Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Lessons and Obsessions	By : LennaNightrunner Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 85098 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: 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
- 19
- 20
- 21
CHAPTER TWENTY: COMBUSTION

It had been six hours since she�d left Malfoy
Manor. Six agonizingly long hours with no word from Draco.
Hermione knew she was overreacting, but she couldn�t help worrying. Logically, Lucius Malfoy wasn�t going to
hurt his own son, even if he did find out about why Hermione had been at the manor.
On the other hand, the elder Malfoy was a known Death
Eater, and his return might portend all sorts of things for Draco, Hermione,
and possibly the rest of the Wizarding world.

The Leaky Cauldron was probably as safe as anywhere else she
could be besides Hogwarts and maybe number twelve Grimmauld
Place. Still, Hermione couldn�t help being frightened. She had a nice fire
going and plenty of blankets, but the room still seemed a bit cold, dark, and
gloomy. Most of all, it felt lonely. It�d been quite a while, she reflected,
since she�d been alone for that span of time without being asleep. There was no
bedroom down the hall that she could run to if she had nightmares. Of course,
that assumed that she�d be able to fall asleep at all.

Right now, sleep seemed like a distant possibility. It
wasn�t yet midnight, and there was so much on her mind that to even try to lie
down seemed pointless. Not only could she not stop thinking about what was
happening at Malfoy Manor at that moment, but she was
also faced with the thought of her imminent return to
school. In three days� time she and Draco would be back at Hogwarts, pretending
to feel nothing but loathing for one another. It had been so wonderful not
having to hide what was going on between the two of them for a little while,
but she�d known going into it that it would be a brief respite.

Returning to Hogwarts would mean facing her friends again,
too. Hermione realized with no small amount of guilt that she had hardly
thought of Harry or Ron since Christmas when she�d received gifts from them at
her parents� house. She felt a pang of regret for the way she had been drifting
away from Ron recently. And poor Harry was out there on his
own and she hadn�t even been thinking about what he might be facing. She
hadn�t even confided in Ginny much, even though she was the only person with
whom Hermione could discuss her relationship with Malfoy.
How could she ask Ginny to keep such a secret and hardly speak with her at all?
How could she keep something so important from her two best friends? But she
was so terrified of what they�d think of her if they knew�.

A sharp rap on the door startled Hermione from her reverie
and made her jump. At the second knock, she moved to the door and asked
tentatively, �Who is it?�

�Auror Office,� was the
official-sounding reply. The voice seemed female.

Hermione considered the situation for a moment. She was at
the Leaky Cauldron. It was highly unlikely that Death Eaters would try to
attack her here. Secondly, if the person were a Death Eater, there would be no
point in pretending to be from the Auror Office to
get Hermione to open the door when it could simply be blasted open. With her
wand at the ready, Hermione opened the door a crack and peered out. The face
that met hers was one of the last ones she expected to see.

�Tonks!�

�Wotcher, Hermione,� said a mousy-haired
Tonks. Her tone was friendly, but her expression was
serious.

Hermione smiled in greeting despite Tonks�
straight face. It was nice to see someone she considered a friend at a time
like this. �What are you doing h��

�Mad-Eye�ll lynch me if I don�t
follow security measures,� Tonks interrupted. ��All right, what does Ginny like me to do at dinner?�

Hermione blinked, then felt foolish
for not remembering to check Tonks� identity herself.
�Change your noses.�

�Right. Now ask me one.� Tonks seemed impatient to dispense with the formalities and
get into the room.

�Erm�� Hermione thought for a
moment. �What do my parents do as a profession?�

�They�re dento� denter� They mess about with people�s teeth.�

�Close enough.� Hermione said, suppressing a laugh. �What
are you doing here?�

�What do you think I�m doing here?� Tonks
asked as she ushered Hermione back into her room and followed her in, closing
and locking the door behind them. �It�s bad enough when one of Harry Potter�s
best mates visits a place like Malfoy Manner without
telling anyone, but it�s quite another thing when she almost gets herself
captured by Lucius Malfoy.�

Hermione sat down on her bed and regarded Tonks with a mixture of shock and shame. �How did you
know?�

Tonks gave her a look that implied
Hermione should know the answer to her own question. �Malfoy
Manor was being protected by the Order. I�m sure you know at least that much.
My dear aunt Narcissa herself informed us that you
would be staying there as soon as Draco told her. Had to keep an eye on you,
didn�t we? It�d be a poor lookout if something happened to you on our watch.�

�You were spying on me?� Hermione asked indignantly.

�We call it looking out for you,� Tonks
said as she sat down on a stool across from the bed. �Just
checked in every now and again to see that you were all right.�

Hermione crossed her arms defiantly and looked away. �Well,
I�m fine.�

�Luckily,� Tonks said without
malice. �How�d you get out? By the time we showed up, you�d gone. I had quite a
time finding you, too.�

Hermione paused, still not making eye contact with Tonks. �Draco. He, um. He helped
me floo just after the klaxon started.�

��Draco,� is it?� Tonks asked with
an eyebrow raised.

