A/N: I'm sorry that my update is so late! Life has gotten in the way, so let's just say that my updates will be sporadically but I won't be abandoning this story. I love it too much for that.

I think perhaps there wasn't sent mails out about my last update, so please make sure you've read chapter 17 before embarking on this one.

I hope you've all had a fantastic holiday and got some amazing presents. I've gotten the two MinaLina illustrated editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and the Camber of Secrets and I love them. It's almost like reading them again for the first time.

Anyway, here's the next chapter. I struggled with it because my hands went almost automatic and wrote something quite fantastical mostly on their own volition but it didn't fit into the story at all, or at least not at this point. Maybe I'll try working it in later, you never know.

Enjoy!

HBSJ

Chapter 18

Two weeks had gone by.

Two weeks of nothing.

Their training had been conducted in rigid silence, only interrupted by the occasional barked order from Draco. Ginny had been caught up and the training was joint between them now but the days seemed to drag.

Every time she looked at him, so implacable and handsome on his pony, her chest ached a little.

She had to admit to herself that she had probably made a mistake booting him from her flat without at least listening to what he had to say. Because he had been about to say something and she had interrupted him every time, refusing to hear whatever he wanted to tell her.

She wanted to speak with him but he was utterly unmovable. Every break he spent away from her and Ginny, doing work in the stables and even having his lunch back at the manor. He gave her no opportunity to apologize or even to speak with him about anything other than the training.

They had progressed to training together, Ginny and Hermione had to play opposite one another, trying to get the ball and get it to the goal. Draco shouted instructions at them at regular intervals but other than that, he seemed supremely bored with both them and the task of instructing them.

He felt removed from everything. Hermione wondered if it was a defence mechanism that made him act so aloof but he was sealed off from her, she couldn't get through to him by trying to speak with him.

But then again, she wasn't trying very hard, she was still upset about everything that happened that disastrous weekend.

Hermione was reeling over the way her social media accounts had been unceremoniously attacked by people from all over the world. She seemed to be an easy target for the trolls of the online world and they gave her no quarter, calling her the most vile things imaginable. They had made her out to be the reason for the estrangement between Tom and his wife. If that wasn't rubbish, she didn't know what was.

Especially since all she could really think about was Draco.

Only once during their many hours on horseback had he reacted with any sort of humanity and that was when she'd fallen from her pony. He'd raced to her and quickly jumped down and asked her if she was all right and she had said yes and that was it. But she thought she might've seen something in his eyes, something that wasn't only politeness, hardness and flint.

Of course, it didn't help his surly disposition that every day something new arrived for Hermione from Tom Riddle. A gift, flowers, chocolate, mints, treats for the ponies and so on, each accompanied by a romantic little note. Hermione had to admit that he really tried. And it would have been flattering… If he was single. But the contradiction in Tom sending her these gifts and notes to a woman living on his wife's cousin's property was somewhat pronounced.

She didn't want all these things. Usually she gave them to the stable hands and got right back on her pony but every time, she saw Draco's jaw clench and anger flaring in those quicksilver eyes. And then he just rode off with his back ramrod straight.

Relief came in the surprising form of Daphne Greengrass one sunny Thursday afternoon at the Dowager House. Pansy, Daphne and Astoria had come by to see how they were doing and to check in on Hermione after her fall from the pony two days earlier.

After assuring them that she was fine, Daphne said, "This place is growing rather morose for my taste. Too many people are upset about one thing or another. I think an outing is needed. My father has a box at Epsom next week, I say we make it a ladies excursion." She smiled at Luna. "And you're very welcome too Luna."

Luna smiled, obviously pleased to have been included. "Thank you my lady, but I don't think it will be proper. I am a servant after all."

Daphne waved her hand dismissively with a fond smile. "Oh nonsense Luna, you're our friend."

On more occasions than she could count, Daphne and Astoria was to be found at the Dowager House when they returned from training, chatting animatedly with Luna. It had begun on a walk around the park where they'd met Luna as she was picking berries for the dessert that evening and soon enough they'd picked more than three pounds and were cheerily busy making at least four different desserts for that evening.

In Daphne's mind they were all going and that was that.

Pansy smirked. "It's a four hour drive, perhaps we need a helicopter for this trip to avoid another droll bus trip."

Daphne was already nodding eagerly. "Yes! We definitely need that, I love riding in helicopters." She looked around at Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Astoria and Pansy expectantly. "Does anybody here have one by any chance?"

