Disclaimer: sigh Nope still not, nor will I ever be JK Rowling, so I don't, nor will I ever own Harry Potter.
A/N: gasp Two updates in one month, how exciting! I hope you're all as excited about that I as I am, cause it feels wonderful to be writing regularly again. And for the first time I think I have a really good idea of how I want to progress through the story (I think). I was thrilled with the number of reviews for the last chapter thank you all so much for sticking with the story:o)
Comedy gal – good luck on your community service project, I hope you finish it soon. I'm happy that you like the characterization, and I hope I manage to keep it up through this fic, thanks for the review!
Unwritt3n xx – aww thank you! I would love to be a writer someday…daydreams for a moment Yeah, I decided to put Lost on hold because I'm trying to turn it into a deeper fic, so the updates would take longer anyway. But trying to work on both at once was messing with my head cause I would forget which fic I was working on in terms of what the characters were going through and how they would react. But as soon as this fic is done, then I will definitely get back to work on Lost ;o)
Blueeyedchibi – aww thank you, yeah last chapter wasn't a very happy chapter for Draco or Hermione was it! Maybe this one will be better for them…. Thanks for the review!
Undercovervampire – glad you thought last chapter was worth the wait, and I hope you enjoy this one too! Thanks for the review!
13BlacKAnGELs – Hermione definitely wants to tell him, maybe she'll get the chance to this chapter… And about Adrienne, well we'll see how Draco deals with her when she gets here ;o) Thanks for the review!
The mask he wears – lol glad I could make you laugh, and I'm very happy that you felt the chapter was worth the wait, that's what I like to hear.
Piper – most of the fics I read portray Narcissa as being nice to Hermione too, and honestly I didn't anticipate her even being in this story, it just kinda happened one day when I was working though my writers block. But that's what I like about her character, we don't know much about her from the books, so as fan fic writers we can portray her however we want. Glad you liked it and thanks for the review!
Modaprincessa – aww thank you very much! I hope you like this chapter too :o)
Dreamingstar213 – aww I'm sorry you're having the same problem I had with real life getting in the way, I hope you're able to get back to your fic soon! Thank you very much for the review!
A walk in the dark – lol no worries, I wouldn't have her pair off with Michael (it was hard enough having her date Ron in the last fic!) But as for her and Draco getting back together…well we'll see what happens with that as we go ;o) Thanks for the review!
mOv1aNg3l – It definitely isn't Hermione's fault, but we all know Draco can be a bit stubborn, we'll have to see what happens and what his thoughts are I suppose. Thanks for the review!
Pegasusbabi – Draco becoming part of the Order, that is an idea…but I won't tell you whether or not it will happen cause that would spoil what I have planned for later on. Glad you liked it and thanks for the review!
Darkangelxx – I feel very reassured thank you :o) And I completely agree, there's no fun if the relationship is without problems, and this relationship is absolutely full of them! Lol Thanks for the review!
Elektra30 – I'm so happy that you liked the chapter and the tension and everything. And I am sooooooo sorry about not reviewing your fic, but now that I have more time to write I have more time to read as well, so you can be expecting either lots of reviews, or one really long one sometime later this week when I have time to sit down and read your fic. I'm definitely looking forward to it:o)
Sunflower18 – I know it sucks for both of them, but what's a romance without a little conflict ;o) Thanks for the review!
Lpark000 – aww thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it!
Jaezi – Thanks! I'm very happy that you enjoyed it, and I hope you like this chapter too!
And now I present to you, Chapter 8…
Chapter 8: Confrontations
The next morning, Hermione awoke to a killer headache, and a cat nestled on top of her. She was still wearing her clothes from the day before, her hair was a mess, her eyes bloodshot and her face pink and splotchy and she didn't even care. She carefully lifted Crookshanks off of her and then slumped down the stairs and set about making a cup of tea, more out of habit than for any other reason. It was what her mum had always done when someone was upset, "Nothing cheers you up like a good cup of tea," she would say.
But unfortunately for Hermione, the tea did nothing to help her foul depression. The herbal liquid just sat there in a steaming mug on the table in front of her while she stared intensely at nothing. Throughout the night, her brain had been in overdrive trying to come up with a solution that would sort out this whole mess without compromising any of her duties, friends, or responsibilities. But the only reasonable solution she had thought of would be to tell Draco about the Order. She wouldn't have to tell him everything, just the basic function of the Order and what her task was.
