Chapter 11
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot.
Draco turned to face her. "Are you sure you want to know?" he asked seriously.
"If it's related to me, I deserve to know," Hermione responded intently.
"Okay, then." Draco stood up and began pacing in front of Hermione. "Remember when I told you I made that necklace for you?" he began, gesturing towards the jewelry dangling on Hermione's neck.
"Yes?" Hermione waited.
"Well. I didn't exactly make the gem that went with it," he said, biting his lower lip.
"What do you mean?"
"I got it, actually found it in my last visit at Hogsmeade before our graduation," he said, pacing once more. "I entered the jewelry shop with the intention of buying a brand new jewelry for you, but I left it holding but one gem in my hand."
Hermione touched the pendant of her necklace and thoroughly observed it. It was emitting some kind of sheen she had never seen before. "How did you get this, Draco?"
Draco stopped pacing and sat beside her. He stared at her for a few minutes before beginning to speak again. "The man at the counter asked me what I wanted and for whom it was for. I told him I wanted to buy a special jewelry and give it to a very special friend." Draco took a deep breath. "At first he showed me a couple of rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings of different makes and styles, but I didn't like any of them. Then he asked me what the occasion was, and I told him, after much hesitation, that I wanted to make up for my past mistakes. The man smiled at me and led me to a chamber inside his store. There I saw many kinds of gems, jewels, gold and silver, but most importantly, at the very end of the small and narrow room, I saw the most precious of them all. I saw," he said, pointing at the gem suspended over Hermione's chest, "that one."
Hermione motioned to remove the necklace for her to see it properly, but Draco lifted his hand and stopped her. "Don't remove it."
"Draco," Hermione began, "what's so special about this gem you chose it over the others? It looks. so plain and simple."
Draco rested his back on the couch and placed his hands on his lap. "Hermione, do you remember the mirror of Erised?"
Hermione's eyes widened as memories of her years at Hogwarts came flashing to her head. "Yes, I remember it exactly. I distinctly remember the time Harry showed me the mirror, what I saw, and how I felt. But Professor Dumbledore took the mirror away one last time, and I never saw my dreams again. Never." Hermione's eyes began to show tears, but her great sense of curiosity drew her to the present and she turned around to look at Draco, wondering why he had asked her about the mirror. "What does the mirror have to do with the gem?"
Draco looked her straight in the eyes. "The gem, Hermione, came from the mirror of Erised."
"What? This?" Hermione clutched the gem tightly on her hand, eyes wide in disbelief. "How did that happen?"
"It just so happened that the very last time the mirror was moved, tiny pieces of its glass were shattered, which ended up in the jewelry man's hands," Draco explained. "And that piece, is the largest."
Hermione lifted her hands to her temple and began shaking her head, looking down. "Wait a second. If this gem came from the mirror, then that must mean it has the same magic as the mirror does. But what I understand is. why is it green?"
"They say if the entire glass was shattered into pieces, it would reveal several kinds of gems, of different colors and sizes, all combined to produce the entirety of the mirror," Draco explained, staring up the ceiling. He then looked at Hermione. "It just so happened that that piece is an emerald."
Hermione was amazed at such kind of information she had never known before. She never realized there was more to the mirror than just meets the eye, that it consisted of several magical gems inside.
"Draco, does that mean that this gem has the power to show me my deepest and most desperate desires?" she asked him.
"It cannot show you, Hermione, for it is only but a small piece of the puzzle. But it can make you feel and guide you." Draco moved closer, so close that their faces were almost together. He reached for the gem and closed his eyes for a second. Then as he opened it, Hermione recognized a kind of happiness she had never seen from him before. "Take this gem to be your guide. Let its power take your wishes and point them to the skies. Allow its energy to show you where your strength dwells inside. And lead you to where your greatest dream truly lies."
Hermione was speechless. It was beauty in words. She never thought Draco could speak poetry, and never thought he would speak one to her. It took a few moments for her to be able to speak. "That was wonderful."
Draco didn't say anything. He only managed to rest his back on the couch once more, staring into empty space.
"So that's why I've been having all sorts of odd emotions ever since I began wearing the necklace. I never knew it would be because of it, but I'm glad I understand now."
Draco still didn't speak.
