Chapter 13 (Oh, I hope it's not unlucky!)
Hermione found Draco in the library, lazily drinking in the sunlight from an armchair. Her heart slowed its hammering. Panic had engulfed her when she had heard Dumbledore's words that one of them would die. She prayed to the God her parents so ardently believed in that it would not be him.
"Draco!" called Hermione softly. He sensed her distress, and then her relief. He rushed to her and roughly embraced her, cursing himself for the display. Tenderness was still foreign to him.
"What is it? You look worried," he said.
"It's just . . . something Professor Dumbledore said. It really worried me."
"Well you needn't worry. We're safe at Hogwarts," Draco's voice was softer than it usually was, but still matter-of-fact.
"I know," Hermione sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. Suddenly, she looked up. "Draco, there's something we need to talk about."
* * *
Harry Potter was sitting in the kitchen of Number 12, Grimmauld Place, nursing a mug of hot chocolate. Contrary to some people's assumptions, the heart of Grimmauld Place was the kitchen, not the parlor or sitting room. The kitchen was where people met to talk and eat and catch up with old friends; it was truly the center of the old house that Lupin now looked after.
His thoughts consumed him and he stared into the warm brown liquid in his cup as though into Pensieve, looking for some sort of answer. Harry snorted. Why should he even care? 'It doesn't matter if I should or shouldn't,' he thought. 'I do, just the same.'
Remus Lupin walked in and saw his best friend's son sitting at a table rather forlornly.
"Hey, Harry," he said. "Anything wrong?"
"Nothing a time-turner won't fix," Harry said, thinking of all those times he should have been nice and wasn't.
"Oh, one of those problems," said Lupin as he made his own cup of cocoa. "Where is everybody, anyway?" It was quite an unusual thing to find the kitchen empty when the kids were home from school.
"They went into the city. Charlie's coming for Christmas on the late afternoon train. I didn't feel much like going with them," Harry said and took a sip of his now cold cocoa.
Remus looked at Harry with a sparkle in his eye. "Cheer up, Harry. She'll come around."
Harry nearly spit out his mouthful of cocoa. "Who?" he asked, after swallowing.
"Whoever she is. Trust me; I've been a jilted lover enough times to know the signs. Who is she?" Lupin smiled.
"Well, for your information, I have not been jilted. And we aren't lovers. Not that we ever will be," the last sentence was said under his breath, but Lupin heard anyway. Damn lycanthropy.
"Ah," said Remus, "so it's unrequited love, then. I know that all too well. Who is she, Harry?"
Harry scowled. "Not telling," he muttered.
"Fine then, I'll guess." He thought for a moment. "Hermione?"
Harry paled, but remained calm. "No, though you wouldn't be the first person to think so. But Hermione is just like my sister. It's not her."
Lupin thought some more. "Hannah Abbott?"
Harry shook his head.
Remus went through several names he remembered from his teaching career including Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Luna Lovegood, Susan Bones, Cho Chang, and numerous others. He was rather glad when Harry denied them all. Some of them were spoken for and others were just plain weird. But he still didn't know who it was Harry loved, but didn't love him back.
"Hmm . . ." Lupin thought out loud. That was all he could remember from school. "Tonks?" he asked hesitantly.
Harry smirked. "Like I could compete with you for her."
Lupin smiled. He was glad Harry was not interested in his secret fiancé. That would make things rather awkward. Remus was tired of this game. But he took one last wild guess. "McGonagall?"
Harry really did spit his cocoa all over the table this time. "Bloody hell, Remus," he said with a shocked expression.
"Just kidding," said Lupin. "Well, Harry, I give up. That's all the girls in your year and above and I still don't have a clue. Unless, wait a minute," Lupin said mischievously. "She's younger than you, isn't she?"
Harry's face turned three shades of red.
"I know who it is," said Lupin. "You're in love with Ginny Weasley!"
"If you tell anyone, I swear--"
"No need to worry, Harry, I'll keep your secret if you can keep mine," said Remus.
"What secret do you have?"
Lupin took a deep breath. "I'd like to ask you to be a witness at my wedding to Tonks."
Harry looked at his good friend and mentor in admiration. "Congratulations, Remus," he said. "Of course I'll stand for you."
