*Chapter 19: Breaking Up is Hard to Do
When Draco awoke, the sun had already set. He felt a warm breeze on his chest and looked down to see Hermione fast asleep. He smiled and carefully untangled himself from the sheets, not wanting to wake her. He pulled on some pajama pants and a T-shirt and quietly exited the room to sit out by the fire.
He was sitting in his favorite chair, reading a book, when the fire suddenly went out. Draco looked up and was perplexed on why the fire would behave to when all the windows were closed. He knelt down and pointed his wand to start the fire up again, when it flared up on its own accord and a hand grabbed him before he could react.
He traveled for a while, his eyes shut and arms tucked in since he was traveling by floo. He finally stopped moving and tumbled out of the other end. He stood up to dust soot off his clothes and immediately recognized the building he came out at: Malfoy Manor. Lucius' study to be exact. He stifled a groan and emptied his mind of memory and emotion.
"So nice of you to visit, Draco," Lucius said in his cold drawl. Draco looked up to meet his sly gaze. "Are you sure your little Mudblood whore won't mind me borrowing you?" Lucius didn't wait for an answer, but rather threw an intense Cruciatus Curse at him. When Lucius finally lifted the curse, Draco glared at him, his eyes burning with anger.
"Don't you dare go near her, Lucius," he spat venomously. Lucius lazily pointed his wand at him and slammed him into the wall, pinning him there.
"My, my, Draco...it seems as if you have acquired your Mudblood's impulsive tongue. We can't have that." Lucius sent some chains to keep Draco against the wall. "I think that it's time for a review of all that I have taught you, son." Lucius sent another Cruciatus Curse at him, almost amusedly. When the curse was lifted, Draco was almost on the verge of tears. He met his father's glare again.
"I'm not your son. I hate you. You are dead to me," Draco spat. Lucius clutched his chest in mock agony.
"Your words hurt me...son." Lucius said the word "son" almost mockingly. "But still, that's not what we are going to discuss. Expelliarmus!" Draco's want flew from his hand.
"Just to be safe," Lucius said calmly. Draco's suspicion arose; Lucius never spoke calmly when he was angry. Lucius started walking towards Draco.
"You see, I took pride in the fact that my son was going to be one of the best and most important asset to the Dark Side. I even took the time to train you myself." Draco scoffed, but Lucius ignored him.
"You were going to be great, Draco. You were going to be given one of the highest acknowledgements the Dark Lord is willing to hand out." Lucius was face to face with Draco now. Suddenly his hands slammed into the wall on either side of Draco's face. Draco didn't even flinch. With every word, his anger at his father grew more and more intense.
"But you had to ruin everything!" Lucius hissed. His calm demeanor was gone and it seemed he was just as livid as Malfoy Junior was.
"You, my son and sole heir, let yourself become associated with a MUDBLOOD!" He spat out the last word vehemently. "I've told you time and time again that mudbloods, especially this...this Granger...girl," are nothing but filth. Trash. Dirt. Pesky insects smashed under our shoes. They are nothing. And this girl...this Gryffindor whore...she's stuck-up, a know-it-all, and-"
"And she's the best thing that's ever happened to me!" Draco finally exploded, cutting off Lucius. Lucius was stunned that Draco had enough gall to interrupt him like that. Draco gulped thickly.
"She's nothing like you said Muggle-borns were supposed to be like! She's clever and witty and beautiful and..." he took another gulp, "and I love her," he finished bravely. Lucius was shocked. Then his eyes turned into narrow slits.
"Love? You LOVE her? Draco, what have I told you about love? It's just a weakness-"
"It's NOT!" he interrupted for the second time in his life. "If anything, my love for her is what makes me stronger." Draco's jaw was set and he met his father's eyes, not daring to blink. Finally, Lucius turned away.
"Fine, you leave me no choice." Draco was puzzled as Lucius walked over to an old wooden trunk in the middle of the room. Draco was a bit apprehensive since he was still chained to the wall. Lucius stood away from the trunk and pointed his wand at it. It immediately sprang open and tipped over. Hermione's body came tumbling out...cold, bloody, and worst of all...dead. Draco's chains released him and he fell to the floor, weak with grief. He crawled towards Hermione and turned her over. Her clothes had been ripped to shreds. He pulled her to his chest and held her close, trying not to let his tears fall. A shadow came over them as Lucius came to stand close.
"Well, that was certainly interesting," he said, apparently amused. Draco sat up to shoot daggers into his father.
"You bastard, you killed her!" Lucius had the audacity to chuckle. As Draco tried to getup and lunge at his father, Lucius placed a Full-Body Bind on him. Draco's body fell with a loud 'thud' next to Hermione. Lucius knelt down next to Draco, his temper back again.
"Listen now, because I'm not going to repeat myself. You will do what I ask or this sight you see here will not just be a boggart." Draco's eyes shifted to Hermione and immediately he felt like a fool. His eyes shifted back to Lucius as he began to speak again.
