Disclaimer: I don't own it.

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Chapter Three: Breakup

Hope awoke with a headache that would compare to someone being hit with a bludger. She groaned and rolled out of bed and took a quick shower. When she sat on her bed and pulled out her journal, she realized with a shock the date; July 29th.

Hope jumped at the knock on the door, but relaxed as her father came in.

"You're up early," he said, motioning to the clock.

"Yeah, I guess bad dreams can do that," she muttered, writing more in her journal.

Severus gave her a sympathetic glance. "Want to talk about it?"

"No, but I do need something else."

Severus nodded so she continued. "I need to go to Diagon Alley today to pick up Harry's birthday present."

"What did you get him?"

Hope smiled. "One of those new Firebolt brooms. Plus a kit for it; that way, it will stay in good condition. Both are engraved with his name."

To say Severus was surprised would have been an understatement. "Wow, Lea. That's a nice gift."

Hope nodded. "I know. I told the clerk I would pick it up today, since Harry is going to visit the Weasleys. I thought maybe Draco, you and I could make it kind of a family thing. I just lost track of days."

Severus considered that. "I'll make you a deal. We'll go to Diagon Alley if you promise to start telling me or Draco or Harry when you have a nightmare."

Hope looked worried, but agreed nevertheless. Severus smiled at the girl before getting up to get ready.

Hope paid for the two items and met back up with her father and brother. They continued walking to get something to eat. They had shopped and talked for a couple of hours before Hope had picked up Harry's presents.

After eating, they returned to the manor, where they sat talking. Harry was not due back for another hour and Hermione was coming with him. She would spend the next couple nights there to help research and practice before returning to the Weasley's house for Harry's birthday party.

Hope was growing tired listening to her father and brother as they talked about potions. Closing her eyes, she fell into the blissful land of sleep.

Severus looked over at his quiet daughter and laughed. She had at some point curled up, and was now peacefully sleeping. He stood and picked up a blanket before carefully draping it over her.

The other two continued talking until the floo flared to life and Harry stepped out.

"Hey Harry!" Draco yelled to his best friend.

"Draco!" Severus admonished. "There is no reason to yell."

Draco glanced at the still sleeping Hope before continuing in a quieter voice. "Did you have fun?"

"Always do. Ron stayed in his room except during meals, but everyone else had fun during Quidditch, games, and of course, jokes by the twins." Harry laughed. "What about you, have fun in Diagon Alley?"

"Yes, it was fun. Where's Hermione?"

Harry made a face. "She was having a hard time leaving Ginny. Her boyfriend owled her right before I left to end it."

"Oh." Draco said, disappointed.

Harry laughed. "Don't worry, mate. She'll be here soon. She just wants to make sure Gin was okay."

Draco nodded. Noting the end of the conversation, Harry went to put his stuff back upstairs. Returning back downstairs, he saw Draco still standing in front of the fireplace as it turned green.

Hermione felt herself topple into another body as the floo threw her out ungracefully.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed. Suddenly everyone in the room burst out laughing at the red faced girl.

"Merlin, Hermione. I didn't know you liked Draco that much," Harry said above the laughter.

"Harry, I seem to remember a similar thing happening at Christmas," she retorted with a glare at the boy.

Harry smiled. "True, but she was my girlfriend by the end of the night. Can I expect the same from you two?"

Both blushed and scrambled away from each other. Draco walked into an empty table which crashed to the floor loudly, causing Hope to jerk awake. She looked at her brother and her best friend, noting their red faces, and then the table before shaking her head.

Hope got up from the chair and gave her best friend a hug. "Nice entrance, I assume?" She commented.

Hermione blushed deeper before holding up her bag. "Where do I put this?"

Draco, regaining some pride, reached out for it. She wordlessly gave it to him and watched as he took it upstairs.

"For now, he'll put it in my room. If you decide you want your own, I'll move it later," Hope explained.

"I'll share. It would be weird to have my own room after Hogwarts and the Weasleys."

Hope nodded and dragged her best friend over to sit on the couch. "So really, when is Draco going to ask you out?" Hope asked.

Hermione sighed. "I really don't know. Usually when a guy likes a girl who likes him back, they say something."

Severus looked uncomfortable. "I think I will go up to my room and leave you to your teenaged chitchat."

"Alright. Night, Severus," Hope said, getting up to give him a hug.

"Goodnight Hope. Remember our deal." Hope looked at the floor and nodded.

Draco came back downstairs during the encounter and raised an eyebrow at his sister after their father went upstairs.

"What deal, Hope?" Hermione asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Hope sighed and sat back down. "I made him a deal that if he took me to Diagon Alley, then I would start waking up someone when I had a nightmare."

