AN: This is a short little gift to Julist and trinka belle for being amazing betas.
Also, I don't own HP
oXoXo
"Merlin damn it!"
Hermione sighed and looked up to see Malfoy give the cupboard door a sharp kick in frustration. Which only made him wince and grab the now pained appendage as he cursed like a bloody sailor.
She rolled her eyes. "Give up, Malfoy. No one can hear us. The few people still here for Christmas are all too busy in the Great Hall right how."
He scowled at her, "We'd be in the Great Hall ourselves if you hadn't-"
"Oh, stuff it. Complaining won't get us out of this mess. Now, if only I had my wand.."
"Oh, what would you do? Blast the bloody castle that we just rebuilt?"
oXoXo
"I wonder if it's true…"
Harry looked up from his essay and over at Ginny. Her eyes were focused on a pair of heads across the library - one bronze, the other silver.
"If what's true?"
She gestured at the pair, "Them. Luna said she saw them walking alone by the lake, holding hands. Didn't believe her, but just look at them. There's definitely something going on."
oXoXo
Anger boiled up inside her, "What's this 'we'? I didn't see you here working! None of your lot came to do anything to help fix-"
"Griffonshit! Remember those bloody service hours I had to do to help pay for my crimes? They kept us locked up in a room at the Ministry, repairing furniture and building replacement pieces! Do you know how many bloody splinters I got!" He held up his hands, and, indeed, just barely visible in the dim light in the broom cupboard were a number of small, silver scars dotting his palms.
"Why...why did they keep that hidden?"
His scowl deepened, "How am I supposed to know that? Likely wanted to try and keep old divides going."
"No," she shook her head, "that can't be it. Kingsley would never-"
"Your bloody Kingsley isn't the only one in the Ministry! There's a reason I'm back here, repeating my seventh year, and it's not because I wanted to! Hell! I didn't even want to be here for Christmas!"
oXoXo
Harry narrowed his eyes and examined them closely, trying to see what Ginny and Luna saw.
Maybe he was just thick, but all he saw was Malfoy and Hermione working quite nicely together on a project. He knew it was something about arithmancy, but as he had no previous experience in that class he couldn't imagine what would need two people working on it.
"I don't see anything."
oXoXo
She stormed as far from him as she could in the small space, "No one is forcing you to come back here! All you need is to sit your bloody NEWTs! Unlike SOME of us, YOU actually took classes last year!"
"What the-? No one is forcing me? No one is forcing me?! You're a bloomin' idiot if you think no one is forcing me! As I was underage when I took the Mark and I helped Potter I was one of the lucky ones! I was offered two choices! Either spend an entire year in the bowels of the Ministry doing free labor or return to Hogwarts and spend any time outside the school doing free labor! Not much of a bloody choice!"
She crossed her arms and glared, "It's what you deserve. No one forced you to join Voldemort!"
"No one - Really?! You think no one forced me?!" He scoffed, "Just how dumb are you? Has Weasley stupidity rubbed off on you?"
"Don't you DARE say that name!"
"What? Weasley? Weasley, Weasley Weasley!"
"Shut up!" she screamed, covering her ears with her hands as tears burned her eyes.
oXoXo
"Look again, Harry. See how when she speaks he leans in a bit closer. Or when - wait - see what he did?"
And Harry had seen what Malfoy had done. One of Hermione's curls had escaped her messy bun and Draco had carefully tucked it behind her ear. And she had merely continued to talk, a sweet little smile curving her mouth up at the corners.
"I see that. But...since when?"
"I'm not sure. But you know how different she's been since last May…"
"Oh! I'm not begrudging her this! Even if it is Draco Malfoy! I'm just wondering when it happened."
"Luna suspects it was around Christmas. When Peeves trapped the two of them in that broom closet without their wands."
oXoXo
NO! I refuse!" He screamed back, taking the two necessary steps so that he could reach out and grab her wrists, yanking them strongly away from her ears.
She shrieked and tried to knee him in the groin, but she missed and hit his thigh. His leg buckled and they tumbled to the dusty floor. She threw her slight weight against him as she twisted, trying to escape.
