Chapter 11: A Halloween to Remember (part one)
It had been two weeks since the mission to the Department of Mysteries and Hermione was finally almost fully recovered. She had sustained not only a nice little amount of blood loss from the injury to her head but also a severe concussion, a broken rib, and a cracked wrist (from falling on top of her arm). Madam Pomfrey had performed concealment charms to rid her face of the bruises and the swelling had finally receded. She was able to move around more and was eating well so Madam Pomfrey had decided that she would be released in the next couple days. Hermione was pleased to hear this because it was only about three days until Halloween and she was looking forward to seeing what the prefects had planned. It would be a great time to get away from the thoughts and memories that plagued her mind of the night at the DoM. Her back and side still ached slightly because she had asked for no more pain potions as soon as she came out of the week long coma she was in. Madam Pomfrey had placed her in a sleep-induced coma for one week in order for her body to fully heal without any interruptions.
The past few days had been full. Harry and Ron and even Ginny had been up to visit her as many times a day as possible, bringing books and her homework and just chatting. She had to yell at Ron once because he was trying to baby her right after she awoke but she was not having that. She was an eighteen year old woman, older than Ron and Harry, and knew the risks going in and would not under any circumstance be treated like a child who was sick. She was slightly saddened, however, at the fact that she had not seen nor heard from Draco since she'd come to. She remembered the night before the Order meeting when he had poured his heart out to her. They had confessed their feelings for one another and now he seemed to be avoiding her. She was still wearing her pendant and every now and then she'd feel it warm up and could feel that he was hurting. Not a physical pain (they could tell the difference) but a mental and emotional hurt. She wanted desperately to see him, to have him hold her and kiss her.
Finally, Friday came along, October 30, the day she was to be released from the hospital. Harry came up to the hospital wing during lunch to get her and accompany her back to her common room. He brought her a change of clothes from her dormitory and after changing in the lavatory and getting a final check by Madam Pomfrey, the two friends walked out of the hospital wing, their arms linked together. They reached the Heads dorms and walked through the portrait hole. Harry plunked himself on the couch while Hermione went to her room to drop off some stuff. She noticed that Draco's door was open and looking in, she realized he was not there. Wanting so desperately to talk to him, she rushed into her room and wrote a quick note to Draco asking him to meet her in their common room after lunch. Returning to the common room, she asked Harry if she could borrow Hedwig for a moment and he walked with her to the Owlery. After sending off the note with Hedwig, they headed down to the Great Hall where there was still a little bit of lunch left and Hermione was starving. As she walked in with Harry, she saw Hedwig fly through the hall and drop the note in front of Draco. Smiling, she linked arms with Harry again and made their way to the Gryffindor table.
Over at the Slytherin table, Draco unrolled the note from the snowy owl, which he had immediately recognized as Harry's owl (everyone knew that was Harry's owl…snowy owls weren't that common there).
Draco,
Meet me in our common room after lunch. We need to talk.
Hermione
He folded up the note and shoved it into his robe pocket. He glanced up towards the Gryffindor table and saw Hermione sitting there talking with Ron and Ginny Weasley, Harry's arm slung protectively over her shoulders. Draco felt the heat rise slightly in his cheeks seeing Harry's arm around her but quickly looked back down at his plate. He had been too scared to see her up in the hospital wing during the last couple weeks. He didn't know she was scheduled to get out today. His thoughts floated to the night before the Order meeting. They had told each other 'I love you' for the first time that night. He realized that neither of them had said it since….'Of course, Hermione was in a coma for a week and hasn't seen me since that night either,' he cursed to himself. 'Why didn't I visit her? I know what she must be thinking, probably wants to talk about what happened.' Was he regretting telling her how he felt? No he had been afraid to say it at first but he had told her and he didn't regret it. 'Maybe she regrets it…' Sighing, he pushed his plate aside and gulped down the remainder of his pumpkin juice. Grabbing his bag, he slung it over his shoulder and walked out of the Great Hall, trying to decide if he should meet her or not. Common sense told him not to but his heart was telling him to run to her. It was like a constant battle inside him ever since July when they'd first kissed that morning before the wedding. But ever since the mission to the Department of Mysteries, he hadn't been able to go near her. The site of her mangled body kept replaying itself over in his head. He didn't know what had happened to her because he had been knocked out as well. He knew that this was something that she knew could happen and apparently it hadn't been the first time. He'd learned that in their fifth year they'd gone to the same place and she'd almost been killed. And yet she still stuck next to Harry Potter and fought with him no matter what. He didn't understand their relationship and it was not something that he wanted to compete with either. He recalled his feelings when they were walking down the corridor in the DoM and he saw the two of them holding hands. He recalled having the same feelings when he saw them enter the Great Hall at lunch with their arms linked together and then again when he saw Harry's arm wrapped around her shoulders at the table. He couldn't bear to admit it to himself but he was jealous. Jealous of the way she looked at Harry. Jealous of their ability to be near each other whenever they wanted to. He found his way to the Heads dormitories and went inside, throwing off his robes and flinging himself onto the couch. As soon as his head fell onto the armrest, he felt himself overcome with drowsiness and decided to drift off to sleep before she got there. 'Maybe if I'm asleep she'll leave me be…' he thought to himself as he drifted off into slumber.