"Whatever it is that is going on between you and the Mudblood will end. This love or whatever it may be...I can't have it and the Dark Lord certainly won't either. And I never, EVER want to hear you say that you 'love' that...creature ever again. Do I make myself clear?" Draco tried to nod, but could not. Lucius removed the jinx and pulled Draco to his feel again.
"Do I make myself clear?" Lucius repeated.
"Crystal, sir," Draco replied, all courage he had to defy his father gone. Lucius smirked.
"Good. Now I'll send you back, but not before I give you one last thing. CRUCIO!" The curse hit Draco unaware and Lucius held it for about a whole minute. He was turning to lave before he stopped and turned to Draco again, throwing his wand back at him.
"Consider that as my birthday gift to you." Then he exited the room, leaving Draco alone with the Hermione-boggart as if torturing his emotional being. Finally, Draco let all his tears out. What was he going to do? Was he going to be brave and fight against Voldemort and his father, inevitably risking his own-life and, most importantly, Hermione's? Or was he going to be a coward and give in, but keep Hermione safe? He looked once again at the bloody corpse of Hermione-boggart. Coward it is.
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Hermione awoke much later than Draco had. The sun had already set and looking at the clock, she reckoned it was time for dinner. She changed quickly and headed towards the Great Hall merrily. She was in a much better mood than she had been in a long time. Sure, she was sure, but in a good way. As she went to sit down, she passed the Slytherin table and quickly scanned it, looking for Draco. He was leaning over talking to some of his Slytherin friends. She sighed and kept walking, but stopped dead in her tracks when she heard someone call after her.
"Oi, Granger! Would you mind giving me a birthday gift too?" She spun around to face the Slytherins. Some sixth year, whose name she couldn't recall, was the one who called out.
"Excuse me?" she asked spinning around.
"Well, Malfoy was telling all of us about the wonderful birthday present he received from you." Hermione shifted her gaze to Draco, who was sporting that same annoyingly smug smirk that she hated seeing for the past six years. Also, Ambriel, a pretty seventh-year Slytherin girl with a pretty bad reputation, was perched on his knee, his arm wrapped about her waist. She frowned at him, obviously confused at what was going on. He shrugged and rolled his eyes meanly at her. She felt as if someone had pulled the plug on her and all her happiness was going down the drain. She felt the tears prick at her eyes as realization hit...she had been used. But she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he had hurt her. She stuck her chin up and looked down her nose at the whole table.
"Well, you can tell Malfoy that just because it happened doesn't mean I liked it, and that just for that," she leaned over the table so she was level with his and started straight into his stormy gray eyes. "You can tell him that I never, EVER want him near me again." She kept up the staring contest with his for a few seconds, then she spoke again.
"But just for the record, I almost believed that everything you said was true." She held his eyes for a moment longer and in that moment, she saw something flicker in his eyes. What was that? Guilt? Hurt? Sadness, perhaps? 'No', she decided. 'He's just a cold-hearted Slytherin with very good acting skills'. Finally, with all she could muster, she slapped him right across the face then marched over to where Ron and Harry sat gaping at her. She took her place between them.
"What?" she asked innocently. Even though she was dying inside, it didn't mean she had to die on the outside as well. Harry and Ron finally shook themselves out of their daze and went back to their food. Clearly, her relationship with "that Slytherin git" was over, but she seemed to be coping well.
She went through dinner like nothing and not once did she look over to the Slytherin table, even though a certain blond Head Boy was glaring at her vehemently every so often. But when he thought no one else was looking, flashed of hurt, guilt, sadness, and anger at himself and at Lucius flashed across his features. Hermione was just surprised that no one had reprimanded her for lack of self-control.
After dinner, she asked Lavender and Parvati if they'd let her sleep in her old bed. They happily agreed. Of course, they just wanted to get the dirt on what happened between her and Draco. Hermione figured this much and braced herself for the interrogating later.
Of course, she wasn't going to deny anything. Denying it would just make everything worse. Besides, it was nice while it lasted and it would be a good story to share. It would surely top any of the stories Parvati had. So she was going to tell the truth. She never was a very good liar anyway. She walked with Harry and Ron tot he Gryffindor Tower, Lavender and Parvati trailing not far behind, talking about what had happened in the Great Hall. Hermione shook her head. Those two talked about hair, boys, and gossip just spiritedly as Harry and Ron talking about Quidditch and ways of getting back at the Slytherins.
Once they got to Gryffindor Tower, Hermione went straight up the stairs to the seventh-year girls' dorms. Parvati and Lavender were tailing her like energetic puppies. Once inside, they locked the door and sat across from Hermione, excited and eager to hear fresh new gossip. Hermione took a deep breath. 'This is going to be a long night', she thought. She settled herself onto the bed and tucked her feet under her.
