explained. "It's surprisingly not hard..." Ron snickered and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Honestly," she whispered and they laughed.
"Well," Ron jumped in. "At least we know your new year's eve was better," he said and Harry laughed, but Hermione frowned and shook her head, causing the boys to do the same.
"It was worse. After the gling man left us alone, we met up with a... mutual enemy, you could say. I really don't want to talk about it; it's no one you know, don't worry," she said, then looked up sharply. "And if you so much as mention it to Draco, I chop off both your heads and let Crookshanks have the rest; got it?" she threatened and they both nodded stiffly. She self-consciously hugged her dragon. "That's all I need is for him to get even more upset," she mumbled. Ron raised an eyebrow.
"Can we say lover's quarrel?" he asked and she nodded.
"Had a bit of an argument this morning; just a tiny one... I can name a lot worse, but I still feel kind of bad, I mean, it was my fault and he didn't really get mad, just... like, hurt that I would do that, you know?" she sighed. "Talk about a guilt trip."
"So, you admit you fight often?" Harry asked almost worriedly. Hermione shook her head.
"No, hardly ever. We've had disagreements, but we usually end up in a dispassionate debate of some sort, which have been mistaken as fights, but are really just conversations. There are only three that stand out as real fights, this morning not being one of them. First, was just a big misunderstanding; it was actually that night we visited you guys... then I had one and he had his. Just a word of warning; avoid reading Draco's mind at all costs- it really pisses him off. That was the only time he's ever acted anything like his old self; almost scary, really."
"Hermione," Harry said worriedly, placing a hand well above the small of her back. Hermione didn't know what to feel; his touch was so unlike that which she was used to. She liked it; it was warm and inviting... but it lacked that special something unique only to her boyfriend. "He didn't... hurt you this one time, did he?" Hermione stopped in her tracks and glared at Harry, images of Zane running through her mind. She began to shake her head.
"No. No, no, no, no, no... you did not just ask me that, Harry! You didn't, you couldn't have... you're my friend... Never would he do anything like that to me, or anything else... well, not another woman..." Her voice grew soft. "I knew this was too good to be true; I should never have expected you to trust my judgment. Some miracles are just not meant to happen," she said disappointedly. Ron spoke up for his speechless friend.
"We do trust you; we know Draco's changed, but everyone makes mistakes. You can tell us, Mione. We ARE your friends; we won't get mad... wizard's word," he said and held up three fingers in the shape of a 'w'. Harry nodded and did the same. Hermione shook her head again and looked somewhat disgusted, then dropped her features and just looked sad.
"I-I have to go. Ride with the others, alright? I'll see you at dinner." She gave them each a kiss on the cheek, then started slowly toward the gates. Hermione turned back after only a few steps. "Oh, and could you guys make sure everyone gets in the carriages?"
"Sure, Mione," Harry provided. Hermione said nothing and walked slowly toward the gates. Harry and Ron watched as she broke into a run a little up the path and looked worriedly at each other.
"I think we messed up, Harry."
"Yeah, but I think that was inevitable. Let's go say hello to Hagrid before he leaves," Harry suggested, not sounding quite happy or excited. Ron nodded in agreement and they started toward the burly man who too was looking glum as he rounded up the first years.
* * * * * * * * * *
Hermione ran to the castle as fast as she could. She wanted Draco. Harry and Ron's simple question had stung her hard; it brought forth not only memories of Zane, but fabricated images of Draco performing Zane's actions. Hermione was shaking just thinking these things and she needed him; she needed Draco. One moment in his embrace would help her realize how stupid this whole thing was. She just needed to see him, hear him speak softly into her hair, and remind herself that this boy she adored was nothing like her muggle enemy.
Hermione paused to wipe the frozen tears from her face before opening the doors to the castle. She didn't want him to know she was upset, but she had a feeling Draco would know no matter how hard she tried to hide it. The icy lobby was deserted, so Hermione walked through it and into the great hall. All the teachers were working diligently to get everything ready for the soon coming students and Hermione looked from head to head, searching for one in particular. Then, she saw him, standing in the corner talking with a house elf. She smiled and made her way through the teachers, coming up behind Draco just as the house elf thanked him and walked away. Hermione tapped his shoulder and he slowly turned, looking excited as he saw her.
"Hey," he said happily and Hermione smiled. Draco moved swiftly to kiss her jawbone, smiling as he straightened again. "What is it with you and stealing my clothes, Mia?" he asked amusedly and Hermione looked confused for a moment, looking down at herself.
