A/N: I LIIIIIVE! *insert Mushu gif here* Many profuse apologies for the delay but I hope this chapter is worth it for it's the longest one yet :)
I'm glad many of you appreciate the longer chapter. The main reason for the last chapter taking forever was because I kept adding on things...then 7K+ words later and...well...you know what happened (the same thing may or may not have happened to this one...) and get excited guys! We finally see what our beloved Slytherin Prince has been up to and here's to a happy belated birthday to him. Enjoy!
WARNING: Suggestive themes ahead
Hermione smiled at him from the middle of the warmly lit room.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked cautiously.
With bated breath, she nodded gingerly.
Moments later, they were lying in his bed. Bare and embraced by the soft mattress beneath them.
"Hermione." He smiled lightheartedly. His touches were so delicate and faint, they felt nonexistent. Almost ghost-like.
"Ron…" she sighed at the foreign sensations.
Touch after touch, Hermione felt herself sinking lower and lower.
Then the bed began to engulf her whole.
With his body pressing her in further.
She felt her pulse beginning to race. Her breaths were uneven.
The familiar sensation of panic set in.
It was too much.
"Ron...wait—" But the words wouldn't come out.
"I love you."
In an instant, her breath was taken from her. All of the candle wicks blew smoke. Their surroundings froze.
His body disappeared from its place above hers and she sat up quickly, feeling the panic that had set in overtake her lungs.
It was almost comical how quickly she yanked on the sheets to cover her bare breasts.
"Ron—" she tried again.
"Why are you doing this to us? I thought we were in this together...I thought you loved me..." Every word was heavy, like weights compressing on her ribs.
"Don't be ridiculous. You know I do."
"Then say it. Tell me you love me. Go on." The edginess in his tone was misplaced. Her heart wavered because of it.
"I…" Her voice left her. As did her confidence.
"You've said it before. Why can't you now?" The desperate tones in his voice matched her desire to find her clothes. She glanced around, hoping throwing on a garment or two would help.
"Well?"
She paused and gripped the sheets tighter.
Where were her clothes?
"I...I'm so sorry."
He looked down, defeated. When had everything gone so wrong?
"I'm sorry too, Hermione." The look of disappointment was outlandish when displayed on his face. She decided she hated seeing it as much as she hated feeling this vulnerable. "I don't think this is going to work." He declared before turning to walk out of the room, fully dressed.
Wait...when did he get dressed?
"Hold on. Ron, come back!" She leapt from the bed and bolted out of the room after him with the bed sheet clutched tightly against her lithe frame. Frames passed as she chased him down the long corridor. Seriously...where the hell were her clothes? He kept walking and the distance between them remained. Her legs slowed down as she came to a halt, suddenly feeling faint.
"...mione?"
Her head jerked up, alert. Ron was nowhere to be found as her eyes darted about her surroundings.
"Hermione?"
That was weird...since when did Ron sound like a woman?
"...get...up!"
She could feel strong vibrations. Like she was trembling...or being shaken violently.
"...Hermione...wake up!"
Ginny.
The redhead grunted as she continued to wrestle with the unconscious brunette, holding her wrists tightly to keep her from harming herself.
"Come on Hermione, you have to get up—hey, watch it!"
She ducked out of the way when an arm got loose from her grasp and aimed straight for her head. Once the arm retracted, she frantically reached over to capture the temporarily freed limb.
It had been a relatively quiet evening in the castle for students and faculty alike. Nothing in particular stood out as out-of-the-ordinary and had remained that way when the sun began to rise the next morning. Ginny Weasley knew when she woke up that it was earlier than what she had been accustomed to the last few weeks. She stirred for another minute or so before closing her eyes to what she hoped was an additional, blissful hour of slumber. Not five minutes later, her eyes shot wide open, alerted by a loud thud and a yelp of pain.
Ginny looked over to where Hermione's bed was adjacent to hers. Then she shifted her eyes downward.
The occupant of the bed had fallen on the floor between them and was tousling about. And still very much unconscious.
Thankfully, she had unknowingly picked an ideal time to start a ruckus. Hermione inadvertently served as the house's alarm clock that morning, providing everyone the ability to collect themselves and have plenty of time for breakfast before classes began at eight. Ginny glanced around at the unmade, vacant beds, almost wishing she had requested assistance before they all left for the Great Hall.
To be fair, she hadn't expected her to put up this much of a fight.
"Ginny?"
"Oh thank Merlin," she sighed of relief and forced herself from relaxing her death grip on Hermione's wrists as she looked up to acknowledge the newest addition to the room. "Luna, she's doing it again but she's putting up more resistance this time. Wake her up while I hold her down. Hurry." She urged.
Luna wasted no time and extracted her wand the minute she was at Hermione's bedside.
"Rennervate."
Almost immediately, Hermione was forced into consciousness. Ginny instantly let her go and jumped out of the way while their bed ridden companion shot up from her slumber in a daze. As she yawned and wiped the sleep away, her brown eyes fixated on a concerned redhead.
"Ginny? Is something the matter?"
Her expression was incredulous. "You tell me. You were the one thrashing in your sleep."
She blushed, reality sinking into her sleep riddled head. "I'm so sorry. I didn't wake anyone else, did I?"
Ginny looked at her sheepishly. "Just...one or two others..."
