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It's Not Over	By : cpetnm Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 70654 -:- Recommendations : 6 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
A.N.- ChivvyChiquala, I'm glad you like my Draco. I actually started this story a few months ago and didn't like how he turned into a wuss, so I stopped writing it. But something about the first few chapters stuck with me and I came back and scrapped what I didn't like. Part of Draco's appeal is that he's a bit of a jerk. ;)
Nikte, I like Theo, too! Maybe my next story will be a Hermione/Theo pairing, although Dramione is my favorite, hands down.
Thank you to everyone reading, reviewing and rating! I'm blown away by the interest in the story.
The next afternoon, Narcissa met Hermione at the manor gates. Wordlessly, Narcissa led her to Draco’s room. At the door, a manicured hand gently rested on Hermione’s arm.

“Please let us know if we can do anything,” Narcissa said.

“I will.”

Narcissa knocked and pushed the door open for Hermione. Hermione stepped into Draco’s dim room. She could hear the shower raining down water in the bathroom.

He’s up and showering; that’s a good sign.

Hermione used her wand to make Draco’s bed and open the curtains. She hoped today she could get Draco to leave the comfort of his bed. Draco came out of the bathroom, a towel slung over his narrow hips.

“You came back.”

“I told you I would,” she replied. “Do you still want me here?”

“I want you here,” he said, sitting down in front of the fire.

Hermione sat in the chair next to him. “Your hair is so long.”

“I’m sick of it.”

“I’d kill for hair like yours,” she said. “Why don’t you cut it?”

Draco was silent for a moment, then walked to his desk and got out a pair of scissors. He handed them to Hermione.

“Will you?” he asked.

“I’ll cut it, but I’m no expert.”

Draco walked into the bathroom and Conjured a chair. Hermione took a fluffy towel and placed it over his shoulders.

“I trust you, just cut it off.”

Draco closed his eyes as Hermione combed through his tangled hair, enjoying her sweet smell and the warmth of her body. Her gentle ministrations made him tingle wherever she made contact with her hand or the brush. He sighed in relaxation.

Hermione tied his hair in a low queue. “Last chance, Malfoy.”

“Cut it,” he murmured.

Ever so carefully, Hermione cut off Draco’s silky, long hair. She handed him the bound platinum locks.

“It’s done. I’m going to start cutting it shorter now, okay?”

“Alright, Hermione.”

Hermione thought he’d look best with his hair slightly longer near the front, with the rest of the hair cropped close. She carefully clipped and cut, until his hair fell in a way that showed off his princely face. Her hand brushed stray hair off his neck and face. She cupped his bristly face, running her thumb over his cheek.

“Are you trying to grow a beard?” she wondered.

Draco actually laughed. “No. I just haven’t cared about shaving lately.”

“I like a bit of stubble on a bloke,” Hermione said, shrugging her shoulders.

He scratched at his face, feeling the itchy hair under his fingers.

“Thank you,” Draco said quietly.

“You’re welcome.”

“I’m going to invite them to eat dinner with us,” Narcissa said to her husband.

He looked up from his work to take in her anxious, hopeful face.

“Alright, dear.”

Draco dressed in the bathroom. He liked the way his hair looked. When he walked into the bedroom, he found his mother speaking to Hermione near the door. Narcissa looked at him, then quickly looked at his hair, her eyebrows raising in surprise.

Hermione almost laughed. It was such an odd expression on Mrs. Malfoy’s face.

“You’re looking well, Draco,” Narcissa said with a smile.

“Thank you, Mother,” Draco said, running a hand through his hair.

“Son, your father and I would like you and Miss Granger to join us for dinner tonight.” In times past, Draco would have complied, but over the past months, Narcissa didn’t know what to expect from her son.

“I can stay if Draco would like,” Hermione said to Narcissa.

Narcissa was perplexed by Miss Granger’s response. She had the impression that Miss Granger was an independent, confident young woman, but she deferred to Draco as if he would deny dinner on Miss Granger’s behalf.

