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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
- 20
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Chapter 22

Professor Mills poked her head out of the door and called, �Hermione Granger?�
and saved her from having to handle anything just yet.

�Yes, I�m here,� she called out to her assigned Mental Health professor. Then
she turned back to her friends, �I�ll see you guys back in the all-house common
room in a while, okay?�

They nodded and smiled at her with varying degrees of warmth and she hurried
into the solace of the classroom. She let out a breath she hadn�t realized
she�d been holding when the door clicked softly shut and the professor turned
around to look at her.

She gasped in shock and embarrassment when Professor Mills laughingly mumbled,
�Well, someone�s had a busy two days.�

Then she bristled as she realized her teacher was making a reference to her
private life. Before she could stop herself she snapped, �Am I being spied on
or something?�

Professor Mills shook her head and held her hands up
defensively, �No, no. I�m sorry. I do that sometimes. I apologize. I
usually control my tongue better than that.�

�So, what exactly did you mean?� Hermione asked, her eyes darting around the
room as if looking for a clue as to the woman�s behavior.

�Okay, let�s start over. My name is Peyton Mills, you can call me Peyton, if
you�d like. And, I, as you know, am the new Muggle Studies professor. But, I
also suffer uncontrollable, very strong, legilimens
skills and I often pick up the thoughts of others without meaning to do so.
Normally, all the sounds blend in my head, kind of like background noise. Most
often, although it takes a fair bit of concentration, I can block it all out,
but your and Mr. Malfoy�s thoughts were fairly
shouting in my head. Again, I apologize. I wasn�t intentionally eavesdropping,
I assure you. And, I didn�t mean to say that out loud.�

Hermione was quiet for a moment as she absorbed what the relatively young woman
said. Then she forced herself to think quite clearly, Yeah, right. I bet you�re as big a fraud as Trelawney!

�I am not!� Peyton answered with a gasp. �That woman is a disgrace to�well that
is neither here, nor there. Suffice it to say, I��

She broke off as she noticed Hermione staring at her with huge eyes and her
mouth hanging open. �You�re a mind reader!�

Peyton flushed at the sound of accusation in Hermione�s voice, but nodded,
�Yes. I suppose that�s the best word for it. Although, as I
said, I don�t do it on purpose.�

�But, that�s�that�s intrusive! And, unethical! And, dangerous! How can
they let you teach when��

�Miss Granger, my disability does not in any way hinder my teaching and was, in
fact, very helpful during the war! Nor, does it endanger the lives of any of my
students! I don�t go around blabbing what I hear to others, and most people
don�t even know of it unless I slip up, as I did with you. Why can�t people
ever see past this one stupid thing?! All my life I�ve been judged because of
it! I thought you, of all people, would understand what it�s like to be a
little different! That is why I asked to be put with you. I can see I was
wrong.�

Hermione was shocked at the anger directed at her, but repeated stupidly,
�Disability?�

�Well, what would you call it?� Peyton snapped. Then she rounded her desk and
grabbed a quill. She leaned over to grab a piece of parchment and began
scribbling furiously.

Hermione was sorry she had upset the woman, but still a little shocked to know
such a thing existed. �May I ask what you are writing?� she finally asked
softly.

Peyton�s head shot up and she pinned Hermione with a glare. Then she heaved a
sad sigh before she looked back down, signed her name, folded the letter and
handed it to Hermione. �I am letting you off the hook, Ms. Granger, so you
don�t have to suffer my disability. This is a letter to the Headmistress
explaining that we are not well-suited for these meetings.�

Hermione�s fear of failure instantly dwarfed her sorrow at having so deeply
offended the woman, �What? No, Peyton. I�m sorry. I was just shocked, that�s
all. I am sure we can work through this. There�s no need to bring Headmistress
McGonagall into this. I didn�t mean to upset you. I didn�t know there was such
a thing as a magical disability, other than being a squib. I�ve never read
about it before and it was a surprise. I believe you weren�t spying on me, I
do. Please don�t do this. Please. I am so sorry.�

Peyton, although still hurt, was taken aback by the pleading in Hermione�s
voice, as much as the sheen of tears in her eyes. �Hey, hey, calm down. I was
just trying to��

�I can�t fail,� Hermione wailed a she rang her hands. �Please don�t give up on me
yet.�

Peyton stared at the distraught woman for a minute before she nodded and sat
back in her chair.

