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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
- 8
- 9
- 10
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 9

From the previous chapter�

Draco was so lost in thought that he didn�t notice the conversation continue or
the group leave the room. When the silence descended
he quickly turned and followed them out only to see the back of Greg as they
entered the Heads� library. He knew it would contain walls and walls of books
when he heard both Pansy and Hermione let out twin squeals of joy. He rolled
his eyes, stuck his hands in his pockets and started across the room, but his
progress was halted by a shout from above.

�Dammit, Weaslette!
I will not have your friends gathering in MY rooms! And, stop that infernal
screaming!�

Draco looked up when he heard a door slam above and smiled a bit at his
friend�s anger.

�This is NOT a Gryffindork hang out and you will take
you and your friends� sorry asses out of��

He stopped dead with one foot on the top step as he stared down at a smirking
Draco. �What? How? I heard��

�Hello to you, too,� Draco laughed softly. �I should kick your ass for calling
me a Gryffindor.�

�Where is she?� Blaise asked, still confused by Draco being in the room alone.

Just then the library door opened and Ginny walked out laughing, followed by
Pansy, Hermione, and then Greg, who had held the door for them. If the first
two hadn�t shocked him silent, the last two sure did. They were all laughing
like old friends and Blaise�s jaw dropped open when Greg teased both Pansy and
Hermione.

�With all those books no one will ever see either of you again. But, at least
everyone will know where to find you.�

No one noticed the silent Draco and Blaise as they moved to the sofas and Pansy
asked, �Would you really study with me, Hermione?�

�Sure,� Hermione answered with a nod, �as long as you help me with Arithmancy,
even though you aren�t taking it anymore.�

�Like you need help with anything,� Pansy smiled.

Ginny laughed, �Oh you�d be surprised. She�s brilliant, of course, but even the
Great Hermione Granger gets test anxiety.�

Greg turned toward her on the sofa they shared, �Really? You never show it.�

Blaise looked down to see Draco staring at all of them with a thoughtful look
on his face and finally had enough.

�What the hell is going on here?!� he demanded loudly from his position on the
stairs. When everyone just turned to stare at him he started down the steps
toward Draco. �Someone want to tell me when I stepped into the freakin� Twilight Zone?�

Greg tilted his head, �What�s that?� just as Pansy looked to Ginny, �What
zone?�

Hermione shook her head at them, �It�s a muggle thing. How he knows about it, I
have no idea.�

Then she stood up and walked toward Blaise with a bright smile, �Hello again,
Zabini. We were all just admiring your new rooms. Pansy and I want dibs on the
library and Greg wants the kitchen. Ginny says she gets to keep her bedroom and
bathroom, and Malfoy hasn�t yet expressed his favorite place. How are you
enjoying all the new changes?�

Draco didn�t miss the fact that she referred to him by his last name and
stamped down the flash of irritation he felt. Instead he turned to face Blaise
as the darker man simply stared at her.

With a smirk he said, �Well, Blaise, I think the VP here just asked you a
question.�

�Draco!� Pansy admonished at his slur on Hermione. Ginny sneered and let out a
growl at him. But, it was the flash of hurt in Hermione�s eyes, before the
unconcerned look fell back over her features, that
almost made him blurt out an apology.

Before Draco could say anything stupid, Greg asked the room at large, �I�ve
always wondered what that stood for. Is it bad? I mean, we�ve called you it for
years. Should I be apologizing?�

Hermione�s eyes stayed on Draco as she answered softly, �No, Greg, no need to
apologize now. But, you shouldn�t tease people about things if you don�t know
what you�re saying.�

Draco watched her straighten her shoulders and had a quick image of her
strapping on her courage as she lifted her chin a bit, �It stands for Virgin
Princess.�

Everyone was quiet for a moment and no one looked away from Draco and
Hermione�s staring contest. When Draco was the first to break contact by
glancing over at Blaise, Hermione took a breath and turned away from him.
�Pansy, I am sorry to say, as much as I think I will like you, I can�t say I
will ever understand your taste in sleazy, condescending, jerks.�

When Pansy simply shrugged and looked down at the floor, Ginny stepped forward,
�How about we go see my room, girls?�

No one spoke again as the girls ascended the steps and disappeared into Ginny�s
room.

Blaise sat down on the steps and looked at his two friends, �Someone want to tell me what the hell just happened?�

Draco sighed and moved over to the sofas, �I have no idea.�

Greg stuffed his hands in his pockets, looked down at the ground, and rocked
back on his heels, �I was kind of having fun.�

Draco snorted, �You just want to get in Granger�s pants.�

�It�s not like that,� Greg mumbled as his face turned red once again. �I
just�she�s��

Blaise stood and walked past Greg, �She�s a hot, famous virgin and you want to
hit it.�

�No, I�� Greg began, but then stopped talking as he too moved to the sofas.

