Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Temporary	By : sabreenthequeen Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 25226 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: 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
- 29
- 30
Authoress’s
Note: I tried to answer most of
the questions that I know you all must be thinking about but there
may be some things that I don’t answer straight up and that you
as very capable readers must infer from your reading or resort to
your creative minds to answer. The chapter is a lot longer than I
intended, and the mood is lightened considerably.

Normally
last chapters come to me very easily since I write most of the last
chapter towards the middle, but this story had been a lot different.
It was much harder to recap in a good way and answer questions and
whatnot. I had a different ending in mind before, one that was a lot
more darker and sad. But I decided to give you this instead.

So
now that the end is here, I ask for one last review from you all, an
overall review for the entire story. I hope this ending satisfies
you. Enjoy!

And HBP is finally
going to be here for me in a few hours! I'm very excited!

.:hands
out cookies to faithful readers:.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Temporary
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter
30: Permanent

…Three
months later…

“Ewwwwwwwwwwwww!
I can't believe you just did that!” I said, shaking my head as
Ron stood there appalled confused. “You can’t go around
saying stuff like that to a girl! Are you insane?” I scolded
him, turning red.

Ron had just relayed to me his latest
excursion with a sixth year girl from Hufflepuff in the loo.
Apparently, while I was drooling over Draco and hating Ron’s
guts, he had become quite the player among the girls. With Draco off
limits, and Harry too depressed and worried, to pay him much mind,
this was understandable.

We were on the Hogwarts Express, on
our train ride home, officially leaving Hogwarts behind. The event
had not hit me yet, but I knew that the last 10 minutes I would be in
this train, it would and I would cry about leaving the place that had
been my home for seven years behind. I had so many memories there--so
many events took place there that altered my life, and I did not want
to accept that I was leaving for good.

“Spare me the
details! Please!” I begged him, covering my ears as he
chuckled. It was good to see him chuckle.

I smiled to myself
and wondered whether Ron was exaggerating a bit about his sexual
escapades. Remembering the little incident both of us had the last
time we were in Hogwart's Express, I knew Ron wasn‘t exactly
‘well endowed‘ as one would say. Of course my judgment
may be wrong for I never had this problem, as Draco was blessed with
his assets, but I imagined it would be quite difficult to achieve the
affect Ron mentioned numerous times. Of course, I didn’t
mention my wayward thoughts to him, not particularly wanting to get
into that type of discussion.

He shook his head and we made a turn, heading towards the
moving stairs. “So how’s Malfoy doing?” he asked
me, getting serious.

I looked out the window watching the
endless trees and skies combine into blurry green nothingness and
sighed. “I don’t know,” I said, trying to sound
nonchalant.

Ron lifted my chin and forced me to look into his
eyes, “Hermione, I know you still love him.”

I
shrugged away from him and looked back out the window, ignoring the
obvious truth in his words.

“You know you love him, so
why ignore your feelings? Why push him back into the darkness? Why
dump him without telling him why?” Ron persisted, his voice
getting louder. “You know you're doing him more harm with this
right? This isn’t going to be just about a few days of
heartbreak, you’re encouraging his dark obsession.”

I
didn't acknowledge his words.

“Look, Hermione, you know
how much I hate the guy. You know I'd like nothing more than to see
him crushed under this train and die and painful slow death, but I
know it would hurt you more than it could ever hurt that smarmy
bastard, so I just keep my fantasies up here,” he tapped his
head, "and refrain from acting them out, just for you.

“I
finally let go of my hatred for the bloke--don't get me wrong, I
still despise him--but now that I have learned to live with the fact
you two love each other and were obviously made for each other, you
decide to end it! I even bloody kissed him so you’d break up
with him, damn it! It’s not fair for you to just end it like
this! I was supposed to be the one to break you two up! Of course, if
you can give me just one good reason why you dumped him, than I'll
let it rest, and trust you're skewed judgment. So?”

I
couldn’t help but smile at his antics, but I didn’t want
to tell him why I broke up with Draco. I couldn't even tell Draco,
because that meant I would have to face the truth. I didn’t
want to face the truth. I didn’t want to know why Draco took
the pictures, or why he really etched my name in his flesh. I was
afraid that just like when he said he that took the pictures, and
that he had “always wanted” to become a Death Eater, he
would give me an answer that would just crush me. I had high
expectations of him, but he had shattered them twice over, and I
couldn't fall apart again, when I had just started piecing myself
back together.

