The End of a Few Things
Hermione wrenched her arm out of Ron's grasp as they entered the common room. She looked angrily at him as her eyes shed tears.
"What the hell is your problem, Ronald Weasley? I was on the greatest date ever and you just pull me out of it!" Hermione screamed. Ron's face held a bewildered look to it.
"YOU'RE blaming ME? You're the one who made the choice!" Ron yelled back.
"Either way, you would have dragged me out of there anyway! Now he hates me and it's entirely your fucking fault!" Ron looked surprised at Hermione's surprising choice of words.
"So what are you saying? I shouldn't care about you anymore, is that it? That I shouldn't worry about your well-being so much because you're just like a sister to me? I know Malfoy; he was probably just buttering you up so that you'd believe him and follow him into some effing Death-Eater trap for all we know!" Hermione slapped Ron with her all might.
"How dare you assume that? You know absolutely nothing about Draco, except that he's from a wealthy family who's been associated with the Dark Arts for centuries! Just because he's a Malfoy doesn't mean he has to conform to the usual Malfoy standards! You have no right to say that either!
"And stop acting like you don't know me anymore! You know that I care for and worry about you too, but sometimes, you're just so overprotective, Ron and I HATE you for that!
"You think you can go around acting like my older brother or my dad, but I don't need you to do that, Ron! I'm sixteen and I'm a 'big girl' now; I can take care of myself, whether you think I can or not! Besides, what you did to me today was completely unfair on your part! I have never ever barged in during one of yours or Harry's dates and just yanked you out or there. Tell me, Ron, have I ever?" An ominous silence filled the room.
"That's right, NEVER! So why don't you just do the same and trust me?" Hermione was in tears yet again and she fell tiredly onto a chair.
"Uh… err… Harry, help me out here!" Ron looked expectantly back at Harry.
"No, Ron." Harry answered simply. Ron looked bewildered and, without words, asked Harry for a reason.
"She's right, Ron." Harry began, "She is old enough to be trusted with a thing like dating, even if the guy she's dating is Malfoy. I'm willing to do what she asks and respect her decisions. I can accept that she likes Malfoy and be okay with that, just like she has for us with our girlfriends. I accept that, so why can't you?" Harry then threw Hermione a smile. "Just don't expect me to make amends and become friends with him, Mione."
Hermione frowned and Harry rebounded with, "But I'll try, just for you, Hermione."
Hermione stood from her seat and hugged Harry. He stumbled at the impact, but hugged her right back. Ron began to look at others for help, but decided against it when everyone began backing away in fear of getting on Hermione's bad side. Harry and Hermione parted and watched Ron, defiant looks displayed on their faces.
Ron looked from Harry, to Hermione, and back to Harry, his face again looking lost and taken aback. He huffed loudly and announced, "Fine, be like that! I'm out of here!" With that, he stomped towards the common room door.
Ginny stood in the entryway to the Gryffindor Tower, panting from running all the way from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts and up all those sets of stairs to the tower. No sooner had she gotten in was she pushed aside by her brother, who was obviously still ticked at Hermione.
"You better go after him, Harry. You're the only one that can get him to accept Draco and get him to have a little discussion with us." She heard Hermione say. Apparently, Harry had said something about doing that, because the next thing she knew, Hermione screamed, "YOU ARE THE BESTEST FRIEND EVER, HARRY!"
Harry brushed past Ginny, barely saying 'hi', before walking out to find Ron. Ginny then walked into the common room.
"Where's Hermione?" Ginny asked Lavender and Parvati, wondering where the girls could have gone in that short amount of time. They pointed towards the girls' dorms without even a glance at her. Ginny muttered quick thanks and ran up the winding stairs to Hermione's dorm.
"She hates me, Blaise. She picked her friends over me, the guy she likes! She tipped my heart to shreds just not, man, and I hate her for it!" Draco banged his fist down to the table angrily. He took hold of his mug and gulped down some more butterbeer, his fifth of the night.
"No, she doesn't hate you, and you don't hate her! She left for a reason, Draco. We just don't know what that reason is." Blaise reasoned out.
Draco grumbled, "The reason is that she's so sick of me. That's why she left, Blaise. End of discussion. You know what? I'm sick of this. Let's go back to the fucking castle already. At least we're not piss drunk on Fire Whisky this time." Draco dropped a few galleons on the table and strode out of the door, followed closely by Blaise.
