Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just this fanfiction.
Harry entered his room, greeted Seamus, tossed the bags carelessly, and threw himself on his bed ready to sleep until the next morning.
"Hey, I'm going out to dinner with Lavender, I'll be back in a few hours, do you want me to bring you something to eat?" asked Seamus.
Harry shook his head, "No, thanks, I'll go out for something if I get hungry. Have fun with Lavender"
"Thanks," his friend smiled at him and added, "By the way, Hermione was here asking for you and I think she was trying to locate you. She seemed concerned, you should call her"
"I will, I will call her," he said almost asleep
Seamus laughed, "That won't be necessary, she is here"
"Hello," Hermione greeted from the door, with a sad smile
Harry sat up rubbing his eyes, "Hello Mione"
"Well, I'll leave you two alone. See you later Hermione," said Seamus
"Goodbye Seamus." The boy left the room closing the door and Hermione walked over to Harry's bed and sat next to him, "How are you?" she asked
"Tired," he replied trying to smile at her
She nodded, "I can come back tomorrow if you want"
He grabbed her hand with his, "It's fine Mione, stay here," he didn't speak for a while but when he did was with a cracked voice, "I broke up with Ginny".
Harry turned his head away from Hermione's gaze and she squeezed his hand and waited for him to continue, but he didn't, so she added, "I've tried to talk to Ginny several times but she's avoiding me." The brunette sighed and then admitted, "She doesn't really even talk to me"
Harry snorted in annoyance and faced Hermione, "You shouldn't worry so much about her Mione. She is nothing but a fraud"
Hearing Harry saying that about Ginny overly upset Hermione. She looked at him, feeling confused, "Harry what happened in New Orleans?" she asked in a whisper
"She is a fraud," he repeated angrily, "She sabotaged me. I reached the final phase for the internship and Ginny received the envelope with the results but she never gave it to me".
"What?" She looked at him confused, "No, Harry there must have been some kind of mistake, Ginny wouldn't do something like that"
Harry closed his eyes, feeling exhausted, "There is no mistake. I didn't want to believe it either but she confessed it to me," he sighed and his voice broke again, "Everything about her was fake"
And then Hermione realized that he was crying. She was stunned for a moment, but in the end she only managed to hug him, and Harry took refuge in her arms, sobbing weakly as she stroked his hair. Tears didn't take long to fall from Hermione's eyes either, but she wiped them away immediately as she had to stay strong to try to help Harry.
Hermione held him for a long time until he calmed down and pulled away from her. Harry said nothing, but wiped his face hastily and stood up, "Wait here," he said, "I'll be back"
Hermione nodded and he left the room. She took the time to make tea and, by the time Harry returned with a more composed face, she handed him the cup and they sat on the bed again, "Thanks Hermione," he said while sipping his drink.
She smiled weakly at him and sighed, "You know? I still can't believe Ginny would do that," she admitted.
Harry finished his tea, and then set the cup aside. Hermione did the same and then they fell silent again, because she didn't want to push the issue any further.
"Hermione... uh, ho... how is she?" He asked after a few minutes
The girl shrugged, "I really couldn't tell you Harry, like I said she's not speaking to me. Actually she's not talking to anyone in the house and she's outside most of the time," Hermione sighed, "But I know this is affecting her as much as is affecting you," she assured him, "It's just that Ginny isn't the type of person to shut herself up in her room to cry. She doesn't like to appear weak in front of others"
"Anyway, I shouldn't care anymore," he said closing his eyes and laying down on the bed.
"Don't say that Harry," she took his hand, "Ginny and you were together for a short time but it is obvious that you felt something strong for her"
"I'd rather not talk about that Hermione," he smirked, "Now I just want to focus on the internship"
She gasped, "Oh right! Did you manage to get on time to the interview?"
He snorted, "I was late for the interviews in D.C. so I had to talk to the dean so he would help me explaining the confusion that the janitor created with my correspondence"
"Confusion?" she asked without understanding
Harry then proceeded to tell her the story of the janitor leaving the envelope in Haley's room.
"Ok I get it," she nodded, "And what happened next?"
