Chapter Thirteen
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"So when are you going to tell me about you and Ginny?" Hermione asked, after moving into her new apartment. She and Harry were finally alone.
"Oh, I don't know what to say, really," Harry said, avoiding her eyes.
Hermione walked over and sat down on her sofa, she had missed her furniture so much. Most of her things had been put in storage when she moved to the States, some of the things she had even forgotten that she owned. The flat was a nice one-bedroom apartment in a decent neighborhood in the magical part of London. Harry sat down on one of the armchairs.
"Honestly, I don't want to talk about Ginny," he answered.
Despite not being in love with her, what happened between them still hurt Harry a little. It wasn't at all the way he had planned it, not that he really had planned it. But he never wanted her to get hurt.
"I have to ask you something," Harry said and started fidgeting with his hands.
Hermione looked curious at him.
"Well, why did you go to Malfoy's house when you'd been attacked?" he asked.
Hermione laughed a bit.
"Are you jealous?" she joked. Laughing still hurt her ribs and she held her side.
"I just want to know, I need to know" he answered seriously.
"All right, I went to Draco's because I knew you had brought Ginny home, and I didn't want to
disturb." Harry said nothing and the conversation ended there.
---
Harry soon left and Hermione looked forward to a quiet evening taking a bath and going to sleep in her own bed. She also wanted to start on the sweets that she had received from her friends while she was in the hospital. But as soon as Harry left, more visitors began showing up at her door.
Connor made a surprise visit. Hermione hadn't seen him since the night she was attacked and, surprised, she let him into her flat. He brought a huge bouquet of flowers and a bottle of expensive champagne. He tenderly kissed her cheek and sat down in one of the armchairs. "Your new flat is…cozy," he said and Hermione could see that he had to think hard for the right word.
"Thanks," she answered, unable to think of anything else to say.
"I've been so lost since you've been gone. I feel so awful about what happened to you," he started. Hermione slowly sat down, careful not to agitate her aching ribs. "I have been so worried about you…from now on, I will keep a close eye on you." He smiled. She smiled sweetly at him, trying to decide how to handle the situation. The Auror office had decided that she was off the case, and she was sure that it was because of Harry.
"I would like for you to attend this weekend's ball with me," Connor declared, interrupting her thoughts.
"Oh, Connor, I don't know…I'm -."
"Please, Hermione, I will spoil you silly."
"Well that's not -."
"It'll be a great way for you to show everyone that you are up on your feet again. And maybe afterwards
we'll go somewhere private."
She thought for a moment, but finally caved. "Yes, I would love to go with you."
Connor was very content with this answer. Hermione knew Harry would be livid, but she had such a perfect chance. She wanted to know what else she could find out about Connor. After a while longer, he kissed her again and went home. The next visitor was far more unexpected: Ginny.
Hermione was happy to see her. She needed a friendly face after her make out session with Connor. But she saw by the look on Ginny's face that something was wrong. She let her in and set the living room table with tea.
"So I met Connor on his way out," Ginny said and Hermione nodded. "So you are still together, then?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, I guess you can say that." Hermione poured Ginny some tea, but received only a glare. "What's wrong, Ginny?" she asked, reserved.
Ginny ran a hand through her hair. "Please sit down," she asked of Hermione who did as she was asked.
"Look, I want Harry back," she started.
"I'm sure he'll -," Hermione wasn't allowed to finish. She really didn't want to hear about the reunion of Harry and Ginny. She wished them both happiness, but she didn't feel like she needed to help them get together.
"Stop!" Ginny held up her hand at Hermione. "I know you slept with Harry."
Hermione sputtered on the hot tea and burned her tongue.
"I - I, Ginny…"
"Don't bother. Harry claims it was when we weren't together. I don't really know if that means you
slept together at Hogwarts before Harry and I were an item, during the war when we were broken up, or during those days
we were broken up before you moved to the States, and I don't want to know." She looked into Hermione's
eyes and Hermione saw that she was close to tears. "But I love him, Hermione, I really do. And I can't live
without him. Can you please promise me that Connor and Draco will be enough for you? Please don't go after Harry,
Hermione…." Tears spilled over and Hermione's heart ached.
"I've never gone after Harry," she whispered.
"Just promise, that you won't be with him!" Ginny's voice hitched. Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat, not understanding how she could possibly promise such a thing. She wanted to be with Harry forever, if he would only have her.
"Look, Harry doesn't want me." Ginny sneered at her.
"So you won't promise me, then?" she spat.
"I don't know what you want me to say, Gin. I honestly believe that Harry and I will never be together, what happened between us was…not right. But it was so long ago. I've never told Ron about it because -."
"I will get Harry back, Hermione," Ginny said and it sounded like she was warning Hermione.
"I'm sure you will," Hermione thought of the last time Harry had hurried back to Ginny the day after they had made love.
"And I won't tell Ron, he doesn't need to know that his best friends slept together behind his back. I would never want him to feel that pain."
"Oh, Ginny." Hermione reached for her hand but she stood up.
"I can't believe you even sleep at night!" Hermione swallowed hard, she couldn't quite believe the harshness in Ginny's voice. "I'm glad you are feeling better," Ginny added and, without another word, she left.
