Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Victim of the Fall	By : PrettyDesdemona Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 32726 -:- Recommendations : 5 -:- Currently Reading : 7
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe or any of its characters. I do not make any money off this story. Only love!

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
A/N I know I don't usually put author's notes at the beginning of a chapter, but bear with me. About two thirds of the way through this chapter, Hermione puts a song on her record player. It's called These Arms of Mine by Otis Redding and I'd really like you guys to listen to it while you read that part as it very much captures the mood of the scene. :)

CHAPTER 14

WORTHY

“You think you’re not worthy? I’d have to say I agree. I’m not worthy of you, you’re not worthy of me.”

Hermione survived the first few classes only by downing a Pepper-Up potion before she left her flat, and storing a spare vial in her bag just in case. She couldn’t possibly imagine why she would need it, her head was still whispering Grindelwald’s words into her ear seductively and she could focus on nothing and everything at the same time. Unfortunately, her buoyant and excitable mood did not last the day and by lunch time she was nodding off at the Gryffindor table. Her tovarasi had gathered around her to eat and she felt grateful through the veil of her tiredness for their presence.

She didn’t know why they had suddenly decided to sit with her again, but she felt safer with them around.

She nodded off towards the end of the meal and was woken gently by Luna softly shaking her arm, informing her that they had to go to potions. Hermione caught Malfoy staring at her across the table with a frustrated look. She resisted rolling her eyes.

In potions, she sat with Luna, Malfoy, Padma and Eli, the only people out of her tovarasi who had elected to continue the class into their seventh year. She was barely coherent, intent to save her last Pepper-Up for her last class, Defence Against the Dark Arts. Towards the end of the lesson she found herself staring at the ingredients cupboard, completely clueless as to how she had gotten there and unable to comprehend the plethora of labels staring down at her. She reached out blindly to grab a tattered box of something she couldn’t identify. A hand landed on her shoulder.

“Granger, that’s asphodel. The ingredients list says pomegranate juice.”

Malfoy took the box out of her hand and replaced it on the shelf.

“You read that entire book last night, didn’t you?” he asked quietly.

She nodded. Yes. The book. The book that had changed her perception of the world as she knew it, that had her physically aching with curiosity, that made her want to vomit with the implications of it all. That book.

He made a show of looking through the ingredients cupboard for powdered newt, but Hermione knew he was staring at her intently. “Should I be worried about this, Granger?” he asked lowly.

Hermione looked him full in the eyes earnestly and said, “I don’t know.”

She was burning to talk about what she’d read, feeling like if she didn’t share at least part of it with someone, she would quite literally burst all over the classroom. Malfoy was her best bet.

She opened her mouth but before she could speak he thrust a bottle pomegranate juice into her hands and turned away, stalking back to his desk looking anxious. Hermione followed behind and sat down in front of her own cauldron. She stared mutely at the instructions for a moment before depositing the entire bottle into her half brewed potion and letting her head fall onto her arms. She was grateful when Slughorn announced the end of class and she packed up her things quickly.

Once out in the corridor with Luna, Malfoy, Padma and Eli, Hermione pulled out her last vial of Pepper-Up and threw it down her throat. She felt the potion seeping into her limbs and vanishing away her aching tiredness.

Luna looped her arm through Hermione’s as they walked. “Are you alright?”

Hermione nodded and smiled tensely. “Yeah. Was up all night reading.”

“Good book?” asked Padma lightly.

“The best.” answered Hermione fervently.

They arrived at the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom minutes later and loitered around chatting amicably until the rest of the class made an appearance.

Teodora exited her office when the entirety of the tovarasi were seated.

“I have a special thing planned for you today.” she said smiling warmly, “It will not be hard or demanding. I think you deserve a break for the last day of the week.”

Hermione felt relieved. Even with her Pepper-Up potion, she was hoping to avoid an emotionally heavy lesson.

“I will be putting you in pairs and you will go out of the classroom with your partner where you will share food together. A picnic, I think it is called.” she conjured five small wicker baskets out of thin air. “Your pairs will be this. Eli and Padma, Susan and Juliet, Blaise and Ginny,” Hermione felt Ginny shift uncomfortably beside her, “Luna and Draco, and Isobel and Hermione.”

