Round 2 Challenge #3: Voting
Here we are in the second week of voting for Round 3 of dramione LDWS!!
A couple of things to remember when deciding which drabbles to vote for (most and least favorite):
Guidelines:
Which drabble best incorporates the prompt?
2. Is the drabble clever, different, fresh? Does it evoke an emotional response (good or bad)?
3. Does the drabble contain grammar, canon or spelling errors?
The “feedback” option.
As a voter, you have the option of leaving a brief statement about why you voted the way you did, for both most and least favorite. Your feedback will then be given to the drabble writer (if they want the feedback) ANONYMOUSLY.
Example: Most - #40: the ending was brilliant - OR - Least - #57: the ending fell flat
Now that all of that is done… We present the drabbles for week 3!!
Choose your favorite and least favorite drabbles. Favorites will receive +1 point per vote, and least favorites -1 point per vote. Despite the rules, with all the skips and drops this week, only one author will be voted off this week.
Participants using a skip:
emm718
ebilgatoloco
greenschist
Participants who had to drop:
acerola21
desdiamonds
miyabita13
Voting ends at 11:59pm, Friday, September 12, 2008.
Back to School
1
Title: Second Tuesdays
Author : snowe
Rating: G
Warnings: None.
Word Count: 382
She dreads the second Tuesday of each month, because she has to sit across from Draco Malfoy for an hour and fifteen minutes without hexing, slapping, or insulting him.
She's quite proud of herself--she has lasted through seventeen meetings of the H.E.R.B. (Hogwarts Educational Review Board). But she's ashamed of herself, too, for hating him so much that she has to clench her fists in her lap, until her nails leave marks on her palm that last for days, just to get through the meeting without losing her temper.
She'd been shocked to discover, seventeen months ago, how much she still hated Draco Malfoy. She'd scarcely thought of him during the last four years, and she had fancied that all her old grudges had faded away. The loathing that had washed over her at the very first H.E.R.B. meeting had shocked, and even frightened her; she'd never hated anyone like this until now.
As she walks from the gates to the main doors each month, she tries to rationalize the anger away. Sometimes, she almost succeeds, and then, she'll see the spot where he first called her a Mudblood...the corner where the basilisk's eyes stared back from the mirror...the alcove where he gloated over Buckbeak's pending execution. All her old childhood hurts seem magnified, somehow, by what came after.
He's clearly uncomfortable around her. He's never looked her in the eyes--not once. He agrees with every suggestion she makes, even the bad ones. This makes her even angrier, because she knows that this is his way of making amends. She does not want him to be sorry. She wants the sneering, vicious Malfoy back, so she can hate him without remorse.
On her seventeenth walk back to the gates, Malfoy purposefully slows until she has to pass by him, or stop walking altogether. This is the first time they have ever been alone together, and she is afraid of what she might do or say. He still can't meet her eyes, but he makes halting, stuttering small talk. She will never remember exactly what she replied, but she finally sees him, and not the shade of the schoolyard bully that has haunted her for so long.
Maybe the second Tuesday of the month isn't quite as dreadful as she thought.
2
Title: Between Death & Lies
Author : dysenchanted2
Ratings: PG-13
Warnings: None
Word Count: 350
spring: the first or early stage or period of life, youth
Hermione Granger remembers the first book she ever memorized cover to cover. She remembers her first cry, her first touch, her first walk. It is impossible for her to remember birth, but somewhere inside she knows she does. In the spring of her life, she finds herself at a bustling train station on a rainy day searching for an impossible train. She learns at the age of eleven that nothing is impossible.
summer: of friendship that lasts only in times of prosperity
Draco Malfoy cannot remember a time when he hadn’t had friends. Everyone around him understood the importance of his friendship, but he’s never trusted anyone until Granger. Draco saves her life the day after they officially become Unspeakables. It is an incident in the Forbidden Forest that changes everything. They forge their reports while he teaches her how to lie properly. Hermione becomes a best friend sometime between almost dying and becoming a liar.
fall: decline, decay
Hermione Granger returns to Hogwarts only once years after the Forbidden Forest incident. It is a cold and rainy afternoon and she scowls as mud sloshes over her shoes. It is not the first funeral she has attended but this one is more important than the dozens before it. Hermione vows she’ll never return to Hogwarts as the coffin is lowered. She tries not to cry as she walks away from the ghost of Draco Malfoy.
winter: to maintain through a period of trial
Draco Malfoy pushes breath into her with panic as blood blooms across his fingertips. He wraps bandages around her arm and cleans the glass off the floor. It takes two hours and thirteen minutes for her heart rate to normalize. They sit in silence for the next four hours. He finds himself listening to her shaky breaths-inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. The next morning she cries and cries until he presses his lips to hers. When she finally leaves their cottage behind, he whispers goodbye and she finds herself alone in a sea of white snow.
3
Title: In a Predicament
Author : dynonugget
Rating: PG-13
Warning: A bit of snogging
Word Count: 489
“My son is not a trouble-maker,” Draco commented dryly as he followed Hermione to her office.
“Hexing the hair off of Connor Camelbutt isn't causing trouble?” the current head of Gryffindor countered.
Snickering, “With a name like 'Camelbutt', what do you expect?”
Biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing, Hermione replied, “Be that as it may, Scorpius did it, well, for different reasons.”
“Which are?”
Flustered, “We'll get to that. He was suspended from the Quidditch team for two games by the Headmistress, and there is nothing we can do about that.”
Pushing open her office door, Hermione took a seat behind the desk and waited for Draco to take the proffered chair across from her.
Instead, he sat on her side of the desk and said, “How much longer do we have to do this?”
Eying the door for a second, Hermione threw a spell to lock it and stood from her chair. She was in his arms a second later, enjoying lips she had not tasted for a week.
Since her divorce two years ago, Hermione had dated no one. When Draco became single again only six months ago, this, what they were doing now, never crossed her mind.
A meeting about his son (who had charmed all the Quills to write in invisible ink on exam day, much to Professor Sinistra's chagrin) had led to another, and then a date. How she had fallen in love with Draco had been so gradual but complete that once Hermione was aware of it, it was much too late.
She was hardly complaining.
But it was all a secret. Though she was unsure of how her friends would react, Hermione could just see McGonagall's disappearing eyebrows and her thin, pursed lips when she found out. Though not specifically banned, Professors were discouraged from having relationships with their students' parents.
But now there was much more to it.
“Hermione, I don't want to hide anymore. I love you, and I want the world to know it,” Draco whispered in her ear.
Knowing the time had finally come, Hermione looked him in the eyes and said, “You're right, Draco. It's time. I'll talk to McGonagall this evening.”
“Good,” he grinned. “Now, tell me why Scorpius hexed that Ravenclaw again?”
There was a knock at the door, and upon discovering who was on the other side, Hermione quickly unlocked it.
“Why was the door locked?” Professor McGonagall asked. “Oh, Hello Mr. Malfoy. Unpleasant business about Camelbutt, isn't it?”
“Yes, Headmistress. Rest assured I will speak with Scorpius,” he answered evenly.
“Yes, well, I must say I at least approve his choice for the upcoming Christmas Ball.”
“Sorry?”
“Headmistress, I have not yet informed Mr. Malfoy of th-”
“There is no need for concern, Professor Granger. I'm sure Mr. Malfoy will approve. Though just because Camelbutt asked out Scorpius' date, that doesn't mean-”
“His date?”
“Yes. Rose Weasley.”