"Oh," she said, remembering the cloak. "Sorry. I actually didn't mean to that time," she told him and smiled weakly. Draco's expression became concerned and he reached out comfortingly to her.
"What's wrong?" She looked down. Hermione knew he'd be able to tell... she smiled.
"Nothing, I just thought Dumbledore might want to know that the train is here." Draco didn't look convinced, but Hermione pretended not to notice. She continued to smile, but her eyes looked sad. Draco tilted his head to look at her and Hermione looked away, knowing he could see right through her façade. Against her will, she felt her lip quiver slightly in response to the still-vivid fabrications in her mind. Draco's eyes grew a little wider; he knew something was wrong, but not wrong enough to make her cry.
"Hey," he said softly, stepping a little closer. Hermione gave up her hiding and moved into her boyfriend, sliding her arms around him. Draco mimicked her move, looking worried as he tightened his embrace. "What happened, love?" he asked and felt Hermione relax a little. The concern in his voice and the heartfelt usage of the nickname were two of the many differences between Draco and Zane. As she heard them in his caring embrace, the images faded quickly. "Hermione?" Draco asked when she didn't answer and the head Gryffindor shook her head, holding him tight.
"No, it's stupid, I'm being overemotional. I think I ran myself out cleaning yesterday." Draco smiled for a moment and placed his cheek against the side of her head.
"Was it Harry and Ron? Did they say something? I'm sure they didn't mean to hurt you," he asked softly and Hermione closed her eyes.
"No," she lied sadly and Draco smiled a bit, running a hand comfortingly over her back.
"Was it one of the Slytherin? Have the rumors started? Don't let them get to you, Mia; some people need to compensate for their lack of imagination," he said and Hermione smiled.
"Oh, you'd be surprised; some of them are pretty creative, but no, that's not it. I really don't want to talk about it, Ace. It's stupid and unimportant," she requested and Draco nodded in understanding.
"Are you sure there's no one I can beat to a bloody pulp for you?" he asked, sounding almost like he longed to. Hermione giggled, which made Draco feel ten times better.
"No, but I appreciate the offer," she said and purposely savored her last moment in the arms of the head Slytherin, then lifted her head from his chest. Hermione looked up at her boyfriend, then down to watch as her hands moved from his back, around to his chest. "The carriages should be arriving soon; I better go hold off the crowd. Come tell me when you guys are ready in here, alright?" she asked and Draco smiled.
"Of course, love," he said and gave her lips a long peck, which then turned into a rather involved kiss. Hermione broke away first.
"I have to go," she said. "But, thank you." Hermione gave him another quick kiss, then pulled out of his arms and walked quickly to the hall doors, leaving Draco standing alone. With a sigh, he dropped his arms to the side and went in search of Dumbledore to make sure he was informed of the train arrival, although Draco was fairly sure he already knew.
* * * * * * * * * *
Hermione stepped outside and sighed happily. She felt a little bad about leaving Draco in the dark and worried like that, but she felt much better about the problem that had brought her to him in the first place. She couldn't tell Draco about the images, of course; he would be worried, and possibly even hurt. Hermione had made an easy decision in remaining silent. ** What would he think of me if he knew?** she wondered, her happiness draining slightly and a frown crossing his lips. She hugged the dragon close and started down the stairs. Hermione stopped half way and sat down, wrapping the cloak around her legs and hugging herself tight.
As predicted, the carriages could be seen moving slowly up the hill. Hermione smiled as she saw them; she was eager to apologize to Harry and Ron. It had been rather rude of her to just run away from them like that. She chewed her lip and tapped her feet, keeping her arms tucked close. **Could they move any slower? At this rate, they'll be just in time for graduation.** she thought irritably.
Hermione stayed where she was as the coaches paraded in front of her, creating a line down the path. She stood in sheer anticipation as the children began pouring out and craned her neck, looking for her friends. At first, she couldn't see them and Hermione felt a slight unease settle about her. **How hard can it be to get into a stupid carriage? Oh, I hope they weren't left behind,** she thought quietly. Then, Hermione saw them, looking slightly morose and standing together as Ginny stepped out of the last carriage in line. The red-headed girl looked curiously at her brother and friend, knowing something had happened. Hermione smiled, somewhat relieved, and looked over the mob of students who were approaching the steps.
