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The Paths We Take	By : Luckycharms Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 18436 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That right goes to the AMAZING JK Rowling. No profit is made off this story. Shout out to Scorpia11 for being my awesome Beta!!

Chapter List
- 22
- 23
- 24
IMPORTANT AUTHORS' NOTE FOR ALL SITES THIS STORY IS ON: I am so sorry for the delay you guys! I finished this chapter last night at 4 am and then carefully went over it and edited it with my beta all day today. But technically it’s still Sunday where I am, so I have that going for me at least lol. I do want to go over a few important things before you dive into this chapter, however. I mentioned that the winners who had created characters, would show up in 23 but unfortunately, this chapter became much longer than I planned and only one was mentioned. But have no fear, to those who won, your characters will be in 24 for sure. Now speaking of 24, I am sorry to do this again to you all, but it will most likely be delayed as I am dealing with everything at home and work due to the COVID-19 virus spreading throughout the world faster and faster. My job apparently is considered essential in my area and the grooming salon has reopened so, my coworker and I had to work out strict protocols to keep everyone safe. I can not give a date as I don’t exactly know when things will settle down for me, but I cannot say it enough, I will NEVER abandon this story. You have nothing to fear. I have way too many things planned for it to give up. I also apologize to all those who commented, for not getting back to you in this chapter, however, I still do read every comment and I want you all to know how much joy it brings me during this chaotic time. Please don’t stop leaving reviews and for those who are new to my story, WELCOME! I am extremely happy you are enjoying it so far and love to read your comments as well. I will do my upmost best to catch up and provide anyone sheltered at home something to keep you occupied and something to look forward to. Anyway, I think I have rambled on long enough! You may now all enjoy this lovely chapter and please, stay safe! As always, XOXO!
“You got me in a free fall, you're my sweet surrender
You wrapped me in a white flag in my darkest hours
So tell me will you stay now?
'Cause I feel like I'm saved now
You got me in a free fall, you're my sweet surrender”
Sweet Surrender- Against the Current

Chapter 23- Demons Within
September of 1888
“Papa, do you know these people?” Lucy inquired with an outstretched hand as she worryingly gazed at her father, causing the group to glance at her and then back to Caleb in sudden realization that the woman tending to them was indeed the former Confederate’s daughter.
Her hair was lighter than his and fell in soft waves a few inches past her shoulders, but their features were almost identical. She had the same warm brown eyes and light freckles across her nose like the man they knew basically twenty-five years prior; the only part of her face that didn’t resemble the brunette muggle was her lips, which Hermione assumed was a physical trait she had inherited from her mother. Lucy was practically a young female version of Caleb Rosenburt and it boggled the bookworms’ mind that she didn’t see the signs when they first met her.
“Holy mother of Salazar!” Blaise expressed as his eyes darted back and forth between the two descendants of Osiris. “We’re dreaming, right? This must be a dream. There’s no way the chances of us seeing him again is logical…right? Right? We’re just imagining that this man looks like Caleb.”
“All of us?” Draco snapped as he finally took his eyes off the pair and looked to Blaise with a sardonic glare. “Are you fucking daft?”
“How is this possible?” Ginny questioned in surprise. “I thought each person in the riddle was supposed to be different.”
“Daddy!” Lucy yelled, pulling the man from his stunned daze as two of the three patrons finished their drinks and left, while Walter continued to ignore the people around him and cried into his beer.
“Close the pub…” Caleb uttered, though still never taking his eyes off the four in front of him.
“But, Father…”
“Do not argue! Close the Tavern, take Walter to a room, and then I want you to go home” he demanded as Lucy crossed her arms and scowled at him. “Do not bother cleaning up either. I shall handle it…Did you hear me, child! I said-”
“I heard you!” she argued back before scoffing heavily. She then walked over to the door, turned the sign to closed, and locked the establishment up for the night before making her way over to Walter and gently coaxed him off the stool he was sitting upon. Once the duo went up the stairs and was out of sight, Caleb swiftly walked around the counter, still in a slight daze, and began pulling each one of the four into a large hug.
“My God,” he expressed in shock, “none of you have ripened a day…H-how is this possible? Jesus, I missed your faces! Come, sit.” He waved a hand to one of the tables in the back of the room and took a seat with his mouth still open in wonder. “I-I can’t believe this. I never thought I would see any of you ever again. It’s been, what, twenty-five years since I last saw you…Why are you here? I mean first, how-how have you been?”
“Well considering the events of Gettysburg were quite literally hours ago for us,” Draco claimed while pulling out a chair for Hermione before grabbing an extra seat from the table nearest them, and sitting down next to her, “not that great. We haven’t really had a chance to miss you yet…”
“Hours ago? I guess that explains the state of your attire. But…then that means-”
“That the raid in the Shawnee camp is still very fresh in our minds” Hermione stated sullenly as Draco took her hand in his.
“This…this is simply astonishing and…daunting at the same time” Caleb declared as he leaned his elbows on the table and ran his fingers through his greying hair. “I have been haunted by that night f-for years and you all just…you just came from it. I-I can’t imagine…How-how are you doing, Hermione? Last I remember, you were still not fully yourself.”
“What happened to you?” the bookworm asked with tears brewing in her eyes as she ignored his question. “After Tala…after Blaise saved you…where did you go?”
“I…” the muggle began while licking his lips in despair. “I…I was so broken, Hermione…After finding you with Tala…God, I miss her every day…” he paused for a moment as he gazed up at the wooden ceiling with glistening eyes and a hand partially clasped over his lips. “I couldn’t think about anything else for weeks after she was murdered. I even went as far as to track Ohiyesa down…”
“So, what happened?” Draco cut in delicately. “Did-did you find him?”
“I did…Turns out he was the one who had told the soldiers the base camps’ location to spare his life when he encountered them after leaving the hunting party. He also told everyone left in the tribe, which…wasn’t many, that I-I killed Tala and that Hermione had snuck up on him and maimed him when he ‘tried’ to help…The only people who survived that fire was the hunting group and most believed the lies he told…The only one who took my side was Anoki, but…his voice wasn’t enough.
“I was forced into hiding, which…gave me a lot of time to think of ways to kill that wretched man. I wanted him dead. I prayed every day that I could see him die by my hand. And thanks to you, Hermione, and that magic you used to injure him, he was too weak to fight me and I uh,” he continued as both Draco and Ginny glanced to the brunette witch with raised brows. “One night, about a month after, I um…I snuck into his tent, pinned him down, and…I…I-I let my anger get the better of me…
“What…What did you do?” Blaise inquired in a mixture of concern and curiosity.
“I got my wish…I-I took the same dagger he used to murder my beloved and…I stabbed him…repeatedly…everywhere...I-I then slit his throat like he had Tala’s and watched as the life slowly drained from his eyes…I was trained to kill, trained to fight. Taking away his life was the best decision I had ever made…but it still didn’t bring her back to me and…I have had to live with the images of both of them dead since that awful night. I guess that saying is true, ‘A man who desires revenge should dig two graves’. I have not been the same man since…”
“I-I am so sorry for not getting to her in time…” the bookworm proclaimed teary-eyed. “If I had then-”
“Don’t…” Caleb cut in firmly. “Don’t you dare apologize…Regret is a powerful thing, Hermione, don’t allow it to consume you. You are not to blame for her death, you hear me? You are not to blame.”
The group sat in an awkward quiet for a moment as Caleb stared at his hands and everyone else gazed at each other dejectedly.
“So, uh…” Blaise breathed out while trying to break the uncomfortable silence. “you own a pub now…and uh, you have a daughter…” he weakly grinned.
