Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

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
- 25
- 26
- 27
Thank you guys for your lovely reviews and patience. I'm sorry for not letting you know sooner that the chapter was going to be delayed. I didn't think it was going to be, but it ended up getting the better of me. Although, I feel it's good now and the next chapter will be posted next week, I promise. I'm sorry for all the set backs, however, I want to make sure each chapter is the best that I can do before posting. I can't wait to read your reactions for 26 and 27 when posted. I sure as hell know 27 is going to be excellent. Anyway, enjoy 26 and don't forget to leave those wonderful comments! As always, XOXO
“They say I'm crazy
But the whole world has gone mad
They think I'm dangerous
I might agree with that
When everything I touch will break
Loving you is my escape
So come on give me what I crave
I want it, I want it
Do you want it?”
I Scare Myself- Beth Crowley
Chapter 26- Discoveries
Saturday, May 16^th, 1999
Adjusting his collar as he studied the hunter green button-down shirt and dark blue jeans in the long mirror, Harry inhaled a deep breath to try and calm his nerves as he stood in his bedroom. As he exhaled quickly, he froze for a moment with widened eyes before cupping his mouth with his hand and puffed twice to smell his breath. Rushing over to the nightstand, he reached into the single drawer for his mint spray and examined it to make sure it wasn’t one from the Weasley’s joke shop that turned a person’s tongue blue. After spraying two pumps into his mouth and one extra, just in case, he was about to close the drawer before seeing the glass bottle of cologne Hermione had gotten him for Christmas, hidden under the handkerchief Molly had knitted him.
Sighing heavily, he picked the bottle up and frowned as he remembered back to when he had first opened the small neatly wrapped gift box. Hermione had been so excited when he lifted the dark liquid-filled bottle with a gold Stag head lid from the silk encasing, that he couldn’t help but to feel elated at her joy. However, looking at it now, made him miss her infectious smile more than anything. Turning the bottle in his hand, he felt ashamed that he had tossed the gift into the drawer and completely forgot about it. It wasn’t that he didn’t love the present, because he did, he just had nowhere to wear it or anyone to wear it for.
Removing the lid carefully, Harry sniffed the fragrance and smiled while he shook his head. He didn’t normally enjoy strong scents, however, it seemed Hermione knew not only exactly what he would like but had also made sure to not pick out an overpowering aroma. The cologne smelled of a woodsy amber with a hint of brandy and shaving soap mixed in, making him understand the reasoning behind the Stag cap. It wasn’t just to match his Patronus charm, although he was happy that it did. After spraying a few squirts across his body, he was about to place the bottle back into the drawer when he changed his mind, and instead walked over to his dresser, shifted back the tall colorful pillar candle Luna hand-made him for his birthday, and set in on top so he would never forget it again.
As Harry continued to get ready for his date, across the hall, Pansy was reading the borrowed history book as Luna gleefully styled her hair.
“What potions do you use on your hair?” Luna questioned while tilting her head back and forth, studying the long black locks in her hands. “It’s so soft and shiny! I could run my fingers through it all day and never get tired!”
“I don’t use potions in my hair anymore…” Pansy replied as she briefly glanced up from the tome on her lap and watched Luna in the long-standing mirror in front of her. “Just normal everyday muggle shampoo and conditioner. They’re still expensive products, but I feel the effects last longer, which means I don’t have to constantly keep reapplying elixirs when they wear off. I can show you later if you want, and you’re more than welcome to use anything of mine” she smiled warmly.
“That is exceedingly kind of you. I may take you up on that offer” Luna grinned before deciding on how she wanted to style the Slytherin’s hair. Choosing a simple yet flirty, half-up half-down do, she began to lightly curl and tease Pansy’s silky black hair with her wand. When she was about halfway done however, she noticed how quiet the Princess had gotten and tilted her head in confusion. “What’s wrong, Pansy?” Leaning over her shoulder, she spotted the book in Pansy’s hands, and relaxed her shoulders as she studied the pictures on the pages.
There on the parchment were four black and white pictures with a yellow hue, she had never expected to see. One was a photograph of a cheerful older man, holding a beer in the air, while another was the same man but with two beautiful women on either side of him. Luna assumed someone was celebrating a birthday, from all the balloons scattered across the floor, but what had immediately caught her eye, was the last two images.
“Holy mother of Merlin...I…I-I found them…” Pansy gasped when she studied the picture of Blaise, Ginny, Hermione, and Draco all posing with the same middle-aged man and two women, before looking to the photograph of Hermione and Ginny kissing the elders’ cheeks as Blaise and Draco appeared to be upset in the background. “They…they’re right there! We have proof that they’re okay…! Wow…” she expressed in shock. “They look so…different and…happy…”
Luna had to agree that the four seemed to have aged, but she knew it was because the group had been through hell and no one, except Harry, had seen them in what felt like forever. Although, the more she studied the pictures the more her mind began to churn.
“Pansy…how-how many years was it from Gettysburg to 1888?” she questioned with a slight tilt of her head.
“Ummm, I don’t know. Gettysburg was, what, 1863? So…twenty-five years. Why?”
“And what does that caption say?” she asked while pointing under the group photo.
“Uh…” Pansy began with a raised brow before looking at the inscription below the picture of the happy seven. “The celebration of pub owner, Caleb Wolf’s, forty-eighth birthday in Whitechapel, London, England, September 27^th, 1888. Dark Wolf’s Tavern. Pictured above from left to right, Mary-Ann Wolf, Caleb Wolf, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Lucy Jean Wolf, Blaise Zabini, and Ginny Weasley…Oh, my Gods! Their last ancestor was named Caleb, wasn’t it? Is this him?”
“He’s handsome…for an older man that is…” the Ravenclaw claimed with an awkward smirk. “But why is he in 1888 when he was their ancestor in 1863?”
“I don’t think he’s their ancestor in this era…” Pansy proclaimed while concentrating hard on the picture before her. “Merlin’s beard…! That’s his daughter, Lu…she’s their ancestor!”
“Does it say anything else?”
“Uh…no…” she answered before flipping the page, only to find herself trying to catch her breath as tears began to well in her eyes. Covering over half the page was an image she never thought she would see and an image that for some reason…broke her heart. Pansy was speechless as she stared at Draco dipping Hermione Granger in his arms and passionately kissing her as if…as if he loved her. All she could feel was a mixture of shock, confusion, betrayal, and sadness wash over her and she had no idea how to handle all the feelings at once. However, the sound of Luna’s calming voice pulled her from her stupor and she quickly wiped away the tear that had unconsciously fallen down her cheek.
“He’s still your friend, you know…?” she spoke somberly but sweetly at the same time. “It doesn’t matter who he fancies, Pans…Draco will always be your friend.”
“I…I-I don’t know why I’m so upset right now” Pansy half-heartedly chuckled, “he never really wanted me anyway and besides…I-I have Harry, right? So, I shouldn’t be bothered by this…Why am I so bothered by this?”
