Return to Eden

Return to Eden

Chapter 12: Good News Or Bad News?

Ron looked up from his position in bed and glanced across the dark moonlighted room to the place where his best friend's snores were emanating from. How Harry could sleep right now was beyond his realm of reasoning and Ron just decided to marvel at the other boy's capability.

He himself was having a hard time falling into a slumber and after a few choice more tosses and turns, gave up and rose from underneath the duvet to sit next to the open window at his bedside.

It was a chilly night for summer and the crisp breeze tickled his nose when he leaned out to breathe in the floral scents from the garden. A faint trace of jasmine drifted up to his nostrils and made him think of Hermione, then, he remembered why he was having trouble sleeping.

Hermione.

The name evoked such emotion in him that he never would have imagined. This one girl had managed to bring out his heart and show him what it meant to love someone so purely. She had done it unknowingly, the same way she had managed to shatter his heart. No intention of any harm in her warm brown eyes, just friendly caring which Ron had seen hope in. Hope that she would one day return his feelings.

No matter what anyone in Gryffindor said, Ron was no fool.

He was fully aware of her family history as a Rosier and could imagine the fortune that was awaiting her in Gringotts. He knew the responsibilities that came with being a member of an ancient pureblood family. It would leave her very little time to indulge in their friendship as a trio. She probably didn't know all these things yet, but he did. All of this was really speculation since they had yet to confirm her being anything except the Head Girl for the upcoming year.

He didn't have to wonder though, he could feel it in his bones. It was what had been keeping her from him all these years, that extra something he just couldn't put his finger on. She was completely out of his league.

Beauty, brains, money, ambition, and a caring nature were what made up Hermione and were all things that Ron was severely lacking in. Just thinking of it made his head spin. He couldn't compete with that, and if what was said was true, he wouldn't have to.

How could he measure up when there was someone like Draco Malfoy, a rich and handsome pureblood wizard, hanging about and moving in the same circles? Ron heard the way the girls in his year talked about the blonde boy, and now, Hermione would be seen as an equal instead of inferior.

He berated himself for being an idiot, for not saying something sooner, but the fear of rejection had always been at the forefront of his mind when he even contemplated telling her how he felt about her. He had lost his chance and he would never have it again.

An irrevocable emptiness consumed him as these thoughts flashed through his mind at an alarming rate. It felt like he'd already lost her as a friend and a fellow Gryffindor. He didn't know what she knew about her family and her past, but he suspected it didn't look too good from what Percy had told them. He half expected her to never speak to them again. And who would blame her?

It was because of people like him that she was in the position she found herself. An orphan whose remaining birth parent was incapacitated and adoptive parents had been murdered. It was enough to make anyone turn against everything they believed in and Ron understood that.

But, it didn't help sooth the pain.

There was no other girl in the world like Hermione, and he would never love one so completely. Later down the road, he might find some nice girl to marry, but it just wouldn't be the same. He'd never known the meaning of unrequited love until now. Now, he understood it all too well.

A clattering from above indicating that the ghoul was bored shook him from his reverie. Harry's snores were still coming slow and steady from the roll-away bed across the cramped room. He decided to give sleep another try as he struggled to get comfortable and a fierce resolve settled in.

He might not have a chance, but he'd be damned if he ever let Malfoy believe he was worthy of someone like Hermione. He'd kill him first.

*~*~*

Someone else outside the Malfoy family would believe it was just business as usual in the two weeks since Hermione's departure, but Blaise was not given the power of empathy for nothing.

Even without using her special gift she could tell that something was off. Of course, her conversation with Draco had revealed as much, but she didn't think the girl had affected them much in the short time she was here. Her assumption had been greatly off base. In her eyes, the Malfoys were slowly falling apart.

Draco would be laughing one minute and screaming the next. He moved only between his own private quarters and the music room. He had his meals sent to his bedroom by the house-elves and hardly took any visitors. He had even refused to see her a few times.

One day, she found him in the music room focusing on a particularly depressing prelude by a composer she couldn't pronounce. He turned when he felt her presence and she was startled by the confusing tumult of emotions in his eyes. He caught her arm in a tight grip and dragged her to the door to which he promptly told her to get out then pushed her through it. The door closed behind her with an echoing slam. It was after that he began to withdraw completely.

Narcissa kept up appearances by going to charity functions and overseeing the philanthropic duties of the Malfoys. She hosted her annual End of Summer garden party at the manor and mingled with the affluent guests looking as primped and polished as usual. When asked about her son's obvious nonattendance, she smoothly replied that he had come down with a slight doxy fever, nothing serious. It was later in the evening, after the guests had all went home, that Blaise heard the sobbing from the powder room in Mrs. Malfoy's quarters.