Hermione�s cheeks pinked. �Is he� all right?�

�Dunno,� Tonks
said with an indifferent shrug. �Soon as Lucius Malfoy got in all our wards failed and we had to flee the
premises. Only had just enough time to make sure you weren�t still in there
before we had to give the whole place up entirely. Seems Narcissa Malfoy only wanted us to
protect her as long as her husband wasn�t around.�

Hermione finally looked up, her curiosity getting the better
of her. �How did Mr. Malfoy escape from Azkaban?�

�Mass breakout,� Tonks said with a
heavy sigh. �We�re going to have a rough time of it for the next few months. A
bunch of the important higher-ups went back to Voldemort
today. Dementors, too. I don�t think we�ll be able to send anyone to Azkaban
anymore.�

Hermione swallowed and couldn�t think of what to say. She
knew that it wasn�t her fault, but she felt bad for being involved at all. She
didn�t like the idea of Harry being out there somewhere while Voldemort�s supporters were returning to him. A lot could
change, and quickly.

Tonks seemed satisfied with
Hermione�s silence. �At least you�re safe. Remus and
Mad-Eye and them weren�t very pleased with you.�

�They weren�t meant to know,� Hermione said quietly, unable
to conceal all of her bitterness.

�We had to make sure you were all right, Hermione,� Tonks said with a weak smile. �Besides the fact that Harry
would go berserk if something happened to you, you also know an awful lot about
the Order. We don�t want You-Know-Who knowing what�s in your head.�

�I�m not completely thick, you know,� Hermione began, though
she did feel a bit foolish. She hadn�t thought of all of those potential
consequences. �If I thought I�d been in real danger��

�We know you�re not thick, Hermione. But you do keep some
strange company these days.� Tonks� expression
invited Hermione to argue as she continued. �I have to agree with Remus and Mad-Eye about one thing� A bright witch like you,
messing about with Lucius Malfoy�s
son� It just doesn�t seem right.�

�Say whatever you like about Malfoy,
he�s not evil,� Hermione said firmly in spite of Tonks�
look of incredulity. �Sure, he�s made some mistakes, but he wouldn�t
intentionally hurt me. He�d never try to get information from me. If he�d
wanted to, he�s had plenty of chances.�

Tonks still seemed skeptical. �Then
why haven�t you told anyone about him? If he�s changed, then he could help us.
He could join us.�

Hermione floundered momentarily as she tried to think of a
way to explain something she didn�t quite understand herself. �It�s not that
easy. He�s not evil, but I just� I just don�t know if he�s ready to give up on
his family. On the way he was raised. I don�t know how to explain. And I
haven�t told anyone, because, well� they wouldn�t understand. You know they
wouldn�t, Tonks. I�ve told Ginny because I felt awful
about it, but Harry and Ron, they� they�d hate me for it.�

Tonks was quiet for a moment,
regarding Hermione thoughtfully. �It�s never a good sign when you�re doing
something you can�t tell your friends.�

�If it keeps going on� I�ll tell them, Hermione promised
earnestly. �When they need to know. Please, just let
me have this one thing for myself, Tonks. We�re
fighting a war. We all need something to hold on to.�

�You don�t have to tell me that, Hermione,� Tonks said seriously. She was quiet again before seeming to
make a decision. �Just be careful who
you hold on to. Draco Malfoy�s part
Black, after all. You never can tell which side we�re on.�

*****

It had been over a year since Draco had seen his father.
He�d forgotten how tall he was. He�d forgotten how hard it was to feel like a
man when his father spoke to him as if he were still a boy.

�Where is she?� asked Lucius Malfoy in a tone that brooked no denial.

Draco cursed himself for pausing as he braced himself
against the mantle. The flames had just turned orange again. �Gone.
An urgent owl��

�Do not lie to me, Draco.�

Though it was difficult, Draco looked up and met the cold
grey eyes with the cool mask of indifference that both his father and Snape had taught him. �It doesn�t matter why. She�s gone.�

�You�ve cost us a valuable hostage, Draco,� Lucius said disapprovingly. His voice betrayed the extent
of his anger. �The Dark Lord would have been pleased��

�I�m well aware of how you would�ve used her,� Draco cut in,
careful to keep as much emotion out of his voice as possible. He was still
gripping his wand tightly. He slid it back into his sleeve reluctantly. Though
he was angry and a bit frightened, he had no wish to attack his father.

Lucius regarded his son
appraisingly. �You seem a bit protective of this mudblood.�

�I certainly don�t want her taken away and tortured.�

�Sentimental reasons?� Lucius asked with a trace of a smirk.

