A/N: Hey everybody. Well here's another chapter. Hope you like it better than the last one. I'd like to give a HUGE thanks to my reviewers! You guys rock, seriously, you're awesome. So go now and continue your journey, read and review. Oh and sorry it took like 3 months or something to update…yeah.
Chapter 28 – Duel
Stars burst into Draco's vision as he was slammed roughly against the cold dungeon wall.
Ever since that night in the Room of Requirement, Hermione had been making a point of avoiding him. So he had decided to pay her the same courtesy.
"For the last time Malfoy, what did you do to her?"
Draco squinted, trying to make sense of the blurred shapes in front of him. He was just getting over his last concussion; he really didn't need another one. He had been on his way to the potions classroom to study when Potter had cornered him.
"I really don't see how that's any of your business." He tried to snap, but it came out slurred as he passed in and out of consciousness. Harry pulled him away from the wall and slammed him back again; his knuckles were white from clenching the collar of Draco's robes so tightly. He drew his face in so that they were mere inches apart.
"When it comes to Hermione, everything is my business." He spat.
"Are you sure she knows that?" Draco asked, cocking an eyebrow questioningly. Harry snarled and tried to throw Draco against the wall once again but as Harry thrust his weight forward, Draco spun to the side, ending up in front of Harry who was now pressed up against the wall. He grabbed the Gryffindor's collar fiercely.
"What's with all the 'hero' nonsense Potter? Aren't you tired of that little game? Besides, Hermione seems to think we've made amends." Draco stated.
"Exactly, she thinks we've made amends, but know this, I will never accept you, you filthy piece of Slytherin scum." Harry replied, before Draco sneered and threw him against the wall.
"It doesn't matter." Draco said, malice dripping from his words. "Your friendship with Hermione is about to end. Imagine what she'll do when I tell her how you cornered me in the dungeons and then proceeded to beat me senseless." Draco spoke with an air of confidence that he didn't really possess. His eyes flashed as Harry slowly smiled.
"That's where you're wrong Malfoy. It's your relationship that's about to end. You see it doesn't matter what you tell Hermione because I'm just going to tell her my side of the story." Harry's smile turned into a smirk.
Draco matched it and leaned in, "What's your point, Potter."
"Who do you think she'll believe Malfoy?" Harry asked rhetorically. Draco's eyes darkened. Harry lowered his voice. "Who do think she'll believe?" With that Draco threw Harry against the wall one last time before turning and stalking off. He stopped suddenly and called back over his shoulder.
"Don't you think I already know the answer to that, Potter?" He asked, his voice shaking with anger. "I've had to stack up against the 'Boy Who Lived' ever since you came to this bloody school. I couldn't even escape being compared to you when it came to my girlfriend, most probably the only person I've ever loved. So maybe instead of asking what I did to her, ask what I didn't do." His voice cracked with desperation. "Ask her. Ask her why all that I did do wasn't enough. Because I'd sure as hell like to know."
Hermione looked up from her reading as she heard a soft knock on the portrait. She put the quill down that she had been absentmindedly chewing on and slowly stood up. She sighed, 'This had better not be Draco.' She thought to herself but then shook her head knowingly, 'but why would he bother knocking, it's his common room too.' She opened the portrait a smidgen and looked out.
"Harry." She said smiling, opening the door the rest of the way. He gave her a small smile in return.
"Hey Hermes." He said softly. He followed her to the couch and sat down. She glanced at him curiously as she sat, tucking her legs underneath her.
"Is something the matter?" She asked. Now it was his turn to sigh. He took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"What happened with Malfoy, Hermione?" He questioned. Her face fell slightly and she cast her eyes down becoming occupied with a loose piece of thread on her shirt.
"It was nothing, just a small fight. That's all." She replied, not meeting his gaze.
"Don't play the nothing game with me." He said gently. "I know something's been bothering you, and after my little run-in with Malfoy I know something's definitely bothering him." She glanced up quickly at the mention of Draco.
"He didn't do anything to you did he?" She asked quickly. It was then that she noticed the smallest bit of blood at the corner of Harry's mouth. She gasped slightly. "Did he hurt you?" She asked not waiting for an answer. "I can't believe the nerve of him." She continued, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping the blood from Harry's mouth. "He is an absolute prat, I should have listened to you Harry. You were right, he's nothing but trouble." Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and she had to blink several times to keep them from falling. Her hands started to tremble, making it increasingly difficult for her to clean the remaining blood away. Harry reached up and took her hands in his.