Blaise knew why as well. She felt as if she failed her friend a second time and not because of a sick twist of fate again, but because they'd sent her away for her own good. It was the guilt that was affecting her.

Even Lucius, who was known for his cool and calm demeanor, was upset at the girl's absence and his inability to comfort his family because of it. He would come home from work and hide out in his study pretending not to hear his wife's cries and not notice his son's reclusion. There was nothing he could do.

Blaise watched the deterioration with morbid fascination. This family had held together through wars, deaths, and Lucius' imprisonment in Azkaban, but *this* was tearing them apart. It just didn't seem possible for such a steadfast family, and Blaise felt her own belief foundation quaking as she witnessed it. Things continued to grow worse until Lucius came home the day before Draco was scheduled to board the Hogwarts Express as the newest Head Boy.

Narcissa came out of her quarters, cheeks wet, and Lucius had the house-elves forcefully remove Draco from his room. They gathered in the study where Lucius produced some official looking papers that had been signed and sealed by the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. Hermione was now under their guardianship and could come back to the manor during the holidays.

A drastic change came over Narcissa and she caught her husband in a hug. Lucius returned the gesture in kind at finally solving the discord. Draco was the only one who didn't look thrilled with the news. In fact, the scowl decorating his face for the last two weeks only deepened as he took in the information and his parents' affections. He stormed out of the room and soon, the sound of a slamming door reverberated throughout the manor.

He didn't resurface until the next morning in his robes, ready to board the train. He silently listened to Lucius' instructions for the year, one of which being to tell Hermione the news, and nodded when necessary. His and Hermione's school trunks were loaded into the carriage and he left without a word spoken.

Lucius and Narcissa watched him go as the same questions passed through them. What could be plaguing their son so? And did it have anything to do with Hermione?

*~*~*

She had been waiting for this moment for over two years.

Retribution was a simple, untainted thing really. It just had to be performed at the right time. Blackmail was much more complex even when it was by a fourteen year-old girl who was too smart for her own good.

These were the thoughts in Rita Skeeter's mind as she put the finishing touches on the breakout article that would bring her back to glory. It would change *everything*.

Imagine her surprise when trying to overhear the details of the next Malfoy Ball, she discovered some extremely *interesting* information about the very reason she was writing for the society page. After a couple of research sessions through old records and sifting through the papers on Lucius' desk in her Animagus form, she knew that she had stumbled upon a journalism goldmine. But the time wasn't right.

Oh, it would be though.

Rita knew for a fact that Hermione Granger would be returning to Hogwarts a week earlier than the rest of the students to start her Head Girl duties and help the teachers prepare for the term. The day before the student body boarded the train, the article would be printed in the Daily Prophet. Hopefully on the front page. She'd never see it coming and wouldn't know it until it hit her.

She had warned the girl that one of these days she would pay, but the younger girl had simply shrugged it off indifferently. Now, she would regret her interference in Rita's work. It had been her job to get the good stories even if she broke a few rules, it wasn't like she caused any harm. But, by the way the Granger girl talked, an unregistered Animagus was worthy of being a Death Eater or something equally as menacing.

She was registered now though. After the attention her article on Harry received, she went to the Ministry and informed them of her ability. Only she made it seem newly acquired, not something she had been doing since her Hogwarts days. That was all water under the bridge at the moment.

The Daily Prophet seemed to see fit to hire her back albeit on a temporary basis. This led to a more permanent position on the society page, but she craved to write headliners once again. Something she had been denied by the know-it-all.

Rita adjusted her winged glasses as she packed away her Quick-Quotes Quill into the desk of her cramped cubicle on the third floor of the Daily Prophet building. She read over the article with a critical eye.

Gryffindor Golden Girl Not So Golden

as reported by: Rita Skeeter

Hermione Granger, seventeen year-old best friend of Harry Potter and this year's Head Girl at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, found out over the summer holidays she was NOT a Muggleborn witch. In fact, the girl is the daughter of one of the most ruthless Death Eaters on record, Evan Rosier (deceased), and the French princess, Cordelia de Altair, who is a permanent resident of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries (Janus Thickley ward). A true daughter of Slytherin legacy, the purest of blood runs through her veins.

The Rosier family is one of the most ancient pureblood families in wizarding Britain and deeply rooted in the Dark Arts. They have been known to side with dark wizards throughout the generations. Evan Rosier was rumored to be in You-Know-Who's inner circle. The Rosier baby, Regina, was lost a short time before Harry Potter's miraculous defeat of Voldemort.

