Disclaimer: Read chapter one will you!!! THEY AREN'T MINE!!!!!
Best Friends
CHAPTER 4
By Rodare
"Well, well, if it isn't Weasel-bee and Little Miss Perfect," a cool drawling voice called making them look up.
Draco Malfoy was standing by the staircase leading up into the castle leaning arrogantly against the wall with a glass of wine in his hand. He noticed Luna walking next to Hermione and the others, including the Bulgarian seeker, following close behind. He frowned slightly but recovered almost instantly. Now, the Bulgarian's presence might come as a drawback to his plans unless he used it to his advantage. He almost shrugged but stopped himself. No need for the others to know he had something up his sleeve.
"Go sod off, ferret boy," Ron said with a scowl releasing Hermione. Luna and Hermione exchanged a quick look and a rolled their eyes.
Ron was still not over the fact that Draco had turned to their side during the war, but mostly it was the fact that Harry had been okay with it. Harry had even ordered Order protection for his mother and by what he had told Hermione everything else that Dumbledore had promised him in the Astronomy tower the night he died. Harry never forgot how Draco had lowered his wand a second before Snape had shoved him off and killed the headmaster.
Draco had turned and sent inside information to the Order never asking to be pardoned, but only to have his family protected. During that last encounter he had pulled off his mask and thrown it at Voldemort's feet proclaiming his allegiance to those against the Dark side. Voldemort had laughed coldly and told him he was as weak as he had thought, but told him that he would allow him to fight and die among those weaklings the world would be rid off when he was done. Draco had fought as fiercely as they had, and once it was all over he and Harry had shaken hands. For a year now, he had been making amends with them and Hermione knew that Harry now considered him a friend. It was strange to say the least, but somehow in all it's wrongness it was right, and they all fit.
"Now, now, Weasel-bee," Draco said sipping the last bit of his wine with a smirk. "Why do you have to be so aggressive? I was actually thinking you had missed me."
"What?" Ron said with a snort. Hermione rolled her eyes again and pushed him out of the way, as Draco made his way toward them. Hermione waved her hand and Draco's empty glass vanished.
"Show off," he said with a grin. She smiled and he took her hand kissing it gently before she kissed his cheek. "You're not looking half bad, Granger."
"You're not looking that bad either, Malfoy" she answered as he looked at her. He smirked and chuckled.
"I'm bloody good looking, Hermione," he said confidently. She rolled her eyes and he turned his attention to Luna who stood beside a despondent Ron. Luna smiled in that dreamy way of hers and he grinned as he took her hand and followed the same motions he had with Hermione before he said good naturedly, "Still loony enough to be going out with this redhead git?"
"I guess, I am," Luna answered with a laugh. Draco shook his head as if disappointed. He nodded his head in acknowledgment to the rest of their entourage before dismissing them completely. "How have you been, Draco?"
"Been better and been much worse," he answered with a shrug before he turned to Hermione. She frowned noticing the slight change in his cool, grey eyes. "May I have a private word with you, Herm?"
"What the bloody hell for?" Ron interrupted as Neville began to attempt to lead the others into the Great Hall again. "The party's almost over and we need to get…"
"Listen, Weasel-bee," Draco said with an evil glint in his eyes. "Your overprotective, brotherly care is going to make me sick. My businesses with Hermione are my own. If she doesn't like my…propositions, I'm sure she can do without you."
"Why you bloody git!" Ron began but Luna took his arm and after waving at Hermione, she started to pull him after Neville and the others.
"Her-mione?" Viktor's deep booming voice made her turn to him. Hermione nodded to Draco, who rolled his eyes impatiently as he walked away to give her and the Bulgarian some room.
"Yes, Viktor?" she asked him. He seemed to be thinking hard about something before he looked at her eyes.
"I…vant," he began moving his hands as if that would help make the words come out. He cursed in rapid Bulgarian and Hermione smiled as she reached for his arm. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I 'ave missed you. I vant…I vould like for you to consider giving me…us…another chance, Her-mione."
