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Struggling Through New Beginnings	By : HarryGinny4eva Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 31236 -:- 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
- 34
- 35
- 36
IMPORTANT Author�s
Note in case you missed it in chapter 35 � I am so sorry!!! I knew this week was
too busy! Thank you DREAMWEAVER for catching a HUGE error on my part. I forgot
an entire short chapter, now titled, CHAPTER
32.5. Sigh. I am so sorry guys. If you haven�t done so yet, you might want
to go back and read it. This should have been right after Parvati and Theo�s
short conversation the night of the table switching. I am going to go ahead and
post it now and then try and fix the order. This should clear up a couple of
things, like Harry�s anger, Millie and Greg, etc. If there are mistakes, I
apologize again. Forgive me please?

Chapter 36

�How was what?� Draco asked. He sat on the sofa with his eyes closed and his
legs stretched out in front of him, ankles crossed. A forgotten full glass of firewhiskey rested in his hands.

Greg came in and sat down in the chair nearest the
fire. Meanwhile, Theo closed the door and joined them, sitting on the sofa next
to Draco.

He then reached over and took the glass from
Draco�s hand and swallowed a large gulp.

�Hey!�

�What? You weren�t drinking it,� Theo chuckled.

Draco reached out and took it back, �Well, maybe I
was going to��

�Can we stay on topic?� Greg interrupted.

Theo sighed heavily and crossed his arms and legs
as she sat back against the sofa. �I don�t see where it is any of our business,
Greg. And, it isn�t appropriate to ask Draco��

�Appropriate?� Greg laughed. �Who was it that
interrogated Blaise last year for an hour after his date with Tracey?�

Theo had the grace to flush a little, �Well, that
was then.�

Greg raised an eyebrow and laughed, �Then, as in
before you were dating Parvati and decided not to give
up any details?�

�Yes, well,� Theo muttered.

Draco finally stepped into the conversation, �May I
ask what you two dimwits are talking about?�

Greg turned to him, �Kissing Hermione!�

�Gregory,� Theo admonished.

�Belt up Nott, you know you want to know, too,�
Greg laughed.

Theo rolled his eyes and looked at the fire. �Why
do you want to know? I thought you were over her? What are you doing with
Millie, if you��

�I am. Over her, that is. And, I like Millie. But,
that doesn�t mean I can�t still be curious.�

�How about I help you girls out a bit?� Draco
laughed. �She is fantastic. The witch can kiss! I hate to think of her
practicing on Weasley, but I can�t deny the results.�

�Is that all you did?�

�Greg!�

�What?!�

�No matter, Theo,� Draco smirked. Then he turned
his head to Greg, �That�s all you�re getting anyway.�

�Spoilsport,� Greg grumbled as he reached out and
swiped Draco�s drink. He downed it in one gulp and laughed at the look on
Draco�s face. �Sorry, mate, but no story, no drink!�

Draco laughed, �It�s my room, remember? Accio bottle.�

�Accio glass,� both Theo
and Greg added.

When all three had their drinks, Greg leaned back
and said, �So, what were you planning to do tonight?�

Draco shrugged and then grimaced. He had been able
to heal himself well enough, from Harry�s punch, to avoid a bruise, but he
still felt the twinges of pain in his ribs when he moved. He admitted to
himself, though he would never say it aloud, that the dark-haired freak had a
good right arm.

�I was
going to hang out with Hermione and relax, but Potter messed that up well and
good, didn�t he?� Draco sneered.

Greg nodded and said to Theo, �You shoulda let him hit Harry again.�

�And, that would have solved what?� Theo sniffed.

�I would feel better,� Draco sulked.

�Oh yeah? And, what do you think Hermione would have thought of you trying to
beat the shit out of her best friend?� Theo asked.

�Try?� Draco asked, affronted.

Greg shrugged, �He�s not so scrawny any more, you
know.�

�I could have taken him,� Draco almost pouted.

�Well, that�s neither here nor there, as we shall
never know,� Theo said philosophically. �At least now Hermione will not hold
any of it against you.�

�True,� Draco sighed as he took a sip of his drink.

