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Pansy's Volcano	By : Bluemidget57 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 206366 -:- Recommendations : 6 -:- Currently Reading : 8
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
- 1-Pansy's Volcano
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Six
- 7-Seven
- 8-Eight
- 9-Nine
- 10-Ten
- 11-Eleven
- 12-Twelve
- 13-Thirteen
- 14-Fourteen
- 15-Fifteen
- 16-Sixteen
- 17-Seventeen
- 18-Eighteen
- 19-Nineteen
- 20-Twenty
- 21-Twenty one
- 22-Twenty Two
- 23-Twenty Three
- 24-Twenty Four
- 25-Twenty Five
- 26-Twnety Six
- 27-Twenty Seven
- 28-Twenty Eight
- 29-Twenty Nine
- 30-Thirty
- 31-Thirty one
- 32-Thirty Two
- 33-Thirty Three
- 34-Thirty Four
- 35-Thirty Five
- 36-Thirty Six
- 37-Thirty Seven
- 38-Thirty Eight
- 39-Thirty Nine
- 40-Forty
- 41-Forty One
- 42-Forty Two
- 43-Forty Three
- 44-Forty Four
- 45-Forty Five
- 46-Forty Six
- 47-Forty Seven
- 48-Forty Eight
- 49-Forty Nine
- 50-Fifty
- 51-Fifty One
- 52-52
- 53-53
- 54-54
- 55-55
- 20
- 21
- 22
First of all, apologies to you for misleading you at then end of the last chapter. When I came back to edit this one, I realised the plans for Christmas don�t actually appear until Ch 22, as this is concerned with Ginny and Hermione�s meeting. Whoops!

