Hermione entered her dormitory as if nothing had happened, and threw herself on the bed she had longed for during the day. But Ginny, who was sitting in the bed next to Hermione's, didn't miss her red and sad eyes.
"Hermione what's wrong?" she asked worried. "nothing Ginny, really." her friend was disappointed by the answer and gave her a reproachful look, she knew she was lying.
Ginny approached Hermione and whispered threateningly: "if it's still for Ron, don't worry, I already hexed him a couple of times." yeah, that girl was gifted in hexes. (in particular Bat-Bogey hex)
"i told you he would've messed it up." After having sustained her previous thesis tenaciously, now she had a new goal: help Hermione finding a new boyfriend and make Ron suffer. suffer a lot.
"Ginny before you start again; I'm not going to get a new boyfriend only to make Ron suffer!" "it won't be like that: you will get a new boyfriend to get over Ron, and continue happily your life with someone who deserves you, not like that idiot of my brother!" not too bad as propose.
"I'm glad that you defend me and try to help, but I don't feel ready." Ginny put an hand on Hermione's shoulder trying to reassure her.
"sure, sure, when it will be the right one you will be ready, I just know it." Ginny affirmed with a loving voice; just like Mrs. Weasley.
She noticed that her friend wasn't getting better so she used her second theory: "if it's fault of the boy from the library I swear I'll kill him."
"No, on the contrary... he- he helped me...?" Hermione replied not completely convinced of what she was saying, and surely not ready to believe that Malfoy had helped her.
"aww, do you like him?!" her friend asked in her full Ginny style. "of course not! He only helped me because I was crying." "don't take it for granted, he could pass by, without saying nothing." Ginny scolded her.
"if you don't want to deal with the topic "boy", will you tell me why you were crying in the arms of your Prince Charming?!" Hermione remembered the why her tears and new tears threatened to fill her eyes.
"okay, maybe another time?" Ginny side-hugging her friend sitting on the edge of the bed. Then she said: "If for some reason, your Prince Charming will go on vacation, you will always have me too." Hermione smiled at her affectionately.
"then, what happened?" Ginny asked her in a calm and sympathetic tone as much as possible to put Hermione at ease.
"McGonagall came while we were at the library and said that the Aurors found my parents in Australia..." Hermione told, starting to sob. "But it seems wonderful to me. Even if something tells me that it is not so..."
"you don't understand! They started their life all over again in Australia. They adopted a girl, and they called her like me! I don't want to ruin their life again!"
Ginny put her hands to her mouth in a shocked expression. "oh Hermione, I'm sorry" her hands gently caress her friend's head. "I don't want to ruin their new life! They no longer need me, they will go on and be happy."
"Don't say so, in their actual mind, you never existed; out of sight, out of mind. If they remembered you they would love to have you back! You are irreplaceable!" she tried to console her.
"yes, but if I give them their memory back now, they would wonder who they adopted, why they are in Australia, and a lot of other things. I would destroy their new perfect life! And what would happen to the baby, she would also ask herself what is going on, to see her parents deny her like that, whoever she is, she doesn't deserve something like that!" Hermione sobbed.
"Hermione, you decide." Ginny said softly. "I... I don't want to restore their memory... I'm grown up now, I can live without them, that little girl needs them more." "Okay then, do you want me to go and tell McGonagall?" Hermione nodded with tears in her eyes and Ginny disappeared behind the door.
The girl laid on her stomach in her bed and thought about all the moments she had spent with her parents, which they could no longer remember. Then she fell in a dreamless asleep.
In the morning Hermione woke up very early, but she could no longer sleep, even thought she forced herself to stay in bed, at least until someone else woke up; she didn't want to go around the corridors that time.
As she stared at the ceiling, someone caught her attention. "Anyway, I'd like to let you know that I know who the boy is." Ginny said as Hermione blanched.
"how..." she began turning towards Ginny. "how do I know? A mix of you and corridor gossip. And I did two plus two! In short, you translate rune books with Malfoy! Where you had to translate them if not in the library. you mast spend half of the time together." Ginny clarified.
"Yeah, It's actually quite obvious. But is that okay with you?" asked Hermione shyly. "what?" Ginny asked not understanding. "me spending so much time with Malfoy, and actually not hating it." asked Hermione looking away. "Of course, it could be your enemy, friend, or even your boyfriend, but if it makes you happy, that's fine for me." Ginny said, letting Hermione breathe a sigh of relief, which she feared would get angry.
"thanks Ginny, you are a real friend." thanked Hermione. "modestly." Ginny said giving herself airs like the divas of Broadway. they chuckled together.
"I think that it is appropriate to take the P.E.S.T. protocol of emergency for tragic situations." Ginny said opening the drawer of her bedside table. "I agree, pass me a spoon." Ginny took two spoons from the bedside table and passed one to Hermione, then pulled a jar of chocolate cream out of the drawer.
Hermione and Ginny sat next to each other watching the first snow fall outside the window at the ides of December.
"It's nice to solve the problems with two spoons and chocolate cream." Hermione said putting the half-full jar back in place. "yeah" Ginny replied with her mouth surrounded by chocolate. "So days start better." Hermione said returning to sit down. "See not to ruin it by yourself after consuming half of our secret stash for the sad moments." Ginny warned her. "I'll do my best." Hermione replayed as she got ready for the day.