Pansy scoffed with a slight grin. "Who the hell has a helicopter Daph?" This elicited giggles around the room.

Daphne shrugged elegantly and grinned around at them all. "Well that settles it, we'll just rent one big enough for all of us!"

This elicited giggles, claps and hoots from every woman assembled in the kitchen and Daphne and Pansy went into a flurry of plans, phones out, googling and calling for cars and a helicopter for them all.

Hermione sat back, watching the women around her. It was a motley crew to be sure but it worked perfectly between them. It couldn't have been more obvious to Hermione that Pansy disdained Ginny completely but still, they found common ground in their love of fashion, having discovered that they both adored some of the same designers. Though it was obvious that Pansy actually wore the clothes and that Ginny had to settle for admiring from afar.

Astoria seemed somewhat apart from the rest of them, being the younger sister of Daphne and more quiet than the rest of them. She had been surprised to find that Astoria and Ginny enjoying each other's company because the two could not have been more different. But they were about the same age and Ginny's brashness worked well to counterbalance Astoria's shyness. They seemed to make each other all the better for it.

As usual Hermione was the odd one out.

It had always been like that with other women. She had always felt apart from other women, like she didn't really belong. At home she had never had any female friends other than Ginny, all the rest of them were boys as they'd grown up.

It wasn't that she felt alone as such. But sometimes she did feel lonely.

And now, looking around at the animated conversations taking place around her, she felt out of place again.

Usually she didn't mind. In fact, it was a place in which she often thrived. But she wouldn't stop the wave of sadness sweeping through her as she watched the women interact so naturally with each other.

"Hermione?"

A calm quiet voice interrupted her gloomy thoughts and she turned to see Luna watching her with that piercing expression of hers. "Hi Luna."

"You seem tired Hermione, has it been a tough day today?"

Something flickered within her, as if Luna was trying to say something specific to her but she was at a loss as to what. "It was fine Luna."

"That's good." She seemed distracted for some reason but Hermione must've been imagining things because Luna was looking straight at her. "I've drawn you a bath, perhaps you need some rest?"

Hermione gave up trying to figure out the double meaning of what Luna was saying, so she stood up instead. "Thank you Luna, I'll enjoy that."

"And perhaps you should ring your brother. He might enjoy visiting you soon."

Hermione was puzzled as to the suggestion but she missed Will, so of course she rang him.

It turned out that Draco's thoughts were treacherous bastards, the lot of them.

Most of them, spurred on by Harry, he was sure of it, were going round in circles and they concentrated specifically on what to do about Hermione. And Cho.

He knew he was in the wrong. When it came to Hermione he was usually in the wrong and it grated on him. He wasn't some young boy right out of school, he was nearing thirty for fucks sake!

Perhaps he just shouldn't be involved with anyone at the moment.

He hadn't spoken with Cho in weeks and he loathed every text and call from her and there were many. But even then he hadn't gotten round to ending things with her, because he still ought to speak to his parents about the possible fall-out of that choice. But he knew her patience was wearing out, she was only holding back because she truly wanted the power that came with being the Duchess of Devon.

He also loathed that he didn't get any texts or calls from Hermione. Which he should fucking stop checking his phone for every ten seconds.

Shite.

Harry had said his piece and true to his word, he hadn't brought it up since.

And Harry was right, he'd made a right mess of things and he wasn't so sure that he could fix it anymore. He usually wasn't someone to make rash decisions, the whole fiasco with Cho notwithstanding, and ordinarily it served him well. Well, it would have if he'd just thought this whole thing through first.

Hermione was ignoring him completely in their training except for the odd nod to indicate that she'd understood his instructions. And she was good. So effortlessly good at playing polo that sometimes he'd caught himself just watching her. Mesmerized by the way she moved on the pony, how natural it seemed to her. Her balance and her poise, he was completely captivated by this stubborn female. Which he definitely shouldn't be, he was her instructor for fucks sake.

Ginny Weasley on the other hand, was using every possible method of throwing herself at him. It should be funny but it was just fucking tragic. He had no interest in her and she came off as a desperate gold-digger.

But again, Harry was right about Ginny too. Draco was most certainly not acting as the courteous host that his parents had raised him to be. He should just be honest with her. Tell her that he wasn't interested and treat her as neutrally as he would with any other student.

That brought him back to his parents.

His mother and father still didn't know. He didn't like having to tell them just how royally he'd fucked everything up but he probably didn't have any other choice at this point.

