Round 4 Challenge #5: Voting
Welcome to week 5 of voting for Round 4 of Dramione LDWS!!
So what did Draco and Hermione do after the war? How did they spend their first summer free from the threat of Voldemort? The answers are just a few clicks away!!
A couple of things to remember when deciding which drabbles to vote for (most and least favorite):
Guidelines:
1. 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 5!!
RULES
[1] Choose your most favorite and least favorite drabbles. Favorites will receive +1 point per vote, and least favorites -1 point per vote. Each drabble’s MF and LF scores will be added together. Drabble with most points wins, drabbles with least TWO points are voted off.
[2] You may NOT vote for yourself.
Voting ends at 11:59pm, Friday, July17, 2009.
PROMPT:
The summer after Deathly Hallows. Not epilogue-compliant.
1
Title: The Morning After
Author: bookishwench
Rating: G
Warnings: discussion of death
Word Count: 499
After the battle Hermione wanted to sleep for a hundred years, but the next day she woke to a world that, although saved, needed to be repaired. Worse, some things couldn’t be fixed. Fred, Professor Lupin, Tonks, and too many others were gone. Their families were still in the castle as she went to the Great Hall. The Weasleys sat silently at the Gryffindor table. She felt she was intruding on their grief, so she quietly backed away and went out onto the grounds.
No one was there to welcome her home since no one she was related to remembered she existed. After those moments with Ron yesterday she should have felt she belonged with him, but the thought of talking to him made her throat close up. Part of it was awkwardness over Fred’s death, but she also knew what had happened between them was only battle adrenaline. She’d forgiven Ron for leaving, but she couldn’t forget it. What she’d once felt for him was gone. He was a good friend, but nothing more.
Battle scars littered the landscape. A lot of work needed to be done, she thought as she examined the ruined stonework. She was walking backwards to see the damage better when she fell over something and landed flat on the ground. It turned out the something was actually a someone.
“Sorry!” she said, then noticed the white-blond head of the person lying in the dirt.
She waited for a suitably scathing insult, but Draco said nothing. He got slowly to his feet and wandered towards the forest. She didn’t know why she followed him. Trying to figure out what the other side was doing was a habit now. Draco stayed just inside the tree line, and she shadowed him ten paces behind, her hand on her wand, until he suddenly stopped.
“Why were you lying on the ground?” she asked.
“Because that’s where I fell when Kingsley Stunned me while taking my parents away,” he answered lifelessly.
Of course, Hermione thought. Any surviving Death Eaters would be arrested immediately. Narcissa had protected Harry, so her sentence might be lighter, but the Malfoys were still criminals.
“Where are yours?” he asked, not looking at her. “The castle?”
“Australia,” she said automatically, then gasped in horror.
He turned to look at her with blood-shot eyes.
“I won’t tell,” he said. “Doesn’t matter anymore, does it? Your side won.”
“Depends what you call winning,” Hermione said bitterly, thinking of Fred, Tonks, Collin…
“Crabbe was an idiot,” he said quickly, “but he was my friend.”
Hermione wondered if it was possible for Draco to hurt, then immediately realized it was a stupid question. He was a human being.
As she walked away, she heard him say loudly enough for her to hear, “I’m glad Voldemort is dead.”
She paused long enough to acknowledge that she knew he was telling the truth, then continued back to the castle. It was the first step in healing one of many wounds.
2
Title: Secret Place
Author: midnight_birth
Rating: PG
Warnings: None really.
Word Count: 326
Hermione startled when she heard footsteps. Who else came there? She had been coming for two months, and not once had she been disturbed. Usually just birds and sometimes small animals, but otherwise she had complete solitude - something she had needed a lot lately.
She wasn’t too missed in the stillness that seemed to fall over the wizarding world after the war, and she was thankful for that. She needed to get away just as much as everyone, it seemed. The Weasleys most of all needed time after Fred’s funeral, and it was needless to say that her and Ron’s relationship was put on an indefinite hold. Now that everything was said and done, she wasn’t even sure she cared.
The person who was standing in front of her and looking as confused as she felt was the last person she expected to see.
“Malfoy?”
He nodded curtly and frowned. “What are you doing here?”
“Me? I’ve always been coming here, it’s… It’s the middle of nowhere!” She had spent a long time looking for a perfect spot where she felt safe being alone.
He gave a small humorless laugh. “No, it’s my spot, actually. It’s not that far from the Manor, and the only reason I haven’t been here is because I have been away for two months now.”
“I didn’t realize…”
There was an uncomfortable silence until Draco shrugged and sunk onto the grass beside her, causing her to jump up.
“Relax, Ganrger.” He seemed much more relaxed than she felt. “Enough grass for both of us.”
Unsurely, she sat down again. She felt surprised that she felt so comfortable, but she didn’t want to think about it right now. They were both there for the same reason, and she felt at ease because she wasn’t expected to be there with him - make small talk or niceties.
