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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
- 23
- 24
- 25
You all have me very worried about your well-being during this pandemic. I have not heard from a lot of my regular commenters and you have me scared. Please reach out to me in some manner to let me know you’re alright and that you haven’t gotten sick…or arrested for murdering the person you’re quarantined with. Anyway, I apologize for the delay, but this chapter had to be absolutely perfect for you guys as it is probably one of the most important and also the longest of all the chapters in this story so far. I hope you guys enjoy it! I am trying really hard to make sure 25 is not delayed as well, however, I still can’t make any promises. To those who have won, you characters make their debut in this chapter and will show up again in later ones as well! I hope I brought them to life the way you imagined. If there are any changes you would like me to make for them for future chapters, please PM me. As always, XOXO
For piano performance near the end in order on YouTube (If you want to picture it better. It’s just the piano version of the songs):
/watch?v=9mtgtvnNKY4
/watch?v=HhjPiwhX_i4
“I'm tugging at my hair
I'm pulling at my clothes
I'm trying to keep my cool
I know it shows
I'm staring at my feet
My cheeks are turning red
I'm searching for the words inside my head”
Things I’ll Never Say- Avril Lavigne

Chapter 24- Admittance
September of 1888
Draco groggily awoke to a heavy pressure resting on his chest and stomach, making it a tad difficult to breathe as wet kisses suddenly covered his face and neck. He was aware as to who was trying to stir him and was reluctant to fully wake up as he loved the feeling of her weight lying upon his torso. After all, it was better than any useless alarm given to him as a gift over the years, or one of his friends abruptly shaking him in the morning when he refused to get out of bed for class.
Slowly snaking his hands around Hermione’s upper body, the Slytherin held her close as she continued to peck him all over and grinned happily as he kept his eyes closed in fear that if he opened them…she would disappear. Lying in bed with the bookworm in his arms seemed practically impossible not that long ago, let alone getting to wake up with her kissing him repeatedly, and the last thing he wanted was to find out he had been dreaming her the entire time.
“Good morning, sleepyhead” she smiled as Draco groaned and reached up to wipe his hand down his face, grateful she wasn’t just an illusion in his head. While stretching an arm above his head, Hermione laid her soft curls upon his chest in order to listen to his calm steady heartbeat; but as she got more comfortable, he could have sworn he heard a soft purr vibrate from off her lips, forcing a small smile to splay across his face.
“Now that is what I call a great way to wake up…Good morning, my Princess” he replied while kissing the top of her head delicately and finally opening his eyes. “How’d you sleep, love?”
“Fine, I suppose. Although, Ginny kept me up longer than I wanted; venting about how Blaise treated her last night.”
“How did that go…with Blaise?” he questioned as she lifted her head and rolled off his body in order to curl up next to him under the blanket.
“Good, actually. Well I mean, first I just stayed quiet while he aired out his fears and frustrations, then when he was done, I told him why she acts the way she does. We talked for about an hour and I think I got to him. He wants to apologize to both Lucy and Gin today when he sees them.”
“That’s good” he proclaimed while rubbing her arm with his left hand trapped underneath her neck. “I’m glad I didn’t have to charge in there and beat up my best friend…again” he chuckled as he turned slightly and cradled the Golden Girl in his embrace. “Mmm, I miss sleeping next to you” he admitted as he kissed her forehead and closed his eyes, getting comfortable enough that he could easily fall back to sleep if she’d let him.
“You only ever slept next to me once and that was on the hard-frozen ground of a cave thousands of years ago” she giggled. “I didn’t even know that you knew I did that…”
“I was aware, which is why I miss sleeping next to you. A few thousand years is a long time, Princess” he smirked. “And it was actually on that pirate ship that we last slept next to each other” he corrected while yawning and allowing the drowsiness to overtake him. “Remember?” he weakly stated. “You fell asleep on my lap. My tailbone went all numb and then you woke us up screaming like a bloody banshee.”
“You’re insufferable! I most definitely did not scream like a banshee. If anyone screams like that, it’s Blaise” she teased before realizing Draco was fast asleep and no longer listening to her. Lifting her head, she studied his bruised face for a moment as he held her close and smiled before pecking his lips over and over again, trying to arouse him from his shallow slumber. “Wake up, Draco” she chucked in between her soft kisses as he half grinned and pulled her closer to him.
“Can’t we just lay here for a little while longer…? Bask in the glory of nothing bad happening to any of us right now…” he sighed while burying his face in her hair.
“As much as I would love to just lay here, although I feel it would be a waste of a perfectly good day, we need to get dressed. Besides, I’m positive Mary-Ann would most likely drag us down by the ears if we’re late” she chortled into his chest. “And don’t you want to see Caleb again? We have so much to talk about with him.”
“Ugh, fine, but please don’t mention ear pulling again” he expressed with a sour face while rotating to lay on his back. “I’m still traumatized from yesterday” he jeered while releasing his hold on her for a second to rub his right ear, even though she had pulled the left the night before.
“Oh, you are such a tot!” she giggled while trying to roll out of his embrace.
“Oh, no you don’t!” he smirked while dragging her back to him, causing her to laugh and flail as he accidentally tickled her ribs. “Ticklish I see…hmm…” he taunted with a devilish grin.
“No!” she protested with widened eyes. “Don’t you dare!” she demanded in a mixture of a scowl and a large grin as he hovered over her slightly. “Draco Lucius Malfoy, I swear to God, don’t you fucking dare!”
“I love it when you curse. And I especially love it when you say my full name” he proclaimed as a matter of fact before moving his finger along her sides, tickling her mercilessly and forcing the sound of laughter, he craved to hear more than anything, to escape from her throat.
“No, no, no, no! Stop! No! Draco!” she laughed hysterically while trying to fight him off. He continued moving his hands along her body, poking and prodding any part of her body she left open and vulnerable, as she squealed with joy. Fully climbing on top of her, pinning her to the bed and preventing her from escaping his titillating wrath, he momentarily halted his movements and gazed down at the breathtaking witch beneath him. Her disheveled hair laid sprawled out across the striped pillow as the blanket that once covered them, slowly slipped from the edge of the bed and silently fell to the wood floor.
“Do it again” he ordered while leaning over her and holding her wrists tightly against the mattress he charmed clean about six times the night before.
“Do what?” she playfully leered with narrowed brows.
“Curse again,” he commanded, “and tell me that I’m the best Slytherin you have ever met.”
“Well, I mean…Blaise did make a very tempting offer to marry me on the spot if I could get us home” she joked, causing the Prince to lick his lips and scowl menacingly at his witch.
“Fuck…him” he declared sinisterly. “He can’t give you what I can. You truly want him over me? Blaise? Of all the people you could choose from, you want my best friend over me?”
Hermione was quiet for a few seconds, making Draco suddenly feel slightly uncomfortable as she removed her gaze away from his piercing grey eyes and slyly smirked.
“You’re the best Slytherin” she whispered before returning her focus back to him.
“I’m sorry, what was that? I don’t think I quite heard you right” he teased once he realized he had nothing to worry about while tilting his right ear closer towards her.
“You’re the best…fucking…Slytherin I have ever met,” she claimed with an impish smirk as Draco grinned proudly.
“And…?”
“And…I only want you.”
“That’s what I thought” he asserted before closing the gap between them and pressing his lips gently against hers while simultaneously releasing her wrists in order to cup her face. However, Hermione unexpectedly broke the kiss as she began to ruthlessly run her fingers along his sides, tickling him hard and causing him to jerk upright at the sudden feeling. Although in the midst of trying to get away from the brunette out for revenge, he leaned back a little too far and fell off the bed as the Gryffindor Princess clasped a hand over her mouth and began to laugh.
“Oh, my God!” she chortled heavily while holding her stomach as Draco glared at her, allowing her to have the win as he planned his retaliation. “Are you okay?” she questioned in between the laughter that caused her to snort, before she reached down to help him up. Although, her giggling was cut short when his hand tightly clasped around hers and she felt herself being pulled off the bed; landing on top of him with a loud gasp.
“Think that was funny, do you?” the blonde scowled jocularly as Hermione adjusted her legs in order to straddle his waist.
“I do, actually” she replied gleefully before kissing him all over his face, ecstatic he was able to let loose and joke around with her; something Ron never seemed to want to do with her.
Hermione enjoyed the idea of being able to wake her significant other in a playful manner, like she had seen countless times in movies, and felt relieved that Draco didn’t push her away like her ex used to do. In fact, he seemed to relatively enjoy kidding around and didn’t freak out like she had expected. It was like she was seeing another side of the Slytherin she never knew was there. Every day he continued to surprise her, whether it was showing a hidden talent or proving how much he cared for her, and now he was demonstrating how playful he could be. It was a side of him she loved more than anything and a side…she couldn’t get enough of.
“I could get used to that you know?”
“You could get used to a lot of things, darling” she smiled sweetly before realizing she used a pet name. She always hated when she heard people use nicknames as terms of endearment and thought they sounded childish, except of course, when her friends used sobriquets because those were different. Albeit, she figured her strong hate for the affectionate names was most likely due to Ron and Lavender’s ‘intense’ relationship sixth year. But after befriending Blaise, who called her Buttercup more often then she liked, and was now dating Draco, who made it a habit to try and call her anything except Hermione, she started to understand that not every nickname was immature sounding. And now she wondered if maybe it was who was saying them and how they spoke it, was causing her to be okay with it all.
“Darling, huh?” he smirked as a crease formed in the lines of his forehead. “First an amazing wake-up call, multiple kisses, and now I get a pet name too? You spoil me, Princess and we haven’t even had breakfast yet.”
“Don’t get used to it” she giggled, “I don’t normally do pet names. And as for rousing you from your blissful slumber, Blaise mentioned last night, when I told him my plan, how you can be extremely grumpy in the morning. Which now that I think about it, explains your attitude when we arrived in Jamestown.”
“It depends on who is arousing me and how really.”
