A/N: As promised, here is the next chapter! Enjoy!
Chapter 14: Everyone Lies
After showering, Shyla met her mum down in the dungeons for their meeting with Professor Malfoy.
"You were amazing, Shy!" Hermione said, wrapping Shyla in a hug. "I am so proud of you!"
"Thanks, Mum! It still all feels like a dream!" Shyla laughed, pulling her wet hair back into a ponytail.
Hermione grinned before recalling her daughter's injury, "How's your arm? Is it okay?"
Shyla nodded and shrugged casually. "Yeah, it's no big deal. You'd be happy to hear that Professor Malfoy requires the hospital wing to sign off any potential injuries. I'll go in tomorrow and get a note so I can start riding my broom again."
Hermione was honestly surprised by the news. She had several memories of Harry flying when he probably shouldn't have been. "Good. I would have to speak a word with him otherwise!" She winked at her daughter.
"Look, Mum." Shyla started, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called that boy the- you know, the m-word."
Hermione sighed, "I'm really not the one you should be apologizing to. Yes, you did hurt me when I heard you use such a horrible word. But imagine how he feels. He's probably already having a hard time adjusting to being a wizard. He really doesn't need hatred added to it. You haven't forgotten that I am also a muggle-born, have you?"
Shyla shook her head sadly, "No. I honestly don't know why I said it. I'm really really sorry, Mum. I promise, I will apologize to Toby, and I'll never say anything like that. Ever."
"You're a good kid, Shy." Hermione replied, wrapping her young daughter in a hug. "That's why I was so upset."
They stood together, keeping their discussion off of fathers, dates, and houses. It wasn't even five minutes before Draco Malfoy opened his door, bidding a set of parents goodbye. He turned his attention to the Granger girls and invited them in. Shyla and Hermione sat in tall backed chairs across from Malfoy's desk. "Honestly, nice job at the match today, Shyla. Payton made a good call letting you play."
Shyla grinned, "Thanks, Professor!" She enjoyed being praised in front of her mum.
Hermione on the other hand, cut directly to the reason for the meeting, "How is she academically? Keeping up with her courses?"
Malfoy nodded, "Typical Granger. But yes, Shyla is doing well. The beginning of the term was a bit of a rough start. It appears that Quidditch has been a really good outlet for her. She is under the same rules as the other players. As long as she is keeping up in her course load, and maintaining her scores, she will play. But if they begin to slip, we'll reevaluate, and she may be pulled from the team. Just because she is a first year, it does not mean that we will give her special treatment." He emphasized the phrase first year, giving Hermione a knowing look.
Hermione felt her chest tighten in annoyance, "Harry didn't need special treatment."
Malfoy locked his grey eyes with her brown ones. "Seeing as Shyla is the smartest in her social group, I don't foresee her having anyone to do her homework for her." He let out a light smirk as he finished his sentence, knowing it would rile up the woman sitting across from him.
"Eva's smart." Shyla burst out, not understanding what the adults were referring to.
Malfoy bit his tongue and turned to the young girl, "Yes, Evangeline can be smart, when she wants to be. But I noticed that you said nothing of Miss Devode." He teased.
Shyla let out a short laugh, "We are speaking about Keelee right? She's my friend, but she would rather be pretty than smart."
Hermione was immediately reminded of Lavender Brown. The girl had driven her insane since first year. But for some reason, they were friends. At least until Lavender started snogging Ron. It was strange being back in the walls of Hogwarts. Memories were breaking the barrier that she had worked so hard to build.
Malfoy laughed, "As long as she passes, I can't ask much." He stood, signaling the end of their conference, "Anyways, Shyla, keep up the good work. Let me know if there's anything you need. I will likely see you both at dinner."
Shyla waved goodbye to her professor, and grabbed her mum's hand, dragging her out of the dungeons. "I told Eva and Keelee that I would meet them after the game! You should meet my friends!"
The mother and daughter pair made their way to the Great Lake, where parents and students were relaxing on the grounds, and enjoying the nice weather.
"Shy!" Keelee squealed. She ran to her friend and hugged her. "Merlin, you did amazing! All of Slytherin is going crazy!"
"Thanks! Keelee, this is my mum! Mum, this is Keelee!" Shyla quickly introduced, she continued at a pace that did not allow Hermione to respond. "Where's Eva?"
"This way." Keelee linked arms with Shyla. "You look like your mum."
The girls made their way across the green grass, towards the clear blue lake. Shyla was glad the stench from making the Lake Monster ill had gone away. For weeks, students avoided the entire area like the plague. "Malfoy!" Shyla called, catching the small blonde's attention. "Is this not like, the best day ever?"
