Disclaimer: Harry Potter and such belong to J.K. Rowling. A line of Hermione's while she and Draco are arguing comes from a TV show I love: Degrassi. Everyone should watch it cause Jake Epstein is just that awesome and they have Craig and Ash sing some pretty good songs ("Should I Stay or Should I Go?" and "Rock and Roll High School", which are not the songs, but the episodes which I am referring to). The title of the chapter comes from a Taking Back Sunday song.
Some changes were made to the ending of Order of the Phoenix to fit the plot. Please don't kill me for it! I also hurried through those parts, or this post would be too long, so if you have questions, get out your copy of the book.
Reviews would be kindly appreciated.
By dinnertime that evening, it was public knowledge that Draco and Pansy were a couple. They made a public display of their affection in the Great Hall. Afterwards, Filch got Ms. Norris to claw Draco so they would move on to their common room.
Hermione was shocked when she heard the news. She remembered the night in the library that Draco said he would always choose her over Pansy. However, Hermione made the choice for him.
The next evening, Draco asked Hermione if he could start bringing Pansy to their study sessions. Grudgingly, Hermione said that it would be all right.
For the next month, Draco was lip-locked with Pansy. Finally in April, Hermione had enough of the small sighs and longing moans. She could not focus for O.W.L.s as they kept this up. She cornered Draco after one study session.
"The tramp has to go."
"Oh, feisty aren't we. Jealous Hermione?" Draco grinned. He ran a hand through his hair just to show off.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You wish Malfoy. I can't concentrate with you two going at it every night. Either she goes, or you are explaining to Snape why I refuse to work with you anymore."
"All right, all right. I will. No more Pansy. Are you happy?"
"Yes." Hermione turned to go.
"Wait!"
She turned back to him. The hurt look on his face made her heart melt. The thought of their one and only perfect kiss hurt more than she could bear.
"What?"
"You called me Malfoy."
"So I did." Hermione turned around again and walked as fast as she could out of the library.
Draco was stunned. It took him two minutes to make up his mind.
"Hermione! Hermione wait." He grabbed her arm, but let go when he caught her glare.
"Why can't you just leave me alone? I'm sure that Pansy is waiting for you," she spat.
Again, Draco had to grab her arm to stop her. "What you said back there, when you called me Malfoy, that hurt."
"Why should I care about your feelings? You never cared about mine."
"Yes I did."
"When? Like the time that you kissed me and then pretended that nothing happened when Crabbe and Goyle came."
"Hermione, you don't understand the situation I'm in."
She threw down her books and walked up to him. He backed into the wall. There was sweat beading on his forehead. Hermione was careful not to draw a breath of his cologne. "I don't care! I don't! You are just some horny teenage boy, who doesn't think about his actions. Read my lips: I—do—not—care!"
"First, I resent that statement. And two, I'm sorry for what happened, then."
"I'm not sure that you are."
"I've said I'm sorry. When will you believe me?"
"When you mean it." Hermione ran for the Gryffindor common room.
Draco stood there, frozen to the spot. When Pansy found him standing alone, she asked what was wrong. His response was throwing his bag against the wall.
"Look, I can't make it better if you won't tell me."
Draco gave her a cold stare before retrieving his bag and the books and quills that fell out of it. "You have never made anything better, Pansy."
Pansy ran down the hall crying.
Draco sat by himself at breakfast. All of the Slytherin girls, from seventh year to first, were boycotting communication with him. Crabbe and Goyle tried to sit with him, but they were scared off by Draco's growling. It was going to be a tough Monday morning.
Draco could not wait until double Potions. It would be his first opportunity to talk to Hermione.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were almost late for Potions. Hermione made Ron promise to be Harry's partner for the day since Harry had been left out every class period since Christmas. She knew it was a mistake when the only seat left was next to Draco.
"Why aren't you with…" Before she finished, she noticed Pansy crying silently in the first row. "Oh. I guess that she was upset about not being able to come to the library."
Draco was not amused. "It's your fault."
"I'm sorry—"
"Don't be. I don't need your pity. I could have anyone I wanted. I am rich, popular, good looking—"
"If you're trying to impress me, it's not working." Hermione took out her book and opened it to the page of their current lesson.
