The Virginia Weasley Intervention Part II
They should be coming out soon Draco thought nervously. Maybe he should just turn away. Maybe he should run back to his common room and moan about life in general. Maybe he should go take the piss out of Potter. Maybe he should do that anyway.
Or maybe he should try talking to Hermione. Just one more time. What harm could it do?
A lot. Damn inner voice. Ok, he could lose Hermione forever and she would really never talk to him again. She could say some things he knew he didn't want to hear. She could tear out his heart and brutally cut it up into tiny pieces. Then stamp on each segment repeatedly until there was nothing but a bloody mush of ventricles and arteries and all that was left was the bitter, insatiable ghost of a teenage boy that used to be.
If that could happen twice.
Or she could say yes.
'...Look...if you had one shot...one opportunity...to seize everything you ever wanted...in one moment...would you capture it...or just let it slip...'
Music...Parvati was here? He looked around...no, she wasn't...just her radio. All by itself. And seemingly invisible. It was an overused saying but he felt it sufficient for the moment in time and it really needed to be said; What the fuck?
Getting off the topic, Draco...Where the hell was Ginny? She said she'd be here as soon as possible. If she wasn't here soon...well, he'd have a valid excuse for leaving, right?
Shit. He thought. There goes that theorem. He caught a flash of ginger hair at the doorway and skulked even further into the shadows. She had specifically told him to wait until she had gone...
'...His palms are heavy...'
Time seemed to slow down to the bear minimum. He silently hoped he was dead - then he wouldn't have to go through with this. In the world of Draco Malfoy, the one thing worse than rejection was uncertainty.
'...he's nervous but on the surface he looks calm and ready...'
"Shit! I forgot my bag!" Ginny cried as she turned and ran from Hermione.
"But you didn't have one...Ginny! Come back -"
"Hermione..."
Hermione stopped dead as she heard the all too familiar voice utter her name. The voice she'd dreaded hearing. The voice she dreamt of...
"What do you want?" She whispered, still not daring to face him.
"Uh...um..."
'...he opens his mouth but the words wont come out...'
She turned to face him.
"Look - what are you doing here? If Ginny comes back -"
"She won't."
"What do you mean?"
"She won't come back. Its part of the plan."
"The plan?"
"Uh...yeah..."
"Plan for what?"
Silence.
"Draco; plan for what?"
"Never mind." Draco shrugged "It was a stupid idea. Bye." He turned to leave when he felt Hermione delicately grasp his arm.
"Draco..."
He turned slowly to face her. He could still back out...
"Fine." She said, nodding. "If you're not going to talk, go."
Draco felt the fury rise. "What the hell? How dare you come at me all dominant and shit? After everything!"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Here we go again..."
"Oh yeah." Draco seethed. "There goes bloody Draco again - whinging about that whole broken heart thing. Damn, I hope he doesn't mention that little matter of the rape story..."
"Is that the only reason you're here?" she exclaimed. "Look! I said I'm sorry - I don't know what else you want me to do!"
"No, it's not the only reason I'm here! But I'm starting to think it might as well be!"
"Then why don't you run back to your Slytherins then?"
'...he's so mad but he won't give up that easy no...'
"Good question!"
"Then leave!"
"No!"
"Why not?"
'...this whole rhapsody...he better go capture it and hope it don't pass him...'
"Because I still love you!"
They simultaneously fell silent.
"Draco...please don't do this again..."
"Look Hermione. I'm sorry, ok? And I know you're sorry for all this shit. But I can't help it. I've tried forgetting you and it just doesn't fucking work. And asides from that - that fucking music thing haunts me."
"What?"
"Every song it plays just reminds me of you. It's a fucking obsession Hermione and I can't stop it."
"Please don't..." she whispered. She shook her head slowly and covered her face with her hands.
"No, Hermione - I'm on a role, ok?" He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. "Ok...I know we agreed to stop all this but this is so much different than it first began..."
'...I was playing in the beginning...the mood all changed...I've been chewed up and spat out...'
"I thought I might like you...don't ask how. I guess all those years...I'm not saying I never hated you; I'm pretty certain I did. Oh don't look at me like that Hermione; you hated me just as much, if not more! But recently...I don't know."
He stopped. She was still silent, just looking at him.