A short thirty minutes later, after giving Harry a kiss goodbye (ONLY on the CHEEK mind you), Hermione made her way into the Heads dormitory, still unsure as to what she was planning to say to Draco if he was waiting for her. As soon as the portrait hole closed behind her, she saw him. He was sprawled lazily on the couch in the common room, fast asleep. He seemed almost angelic…his platinum blond locks draped over his face as he was laying on his stomach. One arm hung limp over the side of the couch. As soon as she saw him all she wanted to do was run to his side and kiss him all over. The thing that happened two weeks ago in the DoM made her realize that she wanted to embrace her life and everything in it…including Draco Malfoy. Life was much too short and if that night was anything compared to what the remainder of the year could hold, she wasn't sure if she'd live to see graduation in eight short months. After watching him sleep for a few moments, she decided against waking him and instead crossed the common room softly, sneaking into her room to change. She closed her door, not knowing that Draco had actually woken up from the sound of the portrait hole opening but was pretending to be asleep as to not have to face her. She quickly grabbed some comfortable pajamas (deep blue satin pants and a crème colored sateen camisole) and set them, plus a change of panties, in the bathroom. She then grabbed a warm blanket and crept back into the common room. Draco had been lying there awake since he heard her door shut but then immediately closed his eyes once more when he heard her creeping down the hallway back to the common room. She saw he was still "asleep" so she gently covered him in the blanket and leaned over, kissing him softly on the cheek. Hermione returned to her room and went into the bathroom to take a nice hot bath…something she'd been craving since she woke up in the hospital wing a week ago.
As she slipped into the warm water, she allowed her body to relax, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. Her mind traveled in circles remembering everything that had happened in the recent months. She remembered the first kiss she shared with Draco back the morning of the Weasley wedding; she remembered the first vision she had when Draco had returned to Voldemort to receive his punishment; she remembered Draco pouring his life out to her and the two of them confessing their feelings; the Department of Mysteries when Lucius Malfoy had almost killed her but was killed by his own son who was protecting her; being picked up by her neck by Voldemort himself and being thrown across the room; waking up in the hospital wing a few days ago…her mind kept racing. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't realize how sleepy she was and began to drift off to sleep, lying there in the warm bathtub.
Hermione was awoken by a soft knocking on the bathroom door.
"Hermione?" she heard Draco's soft voice through the door. Hermione, quickly realizing she was still in the tub, jumped out and wrapped her bathrobe around her and walked over to the door. She opened it slowly, unsure of exactly what state the person on the other side of it would be in. She had sent him the note saying that she wanted to talk but now that they were both right there, all her words seemed to escape her memory.
"Draco.", she said quietly, looking into his beautiful silver eyes that seemed to be full of confusion and sadness. As if an unseen force had taken over her body, she suddenly threw her arms around him, holding him tightly. For a moment he seemed stunned by her reaction but slowly pulled himself together and slipped his arms cautiously around her waist. After a few moments, Hermione broke the embrace and looked back up at Draco. She had so many things running through her mind but the main thing she wanted to know was where they stood.
"Can we, um, can we go sit down?" Hermione asked timidly, averting her eyes from his and looking towards the common room. Draco nodded. "Okay give me a min to get dressed and I'll be down there." He sat himself down on the sofa. Hermione quickly threw on her pajamas and joined him in the common room. Instinctively she started to sit down beside him on the couch but at the last moment thought better of it and sat in the chair next to him instead. He felt Hermione's eyes on him and he looked down at his lap. After what felt like hours, she finally spoke.
"Draco, I need to know what's going on. With us. Before the meeting, before the mission, we said some things. I've been thinking about them all week since I've been awake and I need to know….did you mean what you said? Do you regret it?"
