Sunday, December 27, 1998
Without even opening her eyes, Hermione felt an immense sense of security, though she wasn't certain why until she felt Draco's arms tighten around her. Her eyes popped open, seeing the fireplace of the Common Room with the clock above it, on the mantel.
It was 5 o'clock in the morning and she realized that she and Draco had fallen asleep on the sofa the night before.
She lifted her head and looked at him. He was still sound asleep and looked rather adorable, making her smile.
As she began to get up, Draco awoke and looked up, meeting her eyes.
"I'm sorry." Hermione said quietly. "I didn't mean to wake you."
The wizard shook his head, "It's fine, Darling." he said, hoarsely as he sat up, rubbing his face. "I'm sorry about falling asleep last night."
"No, don't be. Honestly, I slept wonderfully. I just hope I didn't squash you the whole night."
He chuckled and stood up, "Darling, you weigh about four stone."
She rolled her eyes, before replying, "Absolutely not." She laughed, "I'll meet you back down here in a bit. I'm going to go take a shower."
He nodded and kissed her cheek before they each went up to their own dorms.
When Hermione stepped out of the shower, she heard a pecking sound coming from the window across from her bed. While wearing her bathrobe, she walked over to the window, and opened it, letting the bird, along with a rush of icy wind into the room.
The owl dropped the letter on her bed before landing on the perch beside the window, making it obvious that it didn't want to leave yet.
Hermione quickly shut the window and walked over to the bed. She sat down and picked the envelope up, seeing that it was from Ginny.
Inhaling deeply, she opened it and read the letter within.
Mione,
Blimey! You and Malfoy? That's certainly unexpected. While I might be completely and utterly shocked, you've got to know that I would NEVER try to change how you feel about him. You say he's a good bloke, and I believe you.
Do you want me to tell Harry and Ron about the two of you? Their reactions may be different than mine. Ron's, I'm quite certain, will be rather angry, and I'm sorry about that.
I do still want to meet up with you and Malfoy at The Three Broomsticks. Harry and I are getting a room, and so is Ron. The three of us will be there at about 6pm. Prepare yourselves for quite an evening.
Krum is fucking bloody prick. Obviously, I don't have all the details, but I don't need them to know that he is a plonker. I'm so sorry that you went through that. I could fucking throttle that bastard!
I love you, Mione, and I'm so glad that you and Malfoy are happy together. It's unexpected but you deserve joy and love.
I cannot wait to see you!
Love,
Gin
Hermione exhaled after she finished reading the letter. She felt such relief from Ginny's words.
Setting the letter on her bedside table, the brunette began to get dressed.
It was nearly 7 o'clock when she arrived down in the Common Room, finding Draco in his usual chair by the fireplace, reading that morning's Daily Prophet. He was freshly showered and wearing jeans and a Slytherin jumper.
Upon hearing her footsteps, he looked over and grinned, "You look lovely."
She smiled, "Thank you." she said as she walked over and sat near him, in her usual chair.
"Would you want to go ahead and go to breakfast?" She asked.
He nodded, closing the paper before saying, "Sure."
As they walked toward The Great Hall, he looked over at her and asked if everything was all right.
She nodded, "Yes. I received a response from Ginny this morning. She's happy for us and wants you to come to New Years Eve as well. My only concern is that she wants to know if she should tell Harry and Ron about us. I'm not sure if they should know now or if we should wait until that night to tell them." She replied with a sigh.
He nodded, sighing, "I'm not sure, Darling. That's your decision. You know them much better than I do."
She nodded as they entered The Great Hall. Together, they walked over to the Slytherin table and sat down beside each other.
As they ate their breakfast, a thought suddenly crossed Hermione's mind. She swallowed her last bite and looked over at Draco, licking her lips nervously.
Sensing her gaze, he turned and met her eyes, "Are you all right, Darling?" He asked, concerned.
"I was wondering…what will your friends think about us?" She asked.
Draco nodded, exhaling slowly, "Erm…well, I'm not sure. I'm writing each of them a letter today. So, I suppose we'll find out soon."
She nodded and asked him who the people that he planned to write to.
"Well…" Draco said, "just my four best friends. Theo, Daphne, Pansy, and Adrian."
Hermione bit her bottom lip and nodded, "I erm…I had heard that you were once in a relationship with Pansy Parkinson." she said, attempting to sound nonchalant.
Draco's face reddened with embarrassment, "Oh erm…that…well, she and I were never in an actual relationship. We only ever…"
Hermione quickly nodded, raising her hand to stop him, "I understand."
"I'm sorry." He said quickly, but Hermione just nodded, understanding that he and Pansy used to shag.
A few minutes later, after some awkward silence, she quietly asked, "Is it over with her?"
His head spun to look at her in shock, "Of course it's over. I'm with you, Hermione. Don't you know that?" He asked.
