Friday, September 25, 1998
Hermione exited the Potions classroom and headed up to the Great Hall. Malfoy hadn't shown up to class today but since they had started trialing their potion yesterday, she wasn't all that concerned. She had spent the class time going over her notes and plans for the project.
She was on her way to have lunch with the Gryffindor first-year that she had met yesterday when she had been grabbing ingredients for the potion. It had been a bold decision on her part to make lunch plans, since she generally tried to avoid the Great Hall and younger students. Hermione was feeling a little bit nervous for where the conversation would go, she hoped that Clare wouldn't ask too many questions about the war. At least she was feeling more positive today and would be in a more conversational mood.
As she entered the Great Hall, she spotted the tiny blond first-year sitting alone at the Gryffindor table. Clare waved as she spotted Hermione and gave her a big grin. The other students along the table had also spotted Hermione and were whispering.
Hermione sat down across from Clare at the long table and gave a nervous smile. "Hi Clare. How are you?"
"I'm great! I just had Charms and we're starting some new spells. How are you?" Clare was the epitome of bubbly.
"I'm well, thank you for asking. I just came from Potions. How are your classes? What's your favourite class so far?" Hermione inquired.
"Oh, I don't know. I like them all! Is it true that you used to read all of your textbooks before classes even began? I heard that you were the brightest witch of your age!" Clare gushed.
Hermione tried not to wince. What used to fill her with pride seemed to make her uncomfortable lately. She tried to swallow those feelings to respond nicely to Clare. "Yes, but I honestly read them because I wanted to catch up to the other students my age. As a Muggleborn witch it can be intimidating." She admitted. "Although the more I read, the more I enjoyed it and it turned into a natural interest." She smiled at Clare.
"I wish I had done that. I'm going to read all my text books this summer so that I can come back to Hogwarts as the brightest witch of my age- just like you!" Clare looked excitedly at Hermione.
"That's sweet. It can be nice to be prepared but do what feels right for you. Don't do something just because I did it. I missed out on other things while I spent all summer reading." Hermione sighed but gave a soft smile.
"Oh…" Clare responded, looking confused. "But I want to be just like you. It's really great to have another Muggleborn witch to look up to. And you saved the Wizarding World!"
"Well let's hope the Wizarding World doesn't need any more saving anytime soon. I also got myself into a lot of dangerous situations. You're so lucky because you get to be you. I want to see what Clare Hartley, the Muggleborn witch does, when she stays true to herself." Hermione smiled at Clare.
"So you'll be my mentor?" Clare asked excitedly, her eyes shining brightly at Hermione with hope.
Hermione felt uncomfortable with the proposition, but responded, "I'll be your friend. We can have lunch once a month, if you like."
Clare squealed. "Thank you. Thank you!" She gave Hermione a big smile. "I don't actually have a lot of friends yet. I've only made one friend, her name is Becca. She's not in my house either, so it can be a bit lonely at times. She's a Slytherin. We met on the Hogwart's Express!"
"That's great. I am glad to hear you have made friends with a Slytherin. McGonagall is encouraging house unity now more than ever. Is there anyone you can talk to in Gryffindor? My friend Ginny is Head Girl, I am sure she can introduce you to another Gryffindor in your year if you like." Hermione responded.
"That would be great! It's really lonely at times. I miss home a lot. The girls in my room don't really seem to like me. I just don't know any of the things they talk about." Clare looked down.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I felt the same way when I was a first-year. It can be hard to be a Muggleborn too, because you may not have the same interests as the Witches that grew up in magical families. My first friend was Harry, and he also grew up with Muggles so we easily had things in common. But, one of my other best friends, Ron grew up in a magical family so with time it got easier to make other friends." Hermione smiled at Clare. She could vividly remember how upset and lonely she felt those first few weeks at Hogwarts, leading up to Halloween when she got caught in the bathroom with a troll and Harry and Ron saved her. "It will get better."