"Viktor," Hermione whispered taken aback as she pulled her hand back and turned away from him. She didn't know what to say to him. She didn't feel capable of telling him exactly what she felt now. "We…I thought, we agreed to be just friends after…"
"Vhat else could I say?" he asked softly. "You vere leaving that day to go vith 'Arry and Ron in your hunt. I had just lived the best veek of my life, Her-mione. The best night of my life, but I knew you vould've left no matter vhat I said. Tell me you vouldn't 'ave fought vith me if I had said I vanted more? I couldn't 'ave you leave to hunt the vorld's vorst dark vizard of all time angry vith me. I could not ask for more than you could or vould give me. Now, I can. I don't vant your answer today…Just think about it, vill you? If by the end of our stay here you realize that it von't vork, then you 'ave my vord that I vill let you go. I vill move on as best as I can, and you vill alvays 'ave my friendship no matter vhat you decide."
"How can you care about me when you know that I used you, Viktor?" she asked as tears threatened to fall from her eyes once more. "How can you want more if everything I've ever given you could never compare to what you offer?"
"How can I not?" he said with a smile and she sniffed a little, unable to not notice how much less pronounced his accent was when he was less agitated. He raised her chin with his hand and looked deeply into her brilliant, chocolate eyes. "You 'ave given me purity and honesty. You are everything a man vishes for, Her-mione. Vill you think about it?"
"Yes, Viktor," she answered softly. He smiled and pressed his lips almost reverently over her lips in the most chaste of kisses.
"Thank you, Her-mione," he said pulling back almost as soon as he had kissed her. He turned and walked off in that commanding way of his while she stood there rooted to her spot wondering what in Merlin she was doing. For the first time in her life, Hermione Granger had no idea of what she was going to do.
~~~~~~~
"Ginevra Molly Weasley, turn around and look at me," Harry Potter said in a tone so calm that it sent a shiver through Ginny's spine. She wished he was yelling and furious, but no, Hermione had made sure of that. "Ginevra, look me!"
"Harry," Ginny gasped as Harry turned her brusquely around. "I'm sorry!"
"I'm sorry?" Harry snapped fighting to try to keep his last ounce of patience. "You think that with your pathetic 'I'm sorry' you're of the bloody hook? You insulted the only person that has been with me through thick and thin and you expect me to look the other way like you did nothing wrong?"
"Harry," Ginny started but he glared dangerously and she shut her mouth instantly as she felt her eyes fill with tears.
"Listen, Ginevra," Harry said pointing his finger at her. "Listen well. I have no bloody idea what is going in your mind, but I want it to stop. Hermione is and always will be an important life of me and my life. You've known since the beginning what she is to me, and I don't see what has changed since then. I want you to apologize to her. She considers you enough of a friend to allow me to tell you things that she didn't even want to tell Ron, and you want throw that kind of friendship away over a stupid, childish jealous tantrum?"
"I'm not a bloody child!" Ginny snapped.
"Well, you're bloody acting like one!" Harry snapped back and she looked at her feet. Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair calming down a bit, as he saw a tear run down her beautiful face. "What is it that you want from me, Gin?"
"I want the truth," Ginny said wiping her tears away. "I want to know if you and Hermione are making a fool of me. That's all I want, Harry."
"There is nothing between me and Hermione," Harry answered and he could not figure out why he felt a pain in his heart that felt disturbingly like regret. He sighed again and looked at the girl in front of him whom he had lived great times with. "Gin, I want you to know that I care about you a lot."
"Harry," she whispered looking up to meet his eyes with hers. He took her hands slowly before continuing.
"I want to know that this," he said pulling her a bit closer. "That what's between us is the real deal. I want you to figure out if what you say and think you feel for me is real. I want both of us to be sure. I want a family of my own, Gin. I wan t to have everything I've ever dreamed of, but I don't want to rush into anything. I want for us to take a break in our relationship."
"No, no, Harry, please," Ginny said as new tears began to spill from her eyes. He shook his head and wiped them away.