When it came down to it, being alone with Draco Malfoy wasn’t so different than being alone.
3
Title: An Unexpected Detour
Author: teenage_hustler
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Word Count: 494
Hermione had never known Diagon Alley to be so busy. Granted it was the middle of a bright and sunny Saturday, but she was literally struggling to get through hoards upon of people to reach the newly refurbished Florean Fortesque’s; where Harry and Ron were waiting for her. Clearly the recent end of the war had dramatically re-ignited the Wizarding population’s desire to shop.
Just as she was able to make out the ice cream parlour’s large fluorescent shop sign, Hermione suddenly felt a powerful hand grab her wrist. She instinctively tried to wrench her arm away, but the hand’s grip remained true. She was pulled forcefully to the side, shooting through a gaggle of elderly witches and into a small alcove. She was alone but for one of the last people she would have expected to see so soon after the war.
“Malfoy?” she gasped at the tall, pale figure standing in front of her.
Draco Malfoy nodded. “Hi Granger,” he greeted her.
“Um, hello,” Hermione said weakly. She wasn’t sure what else she could say to the person whose house she had been held prisoner and tortured in only a few months previously.
“I don’t have long; Mother thinks I’m looking at brooms,” Draco said hurriedly. He seemed anxious, and, Hermione was surprised to notice, nervous. She’d seen Draco scared before, many times. But she had never before seen him nervous.
“Well I’m supposed to be-“
“I need you to listen,” he interrupted her. She stopped talking immediately.
“I’ve been… since the war ended I’ve had time to think about… everything that happened. And about you. What happened to you, I mean.
“It shouldn’t have happened. What you went through, at my home; it was terrible. I’ve never… I never wanted that to happen to you, and if I’d been brave enough to stop it, I would have.”
Hermione said nothing. She was again at a loss for appropriate words.
“I don’t expect you to forgive me, or anybody else,” Draco continued. “But I want you to know that I’m sorry, for not having the courage to help you when you really needed somebody’s help. Anybody’s help. I wish I’d been able to give it to you.”
And then, in a move that Hermione would never have expected Draco Malfoy to do, and particularly to her, he grabbed her face with both pale hands and pressed his lips roughly against hers. She was too shocked and surprised to react, but she felt the intensity in his kiss. That intensity intrigued her more than anything else about the whole situation. When he broke away she was almost disappointed.
“Know that I’m sorry,” Draco whispered, and he disappeared into the crowd before she had a chance to stop him.
“Hey Hermione,” Harry greeted her as she entered Florean Fortesque’s five minutes later. “What kept you?”
Hermione had to think for a moment before answering.
“An unexpected detour,” she finally said, smiling to herself.
4
Title: Family
Author: queen_violet
Rating: G
Warnings: None.
Word Count: 499. Grrr...
It was the middle of July, 2 1/2 months after the final battle. The morning of May 2nd had been horrible, had torn apart his psych. He was an absolute wreck when his family had finally made it home. He'd barely managed to Apparate without splinching himself, hadn't managed to move for hours after he'd sagged to the floor, sobbing. His mother and father had sunk to the floor next to him and they all cried shakily.
They'd realized how close they'd come to dying, how close they'd been to not coming home. It brought them closer together. They had never really been a family. He realized the difference now. A family was a group of people who loved each other unconditionally. And although they fought, and were jealous, and sometimes didn't understand each other, they always fell back on each other. Blood meant nothing to a family.
And now, as he sat in a little creperia in Diagon Alley, he sat and contemplated how his life had changed. He still had nightmares, the resulting lack of sleep leaving slight circles under his eyes. He still flinched every time he saw flashy lights. He had a slight limp, having been hit with a curse during the final battle. But when he was sitting down, he could pretend that there was nothing wrong with the world, that he was better than before the battle.
Which he was, in a way.
His family was actually a family now. He was out from under the constant threat of Voldemort. Although people still didn’t trust him, they were slowly showing him more respect, probably because he was working now. He'd gotten a job with the Ministry, and did some fashion designing on the side.
So yes, he was much better than before.
But there was still something missing. He could feel it.
He was interrupted from his thoughts when a beautiful woman came walking into the cafe. She was familiar. She had long legs, lightly curly hair, and a sway to her walk that just screamed “Model!"
She looked around for a table and, when she glanced his way, he beckoned her over with a smile.
She seemed a bit surprised, but sat down readily enough.
"Hello, Draco," she said. "How are you?"
And then it clicked. This beautiful woman was Hermione Granger. Well, well, well. Looks like the bookworm had blossomed.
"Hello, Hermione," he said. "I'm... alright, I guess. Alive."
She took a menu and nodded knowingly. "Still having nightmares?" she asked. When he hesitated, she took her wand and waved it over her face, dropping her glamour and showing him the circles under her eyes. "I know I do."
