Authornote: This might just be one of my favourite chapters, that I have ever written. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Chapter 29

August 17th, 1995

"Do you have a phone at the manor? Any of them." She added with an afterthought, knowing that sometimes he had to go home - home to the place that he ought to have been with his parents, if he could actually stand being there.

"Yeah."

"Do you know how to work it?" She needed to make sure after hearing Harry and Ginny make fun of how Ron had sounded the first time he wanted to call Lavender, of all people.

Ugh. Lavender.

"I'm not a dimwit, I know how it works." Theo said without malice, rolling his eyes at her.

"Great. Then this is my phone number. I think it'll be alright as long as we don't say anything… Inappropriate." Inappropriate being anything that had anything to do with Voldy, the war, the order, her… The list was neverending, but she also knew that sometimes he would need an outlet. "Just… It'll be quicker than sending a letter, so if there's anything urgent, give me a ring. Yeah?"

"Thanks, Sweetpea. See you at Kings Cross." He said as he took the anonymous note from her hand and squeezed her tightly. Then he disappeared right where he stood, with Sura holding his hand.

It had been like that a lot over the last month. This was the third - or was it fourth? - time he had been over this summer, and it had been glorious.

It could be better. A voice muttered in her mind but she tampered it down, so as to not spend the rest of her night ugly-crying under the covers.

He never stayed for long. It was only 3-4 days at a time, but it was enough time for him to be a part of the dynamic in her home, for him to relax, for them to spend time together and have fun - while also helping Wills settle down a bit again. Hermione having a friend over, also meant that Wills had Ellinor or Max over more - and then Harry, Daniel and (most of the) Weasley's as well. Sometimes, even Ron fell to such lows so as to come join in on some Quidditch. Needless to say, Theo wasn't around on those particular days - and neither was Hermione.

But she was semi-present that day Ronald had destroyed several glass-panels in their greenhouse 'by accident', and her father had given him an earful before forcing him to clean it up the muggle way.

Good times, good times.

…

August 22nd, 1995

Hermione and William were sitting on the floor in his room doing… Very little. Comic books of different varieties, board games, Warhammer figures and even a stereo and some CD's were scattered on the floor around them but nothing appealed at the moment.

Grandma had been to dinner at their house after having brought them home, from a sleepover at her house - and discussions had quickly escalated.

They often did that, apparently.

I don't see why they have to be a part of this. They are children, Rhea!

Hermione put a top on the floor in front of her, pressed her thumb and index finger to the top, twisted them, and let go.

They are already being dragged into things they have no control over. Why make it worse? We could just move, leave and take them away from it all.

The top spun fast, around and around and around, as a swirl of colours.

Are we even safe here? We are a muggle household after all.

But like all good things, it lost its energy eventually.

We won't have them be a part of it per exposure. They have to choose it. It cannot be our choice when it's their lives.

It started wobbling and fell to the floor in a clatter.

It was always the same questions. The same fears. The same words shouted, hissed or cried.

They were scared. Their parents were scared of what the world was coming to, of Rhea's and their children's involvements - involuntary or not.

They had sent their children to a magical school to give them the education that they needed and deserved. Send them to a school with a great reputation, with amazing and potent teachers. To a place where they would be able to learn and live among their equals.

They had not sent them to a place where death would be licking at their tails.

Being afraid was something Hermione could understand. She could even understand the anger that needed to be pointed towards something or someone. They were sad at the loss of control. For the fear of loss, of everything they had worked too hard to build.

Their farm.

Their lives.

Their family.

Their love.

All of which were valid and mattered. Yet Hermione couldn't agree with everything they said, even if she wanted to.

Every day they heard whispers of attacks on both muggles and magical folks, knowing fully well who was behind them.

But they couldn't prove it.

Last month, when Theo had visited for the first time, he had confirmed her suspicions about Voldemort, and she had brought that information directly to the order. Theo had given the green light, of course - there was no way she would just throw him under the bus like that - but he had also made it clear that he was in a position where there were limits, as to how much information he could give.

But in the end, when the information had been given, they had already known.

The order already knew from a reliable source, that Lord Voldemort was alive and well.

Or, you know, as 'well' as can be when you're resurrected from a cauldron with, blood, bone and an arm.

But at least the order had the information.

A soft knock on the door made the siblings turn and look to the door. At William's call out to enter, grandma came in with a soft - yet sad - smile. "I'll be going now. But I'll see you in a few days to go shopping, yeah?"

William and Hermione each made their way for hugs, kisses and goodbye's before going back to the floor where they resumed doing nothing.

…

August 26th, 1995

"Hermione! There's a call for you!" Her mum called up the stairs, just as Hermione was collecting the rest of her summer-money to spend in Diagon Alley. She looked down at the summerdress she was wearing, quickly brushed off a couple of stray cat-hairs and ran for her door.

