Dolor Draconum

Chapter the Twenty-Ninth

Hermione almost changed her mind. She had homework and while she would have plenty of time on Sunday to do it, well, one could never be certain, right? It wasn't a lot of homework, but if she wanted to get things absolutely correct....

There was a silk rose next to her breakfast plate. Judging from the glare Ron was giving the flower it wasn't from him. She stroked the delicate petals. They were almost alone at the table. The Gryffindors weren't the kind of people to get up early if they didn't have to.

"It's him, isn't it?" Ron asked shortly.

Hermione wanted to blush. She wanted to stammer an apology. She wanted to change her mind. She wanted to change herself.

"Yes," she said, the epitome of calm.

"Why?" Ron asked, defeated. Hermione was relieved at how well he was taking it.

"He needs me more," Hermione said slowly. "He's had the ground ripped out from under him. I know he's not the most attractive person, or the nicest, but he's trying very hard."

"A pity date?" Ron asked. Hermione frowned. Was that disgust in his voice or smug triumph?

"No," Hermione admitted. "I've seen him at his best and worst, I think. There's a kind of security in that. I've never seen you at anything other than your best," she smiled. "Maybe that's your worst as well."

Ron looked pleased despite himself. "Yeah, well..."

"You do understand, don't you, that this is just one date?" Hermione reached out and squeezed his hand.

"You do understand it isn't?" Ron asked in a rather colder tone. "I can't pretend to understand why you're doing this, Hermione. You have seen the worse side of him. Just because it hasn't surfaced in this past year doesn't mean it's gone. He's being nice to you, sure, but you prove to me he's doing it for anything other than selfish reasons. You've convinced yourself he's going to act this way forever when you're doing your best to help him out of this strange mood. When you've managed that you're going to find you're draped over the arm of a prejudiced, ugly, ignorant git."

"And when that happens I'll come to you and you can say 'I told you so'," Hermione told him, getting up. "But I honestly don't think you'll get that chance. Draco Malfoy has changed."

Ron just shook his head and watched her walk away. There wasn't much else left to do now. He saw Malfoy follow her out of the room and refused to respond to the smug grin the blond shot him.

* * *

Hermione wasn't surprised when Draco caught her elbow and swung around to face her. He looked like a puppy that had seen the leash and was begging for confirmation of his hopes.

Right in front of the stairs, where sleeping students were gathering and grouping and making their way to breakfast, Hermione kissed him.

Ignoring the gasps and giggles Hermione was pleased with the result. Draco's eyes had lit up like lumos. It had just been a quick peck but now the school was quivering with the news that Draco Malfoy, Mudblood hater, and Hermione Granger, Malfoy hater, had been making out in front of everyone. Draco reached on arm around her waist and hugged her briefly. Then he gave her a peck on the cheek.

"I'll come up to your common room at ten," he promised. Hermione looked a bit surprised. "We don't run out of things to do before lunch," Draco pointed out reasonably.

So Hermione found herself hiding in her own dormitory as Lavender, Parvati and Ginny hunted her with Sleakeazy and Lipglimmer and something it had taken Hermione several seconds to recognise as a dress. There didn't seem to be quite enough material to warrant that description.

Ginny found her, sitting in the bottom of the wardrobe. Light had been leaking through the cracks.

"Doing your homework by wandlight!" Ginny laughed. "You have a date, Hermione."

"With Draco Malfoy!" Lavender squealed. Ginny and Hermione flinched at the indescribably high-pitched sound and shared a look.

"Why don't you come into my year's dorm?" Ginny whispered. "Everyone else is out. We can lock the door and you don't have to put on anything you don't want to."

"How do we distract them?" Hermione managed to murmur in Ginny's ear as overenthusiastic teenaged girls hauled her from her hiding place.

Ginny ran to the window. "Oh my god, is that Randy Dubois, Witch Weekly's hunk of the month?!" she shrieked, managing to hit an octave even Lavender couldn't attempt. "I heard he was doing tours of all the major schools!"

And suddenly Hermione and Ginny were alone.

"Who's Randy Dubois?" Hermione asked curiously as she clambered to her feet.

Ginny shrugged. "Guy we met in Egypt, on holiday. Absolutely huge American," she giggled. "Couldn't fit through the door of the tomb!"

Hermione snorted with laughter. "Honestly, Ginny," she chuckled.

"Come on," Ginny jerked her head towards to door. "The speed those two moved they'll have figured out by now there's no one of interest out there. You probably don't want to lock them out of here."

As they descended the stairs Hermione glanced at Ginny. "How do you lock a dormitory door anyway?" she asked curiously. "And why?"

To Hermione's surprise and horror, Ginny blushed. "One of the boy's discovered it. They're designed to lock in an emergency, you see, after Sirius broke in. This guy showed me, when we wanted a little, um, privacy." She saw the look on Hermione's face. "I don't know what you're thinking, but I haven't done it!" Ginny objected vehemently.

"So what did you need the privacy for?" Hermione asked sharply.

"He was worried about what people would think if they saw us together. Note the lack of name I'm supplying here," Ginny gestured expressively.

"Hey, no," Hermione stopped her as they entered the room. "I'm going on a date with Draco Malfoy. No way do you get to have a secret boyfriend."

"Oh my god, Hermione Granger digging for gossip," Ginny pretended to look horrified. She pushed the door shut with one hand and slid the bold across. Hermione gaped at it.

