A/N: I am leaving for the beach tomorrow (today) and I wanted to get this posted before I left. I apologize for the length, maybe my next one will be longer…I hope! Also, I need to know how many people read this story…so if you just want to drop me a line saying that you read, that would be great. Thanks.
Chapter 32
Draco sat on the sofa in his common room with three large books open around him. He was concentrating so hard on taking notes that he didn't notice the Slytherin girls gathered around him. They were in pairs or larger groups all around the room, talking in hushed voices and glancing in his direction as if the way he held his quill would reveal something of relevance. Every so often a group of boys would walk through and upon seeing Draco, elbow each other and gesture in his direction. Obscene arm motions would follow and then they would break into laughter, much to the delight of the girls around them.
Pansy descended into the common room, her long blonde hair loose around her shoulders. After one look around the room she was well aware of what was going on. She rolled her eyes and walked directly up to Draco. Lifting a few of the books that sat on the sofa next to him, she planted herself directly in front of him.
"Hmm?" he asked, not looking away from his work. Pansy put a hand over the book he was reading from so he had no choice but to stop what he was doing and look at her. "Yes?" he asked again, a little annoyed. She leaned in so she could keep her voice low.
"Take a look around you," she told him. He let his eyes drift casually around the room, seeing each group of girls divert their eyes in turn as he registered them. His eyebrows raised as he turned back to Pansy. "See?"
"Yes," he paused, "what's going on?"
"You and Hermione have caused quite a stir," she informed him, with a delighted smile on her face. For a second, his heart stopped. It quickly began again as he realized that she couldn't possibly have any idea.
"Doing a potions project?" he asked. Pansy rolled her eyes.
"Honestly, Draco, do you think the majority of the female population cares about your extra credit?" she asked sighing. "No, they're on about you two carrying on out by the lake earlier. You're usually so much more subtle, Draco, I'm disappointed," she said, pouting.
"Oh please," he said. It was his turn to roll his eyes. "We're doing a potions project. A potions project!" he yelled the last three words for the benefit of those listening.
"Draco, I've known you since we were in diapers…do you honestly expect me to believe that?" she asked, lowering her voice. He nodded. "I see the way you look at her. I know that look, Draco."
* * *
Hermione had just gotten into bed that night when she remembered a chart she had wanted to copy from a book she and Draco had been using earlier that day. Slipping out of bed she looked over the stack of books at the foot of her bed. The one she wanted was missing.
Wracking her brain, she tried to remember if Draco had taken it. She had a very strong feeling that he hadn't, as she couldn't remember having the book since lunchtime. Then it struck her – she'd left the book by the lake. It had to be the only possibility.
She glanced at the clock – already two hours past curfew. A sudden clap of thunder made her jump. The book would be of no use to her if it was caught in the rain. Making her decision, she snuck quietly from her room and headed down to the lake.
The trip down was uneventful, and much easier than she had expected. Once she arrived at the lake however, she had the distinct feeling that someone was watching her.
"Pity I don't have Harry's invisibility cloak," she said aloud. Then she shook her head. "Harry who?" she wondered aloud. "I've only ever heard of one Harry, and that's Harry Potter."
"Harry Potter died when he was an infant," a voice spoke up, making her drop the book. She spun to see who it was and was relieved to find that it was only Draco. "He was the one that managed to kill You-know-who," Draco reminded her. She nodded.
"I know," she agreed, remembering their History of Magic lessons. Draco bent and picked up the book she had dropped.
"I'm sorry I scared you," he apologized handing it back to her. "I remembered we left a book out here – there was a chart I wanted to copy."
"On page 93?" she asked, a smile spreading across her face. He smiled too and nodded. "You can take it," she offered. He shook his head no.
"This way you won't have recopy it from my atrocious handwriting," he laughed.
"It's not atrocious," she defended. "It's…creative."
"Thanks," he smiled briefly before a thought occurred to him. "I don't want to be rude, but I'm going to bed before anyone sees us," he said.
"Are they giving you hell too?" she asked. He nodded. "Isn't there anything better to do at this school than sit around gossiping about what people are doing and not doing?" she asked rhetorically. They turned and headed back to the school. Though they had agreed to hurry back, they found themselves walking slowly.
"Hermione, do you think we could have known Harry Potter?" Draco asked. She nodded.
"This isn't the first time I've thought of him," she confessed. There was a clap of thunder that made her jump. An amused grin crawled across Draco's face. "What's so funny?" Hermione asked, indignant.
"You are," he informed her boldly. She stuck out her lower lip and gave him sad eyes. He put his hand over her face and gently pushed it so she was looking away. They both burst out laughing.
When she had regained her composure, Hermione realized that they had stopped walking and were standing face to face. She looked up at Draco and felt faint butterflies in her stomach. He reached out a hand and cupped her cheek, gently guiding her lips to his. The kiss was brief, and their eyes met as they pulled away. Hermione bit her lip, and looked down. When she looked back up, Draco immediately kissed her again.