"Well the dean explained the situation, he also provided good references about me and they agreed that I could take the interview, although I think the Potter name had something to do with that," he grunted, feeling annoyed
Hermione replied, "What's important is that you know that you deserve the opportunity"
"Yeah well in the end they published the results and... I start in June," he smiled sideways
Hermione hugged him, "Congratulations! Oh Harry I'm sure you will be the best intern in that office," she stated with pride in her voice
"Thanks Hermione, I'll work hard on that," he sounded much livelier, "And on the bright side I'll be away from campus for a few months"
He closed his eyes again and the girl noticed that once again he was trying to hold back the tears, "Everything will be fine, you'll see," she stroked his hair gently.
"I know," he replied
"Harry I… I have to ask," she sighed. "You… I mean, you and Ginny are definitely over?"
"Of course we are," he answered instantly, "She lied to me, manipulated me and even sabotaged me, I don't want her in my life anymore," his voice sounded hurt but firm
Hermione wanted to tell him that everyone made mistakes; that it wasn't worth being so tough and radical if it meant suffering as much as he clearly was, but the hard look Harry gave her silenced her and she felt like a fool, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up," she said at the end.
He shook his head. "Let's just get out of here, please. This place is suffocating me"
"Where should we go?" She stood up and he imitated her
"Anywhere," he shrugged and taking her hand, they left the room together
The following weeks Hermione devoted herself trying to cheer Harry up, who was quite discouraged even though he pretended not to be.
The two friends went out as often as they could, and even though Draco grumbled saying that Potter was taking away his time with Hermione, the blonde was also busy helping Harry. The boys had even gone out together several times to watch football games and to the movies.
Hermione also tried to get closer to Ginny but she continued with her sullen attitude.
One afternoon Hermione followed her to find out where she was going and saw her walking into a club on theoutskirtsof campus. She waited for several hours until she saw Ginny leave the place accompanied by guys she had never seen before, for she was sure they weren't in any fraternity or sorority.
Draco was also helping her with his inquiries, and had discovered that the redhead was a frequent visitor of those clubs, and when she wasn't there she just drove to Boston or other cities and walked through the malls, shopping. Hermione supposed it was her way of dealing with her break up with Harry.
Ginny woke up dazed and disoriented, not remembering exactly where she was. She rolled across the bed and bumped into someone's torso. She sat up instantly, her head throbbing from the rapidity of the movement, but the redhead ignored the pain and took in the half-naked man beside her. She didn't remember his name although his face was familiar. Ginny sighed and got out of bed carefully so as not to wake him since she didn't want to deal with anyone so early in the morning.
She grabbed her shoes, found her clothes, and then she locked in the bathroom. Ginny washed her face, arranged her hair as best she could, and dressed quickly. Once she was ready, she tiptoed out of the room, grabbed her wallet, and carefully closed the door. When she reached the corridor she recognized the place. It was the house of Melissa, one of the friends she had made a few weeks ago. Ginny walked to the living room, the place was a mess for the party of the night before, and several boys she didn't know were asleep in the couches and floor. She made a contemptuous face when she noticed the smell they emanated and left the place.
It was a warm early summer morning and the sun was hurting her eyes, so she ran to her car and drove back to the sorority. Hopefully, her sisters had already left as today was the last day of the semester. Ginny parked her car, put on her sunglasses to hide the dark circles under her eyes and entered the house.
The redhead smiled when she saw the empty entrance hall and walked determinedly to her room. She opened the door and her smile faded when she ran into Hermione, who was watching her with her big eyes from her bed, "Hello Ginny," she greeted as soon as the door was closed.
"You're still here," she replied sitting in her vanity table and beginning to clean her face from all the makeup
Hermione had stayed up all night worrying about Ginny. She needed to talk to her friend before the summer break separated them, so she was going to do it no matter how curt the redhead was, "I wanted to talk to you before I left. I would have liked to talk yesterday but... you were out all night"
"And what is it that you'd like to tell me?" Ginny asked in a hard voice as she passed the cotton soaked in makeup remover over her eyelids.
Hermione bit her lip wondering how to continue for she didn't want Ginny to be in a darker mood, but she couldn't think of anything, "Are you going back to California?" She ended up asking, "Or are you going to travel somewhere else?"
