The Werewolf's Daughter

32. The after-party

'Hermione? Hermione? Are you ok?!' Maya cried, racing down to her friend. 'Oh, thank god!' she said, when she saw she was ok.

'Just cold!' Hermione shivered. 'Maya, can you believe he thinks of me as a TREASURE' she added.

'So, he hasn't taken the hint that you're not interested?'

'Obviously not. Just keep him away from me please?' she asked.

Maya nodded, and let Draco know what was happening. He blocked Hermione from anyone else's sight.

'Harry, Ron, are you two ok? Harry, you really are an idiot you know?' she said, before either could respond to her first question.

'Thanks Maya. Yeah…I'm fine.'

'Well, you are. Did you think they would let any of the people die? Fleur's 'treasure' would have been fine. You, on the other hand, could have killed yourself!'

'Maya, lay off him. Harry was being nice.' Draco whispered to his girlfriend.

Maya was about to say something else but was interrupted by Dumbledore giving out the points. Luckily, the judges also thought Harry was being rather nice and he scored quite high. Cedric won, but the points given meant that he and Harry were tied.

'The next task will take place on 24th June.' Dumbledore finished.

The students all made their way back up to the school – the champions and their 'treasures' went away to warm up while everyone else went to the Great Hall for dinner.

'You ok?' Draco asked Maya as they sat down – she had been very quiet coming back up to the school and she was very pale.

'The first task was dragons; the second was a task that could have drowned Harry, due to his own stupidity yes but still, he could have died – what will the next task be?'

'I don't know Maya, but just remember these tasks are designed to test skills and magic – not to kill anyone.'

'They're designed to test the skills and magic of a 17-year-old of-age wizard! Not a 14-year-old!'

'Maya, Dumbledore wouldn't let anything happen to a student. We just have to trust him and trust that Harry will get through this.'

'I'm not thinking of Dumbledore, Draco. Someone put Harry's name in that Goblet, and we have an ex death eater sitting at the table playing nicey nicey with our headteacher – what if he's to do with this?'

'Maya, Dumbledore knows Karkaroff and what he was – he'll keep an eye on everything.'

Maya didn't get a chance to respond as Harry, Hermione and Ron came and sat down. She didn't want them to know she was so worried.

'You all ok?' she asked.

They all nodded, and Harry & Hermione started to eat. Ron wasn't eating much – not like him at all. He looked a bit sulky too. After pushing food around his plate for about 30 minutes, he got up and left the table. 'What's his problem?' Maya asked.

'No idea. I'll go and speak to him once I'm finished.' Harry said.

'It's ok Harry, I'm finished so I'll go.' Hermione said, leaving the table.

Maya, Harry and Draco left the table ten minutes later; they made their way back to the common room and found themselves standing in a full-on shouting match.

'WELL MAYBE IF YOU DIDN'T ACT LIKE A…A…HARLOT! SNEAKING ABOUT IN CUPBOARDS WITH MEN.'

'DID YOU JUST CALL ME A HARLOT? HOW DARE YOU! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING THAT HAPPENED!'

'OH, I'M SURE IT MUST HAVE BEEN REALLY GOOD FOR HIM TO COUNT YOU AS ONE OF HIS "TREASURES"'

Suddenly there was a loud whistling from next to Maya. 'Ow, my ear!'

'Sorry – I just needed that to stop.' Draco said, apologetically.

Hermione spun round, saw everyone watching her and ran off to the girls dormitory crying.

'RON! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HER THAT WAY!' Maya shouted at the red head.

'Well maybe she shouldn't be acting like that with Krum.'

'Acting like what Ron?'

'Slipping in and out of broom closets.'

'Ron, you're an idiot. Hermione never went near any closets with Krum – he wanted her too and she didn't. In fact, she was scared of him – she told me. She was going to come and tell you when she saw you in the entrance hall, but you just had a go at her.'

'What? No, I…I seen them!'

'No, you didn't. What you seen was Hermione finding any way to get away from Krum and you did nothing to help her.'

'I…I didn't know!' Ron said.

'Yeah, well maybe you need to start asking questions before you act.' Maya hissed at him – she didn't get a chance to say anything else as the Weasley Twins came in then shouting about the after-party they were throwing that night. Maya threw Ron a death glare, kissed Draco goodnight and made her way upstairs.

In the girl's dormitory, Hermione was curled up on her bed, crying her eyes out.

'Hey 'Mione, don't let him upset you like this.'

