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17. Shards of Crystal
Hermione wasn't even paying attention to the blond man in front of her, whispering sweet nothings in her ear and clinging onto her as if it were the last time he was going to get to hold her. No, she wasn't paying attention to him… she was concentrating on one detail… Death Eaters. Here? Hermione thought as she watched him run inside, wand at the ready… yelling out for Ginny to keep her safe. She shot a look at Ginny. "You aren't seriously going to try and keep me out of harm's way, are you?"
Ginny shook her head. "No… and I'm pretty sure he knew it was a lost cause when he asked that of me."
Hermione gave her a half smile as she brandished her wand that had been strapped to her leg… just in case Victor tried to get fresh. Little did she know she was going to be the one getting fresh. Hermione sat on the stoop and began removing her strappy heels, Ginny following suit. "Ready?"
The red head nodded as they made their way up to the front doors…
---
Screams. Spells. Hexes. Blood… everywhere. Hermione was aghast… but didn't have much time to remain shocked as a hex came flying her way.
"Protego!" Hermione shouted. "Expelliarmus!" It hit her attacker dead on. "Astoria?"
She scrambled up, grabbing her wand in Hermione's brief hesitation. "Conjunctivitis!"
"Protego!" Hermione shot just in time.
Astoria bounded out of the way of the reflected curse and made a break for the door.
"NO!" Hermione shouted and took off after her, jumping on top of her once she caught up.
"AH! Get off!" Astoria yelled.
Hermione pinned her down. "Why are you doing this?!"
Astoria let a menacing laugh escape her lips. "Go to hell… Mudblood."
WHAP! Hermione punched her in the face.
"Fucking bitch!" Astoria screeched and writhed in pain under Hermione.
"Why are you doing this?!" Hermione asked again.
"Why should I…" Hermione pulled her fist back again, ready to strike. "Okay… okay! I'll tell you! Just get off!"
"I wasn't born yesterday, Astoria. Tell me!"
"I…I…" Hermione pulled her fist back again. "I had to! They were going to kill Adrianna!"
"Who was?" Hermione shook her when she didn't get a response. "WHO!"
"Narcissa Malfoy, okay?! She needs Draco to complete some spell!"
"What spell!"
"I don't know!"
"Don't lie to me!"
"I really don't know! She just needs his blood!" Astoria cried out, real tears forming in her eyes. "She's going to kill my kid! Please! Just let me do this! I have to do this!"
Hermione sighed defeatedly and rolled off of her. "I don't get it…" she breathed and wiped her brow.
"Yea, well… there are some problems you just can't solve, Granger," Astoria growled and wiped her now bleeding nose. "You hit like a man."
"So I've heard." She looked up at Astoria. "So you really aren't all evil?"
Astoria rolled her eyes. "I love my child, Granger. I've only been… been…"
"Distancing yourself from her?"
"I thought I had to."
"And what about with Draco?"
Her gaze caught Hermione's. "I love him…" she breathed.
Hermione sighed and held out Astoria's wand to her. "Well, he still loves you too… so that's that."
Astoria grabbed her wand and sneered. "You are so daft." She raised up her wand. "Just a few tears and you let your guard down… Mudbloods really are a fascinating breed… Expelliarmus!"
Hermione's wand flew out of her hand and landed on the ground with a faint clink, rolling away. She scrambled to her feet and backed up, her back hitting the wall. Shit! Hermione thought. "Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?" Hermione opened her mouth to speak. Astoria continued. "That's right… you don't know what I'm doing. You're clueless… and that's something that is going to eat at you until you figure it out. Am I right?" Hermione didn't respond. "Answer me, damnit!" No response. "Crucio!"
Hermione kept her yelp of pain inside as her knees quivered and buckled, sending her down to meet the ground. The last time she had felt this much pain was in the Malfoy Manor five years ago… She was on her knees when Astoria grabbed her head by the hair and wrenched her face up to look into her eyes. "You should have answered me…"
Hermione's eyes narrowed. "I don't answer bitches," she hissed and knocked Astoria's wand out of her hands, scrambling up to face her. Now they were both wandless and on even playing fields… but what happened next was not what Hermione had expected. She felt a force pushing her sideways, straight into a glass cabinet. Glass shattered all around her and into her. She looked up to see Narcissa and Astoria exchanging looks.
