A/N: Here's the next one, enjoy!
Chapter 20 - Rumours
Draco was growing tired of all the whispers about his father's upcoming trial. Some had the decency to talk far enough away from him that he could only assume what they were saying. Others apparently thought they were supposed to talk directly behind him, or it didn't count as behind his back. At this point, their words didn't bother him, he had a pretty thick hide, and no one knew him well enough to say anything to pierce that. What was getting to him was the lack of originality in thinking. Honestly, he had no clue how people could be that entertained by having the same damn conversation that many times. He almost wanted to go up to them and give them new material to end the monotony.
"Do you reckon he's next on the list?"
"Like father, like son, I reckon Junior isn't far behind."
"You never know, this could serve as a wake up call."
"A wake up call for what? Being a bit sneakier?"
"I wonder if he's going to speak at his trial. I don't know if I would dare if I were him."
"You never know, he hasn't been the same this year, could be because of how many eyes are one him."
"Not to mention the fact that he got Head Boy with Hermione Granger of all people. I don't know that I would step a toe out of line with her eyes on me, with the tales of what she did in the war." Now that peaked his interest, he never really asked her what she had done in the war. He only really knew of what happened at Malfoy Manor and the Final Battle. Of course that was the moment they decided to walk away from him so he couldn't hear what they were saying anymore.
"Ugh, how do you stand it?" Asked Hermione, catching up with him after class.
"It helps knowing they haven't a clue what they're talking about." He replied, still wondering about what they were saying about her reputation. He knew she was a force to be reckoned with, but couldn't help but wonder just what the rumours were.
"Fair enough. So are you going to speak at his trial? I know you're agonizing over it." He had no idea how she knew this, but she had an ability to read people that she often kept to herself.
"Honestly, I don't know. Part of me thinks silence is the best answer, but it will also be the last time I see him for…. maybe ever. I don't know that I want to defend him, but I don't know that I don't want to defend him." He ran his hand through his hair, frustrated at his dilemma. It had been tearing him up inside, and the constant reminders of it did not exactly help the matter. "I guess I just want to prove everybody wrong, and he's cocked that up for me. And now I have to balance trying to say goodbye to him with making sure people don't think I'm a huge Death Eater all over again."
"So, what you're saying is we need to give them something else to talk about?"
"That would be nice, I just can't exactly think of anything. You reckon you could ask Potter do pull some sort of stunt? People love talking about him."
"I have an idea." She said with a devilish smile, before proceeding to grab his hand and pull him along through the corridors, making a lot of people turn. While they were civil with each other in public, they generally didn't show any sort of fondness for each other, especially not to this degree. He couldn't help but think how out of character this was for Hermione - someone who liked to keep everything about herself private.
"What was that all about?" He asked once they got outside. Despite it being winter, it was actually quite nice out. Hermione was quick to cast warming charms on them, as they weren't exactly dressed for the cold. He was aware of the fact that though they were outside now, away from everyone, she had yet to let go of his hand.
"To give them something else to talk about. It's still about you, but it will at least be different, it was the best I could do without snogging some other boy, and I had a feeling you would have been slightly against that."
"I could think of a boy I'd be fond of you snogging…" He smirked.
"I very clearly said some other boy. Honestly, did you just hearing snogging and stop listening?"
"So you're willing to have the whole school gossip about us possibly being in a relationship?" He inquired, she was a fairly private person, and the rumours probably wouldn't be kind to either of them.
"Well, they're going to have to find out at some point, aren't they?" She asked him with the wickedest smile he'd seen in a while.
"I suppose we'll just have to deal with it- Wait what?" His brain had finally fully processed what she had said. Did she just imply that-? She was laughing at this point, he wasn't exactly sure what was so funny.
"Okay- I'd just like to clear this up. Did you just imply that they have to find out at some point that we're in a relationship? That's what I just heard? I'm not interpreting this in a way so vastly wrong it could be straight off the rumour press?" His brain was working fast, trying to figure out how he must have misinterpreted what she had said. She was still laughing.
"I mean, if you'll have me that is." She said, becoming slightly shy for a moment.
"If I'll- are you mad woman?" He picked her up and twirled her around, holding her tight and planting a lingering kiss on her lips.
"That's a yes then?"
"How is that even a question? Of course the answer is yes!" He put her down, his arms still around her, not quite believing this was actually happening. "If I could ask a question though?"
"I have a feeling a know what it is." She smiled.
"When? Why? How?"
"First of all, that's technically three questions, but you get a free pass for that this time. I guess I just realized that the only reason we weren't dating was because, well, you were Draco Malfoy and I was Hermione Granger, and that seemed rather dumb to me. We kissed, and obviously had feelings for each other. For god's sake we've slept in the same bed these past few nights. All we were really missing was the label." She explained. It was amazing to him how after all this time, all the confusion, and all the skirting around, she explained it so clearly.
"So, what now? Do we have to make a formal announcement? No, of course not, that's ridiculous. But, well, what now?" After all this time of everything being confusing and them being, whatever they were, he really wan't sure where this left them.
"We just raced through the hallways holding hands, that's as good a formal announcement as we are going to get." She laughed. "Trust me Draco, I'm pretty sure we were the last ones to find out about us."
—
"So you're going to testify then?" It had been 2 weeks since the letter had come in the mail, and the trial was tomorrow. Draco had formally written to the Ministry to let them know he would take the stand. He wasn't still exactly sure what he was going to say though.
"Yes, it's an opportunity that should not be missed."
"You're being awfully cryptic?" She narrowed her eyes, trying to figure him out.
"Sometimes I wonder if you see me as a puzzle and once you figure me out you'll be done with me."
"Don't think it escaped my notice you didn't answer me."
"Never my dear. But it also didn't escape my notice you didn't answer me." He retorted.
"You're operating on flawed logic." She replied.
"How so?"
"That I'm eventually going to figure you out." She laughed. "It's probably up there in probability to me beating you in chess."
"Don't sell yourself short. You're coming with me tomorrow, right?" He asked, nervous. He knew it was asking a lot from her, but he needed her there.
"I got permission to go, yes. I'm really not sure why I need to be there. I get you want moral support but I don't know if I can stand and watch you defend… him." She shuddered.
"I'm not going to defend him, I'm going to humanize him." He countered.
"Defend, humanize, what the difference, really?"
"Come and you'll find out. If it's really as bad as you think it will be I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, however you let me."
"It really means that much to you?" She asked with a sigh of defeat.
"More than you know."
"Then I'll be there."
A/N: So this chapter flowed easily enough, but I'm slightly struggling on the next one, specifically the speech Draco is going to give in court. If anyone has any ideas, they would be appreciated. I have a rough idea of what I want to say, it's just not flowing very well, and I've written and deleted it a few times. As I mentioned above, I don't want him to defend Lucius, but to make a bit of a point about how broken the wizarding legal system is. So if you have any tidbits or ideas to maybe get the flow going a bit better, I would appreciate it!
Always,
Shan :)