"So then, the gem probably draws out inner desires and tells you what's lacking in your life." Hermione's eyes widened as she turned around to look at Draco. "It shows you where happiness truly lies." Upon hearing this, Draco stood up and grabbed Hermione by the shoulder, pulling her to stand as well. "What do you feel now?" he asked her, eyes focused.
Hermione closed her eyes and felt it more undeniably. And as she opened her eyes, the two of them started to move at exactly the same time, aiming to unite their lips and break all the indefinite barriers around and inside them.
***
"Hermione!"
Hermione quickly turned around as they parted their lips. Standing by the front door, their faces lined with furious expressions, were her parents.
"Mom, Dad, wha--- what are you doing here?" Hermione exclaimed.
"We came to pick you up because we were worried," her dad replied.
"But from what we've seen, you two are obviously having a great time so you probably don't intend to come back," added her mother.
Hermione didn't know what to say. Both hers and Draco's faces were red, abashed with was her parents had seen.
"But we still intend to take you home," her father cut in the silence. Mr. Granger dragged Hermione by the arm and pulled her outside. Draco, uncertain of what to do, just stood there and watched Hermione leave.
Hermione managed to free herself from her father's grip once they were outside. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because we don't want you to destroy your life by being with that guy. Now get in the car!" Mr. Granger shouted.
Hermione stepped inside the car, crying. Her mother, who sat in front beside her father, didn't say anything to comfort her.
Hermione glanced at the back of the car and saw Draco standing by the front door, watching her being taken away. She cried even further, but not because Draco wasn't doing anything, but because neither of them had the power to change their lives now.
***
When they reached their house, Hermione's parents cornered her onto the sofa. This was it, she thought. This was the time that her parents were going to take away her freedom, her life. Now she couldn't run away anymore for her parents would only keep on getting her back. She had nowhere to go. She was trapped, like Rapunzel inside the tallest tower. It was time for the bells to stop ringing, for the music to stop playing, and her for feet to stop dancing.
"You are never, never going to see that guy again, do you understand me?" Mr. Granger said, yelling at her. "How dare you run away like that and not inform us that you found a place of resort and that you don't intend to come back?" her mother shouted angrily.
Hermione stood up. "I ran away because I chose to, and it's none of your business as to where I am going and how long out of the house I am going to stay."
Mr. Granger's eyes narrowed. "Look at your pride. How long to you think can you last away from your home? Without any of your clothes and any of your belongings."
"I can last as far away from here as possible because it would do me a lot of good being away from you," Hermione responded.
Much to her surprise, her mother threw her a heavy slap on the face. "How dare you speak to us like that? We are your parents and we are the only ones who know what can be good for you and what cannot."
"We received your owl only this morning and we were enraged that you even considered sending an owl when you left us worrying for the rest of the night? How can you be so irresponsible?"
Hermione, amidst of tears, was able to understand what really happened. It was raining so hard last night, and as she thought it would be, Hermes the owl wasn't able to deliver the note in time. She tried to open her mouth to explain all these, but she was running out of energy to even stand up. She buried her face on her hands and settled herself on the sofa. Her parents, however, weren't finished.
"We never thought you'd let a guy like that destroy your life. We thought you were smart," her mother added, her words caught up in her breath.
*What are they talking about?* Hermione thought. *Draco didn't destroy my life!* But after much thinking, she realized they were talking about Harry. Hermione wiped her tears. "Harry and I are through. Our relationship is over," she muttered, looking down.
"What do you mean it is over? You are going to fix this issue with him right now!" Mr. Granger declared.
Hermione turned her head to him. "What issue? Nothing happened between Draco and me. There's nothing to talk about."
"Oh yes, there is," her mother replied. Hermione turned to her. "How do you think Harry will react when he finds out that you stayed at that kid's house for one night? The two of you alone!"
All of these were getting into Hermione's nerves. Not only were they controlling her life, they were actually directing her to something she doesn't want. "It's none of Harry's business if I slept with Draco for one night. It's none of his business whatever I do with my life. As far as I'm concerned, I don't care about Harry anymore!" she shouted, getting to her feet.
Then, all of a sudden, they heard the banging of the door. And when the three of them turned around to look, they saw, much to Hermione's shock, Harry standing there.
"So that's how you feel. Now I know," he said, face lined with tears.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot.