“We’ll join you for dinner, Mother.”

Narcissa nodded and shut the bedroom door.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said to Hermione. “I’m not sure what they’ll be like.”

“They’re worried about you, Malfoy. If they’re unpleasant, I’ll leave.”

“Okay.”

Draco led Hermione to the dining room. While he thought his parents now guessed there was something between him and Hermione, he knew they would want to know more.

On the morning she had shown up, he thought he had died. He had thought he would never have her in such close proximity again and then she was there, laying next to him, whispering soothing words and gliding her soft hands over him. She was pulling him back into the world of the living, but he didn’t know if she wanted to inhabit that world with him.

Lucius motioned to two adjacent chairs at the dining room table. “Miss Granger, we’ve never met formally. I’m Lucius Malfoy. Thank you for joining us for dinner.”

“Thank you for inviting me to dinner,” she replied, surprised at his politeness.

“Draco, that haircut suits you,” Lucius said to his son.

“Hermione convinced me it was time for a change,” he said, referring both to his hair and so many other things.

Watching the Malfoys interact was painfully awkward, but she could see Draco’s parents were trying to stay on his good side. Hermione knew how Draco’s mood could turn on a Galleon, so she could appreciate their caution.

The Malfoy’s meal was much simpler than Hermione had anticipated and for that she was glad. Two house elves served lamb chops and roasted vegetables with dark rolls and rich butter.

Narcissa decided it was time to use this scarce opportunity to learn about her son and his connection to this girl.

“How did you two become friends?” Narcissa asked. Draco continued to eat, so Hermione answered.

“During seventh year we had several advanced classes together and the professors paired us for projects in almost every class. Your son is a formidable student.”

“Hermione was Head Girl and our class valedictorian,” Draco added.

Lucius noticed his son seemed to have pride in Miss Granger’s accomplishments.

“What do you do now that you are no longer in school, Miss Granger?” Lucius asked.

The wizarding world was a small place and Hermione knew her clothing gave her away as a Muggle-born, but she was not so sure the Malfoys would be comfortable with her discussing her Muggle heritage and Muggle schooling. Despite that, she decided to be honest with them.

“I attend London University as a student. My main area of study is medieval literature.”

“Is formal schooling for adults commonplace?” Lucius asked.

“Yes, sir, it is quite common. For most Muggles, the more schooling you have, the easier it is to find good employment. Both my parents are the Muggle equivalent of healers and they went to school for eight years beyond their secondary schooling.”

“Do you plan to stay in the Muggle world once you’ve graduated?” Narcissa wondered.

“I’m not sure.” Hermione wished she knew exactly what she wanted to do, but the truth was that she hadn’t felt valued in the wizarding world and a large part of that had to do with Mrs. Malfoy’s son and their pure-blood values.

They finished their meal with the minimum of polite conversation. After making her goodbyes to the Malfoys, Draco walked Hermione to the door.

“I’m going out of town, so I won’t be able to visit until the end of next week. Will you be okay?”

“Yeah, I suppose,” he said, his mind whirring with thoughts of her lying on the beach with Theo. “Where are you going?”

“My mum’s sister lives in Italy and we’re going to visit their family.”

“Is Theo going?”

Hermione looked at the ground. “Why does that matter?”

“You know why it fucking matters! Do you plan on telling him about visiting me? Or will I be your bloody secret now?”

Narcissa and Lucius heard Draco’s raised voice and came out to find their son staring heatedly at Hermione.

“He’s my boyfriend, Malfoy. And I haven’t done anything with you since I’ve been here so please don’t treat this like some illicit affair.”

“You’ll never be satisfied with him,” Draco said cruelly.

“Now that I’m with Theo, you’re willing to change your tune, is that it? I think you want what you can’t have. If I was in your place, you wouldn’t care.”

“I care and you know it. Go. Enjoy your bloody trip!” Draco turned and saw his parents watching him. He pushed past his father, stalking towards his quarters.