“Because he was your first love, regardless of if the feelings were returned or not” the blonde shrugged while closing the book in the Slytherins hands. “But he likes Hermione…He always has.”
“What? You’re lying! He’s never liked her! He used to go out of his way to torment her!” Pansy declared with narrowed brows as she turned in her seat and glanced at the Ravenclaw curiously.
“People seem to think that a lot actually,” Luna smiled warmly as she went back to styling Pansy’s hair, “but it’s been obvious since the beginning. He has always watched her, he warned Harry and Ronald to get her out of the chaos during the Quidditch World Cup, and I even saw him once aid Hermione during class, by putting in an extra drop of the ingredient she had miscalculated into her potion, so that all her hard work wouldn’t be ruined. It may appear to his friends that he hated her, and for a while he may have tried to, but Draco has always cared for her.”
“I’m one of his closest friends! He would have said something to me! I would have seen it!” she claimed as she quickly stood and turned to fully face the blonde seventh year as the book on her lap fell to the ground with a hard thud. Although, after studying her face for a brief moment, the Slytherin suddenly realized that Luna herself, had never said anything either. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why? You knew I had strong feelings for Draco. You knew he would never want me and instead of just saying something during the beginning of all this, you wait until now, until after I saw that photo!”
“If I would have said something, then you never would have wanted the man who seems to actually be falling in love with you” she admitted in a serious tone, her words crisp and clear as her shoulders relaxed. “You never would have agreed to be with Harry if you didn’t figure out on your own that Draco wasn’t the right one for you. Everything that happens in our lives has a lesson, and people telling you that someone is not right for you repeatedly, is just going to push you closer to them. You had to come to terms with it on your own…Draco belongs with Hermione, Pans; we’ve all known that since they first met, even if they didn’t. And you just said it yourself…you had strong feelings for him. Which means your love for him shifted on to someone else.”
“I am not falling in love with Harry! It’s…it’s too soon for that! I-I hardly know him!”
“I never said it was Harry” she grinned proudly. “But are you certain you don’t…? Because I saw you earlier today when that girl was flirting with him; I saw how hurt you were, and I saw how much you cared that he was kind of acting like Draco in a way. There’s no time limit on when you can love someone, Pansy. Some fall in love the moment they see their soulmate and for others, it may take a little longer to develop or to even say the words. And you know him, silly” she giggled slightly. “You may not know certain things about him, but you know him. You’re simply scared to open yourself up to someone new.”
“I don’t love him…” the dark-haired witch stated in a softer tone. “A-and I’m not scared…”
“Listen, Pansy,” Luna sighed while picking the book up from off the ground and set it on the end of her bed. “Everything is changing around us at such a fantastic speed and it’s hard to keep up, I know that, but you’re asking all the wrong questions here. Seeing that picture of Draco and Hermione…what you’re feeling isn’t jealously; it’s your emotions telling you that you need to finally move on and let the man who actually wants you, in. This isn’t about what I did or didn’t tell you or what’s happening between our friends in the past. This is about you being too terrified to love someone for real. You have a complex mind, Pansy, full of all these different emotions that make it hard for any man to keep up with…But Harry can, and he has. The question now isn’t why is it bothering you so much to see your past love moving on…It’s why can’t you too?
“Why can’t you be happy for once? Why do you constantly have to hide behind the steel walls you’ve built when we all know you are desperate to be free of the barriers surrounding you? You have that chance with Harry, Pans. He can show you the way out if you just let him. Don’t worry about what Draco is doing with his love life, stop caring if another girl flirts with your man because we both know he would never purposely hurt you, and for the love of Rowena, Pansy, stop thinking Harry is going to change his mind about you. You’ve shown him the darkest part of your soul today and he never once questioned you about it or tried to make you feel bad for freaking out on Houston and Dan. He even still wants to take you to dinner tonight. If that doesn’t show how much he cares about you then I honestly don’t know what will, but you have to allow him to be your escape, Pansy, because we both know you need him…just as much as he needs you…Now…” Luna huffed while placing her hands on the back of the chair, “can you please sit back down so that we can finish your hair and makeup before Harry shows up and you’re not ready yet?”
Completely taken aback and with tears brewing in her dark eyes, Pansy speechlessly glanced to the chair before returning her focus back to the blonde in front of her. She knew Luna was right, but how could she admit to herself that she was falling hard for Harry when they hadn’t even gone on their first date yet? It scared her more than anything to realize how much she thought about him every day and just wanted him to like her for her…It scared her to know that he was beginning to mean everything to her.
Without uttering a word, the Slytherin Princess inhaled a sharp breath as Luna tilted her head and gave her a knowing smile, before walking back to the chair and sitting down. Entwining her fingers together in front of her, she gulped slightly as nerves started to race through her body and her mind began to run wild with the crazy notion…that she may love Harry Potter.
XX
After an hour of constantly pacing the length of his room, sitting on the edge of his bed, and contemplating changing his outfit about four different times, Harry exhaled a quick puff of air through his lips before he grabbed his overcoat from off the chair by the door, and exited his chambers. Neville, Ron, and Theo had already left for Hogsmeade, about fifteen minutes before Harry was expected to pick up the girls. He was thankful it didn’t take much to convince his friends early in the day, that he wanted to walk Pansy and Luna into the Village before heading to Dervish and Banges for a few necessities. It surprised him actually, at how quickly they all agreed, and he was even more shocked when they told him to meet them at The Three Broomsticks whenever he was ready and to not rush. Although he wasn’t worried about them knowing his secret, he was still terrified that someone would catch on sooner or later.
Walking across the balcony hall and stopping just outside of the girls’ bedroom, Harry anxiously raised his right hand and gently knocked before stepping back as butterflies began to fill his abdomen. It was only a few long agonizing seconds before the door began to crack open, and when he saw the beautiful woman standing in the doorway, his breath caught, and he found himself without words.
“Hi, Harry” Pansy spoke sweetly with a warm smile as her cheeks began to redden under the natural-looking makeup Luna had put on her to bring out her eyes.
“Uh…hi, Harry” he repeated before shaking his head in embarrassment. “I-I mean, hi…Pansy…” he weakly smirked as the Slytherin giggled lightly. “You uh, look you amazing-Shite-I meant you amazing look-Fuck! Sorry…” he gulped, although never once removed his enthralled stare from off her. Her dark skinny jeans fit perfectly against every curve of her body as the white silk camisole stood out under the black leather jacket. She had completed the flawless outfit with a pair of black strappy stilettos and Harry had to do his best to contain the want, the need, to snog the crap out of her right then and there. “Ehem…You. Look. Amazing” he claimed, sounding out each word to make sure they were in the correct order.
“Thank you” she smiled while gently biting her lower lip. “You look amazing as well and you smell fantastic.”
“Me? No…” he chuckled slightly. “I could never compare…” he declared, his smile fading as he took her in while his heart began to race at an incredible speed. “Uh, anyway…” he began while shaking away the daze.