That's why, I broke up with him once he fully
recovered--so I did not have to face him.

After Aquil took us
to Hogwarts, Madame Pomfrey worked hard at healing Draco. The
multiple Cruciatus Curses Bellatrix had inflicted upon his already
battered body had caused him much so harm, and when I used up that
Dark Magic, it had pushed Draco into the last reserves of his
strength. He could have died any minute.

I sat by his side
diligently, day and night, until he regained consciousness. While
Harry and Ron battled side-by-side, against Voldemort, I stayed back
with Draco, helping Madame Pomfrey heal the others who had been
wounded. It had been my goal to stand by Harry’s side when he
was facing Voldemort in the final battle, but I had failed to do so.
But I “did my part” as Dumbledore said, and that worked
to console my restless heart.

The battle ended the day Draco
opened his eyes; the Dark Mark awakened him. It had glowed bright red
one last time with his Master’s final plea for help when Harry
had Voldemort down on his knees. Draco woke, gasping and panting for
air. He sat up and demanded his wand and his freedom. So concerned
was he with aiding his Master, that he didn't even see the distress
in my cloudy eyes. When he looked at me, his eyes were
opaque--completely white and lifeless. The only thing that was on his
mind was to save his Master and fulfill the vow he made to him when
taking the Dark Mark.

The look on his face was enough for me
to know that no matter how much I loved him, my name carved into his
skin would never have greater impact the Dark Mark burned onto his
other arm. No matter how much he cared for me, his indoctrinated
upbringing would forever be greater than his temporary love for me.

Not even five minutes after Draco awoke, Harry had defeated
Voldemort. I knew immediately, as I watched as the Mark fade from
deep black to a light scar. Voldemort was gone, but the Mark would
forever be a part of Draco--a part of his identity.

Watching
him for those five minutes, I knew that continuing our relationship
would be futile. It would only serve to hurt me more later on. The
gnawing feeling in my heart, that doubt and suspicion would always
come in the way of our love. I would never be able to trust him as
much as I used to--and relationships were built on trust; without it,
the bond breaks and intimacy becomes meaningless.

I still sat
beside Ron in the train compartment, and I was aware of his stare. I
had not answered him yet.

“I’m afraid, Ron,”
I told him honestly. “And I can’t trust him
anymore.”

Ron leaned forward and took my hands in his,
looking deep into my eyes. “Well, I've always said you could
never trust a Malfoy,” he told me. “It’s their
name, their identity, their nature.” He sighed and looked out
the window briefly, catching my eye through my reflection in the
glass. “But you trusted him once, for whatever reason, and you
could always learn to trust him again.”

“Is it
worth the pain?” I found myself whispering.

“I
think you, of all people, should know that love is worth taking the
risk.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When the
Hufflepuff Ron mentioned earlier came into the compartment, I was
forced to leave. I was disgusted that Ron didn’t kick me out.
He just carried on snogging her senseless right in front of me!

I
ran off into the bathroom to wash my face and try to get rinse my
eyes of the image. Last time, I had done this because Ron had made a
move on me. Today, it was different, but I still had to run out of
the compartment and go to the bathroom because of him.

When I
left the loo, I wondered where Ginny and Harry had disappeared to.
They said they were going to meet up with Ron and I in the
compartment soon, but they had never arrived.

I made a slight
turn in the hallway and noticed how dark it was getting. Suddenly, a
figure rose from the darkness, startling me. When he stepped from the
shadows, I realized it was just Blaise. “You nearly scared me
to death, Zabini,” I told him, shaking my head.

Blaise
smirked but didn’t apologize. I didn’t expect him to.

“Listen, Granger, we need to talk.” I nodded my
head. “Not here.” He opened the door to an empty
compartment. I stepped in and he followed me inside, closing the door
behind us. “It’s about Draco.”

I sighed.
Blaise had tried to talk me out of breaking up with Draco many times,
but I never listened to a word he said. Now with Ron’s words
ringing in my ears, the fact that we would leave Hogwarts forever,
and the possibility of not seeing Draco ever again, I decided to hear
Blaise out.

“I know you broke things off with him, and
I understand why you did it,” he said, sitting down. I followed
suit and sat opposite him. “But as I told you a long time ago
before you were kidnapped, you’re the only one who could bring
the real Draco back. The Dark Lord may have been defeated but his
teachings and his influence is still greatly affecting Draco’s
life. Not all the Death Eaters are dead or have been tried and put to
Azakaban and the possibility of another Dark Lord rising is high.
Before that happens, or before Draco himself assumes the position of
the new Dark Lord, you have to be the one to snap him out of it.”