“Yeah…” Caleb smiled proudly. “I um, I bought some land after…well…everything, and sold it for a decent price in 1864. Made good money from it, but…there was nothing left for me back in America. I gave up trying to get to Salem and decided to move to England, where my family originated from, in order to get away from the memories. Although with a photographic mind it’s hard to do…”
“Are you married?” Ginny inquired warmly. “O-or I mean, d-did you marry…after…”
“I am” the former Confederate beamed. “You lot would like her. Mary-Ann is a special kind of gal. She’s no Tala, but sweet just the same. Been married for twenty-two years as of a few months ago. I changed my last name right after arriving in England to Wolf, met Mary-Ann about two months in, got married not long after that, and then we had Lucy Jean almost a year later. Not the best of times as I felt I was not ready yet to be a father, but all the fights, all the worrying…it was worth every second after she was born. I love Lucy more than I have ever loved anyone or anything in my entire life. She’s my whole world, that one.”
As Hermione and Ginny smiled gleefully, both Draco and Blaise lowered their heads in sadness as they had never felt that sort of love from their parents, Blaise the least of them. The Italian didn’t even know who his father was. The most he knew was that his last name was Zabini, which his mother, for some odd reason, never changed her last name from, and that he was a tan Caucasian she had met in Italy one summer. He suspected, out of the seven husbands she had gone through in life, his father was the only one who died of natural causes and was the only man his mother had ever truly loved. Blaise had hoped it was because he gave her him, but with how his mother began treating him over the past few years, he no longer believed the tales he once told himself to be true.
“What is on your mind, mate?” Caleb questioned with a raised brow when he noticed how upset Blaise appeared.
“Nothing important” he grinned feebly.
“Alright…But if you ever want to talk about it. Please don’t hesitate to come to me.”
“Thanks…But I’m fine” the Italian replied while inhaling a deep breath.
“Wait, Wolf…?” the bookworm muttered under her breath as her eyes darted back and forth, staring unseeingly at the table in front of her.
“As in Dark Wolf’s Tavern, Mione” Ginny stated while leaning back in her chair. “He owns this pub” she concluded. But Hermione simply smiled in understanding and delicately gazed up at the muggle.
“You took Tala’s name” she asserted, causing everyone to raise a brow as Caleb tenderly smiled.
“What?” Blaise queried in confusion. “His last name is now Wolf, Buttercup, not Tala…”
“Tala is Native American…for Wolf. Isn’t it, Caleb?” she inquired, although she never removed her gaze off the brunette sitting across from her.
“I couldn’t let her go…” he claimed after a few seconds of silence as Draco, Ginny, and Blaise glanced to him while he continued to warmly stare into the Golden Girl’s eyes. “It was the only thing I could think to do. I could not let her die without having something to carry on her legacy…to keep her alive in a way.”
“So, you changed your last name to Wolf, in order to honor her…” Draco breathed out in surprise. “That’s…that’s a really strong devotion to just one person.”
“I loved her” he shrugged with watery eyes. “I still love her. I always will. Keeping her name alive was the only way I could thank her for everything she had ever done for me. She made me the man I am today. You all did, actually; even Thorfinn and Regulus. For twenty-five years I have lived the best life I could to honor all of you. I did not want to disappoint.”
“You could never disappoint us, Caleb” Hermione fondly stated.
“Alright, well…” he cleared his throat and wiped the tears from his eyes. “Now that we discussed me and what I’ve been up to, let’s talk about what we seem to be avoiding…Why are you here? I thought your journey would be over by now.”
“We never know why we land in a specific time period” Draco scoffed lightly while leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. “I just want to go home. I miss my bed, I miss our classmates too honestly.”
“The faster we get through these next three eras, the faster we all get to go home” the brunette witch stated while rubbing the blondes’ back. “We just need to figure out who’s next and why Caleb is our ancestor again.”
“I’d like to know that too” Ginny added.
“Okay…well the next part of the riddle is the one of bravery which will not stay down,” Draco declared while wiping his hands down his face before resting them on the table. “Caleb was a Confederate and fought in the American Civil War…I can see why he’s bravery and is chosen again.”
Though as soon as the words left the blondes’ lips, Caleb knew Draco was wrong. He had done plenty of research when he moved to London, about Osiris and the relic he had created. Fortunately, being a Squib had its perks; he couldn’t use magic, but he could still see it, and after witnessing a young wizard many years ago, walk through a wall as if it wasn’t even there, he knew he could gain access to the Wizarding World. After a decade of dodging magical folks questioning him on his lineage and working part-time at a very sketchy library in Knockturn Alley, Caleb was able to finally conclude that the amulet never gave the same ancestor twice to one group. Which meant he would never see his friends again. Yet here they were in front of him, a quarter of a century later, in his pub, talking to him as if no time had passed.
“I’m not your ancestor…” he admitted in a disheartened voice, interrupting the four discussing how Caleb was to guide them.
“What? Why not?” Blaise asked perplexed. “I mean it’s obvious, isn’t it? You’re brave and you don’t take shite from anyone. Ginny and I both saw you with Ohiyesa in the woods. It takes a brave person to confront that demon of a human. Much like a Gryffindor, actually” he claimed while briefly glancing at the redhead, who also showed no fear in facing the brute man.
“I am not your ancestor…As much as I would love to take the place of the one that is…I’m not.”
“I’m not understanding…” the Italian declared in bewilderment.
“Oh, Merlin…” Draco sighed when everything finally clicked. “It’s your daughter…”
“How the hell do you know that?” Ginny requested with scrunched brows as Blaise and Hermione’s eyes widened.
“The amulet does not do doubles…” Caleb answered. “I did a lot of research after returning here, tried to find as much as I possibly could about it, in case I encountered anyone else not from my time.”
“Wait, so you actually found documents on it?” Draco queried while sitting up straight.
“Not documents…I-I traveled to Egypt one summer a few years back, when Lucy was old enough to tend to the Tavern alone. I wanted to find out more about my family history and see if I could figure out why everyone keeps coming to me. So, I found the location of Osiris’s old home. There wasn’t anything there and I had already spent two weeks away from my family. But when I went to leave something happened…M-my heart started to race, and it felt like something was pulling me back to the empty land. I cannot really explain the feeling, but I knew I had to keep looking.”
“On an empty plot of land?” Blaise questioned with a raised brow.
“That’s the thing, friend…It wasn’t empty.”
“Oh, my Gods!” Ginny pipped with a wide smile. “There was a Boundary spell on it, wasn’t there? One that possibly had a signature so that only his bloodline could pass through!”
“I don’t know what it was, but the burnt house appeared when I went back. While I searched the remains, which I shall mention still smelled and appeared as if the embers that once engulfed it just died down-”
“A Preservation charm…” Hermione uttered in astonishment. “Those are extremely powerful and very hard to perform. Only a Master Spell-man could place one. I can’t even do that charm yet. Trust me, I’ve tried…” she claimed while looking at everyone staring at her. “Sorry, continue.”
“Anyway,” Caleb sighed while playing with the tips of his fingers resting on the table, “I still could not find anything relevant to tell me about my lineage…until I saw a green glow coming from under the floorboards. It was a journal. It was badly charred and hard to read, but I managed…I know what spells he used…”
“What? What are they?” the brunette witch chirped in utter disbelief. “Maybe if I knew what they were I could find a way to counter them and send us home!”
“Fuck Draco!” Blaise exclaimed in excitement. “If you could manage that, then I would marry you right away…! Red can join too” he chuckled as Ginny shot daggers at him and Draco scowled menacingly. “It was a joke, for Salazar sake people, get it together!”
