Disclaimer: I still do not own anything except the plot and with there being so much stories around I doubt even that's totally mine. I really cant be bothered to put a disclaimer on every chapter so this counts for the whole story past chapters and any future chapters I upload also - Thanks.
Chapter 8 – The explanation and a tragedy
Hermione had put her stuff away from Hogsmeade and gotten changed into a pair of faded jeans and a white v-neck top and some trainers, Saturday evenings were great they were a time to relax, or in Hermione's case do your homework except the teachers hadn't handed any homework out that week due to the extensive essays they had assigned the week before. Hermione however had already done them last week. So she was at a bit of a loose end as to what to do.
"Hey Hermione" Draco said coming out of his room
"Hey" she said "I didn't know you liked the Chudley cannons"
"Well all truth be told I don't particularly like them, I don't mind them though, just wanted to break the ice a bit" he said smiling a little shyly.
"Well
I am sure it will have done that. You all got on quite pleasantly
didn't you?" She said "speaking of which I really need to go
and speak to Harry"
"Why what's the matter?" Draco asked
"Ah
its not really anything important" she said, not really wanting to
tell him to mind his own business, but at the same time not wanting
to tell him why
"It ok Hermione don't look like that I wont
get upset if you don't want to tell me. Just because we are
starting to be friends doesn't mean you have to tell me everything"
he said and she looked at him, he was being sincere and she was glad.
She gave him a friendly hug and went to go out of the door "See you in a bit Draco"
She was gone, Draco was feeling a bit lonely now. He didn't really have anyone he could go and see, and what did she have to go and hug him for. He enjoyed the hug it was nice. It made him feel wanted and he couldn't ever remember having had a hug like that before, his parents had never shown him any affection. His mother had tried to sometimes but his father had always punished her and told her 'to stop encouraging the boy to be soft'
And she had hugged him and then just left. He sat on the sofa moping for the next half an hour then decided to go for a walk up to Gryffindor tower and see if the trio wanted to do something.
Meanwhile Hermione has gone up to Gryffindor tower, upon reaching the fat lady she said the password 'honour' and went in.
Harry and Ron were playing wizard's chess as per usual. And Harry was not really paying attention
"Hi Guys" she said
"Hey
Hermione" Ron said "haven't been here in a while"
"Yeah
I know" she said "actually I was wanting to speak to Harry if you
don't mind"
Harry stared off in another direction "I don't
feel like it Hermione"
"HARRY POTTER!" she shouted "YOU WILL TALK TO ME"
"Fine" he shrugged
Ron was confused and Hermione felt bad because of it.
Hermione grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him into his dorm.
"Would you mind telling me what the hell is going on and why you won't talk to me?" She asked.
"Hermione I do not want to talk about it" he said "cant you just forget anything happened?"
"no"
she said he was maddening her more and more by the minute "I cant
and I wont and I don't see why you would ask me to"
"because
we cant do this" he said "there are too many reasons why not,
nothing good can come from this"
"so I don't have a right to
an explanation because you don't want to tell me. Because you don't
feel that it's right or whatever well maybe I don't think its
right either, maybe I agree nothing good can come from it. But how
would you know. You won't TALK to me about it!" she was shouting
now and she didn't care, he had infuriated her so much
"Fine" he whispered sitting on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands
Hermione sat down next to him
"its just that well, I like you Hermione" he said "but I could never be with you, that incident in Hogsmeade was very selfish of me and completely stupid, I don't know how you feel about me but it doesn't matter it couldn't be anyway"
"Harry I don't know how I feel either, I am just very confused" she told him
"Its just that if one of Voldemort's followers had seen what happened you would be more of a target than you already are. Also Ron really likes you and I don't think it would be very fair of me" he said
"Harry we are friends ok, I don't think anything should come between our friendship ever" she told him "friends?"
"Of course he said and they smiled at each other and went back downstairs and to their surprise Draco sat playing chess with Ron.
"Hi" he said to them
"Hi" Hermione said "whose winning?"
"Draco is" Ron said looking rather disgruntled, he wasn't used to being beaten at chess and he didn't like it
Draco picked up on this and started playing badly, within a couple of minutes Ron had won and was happy again
"That's the thing with chess" Draco said "can go either way"
Hermione could tell Draco had let him win and whispered to him
"You're going soft"
He tapped her arm softly and said "shut up"
"Dinner
time" Ron announced "I am starving"
"When aren't you?"
Harry asked leading the way out of the common room.
Ron walked ahead with Harry, the only time he rushed around the castle was on his way to meals.
"So did you sort out your little problem?" Draco asked Hermione as they bought up the rear. "We could hear you shouting"
"You couldn't?" she said going bright red
"We couldn't hear what you were shouting" he told her "just that you were"
"Thank goodness for that" she said "yeah we sorted it out"
"Good" Draco replied simply
Draco sat with them in the great hall to eat, more nasty glares came from the slytherins. And he ignored them quite graciously
"Well we need to go and do some work to plan the Halloween ball" Hermione said to Harry and Ron after they had finished eating
"Ok" they said "we will see you tomorrow ok?"
"Yep" Hermione said "goodnight"
They made their way back to their own common room. They were halfway there when Professor McGonagall came rushing up to them "oh miss granger, I was just coming to find you"
She said, she looked very harassed and Hermione was a little worried
"Could you come to professor Dumbledore's office with me at once" she said
"Certainly" Hermione said
"Should I come as well?" Draco asked
"That's really up to Hermione" she said
Hermione nodded her head
They followed their teacher through the corridors and past the stone gargoyle to their headmaster's office.