Those were two of the questions that Draco had been dreading ever since they'd arrived back at Hogwarts while Hermione was unconscious. He had been going over those exact questions in his own mind day in and day out for the past two weeks. He was falling in love with her, that much was true. But something inside him just did not want to admit it. Deep inside, he was cursing himself for allowing her to get too close. There were moments when he wished he could rewind time and never tell her how he felt but he knew that was not possible. Slowly he lifted his eyes and found hers, still staring at him, questioning him. He loved everything about her. Every time he looked into those big honey colored eyes, he could see his own soul. He could feel every feeling that he'd wanted so desperately to feel his entire life. But then the other parts of him were screaming that it could never happen. They could never truly be together. Even if they were on the same side now. Even if her friends had gradually become somewhat accepting of him. It would never work. They were so different. Then he'd recalled and reread the letter that Dumbledore had written to them before he was killed. Dumbledore had told them that they had some sort of connection and that still haunted and terrified Draco.
"Yes, I meant every word. Do I regret saying them? To be perfectly honest…sometimes…yes. Not because I didn't mean it but because parts of me don't want them to be true. Part of me doesn't want to admit it. Sometimes I just want to forget anything ever happened and other times I just want to hold you in my arms and never let you go." Draco leaned forward and rested his head in his hands.
"So why didn't you ever come to visit me in the hospital? Did you even care how I was doing? I waited every day to see you, to feel your touch, but you never came." Hermione asked quietly, trying to absorb what he was telling her.
"I couldn't bear to see you after what happened. I thought that I had lost you that night. I shut myself off. If I didn't see you then I thought maybe I would stop feeling so much pain. You are so strong and beautiful, Hermione, and I couldn't bear to see you lying in that hospital bed like that…broken and bruised." He heard her move from the chair next to him and kneel in front of him. He felt her hands gently grasp his own which were still covering his face and gently pull them away. He looked up and saw her eyes bearing into his own. They were glistening lightly.
"Draco," Hermione said. "I don't regret what I said. I don't care how strange it is or how much it shouldn't happen. I love you and nothing is going to change that. You don't get to choose who you fall in love with, sometimes it just finds you when you least expect it to. If someone were to tell me last year that I would fall in love with Draco Malfoy I would probably laugh in their faces. But now it's here, and I have, and I don't regret any of it. Please don't push it away just because you are scared or confused. Don't lose something that could be wonderful because you don't think that it's supposed to be that way." She leaned into him and kissed him lightly on the lips. She leaned her forehead onto his and put her hands gently on the back of his neck.
"But how can we be together? Your friends would never accept it. Even though we are all on the same side now doesn't mean that we can stand each other. They tolerate me just as I tolerate them."
"We can be together. We cant hide our feelings simply because we think people wont approve of it. I don't want to hide it. I want to be happy and I want you to be happy." She smiled. His heart melted whenever she smiled. He looked into her eyes again and saw that love that was there. He put his hands gently on her shoulders, pulling her in closer. He allowed his feelings to take over and kissed her gently. Their kiss became more passionate and she felt his tongue softly asking for entrance into her mouth. She parted her lips slightly, allowing him entrance and melted into the passion of their kiss as their tongues danced lovingly together, gently struggling for dominance. His hands slid down to her waist and he gently pulled her upwards on leaned back, pulling her forward to him till she was straddling his legs. She felt his arms slide around her waist, holding her close to him, and she allowed her arms to loosen and they found their way around his neck, one hand softly fondling his hair as their kiss deepened. They finally broke apart, both gasping for air.
"So, now what do we do?" Draco asked quietly, after he had caught his breath. A small smile played on her slightly swollen lips.
"Now, we get some rest because tomorrow we are going to a party." She slid off his lap and pulled him off the couch, kissing him gently once more. She let go of his hands and walked towards the dorm rooms. He watched her walk away, her soft chestnut curls bouncing slightly as she moved. Before she could enter her room, he rushed around the sofa and came up behind her, grasping her waist.