"Not so fast." He said gently. "I think I might have actually done more damage to him than he did to me." He cast his eyes away from hers somewhat ashamedly. "It was I that cornered him, not the other way around. What he did was mostly self-defense." He finished dropping his head. Hermione looked crestfallen.
"But…but Harry, why would you do such a thing?" She asked.
"I was worried about you Hermione." He said looking up to her. "You've been acting so strange lately, I knew it must have something to do with him. So I cornered him in the dungeons, somewhat roughly I suppose." He couldn't help but grimace at the look of disappointment that flashed in her eyes.
"And?" She asked, her voice tight.
"We had a bit of a tousle I suppose." Her eyes flashed again. "But he…he asked me to ask you something…"
"What was that?" She asked softly.
"Put simply, he wants to know what he did wrong and quite frankly I'm curious to know as well. Did he hurt you Hermione? Because if he did, so help me I'll-"
"No." She cut him off. "Like you said, I think I might have done more damage to him than he did to me." Tears began leaking out of the corners of her eyes, despite her best attempts to stop them. Harry sighed wearily and pulled her to him, placing a kiss on the top of her head. She sniffed, placing her head on his firm chest, clutching at his robe.
"What happened my little bookworm?" He asked lovingly. She laughed and hiccupped at the same time, resulting in a fit of coughs that dissolved into sobs. Harry rubbed her back in small circles, murmuring soothing words all the while. Finally her sobs lessened enough for her to be able to speak, somewhat.
"H-he told m-…told me tha-…that he loved me…" she managed between hiccups and sniffs. Harry furrowed his eyebrows and glanced down at her curiously.
"He's told you that before hasn't he?" He asked. She nodded against his chest.
"Mmhm. B-but…I didn't…say it back to him." She replied. Harry nodded slowly, a slight oh forming on his lips. "It's n-not that I don't…love him, it's j-just…it wasn't the right time…" He remained silent, willing her to continue. "Every t-time that I say it's…it means everything…b-but he didn't understand. He was mad…then I was mad…and we were both just furious with each other I think…but…I was only mad…because I love him so much…" At this she glanced up to Harry, meeting his eyes. "I don't know if I can handle not having him in my life Harry." There was a quiet desperation in her voice that made Harry's heart break. He pulled her tightly against him once more.
"It'll be alright Hermes. Everything will be fine." He murmured stroking her hair. She nodded against his chest again. It was a little while later that Harry realized, by her rhythmic breathing and relaxed state, that she had fallen asleep. He sighed and kissed her head once more.
"I love you Hermione…" he whispered. "And even though you don't think he's hurt you, he has…and I'm going to make sure the bastard pays." His eyes flashed dangerously in firelight. "I'll make him pay."
The following week was tense. Hermione was never seen without Harry, unless it was in a class they didn't share. He was constantly at her side, one arm protectively around her waist. Outwardly, she appeared exhausted, run down and emotionally drained -it was, perhaps, this that kept rumors of Gryffindor's Fairytale couple reuniting at bay- along with the fact that whenever anyone asked Harry would simply supply that Hermione was going through a rough time and, being her best friend, he was helping her in anyway that he could. Inwardly, however, Hermione felt a thousand times worse. Draco was almost getting back into his old habits. Every time she saw, him he wore that same sneer that she had been so accustomed to the past six years. If she had bothered to look long enough though, she would realize the sneer was not directed at her, but at Harry. They hadn't officially broken up, so it was natural for him to wonder why Potter was getting so cozy with his girlfriend. She didn't see this however; all she saw were the sneers and glares that were thrown in their direction. She didn't see the longing in his eyes when he spent all of double arithmancy, the only class they had together without Harry, watching her, she didn't see when he had very nearly pummeled a third year for having run into her in the hall –not that she would have approved-, she didn't see how everyday after arithmancy he would wait patiently until she was almost to the door and then hurry ahead of her simply to hold it open as she exited. She didn't see any of it; she was lost in her own world, her sanity and health declining fast. It was, surprisingly, her former most loathed professor who noticed her situation first.