He nodded his agreement, and she ordered, and they sat in silence. As time passed, they started up a conversation. When she finally stood to leave, she said, "We're all healing. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here."
He nodded, sipped his coffee, and added another member to his family.
5
Title: Eram quod es, eris quod sum
Author: nightfalltwen
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Word Count: 499
Her dress was simple. Black and cut to the knee. No sleeves. Square neckline. Somehow he noticed her clothing in amongst all the other things when she approached. She came to him and not the other way around. He told himself it was only circumstance that caused their paths to cross.
In front of him was a marker. Just a marker because there hadn't been a body left. A marker and a name. For all his faults, Vincent had still been his friend. Some people called Crabbe merely a thug, but Draco had known the boy since they were children. He kicked at the white marker. You blind fool, he thought bitterly and sat down on the grass.
"Go away, Granger," he said not looking up at her. "I'm having a private moment."
She stood there for a long while, a painful silence seemed to hang between them. She said nothing at first. Nothing about how she was attending a service for another student. Nothing about how she saw him here, by himself, in amongst the plots set aside for those who fell, but fell on the other side. She said nothing about Vince deserving to die.
Instead she sat beside him.
"Tell me about him?" she asked.
"Don't be ridiculous." He glanced at her and scowled.
"I want to know." She touched his arm; he could feel each finger.
"You don't want to know! You lot are all the same! Happy about winning and pleased as punch that it wasn't you. You all thought he was stupid and oafish and that he was only muscle. Why do you want to know about him? He was a poor sap who got lured in by Voldemort's promises!" Draco didn't even realise he was shouting. "I watched him die, Granger! No one cared about what we lost! No, he was just a name in the paper! A name! You want me to tell you about him? He burned to death, Granger." His chest hitched. "He burned to death."
Draco pulled his knees up and rested his head against them, wishing he was elsewhere. Wishing she wasn't sitting beside him. Wishing she would stay forever. Wishing she would say something to cause the ache in his chest and throat finally go away. Wishing she hadn't seen this outburst.
Her small hand fit between his shoulder blades. Part of him wanted to turn toward her, let her comfort him. Lifting his head, Draco looked at her and opened his mouth to speak.
"Hermione? We're leaving!" A voice called out.
"I'm sorry for your loss," she said softly.
He felt conflicted and almost asked her to stay. Instead he watched her go. Sat there with Vincent Crabbe's grave marker and watched Hermione Granger leave. The tangle of emotions inside him made it difficult to filter his thoughts. Later he would approach her about it. Apologise for shouting at her. Later he would be more polite about it.
She came to him first after all.
6
Title: To Soothe the Grieving Heart
Author: __vintagebomb
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Word Count: 459
While he thought that it had been a mistake to come, he knew that it was the right thing to do. He had gone through the entire ceremony commemorating the lives lost at the Battle of Hogwarts a little over two months ago, aloof to the piercing stares that he felt at the back of his head. More than three times he had heard a muffled insult, and he knew it had been no accident when an elderly witch spilled her drink on his robes.
He now stood in front of the mirror in the abandoned girls' lavatory, splashing water on his face, as he tried to escape the heat of the sun and the tears and stares of the crowd. Merlin knows why he chose this particular lavatory above all others, but he almost felt compelled to visit, though he could not look at the patch of the floor that had been once covered in his blood.
Though he did not like to express it, his memories were still painful. He remembered being branded with the Mark. The impossible task. The necklace and Katie Bell. Weasley. Lying in a pool of his own blood. The Vanishing Cabinet. The Astronomy Tower. Fleeing. The Battle.
He winced, trying to push them to the dark corners of his mind. He didn't want to deal with this. Not now.
"Oh, pardon," a woman said as she turned to leave as quickly as she entered the room.
"Hi, Granger," he said quietly. His memories did not cease to fail him. He pictured her writhing from the Cruciatus as his Aunt Bellatrix cackled without mercy.
"Malfoy," she greeted back in surprise, his pained expression not going pass her notice.
She looked different, he noticed, yet her hair was as wild as ever and her sense of style was still atrocious. She looked alive and free. Like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Like she had put all the pain and suffering in the past. Like she could go on for the rest of her life without worrying for her safety.
He felt so envious.
She hesitated, "Would you like to grab a drink with me in the Great Hall? Refreshments are being served."
Draco stared at her puzzled by her invitation. "Why?" he asked, almost defeated.
"Because no one should have to heal alone."
He could have said a thousand different scathing remarks, but he didn't. He could have shrugged off her offer, but he didn't. Without another word, he walked with her to the Great Hall.
Voldemort was dead. The fading Mark on his arm was nothing but a big mistake in his past. The War was over and Draco thought that maybe it was about time for him to heal.
