Stylistic Harmony

Chapter Twenty Nine
They had heard the fight from upstairs. Blaise, hearing Hermione's shouts was out the bed and dressed in an instant. He had told her to stay put, no use in letting Harry find out about them yet, more fun that way he had said. She had complied up until the point she had felt it. The coming darkness, the deadliest curse. With that she had pulled on the nearest piece of clothing and hurtled down the stairs. Her heart skipped a beat as she heard him start to say it, his wand trained on Draco,
"Avada......" She couldn't let him do it. She stepped out of the shadow and screamed,
"HARRY! NO!!!!!!!" His eyes snapped up and met hers. Hers filled with tears, his filled with something indescribable, pain, darkness, who knew. Then all hell broke loose, Draco lunged forward and tackled Harry to the ground, knocking the wand out of his grasp. Blaise followed behind, wand drawn, anger clouding his mind. Hermione couldn't move, rooted to the spot, disbelieving that her former best friend had almost killed the man she loved, and it was all because of her. She couldn't take it, she ran up to her room and slammed the door shut. Draco was laying into Harry with all his strength, relentless, unyielding. All Ginny could do was watch, Blaise had positioned himself in front of her, protecting her. Finally after what seemed like a lifetime, Draco got up, wiped the blood off his hands and walked to the kitchen. Ginny extracted herself from Blaise's grasp and ran forward, dropping to her knees next to Harry, reaching out tentatively to stroke his face. He turned his head to meet her gaze, her betrayal etched into his eyes. She whispered,
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She kept repeating it over and over. Lupin came over and rested a hand on her shoulder, moving her aside. The werewolf waved his wand over Harry, muttering a couple of healing spells, easing the pain from the beating Draco has given him, he held out a hand and helped Harry up. Ginny was still on her knees, her guilt eating away at her. Harry walked over to her and pulled her to her feet, she looked at him, tears cascading down her face. She then looked at Blaise, Harry followed her gaze to the Italian Slytherin, and let go of her arms. Blaise looked at her, deep down into her soul and said,
"Well Red, looks like he's giving you the same choice he gave Hermione. Me or him? Its your move sweetheart." She looked at him, really looked, he was everything she wanted, everything she yearned for and yet, down in the furthest place in her heart she knew that she wouldn't choose him. It wasn't right. She didn't want to end up like Hermione, waiting for the day when he would leave. She turned back to Harry, then back to him again,
"I.....I'm sorry Blaise," she walked over to him, "I can't. This, all of this has made me realise. I don't want you. I just...couldn't see that I had everything already." Blaise nodded darkly, then turned from her and went to his room. She stood in the middle of the common room, tears flowing freely from her eyes. Draco came over to her, and said viciously,
"Take your things and get the fuck out," he looked up to address the other two, "You hear me Potter, get the fuck out." He stalked off upstairs after Hermione, leaving them alone in the common room. Lupin looked at his young friend, the pity he felt for him was overwhelming, no-one so young should have the burdens he did. He laid his hand on Harry's shoulder and said,
"Are you alright?" The dark-haired boy turned to look up at his Father's friend, and nodded, Lupin continued, "That was a God damn stupid thing to do. No matter what he has done it isn't worth you becoming a murderer. You're lucky he didn't hurt you worse then he did. Now, sort yourself out. Both of you. Then meet me in the entrance hall in an hour. I'm going to see McGonagall. This has gone far enough, with any luck, Hermione will be away from those two by the end of the night." He left. Harry turned to his fiance, something unexplainable bubbled within him. Hermione's betrayal had been hard enough to deal with, but his girlfriend's as well, he wasn't sure if he could handle it. He said brokenly,
"Why Gin? Why would you do this?" She came over to him, and said in whisper,
"I don't know. I...." she paused, to choked up with tears to speak, regaining her composure she continued, "I was lonely. You left me. You left me, again. I couldn't stand it, I was so angry with you. I..My head, I wasn't thinking. And then he was just there, wherever I went he was there. Watching me, waiting for me to crack, like he knew what was going to happen. And her, Hermione, she practically pushed me into it. I know its no excuse for what I did, but she, they tricked me. Promised me things that they could never give me. I broke it off when you asked me to marry you. I love you Harry, I do..." she collapsed into tears again. He reached out and touched her face,
"And tonight? You said you broke it off. Why were you here, in his room," he moved his hand to her shoulder, picking at the Slytherin robe around her, "Why are you in his clothes?" He tore the robe from her shoulders, she stood before him in her underwear. "Tell me Ginny, why the fuck were you half naked in his room tonight?! You said you broke it off, why should I believe anything you tell me! I've already been betrayed by my best friend, and now my girlfriend does it to! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just leave now, tell your family that the reason we're not getting married anymore is because you prefer fucking a Death Eater then me!" She slapped him, then hugged him,
"I'm sorry, please believe me, I never meant for it to happen. It just did. Tonight, that was just, after everything with Hermione and Malfoy, I was just so mixed up, I couldn't think. I want us, Harry, me and you, forever and ever." He nodded slowly, then looked down at her, no matter what she'd done, he still loved her, he caressed her cheek,
"I want us to Ginny. Forever. But, I can't forgive you, not yet. Just give me time. I don't want you to stay here though, you're coming back to Grimmauld Place with me. At least there I know that you're not running off to see him. Now go and get your clothes," he picked up the green robe from the floor, putting it back round her shoulders, "I don't ever want to see you in that again, take it back to him and tell him if he ever comes near you again, I won't hesitate to kill him." She shook from the menace in his voice. He kissed her lightly on the cheek, "I'll be waiting for you." He turned and walked out the portrait door. Shaking she went up the stairs and knocked lightly on Blaise's door.


