Hermione had remembered just in time to not look too surprised or hurt. She
had what was left of her pride to maintain. For a moment, she thought she
saw something, some emotion, flicker behind those stormy gray eyes. She
thought it was angst, or perhaps a feeling of emptiness, but a second
glance told her otherwise.
No emotions could be justified from his calm eyes, and anything from the night before was well hidden under his old mask, the same expressionless face he wore every day during school, only relieving himself of it when no one was around.
"Kara, tonight, would you please meet me in the ballroom so you may make your final decision?"
Kara glanced from Draco to Hermione, and said, "I'll see you then."
Draco nodded his head once to show it was final and not some joke. Kara half-expected someone to jump out of no where and say, "April Fools!" and announce Hermione was the true winner. But that never happened.
Hermione stood and wished her congratulations to Kara, and then turned to Draco.
"Good bye, Malfoy," she said stiffly, acting like she didn't care, yet her eyes betrayed her true feelings. And it made Draco's stomach twist into so many more knots.
"You are required to wait in your room for the answer, Granger," he said in a monotonous voice to match his expression.
"There is no need, Malfoy."
"Please, Hermione, please, just wait there," he pleaded quietly as the camera crews began to question Kara.
And for the first time, Hermione saw some emotion in his eyes; it was love, or sadness, or maybe something else. She wasn't entirely sure.
"Fine."
~*~
"That bloody bastard," Ron exclaimed.
"Ron! Blaze doesn't need to hear that language!" Lavender exasperatedly said.
"Boody Basta, boody basta!" young Blaze chanted.
"No, no, Blaze, you don't need to copy your dad," Harry chastised as he grinned up at Ron. "But the girl's right," he added softly.
"Boom! Crack!" Blaze shrieked with joy as she imitated the sounds heard when that thing on Uncle Harry's head came to the sky.
"Yes, that's right! My name is Uncle Harry," he pronounced slowly, trying to get Blaze to say his name.
"Ha.Ha." she began, but was silenced as a tall figure entered the room.
"Tom?"
"Come on, Harry, Dumbledore has issued an immediate meeting in his office. We must go now," Tom Marvolo Riddle said quickly, and Harry immediately stood up.
"Right. See you there, then," and with that, they both disappeared with a crack.
~*~
Hermione walked up to her room and sat down on her chair in the Common Room. She didn't turn the TV on, she didn't read, she just sat there, a prisoner to the curious sadness that overwhelmed her.
~*~
Kara glided into the ballroom, looking around timidly. She wore a pale blue gown with a small slit up the leg. A scarf was draped around her arms, with a bit of glitter. Not too much, though.
Draco stood silently at the far end of the vast white room. He wore a black tux that showed his dark tan. He was no longer the small, pale, sneering boy he used to be. He was a man who had seen and felt more than many others.
And he felt something, standing there, waiting for Kara to walk to him. And he knew it was not the overflowing joy he should have felt. Something was wrong, something was out of place.
When Kara finally came up to him, they intertwined their fingers. Draco tried to hide his true emotions, but Kara was no fool.
Suddenly, all the power went out. In the chaos, Draco had time to whisper, "Please, say yes. I'm doing this to save her. I need your help. Please."
She knew who he was talking about, and she knew that she had to help him. He would be devastated if anything happened to Hermione.
After about five minutes, the power came back on, only to find the two kissing each other. Their lips parted and Draco knelt down, reaching in his pocket for something.
"Kara, will you accept my heart?" he asked loudly, holding up the small ring.
She smiled, tears in her eyes, and cried, "Yes! Yes of course!"
He stood and grabbed her in his arms, passionately kissing her.
What the audience didn't know, though, was that this was all an act. The ring was not a wedding ring; just a small ring with a diamond ordered out of a fund raiser magazine that one of the neighborhood kids had shown to Draco.
~*~
"Harry, I just don't think this is working out. Why won't you ever talk to me?"
Harry looked at her and said, "Cho, I can't break a promise to Dumbledore. You know I never would."
"Oh, but you'd break a promise to me?"
"It's not like that, Cho, you know it isn't - "
"Than how is it, Harry? How is it?"
"Cho," he started.