"Stop lying to yourself! I can't believe we're having this conversation again! She likes you, you like her! You know Hermione likes you just as much as you do. That choice she had to make earlier, it hurt for her, Draco. Didn't you see the tears in her eyes?" Draco turned and faced Blaise. "Those were tears or pain, hurt, and agony. Man, stop being an IDIOT!"
Draco growled, "This issue will no longer be discussed, Blaise. Case closed." With that, Draco took off, leaving Blaise in the heart of Hogsmeade.
"I hate him so much, Ginny!" Hermione screeched, pulling at her unruly hair. "I swear that this is the last time that he's going to ruin my life!"
"But, Hermione,"
"Don't 'but, Hermione' me! He has been such an ass since I met him. I don't even know how I've put up with him!"
Suddenly, a second year girl burst into the room, startling both girls. Hermione stared malignantly at her. The girl cowered and stammered something to Hermione and Ginny.
"Harry Potter asks for you to come out." After saying that, the girl ran back into her dormitory. Hermione marched out onto the stairwell and asked Harry, "Is he here?" Harry answered with a terrified 'yes' and Hermione began to march down the stairs.
Hermione ignored Ginny's pleads and pushed Harry aside. All throughout Gryffindor Tower, one name was heard in its silence.
"RONALD WEASLEY!"
The next morning, an eerie silence loomed over the Gryffindor table. The usual din emitted from the table was being avoided; the frightening knowledge of Hermione Granger's temper terrified them enough to keep quiet.
The Slytherin table oddly mirrored the Gryffindors'; utter silence, with the exception of the whispers for food and Crabbe and Goyle's blissful grunts of content.
A resounding clink of a goblet interrupted the ghostly silence as Professor Dumbledore stood to announce something.
"Because of the numerous requests from students concerning preparations to be made for tomorrow night's dance, the teachers and I have decided to cancel lessons for today, in life of the many last minute purchases and such. That is all, have a great day students!"
With a clap of his hands, the food disappeared and students began filing out. Girls rushed out the doors with friends, ready to go shopping in Hogsmeade, while the boys cowered in the corners, in fear of being trampled over by the large number of excited girls.
"Hannah!" Hermione called out to her friend. Hannah Abbott, the female Hufflepuff prefect, walked over to her and waved.
"Do you have the checklist?" She asked. Hermione nodded and took it out of her purse.
Hannah inspected the list, "So all we have to get are balloons, crepe paper, vases, and the roses, right?" Hermione nodded once more.
"The professors are either transfiguring or supplying anything we need or they think we need. Draco and Anthony are in charge of making sure that Fred and George get the music to play that night. Ron and Ernie are in charge of the food and drinks. Padma and Pansy are making the boxes and setting up the voting booth." Hannah held a confused look on her face.
"Hold on," she said, "you said we need to buy roses right?" Hermione nodded again.
"Well, doesn't Professor Sprout grow roses in Greenhouse Five?"
"Yeah, she does," Hermione told her, "but those are the Serenade Roses that sing non-stop until they die, which is in about thirty to forty years." They laughed and headed on to Hogsmeade to do their shopping.
"She hates me, I know she hates me! Hermione Granger hates me, Draco Malfoy, because I am a complete asshole!" Draco shouted in the alcove.
Suddenly, his head snapped up as he heard a shuffle of feet outside. Draco crouched low to the ground and waited for the person to reveal themselves in the dim light of the alcove.
A hand reached out and brushed aside the curtain of ivy from the entrance. The person came in and grinned with their unusually white teeth.
"Don't think I can't see you, Draco!"
Draco swore in realization of who it was.
"Sadly enough, it's not that hard to miss your outrageously platinum blond hair!"
"What are you doing here, Hermione?" Draco sneered.
"As far as I know, this is my secret place, too, and I've also come to make amends because I know what I did was wrong." She looked sincerely at Draco, "Draco, I'm sorry!" He looked away, a sign that he wanted Hermione to leave. Yet, she stood her ground and continued.
"I'm sorry for dressing up for you, thinking that I wanted to impress you. I'm sorry for going on that amazing date with you. I'm also extremely sorry and ashamed for leaving you for my friends that night. But you know what I'm not sorry for?" Hermione stifled back some sobs, "I'm not sorry for ever loving you, Draco Malfoy!"
With that, she ran out of the alcove, tears streaming freely out of her eyes. Draco watched her, awestruck and wondering whether she had really meant it or not.