I
felt a lump of fear stick in the middle of my throat and burn the
insides. I had never thought that breaking up with Draco might have
that outcome, because I did it selfishly. Yet, the power and
fierceness I had felt in Draco the day he woke up was strong. Were it
not for the special bonds we had surrounding him, he would have left
to help Voldemort. I could tell how dedicated he was, and if anyone
were capable of rising to fulfill the void left with Voldelmort's
defeat, it would have been him.

“You’re Hermione
and a Gryffindor,” Blaise said as he stood up ready to depart.
“You’re supposed to be the smart one… I wonder
what happened,” he added before leaving and shutting the door
behind him.

The lump of fear finally slid down my throat and
I wondered too.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Hermione!
You were here all along? I opened every compartment looking for you!”
Ginny said opening the door and sliding down in a seat in front of me
where Blaise had been sitting moments before. I looked up at her and
gave her a forced smile.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”
she asked me, noticing how glum I looked.

I leaned back
against the seat and rested my head back, closing my eyes briefly.
“Everyone’s lecturing me to get back with Draco,” I
told her. “But I’ve never been this afraid in my life.
What happened to me? Since when did I become such a coward?”

Ginny
shook her head. “You are not a coward. You were always cautious
and practical. Getting back with Draco would be a huge risk to you,
personally. You might get heartbroken again. It may not work out
properly. There are so many factors between you and him. You’re
a member of the Order and he? Well, we don’t know where his
loyalties lie. You’re just saving yourself from an obviously
confusing relationship that may just lead its path towards doom.”

I
stared at her, seeing the truth in her words. That’s exactly
what I felt all this time but Ron and Blaise had steered my thoughts
away and made me think I being a coward and acting un-Hermione-like
when in reality I was just being me.

“But,”
Ginny added, “Sure you were always practical and cautious...but
when it came to saving Harry and Ron, you chucked practicality out
the window and broke so many rules it’s a wonder how you became
Head Girl. Now, it’s up to you to decide. Do you care about
Draco enough to break all the rules there are? Do you care enough to
put your life and your heart on the line like all the times you put
yourself out for Harry and Ron? Or will you simply forget him and
always regret not doing anything, not trying to find the answers or
make your relationship work at all?”

My eyes were wide
and my mouth agape by the time she finished her lecture. She was
right in so many respects that I was beginning to think back to what
Blaise had said and wondering what indeed happened
to me? Why didn’t I think of all this?

“Anyway
that’s up to you,” Ginny said, shrugging her shoulders.
“Have you seen Harry anywhere?” she said cheerily,
changing the subject.

“Nope, I thought he was with
you.”

Ginny shook her head. “He went out looking
for you.”

“Oh.” We were silent for a while
until I decided to bring up something that was gnawing at me for
months. “Ginny, why did you act so mean around me back then?
After I found out I was pregnant?”

Ginny sighed and
lowered her head so that her silky red hair was covering her face. I
remembered how much I used to envy her hair and her beauty. I didn’t
any more.

“I didn’t want to on purpose. I just…I
don’t know,” she said, failing to speak eloquently. “I
was jealous,” she said after a minute of silence.

“Jealous?”

She nodded her head. “Before
school started this year, I met Malfoy at a club in Diagon Alley. I
was always attracted to him, and he was the perfect match for me, or
so I thought back then. This was before Harry asked me out. I never
thought about Harry again after a while. He became a little preteen
crush, nothing big but my attraction towards Malfoy was huge. My toes
would curl every time I’d see him. That day, he took me to the
hotel on top of the club and you could imagine what happened. But the
morning after, he was gone and I didn't see him until school
started.

“Harry asked me out, finally, and I was happy.
But I always wondered what happened to Malfoy. I was crushed but I
soon forgot him because Harry was so good to me, so sweet. And when I
found out Malfoy was yours all this time, I didn’t care much
but when I found out you were pregnant it was a major blow. I
couldn’t handle it. I became depressed.

“And you
know what happens to me when I’m depressed. . .he
comes into my dreams. Tom Riddle,”
she whispered.

There was silence before she continued again.
“He took advantage of me. He pitted me against you. He forced
me to break up with Harry, and it kept on going until the battle was
finally over.” She began to tremble. “I still have
nightmares of him.”