“Hello, Harry!” Luna chirped while peeking her head over Pansy’s shoulder. “Are you ready?”
“Hi, Luna…Um, yeah. Ready when you two are” he smiled nervously as Luna cheerfully stepped out from behind the Slytherin, handed Pansy her small black purse, and walked out into the hall. “Then let’s go before you’re late. Alright so, your reservation is at seven sharp, under my last name so the media doesn’t catch wind, all the staff is aware to not say anything to anyone about you being present in the establishment, aaaaand…” she grinned blissfully while rotating her body back and forth, “I got you guys the best table in the house! It’s secluded but oh, my goodness is it beautiful! I can’t wait to hear all about this date” she swooned as both Pansy and Harry strangely eyed her. “Oh, you’ll see! Anyway,” she began to walk towards the stairs as the couple behind her followed, “I am meeting Neville and the guys at the pub so if you’re up for it later, you can join us. If you’re not there by ten, I’ll create an excuse for each of you, but I want details when this is all over, deal?”
“Deal, Lu” Pansy awkwardly smiled as Harry licked his lips and curiously gazed at the blonde Ravenclaw.
“Yay! Okay, let’s go!”
As the trio strolled through the corridors of the castle, with Harry walking between the girls, they came upon the Entrance Hall and noticed many of the students, lingering against the walls, were staring and whispering while pointing at the group. Pansy’s bright smile suddenly turned somber as she glanced at all the eyes watching her and lowered her head in shame. It wasn’t the first time that people were talking about her behind her back and she knew it wouldn’t be the last time either.
Harry had also seemed to notice the gawking and looked at the Slytherin walking on his right, in concern. Leaning over slightly, he whispered in her ear for her to ignore them, but Pansy just sulked her shoulders and continued to gaze at the ground sullenly. However, her heart began to race when they were close to the outside courtyard, and she heard the complete opposite of what she thought everyone was saying. Her lips were slightly parted as she raised her eyes forward and intently listened to the two females murmuring in the corner.
“Holy shite! That’s Pansy Parkinson!” the fourth year Hufflepuff spoke in a loud whisper to the third-year Ravenclaw. “She’s the one who made Houston Night piss his pants and Daniel Hawks cry as if he was a baby in a pram! She’s a fucking badarse, she is!”
“Wait, wait, wait,” the Ravenclaw expressed with a hint of excitement in her voice and a raised hand. “That’s her…? Wow…I mean, leave it to a Slytherin to show a Gryffindor up, but Gods damn I wish I could have seen that. Those boys have been nothing but a pain in the arse since they became Quidditch players and even more infuriating when they began to grow into their looks. I’m glad she shut them up. They deserved everything she handed to them and more.”
“Do you think she knows I’m alive?” the Hufflepuff inquired with relaxed shoulders. “She’s so pretty and brave; powerful…I doubt she even knows who we are” she frowned as she played with the tips of her fingers.
“Why don’t you just go say ‘hi’ then?” her Ravenclaw friend challenged while crossing her arms. “What’s the worse she cou-never mind, I think we already know…”
“I can’t just say ‘hi’! What if she hates me? What if she makes me out to be an insufferable underclassman like she most likely has with other students who want to worship the ground she walks on?” But as soon as the words left the Hufflepuffs’ lips, Pansy halted her stride as an idea formed in her head. “Oh, my Gods! Is she coming over here? Oh shite, she is! Okay, okay, okay, okay, don’t panic; breathe!”
“Hello?” Pansy spoke as sweet as she possibly could while Harry and Luna watched with smiles plastered on their faces. However, it seemed the girl was at a loss for words as her friend’s eyes widened in admiration, and her slack jaw opened further in a mixture of bewilderment and awe.
“Hooooooly fuck…” the Ravenclaw slowly blinked while the rest of the students in the hall whispered even more to one another. “Say something, Mags” she stated while nudging the Hufflepuff in the arm with her elbow repeatedly. “Fucking say something!” she affirmed through gritted teeth as if Pansy couldn’t hear her.
“Uuuuhhh…Hello…” the girl finally spoke as Pansy chuckled.
“May I ask what your names are?” the Slytherin questioned with a warm smile. “It seems only fair since you know who I am.”
“Ummm,” the Hufflepuff began with a large gulp. “Mags-well Maggie-short for Margarete. But I always hated my full name, so I just go by Mags…or Maggie-or you can call me Margarete if you prefer” she stuttered out as Pansy raised a questioning brow. “A-a-and this is Penelope. I call her Pea sometimes though-oh, but you can call her Pen too if you want-or Penny!”
“Okay” the raven-haired witch breathed out with a soft grin. “Well, Mags, Pen…I overheard you talking and I…well I was wondering…well…”
“Why we aren’t scared of you?” Maggie finished for her.
“Yeah…You have every reason to be. I-I don’t understand…”
“Do you know how long it’s been since a female, in any house, has taken a stand against one of those ‘wannabe macho’ Gryffs?” Penny replied, her stunned gaze finally returning to normal. “Hermione Granger is the only one brave enough to stop the bullying of those two, and since…well since she hasn’t been around lately…most of us underclassmen have to take the brunt of their harassment” she frowned while rubbing the back of her neck with her hand. “It’s been happening all year; however, Hermione has never shown force like that to really stop them.”
“Yeah,” Maggie continued while rubbing her arm, “you may have terrified those goons, and possibly a few other students as well…but almost everyone is ecstatic at what you did. You may not realize it, but you saved a lot of us years’ worth of torment by those two and their younger friends.”
“Oh…” Pansy gasped in utter shock, although a large smile grew upon her lips as both Harry and Luna proudly continued to watch. “Really?” she asked in disbelief.
“You’re like a Goddess to half the school now!” Maggie expressed joyfully. “Houston and Dan cower at the sound of your name. I believe they finally learned what it feels like to be us…Thank you…for sticking up for us…”
“Hey, Pans…” Harry gently called out, pulling the Slytherin from her stunned expression and causing her to briefly glance back at him. “We’re gonna be late…”
“Um, just a second!” she replied before looking back to the girls, whose eyes widened again at the sight of Harry Potter.
“Are you dating Harry Potter?” Penny whispered in shock. “Ohhhh, you’re so lucky” she pouted.
“No, we’re just friends!” Pansy quickly answered before realizing that the girls seemed to be genuinely saddened at her answer and didn’t appear to care in the slightest that two former enemies fancied each other. “I mean…maybe…C-can you keep a secret?” she inquired, causing the girls to perk up and quickly nod their heads. “I-I don’t want this getting out until I’m ready, but…I do like him…a lot actually” she admitted while nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“You should tell him” Maggie beamed while lightly biting her bottom lip. “I think you guys would make a really cute couple” she giggled.
“Really?” she responded, her cheeks growing flush at the idea that others not only accepted her but approved of her relationship as well.
