The Chemicals Between Us Chapter 30: We have to talk, a harry potter fanfic

" We have to talk..."

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Ron froze in place. It seemed the world suddenly came to a halt. His chest wasn't heaving up and down. Was he still breathing? He stared at Hermione's body as it lay eerily still on the cold ground. Her back wasn't moving up and down. He felt blood leave his face, he suddenly felt numb and cold.

" Ron! " Lupin shouted, breaking Ron from his trance.

Ron snapped awake from his stillness and ran for Hermione's body. " Oh god! " he gasped just as he knelt down quickly to avoid a hex, grazing his elbow in the process. But he didn't care. He didn't care how badly he was bleeding. Hermione- Hermione! " Oh god! Hermione! " he cried touching her back, afraid to turn her over. He had never felt this horrible since- he promised Harry! He promised he would protect Hermione if something happened to him! He was a bloody-

" Is she alright! " Fred cried out as he fended off another attack.

The heavily cloaked wizards began to retreat, the last one sending off a bright flash into the dark sky, resonating in their ears, hissing madly, like a basilisk on the hunt. But Ron wasn't looking at the Dark Mark that had just formed in the skies. He was shaking madly, shaking as he touched Hermione's hair.

" Ron! Is she alright! " Bill asked, looking pale as he ran from one end of the back garden.

Delicately, Ron turned her body to see her face. She looked pale…she looked…he shuddered and killed a cry from escaping his throat. Bill, Fred, George and Lupin hovered around anxiously, but Ron began hugging Hermione, rocking her back and forth.

Fred and George shook their heads. This wasn't happening! This wasn't- and Lupin turned away and Bill knelt beside Ron.

" Let her go, Ron, " Bill said softly. " We have to take a look at her- "

" No! " Ron cried. " You wake up! You wake up right now! Move! Breathe! Do something! You fucking wake up Hermione Granger! " He was shaking her now, shaking her violently. " Damn it! "

This wasn't happening-! This was some bad dream! Some bad-

And then her eyes fluttered open. Ron gasped and felt a few tears escape his eyes. Tears of happiness, tears of relief…He let go of her as she looked around, her expression looked dazed, disoriented from what was happening…she looked at Ron and wondered why he was crying, looked at Fred and George, Bill and Lupin. Their eyes screamed relief…relief from what? What had happened? Her head was hurting. She touched it gingerly, and saw blood on her fingers. So she had hit something? That was what this was all about?

" You- you arse! " Ron shouted, suddenly embracing her like he hadn't seen her in years. " You gave us a fright! We thought- " And he didn't want to let go of her, afraid he would lose her, just like they had both lost Harry. He thought he was going to be alone, be the very last breathing memory of the Golden Trio…he thought Hermione was gone! Never- never again!

" What- what happened? " she asked.

Ron held her face sideways and gently at that. There was an ugly looking wound. He muttered a spell and it healed instantly.

" You just- you just fell down, slipped your head on a rock, " Ron replied quickly. God, if she knew what a jerk he'd been- how anxious he was of losing her….she'd probably laugh her arse out! " You should be more careful! " he suddenly snapped.

Fred and George were starting to laugh at him and he felt his ears smolder. Great! Two brothers out for a good tease! Even Bill was starting to snicker at him and- not Lupin too! He sighed and helped her up.

" I'm sorry, " Hermione began. " They're gone…" she said, looking around the area.

" Well, we put up a good fight, " Lupin told her. " But they'll be back. Now we know that they're truly after something here. I only hope they haven't gotten it, whatever it is. "

" Why didn't you guys go after them? " she asked, unconsciously massaging her temple with one hand.

Ron frowned, wondering how to tell her.

" Ron thought you were dead, " George said in all seriousness. Then he and Fred began to laugh at him.

Ron rolled his eyes. " Please. You two are so immature. "

" You should have seen his face, Hermione! " Fred teased.

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Blaise was busy talking with Crabbe, Warrington and Goyle when Draco burst in the room with Theodore Nott and Daphne and Adrian Pucey. His eyes glared at him. Blaise stood up, against the soft glow of the morning sun. He held a cup of coffee in one hand.

" Ah, Draco, care for some coffee? " he began graciously.