I
pulled her into a fierce hug and ran my fingers through her lovely
hair, soothing her. “Well, he’s gone for good,” I
told her. “He could never harm you again.” Ginny nodded
against my shoulder and we stayed like that until her shivering died
down. I never would have imagined what Ginny had gone through.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Harry
arrived moments later, a paper in his hands. He had a huge triumphant
grin on his face; he was beaming at me. “Hermione, I did it!”

I furrowed my eyebrows and wondered what he was talking
about. He sat down next to me and handed me the paper he had in his
hands. It was a copy of PlayWizard. As soon as I saw the cover, I
flung it away from me.

“What the hell, Harry! Why did
you bring a copy of that filth to me?” I said wrinkling my
nose.

Harry went back to pick it up. His foolish grin was not
yet wiped off his face.

“Harry, what are you doing?”

He flipped through the pages and when he was finally pleased
with the page, he gave it to me. “Don’t throw it again.
Just read it.”

I sighed and did as I was told, Ginny
tried reading the article from upside-down but it made her dizzy and
she decided to wait until I was finished.

It was an apology
letter from PlayWizard given to me. It said that posting the pictures
of me was a grave mistake on their part and that the signature on the
contract I had supposedly signed was a forgery, so much near
authentic that they thought I had agreed! They gave me their
sincerest apologies and said that the photos of me would be magically
removed from all the copies of their magazine.

Ginny snatched
the magazine from my hand and read it while I hugged Harry so
tightly, I nearly squeezed the life out of him. “Oh Harry! I
can’t believe it. How’d they find out?”

“Well
I took the copy of the contract from Dumbledore and with Snape’s
help figured out someone took a copy of your signature and essence
and signed it.”

“Snape?” Ginny and I cried
out at the same time. “Snape helped you?”

Harry
grinned. “He wasn’t too mean this time. But God, I’m
telling you right now that’s the last time I’m seeking
help from him.”

“Plus, we learned a few more
things about these scandalous
photos,” Harry added. Ginny and I giggled at his choice of
words. “I caught Pansy Parkinson and Colin Creevy whispering
and bickering. It seemed so out of place so I overheard their
conversation using my trusty invisibility cloak. Apparently, Malfoy
had hired Colin to take pictures of you two,” Harry told me,
“as a kinky little experiment. But don’t worry, Colin
wasn’t in the room during the time,” Harry added quickly
when he saw the shocked look on my face. “He just set up the
cameras and magically made sure they would flash during certain
times. Cool trick if you ask me. It could come in handy,” Harry
said wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at Ginny.

“Harry,
please continue,” Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

“Oh
right, anyway Pansy overheard Colin and Malfoy’s agreement and
devised this plan of having them distributed in PlayWizard. Colin had
a thing for you, Hermione,” Harry told me, grinning. “And
he couldn’t stand it that you and Malfoy were together. So he
teamed up with Pansy but when he sent the photos, Pansy didn’t
want a single one of Malfoy’s in it. But Colin did and that was
why they were arguing so many times.”

“Since when
did Parkinson get so smart?” Ginny asked.

Harry
shrugged his shoulders and I answered Ginny’s question for her.
“Love can make people do crazy things.” Ginny smiled and
Harry nodded his head approvingly.

“I think we all
learned a valuable lesson here.”

“And what’s
that, Harry?” Ginny asked.

“Never underestimate
the dumb ones, and wizard photos are your friends?” Ron
answered before Harry opened his mouth. We didn’t notice when
he came inside the compartment and his voice startled us somewhat.
When we got over the shock, Ginny scooted over to make room for her
brother and we all nodded our heads and giggled in approval of his
answer. It was good to be back with them all again, laughing.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Well,
well, well, if it isn’t Potty, Weasel King, Weaselette, and the
Brain,” a familiar voice drawled when the compartment door slid
open. Harry rolled his eyes while Ron clenched and unclenched his
fists. I ignored him completely.

“What are you doing
here, Malfoy?” Ginny said tiredly.

“Tradition,”
Draco answered. “Do I need to define that for you, Weasel?”
Draco said staring at Ron.

“No thanks,” he spat.

“It’s our last time here, Malfoy,” Harry
said, “Want to make it memorable?” He took out his wand
and fingered it thoughtfully.

