Author's Note: Chapter Eight…YAY! I just can't get over the end of this chapter. This is when things really start getting good, when the road really starts to get rocky. Oh joy, I love this. But an update on the story; Soon after I posted chapter seven, I really finished this story and then started writing the next installment of this. I'd say its going pretty good and it's sticking to this story so keep reading and reviewing if you ever want to get to that part.
P.S. If I'm feeling up to it, I might post a few more chapters today just to get it over with.
Chapter Eight
"Are you sure it will work?" Hermione asked, as Pansy licked the letter's seal. She nodded.
"Hate to brag, but Daddums gives me everything and anything I want." Pansy said, with Draco sitting next to her. Harry and Ron still weren't exactly talking to her, but she didn't really mind. Hermione smirked.
"How long will it take? For him to, well, get back to his regular self of course." Hermione asked.
"Maybe a few weeks. Close to a month, even." Draco told her. "It should be worth the wait, though, right?"
"Of course, of course." Pansy said, getting up with a smile. The three of them walked towards the Owl post. Draco walked on Hermione's left side and Pansy on her right side. It was odd, being in the middle of them. It was even odder knowing that they were making her problem theirs.
The end of October air was colder than she had remembered. She hugged herself and rubbed her arms, the way Cedric would when she got cold. She looked at Draco as he placed his robes over her shoulders. He shoved his hands in his pockets. Hermione hated it how guys never got as cold as girls. She looked at Pansy who was also wearing robes, but they were her own.
As soon as they got to owlpost, a black owl flew towards Pansy. It landed on her arm, looking for a treat. Draco dug around in his pockets and finally found a cracker, tossing it to the owl. Pansy gave the letter to the owl as soon as it was finished devouring the cracker. It flew off of her arm and soared into the sky.
"Do you think Voldemort will actually do it?" Hermione asked.
"Of course he will, Hermione. My father has been at his side ever since Draco's got put away." This thought scared Hermione a little.
"He won't…you know…try to use Cedric against us will he?"
"No…Cedric will know his history." Draco reminded her. Hermione nodded, remembering and hoping that Pansy's dad could get Voldemort to do it, without him knowing that it was because of her.
Hermione sat in Jane's class, Defense Against the Dark Arts. They were going over repelling jinxes and what not. Hermione wasn't too interested so she flipped through her book, to the back and then to the front. The front was a list of names that had the book. It dated back for about two decades. She wrote her name at the bottom and then skimmed through. She stopped at Cedric's name, wondering if any of the doodles in the back had been made by him. She flipped to the back once again and looked at them all. There in the corner, barely noticeable, was CD+HG with a heart around it.
"Ms. Granger, are you paying attention?" Jane asked. Hermione looked up and everyone but Harry and Ron looked back.
"No," she said. Finally Harry and Ron did look back.
People seemed to be surprised that Hermione Granger hadn't been paying attention and had actually admitted to not been paying attention. "What exactly were you looking at, then?" Hermione swallowed. "Five points if you're honest."
"Something Cedric Diggory wrote." Hermione said. Ron scoffed and turned around.
"What did he write?"
"His initials and mine in a heart." Her classmates started laughing and turned back to their own books, but Harry continued to look at her. Jane seemed slightly confused.
"Wasn't he a little bit older than you?" Jane said. "We would have been the same age if he hadn't died." Hermione bit the inside of her cheek, wanting a hand to squeeze. She looked at Harry. "Nonetheless, you get five points for being honest and for having the whole class laugh at you because they didn't believe you."
"They don't have to. They haven't heard the story." Hermione continued looking at Harry.
"What was the story?" Jane asked out of curiosity.
"He told me he loved me, we got in a fight and then a few weeks before he died…he asked for my forgiveness and told me he would die for me. I told him to stop talking and show me. Then he did." The class went silent and slowly turned to look at her again. Hermione looked at her lap, avoiding the stares.