Clare looked at Hermione with relief in her eyes. She gave a small smile. "I didn't know it was hard for you too. My friend Becca in Slytherin is a half-blood so she knows some of the things I do and also some things about magic. It's really great to have her as my friend. She's introduced me to a lot!"
"It's great to have a friend like that." Hermione smiled at Clare. Hermione felt kind of emotional talking to Clare. Clare reminded her of her younger self. She also realized that without Harry and Ron at Hogwarts, it just didn't feel the same for her. They were her lifelines, her true friends.
"It is. I heard that you share a common room with a Slytherin - but a Death Eater." Clare looked at her nervously with surprise in her eyes.
Hermione was surprised at first that Clare knew or was brave enough to ask, but it made sense. There were probably rumors going around. Clare was the curious type.
"I do. Malfoy and I are the only returners after the war that want to finish our education. He went to trial and was found not guilty. Therefore he was allowed back." Hermione replied carefully.
"But how could you be near him and share a common room?! He's evil and hates Muggleborns!" Clare asked.
"It's more complex than that, Clare. He has changed. We all have to be open to change as people. And we have to be open to forgiveness." Hermione said kindly.
"Hmmm… You really are smart, Hermione." Clare said thoughtfully. "I never thought of it like that."
"It's like they say - don't judge a book by it's cover." Hermione replied.
"I can't wait to write to my parents to tell them I met Hermione Granger! They'll be so excited. I've told them all about you and the things you have done!" Clare exclaimed. Hermione had a brief reminder of Colin Creevey, and his adoration of Harry. A hollow feeling in the pit of Hermione's stomach started to grow. Colin was dead.
"That's lovely. I'm glad they let you come to Hogwart's after hearing about the war. Tell your parents I send my regards. I'm going to have to go soon, Clare. I have a lot of work to catch up on." Hermione responded sadly.
"Okay, well I had so much fun having lunch with you. I'll let my parents know! I'm sure they would love to talk to you and your parents. They haven't really met any other parent's with a witch for a daughter. Do you have any tips?" Clare inquired.
Hermione's stomach dropped. She had to get out of the Great Hall. "I'm sorry, Clare, I don't have any tips right now. I'll try to think of some for our next lunch date. Have a good day!" Hermione said a bit rushed and got up quickly to leave. She exited the Great Hall and felt tears starting to stream down her face. Her breathing was ragged, but she tried to slow her breaths and calm down. She felt exhausted. Socializing with Clare was nice, it really was rewarding and sweet, but it took a lot out of her.
Hermione managed to calm herself down and headed up to the Common room. She decided to take a nap before meeting up with Ginny, Harry and Ron tonight for drinks in Hogsmeade. She would need even more energy to be social with them in a public setting.
Hermione woke up to a knock at her door. She quickly jerked awake and pulled a robe over herself. She was a bit confused but went to answer it, figuring it must be Malfoy.
She opened the door to find Ginny looking as fierce and beautiful as ever. Hermione furrowed her brow at Ginny but moved over as Ginny walked right past her into Hermione's room. "Everything okay?" Hermione inquired, concerned.
"Yes, but you're late. I thought you were going to meet me downstairs outside the Great Hall at 5? You better not be planning to back out of tonight's plans." Ginny glared at Hermione. "Or so help me I will drag your ass down to Hogsmeade." Ginny smirked but her eyes were serious.
"No, what time is it? Sorry, I took a nap after lunch and I guess I slept longer than I expected." Hermione felt a bit guilty.
"It's 5:15. I came up to your Common room, but you have yet to give me a password, so I was banging on the door until Malfoy came and let me in. He wasn't too happy about it- but I told him he had to let me in. He's such a prick" Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Oh…Sorry, again Gin. The password is Educere. I was trying to respect Malfoy's privacy too but that's fine, it's probably best you know it now. We're not meeting the boys until 6 still right? I can quickly get ready and we can go." Hermione smiled sheepishly at Ginny.
"Can I do your makeup? I need to focus my energy elsewhere. That fucking ferret rubs me the wrong way and I don't want to get stuck in a bad mood." Ginny asked. Hermione started to argue against it since they were in a hurry to make their plans but Ginny cut in "I already sent Harry a patronus to let him know we'll be a bit delayed."
