Disclaimer: It's already the thirtieth chapter. If I were JK Rowling, I would not be here in this site and spread Dramione love. Instead, I'd delete anything Ron/Hermione in the original series and make them together. SO, yes, I'm still WickedlyAwesomeMe :D
A/N: GAH, thirty chapters for Only a Pretense, huh? WOW, I cannot believe it *sobs* Thirteen more (including an epilogue) and the story's done :D I'm pretty excited but sad at the same time. Soon, another story of mine has to end :(
I would like to thank my awesome Beta Reader, OnErrantry! Yay, this chapter is actually beta-ed, so no need to feel a little wary of my grammatical errors. Hehehe.
Bah, enough of these. A new chapter is here, anyway. So, without further ado, I present to you Chapter Thirty of Only a Pretense! Enjoy :D And please review after reading *wink*
EDITED: Good gracious, people. My Beta Reader is AWESOME. I'm the one who made a mistake. Haha. What I uploaded was the very first, rough, UGLY draft of chapter thirty. She used "Track Changes" and me, being a bloody careless person, made a mistake of not accepting them. HENCE, it was my fault. So, I'm sorry, I uploaded the REALLY edited one. Don't blame her :(
Chapter Thirty: Oblivious
When she arrived in the Room of Requirement, laughter bubbled out of her mouth.
Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, was sprawled lazily on the couch, obviously fast asleep. His mouth was slightly agape, and a dribble of saliva was escaping from his lips down to the couch. Hermione made a mental note to cleanse that piece of furniture before ever sitting on it again.
"Oh, Harry," she sighed, slowly approaching his sleeping form. Hermione reckoned it was still a tad too early to ask Harry to meet her in the Room of Requirement, seeing that it was a Sunday. Both Harry and Ron tended to sleep in every Sunday, usually waking up only when it was time to have lunch and their stomachs did not have anything to do but grumble like crazy and demand to be fed.
But she thought that for him to know that Teddy and Blaise knew about her secret now was important. And good Godric, she knew that he absolutely had to know that she had been reckless again and broke her promise. Harry tended to overreact about broken promises, so she did not want him to hear it from anybody but herself.
"Harry," she whispered, running a hand through his raven-black hair. The Gryffindor stirred in his sleep, closing his mouth and then murmuring something incoherent, before drifting back to sleep. She cracked a small smile and gently shook him this time. "Harry, wake up."
He groggily opened his eyes, revealing the eyes he inherited from Lily. At first, they were unfocused as he looked around the room, confused. But, when his eyes landed on Hermione, a sleepy grin formed on his face. "Good morning," he greeted, sitting up on the couch. He absentmindedly wiped his chin with his right sleeve, removing the evidences of his good nap in the process.
"Good afternoon," she corrected, pulling out her wand and discreetly charming away his other saliva on the couch. Harry looked faintly amused but did not comment any further. Instead, he removed his spectacles and got rid of sand from his eyes.
"Merlin, Hermione, it's a bit too early for meetings, eh?" he said as Hermione sat down beside him. His arm wrapped around her shoulders automatically and she placed her head on it daintily, contented.
She only hummed a small reply and closed her eyes. Silence settled between them. Hermione thought that Harry had gone back to sleep, but then he broke the silence.
"So, why am I here again?" he asked, looking at her.
Hermione sighed and pulled her head away from his shoulder. His arm fell limply on his lap and he raised an eyebrow, suspicious.
"You did something wrong, didn't you?" he asked, scrutinizing her from head to toe. Hermione tried really hard not to squirm under his gaze, but she failed. Harry had this power to make her uncomfortable, especially if she was already feeling guilty. She hated the fact that she couldn't lie properly. It was a great wonder to her that she was able to deceive almost all of the people in the Wizarding World when she couldn't deceive her own best friend, Harry.
"Hermione?" he asked, prompting her with a nudge of his elbow.
She released a small chuckle as his elbow hit a ticklish spot in her stomach. A small smile flitted across Harry's lips but was quickly replaced by a worried look. "What happened?" he asked, this time determined to know the answer. "Come on. You can tell me. I'm your best friend."
Hermione released another guilty sigh before engulfing Harry in a tight hug, burying her head in the crook of his neck. He seemed startled by her sudden action, but hugged her back nonetheless. "I've been a bad best friend, Harry," she said, closing her eyes.