Fear crossed her face as Hermione took in the surroundings to survey the empty, unmade beds around them. She was completely mortified. This had been the third night in a row and it seemed to be getting worse. It all started when she received that blasted book on her birthday. Upon receiving it, she was delighted to have obtained such a thoughtful parcel through the mail. Though the more she thought about the lack of a letter or further wordage from him made her think otherwise for it was the only thing she had gotten from him since she sent her letters. Then she realized...it was a final message. A token which stated their friendship was intact but their relationship had failed.
And Hermione Granger was not a person who tolerated failure.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Luna's soft voice took her out of her thoughts.
She had contemplated her options numerous times before. In the end, there were only two to choose from: either tell them now and risk having a tension friendship for a considerable portion of the school year or avoid the entire subject completely like she had been doing so far. Every time, her answer was the same:
"No...not particularly."
Ginny held back her tongue even though it was clear there was more she wanted to say. "Right then. We best be off. They stop serving breakfast soon." She quipped sharply before turning and exiting the room without a second glance back.
Hermione felt a pang of guilt for keeping something so imperative from her friends. It wasn't the right time, she kept telling herself.
Her lingering gaze on the empty doorway didn't shift when she felt a dip in her bed. Nor when she heard Luna speak again. "I know it's not any of my business Hermione, but you really should tell her," she offered.
"Tell her what?" she asked. She could have meant anything—the reason why she preferred coffee over tea most days, or why she refused to respect Divination as a worthwhile study of magic, or her subtle insecurities of being sorted into the wrong house, or how she came to adopt Crookshanks—literally anything.
"About Ron, of course." Luna answered without hesitation.
Hermione snapped her head around to face her. Despite having a light smile grace her features, she looked almost...sad for her. "How—"
"Don't worry. No one else knows...except the moon frog. But he's rather good at keeping secrets." She reassured.
Hermione stared at her, dumbfounded. "Sorry...moon frog?"
"Yes. He likes to be referred to as 'Henry' most of the time. He's very nice."
Like most everyone, Hermione decided it would be best to agree and go along with it. "I...it's not that simple, Luna. Ron's not some random person, he's her brother—"
"—and you're her friend. She would understand." She put her hand on her shoulder as an attempt to comfort her.
She would have liked to believe that assumption though logic seemed to be her enemy in this case.
Luna's hand left her shoulder when she stood from the bed. "I won't hold you any longer. I shall leave you to get ready and join Ginny at breakfast. The moon frog told me there would be a surplus of croissants today. I'll save you one if you'd like."
"I-uh-that'd be lovely."
Luna smiled kindly before departing to leave Hermione behind, still clearly conflicted.
She knew she had to tell Ginny the truth at some point. But how could she when she could barely admit it to herself? Hermione sighed heavily as she looked towards the chest placed at the foot of her bed.
At least she knew where to find her clothes...
September 23, 1998
Thankfully, the day didn't drag on longer than necessary and proved to be a therapeutic remedy for her. School work had a tendency to have that effect on her, especially with the state she was currently experiencing. Acquiring knowledge through school work was concrete, something she could rely on on a day-to-day basis. As the day progressed, she was able to avoid speaking to Ginny regarding this morning which wasn't difficult given they had been in classes for the majority of it. At random points, she had Luna's airy voice taunting her subconscious. Even now as she left her final class for the day and headed towards the common room, she could hear her clearly;
You really should tell her...
She would understand...
Hermione knew even if she reacted horribly initially, she would come to understand eventually. She blamed her insecurity in attaining friends for her lack of nerve. But it didn't matter. She deserved to know and better it came from her than from Ron when she returned home for the holidays.
Perhaps after a nap, she thought as she strode down the hall. Her lack of sleep over the past few nights had finally caught up to her and clearly showed when she received odd looks from several of her classmates.
Someone had stepped up to her and was walking alongside her. "There you are. I'm surprised you made it throughout the day." She was relieved to hear concern replace the previous tone of disappointment.
"I think I finally woke up during charms class." She admitted.
"Good because you looked awful this morning." Ginny remarked.
"Thanks for the reassurance." Hermione responded, dryly.
"Anytime." She grinned at her. "I meant to ask you, how was it last night?" Ginny asked with more suggestive undertones than Hermione was expecting. She hadn't let anything slip while she was unconscious, had she?
She cleared her throat nervously. "Sorry?"
"With Malfoy?" She clarified. "I assumed you were watching over your potion with him like you've been doing every night this week but you came back late last night. Did everything go alright?"
In the midst of her distracted thoughts, she neglected to factor in the time she ended up spending with Malfoy last night.
With the lack of concrete information on any adverse effects they could encounter along the way, both were equally cautious if anything were to happen to the brew and decided to supervise it for a few hours in the evening. In the past few nights following dinner, they would find their own way to the astronomy tower where they spent several hours tending the brew and catching up on work.
While there was still an obvious tension neither felt like addressing, they managed to settle in a comfortable routine of working in silence. The past several nights spent observing were overall uneventful minus the occasional temperature adjustment.
During their session last night, Hermione found her focus constantly shifting between her twenty page essay for Alchemy and the subject haunting her very dreams. When she failed to make any progress after staring at the same page since starting, she set her quill down and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration as she forced her concentration elsewhere. Eventually, she laced her fingers together on the table and laid her head on top as an attempt to put her mind at ease. She allowed the ambiance of the room to embrace her, already feeling the stress from the lack of sleep dwindling. Aside from the low rumble of the potion, a light rustling and snapping could be heard a short distance away.