" You son-of-a-bitch, " Draco said through gritted teeth. " How many goons did you take with you for a night out at Hangleton? "

Blaise gave a mock look of surprise. " Oh, that. "

" I thought we made it clear that we all move together and act together, " Draco told him, coldly. " And now I hear you do something like this with the others? "

Blaise lifted a hand up in the air, and gave a little wave. " Pish-posh. It's all for the show of it, man. You've got no bloody shock factor. I just thought of giving them a good scare. We were successful, if you must know. "

" How gracious of you to tell me something like that. "

" Of course. "

Theodore Nott felt the tension increasing between Draco and Blaise. It was like watching two tigers out for the kill, out for each others' throats. He imagined Draco winning in his head though, no way was he taking Blaise's side. Like Draco said, Blaise had no imagination.

" I see Nott's doing your bidding too, him waiting around like a butler- a house elf and all, " Blaise sneered.

" Nott can speak for himself, " Draco said loudly.

Nott looked at Blaise's eyes. " So, is this the way it goes? We go our separate missions when we've just formed a circle? We shouldn't forget that Blaise was the mastermind to our Dark Master's downfall, just in case- "

" You shut up, Nott! " Blaise began. " I had planned to tell you guys about it, but then- "

" Well, you didn't tell a lot of us, now did you? You sent off the dark mark. It burned our skins, you bastard, " Draco hissed. " It burned us like there was no tomorrow- "

Blaise scoffed at him. " Like the Dark Master even gave you one. "

Draco's eyes narrowed and he gave a chilling smile Blaise hadn't seen before. Slowly, theatrically, Draco rolled up his right sleeve, exposing the underside of his right hand. A Dark Mark smiled menacingly at Blaise. Blaise's eyes widened in shock. Draco failed the Dark Master! He failed everyone in the circle! The son-of-a-!

" Care to say that again, Blaise? " Draco said, the smile never leaving his lips. Even Theodore Nott stared in awe at the mark, it burned his eyes. Draco was enjoying the moment truly, to see Blaise at a loss for his words; this was a simply joyous moment.

" How could you have that? " Blaise said, in a lower tone this time.

" How do you think I got it? He gave it to me, you slimy git, " Draco replied, pulling down his sleeve again.

Blaise shook his head and suddenly felt that Draco wasn't a man he could reckon with easily. He suddenly wanted to kill Draco for being so lucky- he should have died instead of getting that mark! He didn't deserve it!

" Why did you have to show off, Blaise? " Draco asked, walking slowly towards him. He went closer to Crabbe and saw the stubborn gaze Crabbe gave, like he had never done anything at all. " You allowed him to utilize you without the support of your other mates, Crabbe? "

Crabbe shook his head, suddenly pointing at Blaise. " He said- he said you knew already, you and Nott and Daphne- "

Draco gave a little 'tsk'. " But we didn't, now, did we? We never knew. There were how many of you last night? Who else was with you? I know Blaise was your ringleader, only he could have conjured the mark. Who else? "

" G-Goyle and Warrington- and some…" Crabbe's voice trailed off, fearing Draco might turn into some murderous rampaging freak. He inched away from Draco's glare.

Draco approached Blaise. " The next time you plan something that we don't know, it's the end of everything for you and for those who're working under your pathetic influence. "

Blaise didn't back down. " You think you're still the Slytherin Prince, Draco? You're a has-been, a joke to the purebloods, if you weren't the horcrux, do you think we would have invited you to join? Did you think we would need your support? You're the one that's pathetic, " Blaise growled at him.

Nott gave a laugh and Blaise shot him an annoyed look. Adrian Pucey was still glowering at him, his mouth drawn in a straight line. Daphne wouldn't look at him, but Blaise knew she treaded with awareness around him now.

Draco said nothing. Instead he turned to face his companions, the three of them. " Would you like to see this circle divided? Daphne? "

She shook her head in boldness, willing herself not to show her apprehension around Blaise's company. She had not forgotten the ache he had caused her when he last saw her. " No, " she spat out. " The man doesn't know what he's doing; he's only damaging our development. "

" Daphne Greengrass knows better than you, Blaise, " Draco said. " And what has Pucey got to say? "

Adrian glared at Blaise as well, his thick eyebrows furrowing. " Pull off a stunt like that again and you'll wish you were back in your father's balls. And that goes for that arse, Sarovic. Tell him that too. "

Draco and Nott laughed out loud, causing further irritation to Blaise. Daphne was quiet. She did not react. At least that was a consolation, Blaise had thought.

" So you see, Blaise, " Draco said, after the laughter had died down. " So you see that we didn't like what you did. And pull off another spectacular act like that, and I think you will be reduced to something tinier than your manhood. "

At that, everyone else laughed again, even Crabbe and Goyle and Warrington. Even Daphne!