Hermione felt marginally uncomfortable about her own pairing but acknowledged that they were well thought out. Each pairing seemed to accomplish something. Luna and Malfoy were polar opposites, two people who couldn’t be more different; Eli and Padma seemed slightly uncomfortable and tense around one another even still; Susan and Juliet had never really talked as far as Hermione knew; Blaise and Ginny’s rivalry was only outstripped by Hermione and Malfoy’s; and Hermione’s own pairing was a tense one, as her and Isobel never did see eye to eye.

Hermione plodded to the front of the class to collect her and Isobel’s basket. The younger witch met her by the door.

“Where would you like to go?” asked Hermione at an attempt at friendliness.

Isobel shrugged. “How about the astronomy tower? The view’s nice…”

Hermione did not usually like going up to the astronomy tower after the events of her sixth year but thought it best not to start an argument before they’d even left the classroom. She nodded and the two women made their way in silence out into the corridor.

Isobel had not even registered on her radar before their seventh year and Hermione realised she didn’t know anything about the girl aside from the fact that her father had been murdered in front of her and that she was apparently lusting after Malfoy and/or Blaise. Hermione wondered if she was upset about her father’s death or if it had been just seeing death itself that had damaged her. Hermione had never met or seen the death eater as he wasn’t in the Department of Mysteries in their fifth year and she hadn’t come across him in the Final Battle. Though of course, Voldemort would have murdered him by then. What kind of death eater was he? Was he power hungry and malicious like Lucius Malfoy? Or brutish and obedient like Crabbe and Goyle senior? Or, had he sworn himself to Voldemort to protect his family like Draco Malfoy?

Hermione knew that she couldn’t ask Isobel about these things. After all, she’d be upset herself if the other girl tried to pry into her personal life. Perhaps she would find out in due time.

They reached the top of the astronomy tower and sat down close to the parapet. Hermione cast a warming charm on the two of them to ward off the cold. It wasn’t the time of year for snow yet, but she knew it couldn’t be far away and the astronomy tower was freezing. Isobel grunted appreciatively and took the wicker basket out of Hermione’s hands. She pulled out a flask and two goblets which she filled. She handed a cup to Hermione and stared down at the contents of her own, frowning.

“I don’t know what this is…” she said hesitantly, as if she didn’t want to admit to her own ignorance.

Hermione looked down into her own goblet. It was filled with a black looking liquid that seemed to be fizzing. She sniffed tentatively and laughed. She took a sip.

“It’s alright, it’s just coke.” she said to her companion. “Though I don’t know where Teodora could have gotten it.”

“What on earth is coke?” asked Isobel contemptuously.

“It’s a muggle drink.” Hermione replied.

Isobel curled her lip in disgust, “Why would she give us muggle food?”

Hermione shrugged, “Do you have a sweet tooth?” the other girl nodded, “Well then you’ll like it. Trust me.”

Isobel gave her a sardonic look before taking a hesitant sip from her goblet. Hermione did not have to wait long for her reaction as Isobel began to cough and splutter as she swallowed.

“It’s burning my tongue!” she rasped, staring down into the goblet.

Hermione giggled. “It’s only the bubbles. It’s carbonated.”

Isobel rolled her eyes, “I don’t know what that means.” she took another tentative sip, “It’s sort of nice once you get used to it, I guess. Like chilli but not.”

Hermione chuckled and pulled two sandwiches out of the basket, handing one to Isobel. The other girl pried the top off of hers to inspect its filling suspiciously.

“Don’t worry,” she said to Hermione, “I think it’s just jam.”

Hermione smiled. She didn’t need the reassurance but it was nice that Isobel offered it. They munched down the sandwiches in silence, staring out over the grounds. After a while, Hermione began to think that they might as well talk. No doubt that had been Teodora’s goal in sending them off together like this. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, however, Isobel pre-empted her.

“Ginny told me you were dating her older brother.” she said this as a statement of fact as she pulled some pumpkin pasties out of the hamper.

Hermione was shocked, “Uh… We were. But not anymore.” she mumbled.

“What happened?” Isobel asked.

Hermione began to think that her companion might be a little too nosy for her own good. No doubt she was mining Hermione’s life for gossip. But then, Hermione remembered the vow they’d taken. So Isobel must just be nosy. “We grew apart.” she said shortly.

