The Prophecy

An Unlikely Love

_{A Draco-Hermione FanFic}

_{Chapter One}

Hermione shivered in her pink, silk kimono-dressing gown as she gazed out of the window and the cool night breeze weaved through her unruly curls. She felt calm and content; the truly inevitable had happened and she was grateful not to have to wonder anymore.

Staring at the stars that seemed to be beams of light piercing through a velvet cloak that enveloped the sun, she understood, trite as it sounded that it was meant to be. Of course it was. She had noticed the prophecy in the department of mysteries at the end of her fifth year.

She had kept this secret for nearly two years, to mention it would only trigger a fusillade of memories and images of that night.

A familiar nagging thought assaulted her peace of mind; what if she had misinterpreted the prophecy, she hadn't heard it, just seen the label. Perhaps some other hardship lay in wait for them. As if they hadn't faced enough troubles already.

" No if it had signified some other future privation then tonight's events would never have taken place," she said aloud, stirring a somnolent Ron, who grunted and rolled over. Why then would such a mundane, irrelevant prophecy be locked away in the depths of the Ministry of Magic? Sure tonight had meant a lot to her but globally historically it was immaterial, right?

She pushed these thoughts form her mind and turned form the window to watch him sleep. She had to admit he was no Brad Pitt but he was cute and ardent, intense and cynical as all hell. As much as he infuriated her she loved him and his personality awarded him a desirability that say Seamus Finnigan- Hogwarts hunk could never aspire to. Not that Seamus wasn't a nice guy and she felt bad using him last year just to make Ron jealous.

Ever since fourth year and the fight after the Yule Ball she had been waiting for Ron to make a move. To her the fight had clearly revealed their underlying lust but Ron needed things spelt out and the last three years had provided nothing but obstacles; Bulgarian seekers, her relationship with Seamus last year, Sirius's death- Hermione admonished herself for such a thought. She had loved Sirius like a father.

Her own was distant enough to provide space for a replacement.

Hermione felt tears streaming down her face. The sound of her weeping roused Ron. It broke his heart. Her abrupt but cheerful disposition had taken an obvious knock since Sirius's death, and he had noticed her despondency. He of course had grieved but he had dealt with it in a healthy way, which was more than could be said for her or Harry.

Be careful what you wish for it might just come true. How many times had he hoped Hermione would stop being so out spoken? Now that it had happened he would give anything for her to be herself again.

He dragged himself from her warm bed and stood in front of her. He placed his hand on her slender waist and she put her arms around his neck. With one hand he wiped away her tears and tucked a stay curl behind her ear. Just as he softly brushed his lips against hers they heard the unmistakeable voices of Dean Thomas and Lavender Brown.

"What the hell are they doing back so early?" asked Ron in a hurried whisper as he rushed to pull on his boxers.

"Maybe because it's not so early; it's three am," said Hermione as she struggled with a nightshirt.

Lavenders girlish giggle grew louder.

"God the Ball must be over, the rest of Gryffindor will be back any moment now," said Hermione as she straightened the sheets of her four-poster bed and slipped beneath them. She was after all supposed to have a headache; at least that's what she had told Harry, Luna and the rest of the Gryffindors.

"How am I supposed to explain being in here?" asked Ron while he was throwing on the navy blue dress robes he had left at the foot of the bed.

"You came up to check on me and you've been here since."

"Till three in the morning? Get a grip 'Mione"

"Dean, you know you can't come down here; the staircase is charmed," said Lavender from the top of the girls staircase.

"Do the Mobilicorpus spell then my feet won't even touch the ground," replied Dean.

Ron decided the only way out was to conjure a chair and pretend to be sleeping. The voices of the other Gryffindors suddenly permeated the tower and Ron heard Lavender issue a firm goodnight to Dean.

She entered the girls' dorm to see Hermione sleeping lightly (or that's what she told herself so that she wouldn't feel guilty about waking her up in a moment to relay the nights events) with Ron snoring like a chainsaw beside her bed.

"Ron- this is a girls dorm- GET OUT," she prodded Ron to wake him and Ron did his best impression of being violently woken by and excitable seventeen year old girl.

"Uh? Whaa? Oh right... yeah better go back to my dorm...see ya."

"Mmm hmmm," agreed Lavender, "Hermione wake up. Come on wake up."

Ron left just as Parvati Patil entered the room giving Ron and his crumpled dress robes a suspicious look. Hermione 'woke up' and after yawning convincingly asked Lavender about the Opening Ball -held especially for seventh years in celebration of the beginning of their final year.

"Oh it was fantastic," gushed Lavender as Parvati conjured a sofa and some hot chocolate. Lavender continued to describe in minute detail what certain people had been wearing. How Loony Lovegood had deep purple dress robes with silver embroidery and black lace elbow length fingertip-less gloves and she had painted her nails with charmed nail polish that changed colour.