Hermione rolled her eyes but laughed. She had missed spending time with Ginny and her fiery but fun attitude. Though, she still had suspicions that Ginny was trying to get her and Ron back together. Hermione didn't typically wear much makeup so this seemed like a ploy. "Fine, fine. No bad moods though! I need my fun-loving Ginny to get me through the night. Here, I have some firewhisky somewhere. Accio, firewhiskey. Take it, I'm going to get dressed." Hermione handed the bottle to Ginny.
Hermione came back out, dressed casually, just as Ginny was pouring them both shots. Ginny gave her one look up and down and said, "Nope, you're not wearing that. I heard they turned one of the old bars in Hogsmeade into a club after 9 pm, so you need to be dressed for the occasion. Let me find you something else."
Ginny picked out a pair of tight jeans for Hermione and black low-cut bodysuit. "Wear this, it's the perfect mix of casual and sexy." Ginny wiggled her eyebrows at Hermione and laughed.
Hermione didn't protest. She had never worn the bodysuit, it had been a gift from Ginny for her birthday but there was never an occasion to wear it. She came back out of the bathroom and Ginny squealed.
"Yes! I love it. I'm so glad I got it for you. Is this the first time you've worn it?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, I haven't really had the chance yet. Thank you, though, it does look really good." Hermione smiled at Ginny. It was nice to have a bit of a girls night before meeting up with Harry and Ron. Ginny finished Hermione's makeup with a smokey eye and lip gloss.
Ginny handed Hermione a shot glass. "Okay, Cheers!" They clinked their glasses and took the shots. Hermione pursed her lips as the liquid burned her throat, she wasn't used to firewhiskey.
They decided to use the floo in the 8th year common room to get to Hogsmeade instead of walking there. It saved them a bit of extra time to catch up and drink together.
Hermione updated Ginny on her potions project progress. She told Ginny about her lunch with Clare Hartley.
Ginny gave Hermione a bit of a speech about why she shouldn't trust Malfoy and about the awful joke he made about Fred's death. Hermione tried not to act surprised or get upset. It was sort of predictable. On both sides. It was predictable that Ginny would use this to try and change Hermione's mind about Malfoy, and it was predictable that Malfoy would still act like an ass- old rivalries run deep. Hermione didn't particularly like what Ginny described to her but it was Malfoy after all.
She didn't want to argue about it with Ginny so she told her to drop it and that she could take care of herself. Regardless of their differing opinions, Hermione required Malfoy's help on the potion.
Hermione took a big chug of firewhisky after that conversation and got ready to leave. She was about 3 drinks in and was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol.
They took the floo to the Three Broomsticks. They exited the fireplace in the hallway and walked into the main bar area. It was quite packed already but they spotted Harry and Ron at a table in the back corner.
Harry and Ron got up as soon as they saw them. There were hugs and hellos all around and Ron got up to grab everyone a round of drinks.
"You both look nice." Harry smiled at them both and gave Ginny a kiss on the cheek as she sat down beside him.
"Thanks. Ginny was in charge of me tonight. She's really got a knack for it." Hermione laughed. She felt good, the firewhiskey was making her feel warm and bubbly inside. It had been a few weeks without her friends and she was realizing just how much she needed them.
"What can I say, I'm an artist." Ginny smirked. "So, how was work today, Harry?" Ginny inquired.
"Yeah, how is Auror training going?" Hermione piped in.
"It's been good. We've been tracking some Death Eaters hiding along the border of Ireland the last few weeks. We got some insight today about a possible portkey being used to exit the U.K. They're trying to flee but we're picking up on their trail." Harry looked hopeful.
"That's great! And you still like working with Williamson? Did you end up catching Selwyn?" Hermione asked.
"No, but he's led us to some other Death Eaters and we're close now to catching a few of them. Williamson is great, he's really showing me the ropes. There's a lot of interesting ways to track and a lot of problem-solving." Harry smiled.