7
Title: Ideas
Author: little_dollface
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Word Count: 499
“Stunning, isn’t it?” Draco gestured to the elaborate decorations lining the walls of the Great Hall. His eyes focused on Hermione as his arm cut through the air.
She scrunched her nose. “It’s garish. Your father is just showing off.”
“He’s trying,” he stated quietly. His tone bothered her, as if he wanted to convince her that Lucius Malfoy was somehow capable of being more than cravenly selfish. Only a fool would think this Hogwarts Rededication Ball was anything other than a transparent attempt to get back on the Governing Board.
“Some people can’t be bought.”
The way he looked at her gave her pause and for a second she regretted her harsh words. She huffed and craned her neck to look for Ron. Where did he go? They were supposed to be there together. Maybe coming with Harry and Ginny had left things too open. Did she really need to spell everything out for him?
“He left.”
She flinched slightly and glared at Draco. “Excuse me?”
“You’re looking for Weasley, right?” Grinning, he continued, “I saw him leave. Not sure with whom … a blonde, I think.”
Her heart clenched, but she refused to show any weakness. “I was looking for Ginny,” she said, with narrowed eyes.
“Too bad.” He moved closer, his nearness making her uncomfortable. The room was already too stifling this late in the summer. “I would be willing help you with your little problem.”
Hermione snickered. “Ron and I don’t have any problems,” she informed him. Quickly searching the room again she added, “And if we did, I certainly wouldn’t come to you for help.”
“Just an offer.” He raised his hands in mock defeat. “No need to get snippy.”
Moving her hands to her hips, she replied, “And why exactly would you want to help me? We’re not friends.”
His grin became wider. “But we could be.”
Part of her wanted to believe he was sincere, the same part that knitted hats for elves and always had a good word for Grawp, but she stopped herself. Malfoy wasn’t some poor elf or homeless giant; she brushed off his gesture. He was just playing games with her, taking advantage of her momentary vulnerability. The prat.
“That’ll be the day, Malfoy,” she said, scowling.
“Well, have it your way, Granger. I’ll also be returning to Hogwarts in September and the offer still stands, for your Weasley problem … should you need it.” Then he leaned in close and whispered, his breath warm and heavy against her ear, “Think about it. I’m sure we could come up with a way to get his attention.”
The moment he left, she realized her heart was beating erratically. Watching his back as he disappeared into the crowd, she hated herself for even considering his proposal. Another quick scan of the hall confirmed that Ron had indeed left. Suddenly it occurred to her that Malfoy’s “plan” might have some merit.
No, being friends with Malfoy was simply a bad idea.
8
Title: Impulsive
Author: ayane_tsurugi
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Word Count: 499
She sat on a wooden bench in the middle of Diagon Alley, the sun beating down on the top of her head. She couldn’t bring herself to look around, though the renovations had begun and the ravages of war were no longer so obvious, so she focused on Malfoy’s wand, resting in her hands.
Harry, still lost in the tidal wave of publicity that came along with destroying the darkest wizard the world had ever known, had asked her to come. Even though he had testified for the Malfoys, kept them from cells in Azkaban, Harry had believed that seeing him holding his most important possession was the last thing Malfoy would want.
And so Hermione had agreed, unsure just how seeing her would be an upgrade but unwilling to argue the point.
Holding Malfoy’s wand felt strange to her; wrong. Of course, it was longer than hers, and definitely a different texture. It was more coarse, almost grainy. But it was more than its physical attributes; holding it like she would her own, her insides squirmed, as though her magic protested. Shaking her head slightly, she looked down the cobblestone street again, and this time she saw him, a blond head and an indifferent expression headed straight for her.
She’d prepared herself for the worst. After all, this was still Malfoy, whatever side of the war he ended up on. She expected him to scowl and walk away, or to question her about her presence there instead of Harry’s, or even to insult her. But he didn’t.
Instead, standing in front of her with his wand finally back in his hand, he took a long, relieved breath and there was a small smile on his lips when he looked at her that surprised her. “Thank you, Granger.” The smile shrunk until it was almost imperceptible. “It’s difficult, being without it. Having to rely on other people for the magic.”
He sat down next to her, and she stared at him, confused. After a moment, though, she nodded. No matter how close she, Harry, and Ron were, she knew how difficult it was to have to rely on someone else for things you think you should be able to accomplish yourself. He nodded back, twisting the wand in his hands, then met her eyes. “Let me buy you lunch.”
She twisted to face him. “Why?”
But he just shook his head and shrugged. “No idea. I’m being rash, impulsive, and possibly stupid, but it’s in a way that’s not going to get me killed for once, so I’m trying to just go with it and not think too much.” He looked back down at the wand in his hand. “Maybe if I do enough things that I never would have before, I can give myself a different life.”
She stood up and, making an impulsive decision of her own, offered him her hand. He hesitantly shook it and she used it to pull him up. “Do you like Chinese?”
ooo.&&&.ooo
REMEMBER: Vote for the NUMBER of the drabble, NOT THE NAME. It just makes it easier on the mods!
