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Struggling Through New Beginnings	By : HarryGinny4eva Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 31233 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Spoilers - I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Author�s Notes -

1) As always, many thanks to J.K. Rowling for
her wonderful literary works. They are hers and hers alone. I have only
borrowed her characters for a while and built my own little fantasy around
them. There is no pay involved for me in doing it.

2) I have not stayed true to the later books in many cases. There will be SPOILERS from the last books, but I
have changed some events to suit the story and my own sense of depression. Yes,
I miss Dumbledore terribly, don�t think Snape should have died, and hate that
after all he did, Percy lived and not Fred. I have fixed those things. And, if
I just ruined things for you, I am very, very sorry.

3) I thank all of you who give this story a chance.

Chapter 2

The noise level was deafening in the next two separate
cars. They were made up of mostly second, third and fourth year students who
were excited to get back to school. Most had been kept far away from the war
and its tragedies, but were relieved all the same to finally be free. They
immediately shook off the past and set about trying to make new friends from
the other houses.

The Slytherins started relaxing slowly as they were the most uncomfortable with
the new changes. But, with no one to tell them to do otherwise, they were soon
drawn into the frivolity and found themselves having uninhibited fun with
people they had never thought to speak to before. The Ravenclaws among them
assumed the reason for the changes and everyone simply accepted their views as
fact. Peter Summers, a fourth year Hufflepuff in the third car, finally counted
his house and mentioned that he thought there should be ten of each house per
car, but no one counted the rest to see if their car was full, as they became
too engrossed in getting to know one another.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Just about that time two former adversaries boarded the train at the same time,
but from opposite ends. Neither realized or cared that they were among the last
to board, and neither expected the scenes that met their eyes from the cars
they passed. Had they tried any of the doors they would have known that they
were barred from most of the cars. But, they continued past them, uncaring, as
they sought out their friends.

Ginny Weasley�s hand was firmly in Harry Potter�s as
they strolled down the corridor. Neither spoke; they had done too much of that
over the past few months. The quiet hum of the train and the people around
them, added to the fact that they could finally be together, free from fear,
was enough to make them smile softly at each other every once in a while, as
they looked for Ron and Hermione. Ginny noted the lines of apprehension form
around his striking green eyes, and when he wasn�t looking at her a slight
frown on his taut face. He was almost a foot taller than her and used his
strong, lean body to shield and protect her as they walked along. She felt the
sudden tension radiating from him and wondered at its source.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Draco walked along the train alone; eyes darting, but back straight, chin high,
and his face impassive. He made no eye contact with those around him as he
didn�t want to see the looks of fear, hatred, or worse, pity from his fellow
students. He was painfully aware that they all knew the truth of his failed attempt
on Dumbledore, his very last minute switch of loyalties during the war, his
admissions of fear on the stand, the death of his father, and the house
imprisonment of his mother and himself. The story of the fall of the Malfoys
had been front page news for months before, during and after their trials. The Daily Prophet had found great
enjoyment in its boost of sales as it detailed each moment of their misery,
from their initial arrest all the way to the loss of most of their possessions,
the Manor and finally Lucius� life. Rita Skeeter,
once his ally, became his and his mother�s own personal torturer as she spied
on them and reported her findings back to the paper with glee.

Draco and Narcissa were moved into a much smaller house near the edge of muggle
London and placed under house arrest. They could only leave the house in the
company of Ministry Aurors, and even then only to shop for their basic needs
once or twice a month. They were without house elves, friends, or their
freedom. That summer they fell into a basic routine.

