AN: Characters belong to JK Rowling.
Chapter Twelve - New Year Revelations
Letters was waiting for Hermione when she woke up on Boxing Day.
Hermione,
How could you just leave without saying goodbye?
Why didn't you talk to me?
What did I do, what did we do?
I don't understand you anymore, you said we were sisters, why are you shutting me out?
Ginny
Hermione
I know something has been bothering you, and I was giving you space, hoping you'd choose to talk to me, but you haven't.
I'm here for you, when you want to talk.
Take care
Harry
Hermione
Has Draco go you under the imperius curse?
Ron
Hermione
If you ever need someone to talk to, you are always welcome to talk to me. I would never try to replace your mother, but I do love you like a daughter and my door is always open.
Molly
"They were dropped off by Potter's owl, and some crazy hyperactive owl" Draco said from behind her, leaning over the sofa and handing her a cup of tea.
Hermione nodded and looked back at the letters, "I don't know what to say to them. I love them, and I know they love me but being around them just reminds me of the family I no longer have".
Draco sat down next to her and pulled her into a hug, kissing her forehead, "they'll understand" he said.
Later that day, Hermione was sitting at her desk trying to find the words to write back to Harry, Ginny, Ron and Mrs Weasley, but they weren't coming easily.
Draco came over and kissed her on the cheek, "start by telling Weasel no" he suggested, smiling, before saying "I'm going to see Severus, we kind of made plans today".
Hermione nodded, "I'll be fine"
After a quick kiss goodbye Draco left and headed down to the dungeons, knocking on Snape's office door and entering, and was greeted with "well I didn't expect to see you". Draco looked at his Godfather, confused.
"I hear Ms Granger is back, I thought you'd be with her".
Draco smiled and sat down, "she needs some space to do some thinking, and I we had plans".
Snape nodded, reading the subtext that Draco wanted to talk, "did Ms Granger like her present?" he asked. Draco looked at him across the desk, "the first edition A History of Hogwarts. It was your mother's was it not".
Draco nodded, "father bought it for her, but then he only bought first editions and collector's editions, but yes Hermione like it" he answered his face breaking into a smile at the mention of her name. This did not go unnoticed by Snape.
Snape got up and walked to a cupboard, returning with a bottle of firewhisky and 2 glasses. Giving alcohol to a student wasn't acceptable, but this was his Godson and he had a feeling that he was going to need it.
Draco took the glass that was handed to him by Snape before he sat back down, "so what's on your mind Draco".
'He won't judge you, he'll understand' Draco thought before taking a drink, followed by a deep breath, "I love her" he said "and it scares me".
"Love is a powerful emotion"
"If you had told me 18 months ago that the war would be over, my parents would be dead, and I would be in love with Hermione Granger I would have told you were mad, but I'm happy and it scares me".
"Draco my advice to you would be to enjoy your happiness, you deserve it. Don't let your childhood influence the rest of your life. You stood up for your beliefs despite the cost, you gave yourself the freedom to choose your own path. Trust yourself and your choices, plus you and Ms Granger have more in common than you think".
Draco smiled, "yeah I'd figure that bit out, its the love bit I'm struggling with. I don't remember any affection between my parents, I don't know how I'm supposed to feel and act. My parents were always so cold and I just know that when I hold her I never want to let go".
Snape smiled, in a way on Snape can "love is the most powerful of all emotions Draco and something that you should cherish. When you love someone it enriches your life, I can only imagine how much more special it is to have that person return your love. Don't let go."
Draco nodded at his Godfather. He knew about Lily Potter, Snape had told him the night he confessed his task to kill Dumbledore. He couldn't imagine the pain of not having Hermione return his love.
Hermione had written back to Harry, Ron and Ginny promising to talk to them once they were back at school. She knew she had to do it, and she didn't know how they'd react. Draco could see her getting tense. Students were due back at school this afternoon, and they both knew that Harry, Ron and Ginny would want answers sooner rather than later, and they were right.
Draco had headed upstairs to the bathroom, when there was a knock at the portrait hole. "Hermione we know you're in there and you promised to talk" Ginny yelled.
Hermione stood up and walked towards the portrait hole, intending to tell them that she would meet them down at the lake later. As she opened the portrait all 3 of them barged in.
"What...what are you doing?" she asked "you can't come in here".
"Why, we're your friends, why shouldn't we be in here. Wouldn't Ferret like it?" Ron sneered.
"Hermione" Harry said jumping in "we just want to know what is wrong with our friend".
Hermione nodded and motioned towards the sofa by the fire. Harry and Ron sat on the sofa, while Ginny took one chair and Hermione the other. They all looked at her.
"I've just been struggling a little since the war, and I didn't want to burden any of you. You all had your own problems".
"We're friends, we share problems" said Ginny "plus that doesn't explain why you left on Christmas Day".
"It was hard being there" Hermione said quietly, looking down at her hands "being around a family".
"Your always around us, you are family" said Ron
"Yes, but as much as I feel like family, you're not my family" she replied.
Ron's face turned red, "not family, NOT FAMILY" he yelled, standing.
Harry pulled him back down, "I think what Hermione means is that she misses her mum and dad and being around someone else's family, no matter how close you are, can hurt" Harry explained.
Hermione nodded, "I love you all as family, its just sometimes I wish it was my mum giving me a hug or asking how my day was, and its all the harder knowing I'm the reason I can't have those things".
Tears were welling in her eyes. All she wanted to do was run. She hated feeling the way she did and really didn't want to talk about it. It hurt all the more.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Ginny asked quietly.
"Because you were all dealing with Charlie's death and then so happy to all be together for Christmas and I guess I just didn't know how" she replied, looking down at her hands again.
"Have you thought about trying to find them?" Harry asked tentatively.
