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Spontaneous Combustion	By : astartelydianna Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 16780 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I don't own the characters or anything else recognisable and make no money from writing this

Chapter List
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Spontaneous Combustion

Chapter Three: Pieces of a puzzle

So Hermione started avoiding Draco Malfoy like the plague, which worked fine for him since he couldn't stand the sight of her either. The only catch with it was that every other week they had rounds together two nights out of the week, one of which was tonight.

After successfully managing to avoid both Draco and Ron for over a week Hermione was dreading seeing Draco tonight for rounds and Ron tomorrow in Hogsmeade. Wonderful...

When a knock sounded at her door she knew she couldn't put it off any longer and quickly pulled on her cloak before leaving her rooms to meet the irritated blonde stood outside in the hall.

"About time Granger." He hissed, as they started heading down the hall.

"Well you didn't have to meet me here, I could've come down to your rooms but you insisted." She replied indignantly.

"It would not be a good idea for Hermione sun shines out Potter's arse Granger to wander the dungeons alone." He snorted.

"Why not, after all that's happened you think the dungeons are going to scare me?" she frowned. Did he really think that after handling deatheaters, snatchers and dark wizards galore that a couple of students would be a problem?

"No, I think that there are quite a few angry students with either no parents or parents in Azkanban that might make some stupid mistakes if they came across you alone in the dungeons." He corrected.

"Like you?" she asked, as they waited for the staircase to move.

"No, I'm not that stupid. The war started before either of us were born, what happened in the battle wasn't your fault; at least not directly...all any of us could do was choose a side." He replied carefully.

"The difference is I chose the right side." She retorted as they began their round of the dungeon.

"Maybe, but not everyone is a Gryffindor. Maybe some people chose the side that they thought would keep them alive, maybe some people didn't have a choice." He replied.

"There's always a choice." She huffed. Silence fell between them for a while, they circled the dungeons and Draco quickly went into the Slytherin common room to check that before returning for them to finish their patrol. They found a couple in alcove getting overly amorous which earned each of the young offenders a detention but other than that the patrol was uneventful. They stopped at the top of the dungeon stairway.

"Not everyone was willing to die for a good cause Granger." He told her before they parted ways. "Slytherin students have been expected to hold to loyalties that were decided before they were born, that isn't their fault."

"No but surely they knew that killing innocent muggles and muggleborns was wrong? Even you, you hate me and you've never made that a secret but can you really tell me that it would be right for me to be murdered just because I happened to be born a witch?" she demanded.

"Not everyone could choose. Even if I were to admit that I was on the wrong side, my reasons for being on it are my own business and you don't need to be so bloody self righteous about it!" he snapped. "Goodnight."

With that he turned and left, leaving Hermione to make her way back to her rooms in thought. So Draco Malfoy knew he had chosen the wrong side? He knew the whole time that the Dark Lord was wrong... He was still an arrogant bastard and Hermione had no doubt that that had been no act but he had almost admitted that he knew full well he was on the wrong side...so why couldn't he have swapped sides?

She thought back to the final moments of battle when everyone had thought that Harry was dead, that all was lost... Draco had been called out, called to the Dark Lord as one of his followers and when she actually thought about it she could remember him hesitating; he didn't want to go, he actually looked down right terrified! So maybe Malfoy wasn't evil, he was still an arse.

"'Mione!" Hermione heard Ron's voice calling her before she'd even got through the Hog's Head door. She took a few deep breaths and slowly made her way over to the to Ron who was waving his arm in the air to get her attention. This was going to be awful...

She had been up late last night thinking about Ron and her problem and eventually only came up with one answer, she didn't love him romantically and doubted she ever would so it was only fair to let him try to find someone else who could. Then she had to spend hours planning how to say it and so far hadn't really decided on that, there wasn't really a good way to say it no matter which way she looked at it.

"Hey 'Mione!" Ron grinned, as she sat down opposite him. "Hey cheer up, nobody died."

"Ron, that's not very funny." She frowned; it wasn't the most sensitive of jokes to try so soon after the deaths of so many.

"Alright fine, but cheer up at least." He pouted.

"Ron I need to talk to you about something serious so...just please restrain your impulse to jump in as much as possible and listen to what I have to say please?" she asked him. He nodded slowly, clearly confused. "I'm not happy Ron, I mean...I am happy but something isn't working, something is missing..."