4
Title: Duties for Professionals
Author : telperaca
Rating:
Warnings:
Words: 492
Hermione clapped politely along with the other students and thanked the external speaker for his time. “I hope Mr Azarius’ speech was useful for those of you considering a future career for serving for the Wizangamot”.
As the old wizard set out to the headmaster’s office, Hermione’s posture relaxed and she loosened her grip on her already crumpled eagle-feather quill. Oh no! another gift ruined, she winced internally. Laying the quill on the table, she continued addressing the class.
“Most other groups will have three speakers but I have decided to arrange a fourth-” the class groaned simultaneously. She could not help herself but chuckle lightly. “This Quiddich player needs no introduction.” Addressing the door in a slightly louder voice she called, “Come in, please.”
Strutted in no one except the unexpected Draco Malfoy; at the same time, Hermione’s jaw dropped.
“Where’s Harry?” she demanded.
“He’s busy practising his skills with Ginny in preparation for the Quidditch match this Saturday. You’re expected to show your support, Professor Granger.” The annoyingly sexy smirk plastered on his face left no confusion about which skills exactly the couple mentioned were possibly practicing at this very moment.
“It’s you who needs to work on your skills, not Harry,” she retorted before heading to the back of the class so that the class could focus on him, not that they needed much prompting. She watched him while he animatedly began talking about Quidditch. She did not take in a word of what he was saying.
She was distracted by the feel of his silky voice to her ears and imagining what it would feel like to hear him singing her softly to sleep. Seeing him lick his lips when he was focusing on a student asking a question made her wonder what his tongue would feel like against her neck, or the light sensations his smooth lips would cause when gently moving against her own and their breath merging together as one.
She barely noticed when the students began filing out of the room. She was still focused on his hands and those long fingers, and how useful they would be to smooth the aches in certain places… Her breathing hitched.
“Hem hem!” he laughed as he saw her jumping nervously and looking around. He moved closer to the table she was sitting on. When he was directly in front of her, he stated: “You didn’t listen to a word I had to say”.
“There were too many distractions”. As he raised his eyebrow questioningly, she pulled him closer by his robes and planted a chaste kiss upon his lips leaving them both breathless when she pulled away. He breathed deeply to identify the scent of her and felt her shiver in his arms. He straightened his robes.
As he reached the exit, he looked back and said: “Granger, don’t expect me to buy you any more quills until you learn how to take care of them.”
5
Title: Ticking Clocks and Time Machines
Author : marlaichen
Rating: G
Warnings: None, other than some minor fluff
Word Count: 494
Wet grass clung to their ankles and pulled at the hems of their robes as they climbed silently through the twilight. The evening's weight had begun to lift and a golden morning glowed dimly below the horizon. For once, Hermione wasn't facing that rising sun. Instead, she headed west towards the swiftly fading darkness, to look it in the eye one last time.
They reached the summit of the hill with shortened breaths and pounding hearts. Hermione felt the hand holding her own give a sharp squeeze, and she knew they had arrived.
Hermione looked up at Draco, a faint grin playing on her lips. He smiled back down at her, and she realized with a jolt that this was the first true smile she had seen on him in months. So many months.
Suddenly, Hermione felt a chill run through her. She ran to the stone block she had seen over Draco's shoulder.
At her feet was a large bolder, slowly taking form in the growing light. As she felt it with her fingers, Hermione couldn't breath. Her thumb traced the letters her eyes could not yet see.
H-O-G-W-A-
At that Hermione began to run. She heard a shout but she paid it no mind. Hot tears formed in her eyes and the long grass sliced viciously at her legs as she whipped by.
Hermione's breath caught painfully in her chest as a large, warm body slammed into her from behind. She always forgot how much faster Draco was than her and, as she struggled against his arms, how much stronger. With a gasp and a sob, Hermione folded over limp in his grasp.
Draco had never been good with emotions, so as he held Hermione's broken form, it is not surprising that all he could whisper into her hair was a soft, "Oh, Granger."
In that instant, Hermione felt her heart spill over, like a cup that had become too full. Granger, Granger Granger. The name was too familiar in this place to bear. She felt her mind slip backwards, through hours, months, and years, to places that she seldom let it visit anymore: to haunted halls that had once stood here, to cavernous classrooms, to parchments, to textbooks, to the magic that crackled in the air, and all those faces, those thousands of faces, still here. All still here.
Hermione sunk to the ground with Draco, and she sobbed into his coat until nothing else would come. The sun was rising now, and a soft breeze rolled across the ruins of Hogwarts.
When Hermione caught her breath, she looked Draco in the eye.
"Don't ever call me 'Granger' again."
He smirked. "I actually think the person who can make sure of that is here."
She turned to see an elderly woman in a frock climbing the hill.
"Dang strange place you two picked for a wedding. Let's get on with this. Are you ready?"
Hermione nodded.
It was a new day.
6
Title: Tomorrow
Author : inadaze22
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Mentions of abuse
Word Count: 499
Tomorrow.
The word echoed in her mind when he walked away. Tomorrow would mark the end of the vicious abuse cycle that she’d been trapped in for months. Tomorrow would be the beginning of her new life. Tomorrow would-the front door slammed. Hermione leaned against the wall. Tomorrow would be the end of slammed doors and shattered dreams.
Relief spilled from her frayed nerves.
Trembling and bleeding, Hermione took a deep breath. She couldn’t stay. Realization would soon strike and he would return to play the role of the manipulative and apologetic abuser. She’d been fooled too many times already.
Never again.
Hermione stumbled into the dark bathroom.
Darkness had become a friend of hers; its blanket shielded her from the hideous creature that emerged as soon as the lights were turned on. Reality. When Michael had started hitting her, she remembered wanting to be encased in darkness forever. Life was easier that way, but not anymore. She turned on the light and its glow greeted her battered reflection in a kind of mocking glare.
She looked horrible: a bloody lip, swollen face, black eye, and numerous bruises. Numbly, she grabbed a wet washcloth and patted her tender lip. She could’ve healed herself magically, but her wand had been snapped to trap her inside of their warded home until he returned; a move Hermione had anticipated.
Her escape plan had been simple. Harry was supposed to come and help, but not anymore. That plan had backfired. She couldn’t wait until tomorrow. Hermione pulled the gold necklace out of her torn shirt and wrapped her hand around the emerald pendant.
Immediately, the Portkey activated.
Hermione stumbled upon landing, but didn’t fall. It was dark, but she didn’t have to see to know where she had landed. She was just inside the gates of her refuge. Hogwarts. And he was waiting for her, as always.
“You weren’t supposed to come until tomorrow.”
Hermione squared her shoulders and faced the Potions professor. “He found the divorce papers.”
When Draco Malfoy took in the sight of the battered witch, a familiar feeling of rage and pain swept through him. And when he hugged her, he promised, “I’ll murder Corner.”
“I’m fine. I-”
“Don’t leave.” He implored for the millionth time. “Stay,” the word hung in the air for a moment. “Stay with me.”
Hermione’s busted lip quivered. Stay?
She never asked herself what she’d done to deserve Michael’s cruelty. She never pitied herself and refused to accept it from others. Was this pity? Did Draco-no, he didn’t pity her. And tears filled her eyes. She had never cried before. Should she have? No. Michael wasn’t diminishing her self-worth when he assaulted her; he was fighting for his own. That truth had gotten her through the toughest of times-and so had Draco.
“Stay.”
“Okay.”
Draco gently started to pull away.
