Author's notes: This idea came up after I binge watched 8 HP movies and remembered why I loved the story so much and how well I spent time with my middle school friend talking about the topic and imagining millions of scenarios.
Hope you enojy as much as I enjoyed writing it.
1. The table is set
Once you taste it, you want the whole feast.
It is not for everyone and it does not come to one hearts desires.
Once it finds you, it makes you infatuated with it.
The lovers table doesn't take guests, it is denied until it's time for you to properly join it.
Ever since she came back home, things were not doing okay. There was the awkwardness to explain her parents why she was all injured and then her begging to come back next year, her 6th year in beloved Hogwarts.
From time to time she woke up from nightmares, all covered in sweat and hands trembling by just remembering how Dolohov hurt her, real bad, she had been taken to St Mungo. Nightmares were not very different from real life, news have been bad, freak weather, a lot of accidents and her parents trying her to be a normal human teenager, they made Hermione get her driver's license, go shopping for new muggle clothes and hang with other teenagers like her.
One afternoon, past 6, she was hanging with some of those youngsters... Underage drinking and smoking was their current activity.
It all began with a tennis match with kids that have been her neighbors and friends back in elementary school and now they were sitting in the park laughing and sharing stories about the old times.
"Hermione, you've always been an odd ball! You come and go from that boarding school, we never see you anymore." Said a blonde girl, taking a hit and passing it to the next person. They were talking about the good old times and Hermiones obviously missed most of muggle stuff, she could talk about anything potions or enchantments, but not teen muggle topics.
"Yeah, I remember you were always hanging with mice and birdies or alone reading books." Said some other boy who pulled her towards him in a very uncomfortable hug, showing awkwardly he was trying to get smart with her. Hermione was dizzy enough to find herself easily laughing about anything and not caring about the little prat who was all touchy-feely around her, but not enough to prevent her from walking by herself back home.
"Don't get me wrong, guys, but I gotta go, I need to prepare for my departure on Sunday. It was really nice to see you."
Farewells were said.
"Let me walk you home." Little pest said as he stood up and picked his racquet. Teasing "woooooh's" and "oooooo's" were said as they left.
While they walked, cigarettes in hand, they were deep in small talk, when crazy rain was about to begin again.
Hermione, remember that chilling sensation that announced dementors were near. In other occasion, she would have not cared getting wet, but these were dark times and she couldn't risk it with a muggle to her side.
"Let's wait for the rain to stop, let's get inside this church." Hermione urged.
"Okay, okay." They ran to find cover under the roof, finished their cigarettes and went inside.
Clowning around, they ended up inside the confessions box. It was a quite dumb situation, this boy was trying to get her to kiss him. It was not like it was her first kiss, she quite frequently kissed Krum last year and in the week she visited him during Summer.
They were involved in this dumb game until the church's doors opened again and more interestingly the other side of the confessions box was occupied...
The young witch and little pest were both trying not to breath too noisily or to giggle, they were really anxious of not being found, it was something really insulting to God's grace.
"Father, are you there?", a woman's voice broke the silence. It was somehow familiar for Hermione. Both teenagers looked each other, not knowing what to do. Hermione's mind was thinking of a million possibilities, until her acquaintance broke the silence and said:
"Tell me all about it, daughter." The oddest look they shared, this was the worst idea ever...
Silence, then broken by sobs and the woman spoke again:
"I am not a believer, but in this case I'm in such despair that I am turning to all higher powers."
"Continue, please."
"I just came back from visiting an old friend whom I have just asked to swear on his life to protect my son from a heavy burden he has been asked to undergo... I don't think he will succeed, he's too young and this is not fair for him."
"Is it illegal? Ouch!"
"Father, are you well?"
"Sorry, I hit my forehead..." The boy was stroking his arm due to Hermione pinching him for asking such a question. She was trying to remember where she had heard that voice.
"Oh, alright. Father, I need hope and strength. We have no one, our inner circle is fowl and full of unsafety places… I wish someone saw through him and helped him."
