Last Chapter: During a Death Eater attack on a mall, Hermione's growing abilities go out of control. In despair, she almost chokes Draco to death.
Now: Hermione talks with her friends and the whole HHr is explained.
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Hermione woke many hours later. She felt something warming her stomach and felt around. She quickly discovered it was only Crookshanks, who meowed in protest at her inconsiderate handling.
She slowly sat up and picked up her kitty.
"Oh, Crookshanks, I'm sorry. How are you, my sweetie," she cooed. Crookshanks meowed back. Hermione cooed other nonsense to him before looking around. She was slightly startled to see Ron sitting slumped over in a chair next to her bed.
"Ron." She set her cat down and turned to let her feet rest on the floor. "Ron," she shook him, "Wake up." Slowly Ron opened his eyes, his head lifting even more slowly.
"Hermione? Hermione," he exclaimed suddenly throwing his arms around her in a fierce hug. Stunned, Hermione tentatively returned the hug. When he pulled back he said, "I thought you were a goner, for sure. I saw those rocks heading straight for you and Malfoy."
"No, no. I managed to Apparate Malfoy and I to safety in time," she assured him.
"I was so scared, Hermione." He suddenly hugged her again. "I thought I'd lost you," he murmured into her hair.
Flattered deeply that he cared so much, though they still fought like cats and dogs, Hermione felt tears welling up again and adamantly forced them down.
When Ron pulled back, Hermione suddenly realized she didn't remember how she got to her room.
"How'd I get here?" she asked.
"Harry brought you up. He said something about you were distraught over trying to kill Malfoy," Ron wrinkled his nose in confusion.
"Oh," Hermione looked down at her feet, devoid of boots.
"I haven't seen him, but Harry says there's a large purple bruise all the way around his throat. Did…did you really do that?" Ron asked.
Hermione nodded sadly.
"Well, don't look so down. It's only Malfoy."
"He's still a person, Ron." Hermione spoke through her teeth. "Maybe he deserved it but I don't want to be the one to dish it out. Nor do I want my friends to either," she added as a warning to Ron.
He held up his hands seeing her look, "Hey, hey cool it. I'm just glad you're okay. Fuck, Malfoy. Alright?"
Hermione just looked back down at her lap.
"Where's Harry?" she finally asked.
"He's with Mad-Eye and Kingsley. Lupin wanted to know when you were feeling better so he could have a word with you. Ginny made me promise to tell her when you woke as well."
Hermione nodded.
"Go tell her then."
Ron nodded. "I'm glad you're okay. Please, don't scare me like that again."
She smiled up at him as he stood. "I promise."
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Hermione wrapped her thin, black, bath robe around her, flipping her towel-dried hair back. She showered as soon as Ron left and knew Ginny would understand. Stepping back into her room, she halted.
"Malfoy."
He looked up at her from where he sat on the edge of her bed. Hermione stepped forward, "I'm sorry," she said. "I was out of mind with anger at myself. You didn't deserve that."
Draco gave a small shrug. "Call it even. I tried to kill you, you tried to kill me, we're good." He stood and looked down at her. "Nice clothes, Granger. Wizards wear those after bathing."
"So do Muggles, you doof," she retorted, bemused.
He smirked without malice at her. "Well, I'll leave you to change then." He stopped and turned back to her at the open door. "Oh, I forgot." He reached into his pocket and then held his hand out to her.
Hermione stepped up to him and looked into his palm. She quickly glanced up at his face.
"It's…beautiful," she said. Carefully she picked up an exquisite silver ring, engraved with two bands criss-crossing covered in Celtic symbols.
"Where did you get it?" she asked.
"I had it made a while back."
"What for?"
"I uh, had a dream about it."
This caught Hermione's attention. "A dream?"
Malfoy fidgeted. "Yeah. Afterward, I felt compelled to have it made."
"So…you just had a ring made for…no one?" Hermione's brows drew together in confusion.
"Well…the point is, I have it and since I heard something other than your wand is needed to focus your power now, I thought you could use it…." They stared at each other a moment before Draco held out his hand, "Here, I'll just take it if you don't want it-"
Hermione curled her hand around the ring and held it to her chest. "No," she protested. "It's too pretty to just sit in your pocket."
Draco rolled his eyes.
"I never took you for being excited about 'pretty' things like other girls."
"And I don't," countered Hermione. "I appreciate fine craftsmanship and design as a woman."
Draco held his hands up in mock, or maybe mocking, surrender. "My mistake."
It grew quiet then, so Draco stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down. Hermione bit her lip and looked anywhere but him.
"So…" Hermione started. "I think you're good enough to train alone now. If you still need help, you can ask me of course. You know where my door is."