"I'm not breaking up with you, Gin," he said kissing her forehead gently. "I just want to give you the chance to back down if you think this is leading us nowhere. We both deserve to know for sure. We're both adults and we can both choose but I don't want your heart clouded by some stupid reason. By the end of the weekend, by the time we leave Hogwarts, I'm going to ask you if you think that you can spend the rest of your life with me, and I'll answer the same question to you. We'll choose what to do with our relationship then, okay? No matter what, we will be honest with each other, Gin. Is that fair, Ginny, for both of us?"
"I…" she said looking away from his eyes thinking about all the things that had been happening for days.
All the mixed feelings she was getting. All the confusion in her mind, and mostly everything that Hermione had said that Harry wanted. All the things she didn't really know about him yet. Was she ready to tell him that she didn't need time to think about it? Was she ready to go against him and tell him that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him? Was she ready to take that step with him? Was this the last man she wanted to kiss, to hug, to shag for crying aloud? Did she want Harry forever? Did she even truly love him?
"Ginny?" Harry asked tentatively.
"Yes, Harry," she whispered hugging him tightly. "I think that's fair for both of us."
"Just remember, Ginny," Harry whispered against her hair. "No matter what you choose, I'll respect you. No matter what happens you'll always have me. I'll always hold you dear to me."
"Me too, Harry," she answered sincerely against his chest. "Me too."
~~~
"Tut, tut, Granger," Malfoy said bringing Hermione crashing down from her reverie making her jump. "You never did say that you were going out with Vicky, again."
"Why does everyone insist on calling him that?" Hermione snapped crossly. She turned to face him sharply and saw the smirk on his face. She rolled her eyes and with a sigh, she pinched the bridge of her nose. Draco smirked unable to resist noticing just how bloody sexy and damn adorable the little Gryffindor bookworm had grown into. She looked up and frowned noticing the smirk in his face. "What do you want, Draco? I have things to do, you know."
"I know," Draco answered with a shrug. "But there's something we need to discuss."
"Now, Draco, I hope it's not that stupid law you want to push to be passed prohibiting Ronald from all civilized papers," Hermione said remembering how hard it had been to make Draco drop the subject. "I can't help you out."
"You know you would love to see it pass as much as I do," Draco said with a laugh as he pulled out his wand from his pocket and summoned two flutes of champagne as he motioned her toward the stairs. "Especially, after what he did in your birthday."
"You had to bring that up?" Hermione said with a grimace. She shook her head breaking of that chain of thought as she turned to him and raised an eyebrow taking the glass from him. "Are we celebrating something, Draco?"
"Of course, Hermione," he said as they sat down in one of the non-vanishing steps. He raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow and motioned her to drink on. "We are celebrating our engagement you see."
"Wha…?" Hermione managed to choke since she had chosen the moment before to sip at her drink.
He smirked and saw her fumble to retrieve her wand getting a glimpse of her taut, tanned, enticingly long legs, he grinned appreciatively just as she managed to cast a silent Apneo spell at herself. She took a deep breath and then glared at him noticing the twirling wand on his hand and the strange smirk in his face. Malfoy laughed at her look and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she muttered under her breath angrily.
"Are you bloody mental?" Hermione said angrily. He laughed and pulled her a little closer. She pulled back slightly to look at him. "Draco, are you sure you're alright? Because there is no way I'm going to marry you."
"It's not me and you silly," Draco said laughing and she frowned clearly more confused than to begin with. "Although, you know you wish you were."
"All for the good grace of glorifying my children with your royal blood, sweetheart," she answered with her voice dripping with sarcasm. He rolled his eyes a bit, but she leaned against his side into a one-arm hug gently. "I'm sorry, Draco. I know you've changed from that a long time ago. I'm sorry."
"It's alright," Draco answered with a small sigh. "I hurt you a lot once, didn't I?"
"Just once in first year," she answered honestly but she smiled. "It's all in the past now, Draco. Leave it there."
"I've always been jealous of what Harry had back then," he answered unexpectedly and she looked into his cool, grey eyes. "I never did notice that you were his biggest treasure, Hermione. I don't think the stupid git noticed it either."