Scrunching his nose and causing her to lightly giggle, Draco reached up and tenderly tucked her hair behind her ear as she rested her hands on his chest. However, the position they were in, began to cause butterflies to grow in his stomach and he could feel himself getting hard as her legs tightened around his waist. It didn’t help matters either when she tucked her bare feet under his legs, in order to hold herself steady, while she leaned down to peck his lips, inducing his hips to automatically push against her.
“Well…I-I uh, took a chance and hoped you wouldn’t try and abruptly curse me for startling you ” she continued as she felt his hardened length press lightly against her arse, forcing her to bite her lip and concentrate on anything else. A much as she wanted to give in and tear off his clothes, she knew she only had a limited about of alone time before one of their friends would interrupt them.
“Curse you? Never! Now Blaise or Red on the other hand…possibly, yeah” he smirked as Hermione rolled her eyes and he moved his fingers so that he was now cradling the back of her neck in his palm. Despite the playful moment turning somewhat intimate, Draco was fully aware he couldn’t hold out for much longer and gently began pulling her closer when a soft knock sounded at the door. “Ugh!” he groaned while throwing his head back, frustrated that once again something was ruining the moment for him. “Can we ever get just one minute where someone doesn’t bother us?” he complained with a deep exhale.
“What sort of life would we have if that were to ever happen?” she chuckled before reluctantly standing up in order to see who was at the door.
“A life filled with happiness, peace, serenity…joy” he mumbled under his breath while grabbing the blanket next to him and covering the boner in his pants in annoyance as Hermione shook her head once more before opening the entryway.
“Hey, Gin!” the bookworm pipped as the redhead waved. Though Ginny’s gaze veered passed her best friend and onto the blonde lying on the floor with a ruffled shirt, disheveled hair, and the blanket from his bed lying across his lap.
“On the floor now? Really? Blondie’s bed is literally a foot from you two?” she scoffed jokingly. “First the hallway, now the floor. I suppose one day you’ll both finally make it to the damn bed.”
“Shut your face, Red” Draco groaned with his arm over his eyes as his free hand pointed a finger in the air, “or you can buy your own drinks tonight” he claimed while relaxing his arm and allowing it to thump on the wooden floor in defeat. “Merlin knows, I need one after everything that occurred last night…” he muttered softly.
“You hated the taste of that beer” Ginny chuckled while leaning her forearm on the door frame as Hermione moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “I don’t think I have ever seen a sourer face on you since you ate ‘Mione’s makeshift stew back in the Ice Age.”
“Okay, give me some credit” the bookworm stated while leaning back on her hands, her brows narrowed in amusement. “I didn’t exactly have a lot to work with in that era.”
“To be fair,” Draco grunted as he sat up, his dick instantly softening in his pants after hearing Ginny speak; once again ruining everything for him, “we should all be grateful Blaise didn’t give it a go. We would’ve died of food poisoning if he made anything. That man is a horrible cook. And as for the beer, whiskey can easily numb the taste.”
“You say that now” the red-headed witch giggled. “Anyway, I was told to make sure you were awake, but it seems ‘Mione has already done that. Hope the arousal was better than what I would have done. You would have ended up with a pillow hitting your face repeatedly until your arse woke the fuck up.”
“Somehow, I don’t doubt that” he claimed as he moved to stand and brushed the non-existent dirt from his trousers.
“Well, you have fifteen minutes to wash up before we have to head over to Caleb’s house. Lucy said to not worry about our clothes right now as they are hanging up to dry, though they should be good to go by the time breakfast is over. Then we can head out to get new attire before helping set up the pub for tonight. Apparently, something is happening.”
“And let me guess,” the blonde began while walking over to the mirror to examine the yellowing bruises on his face, “I have to buy everyone clothes now too?”
“Quick learner, this one” Ginny joked as she smiled at Hermione. “You really know how to pick the smart ones ‘Mione.”
“I sure do” the brunette declared with a pleasant grin.
“Keep it up, Red” the Slytherin Prince expressed as he turned to face the Gryffindor in the doorway and leaned back against the dresser with his arms crossed. “Don’t forget, I’m the one with all the money. I hold the power here. And please…don’t put me in the same category as your brother or that Krum bloke. I’m much more intelligent than both of them combined and a whole lot more attractive.”
“I don’t know about that, but Mione has money” she replied with a hint of desperation in her voice when she realized Draco was right about their financial situation.
“Not enough to buy us all a new wardrobe, food, drinks, and anything else we might want or need” the brunette contended. “Even without inflation, I can afford to buy drinks, a bit of food, and maybe some essentials. I only brought enough to the museum to purchase a few souvenirs and that’s it.”
“Wow…” Ginny claimed slightly taken aback. “I almost forgot this all started at the museum” she sighed sullenly, causing a dourness to fill the room. “Feels like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it? I wonder what it’ll be like when we go back. I know mum won’t let me out of her sight for at least a year.”
“It’ll be strange, that’s for sure” Hermione stated weakly while tucking her hair behind her ear and sat up straight before resting her hands on her lap.
“I wonder how your brother and Potter will take the news that you two are dating your former enemies?” Draco added with an anxious chuckle while staring unseeingly at the floor in front of him. “Unless…” he cleared his throat while shifting his gaze to Hermione. “Unless you don’t plan on telling them…”
“What do you mean ‘don’t plan on telling them’? Of course, I’m going to tell them. Just because they might…okay will...” she corrected when Draco gave her a knowing look, “lose their shite doesn’t mean I’m going to keep you a secret. That’s not fair to you or to them. They’ll get over it in due time and if not, then they will just have to decide what’s more important; my happiness or their need to always constantly be wrong.”
Draco weakly smiled in delight as the words left Hermione’s lips. The idea that she was willing to still be with him once they returned home, made him hopeful for the future and more determined to say the words he needed to say. However, the timing didn’t feel right, and he wanted to wait until the perfect opportunity. Although, when that would be, he had no idea. He was starting to think he was delaying on purpose now in fear that his own feelings would get hurt.
“Well I plan on telling everyone too” Ginny asserted with a deep inhale. “Ron may be a right git, but he would do anything for me, including being okay with who I’m dating. Once he gets to know the real Blaise, and you too Blondie, he’ll come to understand that you both genuinely care for ‘Mione and me. It’ll take some time, but he’ll eventually see reason. He’s not the same childish person he used to be. All my family wants, is for me to be happy. For Godrics’ sake, you both saved our lives without even thinking about your own first; that’s a sacrifice not many people are willing to make. If anyone knows about sacrifice, it’s my family and Harry, and Mione, of course. I’m sure given the circumstances, since you both have proven time and time again that you’ve changed, I feel they’ll come around a lot quicker than any of us believe.”
“Speaking of Harry, he did forgive you already, Draco…” Hermione added when she saw the worry crease the blondes’ brows.
“It’s not actually Potter or even Weasley, that I’m worried about honestly…”
“Then who?” the red-headed witch queried. “Your mother?”
“No, my mother actually adores Hermione, believe it or not. Always has. Though more behind the scenes to protect them both from the Dark Lord.”
“It’s your father…isn’t it?” the bookworm stated somberly. “Draco, he’s in Azkaban. And unless there’s some miracle, he’s never getting out. Besides, you don’t need his approval…you never did.”
“I know I don’t” he scoffed lightly while looking to the ground. “It’s just hard to shake, you know. The idea that I must continuously please him. He still terrifies the shite out of me, even though I try to pretend that he doesn’t” he shrugged. “I can never shake him. I mean, I’ll probably never see the man again, but…”
“He’s your father” Ginny stated delicately. “I understand completely…But I’ll tell you this right now, Blondie, he’s not worth being afraid of. You’re a lot stronger and a far superior man than he will ever be. If he can’t see how amazing you are, then it’s his loss. You may be a prat, but you have wonderful friends willing to stick by you, and look out for you, and an even better girlfriend at your side…But if you do end up visiting him one day and he hurts you, I promise, he won’t live to see the next day because I will personally hurt him just as badly, if not worse.”
“Thanks, Red…”
“That’s what family’s for, right?” she lightly shrugged. “They say blood is thicker than water, but I remember countless times throughout all of our lives, where water was there…and blood wasn’t. Blood doesn’t always mean they are on your side, Draco, blood just makes you related…It’s loyalty that makes you family.”
Hermione was quiet as she glanced at her hands while Draco nodded his head at Ginny before looking to his witch and realizing that what he had said affected her. It wasn’t his intention to make her feel like their relationship was on the line because he brought his father up, he just felt comfortable enough to share his concerns with the girls.
“Hey uh, Red…? Can-can you give us a minute?” he requested, all the while never taking his eyes off the wavy-haired Gryffindor. Ginny gazed back and forth between the pair for a couple of seconds before realizing why the Slytherin Prince was asking for a moment alone with her best friend and nodded her head in understanding.
“Of course, I’ll meet you both downstairs, yeah?” she replied gently. “Don’t take too long though, alright? Lucy seems like the type to not be afraid to walk in on you…no matter what you may be doing.”
After Ginny had stepped away and softly closed the door behind her, Draco softened his shoulders before walking over to the bed and took a seat next to his witch.
“I didn’t mean it like that, you know?” he spoke soft and low. “Even if my father didn’t approve, I would still choose you-”
“Would you though? I mean, with our history, Draco-”
“Hermione…” he sighed while taking both of her hands in his and turning slightly to face her as he rested his left leg on the bed. “I fought way too hard to get you to see a different side of me. I-I’m not willing to give that up for a man who only ever pretended to care. My father…his approval or disapproval of my relationship, my life, he doesn’t control it, I know that. You are the gravity keeping me on my feet, not him…No matter how much he may scare me, I will never give you up. And whether we are stuck in the past, or find a way home to our time, or even face what the future may bear, you are everything to me and I will always choose you. I lo…” he paused as the words rested on his lips; unwilling to be said. He wanted to say it, he wanted it more than anything in the world, but for some odd reason, telling her that he loved her in that moment…didn’t seem right. His mind refused to cooperate with his heart and speak the words they both needed to hear, and he couldn’t for the life of him, figure out why it was so hard to say. “I-I can't imagine my life without you. If my father doesn't approve then so be it, you are who I can't live without.”