"Thank you," said Remus. "Now, getting back to you and Ginny--"
Harry let out a frustrated sigh. "There is no me and Ginny. She hasn't given me a second glance since her third year. After all the times I could have--"
"That doesn't matter, Harry. Well, to a certain extent it does, but you have to tell her how you feel. How is she going to know you like her if you don't tell her?"
"That's exactly the point. I don't want her to know that I like her, even maybe love her. Too many people I love have been taken away from me. What if You-Know-Who gets a hold of her?"
"Harry, you can't live your life in fear of You-Know-Who. There's a time to be afraid of him and what he will do. But no one can protect Ginny forever. Not even you. Tell her, Harry. You may be pleasantly surprised."
Just then the kitchen door swung open and a willowy red-head stepped in. "Was it my imagination, or were you two just talking about me?" asked Ginny Weasley.
* * *
"What do we need to talk about?" Draco asked.
"Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape told me to ask you about that night. The night before you came to my house," Hermione said.
Draco roughly pulled away from her embrace, coldness now in his eyes. "It is not your concern."
"Yes, it is, Draco," said Hermoine, feeling her arms and her heart ache for him. "There's a prophecy," Hermione told him. She knew she probably shouldn't but she wasn't going to start their relationship by lying to him. "It's about you and me and . . . someone else. You have to tell me, Draco. You have to tell me if you want to protect me. If you want me and the someone else to be able to protect you."
"Who's the someone else?" he asked.
Hermione shook her head, indicating that she wouldn't tell him.
He looked away. "Will you tell anyone else?"
"Of course not," she said. "It's your story, and you will tell whomever you wish when you wish it."
"Not even Potter or Weasley?"
"Especially not them."
He turned back towards her. "The night before I arrived at your house, my father tried to kill me."
Hermione was shocked. "Why?"
"I do not know."
"Can you tell me more of what happened?" she gently prodded him.
He looked into soft brown eyes, feeling like at that moment, he would do whatever she wanted, just so she would look away, just so she wouldn't take the comfort of those eyes away from him.
He took a deep breath, reigned in his emotions, and began his tale.
A/N: I know, what a horrible thing to do! Sorry, the next chapter should be up soon, I hope. Once I figure out what his story is! Ha ha! Hope you liked this chapter! Review please! I may respond to reviews on the review page, so keep an eye out. Did you like the longer chapter?
Hermione found Draco in the library, lazily drinking in the sunlight from an armchair. Her heart slowed its hammering. Panic had engulfed her when she had heard Dumbledore's words that one of them would die. She prayed to the God her parents so ardently believed in that it would not be him.
"Draco!" called Hermione softly. He sensed her distress, and then her relief. He rushed to her and roughly embraced her, cursing himself for the display. Tenderness was still foreign to him.
"What is it? You look worried," he said.
"It's just . . . something Professor Dumbledore said. It really worried me."
"Well you needn't worry. We're safe at Hogwarts," Draco's voice was softer than it usually was, but still matter-of-fact.
"I know," Hermione sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. Suddenly, she looked up. "Draco, there's something we need to talk about."
* * *
Harry Potter was sitting in the kitchen of Number 12, Grimmauld Place, nursing a mug of hot chocolate. Contrary to some people's assumptions, the heart of Grimmauld Place was the kitchen, not the parlor or sitting room. The kitchen was where people met to talk and eat and catch up with old friends; it was truly the center of the old house that Lupin now looked after.
His thoughts consumed him and he stared into the warm brown liquid in his cup as though into Pensieve, looking for some sort of answer. Harry snorted. Why should he even care? 'It doesn't matter if I should or shouldn't,' he thought. 'I do, just the same.'
Remus Lupin walked in and saw his best friend's son sitting at a table rather forlornly.
"Hey, Harry," he said. "Anything wrong?"
"Nothing a time-turner won't fix," Harry said, thinking of all those times he should have been nice and wasn't.
"Oh, one of those problems," said Lupin as he made his own cup of cocoa. "Where is everybody, anyway?" It was quite an unusual thing to find the kitchen empty when the kids were home from school.
"They went into the city. Charlie's coming for Christmas on the late afternoon train. I didn't feel much like going with them," Harry said and took a sip of his now cold cocoa.
Remus looked at Harry with a sparkle in his eye. "Cheer up, Harry. She'll come around."
Harry nearly spit out his mouthful of cocoa. "Who?" he asked, after swallowing.
"Whoever she is. Trust me; I've been a jilted lover enough times to know the signs. Who is she?" Lupin smiled.
