Author's notes: Allright, so no chapter yesterday, so sorry, but if my helpful BETA answers my mail today, you'll get one tonight too. My tonight, that is (evil grin) So this is, to my great shame, a rather boring chapter, not much happening, but it need to be posted, sorry about it. There's a lot happening in the next chapter though, I promise!
takenbydrama: Exactly what have I done again? (Fishing for compliments, help me out here! ;-) Thanks for the review!
Cenagirl: Am I getting to the good parts now? And this is almost the end. What a terrible author I must be ;-) Thanks for the review!
angel-1844: I'm not really sure what Harry's feelings are towards Hermione, but for the moment, let's just stick to overprotective older brother, or something like that lol Thanks for reviewing!
Flor De La Cereza: Just wait untill you try posting one chapter a day yourself, it's not all the fun it's cracked up to be. I swear, this story keeps me awake at night. But I shall finish it, like the brave little authore I am lol Thanks!
wyndnfyr: Well, you know, Draco doesn't fear his father at all, because he's dead. Hermione killed him in the war the previous spring. I wrote that in the first chapter, just one line, so it doesn't at all surprise me that you don't remember it, just thought you wanted to know lol Thanks for the review!
wiccan-witch88: No, I promise, I won't have him turn out like his dad, that would be too sad. Thanks for reviewing!
cat-alike69: Yes, Harry has some sort of feelings for Hermione, but I don't know what kind, and therefor, neither does he. But I think it's something like overprotective older brother.
rockinchic2104: Ginny and Ron didn't hear her, because first, both Hermione and Draco where whispering, not shouting, and second, Ginny and Ron were talking very lodly to each other. Harry only heared because he listened. Thanks for review, questioning is always good, both for me and you lol
SugarQuill Cutie: I feel obligated to thank you, since you're my BETA. But please answer the mail, please, please, please (stands on knees begging) Thanks for all the help, and the review!
Rubber-duckiesofdoom: First I just have to say that I love your name, wish I had something witty like that. And second, any spellingmistakes in this story I blame on my English, and beg for you to forgive me, since it isn't my mother tongue. But thanks for pointing out the errors, even though I won't correct them any time soon ;-) Thanks for the review too!
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Enjoy!
Part VI
When Hermione came down to the common room the next morning, Draco was still sleeping. The old, bossy know-it-all Hermione would have roughly woken him up, saying that nothing was more important than school, but the new, after-Draco Hermione didn't have the heart to. Instead she put a water jug and a class on the table beside him, and a note telling him to stay in bed, and that she would take care of the teachers. Then she ran up to his room to check which classes he was to have that day, and hurried off to the Great Hall to get some breakfast, on the way giving Draco a quick peck on the cheek.
Ginny was sitting at the Gryffindor table, putting butter on a toast, when Hermione bounced down on the chair next to her.
"Morning," Ginny said, pouring coffee in Hermione's cup. "How's Draco?"
Hermione sipped her coffee, scanning the table for Harry and Ron. "Hung over, I guess," she said to Ginny without looking at her. "Where're the boys?"
"Ron said something about homework, and I haven't seen Harry today," Ginny answered, loading Hermione's plate with food. "But what do you mean 'I guess'?"
Hermione started, she hadn't really listened to Ginny. It took her a moment to remember what they'd been talking about. Draco.
"He was sleeping when I left," she said, putting the cup back on the table, and was faced with a mountain of food. "Where did all this come from?"
"I know you haven't been eating anything for weeks, so you better start now," Ginny answered, ignoring Hermione's question. "It's not just you now, you know." She took Hermione's hand and forced her to hold the fork. "Eat!"
Hermione laughed but obeyed. Ginny was right, it wasn't just she now. But even if everything tasted wonderfully, after half an hour, Hermione gave up. She'd managed half of the food Ginny had laid up for her, and now she was full to the brim.
"Ginny, it's really nice of you to take care of me, but I can't squeeze in another thing, and I don't have time either." Ginny gave her a disapproving look as Hermione grabbed her bag and rose. "I'll see you at lunch, allright?"
"Yes, and you better be here!" Ginny shouted after her as Hermione left the Hall.
She managed to talk to all Draco's teachers before her first class, and sprinted in just as the bell rang. Professor McGonagall was already standing at the front of the room, giving Hermione a disapproving look, and Hermione smiled apologetically and went and sat down in the back of the room. She picked up her books and her quill and prepared to be active for an hour.
"Since Miss Granger has been so gracious as to join us," McGonagall said coldly, "We can start today's lesson by opening our books at page 49. Mr Finnigan, will you please read the firstten lines aloud?"
