I only own the plot and the OCs
Hermione sat beside Harry and Ron for breakfast. They glanced uneasily at her. She was cheerful, and this scared them.
"Good morning!" she exclaimed. "What's up?"
"Hermione?" began Ron, "are you aright?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Both of them looked over to where Draco and Pansy sat and then looked back to Hermione.
"Oh, him? Well, I have to live again sometime don't I?"
It was the same thing her mind had been screaming at her for the past month. She had to get over him. Yet, only when she had heard him proclaim it so boldly to Harry could she really believe that he was gone. He wouldn't be coming back to her.
She had already moved her things back into her own dorm. After all, wasn't the first step to recovery to face your fears? She would see him every day and remember the way things used to be, the gentle caresses and loving words, but she would survive.
"Hermione? Are you coming?" Hermione jumped at Ron's words and grabbed her bag.
"We're going to have to run!" she exclaimed, smiling at last.
He sat through class, watching her in amazement. Was this the same girl who had seemed so close to breaking just days before? Her confidence was amazing. He had thought that she had needed someone to care for her. He was wrong. Hermione Granger, he realized, was much stronger than he had given her credit for.
"Mr. Malfoy?" He was pulled out of his reverie by the professor, who seemed to expect an answer from him. Pity he had no clue what the question was.
"The boggart," whispered Hermione. Immediately, he repeated the answer and was awarded 5 points for Slytherin. He trusted her.
Class ended with the ring of a bell, signaling the start of lunch. Hermione was going to her common room, as she always did, to switch the contents of her bag for the books that she would need for the remainder of the day. He caught up to her and attempted a conversation.
"What's up?"
"Nothing."
"Thanks for in class, you really saved me there."
"Well, if you had been paying attention instead of staring at me, you wouldn't need rescuing."
"But you're so beautiful." The moment these words left his mouth, he instantly regretted it. He hadn't even meant to say them at all, they just slipped out.
"Well then," she turned on him. "Perhaps, if you think that I'm beautiful, you shouldn't have cheated on me. Maybe you should've done all the staring you wanted to while we were still dating. Just stop the ruse already."
"But Mione, you are still special-"
"Will you just stop it?" she shouted, drawing several glances. "Don't tell me that I'm beautiful, or that I'm special to you unless you actually mean it! In fact Malfoy, why don't you just not talk to me at all?"
She began to walk away, but Draco-who suddenly felt the need to defend himself- caught her wrist as she left. She turned, and with her free hand, she slapped him hard across the face, the sound of it echoing along the corridor.
"Don't you ever touch me again."
She left Draco standing there in shock as the crowd that had gathered around them dispersed, the slightly blue bruise on his cheek darkening.
"What's wrong Drakie? You're not yourself."
"Pansy, I think we need to talk."
"About what?"
"Us." Pansy's expression was shocked. "Something just doesn't feel right about us."
"Is this about that Granger girl?" she inquired. "What you had with her was nothing! You're supposed to be mine! That potion was supposed to be flawless!"
Realization dawned on Draco as Pansy clapped her hands over her mouth. His accusing glare was threatening, and caused Pansy to confess.
"You were supposed to be mine!" she exclaimed bitterly. "But then Granger came along. You never should've fallen for that mudblood."
"Don't call her that." It came automatically, as a reflex.
"See what I mean? You always stick up for her!"
"That's because she deserves it!"
"And I don't?"
"No," he replied shortly, "you don't." He stormed out of the room, wondering what he could do. The first person that came to mind was Madame Pomfrey. If anyone could reverse a love potion, it would be her.
He walked to the hospital wing at a fast pace and knocked on the office door. The plump nurse answered and he explained his present situation. Upon hearing what had happened, Madame Pomfrey went to a back shelf and rummaged around until she pulled a black flask from the very back of the shelf.
She filled a glass of water and let a single drop fall into the sparkling clear liquid, the entire thing turning pitch black upon contact. She handed the glass to Draco, who swallowed the liquid in the cup with a grimace, expecting a foul taste. Surprisingly though, the liquid had the pleasant taste of berries.
"What now?"
"You wait. The antidote takes at least a full day to take affect. Now, love potions only work once in a person's life time, so you won't have any more problems with this particular situation again. You may leave when you wish since there aren't any major side affects to the antidote."
"What about Parkinson?"
"She will be suspended for a short while, but seeing as she didn't cause any bodily harm, we can't do much. At least nobody was really harmed."
Draco had the horrible sense that, contrary to the nurses words, Pansy Parkinson had in fact caused a great deal of harm.
He sat on his bed, back rested on the headboard, his head hung in misery. He remembered everything, his old feelings and what he'd done. He had cheated on Hermione.
He had left her right after he had sworn never to do so. He had promised to protect her from everyone and everything that hurt her, and then he had hurt her more deeply than he had ever thought possible. He had taken her heart in his hands, and he had crushed it.
Standing from his bed, he went to the common room, hoping to catch Hermione, praying that she would listen to him. He had to fix this, for her at the very least. She had to know the truth. Finally, she emerged from her room and Draco stood.