Draco pushed open the door to Hermione's room, she was lying on her bed, fast asleep. He shrugged off his jeans, slipped under the covers and laid down next to her. She stirred and shifted her position so she was spooning his side, he looped his arm around her, leant down and kissed her forehead. He sat for hours watching her sleeping, the events of the night repeating over and over in his head. He knew now that Potter would never let them be, he knew that Potter was willing kill, cast the most unforgivable of curses rather then see Hermione happy with him, a Malfoy, and a Death Eater no less. It had put her life in danger tonight and that was something he had never intended, he had vowed to protect her, to keep her safe, fat lot of good that did tonight. Draco couldn't let it go, it had to end one way or another. He would die before he'd let something happen to her. These thoughts running through his head, he fell into a very uneasy sleep, hoping that it wasn't the last time he would sleep next to the woman he loved.


"So you see Minerva, there is no way we can allow Hermione to stay here any longer." After the confrontation between Harry and Malfoy in the Head's common room, Lupin had gone straight to the Headmistresses office. He was shocked to find out the extent of Hermione's relationship with the Malfoy heir, either Harry was right and she was under a spell or her mind had been corrupted by the seduction of the dark side. Lupin was no stranger to this lure, his inhibitions severely lowered due to his werewolf side, but he had never allowed it to overcome him. Having thought Hermione to be stronger minded, her defection surprised him. McGonagall sat behind the vast desk, pondering the words of the man in front of her. If what he was saying was true, then Dumbledore's prediction had come true. She could not condone losing one of her brightest students to the dark side, not one of them would recover from that. She looked up to the portrait of her old friend, Dumbledore was dozing lightly, his glasses slipping down his face. It bought a tear to her eye, she looked at Lupin and said,
"It seems that we need a solution to this problem and fast." The werewolf nodded,
"I agree," he said, "But Minerva, how are we going to get Hermione to consent to leave? I doubt, given her current state of mind, that she will leave them without a fight. Unless..." he trailed off.
"Unless?" She asked, Lupin stood up,
"Maybe we don't need to, Hermione, no matter how much she's changed is still Hermione. She'll want to finish her studies, graduate from Hogwarts? She will want to stay here. We just have to remove Malfoy and Zabini." Dumbledore's portrait had awoken and was gazing intently at the pair with interested eyes, McGonagall replied,
"How do we do that? They are no longer of the age or mentality where I can merely expel them. They will find a way to take her from us." They both sat deep in thought for what seemed like an age, when a knock on the door broke their reverie, McGonagall called out, "Enter!" The door swung open, and Harry strode through. He shut the door behind him with a bang and strode into the room, slammed his fist on the desk and said in a low, dangerous tone,
"Call the Aurors now, take Malfoy and Zabini into custody and get them the fuck out of here." McGonagall looked shocked at Harry's outburst, Lupin came to stand behind him,
"Despite Harry's, rather course way of saying it, I am inclined to agree with him." McGonagall nodded slowly, pulled out a quill and a parchment and began a letter to the Minister of Magic himself. Although the Ministry building had been destroyed, the laws that governed the Wizarding world still existed, and one word from Rufus Scrimengour and Aurors would be on site immediately to arrest Malfoy and Zabini. Harry pushed off from the desk, apparently satisfied that the situation was being dealt with accordingly, he said in a slightly smug tone,
"I'll be back to give evidence to the Aurors. I have to escort Ginny back to Grimmauld Place. I'll bring Ron back with me, he'll want to see Hermione." He swept out the room and left for the entrance hall to await his fiance. McGonagall sighed as she sealed the letter, it was with a heavy heart that she sent it off. It was her hope, as it had been Albus's that Draco Malfoy would not follow in the footsteps of his ancestors, but alas it seemed that it was too late for him. Also, Blaise Zabini, who everyone had regarded as the most non-Slytherin, Slytherin the school had ever seen, he had certainly shown his true colours now. She watched the owl fly off into the night and sat back with Remus Lupin to await the arrival of the Ministry officials.


