Chapter 9: Alls Fair In Love and War
That night at dinner Hermione ate in silence, thinking over what she was going to do. She decided to talk to Ron first and give him time to cool off if he had to and also talk to Harry. She then wanted to talk to Harry about what Ron was feeling and how thing were gong to go from there. So when the two boys got up to leave she turned to Ron.
"Hey, Ron," she said as he looked at her, a hard expression on his face." we need to talk. "
He nodded and she stood to follow him out of the hall.
"He'll be there in a sec Harry" she added to him, grabbing Ron's collar and dragging him into an empty classroom so they wouldn't be disturbed.
"Ok, I know you were really upset about what I said to you the other day but you have to understand that I was really upset too." she said. The emotional stress she was under at the moment was really starting to take effect, and even though she knew getting this out in the open would ease the weight she was feeling, it was still really hard.
He raised an eyebrow at her disbelief written on his face.
"Oh I was afraid you would do this. Look, Ron, we've been friends for six years and I don't want something like this to come between us. Why would you throw something away so fast? You really have to trust me that I care for you a lot and I would never want to hurt you." she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and he let a little softness creep through onto his coutnence. He opened his mouth the reply but she kept going.
"No just let me finish before you say anything. I know you were already not too happy about the Draco situation" he folded his arms across his chest and her tears threatened to cascade down her flushed cheeks, " but you have to understand that it's not really up to me. Any of it. I don't get to choose who's Head Boy with me or who I live with and I don't get to choose whether or not he becomes someone I want to bond with. You have to see that it is much better off us being friends than being enemies. But no friend is worth losing another over. I know it's so hard but you have to understand." the salty water droplets had now broken free of their wall and were currently tumbling down Hermione's face.
"Hermione, I really had no idea-" he said but she broke down completely and leaned against him for fear of her legs giving way from underneath her. He wrapped his arms around her, even though he still wearing a semi-annoyed look on his face. He stroked her hair and when she calmed down he sat down at a desk.
"Look, I want to understand and I want to believe all this, but I don't know if I can trust you Hermione. I'm sorry" and he left her there weeping into her hands at the desk in the dark, lonely, empty classroom, with nothing to ponder but the pain of rejection. He had been told she didn't love him and now she had in return been told he didn't trust her.
She knew exactly how he felt.
Hermione spent that night locked in her room doing work. She heard Draco kncok on the door a few times but ignored him until the knocking ceased. Over the next few days, Harry had to sit between Hermione and Ron in kessons as they both avoided eye contact. Finally Harry had had enough of it. He took Hermione aside after a particularly tricky Defense Against the Dark Arts class to show his feelings.
"Look, I know this has been a really hard on both of you but you and Ron have to get this sorted out. For all of us." he said.
"Harry I have to get to arithmancy, I'll meet you in the common room after classes." she replied, walking away down the hall.
When her last class (Care of Magical Creatures) was over, she dropped her books off at her room and made her way to meet Harry. When she stepped insde she spotted him sitting in the chair in front of the fire. As she reached him he stood up, grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the staircase.
"Harry, what-" but he didn't answer and began heaving her up the steps. She was protesting magnificently but her tiny little body was no match for his strong muscular one. When they reached the 7th years room he open the door and pushed her lightly inside. She had stopped flailing. Ron looked up from where he sat on his bed.
He shot Harry an evil glare dropped his book and began to make his way towards the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" asked Harry.
"I'm out, you have fun with the little-" he started, but wasn't able to finish his sentence for the fact that Hermione's hand had just collided with the side of his head. She had slapped him.
"What the" Ron said something that made Hermione hit him again, even harder this time. Then Harry stepped in.
"Ok, break it up guys. You are both going to sit here with me and work out your problem. You guys have been friends forever, and this is how you're repaying each other? Think about all the times you've been there for each other. Hermione, Remember when Ron knocked the troll out with its' own club? He saved both our skins that day. And Ron, how would you have been able to do that if Hermione hadn't taught you how to do the spell properly?" he gave them both a knowing look and Hermione looked at Ron. He looked back at her and she could see it on his face too. Harry was right. They needed each other, and they had been behaving horribly, the way no friends should act, ever.