�Why do you hate him so much anyway?� Greg asked
softly. �I mean, looking back, I don�t remember him doing anything to you. To us. At least not at first. But,
we�well, I guess we just followed you.�

�He never did anything?! He flaunted his scar
around here like a damn badge of honor.� Draco jumped up and began pacing as he
spoke. �He lorded his �poor-me� act all over the damn school. He acted the
martyr every chance he got! And, he never got caught and punished, no matter
what he did wrong!�

Theo softly interrupted, �It�s not like he had it
all that easy either, Draco.�

�Are you siding with that asshole?!�

Theo threw his hands in up a sign of peace, �No, of
course not! I�m just saying, now that I�ve gotten to know him, he never asked
for any of what happened to him. I�m not saying it makes him a paragon of
virtue or anything, because he surely is not, but I do think he deserves a modicum
of, I don�t know, understanding, I guess.�

�Give me a break!� Draco laughed harshly and then
threw back his drink. �He�s a self-righteous, self-important, jerk! And, he won�t keep his nose out of my business!�

�Same was said of you many times,� Theo mumbled
around his glass.

Draco harrumphed, but couldn�t truly deny it.

Greg took a sip of his drink and asked, �But, what
started it?�

�Started what?� Draco asked.

�Us hating Harry, Ron, and
Hermione?�

Draco closed his eyes for a moment. He knew his
instilled beliefs about muggleborns had tainted his
feelings toward Hermione before she�d ever said a word to him. His family�s
history with the Weasleys had been enough reason to
look down on Ron. But, Draco knew in his heart that his intense dislike of Ron
and Hermione was born mostly from his anger at Harry. He thought back to the
moment he�d offered his hand in friendship to Harry and had been turned away.
He rationally knew that it was petty to still harbor so much anger over
something that happened when he was only eleven years old, but it was something
that had always galled him. As the years had gone by and he had suffered, paid
and lost, Harry had succeeded, been awarded and even lauded. He wasn�t willing
to admit, even to himself too often, that it was jealousy, so he stuck to the
only argument he could acknowledge. �He tried to kill me, remember?�

Greg began, �But, before that we�� only to be cut
off by a quick shake of Theo�s head behind Draco�s back.

�What?� Draco asked.

Greg shrugged and looked down into his empty glass,
�Nothing. I guess it�s just weird that everyone can get along, but you two.�

�Well, get over it! I will have Weasley eating
dinner at my house off my own plate with my damn fork, before I would ever
befriend Potter!� Draco snapped.

For a few moments after Draco�s statement all that
could be heard was the crackling of the fireplace. Then Theo cleared his throat
and asked, �So, either of you know what Blaise is up to tonight?�

Draco, thankful to have the subject changed sat
back down heavily, �Moping in his rooms, as per usual.�

�Maybe we should go visit,� Theo suggested. �It�ll
be a while before the girls come back anyway.�

Greg, upset with himself for upsetting Draco, and
frustrated with Draco for not answering the questions, pushed off the sofa,
�Yeah, let�s go.�

xxxxx

�And, then he left.�

�Oh, Harry,� Ginny said as she leaned over and
hugged him.

She had left The Hog�s Head and hurried with Pansy
back to the school. They�d made their way up to Gryffindor Tower where Pansy
and Ron immediately disappeared into his room; door shut and wards up. Ginny
had taken a deep breath before knocking on Harry�s door, asking if they could
talk.

Twenty minutes later, she sat next to him on his
bed and wanted to cry for him. She�d listen to his rendition of his meeting
with Professor Snape and knew he was riddled with confusion. But, she didn�t
know how to help him, or, if she even should. There were some things in life
that people needed to figure out for themselves in order for the lesson to
stick.

�So, what are you going to do?� she asked as she
leaned back.

�I don�t know, Gin,� he shook his head. �I feel
like I should apologize, I guess. But, I don�t really feel I did anything
wrong. I mean, yes, he was on our side the whole time, and he apparently loved
my mum, but he also treated me like dung on his shoe every day of my life here.
Why should I all of a sudden start acting like I respect him or something?�

�You only have to do what you feel is right,
Harry,� she answered.

�I know,� he sighed.

After a moment of quiet she tried to lighten things
up with a joke, �Maybe you don�t have to ever apologize. Someday we can just
name a child after him or something and he�ll get the idea.�

He laughed a little, �Yeah right. Like I would saddle our child with the name Severus.�

�True. Well, maybe as a middle name then,� she
laughed.

