A/N: Hey! I've got a pretty long, very dramatic chapter for you here. I wasn't too happy with last chapter, so I spent ages on this one trying to make it exactly how I wanted it. I hope it makes a difference. Enjoy!
JK Rowling owns all the stuff you recognise, which is basically just the characters.
Last Chapter:
So, as he walked one way, she, and her three friends, went the other.
"Can't you just talk to her, mate?"
"She's not angry at you, believe me!"
"This whole thing is making you so miserable, but you're not even trying to sort it out!"
The group of friends around Draco bombarded him with suggestions and advice, but none held any meaning to him. He was well and truly stuck, and nothing seemed likely to help him now. It was some consolation to him that Hermione, who presently stood on the opposite side of the school courtyard, looked somewhat out of sorts too, but he knew it was nothing to what he felt.
It was his fault. He wasn't quite sure what had come over him, but it had ended in Hermione walking away and leaving him behind. For that he could never forgive himself. He remembered it clearly: his eyes being fixed on Harry and Hermione talking in lowered voices, them grinning at each other fondly, all rationality escaping his head. Then suddenly he was shouting at her, the only words going through his head the same as the words he kept repeating forcefully – how can I know?
Betrayal. Lies. Trust. Truth. All words that lost meaning to him, merging into one desperate, pained moment.
Gone, all of a sudden. She had said something, and his head had cleared like fog lifting on a winter's day. She had said that she loved him. That made sense, seeing as he loved her too. Hearing those words gave him a new clarity that was anything but natural, and yet was still right. He loved her. Of course he did. Perhaps no one would believe him but her – but what would that matter?
Now there was only the not-so-small problem at hand. Pansy, who had become a relatively good friend of Hermione over the past week, had been constantly flitting back and forth between the two of them, trying to convince one to give in. But it wasn't so simple. After all, how do you prove to someone that you trust them? Anything Draco might say sounded pathetic in his head, and he still hadn't come up with a thing, despite it being a whole day later, so what was the point?
He got up, completely ignoring whatever poor suggestion Crabbe was grumbling. He could have been talking about what was for lunch for all Draco cared right now. Admittedly, it was Crabbe, so it was more likely that he was talking about food. Regardless, Draco walked off, yearning for some quiet that would finally (make that hopefully) allow him to think.
"Leave him." Blaise said to Pansy, as she moved to follow him with a distressed look. She paused, watching him walk away, and then nodded.
"We have to do something, Blaise. If they can't sort this out for themselves, then we need to take matters into our hands." she said determinedly.
"Call in the troops." Blaise said quietly in agreement, taking her hand and eyeing the retreating figure of his best friend.
Blaise's room, though large, still struggled to accommodate for the seven teenagers now packed on the floor - Blaise, Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, Ron, Harry and Ginny. They made an odd team, but they were all willing to put past rivalries behind them for the sake of their two troubled friends.
The school week was now over, and they had all agreed that the weekend would have to be used to their advantage. Their main aim was only to get Draco and Hermione to talk – after that, they were sure that the couple would be able to sort things out themselves.
"That sounds like a plan." Blaise concluded confidently, looking around at them all. "Anyone have any queries? It's pretty simple, I'll send the text 'by accident' and then make my excuses, and that'll be that. Agreed?" There was a murmur of approval around the room.
"Neither of them can blame us either, can they? It will all look like a fortunate mistake." Ginny added, looking pleased.
"Exactly," said Harry, "Hermione'll never guess we're involved. And Malfoy will be too relieved to be angry, even at me or Ron." Ron laughed shortly.
"Awesome. See you on Monday everyone. Keep your fingers crossed…" Blaise said, his room beginning to empty as everyone left.
By some stroke of luck, none of Draco's friends had appeared after school to pester him. Actually, he hadn't seen any of them leaving, not even Blaise. To his surprise, he had spotted Hermione, also completely alone, not a Potter or Weasel in sight. For a minute he contemplated going over and talking to her, but her words rang through his head: "Take some time, Draco." No, he wasn't welcome there just now.
So he walked home, forcing all thought from his head, concentrating on the pattern of the paving stones and the hum of each car as it passed him by.
By the time he reached his house, he wanted nothing more than to sleep. That way, he wouldn't be able to feel or think, and he would only be visited by the harmlessness of a dream. He quickly ate something and had a shower, his muscles relaxing one by one, taking away the strain on his neck and back, then immediately went to bed. He must have been exhausted, for he had an unusually uninterrupted sleep.
When he woke, the sky outside was dusky and orange-pink, the scattered strands of cloud immobile over the rooftops of houses. He stood at the window for a while, surrounded by the beauty of the sunrise, rather than subjecting himself to a head full of thoughts. When he finally broke his gaze away from the outside, he slowly got changed, in no rush to anything now that it was the weekend. His mother was already downstairs, wearing a silk dressing gown and making herself a cup of coffee. He smiled at her as a greeting, and picked up an apple, his appetite practically non-existent.