The emergency protocol for tragic situations had worked, and the following days passed quickly and without tragedies.
Saturday arrived as if nothing had happened, and in the blink of an eye Hermione was back in the library, she was feeling like spending her entire life in there.
it took her a few minutes to find out where Malfoy was.
"Granger, I'm here." Malfoy called her from behind the Muggle shelf. "may I ask why?"
"because I liked your book, okay!? So I have thought of taking another one of those... what are they called?" he asked while she was rummaging through some books.
"crime books." replayed Hermione in a duh tone. "yeah exactly." Malfoy grabbed two books with the yellow cover and went back to the table under the window. He had taken Murder on the Orient Express and Ten little Indians. "did you change author?" asked Hermione noting that he had gone from Conan Doyle to Agata Christie. "yes, I liked the titles" Hermione took the books from the bag and placed them on the table thinking that it had to be really superficial for having chosen the books by title.
"I think it was written by Rowena Ravenclaw" said Hermione looking at the yellowish pages of the little book. "nobody other than the founders could have known all these things in detail. tomorrow afternoon we have a meeting with the others, right?" Draco nodded.
"I don't think we have to translate everything, when we get to what we already know, we can stop." Hermione commented opening the books. "You mean, when we get to what YOU know, Granger, I don't think there is a single living person in the school who studied Hogwarts history."
"it's not true! There is also Professor Binns!" "in fact I said LIVING person, doesn't count, he is a ghost." Malfoy said raising an eyebrow and smiling mockingly.
"Damn it." whispered Hermione with a slight smile, taking Malfoy's herbology notebook from her bag.
"Thanks, it's only thanks you if the test went so good." she thanked. "all right." Malfoy replied putting in his bag the notebook that the girl had passed him.
"they are really very beautiful and accurate, I didn't know you liked so much herbology." Hermione commented. "why should you understand from my notes if I like a subject?" asked Malfoy perplexed. "because if you like the subject, then you make careful notes, which you can understand well, and which are also beautiful. If instead you don't like it, as in my case, you don't even take notes! Or if you do, they are two skimpy scribbles. Conclusion: you like herbology, and also a lot."
Malfoy was amazed. She understood it all from my notes; what a nerd... he smiled lightly at the thought. "amazing right? I can lend you potions too, if you need them." Hermione looked at him in amazement. "then at the next potions lesson I know who to ask. But I've never seen you so interested in lessons, neither in herbology nor in potions."
"I am very good at hiding emotions, Granger, they taught me when I was little. Anyway, it's because I wanted to become a healer." he said lowering his eyes. Hermione looked at him even more surprised than before. "there is nothing wrong with wanting to cure people." she tried not to make him feel embarrassed.
"I don't know... .Who knows if someone would even let himself to be healed by me. I don't think so." he said bitterly. "what are you saying! I am sure you will be able to become a great San Mungo' doctor." Malfoy let out a melancholy laugh. "A former death eaters that cures people. Let's be serious."
"You said it, FORMER Death Eater!" she retorted.
Malfoy looked Hermione straight in the eye.
"Do you really mean what you said?" he asked very seriously.
He's eyes could froze.
"Of course." she replied firmly. She had just accepted a challenge.
"but I've hurt you for years. you shouldn't stand for me. You know that I'm a git, I've been really horrible to you."
"the most complete revenge is forgiveness, Malfoy." said Hermione. "no, sorry, joking; forgive others not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace. Buddha. This was better, and in my opinion, it is time for you to find peace too."
"I do not deserve peace after what I have done, only pain, I already have what I deserve." he said melancholy.
"not true, everyone deserves peace, the thief, the murderer, everyone, from the prisoner to the great queen."
"thanks." Malfoy found himself saying.
"but now I have questions. First: who is Buddha? Second: where do you find these phrases?!" "I read, Malfoy, I read." Hermione replied wisely and calmly. "and sooner or later you will find out for yourself who is Buddha." "I will inquire about quotes like that just to be able to answer you in kind!" "I will be ready!"
"I accept the challenge, a Malfoy never refuses a challenge with a filthy mudblood." He aped the last words as when he insulted her, and Hermione almost laughed.
Actually many weeks had passed since he insulted her for the last time. and after that "Australian accident" Hermione felt almost completely free to talk to him.
"Just because he believes he can win." she retorted chuckling and dragging the other too.
When they stopped, they bent over the book again, but Malfoy raised his head to speak.
"Truce?" He asked.
"truce... . But I still hate you Malferret!"
"don't misunderstand me, Granger, you are still a mudblood."
TRUCE.
Hermione took off a weight from his and her heart; and the chains that trapped the little survived soul of Draco, began to thin as the stone walls that enclosed that little of heart that remained Draco Malfoy .
Was it really over? Was the wall they built over the years with the insults they had launched throughout their lives really part of the past? Maybe they didn't know it either, but at the moment the doubt was enough.
Time passed and the last leather book was finished.
"I think I have to go away, Morgan sent me an owl, asked me to go to her before dinner, so now I'm going. Very little is left to finish the books, only that little mysterious book. Sunday 17th December. Last session." she said going away.
"Well. But I would write to the others to tell them of the next meeting." "It's okay for me" said Hermione sitting down again and taking pen and paper.
We have finally finished translating the books we found in the hidden room, the last date before Christmas will be December 20th. Always in the secret passage. H.J.G and D.L.M.