PART 3
Disclaimers:
Although Draco is mine, I let JK Rowling borrow him sometimes. And you know what? "Love Doesn't Ask Why" is mine too, no matter what Celine Dion says. Hey! Blatant copyright infringment is fun!!
Don't ask me if this feeling's right or wrong
It doesn't have to make much sense
It just has to be this strong
Cos when you're in my arms I understand
We don't have a voice
When our hearts make the choices
There's no plan
It's not in our hands ***
After leaving Draco at the Grand Staircase, Hermione continued the rest of the way to Gryffindor tower alone, worriedly contemplating how to explain the situation to Ron and Harry.
Giving the password (wattlebird), she climbed into the common room to find Ron pacing in front of the fire and Harry slumped in a chair, a besmused expression on his face.
"Malfoy!" Ron was raving. "Why Malfoy?! He's probably put some curse on her!! And you let them go off alone!!"
"Ron," Harry said with a long suffering sigh. "I didn't *let* her go anywhere. I can't control her and neither can you."
"But Harry...! Malfoy...!" Ron seemed incapable of words. Hermione must have made some noise because Ron looked up, saw her standing in the open portrait and swelled with anger. "Where have you been?" he hissed, forcing each word through clench teeth. "It's been *two hours*."
Hermione started. "Two hours? I... we lost track of time... Draco - "
Ron was turning a horrible pinky-red that clashed tremendously with his hair and even Harry looked worried. "Please tell me you weren't *with* him."
Harry looked puzzled. "Of course she was with him..." he trailed off as he understood Ron's meaning and fixed Hermione with an even stare. "Oh.."
"Ron..." Hermione started feebly. She glanced around the empty common room frantically. "Can we go somewhere else to talk about this?"
"Why?" Ron was yelling again. "Are you ashamed? You ought to be!"
"Ron..." Harry reached out an arm, but Ron shook him off fiercely, then turned on him.
"How can you just sit there?! She is out... out... with Malfoy and all you can do is sit there?!"
Hermione took a step towards them. "Harry... get him to quiet down..."
Harry looked at her. "I'd like to know what's going on too, Hermione."
"*MALFOY*?!" Ron exploded.
"YES!" Hermione snapped. "MALFOY! DRACO MALFOY!! I AM DATING DRACO MALFOY! What is it that you want me to say?"
"Why him? Why Malfoy?"
"He's not like you think, Ron. He's changed."
"Not like I think? NOT LIKE I THINK?! Hermione, have you lost your mind? This is DRACO MALFOY. He's evil! He's a Slytherin! His father tried to kill Ginny! HOW CAN HE NOT BE LIKE I THINK?" Ron looked like he was having trouble breathing.
"Draco," she started and Ron choked.
"Draco. You call him Draco."
"Of course I do, Ron." she rolled her eyes. "I'm going to have his baby." It slipped out and her eyes widened and she pressed her knuckles to her mouth, in a fruitless attempt to take back what she had said.
"WHAT?!?!" both Harry and Ron screamed.
"Ron... Harry..."
"Malfoy.... BABY?!" Ron was having trouble with words again.
Hermione took a step towards him and he backed away, pointing at her. "You... you stay away from me. You.... and Malfoy.... You.... you *slut*."
"Ron!" Hermione reached out a hand towards him.
"NO! No... just stay away from me. Don't even talk to me. I don't even want to see you." he stared at her for a moment, in disbelief, then turned and stormed up the stairs.
"Oh, no." Hermione sank into an overstuffed scarlet loveseat, tears spilling down her cheeks. Harry, across the room, seemed frozen. "Go on, Harry. Go after him. I understand if you don't want to see me either."
Harry stared at her, uncertain which friend to go after. Then he hesitantly crossed the room and sat gently next to her. "A baby? Are you sure, Hermione?"
She nodded, without looking at him.
He touched her shoulder. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to keep it." she whispered.
"And Malfoy? He's okay with this?"
She nodded again.
He leaned back. "God, Hermione. A baby. You're just sixteen - "
"Don't you think I know that?! We didn't plan it!"
"But there are precautions you could have taken... things you can still do... - "
"No, Harry." she shook her head. "It was a mistake. But we're not going back on it. We've decided." She hesitantly leaned against him and he put an arm around her. She started crying in earnest, full sobs that shook her whole body. "Oh God, Harry. Ron's never going to talk to me again."
"No, no, Herm. It'll be okay. Ron'll come around. You know him. He's just - "
"No.. he won't. I *do* know him. This is it for us."
"C'mon, you can't believe that. Just give him some time. Trust me."
She nodded against his chest, not believing, but not willing to continue in that vein.
He held her until she stopped crying, then held her some more. They sat there, until the fire was merely glowing embers. "You know," he said softly. "My mother got pregnant with me in her seventh year."
Hermione looked up. "Really?"
Harry nodded. "Sirius told me." he hugged her tightly. "It worked out between my mum and dad and it'll work out between you and Malfoy. It'll be okay. I promise."
"Why?"
Harry shook his head. "Why what?"
"Why are you so accepting of this? Why don't you hate me like Ron?"
"Ron doesn't hate you. He's just mad. And as for me," Harry took a deep breath. "You're one of my best friends, Hermione. I trust you and I trust your judgement and if you've made this decision then it is the right one."
"And Draco?"
Harry sighed. "I don't know the Malfoy you know. But for your sake I'm willing to try and get to know him." he rubbed her back. "He's got to have something going for him if you love him."
"Harry..." she was crying again. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I was so afraid I was going to lose everyone and... just... thank you."
Harry grinned cheekily, the smile not reaching his eyes. "What are friends for?"