"How so?" he asked, careful with his words. "What is it, Hermione? You're scaring me."
"I broke a promise," she said, burying her head deeply into his neck. This was it; she was about to tell him. And she did not want to see the disappointment and hurt in his eyes when he discovered that she had broken her promise to him. "I didn't tell you, but I once again tried, all alone, to rescue my parents last night."
He stiffened in their hug as a gasp of surprise escaped from his lips. "You didn't…"
"I did, Harry," she said, cutting him off. She felt his arms go slack in their hold, but she held on to him tighter. "I'm sorry, Harry. I really am. But I'm running out of time, don't you think? And besides, love can make you do stupid things, right?"
She remembered uttering those words to Draco last night. A small smile appeared on her face, remembering the crazed look on his face upon discovering that she had ventured into the Malfoy Manor alone, once again trying to save her parents from the monster's clutches. She forlornly mused that he and Harry had some similarities after all. Both young men tended to overreact and see red over something she did, without hearing her reasons.
Hermione then realized that Harry hadn't talked since her confession. She took it as a bad sign, especially since his arms were still slack around her waist.
But then Harry released a tired sigh and tightened his hold around her, this time tighter than earlier. "Oh, Hermione, really," he said, pulling her slightly away from him to look at her eyes. She shifted them away from his scrutinizing gaze. "Look at me."
She slowly followed his order, and found herself staring back at an exhausted and extremely concerned Harry Potter. Hermione couldn't see any traces of anger in his eyes.
"I had a feeling you were going to break your promise, regardless of what you said to me weeks ago," he said. A tired smile appeared on his face as she stared back at him sheepishly.
"You're not mad?" she asked slowly.
He seemed thoughtful for a moment, then, "I was, but only briefly," he said truthfully. "But like I said, you'd be breaking it sometime, so I'm not really. Good Merlin, you're Hermione Granger! And I'm your best friend. I've known for years that you never back down once you've put your mind to something."
Hermione chuckled and threw her arms around him again. "Oh, Harry," she said. "I truly am sorry."
Harry made a dismissive sound with his throat. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," he said, although his voice did not hold disappointment or anger. That made her smile. "Just, tell me when you attempt to save them again. Okay? That's all I'm asking from you, Hermione. Tell me. I won't stop you and lock you here in this room to keep you from being able to go to that darned place and put yourself into a dangerous situation once again. Especially since you'd break my spell anyway."
The Slytherin genuinely smiled as she placed a kiss on his cheek. "I promise." And she meant it. Apparently, Harry knew she was sincere too, since he smiled.
"Okay, now that's settled, is there anything more you need to tell me?" he asked, releasing a humongous yawn. "I want to head back to my room and sleep."
"A late night?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Perhaps with a certain pretty little redhead…"
Harry blushed furiously and glared. "We did not!" he protested.
Hermione laughed and completely pulled away from their hug. "Oh, come on, I knew eons ago that you've been sleeping with Ginny," she said. "That was bound to happen, anyway. Merlin, every time you see each other, I seriously want to tell you two to get a room. But Ron's there, and I don't want to break his little heart by making him realize that his little sister is not completely innocent anymore."
Despite his embarrassment, he grinned widely. "Tell him and you're gonna die," he teasingly threatened, which prompted Hermione to roll her eyes.
"Threaten me and I'll tell him," she retorted.
Harry chuckled. "Touché," he commented.
Hermione softly laughed. "Anyway, I'm not going to keep you cooped up in this room further and hold you back from running to your witch, but, you should probably know that both Teddy and Blaise already know that I'm Hermione Granger."
His eyes widened behind his spectacles. "They do?" he asked. His eyebrows then knitted together. "How? You told them?"
"No, it was purely by accident," she said. "Although, Blaise said he'd known about it for a while. I'm not really sure why he kept it from me. Anyway, they discovered it yesterday. I was – don't get mad – dressed without my disguise to do my plan. Don't worry; I had my bewitched spectacles with me. And apparently, Draco had ordered them to find me because I was in danger, so… there. They already know."
"And then? How did they take it?" he asked.
Hermione smiled fondly. "Blaise took it quite well. Like I said, he confessed that he'd known it for a while now," she said. A disbelieving laugh then escaped from her lips. "And Teddy, well, he's another story. Merlin, I thought he would be furious with me forever and ever. But then he suddenly hugged me and told me that he was happy I'm a girl."
