A/N: I wanted to publish this chapter no later than 31st of July, which for me is Harry Potter day, but it turned out to be longer than I expected, because I have a lot to write and only about 8 more chapters planned for this story. I had to be briefer than I would have liked in writing certain scenes, but all in all I hope the story doesn't appear rushed.
Now, in my last note, I promised you a surprise and I'm ready to deliver. I'm sure you'll like it a lot, as it involves a generally beloved character – and that's all you get from me, you'll have to read the chapter to find out exactly what it is I'm talking about. Worry not, the surprise I'm talking about is right at the beginning, a few paragraphs in!
From this point on my story will deviate significantly from J.K.'s version of things, but I hope you'll like this version too. I mean, although my story is mainly about Hermione and Draco, there are many other important characters who are essential to the storyline so here's me mixing things in, making the plot thicken.
So read, enjoy, review!
Chapter 7 – I won't let you smother/murder it
(Hermione p.o.v.)
Hermione rushed past Draco and as she exited Classroom 7C she hurried towards the Gryffindor Common Room, wondering how come it suddenly seemed to take forever going through the Fat Lady's corridor and portrait...
She got the password wrong twice, that was how distracted Hermione was and she would have run right up the stairs to the girls' dormitory and the safety of her own four poster bed with its privacy inducing heavy drapes, had Harry not caught her arm and stopped her in her tracks.
"Sorry for grabbing you, Hermione, but I really need to talk to you, do you mind?" he asked worriedly and she nodded, leading him to their usual armchairs, where Harry brought his head close to hers, conspiratorially, his voice barely more than a whisper.
"I wanted to make sure you're all set for the hearing tomorrow", Harry said and Hermione looked at him blankly for a second, before it dawned on her. Sirius! How could she have forgotten something so important? The hearing was the following day and Hermione blamed Draco Malfoy for clouding her thoughts to such an extent that she had forgotten something so important.
Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, had fought alongside them in the battle of the Departments of Mysteries, and on that occasion he'd had not one, but two brushes with death, the first one at the wand of his own cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. The deranged witch had almost hit him with a killing curse, Sirius managing to evade the jet of light directed straight to his chest at the very last moment – however, Sirius had lost his balance and had almost fallen through the ragged Veil hanging from the archway behind him.
Fortunately, he had escaped and Hermione was relieved, because she had grown to care for Harry's godfather and also because she knew Harry would blame himself if anyone had died at the Department of Mysteries, let alone Sirius – it would have been a terrible burden to live with.
However, all was not well. Sirius was still generally considered an escaped criminal due to his breakout from Azkaban after having been condemned, without a trial, to a life-long sentence in the gloomy prison for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles on the night when Voldemort had killed Harry's parents.
He had to stay in hiding, his current residence being at 12 Grimmauld Place which belonged to the 'noble' house of Black, with no one but Kreacher, a grumpy old house-elf for company... well, the place was also being used as the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, but there weren't all that many meetings so as to count for real socializing.
Hermione had never fully understood why Professor Dumbledore or Lupin hadn't trusted Sirius more, enough to find out the truth and to bring it to light with a trial, instead of allowing him to be sent to Azkaban, where he spent twelve terrible years in solitary confinement, with no one other than the dreadful Dementors for company. It was a miracle that he'd retained his sanity!
Hermione had gotten to know Sirius Black better during the past year, given that he was part of the second Order of the Phoenix, and learning about his history with Harry's parents and Lupin, she just couldn't imagine how her former professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, or Dumbledore for that matter could ever believe Sirius would be capable of betraying his friends and commit such atrocious crimes like the ones he'd been accused of. Sirius had also been part of the first Order of the Phoenix so not just Lupin and Dumbledore, but Moody and Hagrid and all the other original members should have known Sirius better and fought to get his name cleared so that he could be freed from Azkaban.
Sure, all evidence was against Sirius, as everyone, even Professors Dumbledore and Lupin thought Sirius had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper, and then Pettigrew disappeared from the face of the earth, leaving only a finger behind as if he'd really been murdered, plus there was the whole reputation of the Black name – a large number of the members of that particular family had practiced Black Arts and had been on Voldemort's side in the First Wizarding War. But Hermione liked to think that if she'd known Sirius during those times, she wouldn't have accepted his 'betrayal' so quickly.
Back then, Bartemius Crouch Sr. was Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and he had a reputation of being intransigent to the point of blindness when it came to the dark arts, so because of him Sirius never had a chance – there wasn't even a trial, he was just thrown in Azkaban.