"You're still here."
"I wanna know."
"Know what?"
"What happened...how it started." Draco sighed and leaned his back against the wall, knowing that if he looked at her he would never be able to finish the story.
"It all started with this dream a few months back. Every night when I'd go to sleep...I'd see you. I hated it at the beginning, I was pretty sure I hated you. Sometimes I'd be in the dream with you, and we'd be in class just getting along, or we'd be...well, in a compromising position..."
She blushed.
"Other times...it would just be you. Not necessarily doing anything...just...there. Smiling. Sometimes you'd be talking, or reading. But sometimes you'd just be completely silent. And still. Just existing. And I'd become so enthralled...pretty soon, I was obsessed with you. Even though I knew I shouldn't be having these dreams - you were Hermione. And I was Draco. And nothing like that was ever going to happen...then that day, I made the decision to talk to you. I made such a prat of myself. At that stage, I just knew I liked you. But over the past week, as cheesy as it sounds, I'm more or less sure I love you."
He finally turned to face her. He smiled softly.
"So there you have it. The unbelievable, seemingly exaggerated but true story."
Hermione felt her eyes well up with tears. "You don't love me." She managed to whisper, a hoarse croak.
"I do!" he looked frantic. "Did you not hear me?"
"I did hear you...that's how I know. You don't love me...you love a dream. You said it yourself. You were obsessed with the dream. And all that time...you didn't pay any attention to me. It was the dream all along. You just had all this passion and you needed to personify it...somehow your twisted mind presented my image..."
"No." Draco said firmly. Why did she have to be so goddamn...logical. He didn't want to believe it. he refused to believe it. "No. That's not it - because now I know. After the incredibly brief time we've had - I know it's you. It's not the dream anymore. It's you."
"Have you had the dream since we talked?"
Draco thought. "No..."
"Exactly. Since you've seen the real me...you don't want to know me anymore."
"Then why am I here?" he straightened up to look at her with pleading eyes. "The reason I don't have the dream anymore is because I prefer the reality much more. Being with you in person is better than any dream possible."
She looked at him for a few minutes, searching his eyes. She let out a strangled cry before collapsing against the wall, her face pressed against the cold stone. "Why are you always doing this?" she cried. "Why do you lead me on to bring me back down? When I thought you finally like me, you turn around and tell me it was all some made-up dream in your head."
"But I just told you that -"
"And then you say one of those beautiful speeches to me that makes me fall in love with you all over again. You bastard!! Why couldn't you have just let me be by myself and like you without you ever knowing!" she sniffed and looked round. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"What did you say?"
"I said why are you look-"
"No before that...what did you mean?" he took a few steps toward her. "You said why couldn't I have let you like me without me ever knowing..."
"I didn't."
"You did. You know you did." He crossed his arms. "I've told you my story...tell me yours."
"There's no story."
"There's always a story. You said before that you loved me. Since when?"
"I wasn't thinking right. You confused me and -"
"Hermione I just opened up my fucking stone cold heart to you. Tell me how you know..."
"I can't."
"I'll never ask you again Hermione. But I need to know."
She took a deep breath and pushed her hair behind her ear. Now or never.
'...feet fail me not 'cos this may be the only opportunity that I got...lose yourself...'
"I don't know...I hated you, like you said. We were opposites. You were such a prick to my friends and I." Draco smiled inwardly; trust Hermione to have consistently good grammar.
"But at the same time, I had respect for you. You were the only person ever to stand up to Harry...no one did that. Don't get me wrong, he's my friend and I love him - Draco, don't role your eyes, you asked me to explain." He nodded, smiling slightly. "Right. Anyway, he is THE Harry Potter - everyone loves him. Well, except the Slytherins, but you were the only one who wasn't afraid of him."
Draco thought about what she was saying...she respected him for hating Harry to the point he could quite happily kill the bastard...this relationship would be easier than expected...
"Don't get me wrong - I hate the fact you two fight..."
Damn.
"I just always admired the way you stood up to what you belief in, however ludicrous your morals were. On top of that, you never took the piss out of me for my grades. Even though everyone in my house said you were stupid,"
His eyebrows shot up. Stupid?
"You are almost as high in me in every subject. I respect you...I always have...we'd have been good friends if you had been a Gryffindor."