Ginny raised an eyebrow, surprised at her friend's futile question, since she expected Hermione to lecture her or make reference to what happened in New Orleans. In the end she just smirked and decided to answer, "I am coming back to California"
"Really?" she asked, surprised, "I thought you didn't like to stay there"
"I usually don't, but this year L.A. offers the kind of distractions that I'm looking for", Ginny laughed softly and applied cream on her face, "You're going to Chicago right?"
"Yes, I'll spend the summer with my family," Hermione answered
"I suppose it will be very hard for you to be away from Draco," Ginny commented in a falsely sweet voice, "Especially after all these months of being together all the time. You two were inseparable"
"Well I…"
"Almost two months away from your boyfriend," Ginny interrupted her clicking her tongue and shaking her head, "You in Chicago... Draco instead in New York... alone with all those tall and beautiful girls always surrounding him. Anything can happen, don't you think? After all Draco is a man and it won't be easy for him to be faithful with you being so far away. At least not with all those... temptations"
"He would never do that to me," Hermione answered confidently, which infuriated Ginny.
"Are you sure? Because I know him much better than you do in more ways than you can imagine Hermione," Ginny said with a giggle
Hermione didn't ignore Ginny's hints and it infuriated her. She stood up and stared at her, "You know Ginny? Just because your relationship with Harry didn't work out doesn't mean you have the right to try to poison my relationship with Draco".
Ginny also stood up and approached Hermione in two strides, "Don't ever mention Harry again," she hissed piercing the brunette with her hazel gaze
Hermione was startled by the anger in Ginny's voice and her body shrank again, intimidated once more by her best friend, "I shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry Ginny," she said at the end. "But I don't like you hinting at those things about Draco either. I…"
Ginny interrupted her, "You destroyed my relationship"
"Why… how can you say that?" Hermione opened her mouth, feeling confused, "I loved the idea of you two being together and…"
"You're such a liar," Ginny yelled at her and suddenly tried to slap her, but Hermione reacted quickly and stopped the redhead's hand in midair.
"What's wrong with you?" Hermione asked looking at her with wide, scared eyes.
Ginny didn't answer, but she left the room slamming the door and then ran down the hall to the bathroom of the house.
Once there, she shut herself in and the tears she had suppressed for weeks finally fell down her face. Ginny wanted to scream but covered her mouth and lay down on the floor while waiting for Hermione to come after her. She wanted for the brunette to say something, to try to slap her or even hug her.
But Hermione never came.
Ginny hugged her knees as she remembered all the stupid things she had done since breaking up with Harry, the parties, the excesses with the drink and the hookups with boys. She groaned, pulling her hair and closing her eyes, trying to push away the memories of the worst moment of her life, but even so the mental images of that night came back to her mind.
She whispered Harry's name into the void as she remembered the tears on his face and the look of contempt he gave her before leaving her.
The spasms of crying caught up with her once more and Ginny ran to the toilet and vomited. When she got everything out of her, she flushed the toilet, got up, and walked to the sink.
Ginny looked at her reflection, the swollen eyes, the extremely pale face. She ran her hands through her hair and found that they were shaking. Ginny clenched them into a fist until the shaking stopped and then she washed her face letting the water run down her neck. But it wasn't enough, so she took off her clothes and stepped into the shower. Ginny turned the cold water on full blast and sat under the flow of the water to let it wash away the last of the tears she would shed.
"I'll miss you," Draco hugged Hermione again and buried his face in her hair.
"Me too," she replied stroking his back, "But it will only be for a couple of weeks," Hermione lifted her face and brought her lips to Draco's, "I'll see you in Chicago," she said with a weak side smile
"Count on it," he smiled at her and took her hand to walk together to the departure lounge and say goodbye, for she had to board her plane.
They had decided to spend the summer together, but he had to be in New York for a couple of weeks before meeting her in Chicago. Hermione was internally grateful for she could use some time alone with her family.
When he arrived in New York he wasn't surprised not to find his parents as they were hardly ever at home, so Draco spent the whole day sleeping and recharging as he knew Lucius would absorb him for the next two weeks.