"Class dismissed." Jane said. Everyone got up, except for her, and left. Jane crouched down next to her seat. "Cedric was my cousin. He wrote to Annie and me many times about you. He said that you were wonderful. We were the only one's he could trust to keep a secret, considering we had no social life. He really did love you, Hermione. You don't have to ask yourself about it, because he really did. And it wasn't your fault he died, he was helping Harry, your best friend let me remind you."
Hermione was silent and Jane took her book. "You don't have to be reminded of such a horrible past." She put it back on the shelf of books and then pulled out one of her newest ones. "Keep this one. It was mine. It's got a few tricks as well. It'll keep you more interested, or at least make you look like you are." Jane handed her the book smiling. Hermione flipped through its pages and saw notes everywhere.
"I know it's hard, Hermione, for you to start remembering this again. But someday, you will find someone who is better than Cedric." Hermione stood up angrily, grabbing her stuff.
"There's no one better then Cedric, Jane, you should know that." Hermione said very heated and walked out.
Lunch was just getting started when she walked in. She sat down on the very end of the table and started eating so she could leave quickly. She didn't have the strength to put up with Ron's nonsense that day.
It had been a few days since they had sent the letter. Pansy had put in some good details and reasons to make her father convince Voldemort to bring Cedric back, leaving out Hermione of course.
The doors opened and in came the girls from Slytherin. Pansy glanced at Hermione and then chucked a piece of parchment at her. Hermione caught it and opened it. It was a letter from Pansy's father.
Darling,
I have received your letter about this Diggory boy. I talked to Voldemort about it and convinced him to do it. It wasn't easy, but I am getting him to do it. Of course the process will take a while, so be patient.
Love,
Your father.
Hermione smiled and then shoved the paper into her bag. She couldn't believe it was happening. Cedric was going to come back and they could be together again. For everyone to see this time around though and they would all wonder how he came back to life. When they asked, she would just simply smile and say "It was a miracle." Amos would be very happy she expected.
Harry took the seat across from her and looked at her as she ate. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I didn't know…I was angry that you had kept a secret from me."
"Its fine, Harry. It's just that Cedric and I were something special. I didn't want to betray you by being with him, and it was just so hard to tell you after he had died. You already had so much on your mind." She told him, her mouth full of food.
"You sure?"
"Yeah," she said, looking up and nodding. "Say, are you going to the Halloween ball tonight?"
"Of course, we have to remember? We're head boy and girl."
"Oh yeah. Who are you taking?"
"Ginny," She nodded in approval. "What about you?"
"No one. Has Ron got a date?"
"He asked Pansy. She said yes, only to piss Malfoy off." Hermione was amazed. "You should go with him, 'Mione. He's nice to you."
"Malfoy and me? No way, that will never happen."
"Why not?" Someone said from back of her. Hermione turned around and saw him standing behind her. Hermione felt like she had just choked, but hadn't really felt the pain.
"Because," she turned back around, her cheeks burning. He sat down next to her, each leg on a side of the bench.
"It's kind of a crazy thought I suppose. But we are supposed to bring the school closer together. It's kind of odd how Pansy and I are trying harder then you two. Give up your pride, Granger. Go to the ball with me." Hermione looked at him, but she only saw Cedric.
"I, uh…" She wanted to say no, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. "Uh…sure."
Hermione sighed looking through the dresses that her mom had sent her. She didn't feel like getting all dressed up to go to a fancy ball. Every year was allowed to go, to bring the school even closer which meant she had to watch over the mischievous kids. She was just too exhausted.
But she continued looking and finally found a black halter dress that had ruffles at the end. It was quite slinky, making it form fitting. It was simple and she could dress it up with some of her heirlooms.
She quickly pulled it over her head and grabbed her wand. She flicked her wand at her hair and quickly it was put in an up do of curls. She tapped her face once and white eye shadow lined the outside of her eyes. She had dramatic red lipstick and blush on. Finally, she put some pearl earrings and a pearl necklace on. "That was quick enough." Hermione said, but she still felt very tired.
