A/N: I'm posting this chapter, marking the end of school holidays... There'll probably be a long wait until the next chapter bcoz it's not done yet!
5th March 2005
Draco Malfoy
"Draco," came an irritatingly sweet voice, "What do you think of Lynette?"
Hazel was pouring herself a cup of milk and was looking at him in a fishy manner.
"Nothing that I would care to speak of," I drawled.
"Draco! She's a perfect choice of bride!" Hazel exclaimed.
"I have already chosen my bride, Hazel. I don't suppose you've forgotten our deal," I replied in a soft but dangerous voice.
"You're not marrying Hermione Granger!"
"Yes, I am!"
"No, you're not!"
"Yes, I am! And I don't care what you or Mother says, I am marrying her," I said, forgetting to be polite.
Hazel inhaled sharply and said, "Then it would be my duty to stop the wedding at all costs."
"You wouldn't dare," I spat out.
"Try me," Hazel said smirking.
"May the best one win," I declared loudly.
I straightened my cloak for the hundredth time that day. Hermione was hand in hand with me, weeping for her best friend. The both of us walked into the church and walked towards the casket. I stood directly facing the casket and stared into the lifeless form of Ron Weasley. I glanced towards Hermione and I could see the pang of guilt hitting her. She was suffering a lot; that was for sure. I paid my last respects for Weasley, after much persuasion from Hermione, and practically had to drag Hermione away. We found a seat at one of the benches.
"It seems like just yesterday, Ron was saving me from the troll in our first year," Hermione sobbed.
"I know," I said, placing a comforting hand over her shoulders, not knowing what else to do.
"And I feel so bad I never made it up with him. I was so angry and shocked that he could try to hurt me and I thought I had all the time in the world to talk to him and – and now he's gone," Hermione choked.
"Hermione, you're singing today, don't forget," Harry who was suddenly in front of her said.
Hermione nodded and wiped away her tears. She glanced towards me and I nodded encouragingly. She left searching for Harry. I turned to my right and saw that Lavender Brown was weeping uncontrollably and Ginny Weasley was doing the same thing in front of me. These people are really weird, mourning over someone who's already dead and won't come back, even with all the tears in the world. Suddenly the crowd went quiet and Harry stood at the podium, ready to give his speech.
"The world is full of good friends. How do we see them? They are the ones that everything seems to shatter when they're gone. They are the ones we will feel immensely lonely without them by our side. They're the ones who are always there when you need them; they're by your side and encouraging you to do what's right even if they didn't like it. They push your limits and sometimes, you just feel like murdering them. But when you think back, you love them too much to kill them. Today I walked around the church and met a lot of people. And all of them have that empty space in their hearts that Ron once used to fill. Let us say our prayers and hope that a friend like Ron would never die from our hearts. Gone from the eye doesn't always mean gone from the heart."
The crowd erupted in applause as Harry finished his speech. It came to me that Ron was as important to Harry as Colin is important to me. I understood why all these people were crying now. They'd just lost their best friend and the emptiness is clearly reflected in their eyes. I watched the stage as Hermione sat on a stool and sang a song I did not know.
Hmmm…open your eyes,
And you'll see what lies,
When someone you love is gone,
And you find it hard to move on,
The emptiness in clear in your eyes,
Everything's changed and you cry,
The day you slipped away,
Is the day I lost my way,
Everything wouldn't be the same,
No it won't be the same…
Ever again…
A small tear formulated in my eyes as Hermione delivered her song. She smiled sadly as the crowd clapped their hands. She's just lost her best friend and as much as she tries to deny that she's feeling sad, her eyes reveal it all.
"What a day…" Hermione sighed.
"I know, I'm glad it's all over. I don't like funerals," I muttered as we sat on the edge of the church's stairs.
Hermione didn't reply. I looked at her and saw her distant look. I traced her gaze and saw she was looking directly at Potter.
"Hermione?" I said slowly as I tapped on her shoulders.
She was startled. "Oh, sorry, I wasn't listening," she apologised but her eyes was still on Potter.
