Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, they are the property of J.K. Rowling.
A/N: Yew, thanks for the reviews! This chapter is dedicated to ShellyHale for her inspiring reviews, and to all my other reviewers who have kept me going. Enjoy!
“Draco?”
He stirred at the sound of the familiar, comforting voice and the warm touch on his hand. His eyes fluttered open and he saw a worried looking Hermione hovering over him, her lips mere inches from his.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, his voice hazed from sleep, but Hermione didn’t care. She leant down and kissed him, and he pressed his lips to hers firmly, letting all the things he could not say come out in that kiss, and when she pulled back he knew that she knew.
“I love you, don’t forget that,” she said, smiling at him as he sat up.
“I’ll never forget as long as you never forget how much I love you.”
“I’m the one who should be apologizing. I reacted stupidly. You were just trying to defend me, and I know that Ron was trying to attack us. I just have a problem with my pride,” Hermione sighed, curling up into a ball at Draco’s side.
“Thank you for understanding. I couldn’t let him hurt you, you know that,” Draco murmured, placing an arm on Hermione’s curled up figure.
***
The next two weeks passed uneventfully in a flurry of homework, and all the students were relieved when the Christmas break rolled around. Many of the students in third year and below had resigned themselves to the fact that they weren’t going to get asked to the Christmas Ball and had therefore gone home for the break, and a few of the older students who weren’t all that keen on the festivities had joined them including, much to the grim satisfaction of Hermione, Ron.
“He broke up with Lavender after your little confrontation in the grounds, and said that he didn’t think he would be able to stand all the happy couples at the ball,” Ginny explained to Hermione as they lounged around in front of a blazing fire in Gryffindor common room.
“What does Harry think of it all?” Hermione asked.
“H, like everyone, thinks that Ron is being a complete twat, but Ron is his best friend, so he keeps trying to coax him around into seeing the light so you can be the trio again.”
Hermione let out a shout of laughter. “See the light? While I’m still with Draco? As if that would ever happen,” she said, and Ginny smiled.
“That’s exactly what I said, but you never know. Harry can be awfully persuasive sometimes.”
“Where is he, by the way? I haven’t seen him in a little while,” Hermione frowned, glancing around the common room. Everyone was feeling incredibly lazy, and the room was quiet apart from the small conversations.
“Oh, he went to Hogsmede for something. Are you going to the ball, by any chance?” Ginny asked her friend imploringly.
“No, Draco and I decided not to. We’ll just spend the night in. You’re welcome to join us, if you want,” Hermione offered, but Ginny shook her head.
“Harry wants to go to the ball. I suppose I’ll just be there all by myself,” she said, stretching. “Speak of the devil,” she added as the portrait swung open and Harry came in, his hair damp from snow. He grinned once he saw Hermione and Ginny and rushed over.
“Hermione! I haven’t seen you in ages,” he said, hugging her warmly. This wasn’t entirely true; they still had plenty of classes together, but Ron had been so possessive of Harry lately that it had been nearly impossible for Hermione to say anything to him without getting her head bitten off. “How are you?”
“I’m good, and glad it’s the holidays. Hopefully we’ll all be able to spend a bit more time together now,” she said with a smile, and checked her watch. “Oh, I’ve got to go and meet Draco. See you later.” With a wave and a quick hug she left the common room and walked through the cold corridors of the castle to the common room she shared with Draco, meeting no one apart from Nearly Headless Nick along the way.
“Hello, Hermione, how are you today?” Eve asked her when she reached the common room.
“Fine, thank you. How are you and the baby?” she asked politely, looking at the little blue-eyed boy in his mother’s arms.
“Oh we’re very well, thank you.”
“Angel,” Hermione said and Eve swung forward to admit her.
As soon as she stepped into the room, Hermione knew something was wrong. The room was dark, with the curtains drawn across the windows and there was no fire blazing, leaving the room cold and with a feeling of abandonment. The other sign which proved to Hermione that something was wrong was the fact that she could hear what sounded like sobbing coming from the corner.
As curiosity and fear flooded her, she quietly made her way over to where the sounds were coming from, and she saw Draco crouched on the floor, a scrunched up piece of parchment in his hand, his head bowed low as his whole body shook violently with sobs.
“Draco?” she asked as she crouched down beside him with apprehension. She had never seen him cry, and she had never seen him in such a state of despair. With a flick of her wand the blinds opened and a fire sparked up in the grate, and she helped Draco to his feet and led him to one of the loveseats. “What’s wrong?” she asked, but he didn’t respond, only holding the parchment out to her. He looked up with a look of utter hopelessness in his eyes as she took it and read:
Dear Mr Malfoy,
It is with the greatest regrets that I write to inform you that your mother, Narcissa Malfoy, passed away in the early hours of this morning. Although I am aware that this is not the best time to discuss this, arrangements must be made regarding transportation and removal of the body. Please owl back as soon as arrangements have been made.