Curiously, she peeked over to her left where Malfoy had been prepping a sample for their lecture in Herbology tomorrow. Her eyes followed the hypnotic movement of his pale hands as he stripped the dead leaves from their stems with utmost delicacy before bagging them. Her eyes trailed upwards to see his typically cold facade drawn tight in concentration as he made sure to not break the fragile leaves. In the midst of her distraction, she noticed the normal hum of the potion had changed. Furrowing her brow, she leaned over to peer into the pot only to find the potion had changed from its silver hue and gained a faint pink colour. With dread racing through her veins, she briskly obtained the attention of her partner and they scrambled to find a fix for the unstable solution. Not free without debate, however;
"What the hell did you do, Granger?" He accused as he flipped through several books haphazardly while she lowered the temperature and stirred in hopes of settling the violent bubbling down quicker.
"I didn't do anything! It just...happened all of a sudden." She said defensively, panicking as the potion turned a fiery red.
"Right," he huffed as he pulled a vial from his bag. "I turn away for a minute and I'm suppose to believe it just 'happened all of a sudden.'" He shuffled back to their work station and extracted a feather from the vial.
She continued to stir, her eyes following his movements as he stripped the feather fibers. "Of course you assume it was my doing when you're the one not paying attention."
"Can't trust a bloody Gryffindor," he sneered.
"Try working with a Slytherin. It's practically impossible," she remarked, disdainfully.
Two hours, a half a feather, many temperature adjustments and a few callous comments later, they were finally able to stabilize their potion. After another hour no apparent changes, they tidied up their workspace and called it a night before returning to their respective common rooms.
She supposed getting back later than normal last night didn't help with her lack of restful sleep.
Hermione let out a deep sigh of frustration. "Everything turned out fine. We ran into a bit of an issue but we resolved it—"
"Now, now..." She heard a familiar drawl coming from behind. "Let's not misplace the credit, Granger."
Hermione braced herself while Ginny acknowledged his presence with a neutral tone.
She had been looking forward to that nap...
"I'm really not in the mood, Malfoy. Can't this wait—?"
"I only need a moment of your time." He cut her off brusquely in an annoyingly posh tone.
Realizing there was no getting rid of him, Hermione turned her head to address Ginny only to find an empty space beside her. She must have walked on to their dorms already. She turned her attention back to him. He was looking at her. Taking her in.
She squinted at him. "What?"
He appeared rather uncomfortable as he shifted in his stance. She was intrigued at the sudden change in demeanor. "I—ahem—didn't mean to accuse you of jeopardizing the potion last night..."
She stared at him. Was he...apologizing to her? "I wasn't overly concerned once we sorted it out."
"Really." He said, somewhat affronted.
"No...why?" She eyed him curiously. Why would it have when the few conversations they held were typically hostile and malicious?
He paused, staring at her. "You looked like a victim of the Whomping Willow this morning," he stated blatantly.
If Malfoy of all people noticed how off her rocker she had been, she knew it wasn't good. And that mere fact wasn't improving her mood one bit.
She pursed her lips together. "Is that all?"
He smirked slightly. "Just making an observation."
She glowered at him and shifted to make a quick exit before he stopped her in her tracks.
"I was thinking about what happened last night."
"And?"
"And," he exhaled. "I don't think there is a need for the both of us to be present every evening," he held his hand up to stop her from interrupting, pausing her with her mouth agape in protest. "Considering the significance of this assignment looming over our heads, I know we both want to take as many precautions as possible to ensure nothing happens to the potion. However, I think it best to limit the chances of...overwhelming it."
"Overwhelming it..." she echoed, recalling Professor Slughorn's lecture when he set the assignment. How the creator, or in this case, creators, affect the outcome of a potion. "You think how we react somehow affects the potion," she said, as his words were registered.
"It didn't start acting up until one of us did. My assumption is because the entire essence of the potion is an act of giving, it will take anything and everything we exude as sustenance." He paused, clearing his throat. "For example, your frustrations with that essay you were working on."
Her eyes widened.
He had been watching her.
"Or your oddly passionate, though mostly aggressive, note taking—"
He had been watching to confirm the peculiarities of her character. To critique her.
"Now, hold on a minute—"
"Not to mention your overly complicated and baffling mind as a female in general—"
"Are you quite finished—?"
"Just about. Though I probably shouldn't even begin with your hair." He sniffed.
"What does my hair have to do with how I feel?" Hermione demanded.
"You misunderstand. It's how I feel when I see it," he looked at her in mock disgust. "It's absolutely horrendous."
"For Godric's sake, Malfoy—"
"My point is," he cut in fluidly, suppressing her opposition. "—the less of that we expose it to, the less chances we have of risking a shift. Aside from the normal environmental changes we may need to adjust for every night, I can't imagine we'll have many momentous evenings like the last. I hope you're somewhat capable of watching a potion for an hour or two on your own with a level head." He stated coolly.
She paused to consider his words and to refrain from smacking him in retaliation.
'You're actually suggesting we take turns watching the potion?" She concluded.
"Was that not clear enough for you?" He drawled, obnoxiously.
"I hope you realize this proposition suggests that you trust me." She said slowly.