He joined her for a minute and then sobered. �What
do I do about Hermione, Gin?�

�What do you mean?�

�What do I mean?! She�s dating Draco bloody
Malfoy!� he exploded as he surged off the bed. �I mean, it�s Malfoy! For all of
our lives here he�s been a complete asshole to me, Ron and Hermione. He fought
with Voldemort. He called her the foulest of names, wished her dead, among
other thoughtless, cruel things. And, now, he�s had a little therapy and we�re
all supposed to believe he�s to be forgiven? I don�t think so! How Hermione can
abide to let him talk to her, much less touch her, I just can�t understand!�

�People do change,� Ginny almost whispered.

�I know that,� he answered. Then he ran his hands
through his messy hair and sat down, his head in his hands, elbows on his
knees. �Don�t you think I know that?�

Ginny rubbed his lower back, �I know you do. And, I
know what he did to all of you. Who he was. But,
Hermione has forgiven him. She truly believes he�s changed; that he�s sorry for
the things he did. And, hon, as long as Hermione sees
something in him, he�s going to be a part of our lives.�

�Ugh!� Harry moaned as he fell back across the bed.

�You can�t keep starting fights with him, Harry,�
she added. Before he could answer she continued, �As your girlfriend I am
telling you that holding on to the anger you have for Draco isn�t good for you.
And, he�s not worth it. As Hermione�s friend I�m telling you to stop before you
drive a wedge between the two of you that can�t be repaired. Because
again, Draco Malfoy isn�t worth losing her over. And, as your Head Girl,
I am telling you to stop before you get in trouble. I can�t keep turning away
and pretending it�s not happening, Harry.�

�I�m sorry,� he said as he looked up into her face.
�I didn�t mean to put you in a bad position.�

�I know. But, I think it�s time for you to show
some of that maturity I know you have. Just walk away when it gets to be too
much. You haven�t seemed to notice, Harry, but he really has stopped
antagonizing you and Ron since he started seeing Hermione. He�s still a git sometimes, I admit, but he hasn�t really done all that
much.�

�God, I hate him,� Harry moaned. �No matter how
much he might have changed, he�s still a snarky bastard.�

�I know,� she smiled down at him. �But, the man I
love is too good and strong to let a few rude comments get to him, isn�t he?�

xxxxx

�Yes, he is,� Hermione giggled from her seat two
weeks later. �He�s funny.�

�Does he treat you well?� he asked with a smile.

�He does,� she answered with a matching one.

�And, he�s smart, right?� Draco pressed.

She nodded and smiled, �He is.�

�I�ve also heard he�s a pretty nice looking chap,�
he said.

�Chap?� she giggled.

�Just answer the question, Granger,� he rolled his
eyes playfully.

�Yes, he�s rather nice looking, I suppose,� she
giggled.

Draco leaned over the cauldron they shared and
asked quietly, �Would you say he�s a great kisser?�

Hermione had to stifle her laughter as they were in
the middle of class. Their potion was almost done and needed only to be stirred
twice more in the next ten minutes. They had finished ahead of time due to both
knowing what to do and how to do it. Their partnership had reached a point
where each knew the other�s moves before they�d done it, and it allowed them to
often finish before the other students. They also had the added benefit of sitting
in the back of the class in the corner, so they could get their work done and
talk quietly without getting into trouble.

�He�s okay, I guess,� she answered with a smirk.

�Just okay?� he asked in shock. �What�s wrong with
him?�

�Now now, Malfoy, I think we should stop. My boyfr��

She paused, startled by the word about to slip from
her lips, and looked at him. He could read the embarrassment and insecurity on
her face.

His heart beat quickly in his chest, and he
realized he wanted to hear her say the word. They hadn�t discussed it, as
neither was secure enough in him or her self to broach
the topic. But, he knew he already thought of her that way; as his girl. And,
he wanted to hear her admit she felt the same.

He took a breath and said, �Your boyfriend what?
You think he would be upset that we were talking about him and his techniques?�

He wanted to laugh at the quick flicker of emotions
across her face, but he didn�t as he noticed the most prominent ones seemed to
be relief and joy. He felt the same.