Chapter Twenty One

Hermione and Ginny studied each other speculatively from opposite sides of the room. It was obvious that Ginny was here on behalf of her brother, and Hermione hoped it was not going to be the end of their friendship. It was one of the biggest risks she had taken by ending her relationship with Ron, and yet another thing to lay at Malfoy�s door.
After six years of taunting and criticizing them, it seemed he had finally managed to break the Golden Trio up by doing nothing. Hermione knew that something would be irrevocably destroyed between the three of them by her actions this evening; the old ease and familiarity had gone, and it might possibly take years for the damage to be repaired. Certainly she doubted that it would happen before the end of the school year, leaving her future prospects for companionship looking very bleak indeed.
Harry would probably try not to take sides, but with Ron being the one hurting, and his own relationship with Ron�s sister, it would be incredibly hard for him to be objective, or able to share himself equally between Hermione and Ron. Ginny was apparently the advance guard.
God, she hated Draco Malfoy. Except of course that she didn�t, not anymore, and therein lay the problem.
Hermione waited cringing for Ginny to lay in to her; she had heard Molly in action often enough to have an idea of how it was going to sound, and in her opinion, Ginny had every right to be furious with her for playing with her brother�s affections, and no amount of speculation on whether he had messed around with Luna Lovegood last year could justify how she had behaved this year.
Therefore it came as somewhat of a shock to her when Ginny did not immediately launch into a loud defense of her brother, but instead took a slow thoughtful look around the room, and asked, �Did you choose the decorations for in here, or is this as they gave it to you?�
Not quite sure how to take this calmer version of a Weasley, Hermione answered cautiously, �Um - I haven�t changed much about the room, really. I just added a couple of my own things - the bookcase and the chairs there,� she pointed.
�It�s very nice,� Ginny commented. �You don�t spend much time here; even though the study area out there seems very well equipped -� Hermione fought down a totally inappropriate image of exactly how well equipped the study and it�s occupant were, as Ginny carried on, �I think if I had a place like this all to myself I would want to be here getting my work done in peace and not in the Gryffindor Tower with all the noise and chaos.�
Hermione narrowed her eyes, �Are you telling me to stay out of the common room, Ginny?� she asked baldly. �We�d better just deal with this and not beat about the bush here.�
Ginny sighed. �Ron is really hurting, Hermione,� she said. �He doesn�t understand why you want to try and cope with all this alone. We all know you�ve taken a lot on your plate this year. Most of the other 7^th years are only doing four or five classes and you have - what is it - eight? - nine? Plus your Head Girl stuff. But is breaking up with Ron really the best solution you can think of? Why did you give him hope if you weren�t serious about it? You know he�s liked you since at least third year.�
Hermione sank onto the edge of her bed and buried her face in her hands, �Believe me Ginny, if here could have been a single scenario I could have come up with in which I didn�t have to do this, I would have chosen it. I have been agonizing over this for weeks now, and I know that this is the fairest solution for Ron himself. I can�t do what he wants of me at this point in my life, and if it means I loose my opportunity with him for good, it�s the chance I have to take for where I am right now emotionally.�
Ginny sat beside her and sighed, looking at her feet. �I�ll be honest with you, Hermione,� she said sadly. �I have never been entirely convinced that you and Ron would be the best match in the whole wizarding world. You fight like siblings, and I don�t really think you both want the same things out of life after Hogwarts. But having said that, Ron seems to have convinced himself that you are what he wants, and I won�t have you playing with his heart. My brother has a large inferiority complex; he�s had to follow the other boys all his life, and then there�s Harry. I don�t think he�s ever had the chance to shine for himself, and in my opinion he saw you as some kind of prize which he won away from Harry -�
Hermione started to protest at this, but Ginny shushed her. �I don�t mean that negatively,� she explained, �But look back if you will - there was that article way back in your 4^th year when that Skeeter woman tried to stir up trouble for Harry by using your friendship with Viktor. Do you remember how Mum reacted? She was cross because of Ron, you know - not Harry. She told me in the summer.�
Hermione looked aghast, and Ginny shook her head wryly. �It�s not so different here than in the Muggle world, you know,� she sighed. �The press is just as dirty and people will always believe that there�s no smoke without a fire. Most of the wizarding world in general expects you to end up with Harry, you know. You�ve always been beside him, supporting his skills with your strategy. It�s just inevitable, they think. Me, they give no credence to at all. I�m just here marking time until you step up and take your rightful place as his consort.�
�Ginny!� Hermione was horrified. �Merlin�s Toenails, surely you don�t imagine there�s any truth in that speculation, do you?�
�Nah, of course not,� Ginny dismissed with a wave of her hand. �I know who turns the Boy who Lived into the Man who Begs, but we�re not talking about me here. I know Ron doesn�t seriously believe all that rubbish either, but it�s been very hard for him to constantly have it rammed down his throat from every angle how the girl he likes for himself is destined for another man - his own best friend. I think maybe if he hadn�t spent so long wondering if all those rumour-mongers were right or not, that maybe he might have asked himself whether you actually were what he needs in a lover. But he hasn�t had that luxury, and you have always appeared as something unattainable, which he finally got for himself, and now you�ve taken it all away from him.�
�Ginny - I�m not what he needs.� Hermione said suddenly realising it for herself even as she spoke the words. �I do love him very much, both of them actually - and you, too. But I�m not in love with him, and I can�t be at this point in my life. I don�t know if it would be possible in the future when certain - problems - are out of the way; I think after we leave Hogwarts I will be able to see the situation more objectively, but whilst I�m where I am right now, I can�t see any way for us to be together in the way he wants. He is very special to me and he deserves someone who can only see him.�
Ginny stared thoughtfully at her friend, wondering exactly what those last words had meant. It seemed an odd way for Hermione to express herself, yet Ginny couldn�t imagine her actually being capable of cheating on Ron. Hermione was the epitome of the Gryffindor virgin; she had never looked at a boy other than Ron or Harry in all of six years; Viktor Krum hardly counted - subconsciously Hermione had no doubt picked him solely because of geography - he was far too far away to expect a real relationship to actually develop thus preserving the virginal image.
Ginny was fairly sure Hermione saw all the boys in Gryffindor, and probably the rest of the school also as totally a-sexual; she had never really dated although Ginny knew for a fact that Anthony Goldstein from Ravenclaw for one, had been interested in her for quite a while. Luna had mentioned more than once last year that Tony was hoping to become Head Boy just so that he would have the opportunity to spend more time with Hermione, but as usual Hermione was oblivious, and the current occupant of the outer study had put paid to Tony�s academic hopes anyway. Although for the life of her, Ginny could not imagine what had possessed Dumbledore to award the Head Boy position to Draco Malfoy over the obviously superior Ravenclaw.
Ginny had therefore been quite pleasantly surprised to see Hermione becoming more physical with her brother, even though a wary voice at the back of her head had warned her right from the first day they walked into breakfast together, that something was off about the whole situation.
Although there was nothing she would have liked better than to welcome Hermione as part of the Weasley family, and take their quartet into the adult world outside of school, Ginny had always known a niggling feeling at the back of her mind that this was just a childish fantasy which would evaporate when confronted by the reality of work and responsibility.
Her enthusiasm the morning that Josephine, Mirabel and Suzie had come racing to the Gryffindor table at breakfast, and urgently whispered that they had seen the Head Girl snogging Ron Weasley in the common room had been comprised of a undeniable hope that she could have been wrong about their incompatibility, and also pleasure that Ron had finally been brave enough to go after what he wanted. She had ignored the little voice asking if he would still want it now that he had it, or if half of the appeal had not been in the unattainable.
It was all moot now anyway, as Hermione had seemingly realised their unsuitability for each other. Ginny suspected there was more to it that academic pressure; Hermione had not guarded her words carefully enough to deceive a female Weasley, even if she was saying she only wanted a temporary break. If she had any doubts before she came here tonight, Ginny was now convinced that they would not be reconciling again, and she resolved to try and ensure that Hermione did not suffer the loss of the loving relationship she had with the whole Weasley family, although she realised that Molly would be a harsh critic in the case.
She hoped that Ron would eventually come to see that Hermione�s friendship was worth more than this small bump in the road; of course first there had to be the hurting and healing period. Ginny�s priority now was to make sure that she and Hermione were clear on where each stood. Ron was still her brother, after all.
�Hermione, I think you�re right about this actually. I would have loved for you to become my official sister, but I like to think I am clear-headed enough to see that you are not ready to commit yourself to Ron in the way I have to Harry -�
Hermione got a sudden picture of just how committed Ginny and Harry were and flushed uncontrollably. Whilst indulging in her own wallowing, she had momentarily forgotten that the girl sitting next to her on the bed was the same one who had stripped Harry Potter half naked 50 feet in the air and then proceeded to give him seeing-to that Hermione blushed to recall.
�I know it�s not sensible to rush into a physical relationship immediately,� Ginny was saying when Hermione managed to tune back in to the younger girl�s conversation, �But I would have thought that this far along in a relationship you should at least be wanting to, even if the timing is not quite right.�
�Well, Ron was definitely ready,� Hermione mumbled. �He - um - he kept making comments about single rooms, and I knew I couldn�t put him off for ever. Actually that was one of the reasons I had to speak up now - It wasn�t fair to lead him on, thinking that I was ready to sleep with him, when I�m -� actually thinking about sleeping with Malfoy �- not.�
�He hasn�t been pressuring you, has he?� Ginny asked in sudden concern, as if a disturbing thought had suddenly occurred to her. �If he has, I�ll hex him into next year, brother or not. Men can be so stupid at times!�
�No, Ginny, of course he hasn�t,� Hermione rushed to defend Ron, appalled that she might have given Ginny the idea that Ron was behaving like some kind of - of sexual predator. �That�s not his nature. He just let me know quite clearly how he felt, and I suppose he hoped it would make me feel the same, which it did - but it didn�t at the same time. Ah, I�m not making this clear!� She sighed in frustration, and I can�t possibly make the one confession which would clarify everything because that would mean admitting that I�d more than likely jump into bed with Malfoy if he so much crooked his little finger in my direction.

