Hermione had placed her head on Draco's shoulder without realizing what she was doing, and in that moment she had thought that would be the only contact between the two of them. For the time being, that is. Once her head was on his shoulder, she had to keep breathing under control. Touching him like that made her body feel weak, shaky, her heart threatening to beat straight out of her chest. Her nerves were completely out of control. When she finally calmed herself down, she felt at peace. Like she belonged there, next to Draco.
Then, Draco did something incredible. She had not been expecting Draco to make her stop talking in the manner that he did. He had taken her completely by surprise, but it was magical nonetheless. The minute his lips had touched hers, her breath had been taken from her. She had felt fireworks in her body from the simple contact of his lips to her own, a feeling she had never experienced before. Her body had warmed immediately, and she succumbed to the kiss within seconds.
She hadn't wanted it to end, but knew she had to pull away. It was one of the hardest things she had done to date, and regret filled her. She turned her head away from his, unable to look him in the eye for fear they would continue where they had left off.
"Well that was unexpected," she said.
"You talk too much, Granger."
Hermione couldn't help bursting into laughter when he said this. All her life she'd been told she talked too much, especially when she was feeling nervous. Their laughter had washed away any tension that had remained between the two of them, and Hermione threaded her fingers through Draco's, feeling incredible about him, herself, and what happened.
The two of them stayed next to the tree for quite a while, staring at the lake and watching the sky change magnificent colors as the sun began to fade, making small talk about nothing important. Finally, Hermione released her hand from Draco's and gathered her things.
"We should probably head inside now, classes are almost finished and people are going to start flooding the grounds."
"One of us should stay behind for a while, that way no one questions if we were together."
"Good point."
Hermione stood up and grabbed her bag from the ground. She took a step forward, then turned around quickly. "I'll figure things out and write you." She leaned down, kissed Draco on the cheek, then hurried off back towards the castle.
Hermione had been enjoying dinner that night, chatting with Ginny and a few other girls in Gryffindor. Ron was still being a jerk to her, as he had been all day, but with what happened at the lake, Hermione couldn't help but feel great. She felt the best she had in quite a long time and she wanted to enjoy every minute of it.
She couldn't help but occasionally look across the Great Hall at a certain blonde haired boy on the other side. Even before the events at the lake had happened, she'd always find herself drawn to him, but now more than ever. She couldn't help herself, not after what had happened. The more she looked at him, however, the more torn she began to feel. She knew she would have to make a decision, and make one soon.
Hermione was saved from any thoughts about the subject when a folded note suddenly appeared in front of her. She read the neat handwriting on the front as she picked it up, and saw it warned her to not read it in front of the others.
"What's that?" Ginny asked, peering over the table, trying to get a better look at the piece of parchment in Hermione's hands.
"I'm not sure, but it must be important if it's come this late."
She stood up from the table and excused herself, telling Ginny she would catch up with her later. She apologized over her shoulder as she rushed out of the Great Hall, eager to read the note and find out who it was from.
I will need you and Mr. Malfoy to come to
my office immediately after lunch tomorrow.
Remember, not a word to anyone.
Headmistress McGonagall
Hermione, used to how short and clipped McGonagall's words could be when she used notes, wasn't concerned with what she could need her and Draco for. She assumed it was time for the two of them to spend time together creating more potions. Although she wouldn't admit it to anyone else, she was rather excited to spend time with Draco again.
When Hermione had entered the Gryffindor tower she found it empty. Everyone else was still at dinner, so it didn't come as a surprise to her. She went up to the girls' dormitory and threw herself into bed. She laid on her back and stared at the ceiling, thinking about Draco and Ron. She knew she had to make a decision, and make one soon. She also knew her feelings towards Draco had begun to grow and blossom into something new, something amazing, something that made her scared and excited at the same time.
And then there was Ron. The relationship between the two of them had been great at first, but as the months passed by, she felt the two of them had been growing apart. Hermione hadn't wanted to admit it at first, just ignored the growing animosity she was feeling. Now, however, it was getting harder and harder to ignore.
Hermione sat up in bed, reached down and grabbed one of her quills and a small piece of parchment. She scribbled a quick note and closed her eyes when she finished. In a matter of seconds, the small note disappeared. She felt a little better after sending the note, but she was still rather bothered. Gathering her things, Hermione decided to visit the library to do some research on potion making and to study her other classes.
She hadn't yet made it out of the common room when she was stopped by Ginny. Hermione really didn't want to speak with anyone, but knew it was inevitable. She had told her she would catch up with her later, after all.
"So, are you going to tell me what that note was about?" Ginny asked.
"I can't. I'm sorry, Ginny. It's personal."
Ginny just stared at her with an unrecognizable look. Hermione felt bad about keeping this from Ginny, but she had no other option. She was under instructions to not tell a soul about her and Draco's job, and she knew that included her very best friends. The two of them sat down on one of the couches in front of the fire.
"Are you sure you can't tell me?"
"Yes, Ginny. I'm sorry."
Ginny narrowed her eyes at Hermione, studying her incredulously. "Was it from him?"
"Him? Him who?"
"A certain Slytherin boy who hasn't been able to take his eyes off you for quite some time now."
Hermione knitted her eyebrows together and tilted her head to the side, trying to think about who Ginny had been referring to.
Ginny sighed. "I meant Malfoy."
"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, slightly blushing at the thought. "No, it wasn't from him. Wait, what do you mean he hasn't been able to take his eyes off me?"
"Please don't tell me you're really that dense," Ginny said, shaking her head.
"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, Ginny."
Ginny sighed again. "Never mind then."
The two girls sat for some time in front of the fireplace chatting about what they hoped for the future. Ginny, of course, had hoped to soon be married to Harry, but she wasn't sure what she wanted to do as a career. Ginny could only imagine herself as a house-wife, like her mother. There was nothing wrong with that, but as a child she'd always wanted more for herself.
Hermione, on the other hand, had no plans for marriage in the near or distant future. Once, she had thought her and Ron would get married, start a family, and live happily ever after. Now, however, she couldn't see that happening anymore. As for a career, she hoped to work for the Ministry of Magic, maybe bring S.P.E.W. to the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
As the two of them fell silent after talking about their future plans, Hermione couldn't help but start thinking about what needed to be done about her relationship with Ron again. She knew what she had to do, it was just the matter of actually doing it. Hermione knew she had to break up with him, but she was scared. She was scared of how badly he would react and whether or not they would still remain friends after the break up.
Hermione was soon broken from her thoughts as Harry had entered the common room.
"Hey, Hermione. Hey, Ginny," he said as he rounded the couches and plopped down next to Ginny, planting a kiss on her cheek.
Hermione turned to face Harry, realizing she should ask for his advice. "Hey, Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"Can we talk for a minute?"
Harry looked from Hermione to Ginny and back again, unsure of what to say. Ginny whispered into Harry's ear, nodded to Hermione, then got up and bid them both a good night.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Can we go somewhere a little more, um…" Hermione scooted forward on the couch until she was sitting on the edge on the cushion, "Private?"
Author's note: Ooooh, I wonder what Hermione wants with Harry in private?! I'm sure you all can guess at this point ;)
Just wanted to say thanks for putting up with such infrequent updates from me. It's officially been over two years since I posted the very first chapter of Their Final Year. I never imagined it would take me two years to get where I am now. I'd honestly hoped to have finished this story by now. Alas, life always has other plans, eh?
As always, thank you to my reviewers and readers. I love you all!
Remember to review! Adios until next time! ~NinjaDays