Unwritten

Chapter Twelve



There was hardly a soul within Hogwarts who failed to notice the significant difference in the relationship between the Gryffindor Princess and the Slytherin Prince. Of course, there had always been rumours that the two would eventually get together. And when the couple journeyed to Hogsmeade together, there was speculation that they were going steady.



Now, as the two walked hand in hand to Arithmancy, there was no doubt. Draco Malfoy was dating Hermione Granger. The confirmed information went throughout Hogwarts like wildfire. Every head turned as the couple entered the classroom. Even the teacher looked up from her desk.



Draco led Hermione to her seat and helped her settle in before taking his own seat next to her. Professor Vector stood from her desk and began the class.



No one could deny the couple\'s desire for knowledge. Though they were together and sat next to one another, they listened to the teacher with rapt attention. Hermione, like always, put her hand up when she had a question or could provide an answer.



Arithmancy wasn\'t the only class in which they sat next to one another either. Soon, Harry and Ron found themselves completely Hermione-less as she chose to sit next to her new boyfriend or vice versa. This not only angered Ron, but made Harry concerned and quite alarmed. Neither boy had ever seen their best friend so caught up with someone before. Even Krum had paled in comparison to the amount of time Hermione was in Draco\'s presence.



The band and dancers had decided to spend the holidays practicing rather than going home for Christmas. This was perfectly alright with Hermione and Draco. Not only did it give them an excuse to be together, not that they needed one, but it also gave them a chance to come up with even more songs. Draco had introduced his song, "Under Stars," to the band and informed them he would be playing it at the concert.



Hermione had introduced another Muggle song that caught Draco\'s attention and, without waiting for a confirmation, Ginny had added it to the concert\'s roster. It was a duet called "At the Beginning," and Ginny knew without asking that the couple would want to sing it.



When Christmas arrived, Hermione woke in her dormitory alone. The other girls in her year had decided to go home for Christmas, and she was all right with that. She preferred to be alone, because it meant they wouldn\'t be pestering her for information on Draco.



Hermione yawned as she looked at her small mountain of presents. She had become the go-to girl when it came to Draco. That didn\'t mean she divulged anything, but that did not stop people from asking. Even more annoying, it seemed the Prophet had gotten wind of their relationship and pictures of the couple were spread all over the newspaper. Even Witch Weekly had an article with a picture, calling Draco and Hermione the sensation that was sweeping the nation. "The Perfect Couple."



She chuckled as she began opening her presents. Of course, she didn\'t like the press. Never had. However, she found that she didn\'t care what anyone said of her and Draco, so long as he kept his hand in hers.



Hermione knew that her relationship with Draco was new. She didn\'t fool herself into thinking they were perfect, either. She knew they would have problems and, most likely, have quite a few arguments. But, she was confident in the idea that they could pull through. She just hoped they lasted.



She was actually surprised that Ron had remembered to give her a Christmas present. Of course, she had gotten him something. But, she knew he was mad at her. She also knew that he had a hard time being nice when he was angry with someone. So, the beautiful eagle feather quill and ink set was a surprise for her.



She was also surprised to see that it seemed as though Draco had forgotten her. Then, she realized that he probably wanted to give her her present in person. She quickly put the thought out of her mind. They had only been dating for a month, after all.



Aside from Ron\'s gift, Hermione had also received presents from her parents, Harry, Ginny, and the Weasleys. While Molly wasn\'t thrilled that Hermione was dating Draco, she wasn\'t catty about it either. Hermione still received her annual hand-knitted Weasley sweater. Of course, the sweater was the only thing Hermione received from the Weasleys, which made the girl wonder if perhaps Molly was being catty.



Shrugging, Hermione happily opened some books from her parents, a ruby necklace from Harry, and the matching bracelet from Ginny. Putting on the necklace and bracelet, Hermione stood up to dress. She decided to wear her Weasley sweater and a skirt that stopped at her knees.



Swiping her hand through her hair, she checked herself in the mirror before proceeding to the Common Room. She was surprised to see Harry, Ron, and Ginny already there. Normally the boys slept in. Curiosity overwhelmed Hermione as she entered.



Ron gave her a sour look while Harry approached her and gave her a hug. "Hermione, we need to talk," Harry told her.



"If it\'s about Draco, I don\'t want to hear it," she said immediately, breaking away from him.



Ron\'s eyes narrowed. "Of course this is about Malfoy. What are you doing with that prat?"



"We\'ve been through this, Ron. Draco isn\'t a prat," she reprimanded. "He\'s changed."