She clung to him. “Don’t.”
“You need-”
“For now, let’s stay.”
“But-”
“Everything can wait until tomorrow.”
Tomorrow.
7
Title: If These Walls Could Talk
Author : imogen_penn
Rating: PG… for kissin’
Warnings: Well, character death I suppose, but it’s really not tragic
Word Count: 497
“Keep up firsties!” Myers bellowed over his shoulder as he barreled through the twists and turns of Hogwarts corridors.
“Over on the right we have Charms and Transfigurations classrooms, and there’s professor Sinhelar, give a wave shall we? Moving on!”
A herd of bewildered looking ten year olds in house green trotted along uncertainly behind him.
“Now watch these staircases kiddies, they have a tendency to swing about without warning. Do try not to fall off, it makes a terrible mess.”
Myers grinned as he heard the odd horrified gasp from the group behind him. Lord how he loved giving the first years the obligatory castle tour.
“Alright, keep up, down to the dungeons.”
The group slowed as a pair of ghosts floated towards them.
“Oy, hallo there Baron, Professor Snape.” Myers waved cheerily. The Baron cackled gleefully at the group, eliciting shrieks from a few of the girls. Professor Snape rounded on them with a threatening scowl. “Don’t let them ruin my dungeons,” he snapped before he melted through the adjacent wall.
“Who’s that?” a brave first year piped up.
“Professor Snape,” said Myers. “Not an actual professor mind you, Hogwarts no longer employs ghosts due to a nasty argument over pay with an old history professor. But Snape is dead useful, taught potions here almost a century ago, helped bring down Voldemort you know, double agent, very naff.”
A small course of “oooohs” followed him as he moved on.
Approaching the entrance to the Slytherin dormitories, he stopped at the entrance to a small, dark corridor leading off to the left. This was his favorite part.
The group behind him collapsed like an accordion in the wake of his abrupt halt.
“A lesson, firsties.” He said, indicating the corridor with florish. They looked nervous. “Hogwarts is a pretty magical place.” He began, “and it does some pretty odd things from time to time. Take this hallway for example. The walls have absorbed a memory from just before the Great War. Lesson being…” He paused for effect, “You can always get caught in the act.” He grinned, “Anyone willing to give it a go?”
Of course, they all were.
**********
“Granger,”
“I wish you’d use my name now that we’re on the same side.”
“Alright, Hermione.”
There was a pause
“Are you as terrified as I am?”
“Probably more.”
“How the hell did it come to this Draco?”
“I don’t know.”
“I just… I’m 17! I need more time.” She started to cry.
“I know.” He tentatively put a hand on her shoulder.
“We need more time!”
“Hermione…”
“Don’t Draco, you know exactly what I’m talking about.”
He didn’t answer, he simply took her by the arms and kissed her like there was no tomorrow, which (Myers had always supposed) was probably true.
He often wished he knew what had happened to them. Still, it was comforting to think that this little piece of them would endure.
“There it is gang, Hogwarts very best love story.”
8
Title: Life's Ironies
Author : delayed_poet
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Implied mature situations
Word Count: 400
They stared at each other for three long seconds.
"Malfoy," she said with a curt nod, trying desperately to show no emotions, just as he was.
"Grang-Weasley," he replied calmly. "What are you doing here?"
Her heart was pounding in her chest. His presence was the last think she'd expected when she'd received the urgent letter from the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
"Got a letter from the Headmaster," she finally answered.
"Me too," he admitted, and then sat to wait.
"Look, Draco, I'm sorry for leaving like that. Ron-"
"I understand," Draco interrupted her. "I'm not going to tell anyone."
"Do you want to stop?" she asked, softly, vulnerable.
"No," he finally admitted after a long pause.
The Headmaster finally came in, halting any more discussion.
"I'm sure you're both wondering why I asked you here, so I'll get right to it. Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley were discovered early this morning in the most inappropriate situation."
Hermione groaned, covering her face with her hand. Couldn't her daughter have chosen someone other than her lover's son?
Draco smirked at her.
"Isn't life ironic?" he asked.
Both of them ignored the confused expression on the Headmaster's face at their most unusual reactions.
"They're both seventeen," Draco finally addressed the Headmaster. "Both are of legal consenting age."
"And both are students of this school!" the Headmaster responded incredulously. "Such indiscretions will not be tolerated!"
"Headmaster," Hermione said diplomatically. "They have one month until their NEWTS. Surely you can understand that they probably turned to each other for a little bit of stress release. While we do not encourage such behavior, they are adults, and free to make that decision."
Between the two of them, they were able to talk the Headmaster into letting them be responsible for any punishment. They left the office together, walking next to one another, a respectable distance between them.
They Apparated separately, though they arrived at the same place, their place. Without talking, Hermione moved to the kitchen and set about making tea. When it was ready, she set a cup in front of Draco and sat with him at the table.
"Scorpius and Rose," she said, shaking her head. "This changes everything."
Draco shook his head, disagreeing. "It changes nothing. If anything, it will make it easier for us."
"Draco," Hermione said softly. "I'm leaving Ron."
Three seconds of silence followed her announcement.
"That changes everything."
9
Title: TAINTED!!
Author : kate0404
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Word Count: 499 (Woo!)
The fireplace across from her desk, where she was grading papers, roared emerald green and before the flames were gone she heard him shouting.
“Granger!” His voice was harsher than usual, but Hermione bit back her instinctive need to shout out a retort; it was better to let him rant. “How dare you give my son a T?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but apparently it was a rhetorical question.
“A T? Merlin, no Malfoy has ever received a Troll grade! Who are you trying to kid, woman?”
Hermione went to stand, but he was quickly beside her, towering over her, and still shouting.
“And, honestly, what first year is going to write a perfectly good essay on the Goblin Wars? They’re bloody boring and of absolutely no consequence to these children, including my son!”
Hermione tried to interject. It was one thing to yell at her, but it was quite another to call part of her favorite subject boring. “If you’d plea-“
“I’m not finished!” Draco shouted back.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at him menacingly, but allowed him to continue.
“With that ridiculous T, Scorpius’ blemish-free record is tainted! Tainted before he was even at this school an entire year!”
“Malf-“
“TAINTED!” He screamed, slightly hysterical. “I won’t have it, Granger! I won’t!”
Hermione finally stood up, but his finger was pointed into her face instantly.
“Scorpius is much smarter than a troll!”
Hermione had had enough. Screaming at her and interrupting her she could handle. She understood Draco’s need to defend his child, but pointing his finger directly in her face…
Hermione saw red.
Quick as lightening, her hand grabbed hold of his finger and she twisted. Pain shot across Draco’s face and she almost grinned in triumph.
“I’ll have you know, Malfoy, that Scorpius turned in a paper that was not worthy of a grade higher than a T. It was sloppy, incomplete, and almost completely incorrect.”
She twisted his finger further and watched as he cringed back from her slightly.
“Also, I can understand your want - no your need - to come here and defend the young Malfoy, but I can assure you it will be in your best interest, from now on, to stay home. I will let it slip by this time, but I will not allow you to travel to Hogwarts, unannounced, again, especially when you feel it’s necessary to scream at me.”
Hermione backed Draco down into a student’s desk before she finally let go of his finger. He rubbed at it absentmindedly before she thrust her own finger into his face.
“And finally, I will not tolerate you getting into my face like that, wagging that ridiculous finger at me and exerting your so-called power.” Hermione’s voice held the edge of authority and finality, something that even Draco Malfoy couldn’t argue with.