After this discovery, Miss Granger stayed under the care of the Malfoys who were friends of her parents while at Hogwarts. Lucius Malfoy, head of Malfoy International Enterprises and former governor of Hogwarts, has been trying to confirm official guardianship without alerting suspicion at the Ministry of Magic for fear of public scrutiny.

This reporter questions where her loyalties will now lie after news of her true parentage has come out. Will the girl continue being part of the Gryffindor Trio and act like nothing has changed? Or will she get in touch with her inner dark side in the home of Draco Malfoy, the reputed Slytherin Prince?

Seemingly satisfied, Rita cast a shrinking spell on the parchment and tucked it away in her front coat pocket. She didn't want to leave it anywhere in case someone got a hold of her scoop. Now, all she had to do was wait.

Yes, Little Miss Perfect was about to take a fall from grace, and she was more than happy to give her the push.

*~*~*

At Le Palais bleu de Diamant, people and house-elves were bustling up and down the corridor carrying various objects ranging from gilt-framed paintings to catalogues of color schemes.

The Lady Francesca de Winter was standing at the opening of the corridor overseeing the composition of the new wing. Her expertise extended to decorating the new rooms when she commissioned the building of them. She lorded over the attendants and ordered them where to place each exact piece.

Lady de Winter was a woman who had obviously been born into a life of wealth and privilege. Her still-smooth face was crowned with silver hair pinned and swept off her shoulders into a loose twist. Her brown eyes crinkled at the edges as she walked into the first finished room and took in each detail.

Lucius Malfoy's letters brought back bittersweet memories of her lovely daughter Cordelia and when she had been growing up in this same palace. Cordelia had always been a precocious child and would walk up and down the halls questioning all the portraits about her family's history. By the age of ten, she had read just about every book in the library and demanded to be taken to the other, far grander one the family kept in Paris.

When the power struggle occurred, she absolutely hated the idea of sending Cordelia to Britain to finish her studies, but knew it was the only way. Now, if she had it to do all over again, she would have kept her here. For it was in Britain, Cordelia met her downfall.

Lady de Winter was happy her daughter found love with Evan but wasn't aware of the danger she was in. When news of her daughter's condition reached the royal family, it was too late to do anything. To this day, she blamed Evan for getting Cordelia mixed up in his business.

Henri III, Cordelia's younger brother, was currently on the throne and hadn't managed to mess up the country, but Lady de Winter knew it was coming and she intended to do something about it. She realized that this was her own son, but she really had never figured on him becoming the monarch.

At the time of her daughter's marriage, Francesca's brother had been on the throne when tragedy struck. His wife died without producing an heir. A grand funeral was had for the former queen and all of the aristocracy came to mourn her passing.

Some time later, the king refused to remarry, heir or no. Francesca pleaded with him to conceive an heir, even an illegitimate one, after the loss of her daughter. She was scared her youngest son would succeed the throne after his older brother was disowned for turning his back on his family and leaving the wizarding world. Christophe went so far as to break his own wand. But, her brother continued to refuse.

A few years ago, he had passed on and the throne went to Henri just as she feared. Thankfully, the presence of his advisors kept him from getting too involved in the running of the wizarding community, but his mother couldn't keep him at bay forever.

And now, news of her long-lost petite-fille was what she was thinking of. She was still quite skeptical about the whole business. Even though she was certain of her heritage, the girl being raised by Muggles was something that made Lady de Winter wary. By the letters she had received, it seemed the girl was just as intellectual as her mother had been and just as beautiful.

Lady de Winter sighed as she directed another attendant holding a mahogany bookcase. There was so much the girl didn't know, and only a short period in which to teach her. However, everything would be revealed in time.

*~*~*

Luna Lovegood was having a relaxing day enjoying her summer as she read the latest issue of her father's magazine, The Quibbler. A tapping at the window drew her attention away from an enthralling article on the reproduction of nargles. With misty eyes, she rose from her spot in the desk chair and crossed to the window.

She opened the latch and gazed out into the sky as if in a trance. It took her a few moments to realize that a feathered tennis ball was bouncing around her room in a frenzy. She picked up the letter it had dropped in its excitement and tore into it.

Luna,

When we go back to school, I want you to join us in our usual compartment on the train. I have a feeling that I'll need you there for more reasons than I can count. I'll put it this way, there will probably be a grand argument on the way to Hogwarts and I'm not sure if anyone will leave unscathed. Harry and my brother think that Hermione has taken up with Draco Malfoy and have gone on a war path. Can you believe how absurd that is?

And there's all this news flying around that she's not a Muggleborn as well, but I won't believe anything until I hear it from Hermione. Well, I'm writing to ask Neville as well because I fear we'll need all the help we can get to keep them from killing each other. I hope to hear from you soon.

