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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
- 35
- 36
- 37
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.

NOT PART OF THE STORY

As requested, for
you my friend � I hope you like it.

Blaise heard his long
time friend utter those damning words to HER and lost his breath. It was as if
the final nail had been driven into his coffin. He watched them scurry out of
the room and tried to force himself to draw a breath. Things were changing too
fast, shifting like water, and he couldn�t keep swimming.

Just as the world
started to shrink to a pinpoint in front of his eyes and he had the thought,
�Shit, now I get to embarrass myself by passing out in class!� he was felled by
something. Reality rushed back with startling clarity as he found himself under
the squirming, apologizing body of a curvy, brown-haired witch.

�What is the
meaning of this?!� Snape hissed from the front of the room.

�I am so sorry,�
the pretty girl answered as she pushed herself off of Blaise and stood to face
the intimidating teacher.

Blaise stared in
awe at the beauty in front of him and glanced around to make sure everyone else
saw her so he knew she was real.

�Are you okay?� he
asked softly gaining her attention.

�Yes, thank you,�
she smiled prettily. �But, I wasn�t the one fallen on.�

Her laugh was like
a balm to his tortured heart and her smile lit the dark corners of his soul.

�Are you okay?� she
asked sincerely.

Blaise opened his
mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Snape, �Who are you and what are you
doing apparating into my classroom?! HOW did you
apparate into my classroom?!�

The �angel� as
Blaise saw her stepped back from Snape�s wrath and fell against his body. Her
sweet scent enveloped him and he stepped in front of her to protect her from
the advancing teacher. His brave move shocked Snape so much he stopped in his
tracks and stared at Blaise in awe.

Blaise, uncaring,
turned to the little witch and asked, �How did you get here?�

She blushed as she
smiled up at him, �I�m not completely sure. You see, my friends and I were in
our flat doing a True Love spell, for a lark, you know? It was my turn and I
closed my eyes, said the spell, and tried to picture the person I wanted to be
with more than any other. Next, thing I knew, I was falling on you.�

�True love spell?� Blaise said softly.

Her eyes were wide
as she nodded with a shy smile, and he felt that pull again. Deciding that the
fates had finally smiled on him, he offered his hand.

�My name is Blaise,
Beautiful One. And, yours?�

�Dreamweaver,� she
whispered.

Blaise smiled at
the romantic nature of her name and stepped closer, �I think your spell
worked.�

�I sure hope so,�
she answered back softly. �I�ve waited a lifetime for you, I think.�

Blaise thought
about his friends and how they each had found love with the unexpected. He
realized it was his turn finally. �I know so. Come, my weaver of dreams. Let�s
see how many we can make come true.�

~~ The End ~~

Chapter 37

Harry
was angry. He was angry at Draco for entering their lives at all, Hermione for
getting involved with Draco, and Snape for being himself. He was still angry
with Dumbledore for the things he�d put him through in the past; and now for
continuing to look so apologetic every time they saw one another. He even felt
anger at Ginny and Ron for not understanding his anger. Then, as he put his
books in his bag and began to head up to lunch, Harry realized he would have to
sit at the same table as the best friend of his worst enemy and felt the anger
rise like bile in his throat.

Initially,
he and Blaise had made a pact to avoid confrontation at meals by not speaking
unless forced to do so. Unfortunately, their forced closeness and all the time
they spent in the Head�s Room together soon made that pact unrealistic and they
found themselves talking, reluctantly about school issues, the students at
their table, and classes. It hadn�t been as difficult as Harry had thought it
would be, as Blaise was as intelligent as he was stubborn and they often helped
each other with difficult class assignments. As intelligent people they found
it mutually beneficial to collaborate over meals rather than fight.

But,
after having witnessed Draco and Hermione�s confessions to one another, Harry
didn�t think he could handle sitting with Blaise and pretending like life was
perfectly fine. Blaise�s dislike of Hermione was as strong as Harry�s of Draco.
It was the one subject each avoided around the other and the one thing Harry
knew they wouldn�t be able to talk around that day. With a beleaguered sigh, he
slung his bag up on his shoulder and turned to the door, where he found himself
facing Blaise. What he saw in the other man�s face shocked the anger out of
him.