�Yes,� she smiled widely at him, �My boyfriend would not like it at all. He�s
a rather private person.�

�Is he now? Sounds like the possessive type to me,�
Draco grinned. Then his grin turned to a smirk as he said, �Well, my girlfriend wouldn�t mind. She�s the
secure type. She knows she�s amazing and that I would have nothing but great
things to say about her anyway. She knows how I feel about her no matter who
she talks to about me.�

Hermione�s smile slipped a bit, �Does she?�

Draco felt his stomach drop. He hadn�t planned for
things to get that far. He knew how he felt about Hermione, but he wasn�t sure
if it was the right time to say anything. They were in the middle of class,
surrounded by cauldrons and smoke, a bunch of other people, and a stalking
Professor Snape. And, on top of it all, he wasn�t quite sure she felt the same
yet.

He settled for being positive but slightly vague to
protect himself, �Yes, of course she does.�

He looked into her eyes and saw the disappointment
in them before she looked away from him and started to clean up around them.
�Oh. Well, good then.�

He realized she really didn�t know. And, she looked
upset by it. He wondered if maybe he should take more of a chance. He grabbed
her hand to stop her nervous movements, but didn�t look her in the eye as he
spoke for fear of her laughing at him, or worse.

�I mean, she should know.�

Her voice was a whisper, �Have you told her?�

�No, do you think I should?�

Hermione nodded, her eyes
wide as he finally looked at her.

He smiled softly and to stall a bit longer asked,
�Has your boyfriend told you how he feels about you?�

In silence, she continued to stare at him as she
shook her head.

His voice was soft but sure as he rubbed his thumb
across the back of her hand, �Well, he should. He should tell you that he loves
the way your hair changes colors in the sun; the way your eyes reflect your
every thought; the way your smile brightens his darkest days. He should tell
you that he looks forward to getting up each morning knowing he�ll soon get to
see your gorgeous face. He should say that having you in his life is like
having a dream. That through all of the years of his stupidity and bigotry and
pain, he must have done at least one thing right to have earned the right to
have you stand by his side. He should tell you that he lo�that he�s in love
with you.�

He watched her eyes well with tears and saw her
take a shuddered breath, but rushed on, �He should tell you that every moment
of every day. Because a beautiful, brilliant, powerful witch like you shouldn�t
ever have to wonder how he feels.�

The tears coursed down her reddened cheeks in
complete opposition to the smile that bloomed across her face. He saw her take
a breath and felt her hand squeeze his as she wiped at her eyes with her other
hand.

�Oh Draco,� she sighed. �That was beautiful.�

�So�s my girlfriend,� he
answered with a soft smile. Then he cleared his throat nervously and asked,
�But, um, if I told her all of that, what do you think her reaction might be?�

Hermione leaned closer and answered, �She would say
that she�s lucky to have found you; the real you. That she�s never had anyone
say anything so perfect to her in all her life. And, that she loves you, too.�

Tired of the game and wanting to hear her say it
directly he asked, �Do you really?�

�Yes.� She reached out the hand not held in his and
slid it down his cheek. �I love you, Draco.�

�Thank you,� he answered sincerely pausing to kiss
her palm as it passed his lips. �Thank you, Hermione, for forgiving me, for
becoming my friend, and for loving me despite myself.�

She smiled and nodded, but then prompted with a
tiny smirk, �And?�

�And, what?� he teased.

�Come on, Draco. I said it,� she encouraged.

�Said what?� he asked with a laugh. When she
smacked his arm he grinned. �I love you, too, Hermione Jean Granger.�

�Thank you for that sickening declaration, Mr.
Malfoy. But, if you kiss her in my class I will be forced to take points from
my own house for public displays of private affection,� Snape�s voice drawled
from the front of the classroom.

Both Hermione and Draco�s heads whipped to the front
to see the entire class staring at them. Most of the girls had dreamy looks on
their faces, while the majority of the boys looked like they were ready to
laugh or vomit. Only two looked angry, and as Hermione and Draco were both too
embarrassed to look into the faces of their classmates any longer, neither acknowledged Harry or Blaise�s feelings on the
matter.