"LET ME GO!
"NO! You listen up Granger! You weren't the only one to lose someone last May!"
"Shut...UP!" She screeched in his ear as she threw all her weight against him.
The attack was enough to get the majority of his weight off of her and she scrambled to keep him off. She tried to slide to the side, but hit a pile of buckets that fell on them. She couldn't even grab one to use as a weapon since he still held onto her wrists tightly.
They twisted and turned on the dusty floor, hitting shelves and cleaning equipment as each of them struggled for dominance. After a while, she was struggling to keep fighting. She wasn't an athlete and she hadn't eaten for hours.
And so, it ended where it had begun, with him on top of her, her wrists pinned above her head and his face mere inches from her own.
oXoXo
Harry snorted, "That actually makes a lot of sense."
"Luna makes sense on a regular basis, you know."
He reached over and grabbed Ginny's hand, giving it a squeeze. "I know she does. Remember, I'm her friend. It's just not often she can break it down for us mere mortals to understand."
"You may have a point there. Oh! Isn't that adorable?"
Harry looked back over at Draco and Hermione to see her kissing Draco on the cheek. Judging from their freedom of expression they likely thought they were alone.
"Guess they didn't notice us come in and take the table that was even more hidden than theirs."
Ginny giggled, "Likely not. Now, should we go alert them to the fact they're being watched?"
Harry shook his head, "No. They obviously aren't ready to tell the world. Let's pack up and sneak out. I have my cloak."
"Alright."
When Ginny had her things packed he pulled out his cloak and slipped it over them. As soon as it was settled she wrapped her arms around his middle and snuggled close, putting her mouth by his ear.
"I do wonder what exactly happened in that closet."
He pulled her close and started them moving towards the library exit.
oXoXo
Neither spoke, the sound of panting the only thing that could be heard in the small, destroyed space.
With nothing to do, she found herself examining his face - so different from Ron's.
Where Ron had been round and friendly, Malfoy was sharp and intimidating.
But…
There, in his eyes…
Pain.
So much pain.
Mirroring her own.
And, he was right.
She wasn't the only one to lose someone.
His best mates had burned to death alongside Ron.
His mother had been killed by her own sister when Harry appeared alive.
And his father was spending the rest of his life in Azkaban.
"Who forced you?"
oXoXo
"We'll likely never know. I doubt either will tell us, what with how much they hated each other during the Fall. It probably wasn't very pretty. You know, she blamed him. Blamed him for surviving when Ron didn't."
Ginny squeezed him tighter, "I know. I blamed him as well."
"What changed your mind?"
She didn't answer until they had slipped past Madam Pince and into the corridor.
"I overheard him speaking with Parkinson. He'd been crying. Talking about his mother. How he'd done everything for her, but in the end it was utterly pointless."
Harry felt his shoulders slump at those words. The death of Narcissa Malfoy had been so pointless, and after she had just helped save him…
He shook his head and pulled Ginny tighter, "A lot of things in the war were pointless."
"I know, and that's what made me stay and eavesdrop. He said more things."
"What else?"
oXoXo
He blinked in surprise at the question, drawing her gaze to his eyes.
She'd never realized a man's eyes could be called beautiful before. But that was the only word to describe Malfoy's.
"Duty."
"Duty?"
"And...love."
Understanding dawned on her.
"He threatened your mother. And your father was in Azkaban."
Malfoy nodded, bringing his face a bit closer to hers.
She inhaled sharply, suddenly very aware that his entire, hard length was pressed against her.
His eyes widened and then they shifted, becoming molten silver.
oXoXo
"He was talking about Crabbe and Goyle. About how they hadn't been the best of friends, but they had genuinely cared about him, even when the rest of the world hated him."
Harry smiled sadly at the idea of true friendship, it was a precious thing, and to lose it….
Well, he knew how that felt.
oXoXo
He moved slowly, giving her time to say no, but she couldn't speak. And, even if she could have, she didn't think she would have.