"Likewise, if you had been Slytherin."
"I would never have been Slytherin."
"Hypothetically -"
"No."
"But if -"
"Never."
Draco smiled. Stubborn cow. "So, ok. You respect me. That's not love."
"I was hoping you'd forget that aspect."
"No can do."
"Right..." she looked around warily, making sure no one could here her. She wasn't prone to public exclamations of love. "After that whole thing with the Polyjuice potion - oh yeah, sorry about that - " He shrugged. "I realised that there could have been a chance for us to...you know...relate. Would you please stop raising your eyebrows at every second word? Thank you. Anyway. I kept trying to ignore you...but you were so damn persistent. Suddenly all these dormant emotions become dominant and I felt myself falling for you. Even though I tried not to...I thought that if I just kept telling myself to hate you, I could get over you. And then Ginny made me promise to never talk to you again -"
"She did?"
"Yes, she did. Draco, shut up." Draco smiley wryly. Even now she was in teacher mode.
"Anyway, I had to promise never to talk to you again. It was only then I sort of realised how much I would miss you. Now that it was really final...I felt like shit. It had been better before, when I could at least pretend that someday, even 10 years into the future, we could...relate."
"So..." Draco said conclusively. "We've established that I still love you (not the dream), and you still love me (for hating your friends)."
Hermione smiled at the absurdity of this conversation and slowly nodded.
"Yes, more or less. But as we previously decided, we can't do anything about it thanks to the house rivalry and various other obstacles."
"Not necessarily."
"In what way?"
'...lose yourself...the moment...you own it...you better never let it go...'
"It's not too late, Hermione." He stepped forward so that he was standing right in front of her, his shadow falling over her delicate face.
"It is."
"We're alive - that means it's not too late."
"Stop being so damn philosophical."
"Can't help it. It's my way."
"I don't like it."
"Yes you do - you're still here. Because you love me and I love you and there's no point in bullshitting anymore."
"You have all the answers, don't you?"
'...this opportunity comes once in a lifetime...'
"I like to think so..." he whispered. He smiled softly as he leant forward slowly.
"No!" she yelped as she jumped away from him.
"What?!"
"Ginny!"
"What? Why are you thinking about Ginny? That's sick!"
"No! Not that! I promised Ginny!"
"But you don't underst-"
"I'm sorry!" She screamed as she ran from him, running back to the direction of the Great Hall. She felt the colour drain from her face as she saw Ginny standing there. If the Entrance Hall had been quiet, Ginny would've been close enough to hear the entire conversation.
Her stomach dropped to somewhere around her knees.
"Why are you here?" Ginny asked incredulously.
Make that her ankles.
"Ginny! I'm so sorry!" Hermione cried, tears rolling furiously down her face. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! He was standing there! I...I don't know what came over me! I know that's no excuse but -" she stopped mid-rant. "Why are you smiling?"
"Did you not think why I hadn't come back for you yet?"
"I thought maybe you were still looking for your...Ginny, where is your bag?"
"You were right - I didn't have a bag."
"Then why did you..."
"I thought you were supposed to be smart?"
Hermione looked taken aback. She was questioning her intelligence?
"How do you mean..."
"Hermione!" Ginny laughed. "I set it up! I talked to Draco earlier and told him he needed to sort it out - both of you do. Hermione," She walked over to her and hugged her. "You're miserable. I want you to be happy and if Draco is the thing that can make you smile again, then who am I to stop it?"
"But I promised you." Hermione said, her voice muffled by Ginny's hair. "I'd be a pretty crap friend if I broke that promise."
"The fact that you're here with me and not him shows that you would hold that promise 'til you died. I know I can trust you, 'Mione. But from now, the promise in non-existent."
"Ginny..." She whispered as she pulled away from the hug.
"Go!" she laughed. "Go back to your Slytherin pig! Before I change my mind!"
Hermione laughed. "I won't if you really don't want -"
"Hermione." She said sternly, but her eyes were glowing with mirth. "I'm ordering you to go - now!"
Hermione grinned. "You're amazing, Ginny."
"It has been said, yes. Now piss off!"
Hermione nodded and smiled ecstatically. She turned and ran back to where she'd left Draco, hoping he hadn't left. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him crouched on the floor, his head in his hands.
