Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, only the plot. I wish I owned Tom Felton but I'm not that lucky.
Chapter 10. Surprise
"Send for Hermione Granger immediately. Tell her nothing." Albus Dumbledore closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger. "Send for Draco Malfoy as well." The house elf that was almost to the door nodded and scurried away.
"Albus, what is it?" Dumbledore looked up at Damien.
"Tragedy. Hate. Spite." He shook his head and looked down at the muggle police report, and the unopened envelope addresses to Hermione Granger.
"Does it involve Draco? Is he injured?" A ghost of a smile touched Dumbledore's lips.
"He is a healthy, a perfectly healthy teenage boy."
"Is he involved?"
"I don't know. Indirectly maybe or not at all." Dumbledore straightened at the knock on the door. The door opened and revealed his two favorite students.
"Please, sit. Gingersnap?" Hermione and Draco sat, but declined the sweets.
"Hermione, I don't know how to tell you this. There has been… unfortunate news that has traveled to Hogwarts." Hermione's heart stopped. She had expected this news to come during the war, or right after Voldermort's disappearance, but not now. "Your parents have been killed." Hermione hung her head as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Draco looked at Hermione and didn't know what to do, what to say, if there was anything to say. He reached for her hand, just to let her know he was there.
"When?" Hermione's hand was ice cold in Draco's warm hand.
"Last night." Good news travels fast.
"How?" Hermione was expecting him to say they couldn't be sure what spell or spells was used.
"The police report states bullet wounds, to the heart." Hermione's head snapped up.
"They were shot?"
"Bullet wounds? Shot?" Draco had no idea what either was.
"Muggles have guns; you load them with bullets and shot things with them. They were originally used for hunting animals for food, and then someone made them to shot humans." Dumbledore smiled. Even in tragedy she was Hermione Granger.
"Muggles hunt one another?"
"Huh? No. They shot one another. I'll show you." At Draco's expression of terror Hermione quickly added, "In a western. Can I see the police report?" Hermione held out her hand and she quickly read everything.
"No suspects. Who would do this? They were dentists." Hermione felt the tears rolling down her cheeks but couldn't stop them.
"The police found this." Dumbledore handed her the envelope. She examined it, and then tore it open.
Hermione Granger,
This is in no way a form of blame on you. Stay away from the wizarding world. When you are of age, stay away from them. Don't stay in contact with anyone involved in the wizarding world. If you do no heed this warning, I'll kill everyone you love. Even Mr. Malfoy.
Seeker of Justice
Hermione dropped the note and let the tears fall freely. Draco picked up the note, read, it, then snatched Hermione and held her in his arms.
"Hermione, don't let them get to you."
"Draco, they killed my parents because I'm a witch!" Draco held her tighter and kissed her head.
"Miss Granger, there is a prophecy. One that states that teens from opposite houses will join together and bring down evil before ruling the wizarding world. Righting the wrongs that have been in our lives for so long. People seen to think that those teen are Draco and Yourself. If you're not in the wizarding world, you can't affect the wizarding world. Whoever killed your parents did so because of the prophecy." Hermione was speechless, how do you respond to something like that.
"Is that why I'm Head Boy? Is that why Harry Potter isn't?"
"No, you're Head Boy because you're the top of your class in the areas the Miss Granger is not. You are the brightest boy of your age. Mister Potter is not Head Boy because you are our first pick and accepted the responsibility." Draco was pacified by this answer. He was holding Hermione's hand but neither seemed to notice.
"Miss Granger, if you would like to visit Mrs. Pomfrey in the hospital wing, you may be excused from class." Hermione was dazed, confused, and slightly disoriented.
"No, I'm not going to let them take me from my studies. I'll be fine."
"Are you sure? I don't want my Head Girl overworked." Hermione could only not. She was going to cry. "Please excuse Mr. Malfoy and myself as we have other business to attend to." Hermione got up and kissed Draco before exiting.
"Nice little woman you have there." Draco whipped around expecting Lucius, instead found himself looking at a man with family resemblance, but one he didn't remember ever knowing.
"Excuse me?" The man chuckled and repeated his earlier statement.
"Yeah, I like her enough." The man laughed this time. "Is there something I should know?"