"I'm going to do it," she resolved out loud. "I'm going to tell Draco and finally be through with all this nonsense."
"Hermione? Is that you?" Ron asked through a yawn as he shuffled sleepily into the kitchen. "Thought you were over at Malfoy's." Ron began preparing his breakfast, completely oblivious to Hermione's current internal struggles.
"We had a fight," she answered in a small voice. She was not eager to discuss her troubles with Draco, especially with Ron who, as she was well aware, hated the subject.
Ron sat in a chair across from Hermione and took a large bite of food before noticing that something might be wrong with his friend. "Geeze Hermione, you look terrible!"
Hermione huffed in an un-amused fashion and rolled her eyes, "thanks Ron, very observant of you."
The last thing Ron wanted to do on a Sunday morning (or any time of any day) was to hear anything about Hermione's relationship with Malfoy. But, it was clear that Hermione needed something, so as one of her best friends, he sucked it up and prepared to listen. "Alright, tell me what happened," he sighed.
Hermione could tell from his tone, that Ron didn't want to hear about it, and frankly, she would rather not think about it. "I don't want to talk about it."
Ron was relieved that he wouldn't have to sit and listen to Hermione blab on about her ferret of a boyfriend, so he instantly forgot about his concern, and returned his attention to his meal. The two sat in silence, except for the sounds of Ron's eating, until Harry walked in. "Hey guys" he greeted. He was halfway into making breakfast when he stopped short, "wait a minute, Hermione what are you doing here?"
Hermione didn't respond right away, so Ron answered for her, "she and Malfoy had a fight."
"What about?" asked Harry, hoping that Hermione's constant and annoying drama with Malfoy would soon come to a close by way of a breakup.
"Don't know, said she didn't want to talk about it," Ron answered for her again.
Harry abandoned his breakfast and sat down next to Hermione, "you really should talk about it you know," he decided to pretend to be encouraging. "We've all seen what happens when you bottle things up, you tend to explode eventually, and it's better not to do that."
Hermione groaned, but knew Harry was right. Ron was rolling his eyes; he had thought that he'd avoided the Malfoy topic for the day. Hermione stared stubbornly into Harry's deep green eyes before giving in. "Fine, I'll start with the fact that my stupid Order task made me an hour and a half late for our date." There was an angry bite to Hermione's tone which caused the guys to exchange a cautious glance; perhaps Hermione was closer to her breaking point than she let on.
"So of course Draco is pissed, and asks me what I was doing, so I told him I was working on a project for training. He asked me what it was about…"
"You didn't tell him did you?" Harry interrupted looking alarmed.
"No I didn't," Hermione spat, "and that only made it angrier because he thinks I don't trust him. Then come to find out, his mother's returned home, and earlier they had had a fight because she doesn't want him dating me. He convinced her to meet me, and then I mess it up by being so late, so he was furious about that too I'm sure." Hermione shook her head in dejection, and her voice suddenly grew quiet and tired, as if she was ready to give up, "we didn't even make it through dinner, he was so angry that he left in the middle of it."
The boys made sympathetic noises and Harry rubbed his hand up and down her back. "You shouldn't let him get you down like this Hermione; he has no reason not to trust you."
"Yes he does!" Hermione argued, "I can't tell him what I'm working on, I can't tell him that I'm part of the Order, I can't even tell him where I live for gods sake! Think about it guys, would you be able to trust your girlfriend if you knew she was keeping stuff like that from you!"
Harry and Ron gave her guilty looks combined with noncommittal grunts.
"He's already prone to be more suspicious than the average person; I'm surprised he hasn't broken up with me yet with all the stuff he knows I keep from him." Hermione stopped short, unsure if last night had been a breakup or not. "I really thought about telling him the truth about the Order last night," she admitted quietly.
"No!" Harry argued right away, "you took an oath Hermione; Malfoy's not a part of the Order so he can't know!"
"Yeah, who knows what he would do with the information if you told him!" nodded Ron in agreement.
A split second later, Harry and Ron found out that that would probably not the right thing to say to Hermione at the moment. Her eyes flashed with fury and she leapt up out of her chair. "He wouldn't do anything with it Ron! You two know that he does not follow Voldemort, and that he would never betray my trust!"