Their lips brushed softly, at complete odds with their earlier fight. And, she couldn't help thinking, completely different from her one kiss with Ron.
That kiss had been years in the making - the culmination of their years of friendship, bickering, and unresolved sexual tension.
This one…
This was like a silver peace offering. Simple and sweet, but with a promise of something to come.
oXoXo
Malfoy pulled back and met her gaze, a slight flush on his cheeks, and a question in his eyes.
She shifted and then relaxed, lifting her head up so their lips once again met.
It was just as wonderful.
She felt tears burn her eyes, and she couldn't quite explain why. The first tear that escaped and rolled down her face made him pull back. He stared in shock at the tears and then jerked away from her. She instantly felt a loss when his weight left hers.
They sat there, staring at each other with only the sound of their breathing audible.
It was Malfoy that broke the silence.
"I-I apologize. I took advantage of you."
She sat up, shaking her head, "No, don't apologize. I-I wasn't crying because of the kiss."
"Then why-?"
She shrugged. "I just - well, it was so different."
His jaw dropped, "You were comparing my kiss to-"
"Yes," she said quickly, cutting off him saying any names.
He closed his mouth and studied her for a moment, and she took the chance to look anywhere but at him. The cupboard was a disaster, things were scattered all over the floor and the lower shelves were all banged up, one was even half off the wall.
"Saying his name, even his family name, hurts you, doesn't it?"
She nodded, still not looking at him.
"Is that why you stayed here at Christmas? Even though Potter and his girlfriend went to her home?"
She nodded again.
oXoXo
"That's true." He forced the sad feelings away and focused on the warm witch in his arms, leaning down to kiss her messily on the cheek. "They did willingly take polyjuice to look like little girls to help him. They were so loyal, they likely should have been Hufflepuffs"
Ginny gave a half-wild giggle that echoed through the empty corridor and threw off the cloak.
"Crabbe and Goyle as Hufflepuffs? That would have been highly interesting."
He smiled and stuff the cloak back in his bag.
"Yes, that would have been a sight. Does make you wonder though, how the Sorting Hat actually works. I mean, it tried to put me in Slytherin. Me!"
oXoXo
What about your own parents?"
"They're in Australia. I repaired their memories, but they decided to wait until this summer to come back. It's too far to go, I thought. So I stayed. Plus, I need to study for…"
She trailed off and a silence fell over them, simple and easy. She reveled in it, taking the time to sort out exactly what she felt about the kiss.
That's how Filch found them an hour later, a scowl on his face as he screamed bloody murder about his damaged cupboard. They parted without saying another word to each other, and Hermione felt oddly sad about that.
That was the only reason she could think of for why she did what she did the next day.
She snuck up to Harry's room and nicked his Map. Using it, she found Malfoy sitting in an empty classroom not too far from the library.
He didn't hear her enter.
He was sitting on a battered wooden chair by the window, watching snow fall outside.
She took a moment to look him over. Trying to decide if this was the right decision. There was so much bad blood between them.
But…
oXoXo
Ginny giggled again and placed a quick kiss on Harry's cheek.
"Well, my dear almost-Slytherin, how about we go find our own broom closet? And them perhaps we can try and work out exactly what Malfoy and Hermione did?"
He smiled and gave her a quick peck on the lips, "That sounds splendid. Though…"
He pulled back and looked down at her rather seriously, "Are you really alright with Hermione and Malfoy? Ron was your brother and-"
She stopped him by pressing her small, cool fingers to his lips.
"Harry, Ron loved her dearly, but they were also best mates. I'm sure he would just want her to be happy. Even if that means she finds happiness in the arms of Draco Sodding Malfoy. He loved her, he wouldn't want her to suffer."
Harry smiled and reached up to brush a strand of hair off her face.
Before he could pull his hand back a voice cut through the silent corridor, drawing their attention.
"Thank you, Ginny."
Harry looked up to see a teary-eyed Hermione in the doorway to the library, her hand holding onto Malfoy's.
oXoXo
She let out a small sigh, barely even audible to her own ears.
What had they fought for if it hadn't been for love and your ability to make your own choices?
