AN: LAST CHAPTER! I have all my shout-outs to inspirations/great reviewers at the end of this chapter. I am going to FL 2morrow and I wanted to make sure I updated b4 I left!
Back to the (end of the) story:
Chapter 16: in the rain
"Hey Peter?" Hermione called sweetly.
Peter rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he continued descending the staircase to find Draco and Hermione, with a cup of coffee at the kitchen table.
"Hey mom," he yawned. "What's new?"
"Well, I need to talk to you about some things," then Hermione glanced at Draco. "Well- we have to talk to you."
Peter wrinkled his nose and yawned. "Ok." He sat obediently in the chair next to Draco, who was sitting at the head, now with Hermione on one side and Peter on the other.
Draco traced his index finger around the rim of the coffee mug, nervously attempting to organize what he might say to the six-year-old in front of him. He swallowed the lump in his throat as Hermione began.
"Sweetie, you remember what I told you about daddy?" Hermione started nervously.
Draco was somewhat comforted that he wasn't the only one who was very nervous.
Peter nodded slowly in response.
Hermione wasn't sure where to go from there. What am I going to say? 'Well I lied about EVERYTHING!' I don't know what to do...
Auspiciously Draco jumped in.
"Peter, your Mum wasn't completely honest about what she told you. It's true that your father is very good-looking and was a very good student," (Hermione 'Ahem'-ed and rolled her eyes), "but because your mum loves you so much she lied a little."
Yea, a little, Hermione reflected sarcastically. "Peter, you know I love you very much, and I only kept certain things from you to protect you, but it was wrong of me to not tell you the complete truth."
Draco felt like he was going to have a heart attack. He wasn't sure what Peter's reaction would be, and he knew that a six-year-old could have a worse temper-tantrum than Voldemort. Draco's hands were shaking uncontrollably, reminding him of the time he admitted to his father his was in love with Hermione. All the fear and anxiety suppressed inside of him was straining his eyes, and Draco began to lose his vision as Peter spoke.
"Draco's my dad," Peter said softly.
Draco courageously lifted his head and looked Peter in the eyes. He sighed heavily and noticed something in Peter. He could tell Peter wasn't shocked, but seemed more disappointed than anything. Draco should have known Peter would find out on his own, but the sensation of relief swept through Draco's blood.
Peter rubbed more sleep out of his eyes and then looked at his mother. "Mom, I have something to tell you too."
Draco rubbed his temples. He couldn't begin to imagine what would give Peter the guilty look on his face, but Draco was also very thankful that Peter hadn't screamed or yelled; he was suspiciously calm.
"I knew he was my dad a while ago," Peter said with some guilt in his voice.
"How did you find out," Hermione said with some relief, but mostly curiosity.
"I can't tell you," Peter said with even more guilt.
"If you figured it out you can say so, Pete," Hermione said gently.
"Someone told me," he said softly.
Draco scratched the back of his neck absentmindedly. Who could have told him?
Peter looked at his mother's face. He was afraid to get anyone in trouble, and didn't want to be known as a tattletale. Hermione's face was slightly taken aback, but composed. Draco, Peter had observed, was avoiding all eye contact with both of them, and was jouncing his leg up and down.
"Who?"
"I can't tell you."
Hermione sighed with I hint of frustration in her voice. "Are you sure you can't tell me?"
Peter nodded. "They made me promise."
Draco smirked. "They? So it's more than one person?"
Peter rubbed his eyes some more. "I shouldn't have told you that…" he said in a very Hagrid-like manner.
Hermione considered this. Two people… "Was it someone at the ministry?"
Peter half-shrugged and avoided eye contact.
Draco started tapping the table. Two people…
Then he had an epiphany.
"Peter, was it Harry and Ginny?"
Peter looked at Draco with guilt in his eyes, and Draco didn't need him to answer.
Hermione couldn't believe she hadn't realized it. Who was with Peter last night? Harry and Ginny! Who are Peter's godparents? Harry and Ginny! Who always thought Peter should know the truth? Harry and Ginny!
"Draco, can you stay with Peter for a little bit, I have to go… do some things."
But before Draco could agree, Hermione had apparated to the Minister's office.
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"Hermione? I wasn't expecting you," Harry greeted with polite surprise.
Hermione smiled bitterly. "Yes, well I wasn't expecting you to tell my son about Draco," she said calmly but slightly agitated.
The smile on Harry's face fell. "Oh. I thought I should tell him, because I knew you were never going to," he said with a wave of his hand.
Hermione looked at Harry with disappointment and irritation. "For your information, Minister, I was just about to tell Peter, with Draco."
Harry looked taken aback, but pleased. "Glad to hear it."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well I was annoyed to find out I wasted my time trying to tell Peter the truth."
"I'm sorry 'Mione, but as Peter's godfather I took it upon myself to tell him; now that you and his father are… involved."
Hermione cleared her throat. "Nothing is really happening."
Harry grinned. "You're and awful liar."
Hermione looked offended and annoyed. "I am not lying!"
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Ok."
Hermione huffed. "I am so sick of everyone telling me what I feel for Draco. No one else knows what it felt like but me! No one fell in love with him, gave him your soul, and then watched as he gave your heart away. NO ONE KNOWS!" she finished irately.