The next morning he called Hermione and they chatted for a long time. She sounded very happy to be reunited with her family and he was glad about that, even though he already missed her. When the call ended, Draco went out to the dining room and met with his father's assistant. The woman told him that he would have to attend a lunch with Canadian investors that afternoon. Draco sighed but didn't protest, because if he wanted to spend the rest of the summer away from home he had to act flawless these weeks.
It was the most tiring two weeks of his life, but Draco didn't protest at any time, he attended business commitments on time and paid extra attention to everything that his father's investors and partners said. In the end, even Lucius was in awe of his son's behavior, which led to another boring dinner in which he congratulated him on finally maturing.
But it was all worth it when he was finally able to pull Hermione into his arms again.
She had picked him up at the airport and after a huge hug, they went to the hotel where Draco would be staying and physically expressed their affection and longing, "I love you", he said after kissing her once more.
"Me too," she whispered as she clung to his chest
Hermione helped Draco settle in before heading home.
Draco met her the next morning and they visited the Navy Pier, where they took the traditional boat trip on Lake Michigan. Although the blonde had been to Chicago a couple of times, he had never been able to tour the city, but after a week of sightseeing Draco asked Hermione to introduce them to his parents. She was reluctant at first, as although she had told her mother that she had a boyfriend, she had never brought a boy into the house, and she had no idea how her family would react to the news.
But Draco insisted until she finally agreed.
"Are you still nervous about this dinner?" he asked
"Yeah a bit, aren't you?" she wanted to know
"Not really. I'm mostly happy to be at your house, I feel curious about your family. Hey your father likes wine, right?"
Hermione nodded and smiled. They were at the hotel and she was waiting for him to be ready before going to her house.
Draco got ready as best as he could. Besides the wine, he also brought a bouquet of flowers for Jean and chocolates for Hermione's siblings.
His girlfriend's parents were quite friendly and despite the fact that at the beginning the atmosphere was somewhat uncomfortable, they all ended up getting along. Jean told many funny anecdotes from when Hermione was a child, and when dinner was over they sat in the living room to continue talking.
Draco also took the opportunity to play with Hermione's siblings, who were really funny, especially Charlotte, who was like a little Hermione although much more talkative.
At the end of the night Draco returned to the hotel with a big smile on his face.
The party seemed to be endless, but after two months of continuous nights out to the clubs in L.A., Ginny felt downright drained. Still, that was the only way she had to put the unwanted memories out of her mind, so she clung to her new lifestyle without caring much about anything else.
She walked over to the bar and ordered vodka. The bartender attended her immediately despite the long line of people waiting for drinks. She smiled sweetly at him and then returned to the small table she occupied with a group of tourists she had met that day. Ginny downed the contents of the glass in one gulp and returned to the dance floor.
After a couple of hours, when she was starting to feel dizzy from the drinking and nightclub smoke, she decided it was time to leave, so she pushed her way through the tide of bodies dancing wildly in the place until she could get to the exit door.
The wind that received her in the street, although impregnated by the pollution that prevailed in the city, was a relief for her.
"Shall we go, miss?" A middle-aged man dressed in a suit had immediately approached Ginny
"I thought I told you not to wait for me," she answered, sulking with her impertinent driver
"I'm sorry Miss Ginny, but your father ordered me not to leave you alone at any time"
The redhead sighed, too tired to argue. Besides, Martin was one of the few men in her father's service who she really liked, "Whatever," she replied entering the car through the door that Martin kept open.
Ginny leaned back in the seat, lowered the window glass completely, and lit a cigarette, "Let's not go home yet Martin," she said after exhaling a deep puff of smoke
"Where do you want to go Miss Ginny?" the man asked
"Just… drive around the city" she shrugged and Martin nodded.
The car started immediately, and Ginny began to observe the people in the street. She lit a second and then a third cigarette as the car cruised effortlessly through the streets. In the end, she ordered Martin to return to the house as she was beginning to have a severe headache.
Ginny woke up just as it was getting dark and found that luckily the headache was gone. She got out of bed and immediately went to the bathroom to wash herself remembering, although she wasn't entirely sure, that at some point between her arrival at the house and entering her room, she had vomited. She stayed in the tub for about an hour and then slipped into a black strapless dress with black high heels. She discreetly applied makeup, as she would be dining with her father tonight.