"Draco, my dear boy, I'm your great-grandfather that no one talks about. I didn't believe in our family hate of all things muggle. I became Head Master of Hogwarts and was practically disowned." The entire announcement was said so proudly, Draco was sure toddlers used the same tone when they finally pottied in the toilet.
"What does this have to do with me?"
"Ah, well, I see where your heart lies, and I want you to know that if Lucius disowns you, there will be no heir to carry on the family name."
"So, it doesn't matter what I do? He can't throw me out." The thought brightened his whole outlook. He could marry Hermione, and the family couldn't stop him. He almost smiled.
"It's good to know someone in this family has brain cells." Draco smirked at Damien's picture.
"I must have inherited them."
Hermione continued the rest of the day in a haze. Harry and Ron tried to lift her spirits. Ginny was there for her to cry on, and before she knew it, she was lying on the couch in the Head's Dorm.
She didn't hear the rain outside, but if she did she would have thought it perfect that it rained today, something to match her mood, and she had always loved the rain. She didn't see the flickering light from the fire a few feet in front of her. If she had she would have been put in a trance, and would have forgotten the pain, if only for a moment. She didn't feel the heat from the flames so near to her, and didn't think she would feel heat ever again in her life. All she saw were her parents. Her loving parents that had always been there for her. Always held her when she cried always comforted when she was afraid. Now they were gone. Ripped away from her. She didn't know tears were falling down her cheeks until Draco spoke. She hadn't even known he was there.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He'd sat down on a chair, had been watching her, wondering what could be said to help her through this. Wondering what he could do for her.
"I can't believe they're gone. It hasn't even sunk in all the way, and yet, I already miss them."
"I would have liked to meet them. To meet the people that created and raised you." He didn't add the woman he loved. He figured it was the wrong time, all things considered.
"My father wanted to meet you. Have a man to man talk with you. He didn't hate, just the pain you caused me. He wanted to know, to know why you were so horrible. When I explained about your father, and what I knew about your mum, he wanted to meet you even more." Hermione remembered all the times her father had asked to meet Draco. What if she had actually let them meet each other?
"I'm not sure how I would have taken to meeting a muggle. I probably would have insulted him with my ignorance."
"No. My father didn't insult easy. He would have found a way to teach you without you ever knowing you had learned something." Hermione laughed then continued, remembering the way things used to be. "I was never allowed to do work when I went home. School was for work, home was for life."
"That's why you're a bookworm here."
"My father figured I'd be a happier person if I threw myself into whatever I did one hundred percent. He was right." Hermione grew silent thinking about what she would say to her father, if she had one more chance to tell him anything.
"What about your mum?"
"My mum was wonderful. She would have loved me no matter what I did. Her only request was that I be happy. She also insisted that I learn how to cook." Hermione laughed remembering the first time she tried to cook anything. She had over salted the dish, then burned it beyond redemption, so her father had gotten pizza saying she one hundred percent sure knew how to burn things, and this was the worse it was going to be.
"Did they accept you? As a witch?" Hermione looked at Draco, he'd never seen her so beautiful. He wanted to capture this moment, and remember how she looked now, with her hair all over, and her eyes big and wide, her mouth pouty but proud. He wanted to bottle this moment so on days when he had nothing, he could remember this.
"They loved it. I guess Huxley was right. The things we love destroy us."
"No. Hermione, you had nothing to do with this. You're not to blame. Some idiot who was afraid of what might happen is." Draco picked her up and hugged her against him.
"I didn't-didn't even get to s-s-sa-say g-good-bye." Draco could have killed the man responsible with his bare hands.
"Hermione, I'm sure they know."
"They wouldn't be dead if it weren't' for me. If I weren't a witch."
"Hermione, you can't blame yourself for being who you are."
"Why? It killed them!"
"They wouldn't want that. Your parents wouldn't have wanted you hating yourself, or blaming yourself. You're happy being a witch, they were happy you were a witch. They wouldn't have wanted you to hate something that was so much a part of yo9u. They wouldn't have wanted you to blame yourself for something you had no control over." Hermione stared at Draco, shocked that he had said the most beautiful thing to her, and mesmerized that he knew her parents so well form what she'd just told him.
"I love you." She hadn't meant to say it. It had just come out, but now that she had said it, she didn't want to take them back. Draco was shocked that she loved him, but he knew he couldn't hide it anymore.
"I love you, too."