Harry was mildly surprised at Hermione's out of character attitude. But if being Minister taught him anything, it was that sometimes screaming is the only way you can listen to your own voice.
"Hermione… do you still love him?" Harry said very evenly.
Hermione's eyes had acquired tears and she looked at Harry with self-disappointment and realization.
IKNEWILOVEDYOUBEFOREIMETYOUITHINKIDREAMEDYOUINTOLIFE
Back at Hermione's house, rain slowly drummed the roof as Peter stared at Draco in awkward silence.
Draco had managed to talk briefly about his time at Hogwarts, never about his relationship with Hermione, but about quidditch and his hopes that Peter would become a Slytherin.
"How did you and Mommy meet?" Peter asked finally.
Draco smiled weakly. "Now that's quite a story. But in the short version my friend sort-of set us up," Draco half lied to Peter. Blaise was the reason they hooked up… so the friend part was true, but of course there was more to the story than Peter would understand.
Peter nodded, not completely convinced. "Do you still love her?"
Draco met Peter's eyes for the first time. "She was my first true love," he said in a full, but shaky voice. "And do you want to know a secret?" he said in a whisper.
Peter nodded slowly.
Draco leaned closer to Peter, "You never fall out of true love."
Peter nodded, knowing that Draco wasn't lying. "Mommy thinks about you a lot," he said simply staring at the ceiling.
Draco cocked his head. "How do you know she thinks about me?"
"I hear her talk about you in her sleep a lot. And every time she puts new pictures away, she always looks at the ones of you two."
Draco swallowed a lump he didn't know he had in his throat. "Look, it's raining," he said lamely. But it was a true observation. The slow drumming had turned quickly into a beating of the outside world.
Peter sighed at Draco distantness. "How can you tell what love is?"
Draco looked at Peter in mild shock. "Well, I guess I knew I was in love with your mom when I almost died," Draco said flashing back. Then in distant reminiscing voice added, "She saved my life, and when I woke up… I thought I lost her. I realized that she was lying a few beds away from me, in worse shape than I… but she saved me nonetheless… she almost died for me. And I knew I would have wanted to be dead if she didn't make it. I didn't need anything in the world but her."
Peter looked away from Draco, ashamed he had nearly brought his father to tears.
"But none of that matters anymore," Draco said in a choked voice. "She doesn't need me."
"How would you know?"
Draco's head snapped up at Hermione. "Well… I think its time for me to leave."
Hermione frowned. "Why would you say that?"
Draco got up from the table and glanced out the window, only to see a storm rolling in. "I tried my best, and I can't ask myself for much more." Draco winked at Peter and stepped into the beating rain, unaware that Hermione had followed him outside.
"Draco!" Hermione screamed.
Her voice was whipped around by the wind and beaten down by the rain.
"MALFOY!" she tried again.
Draco wearily turned around, his rain coat thrashing against the wind and flapping open, admitting rain onto his numb body. "Hermione? Go back inside!"
Hermione had followed Draco without raingear, allowing rain to soak through her clothes. Even in the white-out of rain Draco could see mascara running down her cheeks and her hair dripping with water as she shivered.
"Draco! Where are you going?"
Draco had moved toward Hermione thinking he might be able to bring her inside by force. "Home I suppose."
He still had to raise his voice to be heard over the thunder that had started.
"Draco…" Hermione whined pathetically.
Draco stared at Hermione in disbelief. "I can't believe you," he said laughing out of anger. "You wanted nothing to do with me, and then I thought we were getting somewhere. Then I realize you will never love me again, and now you want me to stay? WHAT DO YOU WANT!"
Hermione began to cry softly.
"Tell me Hermione… I would do anything. I would go to hell and back to make you happy. I would die for you!"
Hermione's tears were lost in the rain that splattered on her face. "Draco… please don't do this."
Draco looked at her incredibly. "Don't do what? Leave? Walk away? That's what you did, Hermione! I know I did you wrong… but that day… and on the train-- YOU NEVER LET ME EXPLAIN!"
Hermione stared at Draco with sad eyes. "I know Draco and I am sorry."
Draco stared back at Hermione. "I have just one question for you," he said as the wind slowed down slightly. It wasn't necessary for Draco to scream over it anymore.
Hermione nodded.
"Can you love me again?"
Hermione looked at Draco blankly. "I can't love you again."
Draco looked like he had been shot in the heart with a machine gun. "Ok," he choked. He turned away from Hermione again.
Hermione grabbed his arm. " Draco…"
Draco turned back to Hermione and reserved tears.
"I can't love you again-"
Draco nodded.
"I never stopped."
Shouldiwriteaprequel?shouldiwriteaprequel?shouldiwriteaprequel?
An: yay! How did u like it? I have had that ending in my head since I first started lol. I just wanted to tell every1 who has left really great reviews that I appreciate their support!
Stuck in the corner: plz obs!
Steelo: u were one of my best reviewers! Thanks a lot for the support!
Dracosgirl2515: I am a huge fan of your work and it was great to get feedback from you!
Dracoxme4ever: it was great to read your reviews!
Black Padfoot: thanks for the reviews!
… ok I know a bunch of other ppl reviewed… but I have only a few minutes before I have to leave and I just really want to get this posted!
.. would NE1 be interested in a prequel? (Besides Zoë!) lol
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