Chapter 33
"…told me I needed to bend and then he left."
Julie Granger hugged her daughter closer and handed her another tissue, "Left?"
Hermione nodded and blew her nose as she leaned against her mother on the sofa. Her mother had listened to her rant, provided sympathetic noises along the way, and held her tightly.
"I guess he went to Blaise's."
Julie looked at her daughter's face and saw misery. "Hermione?"
"Yes?"
"What do you want?" her mother asked softly.
"What do you mean?"
She pulled away a little and took her daughter's hand, "Just what I said. What do you want? From him. From them. From this relationship."
"I don't know, Mom. I…I love him, I do. And, I want us to be happy together…forever. I want to have his children, Mom. I can see our future and it's perfect. Beautiful. But, his parents…"
"Are part of who he is, honey. I know there are things you've kept from your father and me about all that happened back then. But, I remember your stories about him. About them. And, I know they're part of the reason you had that scar."
"Hooray for plastic surgery," Hermione mumbled.
"Yes. But, as I was saying, I know you have a rather…harsh history with his family, but you also had the same with him. You forgave him. You made him a part of your life, your friends' lives. You proclaim to one and all that he's changed and that they should trust you in that. You have convinced everyone to believe you, to accept him as he is now and to forgive the past. But, when he asks you to do the same, accept a part of his life, you can't. That's not fair, Hermione. You have to let go of his past, too. And, that means forgiving his family, too. Not forgetting, but forgiving. Why can't you do that?"
"Mom, it's not that easy." Hermione pushed off of the sofa to stand by the window. Tears slid unchecked down her face as she spoke, "I know Draco's not the same person he was. I know him. I live with him and I see it every day. And, I love him more every moment. But, his parents…no, his father, like I told you I actually like Narcissa, I think I'm beginning to understand her…but Malfoy. He can be so cold, heartless, and just…just mean. He was…so evil and hurtful back then. I hate hate hate to admit it, but in some ways, he still…scares me. I don't want him to know it. I can't let him see me like that. I have to stand strong to prove that I belong with his son. He hates me, Mom. Like no one else ever has. But…but I think he at least has some respect for me. And, for Draco's sake, I don't want to lose that. And, whether it was the intention or not, I feel like he'll see me as needy. Like I need their money to be happy with Draco. Like I have a price. I can't let him think that. He would see it as a weakness, more proof that we don't belong together. Mom, help me please, I don't know what to do. If I don't accept it, Draco thinks I'm rejecting him, which I'm not. I would never reject him. But, if I do take it, Lucius sees me as weak and what little ground I've gained will be lost."
Draco's soft voice startled both women, "You don't have a weak bone in your body, Mi. And, he knows that."
Julie turned to look at Draco and saw the same misery in his face that she'd seen in her daughters. He attempted to give her a smile as he stepped forward to greet her. But, he looked so sad, that she did the only thing the mother in her knew how to do. She stood and gave him an encouraging hug.
"Thanks," he whispered; his eyes still on Hermione's.
Julie saw that neither knew what to say to breach their gap, so she took matters in her own hands.
"Okay, you two. Come over here and have a seat."
Hermione's eyes stayed on Draco's as she moved across the room to the chair across from her mother. Draco took the one next to her. Neither spoke.
"Okay, so here's what I think," Julie said into the silence. "You two have a history that can't be ignored or compartmentalized. You've addressed some of it, and that's good. But, if you also want to have a future, you have to come to terms with the rest of it. Draco, you need to acknowledge the pain your family caused my daughter. Not just your part in it, but your parent's. They need to, as well, I think. None of you can really move forward until you address and lay to rest that history. And, Hermione, you need to fully accept the implications and responsibilities of what you've chosen. Draco didn't choose his parents or his history. And, you can't blame him for it. It's not fair to him."