"No. Goodbye, Harry. Things aren't working out. Goodbye."
She turned around and walked off. Surprisingly, Harry wasn't too disappointed. He actually felt better.
~*~
Hermione was made aware that Kara had accepted the next day, and she packed her bags and left quietly. No one knew she had left until later when the house elves were cleaning.
A small party greeted her as she got off the train, trying to wipe off her tear-stained face. Her eyes and cheeks were wet and red.
She faintly attempted to smile, but they all saw right through it.
"Where's Cho?" she asked Harry in a raspy voice.
"Er."
"Yeah, Harry, I think we'd all like to know what's been going on between you and her," Ron chimed in.
"We broke up," he said flatly.
"Oh." They let the matter drop, and changed it to Hermione. "It's great to see you, Mione."
"It's good to see you all again, too. I really missed you."
"He was really a bas. Ow!" Lavender nudged Ron in the ribs and motioned not to mention Draco.
Hermione seemed not to notice.
"How about some coffee at the café in the station?" Harry suggested.
Hermione shrugged, and walked toward the small café, Christy's Cookies.
They all ordered coffee and some small cakes and sat down, just chatting lightly.
Hermione stood up and said she needed to use the restroom, but walked in the opposite direction. Harry said he, too, had to go, and took off after her.
"Hermione!" he called out. "Hermione, wait!"
She turned around and looked at Harry out of her sorrow filled eyes.
"The restroom is in the other direction," he stated stupidly.
She smiled, the first true smile, and he grinned back. He held her in close to him, towering over his friend by at least half a foot. He leaned his head down to hers, and she parted her mouth slightly.
Then the little space between their lips was gone.
His hand moved up her back to her head and he began combing his fingers through her hair.
"We'd better stop," she finally said quietly.
"Yes," he agreed, though he felt his whole being longing for her, aching for her, and wiped the tears from her face, "but please, Mione, I don't like it when you cry, ok?" They stood there for a few minutes Hermione's head resting against his chest, Harry's hand still brushing through her hair.
When they had composed themselves enough, they headed back to Christy's cookies and Harry paid the bill and they piled into the car and drove off to Ron and Lavender's house.
~*~
"Hermione?" Harry jogged up beside her. He had just gotten back from visiting Hogwarts to help coach the new Gryffindor seeker. As a new rule, teams were aloud to request one Quidditch player who graduated from Hogwarts (who was in the same house) to help train the team.
The new captain chose Harry. Everyone thought it quite an honor, having Harry Potter coach the new seeker.
Hermione turned around and smiled at the tall raven haired young man.
"Mm?" she asked.
"I was wondering. maybe we could get together some time, like a date or something? You know, just dinner and a movie or something," he said casually. Thankfully he didn't blush.
Hermione's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"So, d'you?" he persisted.
"Sure, I'd love to, Harry," she smiled again.
"Cool. So, how about tomorrow night?"
"That'll be fantastic."
"Alright. Six ok with you?"
She nodded and headed toward the lake. It was where she always went to think.
Hermione sighed and plopped down on the edge of the clear blue water.
It was only a month after Draco and already. She mentally kicked herself. She was not going to think about. him.
When they were in school, when Hermione and Harry had dated before, Harry had been preoccupied, and they hadn't really connected. There had been no sparks between them, just friendship.
But Harry had changed; that day in the train station proved that much.
They had never kissed before that day. Sure, they held hands sometimes, and they hugged, but never kissed. And that one kiss had Hermione tumbling through the weeks, with everything all jumbled.
She breathed deeply and lay back, lost in her thoughts.
~*~
Harry walked around a small cluster of shops, stopping in front of the newsstand where a short, plump little man with very little hair was sitting, breezing through the Daily Prophet.
Something on the cover caught his eye: a flash of pale blonde and a girl. and Hermione in the background. He paid his sickles for the magazine and flipped through to page 27.
His emerald eyes scanned the columns. Disgusted, he tucked away the magazine into his leather shoulder bag.
The article described how 'madly in love' Hermione and Draco had been, and how Malfoy had broken her heart and gone with the girl who arrived later than the others, but just in time.