"Ms. Granger may I have a word?"
She looked up into the stoic face of her potions professor, his dark brown, almost black, eyes boring into hers, flickering with…something. She was in no mood to try to decipher his feelings at the present time. She nodded mutely and cast a small smile towards Harry and Ron, a signal not to worry, before following the professor into his office.
"You wanted to speak with me sir?" She asked with stiff politeness, another testament to how exhausted she truly was.
"Please sit Hermione, and how many times have I told you, you can call me Severus in private?" He said motioning towards one of the two chairs situated in front of his desk. She sat obligingly in one while he sat in the other.
"Sorry Prof-…Severus." She said wearily. She sat unaware of the intense scrutinizing gaze she was receiving until he spoke again.
"Is something bothering you?" He asked. Her gaze snapped, from where it had been drifting on some superfluous spot on the wall, to his.
"No, why do you ask?"
"Because it is quite obvious that something is in fact bothering you. I suppose I should have phrased my question better. Just what is causing the decline in not only your outward appearance but also your schoolwork Hermione? In all my years teaching you, never have I seen this kind of drastic carelessness in your work." His voice was firm but also unusually kind.
"I'm sorry Severus..." she said, lowering her eyes, "it's just…" she trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"Is it Draco?" He supplied, knowingly. She nodded.
"We…we had a fight." She said finally, her eyes stung with impending tears. Why did she always have to cry when this subject was broached? And in front of Severus too, she would never live it down.
"I see." He said clasping his hands. "And what was that fight about?" She couldn't hold back any longer, a choked sob escaped her throat.
"I'm sorry Severus. I can't do this, please forgive me but it's something I need to work out on my own." She managed, before the tears began streaming down her cheeks. He patted her hand somewhat awkwardly.
"It's alright Hermione, it's alright. Just calm down. We can stay in here until you've composed yourself." She nodded, sniffing slightly.
This wasn't good, he thought, but a plan was already forming in the potions masters mind on how to remedy the situation. Because it was quite apparent, to him at least, that his two favorite students –yes, Hermione had become one of his favorite students, not that anyone would know that of course- were being torn apart without each other. Yes, his plan would work nicely. Now all he needed was a reason to-
'This is all your bloody fault Malfoy!'
A crash sounded from inside the classroom, along with shouting of voices that he knew only too well. He stood suddenly, throwing open the door of his office, Hermione in pursuit.
"My fault?! You're blaming all of this on me?" Draco yelled angrily, kicking aside the stool that Harry had thrown over in his rage.
"You had bloody well believe I am!" Harry ground out.
"Bloody hell Potter, do you have to fight everyone else's battles for them? This is between me and Her-"
"Silence!" Severus shouted, bringing the room to a deathly calm. This, was perfect. "Potter, Malfoy retrieve your wands." He said stalking to the front of the room.
"What?" Three voices chorused, Harry, Draco and Hermione.
"You heard me, retrieve your wands and come to the front of the room. Your petty differences are about to be settled once and for all…in a duel." He spoke with an authoritativeness that assured everyone that he was not kidding. This caused a chorus of murmuring to break out in the dungeon.
"Silence!" He yelled once again, reducing the clamor but not entirely. "Potter, Malfoy, we do not have all day." Harry and Draco retrieved their wands, both unsure of just what their professor was thinking. Hermione stood in the doorway of his office, mouth slightly open in completely shock. She shook her head coming to her senses.
"Professor," she started, walking towards the front of the room where Harry and Draco had just bowed and where now marching away from each other, ten paces. "You can't be serious. One, or both of them for that matter, could be killed!"
"Well I am serious, Miss Granger. Now, I suggest you return to your seat so as not to be caught in the cross fire." He was really going to do this. Harry and Draco turned toward each other. They had steeled themselves; this was a duel nearly seven years in the making.
"Students on my mark you will begin, note you can use any spell or curse except for The Unforgivables. Ready, three…"
"Professor-" She cried again, glancing worriedly between the two boys. Both she loved…but one…she was desperately in love with.
"Two…"
"You can't-" Tears were prickling her eyes again; one escaped, tracing it's way down her cheek.
"One…"
"Severus, please!" She choked out. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Duel."
A/N: Haha…