Blaise scowled at them, and realizing he was at a loss and not Draco, he bowed his head to apologize. " I have done wrong, Draco. "

" You shouldn't apologize just to me, you know, " Draco said. " You've just damaged the trust we have in this circle that's out for regaining its glory. "

" I assure you, none of it will happen again, all of you. I only did that to show what we could do, " Blaise began. " Start little, we were successful though. I think we killed off an Auror. I suppose the Auror was female, " he finished with a little smile.

Draco's pulse quickened. He didn't like the sound of that at all. But he still managed to give off a smile. " Well, that's good news. You killed a woman and you're pompous. Daphne, what do you think? "

" Loser, " she hissed. " Even my house elf could do that. " And she spun around and left the room.

Blaise's smile quickly disappeared.

" Straight from Daphne Greengrass, Blaise, " Nott said with a snicker. " I really did enjoy this visit. So when are we meeting again? A real meeting that includes the ten of us, sitting in one room, sipping wine and planning wicked exploits… "

Draco smiled. " Well, we leave that to Blaise, since he aspires to be the master planner. "

Nott smirked at Blaise again before he exited the room, following Adrian and Daphne. Draco was last. He eyed Crabbe and Goyle again. And then Blaise. He smiled genially at Blaise, and his eyes flashed something for a second. Something that screamed 'I'm watching you, you bastard', and Blaise hated it…

Draco stepped out of the room and saw the three of them standing in the hallway. Adrian had his arms folded, Daphne had a scowl and Nott had his perpetual grin. He gave a grim smile and walked past them, mumbling: we meet tonight, twice, before finally leaving Blaise's mansion.

Daphne stared as Draco walked away calmly and quietly. His blonde hair slightly bounced as he did, even if he walked slowly. Nott eyed Daphne and gave another smile.

" What? " she asked, raising an eyebrow.

" Oh, nothing. "

Adrian frowned and started to leave. " See you guys tonight. " And Adrian lumbered away from them, still frowning over whatever it was he found bothersome.

" Sure, " Nott replied cheerfully.

Daphne rolled her eyes as she proceeded to walk out of Blaise's house. Nott trailed behind, whistling some tune she couldn't make out. She frowned in annoyance.

" You hungry? " he asked her as they started walking at the immaculate grounds of the Zabini mansion- well, his stepfather's, actually.

" No, " she said with contempt.

" Daphne, Daphne…why are you so short-tempered? You're too nice-looking to be so touchy, you know, " he told her as he continued his whistling, much to her displeasure. Nothing like annoying a female to make Nott's day complete…

" Oh, bugger off, " she snapped.

" Daphne, for once, can't you be pleasant to me? You're pleasant to Blaise- "

" You know nothing about me! " she hissed, pointing a finger at him. " You men are all bloody the same, except, except- "

Nott raised an eyebrow and gave another smile. " Except who, Daphne? "

" Nothing! " she said. " No one! Go home to your mother! "

" She's dead, " Nott said with a laugh.

She frowned and continued to walk, wanting some fresh air to replace the feeling of stuffiness she had inside Blaise's residence.

" I'm up for a meal of fish and chips, if you want, " he chimed in.

She rolled her eyes.

" We have to talk, " his voice turned lower. Then he smiled genially and took out his wand. " Well, I'm off. If you're still in for fish and chips, you know where to meet me. "

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Blaise looked at Daphne and Nott as they both apparated at different moments. He hated Nott to the gut, and now he was thinking of hating Draco just the same. Crabbe and Goyle had left after awhile and thankfully. Now he was alone again, it was better off alone, than being with those two lumbering idiots. Blaise finally closed the curtain he was holding. Nott was just fooling around again. He always was, and Draco tolerated it. So Draco liked Nott better than him now. Big deal. Big fucking deal. He performed better than both of them combined. The Dark Master would see his efforts and reward him greatly and castigate Nott in the process.

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Nott was a good conniver. Blaise wasn't even half of him, so he thought. He was busy munching fish and chips at a seedy pub near Knockturn Alley, when suddenly; a rather welcoming sight breezed through the door. Daphne Greengrass.

He smiled and she sauntered his way and sat across him in a dimly lit booth, placing her cloak beside her.

" Want some? " he asked, holding up a chip.

