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Struggling Through New Beginnings	By : HarryGinny4eva Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 31233 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Spoilers - I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter 30

Draco�s�. Draco�s�. Draco�s�

That one word was bouncing around in her mind like
an errant ping pong ball. As if watching from outside herself, she heard
herself ask Ginny, with false cheeriness, for a minute alone before she went
downstairs. She�d watched Ginny nod, smile and hug her quickly before turning
and walking out the door. But, in the fog that was her mind Hermione couldn�t
quite grasp when the door had closed, why she couldn�t seem to get a deep
breath, or why she was sitting on her childhood bed with her knees pulled up,
her arms around them, in a beautiful outfit.

Draco�s�. Draco�s�. Draco�s�.

Slowly it began to filter�the coming out ball part of the day had been his
idea. He�he�d�he�d imagined what she would look like in her ball gown; her navy
blue, sparkly, revealing ball gown.

Why? Did he know?

�Oh God!� she gasped as she stood abruptly and her hand went to her stomach. �How?!�

Her mind was awhirl with questions. How
could he know? Did Pansy tell him? No, she wouldn�t have, she promised. But,
was I acting like I was interested? Oh, man, was I flirting with him and didn�t
know it? And, she did say he was interested, too. So, maybe
he�But, why a dance? Why would he care what I wore? I thought he liked gre�Does he like me? Is he interested in us maybe�No. He
probably just wanted to�what? He has been different so far this year. We
haven�t fought once, not really and sometimes when he looks at me, I�BREATHE!

Gasping loudly she shook her head slightly and straightened up. Panic would do
her no good. If he knew, or suspected, she would deal with it. She would�well, she would figure it out, wouldn�t she? And, if he
didn�t and this was some kind of sick joke on his part�well, she would deal
with that, too. Right? Right!

With her bravery and a bit of righteous indignation strapped back on, she
grasped the handle and flung the door open ready to face whatever came next.

As she stepped into the doorway, her eyes fell on her father in his tuxedo and
her bunched shoulders relaxed as she saw the pride and admiration in his eyes.
He held out his hand to her as he started in her direction and she began the
walk to him as things began to move in a hazy fashion in her mind.

She remembered her first dance recital as a child when she�d fallen on stage
during the dance, but her father had told her she was the most beautiful,
perfect, dancing flower he�d ever seen; his encouraging wave from the side of
the field before her first jumping lesson on her new horse, Phantom; and the
pride in his eyes when she�d come off the train that first year at Hogwarts
waving her Top of The Class papers. She smiled brightly as she thought of the
way he�d looked at her all that day. His eyes held such pride and an
unbelievable amount of love.

As she reached him and his hands grasped hers, she looked up into those eyes
she knew and loved and could only whisper, �Thank you, Daddy. Thank you for
always being you. And, thank you for always loving me.�

He nodded, but had to clear his throat before he could speak, �You look
beautiful, honey. Just a picture.�

�Thank you. You don�t clean up so bad yourself,� she smiled to soften
the joke.

His laugh bounced off the walls as he answered, �Yeah, I know. Your mother is
going to be busy fighting all those young ladies for dances with me.�

�You never know,� she laughed.

He sobered for a moment and squeezed her hand, �Hermione, I need to get this
out and I may say it wrong, but it needs to be said.�

�Okay, Daddy,� she nodded, tensing slightly at his suddenly serious tone.

�Your mother and I talked. Earlier. About you and�well,
you�re a smart woman. You know I trust your judgment, but I have to say this
even though your mum thinks I should stay out of it. Your interest in that boy,
and his in you, it�well, I just want you to be careful. No, don�t deny it and
please let me finish.�

Hermione closed her mouth and nodded once again.

