Toryn, glad you liked the flashbacks. I do believe that was a stroke of genius myself (I don't have much of an ego to stroke anyways...)
Emeraldisle, I guess I've just had how they met and fell in love planned out in my head. I might just have a prequel or something explaining it, maybe a one-shot of it...what do you guys think? Is it worth it?
Thanks to Violet Jersey, meg, Draca, Mrs_Felton (love the username, lol), dracomio, Momentyne, DarkenedQuasar, sweetazsuga423, hpdancer92, Laura, ???????, Draco's Gurl, chillycoke123, frecklegirl87, and AnimalLover947 for your supporting comments!
Thanks to all you anonymous reviewers as well!
Just for info, snogging is the equivalent of making out, kissing, etc....doing the less-nasty.
~-~-~-~-~-~
To Bring You Back
Chapter Five: Revelation, part I
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(Ginny)
"Harry!" I said, exasperated. "You're not really going to condemn him!"
"What choice do I have, Ginny?!" was his reply. He sighed, chugging down his coffee as he finished, "Under the code of Merlin we have to."
"But isn't there a law that says-"
"I've gone through all the laws, Ginny! Don't you think that I've tried everything under my power to try and stop this?"
"Well, obviously that isn't enough!" Harry gave me a look then, a glare that sent a chill down my spine.
"Don't you ever...ever say that to me again," he muttered, clenching his jaw. "If you're about to imply that I'm letting Malfoy take away the true culprit of Ron's murder with a shrug of my shoulders, I-"
"I'm sorry, Harry," I muttered, realizing just what I had just said. "I just...it just...he didn't do it."
"Yeah. I know."
"So, what do we do about it?"
"I'm on my way to Hogwarts," Harry said, his chair scraping against the floor.
"What for?"
"Snape."
~-~-~-~-~-~
Hermione stepped into Draco's room, sighing silently and walking briskly over to him. Draco was sitting at the table, his face rested on his fist while he drummed his fingers over the table top.
"Must you continue to do that," Hermione snapped. Draco gave a ghost of a smirk, laying his hand palm down on the table. "Thank you." Draco didn't reply. Hermione sat down opposite him, taking out a muggle recorder. After making sure there was a new cassette and everything was working perfectly, she pressed a button and a whizzing noise was emitted from the small, black machine.
"What the bloody hell is that," Draco drawled, his grey eyes narrowing at the recorder. "Some type of muggle contraption?"
"No need to worry, Draco," Hermione said, tying her hair up into a ponytail as she glared at him. "It doesn't bite." Draco shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "We both know why I'm here," she said after a moment of silence.
"No, please, entertain me and tell me your purpose," Draco said, smirking as he caught a glimpse at her face.
"Bloody Merlin Malfoy, what in-"
"Let's just cut this short," Draco muttered, leaning forward in his chair as his eyes narrowed. "I stand by what I said earlier. I find it pathetic that such a high class auror like yourself is wasting her time to find a contradiction to something I promise you is the truth."
"Promises or no promises, I don't believe you."
"Then what do you believe, hm?" Draco said, beginning to drum his fingers on the table top again. "That my father killed Weasley? Granger, you don't honestly believe that I would cover up for my father, that piece of worthless shit. Why would I give up my life for that man?"
"Maybe you aren't giving it up for him," Hermione retorted, her eyes narrowing at Draco's words. "Maybe you're doing it because of something he threatened."
"Nothing Lucius Malfoy could do would ever scare me," Draco muttered, looking out the window.
"Oh, yes," Hermione said, a small smile gracing her lips. "You didn't leave England because of fear." Draco froze, his shoulders turning rigid as he turned around to face Hermione.
"What the bloody hell does that mean?"
"I've figured it out, Malfoy," Hermione said, staring right at him. "He threatened to hurt Ginny unless you fled. He didn't want you here, spoiling his plans. So you fled. Because he knew the one most important thing in your life." Draco remained silent. "Ginny."
"You're mad, Granger."
"But you had to go and lock him up. The last thing you did before you went to America was to make sure that your father remained in Azkaban to the pitiful day he died. Then, you broke off all connections to your life and fled, finding solitude and a new life in America."
"You-"
"But it didn't work out the way you wanted. You knew you couldn't forget Ginny, but you convinced yourself that living without her knowing she was alive was better than living without her knowing you were the reason for your death. But still you worried. You hadn't broken off all connections. You made sure that if anything slightly peculiar, anything at all, was happening with Lucius Malfoy you would be the first to know."
"I-"
"So then, one faithful day you got wind that Lucius Malfoy was planning to escape. You digged a little deeper and realized what his true intentions were. You hurried back to London, in search of your father to put an end to what you feared would happen."
"My-"
"You tried to find Ginny, tried to explain to her what you had to do. For, of course, being Draco Malfoy, you always had a plan. You knew exactly what was going to happen and exactly what you were going to do."