She shook her head, as if in revulsion. " Merlin, no. "

" You came, " he said picking up another potato chip. " You want something to drink? " He signaled for a waiter to bring a bottle of butterbeer. " Here's something for the lady. "

" No- no thanks, " Daphne said, shaking her head. " I'm quite full, really. "

" What made you come? " he asked.

Her eyes narrowed. The man was bloody impossible! Didn't he just say he needed to speak to her and had to go through great lengths on not having Blaise around? She frowned and sighed in anger. " Nott, spit it out. Whatever it is. " She sat across him.

" Did he hurt you? " he asked, all of a sudden.

She looked blank. She felt stupid. Did he- did Theodore Nott just ask her that? She frowned, unable to shake off her blankness. " Wh- What? " she asked, controlling her voice.

He stood up and went near a dirty-looking sink and washed his hands for almost thirty seconds and went back to sit across her. He folded his hands and looked into her dark brown eyes. " No, you spit it, " he finally said.

" I don't understand- "

" Don't you play dumb with me, " he said. " Did he hurt you or not? "

" What gave you that notion? That conclusion? " she asked, her voice suddenly high-pitched. She looked at a wall, suddenly seeming interested in the faded-looking poster in front of her. She heard Nott's footing shift below the oak table. She didn't want to look at him.

" He hurt you, " he finally said.

She suddenly looked at him, and he had never seen her eyes look that distressed. She then looked away and kept playing with her fingers, to keep herself busy, to keep herself distracted. " This isn't- this isn't what you wanted to talk to me about, was it? " she began. " This is a terrible topic. "

" He hurt you, " he persisted. " Why didn't you tell us ahead? Why didn't you tell me ahead? "

" How would you know? You think you're so smart because you have your own conclusions of how Blaise treated me? "

" You think I'm smart? Naturally. It's because Blaise told you I was, right? And he hurt you, hurt you bad enough to make you seem afraid of him- "

" I am not afraid of him! " she said with a shaky voice.

" But he hurt you, " he repeated again, somehow staring at her forlornly with his cerulean eyes. His expression seemed more serious now, more kind, and he knew she would hate it if she sensed he was being kind to her and all.

" He- he- did nothing of the sort, " she said, lamely.

" We're on one side of the chess set, as long as we're a circle, in one side, we have respect and not fear as a substitute for each other. If he harmed you, tell me, and we'll deal with it the way it should be dealt. "

" You're a knight in shining beeswax now? " she spat out, contented to keep lying to save her self-image and to- damn it. It was difficult…if he only knew….how Blaise had manipulated her into even thinking she could see Draco dead, want Draco dead…She shook her head violently and took her cloak and stood up and quickly left.

" Da-! " he stopped and frowned and buried his face in his hands for a few seconds. Making up his mind, and cursing himself for doing so, he got his own cloak and proceeded to dash after her. The night air was cold and the streets were almost empty, except for a few night peddlers and passersby. He jogged for one corner, and by sheer luck, saw Daphne's figure up ahead. He was quiet, following her a few hundred feet behind, pausing every now and then.

And finally, Daphne was ready to apparate, and Nott, sensing it, leapt out from behind a stack of crates. She looked at him in shock. " You were following me? " she gasped.

He gave a smile. " Just wanted to make sure you were safe. " He saw her eyes were red rimmed, and he knew without second thought that she had shed quite a few tears. For what? For Blaise! For the fear of being hurt- how did he hurt her anyway?

" My house, now, " he said, holding his breath in. He held out his hand. And she surprisingly took it. And for some reason, he felt glad she did. He knew she would, but it just felt…nice….

They apparated and in a second, was inside a room in Nott's home. It was a cozy sort of place that didn't go to the extremes like Zabini's manor or Draco's. He only had twenty rooms, compared to Zabini's fifty-five and Draco's amazing ninety-seven. No wonder Draco wanted a house with lesser rooms. What was the use, anyway, of having that many rooms and there were only two people in it?

" This is your house? " Daphne began, looking around a bit. She saw a young Nott in one frame, squirming beside his mother. He was skinny as a child, skinny in Hogwarts, still skinny now. She wondered if he even ate or something.

" My parents' actually, but, they're dead, just like every one else's, I suppose. "

" Your place is…cozy…"

He laughed. " That's a pleasant description from you. I'd have expected you to say it was tiny or something. That it didn't fit your standards. "

" I'm not that harsh. I do have a nice side too. "

" In Slytherin, 'nice' means 'lesser of the harshness, but still harsh'. "

She laughed for about two seconds. " Damn. "

" Coffee? " he asked. She nodded. He conjured two mugs and they filled up instantly with a flick of his wand. " Do you like Colombian coffee? "

She looked at him quizzically.