"Your right Harry" she said.
"I always am" he joked and she nudged him.
"Look, both of you, I am really sorry for not being around so much. I've been trying to do so much work and being in a different common room just makes it that much harder to see you. I should have made more of an effort though. I got too wrapped up in what I was doing, I didn't even think about how it would affect my two best friends in the world." she spilled, getting everything she was feeling off her chest. Then it was Ron's turn.
"Yeah well, it was our fault too. And the whole, you and Malfoy being friends thing just freaked me out, you know? And I couldn't think of any better way to get you back than to go to extremes. I know you were right to say no, and I'm actually really glad you did. I mean how much stronger can our relationship get than to go through that and remain friends to tell the tale?" he asked with an expression on his face that clearly showed he thought things could never get worse.
"Well.." Hermione started. She had to tell them, she had to.
"What?" asked Harry.
"Draco," she started and they both put up their defenses.
"What did that weasel do to you?" asked Harry quickly.
"I'll kill him" added Ron, rolling up his sleeves as Harry pulled out his wand.
"No! No, don't" she said, hurriedly.
"No you don't understand. I was going to say that Draco and I are, well," she paused, "we're sort of dating" there she had said it.
"WHAT!" they cried simultameously.
"But you can't tell anyone, I wanted you to know because I felt it wasn't fair for me to keep it a secret. It's only been a couple days and we're taking it really slow. I just couldn't keep anything else from you." Harry put away his wand and the redness slowly began to drain from Ron's scarlet face.
"He hasn't touched you, hurt you?" harry asked.
"Never" she replied
"And this is really what you want? You swear this was your choice" pried Ron.
"Yes. If anything ever happens you two will be the first to know, I promise."
"Ok, well, I can't say I approve of this but it is your choice and I don't want any more arguments." said Harry.
"Thank for understanding guys. I'm gonna go get ready for dinner and then I'll meet you in the common room. " she said.
"We'll come get you. How long do you need?" replied Ron.
"20 minutes. Thanks. " she turned to go, but then stopped, "Thanks, both of you. Harry for making us sit down and talk about it and Ron for listening to me and undertanding. I don't know what I would do without you guys." Then she hugged them both and headed out of the room.
As hermione made her way to the portait she gave the password and entered. She walked into her room and slipped on a pair of jeans and a top. She slid a her thonged sandals onto her feet then applied the tiniest bit of makeup and a spritz of perfume before shutting her door and knocking on Draco's.
"Come on in" he said.
She walked in and sat down on his bed. He looked up and smiled at her.
"Well hello stranger. Long time no see" he joked.
"Yeah well I've just needed this time to be alone and think about a lot of stuff that's happening right now." she replied. She took his hand and he sensed a talk coming on so he put down his book and looked at her.
"Look Draco, we need to talk. I really want to take this relationship slowly. I'm not ready for anything too drastic and everyone knows-"
"Everyone knows what? That I sleep with everyone girl I see? Well guess what. There's a lot everyone doesn't know about me. I NEVER dated pansy. I've only had two girlfriends before you and they were both out of Hogwarts. I never got serious with either of them and I am not a manw...." he said a word that would have usually made Hermione gasp but given the circumstances she understood why it was brought up.
"Draco I never knew. I'm sorry." she replied.
"No, I mean how could you. It's not like we really talked much before. And I don't exactly walk up to people and say 'Hi, I'm Draco and I rpomise I won't harass you like the rumours say I will.'" He joked She giggled. "But I wanted you to know, I will take this as slowly as you want, and I care about you alot Hermione." he replied.
"Really?" she asked.
"Really." he said.
"Oh and I want you to know that I told Ron and Harry. They actually took it quite well after I explained that they needn't knock your block off because the relationship was mutual." she laughed and he smiled at her.
"Thanks" he said, taking her small hands in his and kissing them.
"Anytime" she replied.
The happienes she felt couldn't be expressed in words. She had a solid relationship with a wonderful guy and now she had her two best friends in the world back. Life couldn't be better.
Okok, another day and another chapter, lol I have my last exam tomorrow and then I'm freee! Im so excited. Y'all seeing PoA tomorrow when it hits theaters?! I am! Yay reveiwers!
