Chapter 8
That night, Dumbledore held a memorial feast in the Great Hall, and announced to the rest of the school about Percy's death. During Dumbledore's speech, Hermione caught a glance at Draco. She saw him elbow Crabbe and Goyle, who were laughing. She smirked. So he did care, and he made it apparent to the rest of Slytherins. And he didn't look like he cared either. The boy was changing, quite a bit. Little did Hermione know, but he was changing her too. Then entire Hall raised their glasses to Percy, like they had done for Cedric. The Slytherins didn't participate. She did notice, however, Malfoy was the only one at the table who lifted his goblet, and spoke Percy's name. She swelled with pride.
Ron was still in a gloom, and Harry and Hermione figured he would be for a while. Very few words were spoken while they ate. Each of them avoided the other's eyes. Awkwardness. She hated it.
"Harry?" She whispered.
"Hm?" He answered quietly.
"Why do you think it was the Burrow?"
"No one knows Hermione," Harry said, "I don't see a logical reason for it. Besides that Percy worked for the Ministry." Harry took a bite of food and pondered. "If I didn't know any better. I'd say Draco complained to his father about Ron and me . . . or something like that. And his dad finally was fed up."
"Harry!" Hermione cried, "How dare you make such accusations!" Uh oh. He put her on the defensive. "You don't even know him."
"And you do?" Another uh oh.
"No I don't," Honestly, she didn't know him very well, but she knew enough to defend him in this situation.
Harry just eyed Hermione, and went back to his food. Nervously, Hermione finished her dinner. Ron left early, and when Harry and Hermione entered the common room about 10 minutes later, he was nowhere in sight. 'Must have went to bed early,' Hermione said. She didn't blame him to want to be alone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Several weeks passed and Ron was over his brother's death. He wasn't so much alone anymore, and he was cheered up a great deal more. The group was back to normal now . . . well almost, besides the fact Hermione suck out regularly, and she was getting quite good at it.
One night, Ron and Harry were sitting in the common room, playing chess. Hermione had "gone up to bed". They were so engulfed into their game, they didn't even hear the Portrait creak open, and quietly close. She was meeting Draco down at the forest tonight, where they could have a peaceful meeting.
"Hey," Draco said sweetly, softly kissing her.
"Hi," she said smiling. The two of them went into the forest just far enough into a clearing. They sat on the cool grass and talked for hours, watching the stars above them. It was a quiet night, and they enjoyed the peacefulness of the clearing, breathing in the cool fresh air. Hermione was nearly asleep in Draco's arms when he gently nudged her awake.
"Time to go, love," He said.
They decided to leave at different times, as not to look suspicious to anyone who was looking out the windows. So Draco stood behind a tree. . .
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile . . .
"Ron?" "Hm?" he answered, looking up at Harry.
"That Hermes?" The owl was rapping at the window.
"Yeah," Ron got up and went to the window. He let the bird in, grabbed the letter, and the bird left. Ron did a double take at the window.
"Harry! Harry, come here!" Ron cried. Harry rushed to the window. "Look, It's Hermione. And she looks like she talking to someone . . ." The boys watched carefully, forgetting about the letter Ron received. They saw her lean in and it looked like she was kissing someone. She also hugged that someone. Looking around, she walked back up toward the castle. They watched her until she was out of sight, and then brought their attention back to the area she was first seen.
"MY GOD HARRY! IT'S MALFOY!" Ron cried. Harry's mouth dropped open. Draco stepped out from behind the tree, and swiftly walked back to the castle. It all made sense now. The early bed times, the defensive side she'd shown him, and her little episode on the train. The pieces were coming together. Ron stormed back to fire side. Threw the letter onto the table, his face was red.
"How *COULD* she?" Ron said, pacing fiercely. Harry was too stunned to say anything. "He's- He's MALFOY!"
"It all makes sense now Ron." Harry said, much more calm. He sat down in an armchair. "The way she was defensive at dinner that one night. I told you about that. The reason she was spooked on the train. And the early bed times. Ron, if I didn't know any better, I'd say Hermione was sneaking out right under our noses!"
Ron just kept pacing. "Yes . . ." Said Ron. He sat on the couch across from the fire. His face was still red, and Harry was surprised there wasn't steam rising from his ears. "She lied to us Harry. All that," He put on a high pitch voice, " 'I was at the library.' Shit. It was all lies." He put his face into his hands. "What are we-" But he never got to finish his sentence. For at that very moment, the portrait opened, and Hermione stepped into the common room. Ron jumped up, and spun to face her.
A/n:: Yeah, yeah, I know it's short. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!