- Get up in the morning to shower and dress

- Share a quiet, simple breakfast, made by whoever got up first

- Meet with their assigned St. Mungo�s Rehabilitation
Specialists for one hour to discuss their wrongdoings, change of beliefs, and
plans for a different future

- Spend a half hour in quiet reflection

- Come together once again for an even quieter lunch

- Retire to their rooms to read or listen to music, while studiously avoiding
newspapers, radios, and owls for an hour

- Meet with their individual Ministry Life Coaches for the next four hours to
learn all the things they had avoided most of their lives, including: cooking,
cleaning, muggle history, muggle lifestyles and cultures, modern muggle
technology, and for Draco, all that was necessary to prepare him to complete
his N.E.W.T.S and 7^th year work, since he�d missed much of his sixth
year studies due to his failed attempt to kill Dumbledore

- Dinner was another subdued affair, but made a bit lighter by their shared
stories of what they had learned that day

- The last of their time together for the day was spent cleaning and planning
what they would do or buy on their upcoming shopping trip

- Both then retired to their rooms for the evening; Narcissa to her lonely bed,
a glass of wine to wash away the taste of the sleeping drought, and a book;
Draco to his studies and restless night�s sleep

With a beleaguered sigh Draco shook himself out of his thoughts and lengthened
his strides. This was his final year; final chance. This was the end of one
part of his life and the beginning of another. And, these were his final few
months of freedom before he was to be married to Pansy and begin his life as a
respectable wizard, husband, and at some point, father. He closed his eyes for a
moment against the sinking, hopeless feeling in his gut and when they opened
they landed on Harry and Ginny only a little way down the corridor from him.
The knot twisted in his stomach even more as their eyes met.

They arrived at the same time at the car where Pansy, Blaise, Hermione and Ron
sat. As they neared one another both men carefully cleared their expressions.

Draco was more than a little apprehensive about seeing Harry face-to-face for
the first time since the day his family had been dragged out of the Great Hall.
They had seen one another from afar briefly at the trials of his father,
mother, and himself. Draco�s main discomfort stemmed from the fact that it was
Harry�s words that had freed both himself and his mother, while those same
words and impassioned pleas had condemned his father to death. He knew things
could have turned out very differently, if not for Harry, but he also felt a
bit of resentment that no one had at least acknowledged his father�s change in
the end. Just as his father had finally openly shown love and approval for
Draco, their time had ended. He was stuck in a place of loss, grief, relief,
fear and hope.

�Malfoy,� Harry muttered as their eyes met.

�Potter,� Draco nodded. His eyes flicked down to Ginny�s, but she looked away
and he was saved from having to speak to her.

With their greeting out of the way, all three turned to the door and peered
into the car. Harry immediately saw Ron and Hermione at the far end and reached
out to open the door. His hand hovered near the handle, but he couldn�t seem to
actually grab it.

�Harry, what�s wrong?� Ginny asked.

�Dunno,� he mumbled and reached out again, only to
feel an invisible force pushing his hand back away from the door.

Draco sighed and shook his head with only a slight smirk at Harry�s inability
to do something as simple as open a door after having saved the entire
Wizarding World. He stepped forward and reached for the handle himself, only to
feel the same resistance Harry had faced. The smirk moved from his face to Ginny�s.

�If Harry can�t open it, you most assuredly can�t, Malfoy!�

Draco opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by Harry�s tired voice, �Gin,
let�s not start, okay?�

Ginny nodded once and looked away from both men. Then with a lift of her chin
she asked, �So, what do we do?�

�Maybe we can get their attention,� Harry said as he started to wave at Ron and
Hermione.

�Or, we could try magic,� Draco laughed at them only a little snidely.

They both glanced back at him, but he ignored them as he closed his eyes and
focused on Pansy and Blaise. They stepped back and both of their hands went to
their wands as they felt the magic flow from him.

Hello? Hello? Pansy.
Blaise! Draco thought to them.

Draco?

Hello, Pansy.

Oh. (pause) Hello. (pause)
How are you? Where are you?

Well, I�m out here in the corridor with�

Draco? Was that you?

Hello, Blaise.

Where the devil are you?

I�m out in the corridor with�

Draco? Who are you with?

Sorry, Pansy. Blaise answered, too, and I�

Draco? You still there?

Sorry, Blaise, but Pansy asked�

He opened his eyes with a small gasp as he felt both connections snap close. He
saw Harry and Ginny staring at him, wands at the ready and stepped back a bit
from them as Pansy and Blaise appeared in the window of the door.

