The Price of a World

Chapter Eight

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"Take this to Draco." Hermione opened the window and let Hedwig fly out and off into the distance. She climbed the stairs up to her room and collapsed in exhaustion onto her bed. She rolled over and fell asleep.

** * **

"Lupin you cannot keep Harry at Grimmauld Place forever! He must go back to school." Tonks persisted.

"Why? I see nothing but danger if he goes back to school!"

"He needs to be under the protection of the 4 founders. He is safest at Hogwarts." Dumbledore explained.

"But Voldemort declares to kill Harry on the grounds of Hogwarts! And the amount of students with Death Eater parents that go to Hogwarts! Anyone of them could be instructed to harm Harry in any way!" Dumbledore sat in silence for a few moments.

"Lupin, I know you don't want to see Harry end up the way his parents did. But you have to let fate decide what will happen to Harry."

"Why don't we just ask him if he wants to go back to school or stay with Lupin?" Moody questioned.

"That's an idea. And what ever his answer is, no one can try to change it. We have to respect his decisions." Tonks concluded.

"Well now that we have all agreed on that can we can all go back to what we were doing." Dumbledore stood and left Tonk's office.

"Coming home with us now Tonks?" Moody enquired.

"Yeah I think I will…" The trio went to the fireplace in the lobby and caught the floo network back to the Black House.

"Harry? Ron? Hermione? Ginny?" Lupin called out from the kitchen. Immediately Harry and Ron came stampeding down the stairs. Both at the same time started to explain everything that happened since Moody had left.

"Woah woah woah. Slow down there. One at a time, one at a time! Now… explain what happened."

"I taught Hermione, Ginny and Ron the Terpelium defence spell. And Ginny fainted with exhaustion. She is still out cold!" Harry distressed.

"And then Harry showed us this healing one and he broke his leg! Hermione was near hysterics! And then-" Harry cut Ron off before he could tell Lupin about how Harry taught him a few spells to cut human flesh and break bones.

"And then- " Harry shot a dangerous look at Ron. " -you came home." Harry smiled and nudged Ron.

"Uh yeah, then you came home…" Ron added.

"Where's Hermione?" Tonks asked.

"She's asleep." Ron replied.

"Well, I think its been quite a hectic day. So we should all just eat and go straight to bed." Moody suggested.

"Are you kidding? Go to bed at 7pm? I learnt more today than I do in a year at Hogwarts! And I actually had fun!" Ron exclaimed. Everyone had a good laugh at Ron's sudden outburst of exuberance.

** * **

It was the day before most of London's school students went to Diagon Alley to purchase their school supplies for the next term. Draco sat on his bed reading the letter he received from Hermione a few days earlier.

'She's in a house with Potty? I bet she spends almost every night with the slime bag. And she is supporting Potty too! Doesn't she realise I need her now! I'm Voldemort's bloody heir for Christ's sake… she suspects it. She even said so, she is just waiting for me to agree with her. I can't tell her, I could never tell her. What would she think of me if she knew the truth? She says she cant wait to see me tomorrow, yet she is still talking about Potter!' Draco mused over the letter from Hermione. He read every sentence and broke it down into smaller details. He hated the letter. He never wanted to see Hermione again; he hated her for writing the letter. Draco took the letter over to the fireplace and burnt it. Whilst he stood and watched it burn he started to regret what he had said and thought.

'What am I doing? Hermione didn't write that letter in spite of me.'

Draco gathered his clothes that he was to wear tomorrow and got one of the house elves to clean and press them.

** * **

On the morning of their Diagon Alley trip Hermione was the first to rise. Well she thought she was. She went into the kitchen to find Tonk's at the table drinking a cup of coffee from the same mug as earlier that week.

"Morning Tonks." Hermione said cheerfully. She didn't realise how happy she sounded.

"Some one's in a happy mood…" Tonks smiled at Hermione over the top of her cup. Part of Hermione was eager to get to Diagon Alley but the other part wanted to crawl back up to her bed and hide. She missed Draco a lot and wanted to see him. But it had been a while since she had seen him, and he hadn't replied to her letter. 'Maybe he hates me again… maybe he changed back to the prick I've always known him to be.' She thought.

"Something on your mind?" Tonks inquired. Hermione had a look of complete concentration and angst on her face. She looked up at Tonks and continued to think.