Amelia Bones had been the next Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but she had no reason to look into an old case, especially with Fudge as Minister for Magic who'd heard Sirius laugh "maniacally" after the incident with Peter Pettigrew and the muggles, so he wasn't going to believe Sirius was innocent – in fact, he was more than happy to make him the scapegoat in the case of the mass breakout of the other Death Eaters from Azkaban last year. As long as Fudge had been the Minister for Magic, there had been no chance for Sirius to be redeemed.
Rufus Scrimgeour had succeeded Fudge, but that wasn't exactly an improvement, given that the new Minister was much like Bartemius Crouch Sr. – throwing people in Azkaban without making sure they were really guilty, Stan Shunpike being only one example. After Voldemort killed Amelia Bones, Pius Thicknesse became the new Head of Magical Law Enforcement and it was in his hands that the fate of Sirius rested. Or rather, the verdict depended on the majority of votes from the members of the Wizengamot, but Thicknesse would surely have a great influence on the outcome of the hearing.
"If you and... Ronald still agree to share your memories of that night, then I agree too, we just have to be careful not to let the Minister find out more than necessary", Hermione assured Harry.
The plan was to allow Thicknesse – and anyone else at the Ministry who was against clearing Sirius' name, for that matter – to look into a Pensieve in order to see Harry, Ron and Hermione's memories from back in their third year, when the identity of Ron's pet rat Scabbers had been revealed as actually being Peter Pettigrew, the one Sirius had allegedly murdered. When pressed for answers by Sirius and Professor Lupin, the coward had admitted to being the one who'd betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort so those facts should be enough to make sure Sirius was cleared of all charges.
"Well, that's what I'm talking about. It's a huge risk revealing our memories from that day, because it's the same day we used the time turner McGonagall gave you to change the past – we might end up on trial ourselves if the Ministry finds out, because what we did was definitely not in accordance to the rules."
"I don't care! Clearing Sirius' name is more important! And besides, it shouldn't come to that... we simply need to show the Minister our time in the Shrieking Shack. There's no reason why my using the Time Turner should come up, that happened quite some time after."
"I guess..." Harry said, unconvinced. "I just wish it'll all go well so that Sirius won't have to hide at 12 Grimmauld Place anymore. He's miserable there, not able to do more for the Order and the fight against Voldemort."
"He's innocent, so this hearing should reflect that reality", Hermione replied, trying to comfort Harry, although the truth of the matter was, she was really worried about how the hearing would go.
Even Dumbledore had advised Harry, Ron and her to keep their hopes in check, because their memories might not be the irrefutable proof they imagined. Powerful wizards could alter memories, and Sirius was considered to have been Voldemort's second in command, a position that would only be offered to someone who was extremely powerful... Moreover, the Minister was suspicious of the Headmaster's intentions and whereabouts when he wasn't at Hogwarts, so if Scrimgeour interfered in the proceedings, it would probably be against Sirius, not the other way around.
"On that hopeful note, I'll let you go rest now and sorry again for grabbing you!"
"It's quite all right, Harry. See you tomorrow!"
Hermione had another restless night and didn't waste a lot of time in the Great Hall at breakfast given that the little appetite she had to begin with had gone out the window once he saw Lavender Brown attached to Ron's hip at the Gryffindor table.
She met Harry and Ron in the Headmaster's office, seeing that the fireplace there had been connected to the Floo Network for this occasion – it would take the three of them, as well as Professor Dumbledore, directly to the Ministry, where Ron's dad and Professor Lupin would be waiting.
Professor Lupin wanted to offer his memories of that fateful night when Peter Pettigrew had escaped, but what with him being a werewolf, it wasn't sure he would help Sirius' case or make it worse. Hermione found it appalling that there was such discrimination against Professor Lupin, but for now, that's the way things were... she planned on changing a lot of things once she made her way up through the Ministry of Magic.
Professor McGonagall was in the Headmaster's office as well, to see them off. She was holding a jar of Floo Powder.
"I wish you the best of luck and will be waiting to hear that the outcome of the hearing was a positive one", the Deputy Headmistress said.
"That is what we all wish for, Professor", Dumbledore was saying, but Hermione wasn't paying much attention to them, as she saw Ron nudge Harry and ask him "Oi, wouldn't now be a great time to use that luck potion?"
Before Harry had time to reply, Hermione intervened, her voice a whisper.
"It doesn't work that way, unless you give it to Sirius to drink and I'm sure he'd refuse – he wouldn't want you to use something so valuable on him."
Harry, whose face had lit up at Ron's suggestion, immediately registered resignation when he heard Hermione's arguments.
"You're right, Hermione... Besides, I doubt there's time to go back to the Boys' dormitory to fetch the vial."