"Attention students!" she called, holding her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice. Ginny looked up when she heard this and smiled excitedly as she poked Ron and pointed. He and Harry looked to her as well and smiled when she did. "Good evening! I am Hermione Granger; this year's head girl. Please follow me into the lobby, but kindly do not venture into the great hall until told to do so! Thank you!" Hermione yelled and turned, heading up the stairway. She walked briskly through the lobby and to the great hall doors before turning back around, blocking the way. The students obediently followed her and stopped once inside to talk amongst themselves. As she watched, Hermione saw two redheads and a green-eyed boy make their way through and over to her. As they broke from the crowd, Hermione did her part by approaching them.
"Oh, you guys, I'm sorry," she said before they could and gave each Harry and Ron a light friendly hug.
"No, Mione. We're sorry; we really didn't think that; I don't know where it came from," Harry said and both boys looked down.
"I do. It's alright, really. I don't blame you guys for anything... there's bits and pieces of undisclosed information you're missing in explanation to my reaction, is all. Don't worry about me, it's someone else's fault entirely," she said happily, then took a breath.
"Who?" Ron asked before he could stop himself and Harry elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow..." he breathed, clutching his side. Hermione giggled.
"Not Draco. Hey, where'd Ginny go?" Harry and Ron, who were smiling goofily, blinked and looked around.
"There," Harry said after a moment, pointing discreetly at a group of their lower classmen. Hermione huffed good-naturedly.
"Guess she's not too excited to say hi to me right away," she assumed, smiling, and shaking her head. Then, Ron shook his.
"No; ecstatic... she just wanted to give us a few minutes to apologize," he said sadly, but Hermione's smile grew.
"Oi! Ginny!" Hermione called and her friend spun, a huge smile on her face. She slowly made her way to the group of three seventh years.
"What do YOU want, Granger?" she asked irritably, smile changing to a look of annoyance.
"Nothing you've got, Weasley," Hermione shot back. The girls glared at each other for a moment, then simultaneously threw open their arms and squealed.
"Oh, I missed you, Ginny! I've had absolutely no one to talk to... except the teachers... I know, and this one painting." Hermione said and Ginny laughed.
"What about your BOYfriend?" Ron asked, mockingly of course, and Ginny pulled away to slap him upside the head.
"Ron, are you that dense? You can't tell girl stuff you your boyfriend or your guyfriends! They'd either be embarrassed beyond comprehension or bored to tears... either way not much help. You just remember that," she said hotly and Hermione smiled into her hand. Ron just rolled his eyes.
"She's right, Ron. You know all that stuff I won't talk to you about? I don't talk to Draco about it either. He just wouldn't understand... and I'm not good at making flashcards," Hermione said and Ginny laughed. Harry and Ron just looked confused.
"I missed you too, Mione. All I've had is Mum, and her advice is always 'Here, dear, have a cookie... oh, but not the pumpkin butter ones... give you warts.' Gee, thanks Mum, that totally solves the problem of my incapability to get a boyfriend." Ginny said, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, Ginny... you're too young to have a boyfriend," Ron said and Ginny turned to him furiously.
"Oh, Ginny... you're too young to have a boyfriend," Hermione mimicked in an old lady voice and Harry laughed.
"Am not!" Ginny shouted at her brother. "How is that fair? You dated Hermione in fifth year, and I'm technically half way through my sixth," she said and crossed her arms. Hermione nodded.
"She's got a point, Ron," she agreed.
"That's different... we were.. us, you're... you," he stuttered. Ginny rolled her eyes again.
"Yes, Ron. I am your little baby sister who will forever remain two years old... and yet I am ten times more mature than you."
"Are not!" Ron retorted.
"I rest my case," Ginny said and Ron childishly crossed his arms. "And more and more proof rolls in. Hey Mione, can we go in yet? I'm starving!"
"Um, I don't know... Draco was supposed to come out and tell me when I can let everyone in... let me check," Hermione said, holding up one finger and hurrying toward the doors.
She stepped up to the big redwood slab and pushed it slowly open. Hermione was smiling down at the ground as she did this, but gasped and looked up as something slid into the wall in front of her.
"Hey," Draco said with a smirk on his face and Hermione smiled. He was leaning sideways against the door, arms crossed and robes still swishing from his movement.
"You know, someday I'm going to turn around and slap you when you do that," she told him, shaking her head and Draco just shrugged.
"It's not like you haven't done it before," he reminded her and Hermione put on a fake pout.