�Practical,� Draco said as if the answer were obvious. �She�ll
be no good to me when the Dark Lord�s done with her.�

There was a pause as Lucius
examined his son more closely, trying to make out what
game Draco was playing. �You did not come when the Dark Lord called us.�

�No.�

Lucius� eyebrow raised.
�You have joined the so-called Light, then? Will you fight for the Order of the
Phoenix?�

�I haven�t joined anything and I�m not fighting for anyone,�
Draco replied with a studied air of mock boredom. �I�d mainly like to stay
alive, although you seem determined to ruin everything Mother and I have
arranged since you�ve been gone.�

Lucius bristled. �I assumed my
family would remain loyal to the cause I followed.�

�I assumed a man
who�d been left to rot in Azkaban and whose family was punished for his
supposed failings might question the cause he followed,� Draco said casually. �Mother
and I decided we didn�t much like the way our family was being treated.�

�That can change, Draco.� Lucius�
expression softened slightly and he reached his hand toward his son. �Call the
girl back. I�m sure the Dark Lord will be very pleased. Pleased enough not only
to forgive you, but perhaps even to let you keep the girl when she�s served her
purpose, if you feel you cannot part with her.�

Draco scoffed. �I don�t need his help getting a shag.�

�Is that all she is, Draco?� Lucius
asked silkily. �I certainly hope so. I hope you�re not harboring any illusions
about further sullying this house.�

Draco�s cheeks pinked slightly. �Is that what you�re worried
about, Father? That I�ll marry her and corrupt the bloodline?�

�Haven�t I reason to be worried?� countered Lucius. �You brought her to our home!�

�On a whim!� Draco protested. �She�s
a toy, she�s a good fuck!�

Lucius shook his head in the way
that parents do when disappointed with their children. �So you�ve got yourself
a little mudblood whore?�

His father�s condescension made Draco�s blood boil. His voice,
in contrast, became icy. �She�s not a whore.�

Lucius laughed and continued
lightly, �But you said yourself��

�She�s mine and I�ll do what I like with her, including
keeping her away from you!�

�Have you no loyalty, Draco?� Lucius�
anger matched his son�s. �Think of your family!�

�I do,� Draco said coldly. �But I can�t keep you from
throwing your and Mother�s lives away following some sick halfblood,
and you won�t take me down with you.�

Lucius� tone became low,
dangerous, final. �If you don�t bring the Granger girl
to me before you go back to school, you are barred from this house.�

Draco held his father�s gaze and was silent for a moment. His
father had never before issued such an ultimatum. He could only answer with an
ultimatum of his own.

�Once I return to school I won�t be back here until you come
to your senses.�

Lucius stared at his son in
disbelief, then resignation. �You have three days, Draco. Spend them wisely.
Think very hard about your priorities.�

There was nothing more to be said. Draco had hoped that when
his father was freed from Azkaban there might be a kind word, a smile, maybe
even an embrace. If he hadn�t brought Granger to the manor, there might have
been. So many things might have been different. But they were what they were
now. He nodded his understanding and left the room that had so briefly been
Granger�s.

A part of him hoped that three days without her could
actually change his mind.

*****

A/N: Wow, chapter twenty! That�s a lot of chapters. Thanks
to all of you who�ve stuck with me this far! Anyway, I apologize for the
cliffhanger at the end of last chapter, but thank you all who told me how
intense it was and how much it affected you. That means I�m doing something
right! And I hope that this chapter helped relieve some of the cliffhanger
stress, even if it�s not exactly fuzzy and happy. This chapter is very close to
my heart. I�ve been working on the conversation between Lucius
and Draco for a long time, and I�m so pleased with how it turned out. As always, many thanks to my talented beta, Twist_Shimmy,
for her speedy and very helpful edits.

Dreamweaver�I hope �complicated� is a good thing! ;) Sorry
about the cliffhanger! Did this chapter help, or make it worse? Thanks for the
continued feedback and support!

kazfeist�Thanks! I�m so bad at cliffhangers and other plot devices
like that so I�m really glad it went over well. Sorry to make you suffer,
though! I hope this chapter helped ease your worries a bit, though it�s still a
long road ahead. Thanks for sticking with me!

mhaj78�Haha, that review made my day! I hope you liked how
it turned out!

magical�Thank you! Hope I didn�t
make you wait too long for an update. I�m glad you like the way the
relationship�s developing: I�m trying really hard to make it realistic and
interesting, so I always hope my readers agree.

angeles�Sorry! I hope the wait wasn�t too painful and that you
liked what happened next.

Selene�Thanks! I�m definitely going to try to :)

goddessaisha�Thank you! I hope you liked this one too!

Curraheelove�(AKA Heidi) Thanks!
What a fantastic review :D. That made me smile. I�ll
try to keep the chapters coming as quickly as I can! I�m so glad you�re
enjoying the fic! I�m not sure if there�s a way to
receive notifications on AFF.net, but if you want to try to keep up with my
updates (and my other fic stuff: I do drabbles a lot), the best way to do that is to friend me on
LJ (lennanightrun). I post every time I update this fic. If you do find a way to do notifications on AFF.net,
feel free to let me know!

scarletwitchextreme�Haha,
hi Scarlet! Hugs to you too! I�m really glad the chapter had such a big affect
on you. I stress about deleting reviews because I like to have all of my
reviews and I hate how AFF.net makes it so easy to delete reviews that you can
do it by accident. This is the second time I�ve done it. Grr!
Anyway, sorry about the cliffhanger, but I hope you liked this chapter and I�ll
try to update again soon!
- 19
- 20
- 21
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Lessons and Obsessions

CHAPTER TWENTY: COMBUSTION