A/N: Back at it again! To all those who have reviewed, know that I do read them. I appreciate your support, kind words, and questions. Just to let you know, I probably won't answer questions that are directly related to the plot, just because I don't want to give you any spoilers and I generally aim to answer them within the next chapter (or two). If you have asked a question and I haven't responded and it hasn't come up in the chapter, please, by all means, ask again and I will be happy to respond :)
Enjoy this little bit of fluff, we're starting to move forward (see what I did there) in the plot. As always, reviews are welcomed :) xx
Disclaimer: Everything Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling. Slay Queen.
Song: Unforgivable – Christina Grimmie
Lyrics: I never meant for you to choose/ You should've known better/ There's nothing left for you to lose/ When you looked at me and said you had it all/ But what you did is not unforgivable/ What you did is not unforgivable…
Chapter Four: Moving Forward
Every week, Harry and Hermione would get together, once for a meal in the Wizarding World, and once at Hermione's house. After that first visit with Draco, Hermione had urgently flooed Grimmauld Place, hoping Harry was there. Once finding him, she proceeded to explain her day, omitting the more personal stories that Draco had told her – thinking them much too private for her to be sharing herself. Harry was hesitant. Hermione was sitting here on his dusty couch, crying into his arms for what felt like hours about a boy that they both grew up hating. Once her sobs quietened down, Harry moved to put a pot of tea on.
"Hermione, has he changed?" Harry asked.
"Changed isn't the right word. I don't think he was ever the person that we saw him to be. There's so much more to him than we could begin to understand." Hermione replied following Harry to the kitchen.
He pondered her words for a minute, "Do you trust him?"
Hermione wasn't sure how to answer. She believed what he said to her, felt his pain, saw it over his whole person, "I think I do, Harry." She finally answered, "I'm scared." She admitted a little more quietly.
Harry drew her into his arms then, "If you trust him, then I trust him. If you say he's your friend, then I can only give him a chance to be mine too. You're not the brightest witch of our age for nothing, and you've certainly never lead me astray."
After that afternoon, Hermione felt more comfortable with Draco. She wasn't hiding their friendship from Harry, and at this point he was the only family she had. She had reached out to Ron several times but he was ignoring her owls, and Hermione decided that his immaturity was not going to bother her.
Over the next few months, Hermione and Draco corresponded almost every day. She had taught him how to use the muggle post and through letters, visits, and the occasional urgent phone call, Draco was slowly becoming acclimatised to the muggle world. On this afternoon, she was nervously pacing Draco's living room as he made them their, now usual, tea with sandwiches for lunch. Draco watched her silently from the doorway, not wanting to disturb her and smiling amusedly at her. She muttered to herself, working herself up into an anxious bundle.
"What are you fretting about, Hermione?" Draco finally announced his presence and set the sandwiches on the low table.
"Oh." Hermione blushed, embarrassed to have been caught, "I was wondering if you'd like to learn how to use the public transport around here. I think you're pretty well settled now, and you could go sightseeing in your spare time."
"That would be brilliant, Hermione." Draco smiled, "Sit, we'll eat lunch, then you can teach me about the public transport."
After lunch, Hermione took Draco to a quiet street where she explained the busses and their schedules. They then bought tickets and got off a few blocks away, where she pointed towards the underground, explaining trains and their history, from coal to steam to electric. Boarding the train, Draco felt both exhilarated at moving so fast, and frightened. He was sure there were safety risks at play, but he felt comforted that Hermione was by his side through this ordeal. Besides, it couldn't be any more harmful than Quidditch.
"Where are we going?" Draco asked as she gripped his hand and lead him off the train.
"Well I thought we could do a little shopping. I want to show you some things I'm sure you'll love." Hermione's eyes twinkled and Draco couldn't help but smile, relishing in the warmth that her hand spread throughout him.
Hermione lead Draco into an electronics store where they purchased a mobile phone each, adding each other's numbers instantly. She took him deeper into the store to show him the PlayStation. The two played a demo game on a small screen, solidifying Draco's sudden and newfound love for videogames. He purchased the PlayStation and almost every game that the store had stocked.
When they left the electronics store, Hermione felt the nervousness pit in her stomach again. Draco hadn't pressed her about it back at his house, but she could feel his intent gaze as he looked upon his companion worriedly.
"Hermione, I've ignored it enough now, what's bothering you?" Draco asked, placing a reassuring hand on her arm and turning her to face him. She refused to meet his eyes and he tilted her chin up so he could smile at her.