Draco looked thrown for a minute, but recovered quickly, nodding.
"You're being nice," Hermione blurted suddenly.
Draco's gaze shot to hers at that. She seemed kind of frozen, unsure of why she said that.
"Nice facial hair, Granger. Forget your razor spell?" Malfoy smirked.
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Out."
She started to close the door, while Malfoy shuffled backwards.
"Aw, come on Granger. We were just about to trade grooming tips. Maybe we could also do something about your breasts-"
"Goodbye, Malfoy." Hermione shoved him out the door, closing it all the way.
Turning away from the door, Hermione looked down at the ring in her hand. She slipped it on the ring finger of her right hand. It fit perfectly. Odd that.
A knock sounded on her door.
"If it's you, Malfoy, I'm not here," she called, walking to her wardrobe.
"It's me," came Ginny's voice.
"Come in."
Ginny stuck her red head in smiling at Hermione as she closed the door behind her.
"I passed Malfoy on the way up here," Ginny commented. "He seemed very pleased."
"Oh, he was just being his usual snarky self." Hermione replied rolling her eyes. She crossed to the bed putting out clothes to change into.
"So he just came up to bug you?" Ginny questioned, making herself comfortable on the end of Hermione's bed.
"Pretty much." Hermione replied blithely, putting a pair of blacks slacks on.
As she was about to slip a black turtleneck over her purple bra Ginny said, "You know, Malfoy probably has that same exact ensemble…minus the bra, of course."
Hermione frowned and looked down at the offending turtleneck, before tossing it and reaching in her wardrobe for a black, long-sleeve, scoop-necked blouse.
"So how are you feeling?" Ginny asked, grinning.
"Fine. I guess Lupin has some theories to help me figure all this out and what is Lupin if not brilliant."
"I heard what happened," Ginny said sympathetically. "I'm not sad they're dead, but that must've been awful to witness."
Hermione sighed. "It was. But, as long as I don't think about it—"
"Oh my!" Ginny reached over and snatched Hermione's right hand. "When did you get this?" she looked at Hermione wide-eyed.
"Erm-, Malfoy, actually."
Ginny gave her a mixed look of bewilderment and disgust.
"Malfoy?"
Hermione laughed.
"Actually, yeah. He said he had a dream about it and then an urge to have it made for no obvious reason. Then he heard I needed something to focus my expanding power and remembered he had it."
Ginny looked skeptical.
"And you bought that?"
Hermione gave her a confused look. "Gin, what else am I supposed to think?"
"Well, maybe he had it made for you and was just waiting for an opportunity to give it to you."
Hermione snorted. "Please, be serious."
"I am," Ginny reaffirmed.
"And you really think Malfoy would do something as prosaic as giving me jewelry if that were the case? Without admitting such supposed emotions." Hermione snorted. "What have the twins been feeding you now."
"Oh please, you two spend all day everyday in that little room together. He's only civil to you, he offers to carry you to your room after you almost choke him to death and then comes to visit you only to give you a ring." Ginny gave her an obvious look. "Who's being delusional here?"
Hermione sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Look, I'm not going to play 'He loves me, he loves me not'. I have too many more important things to worry about, so Malfoy's intentions towards me are moot as I don't really care."
"Alright, Hermione," Ginny conceded. "Just, be careful around him, okay? Blokes like him are used to getting what they want and if Malfoy wants you…"
"…I will show him a mirror and he'll forget all about me," Hermione finished.
Ginny grinned. "He's not as clean and prissy as before though. Remember the day you found him?"
"Yeah, I thought dirt never graced the top of his head, much less the rest of him; except after playing Quidditch against Harry."
Ginny giggled.
"How's Harry?" Hermione asked.
Ginny sobered. "Oh, he's brooding like usual after a run-in."
"And…you?" Hermione asked quietly. "How're you doing?"
"I'm fine." Ginny said, then admitted, "It hurts…sometimes. I mean, I can't exactly understand everything he's going through, because I'm stuck here, and of course, Harry keeps his distance…" Ginny pulled her knees up to her chest. "I just wonder sometimes…will he want me, once this is all over? Will we still have whatever it was before all this began in earnest?"
Hermione sat in front of Ginny. "Gin, he wants you. Trust me. He misses you so badly sometimes…I think he represses thoughts of you, just to get through all this."
Ginny looked sad and hopeful at the same time.
"Believe me, Gin, he's wishing all this to go by fast mostly just so he can finally be with you. Come on," Hermione scooted closer and hugged the red head. "We'll get through this without men. They just mess up everything anyway."
Ginny laughed despite the small tears that had formed in her eyes.
"Harry's not the only one who needs you. Cause, Merlin knows, if Malfoy comes on to me, someone has to help him keep his ballocks attached," Hermione finished.
