Halloween Mix-Up

Halloween Mix-Up

by: Tassana Burrfoot







Chapter Twenty-Seven: Reunion







"I\'m not doing it," Draco steadfastly refused, folding his arms and leaving no room for argument.



Hermione\'s eyes narrowed as she thrust her chin up in the air. "Fine! I\'ll go alone," she concluded, turning on her heel and making to leave.



He grabbed her wrist. "You most certainly will not!" he snarled. "You think I\'m going to let you walk into that place by yourself?!"



She threw him a look over her shoulder as she snatched her hand away. "Well, if you won\'t go with me, I have no choice but to go alone, have I?"



"You don\'t have to go at all. I\'ve told you before: It\'s insulting to return a gift," he said.



"And I\'ve told you before: It\'s insulting to expect your victim to accept any gift you give them," she retorted. "Now, are you coming with me, or not?"



"What about your deal?" he tried one last time. "If you go to them, you\'re kinda breaking the whole \'don\'t come near me\' thing."



"No, I\'m not," she argued.



"Then what would you call it?" he questioned.



She sighed, "I\'m returning gifts and telling them to their faces what I think."



Draco grabbed her arm this time and held her more firmly. "Then send them an owl! I\'m begging you, Hermione, and you know I don\'t beg: Don\'t go to them. You\'re just going to give them exactly what they want. Attention. If you really want to hurt them, send them back the gifts with a little note saying something simple, like \'Thanks, but no thanks.\' That would affect them more than anything you could say to their faces," he pointed out, his quick mind thinking.



She stopped and turned to look at him. She was completely surprised and pleased by his idea. She knew he was right. To go to them, to let them see her, would just be giving them what they wanted. They couldn\'t possibly think she would willingly accept their gifts. But, to send those gifts back with a nonchalant note?



"There\'s a reason you\'re in Slytherin, and I think I finally know why," she commented, giving him a mischievous smile.



He returned her smile in true Malfoy fashion. "Believe it or not, were it not for your parentage, I truly believe you would have been in Slytherin as well," he told her as she turned back towards the room and went to her desk.



She didn\'t respond, just shrugged. Perhaps he was right.



(II) (II)



Blaise stared in disbelief at the package. After all the trouble he had gone through, after all the money he had spent, she just... blew it off. She returned it.



Her excuse? "Thanks, but I already have a dress for the dance."



He quickly learned that she had returned the other boys\' gifts as well. He didn\'t understand it. "You would think that even Mudbloods would have some sense of decency," he commented, plopping down onto the couch.



"Don\'t call her that!" Crabbe growled.



Blaise shook his head. "Sorry, mate. Don\'t know what made me utter such a spiteful word," he said. "I just can\'t believe she would return them."



"Well, she did say she already has a dance set," Nott pointed out. "I mean, it wasn\'t like we really asked her or not. We just assumed."



"Yeah, yeah, and to assume is to make an ass out of you and me. But still..."



"Don\'t sweat it, Zabini," Bulstrode chided. "Just think of how beautiful she\'ll be on Valentine\'s Day. Our outfit or not, she\'s going to be beautiful."



"Yeah, who knows? By then, she might have forgiven us," Yaxley added, looking sullenly at the beautiful jewels he had gotten her and she had returned.



Somehow, Blaise didn\'t quite believe that.



(III) (III)



Ron had never been happier to return to Hogwarts. But, his happiness wasn\'t directed to any school work or class. All his happiness rested upon the girl who lived just beyond the door he currently knocked on.



"Password?" the portrait asked.



He smiled confidently. "Equatous Totalus," he recited.



The portrait swung open to reveal the entrance and he quickly stepped inside. "Hermione?" he called out.



The bushy-haired brunette stepped out of her bedroom with a large smile on her face. "Ron?"



They quickly approached one another and embraced. He had missed feeling his arms around her small frame. Without thinking, he pressed his lips against hers, enjoying the soft feel of her mouth.



"I\'ve missed you," he breathed against her lips.



She gasped slightly and pulled away. "I\'ve... missed you, too," she said awkwardly, turning away from him.



Her lack of enthusiasm surprised him. Confused, he asked, "Are you all right?"



She nodded. "Just a bit tired. I\'ve had a really busy Christmas. You?"



He shrugged. "No more or less than usual. Typical Weasley Christmas. Everyone missed seeing you, though. And Harry. It was real difficult trying to explain to them why you weren\'t there without telling them anything. I finally had to lie and say that you and Malfoy were an item now. Told them that you wanted to get to know his family better."



Her eyes widened, but she made no comment. That he could get so close to the truth surprised her. She silently reminded herself not to tell Ron of Draco\'s gifts. At least not until after she learned who her true love was. She had a feeling she knew, but the not knowing for certain set alarms off in her mind. After all, Ron was the jealous type.



"A-and Harry?" she stammered.



He shrugged again. "I\'m sure he\'ll be joining us shortly. He\'s saying hi to my sister right now. Speaking of her, she wanted your password, but I thought I\'d make sure it was okay with you before I gave it to her."



"Thank you."



