Title: Helping Her
Genre: Humor/Romance
Category: Harry Potter
Summary: Draco Malfoy is always the center of attention, not the attention giver. When he and Ron Weasley accidentally turn Hermione into a five-year-old, Draco will have to give all the attention he has to the small girl.
Crys: So, yeah. This story in general is going to be twenty-five chapters, meaning that you only have three left. Isn't that sad? Well, thank you all for the reviews! I appreciated it!
If This Isn't Good: Okay, I just finished reading the rest of the fic and I was stunned at how good this is. You have NO idea how the twist and turn of moods just kept from laughing at on minute then on the brink of tears the next. If you write another fanfic, please email me so I know what it is. (Undiscovered Author for Chapter 21)
Chapter 22: Deja Vu or What?
Outside of the Great Hall, Hermione collapsed to her knees, not caring about soiling the fabric of her gown. She had been spending one of the best nights of her life with Draco Malfoy! No doubt she remembered what he said. 'I fancy you, of course.' He knew who she was and he fancied her? How could he? She had known him while she was five, not while she was seventeen! Why would he fancy her anyway?
"Hermione..." A soft voice said. Her head shot around to a tapestry, where someone was beating on it. Slowly, Hermione approached it.
"Step back..." She said. "Diffindo!" The tapestry fell down and there was no one there. But strangely enough, Hermione felt someone hugging her.
"Oh Hermione..." The voice said. "How are you? Don't you look wonderful." Hermione was awfully confused at the moment.
"Finite Incantem!" She said, pointing in the general direction of the object.
"What are you doing?" Slowly, Hermione's eyes were met with Ronald Weasley's electric blue ones.
"Ron!" She exclaimed loudly, running over and hugging him tightly. He let out a painful moan.
She stepped away. "I just feel a bit...sore." Hermione was ecstatic.
"Where were you? Everyone thought you were dead! Even Dumbledore announced you dead to the entire school!" Ron shook his head.
"I was stuck behind this tapestry, all of a sudden, felt like someone has been jumping up and down on my stomach." He smiled.
"How is everyone? I'm glad you're back to normal, Hermione." He told her, an arm around her shoulders.
"Well, I guess everyone is fine...we're still a little sore with Harry over the potion. And we've got to find Pansy; she'd fall out if she knew you were here." Almost running, Hermione and Ron found their way to the Slytherin Dungeons.
"Dungbeetle." She said, before the doors opened. The Common Room was near empty. A few first years scowled at the interruption, but Hermione told Ron to stay there as she walked up the steps of the Girls' Dormitories.
"Pansy?" She called out. A head shot up and looked around, before noting Hermione and the rest of the body uncovered from the silky green sheets.
"What are you doing here, Hermione? Wasn't the masquerade tonight? And it's twelve in the morning!" Pansy said, pulling a robe over her pajamas. Hermione crossed her arms in a strict manner and Pansy snorted rudely.
"Yeah, precisely why you aren't sleeping either, Pansy." The girl scowled. "Come down to the Common Room with me." Pansy shot the brunette a weird look.
"Why?"
"Just come on. You'll thank me later." With a yawn and sigh, Pansy followed Hermione down the stairs. The brunette was careful not to trip, as she was still wearing her black high heels from the Masquerade. She didn't want to think about the Masquerade, though. She let Pansy make her way down the rest of the steps and sat at the top.
Pansy stood in shock at the sight before her. Ron Weasley had his hands jammed in his pockets, watching her carefully, for any sign of movement. Excitedly, she ran over to him and hugged him tightly around the neck.
"Ron!" She exclaimed loudly. Even after Ron had let her go, her arms were around his neck, her head dropped onto his shoulder, and she could feel tears fall from her eyes. Ron rubbed her back soothingly. She had been afraid of his death; she had just fallen in love for him to die. But he was standing in front of her, embracing her.
"It's all right, Pansy. I'm right here; I'm not going anywhere." He said to her softly. He was equally as happy to see her, but he wouldn't be bursting into tears and sobbing in pajamas just yet. Well, he didn't think he would be. Finally, she let him go.
"Ron; I was so scared I lost you..." She said softly. He slung an arm comfortably around her shoulder and pulled her close to him.