“I don’t waste my
time on the likes of you, Potter,” Draco said. “Right
boys?” he told his two trusty side-kicks who grunted in
agreement. “We’ll be on our way now but we will meet
again,” Draco said cryptically. I knew he was staring at me and
trying to get my attention, but I paid no heed.

When he left,
the gang was staring at me, but they asked no questions. I looked out
the window, pondered for a while, and then wordlessly got up. “I’m
going to the bathroom, guys.” I didn’t need to lie. They
very well knew exactly where I was going, but I said it anyway and
left.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I
stopped right in front of the Head compartment, wondering whether or
not I should go in. In the end, I allowed my instincts to take over.
I did what had become a short tradition between Draco and rolled up
my skirt, undid the top button of my blouse and ruffled my hair
before opening the door and sliding in.

My breath was caught
at my throat at the sight of him. He was leaning back against the
train seat, his shirt unbuttoned all the way so that I could drool
over his sexy torso. There was sweat on his skin just like the old
days, and I closed my eyes savoring the memory.

But when I
opened my eyes, the image wasn’t the same. His eyes were not
darkened with lust, but blank. HIS expression was not pleased, but
angry.

I didn’t blame him for his reaction. My ignoring
him hurt me, but it angered
him. He did everything he could to get me alone and discuss why we
broke up, and I refused to answer, ignoring him all the time. He even
resorted to calling me names, though he never called me “Mudblood”
again.

Days of pretending not to care about him and ignoring
him when he demanded to know why I broke up with him had made him
frustrated and resentful. He was paying me back for the iciness I had
showed him.

But one tilt of the head and a smirk on my face
was all he needed to willingly take me into his arms again and forget
how mean I acted towards him. “You were right, Draco,” I
told him as he held on my hips and brought my body flush against his.
“I won't ever get enough of you.”

My hands
traveled up his defined chest and around his neck, pulling him down
to kiss him. “Mmm.” Feeling his body, his hands, and
tasting his lips sent me a one-way trip to pure bliss. I never wanted
to let him go. I didn’t care about Dark Marks or evil Lords. I
didn’t care about bravery or cowardice, or the chance that my
heart could be broken again.

All I cared about what getting
what I had craved for so long. Draco was mine to devour, and I didn’t
care which flavor he came in: mean, cold, naughty, caring, or sad. He
was my Draco and I
loved to taste each one of his flavors.

After I reacquainted
myself with his body: how he tasted, his sighs and his moans, we sunk
down on the seat and wrapped our arms around each other. We didn’t
talk, as usual. We just felt, and we understood.

When the
train-ride ended, I knew this bliss would also cease. I lifted my
head from on top of his chest and was just about ready to leave. I
knew this thing between us was temporary, and I knew better than to
hope for something more.

But he took my hand and kissed me on
the forehead. As much as I mentally begged him to ask me to stay, he
didn’t. He simply took my hand and stroked my cheek, looking
deeply into my eyes. He didn’t need to tell me anything. He
didn’t need to say that he loved me. He didn’t need to
ask for forgiveness and he didn’t need to forgive me. He just
needed to hold me and that was the only answer I needed from
him.

Just when I was beginning to drift to sleep with a smile
on my face, he reached for his robes and fished through the pockets.
When he found what he was looking for, he turned back to me and
without a warning, put the ring, the same ring he’d given me on
Valentine’s Day, the same ring I threw away when he told me he
took the pictures, on the palm of my hand and curled my fist around
it. He didn’t need to tell me the purpose of the ring, for I
understood it without words. It wasn't a proposal, but a claim and
the unspoken words rang clear between us: as much as he was
mine, I was his.

For
that moment on, he no longer a pawn of Voldemort nor an evil murder.
He was simply my Draco and even though I didn’t know him
completely: didn’t know what his motives were, his thoughts, or
his real identity--I didn’t need to know. I fell in love with
an enigma, and I was okay with it. I would learn to trust him as Ron
said, for love can make people do crazy things, and when it comes to
falling in love with your enemy, you have to take chances.

Sure
this train ride had ended, but our relationship had just blossomed
into an entirely new one. There was no name for it again, but that
was the beauty of our bond.

Some of you may think that Draco
and I have made no real progress in our relationship, but only I knew
how much I learned and how much our relationship strengthened and
intensified. Even though this bliss was a temporary one, the love
Draco gave me and the knowledge I gained through the experience
wasn’t temporary at all.

It
was
permanent.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
- 29
- 30
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Temporary