"So, what do you want to know?" she asked tiredly, hoping that they noted the fatigue in her voice. They didn't.
"Did you really...you know...do 'it' with Malfoy?" Lavender squeaked. Hermione closed her eyes and nodded slowly.
"Unfortunately, yes," she said dully. Both girls squealed.
"So, what's it like?" Parvati asked. Hermione, upon remembering, closed her eyes. A small smile graced her lips despite the way she felt about him at the moment. Then Lavender's voice brought her back to the present.
"Hello...Hermione...we asked you a question and would like the answer sometime this century!" Lavender urged. Hermione opened her eyes and looked at Lavender as if she just noticed that she was there.
"Wait a minute! Lavender, I thought that YOU fancied Draco! Aren't you the least bit jealous that I actually slept with the 'apple of your eye'?" Lavender shrugged.
"I guess I changed my mind," she said nonchalantly. "I'm really more into Ron Weasley, now." She began to take on a dreamy look and Parvati poked her in the side.
"We're still questioning Hermione," Parvati said impatiently. She turned back to Hermione, bouncing on the bed excitedly. "So, how long has all this been going on?" Here, Hermione blushed.
"We've secretly been together since Christmas." Lavender and Parvati sat open-mouthed.
"And you didn't tell us?!" they both squealed simultaneously. Hermione shifted uncomfortably.
"Well, you know how it is...it's Draco MALFOY for Merlin's sake!" She sighed heavily and shifted her eyes downcast. "But it doesn't matter anymore. We're no longer together."
"WHAT?! WHY?" Parvati cried.
"But you two make such a lovely couple!" Lavender gushed. Hermione put up a hand to shush then both.
"It just...didn't work out, ok? We're too different," she said firmly, but sadly. Before she could stop it, a single tear slid down her cheek. Parvati caught it first and moved to sit next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. Hermione shook her head, as if to put all images of the first boy she had ever loved out of her mind. Lavender opened her mouth to say something, but Parvati gave her that clearly said, "Shut up! Not now!"
"Hermione, you know we're here if you need someone other than Harry or Ginny to talk to," Parvati offered. Hermione nodded in thanks.
"What about Ron?" Lavender asked. "Why can't you talk to him?" Parvati and Hermione looked at their blond friend as if to say "Are you kidding me?" Lavender re-thought her question then began to laugh. Soon, all three girls were laughing, even Hermione.
"I guess that was a stupid question," Lavender said when the laughter subsided. Then Hermione stood up and waved her wand over herself, changing into some pajamas.
"Thanks for talking to me, girls. I think I'll go find Harry now. I'll come up later." The other two girls nodded and Hermione left. When she got down to the common room, Harry was the only one left there. He looked up as she entered the room.
"Hey, Hermy. Come sit down." He patted a spot on the sofa next to him and she sat down, resting her head on his shoulder. He put an arm around her shoulders.
"So, care to tell me what that was all about at dinner?" Harry asked. Hermione sighed and tried to hold back tears again as she was forced to think of Draco again.
"We broke up," she stated simply. Tears fell again, as she thought about everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. Harry held her closer.
"Well, he's a git. It's his loss." She smiled a bit, then bit her lip, wondering if the nasty rumors got to him yet. She decided that she'd rather him hear it from the source than run around with twisted information coming from the likes of the two gossip queens she left upstairs.
"Harry, I-"
"Yes, Hermy. I know you slept with Malfoy," he said. He wasn't angry, just disappointed?
"Oh...right. You've heard then." Harry nodded, but didn't say anything else.
"That's why we're not together anymore," she finally blurted. Harry looked at her.
"What do you mean?" Hermione began to sob and buried her face into Harry's chest.
"You and Ron were right all along. He was just using me so he could sleep with me then dump me afterwards." Harry frowned. None of it made sense. Harry saw it for himself just how much in love Draco had been with Hermione. How could he just suddenly dump her like that?
"Are you sure?" Harry asked. Hermione sniffled.
"Yes, positive. I overheard him telling his little Slytherins friends about it. Why, Harry? Why would he do this to me?"
"I'm sure he has his reasons. But we might never find out, so just let it go."
"It isn't that simply, Harry. I loved him. I still do, even though he hurt me so much. And...and I thought he loved me too."
"So did I," he murmured softly. Hermione sniffled again.
"Can we tell Ron so he can beat Draco up?" she asked half-jokingly. Harry chuckled.
"No, sorry, we can't. You don't want Ron to get expelled, do you?" She smiled and shook her head, then gave Harry a hug.
"Thanks, Pots, for always being there for me."
"Don't mention it, Hermy. You know that both Ron and I love you and we both hate seeing you like this. Why don't you go to sleep now? It's pretty late." Hermione nodded and kissed him on the cheek before heading up the stairs to the seventh-year girls' dormitories. After she had disappeared, Harry silently went up to his own dorm and grabbed his Invisibility Cloak and Marauder's Map before heading out the door to go talk to Draco Malfoy.