She walked out and found Pansy and Ginny talking casually. It seemed that Pansy and Draco were trying harder to pull the school together. Pansy was dressed in a purple strapless to the floor gown and Ginny in a satin red spaghetti strapped dress that went to the floor as well. "You two look wonderful." Hermione complimented them, sitting down on the edge of one of the leather chairs.
"Thanks," they said in unison.
"Where's Ron?" Hermione asked Ginny.
"He's in Harry's room helping him get ready." Pansy answered for her. Hermione nodded making an 'o' with her lips. Finally Draco came out, dressed in a black button up shirt, with black pants and black shoes. There wasn't anything that really stood out except for his loose white tie and the two buttons that were undone. He smiled at Pansy and Ginny and then walked over to Hermione. He held out his hand smiling. Hermione placed her small hand in his and then stood up, just as Harry and Ron came out. Harry was wearing a nice suit with a red tie. Ron was wearing a purple suit with a white tie. They all matched; it was somewhat funny to Hermione.
Draco and Hermione walked down to the ball together with many of their classmates looking at them like they were crazy. They couldn't believe that they were seeing Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, sworn enemies, walking down the hall together as dates. It made them whisper and giggle.
They walked into the barely illuminated Great Hall with the music already echoing quite loudly. Hermione stood in the entrance looking at the crowds and the cliques. Hermione then remembered the fact that they head boys and girls had to dance with their dates in front of everyone. She had wondered why they were learning a ball room dance all over again. Jane and Annie approached them, Jane wearing black and Annie wearing white. "I'm glad to see you two together." Annie told Draco and Hermione. "You make an attractive couple." Hermione's eyes widened. Draco just smirked though.
Hermione sighed as they got onto the dance floor and the ballroom music started. Hermione looked away because she couldn't bare look at him. It was too weird. He lifted her high up into the air, so high that Hermione got a little scared and looked down at him. He put her down again and they continued dancing. "How exciting, eh? Sometimes I wish I was the girl, it seems more fun. The guys have to do all the work."
"It's scary, Malfoy."
"Hermione, call me Draco. I believe you call Pansy by her first name, don't you?"
"Well yes, but it's just different."
"Of course it is." They twirled around, and Hermione kept her eyes on his as he kept his smirking face on.
"Do you like the sound of that piano up there? He plays quite fast, doesn't he?" He asked her. Hermione looked over and saw the man playing the piano. She remembered that Cedric could play and had even tried to teach her once, but she just couldn't get it.
"Quite fast indeed, Draco." Up again, Hermione went. "Do you have to go so high?"
"It's not my fault, Hermione. I have long arms and I'm taller then your practice partner, Longbottom is quite short."
"He's the same height as me." Hermione stated.
"Well you should have gotten to Weasley faster then. You two are both equally tall I think. Well in heels you are anyway. You look magnificent tonight, might I add." Hermione remembered that word from her and Pansy's conversation a few weeks ago. She had said that Cedric's body was magnificent.
"Thank you," she answered. She concentrated on the last part of the dancing but still acknowledged the fact that he was talking to her. Finally it was done and Hermione was almost out of breath. She bowed, holding Draco's hand as the crowd around them clapped and whistled. Rose petals were tossed out and Hermione felt her stomach turn. She hadn't seen a rose in forever, not since that night when she and Cedric had made love.
She stood up straight as real music started to play and the kids jumped up and down in pure excitement. Hermione, Ginny and Pansy sat down while the guys went to get drinks. "That was kind of fun," Pansy said smiling. "Ron's not that bad of a dancer."
The guys sat down with the drinks and Hermione gulped hers down faster then everybody else. "Did it occur to you, that you had been humming that whole song?" Draco asked. Hermione looked up, taking the cup away and burping. She covered her mouth in embarrassment and shook her head. "It was interesting to hear it. You are one fast hummer." The rest of them laughed.
Perhaps it was only because Cedric played it once and she remembered the whole thing. She had just realized that too. Hermione stood up as they all chattered on and more people sat down at their table. "Where are you going?" Draco asked kind of concerned.