Isobel gave her a look that said she knew that was barely the whole story. “Isn’t that something that happens to people who’ve been married for years? How do you manage to do that in a few months?” she asked.

Hermione bristled, but she kept a hold of her temper, not wanting a repeat of her situation with Malfoy. “How did you and Ginny get talking about this anyway?” she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Isobel shrugged, “I noticed that you and her seemed to have a history so I asked her about it.”

“Oh…” Hermione found this perplexing. It seemed such a normal situation. Isobel felt curious about something, asked Ginny about it and Ginny had offered up the information. As far as social interactions went, it wasn’t unusual. Except for the fact the Isobel was a Slytherin and a death eater’s daughter and Ginny was a Gryffindor and unofficial member of the Order of the Phoenix. Hermione couldn’t understand how they could be like that with each other when by all rights they had been at war only a few months ago. She decided to follow Isobel’s example and asked, “How do you do it?”

“Do what?” said Isobel, looking confused.

“How do all of you just forget about the animosity and be friends? I don’t understand why it’s so easy for you and so hard for me.” Hermione admitted.

Isobel laughed cynically, “We’re not friends, Hermione. If you actually spent time around the tovarasi you’d see that. We’re just doing what Teodora wants us to do. I mean, it’s not like we hate each other. Its just tolerance I guess. Ginny and Padma aren’t bad and Eli’s quite nice for a Hufflepuff. Juliet and Luna are a bit too happy for my tastes and Susan’s too quiet so we haven’t spoken much.” Isobel gave Hermione a level look, “It’s not hard to call someone by their first name and be polite to them, even if you’d rather be cursing them. So no, we’re not friends.”

“And Malfoy and Blaise? Aren’t they your friends?” Hermione asked.

Isobel shrugged. “Not really. They’re my housemates. You don’t really have ‘friends’ in Slytherin. That’s not how it works.”

Hermione thought about this for a moment. No wonder the Slytherins were all so morbid if that’s the way their house was. Housemates meant people you ate with, played quidditch with and had a laugh with on occasion. Friends meant having someone to talk to, someone who didn’t judge you, who loved you.

“So who are your friends?” asked Hermione quietly.

“I don’t really have any.” Isobel replied, clearly trying to sound offhanded. “Who are yours?”

Hermione looked down at her hands. “I guess I don’t really have any either… I mean there was Harry and Ron but we haven’t spoken since I left the Burrow.”

“Why not?” Isobel all but demanded. Hermione thought perhaps she wasn’t nosy at all but just had a habit of letting whatever was in her head slip out of her mouth before she thought about it. Like a darker, more cynical version of Luna.

“I just got the impression that it would be better off to leave them alone.” said Hermione, deciding to meet Isobel head on with her honesty.

“What about Ginny? Isn’t she your friend?”

“I don’t know. We haven’t been seeing eye to eye recently.”

“You seem to get along well enough.”

“Only because we don’t talk about what’s really bothering us.”

“Maybe you should.”

“Yeah.” It was like banter. Hermione wanted to laugh. Isobel had a question and an answer for everything. She strongly suspected that they would be able to go on like this for hours if given the chance. But she felt bad for Isobel. Hell, she felt bad for herself. Neither of them had friends, people they could go to when things got really bad or stressful. The tovarasi were good in a crisis, as she had seen, but when it came to the everyday stuff, they weren’t much use. There was still too much unfamiliarity and tension. They were still working through everything. Hermione considered that perhaps if she had had a friend, maybe things might not have gotten so bad after what she did with George. She would have been able to invite her friend over so she could blub and eat chocolate. She would have been able to do what girls do.

“Maybe we could be friends?” Hermione barely had the time to comprehend what she was about to say before the words left her mouth.

Isobel gave her a dumbfounded look. “But I don’t like you.”

Hermione shrugged, figuring that seeing as she’d said it, she might as well see it through. “I don’t like you either, but I don’t think either of us like anyone much at the moment. Maybe we could be friends just so we can say we have one.”

Isobel appeared to think about this for a moment before she surprised Hermione and nodded her head, “Yeah, ok.”