Harry also felt a slight pang of jealousy when they described how much Hermione and Malfoy liked each other.
He made his way on to Bonnie's Bouquets and placed an order for some roses to be delivered to 1345 Crescent Road, London, England. Hermione Granger's house.
He also picked up a smaller bouquet of lilies before walking over to the jeweler.
"How may I be of service to you, sir?" squeaked a house elf.
"Oh, er, D'you have any diamond necklaces?" He had earned quite a fortune ever since leaving school, and now he was semi-rich. Of course, the money his parents left him helped a lot.
"Yes, sir, right this way!" squeaked the creature. Harry followed her over to a stand with some necklaces. He picked one that was simple, yet beautiful. It just seemed to be perfect for her.
"I'd like this one," he said, "Thank you."
The young man caught the Knight Bus and walked in the door to his house. Mansion would probably be a better word, though.
"Jo!" he called, and a small elf came bustling out of the kitchen wearing a blue skirt and pink blouse. Harry Potter was very, very kind to the house elves who worked at his house. He paid them five knuts a month. They would take no more than that, and getting them to take pay at all required a good bit of arguing.
"Would you take these upstairs to my room and make sure my jeans and one fairly casual shirt is ironed for tomorrow night, please?" he requested.
"Of course, sir, anything for you, Mr. Potter."
"Please, Jo, call me Harry. All this 'Mr. Potter' rubbish makes me slightly uncomfortable!" he laughed.
She laughed as well, and replied, "Oh, no, Mr. Potter, I couldn't possibly."
With that, she bustled off to see to his requests and make sure dinner was ready.
Harry sank down into a chair in the common room and took a picture of Hermione from his side table.
"Oh, Mione, what're you doing to me?" he whispered.
He didn't know that somewhere in London, Hermione was substituting 'Mione' for 'Harry' in the same question.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hello, all. You have permission to mount my head on a sword and place my body beside it, if you so desire, for my awful dedication has caused you to wait so long! I'm so so sorry!! Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter. the story isn't over yet! MWAHAHAHAHA!! Next chap will be up sometime before I turn 1,000. (that gives me about.500 years..) no, seriously, I'll get it up soon! I'll try really hard! Thanks for your patience.
R&R (I luv the reviews! Keep em comin!)
No emotions could be justified from his calm eyes, and anything from the night before was well hidden under his old mask, the same expressionless face he wore every day during school, only relieving himself of it when no one was around.
"Kara, tonight, would you please meet me in the ballroom so you may make your final decision?"
Kara glanced from Draco to Hermione, and said, "I'll see you then."
Draco nodded his head once to show it was final and not some joke. Kara half-expected someone to jump out of no where and say, "April Fools!" and announce Hermione was the true winner. But that never happened.
Hermione stood and wished her congratulations to Kara, and then turned to Draco.
"Good bye, Malfoy," she said stiffly, acting like she didn't care, yet her eyes betrayed her true feelings. And it made Draco's stomach twist into so many more knots.
"You are required to wait in your room for the answer, Granger," he said in a monotonous voice to match his expression.
"There is no need, Malfoy."
"Please, Hermione, please, just wait there," he pleaded quietly as the camera crews began to question Kara.
And for the first time, Hermione saw some emotion in his eyes; it was love, or sadness, or maybe something else. She wasn't entirely sure.
"Fine."
~*~
"That bloody bastard," Ron exclaimed.
"Ron! Blaze doesn't need to hear that language!" Lavender exasperatedly said.
"Boody Basta, boody basta!" young Blaze chanted.
"No, no, Blaze, you don't need to copy your dad," Harry chastised as he grinned up at Ron. "But the girl's right," he added softly.
"Boom! Crack!" Blaze shrieked with joy as she imitated the sounds heard when that thing on Uncle Harry's head came to the sky.
"Yes, that's right! My name is Uncle Harry," he pronounced slowly, trying to get Blaze to say his name.
"Ha.Ha." she began, but was silenced as a tall figure entered the room.
"Tom?"
"Come on, Harry, Dumbledore has issued an immediate meeting in his office. We must go now," Tom Marvolo Riddle said quickly, and Harry immediately stood up.
"Right. See you there, then," and with that, they both disappeared with a crack.