"Don't overthink it, Granger," he said irritatingly. "This is me suggesting that I have other things I would rather tend to. I suppose you could benefit from this as well if you actually had a social life."
She clenched her jaw and eyed him coldly. "I do have a social life...and actual friends. Bodyguards don't count."
"Close enough, I think." He smirked at her. "So that settles it then. I'll take the first watch tomorrow." He brushed past her and continued his way down the corridor.
If he was watching it tomorrow, then who was watching it tonight...?
That conniving, sneaky little—
She turned to rectify him, only to find he had already disappeared around the corner.
Bastard.
So much for that nap...
September 24, 1998
Much to Hermione's relief, she was able to obtain a preferable night's sleep with a mild sleeping draught she managed to conjure up while devoting part of her evening in the astronomy tower without her partner. While she was able to get more sleep and managed not to wake up the entirety of Gryffindor Tower last night, she still had the same recurring dream.
Regardless, she knew deep down that it was pointless. She was buying time she knew she wouldn't be able to hide the truth for much longer. She wasn't sure if Ginny acting like nothing had transpired between the two of them made her feel better or worse.
"At least you look better than you did yesterday," Ginny remarked as they walked towards their last class of the day.
Worse. Definitely worse.
"Thank you for sharing." She replied starkly.
"Your mood could use some work," Ginny added.
Hermione motioned to retort but was interrupted by Theo's jaunty voice when he and Blaise walked up to them from behind.
"Afternoon ladies. I must say Granger, you were awfully...chipper this morning."
"I was worried when your arm didn't shoot up every five minutes to answer a question yesterday. Were you injured?" Blaise added jokingly.
Ginny quickly intervened, "Bugger off. She had a long night."
"Oooh long night, huh? Does that mean I have some competition, then?" He waggled his eyebrows at her and Ginny swiftly smacked him on the arm in retaliation. "OW. Alright, alright. I know my limits."
Hermione rolled her eyes and looked around casually, noting a distinct lack of superiority and entitlement during their interaction. "Where's Malfoy? I'm surprised he isn't taking full advantage of this."
To her surprise, she was greeted with unease from the both of them.
"He left."
What?
A few beats passed.
"He left? No one leaves school grounds on the weekdays without special permission."
"Something came up. He had special permission from McGonagall." Theo answered though not without hesitance.
But...what about their potion?
"Did he say when he would be back?"
"By tomorrow morning, I think."
Why didn't he tell her?
"So concerned for him all of a sudden, Princess?" Blaise asked with a hint of suspicion.
"Our assignment," she explained. "It was his turn to look after it tonight."
Theo grimaced. "You make it sound like you're watching a child."
"It's a school assignment they created together," Blaise quipped. "It may as well be their chi—"
"Why couldn't he tell me himself?" Hermione cut him off before they could digress too far from the conversation. A shrill voice erupted as soon as Theo opened his mouth to answer.
"You two!" The four of them turned their heads quickly to see Astoria marching up to them from the other end of the corridor, positively seething.
"Shit, how did she find us?" Blaise mumbled to Theo who was beginning to display signs of sheer panic.
"I-I don't know. I was sure we weren't followed." Hermione was worried he was going to pass out any moment if he hyperventilated any longer.
"Oi, what have you two done?" Ginny whispered harshly. "I did not sign up to be bombarded by her—"
"We thought we lost her!" Blaise muttered under his breath just as Astoria had reached them.
"I've been looking for you two everywhere," she hissed, scowling at them.
"W-we were heading to study hall—" Theo tried but Astoria wasn't having any of it.
"You're not going anywhere," she said pointedly. "As his future wife, I demand you tell me where he is." Hermione felt herself involuntarily cringe at her choice of words as they fell from her tongue. This was not the bountiful, pleasant girl she had encountered on the train ride or alongside Malfoy. This was a girl who was not afraid to take conniving measures to get what she wanted. She was a prime example of why Slytherin held the negative reputation it had for so long.
Blaise's lips drew back in a snarl. "You demand us? I'm not your fucking peasant—" he barked.
"Besides, who's to say we even know where he is?" Theo added.
"Yeah, what do we look like? His 'mummy and daddy'?"
"Might as well be some days." Ginny mumbled. Hermione knew Blaise had told her some of the misbehavings of their childhood during their own potion meetings. She claimed it was excellent bonding material by providing common ground.
Blaise scoffed, "You're telling me. I swear that man is moody as they come."
"Even more so lately," Theo added.
"Must be his time of the month—" Blaise joked.
"Time of the year is more like it," Ginny corrected.
He and Theo laughed in agreement.
Hermione felt the corner of her mouth quirk up at the three of them, interacting as if they had been friends for a long time. Like there was never any bad blood between them. Though Astoria was clearly not amused. Not in the slightest.
"Stop playing me a fool. I'm not leaving until I find out where he is." She stood with her arms crossed and a dainty foot lightly tapping the floors.
"Don't you have a class you should be getting to?" Blaise said while feigning a disinterested yawn.
"I can get notes from Olivia and Penelope later. I've got all the time I need." she answered flippantly while Hermione's brain racked for the people she mentioned seeing as she wasn't as familiar with the class a year behind Ginny's.
"You're serious? Those two are too busy staring at the boys in your class or flirting with Blaise to be doing anything productive."