"Uh huh," Harry said, a knowing look on his face, although Hermione was not able to understand it.
"Oh, and they did something extremely surprising, Harry," she said, eyes shining with mirth.
The Gryffindor couldn't help but roll his eyes at her enthusiasm. He couldn't be blamed; any conversations about the Slytherins made him disgusted and bored. "I bet you did not expect it," he said, monotonously.
Hermione raised her eyebrow in amusement. "I bet you will not expect it," she shot back, which prompted Harry to raise his own eyebrow, although he didn't say anything else. "Both Blaise and Teddy offered to be spies for the Order of the Phoenix."
Now she had caught Harry's attention.
"They what?"
"You heard me right, Harry James Potter," she said, suddenly feeling proud of her roommates. "The Slytherins you and Ron used to loathe actually asked Dumbledore right there and then to make them spies for the Light Side."
Harry willed his eyes to revert back to their normal size but failed miserably. "They did not," he burst out, almost breathless.
Hermione chuckled and slightly closed his mouth. "They did," she said. "Get over it."
He blinked countless times, and then a disbelieving smile appeared on his face. "Wow, I cannot believe it," he said. "Who knew? But then again, who would ever have thought that Malfoy himself would defy that bastard's order."
Upon hearing her roommate's name, she smiled. "Oh, they did not do it for me," she said.
"Oh yeah?" he asked, skeptic.
"Nope," she said. "They did it for Draco. They said they wanted to help him. Would you believe that? Even Slytherins care for their best friends."
Harry was looking at her strangely.
"What?" she asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.
"So, it's 'Draco' now," he stated matter-of-factly. "I did not notice."
She faintly blushed and shyly smiled. "Err, well, I've been addressing him by his first name for a while now."
He still looked highly curious. "Really now," he slowly said, scrutinizing her every move. "Last time I checked, you were cursing him for being such a bloody ferret. Why the sudden change?"
A mysterious smile appeared on her face. "Oh, things change. My opinion of him changed, so…"
"So…?"
She frowned and lightly shoved his shoulder. "What do you want me to say?" she asked. "Draco and I are good friends now. End of story."
"Uh huh," he said.
"Don't 'uh huh' me, Potter, it's annoying," she said, laughing lightly.
"So, I'm 'Potter' now, huh?" he asked, mirth dancing in his eyes. "Well, if you wish it, Granger." Harry laughed when Hermione playfully punched him. "Merlin, we did sound like a Gryffindor and Slytherin bickering, eh? What would your roommates say? Oh, I bet they'd be so proud of you."
Hermione grinned. For some strange reason, she was not offended at all, although she sorely missed acting like a Gryffindor and defending her House against Slytherins. "Things change," she repeated.
"You changed," he pointed out.
"Really?" she asked, surprised. "How so?"
"I dunno, you just seem happier," he said. "You've never looked so happy since your parents were… you know, Voldie-napped."
An uncertain smile appeared on her face. "Is that bad?" she asked.
He seemed thoughtful for a moment, but then shook his head. "Of course not," he said. "Although I am disappointed I'm not the cause of it."
"Harry -"
"What? It's the truth," Harry said. "I want you happy, Hermione. I don't bloody care if it's that bunch of morons - "
" – Harry - "
" – If it's that bunch of Slytherins that are making you happy," he finished, grinning boyishly. "I cannot fathom the fact that you are happy because of them." He released a huge sigh before gathering her into his arms. "Whatever, I'm still glad. As long as you're happy, I am happy."
Hermione scrunched up her nose slightly. "Now, don't get sappy, Harry Potter," she said, gently rubbing his back. "It's weird."
Harry merely laughed.
"Anyway, I hate to leave you now, but I do have to go," she said, slightly pulling away from his hug.
He pouted. "Why?"
"I promised to visit my fake grave today," she said. Harry was about to retort with something, but she cut him off. "And, Teddy and Blaise want to tag along. I promised them they could come, so… I have to leave."
The Gryffindor harrumphed but did not comment anymore. Chuckling, Hermione fondly tapped his cheek and said, "Oh, Harry, you'll always be my very best friend, remember that." She stood up from the couch and stretched languidly. "Until next time, Harry."