Hermione looked up to see Narcissa watching her sympathetically. She turned and walked out the door, embarrassed that the Malfoys had witnessed their fight. Too upset to Apparate, she decided to walk the dirt path once she shut the ornate manor gates.

When Hermione had sufficiently calmed down, she Apparated home.

Lucius and Narcissa stood in the foyer shadows for a few moments after Hermione closed the front door. Narcissa began to follow Miss Granger, but Lucius’ hand on her shoulder stopped her.

“We need to speak to our son,” he said.

“Yes, that’s probably appropriate.”

The parents made their way to Draco’s room to find him using his wand to tear his bedding to shreds.

“Draco!” Lucius yelled, Summoning Draco’s wand from his hand.

Draco’s thin frame was heaving from the anger and frustration coursing through his system. He turned that anger on his parents.

“I love her and I couldn’t admit it because I was worried about disappointing you!” Draco screamed, kicking his bedside table.

He sat on the edge of his destroyed bed, his head dropping into his hands. Narcissa gingerly sat next to her son, patting his knee.

“If we had known the depth of your feelings for Miss Granger, we would have accepted her. We accept her now, if you two can put aside your differences.”

Draco looked at his mother, then his father. “Do you feel that way, too?”

“I do.” Lucius held out a hand to his wife.

“I had no idea,” Draco said, finally seeing his parents in a different light. “She’s dating Theodore Nott. He’s serious about her.”

Narcissa nodded. “I’ve seen them together and I believe he has stronger feelings for her than she does for him. And from what I’ve seen the past couple of days, Miss Granger cares deeply for you, Draco.”

Draco groaned and shook his head. “I keep fucking things up with her. No matter how much she cares, I’m not sure she’s that forgiving.”

Narcissa hoped, for her son’s sake, that Miss Granger could forgive him.

“Hi Mum,” Hermione said, sitting next to her mother on the sofa. Jean put down her book.

She looked at her daughter and knew something was wrong. “What is it, sweetheart?”

“Oh, Mum. I just don’t know what to do.” Hermione wiped fat tears from her cheeks.

Jean knew from her years as a mother that Hermione would tell her more if she didn’t ask too many questions. So she waited patiently for her daughter to continue.

“A couple of nights ago I had a nightmare that Draco was drowning and I stood by helplessly and watched. It was so real. I finally woke and I couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed my help. I went to his home and his mother took me to him.” At this, Hermione gasped out a sob before continuing. “Mum, he was lying in bed and he looked like he was dying.”

“Hermione, love, I’m so sorry.” Jean rubbed soothing circles on her quaking back.

“I stayed with him all that day. He was doing better when I left and I visited him again today after I dropped off my work at Gringotts. He’s severely depressed and he said it’s because I wouldn’t see him anymore.”

Hermione had confessed to her mother several months before the main problem that plagued her relationship with Draco. Jean had been saddened by what her daughter explained. But Hermione had been right to expect more from her relationship with Draco.

“Theo’s such a wonderful boyfriend, but I feel like I gave my heart to Draco and no one else will do. I can’t seem to get over him, Mum.”

Not wanting to influence her daughter either way, she continued to keep silent about the two men her daughter held close.

“Have you thought about the scholarship? You received another letter today,” Jean said.

Back in February, Hermione had applied for a scholarship exchange program. The month before, she received word that she’d been accepted to the program, but she had yet to decide if she would go or not. Jean knew she needed to decide soon. It was an excellent opportunity to see part of the United States and continue her studies.

“I had thought I’d decline it, but maybe I need to get away from England for a few months.”

“It might give you some perspective, love. I know it might seem counterintuitive, but make your choices for yourself and don’t worry about Theo’s or Draco’s feelings.”

“I’ll think about going while we’re in Italy,” Hermione agreed.

“Dad and I will help you, if you want to go.”

Hermione hugged her mother, appreciative of the nonjudgmental way she listened.

During the week the Grangers were in Italy, Hermione decided to accept the scholarship offer.
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It's Not Over