Having not received an answer, Ginny tentatively pushed the door to Blaise's room open,
"Blaise?" She called quietly, entering, his room was dark, she could hardly see a thing. It was cold, freezing and she could hear the rain lashing down. "Blaise?" She called again, a little louder this time. Receiving no answer she hurried around to the night-stand to retrieve her wand, "Lumos!" She whispered, her wandlight casting an eery glow around the room. She gathered her things, hurriedly dressed and was almost out the door, when all of a sudden he was behind her, spinning her round to face him. His free arm slammed the door shut and he used his body to back her up against it. His breath smelt of Firewhiskey and cigarettes, plus something else, she couldn't make it out. It was intoxicating. The look in his eyes was dangerous and she couldn't help the tremor of fear that came upon her, but she had to admit his proximity was making her shake with want for him. He leaned in, so close to her, she could feel his breath tickling her neck. His low voice whispered in her ear,
"Oh Red, I am so going to miss you. I may just have to have you right here against this door, just for old times sake before you bugger off and leave me for that wanker." His tongue darted out and licked the side of her neck. She shuddered, and let out a small, needy gasp. He smirked to himself, dropped his hand to her leg, inching it under her skirt, then whispered again, "Poor little Potty, he's going to have to live the rest of his life knowing that every time he fucks his wife she'll be thinking of me. And you, my sweet, darling little Gryffindor, are going to live the rest of your life knowing that you could have had me forever," His hand had reached the edge of her knickers, his fingertips danced elegantly over the material, he continued again, "Shame isn't it my sweet. I'll think of you, not often though considering I'll be in Draco and Hermione's bed every night. But you, I'll be in your mind when you wake up, when you walk down the aisle, when you live, when your husbands pounding into you." His fingers had now thrust into her, she whimpered and pushed against his hand, he chuckled softly. Her breath was coming in erratic bursts, almost matching the rhythm of his fingers, she came quickly, the desire for him that had built up pushing her over the edge fast. He pulled his hand out, licked his fingers clean, then brought his mouth down to hers, catching her lips in a harsh, bruising kiss that seemed to last forever. Reluctantly he ended it, opened the door and let go of his hold on her. He turned his back on her, and walked out the French doors onto the balcony, taking with him the bottle of whiskey and his pack of cigarettes. She regained her composure and started out the room, pausing to say quietly,
"Goodbye Blaise." With tears in her eyes she fled from that place, knowing that this last encounter would be imprinted in her memory for all of time. He didn't turn at the sound of the door shutting, to engrossed was he in his bottle of firewhiskey, and Italian cigarettes. His gaze stretched over the grounds of the castle, the winter mist cast a sinister picture. He took no notice of it, the evenings events forever changing things for them yet again. He thought about how close he had come to losing Draco, what that would have done to Hermione. He took one last swig, dumped the bottle and made his way to the Head girls room, pushing open the door the dwindling candle light cast a glow on his two sleeping lovers. Draco's arm was slung round Hermione's waist and she was curled into him, as if they were clutching to each other, as if they knew the end was almost near. He entered the room, shutting the door quietly and settled into the chair at the foot of her bed. Watching over them, hoping that the morning would dawn for them. He eventually dozed off, only to be woken two hours later by a loud crash in the common room downstairs. Draco bolted awake, leaping out the bed, he was on his feet, wand in hand in minutes. Hermione also had woken, bleary eyed and worried looking. Blaise and Draco looked at each other, then at her. She looked at them, all of them knowing what was coming, and they were right, moments later a hammering on her door. Followed by a stern voice,
"Miss Granger, this is Kingsley Shacklebolt, open this door immediately or we will be forced to break it down!" She got out of the bed, tossed Draco his clothes and said,
"Run, you have to run, both of you. Now."