“Enough! I don’t think any of you understand just how powerful that thing really is…” Caleb continued in a stern tone as Draco playfully punched his friend in the arm. “This isn’t some joke or game! It’s an extremely rare artifact that was created with Dark Magic! Every time the amulet does a set of jumps, you get one ancestor to help guide you to where you’re supposed to be! It never repeats in a single set, and you can die if you fail your trial! You can’t escape being tested! You try to throw it away, it stops you! You try to avoid the trial, an invisible wall appears, trapping you in the location until it’s complete! You try to apparate and you arrive in the very same location you started at or depending on how far you are into the test, it can prevent you from apparating or using certain spells altogether!”
“How the bloody hell do you know all this?” Blaise cut in with widened eyes.
“I told you! I did my research! I had years to study that thing and your world! Did any of you even think to ask why no one ever came to take you away when you used magic in front of muggles?” he asked, causing the group to shake their heads ‘no’. “It is because everyone you used it in front of, was going to die anyway. The amulet is smart, it is like it has a mind of its own; like it’s a living being.”
“Are you saying that even if we try to go to Diagon Alley in the morning, that we won’t be able to unless the stupid beetle says we can?” the Slytherin Prince demanded to know. “What sort of bullshite is that?”
“Can we just discuss what spells are on the thing before freaking out about where we can and can’t go?” Hermione interrupted gently. “You mentioned Dark Magic, correct?” she questioned while turning her attention to Caleb. “Do you still have the journal?”
“I don’t unfortunately. Whatever magic was placed on the home wouldn’t allow me to take it with. I was only able to take a single page and all it explained was how he received the amulet from Cleopatra and his death.”
“Okay so, where is this page?” Ginny asked.
“My guess would be somewhere in the Wizarding World. I was running low on money and had a child to feed. I sold it to some Goblin in Diagon Alley for a hefty price, which is what allowed me to buy this pub and keep a steady flow of good food. I had no use for it anymore, seeing as I could remember it easily, and I had no family that would be interested in keeping it. Lucy doesn’t know anything about magic or even you lot. I can’t tell if she’s just a muggle or a Squib, but she shows no signs like I have read” the brunette muggle claimed dejectedly. “And I would very much like to keep her from it. All it does is make life harder and I do not want that for her.”
“Can you recall the spells used at least?” Draco requested in annoyance.
“I can…”
“Okay, and…?” The Prince waved a hand urging him to continue when Caleb refused to answer right away.
“I do not know if I should say-”
“Oh, come on!” Blaise interrupted, completely fed up, as he stood from his chair and began to pace back and forth before he stopped and leaned on the wooden backrest. “We are not doing this! Not tonight! We have been through way too much fucking shite and if there is even the slightest chance that Hermione here, can reverse the spells, then fucking let her do it! I want to go home!”
“It’s not that simple!” Caleb argued while standing as well. “The type of magic used is far more dangerous than anything you have ever encountered! I studied that ritual for months and still couldn’t comprehend the depth of it!”
“Wait, ritual?” the bookworm queried with a raised hand as she glanced back and forth between the two men. “What ritual?”
“Qui enim quaerit, invenietis votum suum… translated to, ‘For he who seeks, shall find his desire’. It’s a complex time travel ritual, which requires a sacrifice…Apparently, that sacrifice is one’s energy force. It drains your power until you become practically a shell of who you once were. There is a loophole, however…The more people willing to provide their energy, the longer and further you can travel. Although, you can not exactly change anything, and you can permanently remain stuck if your spirit cannot find its way back to its body. As you all know…without the soul, the body begins to disintegrate. There’s no coming back from it.
“The man who invented it, created it specifically to save his former lover from a horrible death after being outed as a witch in the Medieval era. Osiris used his family to help him, but he somehow found a way to mix the ceremony with a newer time travel spell, a lot of protection charms, a very powerful repairing charm, a locator charm, and a few others that will identify when the thing needs to be activated.”
“It sounds like you’re saying the amulet is similar to a brain,” the bookworm stated with narrowed brows of concentration, “and that all the spells are like the nerves and signals communicating with each other…”
“Uhhh…sure…we’ll go with that. Anyway, each one stops a certain aspect of the ritual. No human energy is required as a sacrifice as it uses the protection spells for the main source, and if broken, cracked, or even scraped, the relic will repair itself in due time” he sighed while taking his seat once more. “There is also a signature on it. Only a blood relative can remove the charms. However, if they did and are somehow successful, it would mean devastation to all those lost in time…In other words…you four will be trapped in the past…forever.”
“This is way too fucking much!” Blaise complained, although this time Draco wasn’t angry about it because he wholeheartedly agreed. There was absolutely nothing any of them could do to get home earlier rather than later. Both ancestors held no magic and for all they knew, it could be years before one did. They had no choice anymore, no hope, no faith…nothing. Everything inside the group of Hogwarts students keeping them going, left them in that moment. Now, all any of them wanted to do was sulk in their misery until it was all over.
“I am sorry…” Caleb announced sullenly when no one uttered a word for a long period of time as they took everything in and realized their fate.
“So…y-your daughter is s-supposed to guide us…?” Ginny finally spoke in a sullen tone. Her voice cracked slightly as she tried her best to hold in her emotions and took Blaise’s hand when he finally sat down in defeat.
“I wish she wasn’t” the former Confederate stated despondently. “Lord, I really wish she wasn’t…”
“Can’t you take her place?” Blaise suggested, realizing how much it was hurting the man next to him to know that his daughter was in potential danger. “Can’t you just guide us?”
“It doesn’t work that way…” Caleb answered while resting his forehead in his hand to hide the sadness radiating his face. Lucy Jean was his daughter, his only daughter, he couldn’t bear to lose her if something were to happen. He himself barely made it out alive twice and now it was Lucy’s turn. But there was nothing he could do to change it or protect her. He couldn’t even warn her about everything because not only would it take forever to explain, but it would make his bull-headed child want to help the four that much more. He was at a crossroad, and no matter which way he went, the path would remain the same.
“How do we know she’s our ancestor?” the redhead inquired softly, hoping that maybe Caleb was wrong, and his daughter could be spared. “It may be possible that another one is in the same era.”
“Possible, yes…likely…no” the man sighed as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “You were drawn to this pub, whether you felt it or not. And I cannot take her place. Wherever she is supposed to lead you on this path, no one knows. It just happens. I-”
“Caleb Samuel Wolf!” a woman’s voice boomed from the entryway of the kitchen, causing everyone to turn as Caleb’s eyes widened in fear.
“Shite” he expressed in shock while he stared at his wife breathing heavily as she held the door open with one hand and glanced down at the broken plates and pies covering the floor in front of her.
“What in the Lord’s name, is going on in here?” she demanded with a strong English accent while stepping over the mess and storming up to the group slowly standing in confusion. “Lucy Jean is completely out of sorts thinking you were in trouble with some bad people!”
“I-I am in no trouble, my love…I um…” Caleb cleared his throat as he walked around the table and took his wife’s hands in his. Her long greying black curls hung loosely down her back as her copper-brown eyes shot daggers at him. “Do-do you remember the people I told you about a while back? The ones that saved my life in America?”
Mary-Ann quickly glanced at the group with a perplexed brow before turning back to her husband and scrunching her nose. She knew full well that the late teens were not from America nor were they the people who had saved Caleb’s life. They hardly appeared a day over twenty, let alone in their late forties like herself and her husband and it boggled her mind as to why he was bringing his past up now. He had never spoken about his previous life since the one drunken night he accidentally spilled a bit of information about his time with a tribe in the woods back in 1862. He had also mentioned that they were no longer alive, so she couldn’t understand how the young group had anything to do with the ones from that mountain.