Blaise
looked defeated, beaten and sad.

Harry
swallowed and took one step towards the darker man. �Um, time for lunch. You coming?�

Blaise
shook his head, �No, I�not hungry.� He moved towards the door and said over his
shoulder, �Potter, do you ever feel like�never mind.�

Harry
asked, �What?� although he was unsure if he really wanted to know the question.

Blaise
turned and looked at him for a long moment before he sighed, �Nothing. Just tired.�

They
both walked out of the classroom and silently started their trek up the dungeon
stairs. Harry couldn�t ignore the look he saw on Blaise�s face and decided to
try again. He thought he knew what Blaise was feeling, as he�d felt it too
often himself.

Harry
didn�t turn his head as he asked, �Do I ever feel like I have no control over my
life and no idea how I lost that control?�

When
Blaise didn�t answer, Harry continued, �Do I ever feel like there are days I
want to scream until everyone and everything starts making sense again?�

Blaise
released a small grunt and Harry, encouraged, continued, �Do I ever feel like
everything would be perfect if everyone would just stop doing things that piss
me off?�

Blaise
finally joined the conversation as they reached the top of the steps, �Yeah. I
mean, I know things have changed, I know things are, I guess, better. But, why
does it have to get rubbed in my face? Why can�t people just leave things well
enough alone for a while?�

�Exactly!� Harry nodded.

Blaise
pushed open the door to the Great Hall and continued with his voice pitched so
only Harry could hear in keeping with their promise to not fight at meals. �I
just got my head wrapped around the whole war and all that shit and now I have
to deal with my best friend being in an unholy, unnatural relationship with
that, that�HER!�

Harry
sat down next to him and said, �Hey, watch it! That�s MY best friend you�re
talking about.�

�Whatever,
Potter!� Blaise rolled his eyes. �You don�t like it any more than I do.�

�True,
but only because I can�t see what a witch with so many options open to her sees
in your ferret-faced, freak of a friend.�

�Now
you watch it, Potter,� Blaise hissed. �She�s lucky he would give her the time
of day. She�s a disaster!�

�Oh really?� Harry asked in a
hushed voice. �I�ve seen you looking at her, Zabini. She may be like a sister
to me, but I�m a bloke, too. Disaster, my ass.�

�Just
shut it,� Blaise snapped.

Harry
shook his head with a small laugh and attacked his sandwich. If only Hermione
knew. Harry shook his head as he realized the anger he�d held onto for so long had
somehow abated a bit. Just having someone agree with him,
even in a partial way, made him feel a bit better. He still didn�t like
Draco, and the thought of Hermione throwing her love away on someone like him,
sickened Harry. But still, he felt better, lighter. The anger he�d carried
around like a banner had dissipated and for the first time in weeks he felt he
could breathe again.

He
glanced up at the Head Table and saw Professor Dumbledore looking back at him
in question. And, for the first time since school began, Harry smiled at his
former mentor.

xxxxxx

�It
seems he has finally found some peace,� Professor Snape said softly to the
wizened wizard next to him.

�I
think so,� Professor Dumbledore answered with a nod, as he looked back down at
his plate.

�One
would think you were unhappy with this turn of events,� Snape pressed. �Is it
not what you have wanted all year?�

Dumbledore
sighed as he nodded, �It is. And, I hope it continues. Merlin knows he has been
through�I have put him through too much.�

�As
you used to tell me,� Snape answered without looking in Dumbledore�s direction,
�Sometimes things happen as they are supposed to, no matter how much we wish
them otherwise. Perhaps it was his fate to go through all he has, to become the
person he is to become, as it was mine to lose what I did to make it possible.�

Professor
Lupin, who sat on Snape�s left, joined the conversation uninvited, �I should
document this date. You almost sounded like you didn�t hate Harry there for a
moment. Don�t compare yourself to him!�

�Remus!�
his wife Tonks admonished. �Don�t start.�

Snape
sniffed and sat back to fold his arms over his chest as he glared at the man
beside him. �As we were having a private conversation, I do not see where
anything I have to say is of concern to you, werewolf!�

�Severus!�
Dumbledore warned from his right.