"Oh, I'm sorry Ace," she said in the same voice she used for Crookshanks and kissed him lightly in apology. Then, both smiled and kissed once more. "Hey, can I let these guys in yet? They're getting irritable." Draco nodded.
"I was just coming to tell you that," he said and she nodded.
"Okay, good. Come with," she said, grabbed his hand and pulled him through the doors before Draco could utter a word of protest. Hermione dragged her boyfriend over to her group, who all looked rather bored, but perked up when they saw her coming. As she arrived at their side, Hermione dropped Draco's hand and turned to address the crowd. "Attention students, you may now enter the great hall! Please remain orderly!" she called and heard Harry huff.
"Yeah, like that's going to happen," he mumbled and the group all chuckled a bit. As the students filed into the great hall, Hermione, her boyfriend, and her friends watched with silent smiles. When the last few students left the lobby, Draco leaned in close to Hermione's ear.
"Hey," he said quietly and she turned to him with a smile. "I have to go deal with the first years, I'll see you after the sorting, alright?" Draco asked and Hermione nodded. He smiled and kissed her quickly, then hurried off toward the outside door. Hermione smiled after him, then turned again to her friends. Ginny was looking dreamy and in longing, but Harry and Ron gave each other a look and attempted to hold in their laughter.
"Oh, shut up," Hermione said and crossed her arms.
"Why, hello, Malfoy. So nice of you to drop... oh wait, you're gone already," Ron said with a stupid grin and a mocking laugh. Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes, but Harry laughed.
"Can't you be a little more sympathetic? He doesn't feel all that comfortable around you guys yet; I can tell. He just doesn't' want to say the wrong thing," she said, sounding almost as if she were scolding them. The boys shrugged and looked at each other.
"Sorry, Mione," Ron apologized and Hermione shook her head.
"Yeah, whatever. Let's go to dinner," she suggested and started for the great hall, immediately followed by Ginny. Ron and Harry gave each other a look, then trailed behind.
A/N: Haha, I know... you're disappointed, aren't you? Lol. A lot of you thought Harry and Ron were ignoring Hermione, but they weren't... they just hadn't seen her there. I apologize for such a long wait for such a crappy story... and I will restart my PRF's next chapter... promise. As many of you know, I have finished this story. This is not the last chapter; far from it, but I have them all composed and in need of tuning. Hopefully it won't be so long a wait for the next one. I hope you enjoyed this at least a little bit. Again, Sorry.
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CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT: Jitters
"Harry, Ron!" she called, causing the two seventh years to look up just in time to be knocked back by their friend.
"Gee, Hermione, it's nice to see you too," Ron said as she squeezed him. Hermione giggled and let go, moving on to her other friend, who lost the amused smile on his face. Now Ron smirked as Harry wheezed in her grasp.
"I missed you guys," she said and they both smiled.
"We missed you too," Harry said, then looked at Ron, who smirked.
"Hermione sandwich?" he suggested and Hermione looked horrified.
"No!" she said, but Harry smirked and nodded once.
"Hermione sandwich," he agreed and she shrieked, trying to run away, but Harry and Ron were ready and caught her between them, squeezing her from both sides.
"Eee! Let me go!" she cried and her friends laughed. Ron pulled away first.
"We better listen, Harry. Her BOYFRIEND might get jealous," he said and mockingly batted his eyelashes.
"Shut up!" Hermione said, laughing and gasping for breath. Harry laughed.
"You're probably right, Ron. Where is lover boy, anyway?" he asked and Hermione scowled.
"He's with Dumbledore; Draco's going to sort the first years," she told them sourly, but then smiled. Ron, however, dropped his grin.
"He left you alone?" he asked and Hermione glared.
"I can't believe you'd even acknowledge that, Ron! I am perfectly capable of sitting in a train station by myself, although, if you must know, Hagrid was here. No reason to get angry," she scolded, crossing her arms. Ron smirked.
"Not angry, just surprised," he said and she playfully hit his arm. Harry laughed.
"Why aren't you with him, then?" he asked as they began slowly toward the carriages.
"Despite what he may sometimes think, Draco is not the only person in the world. I wanted to come meet my two best friends after not seeing them in forever, but I see how much I'm appreciated," Hermione said with a smile and her friends both smirked.
"But Hermione, you saw me a week ago," Ron reminded her and she rolled her eyes.
"Yes, I quite remember that."