After the hour was up, Hermione and Isobel walked back through the castle towards the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Hermione’s mind wanted to analyse the conversation but she wouldn’t allow it. She had a friend. That was all she needed to know.

A couple of corridors from the classroom Isobel and Hermione came across Juliet and Susan who also appeared to be making their way back. The pairs converged to walk together.

“Where did you guys go?” asked Susan.

“The astronomy tower.” Hermione replied, “What about you?”

“Front steps.” said Juliet, she then put her hand on Hermione’s arm, “Hey Hermione, I was wondering if maybe I could talk to you for a moment?”

Hermione looked down at the girl, confused. Had Juliet’s picnic with Susan not gone well? “Sure.”

They hung back to let Isobel and Susan walked ahead of them.

“What’s up?” asked Hermione.

Juliet looked worried; something that Hermione had never seen the usual bubbly girl do so far. “It’s Ginny. I share a dorm with her and… Well I don’t think she’s doing very well. I’ve tried talking to her but she just keeps pretending everything’s fine. I thought maybe, seeing as I’m supposed to deliver the Rusine tomorrow, we could invite the other girls over too and have, like, a girl’s night. Might cheer her up a bit.”

Hermione looked doubtful. She didn’t know how she felt about having seven other girls, who apparently didn’t get along as well as they appeared to, in her space.

Juliet gave her a pleading look. “You’re the only one who doesn’t live in the castle. It might be good for us to get out for a bit. And seventh years can leave whenever they want.”

Hermione thought of Ginny and what Isobel had said. She didn’t know if her and Harry were alright, didn’t know if Mr and Mrs Weasley were coping; she didn’t know anything. So perhaps she could go about finding out. With this in mind she said, “Yeah, ok.”

Juliet literally jumped for joy, reverting back to her usual over-enthusiastic self. “Cool! Thanks Hermione! Oh, it’s going to be so much fun!” she ran to catch up with Isobel and Susan who were still walking a few metres ahead of them, “Hey you two! Wanna have a girls night at Hermione’s on Saturday?”

Susan looked excited, “Yeah!”

Isobel looked at Hermione and smiled tentatively, “I’ll check my calendar.”

Juliet clapped her hands gleefully. “Cool! I’ll tell the others!” she ran off in the direction of the classroom.

Hermione arrived behind her minutes later to find Juliet whispering excitedly to Luna and Padma, whom both looked enthusiastic and pleased. Hermione grinned. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

She cast her eyes about the room, noticing that Blaise and Ginny were the only two who had not returned. She opted to sit down next to Isobel as Teodora emerged from her office. Their teacher collected the wicker baskets and went to stand in front of the class.

She looked around in confusion, “We are missing Ginny and Blaise?”

“They were down by the lake last we saw them.” said Padma.

Teodora looked concerned for a moment before the classroom door burst open and Ginny entered looking furious. She took a seat beside Hermione wordlessly, and Hermione could see tear tracks running down the other girl’s face.

Blaise entered a moment later, looking only slightly more composed, and took a seat next to Malfoy.

Teodora’s gaze shifted between the two of them, waiting for them to speak. When they didn’t she drew her wand and vanished the wicker baskets with a sigh.

“Tell me why you are both late.”

Neither of them spoke. Teodora looked frustrated. She tried again, looking directly at Blaise.

“Blaise, why is Ginny angry with you?”

“Because she has apparently decided to take my opinions as a personal attack.” he ground out, staring straight ahead.

Ginny growled beside Hermione.

“What opinions are these?” asked Teodora patiently.

Blaise huffed, “I think the war was a waste of time. And I’m sick of people being so hung up about it.”

Hermione wanted to say something, feeling like this was a little unreasonable, but Ginny leapt to her feet, her chair crashing to the floor behind her. “Hung up about it?! My brother died, you heartless fucking bastard! And you expect me to just smile and move on?! You might be able to do that Zabini but I can’t!” she was crying again, “You know what? I’m glad I’m not like you! I’m glad I can feel! That I’m not some cruel, Voldemort wannabe with no respect and a whore for a mother!”

Blaise jumped up, pulling his wand from his pocket and pointing it at Ginny. “Perhaps you should look in the mirror before you call my mother a whore, Weasley! How much was Potter paying you to spread your legs, huh?!” he snarled.