“Most definitely! And I think he may fancy you too. He hasn’t been able to keep his eyes off you the entire time you’ve been over here. I honestly feel you should tell him. If not, then you’ll never know how he feels about you.”
“Well…Thank you, ladies. I’ll keep that in mind” she smirked. “I-I shouldn’t keep my friends waiting, but uh…If Houston or Dan, or anyone, gives you a hard time again, you tell me, alright? And when I leave this school, you mention to any bully who messes with you, that you’re friends with me, and that I am just and Owl away. Promise?”
“We promise!” the girls spoke in unison, making Pansy smile proudly.
“I’ll see you ladies around, alright?” she waved before stepping away from the thrilled underclassmen and happily walked back to her waiting friends.
September of 1888
“Please say something…” Draco muttered as he stared at Hermione in desperation. “Please…” However, she still didn’t say a word and remained trapped in her stunned daze. “Princess, please…” he pleaded with a trembling lip before inhaling sharply as his shoulders dropped in dismay, realizing she was never going to say anything.
“Mione…?” Ginny gently urged, but still…nothing.
“No…” the blonde claimed with a shattered heart. “It’s fine, Red…I get it…”
“Draco…” Blaise sighed with a tilt of his head. “Come on, mate.” Biting his lower lip while slightly nodding his head, Draco lowered his sight to the floor before turning on his heel and storming out of the pub. “Draco!”
“Wait…” Hermione finally breathed out before understanding that she was caught in a trance and couldn’t answer the Slytherin Prince even though she desperately wanted to. “Draco, wait!’ she yelled while trying to remove herself from off the stool, but the alcohol in her system began to hit her hard, causing her to stumble, but luckily Blaise caught her before she hit the ground. Smacking the Italians’ hands off her, Hermione scrambled to right herself, and quickly rushed out the door while the Wolf’s and her friends hastily followed after. “Draco, wait! Stop!” she called out, but the blonde refused to turn around and continued to hurry down the dark alleyway. Halting her light jog on the front porch of the tavern, the Gryffindor bookworm stomped her foot and as a last-ditch effort, screamed at Draco to stop. “DRACO MALFOY! Would you stop acting like such a bloody coward and running away from me every time you don’t get the answer you want right away!”
“Oh, shite…” Lucy exclaimed with widened eyes as she stood between her mother and father.
“Mione, stop” Ginny beseeched while slowly walking up to the wavy-haired witch, seething in anger, and Draco instantly stopped in the middle of the alley. His fists clenched tightly as the redhead delicately took Hermione’s arm in an effort to guide her back into the pub, but the Golden Girl simply shrugged her off and took a step forward as Draco rapidly rotated around.
“What…the fuck…did you just call me?” he growled, his breathing growing heavy as his hair began to spark. “What the fuck did you just call me?” he repeated while storming back to the witch, his finger raised as anger took over. “Don’t you EVER fucking call me a coward again, you hear me? Or so fucking help me, Hermione, I’ll-”
“You’ll what!’ she snapped while stepping down the first level on the porch’s stairs. “Run again? Duel me? Leave me? You’ll what, Draco? What?”
“Are you bloody kidding me, right now? I just poured my fucking heart out to you in front of a room full of strangers, completely embarrassing myself! I finally lowered my walls and put everything on the line for you to just…to just not say anything. You just stared at me as if I was the Dark Lord…like I was a Death Eater again…”
“What’s a Death Eater?” Lucy whispered, but was quickly caught off by Ginny holding up a finger, shushing her.
“Why?” Hermione began a bit calmer. “Why didn’t you-”
“Say something?” Draco interrupted as his temper rose. “Say something sooner? I just fucking said something! What, you wanted me to tell you that I loved you in Salem, where you were in complete denial about being attracted to me? Or wait, you wanted me to say I loved you in Gettysburg, right? Where you hardly spoke more than three words, and when you finally did speak, we had to deal with the entire camp getting attacked and we got separated!”
“What is he talking about?” Mary-Ann questioned aloud, but Caleb simply pretended he didn’t hear her and maintained his gaze upon the couple fighting in front of his tavern.
“The only chance I had,” the blonde continued, “to say that I love you is in this revolting era, where we finally had a chance to catch our bloody breaths! I mean, come on! When exactly were you expecting me to say it, Hermione? Huh? Would you have rather I waited until the next Gods forsaken era or would you rather me not have said it at all so that you didn’t have to, once again, choose whether or not you had feelings for me? But by all means, love, call me a coward for walking away to try and get some air after being mortified like I just was. Like you wouldn’t have done the same damn thing if the person you were devoted to stared at you like you were a monster!”
“Are you finished?” Hermione stated firmly as she took a second step down. “Because I didn’t ask about when you decided to say you love me. I asked you why you didn’t-
“Merlin’s beard, Hermione, what do you want from me? Why does it matter when o-or why I said something? The point is, is that I did! I told you I bloody love you and all you seem to care about is fighting with me. You just want to pick everything apart to fit your damn logic! Do you need me to shout it from the rooftops? Write your name in the bleeding sky? Tell the whole world? Just tell me what you want, and I’ll do it for you!”
“You had months!” the witch declared adamantly as she struggled to keep her balance and hold back the nausea she was feeling.
“What? Salazar, Hermione, I’m not doing this right now. You’re clearly sloshed and I’m not about to stand here and listen to you call me a coward while arguing with me about why I’ve fallen in love with you.”
“You…wasted…soooo much time! You wasted an entire summer teaching yourself how to play the piano, to cook; you watched movies-”
“What’s a movie?” Lucy once again spoke before being shushed again, except this time by Blaise as Hermione took one last step down the stairs, finally level with the Slytherin Prince, who was standing only a few feet away.
“Stop…” he interrupted with relaxed shoulders.
“-learned muggle shite just to talk to me and…and you didn’t say anything…” she claimed with tears brewing in her eyes.
“Hermione, please stop” he gently cut in again while looking around at all the faces watching them.
“NO…!” she yelled while her breathing was labored, and her bottom lip quivered violently. “You wasted months, and instead sent secret Valentines, gave half-smiles in class, secretly helped me in Potions, passed me in the halls on numerous occasions, and nothing…You had a chance before Christmas after I bought you that Butterbeer, to talk to me, to earn my trust, my affection, and you remained quiet-”
“I didn’t have a choice!”
“Bullshite! Bull fucking shite, Draco! You always have a choice and once again, you chose to play the victim! You have no idea what we could have been! I didn’t trust you, yeah-”
“Exactly, Hermione! You didn’t trust me! You’ve been fighting with me since the beginning of the damn year! Why would I try and talk to you, when you and your fucking friends would always snub me? Why would I approach you o-or tell you that I fancied you since first fucking year, when all you wanted to do was argue with me just like you did in the museum when I picked the stupid amulet up! Just like sixty-five million years ago when I tried to get you to shut-up so that T-Rex didn’t spot us!”