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After dinner, Draco rejected all invitation to the Slytherin common room to discuss his earlier deeds with the Gryffindor sweetheart. He walked briskly to the Head dorms, unable to get Hermione's face and words out of his head. Her words should have made him angry, but they did not. Her words cut deep wounds into his heart. When he finally got to his bedroom, the first thing he did was fling the closest thing to him at a wall. He continued to pick things up and send them flying around the room, all the while shouting obscenities directed at Lucius. He picked up the wooden box that Hermione gave him for Christmas and stopped. He held the box tenderly in his hands and finally slid to the floor and wept. He opened the box and thought back to the day they found the Room of Mystery. He put his head in his hands as he thought about the way he had to make Hermione hate him so she wouldn't have to get hurt. If he was doing this to save her, why did he feel so rotten?
"Hermione, forgive me," he whispered. He went out to the common room and glanced up at Hermione's bedroom door. It was open a crack and the lights were off. He assumed that she was going to sleep in the Gryffindor common room, unable to handle having to see him again. She had not done that since September, when they were still "enemies" and she was furious at him after another stupid argument. He sighed and climbed up the stairs to her bedroom and walked in.
It was neat and organized, but it looked so lonely without its inhabitant. He sat down on the bed and held one of her pillows to his chest, catching the scent of her on it. He already missed her and it was eating him up inside. It was then and there that he decided that he was going to fight against his father and Voldemort. Not that he knew what falling in love was like, he knew he could not live with her in his life. He was going to do everything in his power to fight against the Dark Side. He stood up and was going to tell Hermione, but then remembered that she hated him. He sat back down, then lay back and openly cried. He lay there for a while before finally decided that he needed to talk to someone who could help him. He decided that he would talk to Dumbledore. So he stood up and got as far as the portrait hold when he heard someone knock at it. He opened it, hoping to see Hermione. To his chagrin, it was just Harry. He sneered.
"What is it, Potter? Come to take revenge on what I did to your poor little Mudblood?" Harry sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Come off it, Malfoy. I know that everything you're doing today is an act, so just drop it." Draco pretended to not know what Harry was talking about.
"What act? You think I'm joking? You actually think that I was really in love with Granger?" Harry crossed his arms over his chest.
"Yes, I do. And I also think that all this has something to do with your fa-" Draco cut him off by putting his hand over Harry's mouth and pulling him unceremoniously into the common room by the collar. When the portrait hole was closed, he finally let go.
"Yes, ok? Yes, it has EVERYTHING to do with Lucius. Are you happy?" Draco sighed and collapsed into a chair. "But it doesn't matter because Hermione probably hates me now." Harry sat across from him.
"As much as I believe she should, she doesn't. She still loves you, Malfoy. And I believe that you still love her." Draco nodded.
"Yes, I do. I don't think I'll ever love anyone as much as I do Hermione." Harry nodded in understanding.
"So what are you going to do? Are you going to let your father dictate who you'll love forever?" Draco clenched his jaw.
"No, I'm tired of being his puppet." Draco looked determinedly at Harry. "So what do you suggest we do, Potter?" Harry's eyes looked as if they were going to pop out of their sockets.
"You're asking ME for help?" Draco rolled his eyes.
"Look, you're Hermione's best friend, right?"
"Yeah..."
"You'd do anything to keep her out of harm's way, right?"
"Sure."
"And you're used to all this 'fighting-the-Dark-Side' crap, right?"
"I guess so."
"Then we're on the same side. Come on, let's go ask Dumbledore for help." Draco made his way to the door, but Harry was slow in following. Draco looked at him quizzically.
"What' wrong, Potter? I said let's go to Dumbledore." Harry looked back at him thoughtfully.
"This doesn't mean we're friends or anything, right?" Draco pondered a bit.
"Just because we're on the same side, doesn't mean we have to be friend. After this is over, you can go back to hating my guts and I can go back to insulting you and Weasley on a daily basis. Deal?" Draco stuck his hand out for Harry to shake. Harry took it hesitantly, then shook it firmly.
"Deal," he said, then quickly let go. He stuck his hands into his pockets. Both fell silent for a while. Finally, Draco cleared his throat, breaking the silence.
"Uh...yeah. Let's go see Dumbledore now."
"Wait," Harry called. "Don't you supposed that Dumbledore is sleeping? It's past midnight." Draco looked at the clock hanging about the mantle.
"So it is. Well, I guess I can wait until then." Draco began to walk up the stairs. "Just see yourself out. See you tomorrow after breakfast in front of the Headmaster's office." With that, he disappeared behind a closed bedroom door. Harry exhaled and then decided to let himself out. He covered himself with the Invisibility Cloak and headed back towards Gryffindor Tower.