"Sleep with me tonight." he whispered in her ear. Her eyes went wide for a moment. 'He's not really asking what I think he's asking is he?' she thought to herself. Realizing what she must be thinking, he quickly added, " I mean actually sleep, 'Mione. I just want to feel you close to me tonight and wake up with you in my arms tomorrow." He saw a small smile form on her lips as she nodded and he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his room. They walked over to his bed and Hermione sat slowly on the edge of it while Draco stepped into his closet to change for bed. He emerged wearing a pair of black silk pants detailed with silver dragons and no shirt. She watched as he climbed into the bed and motioned to her to join him. She looked at him and with a small, unsure smile, she climbed slowly into his bed with her back to him, she felt him slide towards her, snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her closer. He nuzzled his face into her neck, making himself comfortable. She allowed herself to loosen up and get comfortable in his arms and shortly found herself falling asleep…more comfortable than she had been in a long time. Just before sleep overcame him as well, he whispered softly, "I love you Hermione."
The sun was barely rising over the lake when Hermione woke up. She laid still for a moment, enjoying the warm feeling of having Draco's arm still wrapped protectively around her and his warm breath on her neck. Knowing it was incredibly early and not wanting to wake him, she very slowly and gently moved his arm off of her waist and slid silently from his bed. Being in the hospital wing for the past two weeks, she had not gotten a chance to go to Hogsmeade and buy a new outfit for the Halloween party that evening so Ginny had made Hermione promise to let her take Hermione to Hogsmeade this morning. It was roughly six in the morning but she'd seen Ginny in her "shopping spree" moods before and new that she probably had three hours maximum to get ready to go. Conjuring up a hot cup of sweet tea, she made her way over to Draco's double doors that led to his side of the balcony. She smiled silently as she remembered the night before. Neither of them had regretted saying 'I love you' to the other, which in itself was an amazing feeling. Never in a million years had Hermione thought that she'd, under any circumstances, fall in love with Draco Malfoy and actually have him RETURN her feelings. Placing her cup on the banister, she gave a long full body stretch, her camisole reaching high and baring her trim stomach. As she did this however, she was slightly startled when she felt two hands sliding themselves around her bare midriff. The two of them stood there for a few moments, cuddling into each other and just staring off over the lake.
"Are you sure you want to go to this thing tonight…together? I just mean, are you sure you want it out in the open so soon?" Draco asked curiously. Not that he wasn't anxious to let their secret out so they wouldn't have to hide like they did over the summer but he was still slightly worried about her friends and how they'd react.
"Yes, Draco. I'm positive. I'm not going to hide my feelings from anyone. I love you and I want everyone to know that. Now, as much as I would absolutely love to continue standing here in your arms, I must get dressed and get downstairs for some food because I'm famished and I know that Gin is going to have me worn out by the time we get back from Hogsmeade." She turned her head and kissed him softly on the cheek before walking back in to his room.
It was about a quarter till 8 when Hermione reached the Great Hall for breakfast with Draco, who let go of her hand before opening the doors since they'd agreed that they would keep up "appearances" until that night at the party when they would announce their involvement. Hermione smiled discreetly to Draco as they parted ways, making her way to the Gryffindor table where Ginny was already waiting.
"Morning, Gin. How did I know you'd be down here already," Hermione said, sarcastically, to her best friend.
"Well come on, Mione. We've got to get you ready for this party tonight. Besides, we hardly get to spend any time just the two of us anymore so I wanted to get an early start on our "girl's day out". Ginny replied.
The hall began to fill up more over the next 30 minutes. The girls were joined by Ron and Harry, who decided to sneak up behind them and try to scare them but really only ended up with both of the boys having wands pointed at them playfully by the two not-so-unsuspecting girls. The foursome laughed and talked for a few more moments before the girls announced that they were leaving.
"Okay, want to meet at the Three Broomsticks say around noon for a butterbeer?" Harry asked the girls as they stood up. They both smiled and nodded…that gave them three full hours of girl time before then. Giggling and linking arms, the two best friends walked swiftly from the hall in excitement at the shopping trip ahead of them.
Two hours later, the girls were still in the dress shop, trying to find the perfect dress. Hermione wanted to look extra special since this would be the first event with Draco. Out of the corner of Hermione's eye, she saw it. The perfect dress. She grabbed it off the rack and hurriedly tried it on in the dressing room, coming out to show Ginny. The girls both agreed that it was perfect, so perfect it seemed as if the dress was made specifically for Hermione. They went up to the counter to pay for Hermione's dress and walked happily out the doors into the streets of Hogsmeade, heading towards the Three Broomsticks to wait for Harry and Ron. The girls spent the rest of the day with the boys, most of the time was spent in Honeydukes and Zonko's of course. It was close to 5 pm when the foursome made the trek back to Hogwarts castle to get ready for that night's party, which was for sixth and seventh years only.