"Sounds like a perfect fit for you, Harry. I'm glad it is working out well." Hermione smiled back at Harry.
Just then, Ron got back to the table levitating a round of Butterbeers and Firewhiskey shots. "I've secured the goods. You telling them about work, Harry? You guys are not going to believe how close they are to getting the escaped Death Eaters." Ron put the drinks down on the table and patted Harry on the back.
"I propose a toast. To friendship, winning the war, and new beginnings!" Ginny held up her shot glass and they followed suit.
Hermione gulped the shot back. It barely burned her throat this time and was starting to actually taste good. "How's the joke shop, Ron?"
"It's been good. I'm helping George test some new products. We're going to put out a couple in memory of Fred. It's hard to work on at times but it also feels good, ya'know? Putting our grief into something…" Ron cleared his throat and took a chug of Butterbeer.
They all got quiet for a moment, thinking of Fred and all the others they lost this year. "How's Teddy, Harry?" Ginny inquired.
Harry smiled. "Oh he's good. He's still so small. I went over to see Andromeda earlier this week, actually."
"Let me know next time you go, Harry. I would love to come visit Andromeda and Teddy." Hermione smiled and sipped her Butterbeer.
"How's Hogwarts?" Ron asked both Hermione and Ginny.
"Different. Better. Feels more like Hogwarts than last year." Ginny smiled a bit sadly. "I'm having quite the time as Head Girl. I feel so busy between duties and Quidditch practice and classes. But I do enjoy it - got to break up spin the bottle earlier this week in the Astronomy tower. I was telling Hermione about it." Ginny laughed.
Hermione giggled. "Yeah, it must be fun to catch all the rule breakers. It's crazy when you think of how many rules we broke while at Hogwarts. In hindsight, I think I instigated more than I thought I did."
"You're just realizing that now?" Ron asked her in an exaggerated disbelief. "I always said you were nuts, 'Mione" Ron playfully nudged her.
Hermione felt a lump in her throat. It was hard to be around Ron. He made her feel at home and safe but she was also uneasy with where they stood in their relationship. She took a large gulp of Butterbeer. She was already almost finished with her drink.
"How're your studies going, Hermione?" Harry asked.
"They're fine. I'm finally making some progress. I felt stuck for a while with what to do with the research for my parent's condition. But I'm going to trial a potion for Slughorn's project that I think may have the potential to work." Hermione looked down at her Butterbeer, magically swirling the liquid inside it so it sloshed around the cup.
"That's good to hear. How're you finding the Common room situation? Is Malfoy being cooperative?" Harry sounded skeptical.
"Wait- What?" Ron interjected. "Are you sharing a Common room with Malfoy?!" His voice was raising. Harry looked at Hermione apologetically, he had obviously forgotten that Hermione had asked him not to say anything to Ron.
Ginny quipped, "She's not just sharing a Common room. She's working on her potions project with him."
Ron was visibly getting angry. "Why the hell would you agree to that, Hermione? Why did no one tell me?! He's a Death Eater for Merlin's Sake. I'm surprised they even let him come back to Hogwarts."
"I said the same thing, Ron. Hermione thinks he has changed and trusts McGonagall's call on the matter. But he made some awful jokes about our family a few days ago." Ginny huffed. "Hermione won't see reason."
Ron banged his hands on the table. "Hermione - come off it. Have you lost your marbles? I'll fight him, I will!"
"Ron, calm down. All of you - STOP. I know what I am doing. First of all, he apologized to me and we are trying to find common ground. I don't have to like him. But I need his help with this potion. No one else has the ability to help me. He trained with Snape and he's also been top of Potions class along with me for years. This is so important to me and I need his help." Hermione huffed and drained the rest of her Butterbeer.
"That's exactly why you shouldn't work with him, Hermione. It's important to you and you can't trust him!" Ron growled.
