Disclaimer: JK owns Harry Potter not me, if I did I would live in a mansion on the beach in Malibu, but for now I will settle for my Apartment in Denver.
Chapter 13 The Realization
Hermione rose and answered the door to find Harry and Ginny standing in the doorway.
"Thanks you for coming, Please come in." Hermione led them in. Once inside Harry and Ginny noticed Draco.
"What the hell are you doing here ferret boy?" Harry growled.
"Harry please, I asked Draco to come!" Hermione looked between the man she loved and her best friends.
"Okay, the reason I asked you here is because I think you deserve an explanation," Hermione said with hope in her voice.
"Fine, whatever." Ginny said as she sat in a arm chair furthest way from the group.
"Well I guess it started with Draco being nice to me on the Train. After the whole ordeal with Ron, but by no means were Draco and I friends at that Point. Then I started to get really close to you Harry, you were my life line. When you asked me to be with you, I figured since I loved you as a best friend, we might have been compatible. I never meant to hurt you or Ginny. Harry the day you told me you loved me, is the say Draco and I became friends."
But, how is that…" Harry began.
"Please Harry let me get this out, then when I am finished you both can ask as many questions as you would like," Hermione said
Harry and Ginny said nothing, they just nodded.
"Well, when I decided to tell you I loved you, I figured I would eventually fall in love with you. But it never came. Draco and I had talks, we were friends, I could talk to him about the stuff you and Ron hated. In November, when I tried to talk to you about the new potion and you did not care in the slightest, I came back here and Draco and I talked about it for hours. That is when I realized Draco was more then just a casual friend. He was a best friend, in a way you or Ron could never be." Hermione said hesitantly.
"Angel, you think of me as a best friend?" Draco asked surprised. Hermione nodded as he brought her close to him and held her.
"Ahem," Next to them Harry cleared his throat.
"Oh, right sorry," Hermione blushed as she moved out of Draco's embrace. "Well, by Christmas Holiday Draco and I grew extremely close. After a few days when break began I was trying to figure out way to break up with you without hurting you. On Christmas Eve Draco and I realized we had feelings for each other. Christmas when I got your owl, I decided I had to tell you. So when I owled you back I was planning on breaking it to you when you came. I never meant to hurt you, either of you. Draco and I were planning on waiting for everything to calm down before we went public about out relationship. But I do love him, and I want to be with him above all else. I only hope you can forgive me some day." Hermione said as silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Ginny, Harry please know that I do love her and I will never hurt her." Draco said while staring into Hermione's eyes.
There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments before Harry spoke softly.
"I know," he said just above a whisper.
"You Do?" Hermione, Ginny and Draco asked in unison.
"Yes the night I um found out about you two, I could tell you loved her. They way you protected her, I just didn't want to believe it." He said.
No one spoke for a while.
"Hermione, I guess I overreacted, I am sorry," Ginny said as she hugged Hermione tightly.
"Hermione" Harry began. "I think I can forgive you, but I do not know if I can ever forget, and it might take a while for to gain my complete trust again."
"I understand, thank you Harry," Hermione said as she enveloped Harry in a tight hug.
"Ugh… Hermione… can't breath…" Harry gasped. She quickly released him.
Well it is almost time for dinner, care to join us," Harry asked. "The both of you?"
Hermione turned to Draco as if asking him a question.
"We'd love to." Draco said at the quartet made their way to the Great Hall.
Draco, Hermione, Harry and Ginny walked into the Great Hall. Draco departed from the group and began the trek to the Slytherin table.
"Hey Malfoy, where do you think you're going, you're sitting with us" Harry said in an attempt to make peace.
Draco turned and shrugged and followed them to the Gryffindor table. Once all four were seated, Draco and Hermione on one side and Harry and Ginny on the other. They looked around to murderous faces of every Gryffindor. Hermione was becoming visibly uncomfortable so finally Harry spoke up.
"Ahem. Malfoy is sitting with us today, anyone have a problem with that?" Harry said in a booming voice.
All Gryffindors except one averted their eyes and went back to their own conversations. The one person who didn't avert their eyes was now staring agonizingly. Not one of the quartet even noticed the eyes, that was until Draco kissed Hermione tenderly on the lips and Hermione said, "Draco I love you."
Once he saw this Ron was beyond disgusted and he stormed out of the Great Hall knocking Neville flat on his bum.
Hermione viably tensed, Ron has been acting strange all year.
"Hermione, it's okay he will get used to seeing you two together." Ginny said as she squeezed Hermione's hand from across the table. "Trust me I know my brother."
"I guess you are right Gin," Hermione said unconvincingly, though she attempted to shrug off the foreboding feeling she had.
Meanwhile out at the Black Lake Ron was feverously kicking rocks into the now irregularly choppy water.
"Hey Weasel, I have a proposition for you," A high pitched voice said behind him.
He turned around, "What do you want Parkinson?" An extremely red faced Ron asked.
"well, you want the Mudblood and I want my Drakie back, so lets say, if you scratch my back I'll scratch yours," Pansy said with an evil smirk.
"UGH! I'm not going to scratch anything on you Pug Face!" Ron bellowed.
No, you moron, it is an expression, if you help me out, I will help you out." She said.
"Oh," Ron said meekly.