Snape once again got everyone�s attention, �Now,
before this continues and we all become too ill to enjoy our upcoming lunches,
I suggest you bring your potions to the front and clean your areas. And, let me
remind those of you who think this weekend�s Halloween ball is an excuse to not
study, you will have a two foot scroll due to me on the positive and negative
uses of the Caudex root on Monday.�

Thankfully, the moans and groans of that news
helped alleviate some of the attention Hermione and Draco had gained and they
were able to clean up quickly and hurry out of class without a lot of fuss.
Neither wanted to be questioned or harassed by their friends, so they hurriedly
decided to grab some food from the all-house common room and find a spot to
themselves to talk.

xxxxx

Author�s responses: Thank you all for your
patience and understanding with my mistake. I am really glad adding it cleared
up a few things for people about Harry and Ginny�s conversation and Millie and
Greg�s new relationship. I hope this last chapter worked for you, as well. Again,
thank you all!

mhaj78: I am glad you
found it and are enjoying it so far. I hope that continues. :-) Thank you!

Dreamweaver: THANK YOU!! I
don�t even know how it happened that I missed a chapter, but you saved my
little fic with your questions about Millie and Greg
holding hands. WHEW. Lots of love to you!!!

I
think Draco deserved to get a punch in, too, so we�re all good. lol Glad you liked his apology. ha ha ha Isn�t Millie all that and a
bag of chips?! I loved being able to create her; she�s so abrupt, but honest. I
love her and am so glad you do, too! �Harry being all
reflective.� Tee hee hee
Yes, the people in this story who need the most growth are most definitely
Harry and Blaise. I remember talking to my sister after we finished Book 7
and saying something along the lines of, �That is going to be one troubled man.
All his money is definitely going to be used up in therapy.� My sister laughed,
but then we as we dissected the book further, she agreed. All he was put
through, no matter how it ended, would have made for an extremely confused,
lost, needy person. That�s kind of the Harry I am writing. I am so glad you
liked the changes to Aberforth and The Hog�s Head! You know, you�re the only one to mention them. Huh!

Hundreds of more pages?! Well, you will get
some of that in the sequel. :-)

Yeah,
you liked the Millie/Greg story! Thank you. I had so much fun writing it. I
knew as it was being written that it had little to nothing to do with the Dramione story, but it screamed to be written. And, I am
thrilled that people seem to like them. (happy dance)

Thank
you, luv!

kazfeist: I honestly can�t
say whether it�s Alan Rickman in my head or Snape as written by JK, but I have
always had a thing for Sevvie. Even at his snarky assholic best, I knew he was on the right side and wanted
to be the woman to make him forget Lily. Lol I am thrilled that you enjoyed
that piece. Thank you!

margaritama: Chap. 32.5 � One
of my greatest joys when people read my story is to know I have touched them in
some way; and laughter is by far my favorite ways to do so. I love that you
enjoyed Millie so much. She cracks me up, too!

Chap.
35 � I am so glad you caught his �my witch"!
I was hoping someone would notice and mention it. I felt it was a very defining
moment for him and them. :-D Thank you! I could do backflips
of happiness over you saying I changed your Ginny outlook. YEAH! I always saw
her as the person she is in this story as she has a solid, loving family that
squabbles; is the youngest and only girl, but had to play with and be
surrounded by rowdy boys all the time; practically ran the revolution at school
her 6^th year of school and took the punishments for it; and
ultimately won the heart of THE Harry Potter. She had to have a lot going for
her. ;-) You analysis of Draco and Hermione�s feelings was dead on right.
That�s how I see them, too. Great minds�Thank you.

marie: Glad I could give
you more to read, even if it didn�t really fill in any blanks for you. :-) Thank
you!

LadyBlueEyes: To have a writer
like you enjoy my characterizations is such a great compliment. Thank you!!
And, to know I made you laugh (at Millie and Greg) made my night! Thank you!!!
You should go back up and read what I wrote to Dreamweaver and kazfeist, as we all seem to agree on Harry and Professor
Snape. ;-) But, Harry and Snape as friends�nah, never happen. ha ha ha
Hugs to you! Thank you.

Qui: Thank you for
reading and reviewing. I love that you enjoyed it enough to be my stalker.
Thank you!!
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Struggling Through New Beginnings