A few hours later, he was sat on his bed, flicking through channel after channel on the TV in his room, not really seeing their content, just obsessing over the consistent tapping of his finger on the remote. The doorbell rang sharply, and he was suddenly alert. He sprang up and strode to the spare bedroom, which faced out onto the driveway. He looked out, expecting to see Blaise, or Blaise's mother, or Pansy, or maybe even Hermione, this last possibility coming with a twinge of hope. Instead, what he saw brought the breath out of him, and made his legs buckle under him. He sat on the floor with his head against the wall and his breathing suddenly rapid. His eyes closed as the memories came.
Flashback:
A young teenager peeks around the corner of a door, a flash of light blonde hair covering half of his face. He watches as the two adults in the living room, his mother and father, talk stiffly, she sitting in an armchair, while he paces in front of her. He winces as she begins shouting.
"Don't deny it, Lucius, you've been cheating on me! I'm not blind, and I'm certainly not as stupid as you seem to think I am! How could you do that to me – or Draco?" the woman exclaims hysterically.
"Narcissa, these accusations are ridiculous. You have no proof, and besides, by suggesting such things, you are the one putting his future in jeopardy! Now stop screaming, or you'll wake him and then how will we explain ourselves?" he speaks calmly and authoritatively.
"I'll tell him the truth, Lucius, despite how much you would like to lie to your own child!" she returns. "You will leave in the morning. Go back to your other woman, I'm sure she'll be grateful for your money – it's not like she actually loves you." her face falters, and for a fraction of a second, the pain she is feeling is visible.
"And what will you do? Stay here with that useless child and only yourself for company? You know you won't manage." he sneers, but gets no reply. The boy backs away, unable to take any more. Not a moment after he has returned to his bed, the woman walks in, and watches him fondly for a moment. He keeps his breathing even, pretending to be asleep.
"We will manage, baby. I'll make sure we do." she promises under her breath. She leaves silently.
(End Flashback)
He looked so out of place now. His hair had been cut much shorter, only at shoulder length, but besides that, nothing had changed. He still wore his dark suit and cloak, and still carried his cane in his gloved hands. But he no longer belonged. It was as if the very house was repulsed by him, and had changed ever so slightly so that if he ever returned, he would never be back for good.
Draco rose again and stared down, taking in the face of his father, the face he hadn't seen for years, and yet was plastered into his head so thoroughly that one look made all of the hatred and anger resurface. The door must have opened, for he stepped inside without a word. Draco, knowing his mother must be falling apart at this very moment, rushed downstairs. He stopped outside the living room as he heard a voice.
"Aren't you going to offer me a seat, Narcissa?" A chill ran through Draco. After all this time, he had stepped in here and was already speaking like he was a king.
"I'm sure you can stand. You won't be here long, anyway." said his mother calmly. A new surge of pride overcame Draco, and he scolded himself for thinking that she would be weak in the presence of her ex-husband. Draco peered around the door, and in that moment he was twelve again, watching his parents' relationship fall apart.
"You loved me, didn't you?" The man spoke, and despite his words, his voice was emotionless, verging on cold.
"I did, once. But seeing the man you turned into, I can't think why. You don't deserve love, and I doubt you got it either, with her." Narcissa Malfoy stood regally, staring him down, unintimidated by his superior manner.
"I see." he replied simply. He looked surprised to find her so strong and so opposed to him. Draco stepped into the room and took his place behind his mother, who looked up at him. He twitched his eyebrow in question. She smiled and nodded slightly, understanding him perfectly and ensuring him that she was fine.
"Draco!" Lucius Malfoy said, after watching their interaction with interest. "Come and greet your father!" Draco didn't move, apart from placing his hands on his mother's shoulders.
"I have no father. He is dead to me, and I couldn't love a person any less." he said. The man's jaw set and his nostrils flared. As a boy, this reaction alone would have immensely frightened Draco, but he wasn't a boy any more.
"You can see by now that you are not welcome here." said Draco's mother forcefully. "It would be better for everyone if you leave now, and never come back. It is evident that we can live without you, as we have so happily for years now, so your absence once again will not affect us, despite what you would like to think. Goodbye, Lucius." she said, and it was so like an order that Lucius Malfoy didn't object as she moved out of the room and to the front door. When it had shut, and he was finally gone, she breathed out extensively, closing her eyes. Draco was sat on the stairs with his elbows on his knees, running his fingers through his hair. She approached him and kissed the top of his head.
"Why was he here?" Draco asked, confused.
"I don't know. I suspect his 'lover' abandoned him, after taking all the money she wanted. But I don't care. All that matters is that he saw that we don't need him, and that he's gone now. He won't come back again – that I'm sure of. He knows now that we can manage without him." she assured him.
"Of course we can. After all, you promised we would." Draco reminded her. She smiled down at him lovingly, and placed another kiss on his head.
I really hope you enjoyed that. It was so exciting to write, so if it was exciting to read I'll be really happy. Please review, you've only got a few chapters of this story left to do so! In the next one, we'll find out what exactly Blaise's plan is and Hermione and Draco will definitely be reunited, I promise. I look forward to sharing it with you! See you in the next one!