Neither spoke for a moment, then Hermione breached the
silence. �Can we, um, maybe, uh, start over?�

Peyton nodded and said, �If you are sure.�

�I think I am,� Hermione nodded. �But, may I ask a couple of things up
first?� When she received the nod from the professor, Hermione cleared her
throat. �Well, um, how old are you?�

As this was the last question she expected to be asked, Peyton answered, �Twenty
on my last birthday. Why?�

�You just kind of remind me a lot of Tonks, er,
Professor Tonks. She�s rather young, too, and you got rather, um, defensive,
you know? Kinda like she does when you call her Nymphadora.�

�Sorry,� Peyton muttered with a small grin, �I�m guess I am a little
defensive about it. People start to act rather strangely toward you when they
know, and it starts to�Wait a minute. This is supposed to be about you, not me.
I�m supposed to be helping you get over whatever issues you have since the war.
Again, I apologize, Hermione, may I call you Hermione? Okay, good. I am not
dong this very well.�

Hermione smiled at the other woman and shrugged her shoulders, �Actually, this
has been helping?�

�How so?�

�Well, Peyton, for the past ten minutes, I haven�t thought about me or
my problems even once,� Hermione laughed. �And, for a person like me, who can
sometimes have a tendency to obsess, that�s a good thing.�

Both women relaxed in their laughter and were soon chatting away. Neither noticed
the passing time until a tentative knock on the door announced Peyton�s next
class. They parted company with smiles and promises to talk to each other again
soon, and not just in their sessions. Hermione admired the other woman�s desire
to overcome her disability and the strength it took to teach despite the
attitudes of others. Peyton had already admired Hermione from all she�d read
about her, and the few times they had worked near one another during the war,
but she had been surprised by how well-adjusted the young heroine actually was.
Their session became more of two-way advice session, than a Mental Health
check, but neither seemed to mind as they parted company and Hermione went to
meet her friends.

xxxxx

Draco smiled smugly to himself when he saw Hermione
enter the all-house common room, meet his eyes and then blush a red that would
have made the Weasley family proud. He didn�t know what had prompted him to
approach her after his last class, but he hadn�t been able to stop himself.
And, he was glad he had. Afterward, he, Theo and surprisingly, Greg, had had a
long talk about it and they had helped him remember that life was too short to
not go for what you wanted. Theo had logically suggested that Draco might want
to consider the fact that he was still engaged to Pansy in the mix. And, Greg
had told him that he wasn�t upset with Draco, so much as disappointed that
Hermione hadn�t seen him as an option. Theo then told Greg that there were
other fish in the proverbial sea and that maybe he didn�t need to look so far
to find someone who might be interested. He hadn�t given up a name, but Greg�s
spirits had lifted slightly, and Draco was once again thankful that he had been
given the chance to get to know Theo better.

As he sat once again with a group of people he wouldn�t have believed it
possible to sit with and not have a fight break out, Draco wondered what
Hermione would do when she reached them. Ron had just left for his Mental
Health meeting, Pansy was in History of Magic, and Parvati was in Divination
with her sister and Lavender Brown. Greg filled one chair with his books spread
out around him and Millicent sat sneering beside him as she read a muggle novel
of some sort. Theo worked diligently on his Arithmancy homework in another
large chair, but kept glancing at the clock as he impatiently awaited Parvati�s
return. Harry and Ginny sat together on one sofa, and Harry was concentrating
on his book, while Ginny and Blaise battled out the Prefect�s patrolling
schedule. That left Draco on a sofa alone and the empty chair Ron had vacated
when he�d left.

When Hermione finally reached the group and everyone greeted her, Draco saw her
look at the empty space beside him and the empty seat across from him next to
Harry. He saw her turn to the chair, but she made the mistake of glancing at
him. He held her eyes and raised his brow in a silent challenge that made her
straighten and lift her chin proudly. He smiled a little at her and had the
pleasure of seeing her eyes widen a bit before she daintily stepped over Greg�s
books and sat down next to him. Granted she sat at the very end of the sofa,
but she had chosen to sit with him, and he was pleased with even that little
bit of progress.

Take that, asshole! he thought to the invisible guy Pansy wanted to set Hermione
up with.

He didn�t say anything to her, but instead took a deep breath and inhaled her
scent. He couldn�t explain it, and wasn�t sure he wanted to analyze it too
deeply just yet, but something about it made him feel calm, more settled;
almost happy. He didn�t even care all that much that she wouldn�t look at him
again as she talked to everyone else.

�You know what? I�ll do it by myself then!� Blaise exploded loudly,
interrupting everyone else�s conversations.