"No Hermione," Harry challenged. "You think you know that. To us he is and will always be nothing more than a spoiled little ferret who will take the easy way out whenever possible. We know that Voldemort's come after him before, so what's to say he won't willing give up any information you trust him with in order to save his own skin if Voldemort decides to come after him again?"
"How can you say that!" Hermione fumed through clenched teeth, "After all he's gone through fighting Voldemort, you honestly think he'd just give up like that? Draco had proven himself just as trustworthy as any of us! He deserves to know the truth and I can't handle keeping it from him anymore! It's not fair to him or me!"
"You can't tell him Hermione, you took an oath," Harry answered sternly.
"Screw the stupid oath, I'm going to tell him, and I don't care whether you approve or not!" Without wasting a moment, or allowing them time to respond, Hermione disapparated out of the house.
"She can't be serious!" cried Ron aghast. "You don't really think she went to tell Malfoy do you?"
Harry didn't respond right away, though from his expression it was clear that he thought Hermione had done just that. After a moment he finally spoke, "we should contact Dumbledore. He'll be able to help us deal with Hermione, and he'll probably have to cast one hell of an obliviation charm on Malfoy after Hermione talks to him."
"Yeah, he's gonna be angry though. Who would have thought that Hermione would break an oath like that?" mused Ron.
- - - - - - - - - - -
Though he fared through the night considerably better than Hermione, Draco slept poorly as well. However, he did not regret anything he had said or done the night before, he felt his actions were completely justified. Draco did not trust many people, and he confided in even fewer. He did not enjoy making Hermione cry, but until she proved that she trusted him enough to confide in, he would never be fully satisfied.
While asleep, his thoughts had convinced him of one thing, despite all his questions and doubts, he still loved her, and even more than that he needed her. This realization frightened Draco considerably for it was something he'd never felt before. The feeling did excite a part of him, it made him feel uncharacteristically excited, almost giddy when he thought about her. But at the same time, a large part of him did not enjoy it. He did not want to feel that his happiness and well-being were dependent on someone else because then there was the risk that he could get hurt…like he felt now.
Draco groaned and rolled out of bed. Indecision and confusion flooded his mind, and he planned on ridding himself of both through a long steamy shower. If that didn't work, then maybe a morning flying session would help.
After Draco showered, he lounged around his room attempting to organize his thoughts. He was in no mood to go downstairs and risk facing Narcissa at the moment, so instead he remained shut up in his room planning out how he would deal with her. He would of course make up some excuse as to why Hermione was late and why she had gone home after their date. He refused to tell his mother the truth because in his mind that would be the same as admitting that she had been right, and his pride simply would not allow that no matter what the current evidence suggested. Anyway, deep down he believed that Hermione truly did trust him; he just wished she would be more open with him about what she was doing all the time.
It was something he planned on discussing with Hermione now that he was in a calmer state than he had been the previous night. Narcissa had just riled him up so much before their date that he would have probably snapped no matter what else happened, so he wasn't worried about the state of his relationship with Hermione. Hermione would come apologize to him, he was sure of that because he was sure that it was she who was in the wrong this time, not him. They'd talk it out, make up, and be together like they always did, it just seemed to be how they worked, and Draco had come to terms with that.
As had become habit whenever he thought about Hermione, Draco pulled the small box containing the gift he'd gotten in Australia out from the drawer of his bedside table. He opened the box, looked at the gift, closed it then opened it again. His thoughts were becoming too muddled to focus on any single one, he needed to get out. He closed the box, but this time, instead of returning it to the drawer; he placed it in his pocket. It wasn't a decision he made consciously really, but for some reason it felt right.
Draco made as little noise as possible when walking through the house so as to not alert Narcissa to his presence. As he passed the entryway to the breakfast room, he noticed that Hermione's bag was still on the floor by the door. Draco grudgingly picked it up, and after giving Mimi his breakfast order, he gave it to her to return to his room. He managed to make it all the way through breakfast without a sign of Narcissa, but as he was striding through the Manor towards the quidditch room, his luck ran out and he nearly collided straight into her.
"Good morning Draco," greeted Narcissa haughtily, a smug smirk forming at the corner of her lips.
"Morning Mother," nodded Draco. He tried to maneuver passed her so as to avoid questions, but Narcissa wouldn't have it.
"So where's your girlfriend Draco? I was so sorry not to meet her yesterday," Narcissa said, though she did not sound the least bit regretful.
"There was a change of plans, she has an important assignment due Monday for her auror training, and she needed to finish working on it today," Draco lied smoothly without missing a beat.