"Coming!" She called, wondering who one earth would be calling her.

Her mum gave her some look she couldn't quite interpret as she handed the phone to her daughter, "Be quick, you're leaving in ten minutes."

Hermione merely nodded and lifted the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

Silence.

"Hi, it's, um… Draco."

She almost dropped the phone in utter shock.

"Hi? How did you… Um… How did you get my number?"

"Theo. He said that he'd been going to your place and that you gave him your number… I just… Borrowed it."

"Borrowed it…?" She was failing miserably at hiding her smile at the very obvious lie. Poor Theo.

"I just… Can I come over, too? Before school starts?"

"What?" She said before she could really comprehend what he had asked.

"Can I come visit you? Please?" Hearing him beg like that, almost did her in.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Draco…" She said, her voice barely above a whisper. She wanted to see him so badly it was hurting her all the way into her bones.

"Why?"

"Because, I… Can't, Draco." She tried, but her voice broke.

"Why not?"

"Because it hurts, Draco. You're with Pansy, and I can't-"

"I'm not." His voice was loud and clear, even through the British landline that sometimes acted a bit out, so far out in the countryside. She heard clearly what he was saying, but she must have heard wrong.

She must have.

"What?"

"Two minutes, Hermione!" Wills called from upstairs.

"Just a moment! I'm on the phone!" She called back after having moved the phone from her ear to the shoulder so as to not shout into it, and then moving it back to her ear.

She really must have heard him wrong, because there was no reason why he would have just said that -

"I'm not with Pansy. Not anymore."

Her hand was covering her mouth, holding the gasping in that he would have otherwise heard. Silently, she slid to the floor with her back to the counter. She must have been silent for too long when she suddenly heard his voice again.

"Hermione?"

It made her entire body ache to hear him say her name, with such uncertainty.

"Why?" Maybe it was the gasp she had held in that suddenly broke free, but she couldn't recognize her own voice for it.

"I… I couldn't."

"C-couldn't?" She stammered; her words barely audible beyond her hand.

"Can't when I'm in love with someone else."

"Who?" It flew out of her in a rush, because she needed to know. She needed to know if the reason why he had 'borrowed' the number from Theo was to tell her what she thought, he was about to tell her. She needed to know if it was her, or… or if it was someone else, and she would once again have to live with knowing that she couldn't be with the boy she was in love with.

That he was in love with someone else.

Again.

She wasn't sure she could live with that.

But he hadn't answered her and it was like he was admitting to her deepest fears by simply being silent.

"Who, Draco?" She whispered into the phone as she held it to her ear with both hands.

"You." He answered instantly, so fast it was like he had been holding it in. He then took a steadying breath and repeated himself; "I'm in love with you, Hermione."

"Hermione! It's now!" William called.

"Wills! Your timing is terrible!" She yelled at him, realizing then that his timing wasn't terrible… It was just that the timing of the phone call was really bad.

On the phone, she heard Draco laugh and it was the best sound in the world. Oh, how she'd missed him. "No, it's alright, I need to go as well. I just… needed to say it. See you at School?"

"Draco?"

"Mhm?"

"I'm in love with you too, you abnormally large idiot. I'll see you at school." And even as she put the phone back down on the receiver, she could hear him laughing loudly.

…

She, William and grandma went to every store they needed to, in fairly quick succession. Diagon Alley wasn't exactly deserted, but there were surprisingly fewer people doing their school shopping today than normally.

One good thing though, was that there were fewer and shorter lines to pay for their stuff, and less possibility of sold-out supplies. Also, the lack of people meant that the already hot day didn't have to be any hotter with hundreds of people bustling around, trying to do everything as quickly as possible.

Thank Merlin for that.

Heading towards Madam Malkins, grandma shopped abruptly in front of the door and looked up and down the street with a frown.

"Hermione, dear, do you mind going into your fitting alone, while I help William pay for his quidditch gear? We'll be back shortly."

It hadn't been directly said… But both she and William knew that the issues with the Death Eaters from the year before had quickly escalated. People were scared to be out in public, and terrified of leaving anyone alone.

"It's fine, grandma." Hermione peeked through the window and into the store. She could see Zabini being fitted… And Draco.

She could feel her cheeks heating up, and her heart reenacting the violent hammering it had been doing for most of their trip around London's magical shopping area.

Of all the places to be, he just had to be at Madam Malkin's rights this instant…

"I'll be fine, I'll wait for you inside!" She said to William and grandma, smiling brightly, before entering the store.

A bell above the door announced her arrival as she walked inside. The door had barely closed behind her, and she could already feel the natural cooling charms of the store cooling her down.