(IV) (IV)



Hermione didn\'t say anything as she watched Severus grade papers. It had fast become one of their favourite pastimes. Though, she was aching to talk to him about what had happened at the Malfoys...



Apparently, he was reading her mind, for he suddenly said, "I know you are feeling a bit awkward about what happened between us this holiday. I hope you know that Lucius and I have always been like that with one another. While I cannot explain my actions with Draco, at least not to your satisfaction, what I did with you was completely ordinary."



"Except the part where you let Lucius take advantage of me," she pointed out.



He glanced up at her briefly before turning his attention back to his paperwork. "I didn\'t exactly hear you tell him to stop. You said his name... several times. You said my name several times. But, you never once told anyone to stop. You did not even think the word \'stop.\' Had you done so, then I would have stopped and I would have made Lucius stop."



"And you can control him like that?" she questioned.



Again, he looked up at her. "You have no idea the control I have over him," he said slowly.



She shrugged. "It\'s over now. I just can\'t wait until Valentine\'s Day," she sighed.



"Perhaps," he slightly agreed. Though he, too, was looking forward to Valentine\'s Day, he was dreading it a bit as well.



A part of Severus looked forward to being named her true love. Yet, another part of him, the more logical part most likely, feared that he wasn\'t her true love. Though the revelation wouldn\'t surprise him, it did bother him a bit.



They spent the rest of the afternoon in relative silence.



(V) (V)



Hermione and Ginny hugged, and then Hermione hugged Harry. "I\'ve missed you both so much," she told them truthfully. "Especially you, Ginny. You don\'t know how hard it is to get by day after day without a girlfriend."



Ginny nodded. "I truly am sorry. I really had no idea what you were going through," she replied, her cheeks blushing slightly.



Hermione smiled. "It doesn\'t matter now. I have you, so I\'m content," she said. She turned to Harry. "Had a good Christmas?"



He nodded. "Very well," he answered. "Though, I must say, I\'m a bit surprised."



"About?"



"Well, seeing Ron again, he still has the spell on him," he pointed out. "As does Malfoy and Snape. And I\'m pretty sure Seamus does, too. We\'ll know for certain once he returns. But, the spell has pretty much... disappeared for me. I don\'t feel any kind of pull towards you and I haven\'t dreamt or thought about you in any way that would be inappropriate."



Hermione\'s eyebrows furrowed. "That doesn\'t make any sense," she commented as she tried to figure out why he would be like that.



He shrugged. "I\'m counting it as a blessing," he told her. "I love you, Hermione. But, as a brother would a sister. I hated feeling that way about you. It, quite literally, tore my heart and made me sick to my stomach."



She smiled. "I\'m glad to see that the feeling is mutual," she snorted. "Just the idea of having to bed you made me want to vomit."



"He\'s not that bad!" Ginny shouted, shocking both herself and the two friends.



All three of them laughed. "This coming from the girl who actually does want to bed you!" Hermione chortled, causing Ginny and Harry to both blush bright pink.



Hermione wiped a laughing tear from her eye and sighed, "Well, this has been quite the eventful day. I think now, however, it\'s bedtime."



The other two Gryffindors couldn\'t have agreed more. They watched as their friend left the Gryffindor Common Room and head for her own apartment.



"So, Ginny," Harry asked, turning to the girl, "are you really interested in... bedding me as Hermione so eloquently put it?"



(VI) (VI)



Draco laughed as he pushed an unruly strand of hair out of Hermione\'s eyes and kissed her softly on the nose. "Sounds like you\'ve had one hell of a day," he commented, laying back on the bed and pulling her onto his chest.



She curled up next to him and let her head rest upon the crook of his arm. "I don\'t know which was worse, though: Ron\'s continued profession of love or making sexually implicated banter with Harry and Ginny."



"Honestly?" Draco piped. "Both make me a bit sick. Though, the conversation you had with Snape is a bit interesting."



She sighed, "Perhaps. I mean, I see his point. It was kind of the same thing your father had said. Actually, it was the same thing your father had said. I guess I\'m just hoping a bit for the impossible."



"No, not the impossible," he corrected. "You\'re looking for it all to end. And it will. Valentine\'s Day isn\'t so far off anymore. Before you know it, it will be here and you\'ll be freaking out over getting your hair to do things Merlin never intended hair to do."



As Hermione felt sleep start to claim her, she chuckled. If only he knew how right he was...

---

Author\'s Note: One quick question for nonentity: You made a comment about Aphrodite\'s time and how Valentine\'s Day didn\'t exist until after her. Who said Aphrodite isn\'t still around? As I understand it, gods and goddesses are immortal beings. I\'m not being silly or sarcastic or anything. I\'m actually an active believer in the Greek Gods. A practicing Hellenist, if you will. (Which is one of the reasons why I used them in this particular story.)



Whether or not Aphrodite would actually recognize Valentine\'s Day as a day dedicated to a saint I don\'t really think makes much of a difference. I was actually going by the celebration of love that is Valentine\'s Day. And the fact that one of Valentine\'s symbols is Cupid, which one should know is the Roman version of Eros.



Anyhoo... who would like to see another scene of fun?