Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter one: For the cause
Hermione choked and nearly spit her pumpkin juice onto the paper. She must have been hallucinating it couldn't possibly be true.
She blinked, and rubbed her eyes with her finger tips.
Lucius Malfoy cleared of charges
A picture of the platinum haired wizard smiled coolly back at her, looking down his nose from the surface of her kitchen table.
"Hello 'mione" Hermione looked up from her paper. Ginny Weasely had just entered the room. She was wearing a muggle scarf and a grin.
"Is there any hot water left over from your tea?" she asked spotting Hermione's half empty mug of tea.
Hermione didn't answer; her mouth was still hanging slightly open.
Ginny furrowed her red eyebrows.
"What's up?" she asked
Hermione just pushed the paper towards her in disgust.
Ginny picked it up and paled.
"There mad!" she exclaimed loudly "positively mad!"
"Who's mad?" Ernie McMillan walked into the room, his hair still damp from a shower.
Now Hermione had a pretty good idea of why Ginny was grinning.
Ernie picked up the paper; "Bloody hell!" he swore.
His eyes scanned the paper reading phrases aloud in utter repugnance.
"A serous miscarriage of justice, said minister Fudge yesterday. 'Lucius Malfoy has always been an upstanding citizen who only happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time'"
Ginny snorted
"Serous miscarriage of justice is right" she sputtered "he escaped from Azkaban three years ago and has been on the run ever since! And they let him off the hook! This is unbelievable!"
Ernie shook his head in agreement.
"Hey Hermione," he said seeing the look on her face "it's not like he's going to come after you, he can't afford to get caught right now. "
"Yeah," Ginny chimed in "he won't come near you or Ron"
"I'm fine Gin" she snapped "and even if he does I can handle it" Hermione marched huffily into her bedroom and slammed the door, thoroughly irritated.
It really wasn't Ginny's fault, but it had just goaded her into anger. Not the comment about Lucius Malfoy coming near her and Ron, but just about Ron in general. She knew it was wrong to take out on Ginny, but she was her flat mate, and Ron's sister.
Hermione lay back on her bed, holding back the burning tears. It wasn't Ron's fault either, she told herself, it's mine. It was her fault.
It had happened five months ago. Shortly after Ginny had graduated Hogwarts and come to live in London with Hermione. Ron, Harry, and of course Ernie, had helped Ginny and Hermione move into their new flat. Ron had been hinting shamelessly for weeks that he liked her.
Hermione had not wanted to say no, he was her best friend, and yes, there had been a time when she had fancied him. But now things were so much different. They no longer went to school together; they had none of the same interests. But Hermione knew that these weren't really the reason she didn't want to dater Ron, the real reason, the reason lurking there, when ever she held his hand was Draco.
Just thinking his name sent shivers down Hermione's spine. They had called it quits four weeks before her. When their situation had become too precarious to carry on.
The tears were now coming in torrents, splashing down the sides of her face.
'oh Draco' she thought
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"Not now Gin" she shouted at the door
"It's me" said the muffled voice of Ron
Hermione groaned into her pillow. "Let me come in?" he said "I heard what happened..."
Hermione rose from her bed and swung the door open. Ron pulled her into a chocking hug and began to pet the crown of her head.
"It's all right 'mione, that git won't come after us"
Ron had stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. He brought Hermione down next to him on the bed making soft shushing noises into her hair.
"I'm not upset about that Ron" she said mournfully "It's just what set it off"
Ron gave her a confused look, idiot, she thought.
"Did you hear about Malfoy?" he asked by way of changing the subject.
Hermione's brows furrowed,"Ron," she started "the entire article was about him"
"No" he said "not the article, dad told me about it
"Something else about Lucius Malfoy?" she asked
"No, Draco"
"Draco?" she said
"Yeah," Ron said thickly "He's engaged! Ol' Lucius made it an arranged marriage."
Hermione had a horrible dropping sensation in her stomach. This made sense, "to precarious to carry on" he had said, and he sounded so sincere! She had believed him, "but he was telling the truth" said a horrible little voice in her head. "It would be much too precarious to carry on with the little woman hanging around. The pureblooded daughter of a Death Eater, no doubt."
"'Mione?" came Ron's voice "you're not still upset about Lucius are you? You know he wouldn't dare come after you. Not with an auror trainee in the house, and you in healing school, and besides, he can't blow his cover now- "
"Ron," she interrupted "though I have no uncertainty of Ginny's auror abilities, Lucius Malfoy is an experienced Death Eater. I severely doubt that he will hesitate to kill us both because she is in school to become an auror"
Ron's face palled with understanding, he opened his moth to speak but Hermione cut him off.