"No, I-"
"But you didn't get to say goodbye. What you hadn't counted on was Ginny turning her back on you; you thought that she would be positively ecstatic to see you. But luckily for you, Harry Potter was there. You could at least warn him of what could happen."
"Yes-"
"But your plan didn't work. While you were visiting your mum to use her for bait, Lucius had already used her to reel you in. You were caught. He threatened you, and here you are, admitting that you killed Ron Weasley. But you really didn't."
"Granger, you're mad."
"I'm brilliant."
"What do you expect of me? To say that you're right? To 'admit' that what you're saying is the truth? Because bloody hell, Granger, you must be one idiotic-"
"No. My plan was to get you to know that someone does know the truth." Hermione got up then, grabbing her recorder to check that it was working. "Just realize this. Lucius won't want someone knowing. He'll come after me, now."
Draco could only stare as Hermione continued to fiddle with the recorder.
"You're a bloody imbecile," he muttered.
Hermione just smiled.
~-~-~-~-~-~
Harry swept onto Hogwarts grounds, his black cloak billowing out behind him as he nearly ran up the steps to the old castle. As he was about to touch the doors he heard a familiar voice.
"Potter," McGonagall said, her lips pursed. She walked to him, quickly fastening her robes tighter around her waist as the wind threatened to blow it away.
Harry stood still, his green eyes blazing as his raven locks whipped around his face.
"What are you doing here?" McGonagall demanded, sighing. "If you're here for Hagrid, Harry, he-"
"Actually, Professor McGonagall," Harry said, smiling. "I'm here to talk to Professor Snape. He's aware that I'm here. Or will be, shortly."
"I see, Potter," McGonagall said, her eyes moving to the village of Hogsmeade. Or what remained of it. "It's a pity the Three Broomsticks isn't here anymore, isn't it." Harry didn't answer. "Often I find myself wishing for a warm butterbeer to soothe my nerves. But, of course..."
"I heard Madame Rosmerta saying that business was flourishing quite nicely in Diagon Alley," Harry replied, his eyes now looking at Hogsmeade as well. "It was quite lucky that she was able to find an open property so fast after the fire."
"Yes," McGongall said, her lips pursing once again. "I really do miss Hogsmeade." Turning back to Harry, she said, "You better go in. Professor Snape was never one who allowed tardies."
"Yes ma'am."
~-~-~-~-~-~
"So I've been researching the wizarding laws, Malfoy," Hermione said, tapping the feather end of her quill against her nose as she grinned. "And I've found a very interesting case."
"It's nice to know how you spend your time, Granger," Malfoy replied, glaring. "I'm not at all surprised that you spend it all immersed in books. The only true friends you've got, aren't they." Hermione's smile faltered as she sighed, looking out the window. Draco, realizing what he had just said, closed his eyes before saying, "Granger, I-"
"That's what I used to do, you know." Hermione continued to look out the window, her chin propped up in her hand. "When I was little, I didn't have any friends. Dolls I found pointless. My grandmum would take me out to the park, where we'd sit next to a tree and she would read me fairy tales and stories of ravishing brave princesses. She loved witches in particular. She thought Merlin was the most fascinating creature." Her eyes glazed over as Draco listened to Hermione, his stormy eyes unreadable as he listened to her talk. "But one day...one day she died. Heart attack. Those doctors couldn't do a thing to save her. I had my mind set that day that I would become a doctor, that I wouldn't let another grandmum die and leave her grandchild alone in the world." Turning to Draco, she whispered, "Because that's what I was. Alone. All of a sudden, those books were the only things I had of her. Slowly, I started to forget her. Now, I only remember a few tidbits of her. How she always smelled like peppermints." Looking down at the table, Draco saw a few tears slide down her cheeks and splash against the wooden top. "I'm an auror. Ironic, isn't it, that my husband was the one to be killed by a deatheater." She smiled then, a small laugh coming out of her mouth as she wiped away the few tears running down her cheek. "I don't even know why I'm saying this. I-"
"It's okay, Hermione," Draco said, taking her hand and stroking it with his thumb in lazy circles. "I know." Hermione's brown eyes widened before she smiled. Draco and Hermione looked at each other in a sudden realization of understanding.
Hermione, for the first time, realized that maybe she had something in common with Draco Malfoy.
~-~-~-~-~-~
"Potter, you're late," Snape said as he saw Harry walk into the dungeons.
"My apologies, sir," Harry said, taking off his cloak and draping it across his chair.
"I see old habits die hard," Snape said, sneering. Harry didn't reply. "So what was it that you desperately needed to see me for."
"As you probably already know, Draco Malfoy is convicted of the murder of Ronald Weasley," Harry said, his fists clenching at his sides.
"Yes, I'm aware of that."
"Well, sir, I'd like to know why the bloody hell he's making all this up."
"I'm afraid I can't answer."
"Bloody Merlin, you fucking know-"
"Draco Malfoy is not one to act rashly," Snape interrupted. "Every action he has ever done has been a result of intense analyzation."