"I hope I'm doing the right thing."
When Draco awoke, the sun had already set. He felt a warm breeze on his chest and looked down to see Hermione fast asleep. He smiled and carefully untangled himself from the sheets, not wanting to wake her. He pulled on some pajama pants and a T-shirt and quietly exited the room to sit out by the fire.
He was sitting in his favorite chair, reading a book, when the fire suddenly went out. Draco looked up and was perplexed on why the fire would behave to when all the windows were closed. He knelt down and pointed his wand to start the fire up again, when it flared up on its own accord and a hand grabbed him before he could react.
He traveled for a while, his eyes shut and arms tucked in since he was traveling by floo. He finally stopped moving and tumbled out of the other end. He stood up to dust soot off his clothes and immediately recognized the building he came out at: Malfoy Manor. Lucius' study to be exact. He stifled a groan and emptied his mind of memory and emotion.
"So nice of you to visit, Draco," Lucius said in his cold drawl. Draco looked up to meet his sly gaze. "Are you sure your little Mudblood whore won't mind me borrowing you?" Lucius didn't wait for an answer, but rather threw an intense Cruciatus Curse at him. When Lucius finally lifted the curse, Draco glared at him, his eyes burning with anger.
"Don't you dare go near her, Lucius," he spat venomously. Lucius lazily pointed his wand at him and slammed him into the wall, pinning him there.
"My, my, Draco...it seems as if you have acquired your Mudblood's impulsive tongue. We can't have that." Lucius sent some chains to keep Draco against the wall. "I think that it's time for a review of all that I have taught you, son." Lucius sent another Cruciatus Curse at him, almost amusedly. When the curse was lifted, Draco was almost on the verge of tears. He met his father's glare again.
"I'm not your son. I hate you. You are dead to me," Draco spat. Lucius clutched his chest in mock agony.
"Your words hurt me...son." Lucius said the word "son" almost mockingly. "But still, that's not what we are going to discuss. Expelliarmus!" Draco's want flew from his hand.
"Just to be safe," Lucius said calmly. Draco's suspicion arose; Lucius never spoke calmly when he was angry. Lucius started walking towards Draco.
"You see, I took pride in the fact that my son was going to be one of the best and most important asset to the Dark Side. I even took the time to train you myself." Draco scoffed, but Lucius ignored him.
"You were going to be great, Draco. You were going to be given one of the highest acknowledgements the Dark Lord is willing to hand out." Lucius was face to face with Draco now. Suddenly his hands slammed into the wall on either side of Draco's face. Draco didn't even flinch. With every word, his anger at his father grew more and more intense.
"But you had to ruin everything!" Lucius hissed. His calm demeanor was gone and it seemed he was just as livid as Malfoy Junior was.
"You, my son and sole heir, let yourself become associated with a MUDBLOOD!" He spat out the last word vehemently. "I've told you time and time again that mudbloods, especially this...this Granger...girl," are nothing but filth. Trash. Dirt. Pesky insects smashed under our shoes. They are nothing. And this girl...this Gryffindor whore...she's stuck-up, a know-it-all, and-"
"And she's the best thing that's ever happened to me!" Draco finally exploded, cutting off Lucius. Lucius was stunned that Draco had enough gall to interrupt him like that. Draco gulped thickly.
"She's nothing like you said Muggle-borns were supposed to be like! She's clever and witty and beautiful and..." he took another gulp, "and I love her," he finished bravely. Lucius was shocked. Then his eyes turned into narrow slits.
"Love? You LOVE her? Draco, what have I told you about love? It's just a weakness-"
"It's NOT!" he interrupted for the second time in his life. "If anything, my love for her is what makes me stronger." Draco's jaw was set and he met his father's eyes, not daring to blink. Finally, Lucius turned away.
"Fine, you leave me no choice." Draco was puzzled as Lucius walked over to an old wooden trunk in the middle of the room. Draco was a bit apprehensive since he was still chained to the wall. Lucius stood away from the trunk and pointed his wand at it. It immediately sprang open and tipped over. Hermione's body came tumbling out...cold, bloody, and worst of all...dead. Draco's chains released him and he fell to the floor, weak with grief. He crawled towards Hermione and turned her over. Her clothes had been ripped to shreds. He pulled her to his chest and held her close, trying not to let his tears fall. A shadow came over them as Lucius came to stand close.
"Well, that was certainly interesting," he said, apparently amused. Draco sat up to shoot daggers into his father.
"You bastard, you killed her!" Lucius had the audacity to chuckle. As Draco tried to getup and lunge at his father, Lucius placed a Full-Body Bind on him. Draco's body fell with a loud 'thud' next to Hermione. Lucius knelt down next to Draco, his temper back again.
"Listen now, because I'm not going to repeat myself. You will do what I ask or this sight you see here will not just be a boggart." Draco's eyes shifted to Hermione and immediately he felt like a fool. His eyes shifted back to Lucius as he began to speak again.