"Ah ms granger, please take a seat" he said, his eyes weren't twinkling which worried Hermione a bit
She sat down in one of the chairs and Draco sat next to her
"We have just received word that, I am not sure how to say this it's very upsetting news" he said
"Please" Hermione said "just say it"
"Very well" he said "your parents have been killed by Voldemort, the dark mark looms over your house and we need to take you their to collect your things immediately before they return"
Hermione just stared at him. It couldn't be true. Her mum and her dad the people who loved her more than anyone in the whole world
"NO!" she cried "that can't have happened there must be some mistake"
"I am afraid not miss granger" Her head of house said and embraced the girl
"Ok when do I have to leave" Hermione said
"At once" Dumbledore replied
"Ok" she said "can Draco come?"
"If you wish" he said he noticed the two were getting along a lot better and was glad of this, it would do both of them some good.
He gave them each a tub of floo powder and told them that they would have to floo to a witch who lived round the corner from Hermione's house.
"Just say Eldora Prism" he told them.
Hermione went first, then Draco and then Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall had remained behind to oversee the rest of the students and wait for their return. She wanted to go and warn Harry and Ron what had happened to their best friend. So they would be able to comfort her on her return
They were in a normal everyday muggle living room when a young lady with turquoise robes came and said hello to them
"Thank you Eldora" Dumbledore said "we will be back very soon"
They left and walked to Hermione's house it wasn't far and she could see the dark mark as soon as they had stepped outside
She was trying so hard not to cry but it was proving very difficult and she was shaking.
Draco had noticed this and took her hand in his
She looked at him and he just looked back at her with this odd expression on his face. It was half a look of concern and at the same time half a look of guilt
"It's not your fault" she told him
"I know" he said "just since my father was a death eater I always feels guilty for this sort of thing"
"Well you mustn't" she told him and squeezed his hand slightly, he just smiled at her
They entered Hermione's house and noticed that everything was pristine. There was no mess anywhere no signs of violence. Hermione walked into the living room and there on the sofa were the bodies of her parents sat next to each other holding hands on the sofa, they had been watching TV when some evil person had come in and avada'd them.
"At least it was quick" she said crying
"They won't have even known what happened" Draco said trying to reassure her
"Good" she said
Dumbledore looked at the people in the living room. He had to organise a wizarding funeral. The muggles wouldn't be able to cope with two people just dropping dead with no sign as to why
"Ok Hermione collect your belongings we must go" he said "they will probably come back soon"
Hermione ran up to her room and filled her suitcase with every item of clothes she owned, next she grabbed a big box and threw all her personal belongings into it. She went into her mum and dads room and took all their photo albums and some little keepsakes. Her mother's jewellery box and their bank details. She didn't want anyone else getting hold of any of that stuff. It was hers now.
She finished packing everything that was important to her and then went down to Dumbledore. "What will happen to the rest of this stuff?" she asked
"I will shrink it and it will go into storage for you, for when you finish school" he told her
"And what about the house?" she asked
"You will have to sell it, you could never continue to live here and you couldn't ask anyone else to either. They would become a target for voldemort. Only by the house having a new owner. Thus changing its aura can it be free from the dark mark you and I see above it"
"I see" she said her lip trembling "but I don't know how to sell a house"
"I will do it for you Hermione" he said "don't worry about it"
They left and Hermione went straight to the heads rooms with her stuff. She put it all down in the common room and sat on the sofa staring at it
"Hermione" Draco said "can I get you anything?"
He was deeply concerned for her and didn't really know what to do
She let out a sob and shook her head
"I just want my mum and dad" she cried
"Oh Hermione" he said and sat down next to her. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he put his arm round her.
Any one who saw this would have thought it had been natural but Draco was completely out of his depth. He sat there thinking to himself. Should I say something? Should I stay quiet, should I go and fetch Ron and Harry?
"Would you like me to get Harry and Ron?" he asked her
She shook her head
"Ok" he said and just sat there some more
Hermione twitched every now and again. This worried Draco slightly
Half an hour later Hermione looked up at Draco, "sorry" she said
"Don't be sorry" he said "I just wish there was more I could do to help"
"You're already helping" she told him. He didn't know why he did it and he regretted it straight away after, but he leant down and brushed his lips against Hermione. She kissed him back eagerly, he knew it wasn't because she wanted to but because of the grief she was feeling. It did funny things to people sometime. But instead of stopping he kissed her more deeply, he sensed the need in her and they were both on fire with this kiss. It felt like it was never going to end. All of a sudden Hermione pulled away and ran to her room
Draco groaned 'oh god, what have I don't' he thought to himself. He went up and listened outside Hermione's door all he could hear was insane mutterings and the odd scream and slam. He decided to not interrupt her as she needed to let off some steam. He sat outside her bedroom door for what seemed like an eternity until all of a sudden there was smashing glass and a scream and then no noise. Draco ran into the room and Hermione was sat on the floor. She had smashed the mirror and from the looks of things tried to cut her wrists with the mirror. Draco didn't understand the muggle concept of slitting ones wrists but he did see a lot of blood. He ran to the common room and just scrawled HELP HER on the marble tablet and sent it everywhere
There was suddenly a mass of teachers invade their common rooms. There was Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape and Madame Pomfrey. They burst through the doors, Draco had gone back up to Hermione's room. She had passed out now and his knowledge of healing spells was poor, he didn't know how to help her, so he just held her. He was covered in her blood and he was whispering to her. He had never been so scared in all his life.
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