"You're never going to lose me, Pansy. I'll always be here with you. Look, I better be leaving. I still need to find Ginny." He hesitated, before kissing her. "I love you."
The Common Room portrait opened to admit a sullen Draco Malfoy. He raised an eyebrow at Ron, his mask in his hand.
"Oh Draco..." Pansy said softly. "Why are you here?"
"The Masquerade was a disaster. I'm telling you, Pansy, she can't stand me!" The blonde Slytherin sat down on one of the couches kicked his feet up on a table, and tossed his silver Masquerade mask onto the flight of stairs the girl had just come down.
"I have to leave. Talk to you later. The both of you." Ron said, before exiting the Common Room.
"Draco, calm down. Oh, before I forget..." She ran over to the table and grabbed a roll of parchment. "This came for you." Draco gave Pansy a questioning glance, before looking down at the letter.
Draco,
How are you darling? I've gotten quite a few letters from the Ministry. I'm afraid to tell you dear, but the newspapers have been all over your father's death and some muggle. I haven't been able to owl you for having to see the Ministry about forensical things, but yes, Draco, he is dead. He was found in the Department of Mysteries, of all places. I sent the Daily Prophet for you; you can read up on the story. I hope you're doing all right. Owl me if you need anything. I'd really love to hear from you, though.
Love,
Mother.
Draco's hands were shaking throughout reading the letter. Pansy put a calming hand on his shoulder.
"Draco, I'm so sorry..." She said softly. The blonde looked up and met her eyes.
"Pansy, where is the newspaper article?" She reached over to where she had set the letter and grabbed the folded up newspaper. She handed it to Draco wordlessly and watched him, as he read it to himself.
Two Bodies Found in Department of Mysteries
Earlier on today, reporters were told, one Unspeakable traveling through the Department of Mysteries on patrol duty discovered two bodies laying side by side in the meeting room, dead. Later on, they were identified as a wizard by the name of Lucius Malfoy and a muggle by the name of Justin Granger. There are many weird connections that have been made by the Department of Mysteries workers.
"The
current Head Boy and Girl at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry are Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, they are safe, yet
both their fathers lay dead." said Jenna Maola, worker. "The
strangest part of that equation is, Justin Granger is a
muggle."
Many were worried about the discovery of our world. How would a muggle get into the Ministry? And to the highest floor and the most secured level? Odd enough, Lucius Malfoy retained burn marks and Justin Granger was hit with the Killing Curse. They were both killed with two distinct methods, Malfoy hurt in muggle procedures and Granger hit with a wizarding Unforgivable.
More on this story to page 37...
Draco folded up the newspaper and handed it to Pansy. "I've got to tell Hermione this, no matter how angry she is..." Pansy looked at him.
"I think she's here..."
"What!" Draco yelped, facing the girl. She looked at him.
"She brought Ron here to come and get me and I think..." Pansy retreated to the stairs. Draco tapped his foot patiently and waited for Pansy to return. When she did, she had Hermione by the wrist. Draco was too shocked to speak. So she had heard every word he had said. Ignoring that, he grabbed her wrist.
"I really don't care if you're angry at me for what I did, but listen--"
She tugged at her hand, but Draco wasn't letting her go, not yet. "Angry? That doesn't even begin to describe it. Why couldn't you just have--"
"Went to the Masquerade as myself? You wouldn't give me the time of day when I wasn't in Masquerading clothing, Hermione!" Draco answered furiously. Then, he calmed down. "Look, we have to argue about this later."
"I don't think there'll be a later." She said softly.
"Listen to me, Hermione, your father is dead!" Her head snapped up to meet his gaze. She shook her head in disbelief, stepping away from him slowly, but not getting far as he had a grip on her wrist.
"You're lying..." She said softly and sorrowfully. Pansy handed her the newspaper that Draco had held just a minute ago. Her eyes scanned it and she fell to her knees, sobbing in her hands. Draco knelt down in front of her and pulled her into his arms.
"Hermione, you realize, don't you, that every thing you did in the Dolattivone Potion world is coming true..." She continued to sob, shockingly wrapping her tear dampened hands around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder. Draco patted her back, just living in the moment. Despite it being one of sadness, Hermione stayed to receive comfort from him.