�Piss
off, you great bat!� Remus grunted.

�You
are the one who entered my conversation, without invitation I might add, so I believe
it is you who should�piss off, as you say!� Snape hissed.

�Why
are you watching Harry?� Remus pressed, his eyes relaying his protectiveness of
his friends� only son. �He has done nothing to you!�

�I
don�t answer to you!�

Remus
moved forward until his nose was almost touching Snape�s hawkish one and
growled, �He is my family. Anything that concerns him, concerns me.�

Professor
Dumbledore decided it was time to intervene, �Stop this now. Students are
watching. Severus, let it go. Remus, drop it.�

When
both men huffed and sat back from one another, Dumbledore continued quietly.
�For different reasons we all care about him in our own ways. No, don�t deny
it, Severus; it is too late for that. Just as Harry is starting to find some
peace in his life, I think it is time we do the same. We can�t change the past,
not the near past nor long past, and it is time we all stop living as if we
could. We have preached to the students that now is the time for change, for
new beginnings. It is time for us to all stop pretending and start doing as we
have asked them to do. Change must begin with us.�

Both
Remus and Severus rolled their eyes and looked away, but Dumbledore knew they�d
heard his words and would heed them.

�Just
think on what I have said,� he smiled and turned back to his own meal.

xxxxxx

��He said it
in front of the whole class?� Pansy asked in shock from the girls� table across
the room.

Ginny nodded dreamily, �It was so sweet. Hermione
was crying and smiling. She just looked so happy.�

�Maybe the smoke got to him,� Luna said as she
forked up her salad. �It�s a proven fact that certain vapors can cause your
brain to malfunction.�

�Luna!� Ginny admonished. �I�m sure it wasn�t the
fumes that made him tell her he loved her.�

�Hmmm,� Luna answered nonplussed.

Pansy rolled her eyes at Luna and then turned to
Ginny, �How did Ron and Harry take it? What did Blaise do?�

Ginny spooned some soup and shrugged, �Harry and
Ron? As well as can be expected, I guess. I mean, Ron was fine with it. He didn�t
even seem to care all that much. And, Harry�well, he�s not happy about it, but
he didn�t lose it or anything.�

�That�s an improvement,� Pansy smiled. �I would
have thought he�d try to hex Draco.�

�I�m sure he wanted to, but he�s sticking to his word.
He promised Hermione a week ago that he wouldn�t interfere or say anything
against them. And, he swore on their friendship that he wouldn�t start any more
fights with Draco, as long as Draco doesn�t start anything with him.�

�And, Blaise?�

Ginny shrugged again, �He didn�t do anything, so
that�s something. He looked like he wanted to hex them both into oblivion, but
they left too quickly for him to get to do it.�

�I would assume he values his Head position more
than he wants to keep his old ways alive, as it�s something he can hold onto
that�s his, not just a vague theory. He may not like the way things have
changed, but he�ll have to accept things eventually.� Luna said in her far off
voice, even though she looked at neither of her companions as she spoke.

Pansy shook her head a little as if to clear it,
�You are so brilliantly strange some days, Luna.�

When Luna simply nodded knowingly, Ginny laughed
lightly, �I guess modesty is not a Ravenclaw quality.�

Luna shrugged and Pansy laughed a little, �Did you,
in your wildest dreams, ever think we�d be sitting here like this, Gin? I mean,
we�re all friends now, I�m not marrying Draco and I�m dating your brother.
Hermione �know-it-all, poster girl for the light side� Granger is with Draco
�I�m the pureblood dark magic mascot� Malfoy. The boys are all civil to one
another. Heck, Theo and Harry are like soul mates or something some days. And,
the other day I found Greg and Ron in the library playing wizard�s chess like
they�d been doing it for years! Even Millie�s eased up since she�s started
dating Greg. Who would have thought it?�

Ginny shook her head in wonder, but before she
could answer, Luna re-entered the conversation.