Poll
So what did Draco and Hermione do after the war? How did they spend their first summer free from the threat of Voldemort? The answers are just a few clicks away!!
A couple of things to remember when deciding which drabbles to vote for (most and least favorite):
Guidelines:
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 5!!
RULES
[1] Choose your most favorite and least favorite drabbles. Favorites will receive +1 point per vote, and least favorites -1 point per vote. Each drabble’s MF and LF scores will be added together. Drabble with most points wins, drabbles with least TWO points are voted off.
[2] You may NOT vote for yourself.
Voting ends at 11:59pm, Friday, July17, 2009.
PROMPT:
The summer after Deathly Hallows. Not epilogue-compliant.
1
Title: The Morning After
Author: bookishwench
Rating: G
Warnings: discussion of death
Word Count: 499
After the battle Hermione wanted to sleep for a hundred years, but the next day she woke to a world that, although saved, needed to be repaired. Worse, some things couldn’t be fixed. Fred, Professor Lupin, Tonks, and too many others were gone. Their families were still in the castle as she went to the Great Hall. The Weasleys sat silently at the Gryffindor table. She felt she was intruding on their grief, so she quietly backed away and went out onto the grounds.
No one was there to welcome her home since no one she was related to remembered she existed. After those moments with Ron yesterday she should have felt she belonged with him, but the thought of talking to him made her throat close up. Part of it was awkwardness over Fred’s death, but she also knew what had happened between them was only battle adrenaline. She’d forgiven Ron for leaving, but she couldn’t forget it. What she’d once felt for him was gone. He was a good friend, but nothing more.
Battle scars littered the landscape. A lot of work needed to be done, she thought as she examined the ruined stonework. She was walking backwards to see the damage better when she fell over something and landed flat on the ground. It turned out the something was actually a someone.
“Sorry!” she said, then noticed the white-blond head of the person lying in the dirt.
She waited for a suitably scathing insult, but Draco said nothing. He got slowly to his feet and wandered towards the forest. She didn’t know why she followed him. Trying to figure out what the other side was doing was a habit now. Draco stayed just inside the tree line, and she shadowed him ten paces behind, her hand on her wand, until he suddenly stopped.
“Why were you lying on the ground?” she asked.
“Because that’s where I fell when Kingsley Stunned me while taking my parents away,” he answered lifelessly.
Of course, Hermione thought. Any surviving Death Eaters would be arrested immediately. Narcissa had protected Harry, so her sentence might be lighter, but the Malfoys were still criminals.
“Where are yours?” he asked, not looking at her. “The castle?”
“Australia,” she said automatically, then gasped in horror.
He turned to look at her with blood-shot eyes.
“I won’t tell,” he said. “Doesn’t matter anymore, does it? Your side won.”
“Depends what you call winning,” Hermione said bitterly, thinking of Fred, Tonks, Collin…
“Crabbe was an idiot,” he said quickly, “but he was my friend.”
Hermione wondered if it was possible for Draco to hurt, then immediately realized it was a stupid question. He was a human being.
As she walked away, she heard him say loudly enough for her to hear, “I’m glad Voldemort is dead.”
She paused long enough to acknowledge that she knew he was telling the truth, then continued back to the castle. It was the first step in healing one of many wounds.
2
Title: Secret Place
Author: midnight_birth
Rating: PG
Warnings: None really.
Word Count: 326
Hermione startled when she heard footsteps. Who else came there? She had been coming for two months, and not once had she been disturbed. Usually just birds and sometimes small animals, but otherwise she had complete solitude - something she had needed a lot lately.
She wasn’t too missed in the stillness that seemed to fall over the wizarding world after the war, and she was thankful for that. She needed to get away just as much as everyone, it seemed. The Weasleys most of all needed time after Fred’s funeral, and it was needless to say that her and Ron’s relationship was put on an indefinite hold. Now that everything was said and done, she wasn’t even sure she cared.
The person who was standing in front of her and looking as confused as she felt was the last person she expected to see.
“Malfoy?”
He nodded curtly and frowned. “What are you doing here?”
“Me? I’ve always been coming here, it’s… It’s the middle of nowhere!” She had spent a long time looking for a perfect spot where she felt safe being alone.
He gave a small humorless laugh. “No, it’s my spot, actually. It’s not that far from the Manor, and the only reason I haven’t been here is because I have been away for two months now.”
“I didn’t realize…”
There was an uncomfortable silence until Draco shrugged and sunk onto the grass beside her, causing her to jump up.
“Relax, Ganrger.” He seemed much more relaxed than she felt. “Enough grass for both of us.”
Unsurely, she sat down again. She felt surprised that she felt so comfortable, but she didn’t want to think about it right now. They were both there for the same reason, and she felt at ease because she wasn’t expected to be there with him - make small talk or niceties.