Ginny pulled out her wand and Hermione stood, noticing in her peripheral vision that Malfoy had too.

Ginny and Blaise stared at each other for a moment before Ginny cried, “Stupefy!” as Blaise yelled, “Reducto!”

Hermione and Malfoy cast simultaneous shield charms and both spells rebounded. Blaise’s reducto hit the classroom window which exploded and Ginny’s stupefy hit Luna squarely in the chest. The younger girl was thrown back several feet, where she lay unmoving on the floor.

The entire class stood motionless, staring at Luna’s crumpled form. Ginny’s wand hung limply in her hand.

Teodora was the first to move. She walked quickly across the room to her stunned student. “You see?! You see now?! Stupide copii nenorociti! This is what war does! It hurts innocents! Enervate!” she pointed her wand at Luna who opened her eyes slowly and blinked. Teodora helped her to a pillow where Padma joined her. Their teacher strode back to the front of the class.

“You think you are tovarasi?! All you show is calm politeness! You will not talk! This is why the war will continue, because of you, ten little children! I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed I am.” Teodora turned to Blaise, her voice cold and angry, “Mr Zabini, it is plain to see to anyone with half a brain that you are angry and damaged as much as every other person but you will not show it!” she then looked to Ginny, “Miss Weasley, you can preach all you like about your morals but I will not believe a word of it until you put them into practice! You can both turn into bitter old idiots for all I care! I will have no part in this childish, ridiculous rivalry anymore!” she cast her eyes about the rest of the class, “That goes for every last one of you! If you want to hold grudge, if you want to let your anger taint your soul then GET OUT OF MY CLASS!” she roared.

Nobody moved except Blaise, who put his wand away.

Teodora closed her eyes for a moment and breathed deeply. “Alright. I want all of you to write twenty feet of parchment by next Friday on why you can empathise with each one of your classmates. Two feet on each person. Anyone who does not do this will be expelled from this class and receive a failing grade.” This news received a few indignant gasps from the frozen class. Teodora continued, “Anyone who does not understand the assignment, I suggest you go look up ‘empathy’ in the dictionary and educate yourself. Now get out.”

The class silently packed up their things. Before Hermione could follow her classmates out into the hall, Teodora approached her, said, “Miss Granger.” and pressed a vial of the Rusine into her hand before turning and striding into her office. The door slammed behind her.

Once outside the classroom, the tovarasi lingered in the hallway with the exception of Blaise and Ginny who walked in opposite directions towards their dormitories.

“Don’t worry,” said Juliet, “I’ll go after her and tell her about tomorrow night.”

The younger girl walked away. Hermione looked at Luna.

“Are you ok?”

Luna smiled serenely. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’ve just been stunned Luna.” said Eli, gaping at her.

Luna shrugged. “We got stunned heaps in the DA. And Ginny didn’t mean it.”

Hermione chuckled quietly. The rest of the tovarasi walked off in the direction of the great hall muttering about what Teodora had said but Isobel held Hermione back.

“You going to drink that?” she asked quietly, nodding toward the potion in Hermione’s hand.

“Oh. Yeah.” Hermione tipped it down her throat and opened her mouth to show Isobel. “See? All gone!”

Isobel laughed. “Gross.”

They walked together, in silence towards the great hall for dinner.

After eating dinner at the Slytherin table, grudgingly of course, and dissecting their teacher’s outburst fully with her classmates, Hermione apparated back to her flat.

She was immediately grateful for the quiet as soon as she walked through her front door. She wasn’t grateful for the opportunity to relive Teodora’s speech in her head.

It had made her feel many things. Namely shame. Teodora had given them all trust, allowed them to say things in her class that would otherwise have them in detention. She gave them a safe place to be themselves and be honest and all they’d done was thrown it back in her face. She didn’t deserve that.

Hermione wondered how the other tovarasi were dealing with it. She hoped they proved smarter than her and would actually listen to Teodora this time. Because their teacher was right. Isobel had said basically the same things up on the astronomy tower. None of them were friends. They were bonded, yes, and very strongly. Hermione could feel it. But they weren’t friends. Today had proven that there was still resentment and anger to be dealt with. And unfortunately that wasn’t going to happen if they just smiled and nodded at each other all the time.