"To get a breath of air." Draco stood up.
"I'll come with." They walked outside and Hermione shivered as she looked around.
"Not the kind of weather I should be wearing a dress in." She said with her teeth chattering.
"I would give you my robes, but I'm not wearing any." Draco told her looking up at the sky. Hermione looked at him and then reached out, looping her arm with his. He looked down and beamed. "You're quite a tool, Hermione."
"I've seen far too many deaths to not be one." She told him as he put his arms around her body to warm her. "Do you think Cedric will be the same when he gets back?"
"He had a heart of gold; he might have a heart of silver this time." Hermione smirked at his dumb joke. "Let's go back in, even I'm getting cold." They walked back into the school and then into the Great Hall to see that everyone was dancing and not even their friends were sitting down anymore. They watched everyone dancing and trying to talk over the music but it was no good unless they yelled.
"You know this song as well?" Draco asked, looking at her. She looked up and saw his eyes, only his eyes. This time she didn't see Cedric, she saw Draco. She nodded keeping her gaze on him. He did the same. Draco took his hands out of his pockets, setting them gently on her cold cheeks, however when he did this, they erupted with heat. Hermione swallowed, fearing what was to come. His eyes sparkled from the candlelight as well as Hermione's.
CRASH! Draco turned to witness the screaming and the smoke. Everybody ran for the doors and some wands were pulled out and already throwing spells. Draco was pushed so hard, that he and Hermione were both rammed into the wall. Hermione's hands were found at Draco's waste and Draco's were on her arms as if he were protecting her.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked. Draco looked around for signs.
"I don't know…" he said still searching. Finally he caught a glimpse of a snow white head. "Oh, fuck." He grabbed her by the arm and tried pushing through the crowd, but it was too hard. "Go!" He told Hermione pushing her through. "Just go back to the common room and I'll meet you there." Hermione looked at him and then he disappeared in the crowd. She ran up to the common room so confused. Ginny and Harry were already up there, completely occupied by kissing.
"Where's Ron and Pansy?" Hermione asked. The quickly tore away from each other and sat up straight.
"Still down there, why? You look a mess." Harry said.
"There's been an attack." Hermione said.
"Well where's Malfoy?"
"I lost him," Hermione said quickly. "He was scared and angry…nervous. He tried to kiss me." Hermione said. Harry was surprised and confused. He stood up getting out his wand.
"Ginny stay here, Hermione you need to come with me." Harry said. They left Ginny in a perplexed state and ran down to the Great Hall.
"Malfoy tried to kiss you?" Harry asked.
"Yeah…and then there was screams and someone pushed us into the wall and then I got caught in the crowd and he told me to go up to the common. I suspect that McGonagall will want us down there to fight off the people. I'm guessing they were Death Eaters. I saw hoods." They got in and the Great Hall was empty with a few dead bodies on the ground. She exhaled greatly at the sight. Draco's dad was slurred across the floor and not breathing.
Hermione looked for Draco. He was sitting in pain and Madame Pomfrey along with Ron and Pansy were at his side. Hermione ran over to him. "What happened?" Hermione asked.
"His father tried to kill him, but someone else…they got to Lucius first." Pansy said slowly and sounding quite exhausted. She cleared her throat and Hermione found Draco's wound in the side of his stomach.
"Well who did it?" Hermione asked. "Killed his father?" Ron and Pansy looked at her, wondering if they should tell her or not.
"Jane did. She didn't cast the kind of spell we would have though." Pansy finally said.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"She spoke in some kind of language. I know that all spells are a different language, but this was different." Pansy sounded scared. "And then she ran, out of the Great Hall and Annie ran after her." Hermione knew this couldn't be good.
Hermione turned to Harry. "I need the map." He dug in his pockets and then pulled it out. He handed it to her and then she was off to find the twins. She opened it up, her eyes darting towards the two last names that were near each other. It was the Transfiguration room. Hermione sprinted towards it and found Annie trying so desperately to control Jane and make her drink a golden potion. Slughorn was there also. Annie looked up noticing desperate Hermione.