"And we saw you two days ago," Harry added and Hermione blushed, turning her eyes away.
"So you were watching; Draco said you might have been. You didn't, by any chance, tell Parvarti or Lavender, did you?" she asked and they laughed.
"No, but Lav owled us with the news not ten minutes later," Ron said and she smiled.
"Any idea how distorted the story has become?"
"I've heard everything between 'It was a joke' to 'Lucius is back from the dead and forcing them to get married, because Hermione is pregnant with Voldemort's heir.'" Harry explained, shaking his head in amusement. Hermione groaned.
"It's worse than I thought; is it just me, or does that make absolutely no sense?"
"That makes absolutely no sense," Ron agreed.
"Both Voldemort and Lucius are long gone dead, I am no where near pregnant, and even if I was, I would abort it before I let it become the heir to the dark throne. Anyway, how were your holidays?" Harry and Ron laughed.
"Alright, and yours?" asked Harry, causing Hermione to groan again.
"Not so good..." she complained, sparking the boys' curiosity.
"Well? Do tell," Ron urged and Hermione sighed.
"It got a little boring just sitting around on Christmas, so I took Draco to my house. Every-"
"Hey!" Ron interrupted. "We've never been to your house!"
"Well you never asked to come, now, did you? Anyway, we were playing pool with my friend Thisbe and my parents just showed up. They weren't supposed to come home until yesterday but, low and behold, there they were. In the process of devising a plan of escape, we told Thisbe about magic-folk. My mom flipped; I think she's afraid someone will break down the door and kill us all or something. Worst of it was, she sort-of blamed it on Draco, even though he didn't do anything, and went into 'I hate everyone except muggles' mode... and threw him out. Talk about embarrassing... and scary as hell. I've never seen her that angry." Ron was looking thoughtful, but Harry was suppressing giggles. "What's so funny?" Hermione asked with a smile.
"I'm trying to imagine your tiny, frail little mother throwing Malfoy out of your house," he explained. "It's surprisingly not hard..." Ron snickered and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Honestly," she whispered and they laughed.
"Well," Ron jumped in. "At least we know your new year's eve was better," he said and Harry laughed, but Hermione frowned and shook her head, causing the boys to do the same.
"It was worse. After the gling man left us alone, we met up with a... mutual enemy, you could say. I really don't want to talk about it; it's no one you know, don't worry," she said, then looked up sharply. "And if you so much as mention it to Draco, I chop off both your heads and let Crookshanks have the rest; got it?" she threatened and they both nodded stiffly. She self-consciously hugged her dragon. "That's all I need is for him to get even more upset," she mumbled. Ron raised an eyebrow.
"Can we say lover's quarrel?" he asked and she nodded.
"Had a bit of an argument this morning; just a tiny one... I can name a lot worse, but I still feel kind of bad, I mean, it was my fault and he didn't really get mad, just... like, hurt that I would do that, you know?" she sighed. "Talk about a guilt trip."
"So, you admit you fight often?" Harry asked almost worriedly. Hermione shook her head.
"No, hardly ever. We've had disagreements, but we usually end up in a dispassionate debate of some sort, which have been mistaken as fights, but are really just conversations. There are only three that stand out as real fights, this morning not being one of them. First, was just a big misunderstanding; it was actually that night we visited you guys... then I had one and he had his. Just a word of warning; avoid reading Draco's mind at all costs- it really pisses him off. That was the only time he's ever acted anything like his old self; almost scary, really."
"Hermione," Harry said worriedly, placing a hand well above the small of her back. Hermione didn't know what to feel; his touch was so unlike that which she was used to. She liked it; it was warm and inviting... but it lacked that special something unique only to her boyfriend. "He didn't... hurt you this one time, did he?" Hermione stopped in her tracks and glared at Harry, images of Zane running through her mind. She began to shake her head.
"No. No, no, no, no, no... you did not just ask me that, Harry! You didn't, you couldn't have... you're my friend... Never would he do anything like that to me, or anything else... well, not another woman..." Her voice grew soft. "I knew this was too good to be true; I should never have expected you to trust my judgment. Some miracles are just not meant to happen," she said disappointedly. Ron spoke up for his speechless friend.
"We do trust you; we know Draco's changed, but everyone makes mistakes. You can tell us, Mione. We ARE your friends; we won't get mad... wizard's word," he said and held up three fingers in the shape of a 'w'. Harry nodded and did the same. Hermione shook her head again and looked somewhat disgusted, then dropped her features and just looked sad.