Hermione really tried to listen to what the Professor said, but she soon found that her thoughts insisted on drifting off in other directions. She thought about Draco, and wondered how he was doing. Did he remember anything from last night? Hermione hoped not. Her own memories from the event were a bit blurry, but she was convinced that it was the alcohol that had made him push her against the wall. They'd had rows much worse than this in the past, and he'd never once even threatened to hurt her. But even so, Hermione wondered why she wasn't feeling more...afraid. Draco had clearly not known what he was doing, and in that state, he could have killed her. It had happened once, it could happen again, and Hermione knew that. She should be planning to leave him, all her common sense told her that, or at least she should fear comming back to the dormitory that evening. But all she could feel was...confused. And numb. As if so much had happened these last few days that her body and mind could take no more.
As a feeble try to justify herself to herself, Hermione tried to come up with a reason to why she was staying. Because she'd read about girls who were abused by their boyfriends, and she'd always thought that she would leave at the first hit if that ever happened to her. But now she wasn't. She was staying. Because, as she'd told Harry, Ron and Ginny last night, she loved Draco. And she was carrying his child. That was a powerful reason, and Hermione knew that.
Suddenly she realized that the class had ended and that her classmates were leaving the room. She hurried to put down her books to make it look like she'd paid attention the whole time.
"Miss Granger, would you come over here, please?" Professor McGonagall's voice broke the silence of the, to Hermione's surprise, empty room. She forcefully zipped her bag close and went up to the teacher's desk.
"Yes, professor?"
McGonagall looked at Hermione over the edge of her spectacles.
"Is there something wrong, Miss Granger?" Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but the professor continued, "Because I've noticed for some time now that you've been rather...absent. And your work have not at all lived up to the usual standard." She showed at some parchements on her desk that bore Hermione's handwriting and clearly visible P:s at the tops. "And other teachers have told me the same about their subjects." Hermione was once again about to speak, but McGonagall shook her head. "And do not say that nothing's wrong, Miss Granger. The truth, please."
Hermione thought for just a moment before she answered.
"I've had some...personal problems, professor. But it's starting to ease up now. I can promise that my work will improve in the future." She smiled confidently.
But professor McGonagall wasn't fooled. She eyed Hermione over the edge of her spectacles for a long time, but to Hermione's relief, she just nodded.
"Very well, Miss Granger." She began piling up the papers on her desk. "You may go."
Hermione nodded, more to herself than to McGonagall, and left the room. When she turned a corner a moment later, she ran into Harry and Ron and gave un unvolontarily cry.
"Wow, 'Mione, it's just us," Ron said and raised his hands in a defending gesture. "What did McGonagall want?"
Hermione had closed her eyes and was trying to calm down. She hadn't at all expected to run into them, or anyone else for that matter, and she'd had something of a shock.
"I- she." She took a deep breath, opened her eyes and looked at the boys. "She wondered why I haven't paid attention in classes lately, so I told her I've had some personal problems."
Ron nodded thoughtfully. "That was a good answer. I think I saw Pansy Parkinson sneeking around outside the room, she might have heared what you said. Wouldn't have been good if you said the truth." He smiled cheepishly.
Hermione laughed. "No, it wouldn't." And she realized that this was the second time in one day she'd laughed. I think it might be weeks since I even smiled, she thought, and did just that.
She looked at Harry, who hadn't said anything, not even 'hi', and put a hand on his shoulder.
"What's the matter, Harry? You look like you've sold a hippogriff and lost the money."
Harry actually smiled and shook his head. "No, it's just...well...me and Ron...we have been talking...about...well...you know..." Hermione didn't know what to think. She'd never heared Harry stutter before.
"What Harry's trying to say so nicely here," Ron cut in, talking with a lot more ease than Harry, "is that we've been talking." He lowered his voice, "about you and Malfoy. And we've agreed that you're old enough to make your own decisions." Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Now, we may not like them," Ron continued, "or him, for that matter, but we trust you, 'Mione. Just promise that you'll come to us, if..well, you know." He eyed her up and down for a moment. "Have you talked to him?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, he was still sleeping when I left this morning, and I didn't want to wake him." She sighed. "I know I should talk to him, but I- I just don't see why. I know how he feel about...well, you know. He didn't say it right out, bur from his way of shouting at me, I know. And I don't want to hear him say it out loud." Hermione didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid. This was something she didn't know, a problem which answer she wouldn't be able to find in a book. And she was afraid to be left alone with the problem. She looked pleadingly at Ron. "You'll stand beside me, won't you?"
Ron hesitated for just a moment, and then he gave her a big hug. "We're behind you, whatever you do," he said.
Hermione smiled in relief and hugged both him and Harry. "You two are the best friends a girl could ever have, do you know that?" Ron smiled a little cheepishly again, but Hary was like a piece of wood, and Hermione gave him a quizical look. "I have to run now, Ancient Runes, but I'll see you two at lunch, allright?" She turned and hurried away down the corridor.
"Hermione!" she heared Harry call from behind her, and she stopped and turned around. "We still don't trust him!"
Author's notes: So the next chapter will probably be up tonight, but I'm not quite sure. In the meantime:
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