Happy New Year! Let's close out this year by completing this fic, huh?
Thank you all for coming on this journey of healing and sporadic updates with me. It's been a wonderful two years writing this so I hope you enjoy our conclusion.
Beta love to the usual crew: etoiledune, Highladylily, and Photon Zero-Infinity. And extra shoutout to the DFW group for pushing me to get that 100k on this fic.
Thanks for being here.
peace and love,
sam
They strolled through the festival, perusing the wares of the vendors. Draco had bought her at least half a dozen hot chocolates by now because she just kept guzzling them down. Hermione had a suspicion the vendor was using cinnamon or some other delicious spice because it was easily the best hot chocolate she'd ever had.
Hermione pulled Draco to a stop when she saw Ernie with a Slytherin witch two years younger than them. He was currently putting his jacket around her shoulders and buttoning the front buttons while she smiled at him adoringly.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who fell in love in the dungeons," she mused, tilting her head in their direction.
"That's Izora Pucey, Adrian's little sister. She's a good kid," Draco stated. "Adrian will be fuming that someone's even looking at her like that, but it'll be fine."
Ernie noticed them staring and raised his hand in acknowledgement. Hermione smiled and waved back, pulling Draco along with her.
"It's a good turnout," he said, glancing around. "Everyone almost seems, dare I say, happy."
Hermione chuckled and swung their arms back and forth. "Well, I'm happy. Tonight is a night for fun. Nothing dark. Nothing heavy. Just you and me being very dumb teenagers in love."
"Technically we're both adults, love," Draco corrected.
"Teenagers. In. Love," she repeated firmly. "I want to do reckless things, like snog by the castle entrance and get caught by a teacher."
Draco shook his head. "All the trouble you've lived through and getting detention for snogging is the most reckless thing you can think of right now?"
"Yes. It's the most reckless thing that normal teenagers worry about!"
Draco spun her around and walked her backwards through the maze of stalls. Hermione's laughter rang out the whole time. She felt carefree surrounded by all of the winter magic.
It was clear Draco shouldn't be trusted to steer when Hermione collided with a hard body. Michael and Padma were walking together in an animated discussion about the principles of alchemy.
"Sorry, Hermione," Michael said quickly, dipping his head.
"No need for you to apologise. We're in our own world over here. Are you two excited to go back to Ravenclaw?" Hermione asked.
Michael's face softened with relief. "You have no idea. I love you lions, but I can't live with you. It's loud. I miss the muted whispers of my tower. And I miss everyone doing their own work."
"Right? It's like they find out a Ravenclaw is in their midst and expect you to tutor them!" Padma shouted in agreement.
"So the experiment was a bust for you, huh?" Hermione asked, a little disappointed.
"No," Padma and Michael said in unison.
"I actually really enjoyed the relaxed environment in Hufflepuff," Padma said. "They reminded me to take breaks. Brought me snacks. It was a lesson in self-care."
"And the Gryffindors pushed me to have some fun. I pranked people, Hermione!" Michael said like he was completely scandalised by the notion.
"Just because we still feel like Ravenclaws doesn't mean this failed," Padma explained. "We were always going to go back but I feel like I learned a lot about balance. And I think as much as this is about house unity, the program helped us become more well-rounded people."
Michael nodded. "I've always felt like everyone tries to make us fit into the stereotype of our house. But so many of us have characteristics of all the houses. And, realistically, we should all strive to be a little bit of each. Cunning isn't always bad. Loyalty is valued in most places. Wit can help you problem-solve in creative ways. And courage can give you the backbone to stand up for yourself."
Draco chimed in. "I think that was always the problem with the house system. We treated it like we were sorted based on the attributes we had. But it's about what we value. And there are hat stalls for a reason. People are complex and we can't assume they are all alike based on a sorting that happens when we're eleven."
Hermione nodded. "Slytherin was always looked at as the evil house. Gryffindor was where the heroes came from. And it's not fair to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff to be regulated to the 'other houses.' We're all so important and produce powerful, notorious wizards. I hope this program continues so future students get to see that," Hermione said. The pair nodded before saying their goodbyes and jumping back into their argument.
Hermione watched them walk away and when she turned to look at Draco, he was already staring at her. "What?"
"Nothing. I just…it's hard to believe this idea actually worked. That it was more than a way for you to escape," Draco mused.
Hermione nodded and looked at the retreating forms of Padma and Michael. She caught sight of Seamus and Dean laughing with Luna and Tracey. Blaise was flirting shamelessly with Daphne. Hannah Abbott was talking with Neville, pointing at a plant one of the vendors had on display.