"But you are right; he can't afford to blow his cover now"
Ron was silent for a moment, his freckled face plagued with terrible truth. Hermione watched him, no; she would not give him comfort now. He must learn to be strong, for the cause. They would undoubtedly loose friends, family, and Hermione doubted that all nine Weasley's would still be standing when the dust settled on the final battle field.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"Ron?" came a voice through the door, it was Harry. "We're going to the Three Broomsticks, do two want to come? Get your mind off stuff?"
Ron looked at Hermione hopefully. She didn't want to go, to go as Ron's girlfriend when she was thinking of someone else, to go and pretend that life was just peachy when she'd rather spend the evening brewing a poison to kill herself. No, she did not want to go. But as soon as the thoughts came to her mind, she could not stay. The walls in her room seemed to be closing in on her, her mind swam; she could not be alone, not now.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Harry apperated back to his flat to change. His mind was weighed down with thought, 'poor 'mione' he thought. He would ask Ginny about her in class on Monday.
Ginny, he thought. An amused smile lingered on his mouth momentarily. She had become one of his best friends, the sister he never had. Ron would always be his best mate, but Gin wasn't nearly as thick as Ron, and he saw her every day in Auror training. Yeah, Ginny would know what was going on with Hermione these days. He knew that her Healer training must be taking a tole on her, and the war... He didn't want to think about it right now.
He opened the door to his flat and froze.
He wasn't alone, he could sense it. He pulled his wand from his cloak pocket and shut the door behind him.
There was light on down the narrow hall from his front door, the kitchen light. 'What intruder would be so stupid?' He thought.
He crept down the hallway painfully aware of the sound of his own breathing, his footsteps.
He rounded the corner of his kitchen and gasped a sigh of relief. Luna. He had forgotten that she was making him dinner tonight and instantly felt guilty for making other plans.
She hadn't noticed his presence yet.
She was standing in front of the stove barefoot, a cook book levitating in front of her, and stirring a large pot of what smelled like marinara sauce. Her dishwater blonde hair was as long as ever and trailing down her back in waves.
Harry cleared his throat loudly. Instead of jumping however, Luna looked over her left shoulder as if she had just heard the door bell.
Her large light cerulean eyes softened.
"Hello" she said dreamily "I thought I'd make pasta tonight"
"Hey "he said before kissing her on the mouth. "D'you mind if we eat fast? I sort of made plans for us to have drinks with Ron and Hermione and them"
"No," she said plainly "I don't mind, actually spaghetti is good for eating fast. And any way father has had me doing this article on heliopaths you know, and it's really good to get out."
Harry smiled at Luna and sat down at his kitchen table, watching her. The way her robes rested at the top of her bare feet, the way her nose crinkled and her pale eye brows seemed to come together in concentration for a second.
Harry had to turn in his seat to look at what she was seeing. He looked through the window when he saw it; a large misshapen object, nearly transparent in the overcast sky. The object was drawing ever closer to the window and Harry was almost about to ward his flat when he realized what it was: Hedwig.
Hastily he opened the window for his owl as she swept in and dropped the large package on the kitchen table, knocking everything (including Luna's large dragon hide purse) to the ground.
Harry tried to hide his agitation from Hedwig, as she had been out of temper with him for some time. It seemed as though she did not like having Luna around for competition.
Grudgingly he repaired the pieces of the vase that had been smashed with a flick of his wand and then began to gather some spare pieces of parchment. He had never been extremely organized.
He reached for Luna's purse and stopped. Some of the contents had spilled out, including; her wand, a quill, and (his heart held still) a small velvet jewelry box.
Just large enough to hold a ring.
He looked at Luna, but she was busy making dinner and did not notice him on the floor, gaping like an idiot.
Looking at her once more, just to be sure she wasn't looking, he reached for the box.
It was five diamonds connected on a golden band.
Why would she have an engagement ring? Was she seeing some one else? Did she think that Harry was going to ask her to marry him? A thousand things whirled through Harry's mind, a thousand images of Luna in a wedding dress.
He hurriedly sapped the lid closed and shoved the box back in her bag.
Marriage, he thought numbly.
I
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
t was late in the afternoon when Ginny and Ernie apperated to the Three Broomsticks. The sky was heavy and dark, and the lanterns on the street had already been lit.
Ginny pulled her hood down and shook out her red main. Ernie smiled at her and took her cloak and hung it on a peg.
Her heart contracted, 'I love you' she thought.
"Oy, Gin!" the voice of her brother sailed across the pub
She looked in the direction of the voice. Sitting at a large table were Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Luna.
Ginny smiled as she sat opposite of Hermione. She was so glad that Hermione had finally decided to give Ron a chance. Ginny knew that Hermione had been seeing some one before (although Hermione would never admit to it) and she suspected that it had gone horribly wrong.