"Is that so?" Narcissa played along; though it was clear from her expression she wasn't buying it. "Well that's a shame."
"Yeah. Well, I'm going to go do some flying, so I'll see you later." Draco again attempted to escape, but his mother stepped towards him, preventing his departure yet again.
"Surely she could have spent the night and just left in the morning. That would not have taken too much time away from her day," she was pushing Draco, and he knew it.
"I suppose not, but it was her choice, I wasn't going to argue," Draco shrugged, and turned to walk away again.
But Narcissa had had enough beating around the bush, and she was in no mood for games. "Stop lying to me Draco Malfoy! That muggleborn is not here because you two had a fight because you know that she is not treating you the way a Malfoy deserves to be treated. Don't you dare think you can hide the truth from me! Draco can't you see she's using you? That she's only after you for your money?"
Draco whipped around and glared at his mother, there was a fire in his gray eyes that she had rarely seen before. "Hermione's not like that!" he roared.
"All women are like that Draco! Wake up and deal with it!" growled Narcissa, her eyes shining with rage, "The least you can do for yourself is date a woman who at least pretends to respect you."
Draco's glacial eyes glared at his mother; he was too enraged to speak for quite some time. After a moment he strode down the hall, but before leaving completely he turned back to face Narcissa. "You are wrong Mother," his voice was calm with a definite tone of finality which Narcissa had never heard him use with her before. "I love Hermione…and I hate you for trying to turn me against her." Without another word, Draco turned on his heel and strode purposefully out of the room, leaving Narcissa alone to ponder what she had done long after the echoing sound of her son's footsteps had faded away.
Draco felt oddly relieved as he mounted his broom and flew away from the Manor. It felt good to stand up to his mother finally, and it felt good to be honest with himself and vocal about what he was feeling. Draco was so elated that he even began forming thoughts of going to Hermione and telling her what he'd done before he remembered that he had no idea where she lived. That reminder did put a slight damper on his mood, but he decided he'd just tell her all about it when she came apologizing to him.
- - - - - - - - - -
Hermione apparated directly from her kitchen to the steps of the Malfoy Manor. She did not allow herself time for doubts or second thoughts before knocking loudly on the door. Within moments it opened, and Hermione found herself smiling down at Mimi.
"Miss Hermione!" Mimi squealed with delight upon greeting Hermione. "Mimi is very happy to see you this morning Miss! Master Draco was very upset without Miss last night." Mimi gasped, clamped her hands over her mouth and blushed, clearly believing she had said too much.
Hermione was relieved that the house elf thought Draco had been missing her the night before. It gave her more confidence about approaching him successfully now. "Hello Mimi," Hermione gently spoke to the elf, "I'm very glad to see you as well. May I please come in and talk to Draco?"
"Ohh," Mimi lowered her head and shrunk down looking rather upset. Hermione, who had never seen such behavior from Mimi was quite alarmed. "I is very sorry Miss, but Master Draco is not home. It is only…"
"Elf! Who is at the door!" barked a shrill female voice from inside the Manor.
Mimi squeaked and quavered as if she'd just been struck. "It is only Master's mother, Madam Narcissa who is home now," Mimi whispered quickly to Hermione while pulling her ears down below her chin. Mimi then released her ears and called back to Narcissa in a voice which failed to conceal her fear, "It…It is Miss Hermione who is at the door Madam!"
Hermione was in the process of bending down to console Mimi when the sharp clicking of expensive heels on the hardwood floor stopped her. "Miss Hermione is it," Narcissa drawled as she opened the door wider to reveal her entire figure to Hermione.
Hermione's breath caught in her chest as she viewed Draco's mother. The woman was exquisite, and gave off a very powerful air. She was dressed in a pale blue robe, which coupled with her proud demeanor gave her the cold appearance of an ice queen. Hermione mentally kicked herself for not taking the time to wash up and make herself more presentable before coming. Compared to Narcissa Malfoy's regal elegance, Hermione felt as if she looked like dirt, 'which is probably exactly how she sees me,' Hermione reminded herself morosely. "Good morning Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione attempted to sound more confident than she felt.