Julie waited a moment for them to accept her words before she continued, "Draco, you are an extraordinary young man, and I have grown to love you, but it is time you stop hiding who you are like it's something dirty. Being rich and having a long family history, good, bad, indifferent, isn't exactly a crime, you know. You made your life your own. You've made your own choices. It's time to start taking pride in that. Stop apologizing for being who you are. Hermione, you're my angel and I love you more than my own life. But, I also know you too well. Since you were eleven years old you've been striving for acceptance. You've spent your entire life trying to prove something to someone. First, to those who questioned your abilities because of your father and me. Then the rest of the magical world because of your friendship with Harry; always trying to prove that you were good enough, smart enough. That's what this is, too. You trying to prove to Lucius Malfoy that you're good enough to be with Draco. But, baby, you need to stop. He'll accept it or he won't. It's not up to you. Just as you want him to accept you for you, you need to accept Mr. Malfoy for who he is. You don't have to like him, but you need to try to start accepting him. And, try to remember that the only two people who need to believe you are good enough to be together, are the two of you. Hermione, you have to believe it, honey. Not him. Not me, or Dad, or any of your friends. You have to stop trying so hard to prove yourself to you."
"She's right," Draco said softly. "You need to believe in you, Mi. I do."
She nodded and reached for his hand, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have attacked you like that."
"And, I shouldn't have said some of the things I said," he smiled a little.
Julie looked at the two of them and stood up, "I'm going to leave you two to talk. I think it's past my bedtime, anyway."
She stepped forward to hug and kiss her daughter, "Good night, you two. Hermione, call me tomorrow, okay?"
Hermione hugged her mother tightly, "Thanks, Mom. I love you."
"I love you, too, my angel."
Then Julie turned to Draco as he stood, as well. She reached up to cup his cheek, "You're a good man now, Draco Malfoy. Remember that."
He nodded and she pulled him down to kiss his cheek, "Good night."
"Night, Julie. And, thank you."
The pair watched her leave and then turned to each other. Both of their mouths opened and closed, each unsure of what to say.
Hermione made the first move by stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him. Laying her head on his chest, she heard the strong beat of his heart and her world righted itself again. She felt his arms go around her to pull her closer and heard his deep breath. When he leaned down to put his nose in her hair, she smiled, knowing his world was a little better then, too.
"I love your mom," he whispered.
She laughed softly, "She loves you, too."
He smiled into her hair and then leaned back to look down at her. "Can we go home and talk?" he asked softly.
She nodded and they walked to the fireplace together. When she landed, he was there to catch her. Together they walked to the sofa, squinting against the bright light of day streaming in the windows. It never failed to amaze either of them how the time difference between the two places could be so extreme.
"I'm sorry I left like that," he said when they sat on the sofa facing each other. "I just went to Blaise's."
She smiled, "I figured. And, I'm sorry for reacting like that. I guess Mom was right. I'm trying too hard. I need to stop thinking about what he'll think of me."
"And, I shouldn't have kept it from you," he said and shook his head. "That money's been eating at me for weeks. I should've just told you and gotten it over with."
She reached out to take his hand. She stared down at his fingers for a moment and then intertwined them with her own. "You need to know, this isn't about us. I wasn't rejecting you, Draco."
"I know," he sighed. "But, what do you want to do?"
She looked away for a moment, her fingers playing with his, before she answered, "We keep it. But, just as an 'in case' kind of thing. That way, I don't feel so weird about it, and they get what they want."
Draco tried to make her smile, "You know, most women wouldn't be flipping out about someone giving them this much money."
It worked, "Yeah, well, I'm not most women."
He brought her hand up to kiss the back of it, "No, you are most certainly not, for which I am extremely grateful."
She smiled sadly at him, "So, we're okay?"
"Of course," he answered with a nod. "But, in the interest of full disclosure, there's more you need to hear."
She stiffened a little, but didn't pull away, "Is it bad?"
He rolled his shoulders and looked away, "Some of it. But, I want you to hear it from me and not anyone else."
"Who else knows?"
He glanced briefly at her and then looked away again, "Harry, Ginny probably, and Blaise."
"Okay," she nodded. "Out with it."
Twenty minutes later he completed his story of his outing with his father. He then sat with his elbows on his knees and looked at the floor, while he waited for her reaction.