She sighed, "I'm nervous, because of where I'd like to go next."
"Which is…?" Draco asked.
"My house." Hermione responded, looking away again.
Draco was shocked a little. All their meetings had been at his house, with this venture to the electronics store being the first time that they had been out in public together.
"Why does it make you nervous?" Draco asked finally.
Hermione picked at something non-existent on her jumper, "Because there are bound to be reporters there and I haven't been able to talk to Ron or the Weasleys since we've been meeting. I'm contemplating the pros and cons of bringing you over because at that point, there's no more hiding and I don't want you to get hurt in the middle of this fight."
Draco was stunned. She didn't want him to be hurt. She cared about his wellbeing. If this is what it felt like to truly have friends, then he had been missing out his whole life.
He took her hands in his, "Hermione," he waited until her brown eyes met his, "you truly don't understand how much it means to me to know how much you care." She blushed, "But I promise you, this is your choice. Don't worry about me in all of this."
"But if they come after you, you won't be able to defend yourself." Hermione countered.
"Then let them come. Let the world see what has become of me. I know you'll defend me twice as well as I could. We can't hide this friendship from Weasley forever." Draco smiled reassuringly at her.
Hermione grinned back at him, "This way then!" She said and began their short walk to another bus stop.
When they hopped off the bus and rounded the corner to her house, Hermione's resolve crumbled. She shrank visibly smaller as she saw a herd of reporters outside, wondering why there were so many today.
"It's okay, Mi." Draco stroked her back for a moment before offering his arm. She took it, and with some trepidation, they moved towards her house.
One by one the reporters turned towards her and Draco and a cacophony of sound erupted as questions were lobbed at them from all directions. They stepped inside her gate and she looked up at Draco, a silent question passing between them of whether to address the reporters or not. With the barrier of a closed gate, Hermione felt more at ease and she drew herself up, eyeing the reporters. They fell silent almost instantly, hoping for a statement from the Gryffindor Princess.
"Draco and I would prefer it if you stuck to the facts." She started, cutting to the chase, "For the past almost six months, Draco has been living in the muggle world without the use of magic. He contacted me, knowing my heritage, to ask for my help acclimatising to his current situation. I have been corresponding with him ever since, and we have become friends."
At that, more questions erupted.
"How can you befriend him when he tormented you your whole life?" a female reporter asked.
"I believe that forgiveness is essential to the rebuilding of the Wizarding World. Draco and I have been through a lot, and neither of us will forget our history, but we will move past it and we will learn to forgive each other and ourselves. I think that's the most important message to take from this. We need to learn to forgive." Hermione responded.
"What does Ronald Weasley think of your relationship with the Malfoy heir?" one reporter shouted. Hermione and Ron's breakup had been spread across page one for a week on every single magical newspaper that she'd read. She was sure Ron had leaked it himself, knowing how much he revelled in the attention that fame got him.
"Ron and I have not had any contact since our unfortunate split. I hope that he is currently doing well, and that he will also support this movement for forgiveness in our world." Hermione stated shortly.
"What about the rumours that you and Harry Potter have been secretly dating behind his back?" a familiar voice asked. She turned to see Rita Skeeter standing with her quick quotes quill jotting down every second word.
"I can comment on that." Harry's voice rang out from behind her. He was standing in her doorway in jeans and a grey t-shirt that she swore he'd owned since fifth year. The crowd fell silent for a moment and Draco's eyes almost bugged out of his head, but besides that he kept his composure. Harry walked down the small pathway to stand on Hermione's other side.
"Hermione is my best friend. We have grown up together and fought a war together. Nothing brings you closer than a war. However, our relationship is strictly platonic. She is my sister, my family. If our secretive meetings are cause for speculation, I can assure you that it has been purely due to a current lack of privacy surrounding us." Harry levelled his stare at Skeeter and slung an arm around Hermione's shoulders.
"And what about her current dalliance with Draco Malfoy?" Skeeter continued.
"I am incredibly supportive of everything that Hermione does. She has told me about her meetings with Malfoy and I am truly glad that they have been able to reach out to each other and find friendship within this strained time in our world. I want to reiterate Hermione's message of forgiveness. It will make this whole process of rebuilding much easier. We don't need to cause more chaos and perpetuate hatred in this world." Harry concluded with a tone of finality. The reporters knew they weren't getting anything else from the trio today – not that Draco had spoken at all. He supposed this was the life of a celebrity. With a few final photographs, the reporters slowly dispersed and the three moved inside Hermione's house.