~*~
Hermione walked up to her room and sat down on her chair in the Common Room. She didn't turn the TV on, she didn't read, she just sat there, a prisoner to the curious sadness that overwhelmed her.
~*~
Kara glided into the ballroom, looking around timidly. She wore a pale blue gown with a small slit up the leg. A scarf was draped around her arms, with a bit of glitter. Not too much, though.
Draco stood silently at the far end of the vast white room. He wore a black tux that showed his dark tan. He was no longer the small, pale, sneering boy he used to be. He was a man who had seen and felt more than many others.
And he felt something, standing there, waiting for Kara to walk to him. And he knew it was not the overflowing joy he should have felt. Something was wrong, something was out of place.
When Kara finally came up to him, they intertwined their fingers. Draco tried to hide his true emotions, but Kara was no fool.
Suddenly, all the power went out. In the chaos, Draco had time to whisper, "Please, say yes. I'm doing this to save her. I need your help. Please."
She knew who he was talking about, and she knew that she had to help him. He would be devastated if anything happened to Hermione.
After about five minutes, the power came back on, only to find the two kissing each other. Their lips parted and Draco knelt down, reaching in his pocket for something.
"Kara, will you accept my heart?" he asked loudly, holding up the small ring.
She smiled, tears in her eyes, and cried, "Yes! Yes of course!"
He stood and grabbed her in his arms, passionately kissing her.
What the audience didn't know, though, was that this was all an act. The ring was not a wedding ring; just a small ring with a diamond ordered out of a fund raiser magazine that one of the neighborhood kids had shown to Draco.
~*~
"Harry, I just don't think this is working out. Why won't you ever talk to me?"
Harry looked at her and said, "Cho, I can't break a promise to Dumbledore. You know I never would."
"Oh, but you'd break a promise to me?"
"It's not like that, Cho, you know it isn't - "
"Than how is it, Harry? How is it?"
"Cho," he started.
"No. Goodbye, Harry. Things aren't working out. Goodbye."
She turned around and walked off. Surprisingly, Harry wasn't too disappointed. He actually felt better.
~*~
Hermione was made aware that Kara had accepted the next day, and she packed her bags and left quietly. No one knew she had left until later when the house elves were cleaning.
A small party greeted her as she got off the train, trying to wipe off her tear-stained face. Her eyes and cheeks were wet and red.
She faintly attempted to smile, but they all saw right through it.
"Where's Cho?" she asked Harry in a raspy voice.
"Er."
"Yeah, Harry, I think we'd all like to know what's been going on between you and her," Ron chimed in.
"We broke up," he said flatly.
"Oh." They let the matter drop, and changed it to Hermione. "It's great to see you, Mione."
"It's good to see you all again, too. I really missed you."
"He was really a bas. Ow!" Lavender nudged Ron in the ribs and motioned not to mention Draco.
Hermione seemed not to notice.
"How about some coffee at the café in the station?" Harry suggested.
Hermione shrugged, and walked toward the small café, Christy's Cookies.
They all ordered coffee and some small cakes and sat down, just chatting lightly.
Hermione stood up and said she needed to use the restroom, but walked in the opposite direction. Harry said he, too, had to go, and took off after her.
"Hermione!" he called out. "Hermione, wait!"
She turned around and looked at Harry out of her sorrow filled eyes.
"The restroom is in the other direction," he stated stupidly.
She smiled, the first true smile, and he grinned back. He held her in close to him, towering over his friend by at least half a foot. He leaned his head down to hers, and she parted her mouth slightly.
Then the little space between their lips was gone.
His hand moved up her back to her head and he began combing his fingers through her hair.
"We'd better stop," she finally said quietly.
"Yes," he agreed, though he felt his whole being longing for her, aching for her, and wiped the tears from her face, "but please, Mione, I don't like it when you cry, ok?" They stood there for a few minutes Hermione's head resting against his chest, Harry's hand still brushing through her hair.
When they had composed themselves enough, they headed back to Christy's cookies and Harry paid the bill and they piled into the car and drove off to Ron and Lavender's house.