�I know people change. I know that. But, this one and his family, they�ve�done
some awful things, hurt you, let you be hurt. And, I know you�ve said they paid
for it and that they�ve learned, but just be careful, okay. He may not mean to,
he may not want to, but he could. Hurt you again, I mean. You have such a big
open heart, Hermione. I don�t want to see it get bruised or crushed by someone
who doesn�t or can�t appreciate it for the gift it is.�

Her head was shaking back and forth before she said, �But, Daddy, I��

�I know,� he smiled softly as he patted her hand and tucked it in the crook of
his elbow, �I know, I know, you aren�t interested in him that way. You�re just
friendly or whatever you kids call it these days. But, I also know you, Worm,
and I won�t say anything more about it, if you�ll promise me one thing.�

�Anything,� she answered with a soft smile.

�If ever you feel a man you are interested in, any man that is, no one in
particular mind you, needs to be beaten about the head for a short while, you
will call on your dear old dad, now won�t you?�

Hermione giggled, but agreed as he pulled her close for a hug.

�I love you, Worm,� he said into her hair.

She inhaled the familiar scent of his cologne and sighed
the answer she�d been giving since before she remembered, �Not as much as I
love you, Daddy.�

�Okay,� he said as he pulled away and straightened his jacket, �Let�s get you
to your party.�

Together they turned to finish the walk down the hall to the top of the stairs.
As they neared, she heard someone call out.

�Ladies and Gentlemen, Ms. Hermione Jean Granger, escorted by her father, Mr.
Herbert Ignatius Granger, the third.�

When she reached the top of the steps and looked down, her breath caught in her
throat. The beauty of the place and the people were breathtaking. Balloons
floated, streamers waved, and silver and gold confetti fell from above. Jewels
shone, faces glowed, and eyes gleamed. Her eyes lit on her mother�s smiling
face, with its twin track of happy tears, and she saw the same love and pride
as that of her father�s. Looking to the right she saw a sea of Weasleys and their spouses beaming up at her with
admiration and love, as they applauded her. Ron, Ginny and Harry stood in the
front of the group, their faces wreathed in smiles and their hands clapping
madly. Ron whistled loudly, as the others called their happy birthdays out to
her. She felt her heart swell as the steadfastness of their friendship and the
depth of their love.

She gripped her father�s arm more tightly as she waved down to them with her
other hand. Then she turned her head and looked at the left half of the room,
where her classmates whistled, clapped and called out just as loudly. No one
voice could be distinguished from the next, as they all shouted
congratulations, but three people stood out to her anyway. They made her first
want to cry, next want to laugh, and last�the last.

First, there was Pansy. There was such awe on her face, that it almost pained
Hermione to meet her eyes. Over the past few weeks she had learned a lot more
about Pansy�s insecurities and desires. She�d learned how much of an idol she�d
become to her new friend and how much Pansy weighed herself against the
standards Hermione had reached. She knew by looking at her that Pansy was still
feeling too thankful to have been forgiven and included. She wanted her new dark-haired
friend to feel like she belonged at the party, not that she was allowed.

Luna was the complete opposite and it relieved the small ache that had formed
in Hermione�s chest to just look at the free-spirited blonde. Luna stood back a
bit from the crowd, her arms waving more like she was dancing than cheering.
Her eyes flicked over Hermione and her father and then bounced around the room
before returning to the two on the stairs. She wore a purple, pink and
orange-striped, T-length dress with enough taffeta for three dresses under it,
along with her Ravenclaw tie. Her hair was braided in one long braid down her
back, exposing her favorite radish earrings, and had a huge purple, pink and
orange bow tied at the bottom. But, with all of that,
the thing that pulled Hermione�s eyes to Luna was the confident air she exuded,
even amidst the crowd. She didn�t care what everyone thought of her style, she
didn�t care that she may not be the most fashionable person there. Luna knew
she belonged.

For a long moment Hermione couldn�t pull her eyes away from the last person. She
saw such naked appreciation and approval it caused her cheeks to flame. Then
interest and desire quickly followed, causing her heart to beat faster. His
bearing was to be expected, as he always stood out from the rest. Although it
barely registered, she took in his formal, tailor-made tuxedo and shiny shoes.
As impressive as he looked, it was his eyes alone that captured her. They
praised her more loudly than any of the yelling had done. They spoke of things
she didn�t fully understand; promised things she still wasn�t sure she wanted
to know. Then he blinked and the moment was broken. She drew in a shaky breath
as she glanced away and continued her descent with her father down the stairs
and into the arms of the waiting crowd.