"I like to think we were all chosen because we needed something. It could be big, like mine. Or as small as needing to be challenged a bit," Hermione stated. "Maybe this program wouldn't have worked as well if we had different participants. Maybe we'd have had brawls and harassment on a daily basis. I guess we'll never know, but I think we all turned out better for having been through it."
—
They abandoned the festival pretty early. It turned out the secret ingredient to the hot chocolate had been firewhiskey so Hermione had gotten fairly pissed without realising it.
It was honestly impressive that his witch had done so well at the carnival games in her current state. They had competed against each other as well as Potter and Ginny at some target shooting games. One involved hitting your target and changing it to a particular colour in order to match the pattern displayed. It was a relatively simple game, but Gryffindors were dirty cheats who smacked one's arm while they fired off spells.
He was not bitter.
He did, however, wonder how Hermione could have such a steady wand arm when she couldn't currently walk straight.
Draco had noticed her swaying and giggling as they walked under the multicoloured lights and had decided she should probably sit down and sober up. Admittedly, his decision was driven by the fact that she kept bumping into smaller students and then fawning over them while she apologised. He led her just far enough away from the festival that they were concealed in darkness, but so they could still see the magic of the decorations.
They were both lying on their backs in a spot magically cleared of snow with dried grass. One of Draco's hands was behind his head, his arm acting as a pillow for Hermione, while the other arm rested across his stomach. Hermione had been loosely holding his hand over her shoulder while the other was pinned against her side.
Hermione couldn't look away from the night sky. She was drunkenly murmuring constellations and star names to herself while tracing circles on Draco's palm. He was looking at her drowsy eyes and imagining the flush to her skin from the alcohol in her system.
"Draco?" Hermione asked, still staring at the stars.
"Hmm?"
"Why are you always so warm?"
Draco pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. "One could also ask why you're always so cold."
"I'm a perfectly normal temperature," she said drowsily, snuggling into his side. Draco pulled her tighter to him and murmured a warming charm on her jacket.
"I wish we didn't have to leave for break," Hermione admitted. "I don't want to go back to my flat. Or to Grimmauld with Harry."
"You still have your flat? The one he…"
"Technically it's a different one," Hermione sighed. "I had signed a short-term lease on that one anyway since I wasn't planning to have a flat while I came back to school. But when that lease ended and I thought all my friends would hate me for what happened, I decided to get another one. It's not very cosy at the moment. All my stuff was just thrown in boxes and left in the middle of rooms."
"Not even a bookshelf?" Draco gasped in mock horror.
"Nope. Not one single book is displayed. A real tragedy," Hermione wiped away imaginary tears and shook with repressed laughter. Her smile faded slightly and he gaze was suddenly mournful. "I just want to stay in our little bubble."
"So why don't we?"
"What?" Hermione pushed up to rest her weight on an elbow and look at him.
"Why don't we?" he repeated. "Blaise was planning to host the holiday festivities at his villa on the Amalfi Coast. I decreed that it is someone else's turn to host our merry band of outcasts. Come with us."
"But what about your family? My parents?" she asked.
"We can split up the trip. After we get back to London, we can Floo to Blaise's villa from my house. Spend time in the sun and decompress from school. Then we can go to the Italian ministry and get a portkey to Australia so you can spend time with your parents and talk to the healers in person," Draco suggested and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Then we portkey back to Italy for a few days before coming back to England. It all works out because our time with my parents in Wiltshire can be limited if we use the excuse of having to return to Hogwarts before the start of term."
"How long have you been thinking about this?"
"I've been trying to figure out how to keep you around for months," he teased. "That included planning a variety of options for break. As additional circumstances emerged, the plans changed. This seemed like a good mix of everything. Maybe we can even squeeze in a day or two to get you unpacked and set-up that bookcase."
Hermione smiled broadly before kissing him soundly in the snow. "I love you."
"So a winter break in Italy really appeals to you that much?"
"A winter break with you appeals to me that much."
Draco leaned in to kiss her deeply. Hermione's arms wrapped around his back to pull him on top of her, her legs opened and he fell right into the cradle of her thighs. He wouldn't shag her out here where anyone could walk by, and certainly not when she was well past sloshed.
But he would kiss her and hold her. Draco loved these moments when they could just be together. No pressure. No drama chasing them. Just two people in love, wanting to express that love.
"Do you want to head back to the common room?" he asked, barely pulling away from her.
"Will you make me tea and play with my hair and do that thing my mum did?"
"Yes. Yes. And yes," Draco answered, punctuating each affirmative with a kiss to a different part of her face. "To sweeten the deal, I'll even wrap you up in a blanket the way you like."
Hermione squealed in delight—oh, she was definitely drunk—and wiggled beneath him. "Let's go!"
Draco laughed as his witch dragged him back to the castle, excitedly talking to herself about their evening plans. He eventually had to pull her to his chest and frog-march her to the dungeons, hand clamped over her mouth as she had decided to ramble about all the sexual favours they'd be exchanging tonight.