�Um, I was just contacting them,� he said as he pointed to the door.

Harry glanced back, saw the two Slytherins staring out at them and lowered his
wand. He also reached out to lower Ginny�s arm.

�Well, Malfoy, why are they just standing there? Tell them to let us in,� Harry
said tiredly.

Draco mimed opening the door and watched in confusion as both shook their
heads. He then felt the tapping in his head and opened his mind to Pansy.

Draco, can you hear me?

Yes. Why aren�t you guys opening the door?

It�s some kind of McGonagall get-to-know-each-other thing, Draco. I�m sorry,
but it seems only ten from each house are allowed in each car. If I had known I
would have waited for you.

It�s fine. I will sit elsewhere.

Draco? Are you (pause) I mean, will you be okay?

Yes. Thank you. I�ll be fine, Pansy. I will speak to you again when we get to
Hogwarts.

Oh. Okay. Bye, I guess.

He nodded at the two of them and stepped back to see Harry and Ginny staring at
him once again; this time in question, not accusation.

�Well?� Ginny demanded with one hand on her hip.

Draco almost smiled at her demeanor, but forced a frown instead. She was a
little woman; barely reaching his or Potter�s shoulders, but her tone, stance
and fierceness reminded him of an Amazon. He inwardly wondered who really
controlled their relationship.

Before he could answer though, he saw another head of red hair out of the
corner of his eye and looked back at the door. Blaise and Pansy still stood
near the door watching them, but they were now joined by Ron and Hermione, the
latter of which was writing in the air with a charmed quill.

He knew Hermione Granger was gifted in charms and shook his head at her
ingenuity, as the words appeared in bold black as easily as if she were writing
on a blackboard. To cover his admiration of her skill, he scowled at her
friends, �You may want her explanation over mine.�

Harry and Ginny turned to the door, saw Ron and Hermione, and stepped closer to
read Hermione�s explanation.

Draco decided this would be the best time for him to disappear, when they were
no longer focused on him, and turned to go find another car. He glanced back
one more time at the door to nod to his friends and stopped in shock.

Both Blaise and Pansy were looking at the other two in the door with them. But,
while Blaise�s face held mild admiration for what he was seeing, mixed with a
stronger contempt for the person doing it, Pansy�s was completely different.
She wasn�t watching Hermione or the words that appeared and disappeared into
thin air. She was flushed and her breathing appeared to be very shallow as she
stared past Hermione to Ron Weasley.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A few minutes earlier Hermione had received yet another surprise from Pansy�s
corner of the train car. Once she had taken notice of Pansy�s staring at Ron,
she had looked to Ron to see if he had noticed. He hadn�t, but her soft hair
brushing his arm reminded him of her presence and he reached out and took her
hand, even though he never stopped talking to Neville. Hermione�s eyes had
flown back to Pansy just in time to see the other girl�s shoulders slump and
her eyes fall to the book in her hands.

Before Hermione could process the surprise of it all, she saw a look of
irritation cross Pansy�s face as her back straightened and she shut her eyes.
Before Hermione could wonder at the source of Pansy�s feelings, she saw Blaise
glance around quickly and then appear to zone out as his eyes lost focus.
Within seconds both were standing and moving to the door of the train car.
Hermione felt her breath hitch in her chest as she saw the man on the other
side of the door. There stood the man whose family had come to the right side
of the fight far too late. His light coloring made him appear almost ghostly in
the darkened corridor and she couldn�t help feeling slightly sorry for him
after all she�d heard, read and experienced over the summer. She knew what he
had gone through, and felt for anyone who would have suffered as he had. But,
the reason for her hitched breath was not the man in the door himself, so much
as the sudden realization that he was the cause of Pansy�s irritation.

�I thought they were in love,� she mumbled to herself.

Ron turned at the sound of her voice, �What? Who�s in love?�

Hermione hadn�t meant to say it out loud and stuttered, �Oh,
nothing. I was��

She was saved from answering as Ron got distracted by the sight of Blaise and
Pansy at the door with Draco on the other side.