Sniffling, she pulled away from Draco. "He can't be dead--not because of that potion. It's another world! It shouldn't have killed anyone!"
"To think Potter gave it to you..." Draco said to himself. "Think about it. Ron, you put him under a Fidelius Charm, I saw you, and hurt him a bit, and he turns up half-hurt but safe. You killed your father and he turned up dead, and you burn my father and he turns up burned! There's no other logical explanation! And the fact that after the first form, you came back sustaining injuries..."
Hermione stood and wiped her eyes. "I should really get back to the Common Room..." She muttered. Draco took her hand.
"We're in the same Common Room; I'll go along. See you later Pansy." The girl retreated to her dormitory and Draco and Hermione left. Pansy sighed, halfway up the stairs. She seriously hoped Draco could get her to realize he wasn't joking. Leave it to her to think she's completely unlikeable. Pansy noted that Draco's silver mask wasn't on the stairs where he had thrown it.
--
In the Heads Common Room, Hermione stood in front of Draco.
"Do you want to talk about it now?" She asked softly. She loosened her corset and pulled it off, laying it on the couch. Draco sighed.
"I don't know, do you?" He asked. His eyes were nervously avoiding hers.
She softened. "I'm sorry about your father."
Draco laughed. "Well, I'm not." Hermione looked at him.
"Whether he was cruel to you or not, he's still your father."
"You wouldn't know, Hermione." He laughed callously. "He didn't deserve life."
"Don't say that!" She said angrily, stepping closer to him. "Everyone deserves life. Even Lucius Malfoy."
Draco stepped toe to toe with her, his lips only a hair away from hers. "Even me?" He breathed softly. She closed her eyes and nodded. As soon as she stopped nodding, she opened her eyes.
"I didn't hear you say it." Draco pressed. She glared at him.
"Even you. But you don't deserve love." She turned away and walked towards the stairs.
Draco scowled. "If all love is like what you just showed me, I don't think I'd want it." Hermione stood shocked, before turning around and walking back over.
"What now, Hermione? Are you going to tell me I'm wrong? I'm always wrong, right? Draco Malfoy never does anything right...I can't even get you to love me right." The blonde boy turned without another word and walked into his dormitory.
Hermione sat down on the couch and reached back over for her corset, pulling out the silver mask Draco had thrown onto the stairs in the Slytherin Common Room. What exactly was the boy playing at? 'I can't even get you to love me right.' Did he really mean that? With a sigh, Hermione walked up to her bedroom, her mask in her hand and her heart in her throat.
--
In the Gryffindor Common Room, Ginny sat, smiling. She had spent most of her time with Blaise that night, as she thought she would. He had told her that he believed they would spend their night together, because they were made for each other. She looked up at the entrance and saw someone come in. It was unmistakably her brother Ron.
Jumping up, Ginny screamed, "Ron!" and ran all the way over to him, hugging him so hard that he toppled back against the portrait with a, "Whoa, Ginny!"
"Ron...I thought--everyone thought--Pansy..." Ginny was unable to form logical sentences.
Her brother laughed. "Everyone thought I was dead, Ginny, I know. I already saw Pansy and Hermione. Don't worry." His little sister buried her head back into his chest, happy that her brother was in fact not dead.
Many of the Gryffindors that had gone off to bed came back down to see Ron. The room was in joyous spirits, and soon enough, everyone was running off to snatch things from the kitchens happily. Harry walked down the stairs.
"Ron!" He exclaimed, running over. "Ron, are you all right?"
"Better now, Harry. Everyone's throwing a party for me, stick around, won't you?" The redhead told his friend, an impish grin on his face. Harry smiled back and clapped Ron on the shoulder.
"Will do, mate. Will do." Harry answered, flopping down on the couch. Ginny sat down beside him and Ron sat in the chair in front of them, smiling happily. It was a happy night for the Gryffindors. A happy night indeed.
Chapter 22: Deja Vu or What?
Quick Note: If you don't get the chapter title, it means that the things that happened in the Dolattivone Potion world are happening in the real one! Review! Sadly, you have three more chapters left... Try not to cry.