�You look great, Hermione!� Harry smiled as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. �Just great. I get the second dance.�

�Thank you, Harry,� Hermione laughed. �But, second? Who gets the first?�

�That would be me,� Ron said from her other side. Then he took her hand and
raised it to his lips for a brief kiss, �I get the honor of opening the dancing
with the most beautiful woman in the room.�

�Aw, Ron,� Hermione grinned.

�Yeah, sorry, Hermione, but I made Harry promise the first to me,� Ginny
laughed.

�No worries, I understand,� Hermione smiled. Then she glanced around the room
again, saw everyone standing around enjoying drinks and once again laughed, �I
can�t believe you guys all did this for me.�

�You�re worth it, hon,� Ron said as he draped his arm
around her shoulders and hugged her. �Now, how about that
dance, so this party can really get started?�

Hermione looked around to figure out what to do next and caught her mother�s
eye. She blew back the kiss sent to her and nodded. With an answering nod, Jean
signaled the musicians to begin. Regardless of the years of instruction, Hermione
felt a twinge of disappointment as she had never much enjoyed ballroom dancing.
She knew her parents loved the intricacy and grace of the dances, and a part of
her really did appreciate those things too, but nothing made her feel as good
as fully cutting loose on the dance floor. Shrugging it off, she allowed Ron to
lead her to the center of the floor.

A handsome young man in a tuxedo stepped forward to the microphone, �Ms.
Granger, please allow us, The Magical Muggle Mix, to wish you a very happy
birthday. We hope you enjoy your evening.�

With that he turned and the musicians raised their instruments.

�Ready?� Ron asked with a grin.

�Careful of my toes,� she teased.

As he took the first steps he laughed with her, �I�ll do my best.�

xxxxx

After dancing with Harry, her father, Mr. Weasley,
a few of Ron�s brothers, and some of the young men from her class, Hermione was
finally able to pull away for a few minutes to grab a drink. With a happy sigh,
she took a long sip and leaned back against the wall to watch her parents on
the dance floor. She wasn�t alone for long though. Before she could take the
second sip she was once again surrounded by people.

�Are you having fun?� Pansy asked as she reached out for a glass of champagne.

�Absolutely!� Hermione nodded. �Are you?�

Pansy tipped the rest of the glass up and finished the contents before she
answered, �It�s wonderful. Like a fairytale. And, this��

Her hand snaked out to grab another glass of champagne before she continued,
��is positively delicious!�

�Maybe you should slow down on those,� Ginny hinted. �They�re alcoholic, you
know.�

�I know,� Pansy giggled around a small burp, �but it�s so bubbly and tasty.�

Hermione just laughed, �Just be careful. We don�t want you throwing up all the
way back to Hogwarts.�

�I�ll have you know that I can hold my liquor quite well, thank you very much!�
Pansy answered haughtily. Then she ruined the effect by giggling and almost
dropping her glass. �Oops.�

�There you are!� Greg�s exasperated voice interrupted the conversation. �Jeez,
Pans. How many have you had now?�

Pansy stood up straighter to glare at him, �I told you, both of you,� she
exclaimed pointing a finger at Draco when he materialized out of the crowd to
stand just behind Hermione. �I don�t need a keeper. I am fine!�

�Pansy,� Draco began only to be cut off.

�I am not going to do anything stupid, Draco. Honestly! I am just trying to
relax a little, okay?�

When Draco had answered, Hermione steeled herself not to jump. He was closer
than she�d realized and she felt the heat from his body behind hers.

�I didn�t say you were going to do anything stupid, Pansy. But, when you drink
you tend to, erm��

Pansy looked positively scandalized, �What? Be honest? Tell people what I
really think? What? Are you afraid I am going to tell Hermi��

�Pansy!� Greg�s voice boomed out making all three
girls jump. When he saw their reaction he sighed, �Sorry. Um, maybe we should,
uh��

When it seemed he couldn�t think of anything else to say, he simply reached
out, grabbed Pansy�s arm and hauled her away. Ginny, Hermione and Draco were
left staring after them. Then, Ginny turned to say something to Hermione and
her eyes fell on Draco.