In the quiet Blaise sighed heavily, �So?�

xxxxx

��and so,
we kind of have to get married. It�s not, you know, a love match, or anything.�

Hermione and Ginny both wore matching looks of horror as they sat together on
Ginny�s large bed. Pansy�s whispered confession had stunned them. Arranged
marriages were one of those things people talked about, but no one believed
actually happened anymore, at least not in England. With all the other changes
brought about recently in their lives, neither could comprehend anyone sticking
to such old-fashioned practices.

�Wait,� Ginny finally said, �You don�t want to marry him? You aren�t in love
with him?�

Pansy hugged one of the red and gold throw pillows from Ginny�s bed closer and
shook her head. She refused to look at either of them and her hopelessness was
palpable.

�Do you even like him?� Hermione asked softly.

�Sometimes,� Pansy admitted. �I mean, yes, I guess. He�s very polite to me most
of the time. And, we�ve known one another since we were in diapers.�

Hermione reached out and touched Pansy�s leg, �But, surely if your parents knew
how you felt, they�d��

�No, they wouldn�t,� Pansy sighed and finally looked up at them. �You guys
don�t understand.�

Ginny scooted back so that she sat next to Pansy and mirrored her position
against the headboard. �So, explain it to us.�

Pansy locked eyes with Hermione, went solid white and
quickly moved to get off the bed, �No. I�um, it�s past
curfew, I should be going.�

Hermione stood and blocked her path. She made sure to keep her voice even and
soft as she asked, �Is this a pureblood thing?�

Pansy winced and stepped back, �I�m so sorry.�

Ginny reached out and pulled Pansy back down on the bed, �First, as Head Girl,
you have my permission to be out of your rooms after curfew. Second, Pansy,
pureblood is not a dirty word. Not to me or her. I am one, too, remember? Stop
apologizing for who you are. And, last, if you are going to be our friend, you
will learn that Mione and I talk to each other about all kinds of things; even
things that make us uncomfortable sometimes. So, take a deep breath and
explain.�

Pansy wiped at the tears that slid down her face and nodded. Hermione conjured
some tissues and handed them to her with a smile before she retook her seat at
the end of the bed. �Your thoughts and feelings are yours and your alone,
Pansy. No one should tell you what or how to feel or what to think. That�s what
we fought for, remember?�

With a nod, Pansy smiled gratefully at Hermione and then looked back down at
her hands. �How is it that the only two people I feel like I can talk to are
two people I�ve never spoken to until tonight?�

Both Hermione and Ginny laughed a little, but Pansy continued lost in her
thoughts and the freedom to finally be able to talk to someone about them.

�It�s weird, you know? I�ve always wanted to be a part of something like you
guys have. Real friendship with people you honestly like, not
just polite acquaintances with the right
people.� She missed the raised eyebrows of her listeners as she
continued, �Merlin, I hated you guys. You had everything; each other,
intelligence, happiness. Everyone loved you, even the professors. I just wanted
a little of that, you know? I didn�t think I�d ever have a chance to really get
to know you, so it was easier to hate you than envy you. And, being in my house
it was easy to do. I think everyone there secretly wanted to be a part of your
group, at least for the friendship part. Your lives are the stuff of legend.
Potter�s�well�he�s the cute hero who saved everyone. Hermione�s the smart,
funny, pretty one. Ginny�s the strong, brave, sexy one. And, Ro�Ron�he�s, well,
he�s also strong, and brave, and loyal. And, he�s cute, too, with all that
messy red hair and that body that��

Pansy stopped and turned red as she realized what she had said and to whom
she�d said it.

Locking eyes with Hermione she whispered, �I�m sorry, I didn�t mean��

�It�s okay, Pansy,� Hermione said. Then everything
from the day clicked into place and in her shock she blurted out, �You like
Ron?!�

�No, I��

�You do!� Ginny breathed out as Pansy�s dark blue eyes widened in her panic.

Pansy began to ease off the bed and cower against the hexes she knew were
coming her way, but her progress was stopped by Hermione�s sudden guffaws of
laughter. Her fear and embarrassment turned to hurt and anger and she crossed
her arms across her chest.