'It's not just him Maya – I've heard the whispers since the Yule Ball. Everyone thinks I'm some kind of slut. Being Viktor's "treasure" today really didn't help.'

'Well you ignore everyone else. They don't know what they're talking about – and just stay away from Krum as much as you can. Just, please don't let anyone upset you like this! No one is worth it.'

'But it's Ron – he's the one saying all this. I don't want him to think those things of me.' She said, and started crying again.

'Come with me!' Maya said, holding her hand out to the girl.

'What?'

'I said, come with me.' She said, pulling her friend off the bed.

'No, everyone will be down there celebrating Harry's win – I don't want to go down there.'

'You just need to walk down there and across to the boys' dormitory. You and Ron are going to talk – properly!'

Maya dragged Hermione down the stairs and along to the stairs leading up to the boy's dormitory. Luckily, only Draco and Ron were in there. Everyone else was too busy partying to go to bed.

'Draco, can you come with me and give these two a minute to talk? I mean talk you two – no shouting.'

Hermione slowly walked in to the dormitory and perched on the end of Harry's bed, facing Ron as he was in his bed. Maya took Draco's hand and they made their way down to the common room, where they say in front of the fire, chatting to Harry and Ginny.

'Ron being an arse again?' Ginny asked.

'Would it be Ron if he wasn't?' Maya asked, snickering.

'Hopefully he and Hermione aren't duelling each other up there!'

Harry and Draco looked at each other – they had both been thinking something else.

Ginny eventually wandered off to speak to Neville and it wasn't long before Harry had joined them. Maya snuggled in to Draco and closed her eyes.

'You don't have to wait down here with me you know?' Draco whispered, 'I won't be offended if you go up to bed.' He added, as he kissed her forehead.

'No, I want to stay with you. Plus, Hermione may need someone to talk to when she comes down.'

Draco shrugged and played with her hair; Maya smiled as she rested her eyes – she would be sleeping soon if he carried on doing that.

'OH, and what have you two been up to, up there all alone?' Maya heard someone say from above her. Confused, she opened her eyes. She wasn't up anywhere.

As she sat up, she could see Fred & George smirking as they spoke to someone coming down from the boy's dormitory – oh they weren't speaking to her!

Ron and Hermione walked past them – Ron was blushing, but Hermione just threw them a glare. 'We were talking. Get your head out of the gutter.' She muttered, as she pushed past them.

'I'm going to bed guys – night.' She smiled at them all.

'Erm, Draco I know I got you up earlier, but do you mind if I go? I feel really tired.'

'Sure you do love. Nothing to do with asking Hermione everything that just happened. Enjoy your gossip fest' he said, kissing her on the lips. 'See you in the morning.'

Maya skipped up to the girl's dormitory – she noticed Parvati and Lavender still in the main common room. Good – she would be able to interrogate Hermione.

When she went into their room, Hermione was sat cross legged on her bed – waiting on Maya. 'I wondered how long it would take you to come up.' She said, laughing.

'I can't help it! I take it everything was ok?'

'Yes – the first thing he did was apologise for how he treated me at the Yule Ball. I told him everything – how I felt and everything.'

'What did he say?'

'He kissed me.'

Maya's jaw dropped. 'No way!'

Hermione blushed slightly. 'That was pretty much the only answer I needed – but he did clarify that he felt the same. We talked a bit more and I did say I was worried about us being friends and then more, plus we are a 'trio' you know. But guess what?'

'What…?'

'He told me not to worry about Harry feeling left out…. because he's seeing someone anyway!'

'What?!'

'Yeah…I was shocked at Ron's reaction actually because Harry has been dating Ginny!'

'Ginny?! But wait, why didn't they go to the Yule ball together?'

'Yeah. I seriously thought Ron would have been angry about it, but apparently Harry spoke to Ron before he asked her out and Ron was – eventually – ok with it. They decided not to go public until Harry had spoken to Ron, which he only did a couple of weeks ago. Why they didn't think to go as friends though, no clue!'

'Wow…can't say I expected that one!' Maya exclaimed. She got in to bed but continued to talk with her friend. 'I'm glad you're happy 'Mione – but Ron better not hurt you!'

'Don't worry – I think he knows if he does, he will have you, his brothers, Ginny and Harry to answer to.'

Maya laughed – he would have a lot of people to answer to if he fucked up. 'So…you mentioned a kiss…did anything else happen…?' she asked.

Silence

'Hermione. Hermione! Don't pretend you're sleeping – tell me details!'

FAKE snoring.

'I will get it out of you.' She whispered in to the darkness.