"I'm no one's treasure, Draco," she said looking away from him toward the door. She sighed deeply and then by pure whim she threw her glass hard shattering it into the nearest wall. Draco raised his eyebrows in shock at this display of lack of control from her. "Merlin, you have no idea how much I wanted to do that."
"I know exactly how you feel," he said angry with himself and with his trademark smirk in place, he shattered his own glass with hers.
Hermione seemed surprised and then she looked at him as he laughed. If someone had told her two years ago that one day she would be there sitting with Draco Malfoy of all people drinking champagne and talking idle talk, laughing as they sat in the main staircase with his arm around her shoulder she would have called them mental. No, she would have rushed to McGonagall and ask that they be checked at St. Mungo's. She smiled a bit at the thought and then wondered how on earth Draco knew how she felt.
"What did you mean before?" Hermione asked after a moment of comfortable silence between them. "When you said we were celebrating our engagement."
"I meant what I said," he responded in a more characteristic and self-assured tone of voice. "You and I just not together, trust me on this, Hermione, and don't interfere. I know what I'm doing."
"What on earth are you talking …?" she started but at that precise moment the doors to the grounds burst open and none other than Harry and Ginny walked in, both looking strangely thoughtful.
Harry felt a surge of the anger and dislike that he had not felt for years, toward Malfoy, come rushing back until he felt the urge to hex his slick ass to hell and back. Draco saw the look in Harry's face and smirked as he stood up holding his hand out to Hermione who frowned at the look in Harry's face. Draco deliberately let his hand linger on Hermione's back as she stood next to him and he saw the fire grow in Potter's eyes. So, Draco thought smirking, Potter is starting to open his eyes, is he? Well, he wasn't one to wait and he wasn't about to start now.
"Hey, there Scarhead," Draco said in an amiable tone. "Out on a stroll were you?"
"Hello, Malfoy," Harry said callously and Draco raised his perfectly shaped eyebrow.
Harry had not called him by his surname since that day that they had shaken hands. Hermione noticed the same thing instantly and she looked up into Malfoy's grey eyes before turning to look into Harry's emerald gaze. She felt as if someone had slapped her across the face and she took a step back. There was anger and a bit of disappointment in Harry's gaze and the most disconcerting thing was that it seemed directed to her.
"Hello, Weasley," Draco said licking his lips sensually, at least that's what Ginny thought and her throat went unusually dry.
It had been years since Draco had that effect on her. At one time back, she had been foolishly attracted to the infuriating Slytherin, but knowing fully well that it was one sided she had then pursued her feelings for Harry once more. She couldn't act on those desires not because of her family, who were bound to disown her for even thinking about it, but because she knew deep down that there was no way Draco would ever look at such a lowly being as herself like that. She could be honest to herself though, even when she had Harry she had often wondered what it would've been like to have Draco Malfoy in the same way she had Harry. She was a young, healthy woman and her fantasies were her own even if they did involve having absolute control of the particular Slytherin. She licked her lips in an unconscious response to his own deliberate actions before she began to lose herself in the daydreams from her past.
"Gin?" Harry asked shaking her shoulder gently as he looked with concern at her with his deep emerald eyes. Hermione was beside him looking just as worried as she pressed her palm against Ginny's forehead. Ginny frowned not able to see Draco anymore. Did he leave? "Ginny? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she answered with a bit of a snap that only Hermione seemed to notice as she frowned slightly and jerked her hand back as if she was stung. Damn, that witch! Why the bloody hell was she so damn perceptive? "I'm sorry. I…I didn't mean to snap. I was just thinking about something. Were you saying something?"
"Well, Draco, said 'hello'," Hermione put in clearly feeling a bit more at ease.
Ginny nodded as Hermione took a step back and she noticed Draco leaning against the rail with his trademark smirk in place. Hermione turned to him and he walked over to her with a disarming smile. The effect was lost on Hermione who seemed to be daft only at noticing the male attention on her increasing beauty.