"What are you three whispering about?" Professor McGonagall said. "Take your Floo powder and go already, you don't want to be late!"
Each of them in turn stepped into the fireplace and they were transported to the Ministry of Magic.
"Hello, Mr. Weasley, Professor", Hermione greeted.
Besides Ron's father, Professor Lupin was there, ready to offer his memories as evidence if needed.
They made short work of the greetings and went to the courtroom – tardiness wasn't going to impress anyone, as Dumbledore also pointed out, so they all followed Mr. Weasley to a huge hall in which, sure enough, Pius Thicknesse was waiting already, with the entire Wizengamot in attendance. It was an intimidating sight, especially as Dolores Umbridge was there too – she was reinstated as Senior Undersecretary, and she was sure to vote against clearing Sirius of the charges.
The hearing didn't last as long as Hermione expected. Through a spell that she would have liked to learn how to cast, the memories had been projected onto a screen so that everyone could see them, and Hermione relived everything that happened in the Shrieking Shack: how Pettigrew was revealed to be an unregistered Animagus, who had lived as Ron's pet rat Scabbers for the past 12 years, cutting off his own finger so as to make everyone believe he'd been killed by Sirius. That, plus the memories of Pettigrew's own admission that it was him who betrayed the Potters, managed to convince the majority of the members of the Wizengamot to vote for Sirius' acquittal, despite the counterarguments that those opposing the decision came with... and they were many: some said that the memories they saw were modified and therefore false, others claimed that Pettigrew was Imperiused and that's why he said he was to blame for betraying the Potters, some even argued that the fact that Sirius wasn't present was an admission of guilt... But in the end, the majority spoke and Sirius was cleared of all charges.
"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed once the verdict was announced. He patted Harry on the back and added: "I'm so happy for you, mate!"
"Justice was finally served, Harry, I'm sure you can't wait to go tell Sirius!" Hermione said, hugging Harry tightly, feeling light-hearted now that the hearing had come to an end – to a happy end.
"You can all go to visit him and give him the good news and celebrate together", Dumbledore said, "seeing as you have the day off from school". He winked at them and was about to go when Harry stopped him with a question.
"Aren't you coming too, sir?"
"Alas, no. I have to make a visit to St. Mungo's about this hand of mine", he said, examining his blackened hand with interest.
"Will you be all right, Professor?" Hermione asked worriedly. Whatever had happened to the Headmaster's hand, it had surely been a powerful curse, and repairing the damage done by such spells was usually impossible, or very difficult.
"That remains to be seen, Miss Granger, but the Healers at St. Mungo's are highly skilled so I have every confidence they will be able to help me."
Hermione wasn't convinced, and by the worried look on Harry's face that was mirrored on the faces of everyone else in their group, none of them felt reassured.
"Off you go! Sirius is waiting, and he's already been waiting too long for his name to be cleared."
The look in Sirius' eyes when Harry told him he was free was a sight to behold – it was like the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders, the spark of life seemed to have been reignited in Sirius.
"Thank you, all of you, for your efforts in clearing my name!"
Sirius' voice trembled slightly, and Hermione could feel tears running down her cheeks at how he and Harry embraced each other, knowing that from now on they could spend time together out in the open, as much as they wanted. It would heal the souls of both Sirius and Harry who had suffered much because of a lack of family - of proper family.
Kreacher was present as well and once he heard the news, Hermione heard him mumbling to himself "Now that the young master Black can go out, perhaps he'll leave my mistress' house and take all the mudbloods and blood traitors away." She would have liked to befriend the house-elf, but Kreacher obviously held to the traditional Slytherin values when it came to blood purity, so she knew her chances were almost zero.
Mrs. Weasley had prepared a feast in anticipation of a favorable outcome (arguing that even if Sirius would not be cleared of charges, they could use the meal as "'comfort food', isn't that what Muggles call it? Or at least, that's what Arthur says.") and it was a very merry gathering – even Fred and George had closed Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes early to take part in the celebration.
All too fast evening had come and Hermione, Harry and Ron had to go back to Hogwarts. As they exited through the fireplace into the Headmaster's office, Hermione was surprised to see Professor Dumbledore himself waiting for them... and she wasn't just surprised of him returning to the school before them, but rather that his formerly blackened hand now looked normal.
"Welcome back and congratulations for bringing the truth about Sirius' innocence out to light", the Headmaster said.
Hermione couldn't help herself from asking the obvious question, curiosity burning.
"Professor, did the Healers at St. Mungo manage to undo the damage done to your hand?"
She blushed at asking the Headmaster something that was, after all, rather personal, but she really wanted to know.