Hermione pushed her hair behind her ears again, straightened her robes and took a deep breath.
"Does that offer still stand?"
Draco opened his eyes in amazement. He slowly turned his head to face the voice. He smiled. It wasn't a dream. She'd come back.
'...you can do anything you set your mind to...'
*~*~*~*~*
"Hey, Dean!" Dean Thomas stopped as he heard his friend's voice call him. "Have you seen Hermione around?"
Dean turned to face him. "Eh...I saw her in the Great Hall about half an hour ago. She might still be there. She was with Ginny."
"Ah right, ok. I'll try there. Thanks mate."
"Anytime, Ron."
Ron Weasley took the stairs down two at a time. Things were finally going right. His grades were slowly but surely improving, Malfoy hadn't been causing any ructions lately and Hermione was a hell of a lot happier. Life was good.
He reached the Great Hall and poked his head in. There were a few Gryffindor first years, a love-struck Ravenclaw couple (he smiled), and a few Hufflepuffs and Slytherins scattered around the room. No Hermione, no Ginny. They're probably in the library again he thought.
He turned to go back up the stairs when something caught his eye. He thought he'd seen a flash of Hermione's hair in the far corner of the Entrance Hall. It was hard to tell, though. That corner was obscured by suits of armour and shadows, what with the stairs and all.
Might as well go and see he decided. Nothing better to do, anyway.
He walked over to the place, his shoes squeaking on the waxed floor with every other step. He saw it again. Yeah, it was definitely her hair.
"Hey Her-" He started to call out her name but stopped suddenly. She wasn't alone.
Malfoy.
Ron felt his face go red. He was kissing her. He was doing it again. That bloody bastard had dared to come near Hermione again.
He was going to rape her again. And Hermione was obviously to tired to put up a fight.
What if he had put a spell on her? Some kind of body bind? So that she couldn't fight back. The bastard. He was just a coward. He was an evil, malicious coward - taking advantage of someone who couldn't even defend herself.
Ron felt his hands clench into fists. He was going to kill him.
He took a step forward and stopped in horror. She was putting her arm around him. Why would she put her arm around him?
It's part of a spell he told himself. It's a spell. Was there such a spell possible? Yes. Yes, there had to be...
She finally pulled away. Ron sighed quietly. She was resisting. But then...why was she smiling.
"I love you, Draco Malfoy."
"I love you too, Hermione Granger."
And then he kissed her again.
And she didn't fight.
And there was no spell.
Ron clenched his teeth and back silently away from the scene. What was going on? How was this happening? He walked a few paces before he broke into a run, tears threatening to fall from his cobalt eyes.
She had lied.
*~*~*~*~*
And there ends Chapter 22. And we start a whole new phase of this fanfic. Isn't that fun? Yes. Yes it is.
TriGemini - thank you!
innocent rambler - so sorry for the long wait, but this one was up unusually fast, largely because I wrote it at the same time as 21. Does this chapter clear it up? Thanks for the review!
Dreaming One - 'paying back of the karmic dues'; I like that! Don't be surprised if it pops up in a later chapter lol! I changed my style? In a good way or a not so good way? I didn't even notice! Anyway, yeah...I made Ginny into a bitch...but now she's ok! And Hermione was also a bitch...I'm really into my bitchiness in this story! Thanks for your insightful reviews!
Radcliffe Chick - thanks for the emails! I loved the poem by the way!
lilmissfrenchy - thanks!
LostAngel - thank you!
Femme Fatale - thanks. Yeah I don't know! I know I keep saying that but I honestly don't. I might not even add some...then again, I have no idea. Already this story has gone against everything I planned - that whole rape thing? Where the hell did that come from?! I'll try to figure out a way of putting some in though, and don't worry - you don't sound pervy!
Nikki - aw thank you so much! Yeah, I like my cliffhangers as you may have noticed!
Thank you for all the lovely reviews and please keep up the great work - only 61 more and I'm at 300! Doesn't that sound like fun! No...really...it does. Anyway - leave your email address if you want an update memo!