“You mean it?” she asked delicately while meeting his eyes, never catching the adjustment of his small speech.
“I may be one of the best liars at Hogwarts, Hermione, but I would never lie to you. Not unless it was for a very good reason” he claimed as she tenderly smiled and looked back to her hands.
“Me too...” she claimed quietly while Draco started gently pulling her in close and kissing her nice and slow in order to reassure her that he would never leave her side…He loved her, and even if he couldn’t say it, he was at least going to do everything he could to show her.
“So…” the bookworm began as she broke away from the kiss and rested her forehead against his, “your mother likes me?” she asked, forcing the Prince to chuckle and shake his head while sitting up straight.
“She does. She may not have shown it in the past, but I think she would be excited to know that she’ll be able to see more of you. That is, if you ever want to come over for dinner or something. After all, she did try to help you with Bellatrix, retrieved that rare ruby for me to give to you, and…”
“And what?” she delicately queried.
“She’s the one who found out about the Basilisk second year by overhearing my father talk about it with Nott Sr. She told me where to find the information about the snake, which is how you were able to obtain the page from a book I had ripped out in Flourish and Blotts before school started.”
“That was you? Draco, that has been bothering me for years! How could you rip a page out of a book?”
“Of everything I just said…that’s what you got from of all of it?” he grinned inquisitively. “I just told you I helped you second year so that you could aid Potter, and you’re worried about a book?”
“Books are sacred!” she scowled while lightly punching his arm. “You could have easily just bought it instead of damaging it!”
“Books are-Seriously? I didn’t want to buy the damn thing! Besides, I got a bit distracted when you and your friends started to leave the store, so I just ripped the stupid page out!”
“You ruined everything!”
“What? How? I had a hand in saving the bloody school! You never would have known the creature hiding in the chamber if I didn’t give you the clue you needed!”
“And I got petrified because you shared that information with me!”
“You would have died if I didn’t! You can’t sit here and say that if I didn’t disclose the details, you couldn’t find anywhere in the Library, that you would have still walked the halls with that hand mirror to protect you from staring directly into the Basilisks’ eyes!”
“I-” she paused with a small frown when realizing that he was correct. She most likely would have died if not for the actions he took, and she felt like shit for arguing over a book that could easily be mended.
“I win” he winked.
“I beg your pardon! Oh, you so did not win!” she shrieked while poking his sides before jumping on him as laughs escaped both of their throats. However, Draco quickly wrapped her in a bear hug to prevent her cheerful torture from continuing, and almost fell off the mattress again in the process.
“Everything okay in there?” Lucy asked from the other side of the entryway, startling the pair embraced in each other’s arms.
“Gods, damn it!” Draco swore with a clenched jaw as his head hung over the side of the bed.
“Told you; our lives would be boring if it wasn’t for interruptions” she giggled sweetly with a shrug before removing herself from off his chest.
“Hello?” Lucy repeated while knocking on the door.
“We’re coming!” the blonde shouted in annoyance, though not loud enough that the light-haired muggle would think he was yelling at her.
“Alright” she answered cordially. “But hurry please, mum is excited to serve new people her famous Full-English breakfast. We don’t get very many new people, let alone friends of my papa.” Draco threw his head back in frustration after sitting up, before standing to open the door. “Sleep alright, yeah?” she grinned merrily. “I do want to apologize again for last night. I did not mean you any harm with my jesting.”
“I’m alright, Lucy” Draco claimed with a forced smile. “I do have a sense of humor and I know you didn’t mean anything bad by it.”
“Shall we go?” Hermione beamed happily while ducking under Draco’s arm holding the door open and walking into the hallway. “Good morning, Lucy” she spoke pleasantly.
“Good morning, Miss Hermione. And yes, we shall! I’m starving!” the muggle smiled widely before turning on her heel and walking down the hall towards the stairs.
“You didn’t win” the brunette witch mouthed while swiftly gazing back at her wizard as they steadily followed Caleb’s daughter.
“Did so!” he baited in a whisper.
“Lies!” she grinned before rotating back, ensuring the Slytherin couldn’t reply.
Once the trio made it to the main area of the pub, Ginny quickly entwined her arm through Hermione’s as Blaise solemnly removed himself from the counter he was leaning on, with a deep sigh, clearly upset about something.
“You alright, mate?” Draco questioned as he fell back in order to walk with the Italian through the kitchen and out the back towards the small two-story red-bricked home.
“I’ve seen better days” he weakly smiled with a shrug.
“Did Red not forgive you for your tantrum last night?”
“She did, but…we all know Ginny. She didn’t want to listen to a word I said and claims she’s gonna be fine. I-I can’t help but feel that something really bad is going to happen, Draco…I just don’t know what. I don’t plan to leave her side for one second while we’re here, but…I know I can’t always protect her. I don’t know how you do it, mate. I don’t know how you can live every day with the fear that the one you care about could, and will, get hurt.”
“I…I just do…It’s not easy, that’s for sure. And there are days I feel like I’m gonna die from being so scared, but regardless of what happens to me, or Hermione, or even you, I know that you’re all aware that I cared and supported you…until the end.”
Blaise nodded as they came upon the Wolf home and stayed silent as Lucy opened the front door and escorted the barefooted foursome into the hallway that connected to the beautifully decorated Living Room. There was a single lit fireplace to the right, with a large black and white framed picture of Caleb and his family hanging above the mantel, against the wall between two curtained windows. A single striped green and white couch faced two matching armchairs with a small coffee table and a dark green area rug set between them. If it wasn’t for the flowery wallpaper brightening the whole room and giving it life, Ginny would have thought people in Victorian London had taste. However, the wall covering seemed a bit dated and didn’t match a single thing in the house.
As the Italian scrunched his nose when he realized how different homes in 1888 looked compared to the luxurious Malfoy Manor, Hermione studied a single picture of a young Caleb holding a baby Lucy on a stand in the middle of the hallway.
“You are here!” Mary-Ann expressed cheerfully as she walked out of the kitchen down the hall while wiping her hands on the apron wrapped around her petite waist. “So good of you to come! I just finished putting on a pot of tea and the bacon is almost ready. Please, come in!”
“Thank you so much for having us” Hermione stated pleasantly. “Your home is beautiful, and it smells delicious in here.”
“Why thank you, dear. Aren’t you sweet…It is such a pleasure to have company during these dark times. We rarely have visitors anymore.”
“You sound like my mother” Draco chuckled, causing Hermione to backhand him in the stomach. “What? I didn’t mean it as a bad thing!”
“It is quite alright, dear. Caleb has filled me in a bit on your background last night, and if a woman can raise a fine young gentleman like yourself, then I am honored to be compared. Anyway, off you go now, the Dining Room is just over there” she claimed while pointing towards a room to her left. “My husband shall be down shortly, and the food will be out momentarily. Lucy, please be a dear and show them.”
As the group made their way into the Dining Room, Ginny admired the long wooden table with eight seats and wondered how Caleb and his family could afford such luxuries, in the slums of London, owning only a pub. Taking her seat next to Blaise, while nervously waiting until the elder couple entered, Lucy, Hermione, and Draco sat across from the pair, leaving two places open on either end and an empty chair next to the Italian.
“You lot are going to love Ma’s cooking!” Lucy chirped while wiggling in her seat as a small bird fluttered outside the window behind her. “She makes the best food in all of London, though I may be a bit bias” she grinned happily. “So, where are you all from? Mama said you’re new to town. Did you come over on a boat? I always wanted to be on a ship! I have seen them from afar but never up close.”
“Uh, I uh…Well…” Ginny began to stammer when Draco raised his eyes from the table and effortlessly cut her off with a lie.
“France” he claimed smoothly. “Well, I’m from France, Blaise here is from Italy, and Ginny and Hermione are from England, but more north…in York.”
“France and Italy? That is amazing! You both are fluent in the natural languages as well then, yes?”
“We are” the blonde nodded.
“Ooo, can you say something in French? I always wanted to visit Paris too. It’s called the city of love, you know? Well of course you know, silly me.”
“Um, I mean sure, but I don’t really know what you want me to say…”
“Compliment Hermione” Lucy stated with a warm smile while resting her chin in her propped-up hand. “Women love to be complimented in another language. And then Blaise can do Ginny after! Go on, say something endearing!”
“Uhhhhh, okay” he breathed out with a small chuckle before turning to Hermione, seated on his right, as Lucy leaned over and watched the anxiety build within the Prince. “Um…” he began as Hermione sweetly smiled at him and cleared his throat. “Princess…Ma vie n'a pas été la même depuis que je t'ai rencontré...On dit qu'une image vaut mille mots, mais quand je te regarde, Hermione...Je n'en vois que trois. Trois mots que je n'arrive pas à vous dire. Trois mots que j'ai désespérément besoin de dire, mais je ne trouve jamais le bon moment, l'occasion parfaite...Il n'y a pas assez de mots au monde pour vous dire ce que vous représentez pour moi, mon amour, mais je te suivrais dans les ténèbres si cela voulait dire que je pourrais être avec toi pour toujours. Où que vous alliez…je serai là…à chaque étape…”
Everyone stayed quiet as they stared at Draco, mesmerized by the hypnotic language that flowed from his lips while Caleb leaned against the archway with his arms crossed and a tender smile on his face. It seemed that Lucy could also understand the Slytherin and beamed happily with a deep sigh while Hermione, unaware of what her Prince had said, continued to sink further into the depths of Draco’s gaze.
“Wow…” Blaise expressed, breaking the enchanting silence. “I take back what I said last night…I have no idea what the hell you just spoke but forget Hermione…! I wanna marry you now…!” he claimed, causing the girls to laugh as Draco narrowed his brows and chuckled.
“The betrayal!” the bookworm proclaimed with a hand clasped over her chest.
“Sorry, Buttercup…But unless you can speak a seductive language, I’m marrying Draco instead. I already live with him, might as well make it official!”
“I refuse to marry someone who cuddles with a teddy bear every night when he sleeps” the blonde retorted with an impish grin.
“You leave Mr. Snuggles out of this! He’s been by my side since I was a baby!”