Her voice held a hint of otherworldliness as she
said, �Sometimes from the biggest trials and pains, come acceptance and love,
life�s biggest gains.�

Then she shrugged and went back to eating as if she
hadn�t spoken. Neither of her companions knew what to say and simply stared at
her in wonder.

xxxxx

�What I meant, Quirkie,
was I wonder if you want the honor of me taking you to the Halloween ball.�

Orla �Quirkie� Quirke, a pretty sixth year
Ravenclaw raised an eyebrow at the Head Boy as they stood outside of the
Divination classroom and waited for class to start. Then she laughed in his
face, �The ball is in three days, Beans. Thank you so much for asking, at the
positively very last possible minute,
but I do have a date already. Wait? You don�t have a date?!�

He crossed his arms and looked down his nose at the
girl, �I was narrowing down my options.�

�Oh, come off it, Beans. We�ve known each other
since we were babies. I can read you like a book remember?�

When he simply rolled his eyes and looked away from
her, she continued, �You know, if I saw you that way, I would say you were
nice-looking enough. We both know you�re pretty smart. You�ve got money. You
used to be quite the catch. Now, now you�re just pissing it all away. You�re
letting your anger get the best of you. And, you�re acting like a ruddy first
year Hufflepuff wearing your damn heart on your sleeve all the time like this!�

Blaise huffed and started to interrupt, but she
poked him in the chest and continued, �You know you did this to yourself,
right? All this pigheaded carrying on you�ve been
doing. For cripe�s sake why can�t you let it go?
You�re fine. Your mom is fine. Heck, my father says she�s already planning to
marry her muggle boyfriend. Everyone is trying to forget all
that�unpleasantness from last year, and all you do is walk around like the
poster boy for bringing back that dark magic maniac!�

�I do not!� he answered heatedly. �I just don�t see
why I have to change just because all of you got brainwashed over the summer!�

Hermione leaned back against the wall with a heavy
sigh. She�d gone up the stairs to deliver a message to Professor Trelawney from
Professor Sprout. But, as she�d been about to round the corner to the classroom
she�d heard hushed voices and stopped. It wasn�t so much nosiness, as much as
habit from a year spent sneaking around looking and listening for clues. She
winced at the venom in Blaise�s voice and stood still to await the rest of the
conversation.

�I was NOT brainwashed, you idiot!� Orla hissed as she slapped his arm.

�Stop that!� Blaise flinched. �And, you were, too.
You, Greg, Theo, Pansy, even Draco! You�re all acting
like this is the way things are supposed to be; like Dumbledore was right or
something.�

�First of all, you knew how I felt about things
before that stupid war. You knew I never had anything against non-purebloods.�

Blaise nodded, but persisted, �Okay, yeah, but you
still hated Granger and her lot and all their happy bullshit.�

Orla sighed, �Not really, Blaise.�

�You did!�

�No, I didn�t. I don�t like Hermione Granger.
That�s it. I have nothing against the rest of them. Never did.�

�See! You hate that mudblood
bitch as much as I do!� He crowed triumphantly.

Hermione, still standing around the corner felt like
she�d been slapped. Tears welled in her eyes and she swallowed to hold back the
sniffle that threatened to give away her hiding place.

�First, don�t ever say that repulsive word near me
again or you will have lost the last friend you seem to have. Second, as she is
not a dog in any way, I will ask you to not compare her to one!� Orla snapped at him.

Blaise was shocked, �But? But, you said��

�I said that I, Orla
Quirke, don�t like her, Hermione Granger. I didn�t say or imply that I didn�t
like anyone because of something as stupid as their blood. It�s all the same
color when you�re bleeding on the floor! I didn�t say I didn�t agree with what
they fought for last year. And, I didn�t say I thought Professor Dumbledore was
wrong! And, I will thank you to not put words in my mouth. My
issues with her have to do with her wasting that brilliant mind on a bunch of
useless nitwits, such as her Gryffindor friends. She had such potential.
She could have been one of the greatest minds of our time. She could have solved
life�s greatest mysteries. She could have taken Ravenclaw to a whole new level!
But, no, she allowed her brain to be used like a communal library by that Order
group and those buffoons she calls friends. And then she entered into that
base, disgusting war like a common person!�

Blaise stepped back a bit from the girl�s anger,
�Well, she was kind of fighting for her life, Quirkie.�

�And? What gave her the right to risk that mind?�

�Well, it is hers,� he shrugged.