“That is-”
“Or what about in China, when I was nothing but nice to you and you snapped on me? What about in Rome, Pompeii, Knockturn Alley? Salazar, I think the only time you didn’t pick a fight with me was on that bloody pirate ship! And now look; you are fighting with me again! It seems I can never do anything right for you! I tell you that I’m in love with you and honestly…now I’m starting to question why because you still don’t seem to get it or how hard that was for me. I would do anything for you!”
“Why…didn’t you say…something? Why didn’t you just tell me, Draco…?”
“I tried!” he yelled as he painfully poked his own chest with his finger before softening his features and slumping his shoulders. “I tried to tell you since this whole thing began and you…you didn’t want to listen…”
“You never gave me a reason to” she replied, causing Draco to go silent as his heart sunk into his abdomen. “You waited until our last year of school was almost over, and the only reason you approached me was because Nott dared you to. If it were up to you and we weren’t caught in this mess, you would have left Hogwarts and never looked back. Which means, you would still be in love with me and I would never know. I do understand that you admitting your feelings is hard, Draco, I get that. But it’s not easy for me to say how I feel to your face because I am terrified of you suddenly changing your mind. What you said back in China, you could have said anytime to me throughout the year. You could have sent me an Owl over the summer o-or I don’t know, signed your damn name on that Valentine. Or maybe, you could have said something after Harry and I defended you and your mother, when no one else fought for you, in an effort keep you both out of Azkaban. You say you did all those things for me during your house arrest, but then you never bothered to speak up…”
“I-I-I…” he stuttered, unknowing of what to say; because when he really thought about it, he had no idea why he never spoke up until the museum. He had plenty of chances to initiate a conversation with her, but it seemed he never had enough courage to do so until Theo made that bet, which in turn, caused them all to be trapped in time. But the longer his mind attempted to come up with a good enough reason, other than being a coward, a tear fell from Hermione’s’ lashes, forcing Draco to finally understand that she wasn’t angry at him for waiting so long to admit his feelings. She was upset because if he had tried to talk to her in school, they could have already been friends by the time the field trip had occurred. Being afraid…had cost them both almost a years’ time of being together. “Hermione…” he sighed while taking a few steps closer so that he was now only about a foot away. “Hermione, I-I’m sorry. I am so sorry…”
However, the brunette Gryffindor just looked at him as if he had three heads and didn’t say a word. Albeit, it took a few seconds before Draco realized that she was actually seeing multiples of him, but unfortunately, he couldn’t react in time. Hermione suddenly began to sway back and forth before doubling over and puking all over his trousers and shoes, causing the Slytherin to instantly throw his arms up and close his eyes in frustration.
“Oh, Merlin…” Ginny groaned while Draco did his best to contain the disgust in his throat. Although he was able to suppress his disdain for the action and reached out, gathered Hermione’s hair in his hands, and held her brown locks away from the vomit she was producing on his shoes and ground.
“Some…one…take her…” the blonde requested with a heavy sigh as Hermione wiped her mouth on the back of her sleeve and Ginny raced down the stairs to help her. “And get me a towel…please…”
“This…is definitely not how I thought this would go…” Caleb claimed before turning on his heel in order to grab the Gryffindor a glass of water.
After everyone had gone back inside to continue partying and Blaise vanished the sickness from off of Draco, Ginny escorted Hermione up to their room as the boys waited outside the door in the narrow hallway.
“Would you stop pacing, mate, she’ll be fine” Blaise stated as he sat on the floor and leaned against the wall while Draco anxiously walked back and forth the length of the hall. “If anything, Hermione won’t even remember a thing after we started that lying game, which means you can always tell her you love her again and have a better reaction” he shrugged nonchalantly while bringing both legs up to rest his arms on his knees. “Although, I could be wrong because the entire time you two fought, she didn’t stutter once…which means the alcohol only really affected her body…not her smart freaking brain.”
“This is all my fault” the blonde asserted as he ran his fingers through his hair and continued his pacing. “I shouldn’t have said it while she was inebriated. I should have just waited. And Gods, I just had to fucking admit that I spent my entire summer learning shite for her! What is wrong with me? Now she’ll just think I’m an arse on top of being a coward! I should have just left that part out. If I did then she wouldn’t have overthought my confession and I would be in there right now taking care of her instead of Red.”
“She doesn’t think any less of you or believes you’re a coward, and you know it. She only said that because she needed you to stop walking away. And technically she didn’t call you a coward; she said you were acting like one. Big difference there, mate.”
“I’m so screwed…I messed everything up…again” he claimed while halting his stride, leaned back, and slid down the wall. “What am I going to do, Blaise? I can’t lose her…”
“Draco,” the Italian began as he raised his eyes and gazed at his best friend, “you’re not going to lose her. She would crawl through hell if it meant she could keep you. I know, because she told me when she came to talk to me last night. She might not have had the chance to say it back yet, but she loves you too. I can see it in her eyes whenever she looks at you or when her voice does that…thing…when she talks about you.”
“Thing? What thing?” Draco questioned with a perplexed brow.
“You know…that thing. Where her voice gets sort of pitchy and you can hear the excitement radiating from her vocal cords. You never heard that?”
“No…I’m not usually around when she talks about me…”
“True…” he ticked, but quickly lowered his head and sighed. “Do you regret it?” he inquired before raising his gaze back up to the blonde. “Do you regret saying you love her?” Draco slowly lowered his head as he thought about what was being asked and stared at his hands before throwing his head back gently against the wall.
“No…I don’t regret it…I just regret arguing with her. Why do we always argue over stupid shite?”
“Because you’re like an old married couple” Blaise chuckled. “And fighting is in both of your DNA’s. But why the hell did you have to say it in front of everyone? Now, Red is going to expect me to say it to her too, you moron!”
“I didn’t think I was going to say it!”
“I’m joking, you idiot” he laughed while shaking his head. “I already told Red back in Gettysburg. Told her a lot of things in that tent, actually” he winked, causing Draco to tilt his head in confusion before realizing what Blaise was referring to.
“Wait…you a-and Red…did…I thought you saying you would get a room later was just a joke” he claimed in disbelief before smirking while lifting his leg and resting his left arm on his knee. “Wow…Good for you, mate.”
“Thanks…I guess” he chuckled again just as Lucy walked up the stairs with a drowsy Adeline in her arms.
“Hey boys…” the brunette muggle expressed with a warm smile while Adeline adorably waved as her head rested on Lucy’s shoulder. Both Draco and Blaise waved back at the little girl before removing themselves from the floor and placed their hands in their pockets. “I do not mean to bother you, but Addie here is really tired, and her mum sent a runner to let us know that she is working late and cannot pick her up until the morn’. Is it alright if she stays in one of your rooms for the night with me? Walter is taken his usual room, and Dr. Hammond is occupying my chambers for the night, so Mama can keep an eye on him. Both are extremely legless and can barely walk straight. Their singin’ old folk songs downstairs, burnin’ our ears off; though I know Papa will eventually tell them to head to bed.”