Draco shut his mouth. Then he thought better of it. "What will impress you, Hermione? Does someone have to die to catch your fancy?"
"Draco, if you and Miss Granger could please quiet down. Some of the other students need to concentrate." Professor Snape patted Neville on the back. Neville fainted.
Professor Snape looked down at his feet. "Pity. Potter, pick up your friend and take him to the infirmary."
The students watched for ten minutes while Harry struggled to pick up Neville. Neville lay helpless, limbs thrown every which way as Harry failed to lift his friend from the dungeon floor. Finally Professor Snape had to conjure a magical stretcher.
"Anyways…" Draco turned back to his work and Hermione. She smelled of vanilla and lavender. That smell was so intriguing that he was bursting inside just to get close to her. She was not the Mudblood of his youthful ignorance. She was beautiful and graceful, like no one he had ever seen. "You never answered my question. What will make you happy?"
She sighed. "Draco, please—"
"So we're back to first names."
"I will never understand you!"
Draco settled down and worked on his potion. "You know, I really don't understand, myself. I can't stop thinking about you, Hermione."
Crabbe interrupted Draco's speech, "Draco, a little help here."
"Can't you see that I'm expressing my undying devotion here?"
Crabbe's face lit up. "Wait! I've got it this time." He whipped out a pocket dictionary. "Now how do you spell expressing…X…P…no, not in here…"
Draco looked at Hermione. "This could take all day." They both started laughing and could not stop, even when Professor Snape gave them detention for the rest of the week. Now not only did they have to study together, but they would now have detention together.
Draco and Hermione both struggled cleaning the trophy room without magic every night. Hermione found herself getting to know a side of Draco she never could have imagined. Neither of them mentioned what Draco confessed during Potions.
Soon it was June and time for O.W.L.s. Hermione spent every one of their study sessions reviewing for the tests. By the night of the first test, Draco knew that he would pass like he never had before. He might even be contest for Hermione.
When the last test took place, Harry had a vision of Voldemort and Sirius. Hermione was the first to offer her help. Other students came up with a distraction while she and Harry snuck to Headmistress Umbridge's office.
Harry used the floo powder to try to find Sirius. Kreacher told him that Sirius would not be coming back from the Department of Mysteries. Before Harry was finished talking, Headmistress Umbridge pulled him out of the fireplace. Slytherin students cornered Harry, Hermione, Neville, Ron, Ginny, and Luna. Draco had Harry's wand.
Hermione tricked Headmistress Umbridge into believing that she and Harry had a weapon in the Forbidden Forest. Centaurs took headmistress Umbridge away while Harry and Hermione ran out of the Forbidden Forest. The other Gryffindor students from Headmistress Umbridge's office met them on the lawn.
"How did you get away?" asked Harry.
Suddenly Draco came running from the school.
Ron explained: "If it weren't for Malfoy, we would have never gotten out. He jinxed Crabbe and Goyle, allowing Neville and me to help free the others."
Draco was winded by the time he reached Harry. In one hand he held Harry's wand.
Hermione kneeled so she was face to face with Draco. "Thank you for helping us." She took the wand from his hand and gave it to Harry.
When it was decided that Neville, Luna, and Ginny would help Harry, Ron, and Hermione, they found thestrals. Draco helped Hermione onto one.
"Good luck." He looked as if he wanted to say something else.
"Thank you." Hermione looked up and saw Pansy running toward them.
Draco rolled his eyes. "What do you want?"
Pansy started to whimper. "Why are you helping them? I don't understand. You are—"
"I don't know why I ever fell in with your lot, Pansy. I have had enough. I never want to see you again!"
The thestrals took off for London, cutting Hermione off from the rest of Draco's conversation.
The trip inside the Department of Mysteries was a blur for Hermione. Harry found the prophecy just as the Death Eaters caught up with them. Harry instructed the group to destroy the glass baubles that held visions. After that they all ran in different directions.
Hermione ended up alone. She tried to remember how to get out, but it was no use. She could not help wondering what was happening to her friends, wondering if they were still alive while she sat there helpless to their cause.