Also, whomever was trying to keep old animosities alive was wrong. If they didn't want another war they needed to repair the true damage, not worsen it.
She knew she'd never find someone like Ron, and she didn't want to. But Malfoy was as different from Ron as a bloke could get. And he interested her. The first person to do so in almost six months. Maybe it was too soon. Maybe this wouldn't last forever. But that was alright. She'd learned the hard way that many things didn't. All you could do was hold onto what happiness you had and keep moving on. Yesterday, after they had fought, she had felt the closest thing to happiness she felt in a long time.
oXoXo
Their appearance made something click in Harry's brain. He couldn't help but ruin the moment with a snort of laughter.
"You two knew we were there the entire time. You wanted to see what we thought."
Malfoy smirked, "I will take full credit for it Potter. Hermione was petrified at the thought of you not approving. I tried to tell her you were too much a pure and noble Gryffindor not to put her happiness first, but-"
He was cut off by Hermione elbowing him in the ribs, "Be nice, Draco."
"Yes, ma'am," he said as he winced and rubbed the spot on his ribs where her elbow had hit.
Harry and Ginny snickered at that.
He felt odd, looking at Hermione holding hands with Malfoy. He knew it would have never happened if Ron hadn't…
He pushed the thought away.
What was done was done. He couldn't change the past. Couldn't bring back those he had lost.
oXoXo
She wanted to explore that feeling. See where it took her. No matter the outcome, it was her choice.
And his.
No one had pressured him to kiss her yesterday. He had wanted to do it.
And she had also wanted it.
She kept that thought firmly in mind as she leaned down and wrapped her arms around Malfoy. He jumped a bit and then froze as her lips brushed his ear.
"I think we need to continue our discussion from yesterday."
oXoXo
He let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and gave Hermione and Malfoy a friendly smile.
"You were right, Malfoy. And thank you for staging that. How about you two join us in Hogsmeade this Saturday? I think we all need a break from studying for our NEWTs."
"Works for me. What about you, love?" Draco looked down fondly at Hermione and her face, currently pinched in thought.
"We were supposed to work on the essay for Transfiguration on Saturday, but if we finish the Arithmancy project tonight, and only go out for lunch… Yes, I think we can make a trip to Hogsmeade fit into the study schedule. "
Three pairs of eyes stared at her for a moment, and then laughter echoed through the corridor.
Malfoy leaned down and gave Hermione a kiss on the top of her head as he laughingly said, "And to think, I once found this side of you impossible. I was a fool, you know that, right?"
She looked up at him and smiled, "I know."
oXoXo
I-I'd like that," he said softly.
She smiled and touched her lips to his. It was just as sweet as yesterday, but today that wasn't enough. She slipped her tongue out and flicked his lips. He groaned and then she was in his lap and he was kissing her like it was the last thing he would do.
oXoXo
Harry began to feel vaguely uncomfortable as the two of them continued to stare at each other. He looked down at Ginny and they shared a look.
"Well, uh…" Harry started.
Ginny saved him by grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the nearby stairwell.
"We'll just leave you two to your project. Bye!"
Without waiting for a response the two of them zipped up the stairs, down a corridor, and into a small broom cupboard.
As soon as the door was shut he pulled her into his arms and hugged her close, burying his face in her hair.
He was trying to not think of just why he had been able to so easily accept Malfoy and Hermione. Of just what changes had occurred in their lives a bit less than a year ago.
"I love you, Ginny."
She gave him a tight squeeze and pulled back, "I love you, too."
Then she was kissing him, and all thoughts of Hermione and Malfoy drifted out of his head.
He was here, he was alive, and he was going to live with the ones he loved.
oXoXo
She melted into him, her hands tangled in his silky hair as he practically devoured her.
She loved every second of it.
And, while she didn't love him like she had loved Ron, she knew that, if things worked out, she might just love him differently.
And that was alright.
It was perfectly alright.
Author's Note: Just a sweet little story about dealing with some forgiveness, understanding, and treasuring those you love. A good theme for the holiday season.
Enjoy!