�Wonder what they have up their sleeves?� he muttered as his hand went to his
wand.

Neville stiffened next to them and drew his wand slowly out of his pocket,
�Nothing good, I bet.�

Hermione shook her head at their continued paranoia and finally saw past Malfoy
to Ginny�s red hair.

�Hey, Harry and Ginny are out there, too,� she said as she got up.

Ron hurriedly followed and they crowded the door.

�How do we tell them they can�t get in?� he wondered aloud.

Blaise laughed under his breath at them, and Ron turned his head to tell the
other man where he could stick his laugh. Hermione stopped him with a hand on
his arm and pulled her quill from her hip bag. She risked a glance at Pansy and
noticed that this time she appeared to be trying to NOT look at Ron. Hermione,
giggled to herself, whispered a quick incantation and
began to write her explanation of what they thought was happening for Harry and
Ginny.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Pansy could barely breathe. She had heard them approach from behind, and
smelled the hint of aftershave that Ron wore. When he had asked his question,
his low voice had rippled over her and she had had to stop herself from turning
to smile up at him. She quickly remembered to keep her face blank and took a
deep breath to control her sudden trembling, but it had the opposite affect, as
his cologne once again washed over her. As Hermione started writing in thin
air, Pansy decided that small shallow breaths worked better, even if they did
leave her a bit light-headed. Turning her head slightly she saw him and for a
moment forgot to breathe all together.

It�s wrong. He�s a Weasley. He thinks
you�re scum for what you did. He�s one of the �Saviors of the Wizarding World.�
He�s a Gryffindor. He�s dating his dream girl. I�m engaged. Draco would kill me
if he knew how much I fancy Ro�Weasley.

That thought brought her back to her senses and she glanced back to the door to
see Draco watching her from the other side. She didn�t know how she looked to
him, but she quickly rearranged her features to paste on a sneer at Ron and
Hermione, for affect, and then with a nod at Draco stepped away from the door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Draco almost called her back to the door, but instead decided to continue on to
find a place to stay for the remainder of the trip and think. With one last nod
at Blaise he backed away and turned back down the corridor. At each car he
stopped and tried the doors, only to find them shut tight against him. By the
time he finally reached a car door that would let him in he was so frustrated
he ripped the door open with a bang, scaring the youngsters inside into a
startled silence. His gaze swept the room of what looked like second, third and
fourth years and fell on the robes of several Slytherins who wouldn�t meet his
eyes with their own. He wasn�t sure if they were ashamed at having been caught
having fun with others not from their own house, or
were just scared of being seen like that by him. He also noted the looks of
fear and revulsion on the faces of the boys and girls from the other houses,
but he didn�t care. He just wanted to sit by himself and think on that past few
minutes.

�Back to what you were doing,� he barked as he swept into the car past them and
threw his bags into the overhead compartment near some empty seats in the rear
of the car. With a heavy sigh he sat down near the window, crossed his arms,
allowed the sneer to remain and turned his head to stare out of the window. It
was a few long quiet moments before some nervous chatter started to again fill
the quiet of the car.

With some of the stares finally off of him, he looked out on the platform and
had a talk with himself.

She was looking at Weasley! Really looking. Like �interested� looking. What the hell?
When did this happen? How? Just because he�s a damn hero now?
He�s still a red-headed, stupid, hot head ass. And, what?
Was I not supposed to notice? This sucks. It�s not as if we have a deep
meaningful relationship or anything, hell I can�t bloody well stand her half of
the time. But, as we do have to marry it would be good of her to at least
pretend some loyalty and show some sense and decorum. I will not go through the
remainder of my life with her in lust with that freak. Next thing she�ll be
expounding on her newfound respect for the damn Freak-Who-Lived-Again.

The opening of the door startled him out of his thoughts and he turned his
head.

�Oh, that�s just bloody perfect!� he sighed to himself and turned back to the
window. Another silence had stricken the children as Harry Potter himself
stepped into the train car.
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Struggling Through New Beginnings