“Any questions?” she finished.
Draco tilted his head and smirked. “Yes, when are you coming home? I want to have hot make-up sex with my hot, know-it-all wife.”
10
Title: Worth It
Author : ravenswing34
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Word Count: 493
After two years of fighting, the final battle took place at Hogwarts but not without sacrifice. Many good friends were lost and Hogwarts itself had become a casualty. It took two years to rebuild her and the last six months had been spent reinstating the massive amount of spells, charms, and wards that made Hogwarts what she was. After a long day of spellcasting, Hermione stood on a turret, staring out at the Scottish countryside.
“Granger? McGonagall sent me to tell you dinner is being served.” Draco studied the woman in front of him. These last six months working alongside her, putting layer upon layer of spells and protections, had shown him just how badly the war had affected Hermione. Hermione’s inner fire was gone and instead, a deep bitterness had settled in. Draco didn’t know how to handle it and originally had tried to goad her into arguments and debates. But nothing brought about that spark Hermione had always had. Instead, he found himself in deep philosophical discussions with the former Gryffindor more often than not.
“Was it worth it, Malfoy? Was the death of so many good people worth it? What did it change? Why did we even bother?”
Draco paused, trying to find the best and most truthful answer. “Some days, it isn’t worth it. Some days, it isn’t worth losing my family, my home, my name. I have to think about the small worthwhile things instead.”
“Like what?” Hermione asked bitterly.
“The fact that people can sleep peacefully at night. The fact that you don’t have to worry about whether your friends are pureblood, half bloods or muggleborn. The fact that talented muggle children, like you Hermione, can come to Hogwarts again. I manage to get through the day by concentrating on the little things. I get through it one minute, one hour, and one day at a time. It’s all I can do.”
Hermione reached over and took his hand in hers. She quietly studied his face while he stared out at the countryside. “When did you become the one with all the answers, Draco? When did you become the one with the inner fire?”
“When I saw a certain Gryffindor continually stand up for her beliefs. When I decided to do it for myself. I believed in myself and I believed in you. I still do.” Draco turned and looked in her eyes. He took her other hand and faced her fully. “You know what makes it truly worthwhile, Hermione? It’s the fact that without the war and sacrifices, I wouldn’t be standing on this tower with you. I wouldn’t be holding your hands and contemplating life. And I wouldn’t be able to do this.”
With that, Draco bent down and captured her lips in a soft kiss. Pulling back and staring into her eyes, Draco asked, “Was it worth it, Hermione?”
Hermione searched his face and with a soft sigh, embraced him.
“It just might be.”
11
Title: We Didn’t Know Anything Back Then
Author : ilkee
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Word Count: 496
“Hermione Granger, you’re not hiding are you? That’s very un-Gryffindor of you,” he said teasingly over her shoulder.
If she was surprised to hear his voice again after all these years, she didn’t show it. She didn’t even turn around.
It was as if she was expecting him.
She sighed sadly. “This is the stupidest idea the Ministry has ever had. Nobody wants to be here. Not yet.”
In all of its brilliance, the Ministry decided that the seventh annual celebration of the end of the war should be held at Hogwarts. Bad move. Too many people had died here. It was still too soon.
Draco stepped in behind her to peer through the window she stood in front of.
It looked like a snapshot from someone else’s life. The people moving within were not real, just shuffling characters that resembled his memories. At the front of the Great Hall, the head table was like a roll call.
Potter. Present.
Weasley. Present.
Longbottom. Not present.
McGonagall. Present.
Snape. Not Present.
An empty chair waited between the two heroes.
Draco looked down at the wild curly head in front of him and thanked God some things hadn’t changed.
“Are you going in?” he asked.
“No. I don’t think so,” she said, finally turning to look up at him.
Draco’s heart leapt. “Would you like to walk down to the lake?”
-----
They were quiet then, walking side by side like old friends. Draco had waited for this moment for a long time. Now it was here and he didn’t know how to begin.
“Do you miss France?” she said at last.
“Yes,” and after a moment he turned his head to look at her. “But there’s something I need here.”
Her eyes locked with his and he thought that she understood him.
-----
For a while the only sound was the wind moving through the trees.
“I wrote to you once.”
“Twice,” she said.
“Yes. Twice.”
The first had been an apology. The second had been so much more.
-----
They stopped at the edge of the water, watching the sun set the lake on fire.
“I think about you,” he confessed at last.
And for a long time after they said nothing.
-----
When the sun began to disappear behind the trees, Draco spoke again.
“We didn’t know anything back then, did we?”
“We’ve wasted a lot of time.” She stopped and looked up, pinning him with her eyes. Draco’s breath caught in his throat.
A gust of wind blew her curls across her face. Draco reached out to tuck the strands behind her ear, dragging his fingers over her soft cheek and then around the shell of her ear. His heart pounded in his chest and her eyes were undoing him.
“I always hated your hair.” His hand stayed by her face, pulling on a wayward curl. “It’s soft.”
“Draco…” her voice was low and her face titled into his hand.
“I want to kiss you,” he whispered.
“Yes.”
12
Title: Things Change
Author : bookishwench
Rating: PG
Warnings: mild language
Word Count: 499
Attending a Triwizard Tournament again was strange. As a Ministry liaison for the Department of Magical Creatures, Hermione was checking the treatment of the manticore brought in for the third task. She had expected to feel disjointed in time, but she hadn’t counted on seeing Draco Malfoy again.
His son Scorpius was school champion, and it was obvious not everyone was thrilled with a Slytherin representing Hogwarts. She could remember Harry’s turn at it, the nasty rumors when both he and Cedric were chosen, and of course Ron’s bullheaded jealousy that nearly broke their friendship. She supposed she should have realized then Ron was sometimes viciously selfish. When she’d been promoted faster than he was one time too many, he’d left for good in a huff. She was surprised to find that, while she missed him, the lack of his constant snide remarks gave her more relief than loneliness.
Then, today, as the families of the champions entered Hogwarts, she had seen Malfoy striding in, older but still thoughtlessly elegant. Astoria, his former wife, had long since disappeared to the Mediterranean coast with a wizard so wealthy he made the Malfoy fortune look like a handful of knutes, so Hermione didn’t expect her to make an appearance. Neither did Scorpius by his resigned expression when his father entered alone.
To Hermione’s surprise, Draco embraced his son and smiled. She’d never seen Draco smile before. Sneer, yes, but not a genuine, warm smile, and the answering grin from his son was equally real, though tinged by the embarrassment any teenage boy would feel at having his father publicly hug him.
“You’ve done well,” Draco said, his voice carrying to Hermione’s ears. “I’m very proud of your achievements, as you should be.”
“Thanks,” Scorpius said, glancing awkwardly at the flagstones.
Hermione watched the boy introduce his friends, noting they were a mix of Purebloods and Muggleborns yet Draco seemed perfectly fine with this. As the champions exited to compete, she saw Draco’s face shadowed with fatherly concern.
Damn, she thought. When did he become a human being?
She walked towards him, curious enough to want to speak to her old enemy.
“Thought I saw you, Weasley,” Draco said without turning around.
“Granger,” Hermione corrected him. “It was never Weasley.”
“Oh,” Draco said simply, facing her. “I don’t feel like trading insults just now.”
“We’ve outgrown that,” Hermione said, startled by his gray gaze that firmly held her own. “At least, I hope so.”
He nodded. Hermione suddenly realized the Great Hall was nearly empty, and she felt unsure how to make her exit.
