- Hogsmeade, 18th of December 1993 –
"Alright, Potter. Pay up. You said they would get together by the end of the school year, but clearly it only took them until the end of the year," Draco said as the silver trio was heading out towards Hogsmeade.
Daphne and Cedric were walking ahead of them, on their first date .
Harry grumbled and put his hands deeper in his pockets, pulling out some galleons as Draco smirked at him.
Hermione and Daphne had been giggling all morning during breakfast, making Harry and Draco suspicious as to what the girls were up to now. It didn't take long for Hermione to scoot over closer to Draco as Cedric Diggory approached. Just a few seconds later, the Hufflepuff was occupying the seat the brunette had just been sitting in.
Harry had snorted out his pumpkin juice through his nose when he realised who had just joined the Slytherin table and that the and Daphne were going on a date. That meant that he'd lost the bet he'd made a few weeks earlier with Draco.
"I think they look cute." Hermione stated as the boys exchanged their coins. "Cho Chang didn't look so happy though. Luna told me earlier that she's always had a crush on Cedric."
Hermione was huddled up in her winter robes, her green and silver scarf hiding almost half of her face. It was quite windy on the road to Hogsmeade and Harry and Draco were flanking the witch on either side to protect her from the cold. Still, the tip of her nose was turning red, so Draco whispered a warming charm around the three of them.
"He even stopped by during one of the extra potion classes me and Daphne take." She continued talking about Cedric. "He was quite impressed by our progress considering we're in our third year. You should have seen the look on Professor Snape's face when Cedric asked if he too could join our extra potions classes since he's thinking of becoming an auror."
"Oi!" Draco yelled. "And why were we never invited?" He pouted jokingly.
"You were, if you remember. But you felt like you didn't need the extra practice." Hermione huffed, unsure about why anyone would ever say no to extra classes.
"I don't." He smirked at her. She didn't need to know he was far beyond N.E.W.T. level when it came to potions. Besides, his godfather would immediately see through it. He'd rather not explain his skills to the master Legilimens. "But it would be nice to hang out with you and Daphne more. I honestly feel like I haven't seen you these past few weeks, Mione. What have you been up to?" He smiled at her.
"What have you guys been brewing lately?" Harry piped up as he kicked some snow at their feet, waving his wand to clear the path. "I feel like the three of us haven't hung out in weeks. Quidditch practice, extra Defence classes to learn to cast a patronus, and the electives are really sucking the extra time out of me."
"Yeah, it is nice to just be the three of us again. The silver trio." Draco mused.
He knew that part of it had been his own fault. After the bond had been broken, he could not help but wonder if their friendship had been real, or if magic had been pulling them together since the day they met at Flourish and Blotts. Draco had given her some space after he got the letter from Gringotts, hoping the thread he felt between them would lessen. Of course, it hadn't. The life debt he owed her was still strong. It was the only reason they were able to annul the marriage vow after all. As long as the life debt was not fulfilled, they would be connected by magic to some degree, even if they were no longer husband and wife.
Hermione swung her arms over their shoulders and hugged both boys closer to her in agreement. "We've been working on the wolfsbane potion, after our conversation a few weeks ago." She admitted. She turned her head left and right, and whispered a Muffliato around them. "I still can't believe your uncle was infected by Greyback when he was just a child, Harry. Can you imagine how many transformations he's been through and what they have been doing to his body? No wonder the Professor always looks so tired."
Draco thought back to the day that Hermione had discovered the Defence Professor's secret. Severus had taken over class the first full moon, and the research he had made the students do on werewolves had immediately stuck with Hermione. She'd stormed into the boys' dorms, Theo complaining that she should at least have the decency to knock. He was standing in the middle of the room, wearing nothing but his boxers, as he was getting ready for bed.
Hermione had blushed, told him she was terribly sorry, but that she needed a moment. Nearly dragging Harry and Draco onto Harry's four-poster bed, she closed the curtains around them. The bed automatically increased in size to accommodate the three of them and she smacked a heavy tome she'd been holding into Harry's lap.
"Wait," Blaise suddenly piped up. "Did Hermione just enter our dorms? Is that even possible? I was stunned the last time I followed Daphne to the girls'dorms without thinking when she was about to lend me one of her books."
Draco peeked his head out of the curtains, looking at the two other Slytherin boys who were blinking at each other.