The sky opened up just then and within seconds they were drenched, but neither one of them seemed to notice. Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione and pulled her close to him so he could feel her heartbeat. His own heart was swelling with an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time.
They separated and he ran his thumb over her lips, before running his fingers through her wet locks. She was smiling at him, her eyes sparkling as she stroked his cheek.
"We're going to get caught," she whispered to him. He pulled her closer.
"I don't care."
* * *
Pansy jumped as she heard the portrait slam closed. She turned to see Draco with a huge smile on his face, standing dripping wet behind her.
"What on earth happened to you?" she asked leaping to her feet. He lifted her into his arms and spun her around before setting her safely on the ground again. Crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows, Pansy gave him a questioning look.
"I-uh, got a letter from Breena," he told her. He pulled it out of his pocket and dangled it in front of her. "She says to say hello," he read the postscript to her. In truth, he had gotten the letter a few days before but not mentioned it. Pansy broke into a huge grin.
"That's great!" she told him, buying the story completely. He smiled and nodded, tucking the letter back into his pocket. "So you do miss her?"
"Of course," his voice was barely above a whisper. It wasn't a lie; he did miss having her as a friend. But there was someone new now that demanded his full attention. As a smile crept across his face, he realized that it wasn't someone new at all but someone who had been there all along.
* * *
Hermione let the portrait shut gently behind her as she entered Gryffindor Tower. Not wanting to alert anyone, she was careful to walk softly as she entered the common room. To her dismay, her foot caught on a patch of rug and she tripped. She steadied herself before she could fall, but not before she woke up Ron and Ginny who were dozing on the couch.
"Hermione, you're back!" Ron exclaimed. Ginny kicked Seamus who was snoring in the armchair next to her. He awoke with a start and looked around to see who would dare interrupt his nap.
"I see you've weighed my advice carefully," Seamus sneered. Hermione sighed.
"I went to get this book," she offered, lifting it so the others could see.
"We're not first years anymore," Ginny informed her. "We can tell when something is going on that we're not being told," she said indignantly. Ron nodded in agreement and for the first time, Hermione noticed how similar they looked.
"You're twins!" she exclaimed. Ron and Ginny looked at each other in mock surprise.
"Are we really?" He asked. "There's no way I'm that ugly," he joked. Ginny reached out and yanked his nose causing him to howl in pain.
"Yes, we are," Ginny said flatly. "You don't have to go reminding us," she turned back to Hermione with a glare.
"Why does that seem to come as such a shock to you?" Seamus asked, standing up. He walked across the room to where Hermione was standing and pressed a hand to his forehead and the other to hers. "You feel alright, but you're acting like you've got a fever."
"Thank you," Hermione retorted. "I think I can tell when I'm sick and when I'm not just fine. It's late, I'm going to bed."
"No you're not. We didn't wait up all night for nothing," Ron called. Seamus grabbed her arm.
"What do you want?" she asked, on the verge of tears.
"We want in on this gossip," Ginny said exasperatedly. "Honestly, Hermione, we're your best friends. Don't think you can keep us in the dark forever!"
"There's nothing to know," Hermione protested. Seamus led her to the couch where they kept her until she had told them just about everything she could think of to tell them.
Absolutely exhausted, Hermione headed up to her room where she collapsed on her bed. Tired as she was, sleep refused to come. Her mind was brimming with unresolved issues. Biting her lip, a smile crossed her face when it felt a little sore from her encounter with Draco in the courtyard.
* * *
The sun shone into Slytherin Dungeon that morning as Draco hummed to himself coming down into the common room. The usual gaggle of girls that followed him around were surprised to see him in such a good mood first thing in the morning.
"Pansy said he got a letter from Breena last night," one of them crooned. They all rolled their eyes and followed him to breakfast.
Draco walked ahead of them completely oblivious to their antics behind him. He strolled into the Great Hall and sat down at his usual spot at the Slytherin table. Casually, he let his eyes drift around the room until he found Hermione. His heart skipped a beat as she smiled shyly at him. A bright smile spread across his own face and he felt like singing. Pansy came in and sat down next to him. Her eyes followed his stare until she realized who he was looking at.
"Draco!" she exclaimed, elbowing him. He turned to look at her, one eyebrow raised. "What about Breena?" she asked.
"What about her?" he replied absently. Pansy sighed.
"Didn't you tell me last night that you were so happy to have heard from her?"
"I did, and I am," he agreed. "But uh," he cleared his throat, "Yeah."
"I see," she said, raising her eyebrows. "So, a potions project, huh?" she asked quietly. Draco wasn't paying any attention anymore.
"Did you say something?" he asked. Pansy shoved a huge bite of pancake into her mouth to keep from saying something stupid, and shook her head sweetly. Draco stood up and left her sitting at the breakfast table.
As he was heading out the door, Professor McGonagall stopped him.
"Draco, there's going to be a brief meeting for all Head Student candidates in my classroom after your first class this morning," she told him. He nodded and they both went on their way.