When it came down to it, being alone with Draco Malfoy wasn’t so different than being alone.
3
Title: An Unexpected Detour
Author: teenage_hustler
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Word Count: 494
Hermione had never known Diagon Alley to be so busy. Granted it was the middle of a bright and sunny Saturday, but she was literally struggling to get through hoards upon of people to reach the newly refurbished Florean Fortesque’s; where Harry and Ron were waiting for her. Clearly the recent end of the war had dramatically re-ignited the Wizarding population’s desire to shop.
Just as she was able to make out the ice cream parlour’s large fluorescent shop sign, Hermione suddenly felt a powerful hand grab her wrist. She instinctively tried to wrench her arm away, but the hand’s grip remained true. She was pulled forcefully to the side, shooting through a gaggle of elderly witches and into a small alcove. She was alone but for one of the last people she would have expected to see so soon after the war.
“Malfoy?” she gasped at the tall, pale figure standing in front of her.
Draco Malfoy nodded. “Hi Granger,” he greeted her.
“Um, hello,” Hermione said weakly. She wasn’t sure what else she could say to the person whose house she had been held prisoner and tortured in only a few months previously.
“I don’t have long; Mother thinks I’m looking at brooms,” Draco said hurriedly. He seemed anxious, and, Hermione was surprised to notice, nervous. She’d seen Draco scared before, many times. But she had never before seen him nervous.
“Well I’m supposed to be-“
“I need you to listen,” he interrupted her. She stopped talking immediately.
“I’ve been… since the war ended I’ve had time to think about… everything that happened. And about you. What happened to you, I mean.
“It shouldn’t have happened. What you went through, at my home; it was terrible. I’ve never… I never wanted that to happen to you, and if I’d been brave enough to stop it, I would have.”
Hermione said nothing. She was again at a loss for appropriate words.
“I don’t expect you to forgive me, or anybody else,” Draco continued. “But I want you to know that I’m sorry, for not having the courage to help you when you really needed somebody’s help. Anybody’s help. I wish I’d been able to give it to you.”
And then, in a move that Hermione would never have expected Draco Malfoy to do, and particularly to her, he grabbed her face with both pale hands and pressed his lips roughly against hers. She was too shocked and surprised to react, but she felt the intensity in his kiss. That intensity intrigued her more than anything else about the whole situation. When he broke away she was almost disappointed.
“Know that I’m sorry,” Draco whispered, and he disappeared into the crowd before she had a chance to stop him.
“Hey Hermione,” Harry greeted her as she entered Florean Fortesque’s five minutes later. “What kept you?”
Hermione had to think for a moment before answering.
“An unexpected detour,” she finally said, smiling to herself.
4
Title: Family
Author: queen_violet
Rating: G
Warnings: None.
Word Count: 499. Grrr...
It was the middle of July, 2 1/2 months after the final battle. The morning of May 2nd had been horrible, had torn apart his psych. He was an absolute wreck when his family had finally made it home. He'd barely managed to Apparate without splinching himself, hadn't managed to move for hours after he'd sagged to the floor, sobbing. His mother and father had sunk to the floor next to him and they all cried shakily.
They'd realized how close they'd come to dying, how close they'd been to not coming home. It brought them closer together. They had never really been a family. He realized the difference now. A family was a group of people who loved each other unconditionally. And although they fought, and were jealous, and sometimes didn't understand each other, they always fell back on each other. Blood meant nothing to a family.
And now, as he sat in a little creperia in Diagon Alley, he sat and contemplated how his life had changed. He still had nightmares, the resulting lack of sleep leaving slight circles under his eyes. He still flinched every time he saw flashy lights. He had a slight limp, having been hit with a curse during the final battle. But when he was sitting down, he could pretend that there was nothing wrong with the world, that he was better than before the battle.
Which he was, in a way.
His family was actually a family now. He was out from under the constant threat of Voldemort. Although people still didn’t trust him, they were slowly showing him more respect, probably because he was working now. He'd gotten a job with the Ministry, and did some fashion designing on the side.
So yes, he was much better than before.
But there was still something missing. He could feel it.
He was interrupted from his thoughts when a beautiful woman came walking into the cafe. She was familiar. She had long legs, lightly curly hair, and a sway to her walk that just screamed “Model!"
She looked around for a table and, when she glanced his way, he beckoned her over with a smile.
She seemed a bit surprised, but sat down readily enough.
"Hello, Draco," she said. "How are you?"
And then it clicked. This beautiful woman was Hermione Granger. Well, well, well. Looks like the bookworm had blossomed.
"Hello, Hermione," he said. "I'm... alright, I guess. Alive."
She took a menu and nodded knowingly. "Still having nightmares?" she asked. When he hesitated, she took her wand and waved it over her face, dropping her glamour and showing him the circles under her eyes. "I know I do."