"Have you two never noticed how much of Hermione's stuff is lying around our dorm?" Draco asked. "Why did you think I have some muggle fantasy series stashed under my bed? Or why Harry has an extra set of pink formal robes in his extendable trunk?"
"Wait, was it you Mione who snuck in and took Harry's cloak when he was in the hospital? I was just in time to see a black robe disappearing mid-air when I came to the dorms that night, but I honestly thought it was Draco who'd borrowed it." Theo said.
The brunette also peeked out her head now, right next to Draco's. "There isn't as much space in the girl dorms." She explained. "So Harry and Draco have graciously offered me some of their space to store my things until I get myself an extendable trunk. And yes, it was me who took the cloak. Harry told me I could use it."
Before Draco or Harry could ask why she needed the cloak, Blaise spoke up. "That still doesn't explain how you just entered our dorms, Mione."
"Oh. The boys' dorms aren't warded at all. It's only the girls' dorms that are. Now, if you'd excuse us, we have business to discuss."
Theo and Blaise just looked at each other, grinning. "Business, Miss Dagworth-Granger? With two boys in bed? That does not seem appropriate for a witch your age. But we'll let it slide, this time." Theo joked.
Even the tips of Hermione's ears had turned red at that before she fell back through the curtains.
Harry made a face at the thought of anything involving a bed and what he considered to be his older, annoying, yet loving sister.
Draco just smirked at the other two Slytherins and Hermione pulled him backwards through the curtains before he could come up with his own witty remark.
The fact that she'd borrowed the cloak was conveniently forgotten, and the boys didn't ask her about it as she cast a quick Muffliato around them, as well as a spell to keep the curtains shut before she took the tome from Harry again.
"So, mind telling me why we're having a sleepover?" Harry asked as Hermione started turning pages in her book.
She bit her lip nervously and she tucked her legs under her. A shiver ran down her spine because of the cold, seeing as she was already dressed for bed and had probably ran straight from her dorm to theirs without thinking.
Harry tucked his blanket around her, urging her to explain.
"It's about your uncle," she began worriedly. "Remus. I think he might be a…" She struggled getting the words out. "Just read page 394." She handed the tome to her raven-haired friend, and sighed deeply.
Harry took the heavy book from her, and Draco scooted closer to see what she had been on about. Both boys looked at each other when they saw the topic of the chapter was werewolves.
Hermione nervously started rattling on. "I know you think I must be crazy, but honestly, a lot of it adds up. The professor has been absent due to illness every time there's been a full moon. His boggart is the full moon. Also, Daphne, Tracy, and I were discussing that Lupin looked way too old for his age. You know, considering he is only 33. He looks like he is way into his forties maybe even fifties, with his hair greying and the wrinkles on his face. I understand he lived through a war, but werewolf transformations and how his body suffers during them could potentially explain-"
The Boy Who Lived adjusted his glasses awkwardly and looked at Draco, as Hermione kept explaining why she thought their D.A.D.A. teacher was a werewolf.
Draco just shrugged, indicating to Harry that he already knew. All the blond got in reply was a raised eyebrow. " I'm not stupid, Potter." He told his best friend mentally. " Neither is she ."
Hermione was almost out of breath after her monologue and Harry took her hand in his. "My uncle has been a werewolf since he was a child." He whispered. "He doesn't want anyone to know. His father was quite opposed to Greyback and wanted to introduce anti-werewolf legislation when the werewolf was on trial for murdering two children. In retaliation, he attacked Remus…"
The brunette had gone completely quiet, her empathy showing in her eyes.
"Dumbledore made an exception for him. Set up a place for him to transform in the Shrieking Shack. My dad and his friends…" Harry shook his head, unsure if this was his secret to share. "They became animagi in order to help uncle Remus through his transformations. My dad is Prongs, the stag. Uncle Remus is Moony the werewolf and Sirius is Padfoot the dog. Peter… He's just a filthy rat !" Harry spat, the anger at his parents' betrayer escaping Azkaban.
Realisation dawned in Hermione's eyes. The Marauder's map that they had been using for their adventures, had been made by Harry's dad and his friends. Hermione had then hugged both of her friends to her, saying how sorry she felt for the Professor.