Jes
That night at dinner Hermione ate in silence, thinking over what she was going to do. She decided to talk to Ron first and give him time to cool off if he had to and also talk to Harry. She then wanted to talk to Harry about what Ron was feeling and how thing were gong to go from there. So when the two boys got up to leave she turned to Ron.
"Hey, Ron," she said as he looked at her, a hard expression on his face." we need to talk. "
He nodded and she stood to follow him out of the hall.
"He'll be there in a sec Harry" she added to him, grabbing Ron's collar and dragging him into an empty classroom so they wouldn't be disturbed.
"Ok, I know you were really upset about what I said to you the other day but you have to understand that I was really upset too." she said. The emotional stress she was under at the moment was really starting to take effect, and even though she knew getting this out in the open would ease the weight she was feeling, it was still really hard.
He raised an eyebrow at her disbelief written on his face.
"Oh I was afraid you would do this. Look, Ron, we've been friends for six years and I don't want something like this to come between us. Why would you throw something away so fast? You really have to trust me that I care for you a lot and I would never want to hurt you." she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and he let a little softness creep through onto his coutnence. He opened his mouth the reply but she kept going.
"No just let me finish before you say anything. I know you were already not too happy about the Draco situation" he folded his arms across his chest and her tears threatened to cascade down her flushed cheeks, " but you have to understand that it's not really up to me. Any of it. I don't get to choose who's Head Boy with me or who I live with and I don't get to choose whether or not he becomes someone I want to bond with. You have to see that it is much better off us being friends than being enemies. But no friend is worth losing another over. I know it's so hard but you have to understand." the salty water droplets had now broken free of their wall and were currently tumbling down Hermione's face.
"Hermione, I really had no idea-" he said but she broke down completely and leaned against him for fear of her legs giving way from underneath her. He wrapped his arms around her, even though he still wearing a semi-annoyed look on his face. He stroked her hair and when she calmed down he sat down at a desk.
"Look, I want to understand and I want to believe all this, but I don't know if I can trust you Hermione. I'm sorry" and he left her there weeping into her hands at the desk in the dark, lonely, empty classroom, with nothing to ponder but the pain of rejection. He had been told she didn't love him and now she had in return been told he didn't trust her.
She knew exactly how he felt.
Hermione spent that night locked in her room doing work. She heard Draco kncok on the door a few times but ignored him until the knocking ceased. Over the next few days, Harry had to sit between Hermione and Ron in kessons as they both avoided eye contact. Finally Harry had had enough of it. He took Hermione aside after a particularly tricky Defense Against the Dark Arts class to show his feelings.
"Look, I know this has been a really hard on both of you but you and Ron have to get this sorted out. For all of us." he said.
"Harry I have to get to arithmancy, I'll meet you in the common room after classes." she replied, walking away down the hall.
When her last class (Care of Magical Creatures) was over, she dropped her books off at her room and made her way to meet Harry. When she stepped insde she spotted him sitting in the chair in front of the fire. As she reached him he stood up, grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the staircase.
"Harry, what-" but he didn't answer and began heaving her up the steps. She was protesting magnificently but her tiny little body was no match for his strong muscular one. When they reached the 7th years room he open the door and pushed her lightly inside. She had stopped flailing. Ron looked up from where he sat on his bed.
He shot Harry an evil glare dropped his book and began to make his way towards the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" asked Harry.
"I'm out, you have fun with the little-" he started, but wasn't able to finish his sentence for the fact that Hermione's hand had just collided with the side of his head. She had slapped him.
"What the" Ron said something that made Hermione hit him again, even harder this time. Then Harry stepped in.
"Ok, break it up guys. You are both going to sit here with me and work out your problem. You guys have been friends forever, and this is how you're repaying each other? Think about all the times you've been there for each other. Hermione, Remember when Ron knocked the troll out with its' own club? He saved both our skins that day. And Ron, how would you have been able to do that if Hermione hadn't taught you how to do the spell properly?" he gave them both a knowing look and Hermione looked at Ron. He looked back at her and she could see it on his face too. Harry was right. They needed each other, and they had been behaving horribly, the way no friends should act, ever.
"Your right Harry" she said.