Her father was waiting for her in the living room, "Daddy," she greeted giving him a short hug
"My Ginevra, as beautiful as ever," Arthur Weasley commented after observing her
"I thought we were going to a restaurant," she said when she noticed that her father was wearing house clothes
"I considered that it would be better if we had dinner here," he smiled at her and said nothing more
Ginny followed him into the dining room, where they took their seats and the staff immediately appeared to serve the dinner appetizers, "Did you have fun yesterday?" He asked while drinking his glass of wine
"It was nice," Ginny answered trying to settle the matter, believing that he would tell her something about her new lifestyle.
"I understand you've been going out a lot," Arthur looked at her with concern in his eyes
"I can take good care of myself, daddy. Also, in a couple of days I will return to Massachusetts and I'll no longer frequent those places," Ginny gave him an innocent smile
"That's true, you're already an adult," her father finished his glass of wine and continued, "And that's exactly why I must tell you about what is about to happen, Ginny"
She fixed her hazel eyes on her father's, losing all interest in the lobster she had been eating, for she had detected nervousness in her father's voice, "What's about to happen?" She asked in a low voice
"Your mother and I will divorce, Ginny," he replied after a few seconds.
Ginny's heart pounded as her brain processed what he had just told her. "It can't be possible" she thought, "Divorce?" She asked still in disbelief.
"Ginevra is no secret, for anyone in this house that my relationship with your mother has never been the best," her father's voice sounded harsh, "We've tried to make it function but it didn't work. We're not happy together"
Tears welled up in her eyes and Ginny looked away for a few seconds, trying to remain calm, "And what about Mom?" She asked after drinking her glass of wine
Arthur answered immediately, "I will not abandon her if that is what worries you. I will continue to bear all the expenses of her lifestyle, your mother will live with all the comforts she is used to. I already gave orders to redecorate the house we have in Santa Barbara, she always loved that house"
Ginny wanted to tell him that her mother only loved that place because she didn't feel as lonely in there as in this huge and empty house, but she only nodded and drank from her glass again, "What does mom think about your… dispositions?"
"Well," Arthur cleared his throat, "I'm sure Molly will agree with everything"
Ginny's voice was furious and she looked at her father incredulously, "Haven't you talked to her about this? Does she even know about your intention to get a divorce?"
Her father tried to say something but in the end he just shook his head, "No, I haven't had a chance to talk to her," he admitted and Ginny looked at him in horror, "I couldn't find the right time to do it," the man continued, trying to calm her down
"You couldn't or didn't you want to? Have you even been to visit her since she's in that place?" Ginny let all her anger flow
"I don't think my visits would help much in Molly's recovery"
She gave a sarcastic laugh and stood up, unable to stay another minute in the dining room, "Yeah sure, because you're so concerned about her mental state, right?"
"Believe it or not, I am," her father also stood up, "I told you about the divorce because this time I am determined to carry it out and I would like it to be in a peaceful and calm way, that we seek the best for Molly and me; and for that, my daughter, I need your help"
"No dad, you just want me to be the one to give mom the news. You want me to do your dirty work for you," she hissed and continued, "But I won't, I refuse to do it. I won't say anything to mom"
"Ginevra please be reasonable. Your mother will prefer if..."
"Why do you want a divorce right now? Why didn't you ask for it earlier, when she wasn't as bad as she is now?" she demanded to know
"What difference does that make Ginny?"
"I want to know!" the redhead demanded once more
Her father sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before speaking, "I have a new relationship, Ginevra, and we will start a family... very soon"
Ginny's heart skipped a beat as she understood what Arthur had said, "Great. Now I understand everything. You are going to replace this broken family with a new and perfect one, great dad," and after saying that he left the dining room without giving the man the option to respond.
The girl walked to her room, slammed the door, and sat on the side of the bed, letting the tears run down her face in a silent cry.
Ginny took the picture from her nightstand and looked at the photo of her parents. She had inherited almost all of her mother's features and gestures, but her distinctive auburn hair and hazel eyes were from her father. They looked so happy and young in their wedding day, so different from what they really were.