Ginny nodded her head in acceptance, and launched into a speech which made Hermione nervous with what it offered and expected in return. �I will try and make sure that Ron doesn�t sulk too much. I�ll also tell him that you truly see this as something which will be over when you both leave school next year. I will not tell him that we both have doubts about whether you are right for each other. I will try and smooth over hurt feelings so that life is disrupted as little as possible. What I expect from you in return is that you never enter into a relationship with my brother again, unless you can be utterly and totally convinced that he is the love of your life and that you never want to spend another day apart from him until you are both cold in your graves, and even then you want to spend the afterlife with him. Okay, Hermione?�
Hermione was silent a moment to digest the whole concept. �Yes, I agree with you,� she said finally. �I never want to think I might be leading him on. If - when - I date Ron again, it will be for good.�
They both chose to ignore Hermione�s slip of the tongue, and indulged in a brief hug of comfort. Ginny smiled and attempted to lighten the atmosphere in the room. �Well, you know - I figure better to be sisters in our hearts than in nothing at all,� she said in a watery voice. �Oh, and you mustn�t hide up here, or people will start rumours again. I�ll make sure that Ron doesn�t cause a scene at breakfast, but you need to come down and sit with us to keep up image.�
Hermione gulped on a lump in her throat. She had been far too busy thinking of how she was doing Ron a disservice to consider the impact of their break-up on certain other parties. Dear God, did she want Malfoy to know she had stopped seeing Ron? What if he thought it was because of him? What if he knew? What did it matter, anyway? He was seeing someone in Hogsmeade; he had said so himself. He obviously preferred older witches, women who knew what they were doing. What could he possibly want with the oldest Gryffindor virgin in the whole school? Got to stop thinking about Him, she chanted to herself, You did this for Ron, not so you could have Malfoy. You don�t even like each other.