Hermione had held her tongue, even when she wanted to scream at him, and heard him out. She looked at his profile and knew he was waiting for her to lose it. But, she didn't feel like he had expected her feel. She was strangely calm. He had fought his father for her and in the end, Lucius had backed down. She couldn't imagine him saying the words 'I love you' to Draco, but she believed Draco believed he'd heard it. She realized as he'd recounted their conversation and spoke for her, that in some ways, she had been as prejudiced to his father as he had been to her. Her mother had been right; she hadn't really forgiven his whole past. She had separated his life into three areas; him in school and during the war, him as part of the Malfoy family, and finally him with her. She knew she loved Draco, but she had never really taken into account that, regardless of how Lucius might feel about her, he loved his son, too.
He looked up in surprise when she simply asked, "So, how'd you leave it with him?"
"Well, uh, we talked some more, and then he gave me…and uh, we talked. We're fine. We always are. When I left things were back to as normal as ever."
She had seen his face flush for a moment and heard his slip, but chose to let it go for a moment.
Her hands trembled in his as she said, "Okay, sticking with this full disclosure thing, there's some things I need to say that you may not want to hear. But you need to hear them in order to understand what you heard me say at my parents' house. Something I had hoped you would never know. Why I am so…so afrai…why I fear your father. And, why I had so much trouble going home with you."
"Okay," he nodded. He purposely cleared his features to show no emotion. This was something that had been bugging him since he had heard it. His father had been very powerful, yes, but still scary? He just couldn't understand why she would be so scared of him. And, her fears of his childhood home had never made sense to him.
"Before I begin, I have to ask, why don't you ever talk about what happened seventh year?"
He looked at her in confusion, "What do you mean? We have talked about it."
"No," she shook her head. "We've talked about all that happened in school, before Professor Dumbledore... and everything after The Fall, but you never really say much about what happened to you that last year. Why not?"
"I don't know," he shrugged. Then his face clouded for a moment before he said, "I guess because I don't remember all that much. I remember the sadness, pain, fear and confusion, but I must have blocked it out or something because it's all just a blur."
Hermione looked at him for a moment before she asked, "You really don't remember me, us all, being there at your house, that night?"
"What? No. What are you talking about?" He asked sharply. "I think I would know if you had been at The Manor."
She shook her head and her gaze softened, "Not if someone didn't want you to remember."
He looked at her in alarm, "What? Who would want to…why? What are saying?"
"I don't know, Draco. But, so much happened that year and you don't have one memory of it…"
He glanced away and tried to recall what had happened before The Fall. He had no recollection of Hermione ever having been in his home before their trip there the month before. But, her earnestness told him she was telling the truth. He felt his breath hitch as he realized his memories weren't clear. There were general feelings, but no actual memories. Nothing really came back to him after his flight to safety with Professor Snape.
"What happened?" he asked his eyes wide and worried.
Hermione shook her head at him, "I don't know. I have some theories, but I don't know."
"How did I tell the Ministry anything back then, if I don't remember anything?" he asked, his voice rising in his panic. "I sure as hell didn't spend a month in Azkaban for almost killing Dumbledore!"
Hermione placed her hand on his and tried to keep him calm. "Listen to me. We will get this figured out. But, for now, let me tell you what I remember. What caused all of this."
He nodded stiffly and looked at her warily.
With a heavy sigh she began, "There's a lot I haven't told you. That I know you don't know. Things I don't think your father would have mentioned. I…I may talk in circles for a bit, but let me get it out. I've never really talked about it all to anyone, so it may not make complete sense. Harry and Ron were there, so there was never any need to talk about it with them. Ginny experienced a lot of it, too, so again, there was no need to say anything. And, my parents…I just couldn't worry them like that. Plus, they would have pulled me out of school and I couldn't let that happen. Harry needed me. See, I'm doing it already, talking in circles."
Draco reached out to take her hand, but thought better of it. Whatever she needed to say, she had to get out in her own time, in her own way. And, he needed to let her do it. He wanted answers to fill in the now huge memory gaps he hadn't noticed before. He pulled his hand back and put it in his lap. "Take your time."