"I have a bolt on my door at home," she frowned. "Why..."

"Oh, they've been charmed not to respond to any opening spells," Ginny said dismissively. "I guess if you hit the door harder enough it would open, but otherwise we're alone here."

"So who is it?" Hermione pressed, sitting down on Ginny's bed. "Because you know I'm just getting my own back here."

"I never bugged you about Draco," Ginny reprimanded her.

Hermione sighed. "Don't you trust me?" she asked, fighting the urge to wheedle.

Ginny smiled. "You're one of the people he asked me not to tell," she said, almost sadly. "Now, do you want the Sleakeazy?"

Hermione nodded. "Why not?" she sighed. "If it didn't take so long to apply I'd probably use it every day."

"Any clothes in mind?" Ginny asked as she started raking the gloop through Hermione's hair. It dried instantly and the hair flattened and smoothed like it had been ironed.

"What I was wearing?" Hermione suggested nervously.

Ginny looked her over. It was typical Hermione. Sensible trousers, a weak blue, sensible long sleeved top, for the cold weather, and a sensible blue cardigan with flower shaped buttons. Her shoes were sensible and flat.

"You look really nice," Ginny reassured her.

"Nice?"

"I don't know Malfoy," Ginny told her. "I mean, I was kind rooting for my brother here."

Hermione flinched.

"I don't mind helping you," Ginny went on hastily. "What are friends for, right?" She grinned and hugged Hermione from the back, getting a face full of liquid hair-straightener for her trouble. "Anyway, you know Malfoy better than I do. Do you think he'll like it?"

Hermione tugged at her skirt. "Oh, I see," she sighed. "I need to wear something more unusual?"

"Special," Ginny corrected. "There's that necklace he gave you, isn't there?"

"Oh, I'm definitely wearing that," Hermione smiled. She looked down at her outfit. "I don't really have anything more interesting than this though," she sighed.

"How about a skirt?" Ginny suggested. "I've got one that would match your cardigan."

"Oh, that's pretty," Hermione smiled as Ginny held up a knee length satin skirt, decorated with lavender cabbage roses. "But I'll be so paranoid about ruining it."

"You spill something on it, you clean it," Ginny grinned. "Or find Dobby and ask him. He's good with clothes."

"I'll bet he is, judging by Draco's 'casual' clothes," Hermione laughed. "In the Muggle world he'd been able to keep an entire street of dry cleaners and laundrettes in business with a weeks washing."

"So the skirt, yes?" Ginny handed it over. "You'll look so cute," she enthused. "Not too un-Hermione."

The skirt was a little tighter on Hermione than on Ginny and it clung to her legs when she moved. Ginny's eyebrows shot up as Hermione walked across the room, making Hermione's brow crease in confusion. Ginny leered at her and Hermione caught sight of her reflection. She found herself trying to stare at her own bum, turning around a few times in the process. Ginny burst out laughing.

"He won't be able to take his eyes off you," she reassured Hermione.

Hermione laughed wryly. "Sure," she grinned. "I look like I normally do, but in a tighter skirt."

"Heels would go well, though I don't have any that match," Ginny mused.

"No way," Hermione shook her head. "One, I can't walk in them and two, I'd be taller than Draco. Not the best start." They shared a laugh.

"You could wear a low cut top," Ginny raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"Um, no. I'll think I'll stick to this. I hope it's not too cold," Hermione smoothed the skirt nervously.

"If it is, making him lend you his cloak," Ginny shrugged casually.

"Oh, what if I look too Muggle," Hermione stared at her reflection, aghast.

There was a knock on the door. "Hermione, you in there?" Lavender managed to convey her disappointment at losing her living doll even through the heavy wood of the door.

"Yes," Hermione said slowly.

"Malfoy's waiting for you downstairs. I think Potter and Weasley might kill him if you leave it too long." Lavender sighed. "It's your fault for hiding, you know. Now you're going to have to go as you are."

Hermione pulled the bolt back and opened the door. "I quite like how I look," she said calmly.

"You're not even wearing any make-up!" Lavender wailed as Hermione strode past her and down into the common room.

Draco was leaning against the wall next to the portrait. Harry and Ron were sitting by the fire, ostensibly playing a game of wizard chess. Judging by the irritation of the pieces they weren't paying much attention, moving any piece any how, sometimes each other's by accident, and occasionally missing the board altogether.

Hermione took a deep breath and steeled herself. She smiled at Draco, who smiled back, but she went to Ron and Harry first.

"You look fine," Ron said before she could get a word out.

"Thank you," Hermione smiled. "It means a lot to hear that from you." She smoothed down the skirt again and plucked at the sleeve of her cardigan as she wondered how best to phrase the half formed thought that ha prompted her to go to them. "I don't want you to be angry about this," she told them. "I don't think I could bear it if you turned out to be that kind of people. I love both of you dearly."

Ron smiled wearily. "'Please don't be mad at me,'" he said in a faintly mocking falsetto. "Hermione," he dropped the imitation, "don't even think about asking us to be okay with this. It's Draco Malfoy."

"I know," she sighed. "But, well, just remember it's me, too."

There wasn't anything else left to be said. Harry was still staring resolutely past her and Ron had turned to the chessboard, now concentrating on sorting out the mess he and Harry had made of the game. Hermione ran her hands down her skirt one last time and turned to join Draco, who held out one elbow for her. Slipping her hand through his arm she let herself be led away.