Harry also stood up and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Goodbye."
"Oh, one more thing!" she exclaimed, remembering something.
"What is it?" he asked, eyebrows coming together.
"Can I borrow your Invisibility Cloak, Harry? I promise to take care of it," she said.
The Gryffindor was surprised with her sudden request. "What for?" he asked with narrowed eyes.
Hermione only smiled mysteriously.
The 'Silver Quartet' (as they say), excluding Hermes Austen, was seen strolling slowly through the Hogwarts grounds. As usual, they were able to catch the immediate attention of almost all the students in the field, most especially from the females of the school, who caught themselves sighing dreamily at the sight of the three.
Teddy, ever enthusiastic, waved cheerfully at the random Slytherins he saw.
Blaise, on the other hand, gave any passersby a polite and charming smile of his own. One or two fifth years were seen swooning at the mere sight of this.
Draco was the only one who did not like the attention. Odd, since he used to covet it. But now, he seemed to loathe it with a passion. He had long since discovered that being at the center of the attention was very frustrating, especially if you are the son of a notorious Death Eater. And so, unlike the reactions of his friends, he merely rolled his eyes and stuck his hands in his front pockets.
He did not really care about them now. Instead, his mind kept drifting back to yesterday's events.
Once again, Hermione Granger had managed to knock off his mask of indifference. Draco could not comprehend the fact that even the grueling warnings from Dumbledore, from Potter, heck, even from him, could not deter her from saving her parents in the Malfoy Manor. She had experienced the risk of her task first-hand, yet she still hadn't learned, and had done it all over again.
He had to confess, he went ballistic when he placed two and two together and realized that she had lied to them once again and had run off to the Malfoy Manor to put her plan into action. Draco could not explain in simple words how he felt that time. All he knew was that before his eyes he could already see her lifeless form, sprawled unmoving on the ornate floor of his manor with Voldemort, his father, and the Death Eaters laughing cruelly at her dead form.
Thank Merlin they arrived in time. The relief that had hit him was so huge he had to restrain himself from lunging at Hermione and holding her as long as he could. So instead, he made her feel how she made him feel, through the only way he could think of – anger. He lashed out at her. He could not even stop when he saw the fear and hurt in her eyes. He wanted her to know that she made him almost insane with worry; she deserved to be hurt and fearful, because she made him feel that way.
Goodness, if Blaise had not been there to interfere, he did not know what he would have done to her.
Blaise.
Draco chanced a glance at his Italian friend and noticed that he was smiling contentedly.
He said he had known about Hermione's secret for a while now. How long? He did not know.
He couldn't understand why he had kept it from them. Draco mused that probably Blaise had a secret agenda he did not wish to expose. And that agenda made the young Malfoy a bit uneasy. No, scratch that – tremendously troubled.
Although he couldn't read Blaise as well as Blaise could read him, the Italian had been his best friend for years. Draco would detect if Blaise was extremely happy or sad; angry or afraid. And judging by that sickening bounce in his step, Blaise was absolutely thrilled.
Alarm bells rang wildly in his mind, and he tried to muffle them with his logical side. There was this nagging voice inside his mind, the one that was infatuatedwith Hermione Granger, telling him that it was Granger that was causing Blaise's happiness. But Draco tried to push it away. Merlin, he had to shove it away to completely shut it up.
Blaise was his best friend. No one, not even a bloody gorgeous girl, could end that relationship.
"Where's her fake grave again?" Teddy said, breaking through his thoughts.
Mindlessly, Draco led the other two into the entrance of the Forbidden Forest. He'd been there countless times, after all. He could go to her fake grave with a blindfold if he needed to.
Draco then looked at his carefree other best friend, who did not hide his absolute enthusiasm. Merlin, the boy was practically skipping in happiness.
Teddy was a different story. Of course he knew he liked their disguised roommate. It was clearly obvious, especially when he still had no idea that the bloke he was crushing on was actually a girl.
Draco still found Teddy's sudden entrancement with Hermione weird. He had known Theo for years and he was absolutely a man. He hadn't ever wavered from the straight path before Hermes Austen came along. He had no idea what Granger used to make even his immature best friend fancy her. But then again, she was Hermione Granger. She was one-of-kind. Sweet Salazar, she had even, unknowingly, managed to make him fall in love with her. He wouldn't be too surprised if a bunch of Slytherins suddenly fell down on their knees and proclaimed their love for her.