Ginny was tempted to throw away the picture frame but in the end she just put it back in place and covered her face with her hands as she remembered the smile Molly had given her last week when she came to visit her. The woman said that she was beginning to feel cheerful again, that she had many ideas in mind for when she finally returned home; even the doctors had told Ginny that the treatment was working and that her mom was slowly beginning to overcome her depression. "And now everything will be worthless" she thought as the crying resumed.
And suddenly she was crying not only for her mother but also for Harry and the failure that was her life. The crying grew so much that at one point she felt like she could hardly breathe and ran to the bathroom and vomited again.
When she finally calmed down, she returned to her room and noticed the carved wooden chest that she had had since she was a child. She walked over, opened it with the key that only she had, and looked at the little white package Melissa had given her a couple of days ago. She doubted for several seconds whether she should take it or not, but in the end she took it out of the chest and approached the nightstand. She opened the packet and inhaled the white powder it contained in the same way she had seen Melissa do so many times.
Ginny lay down on the bed and only a couple of minutes later felt the effect. She smiled when she felt her body and mind totally relaxed and empty. Now nothing really mattered, and no memory could reached her or hurt her. Ginny tossed and turned until eventually she fell asleep.
"I had a good time last night," Romilda said as she finished putting on her blouse, "Will I see you later?" she asked approaching Harry
"I don't think so, I'll go back to Virginia tomorrow and still have some things to do," Harry answered smiling sideways and tying his shoes
She smiled too, "Bad luck then. Anyway it has been an interesting summer. Bye Harry"
"Bye" he replied as he watched Romilda leave the hotel room they had shared the night before.
When he was ready, he too left the place and walked to the apartment he had rented during his stay in D.C. with Romilda's words still fluttering in his head. "An interesting summer" she had said and Harry had to agree with her.
"It wasn't exactly the way I had planned it though," he thought, unable to remember Ginny and the time he had spent with her. But Harry put those memories out of his mind and concentrated on fixing his luggage and taking a bath, since he had to leave everything ready in the apartment now that he was returning home for a couple of days.
The next morning he took a taxi to the airport and in a couple of hours he was back in his beloved Virginia. He smiled and headed straight for home.
When he entered the house Lily Potter ran up to him and gave him a tight hug, since she hadn't seen him in several months. Then they went to the living room, where their father and godfather were deep in conversation, "Son!" His father also hugged him, "You're finally here"
"I missed you dad," he commented hugging him too, "Sirius! It's good to see you," he said greeting his godfather
Harry spent the afternoon chatting with them and then he, his father, and godfather played a basketball game. When they finished the boy sat on the porch of the house with his mother
"How was D.C. honey?" Lily asked after handing him a glass of lemonade
"Better than I expected mom," he answered with a smile, "I learned a lot working with the senator's team"
She took her son's hand, "I'm glad about that. But you look very tired, Harry"
"There was a lot to do in the office", he nodded
"You also look sad," she commented, her emerald eyes that Harry had inherited from her fixing on him. The boy didn't say anything so she continued, "And you haven't told me about your girlfriend…"
Harry shifted awkwardly and looked away, "I broke up with her," he answered at the end
Lily was aware that he was reluctant to talk about Ginny and the least she wanted was to make her son uncomfortable, so she changed the subject, "You know? I think we should all go out for dinner tonight," she said, "Petunia keeps bothering me about visiting a new restaurant that opened downtown recently"
"I think it's a great idea," he replied hugging his mother and feeling content to be at home.
Draco stopped the car in front of the fraternity and held his girlfriend's hand, "Massachusetts again, after the best summer of my life," he said with a smile.
"I know," she sighed and reached over to kiss him, "I'll see you in a while," Hermione said when they finally parted.
The semester had started and they had returned to the University again.
Hermione entered the sorority and, after greeting her sisters, went to her room. She hadn't seen Ginny since that morning at the end of the semester, and the truth is that Hermione had been angry and confused because of everything that happened, but now all she wanted was for things to be calm between them. She opened the door slowly but Ginny wasn't there. Although she noticed that the redhead had already arrived, because her belongings were already in the room.
Hermione sighed and began unpacking. She was finishing fixing her dresser when Angelina came in; "Hermione!" the girl hugged her briefly
"Hello Angie," she smiled, "How are you? How was your summer?"