"Trying, mate. They try to flirt with me." Blaise corrected slowly. "Doesn't matter, I suppose. They're a bit too young for my tastes."
"They're my age." She countered.
He raised a brow at her as if he were voicing, you're only proving my point.
She scoffed and pointed her nose up at the dark skinned wizard. "You could learn a thing or two from Draco. Maybe one day you'll see that age doesn't matter when you're in love." She kept her poise even as Blaise smiled.
"Funny you mention that. I dunno if you are aware of your darling's track record but he's always seemed to have a preference for older witches..." His calculating grin grew, causing Astoria's to diminish. "And I'm sure he wouldn't like to hear about his younger to-be-betrothed skipping her classes to interrogate his friends. From what I heard, he wasn't pleased to have that talk with your parents—" Blaise recalled, delighting in her furious scowl.
"That was a private matter." She cut him off harshly.
"And it would have remained that way if you weren't here hassling us." Theo pressed.
"You know he's told me stories about you too—"
"Go on then," Blaise prompted, throwing his hands in the air. "Everyone here knows I spent my childhood acting like a stuck-up git and I'm not ashamed to admit my faults." He avoided looking at Hermione and Ginny, hoping he wouldn't get thrown off by their reaction to his candor.
"You're still a stuck-up git." She huffed before turning on her heel and headed for her next class she was now late for.
"It was nice chatting with you!" He yelled after her as she stormed away.
Theo smiled gratefully as she retreated. "Nice one, mate."
"Did you have to rile her up like that?" Hermione spoke for the first time since Astoria confronted the group.
"Believe us, she can get to be so much worse." Theo assured.
"I've never seen her like that before."
"She'll only act that way to you if she thinks you're a threat. Around Draco, she's an absolute angel. Without him, she's much worse to deal with than devil's snare." Blaise clarified.
Hermione shifted her attention to Ginny. "She thought you were a threat?"
The redhead shrugged. "We had quidditch practice together. I suppose I took too much of his time and attention away from her."
"I'm surprised she hasn't acted hostile towards you seeing as you were spending evenings together," Theo inquired.
"I made it clear to her the nature of our...relationship." She answered, ending it awkwardly.
"Oh really?" Blaise asked, intrigued. "And what exactly is the nature of it, Granger?" he smirked, seeming to know something Hermione didn't, much to her displeasure.
Hermione glared at him before dropping her voice dangerously. "Don't be an idiot, Zabini."
He held his hands up in defense. "I'm only asking." Blaise teased. "I figured with your history and pent up aggression over the years, the two of you would finally cave after being in such close proximity. If it helps, I've even heard stories about how he is in b—"
"I have no interest, nor feelings of the sort for him." Hermione interrupted brusquely, refusing to hear anymore. "Especially now that I'm cross with him which reminds me—" She paused, eyeing the boys with an aggression they hadn't witnessed since she held a wand between their friend's eyes third year. "Am I allowed to know of his whereabouts or am I to assume he is never to return and should consider myself partner-less?"
Theo and Blaise glanced at each other, stunned.
"He didn't want to say. He only told us that he would be back before tomorrow morning."
Her eyes flickered briefly in the direction Astoria had walked off in. She supposed if she didn't know, then that made her feel slightly better. Ultimately, she decided against pressing on the subject any longer, knowing it would only make her more agitated.
"Fine. I'll check on it tonight after dinner." She resigned.
These boys were truly going to be the death of her.
"That's the spirit, Princess. Now, shall we escort you to study hall or should you and I consider skipping and spending our free period in that empty classroom over there?"
"I'm not nearly sleep deprived enough to agree to something like that, Zabini." She looked down between them at his offered arm. "However, I will never turn down accompaniment to study hall..."
He grinned wickedly when she took his arm. "Duly noted."
A tall, dark wizard stood with his arms crossed as stared out barred windows and watched the turbulent storm batter the waters of the North Sea.
Sadness. That's all that could be felt for not an ounce of happiness could be felt for miles. He could only imagine what life was like on this side. Though one had to do unforgivable things to end up here to deserve the suffering. He certainly had seen what this place could do to a man.
A man who had done all of the wrong things.
He was taken from his thoughts when he heard two sets of footsteps enter. Then came the sound of rattling magical cuffs. Followed shortly by a thud and low grunt as someone was forced in a chair.
"You have an hour," came a harsh voice. He recognized it as the guard who led him here.
A set of footsteps receded. The wizard made no sudden movements and waited with bated breath as the door shut once more. His breathing remained even when he knew they were alone.
"You've gotten taller since I last saw you."
He closed his eyes at the unwavering voice.
He only had to last for an hour.
And it would be the longest hour of his life.
In.
Out.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Then...
Nothing.
His eyes opened, completely hollow as he turned to face the person the guards had seated in the seat opposite from his at the table.
A near mirror image bearing the same cold eyes that have seen more suffering and life than his own. He held an echo of what used to be a triumphant smirk, a well known trademark of his family. The hair was the same platinum blond, though more matted and riddled with the essence of imprisonment.
"Good evening. It's been too long, Draco."
Not long enough, he thought as he stared back into tired, vaguely deranged eyes.
"Good evening, father."
Hermione exhaled in exhaustion as she stared at her essay. Blaise and Theo had left shortly after they completed their respective assignments for Potions and Arithmancy. In the midst of their study session, Theo reached out to Hermione and asked for assistance regarding the subject which she was happy to agree to. She provided a few helpful tips which then sparked up a conversation to start having weekly tutoring sessions.