With the subtlety of a bull in a china shop, Ginny looked over their shoulders,
said very quickly, �Coming Harry,� and was gone.

Hermione still stood with her back to Draco, but she could feel that he hadn�t
moved. Deciding that it was now or never, this was his chance to prove his
intentions, she turned to look up at him.

�You look just like I imagined,� he said, his voice so low she almost missed
it.

She tried to answer, to say thank you, but her brain wasn�t working with her
mouth and all that came out was, �Oh, um.�

He smirked when her cheeks turned pink and she appeared at a loss for words.
Then he decided to take a chance and bowed slightly. �May I have this dance,
Ms. Granger?�

Hermione�s eyes widened and her jaw dropped a little, �What? Why? I mean, yes, I
guess.�

When Draco held out his hand to her, she looked at it and then back up at his
face. She searched his eyes for any trace of derision, a sign that he was about
to make a fool of her. But, she found none. Lifting her hand slowly, she placed
it on his and let him draw her onto the dance floor.

The band had just begun a love ballad, and the dancers all moved closer to one
another. Hermione felt his hand tighten on hers as he stopped and turned her
into him, but she couldn�t force herself to look up at him. His other hand slid
across her stomach before coming to rest on her waist and they began to move.
She tried to force herself to breathe, but with every intake his scent
assaulted her, making her lightheaded.

In an effort to find some normalcy she blurted the first thing that came to
mind, �You dance a lot better than either Harry or Ron do.�

�Well, I should hope so,� he laughed. �Are you enjoying today?�

�Yes. And, um, thank you,� she mumbled, risking a glance up as far as his chin.

He expertly turned her and brought her back. This time though, his hand slid
further back, drawing her body a fraction closer to him.

�For what?� he asked quietly.

Hermione had been concentrating on his hand and how close his fingers were to
touching her bare back and forgotten what she�d said.
�Huh?�

She didn�t miss the chuckle in his voice, �You thanked me, Gran�Hermione. I
asked for what.�

�Oh, yeah,� she answered. In her mild embarrassment she forgot to not look and
lifted her head. When her eyes met his she trembled slightly, but still
answered, �For taking part in all this. And, for the dance.�

�My pleasure,� he grinned down at her. Then his smile vanished, but his
face took on even more sincerity, �You do look absolutely perfect.�

�Thank you, again,� she smiled briefly up at him before lowering her gaze to
his perfectly knotted tie once more, her head spinning with questions. Just
when she thought of them in the order she wanted to know the answers, he spun
her again and she had to wait before she could ask.

xxxxxx

�Why do you know so much about my house? My family? Why did you want to dance with me? And, why did
you want to see me in a blue dress?�

Draco looked down at her earnest eyes and knew the one question she really
wanted to ask, about his feelings and recent actions. But, as he wasn�t sure of
his answers to that question, he chose to answer the ones she had posed. Since
this could very well be his last chance to do it, he slid his hand all the way
around and felt the silk of her skin glide under his hand as it rested lightly
on her lower back. He felt more than heard her breath hitch and waited a moment
for her to pull away.

When she didn�t, he took a breath, �I�ve been researching you at night in the
library. And, I know that sounds bad, but like I told you before, you�re in my
head. I thought if I, um, that maybe I could, uh, never mind. I asked you to
dance because it�s your birthday and you look bloody amazing. And the dress, I
don�t know. I just thought the color would� Look, Hermione, I��

In a move she would later describe to Ginny as ��boyfriend having the most
horrific timing ever!� Harry stepped up behind Hermione.

�Mione? Can I cut in?�

Draco felt Hermione instantly pull away. But, even as she stepped back out of
his grasp, her eyes didn�t leave his, �Of course, Harry.�

He didn�t look at the black-haired man behind her as he held her gaze and
reached for hand, �Thank you for the dance, Hermione.�

Harry huffed and put his hand on her arm pulling her attention away for a
second, but she glanced back up again as she answered with a small smile,
�You�re welcome, Malf�Dra�Draco.�

He wanted to smile back at her. He wanted to get her to smile at him again.
But, before he could do either, she was pulled away by Harry and they
disappeared into the crowd of dancers. Draco sighed and stuffed his hands in
his pockets as he turned to leave the floor, but he was stopped.