“Well…” Blaise winced in a high pitch voice. “I was sort of going to have some…alone…time with Red tonight…In my room…With no one else…Did I mention alone…?”
“Um…I suppose you two can have my room…” Draco replied before realizing that the only available space left for him to sleep at, was in Hermione’s chambers.
“That’s very nice of you…Thank you, Draco...” she grinned happily before frowning slightly as Adeline fell asleep snuggled in the ancestors’ neck. “Are you going to be alright? I know that what happened earlier did not go as expected. Papa was only trying to help. He did not know it would escalate the way it had.”
“I’ll be okay, Lucy…I don’t blame anyone but myself for what happened” he sighed before removing his hands from his pockets and crossing his arms. “I just hope I didn’t ruin my relationship.”
“I don’t feel you did. She was upset, yes, but as soon as you ran away, she went right after you. You also kind of surprised her with your confession; you surprised us all, honestly. And she was sloshed…Give her some time to wrap her head around everything. I am sure she will return the sentiment sooner than you feel. Don’t think you have lost just yet.”
Nodding once after doing what she could to comfort the Slytherin Prince, Lucy turned around and began to walk towards the room Draco was staying in with the sleeping child nestled safely in her arms.
“She’s right you know…” Ginny claimed, shocking the boys for a moment as they didn’t hear the door to the girls’ room open behind them. “Hermione feels horrible for not only the way things happened after your declaration, but also for getting sick all over you. Which was really revolting by the way.”
“Thanks for the reminder, Red…” Draco stated with a roll of his eyes.
“You’re welcome!” she smiled cheerfully. “Anyway…I transfigured one of the end tables into a cot for you. I sort of overheard Lucy ask to take your room for the night and figured, after everything, you would want your own space. Well, what space you can get. But I do think you should go in there and try to talk to her. She wouldn’t stop asking for you and wanted to make sure you were alright. Although she was half asleep when I walked away, so I don’t know how much talking you’ll actually get out of her. My point is, at least you’ll be in the room if she wakes up and wants to talk…or something. Please give her another chance. She was wasted and not herself or fully thinking straight.”
“No, Red…” he sighed heavily, “she wasn’t herself…but she was definitely thinking straight…And she was right; I did wait. I wasted countless hours and I didn’t say anything when I had hundreds of chances to. I was scared. I was scared she would turn me away like every other girl in our school. I was terrified she-she would look at me like she had so many times before…Like a Death Eater…Like the monster I know I am.”
“You are a monster, Draco…” the redhead admitted softly as both Blaise and Draco narrowed their brows at her. “But aren’t we all? It doesn’t matter anymore what you were, who you used to be, or what you once did, we’ve all made mistakes we aren’t proud of. Just because you were once told to act and think a certain way doesn’t mean that’s who you are. Hermione knows that. It just took her some time to adjust and learn to trust you. Yes, you waited, and you had every right to be scared, but she’s not mad at you; not really. She’s upset because now that she has grown extremely close to you, she’s realized how much time you both missed being able to get to know one another. I suppose you feel the same, which is why you apologized so quickly. Nevertheless, you’ll both be fine in the morning and once you are, we can all work on a way to get out of this era. Maybe search ‘Mione’s book for more information about Jack the Ripper and then head down to Diagon Alley for some potions since we’ve been out since Salem.”
“Yeah…” he uttered dispiritedly. “I-I think I’m gonna head to bed now…It’s been a long night.”
“Alright, mate” Blaise weakly smiled. “Get some rest. We’ll reconvene in the morning.”
“Yeah…Night guys.”
Stepping into the bedroom, Draco sighed softly while gently closing the door behind him as Hermione laid on the full-size mattress, fast asleep. He glanced around and took note that the room looked exactly like his, except for the transfigured cot Ginny had created for him, resting at the foot of the bed. Sighing in frustration over their argument, he sat tentatively on the edge of the cot as he debated on staying the night and ran his hands down his face. Inhaling a deep breath, he turned back and gazed at his witch tenderly before standing up, choosing to not be a coward, and walked over to the left side of the bed.
Hermione stirred for a brief moment, almost making him change his mind as he didn’t want to wake her and have to talk about their fight while she was still intoxicated, but she remained asleep after rolling onto her back. She looked beautiful even while asleep and Draco couldn’t help but smile at her before climbing into the bed. Positioning himself so he was laying on his side facing the Gryffindor, he watched her chest steadily rise and fall in a peaceful calm, until his eyes grew heavy and he fell into a deep sleep.
A few hours had come and gone before Hermione found herself groggily awake in the middle of the night, with absolutely no memory of when she had fallen asleep. She remembered the game, the regrettable fight with the blonde Prince, and she could only recall a few things after she had accidentally thrown up on Draco; Ginny, for example, changing her clothes and trying to put a charm on her as she did her best to fight against her in order to get back to her Slytherin, and failing.
Sitting up as she heard the soft breathing of the person behind her, assuming Ginny had finally learned the spell to silence her snoring, which she had tried to teach her countless times, so she wouldn’t have to constantly use the silencing charm every night, Hermione stood, and somehow managed to find the door through the darkness surrounding her.
Slowly opening the entryway as quietly as she could so she wouldn’t wake her friend, she slipped out into the dimly lit hall and made her way towards the bathroom. Whatever spell the redhead had used on her, fortunately had helped ease her drunken state and all she felt now was a small headache that seemed to be getting worse the more she moved.
Closing the washroom door behind her, the Gryffindor Princess headed to the sink and turned on the tap, allowing the cold water to run before splashing the liquid onto her face. Hovering over the basin while both hands rested on the edges of the porcelain bowl, heartache and sorrow began to wash over her as she thought back to Draco’s confession and her daft decision to react the way she had. Doleful tears seemed to rain down her cheeks as a tight knot formed in her abdomen and she felt herself being unable to stop the small sob that wished to escape her throat. Falling to the floor and cradling her knees in her chest, Hermione began to weep as she thought about how she had ruined everything by acting like the know-it-all brat most people hated.
She couldn’t understand why she reacted the way she did, but what pained her the most, was that she had made things even worse by getting sick right at the moment she was about to say those three perfect words in return. The three words she knew in her heart she felt but spoiled by embarrassing not only herself but Draco as well. There was absolutely no way he would want her anymore, not after everything, and she now felt that she had lost any chance for him to forgive her for her drunken mistake.
Crying harder, the brunette witch stayed hidden in the bathroom until she felt she had no more tears left to shed before she decided to stand up, wash her face, and reluctantly head back to her room, where she planned to hide out until the feeling of shame went away and she could face everyone again. However, as she opened the door and the soft light from the moon shown through the window, illuminating the sleeping figure on her bed, her breath caught as the silhouette came into focus and Draco rolled onto his back.