After their departure, she spent the majority of the afternoon in the same spot, working on the same assignment she was struggling to concentrate when she caused their potion to go ballistic. She had barely written two sentences before she heard Ginny return from a mental snack break with Luna in tow.
The two girls exchanged looks of concern before settling their gazes on the brunette. "Hermione, maybe you should take a break. You've been on that same paragraph for an hour now."
"I've almost got it. You two should go on and get dinner, I won't be long." From the corner of her eye, she could see Ginny's demeanor change.
"Come off it, Hermione. There's more to this. You aren't just diving into your work to be ambitious, you're doing this to forget something."
Hermione kept her head down, refusing to acknowledge the harsh reality of her words.
Or the urge within her to finally break.
Luna looked at her sadly. "Just tell her, Hermione."
"Tell me what." She stated more than asked.
"I'm busy, Ginny. We can talk about this later."
"No...no." Ginny extracted her wand and forcibly shifted her chair to turn and face her. Hermione looked up at her in surprise. "I know what that means and you are not delaying this any longer. I had a feeling you've been refusing to tell me something since the start of the year and I've let you get away with it all this time. We are discussing this here and now."
Hermione shook her head stubbornly. "Ginny, there's nothing to tell."
"Stop lying and spit it out."
"I'm just trying to do my homework." Their voices were rising. She heard a faint silencio in the background.
"No, you're being bloody stubborn!"
"No I'm not—" Hermione stood from her chair sharply to face her head on but Ginny didn't retract.
"Hermione."
"No."
"Hermione."
"Ginny."
"Hermione."
"Stop it."
"Hermione."
"NO."
"Tell me what it is or I promise you, I will tell Blaise you fancied him fourth year."
"What!" She reddened, "N-no I didn't."
"Merlin, I really need to teach you how to lie. I will do it, Hermione, now what are you keeping from me?"
"..."
"Come again?"
"...I can't."
"Can't what?"
"I can't tell you."
"'Can't'? Or won't?"
"I can't." She could feel it.
The hole in her gut was returning.
"Why not?"
"I just...I just can't, Ginny."
The hole was growing. Spreading.
"Because you're embarrassed?"
"No!"
Yes.
"Because you're afraid I'll be upset with you?"
"Of course not."
Yes.
"Or because you would be admitting the truth."
Her breath hitched. Defeated brown eyes met her determined ones.
She knew.
"I won't be upset. I've had my suspicions for a while now so just tell me. Please."
The hole had swept over her body, her legs giving out.
Luna wanded her chair forward slightly as Hermione collapsed onto it, mentally and emotionally drained.
"I wasn't sure before but I'm sure of it now."
Ginny leaned forward, supporting herself on the table between them while Luna sat back down next to her. "Sure of what?"
Hermione could feel it now. There was no running from it any longer. It was time.
"Ron and I. We're...we're finished."
It was out in the open. The truth. Her insecurity. Her fear.
"What happened?" Ginny asked, waiting patiently for Hermione to compose her answer.
Hermione sighed, putting her hands on her on the sides of her head as she rested her elbows on the table.
"It was good for a while once the battle was over. We finally had some time to ourselves, you know? Time to enjoy without the war or...or the constant threat of death lingering over our heads. We bickered when we were children because we didn't know what it meant at the time. Then we grew older and everything became...complicated. We inadvertently made the other jealous constantly and continued to fight and it was exhausting but for some reason, we still felt that attraction. Then when the trials were over, the time came for us to figure out what we wanted to do with ourselves. He wanted to become an auror. I wanted to come back to Hogwarts." She paused, carefully considering the direction she wanted to go next.
"So you had to discuss going separate ways. That's alright, Hermione. Long distance isn't for everyone—" she reassured before Hermione shook her head regretfully.
"No...something else happened. Something I haven't told anyone. Not even Harry and I doubt Ronald told him knowing them. During the summer...there was a night, we...I thought we were ready. I thought I was ready."
A notion of comprehension spread across her face. "Oh Hermione..."
"Ever since then, things haven't been the same. We were never in the same room with each other alone. We couldn't look each other in the eye when we parted ways at the station."
"That bad, huh?" She joked.
"Honestly, I think I made him more nervous which didn't help. If anything, it showed we lacked chemistry. Like a flame, that attraction went out in an instant."
"He was your first, wasn't he?"
She nodded shyly as physical intimacy wasn't a thing she took lightly. She hadn't gone past kissing with Krum but with Ron, she gave him everything.
"The odd thing is...I don't regret it. He's a wonderful person, Ginny. He's kind and caring...selfless and loyal and I gave that up. We thought we had earned it. After all the time, the pain and jealousy we endured with other relationships and with the war, we thought we finally earned the right to be happy and find peace with each other. Clearly, we were wrong. I was wrong."
Her breathing became laboured. Uneven. "I put my education first and he thought it was because he wasn't good enough."
Ginny motioned to argue but Luna stopped her. "You don't think he was right, do you?" she asked, lightly.
She shook her head and her vision became blurry. "No. I think if anything, I wasn't good enough for him..."
At long last, the insecurities she had been bottling up for so long were expelled. She felt hot. Angry. Frustrated. Hurt.