“Accompany me?” he asked extending his arm. “I’m… on my own.”
She paused, remembering past hurts, but chose to grant absolution to this new, apparently improved version of Draco.
“I’m on my own as well,” she said, taking his offered arm.
As they joined the other spectators, she hoped she wasn’t making a mistake.
On the other hand, she thought wickedly, Draco had always had a nice arse.
ooo
REMEMBER: Vote for the NUMBER of the drabble, NOT THE NAME. It just makes it easier on the mods!
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Choose your favorite and least favorite drabbles. Favorites will receive +1 point per vote, and least favorites -1 point per vote. Despite the rules, with all the skips and drops this week, only one author will be voted off this week.
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Voting ends at 11:59pm, Friday, September 12, 2008.
Back to School
1
Title: Second Tuesdays
Author : snowe
Rating: G
Warnings: None.
Word Count: 382
She dreads the second Tuesday of each month, because she has to sit across from Draco Malfoy for an hour and fifteen minutes without hexing, slapping, or insulting him.
She's quite proud of herself--she has lasted through seventeen meetings of the H.E.R.B. (Hogwarts Educational Review Board). But she's ashamed of herself, too, for hating him so much that she has to clench her fists in her lap, until her nails leave marks on her palm that last for days, just to get through the meeting without losing her temper.
She'd been shocked to discover, seventeen months ago, how much she still hated Draco Malfoy. She'd scarcely thought of him during the last four years, and she had fancied that all her old grudges had faded away. The loathing that had washed over her at the very first H.E.R.B. meeting had shocked, and even frightened her; she'd never hated anyone like this until now.
As she walks from the gates to the main doors each month, she tries to rationalize the anger away. Sometimes, she almost succeeds, and then, she'll see the spot where he first called her a Mudblood...the corner where the basilisk's eyes stared back from the mirror...the alcove where he gloated over Buckbeak's pending execution. All her old childhood hurts seem magnified, somehow, by what came after.
He's clearly uncomfortable around her. He's never looked her in the eyes--not once. He agrees with every suggestion she makes, even the bad ones. This makes her even angrier, because she knows that this is his way of making amends. She does not want him to be sorry. She wants the sneering, vicious Malfoy back, so she can hate him without remorse.
On her seventeenth walk back to the gates, Malfoy purposefully slows until she has to pass by him, or stop walking altogether. This is the first time they have ever been alone together, and she is afraid of what she might do or say. He still can't meet her eyes, but he makes halting, stuttering small talk. She will never remember exactly what she replied, but she finally sees him, and not the shade of the schoolyard bully that has haunted her for so long.
Maybe the second Tuesday of the month isn't quite as dreadful as she thought.
2
Title: Between Death & Lies
Author : dysenchanted2
Ratings: PG-13
Warnings: None
Word Count: 350
spring: the first or early stage or period of life, youth
Hermione Granger remembers the first book she ever memorized cover to cover. She remembers her first cry, her first touch, her first walk. It is impossible for her to remember birth, but somewhere inside she knows she does. In the spring of her life, she finds herself at a bustling train station on a rainy day searching for an impossible train. She learns at the age of eleven that nothing is impossible.
summer: of friendship that lasts only in times of prosperity
Draco Malfoy cannot remember a time when he hadn’t had friends. Everyone around him understood the importance of his friendship, but he’s never trusted anyone until Granger. Draco saves her life the day after they officially become Unspeakables. It is an incident in the Forbidden Forest that changes everything. They forge their reports while he teaches her how to lie properly. Hermione becomes a best friend sometime between almost dying and becoming a liar.
fall: decline, decay
Hermione Granger returns to Hogwarts only once years after the Forbidden Forest incident. It is a cold and rainy afternoon and she scowls as mud sloshes over her shoes. It is not the first funeral she has attended but this one is more important than the dozens before it. Hermione vows she’ll never return to Hogwarts as the coffin is lowered. She tries not to cry as she walks away from the ghost of Draco Malfoy.
winter: to maintain through a period of trial
Draco Malfoy pushes breath into her with panic as blood blooms across his fingertips. He wraps bandages around her arm and cleans the glass off the floor. It takes two hours and thirteen minutes for her heart rate to normalize. They sit in silence for the next four hours. He finds himself listening to her shaky breaths-inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. The next morning she cries and cries until he presses his lips to hers. When she finally leaves their cottage behind, he whispers goodbye and she finds herself alone in a sea of white snow.
3
Title: In a Predicament
Author : dynonugget
Rating: PG-13
Warning: A bit of snogging
Word Count: 489
“My son is not a trouble-maker,” Draco commented dryly as he followed Hermione to her office.
“Hexing the hair off of Connor Camelbutt isn't causing trouble?” the current head of Gryffindor countered.
Snickering, “With a name like 'Camelbutt', what do you expect?”
Biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing, Hermione replied, “Be that as it may, Scorpius did it, well, for different reasons.”
“Which are?”
Flustered, “We'll get to that. He was suspended from the Quidditch team for two games by the Headmistress, and there is nothing we can do about that.”
Pushing open her office door, Hermione took a seat behind the desk and waited for Draco to take the proffered chair across from her.
Instead, he sat on her side of the desk and said, “How much longer do we have to do this?”
Eying the door for a second, Hermione threw a spell to lock it and stood from her chair. She was in his arms a second later, enjoying lips she had not tasted for a week.
Since her divorce two years ago, Hermione had dated no one. When Draco became single again only six months ago, this, what they were doing now, never crossed her mind.
A meeting about his son (who had charmed all the Quills to write in invisible ink on exam day, much to Professor Sinistra's chagrin) had led to another, and then a date. How she had fallen in love with Draco had been so gradual but complete that once Hermione was aware of it, it was much too late.
She was hardly complaining.
But it was all a secret. Though she was unsure of how her friends would react, Hermione could just see McGonagall's disappearing eyebrows and her thin, pursed lips when she found out. Though not specifically banned, Professors were discouraged from having relationships with their students' parents.
But now there was much more to it.
“Hermione, I don't want to hide anymore. I love you, and I want the world to know it,” Draco whispered in her ear.
Knowing the time had finally come, Hermione looked him in the eyes and said, “You're right, Draco. It's time. I'll talk to McGonagall this evening.”
“Good,” he grinned. “Now, tell me why Scorpius hexed that Ravenclaw again?”
There was a knock at the door, and upon discovering who was on the other side, Hermione quickly unlocked it.
“Why was the door locked?” Professor McGonagall asked. “Oh, Hello Mr. Malfoy. Unpleasant business about Camelbutt, isn't it?”
“Yes, Headmistress. Rest assured I will speak with Scorpius,” he answered evenly.
“Yes, well, I must say I at least approve his choice for the upcoming Christmas Ball.”
“Sorry?”
“Headmistress, I have not yet informed Mr. Malfoy of th-”
“There is no need for concern, Professor Granger. I'm sure Mr. Malfoy will approve. Though just because Camelbutt asked out Scorpius' date, that doesn't mean-”
“His date?”
“Yes. Rose Weasley.”
4
Title: Duties for Professionals
Author : telperaca
Rating:
Warnings:
Words: 492
Hermione clapped politely along with the other students and thanked the external speaker for his time. “I hope Mr Azarius’ speech was useful for those of you considering a future career for serving for the Wizangamot”.
As the old wizard set out to the headmaster’s office, Hermione’s posture relaxed and she loosened her grip on her already crumpled eagle-feather quill. Oh no! another gift ruined, she winced internally. Laying the quill on the table, she continued addressing the class.