"Hermione..." Ginny began, but Hermione cut her off. "Look, I know what you are going to say and we\'ve been through this thousands of times already, Ginny. I\'m not going to argue about it anymore. It\'s Christmas. Let the past go and let\'s move on."



"Is that what your band is about?" Harry asked, startling the Muggle-born.



She rounded angrily on Ginny. "You told?! You promised!"



"I had to!" Ginny shot back. "Harry kept asking me where I was going and I can\'t lie to him. What was I supposed to tell him, anyway? We kept disappearing and then you started dating Malfoy. You didn\'t even ask..."



"Ask for what?" Hermione demanded. "Permission? I didn\'t realize I needed permission to date whom I wanted! It\'s my life, remember?"



"And you\'re going to ruin it! He\'s going to ruin it!" Ginny shouted. "Don\'t you see? He\'s never going to give you the life you desire. You think he\'ll marry you? And what about kids? Draco\'s family is one of the oldest pureblood families in Britain. You think he\'s going to ruin it by marrying a... a..."



"A what?" Hermione challenged, her eyes sparkling with anger.



Harry stepped between the girls. He looked at Hermione with sad eyes. "I just don\'t want to see you hurt, Hermione," he said quietly, trying to dispel the anger in the room.



"I\'m not going to stop dating him, Harry," she bit. "Draco is a good person. I know you don\'t believe it, but he really has changed."



Harry sighed and took her hand into his. "I know you want to think that way, but..."



"But nothing!" she spat, jerking her hand from his. "Harry, he\'s changed! And he deserves to be given a chance."



"All right," Harry said, giving her a look to show that she had won the argument. "I\'m willing to give him a chance. I saw him on the tower. I want to know more about this band. What is it? What is the purpose?"



Hermione sighed and sat in one of the red chairs. She began telling Harry and Ron about Hogwarts United, much to Ron\'s displeasure. However, his displeasure changed as both boys saw how enthusiastic Hermione was about the band. Even Ginny eventually joined in, telling them about the dances and the upcoming concert.



"I want to see it," Ron said, after Hermione and Ginny finished.



"No," Hermione said immediately.



The red head boy looked affronted. "Hermione, you want us to see that Malfoy has changed. Let us see this band," he pressed.



"I can\'t," she told him, shaking her head. "At least, not without Draco\'s permission. It\'s his band and he makes the final decisions when it comes to the band."



"Hermione\'s right," Ginny said, quelling her brother\'s rage. "We can\'t do anything without Draco\'s say so. And, in all fairness, it is his band, so he has the right to know and the right to say no."



The boys glanced at one another and then back at the girls. "Fine, then get Malfoy\'s \'permission.\' But, I want to see this band," Ron acquiesced.



Harry agreed.



Hermione sighed. "I\'ll bring it up to him today after practice and see what he says."



(II)



"\'Cause I wanted to fly,

so you gave me your wings

And time held its breath so I could see, yeah

And you set me free



When I was alone

You came around

When I was down

You pulled me through

And there\'s nothing that

I wouldn\'t do for you



\'Cause I wanted to fly,

so you gave me your wings

And time held its breath so I could see, yeah

And you set me free"



Hermione placed the microphone back on it\'s stand and smiled. The song was perfect, in her opinion. She looked to Draco for approval and was met with a smile and nod.



"Good job, everyone," Draco said, putting his guitar back on it\'s stand. "You all did really well."



Ginny gave Hermione a do-it-now look and turned her attention back to the other dancers. She had to give them information and props for the work they had done.



Hermione walked over to Draco and gasped in shock when he grabbed her and kissed her. He moaned softly in her mouth before pulling away. "Had a good Christmas so far?" he asked, holding her in his arms.



She smiled. "I had a great Christmas," she said honestly, trying to hide the disappointment that she still hadn\'t received a gift from him. "I wanted to ask you something."



He nodded as he bent his head to place a kiss on her chin. "Go on."



"Well, you see..." he kissed her jaw "Ginny ended up having to..." he tilted her head back some and placed a kiss on her neck "inform Harry and Ron..." he turned his head and placed a kiss on the other side of her neck "about the band."



"WHAT!" he shouted, stepping back and looking at her with anger. He turned to Ginny who was staring at him in surprise. Everyone was staring at him. "Why did you do that, Weasley? Who told you you could tell them anything? You were told..."



"I wasn\'t given a choice, Malfoy. Harry wouldn\'t give up until I told him!" she spat back.