“You’re nineteen years old, mate! I think it’s time you let him go…”
“Says the person who wet his bed fourth year after having a nightmare about dragons when witnessing one in…in a book” the Italian retaliated, careful with his words so as not to confuse the light-haired muggle intently listening.
“That was one time!”
“You wet the bed?” Ginny snorted while holding her stomach as laughter overtook her.
“It was one time…” Draco pouted while crossing his arms and huffing sharply through his nose. “One…”
Mary-Ann was about to enter the room with a tray full of tea as the group continued to argue and laugh, when Caleb quickly held up a hand to stop her as a small gasp escaped her lips.
“What?” she whispered as he broke away from the frame and pulled her back into the kitchen. “Caleb darling, what has gotten into you? Did something occur with your friends?”
“You just missed the most beautiful thing I think I have ever heard. Not even my vows to you could measure up” he smirked as his wife set the tray on the island and tilted her head in confusion.
“Okay, I am lost…”
“I just overheard Draco speaking fluent French to Hermione.”
“He can speak French? That’s brilliant…! Well, what did he say? I know you memorized it, Caleb Wolf, don’t you dare hold out on me. You know how much I love all things romantic.”
“Ma vie n'a pas-” he began but was quickly cut off by his wife’s scowl.
“English please, darling. You know I cannot understand foreign tongues” she declared while walking over to the stove to check on the sausages as the group in the Dining Room laughed at Blaise trying to compliment Ginny in Italian, but he couldn’t match the romanticism of the French language.
“My life has not been the same since I met you...” Caleb began gladly. “It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but when I look at you, Hermione...I see only three. Three words I can't seem to tell you. Three words I desperately need to say, but I can never find the right time, the perfect opportunity...There are not enough words in the world to tell you what you mean to me, my love, but I would follow you into darkness if it meant I could be with you forever. Wherever you go…I will be there…every step of the way…” he repeated in the same fashion the blonde had when he spoke to his Gryffindor, causing Mary-Ann to stop what she was doing, turn around with widened eyes, and pout proudly.
“Good Lord above!” she expressed with a hand over her chest. “Aww,” she ticked gleefully, “he loves her-Why can’t you say things like that? Never mind, you,” she waved a hand as her husband slightly frowned, “we have to help him!”
“Help him? How the hell do you plan we help him, Sugar? We cannot force the boy to speak his feelings.”
“No, but we can guide him a bit. You said he is a talented liar, correct? Cunning?" she inquired while appearing to be thinking strongly about something. Caleb nodded his head as his wife suddenly produced a devious grin.
“What are you up to, Mary-Ann?”
“I feel I may have an idea to get him to say it, but not directly say it…”
“I’m all ears, my love. Anything to get Draco to finally tell her, break through the fear. He is just like his ancestor in so many ways, scared to say the one thing that will actually benefit him in the long run.”
“Well, let us eat and we shall discuss it in detail a bit later. Come now,” she smiled happily while picking the tray of tea back up, “grab some food and feed these hungry children before they starve to death and that boy won’t ever be able to tell Hermione he loves her.”
“Yes, Sugar…” he replied while rolling his eyes and moved to grab the large pot of scrambled eggs from off the stove.
XX
“Wow…” Blaise voiced in surprise as he dug into his grilled tomatoes. “Lucy was right, you are an amazing cook!”
“Why thank you, Blaise” Mary-Ann beamed as she took a bite of mushroom. “We grow our own vegetables behind the house, and we buy our meat fresh from the market just off Hanbury Street where that poor woman was murdered almost a fortnight ago. Speaking of meat,” she glanced at Caleb sitting at the other end of the table talking to Ginny about the token he had given her, still around the redheads’ neck, as if she didn’t just bring up a murder. Caleb looked up at his wife and smiled as Ginny continued to eat while shoving a strip of bacon into his mouth.
“Yes, my love?” he inquired after pressing his napkin gently against his lips and finished chewing.
“I think we are running low on ham and I do wish to make a feast tonight to welcome your new friends to the city. Would you be a dear and head down to the butchers this afternoon and pick up two hogs for me?”
“Two? Sugar, that’s a lot of meat for seven people and a lot of brass as well. Why on earth would we need too full hogs?”
“So, we have leftovers of course! In case any of our patrons would like some throughout the week. It will not spoil, I assure you. We can run a special in order to have more people come. For a few pence more, they can buy a beer and get a filling meal as well. Lord knows, we can feed some of the children still on the street, and anyone else who may stop in for shelter from the cold and the rain. We also get a few bobbies in, who are working tirelessly to catch that deranged man sending them letters and killing defenseless birds. Times are hard, dear, and those women have no choice but to sell themselves for a loaf of bread. The least we can do is offer a decent meal to them and the men working passed dinner to solve the crimes being committed in this town.”
“You are too kind” he sighed heavily while glancing down at his plate and resting his forearms upon the edge of the table. “Very well. You make a compelling argument.”
“I always do” she grinned before biting into her sausage and looking over at Lucy, studying Hermione’s soft curls. “Lucy Jean, why don’t you take Hermione and Ginny shopping after breakfast? I’m sure they would love to get some new clothes for themselves and the boys.”
“I have to get the pub set up, Ma. Doctor Hammond has been coming in almost every morning since his wife and newborn passed a month ago. I do not agree with his grieving process, but I cannot deny him, at least not now. And I still must tend to Draco’s bruises, although they seem to be healing quite nicely.”
“How did you boys end up with so many wounds?” Mary-Ann inquired with a sip of her tea.
“Fighting…” Hermione answered flatly. “Each other.”
“Why on Earth, would you boys be fighting one another?” Caleb chimed in, interested to hear their reasoning while expecting it to be related to how one couple left the other behind to go hunting.
“They wanted to see who the alpha dog was, obviously, and couldn’t handle the other complaining anymore” the brunette witch claimed, sneering at both Draco and Blaise. “But I settled the argument for them.”
“Clearly proving who the real Alpha is” the former soldier winked.
“Wait, what happened to the Doctors’ wife and newborn?” Ginny queried with a small frown.
“Lost them in childbirth…” Lucy replied sullenly. “Poor bloke hasn’t been the same since. He tried to save them but there were…complications.”
“Oh, my God…” the redhead gasped.
“Tending to your own friends and family is not something a doctor or a surgeon should do” Lucy continued. “It causes much more heartache than standin’ on the sidelines and waiting. One is bound to make more mistakes and cause further harm. But Cameron was adamant he could deliver their baby boy safely, and he would not trust his wife’s care in anyone else’s hands. Unfortunately-”
“That’s enough talk about such grievances during a meal” Mary-Ann cut in morosely. “You may speak about it after we eat” she commanded, knowing how much her daughter loved to talk about work and could end up diving into too much detail while doing so.
“Yes, Ma.”
“Now, about taking the girls shopping…Caleb?”
“You have me goin’ to the butchers’ after this, darlin…”
“Right! How could I forget…?” the elder Wolf expressed in embarrassment. “When you get to be my age,” she began while chuckling, “and have to keep up with everything from working as a seamstress, to managing the books for the tavern, selling homegrown vegetation, and being a wife and mother, you start to lose your mind.”
“You’re not that old” Caleb smirked with a sly wink.
“I don’t mind going shopping with just ‘Mione” Ginny pipped as she set her fork down and wiped her hands on the napkin splayed across her lap. However, before anyone could reply, a loud knock could be heard at the front door, causing Mary-Ann to sulk her shoulders and sigh heavily.
“Lucy, be a dear…”
“Yes, ma’am” the brunette muggle answered while moving her chair back and standing up. As Lucy went to answer the door, the conversation in the Dining Room continued.
“Anyway, where were we?”
“Shopping, Sugar” Caleb spoke with a small chuckle.
“I know that!” his wife countered with a playful sneer. “I was just…Never you mind, you silly old goat!”
“I love you too” he bantered before continuing his meal just as his daughter nervously peeked her head around the corner.
“Mama…Evelyn is here with Adeline…” she spoke gently.
“Oh, dear God above” Mary-Ann sighed under her breath. “Send her in, I suppose.”
“Be nice, Sugar” her husband stated while trying to hold back a laugh and Lucy went to fetch her co-worker. “Times are hard…remember?” he joked, causing the four Hogwarts students to raise a perplexed brow.
“You shut your mouth this instant, Caleb Wolf!” she scolded while standing up, preparing to meet her guest. “That woman is in a desperate need for a soak. I can hardly stand the smell at times. You cannot say you have not caught the odor as well” she whispered low enough so that only the group surrounding her could hear. “Do not get me wrong, I love the poor dear, but she honestly needs to stop caring for others for just a moment and take a God damn bath” she proclaimed through gritted teeth, just as Lucy, Evelyn, and Adeline rounded the corner. “Evelyn!” she cheered with open arms as the twenty-six-year-old wavy-haired brunette ran up to her and embraced her an unsuspecting large hug, causing Mary-Ann’s smile to fade as she inhaled the foul body odor seeping off the dark blue dress, and Caleb to spit out his tea as a laugh escaped his throat.
“Hello, Caleb” Evelyn beamed while releasing the mother, before realizing four strangers were staring at her. “Oh…” she gulped while taking a step back and hiding slightly behind the elder. Her hazel eyes were wide, like a deer caught in headlights, as Hermione studied the woman’s porcelain skin and low messy ponytail. Evelyn was beautiful and didn’t appear to not take care of herself, but as the stench of the streets began to fill the home, the bookworm slowly set her fork down with a loss of appetite. However, Hermione wasn’t the only one who caught a whiff of the nurse, and both Draco and Blaise scrunched their noses while Ginny procured a faux smile through her sour face.
“It’s alright, Evie” Lucy began tenderly while standing directly behind the small child in the archway, who looked exactly like her mother but with bluer eyes. “They are Pa’s friends” she stated while placing her hands on the shoulders of the girl in front of her, dressed in an aged grey dress, before looking to the four no longer eating. “Forgive her, she is a bit shy around new people.”
“That’s okay” Hermione smiled while slowly standing from her chair. Walking over to the frightened muggle, she raised a hand, and graciously waved.