"It would have been exceptional if they'd managed undoing the damage altogether, Miss Granger. In fact", he added, extending his now seemingly unaffected hand, "this is not even my hand."
"Whaaaaaaaaaaat?" asked Ron, and Hermione could have smacked him for his lack of delicacy.
"Yes, Mr. Weasley, this is actually an artificial hand created through a spell", Dumbledore elaborated calmly and although Hermione had never read about such a spell, Harry had an idea about it.
"Is it like the hand that Voldemort created for Pettigrew in the cemetery as a reward for sacrificing his hand in order to help him be reborn?"
Hermione now remembered Harry telling her about that – she'd been reluctantly impressed at the time.
"Just so, Harry. But I chose to cast a quick 'Coloravia' on it, so that instead of a metallic aspect, it has skin color... Much better like this, wouldn't you agree?"
"Absolutely, sir!"
"Off to bed now! I imagine you don't need food from the Great Hall after Molly's excellent feast!"
They left the Headmaster's office and once they got back to their Common Room, they stayed up late into the night telling Ginny and everyone else who wanted to listen all about Sirius' hearing.
Hermione was pleased that Draco didn't call her for another meeting the following day. Then again, his curiosity about where she had been the previous day had surely been satisfied by the Daily Prophet and the other newspapers, all of which told the story of how Sirius Black had been cleared of charges due to Harry, Ron and her.
More days passed and things were getting a little... strange... especially as days turned into weeks and the origami lion from Draco remained suspiciously blank, her choker the temperature of her skin, not hotter. Whenever she saw Draco in the Great Hall or in classes, he looked to be preoccupied by something... actually, that wasn't a strong enough word for it – he was extremely worried about something for sure, because he looked worn out, ill even, his skin paler than usual and huge dark circles under his eyes.
Despite not wanting to, Hermione was starting to become worried for him... but she wasn't going to ask for a meeting when he'd been so 'gracious' as to leave her alone. She remembered her conversation with Dumbledore about how he thought that she would be the one to turn Draco from Voldemort's side, which would be a key element to winning the war. Hermione trusted Professor Dumbledore, but to put so much faith in a prophecy didn't sit well with her. Prophecies, and Divination, generally speaking, were unreliable and chaotic at best, she thought derisively, so having to put up with whatever sick games Draco had in mind on the basis of something so vague and uncertain didn't seem reasonable. On the other hand, she felt a pull towards Draco, because she knew he had incredible potential for good if he just set aside all the wrong teachings he received from his family and the whole Slytherin mentality about blood purity and its superiority. If she could make him 'see the light', then it was basically her duty to do so.
In any case, Draco not only was not calling her to meet up, but he was apparently avoiding her, and seeing as she didn't want to push him or provoke him in any way, for the moment she could go back to her normal life and more 'normal' worries. For example, Hermione's biggest worry nowadays was who to go with to Professor Slughorn's Christmas party. Given the fact that she and Ron were still on the outs despite their temporary truce during Sirius' hearing and the celebration that followed, Hermione figured the one who'd annoy Ron most would be Cormac McLaggen, who seemed to have an interest in her, in any case.
She didn't really look forward to, but she kind of owed McLaggen after confounding him during the Quidditch tryouts, so that's how Hermione found herself into a tricky predicament. During the Christmas party, she found out that Cormac made Grawp look like a gentleman when it came to his behavior as her partner. She was hiding from him when Harry found her.
"Hermione, what are you doing?" he asked and then looked her over and taking in what she imagined was a very disheveled appearance, he added "And what's happened to you?"
She didn't get his questions at first, as her attention was on making sure Cormac didn't find her.
"Hm? Oh, I've just escaped - I mean, left Cormac. Under the mistletoe", she hastily corrected. "He's a menace. He's got more tentacles than a Snarfalump plant", she admitted ruefully.
They were interrupted by a waiter offering dragon tartar, but then Cormac made his way over and she ran for it, leaving Harry to deal with her partner. She'd had enough of that party anyway. On the other hand, the winter holiday proved very benefic for her peace of mind, as she spent quiet days with her parents in the muggle world... although not even the muggle world was immune to the turbulences that seeped through from the magical world, what with Voldemort's return and his doing heavy recruiting for his army and kidnapping people and all sort of other atrocities. War was coming, no doubt about it.
But for a while she was able to take her mind off all of that, and Hermione even tried to take her mind off Draco Malfoy, but didn't succeed, not completely. He found his way into her dreams (nightmares, Hermione corrected herself, even if that wasn't entirely true) and she still worried about him. She wondered how he spent his winter holiday: usually he went home, to Malfoy Manor, but Hermione thought this year he might pass and instead stay at school to deal with whatever it was that he was so stressed about. She'd have to try to find out what it was, make him tell her somehow, just like Draco was trying to get her to tell him what Harry was doing with Professor Dumbledore.