�You really like her? Hermione? I mean, you know, for
real?�

Draco didn�t know what to make of the question, or of the man asking it. He
looked from one face to another as he tried to decide how best to answer. Ginny and Parvati�s faces were neutral, but their eyes
sparkled with interest. Theo gave him a look of encouragement nodded slightly
to suggest Draco should tell the truth.

So, he looked back into Ron�s face, �We already discussed this, Weasley. Yes.
So?�

Draco wasn�t sure what to make of range of emotions he saw flicker over the
other man�s face, but he was stunned by the words that came out.

�Well, she likes you, too, so��

�Ron!� both Ginny and Parvati gasped.

He spun between the two, �What? It�s true enough isn�t it? And, I was just
going to��

�To what, Ronald?� Theo asked, his voice dripping in
dare.

Ron ignored Theo, glanced at Ginny for a second, and then looked back at a
still shocked Draco. He took a deep breath so he could get it all out. �Look, Malfoy what I said before still stands. And, you
should know Harry�s not happy about any of this. Not in the least, but, uh, if
you, I mean, if she��

�What Ron is trying to say is that he and Harry have agreed to not get in your
way,� Ginny smiled a little.

Then, when Ron bristled she quickly added, �Not
that you have their full support, of course, but as long as you don�t intend to
hurt her, and she�s willing, no one will stand in your way.�

Draco nodded, but didn�t speak, as he wasn�t quite sure what to make of the
turn of events. He tried to mask his emotions, but knew he was unsuccessful
when Ginny patted his arm as she moved by him. Ron simply harrumphed and walked
away.

�I don�t think she wanted you to find out, at least not that way,� Parvati said
softly, gaining Draco�s attention. �She doesn�t know what to do with it yet, if
she even wants to do anything about it, but well, now you know. As they say,
knowledge is power and you now have that power. I don�t know what you will do
with it, but listen to me carefully and be warned. You may have been given a
second chance; you may even deserve it. We all want to believe you�ve changed.
But, if you have it in your head to use her and throw her away, to break her,
there won�t be a hole big enough for you to hide in.�

�Vati,� Theo began.

�No, Theo,� Draco sighed. �She has a right to speak her mind.�

He looked back down at her and waited for her to continue. When she stared at
him for a while and then smiled softly, he felt his forehead crinkle in
confusion and immediately straightened it. He watched as she reached out and
took Theo�s hand before she spoke.

�Getting to know Theo has taught me a lot. Knowing him as I do now, and
understanding why he believes in you, I will give you the benefit of the doubt
and wish you luck.�

Draco inclined his head, as that was the best he could do and maintain his
dignity. He had the strange urge to hug both of them and quickly turned away
before he could give in to that embarrassing desire.

xxxxx

Author�s Reponses: I am thrilled
that you have all enjoyed her birthday so far, and I hope you like the end of
her day on Sunday. Don�t you wish you had a day like this one?! I know I do.
For my birthday a week ago, all I got was gift cards and I was darn happy about
them. lol Thank you all once again!

margaritama: That was a lovely
review. Thank you. Draco�s shell is thinning as he grows and learns how to be,
as well as have friends. I am really glad you�ve noticed. And, what did you
think about their dance? I loved the picture you drew in my head of Harry and
Ron as �gossipy hens�. Thank you!!!!

kazfeist: So, how was that
slow dance? ;-) Thank you, hon!

LadyBlueEyes:
Oh stop. Any reviewer is a good reviewer. No worries. :-) I�ve been enjoying
your stories too much! I am glad you are enjoying her day and like the
surprises I came up with for her. I know I didn�t give you any Ron and Pansy
with this chapter, but they are all over the next one. I look forward to
hearing your thoughts on it. lol Hugs hon!
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Struggling Through New Beginnings