An instant rush of relief began to flood through her as she shockingly gazed at him, and suddenly realized that he was the one who had been asleep next to her when she had woken up. Fresh tears, she didn’t even know she had left, began to swell in her eyes as she licked her lips and inhaled a sharp breath. Tiptoeing back to the bed, she quietly climbed under the covers, and slowly shifted as close to him as she could get without touching him, hoping he wouldn’t wake up and change his mind about sharing her bed. It didn’t matter to her if he was only there because he had felt bad or if it was due to some other reason; she was just grateful he didn’t hate her enough to keep his distance. She only feared what he would say and do, come morning light.
Saturday, May 16^th, 1999
“So, what’s our plan again?” Harry queried as he and the girls made their way down the large hill towards the front gates of Hogwarts. “I was only told to pick you both up.”
“Well,” Luna chirped as she stared up at the darkening sky, “I figured you two could have some privacy and I could apparate to Hogsmeade once outside the barrier. You should be alone until you get into the village. It’s about a twenty-minute walk if you’re up for it. Then you can head to the restaurant where Nolan, the host, will take care of you.”
“And no one’s going to know I’m there?”
“They shouldn’t” she beamed before she ceased her stride as they reached the gate and began to dig into her brown satchel. “Here,” she stated while handing him his Invisibility Cloak. “Hermione mentioned a while back, about how she confiscated it from you after you and Ronald had used it to sneak off school grounds during class, so I went into her room to get it. I thought you could use it in case someone spots you.”
“Wow…uh, thanks, Luna,” he claimed in surprise while taking the thin blanket. “But I suppose I’ll have to put it back before ‘Mione returns. Otherwise, she’ll most likely have my head on a spike if she found out I had it.”
“I’m sure she will have bigger things to worry about when she finally comes home, Harry. I highly doubt one of the Deathly Hallows in your possession is at the top of her list” the Ravenclaw asserted while opening the gate. “You both have fun and I’ll see you later, yeah?”
“Thank you, Lu” Pansy softly smiled while nervously playing with her hands. Nodding once while waving farewell, Luna began to walk down the dirt path until she reached the barrier and apparated away, leaving both Harry and Pansy to awkwardly stand at the gate, unknowing of how to proceed.
“Sooooooo,” Harry exhaled deeply while placing his hands in his pockets, “do-do you want to walk down? We could apparate o-or fly if you rather.”
“I don’t mind walking” she shrugged. “I would rather not fly honestly. Luna spent a good while on my hair and the last thing I want is to mess it up with the wind and all.”
“Okay…” he answered as they both simply stayed where they were. “What about your shoes though?” he asked while looking down at her heels. “I don’t want you to get your heel stuck or something in the dirt.”
“Harry, I’ve worn heels for a better part of my life. I have no problems walking on uneven ground. I even ran in these very shoes through the Forbidden Forest the one-time Theo, Draco, Blaise, and I decided to try and prank Longbottom, who was collecting some sort of plant for Professor Sprout in the beginning of the year. Long story…Not my finest moment.”
“Alright…I won’t ask then” he chuckled slightly. “Though I am a bit curious-”
“Not happening.”
“Alright,” he chuckled again, “fair enough…Soooooo, are you ready to go? We have about forty minutes before our reservation, which means we can take our time and get to know one another a little better.”
“Okay,” she grinned before Harry waved his hand to allow her to go first through the gate.
After about five minutes of walking and questioning each other on their favorite foods, colors, and strangely enough, seasons as well, the duo fell into an awkward silence as neither of them knew what else to talk about. It wasn’t until they were about ten minutes from the village that Pansy suddenly stopped walking, causing Harry to look back in confusion as she played with the tips of her fingers.
“What’s wrong, Pans?” he inquired in concern while taking a step closer to the Slytherin.
“I can’t do small talk, Harry. Not if we’re going to be on this date for who knows how long. I hate small talk. I’ve been through far too much and have a hard time relating to people as it is. Small conversations don’t make it easier.”
“Alright, well we can talk about whatever you want. I’m an open-”
“I need to tell you something…” she restlessly blurted out. “I need to tell you something and I need you to not freak out, okay?”
“Ohh-kay…What is it? Wait,” he held up a hand, “please don’t say that this is a mistake and you’re changing your mind because I really wanted to go out with you tonight and was very much looking forward to it while getting ready. I changed my outfit like four ti-”
“It’s about what happened at lunch…” she cut in. “You should know that it wasn’t the first time.”
“Oh…W-we don’t have to talk about that. It is what it i-”
“No, you should know…”
“I really don’t. It’s not my bus-”
“I was almost raped” she quickly confessed, making the Gryffindor’s eyes widen in a mixture of shock and bewilderment.
“What?” he breathed out with narrowed brows.
“The first time my eyes went black a-and I lost control” she replied as her body shook like she was cold. “Before we go anywhere, I think it’s only fair that you know.”
“Wha-wh-when…? Where?” he stuttered as the impact of her words left him completely rattled.
“Last year…when the Carrow siblings practically ran the school.”
“By who?” he asked with venom dripping from his voice.
“Harry, I-I got away. He didn’t finish the-”
“By who, Pansy?” he quickly cut in, his fists clenched at his sides while his hair began to spark, causing the raven-haired witch to regret saying anything.
“Amycus Carrow…” she claimed reluctantly as she recalled that night the attack had happened, and tears began to brew in her eyes. Although, she was more worried about Harry going dark than her own feelings in that moment. However, the Gryffindor Prince suddenly softened his shoulders as he thought about how he was going to make the man, spending a life sentence in Azkaban, pay, and swiftly pulled Pansy into a hug, surprising her enough to force a gasp to escape her lips. “Harry, I’m fine…” she continued while slowly pulling herself out of his embrace. “Please don’t feel bad for me. You’ve already seen that I’m stronger than I look, and he didn’t get away unscathed. I just figured you should know…and so that you can understand that I know what Granger went through. It wasn’t like her ordeal though with multiple men, but…I don’t know, I just…I wanted to tell you before our date.”
“I…” he began, exhaling a large breath before taking her hand in his. “I promise you, Pansy…from this day forth, no man or woman, is ever going to hurt you again. And he will pay for what he tried to do.”
“They were already taken care of, Harry. You weren’t at his trial, so you didn’t see the aftermath of the beating he took. Those men in the camp…where Granger was taken…that wasn’t the first time Draco had gone dark either…Amycus had gone blind from the pounding he and Theo gave him while in that state. Although, I don’t think either knew the other had gone dark since Theo had no idea what happened to me at Lunch.”
“Wait a second. You said ‘they’… Who else was involved?”
“Oh…Amycus’s sister…Alecto…Mrs. Malfoy took care of her after she found out she saved her brother and then tried to torment me and kill me on numerous occasions throughout the year, before the battle. She’s been a permanent resident on the fourth floor at St Mungo’s since her trial ended. Mrs. Malfoy did exactly what Bellatrix did to Longbottom’s parents, and tortured her into insanity…But I didn’t need any of them to protect me, Harry, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to either.