"How that weirdo ever got Harry I will never know," interjected a bitter sounding Parvati.

Hermione smiled, once again recalling the Yule Ball three years ago when Harry had asked Parvati to the Ball and then blatantly proceeded to ignore her. Hermione assumed that Parvati was resentful of Luna because she had what she herself couldn't. With waist length shiny dark hair and features so elegant they looked like that of a china dolls, there wasn't a lot that she couldn't have.

She was currently dating a young successful Quidditch player- twenty one year old Oliver Wood. They had met while she was accompanying her aunt a medi-witch to a Puddlemere United game with the Kenmare Kestrels. Wood had been promoted from the Puddlemere United reserve team when its then seeker had been disqualified due to a 'flacking' incident. It was his first game and he unfortunately incurred an injury to which Parvaati's aunt tended dragging Parvati along with her. It was love at first sight according to Parvati.

Although Oliver was admittedly enchanted Hermione was willing to bet he had spent most of the Ball discussing Quidditch tactics with any member of the Gryffindor team.

"How that weirdo got Harry I'll never know," repeated Parvati a little more forcefully this time as both Hermione and Lavender had ignored her.

"Well she's not without her charms; she's creative, imaginative y'know? And you can't say she isn't pretty," supplied Lavender in defence of Luna. The two girls had become quite close over the last year, much to Parvati's annoyance.

Parvati scowled, "She's so moody and has no dress sense; the gloves, did you SEE the gloves"

Lavender just nodded to placate her best friend. She was always the diplomat, with poker straight blonde hair and eyes so green and sparkling they rivalled emeralds she was the envy of almost every girl in the school. Consequently her attempts to mediate between two opposing females incensed the adversaries. But her endlessly cheerful demeanour and wit insured her personality overshadowed her looks and she was one of the most popular seventh years.

"It was such a pity you felt ill, the weird sisters totally rocked," said Lavender. Hermione snorted at Lavenders unashamedly American syntax.

"Totally rocked?" scoffed Parvati, "Where are you from?" Lavender had the grace to look embarrassed.

"So you and Dean? Things going well?" asked Hermione in a feeble attempt to involve her self in girly conversation. Her only other female friends were Luna and Ginny. Ginny had her own girlfriends and Luna was a little distant. She loved Lavender, Parvati, Padma, Luna, and Ginny and was sure they would stay in touch after school ended but she never really felt in the loop with those girls. The only mildly comforting albeit somewhat cruel thought was that if she was out of the loop Loony Luna couldn't even see the loop.

"Yeah I guess so," the blonde smiled shyly, "he's really sweet. A bit skinny but it suits him. A bit goofy but he makes me laugh. The only time he really annoys me is when he insisted on talking about West Ham, you know the football thing?"

"You know who has filled out well? Ron! That broad back and toned stomach...mmmmm if I ever break up with Oliver put a good word in for me 'Mione. Okay?" asked Parvati.

"Uh...well...um," Hermione shifted uneasily unsure of whether to divulge her secret, "I'll see what I can do but only the other day he mentioned swearing off girls until after the N.E.W.Ts."

"Aaah, do not mention the N.E.W.Ts - just don't," squealed Lavender and Parvati shuddered at the thought of the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests. Hermione smiled and gulped down the last of her hot chocolate and glanced at the time which was magically projected on to the wall and which read four-fifteen a.m.

"Classes start first thing tomorrow girls so I think we should all get some sleep," suggested Hermione

"Always the voice of reason Hermione," teased Lavender, "but you're right." She took out her nine inch willow wand and got rid of the sofa, "Vanescere Collocare," she slipped behind the hangings of her four poster bed, "'Night."

"'Night"

"'Night"

As Hermione slid beneath her sheets she couldn't help but beam in to the dark. Mrs Hermione Weasley. Mr and Mrs Ron Weasley. Ron and Hermione Weasley. Ok maybe it didn't exactly have a ring to it but chances were that she would keep her own name anyway... not that they were that serious... but perhaps someday. Didn't hurt to think about the future!

Meanwhile in the boys dorm the locker room chat was in full swing.

"Lavender is hot, so Damn Hot," moaned Dean thinking longingly of the girls dorm.

"Have you two...?" inquired Seamus who was like his best friend; always interested in the gory details.

"Hell yes" Dean replied with a satisfied grin.

"Really? When?" asked Neville

"Summer holidays. She was visiting me in Ireland and we had come back from shopping, it seems spending money is a real turn on for Lavender."

"Score! So what was she like?" Seamus pried.

"Demon in the sack mate," Dean grinned and slapped his friend on the back. The collective cheers congratulating Dean on his catch resounded throughout the echoic tower.

"And you Seamus, any head way with Susan Bones?