Now that Draco thought about it, apart from the sadness she had been feeling that night, he could also feel a sense of determination coming from her. Remembering that night in their dorm, he now understood why Hermione had been so determined. She had wanted to aid her favourite professor. It wouldn't surprise him if she had actually run to Professor Snape the day afterwards, forcing him to teach her how to brew Wolfsbane. He could only imagine his godfather's frustration at her eagerness, even if he was pleased that one of his snakes was taking potions so seriously.
The silver trio continued their trip to Hogsmeade as they shared what they had been up to the past few months.
Once they arrived at the village, Hermione said she wanted to buy new stationary at Scrivenshaft's and Harry and Draco were planning to visit Spintwitches Sporting Needs to get their brooms professionally polished before their next quidditch match after Yule. They agreed to meet up at the Three Broomsticks for lunch with their friends Neville, Hannah, Theo, and Susan who were on a double date.
Their day ended with an all-out snowball war , instigated by the Weasley twins, when they were done eating. The villagers living in Hogsmeade shook their heads at the Hogwarts students' antics.
Hermione hit Draco in the face with a snowball and giggled as he ran after her, pulling her down into the snow with him. He shoved some snow down her collar, laughing, as she tried to escape from him in a fit of giggles.
Attacking Hermione seemed to be his downfall, however. Harry, Susan, and Daphne all came to protect her, shoving snow in every nook and cranny they could find, making the Slytherin glad he was a wizard and could both warm and dry himself up once they headed back to the castle.
- The Quidditch lockers, January 1994 –
Unlike the previous year, Yule had been quite uneventful. Draco had once again accompanied Hermione to his mother's ball at Malfoy Manor after she had quietly asked him on the train ride home if he still wanted to chaperone her. She seemed unsure, but he gladly accepted and accompanied her to the ball. This year, they had to suffer a lot of boring and political conversations, no adventures to distract them.
Daphne had attended the ball with Cedric. His father, Amos Diggory, had seen this as a perfect opportunity to start making political alliances.
Draco quietly took note of all the political players on the light and the grey side who were attending. He even mused that, once the time was right, he should introduce Hermione to the elder Diggory, seeing as he worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Ever since discovering how Remus and many other creatures or those with creature blood had been treated, he had felt her drift more and more towards politics and the ministry, rather than just potions.
To his dismay, he had also felt her drift more and more away from him. He knew it couldn't have anything to do with the bond being broken. After all, his Hermione had loved him before they had been married and the vow had bound them together. She'd been his best friend before they had both been sucked into the darkness of the war. So, after some thinking, he realised that this Hermione had probably also liked him enough to deem him worthy of his friendship. Bond, or no bond. No, it had to be something else that had made her keep her distance from him. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what, though.
"If we win against Ravenclaw today," Harry said as he was putting on his quidditch equipment, interrupting Draco's thoughts. "Then we have a chance to beat Gryffindor for the cup."
"We've won the cup twice in a row. This is Oliver Wood's last chance to win the cup before he graduates. He's not going to go easy on us." Blaise answered, doing some last-minute polishing on his Nimbus 2001. Sadly, he had not gotten his mother to buy him a new Firebolt for Yule.
Draco followed his teammates outside and once he was on his broom, he looked for her, as he always did. He breathed in and closed his eyes. He was happy that he was still able to find her. At least that hadn't changed.
When he flew over to Hermione, Daphne, Tracey, and Luna in the stands, she waved at him with a smile on her face. Sirius and Amelia were sitting right next to them, and Draco was impressed the witch had managed to come to the game considering she was nearing her due date. It looked quite uncomfortable to the blond wizard to be sitting on the cold quidditch stands. Luckily, Sirius had made sure that Lady Black was covered in a thick quilt, setting up cushioning and warming charms for everyone around them as well.
It only took Harry fifteen minutes to find the snitch, making it one of the shortest games in the history of Hogwarts. The Ravenclaw seeker, Cho Chang, did not look pleased.
The boys were still celebrating when they flew back to their lockers, only to be met with a dog Patronus.
"We rushed off to St. Mungos," Sirius' voice told them. "Amelia is having the babies now ."
"You'll be a great godfather." Draco told Harry as he clapped him on the back.
Harry thanked his best friend and flew off towards the castle, hoping that Madam Pomfrey would let him use her floo to get to St. Mungos.
Draco returned to the common room together with Daphne and Hermione, not knowing that the night's events would make him question if his Hermione had been beside him all along, or if they were more alike than he'd previously deemed possible.