“I told you because I felt that you deserved to know why I acted the way I did at lunch. I can’t stand people who not only try bringing my friends down, but men who think they’re Merlin’s gift to the world. I let my anger get the better of me and unfortunately, you had to see it. A lot of people say that I’m crazy, and dangerous, and mean, and I can’t disagree with them because I know that I am all of those things…But I don’t ever want you to think that I may hurt you o-or anyone in our Common Room. I don’t want you to continue to see me o-or go on this date with me, if you have any ounce of fear that I would harm you or anyone you care about.”
“Pansy…” he sighed gently while lightly squeezing her hand. “I trust you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have neglected to listen McGonagall when she told us to back away from you. I knew you weren’t going to hurt me. I also know that I was acting like a huge dick today but…it was only because I-I was nervous about tonight and I felt that if I talked to you that I might say something stupid and you wouldn’t like me anymore o-or that I may say or do something to cause everyone to know that we’re together. I don’t exactly have a ton of experience with dating and…God, you’re beautiful” he expressed before briefly closing his eyes and exhaled sharply. “I-I didn’t know how to act and if you took me avoiding you as a bad thing, I am so sorry. I honestly didn’t mean to hurt you and make matters worse; I was just…I was not being the best Gryffindor.”
“Truthfully, the only proof we have that you are a Gryffindor, is that you kissed me so boldly and the fact that no matter how many bad things tried to kill you in the Forbidden Forest, you, for some awful reason, kept going back in. I mean, you knew you even had to die in there and yet you still went in…You would think after getting attacked by giant fucking spiders, you would have PTSD of that place, but nope…you just kept on returning…”
“And yet I was still terrified to talk to you all day…”
“Well, I did overreact a bit…” she stated with a weak smile.
“You didn’t overreact. You didn’t deserve to be ignored like that, no matter how I may have felt. I’m sorry, Pansy. And I’m really happy that you trust me enough to tell me about the Carrow’s and what occurred at lunch. But please know that I was never going to press you on it. I just want you to be okay.”
“I’ll feel better with some food in me” she chuckled as she gently bit her bottom lip. “I didn’t actually get a chance to eat anything since breakfast and-”
“Merlin, I am so sorry; you must be starving!” he expressed with widened eyes. “Okay, uh…we should get going then, yeah? I think we could both also use a drink as well” he heartily smiled before walking the rest of the way to the village, holding the Slytherin’s hand the entire way.
Once they reached the busy town, the Gryffindor reluctantly removed his hand from Pansy’s as they maneuvered their way down the busy streets, packed with students enjoying their weekend, and adults taking a much-needed break from their everyday lives. Thankfully, of the few people who spotted the Chosen One, they didn’t seem to know that he was on a date with the Slytherin Princess, who stayed far enough away to make it appear that they weren’t together, and had only requested Harry’s autograph on his collectible Chocolate Frog card.
After managing to get away from the small crowd and avoiding any more people recognizing him, the duo had finally made it to the Wolf’s Den and sighed in relief that no one had followed them. The restaurant was much larger than either of them was told and appeared to be a lot fancier as well. However, after seeing a few people walking in to enjoy the pub half of the establishment, wearing business casual attire and jeans, the pair had felt a little better about the clothing they had picked out.
Not wanting to linger outside any longer, as the air was getting chilly and Harry was afraid people might spot him again, he reached out and grasped the wolf head handle on the large glass double doors, opened the entryway, and stepped off to the side so his date could enter first. Upon entering the building, both Pansy and Harry took note of how nature inspired the restaurant not only felt…but also appeared.
Every wall and column were made of a dark brown wood with climbing green vines, as true genuine Dogwood, Pine, Maple, and Eastern Hemlock trees stood erect throughout the massive room. To be able to contain the large living timbers, the ceiling, which looked like one giant glass-filled Dreamcatcher, hovered above the rustic tree trunk carved tables, and was around five stories high. Above the pub area to their left, was a massive beautiful eggshell white pillar-candled chandelier with dangling feathers wafting over a magnificent hand-carved twelve-seater bar. Protruding creek stones displayed the Premium liquor bottles as a gentle stream of water flowed smoothly down the soft-grey rocks.
However, what had ended up catching both of their eyes’ and had the couple staring in complete awe, was a full-grown, thirteen meter high, Weeping Willow tree, placed in the center of the room, surrounded by intricate weaved quilted blankets on top of a thick grass covered flooring. It was almost as if they had stepped out of a London altogether and walked directly into the middle of the woods, somewhere in the United States.
“Harry…?” Pansy uttered as she continued to take in her surroundings. “Does-does this remind you of anything?”
“Um…no…Should it? I mean it’s a bit odd that I feel like I just entered the woods, but…I kind of like it. Why haven’t either of us been here yet?”
“Good evening!” a young tan-skinned man, dressed in a breechcloth with soft red leather leggings, moccasins, and a white-clothed long-sleeved shirt, pipped cheerfully as he reached behind the wood podium for two long black menus, pulling Pansy’s focus towards him and the long black ponytail that trailed down his back. “Welcome to Wolf’s Den! You must be Luna’s friends, correct? We’ve been expecting you and have the perfect table picked out. My name is Nepi, meaning Water, but you can call me Nolan, since that seems to be easier for people to remember; I will be taking care of you this fine evening. I will refrain from using your real names, of course; Ms. Lovegood’s request. Are you ready to take your seats?” he smiled warmly.
“Err, yes…Nolan,” Harry replied before returning his gaze back to the Dreamcatcher ceiling, “thank you.”
“Perfect. I am going to escort you through the server room this way, so that no one will see you, if that’s alright. You’ll be dining in the Blue Grotto room, which holds our most popular romantic table. It’s been booked out for weeks now, but when Luna mentioned that you were looking to dine here, we moved a few things around. We are extremely excited that you chose us for your date, and I hope that we do not disappoint. If you would follow me, we’ll get you all set up.”
As the pair followed the strangely dressed server, Pansy continued to curiously wonder about why everything seemed to remind her of something. But no matter how hard she tried to think about what it was, she couldn’t focus as Harry tenderly took her hand in his and guided her through the server room to their table. Nevertheless, she was still determined to figure it out before they left the gorgeous restaurant.
1_Luv215- Wow, you are amazing! Thank you so much for you're kind words and I am so happy you're doing alright during this mess. I do feel this chapter answered your question about Pansy's backstory although, I did sneak it in before in an earlier chapter. I will show Hansy date next chapter btw. I hope you'll like it. It was so much fun to write!
@Saxman66- Thank you, love! I'm glad I get to show a different version and side really, of Ron. I hate that he's alwasy made out to be the bad guy and dumb when in the books he was actually pretty smart...just super lazy lol. As for Elizabeth and Kingsley, it was an unwillingness to get his name right haha and you're indeed correct that he was put in an awkward position. Although, he is now willing to help the best he can :)
@EGT- Awe, thank you! I'm so glad you found this story and that you're enjoying it! It makes my day to see new reviewers and their take on the work I've done. I hope to see more from you in the future :)
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The Paths We Take