"Ugh, it smells like mud already." Zabini sneered her way as she walked past the podium he was on. Draco was on the one beside him, but didn't acknowledge his housemates dig at her, as he was standing with his back to her. Goyle who was sitting on the bench on the other side, though, laughed loudly at the joke, making Zabini continue in best school-clown fashion. "Hey Granger, you look like shit! Is that the style now?"

Madam Malkin didn't look to be available just now seeing as the enchanted measuring tapes and scissors were doing their own magic on Zabini and Draco.

As she walked further into the shop and towards the unmanned registry, Hermione simply looked over her shoulder, flashed Draco a bright smile that was supposed to look haughtily, but really wasn't, before looking directly at Zabini; "Oh, don't you worry, it could be so much worse."

Goyle laughed again like he had somehow caught an inside joke. That no one else had. "How?" He guffawed, "How could it be worse than looking like shit, Granger - you're doing it!"

She smiled to herself as she took a seat to wait for the madam. She crossed her legs just, right, before turning ever so slightly towards Goyle. "It could be worse," she turned her focus to Zabini, "Because I could look like a shitface, like you." She then smiled politely and turned away to look elsewhere - all the while she ignored Draco who snorted loudly.

"Can I help you?" said a female voice from an opening to another room. Hermione stood to greet her properly.

"Yes, thank you. I have two scheduled fittings for Hogwarts robes, it's for 'Granger' at 11:10. The second Granger will arrive shortly." She smiled politely.

"Ah yes, if you will just step up onto the podium here, then my assistant will begin." Madam Malkin - she expected - waved her hand to a podium which raised up from the floor. Hermione took off her flats, stepped up, and a woman quickly began taking her measurements as the owner of the store went to finish off the two boys's fittings.

She pretended not to notice the way Draco's eyes would move towards her at every possible moment. Or the way he fisted his cloak when the witch took measurements around her bum, hips, waist or bust.

She also chose to ignore the way Draco looked in his finished cloak. He looked so… proficient and accomplished.

It was surprisingly… Hot.

Merlin, she never thought she would have that thought about anything or anyone, but apparently all it took was a hormonal teenager and a full summer of not having seen each other.

She wondered what he had been doing. A picture of Pansy bitterly decided to pop up in her mind, and she aggressively pushed it away and over a cliff. He had surely been flying a lot.

He must have.

Pieces of fabric were put over her shoulders and the fitting began taking shape, even as the boys were finished next to her. With the Madam herself in the room, Zabini and Goyle hadn't found the need to bully her any further. Maybe they had been properly chastised at some point? She didn't know, and she didn't care. She could hold her own should it come to it.

"Oh, dear Cersie, what has the world come to when they even let filth like her in?" A voice sneered from the door, and Hermione looked up to find a dark-skinned woman standing beside Narcissa Malfoy, just inside the door.

"Mrs. Zabini, you will refrain from such language in my shop or you will find the door, thank you very much." Madam Malkin answered sharply as she pulled the last pin from Draco's robe and vanished the ones they had been wearing.

"Why don't you take the boys to Fortescue's, and I'll handle the payment?"

Looking awfully aloof about the entire situation, Mrs. Zabini merely huffed before turning around to exit - fully expecting the boys to follow on their own.

Draco was the last to exit; he gave her a large smile, a small wave and mouthed 'see you' to her. She returned everything with great enthusiasm.

Then Narcissa stepped up right in front of her with her hands on her cheeks, before drawing the small girl into a large, warm hug. She then held her out in front of her, looking at every visible inch of her. "Oh, my sweet girl, we've missed you so much. Are you well? You look well! Did you have a good summer?"

Hermione was taken aback by all of the questions, but was so glad to see the older woman that she didn't care. "I am well, and I did have a good summer. Thank you so much for letting Theo borrow Sura - we had such a good time."

"Oh, it was no issue, darling. He needed to get out of the house, and Sura was all too happy helping, knowing where he was going. You really helped him this summer, I hope you know that." Narcissa drew her into one last hug before she stepped away. "Now, I must go back to save my son from unimaginable amounts of bad influence, but I will see you soon. Take care, my darling. Please, take care."

"I will, thank you Cissa." She said in a low voice as the woman stepped away with a sad smile. Hermione didn't want her to leave either.

As Narcissa silently made her way to the registry where she talked in hushed voices with the owner, grandma and William arrived. William was quickly pointed onto a podium and then his fitting started as well.

When Narcissa made her way back to the exit a short while later, it was with a wish for William to have a lovely last year at Hogwarts and for the two matriarchs to meet some time for tea.

What the Granger's didn't know, though, was that their sets of robes for this year would include an extra set of winter and summer robes - while all of their robes for the day were changed into the best quality that Madam Malkin could produce. When asked about it, the woman simply said that the difference had already been paid in full and that they should think no further on the matter.