"Hermione," he said, "I really need to talk to you."
"Too bad."
"Please, I really messed up." She regarded him with interest for a short while before giving her reply.
"Yes," she said flatly, "you did." And then she left, to where, he did not know.
She paced back and fourth, thinking that she needed a place to practice, a place to forget him. The door revealed itself, and she entered. The first of her thoughts the room provided. She practiced flying, her new goal.
She lifted herself up, losing track of time and surroundings, and almost Draco. Almost. Why would he have done that to her? It just didn't make any sense. He had given her a piece of happiness, and then he had ripped it away.
"Your movements have an aura of sadness about them," she heard the familiar voice of Jake from behind. She lowered herself and went to him.
"That easy to see, huh?"
"I have a gift for it," replied Jake with a shrug. "You're confused."
"I just don't understand. I was so sure that he loved me. Everything's so…hard now."
"Maybe he does still love you."
"I don't know if I can handle that. He hurt me so badly, Jake."
"I know he did," came Jake's quiet reply. He was the one that understood it best, since he was privy to all of Hermione's thoughts, and he recalled her pain clearly.
"I think you should listen to him," he suddnely said.
"Why?"
"Everyone has reasons Hermione. His is a good one."
"What do you know that you're not telling me, Jake?"
"Well, if I told you, then you wouldn't go talk to him." Hermione rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless.
"Fine then," stated Hermione, "if it's so important to you, then I'll go talk to him."
"I'm glad. I think it'll make you happy."
"I hope you're right."
"What were you going to tell me?"
"God Mione, I'm so sorry. I should've known. I should've realized it sooner."
"Realized what Draco?"
"Hermione this is going to sound crazy," he warned. "The reason for what happened is that Parkinson slipped me a love potion in my pumpkin juice. It made me forget how much I loved you, or that I loved you at all really, and it made me fall in love with Parkinson instead."
"Love potions don't exist Draco."
"They do! You can ask Madame Pomfrey, she's the one who gave me the antidote."
"How do I know that you're not lying to me?"
"Look at me Hermione," he said severely. "Look closely. Does it look like I am lying to you? I'm not asking that you forgive me and take me back. I just want you to be sure. I want you to know the truth."
"Draco, I don't-I just don't know what to do anymore," she said, her voice tortured. "I'm so confused. One minute you love me, then you're cheating, then you love me again."
"I know, and I'm so sorry for this. I can't believe that I fell for that stupid love potion."
"Draco?"
He wanted so badly to reach out to her, to brush his fingers along her beautiful face. He wanted to comfort her, promise her that she would never be alone again. But he couldn't, because the one who had put her through hell, was him.
"Do you still love me?" His answer was immediate and rang with sincerity.
"More than life." She stepped closer to him, hesitating for the briefest moment before leaning in to him, wrapping her arms loosely around his waist, resting her head lightly against his chest.
"You really hurt me Draco," she murmured, her eyes closing.
"I know I did." He spoke quietly, tightening his arms around her. "The look on your face when you walked in on us, the way you tried to laugh it off-God Hermione, I'm so sorry."
"It sure feels like it. I should've realized it sooner."
"That doesn't matter anymore. All that matters now is that you're back. I just don't want to be alone anymore."
"Shh," he soothed. "I'm not going anywhere. I prom-"
"Please don't," Hermione cut him off. "Don't promise me anything Draco. Because if you promise me something, and I let myself hope, and something happens again-I don't think I could handle going through that again."
"I understand. I won't make any promises until you feel ready for them. I'm just glad everything's been sorted out."
They heard a knock on their door and Hermione went to answer it. Draco went with her, their hands touching the slightest bit as if they were afraid to lose contact with each other. She opened the door to find Ron, Harry and Ginny.
Ron's eyes flicked from their hands to Hermione's eyes in confusion. The accusation that Hermione had been expecting wasn't there though, just a question.
"What happened?"
"Parkinson gave Draco a love potion," explained Hermione.
"You mean those things actually exist?" asked Harry in disbelief.
"If you're a rich pureblood, you have access to almost anything, no matter how difficult it is to come across," replied Draco.
"What id he's lying?"
"He isn't Ron."
"How do we know?"
"I just do. Besides, Madame Pomfrey wouldn't just give him the antidote if she didn't really believe that he had been the victim of one, would she?"
"I guess not," he grumbled.
"So you guys are back together?" asked Ginny. Draco looked to Hermione, who nodded.
"We are."
"Well then, we should celebrate." She motioned for Hermione to come closer to her. She did and Ginny began to whisper in her ear. The more Ginny whispered, the broader Hermione's smile got.
"Invite Lav, Parvati, Padma and Luna too."
"That's too many girls Mi."
"No Gin, it's too few guys."
"True." She turned to Harry. "You, Ron, Draco, Dean, Neville, and Seamus. Room of requirement. Friday, seven O' clock. Meet us there."
They nodded, not daring to cross Ginny, and shuffled out of the room.
"Remember Mi," said Ginny before leaving, "wear your finest."
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you thought by leaving me a shiny review :D