Eva turned, and smiled softly, "Granger! You were so great today! Max was totally asking about you, earlier."
It took Hermione by surprise to hear the girls talking in such a friendly way. She knew that Shyla had made friends with Eva, Draco's daughter, but it never crossed her mind of the nearly parallel universe that was commencing in front of her.
"I am Eva's mother, Talia Malfoy. You must be Shyla's mum?" A tall woman with dark blonde hair introduced herself.
Hermione smiled politely, "Yes. Hermione Granger. It is nice to meet you." She reached out her hand, but awkwardly pulled it back when Talia appeared to ignore the gesture. "So, how did you and Draco meet?" She attempted, trying to make some form of conversation.
"Unfortunate circumstances." Talia scoffed, lighting up a cigarette.
Hermione hid her cough from the smell of the smoke. "Oh." She glanced around before trying another direction, "I am glad that Shyla has made such a good friend, as Eva has been to her. You must be proud of Eva, getting into Slytherin."
Talia laughed lightly, "My dear, you don't remember me at all, do you?"
Hermione felt her face flush red, "I'm sorry, no."
"My maiden name is Sprout. I was sorted into Hufflepuff, and I was the same year as you, Draco, Weasley, and Potter." Talia replied, lacking emotion this time.
"And here I was, thinking I had an excellent memory!" Hermione laughed, trying to play it off.
Talia rolled her eyes, "I know you're the last of the Golden Trio and all, but stay away from my husband."
Hermione felt her jaw drop at the accusation, "Where did that come from?" She nearly demanded.
"I may have been a Hufflepuff, but I'm not completely daft." Talia flicked the cigarette, causing it to disappear. "I saw you sitting with Draco at the match. I saw the way he looked at you."
Hermione felt her temper rising, "Looked at me how? With sheer annoyance? He invited me to sit in the Professor's section, so I wouldn't have to sit with students. Then annoyed me the entire time, while I sat with the man I am dating, Viktor Krum. I don't know where you get off accusing-"
"For a bookworm, you are extremely dim." Talia laughed, enjoying the rise she was getting.
"Well, you have certainly filled the Malfoy name well." Hermione spat, storming away. She made her way to where she saw Tonks and Lupin, sitting together. "The nerve of that woman!" Hermione fumed.
"Who?" Tonks asked, glancing around.
"Malfoy's wife!" Hermione said, as if the words were pure venom. "She told me to stay away from her husband, as if I was trying to step on her territory."
Lupin smiled cautiously. "We saw you hug him."
Hermione began to pace back and forth, "I don't even know what came over me. I was excited, and hugged the person closest to me. I could have easily turned towards Viktor."
Tonks laughed, watching Hermione get riled up, "Mione, you don't have to explain it to me. I imagine you're going to have to sit with them at dinner. Try to play nice."
Tonks was right. Shyla insisted on sitting with Eva and Keelee, leaving Hermione sitting across from Draco and his wife. She had hoped that Viktor would come sit with her, but he was honored with a position at the Professor's table for the evening.
Attempting to make conversation, and to avoid the glare of Talia, Hermione turned to Keelee, "So, where are your parents tonight?"
Keelee sighed softly, "They're in Paris, on a personal trip. They so badly wanted to be here, but I insisted they don't change their plans. I miss the days when I could go to Paris with them."
"That's a shame. I hope to meet them sometime." Hermione smiled.
"How's work in the Office of Misinformation?" Draco asked Hermione before taking a bite of his roll.
"Slow right now. But I imagine we can all agree that is a good thing." Hermione replied, laughing gently. She eyed Talia carefully, respecting the boundaries that the other woman had set.
Draco let out a short laugh in agreement. "Merlin knows, you negotiating with the Prime Minister sounds like a horrible idea."
"Why?" Hermione demanded. "Please, Malfoy, enlighten us."
"Alright, Granger. If it's anything like your days of spew, you'll scare the Prime Minister half to death." Draco teased.
Hermione had lost all thought of respecting Talia and glared directly at Draco, "Oh, really? You think that my supporting of House-Elf rights was scary? Besides! How did you even know about S.P.E.W.?" She asked, pronouncing each letter clearly.
"Mum, did you seriously call it spew?" Shyla interrupted.
Hermione abandoned her food, "I didn't call it spew. It was Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. S.P.E.W."
"It obviously spells spew! And besides, that is exactly my point! You flitted around the castle promoting it. It was impossible to ignore you one-hundred percent of the time!" Draco pointed out.