"Did he put the Cruciatus on you?" he growled. "Because that would have been the only logical reason for you to say anything."



"No, he didn\'t! I got tired of lying to my boyfriend!" she hissed.



Hermione touched Draco\'s shoulder. "It\'s okay, Draco," she said, softly, trying to dispel the fight.



"No, it\'s not okay!" he snarled, jerking his shoulder away from her. "Do you realize how hard I\'ve worked for this band? How much time and effort I\'ve put into it? This is all I have! I thought you knew that, Granger! You know how important this band is to me and your little friend just had to go and ruin it!"



"She didn\'t ruin anything," Hermione said, trying to keep her calm. She could feel her anger rising, however. "Harry and Ron would\'ve found out eventually anyway. And they\'re not going to say anything to anyone. Please, just calm down."



The brunette sighed and looking into his stormy eyes. "I know what this band means to you. And I know how hard you\'ve worked. We all have put a lot of ourselves into this. What do you think is going to happen when we get on stage in a few months? Everyone is going to know then. We can\'t hide forever. And, besides, Harry was concerned."



"Concerned about what?" he bit back, still seething.



"About me," Hermione replied, "and Ginny. We\'ve been keeping him and Ron in the dark about this. They are my best friends. They are Ginny\'s boyfriend and brother. It\'s not fair to keep this secret from them."



"Those two prats don\'t want us together, do they?" he growled. It was a statement, not a question.



But, Hermione decided to make it a question. "They still don\'t trust you," she said. As Draco opened his mouth to comment, she interrupted them, "And you can\'t really blame them. Draco, you haven\'t always acted like the best of people. Ever since you and I started dating, Harry and Ron have been worried. Truly worried. We have a very public relationship, something Harry knows I\'m not fond of, and he\'s been..."



"You\'re not fond of our relationship?" Draco questioned, looking hurt.



"No, that\'s not what I meant," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I\'ve never been fond of publicity."



"Publicity is important if we are to take this band out of this room," he told her.



"I know," she said. "And I\'ll be ready for it. But, you have to admit, neither of us were prepared for the publicity we would get from our relationship. I honestly didn\'t think anyone would notice or even care."



"Seriously, Hermione?" spoke up Seamus. "You really didn\'t think anyone would notice the Gryffindor Princess and Slytherin Prince were dating?"



"Don\'t call us that," the Muggle-born said. "There\'s no such thing as princes or princesses in the wizarding community."



"Well, that\'s what they are calling you," Astoria said, joining in the conversation. She looked at Hermione with a sneer. "Even my mother owled me to confirm that you two were dating. It\'s all over the press. The Princess of Gryffindor, the brains of the Golden Trio, and Heroine of the Second Greatest Wizard War is currently dating the Prince of Slytherin, the Malfoy Heir. You had to know you\'d be front page and center if you two actually started dating."



"No, I didn\'t," Hermione insisted. She was completely taken aback by the extent of what the Prophet was saying. Even more, the look on Astoria\'s face was near pure murder.



The Slytherin girl folded her arms and sneered. "Perhaps you should step out of your fantasy bubble and get back into the real world."



Hermione\'s eyes narrowed, but it was Draco who spoke. "That\'s enough, Astoria," he said. "It doesn\'t matter what the world thinks. Who cares?"



Hermione stared at Draco as though he had two heads. "This coming from the man who just tore into Ginny and me about Harry and Ron," she commented.



He shook his head. "There\'s a difference."



"No, Draco, there\'s not," she told him. "Look, Harry and Ron want to come to our practice tomorrow, and I really think they should come. If not, they will work incredibly hard to keep Ginny and me away. I don\'t want to fight with them. They are my best friends. They\'re like brothers to me."



He stared hard at her. "And?"



She sighed, "And, perhaps if they know... if they see how much you\'ve changed, they\'ll be more accepting of our relationship. They can help us fight off the reporters when the time comes."



"I don\'t need Weaselby or Pothead for bodyguards," he growled.



"There may come a time when you will," she stated. "And don\'t call my friends names, please."



He stood there for a moment and just looked at her. Then, his eyes went to the others in the room. He could not deny that they had all worked incredibly hard during their practices. "Fine, they can come," he said, turning back to Hermione. "But, no one else. And, they cannot tell anyone about us. Understand?"



She threw her arms around him and kissed him soundly on the lips. When they broke apart, she smiled. "I understand completely."

---

Author\'s Note: Two chapters in one day... Y\'all don\'t get too used to this, now.



Anyway, the song is called "You Set Me Free" by Michelle Branch.