*************
Draco was still sitting at his desk when he felt the surge of magic which accompanied wards being lifted, and Ginny emerged from the Head Girl�s room. He refused to admit he had been waiting in the hopes of discovering what the urgent pow-wow had been about. His traitorous mind had led him down all kinds of titillating avenues; the Weaselette had been in such a fine fury when she arrived that a kernel of a hope had bloomed in his heart that there might be trouble brewing between the other irritating red-head and his beautiful Hermione.
And though he tried not to let that hope take a hold in his head, he couldn�t think of another reason for the younger girl to be so worked up; he did honestly briefly consider several other scenarios (very briefly) before he gave up and let himself indulge in a fantasy where the Head Girl told Ronald Weasley that it was all over between them because she had realised the only person whose mouth she ever wanted kissing hers again was Draco Malfoy. He had even got as far as picturing himself slipping into her room as the Weaselette left and offering her his shoulder to cry on, which had led his active imagination down several delicious avenues all of which ended up with them both sweaty and naked in her bed whilst he �comforted� her.
He fixed his gaze sideways on the door through the curtain of his lashes, and tried to look immersed in Arithmancy. What he saw sadly did not fit in at all with any of the implausible fantasies he had created whilst he was alone out here. Ginny turned to Hermione as they stood in the doorway and they embraced quickly and affectionately before Weasley stepped out into the study and Hermione retreated back into her room shutting the door quickly without ever emerging fully into view from behind the protection of the solid wood. Draco cursed that he was denied even this small sight of the object of his desire, and his heart sank into his boots, as he concluded that there would not be embracing and smiles if Hermione had just dumped Ron Weasley.
He growled his frustration, forgetting that the She-Weasel was still there. Ginny, for her part, squeaked and jumped as she realised that she was not alone in the study and her eyes flew warily to Draco as she edged towards the door. Poor Hermione, she thought as she looked at the scowling and irritated Head Boy, having to put up with him being out here constantly. No wonder she stays in her room, or comes to see us all the time!

Ginny herself had aspirations to become Head Girl next year; as she slipped across the study she tried to think of any boys in her year whom she would cringe to discover had been elected Head Boy, as Hermione must have when she heard of Malfoy�s appointment. She was thankful when she realised that there wasn�t anyone she could think of - not even any of the Slytherins, although there were none in her year with Malfoy�s intellect - whom she would despair of working with for a whole year. Just seeing Malfoy out here increased her sympathies for Hermione. Her friend was right; she did have too much to deal with just now!
She was more than astonished therefore, when Malfoy actually instigated a conversation with her. �You still here, Weaslette?� he asked without getting up from his desk. �It�s not long till curfew you know. Better scuttle along quick.�
�I�m going now, Ferret,� she replied tersely, and had reached the outer door when he added in a strangled voice as if the words were dragged from his throat by means of a propulsion charm, �Everything all right in there, then?�
She stopped with her hand on the door handle and scowled at him. �And exactly what business is it of yours, Malfoy? Hermione is my friend, and I don�t think there�s anything in the Head Student charter which says she can�t have visitors as long as all curfews are adhered to. In fact, I�m pretty sure when my brothers were the Head Boy, they had office hours for other students in this very room.� By the end of her lecture she had planted her hands on her hips and was the image of her mother on the platform at the beginning of term.
Draco ground his teeth; it was at times like these that he remembered why as a rule he couldn�t stand sanctimonious, righteous Gryffindors. �Actually, Ginny,� he emphasized, �As the Head Boy, it is my business to check on the welfare of the other students in school. As you just pointed out yourself in mentioning your brother�s office hours. You can hardly expect to convince me that your precipitate arrival this evening was the manner in which you usually conduct yourself around Granger. Therefore I do not think it was unreasonable of me to show a natural concern that things were as they should be with you both.�
Ginny simply stared at him with an expression of disbelief. �Merlin, Malfoy,� she said finally. �What did you do, swallow a dictionary for breakfast? Save your posturing for someone who cares!� She whirled out of the door with these words, leaving it to make a satisfying crash into the frame.
Draco moaned and dropped his forehead onto his Arithmancy texts. �That�s the problem, Weasley,� he moaned into his homework. �I do care. I fucking care!�
********************

I am hoping to have the events of Christmas taken care of before mid-August when I am going home for two weeks and will be severely restricted in computer access; and following that my Mum will be returning to the States with me for a month. She gets quite huffy if I spend all night typing away when she is visiting, so it might be a lean six weeks. I think I have maybe 1 or 2 linking chapters to finish before the real smut appears, so look out for updates between now and August 14^th.
Thanks to you all for telling me where you come from. I find it fascinating!

Cheers from the South Shore of Boston!
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Pansy's Volcano