Hermione had barely returned to Hogwarts, that she noticed that the lion that had been blank for such a long time, now had writings on it. Draco had called for a meeting, at last. She didn't know whether she should feel dread or relief. Either way, she had no choice but to go. He'd summoned her to the Forbidden Forest, of all places! She made her way out of the castle, onto the grounds and then into the forest, making sure no one would see her, or worse, follow her!
"Welcome back, Granger, did you have a nice time with your muggle parents?"
She is glad to see Draco still had his spirit, even if he was being unpleasant with her, as usual. But usual was good, given how not himself Draco looked for so long. And thinking about looks, he looked a bit better, so he must have gone home, away from his troubles and with his mother, who definitely loved him. It was his father, Lucius Malfoy, whose love for his son was questionable - or rather, the way Lucius Malfoy showed, or didn't show that love, was the real problem.
"I had a very Happy Christmas, thank you. What about you, did you go home?"
"Yes, I spent the holiday with my mother. It was quiet, but I don't mind that."
Hermione was shocked that he revealed something so personal about him, and something that was so similar to the way she felt, too.
"I, too, had a quiet holiday - I don't mind it either, it's the way I prefer it, actually", she confessed, hoping to create a friendly bond with him.
Unfortunately, she failed, as Draco's face darkened and he sneered before addressing her.
"Really? You like the quiet? I wouldn't have thought so, given you were at Slughorn's raucous party just before the holiday... and with Cormac McLaggen, no less, I don't think he's the quiet type, or do I have that wrong?"
Hermione could feel herself blush, as the unpleasant memory of her 'partner' came back full force.
"You have it right, he's not quiet, but I had my reasons for going with him to Slughorn's party."
"Really? Do tell!"
"A while ago you accused me of confounding Cormac during the Quidditch tryouts, right? I never admitted to it - first of all because you'd used the tongue tying curse on me at that time, but also because I wouldn't admit to it anyway if I had done it. However, had I done it, it would be only fair to offer some kind of compensation, wouldn't you say?"
"You Gryffindors and your exaggerate sense of chivalry", Draco said disparagingly.
"Well, that wasn't the only reason... I also thought bringing Cormac as a partner would get on Ron's nerves most", Hermione explained, intuiting that this particular reason would be to Draco's liking.
He did laugh initially, but then frowned.
"Good one, Granger, I sure hope he was annoyed to no end. However, why you should still care to get certain reactions from Weaselbee is beyond my comprehension."
"I haven't talked to him since the party, other than say goodbye, before leaving on holiday, and I haven't seen him since I've been back".
She looked pointedly at Draco before continuing. "I wonder why that was - could it have been because I was feeling a little hot under the collar due to your choker?"
Her comment only elicited a 'pfft' from Draco.
"As for why I care, I think it should be pretty obvious. He and I are friends, yet he's behaving like a total prat."
"Isn't that because he is, in fact, a prat?" Draco asked, grinning now, and Hermione was pleased to see him in such a good mood.
She crossed her arm, pretending to be offended, but being only mildly upset by his comment.
"I'm not going to dignify that with an answer. In any case, did you have an actual reason for calling me here?" Hermione asked boldly, thinking that if he wanted to torture her some more, then he might as well get it over with. But somehow she thought tormenting her wasn't what this meeting was about and her old flaw, curiosity, was gnawing at her.
"I have something for you", Draco answered as he headed toward a tree stump on top of which there was a medium sized parcel covered in what looked like red and green Christmas wrapping paper.
"Don't tell me, more Slytherin ties?" she asked and warily eyed the parcel which was now in Draco's hands.
"No, this time it's something else."
Draco made a gesture for her to accept the parcel from his outstretched hands, and Hermione found herself unable to resist the temptation. She took it and unwrapping the colored paper, she discovered a beautiful Christmas jumper in green and silver, silver and gold colors, depicting a creature that was upper-half lion, lower-half snake, with the writing 'Gryfferin' on it. It was exquisite.
"A Christmas gift for you, Granger", Draco said needlessly. "I just realized something – how symmetric our house colors are: green and silver, scarlet and gold. They have the same first letters? Scarlet and gold, s and g. Green and silver. G and S. They complement each other, different sides of the same coin, being perfect together, and I'm starting to think the same about us."