"What's the matter with Potter?"
She sighed heavily and looked at me. "I told Harry that we were getting married and he kind of got mad."
"What do you mean 'kind of'?"
"He was pretty upset, mainly because I was marrying you. But I didn't care about that. Then he said I had changed negatively and it hurt for a friend like him to say that."
"That's why he was odd with you today?"
"I guess so," she replied. "Do you think we're making a mistake?"
"I think it was the best decision I had ever made," I replied, smiling slightly.
She hugged me and planted a kiss on my lips.
"You know what I learned from this whole ordeal?" I asked her.
"What?"
"That there are many kinds of love in this world. I could see how much Weasley meant to Potter and I could equate their relationship to Colin's and mine," I told her.
"But love breaks people apart, deep down inside," she commented with a sigh.
I hugged her tightly, as if to say 'I'm never letting you go'. I whispered into her ears, "This thing called love."
"Yeah, this silly little thing called love," she replied with a smile.
I stood up and said, "I need to do something before we leave okay?"
"Okay, I'll wait here," she said.
I walked back into the church and saw Potter with his wife, both not speaking, merely staring at the ground in front of them. I walked closer towards them.
"Potter, can I have a word?"
"Sure," he said and followed me to one of the corners where it's hard to be spied on.
"Hermione told me what you said to her the other day," I said.
"It's none of your business what Hermione and I talked about," Potter snapped.
"Listen, I know you think she's changed, but she's still the Hermione I fell in love with 5 years ago. Maybe the problem isn't with her; maybe it's with you," I said to him.
He kept silent. I continued, "It disappointed me and her that you would say such things to her. You of all people. You who knew her best."
I left him alone as I walked away. Hermione stood at the bottom of the stairs as she waited for me. I held her hand and looked at her. She nodded and said, "To my house then."
And we Apparated to her house that instant. The moment we were at her house, she threw herself onto her sofa.
"I still have some things to do," I told her, kissing her forehead.
"Stay with me," she asked.
"I wish I could, but I can't. I'm sorry," I said as I Apparated away.
I reappeared in Hogsmeade. I walked towards the Hogwarts gates and entered the building. I passed several students trying to hide from teachers and sneak to Hogsmeade. It brings back memories, not any good ones, but just memories of the past. I walked up to Professor Dumbledore's office and realised I didn't know the password. I walked to the staff room and knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal an elderly Professor McGonagall.
"Afternoon, Mr Malfoy, what brings you here today?" she said and I was given the same feeling she gave me years ago, the warmth of friendship.
I smiled at her, remembering how she seemed to be the only teacher unafraid of me and never seemed to think of me as a Death Eater's son. I said loudly, "I need to speak to the Headmaster."
"No need to be so loud, Draco. I may be old but I'm not deaf. Well, you're facing him, or rather her, right now," she said sternly.
"What?"
"Must you have a conversation in the middle of our way?" came a squeaky voice from one of the stone gargoyles.
"Yes, you see, you're blocking us actually," the other one agreed.
"Well, come on in, Draco. It's been years and you never wrote, never flooed, and never visited. And all of a sudden you're here," she said as she closed the door.
She sat on one of the mismatched armchairs and I sat on one that squeaked loudly.
"Well, I've been busy," I said, thinking of an excuse. "I know I promised to come back when I left here, but I never said when," I said slyly.
"Well, as I was saying, Professor Dumbledore retired, years ago. A year after you graduated to be exact. And I was promoted," she explained.
"Why? Was he forced to do so?"
"I'm afraid yes, he was really busy, running from here to there, attending meetings and he's not young enough to do that. At the end, he had to pick one he liked the most," she said sadly.
"Ah, he picked the Order," I said knowingly.
"But how did y –"
"My father told me about it," I cut through.
"Impatient, my, don't you ever change," she said exasperatedly.
"I'm here for a favour," I said finally.
"Ah…I should have known you weren't here to visit an old teacher," she said.
"I need you to hire Hermione to work here for a month," I said frankly.