Silence.
"I recommend you to get out from there, maybe have some rehab... And pray, erm... Something you like, yeah, pray something you like."
"Thank you, Father, but, don't you think I already tried? If we weren't in peril we would already had done that. I came for advice and strength, what should I do?"
Silence and then hurried footsteps were heard.
"Father? Are you there?"
Hermione and the boy were running outside the church towards her home. That was cruel, and irresponsible, but she was not going to lecture the boy, she just said a muttered bye and headed back home. That voice, that pain… who was it?
She was invited to the Borrow, she was happy to be there, to meet her friends and the Weasley's who have always been nice to her. When the day to visit Diagon Alley came, they went as a bunch and with protection, and a black eye… she squeezed something back in the Weasleys' shop that punched her leaving her a panda like right eye.
When they arrived, the joyful place everyone knew was graveyard looking, empty, dark and people overly aware of their surroundings.
"Hagrid, please take them to Madam Malkin's, they all need new robes." Mrs. Weasley said as she tugged Ginny closer to her before heading to the library.
Inside Madam Malkin's she heard Malfoy discussing with his mother, it was only his voice until the woman answered something… that voice again, it was Malfoy's mother who went to a muggle confession box! She was lost in her thoughts, analyzing what she heard back that afternoon, so deep in her thoughts that she didn't hear anything being discussed until the word mudblood came in... The heck's wrong with this stupid brat? She was feeling unrequited compassion for him until he opened his then again stupid mouth.
It was annoying enough to have him called her like that, let's not add the fact that she had a black eye.
Of course Harry and Ron were going to try and kill Malfoy, besides the insults that were flying from one another's mouths.
"Please, don't, it's not worth it." Hermione tried to call it off, until Narcissa got into a discussion with Harry.
This was all so weird, Hermione could only think of what she heard her say some days back. What on muggle and magical Earth was happening? Why would she turn to such instances? What was the burden Draco was responsible for? Why him? Was he already a deatheater?
She has seen Mrs Weasley hug and kiss her children, and also her, with such dearness that she felt terribly bad on Malfoy's behalf, because she wanted him to have his freedom and life.
She was thinking about this questions without noticing her stare was upon the platinum blonde boy, making him angry and uncomfortable due to the pity look she threw him.
He jumped into her, making everyone squeak, and grabbed her by the shoulders to say with his teeth showing menacely.
"Don't you dare look at me again with that stupid face, I'm not like your tragic saint Potter." Not knowing how, Hermione pushed him really hard, making him fall on his butt, and then pointed him with her wand and said: "Then you and mommy dearest must search for help, more likely a higher power" Narcissa set eyes on her with suspicion, "because you do look quite tragic."
Narcissa walked towards her son to help him get up, turned to Hermione and in a very coarse tone she told her, "you are right that tragedy is upon, sorry for your loss, because you are quite a target. I wouldn't be speaking so highly knowing your position."
The Malfoys left slamming the poor front door. Hermione had been just menaced by the Malfoy's mother, her head was fuzzy, like being underwater and trying to get to the surface, because oxygen is needed.
Harry and Ron hugged her holding her very tight. "You are so brave." "Yeah, that imbecile should know who to really fear." "Wish you could sucker punch the purebloodness out of him."
That same day, after again following Malfoy and getting nowhere, they finished buying their school supplies and went back to the Burrow to spend the last day with Weasley family.
Next morning, goodbye's were said, kisses and hugs and back all they were, to the train that took them to their 2nd home. When they were on the train, Harry sat together with Luna and Neville, Hermione and Ron had to do some prefect duties for most of the journey.
During all this time, Hermione was only thinking of the Malfoys and the storm that was approaching, still she didn't know how to address it to her friends, Harry was already thinking of theories that did not sound crazy to her, but were dangerous to say out loud.
She wanted to talk to Dumbledore, tell him the information she had and what could they do.