Thank u all - and I apologise in advance if the next chapter is a bit late. Happy Easter! (doesn't that sound cheesy? Yes...very.)
mystical xx
They should be coming out soon Draco thought nervously. Maybe he should just turn away. Maybe he should run back to his common room and moan about life in general. Maybe he should go take the piss out of Potter. Maybe he should do that anyway.
Or maybe he should try talking to Hermione. Just one more time. What harm could it do?
A lot. Damn inner voice. Ok, he could lose Hermione forever and she would really never talk to him again. She could say some things he knew he didn't want to hear. She could tear out his heart and brutally cut it up into tiny pieces. Then stamp on each segment repeatedly until there was nothing but a bloody mush of ventricles and arteries and all that was left was the bitter, insatiable ghost of a teenage boy that used to be.
If that could happen twice.
Or she could say yes.
'...Look...if you had one shot...one opportunity...to seize everything you ever wanted...in one moment...would you capture it...or just let it slip...'
Music...Parvati was here? He looked around...no, she wasn't...just her radio. All by itself. And seemingly invisible. It was an overused saying but he felt it sufficient for the moment in time and it really needed to be said; What the fuck?
Getting off the topic, Draco...Where the hell was Ginny? She said she'd be here as soon as possible. If she wasn't here soon...well, he'd have a valid excuse for leaving, right?
Shit. He thought. There goes that theorem. He caught a flash of ginger hair at the doorway and skulked even further into the shadows. She had specifically told him to wait until she had gone...
'...His palms are heavy...'
Time seemed to slow down to the bear minimum. He silently hoped he was dead - then he wouldn't have to go through with this. In the world of Draco Malfoy, the one thing worse than rejection was uncertainty.
'...he's nervous but on the surface he looks calm and ready...'
"Shit! I forgot my bag!" Ginny cried as she turned and ran from Hermione.
"But you didn't have one...Ginny! Come back -"
"Hermione..."
Hermione stopped dead as she heard the all too familiar voice utter her name. The voice she'd dreaded hearing. The voice she dreamt of...
"What do you want?" She whispered, still not daring to face him.
"Uh...um..."
'...he opens his mouth but the words wont come out...'
She turned to face him.
"Look - what are you doing here? If Ginny comes back -"
"She won't."
"What do you mean?"
"She won't come back. Its part of the plan."
"The plan?"
"Uh...yeah..."
"Plan for what?"
Silence.
"Draco; plan for what?"
"Never mind." Draco shrugged "It was a stupid idea. Bye." He turned to leave when he felt Hermione delicately grasp his arm.
"Draco..."
He turned slowly to face her. He could still back out...
"Fine." She said, nodding. "If you're not going to talk, go."
Draco felt the fury rise. "What the hell? How dare you come at me all dominant and shit? After everything!"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Here we go again..."
"Oh yeah." Draco seethed. "There goes bloody Draco again - whinging about that whole broken heart thing. Damn, I hope he doesn't mention that little matter of the rape story..."
"Is that the only reason you're here?" she exclaimed. "Look! I said I'm sorry - I don't know what else you want me to do!"
"No, it's not the only reason I'm here! But I'm starting to think it might as well be!"
"Then why don't you run back to your Slytherins then?"
'...he's so mad but he won't give up that easy no...'
"Good question!"
"Then leave!"
"No!"
"Why not?"
'...this whole rhapsody...he better go capture it and hope it don't pass him...'
"Because I still love you!"
They simultaneously fell silent.
"Draco...please don't do this again..."
"Look Hermione. I'm sorry, ok? And I know you're sorry for all this shit. But I can't help it. I've tried forgetting you and it just doesn't fucking work. And asides from that - that fucking music thing haunts me."
"What?"
"Every song it plays just reminds me of you. It's a fucking obsession Hermione and I can't stop it."
"Please don't..." she whispered. She shook her head slowly and covered her face with her hands.
"No, Hermione - I'm on a role, ok?" He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. "Ok...I know we agreed to stop all this but this is so much different than it first began..."
'...I was playing in the beginning...the mood all changed...I've been chewed up and spat out...'
"I thought I might like you...don't ask how. I guess all those years...I'm not saying I never hated you; I'm pretty certain I did. Oh don't look at me like that Hermione; you hated me just as much, if not more! But recently...I don't know."
He stopped. She was still silent, just looking at him.
