"Ms. Granger, I'm sure this….situation…..has you quite abashed. However I would like you to know about the effects of your choices from now on." Stated the Headmistress as carefully as possible.
"What am I choosing professor?" Asked the quite perplexed Hermione, still on the verge of tears
"That's the first thing I want to inform you about. You have a choice of whether or not you will accept Mr. Malfoy as your mate. You have until the fifth of June next year, which is Mr. Malfoy's birthday," counseled the elder woman
"What happens if I don't accept him?" Question Hermione, becoming more worried by each passing second.
"Ms. Granger, if you don't accept Mr. Malfoy, he will die. You two are attached, without you, he can't survive. You do, however, still have a choice only you have the right to make." Stated the witch sorrowfully.
With that, our poor Head Girl began once again to bawl her eyes out, as the Headmistress stood to make the distressed girl a cup of tea.
Why me? I've done everything right. He was a Death Eater for Merlin's sake! I shouldn't have to choose between a life with him and his death. It's simply not fair! We're some of the thoughts cascading through the young witch's head.
While Hermione was having her own internal temper tantrum, Draco was confiding his only Slytherin friend who wasn't a crazed Voldemort worshipper.
"How come you didn't tell me you're a Veela mate?" Asked Blaine feeling quite betrayed.
"Is that really all that you heard? I didn't know until now! I don't know what to do. If she doesn't accept me, my life is over. But she'll never accept me because I made her life a living hell for six fucking years! Why wouldn't my parents have told me about this before the war, they knew He would lose. Hell, they helped the Order defeat him." Yelled to the point of almost hyperventilating while he paced the floor.
"Sit down mate, we'll get this figured out. As for Hermione rejecting you, I know her, she doesn't have a hateful bone in her body. She will give you another chance. Maybe you should stay here for the night, I can cancel my date if you want," offered Draco's only friend.
"No, go ahead, I just need to think about some stuff, rethink my entire life actually." Said Draco exasperatedly, but by the time his friend came back, Draco was fast asleep.
After calming down and having a cup of tea with the Headmistress, Hermione set out to her best girl friend, who was in the very familiar Gryffindor tower.
"No," said the seventh year Ginevra—who goes by Ginny.
"Yes" confided Hermione, who felt just slightly better while re telling her conundrum to her best friend, and moderately excited to be back in Gryffindor tower having late night girl talks once again, even though the two friends had spent most of summer together.
"It can't be," Said Ginny surprised.
"It is," said the other girl who was emotionally exhausted.
"What are you going to do?" Asked Ginny worried.
"I have no idea, but I only have until June to decide"
"Decide what?" Questioned Ginny.
"If I accept him or not. If I don't, he'll die." Said Hermione sadly. She definitely wasn't fond of Draco, but he had proved himself a changed man over the past year. He didn't rat the out at the manor, and he had stopped calling her a mudblood during their sixth and seventh years. Hermione had been quite worried about being without Harry and Ron, as they were hunting horcruxes and the Order needed her to stay at the school as a correspondent.
"Oh Hermione, I'm so sorry that this weight has been put on your shoulders. I know this past summer has been excruciatingly painful for you."
"Thank you Ginny, do you mind if I stay here for the night? The sleeping arrangements haven't been worked out quite yet."
"Oh not at all there's more than enough room for you in my bed. I'll call Darcy the elf to get you some of your clothes and supplies for today and tomorrow."
"Thank you again, I truly appreciate it" thanked the distressed witch sitting on her best friend's queen sized bed.
All students who stayed at Hogwarts was given a queen bed. Long with that, all members of Dumbledore's army was given their own Bedroom if they wished, with most opting out in favor living with their friends.
"It's no trouble at all, now get comfortable, it'll be just like old time sneaking into each other's dorms for slumber parties."
At this point Hermione was feeling much better and was extremely grateful for her friend by her side through and through.
"Darcy!" Called Ginny politely
"Yes Miss Wheezy? Miss Wheezy has call Darcy?"