Merlin knew he didn't care. But she would certainly mind if the gossip tomorrow was about Hermione Granger's preferences in the bedroom. Though if the reactions from the portraits were any indication, that gossip would still circulate regardless. He found it amusing that some of the women in the paintings were jealous and proud, while the men seemed shocked and scandalised by the notion of a young woman enjoying the carnal pleasures of the flesh.
Speaking of carnal pleasures, Draco pulled Hermione short when he heard a distinct moan. He knew that sound. He'd shared a room with Theo for many years and—as most people knew—he was a bit of an exhibitionist; thus, a lot of wanking occurred in common areas. He scanned the hall looking for his friend, hoping to see something he could mock Theo and Pansy for later.
He really wished he had ignored it and continued on towards his bed.
In a poorly lit alcove, Draco caught sight of Theo and Pansy…and Neville Longbottom engaged in the beginnings of a menage a trois. Theo was pushed against the wall by both of them. Pansy's hands were hovering around the—thankfully—still-covered cocks of the wizards. Neville was kissing Pansy's neck and Theo was clearly trying to suck a bruise on Neville's collarbone. And that is where Draco stopped mentally cataloguing the image before him.
It was bad enough that Theo lacked a sense of modesty or decency. But witnessing this was too much.
"Oi!" Draco's shout sent Neville scuttling away from the wall quickly. Theo and Pansy merely moved their heads to look at the unwelcome interruption. "There are children roaming the halls. Have the courtesy to take your sex-capades to a private environment."
Pansy smiled devilishly. "Didn't you bend Granger over a library table?"
Neville's head whipped toward Pansy, jaw hanging open and face turning redder and redder by the minute.
"Such a hypocrite, Draco," Theo teased. "Or are you just put-out we didn't invite you to our party?"
"Not true, darling," Pansy corrected. "I recall us inviting him—and Hermione—many times. They didn't want to play, remember?"
"Ah yes. We were rejected." Theo pouted as he wrapped a hand around Neville's arm and skated it down until he was guiding the wizard's limb by the wrist to grope Pansy's breast. "We found someone else to play with. Right, Nev?"
Neville didn't verbally respond as Theo had taken his hand off the other wizard's wrist to squeeze him through his trousers. Draco didn't miss the way Theo's fingers inched the zipper down ever so slowly. Neville's head dropped to rest his forehead on Pansy's shoulder and he nodded enthusiastically just the same.
"Fair warning," Pansy said breathily as Neville had clearly taken the hint and picked up where they left off. Knowing Theo, he was likely egging her on with some unseen motion—they liked their fancy magical toys. "Charlie is next on the list and he's just as kinky as we are."
Theo sent Draco a wink before capturing Pansy's mouth with his.
Having been thoroughly dismissed, Draco hustled a very drunk, oblivious Hermione away before they saw too much. He only hoped that she wouldn't remember stumbling across their friends about to engage in a very public threesome.
They disappeared behind the stone wall into the Slytherin common room, hand-in-hand, leaving the rest of the world to enjoy the Winter Wonderland outside.
—
Hermione stood on platform 9 ¾ of King's Cross Station, holding Draco's hand loosely. It seemed strange to think back to September when she'd been in exactly the same spot as an entirely different woman.
That woman had been scared and hollow. That woman had lived a life of shame and paranoia. But the woman she was today felt strong and brave. Hermione felt like the brazen eleven-year-old who had been willing to take on not just a new school, but a new world. She felt forged by fire and love as she stood before the Hogwarts Express now.
She glanced at Draco talking animatedly to Harry about how he promised to have Hermione back in England in time for her to visit with him before term. Her strength was not entirely his doing, but his support was certainly a contributor. As were the other Slytherins she now called friends.
Rebuilding the castle was how they started. Since summer, all they had been doing was fixing.
Fixing walls.
Fixing books.
Fixing themselves.
Fixing each other.
All this proved was that damaged things weren't broken forever. They could be repaired with love. With magic. With the help and support of others.
The castle repair had been an act of love and belief; no matter how many pieces had been shattered or torn or broken, people believed it was worth the time and effort to bring it back to its former glory. Hermione had to believe in herself just as much to repair herself, one memory and shattered piece at a time.
The exchange program had been integral in the journey to heal old wounds. As Draco laced his fingers with hers, she knew they still had some work to do, but with him next to her…she would do it all.
"Are you nervous yet?" he said with a wry grin.
"Not with you," she replied with a squeeze of his hand.
And that's all she wrote folks! Are you satisfied? Did it all come out like you hoped? Did I make you laugh, cry, and rage? Let me know in the comments. Or….
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