Ginny crossed her arms, �I didn�t say I wouldn�t do it, Zabini! I simply said I
couldn�t until after quidditch practice!�

�And, I told you I don�t care!� he shouted in her face. �Do whatever you want!�

Draco�s eyes went to Potter�s to see what he would do and he watched the man
clench his fists, but keep his head down as if the fight wasn�t happening.
Surprised the �Savior of the World� wasn�t jumping to his girlfriend�s defense,
he turned to Hermione and saw that she too was watching Harry, but she had a
tiny smile on her face.

Ginny gritted her teeth and said carefully, �Look, Zabini, we are supposed to
patrol together. That means both of us, not one, and then the other. Why can�t
you just change it to Wednesday nights after your astronomy class?�

Blaise sat back in a huff and said through his clenched teeth, �Maybe I want to
study then, Weasley!�

�No, you just want to be difficult!� she hissed.

Blaise glanced around the group and caught everyone staring at them. He rolled
his eyes and crossed his arms. �Fine. Wednesdays it
is. But, I won�t be doing Sunday nights then.�

Ginny nodded and accepted her win gracefully, �I�m sure we can find a couple of
prefects to shift around for then.�

They went back to planning and Draco saw Harry unclench his hands and breathe
out slowly. He wondered if the dark haired wizard was doing some kind of
impulse control exercises or something. He looked over at Hermione and saw her
smiling at Harry proudly. When she glanced his way, Draco couldn�t help but
stare. In all the years they had known each other, her smile had never been
directed at him and he felt his stomach clench at the giddy feeling that
gripped him.

Harry, it seemed, had been silent long enough, and put down his book, �So,
Greg, Theo, Bulstrode, how was Muggle Studies?�

Draco rolled his eyes at the way Harry purposely left him out, but didn�t look
over at the dark-haired man. Millicent grunted, but Greg and Theo launched into
stories of their pretty young teacher and all the things she promised to teach
them. Soon their stories turned to the things they hoped to see and do in the
class and they had even drawn Ginny and Millicent into the conversation.

Draco listened to Harry and Hermione correct some of their more incorrect
pronunciations and then simply sat back and enjoyed the sound of Hermione�s
soft laugh. It amazed him that the same sound that used to drive him mad, he
now longed to hear. Soon, even Blaise had entered the conversation, though he
made sure his statements or questions were directed at his friends only.

�Come on, Hermione, just tell us some!� Ginny begged.

Greg added, �Yeah, at least give us a name or two to ask for, so we don�t look
stupid.�

�You wouldn�t want us guys to mistakenly pick out a woman�s magazine or
something, would you?� Theo asked jokingly.

Hermione laughed with them, but shook her head, �Nope. You will just have to
get yourselves over to that little section over there and look up some magazine
names on your own.�

After a lot of teasing and good natured griping, only Harry, Hermione and Draco
remained in their seats. The silence was awkward, as they all looked everywhere
but at each other.

�Uh, Drac�Malf�Dra�(cough), uh, aren�t you going
to go look up muggle magazine names with everyone else?� Hermione finally asked
softly.

Draco glanced at Harry and saw him looking at Hermione strangely, and then
looked at her. There was a trace of vulnerability in her deep brown eyes that
mingled with the bravery that showed in her tilted chin, and he found himself
unable to speak for a second. Instead he swallowed and simply shook his head.

He finally smiled at her when she said, �But, you have to do your homework,
too!�

�You sound like Pansy,� he remarked with a laugh. �But no worries, I have it
taken care of already.�

Harry sounded completely gobsmacked when he said,
�You do?!�

Draco forced himself not to sneer as he nodded at Harry, �Yes, Potter, I do.�
Then he turned and winked at Hermione, �I�ve been subscribed to GQ since I was three years old.�

He laughed inwardly when her mouth dropped into an O and her eyes ran quickly
over his body. He thanked God that he had removed his heavy robes before he�d
sat down and tried not to preen when she blushed softly, smiled and looked down
and away from him.

Harry saw Hermione�s blush and rolled his eyes at both of them. He thought it
time to remind both of them how things really were. �So, Malfoy, Ginny tells me
you and Pansy are engaged. Congratulations.�

He felt a little bad for his actions when he heard Hermione�s gasp and saw her
move more fully away from Draco, but he continued to stare into the other man�s
icy eyes.

�Thank you, Potter,� Draco said evenly, even though his eyes shot sparks of
anger. �But, it seems, as always, you are misinformed about things of any real
importance.�

Harry started to retort, but was cut off by Hermione�s question, �Wait, but
Pansy said��

Draco turned to her his voice softer, the anger gone, �Well, I haven�t actually
told her yet, either.�

�Huh?� she asked.