Hermione watched him leave and looked down at her eggs, growing colder by the second. She took a bite and sighed. Cold eggs were the worst way to start a morning.
"Go get him," Ginny whispered, giving her a little shove. Hermione shrugged.
"It probably was an accident," she replied. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Come on Hermione, accident or not, you have the option of taking past that, why not seize the opportunity?" Ginny asked.
"He's probably not interested," Hermione answered. Ginny sighed.
"If he wasn't interested, he wouldn't have kissed you, I promise," she informed her.
"Oh for Merlin's sake, just go after him, Hermione," Seamus erupted, having overheard the better part of their conversation. Hermione turned bright red and looked around only to find that most of the Gryffindor table was waiting to see what she would do. Swallowing hard, she shook her head firmly.
"No," she choked before she took a sip of her orange juice. "No, I'm going to stay right here. We're potions partners, nothing more."
"Hermione," Ginny sighed. Hermione shot her a glare, which shut her up. Inside, Hermione was dying to run after him, and to feel his arms around her one more time, but she didn't want everyone else to be right. Why was it that they all could see something she couldn't?
Draco paused at a particularly sunny spot in the hallway. Sitting down in one of the low window sills, he leaned against the stone wall and closed his eyes. He remembered a conversation he'd had with Hermione one night in this spot. She hadn't seen him at first, but she had been crying. He'd grabbed her, and they had talked about how he was pure-blooded, and born to money and power, but how no one liked him. She on the other hand was well-liked. The only thing keeping him from her was that she was muggle-born.
But Hermione wasn't a muggle-born. She was the pure blooded daughter of Tom Riddle, born to some unsuspecting young witch, who became pregnant one day out of the blue – shocking her friends and family. She had been a strong, smart, and from the pictures Draco had seen in his history books, attractive young witch, who had been a virgin at the time.
And just like that Draco's eyes flew open. Another piece had fallen into place in the puzzle he and Hermione were trying to piece together. She was about the same age her mother had been when Tom had performed a spell on her to make her pregnant with his child without having to actually sleep with her. Was it possible that she could be re-living in a way what her mother had gone through? Draco had heard of sympathy pains, but never of sympathy pregnancies.
Leaping to his feet he tried to think of what Hermione had first that day. Failing to remember her schedule he ran towards the Great Hall hoping to catch her before she left for class.
But upon arriving at the Great Hall, Hermione was nowhere to be found. Looking at his watch, Draco realized that he was about to be late for his class. He would see her afterwards at least. Sighing, he resigned himself to ask her about it then.
* * *
"I would like to propose a suggestion," Professor McGonagall was saying. Draco could barely focus on what she had to say. Hermione was sitting a few rows ahead of him, completely intent on the professor's words. He sighed. It was going to have to wait a little bit longer. "As you all have proven to be some of the most academically talented students at Hogwarts, we would like to try out a new program with you. Some muggle schools offer it as an option, and we think that all of you could benefit from it as well. It is called Independent Study. What it entails is you taking responsibility for learning all that you need to know for exams. The teachers will give you a list of assignments and their due dates, and the topics you need to cover and when your exams will be.
"This program is beneficial because you will be able to work at your own pace and study in a method that is conducive to your personal learning style. But of course there are the downsides as well. Some students need the structure that the classroom provides. At the absolute least, this program will teach you more about yourself. Professor Dumbledore and the rest of the staff, including myself, feel that this will be an excellent learning opportunity for all of you," McGonagall concluded. "This will start at the beginning of next week, and last until the end of October. At which point we will have evaluating exams to conclude how well it worked. If it works for you, then you will have the option of continuing until the end of the semester in December. If it doesn't then you will begin attending classes again starting November 1st. Whether you are successful in this program will have no bearing on your candidacy for Head next year. Are there any questions?" she asked. The room stayed silent, and a few students shook their heads. She smiled. "All right, then you are dismissed."
Hermione stood up and began to gather her things. Draco appeared at her side, and she felt butterflies form in her stomach. Taking a deep breath, she tried to look nonchalant as she turned to see what he wanted.
"I need to talk to you," he said softly. She nodded and followed him out of the room. Her heart was pounding in her chest as her mind raced with the possibilities of things he might want to ask her about. He smiled briefly at her, which made her really start to wonder. "You know who your mother was, right?"
"Yes, of course," Hermione replied thrown off completely. "She was a sixth year here when I was um, created."
"Exactly, she was a sixth year," Draco agreed. "Do you see what I'm getting at? Maybe you didn't have a virus, maybe you were feeling sympathy pains for your mother," he said. Hermione looked him right in the eyes to be sure that he was serious. Without her being able to stop it, a little laugh escaped her lips.
"Draco? Sympathy pains?" she asked. He sighed.
"I thought it was something," he replied softly, kicking at a stone in the floor. "Forget it," he said, his eyes getting distant. "Class," he added before walking away.
Hermione turned to watch him leave and then went slowly back into McGonagall's classroom for Transfiguration.