"I-I have to go. Ride with the others, alright? I'll see you at dinner." She gave them each a kiss on the cheek, then started slowly toward the gates. Hermione turned back after only a few steps. "Oh, and could you guys make sure everyone gets in the carriages?"
"Sure, Mione," Harry provided. Hermione said nothing and walked slowly toward the gates. Harry and Ron watched as she broke into a run a little up the path and looked worriedly at each other.
"I think we messed up, Harry."
"Yeah, but I think that was inevitable. Let's go say hello to Hagrid before he leaves," Harry suggested, not sounding quite happy or excited. Ron nodded in agreement and they started toward the burly man who too was looking glum as he rounded up the first years.
* * * * * * * * * *
Hermione ran to the castle as fast as she could. She wanted Draco. Harry and Ron's simple question had stung her hard; it brought forth not only memories of Zane, but fabricated images of Draco performing Zane's actions. Hermione was shaking just thinking these things and she needed him; she needed Draco. One moment in his embrace would help her realize how stupid this whole thing was. She just needed to see him, hear him speak softly into her hair, and remind herself that this boy she adored was nothing like her muggle enemy.
Hermione paused to wipe the frozen tears from her face before opening the doors to the castle. She didn't want him to know she was upset, but she had a feeling Draco would know no matter how hard she tried to hide it. The icy lobby was deserted, so Hermione walked through it and into the great hall. All the teachers were working diligently to get everything ready for the soon coming students and Hermione looked from head to head, searching for one in particular. Then, she saw him, standing in the corner talking with a house elf. She smiled and made her way through the teachers, coming up behind Draco just as the house elf thanked him and walked away. Hermione tapped his shoulder and he slowly turned, looking excited as he saw her.
"Hey," he said happily and Hermione smiled. Draco moved swiftly to kiss her jawbone, smiling as he straightened again. "What is it with you and stealing my clothes, Mia?" he asked amusedly and Hermione looked confused for a moment, looking down at herself.
"Oh," she said, remembering the cloak. "Sorry. I actually didn't mean to that time," she told him and smiled weakly. Draco's expression became concerned and he reached out comfortingly to her.
"What's wrong?" She looked down. Hermione knew he'd be able to tell... she smiled.
"Nothing, I just thought Dumbledore might want to know that the train is here." Draco didn't look convinced, but Hermione pretended not to notice. She continued to smile, but her eyes looked sad. Draco tilted his head to look at her and Hermione looked away, knowing he could see right through her façade. Against her will, she felt her lip quiver slightly in response to the still-vivid fabrications in her mind. Draco's eyes grew a little wider; he knew something was wrong, but not wrong enough to make her cry.
"Hey," he said softly, stepping a little closer. Hermione gave up her hiding and moved into her boyfriend, sliding her arms around him. Draco mimicked her move, looking worried as he tightened his embrace. "What happened, love?" he asked and felt Hermione relax a little. The concern in his voice and the heartfelt usage of the nickname were two of the many differences between Draco and Zane. As she heard them in his caring embrace, the images faded quickly. "Hermione?" Draco asked when she didn't answer and the head Gryffindor shook her head, holding him tight.
"No, it's stupid, I'm being overemotional. I think I ran myself out cleaning yesterday." Draco smiled for a moment and placed his cheek against the side of her head.
"Was it Harry and Ron? Did they say something? I'm sure they didn't mean to hurt you," he asked softly and Hermione closed her eyes.
"No," she lied sadly and Draco smiled a bit, running a hand comfortingly over her back.
"Was it one of the Slytherin? Have the rumors started? Don't let them get to you, Mia; some people need to compensate for their lack of imagination," he said and Hermione smiled.
"Oh, you'd be surprised; some of them are pretty creative, but no, that's not it. I really don't want to talk about it, Ace. It's stupid and unimportant," she requested and Draco nodded in understanding.
"Are you sure there's no one I can beat to a bloody pulp for you?" he asked, sounding almost like he longed to. Hermione giggled, which made Draco feel ten times better.
"No, but I appreciate the offer," she said and purposely savored her last moment in the arms of the head Slytherin, then lifted her head from his chest. Hermione looked up at her boyfriend, then down to watch as her hands moved from his back, around to his chest. "The carriages should be arriving soon; I better go hold off the crowd. Come tell me when you guys are ready in here, alright?" she asked and Draco smiled.