She blushed and nodded, "I do. I just…the thought of you with another person…" she shook her head.
He huffed, "Believe me, Darling. I understand. Leaving you with Krum that evening was dreadful."
"I'm sorry." She said, turning more toward him.
He nodded, "It's fine." He smiled.
When they finished their breakfast, the couple made their way back to the Common Room.
As they entered through the portrait, Draco pulled her close, "I'm sorry if I upset you, Darling."
She shook her head and leaned in, kissing his lips.
He smiled as they separated, "If you're all right with it, I'm going to go up to my dormitory and write those letters."
She nodded, "I'll stay down here."
He nodded and kissed her once more before going up to his dorm.
Hermione curled up in Draco's usual chair and grabbed the Daily Prophet and began to read it.
She read article after article, finding some rather interesting and some rubbish. When she flipped the page, begrudgingly finding the gossip section, she was shocked to see a photo of someone that she knew extremely well. She looked at the article beside it and began to read.
Charlie Weasley, the second eldest of the Weasley children, was spotted in Diagon on Boxing Day. His acquaintance, as seen in this photo, was an unknown bloke, whom we can only assume is a Wizard or Squib. They were spotted in a heated snogging session behind his younger brother's joke shop. While many of you may be shocked by this…
She couldn't continue reading the article. She was far beyond angry.
The brunette looked at the photo once more before standing up, slamming the paper down on a nearby table and going up to her dorm. She sat down at her desk and began to write to Ginny.
Gin,
Have you seen today's Daily Prophet?
They published a photo of Charlie and Duncan snogging in Diagon Alley on Boxing Day! Is Charlie okay? I cannot believe that outed him so publicly! I am furious!
Let me know if there is anything I can do to help him and Duncan.
Also, don't tell Harry and Ron about me and Draco just yet. I'll tell them on New Years Eve when I see you all.
Love,
Mione
After sealing the envelope, she headed down to the Common Room. When she got down there, she found Draco standing in the center of the room, looking down at the paper with a furrowed brow.
"Hey." She said, catching his attention.
He looked over at her and sighed, indicating to the paper, "I'm guessing that you've seen this…"
She nodded.
He huffed and shook his head, "How fucked up is it that they outed him in the bloody paper?!"
With an exhale of relief, Hermione nodded, "I know. I'm sending Ginny a letter to check on Charlie and Duncan."
"So, he's been with this bloke for a while?" Draco asked casually, tossing the paper in the rubbish bin.
She nodded, "Since well before the war."
"Good for him." Draco said as he walked over to Hermione. "Would you like to walk with me to send the letters since you have one of your own to send?"
She nodded, "Yeah. Let's go."
Together, the couple left the Common Room and made their way to the Owlery.
When they arrived, Hermione called for her owl, Cassia, and sent the letter with her. Meanwhile, Draco had lined his owl, Ajax, and three of the school owls on a perch before giving each one a letter. All four flew off in a blur of feathers and wings.
As they walked back to the Common Room, Hermione looked down at their linked hands and sighed, "May I…may I ask you a question?"
He looked over at her and nodded, "Of course you may, Darling." He said.
She stopped walking and looked around, spotting an alcove nearby. She pulled him toward it and they both sat on the bench within the alcove.
Exhaling, the brunette said, "You know how seeing Viktor and I together upset you?"
He huffed a slightly bitter laugh and nodded, "Yeah."
"Well…for some bloody reason…" She sighed, "this Pansy thing is bothering me." she admitted.
Nodding slowly, Draco sighed, "I can understand that. What are you wanting to know, Darling?"
She could hear a touch of anxiety in his tone and knew that he was concerned that she was going to ask him to stop being friends with Pansy.
"Draco, I would never ask you to drop her as a friend. What I want to know is…what sort of relationship the two of you have now…"
He exhaled, whether out of relief or anxiety, she wasn't certain.
"Well, she's my best friend. I can understand how that might seem odd. However, it works for us." He shrugged. "Besides, she has eyes for a certain bloke, and I only have eyes for you."
Hermione nodded, a slight blush gracing her cheeks, "Only for me, eh?"
He chuckled and nodded, "Yeah."
She smiled and leaned over, kissing his lips softly.
As they separated, he asked, "What would you like to know now?"
She shook her head, rolling her eyes, "Are you hungry? It's lunch time."
He laughed and nodded, "I am."
She smirked, "Come on, then." She said. "Let's go to The Great Hall."
Late in the afternoon, they were sitting in the Common Room, talking about the possibility of going to the Astronomy Tower the next night because it was supposed to be clear outside.
"I think that sounds like fun." Hermione said.
He nodded, "I do too, and we should do it." He said, "We can have a picnic up there and everything."
She smiled, "It'll be lovely."
He nodded, grinning.
"As for tonight…" She said, "Are you ready to lose some Wizards Chess?"
Draco laughed and nodded, "Absolutely."