"I'm impressed with how much your speech-giving has improved, Harry." Hermione smiled as she gave her friend a hug.
"Years of listening to your lectures had to pay off somehow." Harry winked at her.
He turned his attention to Draco, who was standing awkwardly just inside the front door, "Malfoy, I'm not going to pretend that we're suddenly friends, because our history is complicated and I don't fully trust you yet. However, I told Hermione the first time she told me about you that I would make an effort." Harry stuck out his hand much like he had at Draco's trial. Draco stepped forward and accepted it, "I want to apologise for almost killing you in sixth year."
Draco was a little shocked. He fully accepted that he deserved the sectumsempra that Harry had cast that day and had already come to terms with how bleak his life had been at that point. He looked at Hermione who just nodded with a small smile on her face in encouragement.
"Potter, I deserved it. You were right to have been suspicious of me, and because of me your mentor died that year. I'm the one who should be apologising, for everything that I put you through." Draco felt a strange sense of déjà vu, repeating the words he spoke to Hermione months ago.
"I forgive you… mate." Harry tacked on and released the handshake, "And it's not your fault that Voldemort wanted Dumbledore dead. It would've happened one way or another."
"You didn't deserve it, Draco." Hermione added, "You didn't deserve to feel that pain. You didn't deserve to die. Harry can attest to this, but I laid into him after that incident. I wouldn't speak to him for weeks."
"Already had my best interests at heart, even then, Hermione." Draco winked at her and she blushed.
The three tenuous friends made their way further into the house, with Hermione showing Draco around, finally leading him into the kitchen where Harry was making tea.
Over tea and whatever biscuits Hermione had in her cupboard, Draco showed Harry the PlayStation, which Harry was already familiar with, and they set it up in Hermione's living room to test out. The rest of the evening was spent with the three of them playing through the various games that Draco had bought. Hermione made dinner, sitting out for a two-player game, and was content when she watched the two boys. Their walls were coming down around each other. They were bonding. She was happy.
When they finally packed up, Harry flicked his wand absentmindedly to get the dishes to wash themselves. Draco blanched, pain flitting across his eyes for a moment.
"I haven't really been talking with Ron or Ginny lately. I've been helping George out a lot with the shop and renovating Grimmauld Place has been taking up a lot of my time. Molly's been teaching me some of the household charms to help me out." Harry explained at Hermione's look, although he had misread it.
"That's great, Harry, really." Hermione stated as she moved to the sink to stop the dishes from cleaning themselves.
Harry instantly knew his mistake, "Oh shit." He stated, "I'm so sorry, Malfoy. It's become so second-nature to me, living at the Burrow."
"It's fine, Potter. No harm done." Draco responded, although he felt his veins flutter with the magic he had been denied. He was no longer bitter when he thought of magic being used freely, but it still hurt to see it, no matter how mundane the task. Hermione had been incredibly considerate of his situation, never once using magic, not even apparating to his house.
"Well it's been nice to finally meet you, Malfoy, the you that Hermione's been talking about for the last few months." Harry smiled at him and turned to hug Hermione, "'Mione, it's always good to see you. I'll come over again tomorrow. Maybe Malfoy should come too. I'm sure we'll all have a lot to discuss once the papers have printed our story."
With a wave and a final goodbye, Harry walked out the back door and into Hermione's garden, apparating away with a familiar pop.
Draco felt the magic coursing through his veins more strongly now. A panicked look crossed his face.
"What's wrong, Draco?" Hermione asked worriedly. She hoped it wasn't about Harry. She thought they were getting along well.
"I think, after being without magic for so long, Potter's magic started something back up inside me." Draco couldn't explain it. He felt like he had before he started Hogwarts. "It's as if I don't have any control over my magic again. I feel like a child."
"I'm so sorry, Draco." Hermione was even more worried now. If Draco started using magic, even accidentally, she was sure that the Ministry would revoke his sentencing. Hermione thought back to all the books that she read when she was younger, just starting out. An idea came to her mind and she raced from the room with Draco in tow. They arrived at her library.
"What are you looking for, Hermione?" Draco asked, his fingers tingling with the sensation of magic, he missed this, but he was scared.