"Whatever it is that is going on between you and the Mudblood will end. This love or whatever it may be...I can't have it and the Dark Lord certainly won't either. And I never, EVER want to hear you say that you 'love' that...creature ever again. Do I make myself clear?" Draco tried to nod, but could not. Lucius removed the jinx and pulled Draco to his feel again.
"Do I make myself clear?" Lucius repeated.
"Crystal, sir," Draco replied, all courage he had to defy his father gone. Lucius smirked.
"Good. Now I'll send you back, but not before I give you one last thing. CRUCIO!" The curse hit Draco unaware and Lucius held it for about a whole minute. He was turning to lave before he stopped and turned to Draco again, throwing his wand back at him.
"Consider that as my birthday gift to you." Then he exited the room, leaving Draco alone with the Hermione-boggart as if torturing his emotional being. Finally, Draco let all his tears out. What was he going to do? Was he going to be brave and fight against Voldemort and his father, inevitably risking his own-life and, most importantly, Hermione's? Or was he going to be a coward and give in, but keep Hermione safe? He looked once again at the bloody corpse of Hermione-boggart. Coward it is.
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Hermione awoke much later than Draco had. The sun had already set and looking at the clock, she reckoned it was time for dinner. She changed quickly and headed towards the Great Hall merrily. She was in a much better mood than she had been in a long time. Sure, she was sure, but in a good way. As she went to sit down, she passed the Slytherin table and quickly scanned it, looking for Draco. He was leaning over talking to some of his Slytherin friends. She sighed and kept walking, but stopped dead in her tracks when she heard someone call after her.
"Oi, Granger! Would you mind giving me a birthday gift too?" She spun around to face the Slytherins. Some sixth year, whose name she couldn't recall, was the one who called out.
"Excuse me?" she asked spinning around.
"Well, Malfoy was telling all of us about the wonderful birthday present he received from you." Hermione shifted her gaze to Draco, who was sporting that same annoyingly smug smirk that she hated seeing for the past six years. Also, Ambriel, a pretty seventh-year Slytherin girl with a pretty bad reputation, was perched on his knee, his arm wrapped about her waist. She frowned at him, obviously confused at what was going on. He shrugged and rolled his eyes meanly at her. She felt as if someone had pulled the plug on her and all her happiness was going down the drain. She felt the tears prick at her eyes as realization hit...she had been used. But she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he had hurt her. She stuck her chin up and looked down her nose at the whole table.
"Well, you can tell Malfoy that just because it happened doesn't mean I liked it, and that just for that," she leaned over the table so she was level with his and started straight into his stormy gray eyes. "You can tell him that I never, EVER want him near me again." She kept up the staring contest with his for a few seconds, then she spoke again.
"But just for the record, I almost believed that everything you said was true." She held his eyes for a moment longer and in that moment, she saw something flicker in his eyes. What was that? Guilt? Hurt? Sadness, perhaps? 'No', she decided. 'He's just a cold-hearted Slytherin with very good acting skills'. Finally, with all she could muster, she slapped him right across the face then marched over to where Ron and Harry sat gaping at her. She took her place between them.
"What?" she asked innocently. Even though she was dying inside, it didn't mean she had to die on the outside as well. Harry and Ron finally shook themselves out of their daze and went back to their food. Clearly, her relationship with "that Slytherin git" was over, but she seemed to be coping well.
She went through dinner like nothing and not once did she look over to the Slytherin table, even though a certain blond Head Boy was glaring at her vehemently every so often. But when he thought no one else was looking, flashed of hurt, guilt, sadness, and anger at himself and at Lucius flashed across his features. Hermione was just surprised that no one had reprimanded her for lack of self-control.
After dinner, she asked Lavender and Parvati if they'd let her sleep in her old bed. They happily agreed. Of course, they just wanted to get the dirt on what happened between her and Draco. Hermione figured this much and braced herself for the interrogating later.
Of course, she wasn't going to deny anything. Denying it would just make everything worse. Besides, it was nice while it lasted and it would be a good story to share. It would surely top any of the stories Parvati had. So she was going to tell the truth. She never was a very good liar anyway. She walked with Harry and Ron tot he Gryffindor Tower, Lavender and Parvati trailing not far behind, talking about what had happened in the Great Hall. Hermione shook her head. Those two talked about hair, boys, and gossip just spiritedly as Harry and Ron talking about Quidditch and ways of getting back at the Slytherins.
Once they got to Gryffindor Tower, Hermione went straight up the stairs to the seventh-year girls' dorms. Parvati and Lavender were tailing her like energetic puppies. Once inside, they locked the door and sat across from Hermione, excited and eager to hear fresh new gossip. Hermione took a deep breath. 'This is going to be a long night', she thought. She settled herself onto the bed and tucked her feet under her.