“Have you lost all your senses? What do they have to do with those four and you terrifying your daughter? Thinking you got yourself into a gallie with Scuttlers or-or that Monkey Parade mob, gang, whatever they may call themselves; how could you do that to her? To me?”
“No darling, you do not understand…these…” he paused for a moment as he tried to think of a lie when Hermione took a step forward with a large smile on her lips.
“We’re relatives of them…” she quickly claimed. “I’m Hermione, named after my mothers’ cousins’ mother, and…and these are my friends” she stated with an outstretched arm while pointing behind her with her free hand. “You must be Mary-Ann?” she smiled sweetly.
“Forgive me, child, but…you’re completely filthy” the dark-haired woman stated with a raised brow, though never took the brunettes’ hand as she looked her up and down.
“Oh, uh…” the bookworm spoke gently while lowering her arm. “I’m-I’m sorry, I-”
“Why are you so dirty-why are they so dirty?” she turned to Caleb, who gulped loudly. “I thought better of you, Caleb. First, you scare our poor daughter half to death where she literally feared for your life! She was about to come marching back in here to save you from strangers if I hadn’t convinced her to put your gun back in your Study drawer! You know how stubborn and valiant she can be, why would you put her through that? Forcing her to return home with no such information as to why you behaved strangely, and now you allow the kin of those who saved you, walk around as if they have been living on the streets for days!”
“We’re actually new to town” Blaise lied, “and found ourselves in a bit a rough spot with nowhere to stay. We were all born here but haven’t lived in this area for years; not since we were all tots in-”
“How do you even know they are really the family of those people?” she interrupted rather quickly as she spoke sternly to her husband.
“I just do, darling. And-and they are practically the epitome of their relatives” he answered frantically, continuing the lie Hermione had started.
“Are you certain?” she demanded while crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently on the hard floor. “You are confident enough that we can trust them and what they say?”
“Without a doubt…I’m sorry, my love, I-I was in a state of shock. They reminded me so much of the ones from Pennsylvania that I-I did not think.”
“You are damn right you did not think!” she scolded with a pointing finger. “You will apologize to Lucy as soon as we get home…And you…” she turned back to the foursome, who feared she may reprimand them as well. “Have you eaten?” she smiled kindly, reminding both Hermione and Ginny of Molly Weasley after she had just finished lecturing one of her sons and Harry just arrived.
“I…What?” Draco spoke in bewilderment as he was expecting her to yell at them for stepping foot into her establishment covered in soot and tracking mud all over her clean-ish floors.
“Have you eaten?” she repeated. “Lord knows you all need baths!” she claimed while glancing sourly at their disheveled state. “And by the looks of the pies on the floor with the broken plates, that will cost money to replace,” she shot a knowing look at Caleb, “I am to assume you all are starving?”
“Uh…Y-yes…ma’am” Draco replied nervously. “I mean no we haven’t eaten and are hungry…”
“Please, my dear child, call me Mary-Ann. Ma’am is far too proper and makes me feel old. Caleb, fix these nice people something warm to eat while I draw baths and show them to their rooms. A proper rest and some clean clothes should help you feel better.”
“Yes, my love!” Caleb answered promptly before scurrying off to the kitchens to whip up dinner for four.
“T-Thank you…” the girls replied in unison as the boys nodded in agreement.
“You are most welcome. Any relative or friend of those from my husbands’ past, are friends of our family. Now, if you would, follow me.”
As they began to follow the elder Wolf, Hermione clandestinely pulled out her wand and repaired the broken plates on the floor before heading up the darkened stairway with the others. Mary-Ann lit a rather large handheld lantern, seated on a table just shy of the landing, and began to walk down the short hallway with bare wooden walls and a single dark blue runner.
“We only have three rooms available, seeing as Walter has occupied the fourth bedroom, so two of you will have to share. There is only one full bed per room, I’m afraid. Mattresses are expensive and we are tight on money at the moment. Summer has passed and we are arriving into the slow season. Should pick up ‘round the holidays, however. I hope that is not a problem...”
“I um…I-I don’t mind sharing with someone…” Hermione anxiously stated as she delicately played with the tips of her fingers. She didn’t want to be alone just yet and feared she would have horrid nightmares if she wasn’t sleeping next to one of her friends. She didn’t really care which of the three stayed, but she did wish Draco would want to.
“I’ll stay with you” Ginny volunteered as Hermione produced a faux smile. “That is, if Blondie’s okay with it” she claimed while glancing briefly at Draco. “W-we haven’t really had a chance to talk in, um, in a few days. I’d like to catch up if that’s alright with you both. And of course, you as well, Blaise.”
“Works for me…” the bookworm replied, realizing the redhead was right and she really did need to talk to Ginny about so many things.
“I will miss your warmth, but I completely understand, darlin” the dark-haired wizard claimed with a gentle grin before everyone turned their attention to the Slytherin Prince.
Draco gazed back and forth at all the eyes staring at him and gulped slightly when he realized they were waiting on him to respond. As much as he wanted to spend the night with his Gryffindor witch, he knew he couldn’t. There was a reason he was avoiding sharing a bed with her since they had become official, and he was fully aware that Hermione wanted more from him…He just couldn’t give it to her…yet. It wasn’t so much that he wasn’t ready to bed her or that she wasn’t over her trauma from the last era; what it honestly came down to was respect. He simply wasn’t going to have sex with her until he knew she felt the same way he did. But to know that, he had to be able to say the three little words he was having such a hard time admitting aloud, and of course, being the type of person that he was, he wanted to be the first one to say it. Although, he wouldn’t complain if the wavy-haired witch said it first.
“Yeah-uh…It-it’s alright with me” he proclaimed while placing his hands in his pockets and weakly smiling. “You ladies catch up” he nodded as Blaise eyed him curiously.
“Very well” Mary-Ann beamed and opened the first door for the girls. “Caleb should be up within the hour with a nice warm meal and I will set up a bath for each of you. One at a time though, as we only have one tub. The night is not too late so, you all should be able to head to bed cleaned up with a full belly. I will also have Lucy bring some clothing of mine and my husbands’ for you to sleep in.
“After a good night’s rest, I will request that you all arrive at our home at eight in the morning sharp, for breakfast. I will have no fuss about it, yah hear. It’s just out the back of the kitchen; you can’t miss it. Then following a delicious meal, if you would like to go shopping for clothing of your own, I will have Lucy show you around town since you are new to the area. I will say, however, it is not the best of times right now. There is a mad man walking these streets and the city is downright disgusting. I can’t exactly say how it all tumbled so quickly but we are living in dangerous times and food for most is scarce.”
“We appreciate your hospitality” Hermione delicately stated, “and we’ll pay for the rooms and of course, the food.”
“There is no need. Your families have done more for mine than you can ever imagine. If not for them, I would not have my wonderful loving husband or such a strong-willed beautiful daughter. I owe your ancestors everything…and since Caleb has mentioned to me once before, how they had perished not long after that horrid fire, I shall pass my thanks on to their kin.”
“Please” Draco spoke softly, “let me pay for the rooms. I know times are hard and I think I can speak for everyone when I say we don’t want to burden you by taking free rooms that others can pay for. I have the money and it won’t impede my pockets. If you don’t take the money, I will have no choice but to give it to Caleb or Lucy.”
“Very well…” Mary-Ann sighed while crossing her hands in front of her, eerily similar to Draco’s own mother, and it threw him off slightly when he realized how much she resembled her. Not that she looked anything like Narcissa Malfoy, it was her mannerism and the way she held herself that was so much like the woman probably frantic of his disappearance. Though he wasn’t sure if he was comparing the two because of how alike they were, or if it was because he missed his mother more than words could say.