"Of course, love," he said and gave her lips a long peck, which then turned into a rather involved kiss. Hermione broke away first.
"I have to go," she said. "But, thank you." Hermione gave him another quick kiss, then pulled out of his arms and walked quickly to the hall doors, leaving Draco standing alone. With a sigh, he dropped his arms to the side and went in search of Dumbledore to make sure he was informed of the train arrival, although Draco was fairly sure he already knew.
* * * * * * * * * *
Hermione stepped outside and sighed happily. She felt a little bad about leaving Draco in the dark and worried like that, but she felt much better about the problem that had brought her to him in the first place. She couldn't tell Draco about the images, of course; he would be worried, and possibly even hurt. Hermione had made an easy decision in remaining silent. ** What would he think of me if he knew?** she wondered, her happiness draining slightly and a frown crossing his lips. She hugged the dragon close and started down the stairs. Hermione stopped half way and sat down, wrapping the cloak around her legs and hugging herself tight.
As predicted, the carriages could be seen moving slowly up the hill. Hermione smiled as she saw them; she was eager to apologize to Harry and Ron. It had been rather rude of her to just run away from them like that. She chewed her lip and tapped her feet, keeping her arms tucked close. **Could they move any slower? At this rate, they'll be just in time for graduation.** she thought irritably.
Hermione stayed where she was as the coaches paraded in front of her, creating a line down the path. She stood in sheer anticipation as the children began pouring out and craned her neck, looking for her friends. At first, she couldn't see them and Hermione felt a slight unease settle about her. **How hard can it be to get into a stupid carriage? Oh, I hope they weren't left behind,** she thought quietly. Then, Hermione saw them, looking slightly morose and standing together as Ginny stepped out of the last carriage in line. The red-headed girl looked curiously at her brother and friend, knowing something had happened. Hermione smiled, somewhat relieved, and looked over the mob of students who were approaching the steps.
"Attention students!" she called, holding her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice. Ginny looked up when she heard this and smiled excitedly as she poked Ron and pointed. He and Harry looked to her as well and smiled when she did. "Good evening! I am Hermione Granger; this year's head girl. Please follow me into the lobby, but kindly do not venture into the great hall until told to do so! Thank you!" Hermione yelled and turned, heading up the stairway. She walked briskly through the lobby and to the great hall doors before turning back around, blocking the way. The students obediently followed her and stopped once inside to talk amongst themselves. As she watched, Hermione saw two redheads and a green-eyed boy make their way through and over to her. As they broke from the crowd, Hermione did her part by approaching them.
"Oh, you guys, I'm sorry," she said before they could and gave each Harry and Ron a light friendly hug.
"No, Mione. We're sorry; we really didn't think that; I don't know where it came from," Harry said and both boys looked down.
"I do. It's alright, really. I don't blame you guys for anything... there's bits and pieces of undisclosed information you're missing in explanation to my reaction, is all. Don't worry about me, it's someone else's fault entirely," she said happily, then took a breath.
"Who?" Ron asked before he could stop himself and Harry elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow..." he breathed, clutching his side. Hermione giggled.
"Not Draco. Hey, where'd Ginny go?" Harry and Ron, who were smiling goofily, blinked and looked around.
"There," Harry said after a moment, pointing discreetly at a group of their lower classmen. Hermione huffed good-naturedly.
"Guess she's not too excited to say hi to me right away," she assumed, smiling, and shaking her head. Then, Ron shook his.
"No; ecstatic... she just wanted to give us a few minutes to apologize," he said sadly, but Hermione's smile grew.
"Oi! Ginny!" Hermione called and her friend spun, a huge smile on her face. She slowly made her way to the group of three seventh years.
"What do YOU want, Granger?" she asked irritably, smile changing to a look of annoyance.
"Nothing you've got, Weasley," Hermione shot back. The girls glared at each other for a moment, then simultaneously threw open their arms and squealed.
"Oh, I missed you, Ginny! I've had absolutely no one to talk to... except the teachers... I know, and this one painting." Hermione said and Ginny laughed.
"What about your BOYfriend?" Ron asked, mockingly of course, and Ginny pulled away to slap him upside the head.
"Ron, are you that dense? You can't tell girl stuff you your boyfriend or your guyfriends! They'd either be embarrassed beyond comprehension or bored to tears... either way not much help. You just remember that," she said hotly and Hermione smiled into her hand. Ron just rolled his eyes.