Draco was not really feeling that threatened by Teddy. He was so immature, for goodness' sake. Maybe what he was feeling for Hermione was only a passing fancy. One day, he might come across another woman, more beautiful than Hermione ('As if there would be any'), and his affections would shift to that girl.
But then again, Teddy had unpredictable tendencies, especially when it came to the opposite sex. Draco had been immensely surprised when Teddy announced that he'd had a girlfriend for two years before. And so he had no idea how Teddy's feelings for Hermione would end.
His mind was brought back to reality upon spotting the grave he had been visiting ever since the start of the school year. There was Hermione, standing silently in front of it, without any disguise. She had promised both Teddy and Blaise that they could visit her fake grave with her, and she would be dressed as Hermione Granger, not Hermes Austen. She agreed, although Draco had no idea how she could escape from the grounds without catching anyone's attention. Sure, she had those bewitched spectacles of hers, but still, seeing a mysterious brunette roaming around Hogwarts would be extremely suspicious.
He saw the backpack sitting innocently on the ground in front of her, but did not pay it too much mind.
All he could think of was how beautiful she was today.
"Hey!" she called, spotting her roommates arriving.
She was not wearing her disguise, merely arriving as Hermione Granger, and it felt extremely refreshing for her. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear, and bumped into the butterfly hairclip in the process. She couldn't understand why but every time she dressed into a girl, she always put that hair accessory on.
Hermione had arrived quite inconspicuously. After all, she was wearing Harry's Invisibility Cloak. She'd had to persuade him without telling him that she'd agreed to meet her roommates as Hermione Granger, and she had succeeded in the end. She knew that Harry wanted to keep his cloak as secret as possible, and so she brought a backpack to stuff it in when it was not in use.
Teddy, Blaise, and Draco had finally arrived, and her smile grew. She couldn't believe that after they all knew about her secret, they still accepted her. She couldn't be blamed, actually. She had been the center of insults before, seeing that she was one: a Gryffindor, two: a Muggle-born, and three: the best friend of Harry Potter. But now they accepted her nonetheless, and for that she was extremely thankful to all the cosmic powers above.
"I see you managed to sneak out without your disguise," Blaise mischievously commented. "I do wonder how."
A cheeky grin appeared on her face. "That's for me to know, and you to not find out," she said. Hermione then looked from one roommate to the other and said, "So, what are we to do today?"
Teddy lifted a picnic basket. "Well, I brought the basket you asked me to fetch from the kitchen!" he exclaimed proudly.
"Good, good," she said, flourishing her wand. She pointed it at the ground and conjured up a picnic blanket. "Now, let us all celebrate!"
Draco raised an amused eyebrow. "Celebrate what?" he asked. "What's the occasion?"
"Good question Draco Malfoy, twenty points to Slytherin," she hurled back his direction. He merely rolled his eyes. Unfazed, she continued, "Well, now that all of you know about my secret and you have accepted it, I just think that we should celebrate. Our friendship, perhaps?"
"Friendship," Draco said, smirking. "Right."
Hermione returned a smirk of her own (almost Malfoy-like, which impressed him further). "Now, if all of you can sit down." She expectantly looked at the other three, who only stared back at her blankly. "Oh, for heaven's sake!" She was softly laughing as she gracefully lowered herself down onto the ground, sitting on the picnic blanket as comfortably as she could. "Come on!"
Teddy was the first one to oblige, eagerly sitting down beside her.
Blaise shot an amused look at Draco (who rolled his eyes in return), before following Teddy's lead and sitting down on the blanket, on the other side of Hermione.
Draco released a defeated sigh and finally sat down, opposite Hermione.
"See, the picnic blanket doesn't bite," she teased, now daintily opening the picnic basket. She started to spread the dishes over the blanket. As soon as she finished this little task, she realized that the other three were awfully quiet.
"Oh come on," she said, frowning at the other three, "just because I'm Hermione Granger now doesn't mean I've never been Hermes Austen." Her nose scrunched up in disgust and she glared. "Don't tell me it's because I'm emitting Mudblood germs now, eh?"
She was being playful and the other three knew it. Still, hearing her address herself by that insulting word struck a nerve in their very cores.