“Hello, Evelyn…I’m Hermione…It’s really nice to meet you…”
“Hello…” Evelyn said in a serious tone after clearing her throat and standing up straight as if she was greeting a patient.
“I hear you’re a nurse. That’s wonderful! You must see all sorts of things in your line of work.”
“Hello…” she repeated awkwardly, resulting in Hermione scrunching her brows in bewilderment.
“Uh…hi…”
“So, who’s this little one?” Ginny interrupted while smiling at the little girl behind her.
“My name Adeline, Miss” she replied courteously. “Mommy calls me Addie sometimes though…” she claimed, twisting her body back and forth while glancing down at her feet.
“Addie, huh? That’s a pretty name.”
“Thank you, Miss-!”
“Ginevra, but you can call me Ginny. How old are you, Adeline?”
“Sev’n!” the small brunette chirped happily. “I almoss eight, Miss Ginny!”
“Seven?” Hermione pretended to be shocked. “Rubbish! You must be at least twelve! You’re far too mature for seven!” she stated with a large grin as Adeline beamed proudly.
“Mommy said I can learned to help her with the instruments when I turt’ed ten! Right now, I juss help keep people happy when they visit Mr. Hammonds’ home! Momma say that the doctors’ home can be scary, but I think it is a fun home. Not scary at all. I get to do all kinds of things there. I can read and draw a-and talk to all sorts of people!”
“Really?” the brunette witch gleamed. “That’s fantastic! Very brave of you to help others.”
“Sounds like an important job” Draco chimed in as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “You know, Adeline, I know someone just like you. He’s my age though but loves to try and make people happy when he can, and he can heal people as well.”
“Not uh! Who?”
“His name is Blaise and he’s sitting right there” he answered while nodding his head at the Italian, who produced a warm grin.
“You are a doctor like Mr. Hammond?” she questioned sweetly while twirling her dress.
“Not yet” Blaise replied with a cheerful scoff as he leaned an arm over the back of the chair. “One day though. Right now, I’m more like Lucy and studying really hard so that in the future I can help thousands of people.”
“Thousands?” she expressed with wide eyes. “That is like…like all of England!”
“Sort of” he chuckled. “You are a bright young lady!”
“Addie” Mary-Ann cut in with a tender smile, “did Mr. Caleb tell you yet that he just went to the store the other day and found a present for you?”
“No…! What is it?”
“Well, I do not want to give anything away” she stated while slyly glancing to her left.
“Oh please, Miss Mary, please tell me!” the girl begged while running up to the mother Wolf and pulling at her dress.
“I do not know…Mr. Caleb might tickle me mercilessly if I told!” she teased. “I do not know if I can handle such an attack!”
“It can be our secret! I will not tell, I promise!”
“Alright then…” she sighed. “But if he finds out I told you, you will be tickled as well. I cannot help you.”
“No!” Adeline asserted with widened eyes before quickly glancing at Caleb playfully scrunching his nose at her. “He cannot tickle us both! We be too fast for him. He is old!”
“Old?” the former Confederate growled with a slacked jaw. “I’ll show you old…! Uh oh…! You have triggered the unbridled tickle monster! I have but no choice now! I cannot contain it any longer! She must not find the doll in Lucy’s bedroom!” he declared as he swiftly stood and held a hand in the air; his fingers partially curled while his free hand grasped his wrist pretending to hold the arm back.
“Oh no, he heard us! Run, Miss Mary, run!” she giggled while scurrying away from Caleb, who was fake fighting himself before darting off after her, snarling and grunting while calling out that he was going to get her as everyone left in the room laughed.
“Such a sweet child” Mary-Ann claimed with a shake of her head before looking to Evelyn in concern. “Evie, you look famished. Why don’t you join us for a bite? I’ll set up a bath while you eat.”
“No thank you, Mary-Ann. The gesture is appreciated, however, ever since the doctor has abruptly halted working, my job has been getting much harder. We cannot turn everyone away and I can only take care of so many in a day. There is very little time to do anything for myself. More and more people are showing up sick and injured, which means I must make sacrifices for they are more important. I simply came to drop off Addie and be on my way. I hope you do not mind. It is such short notice, but Adeline loves it here and…i-it sounds horrible, but I need to focus on my patients…not her” she declared, however, stating the last part more quietly.
“Very well” the elder mother asserted while straightening her posture and folding her hands neatly in front of her, clearly at odds with herself about retorting callously. “Adeline is always welcome here. You do what you must. I shall see you later tonight when you pick her up.”
“Thank you” Evelyn spoke low, ashamed things had turned sour. “I-I should be going…”
“Yes, you should” Mary-Ann stated low and through a clenched jaw.
“I’ll show you out” Lucy said while removing herself from off the wall she was leaning against. “Then I’ll go distract Papa so you can tell everyone about tonight, Ma.”
“Perfect angel my daughter is…” her mother smiled as the light-haired muggle escorted a sorrowful Evelyn out of the room. “Ugh! I cannot believe that woman!” she expressed once the two were out of earshot and she heard the front door click closed. “Unbelievable...! I-I do apologize” she stated after inhaling a deep breath to calm herself. “Sometimes the neglect of that poor child gets to me.”
“Sometimes?” Blaise mumbled under his breath as Hermione stared unseeingly at the floor, thinking.
“So, what’s going on tonight?” Draco asked while uncrossing his arms and leaning forward. “This is like the third time I heard something is happening. And why does Caleb need to be kept occupied?”
“Well…” Mary-Ann sighed while taking her seat. “I do not know how much you know about Caleb, however, today is a very special day…His birthday. He is not very big on celebrating, but I would love to throw him a gathering. I know they are not popular, though I cannot help loving the idea of getting close friends and family together to dance and eat. We have celebrated once before with a cake but that was years ago with only my parents, may they rest in peace. Though now that he has family of his former friends here, who he seemed to love dearly so, I do wish that you could join us.”
“So, a surprise party?” the blonde Slytherin clarified.
“Yes! A surprise party, as you call it.”
“We are willing to help in any way we can” Hermione voiced quickly while looking up from the ground.
“Oh, thank you, dear.”
“What would you like us to do?” Blaise questioned.
“Well…” the woman beamed happily, “the tavern needs to be cleaned. I already have the custom sign that says, ‘Happy Birthday’, which I have received from Mrs. Taylor down the street, so it just needs to be placed up. I also need to start on his cake, but I cannot make it until he leaves for the butchers. The journey should take him a while, giving me enough time; however, I could use some help and someone to distract him when he returns.”
“I would love to help you bake! My mum taught me everything I know!” Ginny pipped while clapping her hands together.
“I’ll help clean until he returns,” the dark-haired wizard volunteered, “then after I can have him take me out to get us all clothes.”
“I guess that leaves me to hang the banner and fill balloons” Hermione affirmed with a nod of her head.
“Let us get to it then!” Mary cheered in excitement.
“Wait…balloons?” the Italian inquired, knowing the items were not mass-produced until the early nineteen hundred’s.
“Yes, balloons” Hermione enunciated tersely while giving him a pointed look. “You can’t have a party without them.”
“What are these…balloon objects?” the elder Wolf questioned curiously.
“They’re great for decoration, Mary-Ann” the brunette witch explained. “You’ll love them. I uh…I know a man who invented them awhile back and has been trying to perfect them ever since. He has been wanting to test them at a real party…for consumer purposes, that is. I’m sure he would be happy to provide his product.”
“And Caleb will…like…these decorations?”
“I believe he will!”
“Very well. I trust that you know what you’re doing.”
“I promise, your guests are going to love them.”
XX
As Hermione aided Lucy in hanging the plainly decorated banner behind the bar about an hour later, Draco intently examined the run-down solid straight-grain mahogany piano, tucked near the back of the pub. Once Hermione had stepped off the stool to admire her work, Lucy walked back into the kitchen while the brunette witch beamed happily and turned around to see the blonde Prince with his wand out.
“Draco…!” she whispered as she glanced around to make sure Lucy hadn’t stepped back into the room. “What are you doing? Put that away before someone sees!”
“Why?” he shrugged while tapping the Hawthorn against his chin as his other arm remained crossed in front of him and he continued to study the instrument. “They’ll only think it’s a stick” he claimed with a tilt of his head, never once looking in the direction of his Gryffindor.
“What are you even doing over here?” she inquired as she walked around the counter and across the room to stand next to Draco. “Why are you so interested in a dusty old piano anyway? You’ve been staring at it for the past ten minutes like there’s a Boggart or something in it.”
“I’m considering altering it to look like a pony with a clown riding it. I mean, what’s a party without a clown, right?” he chuckled with a shake of his head as Hermione scrunched her nose in dissatisfaction. “Mary-Ann asked if I could look at it” he admitted with a small laugh while finally turning his attention to her. “I told her I could fix it for the party. Apparently, she can play the thing, but hasn’t had it looked at in years. She used to teach but stopped after the city went to hell. It appears relatively intact, just a few pieces need to be reconnected and tuned up.”
“How do you know that? You have some sort of x-ray vision now or something?” she giggled slightly while crossing her arms and gazing at the elegantly carved moldings and intricately painted panels across the front, telling its own story.
“I scanned it with my wand, Hermione…Come on, I’m not some muggle superhero. Although x-ray vision would be a hard-core power to have. I’ll have to look into creating a potion for it…”
“It was a joke, you dunce” she chuckled while playfully shoving his arm.
“But an interesting concept…” he ticked as he tapped his wand once again against his chin.
“A concept that’s impossible.”
“Lies! How would you even know it’s impossible…?” he queried with a raised brow. “You’ve tried it, haven’t you?”
“No comment…” she claimed as Draco snorted slightly.
“Wow!” he continued to laugh. “Leave it to you to try and magically create a superpower…and fail.”
“Shut-up! It was a one-time thing and Ron insisted after reading all those comic books Harry gave him for Christmas last year. I couldn’t have him trying to do it himself. He would have blown up the whole school attempting to create Superman’s’ heat vision, Silver Surfer’s energy absorption, or Thor’s lightning power. We all could have died if I didn’t tell him to let me do it first…But as it turns out, you have to be born with the powers, fall into a nuclear pit, be an alien, or get bit by a radioactive spider.”