"You're still here."
"I wanna know."
"Know what?"
"What happened...how it started." Draco sighed and leaned his back against the wall, knowing that if he looked at her he would never be able to finish the story.
"It all started with this dream a few months back. Every night when I'd go to sleep...I'd see you. I hated it at the beginning, I was pretty sure I hated you. Sometimes I'd be in the dream with you, and we'd be in class just getting along, or we'd be...well, in a compromising position..."
She blushed.
"Other times...it would just be you. Not necessarily doing anything...just...there. Smiling. Sometimes you'd be talking, or reading. But sometimes you'd just be completely silent. And still. Just existing. And I'd become so enthralled...pretty soon, I was obsessed with you. Even though I knew I shouldn't be having these dreams - you were Hermione. And I was Draco. And nothing like that was ever going to happen...then that day, I made the decision to talk to you. I made such a prat of myself. At that stage, I just knew I liked you. But over the past week, as cheesy as it sounds, I'm more or less sure I love you."
He finally turned to face her. He smiled softly.
"So there you have it. The unbelievable, seemingly exaggerated but true story."
Hermione felt her eyes well up with tears. "You don't love me." She managed to whisper, a hoarse croak.
"I do!" he looked frantic. "Did you not hear me?"
"I did hear you...that's how I know. You don't love me...you love a dream. You said it yourself. You were obsessed with the dream. And all that time...you didn't pay any attention to me. It was the dream all along. You just had all this passion and you needed to personify it...somehow your twisted mind presented my image..."
"No." Draco said firmly. Why did she have to be so goddamn...logical. He didn't want to believe it. he refused to believe it. "No. That's not it - because now I know. After the incredibly brief time we've had - I know it's you. It's not the dream anymore. It's you."
"Have you had the dream since we talked?"
Draco thought. "No..."
"Exactly. Since you've seen the real me...you don't want to know me anymore."
"Then why am I here?" he straightened up to look at her with pleading eyes. "The reason I don't have the dream anymore is because I prefer the reality much more. Being with you in person is better than any dream possible."
She looked at him for a few minutes, searching his eyes. She let out a strangled cry before collapsing against the wall, her face pressed against the cold stone. "Why are you always doing this?" she cried. "Why do you lead me on to bring me back down? When I thought you finally like me, you turn around and tell me it was all some made-up dream in your head."
"But I just told you that -"
"And then you say one of those beautiful speeches to me that makes me fall in love with you all over again. You bastard!! Why couldn't you have just let me be by myself and like you without you ever knowing!" she sniffed and looked round. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"What did you say?"
"I said why are you look-"
"No before that...what did you mean?" he took a few steps toward her. "You said why couldn't I have let you like me without me ever knowing..."
"I didn't."
"You did. You know you did." He crossed his arms. "I've told you my story...tell me yours."
"There's no story."
"There's always a story. You said before that you loved me. Since when?"
"I wasn't thinking right. You confused me and -"
"Hermione I just opened up my fucking stone cold heart to you. Tell me how you know..."
"I can't."
"I'll never ask you again Hermione. But I need to know."
She took a deep breath and pushed her hair behind her ear. Now or never.
'...feet fail me not 'cos this may be the only opportunity that I got...lose yourself...'
"I don't know...I hated you, like you said. We were opposites. You were such a prick to my friends and I." Draco smiled inwardly; trust Hermione to have consistently good grammar.
"But at the same time, I had respect for you. You were the only person ever to stand up to Harry...no one did that. Don't get me wrong, he's my friend and I love him - Draco, don't role your eyes, you asked me to explain." He nodded, smiling slightly. "Right. Anyway, he is THE Harry Potter - everyone loves him. Well, except the Slytherins, but you were the only one who wasn't afraid of him."
Draco thought about what she was saying...she respected him for hating Harry to the point he could quite happily kill the bastard...this relationship would be easier than expected...
"Don't get me wrong - I hate the fact you two fight..."
Damn.
"I just always admired the way you stood up to what you belief in, however ludicrous your morals were. On top of that, you never took the piss out of me for my grades. Even though everyone in my house said you were stupid,"
His eyebrows shot up. Stupid?
"You are almost as high in me in every subject. I respect you...I always have...we'd have been good friends if you had been a Gryffindor."