"Close the door, Hermione. And lock it." Annie demanded. Jane struggled to get out of the chair she was sitting in.
"What…what happened?" Hermione asked walked towards them.
"Most twins tend to come looking the same, we did. But one of them is bound to have a disorder. Jane does." Annie spoke through clenched teeth, trying to open Jane's mouth. "Being twin witches of course, this disorder involves magic. Jane was the princess of Death Eaters. Just like Harry's prophecy, Jane had one too. My parents tried to run away from the Death Eaters before we were born. But they found them and- oh Slughorn, can you finish the story!" Annie asked very annoyed.
"The Death Eaters found Annie's parents and gave Jane all the powers in the world. Except Jane was barely born and growing up, she didn't know how to control her powers. Even with the finest tutors, she couldn't seem to get anything right. Jane was raised to know that becoming the princess of all this was not the right choice. But she can't seem to control her urges to destroy everything sometimes, especially doing a darker spell."
"She's the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor though. It doesn't seem right." Hermione said outraged.
"Jane loves children, so Annie with my help made an antidote to cure her urges for a while. Sometimes it will wear off fast and other times it will last for days. We're never quite sure."
"The language though, Pansy told me that she had something different from the language we say our spells in." Hermione said, still baffled.
"Another power they gave her, or tried to at least, was Parseltongue. The spell didn't work too well though, considering she wasn't even born yet. She can speak to snakes, but it comes out in a different tone. This tone is the second pair of vocal chords she has. The antidote, which is Sphinx blood by the way, can control this, but as I said before, it differs time to time." Slughorn explained. "And when the antidote starts to wear off, it becomes hard for her to control her speaking, her spells and killing Death Eaters. She killed Lucius just as it started to wear off and she was smart enough to run to Annie's class room to find the antidote. She would have killed everyone if she hadn't come here. She has a lust for death when she's off the potion." Slughorn finished explaining and looked at Jane as she screamed, begging for Annie to let her go.
"Scortor!" Jane screamed. Hermione stepped back a few feet, scared of what Jane was becoming. She looked at her wand and then back at Jane and how much Annie was struggling.
"Petrificus totalus!" Hermione yelled pointing the wand at Jane. Jane froze in place and Annie let out a sigh of relief and poured the potion into Jane's mouth. Jane suddenly woke up from the charm, coughing but swallowing the potion. She screamed in her second tone voice getting up and running to a table. She flipped it over in rage. Her voice could crack a window and surely had as she ran towards Hermione, her arms out as if she were going to choke Hermione. Hermione backed away and then Jane stopped. She coughed grabbing her neck and then blinked. The potion had worked.
She looked at Annie and then ran to her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Did I kill someone?" Annie nodded. Jane glared at Annie as her breathing got heavier, as tears started to roll down her cheeks. Annie didn't seem to show any sympathy for her sister, she did however look at Slughorn.
Hermione slowly backed away, exiting the room. She had seen too much. She turned around and came face to face with Draco. She gasped.
"So you've finally heard the story about Jane Cavanaugh?" he asked. She nodded. "Come on," He said taking her hand and leading her to the Great Hall. It was empty.
"Jane is the princess of the Death Eaters, she's related to Cedric who you were involved with, and soon after he was killed by Voldemort."
"Peter Pettigrew." Hermione corrected him. "He killed Cedric."
"Of course he did." Draco led them towards the stage and crouched down, picking something up, but still hanging onto Hermione's hand. He stood up straight and held out a pearl earring. "I believe this is yours though." Hermione took it looking at him. Hermione got closer to him, her stomach touching his. He winced in pain.
"I think I owe you something though." Hermione whispered, putting her free hand on his neck and standing on her tip toes. She looked at his lips and then him. Finally she kissed him. Draco embraced this, making it more passionate by running his tongue over her lips. She felt beautiful for the first time in a while, she felt wanted.