“You read the comics-”
“I read the comics” she sighed in defeat, unaware as to why and how he knew what she was talking about.
“Huh…I guess we all should be thanking you then” he joked while trying to hold back a laugh. “Nerd…”
“Just fix your damn piano” she scoffed loudly.
“Oh, don’t be like that, I was just messing with you. And it’s not just a piano. It’s an 1877 custom Broadwood Cottage Upright.”
“Well, well, well, look who’s the nerd now. And dare I ask how you happen to just…know this information?”
“I told you before…I know things too. Stop doubting me all the time” he declared while flicking his wand and restoring the piano to almost new condition before taking a seat in front of it and touching the keys to test them out. Hermione joined him on the two-seater bench, to his right, just as Ginny and Lucy walked out from the kitchen and silently watched the pair. She clicked a few keys before pressing the notes needed to play ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’. “Well, well, well…looks like someone has a few talents up her sleeve” he mocked. “I have some too, you know?”
“When have you ever played an instrument in your life?” she asked with a raised brow. Frowning lightly, Draco shook his head and rolled his eyes before cracking his knuckles and shaking his hands to loosen his fingers. Lining his fingertips up with the correct keys, the blonde Slytherin began playing Nocturne in C Sharp Minor, No. 20.
Hermione’s eyes widened in utter shock as Draco effortlessly preformed the beautiful melody, causing him to briefly glance at her with a large smile after she had gasped. Once he had completed most of what he could remember, he removed his hands when the lasting note was finished while the brunette stared at him in a mixture of bewilderment and astonishment.
“H-h-how?” she managed to breathe out, her gaze lifting to meet his proud eyes. “You can play Chopin?”
“Yes and no…” he nervously claimed while rubbing his palms on his pajama bottoms. “It’s a skill I discovered over the summer…I-I can’t read music, but I can play almost anything as long as I have heard it before…”
“You can-anything?” she asked, still in shock.
“Mostly anything…Hum a tune, I’ll show you.”
“Uh, okay um…” she paused for a moment and gazed up at the ceiling while biting her lip. Thinking of a song, she lowered her head and pursed her lips as a smile grew before clearing her throat and began to hum it. “Daaah. Dah, dah, daaah. Dah, dah, daaah, dah, dah, dah, dah…”
“Really?” he questioned with furrowed brows. “Of all the songs in the world, you pick that one?”
“But…I like that song…It’s my favorite…”
“Jurassic Park, Hermione? I mean, don’t you see the irony in that?” he chuckled while once again shaking his head and rolling his eyes with a small smile on his lips. “Don’t get me wrong, the movie was great, but after experiencing it firsthand, I’ve come to realize how wrong they got a lot of those dinosaurs.”
“Wait, how do you know what movie that’s from?”
“Well if it wasn’t obvious when I was able to name extinct reptiles…” he trailed off as Hermione tilted her head and stared off at nothing. “I like to periodically watch muggle movies just to listen to the compositions in them. I enjoy the different tracks they come up with to draw a viewer into the story. Jurassic Park just happens to be my favorite...”
“Huh…” she ticked “So, you can speak French, you can sword fight extremely well, you love Dinosaurs and volcanoes, and you can play the piano…Is there anything you can’t do?”
“X-ray vision” he claimed in all seriousness before cracking a smile as his witch giggled.
“Okay, smartarse…Play the Main Theme then.”
“Alright, uh…refresh my memory really quick…”
As the Golden Girl began to hum the melody again, Draco intently listened to each key before remembering the song fully for himself. When he had the notes in his head, he stretched his fingers once more and began to play. While making his way through the anthem, he suddenly switched the harmony in order to blend the symphony with the harder, more famous, second half as the Gryffindor Princess’s eyes widened again. However, she quickly licked her lips and proudly grinned before bobbing her head side to side to the rhythm, humming along as the Prince facilely performed her favorite song as if he was First Chair in a concert.
Ginny watched with a large smile on her face as Lucy internally question the amazing melody Draco was playing, and how he not only fixed the piano so quickly, but how he spotlessly cleaned it as well. However, the brunette muggle couldn’t help but feel happy about the moment and leaned on the bar to get a better listen while accidentally knocking a glass onto the floor.
“Shite! Sorry!” she yelped, causing Draco to abruptly stop playing just as he was about to reach the end, and Ginny to scowl at her. “I’m sorry” she repeated woefully.
“It’s alright” the blonde grinned while gently closing the lid over the keys. “Is Blaise back yet with our clothes? I would really like to get out of these pajamas.”
“Not yet,” the redhead asserted, “although he should be here shortly. Mary-Ann has a plan to distract Caleb for a few hours outside the tavern while ‘Mione and I get the hogs ready for tonight. So, Blaise should be free to help you finish cleaning, blow up the balloons, and make sure everything is in order.”
“I can cook too you know…” he mumbled sadly under his breath, causing Hermione to sulk her shoulders and frown. “No one ever asks me…”
It was in that moment that the brunette realized how used the Slytherin must feel. He had all these talents, none of them even knew about, because none of them bothered to get to know him better, and it seemed they only ever used him for his strength when one of them was in trouble. Even when they learned he could speak French back in Rome, they had only ever used that information to have him translate for them on the pirate ship. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how neglected and exploited Draco must feel. All he ever wanted since the beginning, was to feel included, and here they were taking him for granted once again.
“Hey uh, Gin…” Hermione spoke up while slowly removing her gaze from off her wizard, “why doesn’t Draco help you with the hogs. I think I would rather clean and set up instead’ she confessed as the blonde’s gaze quickly shifted to hers. ‘I’m better with decorations anyway.”
“But you’re so good at cooking!” she whined before noticing Draco’s hurt expression and realizing what her friend was doing. “Fine…” she claimed with a deep inhale. “Blondie, can you cook? I feel with your many talents, culinary arts should be on that list as well, yeah?” Draco lowered his head with parted lips and somber eyes before clearing his throat and nodding his head. “Well come on then! We have a lot to do and very little time to do it!”
“I have to make a run to pick up some more ale” Lucy added after cleaning up the broken glass from off the floor. “Will you lot watch the pub for me until I return? Doctor Hammond did not come in this mornin’, but I have a strong feeling he will arrive tonight. Ma invited him to the party and that man right now cannot say no to alcohol, which means I am goin’ to need a lot more.”
“I’ll make sure to keep watch” the brunette witch pipped. “The tavern is safe with me. You go.”
As Lucy nodded her head once before stepping out of the room, Draco stood and gulped anxiously before hurrying towards the kitchen to help Ginny. But he suddenly stopped at the door and smiled at his girl to silently thank her, before turning on his heel and leaving the Gryffindor Princess alone in the pub.
XX
“I can’t believe it!” Lucy chirped in astonishment as she rested the sides of her fingers against her lips. “You sure know how to set up a party! I don’t know how you did it, Hermione, but these balloon things are a hit! The kids absolutely love them, even the adults are playing with them. Please make sure to tell your friend how grateful we are to him and his invention.”
“It’s nothing really” the brunette Gryffindor beamed as she watched Draco bounce a few transfigured white latex gloves around the room with Adeline. “He was happy to help. I’ll make sure to report back to him about how loved his invention is” she lied, knowing the world wouldn’t see balloons until 1930. “Anyway, I should go and see if Ginny needs any help getting the cheese trays together.”
“You let her know she needs to get her arse out here and soon, for the surprise!” Lucy called out as Hermione made her way across the room and towards the kitchen.
“Oh!” Ginny yelped as she walked out the door and almost ran face-first into her friend. “Godric, ‘Mione! You scared me half to death!” she claimed while carrying two large trays of meats, cheeses, and vegetables.
“Sorry. I was just coming to see if you needed any help” she smiled while taking one of the trays from her friends’ hands.
“I’m okay!” she gleamed happily. “I just have these and the second hog to bring out. By the way, we really need to thank your boyfriend” she grinned from ear to ear while they set the trays on a table against the wall to the side of the bar.
“Why…?” Hermione queried with a raised brow.
“Uhhhh, because he’s a fucking fantastic cook, that’s why! He practically did everything himself and without magic” she whispered. “It was like I was watching one of those culinary shows on the telly at your parents’ house. He taught me things my mother most likely doesn’t even know how to do. Do you know that cutting things into thin strips is called Julienning? I sure as hell didn’t know that! Look at these carrots, ‘Mione! Look at them! They’re fucking perfect!”
“Okay, Gin, put the carrot down before you poke someone’s eye out” she chuckled while gently lowering the redheads’ hand.
“How the hell does he know how to do all this shite?” Ginny continued while dusting her hands on the apron covering her long-sleeved light-colored tea dress that was very similar to the one Hermione was wearing. “He has so many skills none of us even knew about.”
“Well…I mean, none of us have really gotten to know him other than what he’s shown at school or during this adventure. If you really think about it, how much do we really know about Blaise, besides that he wants to become a healer and hates dinosaurs.”
“I know things about Blaise!”
“Really? Okay, what’s his favorite color?” she asked while crossing her arms, causing Ginny to begin stuttering. “Why doesn’t he talk about his mother? How did he learn to sword fight? What other talents does he possess besides speaking Italian perfectly or knowing history? What’s his favorite food; favorite animal?”
“Horses…” a familiar voice cut in, forcing the girls to look at the man who had interrupted them. “Blaise loves horses” Draco repeated with three beers in his hands. “And I was on house arrest for a few months before school started, completely bored, which is how I learned to play the piano that sits in the Library at Malfoy Manor. Pansy also visited a few times and taught me how to cook. Blaise had no interest and instead read a lot. His favorite food is macaroni and cheese, his favorite color is Emerald Green whereas mine is Royal Blue, and he doesn’t talk about his mother because she practically abandoned him in order to search for a husband with money. We both learned to sword fight as kids because as purebloods of our status, it was required, and one of his secret talents is singing, another is dancing. If you would just ask us and actually start a conversation that doesn’t involve being trapped in the past o-or you constantly trying to provoke us, then we would stop surprising you both all the time.”