Hermione nodded and went to stand by the window. Looking down at the city street she reminded herself that the past was over. She was no longer a powerless, scared child facing a larger than life enemy and his oh-so-great Dark Lord. She didn't even realize it when she began to speak softly. But, Draco listened and took in every word she spoke.
"Everyone feared Voldemort. We would have been stupid not to do so. I saw the affects of his sick cause numerous times growing up, but unlike Harry, I never had to face him, to really see him, until near the end. No, the embodiment of Voldemort to my young mind was Lucius Malfoy. He was the one I saw each time things went so horribly wrong, each time someone I cared about was hurt or killed. The year I was petrified, he was everywhere. First, he and Mr. Weasley fought in the book store before school. I had never seen a real fight in person. I mean, you see them on TV and stuff, and you see kids in scuffles, but I had never seen two adults with such anger before. And, the look on his face…such hatred. Then, I was petrified right after I figured it all out. Who was it that caused it all? Lucius Malfoy. He gave Ginny that damned diary. Whose name ran circles in my mind as I lay there unable to move? Lucius Malfoy. Every time I saw Dobby beat himself for some imagined flaw it was in the name of Lucius Malfoy. Then, fourth year Cedric died. And, I know, logically, that Voldemort was the one who did it. But, honestly, when Harry told the story later, all I heard was your father's name. He taunted Harry along with the others. He proudly stood by that maniac and let a young boy die and Harry be tortured and tormented."
She paused, laughed sadly, and shook her head, "You were mean, Draco. You were rude, proud, loud and all kinds of wrong. But as much as you wanted to be feared and respected, you were in so many ways a non-entity. You didn't know real evil. You couldn't ever be that evil, no matter how much you thought you wanted to be. Lucius Malfoy embraced it. I know that sounds melodramatic, but it really isn't. When I say he was there for every awful thing that happened, I also mean to me. Unless he's told you the truth, I am pretty sure you were never made aware of what happened at the Ministry. All you knew, or so you said, was that he was sent to Azkaban for having followed Voldemort while trying to regain The Prophecy. And, that's true, but again, for me, it was Lucius, not Voldemort that took up my focus. He would have cheerfully killed the lot of us, Draco. He wanted to. He…he tried to. When the Order showed up and started fighting, he turned that rage on them. But, that was nothing compared to the night at the Manor when Bellatrix half killed me with that Sectumsempra, he…he watched…and laughed."
Draco had listened and tried to see things as she had seen them, tried to remember. But, when she got to that point he interrupted her, "The Manor? What? How? She couldn't have…I know what that curse does, remember? I have the scars to prove it. Maybe you just imagin…"
"No," she cut him off with a shake of her head. "Accio journal."
Her journal came from its hiding place to her hand. She opened it and took out a set of photos.
She looked at the images and shuddered. Then she straightened her back and looked at him, "These are pictures of my scars. They were taken by the muggle doctors my parents paid to remove them."
Draco searched her eyes as he slowly reached out to take the images from her. He noticed his own hand shaking, but took the images and looked down. He saw the angry, disfiguring scars that covered her side and lower torso. Pain rippled through him as he remembered the feel of that curse. He closed his eye to hold back a tear that threatened to fall at the thought of her taking it.
"It was just dumb bad luck I suppose, but when it happened, I was spun around to face him. His was the last face I saw clearly," she began again.
When he looked up, her eyes were unfocused and she seemed far away, lost in her memories.
"It took all summer and four different surgeries to get rid of them all. Sometimes the pain of it hurt as bad as the curse itself. And, the whole time, I saw his face. His hatred. Heard his laugh. Lucius Malfoy's downfall was the only thing that got me through that summer. Knowing he couldn't hurt anyone I loved or…or me… again, kept me sane."
With a calming breath she reminded herself that she was a powerful, respected, accomplished witch. She was safe. She was whole. And, he was just another wizard from the losing side. He was no longer able to hurt her. Lucius was nothing more than the father of the man she loved and the only person she had yet to get over completely.