"Look, he doesn't hate Muggleborns anymore. He doesn't have blood prejudice. He was found not guilty and he spent his time awaiting trial in Azkaban. I think that is enough for me to be willing to give him a chance to prove me wrong." Hermione snapped. "He also saved our asses at the Manor, if you remember - "
"Saved our asses?! More like was an indecisive coward. He stood and watched you get tortured Hermione! He's a Death Eater!" Ron looked astounded.
"I'm going to get a round of drinks - I don't want to hear about this again." Hermione got up to go to the bar, shaking a little.
"Alright, but don't come crying to me when he betrays you. All you'll get is an 'I told you so.' Bloody Malfoy" Ron spat to Hermione as she walked away.
Hermione got to the bar and ordered herself two shots. She downed them back instantly and took a deep breath, shaking the anger out of her body with her exhale. There was no point in letting this get to her. Ron was being Ron. She knew Ginny and Harry didn't approve either, but they could usually keep their opinions quiet and respect Hermione's choices.
"Alright, Hermione?" Madame Rosmerta asked.
Hermione nodded. She ordered Butterbeers for the table and brought them back. The alcohol was really starting to hit her now. She felt a bit wobbly in her legs and wasn't as quick with her magic to hover the drinks as she normally would be.
Harry took over the conversation once Hermione got back to the table and was clearly trying to lighten the mood. He was planning to make some changes to Grimmauld Place and was going over his plans for each room in detail with them.
The conversation then moved back to Ron, they all wanted to hear the specifics of the new products and marketing for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
Over the next couple of hours of catching up with her friends, Hermione was enjoying herself again once her anger had dissipated. Her friends were her chosen family after all, they had already been through so much together that the bond was unbreakable. She relaxed into this and was feeling a bit drunk.
Ginny suggested they go to what used to be the Hog's Head as it had been recently turned into a club/disco by the Lovegoods. They were all quite a few drinks in and having a blast. Hermione was actually feeling like her age, for once the alcohol was giving her space to be free of her responsibilities.
They entered the bar, which was now called The Fantasy. It looked completely different to anything Hermione had ever seen before and it was completely unrecognizable to what it used to be. Magical enchantments were casting colours around the room, sparkles and stars were floating near the ceiling and there was a big disco ball in the centre of the room. It was ethereal and euphoric. There were only a few groups in the club so far but it was a good turn out for the opening night.
As soon as they walked in, Luna came over to greet them, looking as unique as ever with her long blond hair in braids and glitter all over her face and hair. "Hi friends. How wonderful to see you all. Welcome to The Fantasy." Luna smiled at them all. " I hope you lose yourself here." Luna looked into Hermione's eyes in her uncanny way.
Luna lead them to the bar and served them all a different drink - she was experimenting with magical cocktails. Hermione's was green with billowing smoke and it tasted like a bitter mocha mint. It was surprisingly good despite the intimidating look.
"Let's dance!" Ginny grabbed Hermione's hand as soon as she finished her drink and led them to the dance floor. Ron and Harry followed.
The colours and sparkles were enchanting and Hermione was dancing freely to the music with Ginny. Minutes felt like moments and all she was focused on was the blur of the colours and her body swaying to the beat.
Suddenly, Hermione was aware that she was very thirsty so she weaved through the expanding crowd and went to the bar for some water. She gulped it back and stared out towards the dance floor. Things felt a bit blurry.
She spotted Ginny and Harry dancing. She couldn't find Ron until - she noticed Ron dancing and kissing some girl. Her heart broke in her chest. She just hadn't expected to see it happen so soon. She sort of thought that her and Ron were on pause, working on themselves so that they could get back together when they were ready. It hurt like hell to see him with someone else. It was also so hypocritical of him, if the roles were reversed he would be throwing a jealous fit.
Before she realized what she was doing, her feet were leading her outside of the club. She stumbled out the door and the fresh air was cold and refreshing. Suddenly, she felt her sober brain catch up and she knew she had to keep walking out of Hogsmeade if she wanted to avoid an emotional breakdown. She was walking very fast back towards Hogwarts and began to recite potion ingredients in her head to keep her composure.