The events of that days class had almost driven the thought of Bastet’s Line out of her mind. Almost, but not quite. Hermione fell asleep at eight o’clock with the book clutched to her chest.

She awoke the next morning early, dragged herself to the kitchen where she made herself a cup of tea and some toast then went back to bed to consume them. She read Bastet’s Line halfway through, the sun peeking through her curtains and cooking smells drifting tauntingly up from the street. She was quietly contented, Grindelwald’s words rolling around her head lazily as she settled in under her covers. After a little while, the page in front of her blurred as her eyes drifted shut and she fell asleep again, her dreams full of visceral colour and a lithe, cat like woman in white.

Someone was knocking on her door. No, hammering. Someone was hammering on her door. She really thought they should stop. Really, how rude to be hammering on someone’s door while they slept.

Her eyes drifted open slowly. The room was dark. What time was it?

Hermione disentangled herself from her bedclothes and checked her watch by the light of her wand.

Six o’clock.

“Oh, shit!” she leapt out of bed, shoving Bastet’s Line under her mattress. She threw on tights under her quidditch jersey and bolted for the door.

She threw it open to find seven disgruntled looking girls standing, cramped, on the landing outside.

“What the hell, Hermione?” said Ginny loudly.

“I’m so sorry. I was asleep!” Hermione ushered the girls into her flat. Juliet handed her the vial of the Rusine as she passed her and Hermione drank it down quickly.

Minutes later Ginny, Luna, Juliet, Susan, Padma and Isobel were all draped around her living room sporting cups of tea or coffee or, in Isobel’s case, a can of coke. Hermione grinned at that.

Having seen to her guests, she settled herself on the floor next to her record player. “Feel like listening to anything in particular?” she asked the group in general.

This was clearly a mistake as all seven girls began to call out requests at once. Hermione laughed, “Ok, I’m just going to put on whatever alright?”

She selected a record from her stack and placed it on the player. Seconds later Otis Redding began filtering through the gramophone. The girls fell silent for a moment to listen.

“These arms of mine,

They are lonely,

Lonely and feeling blue.

These arms of mine,

They are yearning,

Yearning from wanting you…”

Hermione swayed with the music, looking around in appreciation as it seemed to touch each of her female companions individually. She realised she’d picked quite an apt song. This was quite possibly what all these girls were feeling. Lonely, yearning and blue.

“I like this.” said Luna.

“Mmm.” Padma agreed.

“What would Teodora say if she were here?” said Susan contemplatively.

“She’d ask us who we’re yearning for.” said Ginny definitively.

There was a moment of silence and Hermione felt openness like she’d never felt before. She knew what was coming and she was ok with it.

“Ron.” she said. She looked to Ginny who was sitting next to her.

“Harry.” said Ginny quietly. Hermione could hear the pain in her voice.

Juliet took a deep breath. “Fred.” she said with a sad smile and looked at Susan.

“My aunt.” said Susan sadly.

“My father.” said Isobel. That answered Hermione’s earlier question then.

“Dean Thomas.” said Luna dreamily. Hermione choked on her tea and laughed. Well, they had spent six months locked in the Malfoy’s basement together, how could they not have bonded?

“Eli.” said Padma, so quietly that Hermione almost didn’t hear it.

There was a moment of silence before Juliet shrieked, “WHAT!”

“So that’s why you two are so weird around each other!” said Susan, laughing.

Hermione giggled along with the rest of the girls. She thought Eli and Padma would be very cute together. “What’s stopping you from being with him?” she asked the other girl.

“I don’t think he sees me like that.” Padma replied.

Isobel scoffed. “What are you, twelve? Be a woman. Just tell him. If he doesn’t like you back, fuck him.” the group fell about on the floor cackling. “I didn’t mean that! I meant, you know, screw him. Oh shut up! You know what I mean!” she giggled.

“Seriously though Padma,” said Juliet, tears in her eyes as she laughed, “You should tell him. You’d be so cute together!”

“And anyway, most of us can’t have what we’re yearning for. So we have to live vicariously through you.” said Hermione.