She could vaguely feel her body convulse as the sobs wrecked through her. She could feel Ginny rubbing her back as she held her.
"Come on. Let's go back to the dormitory." She said as she tried to lift her from her seat.
"But...the potion." Hermione protested weakly.
The last thing she needed was dealing with the repercussions of a temperamental Malfoy finding out she neglected to look after their assignment.
"I'm sure your potion can survive a night on its own. You need to take care of yourself, first."
Mere minutes felt like hours in the time they had been in each other's presence. Though both knew it not to be true as they were limited to only one hour of visitation. Lucius decided not to waste anymore time and broke the silence.
"How are classes going?"
"I received one of the highest grades on our first charms exam."
Much to his benefit, Lucius made no commentary on him having 'one of the highest' grades. He seemed to have more on his agenda for his prodigy. "What of quidditch? I heard you earned a spot on the team this year."
That's right. Earned. Not bought in. Not lucked in. Earned.
Draco had to force himself not to smile. "I did. Practice started a week ago."
"Seeker?"
He nodded.
Lucius hummed his approval. "Perhaps Slytherin can actually win this year."
He blinked. Was that...a compliment? A true, earnest compliment that didn't over exaggerate his abilities or their family name.
"Your first game is coming up in a few weeks' is it not? With Ravenclaw?
"Yes. You seem to be aware of the ongoings." He was becoming quite puzzled by this meeting.
"You forget, I have many eyes and ears on the other side of these walls." He reminded. "Several of your classmates joined you in returning this year, I take it."
Draco swallowed. "Yes, they did."
"And? How are they doing?"
"They are doing well. Nothing interesting to report."
"Nothing?" He drew out,
He furrowed his brow. "No."
"Very well. And your female friend? Her name escapes me..." he waved his hand in the air, apathetically.
He supposed it was better than 'Not-Pansy'. "Astoria."
Lucius's smile made Draco uneasy. His slightly greasy hair only added to the unsettling effects. "Right...Astoria." The elder chuckled darkly. "Trying to keep her away from your own father, I see."
"She wanted to come and say hello but she still had classes. I was not planning on this being a long visit."
He hummed in acknowledgement. "I suppose you do have to return to school at some point."
Draco nodded, his lips tight in a line.
"Then we best discuss the progress of your betrothal contract."
He scoffed. "I wouldn't expect anything less." he murmured.
"I take it you've been having your weekly meetings with the lady and the officiate?"
"Yes. Every Sunday."
Every Sunday came a boring day long meeting to discuss further details of what was required from the both of them and to ensure this was what they wanted given her young age. It was enforced mainly for her though most of the time, he knew otherwise.
"And you haven't had any doubts." The elder wizard questioned with a hint of judgement.
"Why do you ask?" His voice, even.
"Don't think I haven't noticed your hesitance to come see me."
"I've been busy." The youth retorted, shrugging his shoulders.
"Ah yes. Between classes and practice and your lady, I'm sure you have your hands full."
He didn't bring up his major assignment of the year which resulted in numerous evenings with another woman. Let alone who he was spending them with.
"I only hope you understand the severity of following through which would only be problematic if you've changed your mind."
"Who said I changed my mind?" He asked, rather defensively.
Lucius lifted his brow. "I am merely speaking hypothetically. I understand you're young but your mother and I were wedded at your age. Not only that, this agreement goes beyond you and her. I did not think I needed to stress the importance of your arrangement with Aurora—"
"Astoria—" he corrected but Lucius ignored him.
"—and as much as I detest the Greengrass bloodline, I suppose it will better the family name, though only just." At his words, Draco's head snapped up instantly.
Lucius watched curiously as the fire in his son's eyes was set ablaze.
"I should've known that was your intention all along when you sent me that letter. To...use me to restore the family name. It was never about my happiness." he accused, angrily.
The elder looked sharply at him. "I will remind you in my letter, it was merely a suggestion. And do not pin this on me, Draco. You're the one who chose her. She's not exactly who I would have selected to be your bride."
That much was true.
Three months ago, he received a letter from his father while he remained imprisoned. While the letter enclosed wished him the best without him present, he recommended he make the most of his time outside and to potentially seek out a bride. During this time, he had been bonding with Astoria, spending several evenings discussing their changed opinions on muggle-borns and his regret for participating in the war. Fully aware of her budding feelings for him and her familiarity with Pureblood traditions, Draco pitched the idea of a betrothal contract to which she enthusiastically said yes.
"Well, if we're taking into account the wide variety of purebloods at my disposal—" He retorted, sarcastically.
"So there is someone else you desire." Lucius noted.
"What?" Draco hissed, annoyed. "That is preposterous—"
"Do not lie to me, Draco." Lucius warned.
"I'm not lying." He stated with a tone of finality. "There's no one else."
"You're telling me you still have the same feelings for Astoria as you had over the summer. She's still the girl—I mean woman you wish to wed and nothing has changed since then."
Whether it be for his sake or for his mother's, deep down, he knew what he had to do. It was a role he grew accustomed to since his father was sent away the first time when he was a mere sixteen year old boy who was forced to find his own way in the world.
"Yes."
His father kept a firm eye on him for a minute before conceding.
"Very well. It is your choice in the end."
His rage withered at hearing those words again.
'Your choice.'
"Draco. When you see your mother, please ask her to stop by when she can." His voice was suddenly far away. "I do miss my wife from time to time and it does get rather dreary around here."