Draco turned to face her. "Are you sure you want to know?" he asked seriously.
"If it's related to me, I deserve to know," Hermione responded intently.
"Okay, then." Draco stood up and began pacing in front of Hermione. "Remember when I told you I made that necklace for you?" he began, gesturing towards the jewelry dangling on Hermione's neck.
"Yes?" Hermione waited.
"Well. I didn't exactly make the gem that went with it," he said, biting his lower lip.
"What do you mean?"
"I got it, actually found it in my last visit at Hogsmeade before our graduation," he said, pacing once more. "I entered the jewelry shop with the intention of buying a brand new jewelry for you, but I left it holding but one gem in my hand."
Hermione touched the pendant of her necklace and thoroughly observed it. It was emitting some kind of sheen she had never seen before. "How did you get this, Draco?"
Draco stopped pacing and sat beside her. He stared at her for a few minutes before beginning to speak again. "The man at the counter asked me what I wanted and for whom it was for. I told him I wanted to buy a special jewelry and give it to a very special friend." Draco took a deep breath. "At first he showed me a couple of rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings of different makes and styles, but I didn't like any of them. Then he asked me what the occasion was, and I told him, after much hesitation, that I wanted to make up for my past mistakes. The man smiled at me and led me to a chamber inside his store. There I saw many kinds of gems, jewels, gold and silver, but most importantly, at the very end of the small and narrow room, I saw the most precious of them all. I saw," he said, pointing at the gem suspended over Hermione's chest, "that one."
Hermione motioned to remove the necklace for her to see it properly, but Draco lifted his hand and stopped her. "Don't remove it."
"Draco," Hermione began, "what's so special about this gem you chose it over the others? It looks. so plain and simple."
Draco rested his back on the couch and placed his hands on his lap. "Hermione, do you remember the mirror of Erised?"
Hermione's eyes widened as memories of her years at Hogwarts came flashing to her head. "Yes, I remember it exactly. I distinctly remember the time Harry showed me the mirror, what I saw, and how I felt. But Professor Dumbledore took the mirror away one last time, and I never saw my dreams again. Never." Hermione's eyes began to show tears, but her great sense of curiosity drew her to the present and she turned around to look at Draco, wondering why he had asked her about the mirror. "What does the mirror have to do with the gem?"
Draco looked her straight in the eyes. "The gem, Hermione, came from the mirror of Erised."
"What? This?" Hermione clutched the gem tightly on her hand, eyes wide in disbelief. "How did that happen?"
"It just so happened that the very last time the mirror was moved, tiny pieces of its glass were shattered, which ended up in the jewelry man's hands," Draco explained. "And that piece, is the largest."
Hermione lifted her hands to her temple and began shaking her head, looking down. "Wait a second. If this gem came from the mirror, then that must mean it has the same magic as the mirror does. But what I understand is. why is it green?"
"They say if the entire glass was shattered into pieces, it would reveal several kinds of gems, of different colors and sizes, all combined to produce the entirety of the mirror," Draco explained, staring up the ceiling. He then looked at Hermione. "It just so happened that that piece is an emerald."
Hermione was amazed at such kind of information she had never known before. She never realized there was more to the mirror than just meets the eye, that it consisted of several magical gems inside.
"Draco, does that mean that this gem has the power to show me my deepest and most desperate desires?" she asked him.
"It cannot show you, Hermione, for it is only but a small piece of the puzzle. But it can make you feel and guide you." Draco moved closer, so close that their faces were almost together. He reached for the gem and closed his eyes for a second. Then as he opened it, Hermione recognized a kind of happiness she had never seen from him before. "Take this gem to be your guide. Let its power take your wishes and point them to the skies. Allow its energy to show you where your strength dwells inside. And lead you to where your greatest dream truly lies."
Hermione was speechless. It was beauty in words. She never thought Draco could speak poetry, and never thought he would speak one to her. It took a few moments for her to be able to speak. "That was wonderful."
Draco didn't say anything. He only managed to rest his back on the couch once more, staring into empty space.
"So that's why I've been having all sorts of odd emotions ever since I began wearing the necklace. I never knew it would be because of it, but I'm glad I understand now."
Draco still didn't speak.