Draco was sitting in his usual spot by the lake. It was a bit brisk out, the late September air was without a breeze but had the cool indifference of night. Draco had a feeling he would be sitting out here regardless of the weather, even into the winter. It was calming to him to have the freedom to wander the grounds and he found himself going stir-crazy in small spaces after his time spent in Azkaban.
Draco pulled out an envelope from his pocket. He had dropped by the Manor to visit with his mother earlier today and she had given him a letter that Pansy had dropped off. She had urged him to read it and insisted that he patch things up with Pansy. He knew that she was desperate for him to be happy and move on from the war, but she was delusional if she thought Pansy was the answer to that problem. No part of him planned to read it - he used his wand to catch the edge of the envelope on fire and watched it burn.
Suddenly, a branch snapped behind him and he turned around abruptly with his wand pointed outwards. A disgruntled Granger stood before him, looking stunning with more makeup on than usual but clearly a bit faded from drinking. He had seen her and the Weaslette leave to go out earlier that evening, but he had been trying to avoid them as much as possible.
"What are you burning?" She asked, pointing to the envelope in his hand that was almost completely on fire.
"Granger, what are you doing out here?" He looked at her with confusion etched into his eyebrows. When she didn't respond, he replied, "I'm burning a letter."
"So is this where you always go at night? I've noticed you slip away in the middle of the night." Granger asked, slurring her words a bit.
"Yes. I like the fresh air and I can't sleep most nights. Why are you out here?" He asked again.
"I was walking back to the castle from Hogsmeade and I started walking towards the lake and noticed a fire burning so I came to see." Granger shrugged. She walked a few more steps closer to him and sat down beside him, pulling her knees in towards her chest into a ball. He watched as she stared out towards the lake. Still feeling confused by her actions, he sat down next to her and stared out towards the lake as well, as the letter burned to ash in his hand. The sky was clear and the stars were shining brightly tonight. "I can see why you like it here." She whispered softly.
Not knowing what to do, he pulled out a joint and lit it with his wand and took a drag. He could see his breath in the air. "Can I have some?" Granger asked. He looked over at her, and his curiosity got the better of him so he passed her the joint.
Granger took a drag and coughed a bit. "Have you smoked a joint before?" He inquired.
"Yes. Just not in a long time. Do you have anything to drink?" Granger's voice was raspy and she cleared her throat.
Draco took the joint back in his hands and pulled his firewhiskey out of his pocket. "Only this…" He shrugged at her but she opened her hand to grab it. She took a big gulp of his bottle and he was surprised to see it went down smoothly for her. He was starting to wonder if she really was too drunk to be having more.
"How much have you had to drink?" He inquired, not meaning to sound accusatory but it came off that way.
"I don't know. I've honestly lost count. I'm trying this new thing where I don't care." Granger laughed bitterly.
"And how's that going for you?" Draco asked as he took another drag of the joint.
"Just fine, actually. I feel kind of free. I can never seem to lose myself but tonight I would very much like to." Granger mumbled. She opened the bottle again and took another long chug. As soon as she had finished, Draco motioned for her to give the bottle back.
"That's enough for you tonight." He took a chug and put the bottle back into his pocket. Granger frowned at him.
"So who's letter were you burning?" Granger asked, he could tell she was studying him.
He sighed. "Pansy's." He knew she would have follow up questions and he wasn't sure how much he wanted to talk about it. Instead, he turned the conversation back to her, and looked over to her. "Why did you come back from Hogsmeade alone? I saw you leave with the Weasley girl."
"Interesting… And I got annoyed and left. Why were you burning her letter?" Granger knew how to keep up with him, it seemed. She wasn't going to divulge more information until he did.
"I don't care what she has to say. She doesn't get to come back into my life as though nothing happened. The war didn't impact her and I don't intend to pretend it didn't happen like she does." Draco finally offered his answer to Granger.
Granger was quiet for a moment. "I had a nice time for the most part, despite Ron overreacting once he found out about our project and your involvement. But the last straw of the night was watching him dance and hook up with some witch. I just cannot handle his hypocrisy anymore." Granger responded.