"I can't" Hermione whispered as her tears began to fall.
"Sure you can, just go to Australia, track them down and reverse the spell. Its not like there dead" said Ron, "if I could I'd bring Charlie back".
"I can't" Hermione sobbed "its not that simple"
"Well no it might take some explaining but merlin's beard Hermione its not like their dead" Ron answered
Hermione pulled her knees up to her chest and started rocking as her sobs got harder and louder. "I can't cause they have a new life, new responsibilities. Cause they replaced me".
Her response was muffled but the 3 understood what their friend was saying.
"You went to find them, and you didn't do anything. Well its your own fault then, isn't it" Ron said, getting angry. How could she be upset over something she could rectify.
Hermione was crying harder.
"You say it hurts to be around us because it reminds you of your family, but you know where they are and you haven't done anything about it. That...that is"
Ron was cut off mid rant by Draco coming down the stairs and instantly pulling Hermione into his arms. He'd been listening from upstairs but he couldn't take it anymore, he had to comfort her.
"Sssh, its ok" he whispered, as he pulled her into his arms. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head into his chest, crying her heart out. Draco stood and started to carry her up towards the stairs.
"Don't move" he said to Ron, Harry and Ginny who were currently all looking incredibly shocked, as he turned and carried Hermione upstairs, leaving the others sitting in a stunned silence.
Draco returned about 10 minutes later, and no one had moved. "Follow me" he said, before leading them upstairs and into Hermione's room.
"Where is she?" asked Ginny, entering the room to find it empty.
"In my room" Draco replied
"In..in your room" Ron said "I don't think so" before he turned and tried to leave, but Draco caught his arm.
"Yes in my room, and you'll leave her alone for now" he answered, dropping Ron's arm.
"A mudblood in Malfoy's bed, who'd have though" Ron sneered at him, before Draco threw him up against the wall.
"Don't use that word, and don't judge me on my father's prejudices. I changed sides remember, I stood up for what I believed in not him" Draco sneered back, before releasing him and turning to face Ginny and Harry.
"This is what I wanted to show you" Draco said, pointing towards 2 big picture frames on Hermione's wall. One was full of muggle photos of her and her family, the other was full of wizard photos of the Weasely's and her friends.
"Hermione knows she has 2 families, her magical family and her parents. Right now she is grieving for the loss of one of those families, something I would have expected you to understand" he said, glaring at Ron during his last statement.
"Hermione did go to find her parents, a month or two after the war ended. She found them and saw their new life. They work at a local dentist practice and have fostered 2 children. A boy and a girl. They have a new life and a new family, so its not as simple as you think Weasel." he continued, again glaring at Ron "Hermione again made the decision to put her parents first, and she left, leaving them to their new lives and their new children".
Ginny let out a quiet sob, no wonder Hermione was upset and hurt. Harry instantly wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a hug. He to had tears in his eyes.
Ron was just standing in the middle of the room, looking shocked, trying to process it all, "how do you know all this?" he asked, looking at Draco with a puzzled look.
"Because I told him" came a quiet voice from behind them. They all turned to see Hermione in the doorway, her eyes all red and bloodshot from crying. Ginny instantly ran over and hugged her, and Hermione hugged her back "I'm sorry" they both whispered at the same time, pulling apart and smiling at each other.
Hermione walked over and sat on her bed, "everyone was a bit preoccupied at the end of the war and I guess the way everyone was surrounded by the people they love made me realise that I wasn't, I couldn't go and cry on my mum's shoulder. So I decided to go find them after something a friend told me" she said looking at Draco and smiling, "and I had to let them go all over again. It hurt, and I thought I'd be able to cope on my own, but I couldn't and seeing you all together hurt even more".
"We understand Hermione, its been a hard time for all of us" Harry said "but please remember you can talk to us about anything at anytime. You're my family" he concluded, sitting down beside her and hugging her.
Hermione nodded "you're mine too" she said with a slight quiver in her voice.
"No more secrets" Ginny said sitting down on her other side, pulling her into another hug, letting her know that she too had forgiven her.
"Promise" Hermione answered.
Ron was still standing in the middle of the room, looking confused. "Give him time" Ginny whispered, as her eyes caught a glimpse of the chain around Hermione's neck.
"What's this?" she asked, taking it in her hand to have a look.
"Um one more secret" Hermione answered looking at Ginny, not daring to look at the boys "it's my Christmas present from my boyfriend".
Ginny squealed, "boyfriend, who?"
Hermione just turned and looked at Draco, who smiled back at her "that would be me" he answered, as Hermione stood up to hug him.
Harry and Ginny looked between the 2 of them and could see the smiles on their faces and the love in their eyes.
"Wait, so those diamonds are real?" Ginny asked
"Of course their real" Draco answered, looking a little shocked that Ginny even considered them to be fakes.
"Wow" Ginny gasped.
"So you found your parents after the war, didn't reverse the spell because you didn't want to ruin their new life, got upset at me and my family for well being a family and including you in our family, and your dating Draco Malfoy" Ron asked, looking at Hermione with a completely confused look on his face.
"Um I guess that sums it up" she replied quietly.
"And you 2 accept all this, and don't have a problem with any of it?" he said, turning to Harry and Ginny who were still sitting on Hermione's bed.
"Hermione's our friend and I want her to be happy, so yeah I'm ok with it. I wished she'd talked to me about any of it but I understand why she didn't" Harry answered
"I understand too" said Ginny.
"Well I don't" said Ron before turning and walking out.
Harry and Ginny sat open mouthed, they knew Ron was a hot head, but they never expected him to walk away from Hermione.
Draco hugged Hermione tighter, knowing that she would be hurting, and thinking of exactly how he could hurt Weasel if he continued to hurt Hermione.
AN: Well, what do you think ?