Hermione was speechless... Was he saying that they'd be perfect together as a couple? She couldn't process the magnitude of such a statement, so she tried to make her way out of that tricky situation by being witty, something she excelled at.
"Rather than complementary, don't you mean opposite? Green and scarlet don't exactly mix, as for silver and gold, don't forget gold is for first place, silver for second. Even in coins, golden galleons are 17 times more valuable than silver sickles."
Draco didn't say anything for a moment, but the penetrating way in which he looked at her made Hermione feel like he was seeing right through her and her façade, understanding the strong feelings that his words had stirred inside her heart.
"I'll ignore your comments in the spirit of Christmas, because for once I'd rather not argue with you. But maybe you do have a point when you say 'opposite', even if, for my part, I'd stick with 'complementary'".
He opened his robes to reveal that he was wearing a similar jumper in the same colors, only this time the upper-body of the creature was that of a snake and the lower half of was of a lion, and the writing said 'Slytherdor'.
Hermione was surprised that Draco would wear something that had, even partially, Gryffindor colors or the name of the house so she found herself, once again, at a loss for words.
"You see, if I can compromise, then so should you... I mean, despite the Houses we were placed in, none of us have just one personality trait, even if one is probably dominant. Although you're clearly brave and loyal and honorable and all those sickeningly sweet Gryffindor traits, I've noticed you're also very resourceful, and have a bit of cunning too, so you might not do too bad in Slytherin either. And then there's your intellect which would make you a perfect fit in Ravenclaw, and being hardworking you'd probably fare well in Hufflepuff too. As for me, I'm Slytherin through and through, that much is obvious, but I like to think I can also be brave and do the honorable thing when it comes down to it, so maybe I'd find my way in Gryffindor House... And you can't say I don't have the intelligence to be in Ravenclaw, right? As for Hufflepuff... well, perhaps that's one House I wouldn't fit in, but you never know, if I think things through I can probably find a couple of traits that work."
Hermione was awed by Draco's speech - he was right, and it was so well expressed, she was truly impressed.
"So just wear the jumper, even if it is only when you're back home - I'm guessing it'd be easier to explain it to your parents rather to anyone at school."
"I don't know..." Hermione trailed off hesitantly.
"Besides, it's not exactly good manners to refuse gifts, Granger, wouldn't you say?"
"If I'd refused the choker you sent me, my life would be so much better", she retorted, not quite ready to concede yet, although in her heart she knew she couldn't refuse the jumper. She already dreamt of wearing it to sleep that evening.
"You never know... I mean there is that prophecy", Draco replied.
"Not that again!" Hermione exclaimed. "Look, prophecies would have no power whatsoever if people didn't believe them in the first place!"
"The Dark Lord believes in them though, and Dumbledore too, if you don't like my first example."
Hermione didn't want to argue on that point, she still had trouble understanding the Headmaster, his trust in that prophecy and the length to which he'd go - or make other go - to make sure it came true.
"Why would you give me more gifts anyway, weren't you annoyed with me because I went to Slughorn's party with Cormac?"
"I guess Christmas has put me in a more jolly spirit, so I can't stay annoyed for long."
"All right, then! In the spirit of Christmas I will accept this gift, in the hope that if I wear it, it won't burn the skin off of me or restrain me or anything similarly horrible."
She took a deep breath then added. "Thank you! I'm afraid I didn't get you anything."
"That's all right. Like I told you back when you pretended that you wanted to buy a present for my birthday, I'll choose my own gift."
He reached for her and before Hermione knew what was happening, he had one hand wrapped around her waist, the other in her hair, keeping her head still as he kissed her deeply.
When he stopped for a moment to breathe, Hermione, too, let out a breath of... relief, she realized, because amazingly enough, she'd missed Draco's kisses.
He bit her lip, drawing blood, but cleaning it with his tongue afterwards.
Compared to other things he'd done, this was mild, probably in the same spirit of Christmas. But she'd had a bit of time to think about what he'd just said, how they would be 'perfect together', and to her surprise, Hermione liked the sound of that. Against all odds, if Draco saw sense and decided to switch sides and fight against Voldemort, then she had no reason to fight her feelings for him... And she had a lot of feelings for him, she's had them from their first year at Hogwarts. Sure, at first, they'd been of disdain, enmity, rivalry, and all other assorted feelings of that ilk, but in time those feelings changed to respect for how smart he was, and the wish to see him reach his potential for good, and more recently worry for his welfare... plus there had always been an underlying physical attraction, much as Hermione would like to deny that fact. So given all that, she thought there was a chance for that stupid prophecy to be true after all, at least the part where she was the one who was supposed to make Draco see that he belonged to their side, not Voldemort's. They could fight together, side by side... and maybe once the fight was over and won, the two of them could focus on something other than fighting.