"So then, the gem probably draws out inner desires and tells you what's lacking in your life." Hermione's eyes widened as she turned around to look at Draco. "It shows you where happiness truly lies." Upon hearing this, Draco stood up and grabbed Hermione by the shoulder, pulling her to stand as well. "What do you feel now?" he asked her, eyes focused.
Hermione closed her eyes and felt it more undeniably. And as she opened her eyes, the two of them started to move at exactly the same time, aiming to unite their lips and break all the indefinite barriers around and inside them.
***
"Hermione!"
Hermione quickly turned around as they parted their lips. Standing by the front door, their faces lined with furious expressions, were her parents.
"Mom, Dad, wha--- what are you doing here?" Hermione exclaimed.
"We came to pick you up because we were worried," her dad replied.
"But from what we've seen, you two are obviously having a great time so you probably don't intend to come back," added her mother.
Hermione didn't know what to say. Both hers and Draco's faces were red, abashed with was her parents had seen.
"But we still intend to take you home," her father cut in the silence. Mr. Granger dragged Hermione by the arm and pulled her outside. Draco, uncertain of what to do, just stood there and watched Hermione leave.
Hermione managed to free herself from her father's grip once they were outside. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because we don't want you to destroy your life by being with that guy. Now get in the car!" Mr. Granger shouted.
Hermione stepped inside the car, crying. Her mother, who sat in front beside her father, didn't say anything to comfort her.
Hermione glanced at the back of the car and saw Draco standing by the front door, watching her being taken away. She cried even further, but not because Draco wasn't doing anything, but because neither of them had the power to change their lives now.
***
When they reached their house, Hermione's parents cornered her onto the sofa. This was it, she thought. This was the time that her parents were going to take away her freedom, her life. Now she couldn't run away anymore for her parents would only keep on getting her back. She had nowhere to go. She was trapped, like Rapunzel inside the tallest tower. It was time for the bells to stop ringing, for the music to stop playing, and her for feet to stop dancing.
"You are never, never going to see that guy again, do you understand me?" Mr. Granger said, yelling at her. "How dare you run away like that and not inform us that you found a place of resort and that you don't intend to come back?" her mother shouted angrily.
Hermione stood up. "I ran away because I chose to, and it's none of your business as to where I am going and how long out of the house I am going to stay."
Mr. Granger's eyes narrowed. "Look at your pride. How long to you think can you last away from your home? Without any of your clothes and any of your belongings."
"I can last as far away from here as possible because it would do me a lot of good being away from you," Hermione responded.
Much to her surprise, her mother threw her a heavy slap on the face. "How dare you speak to us like that? We are your parents and we are the only ones who know what can be good for you and what cannot."
"We received your owl only this morning and we were enraged that you even considered sending an owl when you left us worrying for the rest of the night? How can you be so irresponsible?"
Hermione, amidst of tears, was able to understand what really happened. It was raining so hard last night, and as she thought it would be, Hermes the owl wasn't able to deliver the note in time. She tried to open her mouth to explain all these, but she was running out of energy to even stand up. She buried her face on her hands and settled herself on the sofa. Her parents, however, weren't finished.
"We never thought you'd let a guy like that destroy your life. We thought you were smart," her mother added, her words caught up in her breath.
*What are they talking about?* Hermione thought. *Draco didn't destroy my life!* But after much thinking, she realized they were talking about Harry. Hermione wiped her tears. "Harry and I are through. Our relationship is over," she muttered, looking down.
"What do you mean it is over? You are going to fix this issue with him right now!" Mr. Granger declared.
Hermione turned her head to him. "What issue? Nothing happened between Draco and me. There's nothing to talk about."
"Oh yes, there is," her mother replied. Hermione turned to her. "How do you think Harry will react when he finds out that you stayed at that kid's house for one night? The two of you alone!"
All of these were getting into Hermione's nerves. Not only were they controlling her life, they were actually directing her to something she doesn't want. "It's none of Harry's business if I slept with Draco for one night. It's none of his business whatever I do with my life. As far as I'm concerned, I don't care about Harry anymore!" she shouted, getting to her feet.
Then, all of a sudden, they heard the banging of the door. And when the three of them turned around to look, they saw, much to Hermione's shock, Harry standing there.
"So that's how you feel. Now I know," he said, face lined with tears.