He laughed. " I'm sorry. It's a muggle thing, you'd be surprised how good muggle coffee is, you know. "

Her lips tightened. " No muggle coffee. "

He shrugged. " Your loss. It really is good. Wizarding coffee it is, then. " He flicked his wand again, and the dark colored liquid was replaced with a lighter colored one.

" You know, drinking muggle coffee is like saying you're a fan of muggles. "

He smiled. " That's the problem with extremist wizards who're all for pure bloodedness. You can't open up to the simpler things muggles enjoy. You'd find them enjoyable too, you know. Muggles are geniuses in their own ways. You should have taken up Muggle Studies to get to know them better. "

" I am not going to open up to mudbloods, " Daphne said stoically. " If you're for our cause, then won't you stop that yet? "

He grinned. " If I recall correctly, the first order of business was to resurrect the Dark Master and not to avoid muggles or kill them all off. Besides, it's just coffee. "

She shook her head in disapproval. Then she looked at Nott in a strange way. " He- he hurt me…" and her voice faltered.

He was silent. He took a few sips and placed his mug down. Then he looked at her eyes. " How did he hurt you? " he asked, without looking at her.

She shuddered and took a breath. " He just- he just shook me around, threatened me…"

" Why? " Nott asked.

Daphne looked at him, suddenly guarded. Would he tell Draco about what Nott did? Sure, Draco was a bastard at times, but he was fair and he listened- he'd probably talk to Blaise again, mock Blaise again…Why was Nott so curious?

" Why? " he asked again. His eyes bored into hers, and she found it strange and uncomfortable. Her legs shifted position. She looked away for a second.

" He- he wanted to know if-" she stopped. " It's none of your business! "

" I thought you were getting comfy with me, " he said with another smile. " No need to be on your guard, Daphne. Blaise isn't here. I know he isn't. "

" How- how would you know? " she asked, weakly.

" Oh, I just do, " he replied offhandedly. " Why'd he hurt you? "

" Because- because he thought I was hiding something from him, " she finally answered. " He shook me around, held me by the shoulders…he was nauseating. "

" I never knew Blaise had that effect on women, " Nott commented. " I always imagined them swooning and stuff, not get nauseated. Well, did you hide something from him? "

She shook her head. " I don't know. We hide things, we're people. I can have my secrets. "

" And Blaise is hurting you because of them? "

" What's the big idea? " she snapped. " I've had enough of this, I want to go home. " She stood up from her seat.

" Go ahead, " Nott smiled at her.

" You're annoying as hell. "

" I happen to like hell, " he replied with a laugh.

She frowned and stomped one foot. " Theodore Nott you are- you are-! "

" At a loss for words, Daphne? "

" Oh shut the hell up! " she snapped.

And she left in a second. Nott stared at the empty seat across him. Daphne was a very interesting female. He liked her. For some reason, he liked her. And he finished the rest of his coffee with a smile on his lips.

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AN time! : okay, great news, i had my kidney test the other day, no sign of infection anymore. but i'm still struggling with my other illness...anyway, enough of me!

so dear readers, i have updated once more! and Hermione, as you now know, is not dead! i have reached CHAPTER 30! I am So happy and strangely proud! Can you believe it? Chapter 30! I have reached chapter 30! Okay, i'm done with the gloating... this story is almost ending...i guess? hahaha. heehee. okay..onto specific answers? hehe

darkangel- i was laughing at your review. i'm open to crazy ideas. sweetness-4U- i'm glad you like cliffies...im starting to like em too, but i won't use em much. haha. lizzieecarillo- i'm glad you liked the story! welcome to the chemicals between us!. Zarroc- they have to marry? how romantic of your thoughts...i'll keep this idea in mind. haha. andreilla53 - yes this story is about Draco and Hermione. You should know what's going on cause this is kind of a long story. hehehe. i appreciate you still reviewing though. Hyuga Kyuuketsuki- omfg! thanks for reviewing again!.jadede11omega- book illustrations..hmm...i dont have money for that yet..but i am flattered you offered it to me!. angelraine- mwah!

Please please...god of fanfiction! Please give me about 50 reviews! please let me reach 500 reviews before i upload the next chapter? haha. yeah, eat your heart out, you evil writer's block!