He nodded his agreement, and she ordered, and they sat in silence. As time passed, they started up a conversation. When she finally stood to leave, she said, "We're all healing. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here."
He nodded, sipped his coffee, and added another member to his family.
5
Title: Eram quod es, eris quod sum
Author: nightfalltwen
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Word Count: 499
Her dress was simple. Black and cut to the knee. No sleeves. Square neckline. Somehow he noticed her clothing in amongst all the other things when she approached. She came to him and not the other way around. He told himself it was only circumstance that caused their paths to cross.
In front of him was a marker. Just a marker because there hadn't been a body left. A marker and a name. For all his faults, Vincent had still been his friend. Some people called Crabbe merely a thug, but Draco had known the boy since they were children. He kicked at the white marker. You blind fool, he thought bitterly and sat down on the grass.
"Go away, Granger," he said not looking up at her. "I'm having a private moment."
She stood there for a long while, a painful silence seemed to hang between them. She said nothing at first. Nothing about how she was attending a service for another student. Nothing about how she saw him here, by himself, in amongst the plots set aside for those who fell, but fell on the other side. She said nothing about Vince deserving to die.
Instead she sat beside him.
"Tell me about him?" she asked.
"Don't be ridiculous." He glanced at her and scowled.
"I want to know." She touched his arm; he could feel each finger.
"You don't want to know! You lot are all the same! Happy about winning and pleased as punch that it wasn't you. You all thought he was stupid and oafish and that he was only muscle. Why do you want to know about him? He was a poor sap who got lured in by Voldemort's promises!" Draco didn't even realise he was shouting. "I watched him die, Granger! No one cared about what we lost! No, he was just a name in the paper! A name! You want me to tell you about him? He burned to death, Granger." His chest hitched. "He burned to death."
Draco pulled his knees up and rested his head against them, wishing he was elsewhere. Wishing she wasn't sitting beside him. Wishing she would stay forever. Wishing she would say something to cause the ache in his chest and throat finally go away. Wishing she hadn't seen this outburst.
Her small hand fit between his shoulder blades. Part of him wanted to turn toward her, let her comfort him. Lifting his head, Draco looked at her and opened his mouth to speak.
"Hermione? We're leaving!" A voice called out.
"I'm sorry for your loss," she said softly.
He felt conflicted and almost asked her to stay. Instead he watched her go. Sat there with Vincent Crabbe's grave marker and watched Hermione Granger leave. The tangle of emotions inside him made it difficult to filter his thoughts. Later he would approach her about it. Apologise for shouting at her. Later he would be more polite about it.
She came to him first after all.
6
Title: To Soothe the Grieving Heart
Author: __vintagebomb
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Word Count: 459
While he thought that it had been a mistake to come, he knew that it was the right thing to do. He had gone through the entire ceremony commemorating the lives lost at the Battle of Hogwarts a little over two months ago, aloof to the piercing stares that he felt at the back of his head. More than three times he had heard a muffled insult, and he knew it had been no accident when an elderly witch spilled her drink on his robes.
He now stood in front of the mirror in the abandoned girls' lavatory, splashing water on his face, as he tried to escape the heat of the sun and the tears and stares of the crowd. Merlin knows why he chose this particular lavatory above all others, but he almost felt compelled to visit, though he could not look at the patch of the floor that had been once covered in his blood.
Though he did not like to express it, his memories were still painful. He remembered being branded with the Mark. The impossible task. The necklace and Katie Bell. Weasley. Lying in a pool of his own blood. The Vanishing Cabinet. The Astronomy Tower. Fleeing. The Battle.
He winced, trying to push them to the dark corners of his mind. He didn't want to deal with this. Not now.
"Oh, pardon," a woman said as she turned to leave as quickly as she entered the room.
"Hi, Granger," he said quietly. His memories did not cease to fail him. He pictured her writhing from the Cruciatus as his Aunt Bellatrix cackled without mercy.
"Malfoy," she greeted back in surprise, his pained expression not going pass her notice.
She looked different, he noticed, yet her hair was as wild as ever and her sense of style was still atrocious. She looked alive and free. Like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Like she had put all the pain and suffering in the past. Like she could go on for the rest of her life without worrying for her safety.
He felt so envious.
She hesitated, "Would you like to grab a drink with me in the Great Hall? Refreshments are being served."
Draco stared at her puzzled by her invitation. "Why?" he asked, almost defeated.
"Because no one should have to heal alone."
He could have said a thousand different scathing remarks, but he didn't. He could have shrugged off her offer, but he didn't. Without another word, he walked with her to the Great Hall.
Voldemort was dead. The fading Mark on his arm was nothing but a big mistake in his past. The War was over and Draco thought that maybe it was about time for him to heal.