"Leave her…" Narcissa ordered. "The Aurors are more powerful than I expected."
"Did you get Dra…"
"No," Narcissa cut her off. "Come on." And then she apparated, Astoria on her heels.
Hermione blinked groggily and tried to lift herself up… after a few moments of intense trying, she was able to stand. She stumbled down the hall a ways and picked up her wand, feeling rather faint.
"Hermione?"
She looked up and let herself lean on the wall as if she were doing it casually. "Hey, Ron."
"You okay?"
She nodded. "Mhm."
"What happened to you?"
Hermione looked at Ron, his arm bleeding incessantly. "What happened to you?"
He shrugged. "Fell on some debris."
Hermione laughed. "Oh." She slid down the ground. "Sit… let me take care of it." Ron slid down next to her and held out his arm as she cradled it in her lap. Hermione performed various incantations on his arm and in no time he was healed. "See? Good as new."
Ron smiled and pushed back a strand of Hermione's hair. She shivered and pulled her knees up against her chest. "I miss you, 'Mione," he breathed and leaned his head against hers.
She delved in the feeling of him on her. It had been so long since he had shown such affection towards her… why would he though? She had cheated on him and had kissed his former arch nemesis… he shouldn't be so nice to her and she shouldn't let him be… but she couldn't resist giving into him. He was and is an amazing man. "I miss you too, Ronald." Hermione kissed his forehead.
Ron pulled away slightly and blinked several times. "That was just a friendly peck, right?" Hermione nodded… it really had been. He sighed once more and leaned his head back against hers. "I think I'm in love with her."
Breath caught in Hermione's throat. "W…who? Penelope?"
Ron nodded against her head. "Yes… are you in love with him?"
"Who?"
"Malfoy."
"Oh."
"Yea, so are you?"
"I don't… I don't know. I've never gotten the chance to just be single and figure out what I want and who I am… I don't think I can be in love just yet."
"You've always been that way. You like being alone with yourself and your thoughts…"
"And you love being with people. Introvert and extrovert."
"Whatever that means…" Ron laughed. "But seriously… if you want to be with Malfoy… I think it would be alright… besides him being a Malfoy and all… he's actually a decent guy."
"Well, thanks Ronald… but after seeing your family around him during Christmas, I just don't know if it's the best idea."
"They would get used to it. You're family… they have to."
She nodded. "I suppose you're right… but this is all a bit premature. I don't even know if things are going to work out with him and me."
"I suppose."
"Hey… how did the, er… fight go?"
"They retreated. That's a good sign normally… who were you fighting?"
"Astoria."
"Malfoy's ex Astoria?"
"Who else do you know who is named Astoria?"
"I guess," Ron replied. "I just can't believe you fell for that git…" He was trying to be funny.
"Oh, shut it…" Hermione rolled her eyes and linked her arm in Ron's. "Please don't forget me…" she whispered in his ear.
He looked at her pointedly, their faced oddly close. "Never."
"Hem, hem…"
Hermione jumped slightly. "Oh! Penelope… hi."
"Ron, can we go? I'm exhausted."
"Sure…" Ron stood up, unlinking his arm from hers. "Are you going to be okay here?"
Hermione nodded. "I think I need to be alone with my thoughts anyway."
Ron smiled. "Alright. See you around, 'Mione."
"Let's hope not…" Penelope murmured, most likely hoping it was inaudible to Hermione and Ron. She heard it though… and Ron acted oblivious as they apparated off.
She sighed and rested her chin on her knees, still feeling light headed. She felt utterly alone… maybe she wasn't an introvert after all. She looked at her toes and wiggled them a bit. Am I not supposed to feel my toes? Hermione wondered.
"What do you mean you let her come in?! I told you to keep her safe! Do you not understand what that means?! And now she's missing and then you send Weasley after her to find her?! As if he was going to accomplish anything!" Someone, though Hermione knew who, bellowed down the hall. Draco.
