The Best Of Me
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in affiliation with Harry Potter or JKR. Nor do I own the song The Best Of Me by The Starting Line.
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lyrics
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I want to give a special shout out to **Winter Fae** for being the best Beta-reader a girl could have. :)
Chapter 10: Decisions
Decisions, it seems, always have to be made right when you don't want them to be. People will always do anything to get out of them, push them off until later. Procrastination has become so common with decision making it has almost become the decision itself. You just don't make one.
Hermione, it seemed, had never procrastinated much in her life. And to this day she still hasn't. The question itself had been simple. Should she tell her friends something? Hermione tried all the structured, analytical ways to make a choice. She made charts, graphs, lists of pro's and con's, anything to help herself. Yet in the end it came down to one simple question, could she do it?
Draco, as it was, knew how to procrastinate. In all reality he probably could have given Hermione some tips. But he would have never thought to do that; he had many other things on his mind. Questions that nagged at him that he knew he couldn't put off but at the same time, he couldn't answer.
Decisions are a funny thing. No matter what you choose or how it ends up everything will change. Even if in the slightest way, your world will be affected. Maybe that's why so many people put them off. Maybe that's why everyone worries so much about them. Changes, decisions, worry, what happens when they reach their boiling point.
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A boy was walking down the hallway. He'd just left an old classroom with nothing but his current mission on his mind. And as he walked he thought about both of the girls in his life. About Hermione and Pansy, about what decision he would make, how he could change things.
I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it, I am going to do it. The same thought kept going around and around in his head. If I don't do it now when will I? I have to do it. I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it.
Around the tenth time he'd heard the words in his head she walked by. Close enough he could see her face but not close enough to see what she was thinking or feeling. Not close enough to decide if he really had to do it then.
But stress can make a person burst. And it did, "Pans! Over here."
"Draco? No need to shout," she said, giving him the strangest look, "What do you need."
"Uh, well, Pans…Pansy…Ms. Parkinson…"
"Drake?" She questioned, skepticism in her voice.
"I need to break up with you."
"………Oh." And then her smile left her face. "Well…" And then a tear fell. "Why?"
He looked at her, almost like he was about to say something, and then he stopped short. Tension rose in the air as one beautiful blonde haired boy stood next to one beautiful brown haired girl. His face covered with anguish and pain, hers with tears and heartbreak.
"No, no," she said after the pause had stretched to long for her to take, "Don't answer that, don't. And uh, just, I…I have to go."
And she ran, like any normal girl would, she ran to her room, to her bed, to her bear her grandpa had given her when she'd turned five that she'd kept hidden inside her trunk until moments like these. And the boy, Draco, he hardly moved at all. Instead, he slumped down into the couch and called himself all the nasty things he could think of.
I can't believe I did it. No way. I should be celebrating, running to tell Hermione. It's all going to be okay now, I'll explain things to Pansy, I will. And then, then maybe 'Mione and I can start as something. Maybe we can start something. But what am I going to do about Pans? I can't believe I did it. No way.
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Hermione had been sitting in that same old classroom Draco had walked out of for 20 minutes. She felt stuck, frozen in place. She kept putting it off. Whatever decision she had to make, she had no need to do it then. Or at least she didn't think so.
I can't tell them. There is no way. Nope, none. Harry, well he would just overreact. There's no other way of thinking about it. He hates Draco, well Malfoy really, he doesn't even know the actual Draco. And see, that's where his problem is, he'll never open up to give Draco a chance. Never. So why should I tell him?
And Ron? Ron? I can't even imagine his face. No, it would not be good. He's already on to the fact that I've been around less, if he knew why…. Goodness, I can't even think how that would hurt him. That's why I can't tell him. I would hurt him too much, put him through too much pain. I have no right to do that. So why should I tell him?
But I should shouldn't I? They're my best friends, aren't they important, more important than my love life? Maybe. I mean, why even tell them? Who knows if this thing with Draco will work out, it could just be a little fling. Oh but I really don't think it is. I mean it feels serious. But if I told them, it would be crazy. Way to many tears and shouts, screams and accusations than I can take.