"So, what do you want to know?" she asked tiredly, hoping that they noted the fatigue in her voice. They didn't.
"Did you really...you know...do 'it' with Malfoy?" Lavender squeaked. Hermione closed her eyes and nodded slowly.
"Unfortunately, yes," she said dully. Both girls squealed.
"So, what's it like?" Parvati asked. Hermione, upon remembering, closed her eyes. A small smile graced her lips despite the way she felt about him at the moment. Then Lavender's voice brought her back to the present.
"Hello...Hermione...we asked you a question and would like the answer sometime this century!" Lavender urged. Hermione opened her eyes and looked at Lavender as if she just noticed that she was there.
"Wait a minute! Lavender, I thought that YOU fancied Draco! Aren't you the least bit jealous that I actually slept with the 'apple of your eye'?" Lavender shrugged.
"I guess I changed my mind," she said nonchalantly. "I'm really more into Ron Weasley, now." She began to take on a dreamy look and Parvati poked her in the side.
"We're still questioning Hermione," Parvati said impatiently. She turned back to Hermione, bouncing on the bed excitedly. "So, how long has all this been going on?" Here, Hermione blushed.
"We've secretly been together since Christmas." Lavender and Parvati sat open-mouthed.
"And you didn't tell us?!" they both squealed simultaneously. Hermione shifted uncomfortably.
"Well, you know how it is...it's Draco MALFOY for Merlin's sake!" She sighed heavily and shifted her eyes downcast. "But it doesn't matter anymore. We're no longer together."
"WHAT?! WHY?" Parvati cried.
"But you two make such a lovely couple!" Lavender gushed. Hermione put up a hand to shush then both.
"It just...didn't work out, ok? We're too different," she said firmly, but sadly. Before she could stop it, a single tear slid down her cheek. Parvati caught it first and moved to sit next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. Hermione shook her head, as if to put all images of the first boy she had ever loved out of her mind. Lavender opened her mouth to say something, but Parvati gave her that clearly said, "Shut up! Not now!"
"Hermione, you know we're here if you need someone other than Harry or Ginny to talk to," Parvati offered. Hermione nodded in thanks.
"What about Ron?" Lavender asked. "Why can't you talk to him?" Parvati and Hermione looked at their blond friend as if to say "Are you kidding me?" Lavender re-thought her question then began to laugh. Soon, all three girls were laughing, even Hermione.
"I guess that was a stupid question," Lavender said when the laughter subsided. Then Hermione stood up and waved her wand over herself, changing into some pajamas.
"Thanks for talking to me, girls. I think I'll go find Harry now. I'll come up later." The other two girls nodded and Hermione left. When she got down to the common room, Harry was the only one left there. He looked up as she entered the room.
"Hey, Hermy. Come sit down." He patted a spot on the sofa next to him and she sat down, resting her head on his shoulder. He put an arm around her shoulders.
"So, care to tell me what that was all about at dinner?" Harry asked. Hermione sighed and tried to hold back tears again as she was forced to think of Draco again.
"We broke up," she stated simply. Tears fell again, as she thought about everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. Harry held her closer.
"Well, he's a git. It's his loss." She smiled a bit, then bit her lip, wondering if the nasty rumors got to him yet. She decided that she'd rather him hear it from the source than run around with twisted information coming from the likes of the two gossip queens she left upstairs.
"Harry, I-"
"Yes, Hermy. I know you slept with Malfoy," he said. He wasn't angry, just disappointed?
"Oh...right. You've heard then." Harry nodded, but didn't say anything else.
"That's why we're not together anymore," she finally blurted. Harry looked at her.
"What do you mean?" Hermione began to sob and buried her face into Harry's chest.
"You and Ron were right all along. He was just using me so he could sleep with me then dump me afterwards." Harry frowned. None of it made sense. Harry saw it for himself just how much in love Draco had been with Hermione. How could he just suddenly dump her like that?
"Are you sure?" Harry asked. Hermione sniffled.
"Yes, positive. I overheard him telling his little Slytherins friends about it. Why, Harry? Why would he do this to me?"
"I'm sure he has his reasons. But we might never find out, so just let it go."
"It isn't that simply, Harry. I loved him. I still do, even though he hurt me so much. And...and I thought he loved me too."
"So did I," he murmured softly. Hermione sniffled again.
"Can we tell Ron so he can beat Draco up?" she asked half-jokingly. Harry chuckled.
"No, sorry, we can't. You don't want Ron to get expelled, do you?" She smiled and shook her head, then gave Harry a hug.
"Thanks, Pots, for always being there for me."
"Don't mention it, Hermy. You know that both Ron and I love you and we both hate seeing you like this. Why don't you go to sleep now? It's pretty late." Hermione nodded and kissed him on the cheek before heading up the stairs to the seventh-year girls' dormitories. After she had disappeared, Harry silently went up to his own dorm and grabbed his Invisibility Cloak and Marauder's Map before heading out the door to go talk to Draco Malfoy.