"Well, for your information, I have not been jilted. And we aren't lovers. Not that we ever will be," the last sentence was said under his breath, but Lupin heard anyway. Damn lycanthropy.
"Ah," said Remus, "so it's unrequited love, then. I know that all too well. Who is she, Harry?"
Harry scowled. "Not telling," he muttered.
"Fine then, I'll guess." He thought for a moment. "Hermione?"
Harry paled, but remained calm. "No, though you wouldn't be the first person to think so. But Hermione is just like my sister. It's not her."
Lupin thought some more. "Hannah Abbott?"
Harry shook his head.
Remus went through several names he remembered from his teaching career including Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Luna Lovegood, Susan Bones, Cho Chang, and numerous others. He was rather glad when Harry denied them all. Some of them were spoken for and others were just plain weird. But he still didn't know who it was Harry loved, but didn't love him back.
"Hmm . . ." Lupin thought out loud. That was all he could remember from school. "Tonks?" he asked hesitantly.
Harry smirked. "Like I could compete with you for her."
Lupin smiled. He was glad Harry was not interested in his secret fiancé. That would make things rather awkward. Remus was tired of this game. But he took one last wild guess. "McGonagall?"
Harry really did spit his cocoa all over the table this time. "Bloody hell, Remus," he said with a shocked expression.
"Just kidding," said Lupin. "Well, Harry, I give up. That's all the girls in your year and above and I still don't have a clue. Unless, wait a minute," Lupin said mischievously. "She's younger than you, isn't she?"
Harry's face turned three shades of red.
"I know who it is," said Lupin. "You're in love with Ginny Weasley!"
"If you tell anyone, I swear--"
"No need to worry, Harry, I'll keep your secret if you can keep mine," said Remus.
"What secret do you have?"
Lupin took a deep breath. "I'd like to ask you to be a witness at my wedding to Tonks."
Harry looked at his good friend and mentor in admiration. "Congratulations, Remus," he said. "Of course I'll stand for you."
"Thank you," said Remus. "Now, getting back to you and Ginny--"
Harry let out a frustrated sigh. "There is no me and Ginny. She hasn't given me a second glance since her third year. After all the times I could have--"
"That doesn't matter, Harry. Well, to a certain extent it does, but you have to tell her how you feel. How is she going to know you like her if you don't tell her?"
"That's exactly the point. I don't want her to know that I like her, even maybe love her. Too many people I love have been taken away from me. What if You-Know-Who gets a hold of her?"
"Harry, you can't live your life in fear of You-Know-Who. There's a time to be afraid of him and what he will do. But no one can protect Ginny forever. Not even you. Tell her, Harry. You may be pleasantly surprised."
Just then the kitchen door swung open and a willowy red-head stepped in. "Was it my imagination, or were you two just talking about me?" asked Ginny Weasley.
* * *
"What do we need to talk about?" Draco asked.
"Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape told me to ask you about that night. The night before you came to my house," Hermione said.
Draco roughly pulled away from her embrace, coldness now in his eyes. "It is not your concern."
"Yes, it is, Draco," said Hermoine, feeling her arms and her heart ache for him. "There's a prophecy," Hermione told him. She knew she probably shouldn't but she wasn't going to start their relationship by lying to him. "It's about you and me and . . . someone else. You have to tell me, Draco. You have to tell me if you want to protect me. If you want me and the someone else to be able to protect you."
"Who's the someone else?" he asked.
Hermione shook her head, indicating that she wouldn't tell him.
He looked away. "Will you tell anyone else?"
"Of course not," she said. "It's your story, and you will tell whomever you wish when you wish it."
"Not even Potter or Weasley?"
"Especially not them."
He turned back towards her. "The night before I arrived at your house, my father tried to kill me."
Hermione was shocked. "Why?"
"I do not know."
"Can you tell me more of what happened?" she gently prodded him.
He looked into soft brown eyes, feeling like at that moment, he would do whatever she wanted, just so she would look away, just so she wouldn't take the comfort of those eyes away from him.
He took a deep breath, reigned in his emotions, and began his tale.
A/N: I know, what a horrible thing to do! Sorry, the next chapter should be up soon, I hope. Once I figure out what his story is! Ha ha! Hope you liked this chapter! Review please! I may respond to reviews on the review page, so keep an eye out. Did you like the longer chapter?