This was interesting news to him. Definitely not surprising on either front. He figured Granger would have to deal with her friends' disagreements once they found out he was helping her. And given how thick Weasley was, it was only a matter of time before he hurt Granger. Draco looked over at Granger. There was an anger in her expression but her eyes were wet.
"I'm not saying this just because we're sworn enemies, but I'm not surprised. Weasley never deserved you. You're very clearly out of his league but he's too stupid not to take you for granted like him and Potter always have." Draco offered up his honesty to Granger.
Their eyes met for a moment. Granger looked surprised. "It's only been just over a month since we broke up and I guess I figured it was more of a break than a break up. I thought we had a chance to make it work better in the future. But this just reminds me why it will never work out for us." Granger sighed. Granger motioned for Draco to pass her the joint again before it burnt out.
Draco watched as Granger took a big inhale of the joint, this time without coughing. She blew out the smoke and smirked. Then she started to giggle until she was fully laughing. Draco felt like he was missing something.
"Isn't it funny how we can spend so long convincing ourselves that something is right for us, when it clearly isn't? It seems so obvious to me now that Ron and I would never have worked. It was only a matter of time…"
Once again, Granger was saying things that felt a bit too relatable to him. "It's because we want it to be that way. It's easier than realizing we've been wrong about something the whole time." Draco responded to Granger. He picked up a rock from beside him and skipped it across the water.
"Is that what it's like with Pansy?" Granger asked him.
Draco nodded. "Among other things. Pansy always liked me most when I fit into her picture of pure-blood ideals. The more I started to hate myself, the more I hated her for loving those parts of me." Draco was finding it almost too easy to talk with Granger about these things. Then again, she was very drunk so maybe she would forget all his honesty and vulnerability - that made it easier to share.
"Well that is very deep of you to acknowledge, Draco Malfoy. You continue to surprise me." Granger winked at him. She attempted to stand up but wobbled. Draco started to get up to help her, but she was already stumbling towards the lake.
"What are you doing, Granger?" Draco asked, mystified.
"I'm going for a swim. Also call me Hermione!" She stumbled into the lake and let out a squeal at the cold lake water already up to her knees, soaking her jeans.
"It's too cold for a swim, Hermione." Draco responded, trying out her first name for the first time. He had never seen someone this carefree before, much less Hermione Granger. She wasn't kidding when she said she was trying not to care anymore. He felt immensely protective over this very raw version of her. He waded into the water and reached out his hand to grip her wrist. "You're very drunk and it's very cold." Draco's teeth were chattering as he held onto her, scared she would slip and drown.
"I like the way you say my name." She smiled up at him. "I don't think I've ever been this drunk before, Draco." She giggled at him. "I think I'm beginning to understand why Ron likes it so much." Suddenly she took a dip back into the water, dragging Draco with her.
"Bloody hell." Draco gasped at the cold water as he was dunked into it. He pulled Hermione into his arms, scared she would go swimming too far into the magical lake.
Draco was standing waist deep in the lake, holding Hermione tightly so she would stop being reckless. Their faces were very close and she was looking up at him in a way he had never seen before. Her eyes were brown, dark and lustful and he was trying to resist the urge to kiss her.
Suddenly, a few voices in the distance were yelling Hermione's name. Draco acted quickly, realizing it was probably the rest of the damn Golden Trio and picked Hermione up and carried them both out of the lake. He dropped Hermione feet-down on the shore and did a drying and warming charm on them both. "You should probably respond to them." Draco motioned towards the shadowed figures yelling her name.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him and sighed. She yelled "I'm over here!" to them and then looked back at Draco. "Will you stay with me?"
Draco looked at the desperation in her eyes and responded, "I can, but it'll likely be worse with me here." Fuck, he did not feel like dealing with them right now.
"She's over there by the lake - I just heard her!" Draco heard the Weaslette yell.
Draco watched as the shadowed figures in the distance on the school grounds met in the middle and began walking towards the lake, the moonlight slowly illuminating the faces of Potter, Weaslette and Weasley, their faces etched with worry.