“Thank you” he stated with a small smile. “I’ll give you the money first thing in the morning. Right now, I think we could all use a good night’s rest and a wash.”
“I will start on warming the water. Please get comfortable and leave your soiled clothing outside your doors. I will have Lucy-Jean see that they are cleaned by morning.”
“You don’t have to do that” Ginny began but was quickly cut off by Marry-Ann, who raised a hand to stop her.
“I will not hear of it. I will also have Lucy check you over as well. She’s studying to become a nurse and is working closely with Evelyn, another nurse who works for Doctor Hammond down the street, for hands-on experience, and can treat these mysterious cuts and bruises you all have.”
“Alright…” Blaise chimed in, knowing that trying to protest against Caleb’s wife’s help was not going to happen and it was easier to just give in.
“Perfect! Now, off to bed, all of you. I will retrieve each of you when your bath is ready.”
With that being said, she finished showing the boys to their rooms after the girls had waved them good night, before heading down the stairs in order to assist her husband and talk to him privately. As Hermione and Ginny settled in and Blaise quickly stripped to his boxers in his room, Draco studied the almost bare quarters with his hands in his pockets. A single long wooden dresser stood in the middle of the wall to his left as the full-sized coiled-spring mattress, which laid upon a metal frame, sat to the right against the far corner of the room. It wasn’t the luxury accommodations he was used to back home, but after sleeping on the hard ground and on uncomfortable cots for however long they had been trapped in the past, he was grateful to have any bed in that moment.
The sheets seemed clean enough, so he slowly began to undress and neatly fold his clothes before setting them outside his door. He then hesitantly sat down on the bed and ran his fingers down his face before gazing up at the rusty oval mirror hanging above the dresser. Standing from the creaking bed, he began to look himself over at all the bruises covering his torso and legs, leftover from his scuffle with Blaise and the fight to live back in Gettysburg, before grabbing his wand from off the mattress, and healing a few of the injuries so Lucy wasn’t suspicious. He left the cuts and contusions on his face and would refuse to allow the muggle to examine anything more than she should. He didn’t even want her looking him over in the first place, but they were all now forced to comply, and he wasn’t about to wipe the memories of an ancestor in fear that it could mess with the timeline. Last thing any of them needed was a butterfly effect and he wasn’t about to screw his family over just to avoid being nursed like a weak git.
After about an hour of waiting, Caleb finally arrived with a plate of Beef Wellington surrounded by sliced fried potatoes and a pair of worn cotton trousers with a plain white linen shirt. He had a sullen smile on his face when Draco opened the door to greet him, causing the blonde to raise a curious brow as the muggle stared at him in bewilderment.
“I apologize, Draco” he spoke softly after clearing his throat, “it’s still so strange to see you all again, especially since you look exactly the same as you did twenty-five years ago. I also did not expect you would be meeting my wife so quickly and under these circumstances. I tried to explain the situation a bit further without revealing everything and I think she bought the lies, but it breaks my heart to hide things from her in such a way. Do not get me wrong, however, I am thrilled to see you, but not like this…”
“Hey, it’s fine, Caleb. I understand. We are in this just as much as you are. Though, I have been wondering why you told Tala about…well…all of us and not Mary-Ann? It would make things easier on you and I know we would all be okay with it.”
“Because I lost her…” he replied with a small shrug and watery eyes. “I…I can’t go through that again. That pain…it was unbearable. After what happened in the woods on that mountain, I realized I could never tell anyone about magic ever. I finally found happiness again and I am not willing to risk my family to ease my conscious. My sins are my own. I will not place that burden on anyone else nor do I blame any of you for Tala’s death and what happened to me…Anyway…I-I brought you some clothing. I felt it was more appropriate for me to bring them to you rather than Lucy Jean having to see you almost naked. I’m sure Hermione wouldn’t like it so much either” he stated causing both of them to lightly chuckle.
“No, I don’t think she would” Draco claimed with a gentle smile. “Neither of us want her hexing me for allowing it to happen. But please know that she would never hurt your daughter. None of us would and we are just as upset that you can’t guide us through this era. Not that we want you to get hurt or anything” he quickly declared with a raised hand.
“I understand what you mean.” Caleb lowered his head as he stared at the items in his hand while doing his best to hold back the sadness filling his heart and soul. He would give anything to take his daughter’s place but unfortunately, the amulet, and his own ancestor, had other ideas.
“Are you going to be alright, Caleb?” the Prince questioned sympathetically after the pair stood in the door frame for a brief moment in silence.
“I don’t really have much of a choice, do I” he replied while glancing up into the soft grey eyes of the Slytherin. “Please” he began to plead with a trembling lip as a tear slipped from his lashes, “please look out for her. I can’t lose her too. She’s my world, my life…You’ll understand when you get older and have children of your own one day-”
“I may not have children right now, Caleb, but I do know what you mean. Hermione is everything to me. I…” he paused for a few seconds as he faintly chuckled and shook his head. “I never thought in a million years, I could ever care about anyone but myself, let alone care about someone like Hermione…I was taught to hate people with her blood and, for a while, I thought I did hate her, or at least wanted to. She was never supposed to give me a chance after the shite I put her through over the years, but…she saw something in me and whatever it was, I couldn’t be more thankful. I know back on that mountain you told me to allow her to decide what’s best, but…”
“You are too protective of her. Much like I am with Lucy” the brunette muggle sighed. “You love her, and you would do anything to keep her safe…Which is why I am…begging you-”
“I will do everything in my power to keep Lucy out of harm’s way, no matter the trial” he cut in strongly. “We will all do our best to protect her like she was our own family, you hear?”
“Thank you…”
“Don’t thank me, Caleb. I owe you everything for helping me get Hermione off that battlefield.”
“Actually, I think we both should be thanking each other” Caleb chortled. “If not for me aiding you, then you most likely would have killed the lot of that army and caused a large irreversible butterfly effect that could have very well resulted in many important people not being born at all.”
“True” the blonde ticked. “But I didn’t, and still don’t, care about those men or their offspring. If I had to save her all over again I would do it the same way every time. Hermione comes first, and you’re right, if you didn’t help us, I would have killed them all. The same goes for Ginny and for Blaise. It’s one thing for something to happen with me, it’s a whole ‘nother story when it comes to my family…But nevertheless, I want you to know that your child is in good hands. No harm will come to her if I can help it.”
Nodding his head, Caleb weakly smirked as he glanced to the floor and Draco realized he was still standing in the open doorway, in just his white boxers, having a deep conversation with the aged man he once knew and looked up to. However, before either of them could mutter a word, the door down the hall opened, in direct view of his bedroom on the opposite end, as Hermione stepped out in a white cotton nightgown. She was looking downward as she used the towel in her hand to scrunch the water from her hair before her gaze rose and landed on the two men standing almost fifty feet away from her. Pausing mid-scrunch, she briefly gawked at the sculptured Seeker build of the blonde’s body before quickly lowering her sight and rushing to her room.
“Well…” Caleb ticked with a large grin, “it appears someone fancied what she saw” he claimed while pinching his lips inward and turning back to Draco, who continued to stare at the bathroom door as if the brunette bookworm was still there. “Seems she’s doing much better than when I saw her last” he stated happily, but quickly noticed how the Slytherin wasn’t listening to him. “Draco…? Friend?” Draco immediately shook his head to remove the stunned daze from his face and turned his attention back to Caleb, who tilted his head and pursed his lips cheerfully.
“Sorry. Wh-what uh, what were you saying?”
“May I come in?”