�Are you defending her actions?!� Orla hissed.

�No, no. But Quirkie, she
didn�t really have a choice. She would have been killed,� he explained
carefully. He hadn�t seen his friend let loose her anger in a long while and it
unnerved him.

�And, what about allowing herself
to be used! Like a damn library book!� Orla snapped.

Blaise was completely boggled, �She was
strategizing for them. I would�ve thought you would understand that.�

Orla stepped closer and poked his chest, �So what? Just because she was
doing it for a greater good gives her the right to risk destroying all that
potential?�

Blaise stepped back and shrugged, �Well, yeah.�

Orla persisted, �Are you trying to tell me that just because she was doing
what she thought was right, I should not hate her?!�

Blaise, tired of being pushed and poked bit out,
�Yes, dammit. That�s what I�m saying. Now, stop
poking me!�

He watched as she stepped back and smiled
triumphantly up at him. She then reached down to pick up her bag, �Point made.�

Before he could respond, the door to the classroom
opened and Professor Trelawney beckoned them into the room. Orla
was through the door in a blink along with the rest of the students and Blaise
was left standing alone in the hall with his mouth still hanging open. Or, so
he believed until he heard a sound at the corner. When he looked he saw a long
brown curl caught on the stone wall.

With a heavy sigh he said, �Do you always stick
that bushy head of yours into other people�s business, Granger? How very Slytherin of you.�

He heard her gasp before she stepped out from
around the corner. He noticed her flushed face and wondered how much she�d
heard.

Then instead of looking sheepish as he expected,
Hermione raised her chin proudly and said, �Draco must be rubbing off on me.�

Blaise opened his mouth to retort, but realized
she�d stolen his line and snapped it closed. The respect for her that he�d kept
a tight rein on all year fluttered up once again and he smiled a bit at her
before he turned away. With a shake of his head he walked into the room before
he let loose the chuckle that threatened to escape.

xxxxx

�And,
then he almost laughed!�

Draco
smirked at the look of shock on his girlfriend�s face, �Are you going to be
okay?�

�I�m
serious, Draco!� Hermione snapped. �He smiled. AND, he almost laughed. It was
like we had a�a moment or something.�

Draco
slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. They sat near the lake
hidden from view by a large grouping of trees. It had been his idea to go
outside for a walk after supper as it was a nice, warm night, and with winter
coming there wouldn�t be too many more like it. �Don�t be so devastated, luv. He couldn�t go on hating you forever, now could he?�

Hermione
ignored him as she continued, �It was all just so strange. I mean, I�ve always
known Orla didn�t like me, but I had no idea why. I
thought it was because she�s a pureblood and I�m not, but now��

�But,
now you realize there are thousands of reasons to not like you, other than your
blood,� Draco laughed.

�Would
you stop making jokes!� she demanded. �This isn�t funny!�

Draco
shook his head at her and took her hand in his, �Would you calm down. And, yes,
it is.�

Hermione
tried to pull her hand away, but he held on tightly, �What exactly do you find
so bloody funny about any of this?!�

�Oh,
I don�t know. How about the fact that you�re more affronted that she doesn�t
like you because of your brain, than because of your birth? Or,
the fact that Blaise is starting to finally come around and that�s flipping you
out? Or, the thing that I find the most amusing; that you�re upset that
a mere Ravenclaw could get through Blaise�s thick skull in one reverse psych
talk, while you with all of your many speeches couldn�t.�

Hermione
succeeded in pulling her hand away and crossed her arms petulantly, �Stop
acting like you know me so well! And, none of that is funny!�

Draco
smiled, but held back his laugh. He thought it was all pretty funny, but he
knew pushing her would only make things worse. She absolutely hated being wrong
and it never failed to tick her off when things didn�t go exactly as she�d
planned. She was, without a doubt, a control freak. But, he loved that about
her.