"It was ok but I bet it wasn't as good as yours" she told her with a giggle and added, "Katie found out that Draco spent the whole summer with you in Chicago. And I assume he got to meet your parents"
Hermione didn't know what to say and continued arranging her dresser, "Anyway, I came to see you to ask you a favor, Hermione dear" Angelina moved a little closer to her.
"If it is something I can help with, I will gladly do it," Hermione replied
"I need you to take care of the Homecoming party", Hermione was going to say something but Angelina interrupted her, "I know it's not your job and it's a lot considering we only have a couple of weeks to do it but, Hermione, everyone loved the Ball during Greek Week so..."
She considered it for a few seconds. She didn't feel like organizing the party alone and with so little time but she knew it was important for the sorority, "Fine, I'll do it," she accepted and Angelina gave her a huge smile
"Thank you Hermione!" she hugged her again, "I'll try to help you as much as I can, ok? But we'll talk about that later, right now you need to unpack. Say hello to Draco for me". And with another huge smile, she left the room again.
That night she went out to dinner with Draco and when she got back Ginny still wasn't at the house. She asked a couple of sisters about her but no one knew anything, so Hermione went to bed because she would have classes the next day.
When she woke up around seven in the morning, she noticed that Ginny was in her bed sleeping peacefully. Hermione got up without making a sound and approached her. She could smell the alcohol and cigarettes that the girl's body gave off. "She was probably at some club last night" she thought as she shook her head.
Hermione walked to the closet and changed her clothes as quietly as possible as she was going out to have breakfast with Harry. When she was ready she took her black bag and left the house. She ran into Harry at the same cafeteria where they spoke a year ago and ordered coffee and cupcakes, "I can't believe a year has passed," he commented with a smile as he nibbled on his cupcake
"I know," she smiled too
They ate in a comfortable silence as Harry was apparently quite hungry
"How was it in DC?" She asked, "I mean, I know you did well but tell me more"
"There is not much to tell actually," he shrugged, "I tried to distract myself as much as I could, as you asked, but the work was quite tiring"
"I can imagine," she nodded while drinking her iced coffee
"How was Chicago?" Harry asked
She smiled nibbling her lips, "It was great"
"Any intimate details you want to share?" The boy gave her a naughty look
Hermione hit him lightly on the arm, "No, thank you very much"
"Oh come on, why not? Don't you trust me?" Harry asked with a feigned hurt voice
"You know I trust you Harry but… I can't tell you those details." Hermione's face was flushed.
Harry laughed and decided to settle the matter before Hermione got really uncomfortable, "How is the sorority?" he wanted to know
"Well Angelina asked me to organize the Homecoming party," she answered after finishing her drink
"And when will this party take place?" Harry used his usual mocking tone when talking about the sorority
"Next Saturday," Hermione asked the waiter for another iced coffee and Harry did the same
"Saturday the 15th? Just a few days before your birthday," Hermione nodded and he smiled at her, "Have you thought of anything you want to do to celebrate?"
"Not really," she shrugged. "Maybe something like what we did last year. A movie, a quiet dinner..."
"And will I be invited this year? Or is it something between you and Draco?" He laughed at her comment and Hermione hit him again
"Of course you're invited," she clarified, "I'll be happy to have you both that day"
When they finished their drinks they walked across campus until Draco caught up with them. He and Hermione invited Harry to continue walking with them but he had to go to another class, so he couldn't stay.
"How was your first class?" Hermione asked as they walked hand in hand, back to the houses
"Entertaining," he smiled, "The teacher is quite funny. Hey have you heard anything else on the Homecoming party?"
"Not really, I'm supposed to meet Angelina tonight so she can give me some directions," she sighed
"Marcus told me that the party would be at our house," Draco smiled
"Really? That's a great new! This way I don't have to look for a venue," Hermione sighed again feeling relieved
"And that way we can go upstairs once the party get boring," he hugged her and kissed her, "Hermione, uh... there's something I need to tell you," he cleared his throat.
She looked at him confused, "What is it?"
"It's just that... I know I promised to help you with the party but father called and asked for my presence in a few meetings on Wednesday so..."