Narcissa smirked, but stepped back, silently beckoning Hermione to enter. Something in Hermione's head shouted at her to stay away, but her feet disobeyed and walked her into the entryway of the Manor. Narcissa closed the door solidly behind her, and Hermione flinched at the sound. She had the eerie feeling that she was being locked in a cage with no hopes of escape. The Manor seemed much more frightening and colder without Draco beside her. Off to the side she glimpsed Mimi, her tennis ball sized eyes were gazing at Hermione while her entire body shook with nerves. Hermione gulped before setting her eyes once again on Narcissa.
"So," Narcissa's voice was unfeeling and proud "you are the one who has been tampering with my son's mind."
Hermione frowned indignantly, "If by that you mean to suggest that I am your son's girlfriend, then yes, you would be correct. My name is Hermione Granger." Her nose was in the air making her seem defiant and proud, she was not going to let Mrs. Malfoy intimidate her no matter how spectacular, proud, or cold the woman looked.
"And what makes you think my son would want to speak with you after the disrespect you showed him yesterday?" Narcissa sneered.
Hermione frowned and furrowed her eyebrows, "I came to apologize to him again, I am very sorry I was late and I wanted to straighten things out with him."
Narcissa laughed unkindly, "No, no my dear, arriving at 6:05 would have been late, you were nothing short of disrespectful, and I'm astonished my son even had the patience to wait as long as he did."
Hermione wanted to yell, but knowing it would hurt her more than it would help, she forced her voice to remain calm. "As I explained to Draco last night, I was working and I lost track of time…"
"I don't care for your petty excuses," Narcissa interrupted, her voice rising slightly. "But I suppose this sort of disrespect is what I should expect from a worthless muggleborn, not that it matters, now that you and Draco are no longer dating, he will never be so disrespected again."
"For someone who considers herself elite," countered Hermione before the entirety of what Narcissa said hit her. "Wait, what do you mean Draco and I are no longer dating? We only had a fight last night, we did not break up."
"You foolish girl, you honestly think that my son would waste his time with you after last night. Certainly not! He is presently out entertaining a young lady named Adrienne whom I introduced him to yesterday when I arrived." Narcissa lied silkily.
"You can wish that we broke up all you want Mrs. Malfoy, but Draco and I know how to work through our problems, and even more importantly than that, we love each other!" Hermione argued, ignoring the sense of panic that was forming in her chest around her heart.
Narcissa huffed without amusement, "Perhaps he did not verbalize it to you so clearly, but rest assured, when a Malfoy walks out, the relationship is over much in the same way this conversation is over." Narcissa stepped passed Hermione and threw open the door.
Hermione mustered every ounce of pride she had, and made sure to hold her head up high as she walked out. She turned to glare once more at Narcissa, and her eyes met with an icy stare from the woman. Behind her, Hermione also glimpsed Mimi shaking her head furiously while pulling her ears painfully across her head as if to prevent herself from shouting. But before she could bid goodbye to the elf, the door was slammed in her face, stopping just millimeters away from her nose.
Narcissa smirked at Hermione from behind the closed door. "That should get rid of her," she muttered. She then turned to return to her business in the house when she caught sight of Mimi shaking in the corner. Narcissa sneered at her, "Elf, you are forbidden from speaking a word of this to anyone, especially Draco. If I find that you've disobeyed me, you will regret it most severely I assure you."
Mimi whimpered and nodded her head, "y...y…ye…yes Madam." Mimi bowed but continued standing in the corner shaking long after Narcissa had departed. A large tear fell down her cheek as she looked up at the door, she liked Miss Hermione, and she knew her Master did too. But Madam had given her an order, and she was forbidden from disobeying direct orders such as that no mater how much she disagreed with it.
Once out of Narcissa's sight, Hermione allowed herself to breathe again, but with the breaths came tears. She couldn't stop them from rolling down her cheeks, and as much as she did not want Narcissa's words to affect her, the truth was they had. Hermione was aware that Draco had been suspicious of her for quite some time, it would not be surprising to her if last night had pushed him over the edge. Hermione tried to focus on Mimi's words and behavior more so than Narcissa's but no matter how hard she tried she could not erase the words or the cruel stare from her mind. 'when a Malfoy walks out, the relationship is over' uttered in Narcissa's malicious voice kept repeating itself over and over in her head, blocking out any reasonable and logical thoughts.
Hermione felt like an idiot standing on the front steps of the Malfoy Manor with tears rolling down her face. So she sucked in a deep breath to calm herself, and then let it out again. With a final look at the door, and confusion raging through her brain, she disapparated back to Grimmauld Place. Little did she know that at home awaited a confrontation even worse than the one she had just faced.