"Missing with-" he trailed off when she met his gaze, remembering her request to keep quiet.

"Me and you...I love you Ron and I want us to work but we just...don't." she said softly. "I love you as a friend, as a brother and as much as I wish it didn't...being in a romantic relationship with you just feels wrong."

"You don't mean that." He sighed. "We're good together 'Mione."

"We're good together yes, but we're not great together. I can't love you the way a girlfriend should. You deserve better and I deserve better. Someone out there Ron will love you completely and utterly and you deserve to have that...but it isn't me, I'm sorry." By this time, Hermione had to blink to keep her tears in check.

"Why don't we just-" Ron stopped his words abruptly and shrugged. "I don't know...I want you to be happy is all."

"Oh Ron..." she sobbed, getting out of her seat and sitting next to him so she could wrap her arms around his waist and bury her face in his coat. "I do care about you, I really do and you'll be my friend for the rest of my life...but I think forcing a relationship that isn't working could ruin our friendship forever and I don't want to lose you completely. I'd rather stop this right now while we can still salvage our friendship."

"You still want to be my friend?" he asked, hugging her back.

"Of course I do!" she exclaimed, looking up at him. "If that's what you want that is..."

"Forever." He murmured, squeezing her tightly. The two sat together for most of the afternoon enjoying each other's company before heading back towards Hogwarts. Hermione promised to join him at the burrow the following weekend for dinner with everyone like usual before he kissed her on the cheek and they parted ways.

"Urgh, those displays should be kept in private Granger." Draco called to her as she crossed the courtyard.

"There was no display!" she retorted. "It's called showing affection, sometimes friends do that you know...oh wait you wouldn't know."

"My friends tend to be male Granger, it'd look highly suspect for me to be kissing them goodbye. Besides Weaslebee isn't just a friend if he's been sticking it to you in your private quarters is he?" he smirked, following her inside.

"Firstly what I do in my private quarters is exactly that private, secondly Ron and I decided that we're better as friends so you can rest assured he isn't sticking it to me anywhere you arse." She snapped, marching off.

"I don't blame you! Even you're too good for Weaslebee, he's so clueless he probably still thinks babies are delivered by Hippogriff!" he laughed after her.

Hermione didn't stop walking until she reached her room where she slammed the door closed and threw herself on the sofa in frustration. Why after all these years did she still let Draco Malfoy get to her?! She wanted nothing more than to give him a good smack in the face...again.

A knock sounded at her door and she instantly dreaded Draco bothering her again, she wished he didn't know where her rooms even were.

"What?!" she snapped opening the door, she froze on seeing a different blonde at her doorstep. "Sorry Luna."

"I thought you might like some company." Luna said, not fazed by Hermione's bad mood in the slightest. "Ginny has homework to do but she'll be along later."

"Come on in." Hermione offered, opening her door to allow Luna in. "Sorry, I'm in a bit of a bad mood...I probably won't be great company."

"That's why I'm here of course; which one was it?" she asked, sitting down on the sofa.

"Which one was what?" Hermione asked, looking confused.

"That put you in a bad mood." She explained. "Was it Ron or Draco?"

"Draco, as usual." She frowned, wondering how Luna always knew these things. "It's nothing important; he was just sticking his nose where it doesn't belong."

"About Ron?" the younger witch enquired.

"Yes I suppose, but it didn't bother me what he was being nosey about it just bothered me that he was being nosey in the first place." She sighed. "I probably shouldn't have lowered myself to fight with him in full view of everyone since we're supposed to be staff but I was just tired."

"You know it seems to me that he mustn't hate you that much or he wouldn't be being nosey in the first place would he?" Luna said softly taking the tea Hermione offered and taking a small sip.

"Have you met Draco Malfoy lately? All he does is stick his nose in." Hermione snorted.

"Well if he hated you he wouldn't care about your business at all, maybe he's lonely?" she said thoughtfully. "Perhaps he fights with you because at least you're not afraid of him."

Hermione thought back to the incident in the potions lab, she had been afraid of him...she had been so shocked that she hadn't even fought back, she hadn't threatened him, hadn't reached for her wand...she had just frozen. In that moment she had definitely been afraid of him.
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Spontaneous Combustion