�Stop laughing at me!�

Hermione tried to calm herself, �I�m�I�m no�not. Really.�

Ginny wasn�t sure what to make of her friend�s giggles, but looked at Pansy
with sorrow, �So, you like my brother, Hermione�s boyfriend, but you have to
marry that git downstairs. No wonder you�re all
messed up.�

Pansy nodded miserably, but looked at Hermione sharply when she finally stopped
laughing and sighed, �Wrong.�

�No, Hermione, she�s right. I know it�s probably weird for you to hear, but
yeah I�ve had a crush on Ron for a couple of years.� Then she slumped back down
on the bed and grabbed another pillow to hug as she sighed, �But, you two are
together and I have to marry that git downstairs.
It�s what I meant before about it being a pureblood thing. My parents don�t
care about who or what I want. All they care about is that I marry another
pureblood and produce at least three, that�s my requirement, three, pureblood
children. And, even though Draco�s family isn�t powerful or rich anymore, my
father won�t let me out of it.�

Ginny sputtered, �But, how can they expect you to marry someone you barely even
like? There�s still plenty of pureblood men out there.
Maybe if you fell in love with one of them your parents would back off. Besides,
you�re officially an adult, Pansy, you don�t have to
listen to them.�

Pansy sighed. �They�d cut me off completely if I went against them, Ginny. I
mean maybe if I found someone better they�d let me marry him instead, but until
then, I�m stuck with Draco and he with me.�

�You don�t need their money, Pansy. You�re over 17, so you should have gotten
all your money already.�

Pansy smiled at Ginny�s defense of her, but continued sadly, �And, I have, but
it�s not that easy to go against them. They�ve already lost so much this last
year and I wouldn�t want to upset them more just to��

Ginny pushed herself off the bed as she interrupted, �To what, Pansy?! Be
happy? Fall in love? Be loved? How can they not want that for you? I swear, if
Hermione wasn�t with Ron, I�d set the two of you up, just to piss your parents
off.�

Pansy blanched and glanced at Hermione who she found was staring at her.
Hermione finally smiled a bit sadly and then looked over at Ginny. �Well,
that�s kind of why I was coming to see you, Gin. Maybe you should sit down.�

�Why? What�s wrong?� Ginny asked as she stopped pacing and looked at Hermione.

�Well, um, you know how Ron and I haven�t been, well right, for a while now?�

Ginny shrugged, �All couples have down times.�

Hermione straightened her back and said softly, �We broke up tonight.�

Ginny sank down on the bed and looked down at the coverlet. Neither noticed
Pansy�s sharp intake of breath as Hermione waited for Ginny to speak.

�For good?� she finally asked.

Hermione nodded, �Yeah. It was time, Gin. We both knew it wasn�t going the way
we thought it would. I think there was a time when it could have worked, but
now�we just want different things. I guess we missed our window or something.
I�m sorry.�

Ginny nodded and looked up with tears in her eyes, �So, you�ll never be my real
sister?�

Hermione moved across the bed to hug the younger girl, �We�re already sisters,
Gin. You�re my best friend. Me not being with Ron
won�t change that.�

�Promise?� Ginny sniffed.

�Promise,� Hermione assured her.

Ginny pulled back and looked at Hermione closely, �Are you okay?�

�Strangely, I am,� Hermione nodded with a small smile. �I know, logically, I
should be upset or something, but honestly, I just feel, I don�t know, the
same. I love him, Gin, but I don�t think I was in love with him. Not really.
It�s almost like a relief that we can just be friends again, you know?�

Ginny nodded, but asked again, �Are you sure? You don�t have to hide it from
me.�

�I�m fine, really. I want Ron to be happy. And, I want to be happy. We talked
and we�re fine with this. It just didn�t work,� Hermione assured her with a
shrug.

Pansy, feeling uncomfortable with the two of them as they bonded, moved quietly
to the door and reached out to turn the handle.

�Where are you going?� Ginny asked as she blew her nose and noticed the fleeing
girl.

�I was just going to leave you two alone to talk some more,� Pansy said looking
at the floor.

Hermione moved off the bed to cross the room to Pansy. Placing her hand on
Pansy�s arm she said, �You don�t need to go, Pansy. This is what friends do. We
laugh together and cry together. You were honest with us about your feelings,
there�s no reason to run from ours.�

�I know, it�s just�� Pansy faded off as she looked
away from them again.

Hermione giggled a little, �You want to go out in the hall to do a little happy
dance that you might now have a chance with Ron?�

Pansy blushed and shook her head, even as a tiny smile graced her face at
Hermione�s teasing. �No, nothing like that. I
wouldn�t��

�It�s okay, Pansy,� Ginny sighed as the joined them at
the door. �I would want to do one, too, if I were in your shoes.�

Pansy nodded, but remained quiet.