“Well…” Ginny began to counter while crossing her arms in front of her, before taking one of the beers from his outstretched hand, “it’s not like you ask us about our talents or anything either!” she argued.
“We don’t need to. We already know” he proclaimed while handing Hermione the second bottle.
“Oh, yeah…? What’s Hermione’s favorite color then, hmm?”
“Ruby Red” he answered as a matter of fact while taking a sip of the alcohol and produced a sour expression when the taste of the liquid touched his tongue.
“That was too easy. Animal then?”
“Dolphin…” he claimed in a hoarse voice while looking at the bottle in disgust.
“Book?” Hermione chimed in with a raised brow.
“Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, published in 1937. Your favorite character is Hercule Poirot, you love murder mystery novels, you’re favorite dessert is blueberry cobbler, you take a splash of cream and one sugar with your tea, and your favorite class is Arithmancy, although you excel at Transfiguration and Charms. I’m not a prat or oblivious to things around me and all of that is common knowledge, which a lot of people know because we’ve only been going to school with both of you for years. We overhear things and we pay attention. I may have been a right git back then, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know things. I am just as smart as Hermione is, but neither of you seems to be able to look passed certain traits in order to see that.”
“I-I’m sorry, Draco…” Ginny claimed ruefully as she lowered her head in shame. “I didn’t mean to be so callous.
“Don’t be sorry, Red. Just ask next time you want to know something.”
“HE IS HERE!” Lucy shouted in a loud whisper over the indistinct chatter engulfing the tavern, causing Blaise to break away from the conversation he was having with Doctor Hammond and Walter, and make his way over to his friends huddled by the food station. “Everyone be quiet and get ready! You all know what to do! Just like we practiced!” she commanded while happily making her way around the counter in order to join the fifty or so patrons eager to celebrate their close friends’ birthday.
As the camera man centered himself in the middle of the crowd, everyone grabbed a balloon and waited for the kitchen door behind the bar to open, while a few people dimmed the gas-fueled sconces, readying themselves for when the time came to relight them. It didn’t take long before they heard the soft murmurs of voices on the other side of the entryway, and finally the swinging door opened.
“SURPRISE!” they all yelled as the lights turned back on and a bright flash glowed throughout the room. Balloons drifted downward as Caleb stood frozen in the archway and his wife beamed proudly behind him, but Lucy ignored the stunned gaze of her father and quickly rushed over to him with a large smile on her lips.
“Happy Birthday, Daddy!” she merrily spoke while tenderly kissing his cheek, pulling him from the small flashback of the war rattling through his mind.
“Uh…I uh…” he breathed heavily as he looked at all the faces of his friends, trying his best to not picture them as Confederates storming Gettysburg.
“Hey, Caleb!” Blaise called out, realizing exactly why the man was acting so strangely. “Happy Birthday, mate! Come on in, enjoy your party!”
Turning around and setting his beer down on the round food table, the blonde glanced at both girls in disappointment before walking over to the piano to play an upbeat tempo, drawing Caleb further out of his own nightmare.
After two hours of partying, once Caleb was finally able to pull himself together and greet his guests, Draco, Hermione, Blaise, and Ginny sat at the bar, laughing and drinking the night away. They were, however, interrupted briefly when a man approached them stating he was from a small newspaper company and was taking pictures of all the people celebrating the birth of their friend.
“Squeeze in now!” he ordered joyfully before backing away from his camera for a moment and began scanning the room. “Ah! Caleb, my good man! Come over here! I want to get a photograph of you with these fine young birds and gents! Bring Lucy and Mary-Ann as well! We do not have enough portraits of you and your guests! Come, come!” Caleb and his wife politely exited the conversation they were having with Mary’s cousins and made their way through the rather large crowd up to the bar. “Where is your daughter? Someone find that impertinent child! I know she hates her portrait taken, but this is a family event, my good people! Memories must be made!”
“I am right here, Stanley!” Lucy chuckled with a roll of her eyes while standing up from behind the counter with a bottle of whiskey in her hand. “That man is fierce when it comes to his craft of photographs” she giggled to the four that had turned their heads to face her. “Always has to make sure it is absolutely perfect. He used up all his film just to take that single portrait of us hangin’ over the mantle of our fireplace last year. I cannot imagine how much he is using tonight.”
“Come hither, Lucy Jean! We have not got all moonlight!” he yowled while throwing a fist into the air and looking back down into his camera just as Lucy stuck out her tongue.
“He be lucky he’s an old family friend. Otherwise, he would find this bottle shoved somewhere where the sun don’t shine!” she spoke loud enough for the man to hear, causing him to shake his head as a smirk radiated his face.
Setting the bottle down, Lucy hopped on top of the bar and swung her legs over the side of Blaise while Mary-Ann slouched her shoulders in disappointment. However, she was having far too much fun to say anything and instead proudly stood next to her husband seated beside Hermione.
“Alright, my good Lords and Ladies! Huddle in close and give us a smile!” Once he had taken a normal picture, Stanley rewound his camera and stopped the group from dissipating before he had a chance to take another. “Hold on now, let us take one more” he suggested as Lucy whined and threw her head back. “Don’t you groan at me, Miss Independent! I used to help change your diapers when you were a babe!”
“Oh, you had to bring that up, did you? That argument is vintage anymore; just like you, old timer!” she joked while scrunching her nose at him.
“Har, har…Get your jesting in now, young bird. One day you’ll be just as elderly as me and wishing you did not say such heinous things to your dear ancient Godfather!”
“Can we hurry this up, please?” Mary sulked with a deep inhale. “We have guests to mingle with.”
“Yes, yes…Very well. Let us be loose in this one and you may be on your way…Alright now, strike a posture, my dear miscreants!”
As Caleb pulled Mary onto his lap and Blaise embraced Ginny in his arms, Lucy got to her knees to prop herself up behind the couples while Draco looked to Hermione, unknowing of how she wanted to pose…if she even wanted to pose with him. Gulping slightly as Stanley counted down from three, time seemed to stand still as Draco reached out, pulled the witch into his arms, and swiftly dipped her while pressing a searing kiss against her eager lips just as the flash went off. Pulling back slightly and smirking, Caleb tilted his head as everyone stared at the pair in amazement and Stanley’s jaw dropped.
“Lovely…” he pipped. “Never seen that before…”
“Sorry…” Draco breathed out while righting Hermione. “I-I saw that in a picture once and always wanted to try it…” he admitted while rubbing the back of his neck as Stanley spoke to Mary about when the photos would be developed.
“That famous one from 1945 with the sailor and dental assistant in New York?” the Golden Girl questioned in fascination while delicately biting her bottom lip.
“Yeah, I-I guess that’s the one…”
“How about a round of whiskey for my good friends!” Caleb shouted while holding his beer in his hand after his wife had discretely nodded her head and winked at him, signaling him to start their plan to help the blonde Prince. “Lucy, my dear, pop open that bottle!”
“You got it, Papa!” she chirped while hopping off the counter and grabbing six of their best French silver shot glasses. While the brunette muggle poured out the dark liquid, Caleb walked behind the bar and rested his arms on the counter. “Here we are!” she declared, passing the shots to each person.
“Now we’re talking!” Blaise happily proclaimed while rubbing his hands together.
“Cheers, to my father!” Lucy began while holding her glass in the air. “May he always stay humble, and may God grant him the ability called a ‘sense of humor’!”
“Hey!” he contended.
“Sorry, I cannot hear you! The alcohol is preventing me from listening! It is like it is blocking my ears somehow!” she quipped while quickly drinking her shot and pointing to her ear and jokingly humming.
A few shots and a couple of beers later, Blaise was gorging on the ham Draco had cooked earlier in the day while Hermione and Ginny were dancing with Stanley, and Mary-Ann was blissfully playing the piano. After catching their breaths and heading back to the boys, Draco cut his conversation short with Caleb and Lucy about the balloons and the food he had a hand in making, when the wavy-haired witch draped her arm over her wizards’ shoulders.
“What do we say to a game?” the former Confederate suggested while patting his hand against the counter.
“What sort of game are we talking about here?” Draco questioned while Blaise wiped his hands on a cloth napkin and licked his lips, clearly intoxicated but able to hold his own just as the blonde could.
“Ooo, I wanna play!” Ginny drunkenly declared while licking her fingers after dipping them in leftover juice on Blaise’s plate.
“Hermione?” Caleb queried while looking to the girl playing with Draco’s face.
“Yeah?” she asked while poking the blondes’ cheek repeatedly. “You have the smoothest skin…I have…ever felt! It’s so squishy!” she stated, causing Draco to chuckle. “I could pet it alllllll day…”
“Alright, love, why don’t you have a seat? You can play with my face later” he claimed while standing up and helping his Gryffindor sit on the stool.
“Promise?” she pouted as Lucy handed her a glass of water.
“I promise, Princess.”
“Oh my God, I love that nickname!” Throwing her head back with a groan, she began to giggle uncontrollably before looking back to the people raising their brows at her. “Did you know he gave me that nickname?” she expressed with a large smile while pointing to Draco as she leaned forward in order to talk to the duo behind the bar. “It’s special! Just for me, not you! You can’t use it! Only he can…”
“She does not drink much, does she?” Lucy questioned while helping the witch drink her water from across the counter and Ginny laid her head on the Italians’ shoulder.
“Nope!” Ginny chimed in with a raised hand, though never removed her head from off the dark-skinned wizard. “I think this is the first time she’s been sloshed…However,” she lifted her head and began to take a sip of the water in front of her, “she didn’t have that much…I think this is her tipsy stage…Ooo, I wanna see her sozzled stage!”
“I’m not drunk…” Hermione asserted with a frown. “You lot are just…scared…you’ll lose the game to me…psh…Pussies.”
“Well!” Caleb laughed along with Lucy and Ginny as Draco lowered his head and chortled and Blaise almost spat out his beer. “I think that's enough alcohol for you now…”
“You take that beer from me, Caleb, and I promise, it will be the last thing you ever do…”
“Feisty…I like drunk Hermione!” Blaise stated after wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve and leaned his arms on the counter. “I think I’m starting to veer back into wanting to marry you again!”
