Sorry the last chapter was really short and so here's an extra chapter today to make up for it!
7pm on the dot both of them reached the door of the library. They pretended to ignore each other and took different routes to their table in the back. Draco reached first. As soon as Hermione turned around the bookshelf he pulled her into the alcove and kissed her deeply.
"I missed you…" She said when they broke apart
"So did I…" He kissed her…
They sat next to each other instead of opposite each other. She held his hands and looked at him…
"So, what now?" She asked
"I don't know… but I do know that you can't tell potty and weasel just yet…"
"Those are dreadful nicknames ferret and they are my best friends…"
"Ouch… I know they are important, but not yet… A lot is going to change now that…" The words the Dark Lord has risen again were left unsaid
"I know… and I know that your father was part of that but you can choose differently…" She said…
"It's not that simple 'mione" he sighed
"Never is with you…" She smiled
He smiled back… "I can't just choose, there are choices that will be out of my hands… I have to keep up appearances…"
"I want to say run away and leave it all behind but they are your family…" She said sadly
Why did she have to be so smart he thought. "Yes they are…" he said…
They sat there silently for a while just enjoying the pleasure of each others company. Holding hands, sharing kisses, cuddling. Draco wished he could stop time and just be here for the rest of time.
After a while she said "I need to go, they'll be wondering where I am…"
"We could go to the come and go room?"
"Draco, Harry saw Cedric… I have to be there with him…" She said..
"Noble Gryffindor"
"Selfish Slytherin"
"Touché…" He said and gave her one last kiss…
"I'll see you tomorrow…" He asked "Same time?"
"No… I'll let you know when… if we don't change the time people might get suspicious…" She said
She gave his hand a squeeze and left
—
It was the last day of the school year, everyone was getting ready to get on the train. Hermione had revealed the captured Skeeter to Harry and Ron. She had only told Draco about it. She didn't trust Skeeter enough to show her to him.
Draco and Hermione had spent the last hour snogging in the replica of his mother's rose garden in the room requirement. Promising to write to each other all summer. Draco had told her to be careful as he didn't know what changes were going to happen.
They decided that apart from Blaise it was not a good idea to let anyone else know. Hermione had come up with an ingenious way to write to each other and never get caught. She created two diaries with the protean charm. Whatever was written in one could be seen in the other and vice versa. It was ingenious and spared either of them the explanation of unknown owls.
Draco closed his eyes and afternoon turned to night. Hermione smiled and pointed out the constellation he was named after.
"Yes, it's a Malfoy custom that we name our children after stars and constellations…"
"I think it's nice to have some traditions like that…" She said "By the way!" She continued enthusiastically "I understand why elves have to be bonded and why freeing them isn't a good idea… "
"Oh really? Did the last tome help…"
"Well, actually it was Ron's brother Bill…. He took me to the henge to show me familial magic and that helped…"
"You did what?" Draco was worried…
"Nothing, Bill just showed me his familial magic… that's all…"
"Did he use anything except for his blood?" He asked frantically
"No… why would you ask that…" She was worried
"Oh good… okay.. I'm glad… just don't do these things without me next time okay…" He said
"Draco what's going on… why are you so bothered…" She asked
"'Mione there are a ton of things about magic, old magic, blood magic, familial magic that people don't know about okay… I myself don't know much…. Heck even the Dark Lord or Dumbledore for that matter don't know about a lot of things… There are rituals and customs for all of this to keep wizards safe from it… One wrong move and you could have been bonded for life, or adopted or anything… " He said
"Really? Do you have tomes about these ancient magics in your library?" She asked
"Yes.. I do actually… I haven't read all of them but i'll tell you one thing a henge is a powerful site, there are several thousand over the world and any number of them could be magic… so please next time you want to venture into sites of mythic lore just read about it first or ask me and I'll look it up for you or get you the books… just don't go there by yourself with people who have little to no knowledge about them…"
"Well Bill is a curse breaker for Gringotts so I'm guessing he knew what he was doing…"
"Really a curse breaker… wow… that's… wow…. I almost respect him…" Draco said amazed
Hermione hit him "hey! They are not all… "
"Ron?" Draco teased
"Well, yes…" She laughed
He joined her and that's how they spent the last day just being with each other laughing, kissing and desperately trying to forget that they won't be seeing each other for the entire summer.
—
Truth be told Draco didn't come to antagonise Potter, he'd actually just come to see her. That's why his wand wasn't at the ready. That was the only reason he'd gotten jumped. But he had said some mean things. Hermione had excused herself to the loo and told Zabini to help out his friend on the way.
She saw him hug his mother. He gave her smile over his mother's shoulder and so they parted for the summer, or so they thought.
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