*****************************************************
After dinner, Draco rejected all invitation to the Slytherin common room to discuss his earlier deeds with the Gryffindor sweetheart. He walked briskly to the Head dorms, unable to get Hermione's face and words out of his head. Her words should have made him angry, but they did not. Her words cut deep wounds into his heart. When he finally got to his bedroom, the first thing he did was fling the closest thing to him at a wall. He continued to pick things up and send them flying around the room, all the while shouting obscenities directed at Lucius. He picked up the wooden box that Hermione gave him for Christmas and stopped. He held the box tenderly in his hands and finally slid to the floor and wept. He opened the box and thought back to the day they found the Room of Mystery. He put his head in his hands as he thought about the way he had to make Hermione hate him so she wouldn't have to get hurt. If he was doing this to save her, why did he feel so rotten?
"Hermione, forgive me," he whispered. He went out to the common room and glanced up at Hermione's bedroom door. It was open a crack and the lights were off. He assumed that she was going to sleep in the Gryffindor common room, unable to handle having to see him again. She had not done that since September, when they were still "enemies" and she was furious at him after another stupid argument. He sighed and climbed up the stairs to her bedroom and walked in.
It was neat and organized, but it looked so lonely without its inhabitant. He sat down on the bed and held one of her pillows to his chest, catching the scent of her on it. He already missed her and it was eating him up inside. It was then and there that he decided that he was going to fight against his father and Voldemort. Not that he knew what falling in love was like, he knew he could not live with her in his life. He was going to do everything in his power to fight against the Dark Side. He stood up and was going to tell Hermione, but then remembered that she hated him. He sat back down, then lay back and openly cried. He lay there for a while before finally decided that he needed to talk to someone who could help him. He decided that he would talk to Dumbledore. So he stood up and got as far as the portrait hold when he heard someone knock at it. He opened it, hoping to see Hermione. To his chagrin, it was just Harry. He sneered.
"What is it, Potter? Come to take revenge on what I did to your poor little Mudblood?" Harry sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Come off it, Malfoy. I know that everything you're doing today is an act, so just drop it." Draco pretended to not know what Harry was talking about.
"What act? You think I'm joking? You actually think that I was really in love with Granger?" Harry crossed his arms over his chest.
"Yes, I do. And I also think that all this has something to do with your fa-" Draco cut him off by putting his hand over Harry's mouth and pulling him unceremoniously into the common room by the collar. When the portrait hole was closed, he finally let go.
"Yes, ok? Yes, it has EVERYTHING to do with Lucius. Are you happy?" Draco sighed and collapsed into a chair. "But it doesn't matter because Hermione probably hates me now." Harry sat across from him.
"As much as I believe she should, she doesn't. She still loves you, Malfoy. And I believe that you still love her." Draco nodded.
"Yes, I do. I don't think I'll ever love anyone as much as I do Hermione." Harry nodded in understanding.
"So what are you going to do? Are you going to let your father dictate who you'll love forever?" Draco clenched his jaw.
"No, I'm tired of being his puppet." Draco looked determinedly at Harry. "So what do you suggest we do, Potter?" Harry's eyes looked as if they were going to pop out of their sockets.
"You're asking ME for help?" Draco rolled his eyes.
"Look, you're Hermione's best friend, right?"
"Yeah..."
"You'd do anything to keep her out of harm's way, right?"
"Sure."
"And you're used to all this 'fighting-the-Dark-Side' crap, right?"
"I guess so."
"Then we're on the same side. Come on, let's go ask Dumbledore for help." Draco made his way to the door, but Harry was slow in following. Draco looked at him quizzically.
"What' wrong, Potter? I said let's go to Dumbledore." Harry looked back at him thoughtfully.
"This doesn't mean we're friends or anything, right?" Draco pondered a bit.
"Just because we're on the same side, doesn't mean we have to be friend. After this is over, you can go back to hating my guts and I can go back to insulting you and Weasley on a daily basis. Deal?" Draco stuck his hand out for Harry to shake. Harry took it hesitantly, then shook it firmly.
"Deal," he said, then quickly let go. He stuck his hands into his pockets. Both fell silent for a while. Finally, Draco cleared his throat, breaking the silence.
"Uh...yeah. Let's go see Dumbledore now."
"Wait," Harry called. "Don't you supposed that Dumbledore is sleeping? It's past midnight." Draco looked at the clock hanging about the mantle.
"So it is. Well, I guess I can wait until then." Draco began to walk up the stairs. "Just see yourself out. See you tomorrow after breakfast in front of the Headmaster's office." With that, he disappeared behind a closed bedroom door. Harry exhaled and then decided to let himself out. He covered himself with the Invisibility Cloak and headed back towards Gryffindor Tower.
"I hope I'm doing the right thing."