---
Hermione held her composure until Ginny had left, then she collapsed on the sofa crying, it was all too much for her. Ginny blamed Hermione for her broken engagement, she missed her parents, and she had almost been killed. She cried until her third visitor walked in and began talking to her.
"Are you in pain, Granger?" Hermione looked up at Draco standing in the doorframe.
"Don't you knock?" she sobbed. Her eyes were bloodshot and she sniffled.
"I did, but you didn't answer. And I heard you crying, what else should I have done?"
Hermione turned her head back in her arms and continued crying. She had slid off of the couch and was now sitting on the floor with her head on the sofa. Draco walked up to her and slouched down on the floor next to her. "What's wrong?" He tried to sound sympathetic, but he had never been very good at it.
"Everything," she complained. She turned and looked at him again.
"Sounds bad," he tried to joke. She threw herself around his neck and cried into his shoulder. Draco froze; he wasn't used to something like this. Sure a girl or two had started crying when he asked them to leave in the morning, but that had never bothered him. He carefully put his arms around her and gently stroked her back.
"There, there," he tried but Hermione seemed inconsolable. She told him about going with Connor to the ball, and then she told him about Ginny wanting Harry back - she did, however, leave out the fact that Hermione and Harry had once slept together. Draco thought about it for a moment, So The Weasley girl wanted Potter back, huh?
"Harry is going to be furious when I tell him that I'm going to the ball!" she sobbed.
"I'll talk to him," Draco assured.
"Draco…if you haven't noticed, Harry doesn't really care about anything you say." He snickered and patted her head as she put it back on his shoulder.
---
Draco went about getting Hermione back on the Connor case the best he could. He went to Gawain and told him that Hermione wanted to finish and Gawain gave them permission to continue the mission. Gawain didn't reflect too much about the attack on Hermione, as far as he was concerned it was all a part of being an Auror. The only comment he made about it was, "She's lucky she didn't loose an eye like Alastor Moody!"
Harry had been furious about Hermione's decision to go to the ball, but there was nothing he could do about it. He accepted his own invitation from Connor to be at the ball, that way he could at least keep his eye on her.
---
The evening before the ball, Harry was with Hermione in her flat. He bought Chinese food and they were watching a muggle movie, sitting on the floor.
"Nervous about tomorrow?" he asked.
"No, not really. It will probably be like the other balls we've gone to. I don't think Connor attacked me; I have a feeling that I heard a woman's voice, or maybe a woman's heels...I'm not sure."
"Well, hopefully we will know more when we get the OK to do Occlumency."
She nodded in silence and put a prawn in her mouth.
"So are you nervous about tomorrow?" she asked Harry.
"Why would I be nervous?"
"First time seeing Ginny since you broke up." He thought about it for a few moments.
"I'll be fine."
"Maybe you'll meet someone cute tomorrow!"
"Are you trying to set me up?" he joked.
"Definitely not," she answered quietly.
"Good, because I don't want to meet someone… new," he mumbled
They ate in silence and watched the movie. A couple was kissing tenderly, and it made his heart race. He wanted to kiss Hermione like that, but he just didn't have that smooth Casanova in him. The man in the movie had just tossed the girl down on the ground and they were rolling in the sand. That wasn't Harry at all.
"Do you mind if I undress for you?"
Harry snapped out of his thoughts. "What?" he shouted, not quite believing what he thought he'd heard.
"Do you mind if I try the dress on for you?" Hermione asked, breaking the tension.
"For me?" he asked in surprise.
"Well, it's just that I think it's too long, and I'm afraid I will trip on it," she explained.
She hurried off to her bedroom and had soon returned to the living room. It was a beautiful black evening gown, and Harry saw that it was, indeed, too long.
"Maybe if you wear higher heals?" he suggested.
She turned around and showed the back of the dress. Her back was completely naked, and it plunged all the way down her the area where her back met her butt. Harry swallowed hard again; he liked the view far too much.
"Let's just try it," he suggested feeling bold.
"Try what?" Harry flicked his wand and the radio came on.
"Let's see if you can dance in it," he said huskily and walked up to her. Hermione just blinked at him
and nodded. He pulled her closer to him and Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck. Harry pointed his wand to the
television and it shut off. As Hermione leaned her head against his shoulder, he closed his eyes and reveled in the
feel of her in his arms. He pulled back and she looked into his eyes.
"Harry," she whispered.
Harry looked at her lower lip, it was trembling slightly. He lowered his head slowly and hesitated just before their lips met, when she closed her eyes, he lowered the rest of the way and kissed her. He felt the naked skin of her back and caressed her with both his hands. One hand quickly moved its way up to her hair.
They deepened their kiss and the feeling of her tongue woke memories in his mind, memories of being on top of her, kissing and making love to her. Hermione placed one hand on his cheek but suddenly jerked away from Harry. She had stumbled on the dress. Luckily for Hermione, Harry's seeker reactions made sure he caught her before she landed on the floor.
"Thanks," she smiled. Harry pulled her back up, and went to kiss her again.
