DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K. does, and she has every right to do whatever she thinks is best for Harry Potter. I just love writing. So sue me. Wait, seriously… don't.
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"Hey, Potter!" A familiar drawl called out to Harry as he strolled across the Hogwarts grounds. He turned around slowly, feeling irritated that his time alone had been interrupted again.
`What am I supposed to do to get some peace around here?'
"What do you want?" He asked Malfoy who had just reached his side.
"What just happened?" The nosy git asked him.
"Nothing."
"Don't act as if I wasn't there. Something was wrong and I know it. If Professor Dumbledore hadn't asked me to call for Prof. McGonagall, I would have been there the whole time. So what happened?" He asked again.
"You don't have to know."
"But I want to know."
"Who are you to `want to know'?" Harry asked him heatedly.
"I thought we were okay." Malfoy said, looking extremely agitated.
"We may be in good terms right now but that doesn't give you the right to stick your nose into our business. Whatever happened there doesn't and will never involve you."
"You know what I think? If you never wanted me to know, you shouldn't have brought me there in the first place."
"What are you talking about? I brought you there to let you speak to Ron. I didn't intend to let you learn about Hermione's absence. That's something only we should know." Harry explained
"Nevertheless, I did find out. What are you going to do? Cast "obliviate" at me? Whether you want me to be or not, I'm involved now. How can I show you this is real, I'm real, if you keep on shoving me out of the way every time I try to do something to prove myself?" Malfoy reasoned. He, then, took a step closer to Harry and muttered. "Now, what happened?"
"You want to know?"
"That's the reason I'm asking, isn't it?"
"Hermione's gone!"
"What?"
"Hermione's gone." Harry explained in a bitter tone. "She's not coming back. She's decided to stay where she is."
"But, that's impossible! She can't do that. You're here!"
"Yeah…and so is Ron." Harry said, not understanding a bit what Malfoy said.
"Yes, but you're here!"
"I know I'm here, Malfoy. I'm talking to you."
"No, you don't understand. How can Granger decide to stay here when you're not there? Can she handle that?"
"What are you saying?"
"I think you know what I'm saying. I think what you want to know is how I knew." He smirked, and then he shrugged noncommittally. "Everyone does, Potter. Everyone, well, except…perhaps you didn't, but I'm guessing you know now. I think that you and Granger, including Weasley, were oblivious to the fact that your trio was talked about more often than the death of Lord Voldemort. And it didn't help subdue the matter when Weasley and Granger kept on going out without you; while you, on the other hand, were busy with Chang."
Harry could only stare at Malfoy. He had no idea that people still followed his life even after the death of Voldemort. Had he really been that dense?
"Well, people should mind their own business." He decided not to let the boy get to him with his words no matter how painful they hit him. They were, after all, just words. "Why are you telling me, anyway? I didn't ask for you to explain anything. And I sure as hell don't care." Harry cursed, turning his back away from Malfoy.
But he felt stupid and ashamed of himself. Everyone in the whole school knew that Hermione loved him. He was blinded by a childhood fantasy come true to notice. When he thought about the pain she must have suffered and the unknown and possible mockery she got from the other students, he couldn't stop feeling guilty. She was indeed a brave girl to endure such humiliation.
Maybe she did the right thing; maybe she had suffered long enough.
"Come on, Harry. Aren't you going to do something?" Malfoy asked quietly from behind.
Harry saw that he would get nowhere with being the way he was. He sighed and said in defeat. "There's no point. That connection you witnessed had been the last. She made her decision. That's why Prof. Dumbledore asked you to call for Prof. McGonagall. But the connection was cut before she arrived."
"Why don't you try making the connection with her again and make her come back?"
"We could, but I won't let them." He said. Malfoy looked shocked, and so did he. "I just realized that I've deprived her of what she needed this past year and I should just let her do what she wants. She deserves to be happy, and for the first time, I want to be the cause of her happiness."
"Are you just going to give her up? Throw everything you have just because you're too dense to realize she will be happier with you than in some forsaken place where she doesn't know anyone?"
"I think so."
Malfoy's eyes blazed with anger and confusion…
"Don't you love her?"
"I do…"
"So what's the problem?"
"She never knew."
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"That's right; you're Hermione Granger, the smartest witch of your age. How could I have forgotten?" Erin beamed, but there was still sadness in her eyes.
Hermione stepped forward and clasped Erin's hands. "Don't worry. I'll still be seeing you. In a hundred years…" She winked.
"Confident, are we?" Alex asked her, grinning.
"Just trying to be optimistic. I can't afford to let myself down again."
"Yep, we can't have that happening!" Shawn chimed once more.
"Ms. Granger, it's time." Prof. Dumbledore interrupted.
"Wait, sir. Can you give me a minute?" Hermione asked, fidgeting with her hands.
"By all means…" The headmaster said, bowing slightly with a small smile playing on his lips. He turned around and disappeared around the corner of his house.
Hermione took a deep breath, put on a smiling face and turned her audience. "I just want to thank all of you for putting up with me these past few days. And I also want to apologize again because I lied. I hope you understand now."
"We do. And we wish you luck." Erin said.
"Yeah or else we'll never be born." Shawn kidded.
"You can do it. Just think the way Hermione Granger thinks and you'll be fine."Alex commented.
"Stop your sycophantism." Cole said muttered, clearly amused. To Hermione, he said. "It won't hurt to follow your heart either. It is in the right place."
Hermione looked at the four people who had become special to her in just a short period of time. She was indeed grateful to them and what they'd done, how they changed her life. Though, if everything went well, she would forget them, she knew they would stay with her in her heart.
"It's time to go." Dumbledore came from behind them.
"I guess this is it." Hermione smiled tentatively as she moved towards Dumbledore. "I guess you'll have to go."
"Wait a minute! Don't you think for one second we're going to miss some cool bit of magic…" Shawn beamed as he followed her, the others not far behind.
When everyone had settled in a circle around the two of them, Dumbledore turned to a nervous-looking Hermione. "Are you ready, Ms Granger?" He asked, both his hands up, his wand clutched firmly in his right hand.
"As ready as I'll ever be." She muttered and smiled at the four.
Before she could think of another thing, everything went black, and all she remembered next was the headmaster's voice muttering an incantation, and then finally losing consciousness as she fell into a deep stupor.
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