At the mention of his mother, his fists clenched and his expression darkened.
"No, I don't think I will." he replied, coldly.
Lucius looked at him in shock. "I beg your pardon?"
"If she wanted to come, she would be here. You can bully me all you want but you will leave Mother out of this."
"You dare speak to me that way—"
Draco stood up, his chair scraping loudly across the floor. "You're the one behind bars here, remember? Everything I have done so far in my life, I have done for you and mother, regardless of what it meant for me. So for once in this damned life, I am going to speak and you are going to listen."
Neither of the two had any idea where this newfound confidence was coming from but he sure as hell wasn't going to stop now.
Lucius narrowed his eyes as he settled into his seat. He cleared his throat as he held his cuffed hands out in front of him and laced his fingers. "I'm listening."
"Do you have any idea how this war has affected Mother and I? We stood by you. We trusted you to be the head of our family. From when I was a child, you told me we were destined for greatness. That I should be proud to be a Malfoy; one of the oldest, renowned, Pureblood families in history. All my life, I emulated you. I worshipped you. I stood up for you despite disagreeing with your views when I was old enough to have my own. Only now do I see what a grave mistake I've made by doing so."
Draco paused, inhaling deeply to calm his rapid heart rate.
"Now that she's finally doing well for herself, I'm not letting you anywhere near her."
Lucius chuckled darkly. "And you think you can suddenly make these decisions? Me be away for a year and you're suddenly man of the house? You haven't a clue what I've done for this family. Despite what you may think of me, I am still your father, Draco. Do not forget yourself."
"The year you were imprisoned was difficult for us. It was the year I had to grow up. To adapt. The Dark Lord tasked me with the impossible and instead of spending my year in school learning or with my friends, I spent it coming up with ways to assassinate the Headmaster. It nearly drove me mad. You weren't around for mother so I had to fend for her while her husband was put away for crimes she didn't even want to be involved in."
"Your mother knew exactly what she signed up for when we were married." Lucius reminded him. "She knew the life she would be wedded into and she stood by my side like the perfect wife she still is. Everything I've done, I've done for you and for her. I gave you all the finest things you could ever ask for—"
"Was I supposed to thank you?" he asked, incredulous. "All because you gave me the nicest broom every year? Or forced Dobby to cook me such lavish meals that people like the Weasleys had never even heard of?"
"I provided you a life of privilege and discipline." Lucius argued, noticeably agitated. "A life many have dreamed of and you took it all for granted—"
"Do you know why I've always been an exceptional liar?" Draco interrupted smoothly. "Do you know why I was able to deceive the greatest wizard of all time? It's true that Auntie Bella trained me well when the time came. But from a young age, I was raised to believe the world owed me everything because of my name. I was raised to believe everyone was beneath me and that I could do no wrong. I am incapable of feeling resentment because I never had to before. Auntie Bella was impressed with how quickly I learned occulmency but I knew it was because of my inability to empathize. I was only taught how to respond to power..." his breathing wavered when he added, "—and fear."
Lucius pressed his lips together, pondering on his descendant's admissions. "I know I've been hard on you over the years. I should mention I was reached out by your Professor Lupin your third year when his boggart experiment for you turned into me. I'm well aware of the fear I implemented onto you as a child—"
"I'm not afraid of you." Draco countered.
"Try as you may, I know there is a part that still is, Draco. Even you can't hide that behind your wall."
While Draco's expression didn't falter, he could see his posture tense. "Because I know you. There's always another incentive. Another scheme planned for your benefit. Mother has been a victim of it for years and she has suffered enough from the poor choices you made by putting us in harm's way for far too long.
"If you feel this strongly, then why are you here?" he drawled impassively. "Clearly you obtained special permission to leave school grounds and I know they didn't come from me."
Draco shook his head and smirked, though this wasn't one riddled with mischief. It was frigid. If the situation had been different, Lucius would have been proud of him.
"I only came to tell you I want no part of any more of your plans. I know you have people outside these walls who could do your bidding for you but you will be leaving mother and I out of it. It also pains me to say you are right in saying our family name is in shambles and I aim to repair it in any way I can without your contributions."
"By marrying that Greengrass girl." he stated, unconvinced. "You realize she's barking mad—"
"I'm aware." He said, thinking back on the times he's witnessed her mouthing off his friends or that random girl flirting with him in Hogsmeade when she thought he wasn't present. "But she's one of the few who is able to look me in the eye without fear or repulse. Come to find, her views on half bloods and muggle-borns are exactly what I wish to implement in reforming our name. If that's what it takes, then I will do it. She's already smitten with me, anyway."
Lucius' face fell, defeated. "You're actually following through with the contract."
"I am."
"This was not what I intended when I sent that letter—"
"I know. We're still young and I do believe I could learn to love her one day. Regardless, I am going to fix the damage you caused," He pointed while he remained standing. "—and we don't need you to cause any more anguish in our lives." Draco backed away from the table and headed for the door. He knew he still had fifteen minutes left. But he had said all that he needed to.
"Wait, wait. Draco, come back here. Don't you dare walk away from me! I haven't finished speaking with you."
He halted with one foot out the door. "Forgive me for taking my leave a tad early, Father. But I'm done listening."
Without another word, he placed himself on the other side and the door slammed shut.