Her voice was again quiet as she continued her memories aloud, "You know, that final year, before The Fall, I barely saw you. We were searching for the Horcruxes, I don't know where you were or what you were doing most of that time. But, we did see each other up close twice. Once at school, the night Vincent Crabbe died, and again at your house."
He interrupted to ask, "How did he die?"
"You really don't remember, do you?" she sighed. When he blanched and shook his head, she answered, "It was near the end of the war. The three of you ambushed us in the Hogwarts' Room of Requirement. Crabbe went insane with rage, he just lost all control and tried to kill us. Then, I don't know how, he conjured the Fiendfyre to kill us, but he didn't know how to stop it and then it got out of control. We all got out. He didn't. Harry saved your life that night, Draco."
Draco felt so many things at once he could barely think, "Why?"
"I don't know," Hermione shrugged, "He's Harry."
Draco snorted a half-hearted laugh, but immediately sobered, "And, my house?"
He watched her face drain of color and her eyes drop away from his before she stammered, "You don't want to know."
While a part of him believed her, he couldn't stop his soft demand, "Tell me."
She turned away from him and wrapped her arms around herself in subconscious protection, "We were caught by Fenrir Greyback and taken to the Manor…"
As she slowly retold the story of the horrors of that night, Draco had a flash of memory and then said slowly, "You were badly scratched and bruised when you came in. And, Potter looked…deformed."
Hermione nodded.
"I remember, sort of. I know I was scared. I felt sick. I remember wanting to run from it all. But, I don't remember why though." He focused on her again and asked, "Tell me the rest."
Hermione nodded and told him the rest of her torture at his father's hand. Her voice shook as she whispered the last of the story and then she took a breath and said, "So, now you know why it was so hard it was for me to go back there for you. You didn't seem to understand and I couldn't, no wouldn't, explain it to you. I know now that you don't remember the horrors of that night. But, then I just… And, I needed to go back there. I needed to prove that I was complete; that in the end I had won. That he couldn't hurt me any more. I needed to see the manor for what it was, a large house, where evil things had happened, but good had finally won. A house, nothing more."
She finally focused her eyes back on his face, "I think I would have broken completely if you had tried to show me the other places below the first level or if that room had looked even remotely the same. I kept telling myself to be strong; that it was over. And, you helped me."
Draco's face was swamped in misery and pain. He couldn't process everything and he didn't remember most of what she had talked about. He slowly realized he really didn't remember most of that year. To know that he had had a part, no matter how small, in her excruciating torture made him want to scream in horror. In order to maintain his sanity for the moment he focused on Hermione. If all she had said was true, and he believed every word, she had every right to be afraid of his father and his home. And, he had callously, even though he didn't know it at the time, forced her back there and forced his parents on her. He could barely process the truth of his father's actions towards any of them back then. And, to know that Hermione, the person he'd come to love above all others, had bared the brunt of it, shamed him to his core on top of everything else.
"Yeah, right," he said as a tear finally escaped. "I selfishly asked you to go back to the one place you didn't… gods, Mi, I'm so sorry."
"No. You didn't know," she said and kneeled in front of him. "Oh, hon, don't cry please. I didn't say all this so you could be sorry. I just wanted you to know…to understand why it's been so hard for me to accept him as part of you."
"How can you even look at me?" he said as he stood and moved away from her.
"Because I love you," she answered. "You're not that same boy any more. And, because, you are not your father. I think that's part of why it was not so hard to forgive you; because I don't see him in you."
"How could he have done all of this?" he asked in anguish. "And, why wipe out my memory of it?"
She walked over to him and turned him to look down at her, "I don't know. No one can answer that but him. But, and here's the part I am just figuring out…he's changed, too, I think. He's paid for some of his actions. He even may be sorry for them, not that I'll ever know for sure, but I believe he is."
"How?"