�Well, Grang, ahem, Hermione�� he smiled at her gasp
and flush at the use of her first name and then continued, �according to a
letter from my mother this morning, she feels it would be unfair to the
Parkinson family to saddle them with our burdens, our name, so she is breaking
the contract.�

Hermione looked shocked when she asked, �And, Pansy doesn�t know yet?�

�Pansy doesn�t know what?� Theo asked as he retook his seat.

Draco gave Hermione and Harry a quick warning look before he glanced over at
Theo, �Nothing. Just talking about some homework.�

Hermione looked at Draco almost tenderly when she realized he wanted to be the
one to tell Pansy, and not have it spread throughout the school before he
could. Harry understood as well, but rolled his eyes again when he saw the look
on Hermione�s face. He consoled himself with the thought that at least their
little, whatever it was, wouldn�t go too far or too long. Harry was convinced
they were too different to get along together and would soon see the stupidity
of their ways. He just had to tough it out, keep his bile down, and keep an eye
on her, until Hermione came to her senses.

Ginny plopped down in her seat next to Harry with a laugh, �You should have
come with us, Harry. It took us forever to talk Greg out of subscribing to Memory Makers.�

�Well, how was I supposed to know it was about some girly craft crap?� Greg
laughed with her. �I thought it was some kind of magical muggle magazine.�

�Say that three times fast,� Harry joked under his breath.

But, Ginny heard him and tried, �Magical muggle magazine. Mugical maggle
mugazine. Maggical mugle
mugglezine.�

Everyone peeled with laughter and when Greg tried it, they doubled over. Only
Greg noticed when Draco�s laughed died in his throat. Hermione�s hand had
fallen on his thigh as she tried to hold herself up, and when he subconsciously
flexed it, her giggle stopped abruptly. Her eyes went to her hand and then
quickly traveled up his body to his face before she snatched her hand back as
if burnt.

In a move he would later question and relive over and over, wondering what
possessed him to do it, he grabbed her hand before she could pull it back
completely and held it tightly in his. Their eyes met and he saw the question
in hers, mixed with just enough fear to give him pause, before she slowly
pulled her hand out of his grip. He felt the silk of her skin slide through his
fingers and had to refrain from grabbing her again. Not understanding his
feelings, thoughts, or the sudden wild beating of his heart, he took a breath
and stood up.

His abrupt movement silenced everyone as they stopped laughing to stare at him.
No one but Greg, who had watched the entire interaction, noticed Hermione�s
flushed cheeks.

�Where are you going all of a sudden?� Theo asked Draco.

Draco grabbed blindly for his robe and books as he said, �Flying. I need some
air.�

Before anyone else could ask any other questions he was quickly striding away
from them.

Harry shook his head at Draco�s apparent abrupt departure and looked pointedly
at Hermione. It was only then that he noticed the look on her face and wondered
what he had missed that had really caused Draco to suddenly run out of the
room.

xxxxx

Author�s Responses: Thank you all
once again. Every time my number of reviews climbs, even by one, I get as giddy
as a Professor Sprout with a new plant! Hugs from afar to each and every one of
you!!!

kazfeist: Thanks for the
edit. And, I love that you loved it.

PutrescentQueen:
Thank you so much for the nice, detailed review and your really kind words. You
are a writer�s dream and I loved reading every single world. I can�t express my
gratitude enough. You completely made my day! Thank you again.

Losername & Mrs.DracoMalfoy:
Glad I could give you what you were hoping for with that last chapter. I
hope you like the rest, too! Thank you!

margaritama: You put a large smile on my face, for
which I thank you. You are very perceptive and I think you will really enjoy
this ride. Thank you again!

�

Jullsy: Hey, hon. I am glad you enjoyed it and I love that you
liked Ron. No getting the story early, sorry. lol But,
I still love you for loving the story. Hugs to you.
Thank you.

Dreamweaver: Chapters 14 to 17
� Thank you for all of your updates. I appreciate it, but there�s no rush,
sweetie. :-) I loved every word of your reviews and the thought you put into
them. Your take on the story and the characters keeps me riveted and your ideas
on the future of the story keep me grinning and/or laugh out loud. Keep it up
please; I love imagining you reading it while exclaiming and laughing along.
Don�t let the story make you feel old and jaded, let it make you happy that you
get to relive those times�I do. lol Hundreds and
hundreds of cyberhugs and thanks to you from me!!
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Struggling Through New Beginnings