"The very first book that Professor McGonagall ever gave to me." Hermione pulled a tome from the shelf. It was well worn and incredibly old. "McGonagall came to my house to give me my acceptance letter personally. She had spoken to my parents about what was happening, what I believe was standard practice with muggleborns like me. Once she found out about my love of reading, she gave me this book on how to control your magic without a wand."
Hermione scanned the contents page and flipped the book open to a chapter in the centre. Draco watched her brown eyes dart across the page like lightning, her hair falling in curtains around her face as she frantically searched for whatever she was looking for. She knew that the wand was used to channel the magic, but she hadn't read this text in a long time and was trying to find the passage on other forms of magical release.
Hermione's face brightened instantly when she found the passage, her index finger tracing over the words as she all but threw down the text on a nearby couch and raced from the room, calling behind her to warn Draco not to follow her. Draco frowned, unsure why, but he trusted this witch and he sat on the couch, trying to will his magic back inside of him.
Hermione tore into the hallway, kicking up the rug that hid a trapdoor leading into her basement. It only allowed her magical signature to pass the invisible barrier that she had up, and she kept all her potions ingredients, charms, and other magical items down here. She didn't want Draco to follow her in case he was exposed to too much magic. She felt so stupid, bringing him here was probably a bad idea to begin with, she had wards set up around the place. Hermione tore open a set of drawers, rifling through a bunch of crystals to find the correct one. She eventually found it and gingerly took it, racing back to where Draco was still waiting for her, sparks of energy crackling at his fingertips.
"Take this!" Hermione thrust the crystal into his hands and waited, hoping everything would be alright.
Draco let out a long breath that he hadn't realised he was holding. He felt the magic inside him still coursing around his body, but in a subdued way, as if his body had accepted it back into its system.
"What is this?" He asked after a moment, studying the crystal. He didn't recognise it.
"Green fluorite." Hermione responded shakily. Draco patted the seat to his right. "It helps to stabilise chaotic energy. If there are two warring energies inside, it helps to equalise and temper them so they can coexist. It was the first thing I could think of that might help."
"Well it definitely helped." Draco sighed, "Hermione, I don't know what I'd do without you."
Draco kept a firm hold of the crystal in his left hand and gingerly placed his right arm around the trembling girl beside him. Her adrenaline was high and she was on the verge of tears. He pulled her into his body, feeling her relax. He dropped his face into her hair, breathing in her scent, revelling in this moment. This wasn't what Draco expected. He felt protective of Hermione. He trusted her like his life depended on it, and it very well did in most cases. This moment he felt something inside of him stirring, and it wasn't his magic anymore. Maybe he had been denying himself emotion more than he had realised through school. Hermione sat back up and Draco studied her with fresh eyes. Her wild hair had tamed slightly over time, falling in somewhat frizzy curls around her face. Her brown eyes were wide as saucers, glistening with unshed tears and rimmed in red, but he could tell that her emotions would always be seen in these portals to her heart. She blushed as she watched him study her features. She hated being scrutinized, but this didn't feel as bad as normal. Their eyes connected and for the first time, Hermione saw his silver orbs as warm and loving.
Hermione pulled out her wand, breaking the moment. "Can I try something?" She asked quietly. Draco only nodded. He trusted her. She waved her wand over the natural crystal and watched as it slowly changed shape in Draco's hand. A small, green, smooth oval appeared, to which Hermione continued her spellwork. Silver threads wrapped their way around the stone, solidifying in a tangled cage. Finally, Hermione stood and moved to a drawer, retrieving a black ribbon she used for tying her hair or as a bookmark, and threaded it into the silver cage.
"This crystal will work best if you keep it over your heart." Hermione explained as she lengthened the ribbon. She looked at Draco, asking silent permission before she leaned over him, tying the ribbon around his neck.
Draco couldn't breathe. She was leaning over him, her breath steady in his ear, curls tickling his face, and her small frame hovering just above him. She was perfection. She was everything that was good in this world. Draco didn't deserve her. He thought back to the times in school when he had verbally abused her. She was breathtaking, an absolute firecracker. And her mind was brilliant. There was never a time where he wanted to hurt her. He had always admired her. It was his father's actions and the voice of a coward, every racial slur he hurled at her. He was mortified. How hadn't he seen this before.
Hermione had finished and stepped back, watching Draco come to terms with something. He looked so vulnerable right then, she climbed back up on the couch and placed his arm around her again, pressing her ear to his chest and listening to his heartbeat.
"I'm scared, Hermione." Draco whispered into her hair. Hermione didn't respond, only hugged tighter, "I can't lose you."