- - - - - - - - - -
Around midday, Draco stopped flying in the empty field he was in. He banished his broom all the way back to the Manor making a mental note to check for it when he got back to make sure it arrived. Then, in an effort to avoid Narcissa for as long as possible, he apparated to Diagon Alley. Winter was clearly approaching as indicated by the brisk chill running though the air. Not that Draco minded of course, he rather enjoyed it; the cold weather fit his current mood rather nicely.
Draco walked around for a while, but something wasn't feeling right. He began walking faster through the street, as if attempting to rid himself of the feeling, but it persisted. Finally, he found shelter in the Quality Quidditch Supplies store. He amused himself for a while perusing though all the supplies, but after a few moments, the feeling returned. Draco stopped meandering through the store and pretended to be very interested in the latest model of racing broom. But in reality he wasn't even seeing the broom; his eyes were shifting side to side searching for something suspicious. Finally he found it. There was a man in a hooded robe staring at him from behind a shelf containing various sets of quidditch balls. The man immediately averted his gaze when he realized Draco had caught him. Draco frowned, and in a flash exited the shop.
He strode to the corner of the shop and darted into the small alley beside it. He stood perfectly still, and sure enough moments later, the man in the hooded robe came striding passed, clearly in a rush. Draco spied on the strange man as he made his way down the street. Before he'd gone too far, the man stopped and looked around as if he was lost. Draco pulled back when the man turned around to look behind him. After taking a couple deep breaths, he risked another glance to find the man still standing in the center of the street. Draco smirked when he saw the man disapparated on the spot, 'busted!' he thought to himself with a satisfied laugh as he made his way back into the street in search of something to eat.
But for the rest of the afternoon, Draco's mind was plagued with questions. Why was that man following him? What did he want with Draco? How did he find him?
The questions put Draco on a bit of an edge. The last thing he needed right now was added stress to complicate his life. Draco shook his head and slumped back in his chair. He took a large bite of his sandwich and allowed his eyes to roam around the restaurant. The sight caused a definite pang within his chest. He had been so preoccupied with questions that he hadn't noticed that he was surrounded by couples. All of which looked happy together. Draco frowned, 'that should be me and Hermione!' he thought stubbornly. But no matter what they did, it seemed like their relationship was cursed. 'Haven't we suffered enough!' he thought in a mounting rage, 'what more do we have to go through before we can just be happy!' Ok, so maybe he hadn't come to terms with the problems in their relationship as well as he thought he had…
With a sudden loss of appetite, Draco strode out of the restaurant. He had nowhere else to go, so he apparated straight to his room in the Manor. He sighed and plopped down on his bed. He hated not having anything to do, but more than that he hated not knowing where Hermione was or what she was thinking. It enraged him that he couldn't go find her, it forced him to wait for her to make the first move and come to him. Draco hated waiting almost as much as he hated not being in control, but the worst part was, there was nothing he could do about it until he got the chance to talk with Hermione again.
- - - - - - - - - -
Hermione apparated with a pop into the entryway of Grimmauld Place. After wiping her cheeks free of any tear trails, she set out for the kitchen. It crossed her mind to look for Harry and Ron, but she was still sore at them from earlier, so she didn't bother. Unfortunately for her, she found herself face to face with both of them when she opened the kitchen door, and to her surprise they were not alone; Dumbledore was seated across from them at the table as well and all three of them were staring at her with fixed expressions as if they had been expecting her.
"I didn't miss another surprise meeting did I?" Though she attempted to sound polite, her voice retained traces of bitterness. She knew there had been no meeting, but that knowledge only added to the boiling stew of rage and frustration brewing deep inside her. She did not want to talk to Dumbledore right now, and if he dared address her about Draco, she knew that she was likely to snap.
"No, you did not miss a meeting," Dumbledore answered. His voice was calm, but his expression was stern. "However Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley did contact me a short while ago with some rather surprising news."
"Oh?" Hermione leaned against the nearest counter and pretended to be as nonchalant as possible, as if she had no idea what this news was. Although, the glare that she sent across the table to Harry and Ron said otherwise.
"Yes Miss Granger," Dumbledore spoke sadly, eyeing Hermione with disappointment. "I was very surprised and extremely disappointed to hear that you chose to break part of the oath of the Order, you are the last person from whom I would expect behavior such as this…"
"Exactly!" Harry interrupted with a shout, "This just proves that Malfoy has a bad influence on her!"