“Most other groups will have three speakers but I have decided to arrange a fourth-” the class groaned simultaneously. She could not help herself but chuckle lightly. “This Quiddich player needs no introduction.” Addressing the door in a slightly louder voice she called, “Come in, please.”
Strutted in no one except the unexpected Draco Malfoy; at the same time, Hermione’s jaw dropped.
“Where’s Harry?” she demanded.
“He’s busy practising his skills with Ginny in preparation for the Quidditch match this Saturday. You’re expected to show your support, Professor Granger.” The annoyingly sexy smirk plastered on his face left no confusion about which skills exactly the couple mentioned were possibly practicing at this very moment.
“It’s you who needs to work on your skills, not Harry,” she retorted before heading to the back of the class so that the class could focus on him, not that they needed much prompting. She watched him while he animatedly began talking about Quidditch. She did not take in a word of what he was saying.
She was distracted by the feel of his silky voice to her ears and imagining what it would feel like to hear him singing her softly to sleep. Seeing him lick his lips when he was focusing on a student asking a question made her wonder what his tongue would feel like against her neck, or the light sensations his smooth lips would cause when gently moving against her own and their breath merging together as one.
She barely noticed when the students began filing out of the room. She was still focused on his hands and those long fingers, and how useful they would be to smooth the aches in certain places… Her breathing hitched.
“Hem hem!” he laughed as he saw her jumping nervously and looking around. He moved closer to the table she was sitting on. When he was directly in front of her, he stated: “You didn’t listen to a word I had to say”.
“There were too many distractions”. As he raised his eyebrow questioningly, she pulled him closer by his robes and planted a chaste kiss upon his lips leaving them both breathless when she pulled away. He breathed deeply to identify the scent of her and felt her shiver in his arms. He straightened his robes.
As he reached the exit, he looked back and said: “Granger, don’t expect me to buy you any more quills until you learn how to take care of them.”
5
Title: Ticking Clocks and Time Machines
Author : marlaichen
Rating: G
Warnings: None, other than some minor fluff
Word Count: 494
Wet grass clung to their ankles and pulled at the hems of their robes as they climbed silently through the twilight. The evening's weight had begun to lift and a golden morning glowed dimly below the horizon. For once, Hermione wasn't facing that rising sun. Instead, she headed west towards the swiftly fading darkness, to look it in the eye one last time.
They reached the summit of the hill with shortened breaths and pounding hearts. Hermione felt the hand holding her own give a sharp squeeze, and she knew they had arrived.
Hermione looked up at Draco, a faint grin playing on her lips. He smiled back down at her, and she realized with a jolt that this was the first true smile she had seen on him in months. So many months.
Suddenly, Hermione felt a chill run through her. She ran to the stone block she had seen over Draco's shoulder.
At her feet was a large bolder, slowly taking form in the growing light. As she felt it with her fingers, Hermione couldn't breath. Her thumb traced the letters her eyes could not yet see.
H-O-G-W-A-
At that Hermione began to run. She heard a shout but she paid it no mind. Hot tears formed in her eyes and the long grass sliced viciously at her legs as she whipped by.
Hermione's breath caught painfully in her chest as a large, warm body slammed into her from behind. She always forgot how much faster Draco was than her and, as she struggled against his arms, how much stronger. With a gasp and a sob, Hermione folded over limp in his grasp.
Draco had never been good with emotions, so as he held Hermione's broken form, it is not surprising that all he could whisper into her hair was a soft, "Oh, Granger."
In that instant, Hermione felt her heart spill over, like a cup that had become too full. Granger, Granger Granger. The name was too familiar in this place to bear. She felt her mind slip backwards, through hours, months, and years, to places that she seldom let it visit anymore: to haunted halls that had once stood here, to cavernous classrooms, to parchments, to textbooks, to the magic that crackled in the air, and all those faces, those thousands of faces, still here. All still here.
Hermione sunk to the ground with Draco, and she sobbed into his coat until nothing else would come. The sun was rising now, and a soft breeze rolled across the ruins of Hogwarts.
When Hermione caught her breath, she looked Draco in the eye.
"Don't ever call me 'Granger' again."
He smirked. "I actually think the person who can make sure of that is here."
She turned to see an elderly woman in a frock climbing the hill.
"Dang strange place you two picked for a wedding. Let's get on with this. Are you ready?"
Hermione nodded.
It was a new day.
6
Title: Tomorrow
Author : inadaze22
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Mentions of abuse
Word Count: 499
Tomorrow.
The word echoed in her mind when he walked away. Tomorrow would mark the end of the vicious abuse cycle that she’d been trapped in for months. Tomorrow would be the beginning of her new life. Tomorrow would-the front door slammed. Hermione leaned against the wall. Tomorrow would be the end of slammed doors and shattered dreams.
Relief spilled from her frayed nerves.
Trembling and bleeding, Hermione took a deep breath. She couldn’t stay. Realization would soon strike and he would return to play the role of the manipulative and apologetic abuser. She’d been fooled too many times already.
Never again.
Hermione stumbled into the dark bathroom.
Darkness had become a friend of hers; its blanket shielded her from the hideous creature that emerged as soon as the lights were turned on. Reality. When Michael had started hitting her, she remembered wanting to be encased in darkness forever. Life was easier that way, but not anymore. She turned on the light and its glow greeted her battered reflection in a kind of mocking glare.
She looked horrible: a bloody lip, swollen face, black eye, and numerous bruises. Numbly, she grabbed a wet washcloth and patted her tender lip. She could’ve healed herself magically, but her wand had been snapped to trap her inside of their warded home until he returned; a move Hermione had anticipated.
Her escape plan had been simple. Harry was supposed to come and help, but not anymore. That plan had backfired. She couldn’t wait until tomorrow. Hermione pulled the gold necklace out of her torn shirt and wrapped her hand around the emerald pendant.
Immediately, the Portkey activated.
Hermione stumbled upon landing, but didn’t fall. It was dark, but she didn’t have to see to know where she had landed. She was just inside the gates of her refuge. Hogwarts. And he was waiting for her, as always.
“You weren’t supposed to come until tomorrow.”
Hermione squared her shoulders and faced the Potions professor. “He found the divorce papers.”
When Draco Malfoy took in the sight of the battered witch, a familiar feeling of rage and pain swept through him. And when he hugged her, he promised, “I’ll murder Corner.”
“I’m fine. I-”
“Don’t leave.” He implored for the millionth time. “Stay,” the word hung in the air for a moment. “Stay with me.”
Hermione’s busted lip quivered. Stay?
She never asked herself what she’d done to deserve Michael’s cruelty. She never pitied herself and refused to accept it from others. Was this pity? Did Draco-no, he didn’t pity her. And tears filled her eyes. She had never cried before. Should she have? No. Michael wasn’t diminishing her self-worth when he assaulted her; he was fighting for his own. That truth had gotten her through the toughest of times-and so had Draco.
“Stay.”
“Okay.”
Draco gently started to pull away.
She clung to him. “Don’t.”
“You need-”
“For now, let’s stay.”
“But-”
“Everything can wait until tomorrow.”
Tomorrow.
7
Title: If These Walls Could Talk
Author : imogen_penn
Rating: PG… for kissin’
Warnings: Well, character death I suppose, but it’s really not tragic
Word Count: 497
“Keep up firsties!” Myers bellowed over his shoulder as he barreled through the twists and turns of Hogwarts corridors.