�Well,
I do know you,� he smirked. But, when her eyebrow rose imperiously he added,
�Aw, come on Hermione, stop pouting. At least he�s thinking about it now,
regardless of who made it so. That�s a good thing, right?�

�Of
course, but�� she started.

He
continued, �And, there will always be people who don�t like other people for a
wide variety of reasons, good and bad. At least Quirkie�s
honest in her dislike of you wasting that brain of yours.�

�I
am not wast��

�And,
who cares what she, he or anyone thinks of you. Isn�t that what you�re always
telling me?�

�Well,
yes, but��

�So,
now we can stop talking about them and talk about us.�

Hermione
blinked at his bright smile and shook her head. It was always during their
disagreements when she was reminded how very Slytherin he could be. He wasn�t
cruel with it anymore, but he still maintained his way of twisting words around
so they worked in his favor.

Besides,
she reminded herself, he was actually right.

�Fine,�
she sighed as she lay back on the ground and looked up at the stars. �But,
Draco, should I go talk to him or something?�

�No,�
he answered as he stretched out on his side next to her and put his hand on her
stomach.

�No?�
she asked, her eyes wide and shining in the moonlight.

�No,�
he smiled. �Blaise needs to think this through on his own, just like the rest
of us did. He�s getting there, but don�t push him.�

�I
wasn�t going to push, I was just��

�Going
to push,� he answered with a small laugh. To soften the remark, he gave her a
quick, soft kiss, �Love, you know I love the way you take charge of things.
And, more often than not, it helps get things done. But, I also know Blaise.
Just leave it okay?�

Hermione
looked up at his light eyes, realized his sincerity and sighed, �Okay.�

�Good,�
he smiled. Then his smile turned to a playful leer, �Now, can we get off the
topic of Blaise and get on to more pleasurable things?�

She
giggled as his hand slid up her stomach and his thumb moved back and forth
under her right breast. �What exactly did you have in mind?�

�I
can think of a thing or two,� he laughed.

xxxxxx

Author�s Responses: You are all too
good to me, but oh so good for me! Thank you. Yes, we are getting to the �good�
stuff. lol

Mrs.DracoMalfoy: Honey, I wish any of my courses in school had ended
like that! lol Thanks for the forgiveness and the
review. :-D

Dreamweaver: I hope you liked your
fantasy sequence. :-D The thought of you entering the story to �save� Blaise
just wouldn�t leave me. lol I am really glad you
enjoyed the boys� bonding time and their growth with each other. Have no fear, Ginny is getting through to him little by little. And,
others will, too. ;-) I KNOW the sugary sweetness of their love declarations
was enough to give people toothaches, but I just couldn�t stop once I started. ha ha ha
The feeling of intense, young love just flowed and that�s what came out. It was
such an awww moment. Thank you, hon!

margaritama: Thank you.
Initially, it was very much going to be a Dramione
based on Pansy�s desire to not be with him, but somehow the others butted in to
the story and wouldn�t leave. I am very happy it all seems to work. As I wrote
this story I couldn�t stop hearing an old Girl
Scout song that goes:

Make
new friends, but keep the old,

One
is silver and the other gold.

It
fit this story in SO many ways and you picked up on it beautifully. (I told
that to my sister that same thing and yes, she is writing that short story! lol
Actually, wouldn�t that make a good one shot/short
story challenge theme? hmmmm)

Thank
you!

marie: You were the only
one on three sites to mention that! lol I thought it
was funny when I wrote it, so thank you! :-D It�s humorous to me to see what I
think is a funny part and then what you all find to giggle at. Hugs and flowers
to you.

kazfeist: Snape and Lucius,
my guilty pleasures. lol Thank you. Mushy sweetness it
was. lol
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Struggling Through New Beginnings