My deepest condolences,
Healer Alosis Boomheart
St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
“Oh. Oh, Draco, I’m so sorry,” Hermione cried, tears welling up in her own eyes. The parchment fell to the floor as she wrapped her arms around Draco who made no movement to acknowledge her touch. “Do you want me to go?” she asked. She wouldn’t get angry if he did, but she couldn’t pretend that him not wanting her around in his time of need wouldn’t hurt.
“No,” he whispered hoarsely, catching her hand as she went to get up. “I need you.” He looked at her with his red-rimmed eyes, a sense of desperation in his tone. She sat down next to him he pulled her with him as he lay down on the narrow loveseat. She rolled over to face him and he held her tightly to him.
His eyes shut and Hermione saw a single tear roll down his cheek. She leant her forehead against his and shut her eyes, and they drifted off to sleep.
***
“Draco, you have to eat something.”
“She’s right, Draco. Come on, just have a piece of toast or something.”
“I’m not hungry.”
Hermione and Blaise were sitting on either side of Draco, trying to coax him into eating something. It was three days since the letter had arrived from St. Mungo’s, and in that time all Draco had eaten was a slice of toast and several cups of tea.
“Please, Draco. You’ll make yourself sick. Just eat something small,” Hermione pleaded, taking his hand.
This emotional blow had put a strain on their relationship. Draco had stopped talking, stopped eating, and all he did was stay in his dormitory, leaving Hermione worried and fearful about him. That was why she had turned to Blaise. Blaise had managed to drag Draco down to the common room where they were now, and he was trying to help Hermione get Draco back on track.
“C’mon, mate, she’s right. Just eat something before I curse you,” Blaise threatened, pushing a plate towards Draco who had turned and raised an eyebrow at him.
“Curse me into eating?” he asked dryly, but took a bite of the sandwich Hermione had prepared for him, and Hermione gave a quiet sound of relief as he finished the sandwich in three mouthfuls.
“D-do you want something else?” Hermione asked timidly, but she was smiling.
“If it’s not too much trouble.”
With a wider smile and a sigh of happiness, Hermione busied herself making a plate of sandwiches and then putting a refilling charm on it before handing it to Draco, who began eating slowly.
“I’ll leave you two to it, then,” Blaise said, pushing his chair back from the table and making his way to leave. Hermione walked over to the portrait with him.
“Thank you,” she said, looking up into his handsome face.
“You know what? I’m starting to see what Draco sees in you. Keep an eye on him,” he said, and left without another word. Hermione stood, staring at the closed portrait for a minute until Draco gave a little groan and leant back in his chair, hands folded over his stomach.
“Full?” she asked with a smile, and he nodded.
“Most girls would have given up on me by now,” Draco sighed, standing up and stretching.
“I’m not most girls,” Hermione murmured as Draco folded his arms around her and she looked up at him.
“No, you’re certainly not. Which is why I love you,” he said, his voice almost a whisper, and then their lips met and Draco felt warmth and happiness spread though his body, and it lingered once they broke apart. “I missed this,” he remarked, still holding her close to him.
“I missed you,” Hermione said, resting her head on his chest and listening to his heartbeat.
***
Christmas Eve brought an outbreak of excitement to the students of Hogwarts, and all around you could hear people talking loudly and enthusiastically about the ball. Hermione and Draco spent the day walking around the grounds, telling each other more about their lives than they ever knew.
“Tell me about those two years where you were a Death Eater,” Hermione said suddenly after they had been walking in silence for ten minutes.
“You don’t want to know about that,” Draco said, casting a sharp look at her.
“Yes I do. I want to know everything about you, and that was a huge part of your life so far,” Hermione argue, and Draco gave a defeated sigh.
“Shall we sit?” he suggested, and they found their tree and sat in their usual position. He took a deep breath and began.
“As I’ve told you, my family were avid supporters of the Dark Lord, and my joining the league of the Death Eaters was decided from the moment I was born to Lucius Malfoy. Growing up where I did with my family, I began to think what they were saying was all truth. After the battle at the Ministry in our fifth year, Lucius was sent to Azkaban, and I was given the task of killing Dumbledore as what seemed like a punishment for Lucius’ failure. Of course, at the time I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and I jumped at the chance.
“I was branded with the Dark Mark just after my sixteenth birthday, and thought it was the highest honor that could have been bestowed upon me. My family celebrated with me, and then I came to Hogwarts to complete the task I had been assigned. Before school had begun, though, I went to Borgin & Burkes to talk to them about the Vanishing Cabinet and to tell them not to sell it, because I knew the partner of it was in Hogwarts, but Montague had informed me it was broken.