“Over on the right we have Charms and Transfigurations classrooms, and there’s professor Sinhelar, give a wave shall we? Moving on!”
A herd of bewildered looking ten year olds in house green trotted along uncertainly behind him.
“Now watch these staircases kiddies, they have a tendency to swing about without warning. Do try not to fall off, it makes a terrible mess.”
Myers grinned as he heard the odd horrified gasp from the group behind him. Lord how he loved giving the first years the obligatory castle tour.
“Alright, keep up, down to the dungeons.”
The group slowed as a pair of ghosts floated towards them.
“Oy, hallo there Baron, Professor Snape.” Myers waved cheerily. The Baron cackled gleefully at the group, eliciting shrieks from a few of the girls. Professor Snape rounded on them with a threatening scowl. “Don’t let them ruin my dungeons,” he snapped before he melted through the adjacent wall.
“Who’s that?” a brave first year piped up.
“Professor Snape,” said Myers. “Not an actual professor mind you, Hogwarts no longer employs ghosts due to a nasty argument over pay with an old history professor. But Snape is dead useful, taught potions here almost a century ago, helped bring down Voldemort you know, double agent, very naff.”
A small course of “oooohs” followed him as he moved on.
Approaching the entrance to the Slytherin dormitories, he stopped at the entrance to a small, dark corridor leading off to the left. This was his favorite part.
The group behind him collapsed like an accordion in the wake of his abrupt halt.
“A lesson, firsties.” He said, indicating the corridor with florish. They looked nervous. “Hogwarts is a pretty magical place.” He began, “and it does some pretty odd things from time to time. Take this hallway for example. The walls have absorbed a memory from just before the Great War. Lesson being…” He paused for effect, “You can always get caught in the act.” He grinned, “Anyone willing to give it a go?”
Of course, they all were.
**********
“Granger,”
“I wish you’d use my name now that we’re on the same side.”
“Alright, Hermione.”
There was a pause
“Are you as terrified as I am?”
“Probably more.”
“How the hell did it come to this Draco?”
“I don’t know.”
“I just… I’m 17! I need more time.” She started to cry.
“I know.” He tentatively put a hand on her shoulder.
“We need more time!”
“Hermione…”
“Don’t Draco, you know exactly what I’m talking about.”
He didn’t answer, he simply took her by the arms and kissed her like there was no tomorrow, which (Myers had always supposed) was probably true.
He often wished he knew what had happened to them. Still, it was comforting to think that this little piece of them would endure.
“There it is gang, Hogwarts very best love story.”
8
Title: Life's Ironies
Author : delayed_poet
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Implied mature situations
Word Count: 400
They stared at each other for three long seconds.
"Malfoy," she said with a curt nod, trying desperately to show no emotions, just as he was.
"Grang-Weasley," he replied calmly. "What are you doing here?"
Her heart was pounding in her chest. His presence was the last think she'd expected when she'd received the urgent letter from the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
"Got a letter from the Headmaster," she finally answered.
"Me too," he admitted, and then sat to wait.
"Look, Draco, I'm sorry for leaving like that. Ron-"
"I understand," Draco interrupted her. "I'm not going to tell anyone."
"Do you want to stop?" she asked, softly, vulnerable.
"No," he finally admitted after a long pause.
The Headmaster finally came in, halting any more discussion.
"I'm sure you're both wondering why I asked you here, so I'll get right to it. Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley were discovered early this morning in the most inappropriate situation."
Hermione groaned, covering her face with her hand. Couldn't her daughter have chosen someone other than her lover's son?
Draco smirked at her.
"Isn't life ironic?" he asked.
Both of them ignored the confused expression on the Headmaster's face at their most unusual reactions.
"They're both seventeen," Draco finally addressed the Headmaster. "Both are of legal consenting age."
"And both are students of this school!" the Headmaster responded incredulously. "Such indiscretions will not be tolerated!"
"Headmaster," Hermione said diplomatically. "They have one month until their NEWTS. Surely you can understand that they probably turned to each other for a little bit of stress release. While we do not encourage such behavior, they are adults, and free to make that decision."
Between the two of them, they were able to talk the Headmaster into letting them be responsible for any punishment. They left the office together, walking next to one another, a respectable distance between them.
They Apparated separately, though they arrived at the same place, their place. Without talking, Hermione moved to the kitchen and set about making tea. When it was ready, she set a cup in front of Draco and sat with him at the table.
"Scorpius and Rose," she said, shaking her head. "This changes everything."
Draco shook his head, disagreeing. "It changes nothing. If anything, it will make it easier for us."
"Draco," Hermione said softly. "I'm leaving Ron."
Three seconds of silence followed her announcement.
"That changes everything."
9
Title: TAINTED!!
Author : kate0404
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Word Count: 499 (Woo!)
The fireplace across from her desk, where she was grading papers, roared emerald green and before the flames were gone she heard him shouting.
“Granger!” His voice was harsher than usual, but Hermione bit back her instinctive need to shout out a retort; it was better to let him rant. “How dare you give my son a T?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but apparently it was a rhetorical question.
“A T? Merlin, no Malfoy has ever received a Troll grade! Who are you trying to kid, woman?”
Hermione went to stand, but he was quickly beside her, towering over her, and still shouting.
“And, honestly, what first year is going to write a perfectly good essay on the Goblin Wars? They’re bloody boring and of absolutely no consequence to these children, including my son!”
Hermione tried to interject. It was one thing to yell at her, but it was quite another to call part of her favorite subject boring. “If you’d plea-“
“I’m not finished!” Draco shouted back.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at him menacingly, but allowed him to continue.
“With that ridiculous T, Scorpius’ blemish-free record is tainted! Tainted before he was even at this school an entire year!”
“Malf-“
“TAINTED!” He screamed, slightly hysterical. “I won’t have it, Granger! I won’t!”
Hermione finally stood up, but his finger was pointed into her face instantly.
“Scorpius is much smarter than a troll!”
Hermione had had enough. Screaming at her and interrupting her she could handle. She understood Draco’s need to defend his child, but pointing his finger directly in her face…
Hermione saw red.
Quick as lightening, her hand grabbed hold of his finger and she twisted. Pain shot across Draco’s face and she almost grinned in triumph.
“I’ll have you know, Malfoy, that Scorpius turned in a paper that was not worthy of a grade higher than a T. It was sloppy, incomplete, and almost completely incorrect.”
She twisted his finger further and watched as he cringed back from her slightly.
“Also, I can understand your want - no your need - to come here and defend the young Malfoy, but I can assure you it will be in your best interest, from now on, to stay home. I will let it slip by this time, but I will not allow you to travel to Hogwarts, unannounced, again, especially when you feel it’s necessary to scream at me.”
Hermione backed Draco down into a student’s desk before she finally let go of his finger. He rubbed at it absentmindedly before she thrust her own finger into his face.
“And finally, I will not tolerate you getting into my face like that, wagging that ridiculous finger at me and exerting your so-called power.” Hermione’s voice held the edge of authority and finality, something that even Draco Malfoy couldn’t argue with.
“Any questions?” she finished.
Draco tilted his head and smirked. “Yes, when are you coming home? I want to have hot make-up sex with my hot, know-it-all wife.”