"You and Miss Granger? Isn't it a small world? How is she? She used to take my liking a lot and I saw on the Prophet that Mr Weasley had recently died in the war."
"Yes, we just attended his funeral."
"Guess I missed out."
"So what about my favour?" I asked impatiently.
"Of course, but may I ask why?"
"I need some time," I answered.
"To do what?"
"Marry someone else," I said regretfully.
"Family trouble? I would advice you not to lie to Miss Granger. Her trust once gone is gone forever," she said sternly.
"Look, I didn't have a choice. It's the only way I can keep her safe."
"Aren't pureblood families just weird when it comes to marriage?"
"It seems we have to protect the 'chastity' of the bloodline. You don't know what my family is capable of, even without men," I said snappishly.
"Alright, alright. I shall be contacting Miss Granger soon and you shall be leaving," she said as she led me out of the room.
I walked around the school grounds for a while, visiting some of my favourite places, checking to see the differences in the school. The school hasn't changed a bit, except maybe for a bit of renewing here and there. I walked out of the gates and Apparated away, leaving behind the feeling I hadn't had in years, the feeling of protection.
Hermione woke up with a jerk. I placed a finger on her lips, keeping her quiet. I was watching her sleep ever since I got back and she must have felt my eyes on her. She got up from the sofa and stretched.
"What're you doing here?" she asked.
"There's no reason, I like being close to you," I answered simply.
Hermione kept silent but she smiled.
"Well, now you've awaken, there's a letter for you, there," I said pointing to the kitchen counter. "Took the hell out of the bloody owl to trust me."
"Can't blame it, can I? Go home, get some rest," Hermione said, getting up and walking to the counter.
"I love you," I said, ready to Apparate.
"Love you too," she replied and I was gone that instant.
Hermione took her time with the letter. Seeing the familiar brown parchment, she knew it was from Hogwarts. But why would they send her a letter at this time? She couldn't open the letter, it somehow brought back a lot of memories, memories she wanted to forget. She drank her coffee, watching the letter, as if expecting something to happen. Then she took her bath and watched a movie. By the time she was finished, it was already late and she heated up some frozen pizzas for her dinner. As she ate her dinner, she watched the letter. Finally, unable to stand the urge anymore, she walked to the counter and picked up the letter. She tore it open slowly and a parchment dropped, revealing the thin, slanting writing she knew so well.
Dear Miss Granger,
It has been a while hasn't it? I'm sorry that it has to be of such short notice but there's a huge favour I am asking for. I have to run some errands for the school and I would be rather busy. I was hoping you could come to Hogwarts as a substitute teacher, for a month perhaps? I know it's a lot and I once again regret it has to be such short notice. If you would deliberate on it, I would be more than happy to expect your answer as soon as possible.
Yours truly,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Hermione's hands trembled as she placed the letter down. She summoned for parchment and quill and slowly wrote an answer with her hands trembling slightly. She knew it would be the worse decision ever to go back to Hogwarts at this time, but she needed to. She needed a wake up call from all the things that had been happening. How quickly her life had turned upside down. She had always imagined, not dreamt, but imagined herself marrying Harry and working as a successful Healer and having two children. But this was completely different and she hadn't got the hang of it yet.
Dear Professor McGonagall
I am truly happy to offer my services to Hogwarts. I can't wait to get back there; there are so many things I've missed about Hogwarts. I will be looking forward to seeing you and Hogwarts.
Yours sincerely,
Hermione Granger
She sealed the letter and called for the owl Draco had given to her. She whistled and her owl came instantly to her.
"There, there, how are you, Snow? I need you to send this letter to Hogwarts. Have a safe flight," Hermione said as she opened the window for Snow to fly away. She let out a breath of relief and she threw the remains of her dinner in the bin. After all this, she didn't feel like eating anymore.
A/N: Ron's funeral...you might ask about Charlie, and I can speak from the point of a writer, or from the point of the story. From a writer's point, Charlie hasn't really much to talk/write about. From the story's point of view, I'd say, Charlie's body is sent to Romania and burried in one of the tombs there...
That's all from Ashley, bye bye!