Hermione's mouth made an "o" shape while Harry looked upset.

"You listen to him, but not to me?" Harry asked.

Hope glared at the dark haired boy. "After yesterday, you're lucky you still have a girlfriend, do you really want to push you luck tonight?" She asked darkly.

Harry looked as if someone had slapped him. "Hope...I..."

"...didn't think? I don't care, Harry. What you said last night was hurtful."

"And what you said wasn't?"

"I didn't say something to purposely hurt you. I didn't accuse you of just watching while Cedric or Sirius was killed, but you might as well have accused me of the same thing, if not something worse."

Harry was shocked. "Hope, I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes, Harry, you did. I saw it in your eyes. Maybe you want to know what it was really like? I was locked in a room, had nothing to do, had little to no food, and still got an occasional beating or cursing. If you think that is being treated like a princess, the you need to go back to your muggle school."

Hermione and Draco just watched as Hope and Harry yelled at each other. Tears were evident in both teens eyes, but neither were willing to back down.

"Really bad, Hope. At least it wasn't continual curses!"

"No, that was the first month and a half I was there, and that thirty minutes with Malfoy. Oh, and let's not forget that you were never thrown into a lake!"

"It was only water!"

"Which I'm absolutely petrified of, Harry! You don't get it!"

"You don't help me understand by shutting me out. You're my girlfriend, but you feel like a bloody stranger anymore."

Hurt overcame Hope's features. "Fine, Harry," she said, letting a few tears fall. "If I don't act like a girlfriend, or feel like one, then I'll leave you free to find one who fits your standards." She reached up and unclasped her necklace from him, placing it gently on the table.

Everyone watched the regret that passed over Harry's face. "Hope..." he started, but Hope turned and ran, only to be caught by her brother. She turned and buried her head in his shoulder, tears making his shirt wet.

"Harry, if you want to make it out of this conversation unscathed, I would suggest you go upstairs before I curse you," Draco said with an angry look toward his best friend.

Harry looked at the girl crying and felt his heart break. "Hope, you can't mean that. You can't seriously want our relationship to be over."

The girl just started crying harder and Draco threw a murderous glare at Harry. "Go upstairs now!" He said cruelly.

Harry looked at the girl one last time before going upstairs to his room. Draco turned his attention to Hermione. "Get the necklace off the table and put it upstairs in her jewelry box. Then knock on my dad's door and tell him we need him downstairs now. And if you see Harry, tell him if he has any self-preservation, then he'll stay upstairs."

Hermione nodded and ran upstairs. She carefully hung the necklace in the jewelry box and ran to Severus' room where she knocked loudly. The professor answered the door and looked confused.

"We need you downstairs. Hope's crying and Draco said to get you."

Severus quickly followed the girl downstairs and instantly went to his daughter's side. He coaxed her away from Draco and pulled her to him.

"What's wrong, Lea?" He whispered to the distraught girl.

"Harry," she chocked out between tears. Severus turned to the other two teens for information.

"They fought again. Harry said that she didn't act like a girlfriend, so she broke up with him. He's the one she's been using to let loose all her conflicting emotions on, I'm pretty sure she didn't mean it. I've seen them together when they thought they were alone, Dad. They love each other, but Hope doesn't know what to do."

Hermione felt she needed to defend her other friend. "Sir, they are both distraught. I think both had been trying not to hurt each other by ignoring difficult topics for so long. And now that they've come out, neither was sure how to react."

Severus sighed and held his still crying daughter closer. "Go see if Harry is okay," he ordered the two.

Hermione and Draco disappeared up the stairs and Severus turned his attention to Hope.

"Lea, talk to me," he whispered softly.

"I didn't want to. I didn't know what else to do," she muttered, running out of tears.

"It's okay. We'll fix it."

"No, we won't. He won't ever understand."

"Have you ever explained it to him?"

"I don't know how," she whined.

Severus pulled away from the girl. "Lea, maybe you should let him read your journal. I saw what you went through, Draco heard it about it at home, but Harry has no clue."

"I can't! Nobody can read that."

"Why not, child? Do you want him to understand?"

"Yes, but it would be so awkward around him."

"That will pass. It's time to let him in. You won't stand a chance at a relationship or winning the war if you don't."

Hope closed her eyes and leaned against her father again. "I guess I have no choice," she said, tears returning again.

Severus held the girl until she fell asleep. Picking her up, he carried her to her room where he laid her down and sat until Hermione returned.

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A/N: Hey everyone!! I got no reviews :(. I'm going to cry.
I really do want to know what you all think about my story. If you don't like something, or want something to happen, let me know. I'm open to suggestions.

Kayla