10
Title: Worth It
Author : ravenswing34
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Word Count: 493
After two years of fighting, the final battle took place at Hogwarts but not without sacrifice. Many good friends were lost and Hogwarts itself had become a casualty. It took two years to rebuild her and the last six months had been spent reinstating the massive amount of spells, charms, and wards that made Hogwarts what she was. After a long day of spellcasting, Hermione stood on a turret, staring out at the Scottish countryside.
“Granger? McGonagall sent me to tell you dinner is being served.” Draco studied the woman in front of him. These last six months working alongside her, putting layer upon layer of spells and protections, had shown him just how badly the war had affected Hermione. Hermione’s inner fire was gone and instead, a deep bitterness had settled in. Draco didn’t know how to handle it and originally had tried to goad her into arguments and debates. But nothing brought about that spark Hermione had always had. Instead, he found himself in deep philosophical discussions with the former Gryffindor more often than not.
“Was it worth it, Malfoy? Was the death of so many good people worth it? What did it change? Why did we even bother?”
Draco paused, trying to find the best and most truthful answer. “Some days, it isn’t worth it. Some days, it isn’t worth losing my family, my home, my name. I have to think about the small worthwhile things instead.”
“Like what?” Hermione asked bitterly.
“The fact that people can sleep peacefully at night. The fact that you don’t have to worry about whether your friends are pureblood, half bloods or muggleborn. The fact that talented muggle children, like you Hermione, can come to Hogwarts again. I manage to get through the day by concentrating on the little things. I get through it one minute, one hour, and one day at a time. It’s all I can do.”
Hermione reached over and took his hand in hers. She quietly studied his face while he stared out at the countryside. “When did you become the one with all the answers, Draco? When did you become the one with the inner fire?”
“When I saw a certain Gryffindor continually stand up for her beliefs. When I decided to do it for myself. I believed in myself and I believed in you. I still do.” Draco turned and looked in her eyes. He took her other hand and faced her fully. “You know what makes it truly worthwhile, Hermione? It’s the fact that without the war and sacrifices, I wouldn’t be standing on this tower with you. I wouldn’t be holding your hands and contemplating life. And I wouldn’t be able to do this.”
With that, Draco bent down and captured her lips in a soft kiss. Pulling back and staring into her eyes, Draco asked, “Was it worth it, Hermione?”
Hermione searched his face and with a soft sigh, embraced him.
“It just might be.”
11
Title: We Didn’t Know Anything Back Then
Author : ilkee
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Word Count: 496
“Hermione Granger, you’re not hiding are you? That’s very un-Gryffindor of you,” he said teasingly over her shoulder.
If she was surprised to hear his voice again after all these years, she didn’t show it. She didn’t even turn around.
It was as if she was expecting him.
She sighed sadly. “This is the stupidest idea the Ministry has ever had. Nobody wants to be here. Not yet.”
In all of its brilliance, the Ministry decided that the seventh annual celebration of the end of the war should be held at Hogwarts. Bad move. Too many people had died here. It was still too soon.
Draco stepped in behind her to peer through the window she stood in front of.
It looked like a snapshot from someone else’s life. The people moving within were not real, just shuffling characters that resembled his memories. At the front of the Great Hall, the head table was like a roll call.
Potter. Present.
Weasley. Present.
Longbottom. Not present.
McGonagall. Present.
Snape. Not Present.
An empty chair waited between the two heroes.
Draco looked down at the wild curly head in front of him and thanked God some things hadn’t changed.
“Are you going in?” he asked.
“No. I don’t think so,” she said, finally turning to look up at him.
Draco’s heart leapt. “Would you like to walk down to the lake?”
-----
They were quiet then, walking side by side like old friends. Draco had waited for this moment for a long time. Now it was here and he didn’t know how to begin.
“Do you miss France?” she said at last.
“Yes,” and after a moment he turned his head to look at her. “But there’s something I need here.”
Her eyes locked with his and he thought that she understood him.
-----
For a while the only sound was the wind moving through the trees.
“I wrote to you once.”
“Twice,” she said.
“Yes. Twice.”
The first had been an apology. The second had been so much more.
-----
They stopped at the edge of the water, watching the sun set the lake on fire.
“I think about you,” he confessed at last.
And for a long time after they said nothing.
-----
When the sun began to disappear behind the trees, Draco spoke again.
“We didn’t know anything back then, did we?”
“We’ve wasted a lot of time.” She stopped and looked up, pinning him with her eyes. Draco’s breath caught in his throat.
A gust of wind blew her curls across her face. Draco reached out to tuck the strands behind her ear, dragging his fingers over her soft cheek and then around the shell of her ear. His heart pounded in his chest and her eyes were undoing him.
“I always hated your hair.” His hand stayed by her face, pulling on a wayward curl. “It’s soft.”
“Draco…” her voice was low and her face titled into his hand.
“I want to kiss you,” he whispered.
“Yes.”
12
Title: Things Change
Author : bookishwench
Rating: PG
Warnings: mild language
Word Count: 499
Attending a Triwizard Tournament again was strange. As a Ministry liaison for the Department of Magical Creatures, Hermione was checking the treatment of the manticore brought in for the third task. She had expected to feel disjointed in time, but she hadn’t counted on seeing Draco Malfoy again.
His son Scorpius was school champion, and it was obvious not everyone was thrilled with a Slytherin representing Hogwarts. She could remember Harry’s turn at it, the nasty rumors when both he and Cedric were chosen, and of course Ron’s bullheaded jealousy that nearly broke their friendship. She supposed she should have realized then Ron was sometimes viciously selfish. When she’d been promoted faster than he was one time too many, he’d left for good in a huff. She was surprised to find that, while she missed him, the lack of his constant snide remarks gave her more relief than loneliness.
Then, today, as the families of the champions entered Hogwarts, she had seen Malfoy striding in, older but still thoughtlessly elegant. Astoria, his former wife, had long since disappeared to the Mediterranean coast with a wizard so wealthy he made the Malfoy fortune look like a handful of knutes, so Hermione didn’t expect her to make an appearance. Neither did Scorpius by his resigned expression when his father entered alone.
To Hermione’s surprise, Draco embraced his son and smiled. She’d never seen Draco smile before. Sneer, yes, but not a genuine, warm smile, and the answering grin from his son was equally real, though tinged by the embarrassment any teenage boy would feel at having his father publicly hug him.
“You’ve done well,” Draco said, his voice carrying to Hermione’s ears. “I’m very proud of your achievements, as you should be.”
“Thanks,” Scorpius said, glancing awkwardly at the flagstones.
Hermione watched the boy introduce his friends, noting they were a mix of Purebloods and Muggleborns yet Draco seemed perfectly fine with this. As the champions exited to compete, she saw Draco’s face shadowed with fatherly concern.
Damn, she thought. When did he become a human being?
She walked towards him, curious enough to want to speak to her old enemy.
“Thought I saw you, Weasley,” Draco said without turning around.
“Granger,” Hermione corrected him. “It was never Weasley.”
“Oh,” Draco said simply, facing her. “I don’t feel like trading insults just now.”
“We’ve outgrown that,” Hermione said, startled by his gray gaze that firmly held her own. “At least, I hope so.”
He nodded. Hermione suddenly realized the Great Hall was nearly empty, and she felt unsure how to make her exit.
“Accompany me?” he asked extending his arm. “I’m… on my own.”
She paused, remembering past hurts, but chose to grant absolution to this new, apparently improved version of Draco.
“I’m on my own as well,” she said, taking his offered arm.
As they joined the other spectators, she hoped she wasn’t making a mistake.
On the other hand, she thought wickedly, Draco had always had a nice arse.
ooo
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