"Because, he loves you Draco. He wants you to be happy and have the life he couldn't. Maybe that's why he obliviated you. He wanted you free of it. He is proud of you for making your own choices. You just told me about the contract and his explanations. And, as much as I didn't want to see it, to acknowledge it, that's not the same person who terrorized me. Not even close. Mom was right; it's time I start to forgive. I know I won't ever forget it all and I don't know if I will ever be able to be fully comfortable near him, but I can try. I can heal. I thought I had, but… Today, when you said you were a Malfoy, too, it hit me. In order to hold onto it, my pain, anger and fear, I had separated you from him. He's Malfoy, you're Draco. It was his money, his test. I couldn't see it as anything else; you weren't even a part of it. But, I'm trying to change that. And, I promise you, I'm okay now, well mostly, with all that happened back then. I am. But, I haven't let it go as much as I thought I had. I guess the money today was just the final straw."
"Mi, I'm so sor…" he tried again.
But again she cut him off, "No, Draco, I'm sorry."
"What for?"
She stepped closer and took his hands in hers, "Because I haven't been fair to you. I haven't been honest with you. I didn't really accept you for you completely. I fell in love with you with conditions, on my terms, but I never let you in on what they were. I'm sorry."
"So, where does that leave us?" he asked. "Is it over?"
She looked up at his sad, lost eyes and tried to smile, "No, I hope not. It leaves me more whole, more healed, more forgiving. You, more knowledgeable, more understanding, I hope. It leaves us knowing each other better; understanding each other better. Closer to each other, not further apart. And, now that you know some of it, maybe you can ask some questions and get the rest of your answers."
"Do you want me to go over to Blaise's for the night?" he asked as he looked away from her.
"No, why?" she asked.
He shrugged, "So you don't have to think about this any more for a while. So, you can have some peace."
"Draco, look at me, please." When he did, she saw the confusion in them and hurt a little for all he was going through. "I love you, Draco LUCIUS Malfoy. Nothing today has changed that. Believe me. I have peace. I have you."
Draco couldn't speak. He didn't want to fall apart on her; she'd been through enough. But, he needed her to understand how much her words meant. So, he pulled her close and held on tight. For a while, they just let the quiet, and their hold on each other, do some healing.
The next morning Draco got up and left for work as usual. He kissed her goodbye, but his smile was forced. He didn't call her during lunch like he normally would, and when she called him he didn't stay on the phone long. That night he worked late and when he finally got home, claimed to be tired and went straight to bed. She understood that he needed time to think things through, so she let it pass.
By Friday, she had spent a week watching him take on his father's shame, wallow in his anger, and get lost in his confusion and couldn't take it any more. She called Blaise.
' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
It took Blaise a lot of cajoling, a little bribery, and finally a few threats, before Draco agreed to meet him for a drink after work. When they found a table in the corner of a dark wizard's bar, Blaise charmed the area for silence and poured the first shots. A few beers and half a bottle later, only two shots of which had been had by Blaise, Draco finished his story.
"So, you really don't remember any of it?"
"No, nothing," Draco answered. "And, on top of it all, I don't get why he would do this."
Blaise shook his head as he thought back, "But, you did remember it. You confessed everything to Potter. And, we talked about it in your cell a few times. Hell, man, you're the one who told the Ministry what happened to Ms. Burbage in your drawing room. They wouldn't even have known if you hadn't…"
Draco's gaze sharpened as he focused on Blaise, "What? What happened to her?"
"Oh D," Blaise sighed. He didn't want to be the one to make Draco relive that horror, too.
"What happened Blaise? Did I…did…"
Blaise stopped him immediately, "No! You would never…they did. They tortured and killed her in front of you, but you…"
Draco saw Blaise struggle with his words, but remained silent. He needed to know what had happened.
"You wanted to stop them, but you didn't," Blaise sighed. "You were torn apart by it, man."
"Why did he do this to me?" Draco asked more to himself than Blaise. But, Blaise answered.
"I don't know. But, you should find out."
Draco nodded and tossed back another shot.
"No wonder Mother tore down that side of the house and rebuilt it," Draco mumbled.