“Thank you, Blaise!” the bookworm spoke proudly while clinking her glass against his. “I knew you’d see the error of your ways and come around eventually.”
“You are something else, Buttercup…! So, what are the rules of this game, Caleb? Can’t have Hermione here, showing us all up.”
“Well, it’s a game I used to play with my brothers when we were young, called Truth or Liar.”
“Fuck!” the redhead frowned while sulking her shoulders.
“What? What’s wrong?” Lucy inquired nervously. “Papa isn’t that great at it.”
“I don’t know about him, but Blondie,” she turned her gaze to the Malfoy heir standing behind her best friend, “is the best fucking liar at our school…Well, I mean…the school we used to go to…together…in Scotland” she claimed, hoping she didn’t give too much away in terms of where they were really from.
“Then we will just have to see who the best is, won’t we?” Lucy challenged while scowling at Draco, who had no idea what he was in for.
“Alright, rules are as followed” her father began as she continued to try and provoke the blonde Prince with a playful hardened scowl. “When it is your turn, you must do your best to convince each person playing that what you are saying is the truth. It can be anything from the way they look, to how they act, to something that happened in your life. The person on the receiving end must then say if they believe the tale. At the end of each turn, it will be revealed if you were telling the truth or if you were lying. If it turns out that the person was lying and you believed them, you must take a swig. Same goes for if they were telling the truth and you thought it a lie. However, if the receiver wins the round, the person who created the tale must drink. Winner of the coin flip gets to go first, and we’ll go from there, sound good?”
“Bring it on!” Hermione shouted as a loud burp escaped her throat and she quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment.
“What…the…fuck?” Blaise chortled as everyone stared in amazement.
“Jesus!” Lucy laughed uncontrollably.
“Oh, God! I’m sorry!” the bookworm stated in worry. “I-I have no idea where that came from!”
“It sounded like your soul left your body!” the light-haired muggle declared through her giggle fit as Ginny burped louder to help take the embarrassment off her friend.
“Damn it, Ginny!” Hermione yelled in a playful anger while pounding her fist on the bar. “That was better than mine!”
“You lot want a burping contest; we can squeeze that in later” Caleb asserted with a small chuckle.
“Okay, let’s just play…” Draco stated through chuckles of his own. “Before Blaise beats us all at belching. Merlin knows, he’s the supreme leader in that category.”
“And proud of it!” the Italian cheered. “But I think my girl is reigning Queen right now!” Leaning over, the Italian succulently kissed Ginny on the lips as his friends around him scrunched their noses.
“Get a room, mate!’ Draco declared through a chuckle.
“Oh, I will later…I definitely will” he retorted before lightly flicking his tongue over the tip of his witch’s nose, causing her to giggle as his best friend rolled his eyes.
Once almost everyone had had their turn and Lucy was unfortunately winning, Draco, now standing in between Hermione and Blaise, who were still seated on the stools, straightened his posture as he was the last to go. Taking a sip of the beer he had grown numb to, he cleared his throat and began with Caleb, saving Lucy and Hermione for last because he knew they would be harder to fool. After easily deceiving the former Confederate with a truth about his childhood, and convincing both Ginny and Blaise to believe him when he lied about what he did over the summer and who is former crushes were, he turned to Lucy and smiled wickedly.
“Lucy…” he inhaled slowly as his left brow shot up. “Lucy, Lucy, Lucy…If I’m being completely honest here, when I first met you, I thought you were utterly annoying” he began in all seriousness while giving her his signature Malfoy smirk. “And given the severity of our situation, being stuck here because we got lost and had nowhere else to stay, I would have rather drank your entire supply of that disgusting beer then spend another minute in your presence. But now that I have gotten to sort of know you, you’re…tolerable.”
Lucy’s face fell to sadness as everyone gazed at him in shock before she pressed her tongue against the corner of the inside of her cheek and scowled at him while trying to decipher if what he was saying was true or not. He didn’t exactly give away many clues in terms of what he said, nor did he make it easy to pick his words apart. They all were very much aware of how he hated the taste of the beer and she knew she could be annoying at times, which could mean his statement was true. But at the same time, she couldn’t see the man purposely hurting her feelings in front of her father and his friends. Then again, she had only just met him yesterday and didn’t know him that well.
Draco apparently was also exceptionally good at creating a poker face, which normally she could easily break when she would play cards with some of her regulars that came into the tavern; however, no matter how hard she tried to intimidate the Slytherin, he wouldn’t budge. Giving up, she attempted to answer and hoped she guessed correctly in order to even the score between them. She had never lost a game of Truth or Liar and she wasn’t about to start now with a newbie.
“Trruuuuuu-No lie!” she declared, causing the Prince to lift the shot glass in front of him and quickly down it. “HA!”
“Merlin’s beard, mate!” Blaise spoke in bewilderment. “I thought you were serious for a moment!”
“You honestly believe I would insult Caleb’s daughter right in front of him? Let alone insult her period when she’s been nothing but nice to us?”
“Well technically…” Ginny began but was quickly cut off when Draco raised a hand to stop her without even glancing in her direction.
“Leave it be, Red” he stated as she rolled her eyes and chortled into her hand. “That was years ago.”
“Alright, now you only have Buttercup left” Blaise announced while leaning to the side and crossing his arms as Draco’s mind suddenly went blank. “You deceive her, and you win!” Hermione narrowed her brows, challenging the Malfoy heir to fool her as the blonde just stared, unknowing of what to say.
“Uhhh, Draco?” Caleb probed as everyone raised a brow of confusion. “You alright, friend? She’s not that intimidating now…Well she is, but you know what I mean.”
“I-I-I, um…” he gulped while quickly glancing away for a moment before looking back to the bookworm. “Your-your hair is ugly…” he breathed out the first lie that could come to mind, causing Hermione to narrow her brows and tilt her head to the side.
“Oh, come on!” the Italian uttered in disbelief. “You can definitely do better than that! You’re not even trying!”
“Yeah…Blondie, you’re the one who did her hair…” the redhead added as Draco’s palms began to grow sweaty and his heart raced faster within his chest.
Noticing his distress and the redness growing in the Slytherins’ cheeks, Caleb carefully gave the blonde a knowing look while pointing to Hermione with his eyes, hoping it was enough of an encouragement to help him out. Seeing as the game was his wife’s idea to aid the Prince through alcohol in the first place, he couldn’t fail now. He had to ignite Draco’s strengths in order to assist him; and after getting to know him much better during the night, he had come to realize the Malfoy heirs’ main advantage…was deception. He knew of no one better in the craft, not even his own daughter, which he figured is why Mary-Ann suggested he convince Draco into prevaricating his true feelings. He just prayed Hermione would understand the real words the blonde was about to speak.
“Tell her…” he grunted through gritted teeth, causing the group to eye him skeptically.
“Tell me what…? Draco?”
“I…” he began before gulping once more and licking his lips while the air in is lungs almost ceased to exist. “Hermione…e-everything I am about to tell you…is true…” he declared with a deep exhale. “Please believe me…”
“Draco…? Is-is everything alright?”
“Yes, Hermione…” he lied as beads of sweat began to riddle his forehead. “Everything is fine…”
“What’s wrong?” she asked, making Caleb weakly grin when he noticed how the brunette was finally catching on.
“I…I-I hate…that you have a specific bookmark, which your parents got you for your birthday two years ago, so that when you read you don’t have to crease the corners of the pages because we all know how precious books are to you…”
“What?” she exhaled quickly, completely caught off guard.
“O-or how you bite your bottom lip when you concentrate hard on solving a difficult puzzle…” he nervously confessed as everyone around him went dead quiet. “You infuriate the ever-living shite out of me when you decide to take the long way back to our Common Room just so you can take in the grounds during the evening sunset. I despise the fact that I spent my entire summer after the war, cooped up in my Manor, studying muggle shite in hopes that when we returned to school, I could start some sort of conversation with you.”
“Draco, I-”
“And I hate that every time you open your mouth…my heart doesn’t race, I don’t stutter when searching to find the right words, I don’t have to be nervous try-trying to be so damn perfect for you all the time, and I can breathe around you…” he paused as an overwhelming shock engulfed every inch of the bookworm.
Albeit, realizing that he could say the words he needed to in a lie, he had to get them out before he lost the courage to do so. It was his only chance and it was now…or never. “I don’t want to spend every night falling asleep next to you o-or waking up with you in my arms each morning. I’m…I’m not terrified to lose you. I’m not scared out of my mind thinking I’m gonna wake up in the middle of the night just to find out I was hallucinating the whole thing…hallucinating you. Like-like it was all some nightmare, a hoax, a dirty trick being played on me. I can breathe without you. You’re not the oxygen that fills my lungs or the blood that causes my heart to beat…
“I thought admitting you this would be a lot harder and I haven’t been wanting to tell you for a while now…I-I don’t care about you, I never did…I…” his voice shook as the confession rested on the tip of his tongue and he suddenly felt his own eyes begin to water. He was laying everything on the line and fully opening himself for the first time; doing the one thing he feared more than anything and found every excuse in the book to avoid it. But he had already gone too far; he had no choice anymore but to keep going. “I-I don’t-I’m not falling head over heels in love with you, Hermione…” he breathed out, resulting in gasps to be heard from Ginny and Lucy while Mary-Ann, who was watching in the distance, immediately stopped playing the piano as Hermione sharply inhaled…speechless. “I-I don’t love you…”
As he held his breath, although grateful he was finally able to tell her his true feelings, even if it was in a lie while playing a stupid game, Draco waited anxiously for the Princess to say something, anything. The whole room had gone silent as the people in the tavern apprehensively watched, however, Hermione continued to just sit frozen in shock with parted lips. Without warning, her stomach began to churn wildly, causing nausea to fill her throat as Draco’s eyes searched her soft brown iris’s and think that he had just made the biggest mistake…of his entire life.
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The Paths We Take