~*~
"Hermione?" Harry jogged up beside her. He had just gotten back from visiting Hogwarts to help coach the new Gryffindor seeker. As a new rule, teams were aloud to request one Quidditch player who graduated from Hogwarts (who was in the same house) to help train the team.
The new captain chose Harry. Everyone thought it quite an honor, having Harry Potter coach the new seeker.
Hermione turned around and smiled at the tall raven haired young man.
"Mm?" she asked.
"I was wondering. maybe we could get together some time, like a date or something? You know, just dinner and a movie or something," he said casually. Thankfully he didn't blush.
Hermione's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"So, d'you?" he persisted.
"Sure, I'd love to, Harry," she smiled again.
"Cool. So, how about tomorrow night?"
"That'll be fantastic."
"Alright. Six ok with you?"
She nodded and headed toward the lake. It was where she always went to think.
Hermione sighed and plopped down on the edge of the clear blue water.
It was only a month after Draco and already. She mentally kicked herself. She was not going to think about. him.
When they were in school, when Hermione and Harry had dated before, Harry had been preoccupied, and they hadn't really connected. There had been no sparks between them, just friendship.
But Harry had changed; that day in the train station proved that much.
They had never kissed before that day. Sure, they held hands sometimes, and they hugged, but never kissed. And that one kiss had Hermione tumbling through the weeks, with everything all jumbled.
She breathed deeply and lay back, lost in her thoughts.
~*~
Harry walked around a small cluster of shops, stopping in front of the newsstand where a short, plump little man with very little hair was sitting, breezing through the Daily Prophet.
Something on the cover caught his eye: a flash of pale blonde and a girl. and Hermione in the background. He paid his sickles for the magazine and flipped through to page 27.
His emerald eyes scanned the columns. Disgusted, he tucked away the magazine into his leather shoulder bag.
The article described how 'madly in love' Hermione and Draco had been, and how Malfoy had broken her heart and gone with the girl who arrived later than the others, but just in time.
Harry also felt a slight pang of jealousy when they described how much Hermione and Malfoy liked each other.
He made his way on to Bonnie's Bouquets and placed an order for some roses to be delivered to 1345 Crescent Road, London, England. Hermione Granger's house.
He also picked up a smaller bouquet of lilies before walking over to the jeweler.
"How may I be of service to you, sir?" squeaked a house elf.
"Oh, er, D'you have any diamond necklaces?" He had earned quite a fortune ever since leaving school, and now he was semi-rich. Of course, the money his parents left him helped a lot.
"Yes, sir, right this way!" squeaked the creature. Harry followed her over to a stand with some necklaces. He picked one that was simple, yet beautiful. It just seemed to be perfect for her.
"I'd like this one," he said, "Thank you."
The young man caught the Knight Bus and walked in the door to his house. Mansion would probably be a better word, though.
"Jo!" he called, and a small elf came bustling out of the kitchen wearing a blue skirt and pink blouse. Harry Potter was very, very kind to the house elves who worked at his house. He paid them five knuts a month. They would take no more than that, and getting them to take pay at all required a good bit of arguing.
"Would you take these upstairs to my room and make sure my jeans and one fairly casual shirt is ironed for tomorrow night, please?" he requested.
"Of course, sir, anything for you, Mr. Potter."
"Please, Jo, call me Harry. All this 'Mr. Potter' rubbish makes me slightly uncomfortable!" he laughed.
She laughed as well, and replied, "Oh, no, Mr. Potter, I couldn't possibly."
With that, she bustled off to see to his requests and make sure dinner was ready.
Harry sank down into a chair in the common room and took a picture of Hermione from his side table.
"Oh, Mione, what're you doing to me?" he whispered.
He didn't know that somewhere in London, Hermione was substituting 'Mione' for 'Harry' in the same question.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hello, all. You have permission to mount my head on a sword and place my body beside it, if you so desire, for my awful dedication has caused you to wait so long! I'm so so sorry!! Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter. the story isn't over yet! MWAHAHAHAHA!! Next chap will be up sometime before I turn 1,000. (that gives me about.500 years..) no, seriously, I'll get it up soon! I'll try really hard! Thanks for your patience.
R&R (I luv the reviews! Keep em comin!)