"I'm sure," Harry sneered, thinking of all the times Draco had spitted out insults.
"Potter," Snape said, sighing. "Don't-"
"Don't you dare tell me to not dwell on the past because you're living proof that those mistakes happen often." Snape fell silent, his black eyes glittering as his lips twirled up in a smirk.
"You're quite right, Potter. Unusual."
"I know you kept Malfoy updated while he was in America," Harry said suddenly. Snape shrugged.
"I merely sent owls whenever I felt necessary."
"That's not particularly true." Harry started to pace then, his hands burrowed in his jean pockets. "I know you know more than you let off, Snape, and frankly, it's starting to piss me off."
"This is why you were never good at occlumency. Another thing to add to the list of things you could never achieve-"
"Hermione thinks Malfoy is being blackmailed into this by his father." Stopping his pacing to face Snape, he finished, "And I have a feeling that you know exactly what his father threatened."
~-~-~-~-~-~
Ginny stepped into the room to see Draco holding Hermione's hand, their eyes locked as they continued to smile. Frowning she made a clicking sound with her tongue and Draco turned to look at her, paling visibly.
"Ginny."
"Malfoy." Hermione turned around, noticing Ginny and sighing. She grabbed her things and wiped away her tears, smiling at Ginny while passing her.
"Take all the time you need, Gin," she said before she stepped through the door. Ginny watched it turn blue then fade back to its wooden surface. She heard a chair scrape against the floor and she knew Draco had gotten up.
"What are you doing here, Weasley."
"What were you doing with Hermione?"
"Granger? She was just questioning me."
"You were holding her hand."
"She needed comfort."
"She has us for comfort," Ginny retorted, twirling around to glare at him. "She definitely doesn't need your shoulder to cry on." Draco shrugged. "Don't you dare take advantage of her, you bastard, she-"
"I don't have any feelings for Granger, nor do I have any intentions of wooing her," Draco said, a smirk on his face as he walked towards her. "I could if I wanted, of course." Ginny snorted. Lowering his eyes to hers he cupped her face, whispering, "The only person I could possibly love is you, Gin."
"I'm not here for your sweet talk," Ginny snapped, pushing Draco away.
"Then what are you here for?" Draco replied, smiling lazily at her. "It can't possibly be because you were in the neighborhood."
"I wanted to know why you ran away," Ginny said, raising her chin.
Draco sighed, raking his hands through his silver locks before muttering, "That's something I can't tell you."
"And why the bloody not? You're going to...die soon, why would it matter?"
"I wouldn't have left you if I didn't have to." Ginny snorted, shaking her head as she crossed her arms across her chest.
"If you didn't have to? And pray tell, what could scare ickle Drackie away." Something flickered in Draco's eyes then. He turned and glared at her, his cold eyes drilling into hers as he clenched his teeth.
"I don't ask you to understand. If I had my way, I'd have you hate me again. It would make everything so bloody easy."
"It would make what so bloody easy, Malfoy?" Ginny snapped, glaring back. "Running away?"
"Turning my back on the one thing I care about!" Draco nearly shouted. Regaining his composure, he muttered, "If there's something I don't need, it's you. So just get out. Do yourself a favor and just walk away." Ginny stood there, silent, as she absorbed his words. Draco sighed, turning away from her and walking to the window as he watched the rain outside. The slight melody of the raindrops was the only sound heard in the room for a few moments, until her deep footsteps echoed across the floor.
"I don't care if you need me," Ginny whispered. "I don't care if you love me, still. I just want to know..." Ginny stopped, trying to find the words. "I just..."
"Ginny," Draco muttered. "I-"
"Malfoy," a voice boomed out and Ginny twirled around to see Harry standing in the doorway, Hermione running behind him. "We need to talk." Ginny turned to look at Draco to see he looked slightly relieved.
"Come into my humble hovel," Draco muttered, motioning with his hands. "What do you want, Potter."
"Snape told me everything." Draco's smirk disappeared. Instead he frowned, his brow furrowed as he realized just exactly what Harry was saying.
Ginny stood in the middle, her glance turning from Draco to Harry to Draco again. She noticed Harry's pained expression, Draco's exhausted one.
"Well then," Draco croaked out. "I guess we do need to talk."
~-~-~-~-~-~
A/N: some of my pre-readers were wondering why Hermione exposed her painful past to Draco like that *tries to snap her fingers*. The truth is, that's sorta based on me. With Ron gone, all her memories of her grandmum resurfaced and she's having a hard time dealing with all of it. I usually don't want to burden my friends with my problems if they have to go through the same thing...what ends up happening is I pour my soul out to a near random stranger, and I feel so much better in the end. Hermione just needed someone who wasn't close to her to listen, and that happened to be Malfoy. In the end, she realized that he went through the same thing too...so it was a mutual understanding sort of thing. I can imagine Hermione doing that; if you guys find that OoC, do tell!