“So I set about trying to fix the cabinet, but it took longer than I thought it would, and I started to panic. The Dark Lord was getting angrier, and I was getting desperate, because I knew that if I failed to kill Dumbledore, I would be killed. As you know, I tried to get a cursed necklace to him as well as the poisoned wine, but neither of them worked. I spent all my free waking hours in the Room of Requirement, desperate to figure out how to fix the cabinet.
“And then I did. Just like that. One day I was testing it, and it worked. This was only a few days before Dumbledore died. I got in contact with the Death Eaters who I had planned to attack the school with, and then it all happened. After Dumbledore died, I went back to Malfoy Manor which then became the headquarters for the Death Eaters. It was at this point that I began to seriously doubt where my loyalties lay, but I could not think about that or the Dark Lord would know.
“I was forced to return to Hogwarts in our seventh year, and was considered an elite student in the eyes of Severus and the Death Eaters who were serving the Dark Lord by keeping their posts there. I could do no wrong in their eyes, but I was beginning to fear that my family and I would no longer be of any use to him, which would result in our immediate death at the hands of the Dark Lord.
“And then you, Harry and Weasel were brought to the manor during the Easter holidays. I couldn’t give you away, and I tried so hard not to let Bellatrix know it was actually you, but she knew, and after you were gone I cleaned up the blood that had been spilt as punishment for lying. I was placed under stricter watch at Hogwarts after that incident, and I could do nothing without Severus popping up.
“When the Battle of Hogwarts began, I remained behind, as you well know, and when I saw the terror, destruction and murder at the hands of the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord, my loyalties became seriously compromised. Then you saved my life, and I knew that I had been fighting for the wrong side for my entire life. When Crabbe tried to kill you…I…I’m just glad he didn’t,” he said, kissing the top of Hermione’s head softly before continuing.
“Once the Dark Lord was dead, the Dark Mark burned off my arm, as it did with all of the other Death Eaters. I could scarcely believe it was all over, and neither could my parents. My father, of course, claimed that he was innocent and had in fact been imperiused for the entirety of his service to the Dark Lord, but he was not believed and was sent to Azkaban, as you know. And here we are,” Draco finished, anticipating Hermione’s reaction nervously.
“Show me your arm,” she said quietly, surprising him. He rolled up his sleeve to show her his left forearm, and she ran her fingers over the smooth skin. The only evidence that the Dark Mark had existed there was a tiny scar, and Hermione’s fingers lingered on it. “Thank you for telling me everything,” she murmured, rolling his sleeve back down to cover the scar.
The sky had darkened, and Hermione shivered from the dropping temperatures.
“Let’s go back inside,” he suggested, and Hermione agreed instantly, taking his hand and walking back to the castle in silence as darkness fell around them.
Their common room was gratefully warm, with a fire already roaring and the lamps lit. Draco slipped upstairs to go and have a shower, and Hermione began to cook. She could hear people squealing outside and she smiled to herself as she got the ingredients out for pork chops, the meal of hers which Draco loved most. She waved her wand to make a knife start cutting some vegetables up, and the food was soon cooking.
“It smells amazing, beautiful,” Draco murmured from behind her as he snaked his arms around her waist, surprising her and making her jump slightly.
“Oh! You scared me,” Hermione said, feeling her heart race.
“I’m sorry. Should I make it up to you?” he murmured, and, without waiting for a response, began kissing down her jaw slowly, making her weak at the knees.
“Let me finish getting the dinner,” she finally said, rather reluctantly pulling away. Draco heaved a sigh and sat down at the table, pouring them each a glass of elf-made wine. Hermione placed the two plates on the table and they dug in, eating quickly and quietly with only a few remarks made in passing about the meal, the snow, or the ball they were both missing.
“That was delicious,” Draco said once they had finished, toasting to Hermione who blushed.
He stood up and walked around the table, taking her hand in his and pulling her to her feet. She looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes, and Draco placed a finger below her chin, tilting her head to look at him. Their eyes met and he felt intoxicated by the eye contact. He bent down slowly, and their lips met with the same crackle of electricity that they had shared with their first kiss after the Halloween ball which seemed a lifetime ago.
With a sense of urgency, Hermione pressed her lips harder against his, wrapping her arms around his neck. He pulled her closer to him, and they began to step slowly backwards towards the steps to Draco’s bedroom. They climbed the steps without breaking the kiss, and Draco scooped Hermione up and placed her on the bed.
“I love you so much,” he whispered between kisses.
“I love you too,” she mumbled, and those were the last words said all night.
***
A/N: Rawr, it’s getting a bit steamy here! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please R&R.
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