Hermione's eyes flashed, "You are the last person who has any right to accuse anyone of having a bad influence on my rule breaking habits Harry Potter!" This confrontation was tugging on her last nerve, and she could feel her insides tightening under the pressure. Deep down it was as if she wanted to snap, she wanted to release all her tension and anger, the way she had in Auror training when she hexed Michael. The release had felt so good, and it was just the sort of rush she needed right now.
She hardly even remembered what they were arguing about any more. These were supposed to be her friends, the ones she could go to for love understanding and support no matter what happened. But it seemed to her that the minute she did anything they disapproved of, they attacked her for it.
And what say did Dumbledore have in any of this anyway? This was about her personal life with Draco not the Order; he should have nothing to say about it. 'I'm already going through enough drama with Draco,' she thought, 'I don't need all of them on my case too!'
"Miss Granger, this is much more serious than breaking a simple school rule. The safety and lives of the members of the Order and of the general public is at stake! Not to mention the safety of the information each of the Order Members posses! Those are precisely the reasons why the Order must be kept a secret!" Dumbledore reprimanded, his voice steadily rising as he continued.
"I can't believe how selfish you're being Hermione!" Harry added with a disgusted glare towards Hermione. "How can you possibly put Malfoy ahead of the Order? Ahead of us!" Harry gestured to Ron and himself. If he had expected his words to touch Hermione and 'bring her to her senses' he was sorely mistaken.
Harry's words did not just tip Hermione over the edge, oh no, they sent her flying! "How dare you," she growled menacingly. Her fists were balled, her eyes narrowed and shining with rage, and if it had been possible, there would have been smoke rising from beneath her hair due to the inferno burning inside her. "I have never put myself before everyone else! I didn't jump up and volunteer to join the Order you know! I never would have if it had not been for you! I joined to help keep you and the people I love safe because I care about my friends! And you know what, one of the people that I love happens to be Draco, and so far, being in the Order has done nothing but hurt things between the two of us! So yes, I wanted to tell him about it to make things easier, so sue me for wanting to make things a bit easier in my life! I wasn't going to tell him every little detail, just enough so that he wouldn't have to be suspicious about where I was and what I was doing all the time!"
Hermione stopped due to her body's need for oxygen. Harry and Ron were protesting what she said, but she heard none of it, instead she simply yelled over their voices. "Besides, I was allowed to tell my parents about it, so why can't I make an exception for Draco as well?"
"The exception applies only to family members Miss Granger," Dumbledore answered firmly.
"Well Draco might as well be a part of my family!" Hermione fired back before even realizing what she was saying.
But everyone heard what she said loud and clear, and they were all frozen in an immediate stunned silence. Harry and Ron were glaring wide-eyed at Hermione, and even Dumbledore could not hide the shock from his face. Hermione refused to look at any of them, and she refused to show how shocked she herself was by what she had said. In an effort to cover up her own unease, she continues shouting.
"You all can shut up and relax without fear for your precious Order secrets anyway because I didn't even get to talk to Draco! He wasn't home when I did go to tell him and instead I was confronted with his mother! Who spent the whole of our conversation trying to make me believe that Draco broke up with me last night!" Hermione stormed across the kitchen, "Happy now!" She roared before stomping through the house and slamming the front door behind her with such a force that Harry, Ron, and Dumbledore could feel the sound reverberating in their chests. Harry and Ron glanced at each other for a split second before both leaping out of their seats to chase after Hermione.
Hermione was fuming as she charged down the street. She didn't know where she was going, and frankly she didn't care. She just did not understand why everything always had to be so complicated and messed up in her life. The fire inside her was winding down until she heard a door slam behind her and the sound of two pairs of feet running towards her. Her pace sped up, and when they started shouting her name, she broke into a run. She didn't want to talk to them right now, she didn't want to look at them, and all she wanted was for someone to comfort her, someone to understand what she was going through and to support her.
Hermione could head the footsteps and shouts behind her growing louder; there was no way she could out run them, so she opted for a quicker way to escape. She concentrated very hard on her destination, and with a pop and a blink of the eye, she was gone.
Harry and Ron slowed to a halt and looked around as if Hermione would reappear somewhere beside them. "We really blew it this time didn't we?" Harry asked with a guilty, yet stubborn look on his face.