"…Tonks…" Hermione began. "Um, hypothetically; if you thought you hated someone because of things he or she had done to you in the past. And he or she was so cruel and their morals were totally different to yours. But suddenly they sort of… I don't know, changed. And you found yourself liking he or she, even loving them. But you know that he or she is totally the wrong person for you… but you still like he or she a lot. But if anyone found out that you liked that certain person you would not only hurt their feelings but also betray their trust and they'd never want to talk to you again! And they'd be ashamed of me for liking him if they ever found out!" Hermione hadn't realised that she had personalised the last sentence until the last minute and she shut her mouth before she revealed anymore. Tonks looked at Hermione astounded.

"Slow down Hermione your getting away with yourself… Now, hypothetically speaking," Tonks smiled a mischievous smile. "If you liked Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter - who was your boy friend; found out, it would be quite distressing for you, Harry, Draco and your friends. Right?" Hermione nodded slowly. She knew now that Tonks had known about her and Draco all along.

"Tell me the whole story Hermione, from when you first met Draco on your holidays." Hermione explained everything, every little detail.

"I see…" Tonks sat and mused over what Hermione had just said. "When you realised that Draco was the cloaked man. What did you feel?"

"When I realised that the cloaked man was Draco?" Hermione sat and thought. "I didn't feel anything. It was like I knew something. Like I knew I had loved him all along…"

"How did you know that this feeling was love?"

"Tonks when I'm with Harry I love him because he is a great friend, we know each other inside out and because we know how each other are feeling in different situations. But when im with Draco my love for him is the air I breathe the food I eat the water I drink. The love I feel for him is there, like energy. It's like a nagging pain in my heart when he isn't with me…" She paused and took a deep breath. "And it's like fireworks exploding inside me when he is by my side. My love for Draco is an energy that keeps me going." Hermione stopped and closed her eyes thinking of how she was going to word the last sentence. "My love for him keeps me living through this lie that I am destined to live" Hermione's eyes misted over with tears.

"Are you sure you like Draco? Hermione if your wrong about this; a lot of things that you take for granted are going to come crashing down around you."

"Tonks, I don't like him…" Tonks sighed with relief, if Hermione didn't like Draco it would make things a whole lot easier. "I love him." Tonks nearly fell off her chair. She wasn't expecting Hermione to come back with that answer.

"Hermione… Love doesn't just come out of the blue. Love is a decision…"

"A decision that I have made! Tonks im talking to you because I need help. I can't get through this on my own…" Tonks sighed. Tonks looks up and studied Hermione's face. Right then, Tonks knew that Hermione meant everything that she was saying and right then; Tonks had decided to help her out.

"But you're not on your own. You have Draco, you have Harry and Ron and Ginny. You have me…" When Tonks had said that Hermione had her to help her out a huge smile fell across her face.

"Draco; he's on the Dark side. I feel as though I can't tell him anything at the risk of some of the Light's secrets being revealed to Voldemort."

"You think Draco would tell Voldemort of what you say about us?"

"I don't know… I just don't know… Harry and Ron; they are my best friends."

"So you should be able to tell them anything!"

"No, I can't tell them. Harry is my boyfriend and if I break up with him that would be the last straw. Plus Harry and Draco have been archenemies since first year… Tonks I know Harry and he isn't coping very well with the whole war thing at all. I can't wait until this stupid war is over. It tears me up inside to see Harry suffering like this and it tears me up knowing that I'm living a lie and Harry is just another obstacle in the lie that I live."

"An obstacle that can be broken…" Tonks muttered.

"And Ron; he'd be furious. You heard about the chant that Draco led when Ron first became Keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team!" Tonks didn't seem to be listening. She was sitting thinking.

"Manners cant take the place of decisions Hermione… You must decide." It was Hermione's turn to sit and think. She thought about what Tonks had just said and in what way she could use this information to make her situation a little better. Tonks saw the look of confusion on Hermione's face and continued. "Hermione, two years ago. If you looked at Draco what did you see?" Hermione thought a little.

"An enemy."

"See, he isn't an enemy. He's just another person. You're a stronger person for realising that, but so many people strive not to see it."

"But Tonks it's wrong. Draco has always been so rude and disrespectful. He gave Harry, Ron and I hell throughout our years at Hogwarts… but he changed, over night. It seems to good to be true."

"Hermione did it ever occur to you that maybe Draco saw you exactly the same way you saw him? Maybe he saw that you were just another person before you did. So really he didn't change he just saw you in a different light."