Hermione put her hand over Pansy�s on the doorknob and said, �Okay, enough of
this. It�s time for the rest of the girlfriends� ritual.�

Pansy looked at her in confusion, but laughed when Ginny answered the unspoken
question.

�Ice cream!�

Their tension broken, the three made their way down the stairs and past the
three men in the common room. When they reached the kitchen, Hermione went for
the freezer, as Ginny pulled out bowls and spoons.

When all three had heaping bowls of their favorite flavors in front of them
Ginny started laughing to herself. Pansy and Hermione looked across the kitchen
table at each other and then at Ginny.

�What�s so funny?� Hermione as she licked her spoon clean.

Ginny looked at Pansy for a moment, placed a silencing charm on the kitchen,
and then turned to Hermione, �You are really okay with the two of you breaking
up?�

Hermione nodded and said around a mouthful of ice cream, �I really am.�

�What if he showed up tomorrow with Lavender hanging all over
him again?� Ginny persisted.

Pansy grimaced, but stayed quiet and spooned more ice cream as she waited for
Hermione to answer.

Hermione swallowed, shrugged, and answered truthfully and with a light laugh,
�You know what? I think I would really be fine with it. I would question his
taste in women, but I wouldn�t be hurt again, if that�s what you�re asking.�

�Kind of,� Ginny hedged and then turned to stare at Pansy.

Pansy looked up from her ice cream to meet Ginny�s stare and stammered, �Ginny,
no! Don�t even think it!�

�Why not? Hermione said she�d be okay with it, and he�s now free.�

Hermione thought about it for a moment and realized the thought of it wasn�t as
foreign to her as it would have been only a couple of hours ago. She wondered
briefly what it said about her former relationship that she was over it so
quickly and ready to set her ex-boyfriend up with someone she barely knew. With
a mental shrug, she let it go.

Out loud she said, �I�m not ready to get into another relationship yet, but Ron
might be. I mean part of the reason we broke it off was that he wants the whole
family, children, happily-ever-after thing now. I mean, you might want to give
him a few days or something, but I think you two could be good together.�

Pansy looked from one to the other and shook her head, �You can�t be over him
that fast.�

�It wasn�t right for a long time, Pansy. I think I�ve been over him for months.
And, he�s over me. It just took us a while to admit it to each other. We just
want each other to be happy.�

Ginny smiled, �And, maybe everything that�s happened tonight happened for a
reason. I mean, what were the odds after supper that we would all be here now,
having poured out our deepest secrets?�

�You haven�t poured a thing, Ginny,� Hermione reminded her with a laugh.

�Yeah well, I have nothing to admit, do I?� Ginny shrugged. �But, come on.
Think about it. I meet Pansy in the halls and half an hour later we�re gabbing
like old friends. Then we run into you and the three of us just�fit. And, all
of this happens on the night she admits to liking my brother, eww by the way, and you break up with him. Seems to me the
fates are at play.�

Hermione nodded thoughtfully and looked at Pansy. �She�s got a point, you
know?�

Pansy looked from one to the other and shook her head at them. They both
grinned at her and at one another. Finally releasing a small smile, she picked
up her spoon again, looked down at her bowl and said, �He still needs time to
heal.�

xxxxx

Author�s Notes � Thank you all once more. I am
really glad you are enjoying the story. And, I am doubly glad that some of
write and tell me what you think. I love reading your reviews. Please keep them
up! :-)

Jullsy � Your reviews are always so love
to get. Yes, Draco is having some difficulties with figuring everything out,
isn�t he? Lol But, I am pretty sure he�ll be okay. :-)

Dreamweaver � No worries and no apologies,
hon. I am just glad great minds do seem to think alike. :-D� Draco has a ways to go, but he is starting to
find himself. I am pretty sure the company he is going to be keeping will help
out greatly with that. lol Thank you for liking Greg
so much. I loved turning him around and making him into someone worth
befriending. And, his skill of having a photographic memory is one I always
wanted. Ha ha ha and, you
made me laugh out loud at your �must not be jealous of fictional characters�
comment. I have that thought a lot! Lol Your reviews
make me smile and giggle! Not good as I am at work and people are probably
wondering why I am snickering in my cube, but oh well� lol Thank you, hon!

Kazfeist � Thank you, hon. I am glad you
are enjoying the changes I�ve made to the characters. I look forward your
thoughts as things move forward. Hugs!
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Struggling Through New Beginnings