Emboldened by that thought, Hermione decided to test the waters.
"A bit presumptuous of you, isn't it? Although perhaps not, if we're 'perfect together', or isn't that what you said before?"
"I might have said something to that effect", Draco hedged.
"Look, I think you might have something there, but why won't you just own up to it and we can discuss it properly?" Hermione asked, reaching her hand to touch him, hoping that she could thus convey her good intentions and her honest desire to build a meaningful relationship with him.
"Because I think it's weakness, and that's something I can't afford right now... In fact, I think I'll smother this feeling before it has the chance to grow... actually, smother isn't a strong enough term for it, because it implies it might not be the end of it. I'll murder it, this weakness and then I'll be free to do what I need to do", Draco said grimly, and Hermione had a feeling she knew what he was talking about - those attempts of his to curse someone, like with that necklace that almost killed Katie Bell. She couldn't let him return to darkness.
"I won't let you smother it, I won't let you murder it, in fact, I'll make sure the feeling lives and blossoms because it's not weakness - at best it's vulnerability, but I think it's something even more important, like affection, or perhaps a stronger feeling still. And that's the whole point I'm doing this, that's the whole point why Professor Dumbledore agreed to this... Otherwise what are we doing here, Draco?"
Hermione used his first name, hoping that it would snap him out of his brooding state.
"I don't think you want me to answer that question", he replied, snatching his hand from Hermione's and turning his back on her.
"I know what it looks like we're here for, but I was asking about the real purpose of these meetings, which I think is to build something together, to create a rapport and make sure you understand you have choices..."
He cut her off before Hermione could say more.
"Choices? Ha! That's a good joke. Look, Granger, you don't understand what's at stake here, so just go! You managed to ruin my Christmas spirit with your prattle".
"Really? And here I thought that hope for a better future was essential to the idea of Christmas."
She sighed but decided not to push him further.
"In any case, I'll go, since you so kindly left me off the hook for now. Do think of what we talked about and take care of yourself, OK?"
Hermione left without looking back and as she made her way from the Dark Forest back to the castle, she made sure that her new sweater was inconspicuous in its Christmas wrapping paper - she wanted to meet up with Harry to find out if there was any news, and he'd have questions if he saw her newest gift.
Hermione didn't have to look hard to find Harry - he was in the Common Room, thankfully alone. She thought, crossly, that Ron could have found someplace else to snog Lavender, but at least the two were staying far away from the armchairs near the fireplace, which was great, as Hermione didn't think she could stomach their PDA from up close.
She ignored the two of them but greeted Harry and sat in the armchair next to him.
"So how was your Christmas?" he asked.
"Oh, fine," she shrugged. "Nothing special. How was it for you, did you spend it with Sirius?"
"I'll tell you in a minute," said Harry and, after trying to patch up things between Ron and her, which didn't work, he recounted all that he had overheard between Malfoy and Snape after Slughorn's Christmas party, which Hermione had left from early, due to Cormac.
When he had finished telling her everything, Hermione sat in thought for a moment and then said, "Don't you think —?"
"— he was pretending to offer help so that he could trick Malfoy into telling him what he's doing?"
"Well, yes," said Hermione.
"Ron's dad and Lupin think so," Harry said grudgingly. "But this definitely proves Malfoy's planning something, you can't deny that."
"No, I can't," she answered slowly.
"And he's acting on Voldemort's orders, just like I said!"
"Hmm… did either of them actually mention Voldemort's name?"
"I'm not sure… Snape definitely said 'your master,' and who else would that be?"
"I don't know," said Hermione, biting her lip. "Maybe his father?"
She stared across the room, lost in thought, hardly noticing Lavender tickling Ron. "How's Lupin?"
"Not great," said Harry, and he told her all about Lupin's mission among the werewolves and the difficulties he was facing. "Have you heard of this Fenrir Greyback?"
"Yes, I have!" said Hermione, startled. "And so have you, Harry!"
"When, History of Magic? You know full well I never listened…"
"No, no, not History of Magic — Malfoy threatened Borgin with him!" said Hermione. "Back in Knockturn Alley, don't you remember? He told Borgin that Greyback was an old family friend and that he'd be checking up on Borgin's progress!"
Harry gaped at her. "I forgot! But this proves Malfoys a Death Eater, how else could he be in contact with Greyback and telling him what to do?"
"It is pretty suspicious," breathed Hermione. "Unless…"
"Oh, come on," said Harry in exasperation, "you can't get round this one!"
"Well… there is the possibility it was an empty threat."