“Y-yeah, of course…” Draco stepped aside and allowed Caleb entrance. Once the muggle had entered, he closed the door before walking over to the bed and taking a seat.
“I’m going to only say this once, so please listen carefully” the greying-haired brunette declared gently as Draco narrowed his brows in confusion and Caleb began setting the food and clothing still in his hands, on the dresser. “You need to stop this. Stop letting your past hold you back, stop allowing fear to control you, and for Gods’ sake, friend, please just tell her you love her already. It’s painfully obvious you do.”
“I-I don’t know how” he admitted sullenly while running his fingers through his hair.
“What do you mean you don’t know how? It’s easy. Just waltz up to her and tell her” Caleb claimed while leaning back on the dresser and crossing his arms in front of him. “Unless you plan to carry out some grand gesture and buy her flowers, which she doesn’t seem like the type of woman to care about things like that.”
“It’s not that simple” the blonde declared as he rested his elbows on his thighs. “Every time I think I can say it to her, my…my heart beats a mile a minute and-and my hands become sweaty; my voice cracks and I feel like a large stone is stuck in my throat. I was never taught to love anyone. Yes, my mother showed me affection when I was younger, but the older I got, the less love I was shown. I-I feel like I chained myself in a cellar built out of failure and shame and…” he paused as his jaw quivered and he tried to think of the right words to describe his emotions about the topic.
“You feel like you’re standing on a ledge above a fall you can’t face...”
“Yeah…exactly like that…”
“I suppose I shall admit that that is how I felt with Tala. I love my wife, I do, I truly do, but…Tala held, and will always hold, my heart. You never forget your first love, Draco. If I would have known Hermione was yours, I would not have pressed you so hard. I apologize.”
“I want to tell her” the Slytherin claimed while raising his gaze to Caleb’s sympathetic eyes. “She deserves to know. Except…I can’t help but wonder why she hasn’t said it yet. I know she wants more from me and I-I desperately want to give in and provide her with what she’s seeking, but the idea that she hasn’t said it yet to me, makes me even more anxious to tell her.”
“It is alright that you are scared, Draco. However, have you given any thought to the fact that she may feel the same way you do right now? Scared because you haven’t said it yet either?”
“Not really, actually.”
“I think you’re being too hard on yourself, friend. You are not the first person to feel like they are crumbling when it comes time to saying those three little words that have such a large impact on the heart. Trauma and fear have gotten you this far in life and in the past, mate…Though now you must allow trust to take you further. Trust that you can say the words, trust that you truly view Hermione as the one you want to give your life to, and trust your heart. Everyone can have more than one soulmate in life; however, you can only have one first love. I do believe the beautiful woman, who trusted you to save her and has saved you in more ways than one, is that love for you.
“Although, I will admit that saying it for the first time is…it’s painful. Painful because you are lowering your walls and your armor and allowing someone to finally see the real you. But, Draco…Hermione wouldn’t have given you a chance if she didn’t already know who you really are. I feel that is what she saw in you. She is your gravity, keeping you from falling over the ledge you can’t face. There is not a doubt in my mind that she would not accept your love and reciprocate. It will be hard, there is no denying it, but all you have to do is take that step and see where it leads you. Take that leap of faith, friend, and break down your shields.”
Lowering his arms, Caleb leaned off the dresser and began walking towards the door. Placing his hand on the knob, he slowly turned back to the blonde staring unseeingly at the floor and sighed softly.
“If you don’t learn to get out of your own hell, Draco, you’ll forever regret not saying it. We only have so much time on this earth…Do not let regret in; it’s a bitch of an enemy to live with. Trust me, I know the feeling all too well. I didn’t marry Tala when I had the chance and I wasn’t there to protect her because I went hunting…instead of staying behind when she asked me not to go…
“If you love someone, then say it, and you say it loud. Reap the repercussions later. I promise you a weight will be lifted, and you will never have to live with the regret that will haunt me until the day I die. And that amulet…and the past…they are not your enemy. The only person standing in your way…is you. Lower your walls, Draco, let her in, and you will see how much your love for her can actually grow.”
With that being said, Caleb softly smiled as water once more filled his eyes, turned back to the door, and walked out, leaving the Slytherin Prince alone to contemplate everything the elder muggle had spoken to him.
XX
An hour after Caleb had left the Malfoy heir alone to take everything in, Draco had barely touched the food that was provided for him when a soft knock echoed off the wooden door, causing the tall blonde to remove himself from the bed where he laid, and open the entryway.
“Hey, mate…” Blaise began gleefully, apparently happy to finally be clean of the filth that still covered Draco’s body. However, his smile started to fade when he noticed how torn his best friend appeared. “Something on your mind? Want to talk about it?”
“No,” Draco claimed while producing a faux smile. “I was just thinking about everything and you know, sleeping alone for the first time in, Merlin knows how long.”
“I lost track of the time too. It’s hard to keep up when we’re involuntarily time hopping all over the place” the dark-haired wizard chuckled slightly. “But I understand the sleeping alone part. None of us have been separated from each other since all of this began. It’s strange honestly; I walked into my room earlier thinking I finally get to have a space all to myself, only to realize how much I missed all of you. I have a strong feeling it’s going to be a long night of tossing and turning. If you want, we can bunk together. I can see if Mary-Ann is alright with me bringing my bed in here, or yours in mine if you prefer?”
“That’s alright, mate. I-I think some alone time would be good for us; healthy even. We won’t always be with each other once we return home…Whenever that is.”
“True…Well I uh, I came over to let you know the tub is now all yours and Lucy will be up shortly to look us all over. Though I already healed most of my battle wounds, for Red’s sake. Don’t want her getting jealous or anything” Blaise chuckled again.
“Same. No one needs the girls acting like us if a bloke was examining them instead” he weakly grinned. “But uh, thanks for letting me know. I’ll head out shortly.” However, as soon as Draco was about to close the door and grab the garments Caleb had given him, Blaise, who had turned to walk away, stopped in his tracks and rotated back with a deep sigh.
“Listen, um…I-I think we all know this era is not meant for me…”
“You thought about that too…?”
“Yeah, I just…I haven’t had a chance to talk with Red yet about it, but I know that it’s her turn. It’s killing me to know and I-”
“We’ll look out for her, Blaise” he quickly cut in. “I promise. Whatever her test is we will get through it together.”
“I know. It’s just that…I really care about her and I-I don’t know what I’m going to do if she gets hurt.”
“I get it, Blaise. Trust me, if anyone gets it, it’s me.”
“Okay…I-I’m sorry for bothering you right now, especially so soon after Hermione’s trial.”
“Don’t worry about it, mate.”
“Did…did Hermione talk to you yet?” the Italian asked anxiously.
“About what?”
“About how the square appeared…about what she had to do to complete her test…?”
“No…I-I wasn’t really planning on asking her, to be honest. I didn’t want to bring up what happened as the wounds are still fresh for all of us” Draco claimed with a shrug of his shoulder.
“She had to ask for help…” he confessed. “She begged me to help take Tala out of her grasp because she finally learned she can’t do everything on her own…I thought you should know because it was me she asked, when we both know it should have been you.”
“It doesn’t matter who she asked, Blaise. The important thing is that she’s alright and made it out alive. Red will too, you know. She’s just as strong as Hermione.”
“I believe you; I just hate that it has to happen. Anyway,” he cleared his throat and began to point behind him with his thumb, “I’ll let you get cleaned up” he declared before turning to walk towards his bedroom.
“Blaise,” Draco called out when his friend reached the door, “if-if you feel you want to talk later or whatever, my door is always open…”
“Thanks, mate…” the Italian faintly smiled.