"Where the bloody hell have you been 'Mione?!" Weasley yelled towards her. As soon as his eyes caught Draco standing behind Hermione, he huffed, "Are you fucking kidding me?"
The Weaslette ran up to Hermione and hugged her. "Thank Merlin, you're okay. I thought something happened to you." She looked suspiciously over Hermione's shoulder at Draco. He stared back at her.
Potter looked confused, as usual, and asked, "Hermione, what are you doing out here? Why did you leave?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." She took a step back from the Weaslette's embrace. "Thank you for your concern, but I am hanging out with my friend, Draco. The rest of you can enjoy your night." Hermione was slurring her words a bit.
"You can't just leave suddenly like that, Hermione. We were worried sick. And you're clearly too drunk to be anywhere near Malfoy." Weasley was clearly angry and motioned for Hermione to come towards him.
To Draco's disappointment, Hermione started walking towards Weasley. Damn, did he have a hold on her. Until - she walked up and slapped him across the face. Draco's mouth dropped open in shock. The look on Weasley's face was priceless, Draco burst out laughing. Oh how the tables have turned.
"Oi, what the fuck was that for?" Weasley put his hand to his face and stepped away from Hermione. Suddenly, he looked over and noticed Draco laughing and pulled out his wand and pointed it towards him "Stop laughing. What the hell have you done to Hermione?!" Potter and the Weaslette were standing around in shock.
"Ronald Weasley! You fucking hypocrite! There's no way you were worried sick when you were completely oblivious of me! You do NOT get to dictate whom I talk to when you're off locking lips with some witch!" Hermione was getting increasingly enraged. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at Weasley, "Not to mention that we only just broke up and this is the first time I've seen you in over a month! You inconsiderate prat!" She hit him with a hex and Weasley stumbled back. "The amount of times I have put up with your immaturity, jealousy, and disregard of my feelings is ridiculous! I'm so angry at you right now, and you will be my friend forever, but this is it between us. I'm done." A sob escaped her throat and Draco watched as Hermione began to walk towards the castle.
Draco watched as the Weaslette ran after Hermione. Potter watched her go but stuck around with Weasley. Draco needed to get out of there fast, the last thing he needed was Weasley's rage directed at him- even though it was immensely fun to goad him.
Draco slipped into the night, walking towards the forest until he saw Potter and Weasley head back towards Hogsmeade. Then he headed back for the castle.
He walked into the common room to find Hermione hysterical and the redhead consoling her. He wasn't sure what to do so he went to walk towards his room to get out of their way when the Weaslette spoke to him.
"Look, I don't like you and I don't trust you. But Hermione's been asking where you are. She's inconsolable and I think you may be the only person who can calm her down. She's also very drunk and needs a sober potion if you have any."
"I have one in my room, let me go grab it." He went to grab one from his stash, this time he had finally remembered to grab hangover and sober potions from the Manor. Draco was surprised to hear that the Weaslette and Granger were requesting his help. This was such an uncomfortable and weird situation for him. But, he did feel connected to Hermione Granger lately- they seemed to understand each other and he was trying to be better.
Once he got back to the common room, he cleared his throat and sat down across from them. "Granger, that was fucking brilliant. Here, I brought you a sober potion." Draco watched as Hermione looked up at him, the tears steaming down her face and grabbed the potion from him.
Hermione drank the potion and wiped the tears from her eyes. She responded with a quiet, "thank you."
Draco could tell Granger was feeling embarrassed about her vulnerability, so he tried to lighten the mood, "Well, now you can say you've hit two assholes in the face. It's a new record."
The Weaslette snorted a laugh at Draco. Hermione started to giggle and then continued to laugh harder at his comment. They were all laughing about the absurdity of the situation. Draco was trying to ignore the inner voice that used to want nothing to do with these people, the voice that wanted to capitalize on their vulnerability. He knew it came from his own fears. He was trying to accept change, no matter how damn uncomfortable it was.