"Yeah, I think we did," Ron nodded, "where do you think she went?"
Harry shook his head, "I have no idea." The two boys stood in silence for a long moment before Ron spoke up again. "Do you think she meant what she said? About Malfoy being like a part of her family?"
Harry shook his head with a tired look on his face, "God I hope not," he answered. "I don't think I could deal with that, ever."
"Me neither. She probably just said it cause she was mad right?"
"Let's hope so," muttered Harry as the two of them then returned to Number 12 Grimmauld Place to inform Dumbledore that Hermione had disapparated.
Dumbledore sighed, "I see. Please inform me when she returns, I would like to have a talk with her."
"Yes sir," Harry said.
Dumbledore sat for another moment deep in thought, though there was a definite weariness in his eyes. "I must be going now, good day to you both, and let me know what happens with Miss Granger when she returns."
- - - - - - - - - -
Hermione apparated to Hogsmeade. She would have liked to go to Hogwarts to see Ginny, but as she had informed Harry and Ron on countless occasions, you cannot apparate into the Hogwarts grounds. Plus, she knew that Dumbledore would be likely to return to Hogwarts, and she was not at all eager to encounter him any more than she wanted to deal with Harry and Ron.
Hermione sighed as she trudged through the quaint little street, what she really needed right now was to see Draco and hear from his lips that he still loved her as much as she loved him. Deep down she did not believe what Narcissa had said one bit, but she still would have liked to hear Draco refute it. Having him hold her tight and ease away all her stress wouldn't hurt either, she confessed to herself.
Those thoughts gave way to deeper thoughts about what she had said to Harry Ron and Dumbledore. 'Did I really mean that?' she asked herself. 'Draco being a part of my family would mean… marriage.' Hermione stopped in her tracks when she thought that word. She hadn't even been aware she was even remotely thinking of something like that. She was too young to think of that right? How long had the idea been in her subconscious?
The more she thought about it, the more she realized that it had probably been in the back of her mind for a while. After all they'd been through together and all they'd done for each other, it seemed only natural to Hermione that they would remain together. But then…the rest of her life was a long time, and there was no possible way Draco was thinking of marriage yet, right?
'No, he's not,' she answered her own question. 'He's more likely to be considering breaking up with you than marrying you!'
Hermione groaned. She did not enjoy the thoughts which were taking over her mind, she would much rather just continue being angry at Narcissa, Harry, Ron and Dumbledore than think about what Draco might be thinking. She looked up, and in her eyes there was the clear image of a lost soul. She felt as if she had nowhere to go, no one to confide in anymore. The world was completely backwards and it was terrifying her. Where was she supposed to go? Who could she turn to now that Draco's mother was standing guard at the Manor, preventing Hermione from reaching her son, Harry and Ron had turned on her, and Ginny was at school, which.
After a brief moment of panic, the answer came to her. It was so simple and obvious that she couldn't believe she didn't think of it sooner, home. She would go home. No matter what, her parents were there for her, and they would certainly comfort her and make her feel better, it was one of the top items in their job description. Once again, Hermione vanished with a pop, this time reappearing in the entryway of her own home. Immediately she felt better, the sight, sound, and smell of her childhood home were like a cure in itself. "Hello? Is anyone home?" she called to announce her arrival.
"Hermione? Is that you?" came the voice of Mrs. Granger from somewhere within the house. "To what do I owe this wonderful surprise?" she asked as she appeared in the hallway with a dust rag in her hand and an inquisitive smile on her face.
Hermione charged forward and enveloped her mother in a tight hug. Knowing based on the look of her, and by her sudden appearance that something must be wrong; Mrs. Granger returned the hug and gave her daughter a loving kiss on the head.
Hermione finally released her mother, feeling her emotions rising to the surface again. "Oh Mum, everything's so messed up. I'm sorry for just coming over out of the blue, but I really need someone to talk to."
"Honey, you know that's what I'm here for," Mrs. Granger smiled sympathetically at Hermione. "Tell you what, why don't you go upstairs, take a shower and get cleaned up. I'll finish cleaning the living room, then we'll put on a pot of tea and you can do all the talking you need."
Hermione smiled with relief and nodded, "thanks Mum."
There you have it! I hope you enjoyed it. I'm alreadfy hard at work on the next chapter, so hopefully that will be a quick update too. Of course, I would love to hear your thoughts in a review! Thanks :o)