Blaise nodded, "Yeah, she started on it the day you got out of Azkaban. Right after you told her you couldn't go back to that house and came to stay with me. I remember she was crying when you and she came out of the room together."
"I don't remember that either," Draco shook his head. "Dammit, it's all gone. I still lost, didn't I, B? After all this time, I thought I had gotten away from it, that damn war still took everything from me. My memories, what little respect I still had for my father, and now Hermione."
Blaise took the drink from Draco's hand, "You haven't lost her, man. She's still there. And, she's worried about you."
Draco looked at him for a moment and then looked away before he shook his head sadly, "I just don't know what to say to her. How can we ever get back what we had, now that I know all of this? I don't even know ho she can stand to look at me. And, she'll never see me as anything but my father's son."
"Draco, I'm horrified by it all. There are no words to describe that kind of wrong. I can't believe I looked up to him. Wanted to be just like him."
"I know," Draco sighed, his misery clear on his face.
Blaise leaned forward, "But, do you think that changes how I feel about you? Does this make us any less brothers?"
"What?! No!" Draco said as he sat up. "This isn't about us. It's about Hermione and how she…"
"How she's worried sick that you are working up to leaving her."
"No, B, she…"
Blaise cut him off again, "She has spent the last few days kicking herself for having told you the truth."
"It's not her fault," Draco mumbled.
"No, it's not. But you're making her feel like she should have kept her mouth shut," Blaise shot back. When Draco winced, Blaise softened his voice, "It's not your fault, either. Mione knows that. She doesn't blame you, but if you don't get your ass home and deal with this, you're going to drive her away. And, she'll go, just to protect you, to keep you from hurting anymore. She loves you, man."
Draco sat back tiredly and lowered his head, "I can't believe this is all so screwed up."
"It's not too late, D," Blaise reminded him. "Just go home and talk to her."
' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
That same night at The Burrow a small family meeting was called.
"Hi, Molly,"
Snoop said as she stepped out of the fireplace and hugged the older
woman.
Molly helped her brush the soot off of her clothes and
smiled, "Hi, honey. Come on in. Everyone's in the
kitchen."
Snoop nodded but asked, "Who's everyone? I thought I was just going to talk to Ronald."
Molly smiled a little, "Well, it's not everyone, so no worries. Angelina and George are home still getting Little Fred used to his new home. Ginny and Harry already talked to Arthur and Ron and they have made their peace, so they stayed home, too. And, I think Ginny's still upset with herself for telling Angelina and Cynthia what was going on. She feels like everything that happened is all her fault."
Snoop huffed, "I told her the other day to stop blaming herself. None of this is her fault!"
"I know dear, but you know Ginny. Everything that goes wrong in the world is somehow her fault. I think it has a lot to do with being the youngest and the only girl. The boys always put everything on her growing up. I guess she just got used to taking the blame."
Snoop laughed a little, "Boy am I glad I was an only child." Then, she realized they were close to entering the kitchen and sobered, "So, who else is here?"
"Well, there's Arthur and Ron, of course," Molly sighed. "And, Percy's here, though I have no idea why. And, Bill and Fleur are still here with the children, so we have a pretty full room."
Snoop closed her eyes for a moment and tried to shake off the feeling of wanting to run from them all. She had grown to love the Weasley family as if it was her own, but their habit of clearing the air as a group was a bit wearing. She had grown up in a small family, and as an only child, there hadn't been the opportunity to have large family discussions. She didn't quite hate it, but she still wasn't used to it.
Before she could take a full breath Molly pushed the door open and in silence everyone turned to face them.
"Uh, hello," Snoop said with a small, forced smile. Everyone called out soft hellos, but it was Percy who stepped forward with his hand extended formally.
"Hello, Georgina. It is good to see you again, even under these circumstances. I trust you've been as well as can be expected?"
Her eyes flicked across the room and fell on Ron before she answered distractedly, "Yeah, you too, Perc."
She never saw Percy wince at the nickname though, because Ron stood and moved around the table to stand in front of her.
"It's good to see you," he breathed softly, his eyes drinking her in after a week of being without her. "You want to go outside to talk?"