The door opened slowly. A mask underneath a dark hood peaked around the corner, hoping to find Harry. Instead he caught Hermione.
"Well, well, if it isn't the Mudblood."
Hermione recognized the voice, but she could not remember whom it belonged to.
"At least you are alone. No problem, an easy kill." She thought it sounded like Draco…it was Lucius! There was nowhere for her to run. Back up against a corner, it seemed like Lucius moved in slow motion.
Lucius brought up his wand for the kill. "Ava—"
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Lucius's wand flew to his son's feet.
Draco bent to pick up the wand. "Now you are going to let Hermione go. She means nothing to you."
"On the contrary, she has helped to thwart the Dark Lord's plans too many times. She must die."
They circled each other, father and son, fighting for opposing teams.
"I will not let you kill her!" Draco brought up his wand. He was shaking. Nothing could happen to Hermione or he would be crushed.
"Then you must die as well."
Lucius tackled Draco. Both wands went flying. Lucius scrambled to his first.
"Stupefy!"
Draco jumped out of the way of the spell. He raised his wand and yelled out, "Petrificus Totalus!"
Lucius froze where he was.
Draco crawled to Hermione. He brushed the hair back from her face and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Hermione…Hermione, he's gone. He will not hurt you. Look, there's something that I need to say. I think…I love you. I know that I haven't been the best of friends to you. There are things that I regret doing and saying, but you can't judge me by the boy I used to be. I don't care about the complications."
Hermione, who was staring at the floor, turned her gaze to Draco. "It will never—"
Just then, the door opened. Both Draco and Hermione tensed, wands up and read for action. Professor Dumbledore looked around the frame.
"Expelliarmus"
"Petri—"
"Honestly, you could do without trying to hex me. Job well done, Draco. I knew that you had a heart of gold. You are a much better man than your father." Professor Dumbledore bent to collect the still-frozen Lucius. "Come along, Mr. Malfoy. There's much to be done with you yet. Draco, if you would please help Hermione out."
Draco stood up and offered Hermione his hand. Hermione would not take it. She did not even look at Draco as she followed Professor Dumbledore out of the Ministry of Magic.
"Hermione," Draco whispered, "what's wrong?"
Workers from St. Mungo's ran toward them.
"I need space, Draco."
She did not see him again that night.
Back at school, Professor McGonagall announced that their study sessions were over. Hermione stayed as far away from Draco as she could.
A week before school let out, Ron and Harry approached Hermione. She was sitting by herself at the edge of the lake. She went everyday for hours, ignoring homework and her friends.
Ron cleared his throat. "Hermione, I see the way you look at him, and I wanted to let you know that I will be fine. I just want you to be happy." He still shuffled from one foot to another.
Hermione looked at Ron and then at Harry. "What is he talking about?"
"He's talking about Draco," Harry replied.
"Right, Draco…" Hermione paused to look at the lake before continuing. "There's nothing between us. There never will be."
Ron and Harry shared the same confused look.
"Then why do you sit here by yourself everyday?" Ron asked.
Hermione had to take deep breaths to keep from letting her emotions take over. "Ron, I almost died. Does that mean anything to you? I could be in Sirius's place. He was an experienced wizard and I am only a student—"
"But look at all of the things you have done."
Hermione glared at Harry for trying to argue with her.
"I came to Hogwarts and now I'm stuck in the middle of a war against one of the most powerful wizards in the world. I don't want to die!" Tears started falling down her face. Harry kneeled and put an arm around her.
"I'm not old enough to die. I haven't graduated, or cured a disease, or cheated on a test…" Her sobbing drowned out her words.
Ron cleared his throat. "I'm letting you know that you are free. I'm not your boyfriend anymore, and I won't bother you. But if you ever need me, I will always be here for you." Ron turned and walked back to the school.
Harry let Hermione rest her head on his shoulder. "It's ok, you're still here, alive. You say you want to do all of these things, but ever since you got back from London, you've let life slip through your fingers. Be the strong Hermione I knew and get a grip on your life. We need you, and you're falling apart."
Hermione wiped away her tears. Harry stood up and held out a hand for her. She took it and they walked hand-in-hand across the lawn.