"I did not flit!" Hermione was nearly yelling at this point. She was glad that the Great Hall was extremely noisy with the extra people in it tonight.
Draco locked eyes with Hermione, grey on honey. He lowered his voice, "Oh, you flitted, alright. Your head was always in a book."
"I'm bored, I'm going home." Talia announced, standing up.
"Yeah, see ya." Draco said quickly, not removing his eyes from Hermione.
"No!" Eva suddenly protested, "Mum, you can't leave yet! Dinner's not even over!"
"Look, Eva, I'm tired, and your father is acting like he's fifteen. I have better things to do with my time."
"I am not acting like I am fifteen! It's obvious Evangeline wants you to stay. So stay." Draco grumbled, finally breaking away from Hermione's glare.
Talia rolled her eyes and sighed, "Honestly, Draco, you are the only one who calls her Evangeline."
"And that's her name." Draco said back with just as much annoyance in his voice.
"Mum, I don't mind, really." Eva frowned. "Please, can't you just stay a bit longer. Desert should be soon."
Talia looked at her daughter coldly, "No. I told you, I am leaving. I will see you on Winter Holiday."
"Mum!" Eva protested as her mother walked away from the table, and out of the Great Hall. She pushed her plate away, "I'm not hungry anymore. I'm going to bed. Goodnight, father. It was nice to meet you Miss Granger."
Keelee and Shyla gave each other a concerned look. Shyla turned to her mum and sighed, "Mum, I'm going to follow Eva. Is that okay?"
Hermione nodded, "Of course." She stood and gave her daughter a large hug. "Please be nice to the other students. I am truly proud of your ability at Quidditch today. I love you, and I'll see you in a few months."
"Love you too, Mum." Shyla responded. "Goodnight, Professor." She and Keelee left the hall quickly, hoping to catch up with Eva.
Hermione sat down and sighed. "We're not kids anymore, are we?" She nearly laughed.
Draco shook his head, "I suppose not."
She smiled awkwardly, "I should go too."
"Do you want to talk, just the two of us?" Draco propositioned.
Hermione looked at him with confusion.
"Just for a little bit." Draco insisted.
"I- I don't know if that's a good idea." Hermione felt her heart racing, and her head was light.
"Only to talk. Merlin, Granger." Draco smirked. "Come on." He stood and led the way out of the Great Hall. Hermione was not even sure why she followed him. He led her out of the castle, and towards the boat house. The sun had set, and the grounds were illuminated by the moon and stars. At the dock, they both sat, their feet dangling over the water. It reflected back the night sky, making it appear to go on forever.
They sat in silence before Draco finally broke it, "Look, I don't know what came over me. I see you, and I automatically revert back to being a kid. You're just so easy to tease." He smiled in the darkness.
"I don't even know why I let your teasing get to me." Hermione laughed, "I'm twenty-nine. You would think by now, I would have gotten over it."
"You were eighteen when you had Shyla." Draco stated as a matter of fact.
"Oh, you can do math. Good for you." Hermione teased.
"I guess I was eighteen by the time I married Talia, and Evangeline was born." He sighed. "I really hope Evangeline waits to settle down. I do not want to be a grandfather at thirty-six."
Hermione shuddered at the thought, "I think the war really messed us all up. Don't get me wrong, I love my daughter, but I did not plan on being a single mother at eighteen."
"Yet, you managed to successfully raise a daughter, and work in one of the most impressive offices at the Ministry." He said with admiration.
"Did I?" Hermione whispered. "Draco, she called a boy a- a mudblood, today."
Draco gazed off over the water and sighed.
"I thought we were past all of that." She found a tear had slipped down her cheek. She quickly brushed it away, hoping the man beside her didn't see.
"As long as blood supremacy families exist, things like that will happen." Draco tried to explain, "Shyla is a good kid. She is just trying to find her place at Hogwarts. Now that she's led Slytherin to winning their first match, it will probably calm down. She's now known for something, other than being your daughter." He turned to her and smiled softly. He noticed the glistening of her eyes. "Hermione..."
"It's nothing, really." She laughed, "Honestly, what is wrong with us? I think I really upset your wife tonight. I'm sorry."
Draco scoffed, "I doubt it. She probably just didn't want to be there anymore."
"Oh, she definitely told me to stay away from you. Which, apparently I am ignoring." Hermione sighed, swinging her feet gently over the water.
Draco rolled his eyes, "She's intimidated by you."