"She's right, Ron. You know all that stuff I won't talk to you about? I don't talk to Draco about it either. He just wouldn't understand... and I'm not good at making flashcards," Hermione said and Ginny laughed. Harry and Ron just looked confused.
"I missed you too, Mione. All I've had is Mum, and her advice is always 'Here, dear, have a cookie... oh, but not the pumpkin butter ones... give you warts.' Gee, thanks Mum, that totally solves the problem of my incapability to get a boyfriend." Ginny said, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, Ginny... you're too young to have a boyfriend," Ron said and Ginny turned to him furiously.
"Oh, Ginny... you're too young to have a boyfriend," Hermione mimicked in an old lady voice and Harry laughed.
"Am not!" Ginny shouted at her brother. "How is that fair? You dated Hermione in fifth year, and I'm technically half way through my sixth," she said and crossed her arms. Hermione nodded.
"She's got a point, Ron," she agreed.
"That's different... we were.. us, you're... you," he stuttered. Ginny rolled her eyes again.
"Yes, Ron. I am your little baby sister who will forever remain two years old... and yet I am ten times more mature than you."
"Are not!" Ron retorted.
"I rest my case," Ginny said and Ron childishly crossed his arms. "And more and more proof rolls in. Hey Mione, can we go in yet? I'm starving!"
"Um, I don't know... Draco was supposed to come out and tell me when I can let everyone in... let me check," Hermione said, holding up one finger and hurrying toward the doors.
She stepped up to the big redwood slab and pushed it slowly open. Hermione was smiling down at the ground as she did this, but gasped and looked up as something slid into the wall in front of her.
"Hey," Draco said with a smirk on his face and Hermione smiled. He was leaning sideways against the door, arms crossed and robes still swishing from his movement.
"You know, someday I'm going to turn around and slap you when you do that," she told him, shaking her head and Draco just shrugged.
"It's not like you haven't done it before," he reminded her and Hermione put on a fake pout.
"Oh, I'm sorry Ace," she said in the same voice she used for Crookshanks and kissed him lightly in apology. Then, both smiled and kissed once more. "Hey, can I let these guys in yet? They're getting irritable." Draco nodded.
"I was just coming to tell you that," he said and she nodded.
"Okay, good. Come with," she said, grabbed his hand and pulled him through the doors before Draco could utter a word of protest. Hermione dragged her boyfriend over to her group, who all looked rather bored, but perked up when they saw her coming. As she arrived at their side, Hermione dropped Draco's hand and turned to address the crowd. "Attention students, you may now enter the great hall! Please remain orderly!" she called and heard Harry huff.
"Yeah, like that's going to happen," he mumbled and the group all chuckled a bit. As the students filed into the great hall, Hermione, her boyfriend, and her friends watched with silent smiles. When the last few students left the lobby, Draco leaned in close to Hermione's ear.
"Hey," he said quietly and she turned to him with a smile. "I have to go deal with the first years, I'll see you after the sorting, alright?" Draco asked and Hermione nodded. He smiled and kissed her quickly, then hurried off toward the outside door. Hermione smiled after him, then turned again to her friends. Ginny was looking dreamy and in longing, but Harry and Ron gave each other a look and attempted to hold in their laughter.
"Oh, shut up," Hermione said and crossed her arms.
"Why, hello, Malfoy. So nice of you to drop... oh wait, you're gone already," Ron said with a stupid grin and a mocking laugh. Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes, but Harry laughed.
"Can't you be a little more sympathetic? He doesn't feel all that comfortable around you guys yet; I can tell. He just doesn't' want to say the wrong thing," she said, sounding almost as if she were scolding them. The boys shrugged and looked at each other.
"Sorry, Mione," Ron apologized and Hermione shook her head.
"Yeah, whatever. Let's go to dinner," she suggested and started for the great hall, immediately followed by Ginny. Ron and Harry gave each other a look, then trailed behind.
A/N: Haha, I know... you're disappointed, aren't you? Lol. A lot of you thought Harry and Ron were ignoring Hermione, but they weren't... they just hadn't seen her there. I apologize for such a long wait for such a crappy story... and I will restart my PRF's next chapter... promise. As many of you know, I have finished this story. This is not the last chapter; far from it, but I have them all composed and in need of tuning. Hopefully it won't be so long a wait for the next one. I hope you enjoyed this at least a little bit. Again, Sorry.