“Anytime…”
After Blaise had closed his bedroom door behind him, Draco heavily sighed before grabbing his clothing from off the dresser and began walking down the hall towards the bathroom. Once entering the small facility, he took in the room and was surprisingly shocked to see a valve-less toilet seated next to a sink that was placed across from a porcelain tub filled with steaming water, waiting for him to relax in it. A white cotton towel was placed on a bar attached to the wall behind the bathtub for him to dry off when he was finished, and a fresh bar of soap sat on the ledge of the sink.
Removing his boxers, he set them on the floor and casually stepped into the warm water, causing him to sigh in delight when the liquid covered his calf and soothed his aching muscle. Slipping all the way in, Draco leaned back and allowed the water to alleviate the pain, he didn’t even know his body was feeling, and closed his eyes as he began to relax. However, while his mind wandered over the most recent events that had occurred in the last twenty-four hours, his thoughts somehow kept veering back to his conversation with Caleb and the moment between himself and his witch in the woods of the South Mountain.
Albeit, he tried to distract himself by washing his body with the bar of soap to rid the dirt, while the conversation with the aging muggle slowly started to fade from his head. In its place, he began to remember the feeling of Hermione’s lips on his as she entwined her fingers through his hair, causing a pleasurable sensation to run through his veins as a soft groan escaped his lips.
He continued to think about how she looked beneath him and how he desperately wished he would have bedded her, so to speak, then and there while his dick grew stiff and started pulsating, forcing him to groan louder as he grabbed his member below the water that covered his body. As he began to pump his hand up and down against himself, the warm liquid started to flow with his movements as the image of caressing Hermione’s petal-like skin engulfed his mind. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about her and quickened his pace as he pictured her stark naked below him.
His mind remained fixed on the Golden Girl and how he envisioned her peaked mounds bouncing up and down as he pounded into her over and over again; her delicious moans in his ear whilst demanding for him to go faster as beads of sweat covered her forehead. He couldn’t get enough and found himself pumping his cock harder and faster, causing water to spill on to the small rug to the side of the tub. Ignoring the mess, he was making across the bathroom floor, Draco’s toes began to curl as his body stiffened and the picture of him spilling his seed into his woman engulfed every part of his mind. Tightening his grip on his hardened length, he squeezed his eyes shut, and climaxed the best masturbating orgasm he had ever felt before while trying to muffle the loud moan begging to escape his throat.
Releasing the painstaking hold he had on his bottom lip, and the grasp he had firmly around his dick, Draco breathed heavily and slowly opened his eyes, realizing what he had just done. Knowing that he needed more, he decided then and there he was going to find the right moment to tell Hermione his feelings regardless of how terrified he felt. Although he was fully aware that it was easier said than done.
Reaching for his wand that he had set on the edge of the sink, he cleaned up the mess on the floor and in the tub before finishing his bath and removing himself from the water. Once he was dressed, he left the bathroom and began to walk down the hall when he stopped in front of the girl’s bedroom and found himself knocking lightly on the door. When he couldn’t hear any signs of movement or even indistinct chatter, he was about to walk away thinking Hermione and Ginny were asleep, when the door suddenly opened, and Hermione smiled brightly before stepping outside and closing the entryway behind her.
“Hey!” she pipped, a little too joyfully, realizing how excited she was to see her wizard, even though it had only been a few hours since their last encounter. “H-how are you?”
“I’m okay” he smiled warmly and went to place his hands in his pockets when he remembered he didn’t have any. Awkwardly trying to find a place for his hands, he simply crossed his arms as Hermione raised a brow and softly giggled, causing butterflies to form in the Princes’ upper abdomen.
“What are you doing here? Did you eat?” she questioned sweetly.
“A little. I wasn’t really hungry once I got in my room” he shrugged as his dick began to once again grow within his trousers and he had to look away from her perfect features for a moment to calm his hard-on and to prevent himself from pinning the bookworm to the wall.
“Are you alright? Perhaps you should finish your meal. It’s been awhile since we last ate” she stated while leaning over to look him in the eye. “Draco-”
“I…” he began but the words he wanted to say, wouldn’t come.
“What is it?” she inquired, however, as Draco gazed back up at her, the want and the need to be close to her encompassed him and he couldn’t control himself any longer. Hermione gasped as she felt her back roughly hit the wall behind her and felt the full weight of the blonde pressing up against her as he kissed her hard.
His fingers entwined in her curls as he greedily snogged her and for a split second she was back in Gettysburg. Opening her eyes widely as she pushed hard on his chest, Draco quickly backed off when he understood why she was pushing him away.
“Oh, Gods! Hermione, I-Salazar I’m so sorry, I-I didn’t think about-I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.” Gazing up at the panicking Prince, Hermione’s breath was ragged as she pulled herself from the nightmare flashing before her eyes, before looking to the ground in confusion. “Please forgive me, Princess, I-I-I completely forgot for a moment. I just…I don’t know, I-”
“Draco, it’s okay. I’m okay. You just surprised me is all…”
“I didn’t mean to, love, I really didn’t.”
Understanding that she was fine and was safe with the Malfoy heir, she took a step forward while he frantically ran his fingers through his wet hair and reached out to him. Timidly eyeing her in fear that she would freak out if he touched her, he waited for her to make contact first before relaxing his shoulders as she smiled up at him. She didn’t say a word as she searched his grey eyes, and instead reached up and pulled him into a searing kiss. As long as she knew she was in control she would be okay, but as she pressed hard into the blonde, she felt his reluctance and slowly pulled away slightly.
“What’s wrong? Draco, I told you I was fine…”
“I don’t want to scare you…” he whispered while studying her beautiful brown irises.
“I was caught off guard. But, Draco, I know I’m safe with you…You’re my armor, my safety net. You could never scare me…Please kiss me…” she pleaded, knowing she needed to feel his skin against hers in order to rid the nightmares from her mind; needed him to want her. “I missed you and…I don’t want to be afraid when I close my eyes or when you want to, I don’t know, get aggressive. If I know it’s you, I’m okay…”
“Are you sure, Hermione?”
“Please kiss me…” she implored as he searched for any signs that she was not alright. When she simply gazed into his eyes, he knew he had to give in and show her he was not a threat; that he was willing to do whatever she needed to feel a hundred percent normal again.
Quickly grabbing her shoulders, while never removing his gaze from hers’, he pinned her against the wall behind him and pressed his body firmly against her to prevent her from running away. He didn’t kiss her just yet and waited until the initial shock wore off before cupping her cheek and caressing her delicate skin with his thumb, allowing her to take in what was happening. When she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, he smirked ever so slightly as he felt her pull his face closer to hers. He could feel her warm breath hitting his lips and opened his mouth to utter the words, which felt so easy to say in that moment, but was quickly cut off when she placed her lips against his. She then lifted her body up to wind her legs around his waist as his arms encircled her upper body; her back still compressed against the wall behind her while her nightgown bunched around her waist.
The passionate kiss grew deeper as Hermione held on to Draco tightly, and felt a flutter grow between her legs as their tongues danced with one another and her want for him increased ten-fold. Unfortunately, the moment only lasted a few seconds before the door to her bedroom opened and Lucy Jean gasped in surprise with a hand clasped against her chest, causing Ginny to rush over in a panic.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!” she expressed with a laugh. “If I would have known you two were out here snogging the living death out of each other, I would have stayed in the room” she giggled as Draco quickly set his witch down and Hermione hastily fixed her nightgown. “My apologies for the interruption.”
“In the hallway?” Ginny added with a shake of her head and rolled her eyes as she snickered loudly. “Really? Blondie’s room is like twenty feet away.” Hermione’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she glanced off to the right and Draco was at a loss for words.