Her mind however was on different things, more pressing things.
She had to talk to Hermione in private, but Hermione had been so preoccupied lately she didn't know how to broach the subject.
"So anyway," Ron was saying loudly "I told him to stuff it or I' do it for him!" Ernie, Ron, Harry, and Luna all laughed loudly.
Ginny looked over at Hermione and noticed the grimace on her face; it appeared that she had something on her mind as well.
"I need to talk to you" Ginny mouthed out
Hermione looked at her and back at Ron very quickly, "Bathroom" she mouthed back
They both rose from the table and started toward the bathroom.
"Where are you going?" Ron asked Hermione.
"To the bathroom" she snapped "honestly Ron"
"What? You can't go alone"
Hermione was about to throw a scathing remark back at him, perhaps to tell him to permanently piss off but Ernie spoke before she could;
"Oh you know they always travel in herds" he said winking at Ginny "leave 'em be"
Hermione threw a smirk an uncharacteristic smirk at Ron, which reminded him dangerously of Draco Malfoy before stalking off after Ginny.
"What was that all about?" Ginny asked her when they got to the bathroom.
"What?" Hermione asked innocently
"You know what." She said sternly "you and Ron"
"Oh Gin," she sighed "you are more like your mother every day"
"Oh come on Hermione, what is it?" she paused "is it Lucius Malfoy?" she said darkly
"Among other things" she said half heartedly "stress, I'm getting my period in a few days to"
"Oh" Ginny said, clearly not convinced
"What did you want to talk about?" Hermione asked in concern
"Well," Ginny said nervously "I think, well, I think that—"
She was cut off by Luna walking into the bathroom.
"Hello" she said before walking into a stall
Hermione looked back at Ginny who shrugged.
"You think that what?" Hermione asked
Ginny did not answer, but looked pointedly at the stall.
"Later" she mouthed
A half an hour later Hermione pushed a heavy oak door open and stepped out into the alley way behind the pub.
She rested her back against the wall and rubbed her temples with her fingers.
She had to end it with Ron. There was just no getting around it, nothing else to do. She just couldn't stand it any longer.
He had been caressing her thigh under the table when she had announced that she needed some fresh air.
The October breeze sent chills and raised the goose flesh on her arms, but she did not care. She couldn't go back in there right now.
The street light was pouring down from one side of the alley but the rest was lost in shadow, Like Draco.
'Get a grip on yourself Granger!' she thought angrily, 'it's over, and you two are through!'
And what was wrong with Ginny? She thought. But she already knew, Ginny was pregnant. She had seen it for a couple of weeks. And this was a dangerous time for a child.
Would she and Ernie get married? Probably, he would keep her honest, and they were in love. Like she and Draco had been.
Oh Draco, she thought.' Danmit!'
She stayed there a moment more before straightening out her robes. If she stayed out here much longer Ron would come looking for her.
She reached for the door handle when she heard the clearing of a throat.
She whipped around terrified, these were dangerous times.
Draco.
He was emerging from a darkened corner of an alley way. There was no smirk on his face.
"You bastard" she breathed
"What?" he asked "I just came to tell you something"
"Oh really?" she asked contemptuously "was it about the arranged marriage you didn't have the courage to tell me about?" cold fury rose in billows from her.
Draco's jaw dropped, "how?" he sputtered "how did you know-?"
"Ron's dad works for the ministry!" she shouted angrily "of course I know! But you thought you'd corner me in an alley way to tell me yourself before it reached the press, so you could save face, didn't you?!"
"Hermione," he began "you know we're on different sides."
"Yes," she said nastily "we are"
"I did not anticipate my father's pardon; it is out of my hands"
"Only because you allow it to be." She snapped
"Look," he said "the reason I came here, I don't want to marry her,"
"Really" Hermione said sarcastically
"Runaway with me." He asked
"What," she could not help but stare, what did he think he was playing at?
"Please?"
"Draco, I can't"
His face fell.
"Why?" he sneered "because you'd rather shag Weasley, don't think I don't know all about it!" he shouted "you couldn't even wait three weeks after we- "
"Oh you mean like you did?!" she cut him off
"That was different, I had little choice"
"I am not discussing this with you Draco. We are through, you go your way and I'll go mine. We both fight for a different cause" And with that she turned around and marched back into the pub.
When Hermione got back to the table Ron stood up to let her back to her seat.
"What took you so long?" he asked, but she merely shrugged.
Ginny watched as the rest of the night unfolded and pressed a hand to her abdomen.
Harry looked sideways at Luna; marriage came to his mind over and over again.
And Hermione chocked back tears, for the cause, she thought, for the cause.