"Of course not!" Teddy hastily said, grabbing the nearest food, which happened to be an apple, and happily munching on it. "Hmm… see, it's delicious!"
Draco scoffed. Granger was nonchalantly bringing up something about their not-so-pleasant past. He knew she meant it as a joke, but Merlin, must she make them feel guilty for making her life miserable for six years in Hogwarts?
Blaise, on the other hand, calmly picked up the jam and carefully spread it on a slice of bread. "So… what now?" he asked, smiling at Hermione. He thought that she looked more beautiful than ever.
"Hmm?" she asked, looking up from her treacle tart. "Oh, um, I dunno. Let's just eat, I guess."
"That's all? What a waste of time, Granger, I'd rather go back to the library and finish my Transfiguration essay," Draco teased, grabbing an orange and starting to peel it.
Hermione's cheeks turned red with slight fury. "Don't call me that in public!" she hissed. "How many times do I have to remind you, Draco?"
He merely gave her his infamous Malfoy smirk.
Blaise watched the exchange with keen eyes before settling his onyx eyes on Draco. "How long have you known?" he asked.
"Known what?" his best friend asked distractedly.
The Italian pointed to Hermione. "About her secret," he said. "Her true identity."
Teddy perked up, seemingly interested as well.
Draco chanced a glance at Hermione, and almost smiled when he saw the huge smile on her face. "Well, like I've said, it was purely by chance," he said. "Eavesdropping, to put it simply. Remember that time when she said she received a letter from a secret admirer?"
Blaise nodded while Teddy said a soft 'yeah'.
"It was actually a letter from Potter," he continued, shoving a piece of orange into his mouth. "At first, I thought that The-Boy-Who-Just-Wouldn't-Die was having an illicit affair with someone of the same sex, but it turned out that it was Granger, after all."
"I should have known you had this tendency to eavesdrop on private things, Ferret-Boy," she shot back, still grinning widely.
Draco rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "You should just thank Merlin I did not reveal your secret, nuisance," he retorted. He turned his eyes to his other roommates and sneered. "The rest is history, if you think about it. She did not stop pestering me after that."
"Hey, I wasn't pestering anybody!"
"Keep telling that to yourself, Hermione," he replied, giving her a lazy grin.
Hermione blushed slightly and looked at her hands, embarrassed.
Blaise noticed it and raised his eyebrow, highly amused. 'Hmm, I wonder,' he thought.
"Hermes… err, Her-mi-one… Merlin's pants!" Teddy exclaimed, laughing boisterously. Hermione couldn't help but laugh aloud, too. "I'm not really a fan of long and complicated names. Eh, I'm sorry. I guess I'm not used to addressing you by your own name."
"It's fine, Teddy," she said, giving him a pretty smile. "I'm used to people mispronouncing my name."
The carefree Slytherin colored a little and gave her a shy smile. "Well, if you call me by my nickname, can I call you by yours?" he asked. "If you don't mind, of course."
Hermione smiled. "I would like that," she said, "but I don't really have a nickname. Harry and Ron both call me 'Mione, but I'm not really fond of that name."
Teddy looked thoughtful for a while, then brightened up with a wide grin on his face. "Oh, I know!" he exclaimed. "What if I call you, 'Minnie'! That's it! Annie used to have a best friend named that, and ever since I met her, I've thought that 'Minnie' is an adorable name."
Hermione slightly paled whilst Draco colored. The latter remembered how he introduced her to his mother by that same name, claiming that she was his girlfriend.
"Err, you don't like it?" Teddy asked, slightly troubled. "It's okay, I can change it…"
"No, no, that's fine," she said. Hermione met Draco's mercurial eyes before saying, "That's what my Dad used to call me."
Realization dawned on Draco. His lips formed into a small 'oh' and he looked away.
"It's just..." She showed a forlorn smile. "It's just that it's been a while since I heard someone call me that. And it felt refreshing, that's all."
Teddy's eyes widened. The color of his cheeks darkened, but a determined look settled on his face. "Well then, from now on, I hereby resolve to call you 'Minnie' as much as I can. Is that all right?"
She grinned. "Absolutely."
"Well then, that's settled," he proclaimed. "Let's seal that with a hug."