He turned the corner and stopped. "Hermione!" He rushed to her. "Hermione? Are you alright? You look paled…"
She tried to ward him off. "I'm fine… stop it!" Hermione swatted at his hands. "Just give me a minute and I'll get up." She sighed and struggled to get up. "See? I'm fine."
"Hermione, you're bleeding!" Ginny exclaimed as she ran up to them, Harry right in step with her.
She looked down at her white gown, stained with blood. "No… it's Ron's blood."
"What happened to Ron?" Harry asked concerned.
Hermione shrugged. "Fell on debris. I fixed him."
Ginny looked around at the broken glass case and at all the broken crystal balls that were in it. "What happened here should be the more prominent question."
"I fought Astoria."
"You did what?" Malfoy hissed, his fists clenching.
"Yea… and then Narcissa teamed up on me and sent me flying into the glass case… I think I'm going to throw up…" Hermione doubled over and felt the bile erupt out of her throat. As she held her stomach, she felt something hard. "There's something in me…" She tore open the front of her dress to reveal her stomach. A shard of glass was sticking out.
"Get it out Gin. You're the doctor," Harry urged.
Ginny patted his arm as she walked over the broken case and picked up a small shard of the broken crystal ball ever so carefully. "Crystal Balls are enchanted with a very complex series of charms and spells which get absorbed into the glass of the ball… that's why they are so expensive… but some of the charms placed on it are serious… charms to make you see things, to trick your mind, to give you a false sense of truth… if a shard of glass ever went in your body…"
"Oh god…" Hermione breathed, wiping her mouth. "It's going to infect my blood and warp my mind… isn't it?"
Ginny nodded. "Unless I get it out now."
"Then get it out now!" Malfoy shouted.
"It's not that simple!" she hissed at him. "It's a complex procedure and I don't have the tools and… and…"
"I trust you." Hermione took Ginny's hand in hers. "Please try."
"It's going to hurt."
"I can handle it."
"You could die…"
Hermione breathed. "It's a chance I have to take…"
"Alright… I'll do it."
---
Two hours later…
"You just accomplished a feat even I wouldn't have expected myself to do…" Dr. Edward Traveeny patted Ginny on the shoulder. "You really are one fascinating witch… You should be very proud of yourself."
"I'm just glad she's alright."
"Yes, that too…" Dr. Traveeny slowed his pace and turned Ginny to face him. "I would like to offer you a spot in my practice. No more interning. Full salary… What do you say?"
"That's amazing! That would make all my dreams come true… Yes! Yes! A million times yes!" Ginny squealed her cheeks turning red in excitement.
He smiled at her. "Great. At the beginning of June after your half year of internship, you will join me and the rest of my team in Rome… I'll get my assistant to give you the rest of the details…"
"Wait… Rome? You're not staying here?" Ginny asked, a little taken aback.
"Of course not. My practice is in Rome… but I got such rave reviews about you from the Headmistress of Hogwarts and after I knew you were wavering in making a decision to intern with me… I decided I just had to have you as an intern so I came to London."
Ginny looked down the hall at Harry sitting in a waiting chair. She shook her head. "I can't…" she breathed.
"Excuse me?" Dr. Traveeny asked.
"I can't accept the position. I can't leave my life…"
"Do you realize how extraordinary this offer is to just throw it away on some menial life you have here?"
"I do realize that… I do. But I can't. It tore Harry and me up before and we're only just now getting things back to normal. My family is here…"
"You're making a mistake."
"Maybe." Ginny looked over at Harry again just as Ron pulled his head down to noogie him. She smiled. "But then again… maybe not." She nodded her adieu and walked over to join Harry and Ron in the waiting area.
---
She opened her eyes to see a ridiculous amount of light shining in her eyes. "Mmm."
"Hey…" Malfoy smoothed back Hermione's hair and grabbed her hand. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," she muttered. "Did she get it?"
He gave her a half smile. "Yea, she got it."
"I love that girl…" Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you ok?" Hermione asked after actually looking at him. He looked awful. Blood was crusted all over his hands and head and he looked so pale and scared and… rather rugged and chiseled… and Oh fuck I love him… Hermione thought.
He furrowed his eyebrows. "Yes?"
"Then kiss me already!" Hermione blurted out.
And he did.