Hermione squeezed his hand and smiled at him, "I understand, it's no problem at all. I'll handle it myself. Or maybe I'll ask Harry to help me"
"Are you sure?" He looked at her nervous
"Yeah, it's nothing I haven't done before." Hermione gave him a short kiss. "When are you coming back?"
"Thursday afternoon I'll be here," he assured her and then kissed her
It was around six in the morning when a sleepy Draco walked out of the fraternity house, grateful that his father had sent the driver.
Once in the car Draco fell asleep all the way to Boston, and when he woke up he texted Hermione and prepared to meet Lucius.
The day was quite exhausting as his father dragged him to many meetings and in the end they had to attend a benefit dinner. Draco got completely bored and spent the time wishing Hermione were with him, so when he finally got to rest in the hotel, he fell exhausted on his bed.
Thursday morning was the same routine, so the blonde was really relieved when the last meeting ended, around two in the afternoon. Now he just had to have lunch with his father before going back to campus.
"Draco, I don't have much time so I'll go straight to the point," Lucius said as soon as they sat down at the table, "I want you to end your relationship with that girl"
Draco put down the glass of wine he had raised without even tasting it, suddenly flustered by the authoritative tone his father had used, "What are you.."
His father interrupted him, "Don't even pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about," Lucius looked at him sharply, "Do you think I wouldn't find out that you spent a month in a hotel room in Chicago? Draco, I'm always aware of what you do. If I didn't tell you anything about your relationship with that girl before, it was because I thought it would be a meaningless affaire, but apparently this goes much further, so it's time for me to intervene"
"Hermione, her name is Hermione," Draco had been enraged by the tone his father used to refer to his girlfriend
Lucius waved his hand, dismissing his comment, "Her name doesn't matter. What matters is that you must behave according to your position. That girl is not good enough for you and you know it".
"Father…" Draco clenched his fists on the table but his father ignored him and continued speaking.
"You are the heir to the Malfoy family and she's probably with you because of your money"
Draco hissed, "That's not true. Hermione is not after the family fortune, Father. She loves me for who I am, not for the things I could offer her"
"You say she loves you? What do you know about love, Draco?" Lucius replied, laughing mockingly
His father's comment managed to exasperate him even more. Draco had always had respect, almost fear of his father despite how rigid he was, but this time it had been too much, "You're right," he also laughed, "What could I know about love if I grew up with Mother and you?"
His father's gaze hardened, "I won't repeat it Draco," he whispered furiously, "You're the heir to the Malfoy family and..."
This time it was Draco's turn to interrupt him, "Yes, yes, I know," he laughed again, "I already know that speech by heart, father"
The man stared at him for several seconds before continuing, "You do all this out of rebellion, right?" Lucius smiled, "And I believing that you had already matured".
"This is not a whim of mine, father. My relationship with Hermione is real," Draco bet
"Is it?" He raised an eyebrow, "Draco, I'll say it one last time: either you break up with her or you face the consequences".
Draco fidgeted in his seat, "Consequences, what do you mean?"
"It's simple, I'll disinherit you," Lucius smiled, "If you say you really love this girl, I suppose you'll be willing to give up everything for her, right?"
"You wouldn't do that," he replied nervously
"Do not test me Draco," his father warned him, "I'd rather disinherit you than leave the estate to a disobedient son"
"What do you hope to achieve with this father?" Draco asked wearily. "You also want me to have an arranged marriage, like yours? Do you want me to live bitter for the rest of my life?"
"And what do you expect to achieve Draco, besides rebelling against your family? What will you get if you stay with this girl, a happy marriage?" The older Malfoy laughed, "Do you think you will be happy living in misery with that girl? Draco, let's face it, you couldn't stand a month living away from the luxuries you're used to."
"I don't mind the luxuries," Draco shook his head
"Now you say that," his father cut him off, "But what about when you have a family to provide for. Considering, of course, that girl doesn't leave you after finding you are no longer rich"
"Father…"
"It's your choice Draco, either that girl or your family," ad after saying that he left the restaurant leaving behind a troubled Draco.
A/N: So, what do you think? Hope you liked this chapter, please leave a comment, they're food for a writer's soul.
Magical huggs for all of you, readers.