He looked at the time. His mother would have gone out by now, to one of those posh charity functions that she always encouraged, doing good as she called it. But mostly it was smooching the right people, old money, old titles and new money with no titles who wanted an 'in' with people like his family.

He snorted. Half those committees she was on were just trying to dig into the pockets of his family in the name of doing good. The administrative costs on some of them were at least fifty percent of the money they raked in. He probably ought to talk to her about that, but the money that wasn't siphoned off did actually do some good out there in the world. Having his mother on board, got more money out of several of the other old families for whatever charity she chose.

Well, then his father perhaps.

He rang the bell and two minutes later, Hobson walked in with his usual imperious stance. "You rang my lord?"

He smiled. "I did. Where do you reckon my father is currently?"

Hobson blinked. "I'm sure I cannot say my lord. He does not appraise me of his schedule."

Draco was used to this from their butler, he was fiercely loyal and old school in the way he took care of them all. "Dear Hobson, he might not tell you but you always know."

Hobson cleared his throat imperiously. "Perhaps my lord."

Here Draco decided to stay quiet, awaiting. Pressing the old butler would never work, he'd learned that when he was very young. So he waited, looking at the family butler expectantly.

And it worked. After what felt like an age, Hobson spoke. "I believe the Duke is accompanied by friends to his club in London my lord. He will, by all estimates, be late this evening."

Draco smirked. He was home alone. Well, apart from his friends. "Thank you Hobson, you've been endlessly helpful."

The butler bowed solemnly and left his rooms.

He wasted no time at all because all he needed now was oblivion from all of those fucking thoughts.

He got up and opened the first bottle of whiskey in his cabinet. He'd make a bet with himself, perhaps he could down two bottles alone? He could definitely try.

But too soon after, his doors burst open. "Drake you absolute rotter! Why the fuck are you drinking alone?"

It was Blaise and Theo of course, come to ruin a perfectly miserable evening all to himself.

Neither of them asked his permission for anything. They each just grabbed a glass and plopped down on the sofas. And that was when they began the toasts.

"Here's to Drakes arse-whipped face!" They roared with laughter at his expense, the bastards.

"Here's to lots and lots of whiskey!" All of them grinned at that and downed their glasses.

"Here's to being fucking single! Oh wait, who are you seeing now Drake?" They laughed until they couldn't breathe. The fuckers.

"Anyway, here's to women riding astride!" They all clinked glassed to that one and the toasts continued well into the night.

They drank, they laughed and they were acting just as senseless as boys usually do when in groups.

"Here's to being fucking rich!" Theo was shouting and waving his arms wildly by that point. They were hours in and bottles deep in their cups and none of them could talk properly any longer.

"Here's to fucking us! We're fucking awesome!" This from a slurry Blaise and all three of them nodded happily but tiredly.

It was the last of the toasts that Draco heard just before dozing off right there on the large and comfy sofa.

Pansy and Daphne turned out to be quite terrifying and efficient as planners, so when Hermione entered the helicopter that following weekend to Epsom, she wasn't really surprised that they'd been able to pull all of this together in such a short period of time.

She'd also remembered to text her mum about them going to Epsom. Yet another event of the season down, she thought with satisfaction.

In the helicopter, the women were chattering happily away, all except for Hermione. She was looking out onto the grounds, wondering about so many things as usual. Her brain never really stopped whirring about something or other.

In the very far distance, she thought she could see Harry and Draco by the stables, watching them take off. But that was probably just a trick of the light.

Considering how long it would have taken to drive there, the flight was surprisingly short and they arrived to a stunning stretch limo that would take them the last distance to Epsom. Pansy was the last one in and started handing out champagne glasses immediately and they all toasted to a great day together.

Luna was especially excited, having never been to a racecourse before and Daphne had made sure that they got the über-VIP treatment. Direct access to the Greengrass box and there was a never-ending flow of champagne and hors d'oeuvres.

They made their bets wildly and enthusiastically and never even spared a thought to whether or not they would win, except for Luna. She poured over the program and the descriptions of the entered horses. Finally having given up, she decided to choose the one with the best name, which turned out to be Thestral.

And low and behold, she won. Having betted on one of the longer odds, she won a small fortune and they all celebrated her luck enthusiastically.

Every attempt at flirtation or socializing from the nearby boxes or people they met outside, was rebuffed immediately and even Hermione had to admit that it was a really good day when it was just them. She knew everybody here, some better than others but she felt comfortable around them. It made the outing during the Season a lot less painful than usual when her mum was trying to foist her on every available bachelor nearby.