7
Title: Ideas
Author: little_dollface
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Word Count: 499
“Stunning, isn’t it?” Draco gestured to the elaborate decorations lining the walls of the Great Hall. His eyes focused on Hermione as his arm cut through the air.
She scrunched her nose. “It’s garish. Your father is just showing off.”
“He’s trying,” he stated quietly. His tone bothered her, as if he wanted to convince her that Lucius Malfoy was somehow capable of being more than cravenly selfish. Only a fool would think this Hogwarts Rededication Ball was anything other than a transparent attempt to get back on the Governing Board.
“Some people can’t be bought.”
The way he looked at her gave her pause and for a second she regretted her harsh words. She huffed and craned her neck to look for Ron. Where did he go? They were supposed to be there together. Maybe coming with Harry and Ginny had left things too open. Did she really need to spell everything out for him?
“He left.”
She flinched slightly and glared at Draco. “Excuse me?”
“You’re looking for Weasley, right?” Grinning, he continued, “I saw him leave. Not sure with whom … a blonde, I think.”
Her heart clenched, but she refused to show any weakness. “I was looking for Ginny,” she said, with narrowed eyes.
“Too bad.” He moved closer, his nearness making her uncomfortable. The room was already too stifling this late in the summer. “I would be willing help you with your little problem.”
Hermione snickered. “Ron and I don’t have any problems,” she informed him. Quickly searching the room again she added, “And if we did, I certainly wouldn’t come to you for help.”
“Just an offer.” He raised his hands in mock defeat. “No need to get snippy.”
Moving her hands to her hips, she replied, “And why exactly would you want to help me? We’re not friends.”
His grin became wider. “But we could be.”
Part of her wanted to believe he was sincere, the same part that knitted hats for elves and always had a good word for Grawp, but she stopped herself. Malfoy wasn’t some poor elf or homeless giant; she brushed off his gesture. He was just playing games with her, taking advantage of her momentary vulnerability. The prat.
“That’ll be the day, Malfoy,” she said, scowling.
“Well, have it your way, Granger. I’ll also be returning to Hogwarts in September and the offer still stands, for your Weasley problem … should you need it.” Then he leaned in close and whispered, his breath warm and heavy against her ear, “Think about it. I’m sure we could come up with a way to get his attention.”
The moment he left, she realized her heart was beating erratically. Watching his back as he disappeared into the crowd, she hated herself for even considering his proposal. Another quick scan of the hall confirmed that Ron had indeed left. Suddenly it occurred to her that Malfoy’s “plan” might have some merit.
No, being friends with Malfoy was simply a bad idea.
8
Title: Impulsive
Author: ayane_tsurugi
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Word Count: 499
She sat on a wooden bench in the middle of Diagon Alley, the sun beating down on the top of her head. She couldn’t bring herself to look around, though the renovations had begun and the ravages of war were no longer so obvious, so she focused on Malfoy’s wand, resting in her hands.
Harry, still lost in the tidal wave of publicity that came along with destroying the darkest wizard the world had ever known, had asked her to come. Even though he had testified for the Malfoys, kept them from cells in Azkaban, Harry had believed that seeing him holding his most important possession was the last thing Malfoy would want.
And so Hermione had agreed, unsure just how seeing her would be an upgrade but unwilling to argue the point.
Holding Malfoy’s wand felt strange to her; wrong. Of course, it was longer than hers, and definitely a different texture. It was more coarse, almost grainy. But it was more than its physical attributes; holding it like she would her own, her insides squirmed, as though her magic protested. Shaking her head slightly, she looked down the cobblestone street again, and this time she saw him, a blond head and an indifferent expression headed straight for her.
She’d prepared herself for the worst. After all, this was still Malfoy, whatever side of the war he ended up on. She expected him to scowl and walk away, or to question her about her presence there instead of Harry’s, or even to insult her. But he didn’t.
Instead, standing in front of her with his wand finally back in his hand, he took a long, relieved breath and there was a small smile on his lips when he looked at her that surprised her. “Thank you, Granger.” The smile shrunk until it was almost imperceptible. “It’s difficult, being without it. Having to rely on other people for the magic.”
He sat down next to her, and she stared at him, confused. After a moment, though, she nodded. No matter how close she, Harry, and Ron were, she knew how difficult it was to have to rely on someone else for things you think you should be able to accomplish yourself. He nodded back, twisting the wand in his hands, then met her eyes. “Let me buy you lunch.”
She twisted to face him. “Why?”
But he just shook his head and shrugged. “No idea. I’m being rash, impulsive, and possibly stupid, but it’s in a way that’s not going to get me killed for once, so I’m trying to just go with it and not think too much.” He looked back down at the wand in his hand. “Maybe if I do enough things that I never would have before, I can give myself a different life.”
She stood up and, making an impulsive decision of her own, offered him her hand. He hesitantly shook it and she used it to pull him up. “Do you like Chinese?”
ooo.&&&.ooo
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