Ginny

Luna held the letter to her breast after she finished reading it over and began to sway from side to side as she hummed under her breath. She could just imagine the spectacle that would take place on the train. Ginny was right to worry about her brother, Ronald.

Luna sighed in a melancholy way as she went back to her magazine. "Ah, young love. So, so sweet."

*~*~*

Draco hopped onto the Hogwarts Express looking every bit the arrogant boy he'd always been, but inside, he was more nervous than ever.

Two weeks had gone by since Hermione had left his home with a soft kiss goodbye. Not a single owl had been sent from her to let the Malfoys know how she was. It was no wonder that his mother had fallen apart at not receiving a letter from the girl who was now her surrogate daughter.

Within those two weeks, Draco had convinced himself that she really didn't care about him at all. He could feel his sanity slipping away as he stayed awake late into the night thinking of how much she hated him. He decided she would no longer affect him and he would simply act around her like he did any other pureblood witch.

That was why he was now boarding the train with his usual expression of boredom on his face telling himself that he wouldn't react to anything no matter what Hermione's reaction to him was. What he wasn't expecting was no reaction at all.

He entered the Heads compartment just as the train left the platform to find her curled up next to the window and engrossed in an Arithmancy book. He took the seat across from her and prepared for her reception of him. A few moments of silence passed before she even looked up. She took him in before nodding politely.

"Draco."

Then, her eyes fell back to the words on the page and she read on.

He was stunned. That's all he merited? A polite nod and a slight acknowledgement? After she blatantly ignored him and his family since she left their home? He thought not.

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?" He asked in a snide voice.

Her eyes stayed glued to the page. "About what?"

Draco was floored by her audacity. No one ignored a Malfoy. "About *what*?! How about for not sending just a single owl to let my mother know you arrived at your aunt's? How about not sending an owl to my father while he was trying to get your guardianship finalized? And not sending one to *me*?"

He jumped to his feet and towered over her in his anger. She finally looked up, but not before marking her place in the book, and noticed his seething gaze.

"My mother hasn't stopped crying since you left, but you don't care." His tone was the coldest she'd ever heard him.

"I didn't mean to cause any harm. I was simply preoccupied with my school work. And my aunt had so many stories to tell," she replied in a collected voice.

"I'm sure that's what it was." His often used sarcasm was back in full as he glared daggers at her. "Well, my father wanted you to know that you're officially under my mother's care. Signed by the Minister and everything."

"That's good."

She picked her book back up and returned to where she left off thinking that the conversation was over with. She had really fallen behind in her reading because of everything that had happened over the summer. She didn't want any of the teachers to think she wasn't up to being Head Girl.

Something in him broke when he recognized what was an obvious dismissal and observed her go back to that damn book. He plucked the offending object out her hands and threw it violently across the compartment. She opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it when he placed his hands on either side of her and leaned down to her level. His body was trembling with emotion.

"You don't care about me at *all*, do you?"

"What are you talking about, Draco?"

"You're killing me. Everywhere I go and everything I do, you're always there. Haunting me and laughing at me. I'm hanging on by a thread here and I can't *stand* it. I'm drowning in you, Granger."

"I haven't done anything."

He began to pace the length of the small space while frantically running his hands through his silvery locks.

"No, you don't care. I get hurt, but it's all in good fun. Draco Malfoy gets what's coming to him. No consideration for my feelings or what might happen to me. I don't understand you at all. You let me in, then you push me away. No, not at all. And it burns. It *ravages*. It's eating me from the inside out. You, *only* you."

His rant was fast becoming the ramblings of a mad man. She shoved him down hard on the opposite seat, which seemed to break him out of the insanity he was quickly falling into. Her own voice was becoming hysterical as she started screaming at him.

"You're the inconsiderate one! All you've been doing is trying to push yourself on me when I've had all this shit dumped on me! Do you have *any* idea what that feels like?! I can't *deal* with everything! I'M NOT PERFECT! So, BACK OFF!"

By now, he was back on his feet standing toe to toe with her engaged in a screaming match. Tears were starting to stream down her cheeks and Draco could feel his own coming on.

"We started this way before you had ANY idea you were a pureblood! So, don't use THAT as an excuse! YOU'RE HOT ONE MINUTE AND COLD THE NEXT! YOU CAN'T KEEP PUSHING ME AWAY AND EXPECT I'LL KEEP COMING BACK! I LOVE YOU AND I CAN TAKE CARE OF YOU IF YOU'LL JUST LET ME! SO, WHAT'S IT GOING TO BE?!"

Hermione appeared shock for a brief moment before screaming back at him.

"I CAN'T LOVE YOU! I WON'T *LET* MYSELF!!!"