"You're unbelievable, you are," said Harry, shaking his head. "We'll see who's right… You'll be eating your words, Hermione, just like the Ministry. Oh yeah, I had a row with Rufus Scrimgeour as well…"
Hermione listened to the rest of Harry's story, but her mind was elsewhere. She was worried by what Harry had told her about Draco... if he was consorting with the likes of Greyback, her chances of getting him to switch to their side would be that much harder.
Classes started soon, and she needed to divide her worries for Draco with the ones for her classes, especially in Potions, which was one of the trickiest school subjects that year.
Slughorn had them brew antidotes and Hermione was way over her head, while Harry, of course, turned to the insufferable Half-Blood prince's book... it was unfair that he got all that credit without earning it, but he was unpersuadable when it came to that dusty old thing. Hermione didn't think he'd find anything in there this time though, as he needed to understand the principles involved in the poison in order to create an antidote, so maybe she had a chance at besting him this time.
She set her mind to the task at hand and was so focused on her antidote that she barely heard anything else going on around her, but at some point she did hear Draco exclaiming and looked over to him to see that he had spilled something on him that looked gross, and he was obviously not very pleased about it.
Hermione herself wasn't very pleased that after all her efforts, it was still Harry that got recognition for something as obvious as a bezoar! Well, of course that would cure most poisons, but shouldn't the point of the lessons be to learn to make an antidote for a particular potion?
She was decidedly annoyed as she exited the class and her day took a turn for the worse as Professor Babbling decided that her students should pair up in order to tackle some more complicated translations and Draco was nominated as her partner. There weren't many students taking the Study of Ancient Runes elective in the first place, but she would have preferred to be teamed up with someone from Ravenclaw.
Still, as they flawlessly worked together, she decided to ask him about what had happened during Potions class.
"What was that thing you spilled during Potions class? And are you ok? It looked dangerous. You're usually more careful and proficient than that in Potions."
"Truth be told, I have no idea what that mixture was, I was distracted, so that stuff was all over me before I realized I'd spilled the vile thing. It stung a bit, but it was far from dangerous. Besides, I didn't see you do any better - Slughorn decided Potter bested everyone, yet again! if bezoars could be found all over the place, then of course everyone would use them, instead of wasting time on brewing antidotes, wouldn't they?"
Hermione pursed her lips and refrained from saying anything. The subject was still sore for her, she really thought Harry should turn that book in, or at least not use the Prince's indications instead of sticking to the textbook instructions.
"He was a disaster in Potions while Snape taught the subject, so what happened?" Draco insisted.
Hermione wasn't going to tell him about the Half-Blood Prince's book, because Draco was sure to tell someone and would get Harry in trouble. Even if Hermione herself disapproved, she wouldn't want Harry to get detention.
"Perhaps Professor Snape was the reason why Harry didn't do well in Potions. In case it escaped your attention, Harry's not Professor's Snape's favorite student."
"But the feeling is mutual, isn't it? Still, I doubt if Potter really had a talent for Potions, it would go unnoticed just because of a dislike between him and Snape."
"Oh, I don't know, Potions is a subtle art, it could be influenced by all sort of things, antipathy included."
"I just know there's something more involved, so what gives?"
"I'd think you'd have other things to worry than Harry's new found talent in Potions. Now focus! You translated the rune for 'unicorn' as 'graphorn'!"
He looked over their translation.
"That I did, sorry about that!"
They continued working in silence after that and Draco was back to leaving her alone, not calling any meetings, which meant Hermione had time to focus on other things, like finding out about what 'horcruxes' were... Harry hadn't managed to obtain Slughorn's real memory yet, so she hoped she'd be able to help by finding out more information, but for the first time in her life, the Hogwarts library failed her - she'd looked everywhere, including the Restricted Section and yet not one word about 'horcruxes'.
She also had an added stress, that of practicing apparating, given that she had the age to take the test. If she didn't focus properly during classes, there was a high chance of getting splinched, and that wasn't something to look forward to. And, of course, she really wanted to pass the apparition test, it would be so practical to be able to just apparate somewhere instead of using a broom (she didn't like flying very much), a portkey (the landing was pretty rough) or the Floo network (she still felt like she could taste the ashes from the time she used a fireplace - for Sirius' hearing).
But how to focus when she felt like she was making no progress with Draco? Professor Dumbledore hadn't asked her about it, but she knew it had to be important, so perhaps it was time to use her origami lion to send messages to the corresponding enchanted paper snake, asking Draco to meet with her. But not yet... She'd wait just a little bit more. Hermione had an ominous feeling that their time was running out, so she couldn't afford to wait for too long.