After that, chatter became easy. They didn’t avoid heavy subjects as they usually did, but they seemed to have lost their weight. They had created a happy space in Hermione’s flat and all their tension seemed to fly out the window. It seemed almost unnatural and the image of the cat like woman in Hermione’s dreams flashed in her head. Of course. Bastet cared for woman and they were congregated on Her Line. She was nurturing them. Hermione silently thanked her. They needed this.

Hermione noticed Isobel sticking close by her side all evening and fell buoyed by it. They were friends. The other girl had even demanded Hermione let her attempt to tame her curls.

“I really don’t need this, Isobel. It’s too much effort!” she said, trying to bat the other girl away from hovering over her head.

“Hermione, keep still! Just trust me, ok? It’s easy!” she pulled out her wand and Hermione recoiled in mock alarm. Isobel pulled her back towards her and pointed her wand at her head. “Domare!”

The other girls made admiring sounds at the effect. Hermione leapt up to look at herself in her bathroom mirror.

She stood still, frozen in shock. Her curls were the same but no longer mad and frizzy. They were tight and bouncy and pretty. For the first time since Bill and Fleur’s wedding, she felt pretty.

She ran back to the living room and thanked Isobel repeatedly. Isobel looked smug.

Hours later, at almost midnight, the girls finally dragged themselves out the door, already making plans to have another girl’s night the same time next weekend. Hermione was overwhelmingly glad to see shining grins on all their faces as she closed her front door.

She listened to their retreating voices and didn’t feel tired in the least. She went to her fridge and pulled out a block of chocolate and a bottle of milk, depositing these into a saucepan on her stove so the chocolate would melt through. She planned to drink this with Bastet’s Line, have a shower, and go to bed, probably to read more.

Hermione could not stop smiling and she danced along to the record still playing on her record player as she stirred the hot chocolate.

A few minutes later the song came to an end and her flat seemed to feel slightly empty without the music. She walked into her living room, intending to put the record back on, when a crack sounded outside her window, making her jump and her heart thud hard under her diaphragm.

Hermione froze. After a few seconds there was a knock. Not on her front door but on her balcony window.

She approached the doors leading out to her balcony carefully, drawing her wand. She hoisted the curtains open and almost screamed.

There, standing on her balcony looking sick and troubled, was Harry Potter.

deathraven - It was honestly your begging that got me to publish this chapter early lol. So consider you wish, my command, darling! I hope you liked this one as much as the last :D

two-Five-One - You can say that again. I'm glad you're intrigued!

Kain - Holy hell, dude! Your reviews are awesome! I was honestly thinking of Smeagol while writing that line. Also, in chapter 11 she says: “I’ll die before I take that potion! I earned this pain! You won’t take it away from me! IT’S MINE!” very Gollum haha. Is it weird that Hermione's character reminds us of Gollum? Does that make Draco like Frodo? I will stop rambling now. I've had very little sleep lol.

Just to reassure you and I hate if I'm ruining this for anyone, but Hermione is not turning into Bellatrix 2.0 (nice Terminator reference btw hehe). Though what she IS turning into, I'm not sure!

Keep reviewing please! I love yours :D

Hope you like the new chapter!

carly - Wow, that sounds really interesting! I was thinking of working in schools doing the exact same thing actually! But I'm more suited to drug and alcohol work lol. I hate to say it but I'm a little scared of teenagers haha.

Yes! Civility! Crazy, huh? It was nice writing civil Hermione though. Resentful Hermione gets on my nerves!

Hope you like the new chapter!!

dh_reader - Yeah, I didn't have proper citations for the Ani quotes at the beginning so they hid my story for a bit, but all fixed now!

All I can say about your concerns is, I hear you. I can't fully reassure you but I hope you'll trust me :)

Hehe, your request... Well, see the cliffhanger above! Mwahahaha!!

MorningSnow - I quite literally CRIED when I saw your review. Ani is... Words cannot describe. I'm so glad you've discovered her! She's a huge inspiration. Not only to my writing, but to me.

ConjurerOfCheapTricks - First off, love your name :D, secondly, thanks for the love! Hope you like the new chapter!

The song lyrics in this chapter are from Otis Redding's song These Arms of Mine.

The quote at the beginning of this chapter is from Ani Difranco's song Worthy. Her music has served as a huge inspiration for this piece. I own nothing. Thanks Ani!
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Victim of the Fall