"Likewise, if you had been Slytherin."
"I would never have been Slytherin."
"Hypothetically -"
"No."
"But if -"
"Never."
Draco smiled. Stubborn cow. "So, ok. You respect me. That's not love."
"I was hoping you'd forget that aspect."
"No can do."
"Right..." she looked around warily, making sure no one could here her. She wasn't prone to public exclamations of love. "After that whole thing with the Polyjuice potion - oh yeah, sorry about that - " He shrugged. "I realised that there could have been a chance for us to...you know...relate. Would you please stop raising your eyebrows at every second word? Thank you. Anyway. I kept trying to ignore you...but you were so damn persistent. Suddenly all these dormant emotions become dominant and I felt myself falling for you. Even though I tried not to...I thought that if I just kept telling myself to hate you, I could get over you. And then Ginny made me promise to never talk to you again -"
"She did?"
"Yes, she did. Draco, shut up." Draco smiley wryly. Even now she was in teacher mode.
"Anyway, I had to promise never to talk to you again. It was only then I sort of realised how much I would miss you. Now that it was really final...I felt like shit. It had been better before, when I could at least pretend that someday, even 10 years into the future, we could...relate."
"So..." Draco said conclusively. "We've established that I still love you (not the dream), and you still love me (for hating your friends)."
Hermione smiled at the absurdity of this conversation and slowly nodded.
"Yes, more or less. But as we previously decided, we can't do anything about it thanks to the house rivalry and various other obstacles."
"Not necessarily."
"In what way?"
'...lose yourself...the moment...you own it...you better never let it go...'
"It's not too late, Hermione." He stepped forward so that he was standing right in front of her, his shadow falling over her delicate face.
"It is."
"We're alive - that means it's not too late."
"Stop being so damn philosophical."
"Can't help it. It's my way."
"I don't like it."
"Yes you do - you're still here. Because you love me and I love you and there's no point in bullshitting anymore."
"You have all the answers, don't you?"
'...this opportunity comes once in a lifetime...'
"I like to think so..." he whispered. He smiled softly as he leant forward slowly.
"No!" she yelped as she jumped away from him.
"What?!"
"Ginny!"
"What? Why are you thinking about Ginny? That's sick!"
"No! Not that! I promised Ginny!"
"But you don't underst-"
"I'm sorry!" She screamed as she ran from him, running back to the direction of the Great Hall. She felt the colour drain from her face as she saw Ginny standing there. If the Entrance Hall had been quiet, Ginny would've been close enough to hear the entire conversation.
Her stomach dropped to somewhere around her knees.
"Why are you here?" Ginny asked incredulously.
Make that her ankles.
"Ginny! I'm so sorry!" Hermione cried, tears rolling furiously down her face. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! He was standing there! I...I don't know what came over me! I know that's no excuse but -" she stopped mid-rant. "Why are you smiling?"
"Did you not think why I hadn't come back for you yet?"
"I thought maybe you were still looking for your...Ginny, where is your bag?"
"You were right - I didn't have a bag."
"Then why did you..."
"I thought you were supposed to be smart?"
Hermione looked taken aback. She was questioning her intelligence?
"How do you mean..."
"Hermione!" Ginny laughed. "I set it up! I talked to Draco earlier and told him he needed to sort it out - both of you do. Hermione," She walked over to her and hugged her. "You're miserable. I want you to be happy and if Draco is the thing that can make you smile again, then who am I to stop it?"
"But I promised you." Hermione said, her voice muffled by Ginny's hair. "I'd be a pretty crap friend if I broke that promise."
"The fact that you're here with me and not him shows that you would hold that promise 'til you died. I know I can trust you, 'Mione. But from now, the promise in non-existent."
"Ginny..." She whispered as she pulled away from the hug.
"Go!" she laughed. "Go back to your Slytherin pig! Before I change my mind!"
Hermione laughed. "I won't if you really don't want -"
"Hermione." She said sternly, but her eyes were glowing with mirth. "I'm ordering you to go - now!"
Hermione grinned. "You're amazing, Ginny."
"It has been said, yes. Now piss off!"
Hermione nodded and smiled ecstatically. She turned and ran back to where she'd left Draco, hoping he hadn't left. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him crouched on the floor, his head in his hands.