"Yes, could you bring some of Hermione's clothes for tonight and tomorrow please? Along with her toothbrush, hairbrush, and makeup please," asked the witch, showing great respect to elf knowing how Hermione felt about them.
"Oh yes Miss Wheezy,"said the elf as she bowed, her long nose nearly brushing the floor. And with that, the elf popped off and returned barely a minute later with all of the requested things.
"Thanks you Darcy, could you also tell Blaise Zabini I won't be able to see him tonight?" Requested the witch using her politest smile, almost begging.
"Of course Miss Wheezy. Darcy would be glad to," said the excited elf, happy to help a student in any way.
Draco slept soundly sensing his mate at peace at the moment. That was another unexplained mystery Draco now had an answer to. All summer, Draco would get unexplained emotions that didn't feel like they were is. There was a lot of sadness during the first three weeks or so, but that's a story for another time.
When Hermione arose the next morning she felt a sudden peace with herself, with her situation. She sat up in the bed and slowly stretched and wiped the sleep out of her eyes before spotting her best friend sitting at the white, wooden vanity brushing her hair.
"Morning Ginny," said a still tried Hermione whose voice was still scratchy because she hadn't used it all night
"Good morning 'Mione, feel any better? today's a new day," beamed a bright and chipper Ginny
"Much actually. Thanks again for letting me stay here last night," thanked Hermione, beginning to get out of the bed
"It was no problem at all, that's what friends are for. Breakfast started not too long ago, but I figured you might want to sleep in a bit. if you hurry and get dressed we'll have time to some," spoke Ginny, who at this point, was curling her straight, red hair, which fell to her hips at this point.
"That's sounds like just what I need," said the girl as she pulled her dressing gown over her messy nest of bed head, "after breakfast, what lesson do we have first?" Questioned the Head Girl wondering what school supplies she would need before lunch.
"First is Potions with the Slytherins, or what's left of them, so many first years asked the hat specifically not to put them in Slytherin for fear of being in the "evil" house, as they put it. For the most part, the only first year Slytherin students are children of blood supremacists,"
"It's such a shame Slytherin has such a bad reputation now, there were some very noble Slytherins, and then Voldemort screwed that up for them"
"Yes, it's such a tragedy, but we haven't time to mope about Slytherin's decreased popularity if we want any food before lunch, hurry."
"Ok, I'm almost ready," said a now fully dressed Hermione walking to the bathroom to brush her hair and get ready for the day. When she finally emerged once again from the bathroom, Hermione had her solid black Head Girl robes with her Prefect pin on with her curly brown hair falling slightly above where her bra strap was.
Right around the time Hermione was waking, Draco was already showering in the Slytherin bathrooms. He had much to do today and wanted to get an early start on it all.
"Do you plan on getting out of bed at all before high noon? I woke you at least thirty minutes ago," complained Draco while adjusting his Head Boy robes, which matched Hermione's all the way down to the pin
"How do you do it? Every single day you're already showered and dressed before I have time to put one foot on the floor," said Blaise, barely awake.
"I guess I've always been a morning person," said Draco whose mind was already preoccupied by thoughts about the Head Girls, who was now his livelihood.
"How long do I have to get ready?" Asked the tired Blaise making his way to his dresser.
"We need to be in the Great Hall in just under ten minute to have time to eat anything," spoke Draco looking down at his watch.
Apparently that was enough to get Blaise up and moving because of their was one thing he hated, it was being hungry. Now he wasn't Crabbe and Goyle — who died in the battle— but the man knew how to eat, yet somehow he managed to stay just as fit as Draco.
Barely five minutes later out of the bathroom came a freshly showered and dressed Blaise, ready for the day.
Some might say it was pure coincidence that Draco and Hermione spoke their next words simultaneously while almost as far apart two people could get in the castle, and it might have been, but it also could have been their newly formed bond connecting their subconsciouses.
"Accio Potions supplies," said the Head Boy and Girl as they both walked out of their respective doors
A/n: oh a cliffhanger, exciting. I hope you like this installment which is considerably longer than the rest. I'll try to update soon!
-E.K. Jane