“I-I-I’m just gonna-I’m gonna go to my room now” he claimed in a mixture of embarrassment from being caught and nervousness because he honestly couldn’t think of a snarky comeback.
“Oh, no you don’t…Blondie, is it?” Lucy teasingly questioned before looking back to Ginny for confirmation.
“It’s Draco, actually” he retorted in annoyance.
“Right, Blondie” she stated while pinching her lips inwards to stifle a laugh. “Since you’re here, I might as well look over those bruises on your face so we can avoid the awkwardness of being alone in your room as you try to pretend I didn’t catch you and your bird snogging as if it was the last kiss either of ya’ll would ever have and I don’t have ter’ make small talk just to deter from the fact that you have a large neddy bulging from your sit-upons right now” she claimed in a single breath as Draco raised a perplexed brow. She then pointed to his lower region with her eyes as she crossed her arms and an unsettling quiet filled the air.
“What?” he expressed as he and everyone else standing around him, glanced down at the hardened bulge in his trousers. Swiftly covering himself up in mortification, he hastily rushed back to the bathroom as Hermione furrowed her brows and scowled at the two women giggling in the door frame.
“Are you two serious right now?” she scolded, forcing the girls smiles to quickly vanish and Lucy to sigh, stand up straight while uncrossing her arms, and walk over to the bathroom where she could hear the tall blonde cursing loudly at himself.
“What is going on out here?” Blaise cut in just as the light-haired muggle was about to knock on the door, while he poked his head out of his room and stared at the three girls standing in the hallway.
“Draco and Hermione were caught canoodling in the hall and then Lucy pointed out his raging bone, so he ran to the loo in embarrassment” Ginny replied with a giggle as she leaned a shoulder on the frame of the entryway and began to examine her nails.
“Honestly, Red, have a little bit more compassion for the man!” he chastised while stepping out of his room and walking down the hall towards where Lucy was standing. “Unbelievable! All of you!”
“Hey, I’m not the one who was caught!” Ginny expressed with a hint of anger in her voice.
“No, but you’re the one making Draco feel ashamed for something he can’t necessarily control!” he snapped, causing Ginny to lower her hand and frown. “Gods, Ginny! Do you ever think before just doing something?”
“What has gotten into you?” she asked in befuddlement. “I wasn’t the one jesting him. I just laughed at the situation like anyone else would have done.”
“That is just as bad!”
“Blaise, what is wrong?” Hermione queried, knowing that what had happened wasn’t a good enough reason for him to flip out the way he was. She knew Draco would be fine in the morning and laugh it off because they were all friends who could joke about anything. She honestly couldn’t understand why Blaise was so angry.
“Nothing!” he claimed while pressing his tongue against the inside of his bottom lip. “Like always, everything is just bloody fine” he declared before turning to the door and knocking on it. Draco reluctantly opened the wooden barrier with a sharp exhale and was slightly thrown back to see Blaise standing in front of him as the woman stared at the dark-skinned wizard in disbelief.
“Uhhhh…Did I miss something?” the blonde questioned with a raised brow.
“Apparently, Blaise needs to check his attitude!” Ginny scoffed before storming back into her room and slamming the door closed.
“What the fuck?” Draco mumbled under his breath.
“Are you alright?” the Italian asked in annoyance.
“I’m fine, mate. Shite happens. Yeah, it would be better if no one saw…that, but I would have laughed too if it didn’t happen to me-Wh-what is going on? It’s not that serious. Why are you getting your knickers in a twist? It’s not like you’re the one who was caught with a bone in his trousers.”
“Forget it! I’m going to bed!”
With that being said, Blaise quickly rotated on his heel and stormed back to his room as Draco, Hermione, and Lucy all stared at his closed door in utter confusion.
“Can someone please fill me in on what the fuck happened in less than two minutes of me being gone?” the Slytherin Prince demanded as he stepped out of the bathroom.
“I feel I have upset your friend” Lucy stated in a slight shock. “I-I did not mean to offend anyone. I was simply jesting. I did not know a joke would turn into…this.”
“Umm…” the Malfoy heir began while softening his shoulders in understanding. “Listen, um, Lucy…Can you look at my face in the morning? I need to go talk to him.”
“Yes…I think that is best. I do apologize, I-I did not mean for this to happen” she replied dejectedly.
“It’s not you or even anything any of you did. He’s going through a lot right now and I think it’s all finally catching up to him. He’s normally the rational one. Give me the night to speak with him and in the morning everything should be okay.”
“Alright…” the muggle ancestor spoke low. “I wish you all a good night then. Cheers.”
“I’m sorry, Lucy” Hermione stated drearily as the girl began to walk past her.
“Do not fret, Hermione. Like Blondie said, shite happens” she smiled before bowing her head and making her way down the stairs.
Draco exhaled sharply as he tilted his head back and rested both hands on the base of his neck, pulling Hermione’s attention to him as she tilted her own head and slumped her shoulders.
“What is wrong with Blaise, Draco? Should I go and talk to him as well?”
“It might help, honestly” he stated while he lowered his hands, walked up to his Princess, and placed a soft kiss upon her forehead. “This is not how I wanted things to go tonight” he chuckled ever so gently while Hermione gave him a knowing look, forcing him to come clean as to why Blaise was acting like a nutter. “He knows this era is for Red and he’s afraid, which he has every right to be.”
“So, he believes that her rash decision making, and carelessness, is what the amulet wants to change?”
“Precisely…”
The bookworm stayed quiet for a few seconds as she thought about how right the boys were. Ginny was careless, but she hadn’t always been that way. She didn’t begin to act so reckless until after Fred died, which was the main reason she allowed the redhead to get away with so much. However, now she began to wonder if the negligence was still due to grieving the loss of her brother or if Ginny had simply adopted the trait.
“How about I talk to him tonight and if I can’t calm him, then you can take over in the morning?”
“Maybe we could both talk to him?” he suggested, knowing how callous his best friend could be when angered, and he didn’t want Hermione to feel the Italians’ wrath when he finally released the pent-up fury he tried so hard to constantly contain. “Blaise is usually pretty passive and the one to settle conflicts, but I know he has a lot of anger he’s suppressing. Normally he’s great at not letting things get to him, but…he really cares about her and is worried, and I don’t want him taking his frustrations out on you.”
“I can handle it” she smiled delicately. “After all, I am a Gryffindor and I’ve already faced you when you’re pissed off. How much worse can he be?”
“I yell when I’m enraged, love, but Blaise…Blaise doesn’t. He uses his words and they can cut you swift and deep. We are not the same when it comes to being mad. His words are like a deadly knife.”
“I’ll be fine. If I really need you, I’ll scream. How’s that? After I hex him, of course” she chuckled while wrapping her arms around her Princes’ waist and gazing up into his soft ocean-grey eyes.
“You scream and I’ll come running. I’ll be there before you can even utter my name, you hear” he grinned while placing his fingers under her chin and placing a delicate kiss upon her lips.
“Go finish your dinner and head to bed” she demanded with a large smile before walking out of his embrace. “I want to see a clean plate in the morning when I come to wake you.”
“I look forward to that, my dear Princess” he winked, causing her cheeks to flush as she stood outside Blaise’s door with a wide grin.
“Go to bed, you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good night, love” he claimed while walking passed her, but not before placing another kiss upon her soft lips and heading to his room.
“Good night, Draco…” she replied as he grinned and closed the wooden barrier separating them. “I love you…” she whispered to the empty hall, keeping her voice low so that no one else would hear what her heart was truly feeling.
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The Paths We Take