Hermione pushed her hair behind her ears again, straightened her robes and took a deep breath.
"Does that offer still stand?"
Draco opened his eyes in amazement. He slowly turned his head to face the voice. He smiled. It wasn't a dream. She'd come back.
'...you can do anything you set your mind to...'
*~*~*~*~*
"Hey, Dean!" Dean Thomas stopped as he heard his friend's voice call him. "Have you seen Hermione around?"
Dean turned to face him. "Eh...I saw her in the Great Hall about half an hour ago. She might still be there. She was with Ginny."
"Ah right, ok. I'll try there. Thanks mate."
"Anytime, Ron."
Ron Weasley took the stairs down two at a time. Things were finally going right. His grades were slowly but surely improving, Malfoy hadn't been causing any ructions lately and Hermione was a hell of a lot happier. Life was good.
He reached the Great Hall and poked his head in. There were a few Gryffindor first years, a love-struck Ravenclaw couple (he smiled), and a few Hufflepuffs and Slytherins scattered around the room. No Hermione, no Ginny. They're probably in the library again he thought.
He turned to go back up the stairs when something caught his eye. He thought he'd seen a flash of Hermione's hair in the far corner of the Entrance Hall. It was hard to tell, though. That corner was obscured by suits of armour and shadows, what with the stairs and all.
Might as well go and see he decided. Nothing better to do, anyway.
He walked over to the place, his shoes squeaking on the waxed floor with every other step. He saw it again. Yeah, it was definitely her hair.
"Hey Her-" He started to call out her name but stopped suddenly. She wasn't alone.
Malfoy.
Ron felt his face go red. He was kissing her. He was doing it again. That bloody bastard had dared to come near Hermione again.
He was going to rape her again. And Hermione was obviously to tired to put up a fight.
What if he had put a spell on her? Some kind of body bind? So that she couldn't fight back. The bastard. He was just a coward. He was an evil, malicious coward - taking advantage of someone who couldn't even defend herself.
Ron felt his hands clench into fists. He was going to kill him.
He took a step forward and stopped in horror. She was putting her arm around him. Why would she put her arm around him?
It's part of a spell he told himself. It's a spell. Was there such a spell possible? Yes. Yes, there had to be...
She finally pulled away. Ron sighed quietly. She was resisting. But then...why was she smiling.
"I love you, Draco Malfoy."
"I love you too, Hermione Granger."
And then he kissed her again.
And she didn't fight.
And there was no spell.
Ron clenched his teeth and back silently away from the scene. What was going on? How was this happening? He walked a few paces before he broke into a run, tears threatening to fall from his cobalt eyes.
She had lied.
*~*~*~*~*
And there ends Chapter 22. And we start a whole new phase of this fanfic. Isn't that fun? Yes. Yes it is.
TriGemini - thank you!
innocent rambler - so sorry for the long wait, but this one was up unusually fast, largely because I wrote it at the same time as 21. Does this chapter clear it up? Thanks for the review!
Dreaming One - 'paying back of the karmic dues'; I like that! Don't be surprised if it pops up in a later chapter lol! I changed my style? In a good way or a not so good way? I didn't even notice! Anyway, yeah...I made Ginny into a bitch...but now she's ok! And Hermione was also a bitch...I'm really into my bitchiness in this story! Thanks for your insightful reviews!
Radcliffe Chick - thanks for the emails! I loved the poem by the way!
lilmissfrenchy - thanks!
LostAngel - thank you!
Femme Fatale - thanks. Yeah I don't know! I know I keep saying that but I honestly don't. I might not even add some...then again, I have no idea. Already this story has gone against everything I planned - that whole rape thing? Where the hell did that come from?! I'll try to figure out a way of putting some in though, and don't worry - you don't sound pervy!
Nikki - aw thank you so much! Yeah, I like my cliffhangers as you may have noticed!
Thank you for all the lovely reviews and please keep up the great work - only 61 more and I'm at 300! Doesn't that sound like fun! No...really...it does. Anyway - leave your email address if you want an update memo!
Thank u all - and I apologise in advance if the next chapter is a bit late. Happy Easter! (doesn't that sound cheesy? Yes...very.)
mystical xx