He opened his arms wide, eager to envelope her in his arms, when Draco suddenly grabbed his collar and not-so-gently pulled Teddy towards him. "Keep your hugs to yourself, Nott," the irate Slytherin said through gritted teeth.
Hermione laughed while Blaise smiled.
They had eaten for the rest of the hour, contented to be in each others' presence. From an outsider's point-of-view, it would seem like the quartet had been best friends forever and ever, when in fact one of them had only recently joined the club.
The scene was so heartwarming. It was even made better by the birds singing melodiously and the breeze was playing with the dancing trees.
Hermione had never felt so happy before. She had no idea that someday, she would be having a picnic with Slytherins - with Malfoy, Zabini, and Nott, no less. If Trelawney had predicted that such an event would happen, she would have only laughed at her face and called her a 'fraud' once again.
But here she was, actually enjoying their company. And judging by their smiles and playful comments, they were enjoying her presence, too.
She was absolutely delighted to see that despite how fraudulent she had been, they still accepted her as one of their roommates, and even as their friend. 'Or maybe they think of me as a best friend, too,' she said, laughing softly as Draco playfully grabbed Teddy by the neck and ruffled his hair until it was entirely disheveled.
"So, what is your impression of boys now?" Blaise suddenly asked, cutting her off from her musings. "Now that you've pretended to be one and spent time with them almost every day."
"Well, remember that I spent my time with boys almost every day even before I disguised as one," she said, hinting about Harry and Ron.
Blaise smiled and nodded. "Right," he said. "Now, about my question?"
Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment. "Boys?" she then asked, oblivious to the fact that both Draco and Teddy suddenly stopped their playful fight to give Hermione their full attention. "Hmm… let me see. Boys are an abomination."
"An abomination?" Teddy exclaimed, horrified.
Hermione laughed and fondly patted his head. "Ha ha, I was merely joking, Teddy," she said. She looked from one bloke to the other before continuing. "Well, seriously? Boys are messy."
Draco was the most scandalized of all.
"What? I'm not joking," she stated matter-of-factly. "Just look at your loo. Merlin, do you call that a loo? It's more like a jungle to me."
"Nuisance, you're generalizing 'all men'," he spat back. "Not all men are messy."
"Right, of course," she said, grinning back at him. Hermione remembered that Draco would never, ever, go out in public without being clean and presentable. It was such a strange behavior for a man to possess, but then again, he wouldn't be Draco Malfoy if he wasn't like that.
"Oh, and men," she continued, "are absolutely mind-boggling. I had such a hard time adjusting. Harry had to help me countless times and encourage me to continue this bloody task of mine."
"Mind-boggling?" Blaise asked. "How so?"
Hermione grew pensive for a while. "Well, for starters, you act differently," she said. "Well, it isn't surprising at all since I'm a girl and you're all boys. But still. You lot have this weird body communication I cannot fathom up until now. Harry used to tell me I'm an extremely dense woman when it comes to boys, which is ironic, seeing that I'm 'the brightest witch of our generation'. Not that I am bragging."
'So, that's why,' Draco thought, staring at her thoughtfully. 'Good thing she couldn't understand men, or else…!'
"Don't worry," Teddy piped in. "I don't understand women at all. They are whiny and clingy and weepy and noisy and…" He trailed off, noticing the raised eyebrow of Hermione. He grinned sheepishly. "What, it's the truth. Though I will say that you seem different from them."
Hermione grinned. "Good," she said, "I strive to be different from the usual girls, thank you very much."
And she had succeeded, Draco thought (a bit sullenly), because, for the very first time, a girl had caught his attention. And truth be told, he was sick of the usual girls.
"Well," she continued, eyeing the empty basket and their rubbish, "I think it's best if we go back inside now." Her eyes went up into the sky and she sighed. "I have this niggling feeling that it will rain soon."
Teddy scowled, but he stood up and started cleaning up his mess. "I was having fun," he whined.
Hermione chuckled and with a wave of her wand, everything was clean. "Me too," she truthfully said.
Blaise offered to fold the picnic blanket, which Hermione allowed.
While the other three were preoccupied with their cleaning, Draco took the chance to conjure a fresh tulip and gingerly place it on top of her fake grave. He had no idea why he still continued with this strange habit of his, seeing that he knew that Hermione Granger was actually alive. But he did, and he reckoned that maybe doing this kept him sane through their grueling trainings in Malfoy Manor.