Ginny laughed out loud at that and the sad spell was broken.
"It's a date," she laughed.
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After speaking with Lupin later that day, Hermione took to meditating twice a day. Apparently she needed practice in controlling her emotions (again). She had maintained a certain control ever since she left Hogwarts the previous year, but ever since Malfoy came, it wasn't as easy anymore. She didn't let him upset her anymore, but that didn't mean he didn't do other things to her insides. Ginny's words kept echoing in her head.
Blokes like him are used to getting what they want and if Malfoy wants you… Malfoy wants you… Malfoy wants you…
Hermione snorted before she could hold it back. This was not conducive to meditation. So he gave me a beautiful ring; he's right, I'm not the type of woman to be bought by pretty things. Like a gorgeous magical ring could erase…all those horrible things he did to her the past that she said she forgot because she didn't have time to be mad about such things. Hermione let out a deep sigh.
Like it mattered, she's not interested in a relationship, he wasn't her type and all this just made her more agitated.
Shaking her hair back from her face, Hermione settled back into her meditation pose and let out a deep breath.
Knock, knock.
"Hermione?"
She let her head drop forward in defeat.
"Come in," she called.
Harry peeked his head in. "Hey, how's it going?"
"Oh, fine," Hermione sighed, turning to let her legs hang off the side of her bed.
Harry closed the door behind him and walked over to sit beside her.
"Everything okay?"
"Oh, yeah. Just still trying to get the hang of this meditation thing."
"Not going well," Harry asked with a sympathetic grin.
She rolled her eyes. "Honestly, it reminds me of Trelawney's class."
Harry laughed. "So much for that then."
"Yeah. So it's good to see you're out of your brooding stage. Up for a mock battle."
Harry gave her an exasperated look. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, don't get your knickers in a twist. You always go into brooding loner mode after a skirmish. It's fine since we all know that's how you deal."
Harry lifted his brows at her. "All?"
"What, suddenly you are unaware that you are the center of attention?" Hermione countered raising her brows at him.
"Ah," Harry nodded. "How could I forget."
"Oh, Harry," she put her arm around his back and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Don't be mad your friends all find you so fascinating."
"That's a load of crawp, Hermione."
Hermione fake gasped. "Are you calling me a liar, Potter?"
"Yes."
"Ooh, you're no fun." She play shoved him away.
Harry grinned back at her, then his look became thoughtful.
"You almost sounded like Malfoy then."
Hermione looked at him startled. "Really? Well, it's a good thing I don't have to work with him everyday anymore. I'd start calling myself Mudblood and asking you if you wanted me to slam your head into the ground to make a matching scar."
"Hermione, he hasn't…" Harry trailed off.
"What? Oh no, he hasn't called me that."
Harry nodded. "Good. So you guys got along?"
"Harry, I'm really not in the mood to talk about Malfoy," she sighed as she scooted back and laid out on her back.
Harry scooted his way up next to her and lay on his side facing her. He rested his hand on her stomach, running it softly up and down. She squirmed.
"Harry, don't."
"Why not?" he asked softly.
She turned her head towards him. "Ginny. She's mad for you."
Harry removed his hand with a sigh and rolled to his back.
"She thinks you won't want her once this is all over. That she won't be able to understand all you've gone through."
Hermione rolled to her side and looked at him. "Will you?"
Harry breathed deep. "Honestly? I have no idea right now. I just…don't know."
Hermione leaned up on her elbows and looked at him seriously. "Harry…you can't be serious."
Harry looked at her suddenly. One of those soul-reaching gazes. It made her nervous.
"I am." He said. "I think about all the stuff I've gone through…and how you are always there with me. You know what I'm going through. And Ginny…just can't."
"Harry…" Hermione sat up on her heels. "Maybe you shouldn't worry about it right now. I'm sure if you give it time, you'll realize how much you miss her and want to be with her."
"But…"
"No Harry. That…thing between us was a while ago, and only because we both really needed comfort from each other."
"What makes you think I don't want your comfort now," Harry asked quietly.
Hermione gave him a soft smile. "But wants and needs are two separate things. You need me as your best friend, as I need you. Ginny's my friend and I cannot, with a clear head and conscience, hurt her like that."
Harry sighed. "Yeah, Ron would have my head."
"Don't worry about it, Harry. Everything will make sense once we're through with all this."
"I really hope so."
A/N: Alright, so that takes care of the slight HHr. Even Hermione has laid any worries to rest, it will not be a Harmony fic, but they're still friends of course.
And thanks to everyone who reviewed and keeps reviewing. I still enjoy new reviewers so you guys don't be shy;) Gotta go record HBO Special BTS of Order of the Phoenix XD