Snoop saw the sad, drawn, tired look on his face and battled back the urge to touch him in comfort. She and Hermione had talked at length about the situation and she knew how her best friend felt about everything. But, she loved Ron with everything she was and even with all of his quirks, bad habits, and hard-headedness, she knew in her heart she'd already forgiven him. She just needed to hear him explain it all to her and apologize for the pain he'd caused.
Ron watched her staring at him and thought for a moment he'd truly lost her. He felt an ache in his chest and panicked at the thought that he would have to live without her. Before she could turn him down, he fell to his knees, grabbed her hands and started talking.
"Georgie honey, please. You have to know I didn't mean to hurt Hermione. Or you. Or anyone, really. I don't know what I was thinking, except that I had to protect her. I know I was stupid. And, I know now, I guess, that he's not planning anything. I never found anything that…um, I mean, I get it now. He really does care about her, I guess. But, you have to understand, honey; he's a Malfoy. I know that doesn't mean much to you, but it was reason enough for me to at least check on him. I know everyone else was able to just sit back and wait, to see if he pulled anything, but I couldn't, Georgie. I just couldn't. I love that girl so much and I know how much she wanted to find love. And, she deserves it. But, I felt like I had to at least try and protect her. I couldn't let her fall for his tricks too. And, I know Mione's smart and careful. I know she is. And, I do trust her. But, I couldn't see any way he could have changed so much. I know it's been years. And, I know the war changed everyone, but he's…it doesn't matter. I made a mess of things. I know it. And, I am so sorry I hurt you, Georgie. I know I have to make it up to Hermione and him somehow, but please tell me I haven't lost you over this. Oh gods, honey, I've missed you so much and I love you and I am so, so sorry. I swear I will fix this. Just let me come home. Please, baby, I need to be home with you. Forgive me please."
Snoop didn't try to stop the tears that slid down her face and she kneeled down beside him and let him hold her. When he stopped shaking against her and she felt she could speak around the lump in her throat she whispered, "Let's go home and talk, okay?"
No one tried to stop them as they walked out of the kitchen together. And, they all stayed quiet until they heard the sounds of the fireplace die down.
"So, I guess this family meeting is cancelled?" Bill asked with a short laugh to try and break the tension.
Percy nodded, "Well, I guess I will be going then. Good night, everyone."
Everyone said goodbye to him and he apparated home. Bill helped Fleur out of her chair and started from the kitchen. But, when they reached the door he looked back at his parents.
"Mom, I think it's time you took a page from Georgie's book." With that he led his wife from the room and left Molly and Arthur alone.
Molly crossed her arms and stared at the swinging door.
"Mol, come on," Arthur sighed heavily. "It's been a week. I'm an old man. I can't keep sleeping on Ron's old bed. And, I have said I was sorry a million times this week. What do you want me to do?"
She looked across the table to her husband and lowered her arms to the table. "I don't know, Arthur. I'm not even angry with you much any more. I just still can't believe you let your history with Lucius Malfoy lead you to something like this."
"I know," Arthur nodded. "I don't know what it is about that man that pushes every button I have. I knew it was wrong. Even when Ron suggested it, I knew it was wrong. But, in my head, all I could think was that I was finally going to be able to make him pay for all the pain he caused this family."
Molly leaned forward, "But, it wasn't him you were spying on. It was Draco. And Hermione. What did you think you were…"
"I don't know," he interrupted and put his head in his hands. "And, now I can't even think of all the justifications I gave myself, Mol. I was just so caught up in it and didn't let myself stop to think about the damage I was doing. I don't know how I will ever get Hermione to forgive me. And, Draco, hell, Ron and I confirmed every bad thought he's ever had of this family, I guess. I don't know if I will even get the chance to make him understand how sorry I am."
Molly finally relented and stood up from the table. With her hand held out to him she said, "We'll figure this out, Arthur. You'll apologize for a start and then we'll take it one day at a time from there. You will just have to prove what a good man you can be. Now, let's go up to bed."
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Author's Notes –
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