"Yeah I guess, but I feel like im living a lie. Everyone and everything is telling me that it's wrong!" Tonks drew a deep breath.

"Hermione, your heart never lies." Tonks looked up at Hermione and gave her a warm smile. "So why don't you listen to it?" Tonks stood, placed her cup in the sink and left for work with a pop.

A few minutes later Harry, Ron and Ginny came down the stairs fully dressed.

"Morning Hermione," Harry said as he kissed her passionately on the lips.

"Please… get a room you too." Ron said turning away; Hermione blushed with embarrassment and resentment at herself for thinking of kissing Draco. 'Listen to my heart? Easier said then done.' She thought.

"LUPIN! MOODY! We're ready to go!" Harry called up the stairs.

"Aye, I hear ya. Come on to the door." Moody called back to them. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Moody assembled in the front hall waiting for Lupin. Lupin came running down the stairs dressed in his muggle clothes.

"Has everyone got their muggle clothes on?" Harry and Ron both wore a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Hermione wore her favourite denim skirt and a brown tank top. Ginny had a red pleated skirt and a white top on. Moody how ever didn't look very 'normal'. He was wearing a kilt and a hoodie jumper.

"Moody you're going to stand out like a banana in a sea of cherries." Ginny commented. Lupin raced back upstairs and got Moody a different change of clothes. He brought back a black pair of cotton pants, a shirt, stripy scarf and a hat. Moody went into the spare room to change. When he came back out you could hardly notice him.

"Out the door everyone! The car is waiting." All six of them crept out the door at random times to avoid being seen by nosey muggles. They clambered into the Ministry cars Tonks had arranged for them.

** * **

Hermione watched as the streets of London flew past her window. The car started to slow and stop which made Hermione jerk forward in her seat. Lupin got out and held the door open for her. All six of them entered the Leaky Cauldron and went through the secret wall into Diagon Alley.

Hermione loved Diagon Alley; not only because it was filled with shops of books and interesting artefacts but also because it was so alive. It always bustled with people. And they were all different. Each and every person had their own style and their personality just beamed from their faces. It was here; in the Wizarding World that Hermione felt truly at home.

"Okay we'll all meet back here in 4 hours. That's at 2pm. Moody and I have some business we need to attend too." With that Moody and Lupin headed towards Knockturn Alley.

"Harry look! There is a new broom in the window of the Quidditch Shop!" Ron cried as he ran over to join the crowd.

"Wait up Ron! Sorry Hermione, I'll meet up with you later? How about I meet you at 1pm at the ice-cream parlour?" Hermione smiled slightly.

"Sounds great. 1pm it is." She watched Harry as he dashed over to Ron. Hermione and Ginny wandered through shops collecting what ever they needed.

"Hermione lets go to Shriek!" Shriek was a teenage girl fashion shop. Hermione didn't necessarily like shopping for clothes but she followed the insistent Ginny. Ginny dragged Hermione everywhere, all she wanted to do was get away from Ginny and go look for Draco.

"Come on Hermione! Artemis Patterly is signing his new album at Zone! Not only is he a great singer but he is so hot! Come on Hermione! We'll be late!" Ginny ran off ahead and Hermione followed at her own pace.

Suddenly a hand came from behind her and covered her mouth. The other arm coming around her waist holding her arms tightly against her body so she couldn't struggle. Who ever this was, they were strong. Some how this all felt like it had happened to her before. She smiled as realization swept across her. She was dragged backwards into the alleyway between a few shops. Her captor spun her around and kissed her urgently yet passionately on the mouth. Hermione kissed back; she knew who it was. The taste was familiar, the smell of his hair and cologne was familiar and the feel of his skin against hers was familiar. The way his hair brushed across her face and how his hand went to the curve in her back and pulled her towards him. The way he wrapped his cloak around her body to pull her even closer if it was possible. She knew it so well.

"Morning Draco," Hermione whispered as she hugged him and rested her head on his shoulder.

** * **

//A.N- I have this little book full of sayings I guess. And I used some of them during the talk between Hermione and Tonks. For example; "No, that's not an enemy. That's just another person."  And "Your inner voice never lies. You should listen to it." Yeah the book is quite handy.

Boring chappy I know! I got the worst writers block and I really struggled to get this chapter out. The next chapter is going to take me a long time, so please bear with me. My chapters have been getting longer and a little boring and im really sorry but I need to explain all that stuff. J Thnx to kiki and others for ur reviews ur all brilliant!  //