She needed this kind of light-hearted fun sometimes. It didn't come naturally to neither her or her brother really and she found herself smiling and laughing for most of the day. Probably due to the champagne buzz they were all enjoying.

Hermione was trying to hide her grin at a story Ginny was telling about her brothers, when Pansy drew her aside and sat in the box seats.

"So, I'm sorry I guess." Pansy sounded irritated and Hermione was baffled as to what she was referring to.

"I'm… What? About what?"

Pansy rolled her eyes but her posture was stiff as if it was unnatural to her to apologize for anything. "I remember you from Aintree. I saw you at the bar before I spoke to my friends and I was uncouth. I'm sorry. I misjudged you."

"Oh. Thank you."

Pansy shrugged and looked away with pursed lips, towards the races. "Sure thing. Cheers." And she clinked their glasses and was gone before Hermione even had a chance to respond.

Hermione almost wanted to roll her eyes at her the stiff way Pansy had apologized but it was probably the best she would get, so she'd damn well take it.

Someone sidled into their box behind her but she ignored it, keeping her eyes on the race currently underway. All of them were looking determinately at the race now, cheering on if they'd bet on it, with Hermione sitting at the back enjoying her day immensely. Did she have a bet on this one? She couldn't remember any longer. They'd been at the champagne for hours.

"Miss Granger?" A quiet voice interrupted her inner musings and she turned.

Only to find Rita Skeeter seated right behind her inside Daphne's box. She blinked, shocked to see the reporter looking at her expectantly.

A thought flitted through Hermione's mind that she would have had to bribe an endless amount of people to get all the way up here.

She continued however, seemingly utterly undaunted at having snuck into the poshest area of Epsom with her notebook in hand. "Would you describe yourself as more of a slag or just a gold digger?"

"Pardon me?"

She didn't even catch her breath, she just kept on going. "Do you regularly consort with married men? And are you vying to become the future Duchess of Devon? A Marquess is a rather good catch after all, despite all the trappings."

"What? No!"

Her exclamation made the others in the box turn around but the woman was relentless. "How have your family and friends reacted to your affaire with Tom Riddle? Are they happy or angry at all?"

Pansy was the first to react. She stood and got right up into Skeeter's face with only three steps. "Get the fuck out." She hissed the order at Skeeter with malicious venom lacing her every word.

But Skeeter had obviously encountered something like it before. She merely pursed her lips. "Well excuse me. I was only having a lovely chat with miss Granger here." Skeeter gave her a meaningful look. "I'll see to it that we shall reschedule." Another threat. Then she stood with all the dignity of a queen, marred only by her vicious smirk at them all. "Please do excuse me."

Ginny rushed to her and gave her a fierce hug. "Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you just boot her bony arse straight away?" Daphne meanwhile, was ordering the others about and calling their driver and pilot with all of the precision of a general.

Pansy however marched right out of the box, directly towards the security at the entrance and the oaths she levelled at the head of security reverberated around the entire VIP-section in seconds.

Rita Skeeter was caught and escorted off the premises but that didn't even come close to satisfy Lady Pansy Parkinson and she was a woman on a mission. She looked every inch a Lady in her floaty floral jumpsuit but she was positively thrumming with rage at the lack of security at a high society event.

It was no understatement that the security guards were trembling before her wrath.

Instantly sober, Hermione was just trying to control her breathing. Skeeter had jumped her out of nowhere and she'd finally gotten that whole horrible thing with Tom pushed a bit further away. But no, she had to bring it up and basically call her a whore.

What a fucking mess.

Hermione didn't say a word, but all of them were grabbing their things and getting up to leave. They huddled around her protectively and Hermione had never been more grateful for her friends. They might not see eye to eye on so many things but they'd just saved her from a truly horrifying situation.

Pansy, with her nose high in the air and the apologetically director of the Epsom racecourse, who was carrying a bag and fussing about her, led the way to their limo. They all got in and Pansy, with dignity and rage obviously still fuelling her, she said to the director. "I trust you realize that this will be brought up in society circles. Do see to it that your security is better next year."

He watched her enter the limo and drive away with a gobsmacked expression.

Pansy smirked at them all. "Well, there's nothing as bad, that isn't good for something." And then she opened a bag on the floor of the limo. It was filled to the brim with champagne and spirits. "We'll be home soon, I'll call the boys, the party will continue in the Dowager House, right Granger?"

They were all looking at her. And she needed this. She needed to get piss-drunk and just feel free.

She grinned widely. "As the lady wishes."

A/N: So, what do you think?

HBSJ