"Not that you really need to try eh? That ones shagged half the school," piped up Neville who had recently acquired a confidence of an unknown source. The boys laughed at Neville's crude but fairly accurate observation and Seamus blushed.

"Och not everyone is obsessed with sex- "

Ron interrupted, "But you are." Seamus struggled to be heard over the raucous laughter.

"Ah now I really like Susan- "

"For what? Her brains?" jibed Dean through tears of laughter. Susan the dark haired Hufflepuff was better known for her bedroom antics than her overwhelming intellect.

"Ok I'll give you that," said an almost defeated Seamus, "but you have to admit she is sweet... and so fine."

"Ok, ok fine," acknowledged Dean, and Ron, Harry and Neville nodded in agreement.

"So Neville. What about you? You have the glint in your eye of a man who has recently been laid, could it be true" probed Ron.

"Aye you seem a little different Neville. You weren't like this when I visited you in July," said Dean.

"Well...ok yes- " The boys whooped and applauded, "but I am not saying who," finished Neville when his friends had calmed down.

"Oh give us something!"

"No she doesn't want people knowing, see it is a little tricky; she has a long term boyfriend and one night they had a fight and she came to me and- "

"You 'comforted' her! Good for you mate," said Ron, genuinely glad that Neville's experience had helped him finally come out of his shell.

Neville blushed furiously. He had undoubtedly matured but he still had a look of innocence and virtuosity, which placed him firmly in the category of a man with boyish good looks. Up until this summer he had just been a boy, too small for his age and with a round red face and chubby body but a belated growth spurt had seen to that and a new haircut and a bit of life experience had enhanced his confidence. His fellow Gryffindors had no doubt that he would break more than a few schoolgirl hearts in the coming terms. Unbelievable as it would have sounded a year ago he was actually competition for Seamus -self-confessed philanderer! Of course there was still the concern of his slightly pathetic reputation. But that could be worked on.

"Harry, you've been awfully quiet hasn't he fellas? What have you got to say for yourself and Loony Lovegood? Done the nasty?" prompted Dean.

"Yeah, live up to the name does she?" added Seamus, "Its said that crazy girls are sex mad and pretty fantastic, and Loony is not only nuts but hot too! Come on Harry spill," urged Seamus.

They boys were desperate to hear about Harry's girlfriend, Ravenclaw Luna Lovegood. She had wavy dirty-blonde hair, azure eyes, and a slim petite figure but she wasn't emaciated like most of the girls in school. She was also considered something of a genius, although that didn't mean she bothered much with schoolwork or exams. Her distant and artistic nature sustained her position as the school enigma. As to be expected she wasn't very popular but by the same token she didn't really care.

Harry, ever the gentleman was hesitant to disclose personal information regarding his girlfriend but his smile gave him away.

"Oh you are definitely getting some," said Seamus knowingly. But of course he would know, the school Casanova had had more girls slip surreptitiously beneath his school sheets than any other; Padma Patil, Hannah Abbott and Hermione to name but a few.

Hermione, that was an awkward memory. He had sincerely liked her, but he had always had the feeling that she was smitten with someone else (maybe Harry or Victor Krum?) and he was just a time-filler. It was an embarrassing recollection because the night they completed the transaction Ron had walked in at a crucial point. He had always had the niggling thought that Hermione wasn't as shocked to see him as he was but he always brushed it aside thinking that at the time she was preoccupied with other 'emotions'. He had never discussed Hermione in these lads' banters he would have been too discomfited considering her close relationship with Harry and Ron.

"Yeah she is pretty incredible," said Harry acceding to the impelling urge to boast about his girlfriend, "and a little kinky." He immediately regretted that supplement. He was mortified he was always ill at ease discussing his sex life but this transcended average discomfort. Not to mention he felt guilty mentioning Luna's eccentric sexual preferences.

"Well, well. Can't say I'm surprised. Give us details!" said Dean eagerly. He was unmistakably delighted with the revelation.

"Don't thinks so fellas- it's a little more than we need to know in my opinion," said Ron, stepping in to save Harry who shot him an appreciative look. Ron yawn and checked the time, "Well it is half four and I am wrecked so if you don't mind I'm off to sleep. I will see you all in 'bout three and a half 'ours. Barring of course death or blindness"

"Hold it Mr Weasley! You haven't said anything yet!" Seamus grabbed his wand, "Lumos" He shone the bright light in Ron's eyes and asked in a confrontational, interrogative tone "So who have you got your eye on?"

"That, my sloshed friend, is none of your business," laughed Ron smugly, "You ought to get some rest."

"I will get it out of you yet! MAYBE NOT TONIGHT. MAYBE NOT TOMORROW NIGHT! MAYBE NOT EVEN TUESDAY NIGHT!. But some night. Some night!"