Hermione snapped her head to Draco, her curls bouncing from the movement, "What? Why?"
"I told her about you." Draco grinned in the dark. "About our time during the war."
"What did you tell her?" She gasped.
"Enough to get to her, evidently. It's been ten years, though. Apparently it really got to her." Draco smirked at Hermione.
They sat in silence together, before Draco began, "Look, Hermione. There's no point in denying it. Even now, I regret nothing about the time we spent together."
"Draco-" Hermione interrupted.
"No. I'm not done yet. The war should have been nothing but horrors. But it wasn't." He said with confidence in his voice. "I just thought you should know."
Hermione smiled gently, "Thank you." Her stomach flipped as she felt the edge of Draco's hand brush against hers. She smiled as their pinkies entwined, just as they did when they were young, and keeping their relationship a secret. "I don't regret it either."
It was hard to not imagine them back in the woods, only seventeen years old, preparing for a war that would destroy them.
"I still have nightmares." Hermione suddenly confessed.
"Me too." Draco nodded sadly, "There's a three month period directly after the war that I don't remember. I don't know if it's a form of PTSD, but it's gone."
Hermione stared at him in shock, "Draco- I-"
"Don't worry about me. Yeah, I wish I knew where it went, but that's how I ended up with Evangeline. So, I guess I really can't complain." Draco shrugged.
"I didn't know." Hermione whispered. She instinctively adjusted her hand to hold his in hers. Even if it was merely temporary, she liked sitting there with him,
He sighed and looked at her, his grey eyes strong, despite the emotions. "How would you?" He edged closer to her, draping his arm around her.
Hermione sighed and let her head rest against his chest. After nearly twelve years, it still felt so natural. Draco began to lightly caress her shoulder, resting his chin on her head. His arms felt so reassuring, causing Hermione's heart to flutter lightly. She traced small circles on his knee, trying to steady her breath.
"Nervous, Granger?" Draco teased.
"Of what?" Hermione scoffed.
"You tell me." He laughed lightly.
She could still remember the first time she heard his laugh. A real laugh, not one that he had let slip when he and his cronies were torturing someone. The pure sound of it had caught her off-guard.
Harry was on watch, and it was her turn to do the nightly dishes. She was watching Draco read by candle light, and wasn't paying attention to how much bubbles she had produced with her wand. It was too late when Hermione realized that there were bubbles spilling onto the floor of the dimly lit tent. "Oh no!" She cried out, trying to scoop them up with her arms. That was when the sound of his laughter had hit her. It had only been a few days since he had joined their cause, but Hermione had already begun to notice him. The small things, like how he ran his fingers through his hair when he was in deep thought, or how he would turn scraps of paper into origami shaped as different creatures.
"I'm sorry." He managed through his fit of laughter. "I don't know what came over me."
Hermione smiled at the thought of his laughter, so innocent sounding. She had laughed with him that night. It was strange, laughing in such scary times, but it made her happy. He made her happy. Suddenly, she began to giggle aloud.
"What's so funny?" Draco asked releasing his hold on her.
"Memories." She whispered, "Wonderful memories."
Draco locked his eyes on hers, smiling softly at the woman in front of him. The silence made the fall air thick.
Hermione stood suddenly and began to run up the dock. "I'm sorry, I have to go!"
"Granger!" Draco called, sighing in defeat.
"Eva?" Shyla said softly, sitting down on her friend's bed. "Are you okay?"
Eva rolled onto her back and sighed, staring up at the ceiling, "You want to know what the worst part of all of this is? My mum is seeing another man."
Shyla frowned and laid next to Eva on one side, while Keelee took the other. "Does your dad know?"
"I think so. He doesn't seem to care either way." Eva explained softly.
"I lied." Keelee suddenly confessed. "My parents aren't in Paris."
Shyla propped herself up on her elbow, "What do you mean?"
"They just didn't want to come. Sent me an owl yesterday saying it just wasn't their idea of a good time."
"Why'd you lie?" Eva asked.
"It's kind of embarrassing, having parents that don't want you." Keelee laughed.
"Our families are so messed up!" Shyla exclaimed, "Eva's parents hate each other, Keelee's ignore her, and my mother is so ashamed of who my father is, that she insisted on lying for eleven years and counting!"
The girls couldn't help but laugh together, and they weren't exactly sure why.
A/N: So there it is! I LOVED writing this chapter! So I hope you enjoyed reading it just as much. I will be away from my computer for most of the next week or so. But I always read every review and pm, and I appreciate all of my readers! See you all soon!
~PurplePygmypuff