"All set," Hermione declared, which prompted Draco to subtly step away from her grave and stand a few meters away from her, looking as nonchalant as he could. "Well then, you three better go inside now. I have an errand to do before going back inside."
"We can wait for you, nuisance," the blond offered but was surprised when Hermione stubbornly shook her head.
"No, no, you go on," she persisted, giving Draco a slight push. "I'll follow the three of you soon."
The other three were not exactly thrilled with her order, but they relented upon seeing the stubbornness in her eyes.
"Fine," Draco commented. "But be back before six o'clock."
Her eyes shone with slight teasing. "There are no big bad wolves out here to get me, Draco," she said. She laughed upon seeing Teddy frown. "Oh, stop worrying, you three. I'll be fine." She waved her wand for them to see. "I can do magic as well as the three of you can, thank you very much. Or better. Now, off you go before I'm forced to blast you off."
"We'll be seeing you soon," Blaise said, before grabbing Teddy's arm. The normally carefree Slytherin waved his hand dejectedly in a farewell and allowed the Italian to drag him back.
Hermione looked at Draco and smiled. He was frowning with worry. She reckoned that after what had happened yesterday, he seemed to be wary of leaving her alone again. His concern was astounding, endearing even. But in this case, it was downright silly.
"I'll be fine," she emphasized.
Draco rolled his eyes. "You kept on saying that before. Where did that 'Ill be fine' line of yours lead you, Granger? Huh? Tell me," he growled. "I'll give you three guesses."
"Oh, Draco, really," Hermione exclaimed in exasperation. "I will be fine. Stop being such a worrywart, it's annoying."
"I'm not being a worry - "
She sighed in exhaustion and smiled. "Thank you for worrying, Draco," she said. "But really, sometimes you should worry more about yourself, you know." Before he could further speak, she pushed him off again. "Go now before I bewitch you away."
He was grumbling, but he finally succumbed to her wishes and turned around, stomping back to Hogwarts without giving her a single glance.
As soon as he was gone, Hermione released a huge sigh of relief. She had no idea when Draco Malfoy had started to act so overprotective around her. It was a good sign; it meant that he actually cared for her. But she wished he wouldn't underestimate her magical prowess.
Sending them off wasn't really because of an errand she had to do. Hermione just had to return to Hogwarts under the Invisibility Cloak.
And she had to check one more thing.
She slowly turned around and her face lit up upon seeing her favorite flower sitting innocently on top of her grave. Judging by its freshness, it was new.
'You sly ferret,' she fondly thought, clutching the stem of the tulip and inhaled its fresh scent. Hermione had no idea how he had managed to slip one on top of her fake grave without her noticing.
Hermione had visited her grave almost every day now and Draco never failed to leave his surprise tulips. They were there every time she visited, which meant he always visited.
Something peculiar always stirred in the deepest recesses of her heart, which in turn sent a signal to ignite every cell in her body, making her feel all tingly. She still had no idea what that sensation meant, but it came every time she saw a beautiful flower, which she knew undoubtedly came from Draco, placed on top of her grave.
She shook those confusing thoughts from her mind before pulling the magical cloak from the bag. She charmed the tulip to stay everlasting, and then pocketed it. She slung the backpack on her shoulder and slid under the Invisibility Cloak.
As soon as she was invisible to the naked eye, she journeyed back to the Hogwarts castle.
A/N: And, end of chapter thirty! So, what do you think? Nothing pretty exciting happened in this chapter. I just wanted to write something "feel good" and all. I mean, even after her secret was exposed to the rest of her roommates, they were still friends. But, I must tell you that the next few chapters after this would be… interesting *smiles conspiratorially*. Oh, well, just wait for them!
Once again, I'm sorry for the lack of review responses. This week had been a little busy for me, seeing that next week is already the end of my summer. Wah, and here I thought it would last forever… Sigh, I'm not promising review responses anymore. I'll be in my senior year in high school already and I'm pretty sure that it would be a hectic year. But, I do promise to update on time :D
So, that's about it. Once again, leave a review!
With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe
P.S. Once again, I'm sorry for my mistake of uploading the crappy version of mine XD It won't happen in the future :D God, "Track Changes" in Microsoft sure boggled me *grins sheepishly*