I hate this. I'm usually so good at making decisions. It's no sweat. The hardest thing I decide about is what topic to choose for my term paper. This should not be so hard. I should tell them. I should. Ahh, well, this is stupid. And it's getting me nowhere. I might as well go do my homework.
So she got up. She composed herself, collecting the thoughts that were running a mile a minute through her head and started to walk out the door. That is, until she ran almost ran into someone in the doorway.
"Yes, Ms. Granger, I thought you would still be here."
She gasped as she looked up. "Professor Dumbledore?"
He continued on as if he hadn't heard her, peering around her body to look inside the classroom. "Yet where might the ever pleasant Mr. Malfoy be? Last I checked this wasn't just your secret hideaway."
"Right, well, uh no, it's not. He's just-"
"No need to explain," Dumbledore said with the trademark twinkle in his eyes, "I'm sure we will find out soon enough. Now please Ms. Granger, if you would follow me."
"Of course," she replied with a shaky tone in her voice. However good of a job they'd done on keeping all of this a secret, someone had found out, or someone had known. She couldn't decide which was worse.
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Draco paced outside the Slytherin Girls Dormitory door. He'd already knocked on Pansy's five times and she wouldn't answer him, all he could hear were the muffled sobs from behind the door. He did not want to wait there for one of her roommates to come along; there was no telling how long that could take. So he tried again.
"Pans," he said in his most comforting voice, "Let me in, come on. We have to talk about this. You know I never meant to hurt you."
This time he got a reply. Well, in a way. First something hit the wood, something hard, then he heard her voice.
"Don't even say that Draco Augustus Malfoy! It doesn't matter what you meant to do, all that matters is what you actually did!"
"Ahhh!" He shouted out in frustration, "Just let me in!"
"Fine!"
A second later he heard the lock click on the door and he gently opened it and walked in. When he saw her his heart dropped. With the makeup all smeared off and the red eyes and the heartbreak and defeat in her every move it was like stepping back in a time machine to that day over a year ago now in the common room.
"You promised Draco. Promised. Don't you remember?"
But he hardly heard her, instead voices from that night floated into his head.
"Do you promise me Draco?"
"Yes, I swear Pans, you won't hurt again."
"Because Drake, I can't take it anymore, I can't get out of this hole I'm living in."
"Yes you can, I promise. I will be here for you. Always."
"Always? You sure you want to promise that much?
"I'm sure."
The room he was in came back into view. He couldn't force himself to look away from her.
"What? You don't even remember? You know you haven't been around in the last couple of weeks but I thought it was just a fluke. You didn't even ask me how it went, when I had to go home. But I thought maybe, maybe you just needed some time," She said to him.
"I, I remember. I remember it all. But Pansy, I just don't know what to do."
"Who is she?"
"What?" He asked, startled.
"I've been watching you, I know now, there must be someone else. So, please, since you just ruined the rest of my life, please for my piece of mind, tell me who she is."
"You're not gonna like it."
"What in the world are you talking about? Nothing right now could hurt me Draco," she said as she wiped some stray tears from her eyes, "Plus, you know, I always was a hopeless romantic."
"Hermione Granger."
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Author's note and Thank you's
Ok first off I want to thank everyone for sticking with me and reviewing the story. And yeah, I know this chapter is shorter but it seemed to me like it was the right part to end it. I hope you all liked the chapter, as I'm trying to build more of a background and future for the story. And I urge you, please review, it really means the world to me!
Ariella Makye- Thanks so much for the review, I hope you keep reading!
Lady Jane Green- I'm really glad you like the story, and I hope soon your questions are answered. J
Greta Delainy- Thanks for the review! It seems like everyone's waiting for Harry and Ron to find out…hopefully you guys will all wait it out with me!
Anabelee- Thank you SO much for the review. It was so incredibly nice! I love Antony and Cleopatra too! I hope you keep reading and enjoying my story.
Trapt*ROCKS*my world- I loved your review! Thanks so much!
Stefy- I'm glad you see part of what Draco feels toward Pansy. To me, that is a very important part of him, I hope you keep reading and reviewing to see what happens!
PinkTribeChick- I always love your reviews. They make my day! Thanks a lot.
ReeMarie Yukimo LeBeau- I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I'm so happy you keep sticking with my story!
AGAIN, THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READS OR REVIEWS!