Disclaimers:
Although Draco is mine, I let JK Rowling borrow him sometimes. And you know what? "Love Doesn't Ask Why" is mine too, no matter what Celine Dion says. Hey! Blatant copyright infringment is fun!!
Don't ask me if this feeling's right or wrong
It doesn't have to make much sense
It just has to be this strong
Cos when you're in my arms I understand
We don't have a voice
When our hearts make the choices
There's no plan
It's not in our hands ***
After leaving Draco at the Grand Staircase, Hermione continued the rest of the way to Gryffindor tower alone, worriedly contemplating how to explain the situation to Ron and Harry.
Giving the password (wattlebird), she climbed into the common room to find Ron pacing in front of the fire and Harry slumped in a chair, a besmused expression on his face.
"Malfoy!" Ron was raving. "Why Malfoy?! He's probably put some curse on her!! And you let them go off alone!!"
"Ron," Harry said with a long suffering sigh. "I didn't *let* her go anywhere. I can't control her and neither can you."
"But Harry...! Malfoy...!" Ron seemed incapable of words. Hermione must have made some noise because Ron looked up, saw her standing in the open portrait and swelled with anger. "Where have you been?" he hissed, forcing each word through clench teeth. "It's been *two hours*."
Hermione started. "Two hours? I... we lost track of time... Draco - "
Ron was turning a horrible pinky-red that clashed tremendously with his hair and even Harry looked worried. "Please tell me you weren't *with* him."
Harry looked puzzled. "Of course she was with him..." he trailed off as he understood Ron's meaning and fixed Hermione with an even stare. "Oh.."
"Ron..." Hermione started feebly. She glanced around the empty common room frantically. "Can we go somewhere else to talk about this?"
"Why?" Ron was yelling again. "Are you ashamed? You ought to be!"
"Ron..." Harry reached out an arm, but Ron shook him off fiercely, then turned on him.
"How can you just sit there?! She is out... out... with Malfoy and all you can do is sit there?!"
Hermione took a step towards them. "Harry... get him to quiet down..."
Harry looked at her. "I'd like to know what's going on too, Hermione."
"*MALFOY*?!" Ron exploded.
"YES!" Hermione snapped. "MALFOY! DRACO MALFOY!! I AM DATING DRACO MALFOY! What is it that you want me to say?"
"Why him? Why Malfoy?"
"He's not like you think, Ron. He's changed."
"Not like I think? NOT LIKE I THINK?! Hermione, have you lost your mind? This is DRACO MALFOY. He's evil! He's a Slytherin! His father tried to kill Ginny! HOW CAN HE NOT BE LIKE I THINK?" Ron looked like he was having trouble breathing.
"Draco," she started and Ron choked.
"Draco. You call him Draco."
"Of course I do, Ron." she rolled her eyes. "I'm going to have his baby." It slipped out and her eyes widened and she pressed her knuckles to her mouth, in a fruitless attempt to take back what she had said.
"WHAT?!?!" both Harry and Ron screamed.
"Ron... Harry..."
"Malfoy.... BABY?!" Ron was having trouble with words again.
Hermione took a step towards him and he backed away, pointing at her. "You... you stay away from me. You.... and Malfoy.... You.... you *slut*."
"Ron!" Hermione reached out a hand towards him.
"NO! No... just stay away from me. Don't even talk to me. I don't even want to see you." he stared at her for a moment, in disbelief, then turned and stormed up the stairs.
"Oh, no." Hermione sank into an overstuffed scarlet loveseat, tears spilling down her cheeks. Harry, across the room, seemed frozen. "Go on, Harry. Go after him. I understand if you don't want to see me either."
Harry stared at her, uncertain which friend to go after. Then he hesitantly crossed the room and sat gently next to her. "A baby? Are you sure, Hermione?"
She nodded, without looking at him.
He touched her shoulder. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to keep it." she whispered.
"And Malfoy? He's okay with this?"
She nodded again.
He leaned back. "God, Hermione. A baby. You're just sixteen - "
"Don't you think I know that?! We didn't plan it!"
"But there are precautions you could have taken... things you can still do... - "
"No, Harry." she shook her head. "It was a mistake. But we're not going back on it. We've decided." She hesitantly leaned against him and he put an arm around her. She started crying in earnest, full sobs that shook her whole body. "Oh God, Harry. Ron's never going to talk to me again."
"No, no, Herm. It'll be okay. Ron'll come around. You know him. He's just - "
"No.. he won't. I *do* know him. This is it for us."
"C'mon, you can't believe that. Just give him some time. Trust me."
She nodded against his chest, not believing, but not willing to continue in that vein.
He held her until she stopped crying, then held her some more. They sat there, until the fire was merely glowing embers. "You know," he said softly. "My mother got pregnant with me in her seventh year."
Hermione looked up. "Really?"
Harry nodded. "Sirius told me." he hugged her tightly. "It worked out between my mum and dad and it'll work out between you and Malfoy. It'll be okay. I promise."
"Why?"
Harry shook his head. "Why what?"
"Why are you so accepting of this? Why don't you hate me like Ron?"
"Ron doesn't hate you. He's just mad. And as for me," Harry took a deep breath. "You're one of my best friends, Hermione. I trust you and I trust your judgement and if you've made this decision then it is the right one."
"And Draco?"
Harry sighed. "I don't know the Malfoy you know. But for your sake I'm willing to try and get to know him." he rubbed her back. "He's got to have something going for him if you love him."
"Harry..." she was crying again. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I was so afraid I was going to lose everyone and... just... thank you."
Harry grinned cheekily, the smile not reaching his eyes. "What are friends for?"