That night, Dumbledore held a memorial feast in the Great Hall, and announced to the rest of the school about Percy's death. During Dumbledore's speech, Hermione caught a glance at Draco. She saw him elbow Crabbe and Goyle, who were laughing. She smirked. So he did care, and he made it apparent to the rest of Slytherins. And he didn't look like he cared either. The boy was changing, quite a bit. Little did Hermione know, but he was changing her too. Then entire Hall raised their glasses to Percy, like they had done for Cedric. The Slytherins didn't participate. She did notice, however, Malfoy was the only one at the table who lifted his goblet, and spoke Percy's name. She swelled with pride.
Ron was still in a gloom, and Harry and Hermione figured he would be for a while. Very few words were spoken while they ate. Each of them avoided the other's eyes. Awkwardness. She hated it.
"Harry?" She whispered.
"Hm?" He answered quietly.
"Why do you think it was the Burrow?"
"No one knows Hermione," Harry said, "I don't see a logical reason for it. Besides that Percy worked for the Ministry." Harry took a bite of food and pondered. "If I didn't know any better. I'd say Draco complained to his father about Ron and me . . . or something like that. And his dad finally was fed up."
"Harry!" Hermione cried, "How dare you make such accusations!" Uh oh. He put her on the defensive. "You don't even know him."
"And you do?" Another uh oh.
"No I don't," Honestly, she didn't know him very well, but she knew enough to defend him in this situation.
Harry just eyed Hermione, and went back to his food. Nervously, Hermione finished her dinner. Ron left early, and when Harry and Hermione entered the common room about 10 minutes later, he was nowhere in sight. 'Must have went to bed early,' Hermione said. She didn't blame him to want to be alone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Several weeks passed and Ron was over his brother's death. He wasn't so much alone anymore, and he was cheered up a great deal more. The group was back to normal now . . . well almost, besides the fact Hermione suck out regularly, and she was getting quite good at it.
One night, Ron and Harry were sitting in the common room, playing chess. Hermione had "gone up to bed". They were so engulfed into their game, they didn't even hear the Portrait creak open, and quietly close. She was meeting Draco down at the forest tonight, where they could have a peaceful meeting.
"Hey," Draco said sweetly, softly kissing her.
"Hi," she said smiling. The two of them went into the forest just far enough into a clearing. They sat on the cool grass and talked for hours, watching the stars above them. It was a quiet night, and they enjoyed the peacefulness of the clearing, breathing in the cool fresh air. Hermione was nearly asleep in Draco's arms when he gently nudged her awake.
"Time to go, love," He said.
They decided to leave at different times, as not to look suspicious to anyone who was looking out the windows. So Draco stood behind a tree. . .
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile . . .
"Ron?" "Hm?" he answered, looking up at Harry.
"That Hermes?" The owl was rapping at the window.
"Yeah," Ron got up and went to the window. He let the bird in, grabbed the letter, and the bird left. Ron did a double take at the window.
"Harry! Harry, come here!" Ron cried. Harry rushed to the window. "Look, It's Hermione. And she looks like she talking to someone . . ." The boys watched carefully, forgetting about the letter Ron received. They saw her lean in and it looked like she was kissing someone. She also hugged that someone. Looking around, she walked back up toward the castle. They watched her until she was out of sight, and then brought their attention back to the area she was first seen.
"MY GOD HARRY! IT'S MALFOY!" Ron cried. Harry's mouth dropped open. Draco stepped out from behind the tree, and swiftly walked back to the castle. It all made sense now. The early bed times, the defensive side she'd shown him, and her little episode on the train. The pieces were coming together. Ron stormed back to fire side. Threw the letter onto the table, his face was red.
"How *COULD* she?" Ron said, pacing fiercely. Harry was too stunned to say anything. "He's- He's MALFOY!"
"It all makes sense now Ron." Harry said, much more calm. He sat down in an armchair. "The way she was defensive at dinner that one night. I told you about that. The reason she was spooked on the train. And the early bed times. Ron, if I didn't know any better, I'd say Hermione was sneaking out right under our noses!"
Ron just kept pacing. "Yes . . ." Said Ron. He sat on the couch across from the fire. His face was still red, and Harry was surprised there wasn't steam rising from his ears. "She lied to us Harry. All that," He put on a high pitch voice, " 'I was at the library.' Shit. It was all lies." He put his face into his hands. "What are we-" But he never got to finish his sentence. For at that very moment, the portrait opened, and Hermione stepped into the common room. Ron jumped up, and spun to face her.
A/n:: Yeah, yeah, I know it's short. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!