"Harry, I think I better go to the Auror office and get them to change the length of the dress." He nodded
and smiled goofily. He gave her a light peck on the lips and left.
---
Hermione needed a glass of champagne in the limo with Connor before she got out. She didn't know what to expect from this evening. The door opened and she let Connor lead her outside as she put on her brightest smile for the flashing cameras. She was wearing the black dress she had tried on for Harry, but it had been mended so it would stop at the floor. She had left her long hair down and very natural with curls bouncing ad she walked.
Connor held her hand and their fingers intertwined. She looked for Harry; she knew he was there somewhere. When she didn't see him, she looked for Draco; he was bringing a date to the ball. Suddenly someone gently tapped her shoulder and she spun around. Harry was smiling brightly at them, a champagne glass in his hand.
"Harry Potter!" Connor exclaimed, obviously pleased to have such a celebrity at his ball again.
"Hello, Connor," Harry answered and glared at their intertwined hands but started polite conversation. When Connor left to go to the bar Harry eyed her up and down. "You look really beautiful, Hermione," he whispered. She smiled coyly at him, her heart was beating frantically. Their kiss was obviously on both of their minds.
"You look nice too, Harry," she whispered back.
She looked up and saw Draco enter the ballroom with his date. Hermione gasped and had to blink when she saw that he had Ginny on his arm. Ginny was wearing a bright red dress, and it was very tight. Harry followed Hermione's eyes and saw Ginny on Draco's arm.
"What the hell?" he hissed.
Hermione looked at Harry's reaction and her heart fell slightly, he had a distinct frown on his face. She closed her eyes for a few moments and tried to gather her strength. She had a feeling that Draco had brought Ginny only to annoy Harry and she hated to admit that it annoyed her, too. She watched Draco lead Ginny to their table and pull out the chair for her. Just before Draco sat down, he turned and looked at Hermione and sneered evilly at her.
Connor returned and steered Hermione towards their table, she turned and looked at Harry who was still looking at Draco and Ginny. All during dinner Hermione's attention went from Draco's table to Harry's. Draco had one arm around the back of Ginny's chair, and Ginny was constantly laughing at what Draco said. She would lean in and whisper something in his ear and then playfully touch his hand. Harry, meanwhile, kept glancing back at them, looking angrier by the minute. At least Hermione could thank her lucky star that Ron wasn't there to see his little sister with the person he hated most.
When Ginny went to the ladies room Hermione walked over to the bar where Draco was ordering two drinks.
"What are you doing here with Ginny?" she jeered at him.
"Jealous?" he asked and raised his eyebrows.
"You wish!" she snarled.
"I just wanted to find out if she's a natural redhead," Draco drawled.
"You're disgusting," Hermione said, her cheeks flushing. She didn't like at all how she was letting Draco get to her.
"Oh, here comes my date now," Draco said and looked over at Ginny who was approaching. Hermione glared at Ginny. Was she really trying to get Harry back by making him jealous?
Hermione stormed back to her table. Connor was deep in conversation with an older man next to him, but they both went quiet when she sat down. This didn't go unnoticed by Hermione. She pretended to look around the room but still listened to them the best she could.
Connor placed his hand on her wrist and whispered, "You look so sexy, Hermione, I could rip that dress off of you right now." Hermione suppressed the reflex to gag. She remembered what Draco had once told her, "I have to be an actor, I can't let what is happening around me affect me!"
---
Draco was at the bar when he saw Harry making a signal to him. He laughed inside. I guess the git wants a private word with me. He knew just what to expect. He waited a few moments and then followed Harry. He found him waiting for him in an empty corridor leading to a closed part of the hotel.
"What do you want, Potter? My date is waiting for me," Draco snarled.
"Cut it out, Malfoy. What are playing at?" Harry took two steps forward and Draco grinned.
"What did I do?" he asked innocently.
"Why did you bring Ginny here?" Harry demanded.
"I heard she was single now, thought I might show her what she's been missing."
"Malfoy I warn you, if you even touch her -."
"You'll what? She's a free lady now." Harry went silent and Draco saw that he was clenching his fists. Draco walked over to the window and sat down on the ledge. He lit a cigarette and gloated for a minute.
"It's got to suck, huh?" he asked. Harry looked up at him. Draco took his time taking a long drag from his cigarette.
"Dumping sweet, innocent, little Ginerva Weasley for a mudblood, and then realizing that you've made a mistake. That's what you get for dipping your dick in something that filthy! I hope, for your sake, that your dick doesn't fall off! I saw your eyes when -," Draco suddenly went silent. His eyes were frozen on something and Harry whirled around.
Hermione was standing there, motionless, a look of shock on her face.
"Hermione," Draco whispered first and he stood up. He could have hexed himself - he had only said those things to annoy Potter and now she had heard him.
"Hermione!" Harry shouted, in shock, but she interrupted him.
"I just wanted to tell you, that Connor had to leave. He had some emergency. I - I thought you'd want to know. He is driving me home now." She turned and walked quickly back towards the ball room. Both Harry and Draco hurried after her, but were intercepted by a group of people and were forced to let her leave.
"Malfoy, you're dead!" Harry hissed.
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