She may not have been gorgeous in the way Ginny herself was, but she had this thing, this poise that overshadowed every other beautiful woman around her. Whenever they went out together she was always the one that stood out for her brilliancy and her calm self-assured dignity, she always seemed to be in control and so damn above them all. She never did it on purpose which was the reason that everyone who was lucky enough to know her would always respect her or be bloody intimidated of her for the rest of their lives, that of course, depended on the impression you gave the witch herself. Like Ron was fond of saying, Hermione was brilliant, scary, but brilliant.
"Hello, Malfoy," Ginny answered forcing a smile. Draco smirked dismissing her acknowledgement with a careless shrug as he gave Hermione his arm. Ginny glared a bit at the ease with which Hermione took it.
"Shall we go in, then?" Draco said sounding bored, but still giving Hermione that winning smile. "Weasel-bee said that the party is almost over. I don't know about you, but I rather enjoy the rest of the evening inside then out here."
"You seemed rather comfy when we came in," Harry answered feeling his insides about to burst.
He could be able to tell himself that his feelings for Hermione were still entirely normal, but the sudden anger and the disconcerting jealousy to every man that so much as look at her were telling him otherwise. He didn't know how much longer he could hold his 'best friend façade' before finally exploding and finally beating the crap out of one of those men. He rubbed his knuckles with his long fingers almost anticipating the feel of physical relief to all those growing frustrations.
He looked at Hermione and that overly sexy dress of hers; clinging to her every curve and he suddenly came up with the realization that there was another way of releasing the frustration. By Merlin, if he could so much as kiss those tantalizing lips of hers, he would die a happy, happy man. He felt a familiar stirring in his groin and he cut this particular train of thought instantly. He was no longer wearing his large coat since it was now wrapped around Hermione's shoulders, and his form fitting business suit that Hermione had chosen for him to wear would do a bad job of covering up for him if he kept those thoughts going, wizard robes were really handy in that respect.
"Yes, we were," Draco said with that smirk. Harry fisted his hands and to keep himself from wiping that smirk of his face with either his fist or a hex, he pushed them into his pockets and shrugged. "But you two are here now and it would be impolite of me and Hermione to keep being 'comfy' in front of you, don't you think?"
"I rather not think about your endeavors with any girl, Draco," Harry said with an almost bitter taste in his throat at the possible implications of Draco's comment. "Much less if it involves someone as important as Mione. I would have to kill you, you see."
"Harry!" Hermione said with an admonishing tone looking flushed and confused. Now that was something new, Harry thought with a smile, a confused Hermione. She saw the smile in his eyes and she smiled knowing what he was thinking. She shook her head and muttered something under her breath, which sounded awfully like 'Boys!' as she looked away from his eyes. "Let's go back, then."
"Come on, then," Harry said taking Ginny's hand as he moved ahead of Hermione and Draco.
As much as he wanted to keep them both in his sight he couldn't help but feel that Draco was fully enjoying the infuriating reaction he was getting from Harry, and he wasn't about to be Ferret boy's fool. He squeezed Hermione's shoulder affectionately as he passed her and she reached up to touch his hand with a smile. Harry grinned foolishly but she let go before the other two could notice. Hermione sighed as she was lead by Draco in Harry's wake.
"You did good, Granger," Draco whispered in her ear and she was surprised she didn't shudder like she always did when it was Harry that whispered to her. "You did real good."
"Will you please explain what this is all about?" Hermione hissed back in frustration.
"You're the smartest witch of the age," he said as his eyes focused on the current object of his desire. He smirked at the look in Hermione's face and winked. "You got tonight to figure it out. After, just don't interfere and I'll take care of you."
"What in Merlin's beard are you talking about?" Hermione asked one more time but Draco merely raised both his eyebrows tauntingly and grinned. Bloody, Ferret boy, Hermione thought angrily, she would find out exactly what he was up to and put a stop to it before he did something that would probably get him and herself, she thought with a grimace, in more trouble than he could handle.
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I promise I'll type faster if I get more reviews!!! R&R!!!
-Rodare