"I always am" he joked and she nudged him.
"Look, both of you, I am really sorry for not being around so much. I've been trying to do so much work and being in a different common room just makes it that much harder to see you. I should have made more of an effort though. I got too wrapped up in what I was doing, I didn't even think about how it would affect my two best friends in the world." she spilled, getting everything she was feeling off her chest. Then it was Ron's turn.
"Yeah well, it was our fault too. And the whole, you and Malfoy being friends thing just freaked me out, you know? And I couldn't think of any better way to get you back than to go to extremes. I know you were right to say no, and I'm actually really glad you did. I mean how much stronger can our relationship get than to go through that and remain friends to tell the tale?" he asked with an expression on his face that clearly showed he thought things could never get worse.
"Well.." Hermione started. She had to tell them, she had to.
"What?" asked Harry.
"Draco," she started and they both put up their defenses.
"What did that weasel do to you?" asked Harry quickly.
"I'll kill him" added Ron, rolling up his sleeves as Harry pulled out his wand.
"No! No, don't" she said, hurriedly.
"No you don't understand. I was going to say that Draco and I are, well," she paused, "we're sort of dating" there she had said it.
"WHAT!" they cried simultameously.
"But you can't tell anyone, I wanted you to know because I felt it wasn't fair for me to keep it a secret. It's only been a couple days and we're taking it really slow. I just couldn't keep anything else from you." Harry put away his wand and the redness slowly began to drain from Ron's scarlet face.
"He hasn't touched you, hurt you?" harry asked.
"Never" she replied
"And this is really what you want? You swear this was your choice" pried Ron.
"Yes. If anything ever happens you two will be the first to know, I promise."
"Ok, well, I can't say I approve of this but it is your choice and I don't want any more arguments." said Harry.
"Thank for understanding guys. I'm gonna go get ready for dinner and then I'll meet you in the common room. " she said.
"We'll come get you. How long do you need?" replied Ron.
"20 minutes. Thanks. " she turned to go, but then stopped, "Thanks, both of you. Harry for making us sit down and talk about it and Ron for listening to me and undertanding. I don't know what I would do without you guys." Then she hugged them both and headed out of the room.
As hermione made her way to the portait she gave the password and entered. She walked into her room and slipped on a pair of jeans and a top. She slid a her thonged sandals onto her feet then applied the tiniest bit of makeup and a spritz of perfume before shutting her door and knocking on Draco's.
"Come on in" he said.
She walked in and sat down on his bed. He looked up and smiled at her.
"Well hello stranger. Long time no see" he joked.
"Yeah well I've just needed this time to be alone and think about a lot of stuff that's happening right now." she replied. She took his hand and he sensed a talk coming on so he put down his book and looked at her.
"Look Draco, we need to talk. I really want to take this relationship slowly. I'm not ready for anything too drastic and everyone knows-"
"Everyone knows what? That I sleep with everyone girl I see? Well guess what. There's a lot everyone doesn't know about me. I NEVER dated pansy. I've only had two girlfriends before you and they were both out of Hogwarts. I never got serious with either of them and I am not a manw...." he said a word that would have usually made Hermione gasp but given the circumstances she understood why it was brought up.
"Draco I never knew. I'm sorry." she replied.
"No, I mean how could you. It's not like we really talked much before. And I don't exactly walk up to people and say 'Hi, I'm Draco and I rpomise I won't harass you like the rumours say I will.'" He joked She giggled. "But I wanted you to know, I will take this as slowly as you want, and I care about you alot Hermione." he replied.
"Really?" she asked.
"Really." he said.
"Oh and I want you to know that I told Ron and Harry. They actually took it quite well after I explained that they needn't knock your block off because the relationship was mutual." she laughed and he smiled at her.
"Thanks" he said, taking her small hands in his and kissing them.
"Anytime" she replied.
The happienes she felt couldn't be expressed in words. She had a solid relationship with a wonderful guy and now she had her two best friends in the world back. Life couldn't be better.
Okok, another day and another chapter, lol I have my last exam tomorrow and then I'm freee! Im so excited. Y'all seeing PoA tomorrow when it hits theaters?! I am! Yay reveiwers!
Jes