If This Were A Normal Day...

I don\'t own Harry Potter, I only borrow him for a while.
Chapter 30
Let The Classes Begin

When Hermione woke this morning, she felt refreshed and ready to take on the day.

Ancient Runes, Transfiguration, and Arithmancy had gone splendidly, but as she stood outside the dungeon door to the Potions classroom, she couldn’t shake the knot that had begun to tie in her stomach.

Her breakfast threatened to reenter her mouth as she steeped across the threshold and was locked in a death stare with the one and only Pansy Parkinson.

She smirked slightly as Hermione made her way to the seat next to Draco‘s empty seat.

As Hermione began to sit down, Pansy uttered an unmistakably clear “Moooo!” which was followed by the sniggers of the girls sitting next to her.

Hermione’s eyes narrowed and she bit down hard on her lip, trying hard to block her out.

“Well!” Pansy stated to the surrounding girls, just loud enough for Hermione to hear. “Looks like I won’t have to worry about stealing Draco back. If she gets any fatter, he’ll be begging me to take him back!”

Tears stung Hermione’s eyes.

She turned to reply to the snide Slytherin girl, but stopped when she noticed the approach of Draco.

He automatically noticed something was not right.

“What’s going on?” he asked Hermione, sitting down and casting a look over his shoulder at Pansy, who was smiling innocently.

“Nothing, nothing at all.” Hermione said, wiping the few tears that had managed to spill onto her cheeks.

Draco looked over his shoulder again and narrowed his eyes at Pansy, who smirked in reply.

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Hermione slumped against the wall in the bathroom in her underclothes, glad the day was over.

The potions incident was almost more than her hormones would allow her to handle.

The “moos”, accompanied by random “oinks”, continued throughout the class and if Snape had been aware of them, he chose to ignore them.

Draco on the other hand was furious.

He stormed into the bedroom as soon as they returned, vowing that he had a way to take care of Miss Pansy.

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, feeling the cool wall pressing against her back.

“I don’t think I can take another class like that.” she thought to herself with a frown.

She began to pull on the yoga pants and sweater she had been clutching.

“It’s going to be a long night at the library.” she thought.

She had a blue mountain of homework and was actually oddly excited about it.

“Maybe some work is exactly what I need to distract me.”

She stepped out of the bathroom and poked her head in the bedroom door.

Draco was hunched over his desk scribbling furiously onto a piece of parchment.

“I’m going to the library.” she stated.

He didn’t respond.

Hermione cleared her throat and once again stated

“I’m going to the library.”

His head snapped up.

“What? Oh, yea, alright.” he answered, then immediately bent back over his parchment.

She sighed deeply and let the portrait click closed.

She began to slowly make her way down the hall, lugging her school books over her shoulder.

As she turned the corner, she collided with something large and solid.

She looked up to see Ron.

His eyes met hers, but only for a moment before he cast them to the ground.

“Hi.” she said, feeling a bit nervous herself. “Um...how are you?”

“I’m okay.” he said quietly. “How are you?”

She took a deep breath.

“I’m alright.” she answered.

There were many moments of silence, Ron staring intently at his shoes and Hermione gazing off in an odd direction.

“Well, um, I was just about to go to the library. If you want, you can come with me.”

He lifted his head and looked at her for a moment.

She flinched and jumped back when his hand reached out toward her, then relaxed when she seen he was only lifting her heavy school bag off her shoulder.

“Thank you.” she murmured, ignoring the obvious look of hurt in his eyes at her reaction.

They walked in silence to the library.

“So....what are you looking for?” Ron asked, his eyes still cast on the ground.

“Well,” Hermione began. “I have a load of homework to do in Potions, so I was going to start some of the tonight.”

She handed him a piece of parchment that contained all the work that she needed to complete.

“Okay,” Ron said quietly. “I’ve had these lessons already. I can help you if you’d like.”

“That would be nice, thank you.” Hermione said, trying terribly hard to hold back a smile.

Ron was barely passing Potions.

“How on Earth does he plan on helping me?” she thought to herself.

They walked back through the large stacks of the library, Hermione stopping occasionally to pull a book from various shelves.

Soon they were seated comfortably in one of the aisle, Hermione having conjured a couple beanbag chairs for them.

She was deeply engrossed in “Popular Potions” when she felt eyes upon her.

She looked up and noticed Ron staring at her stomach.

He quickly turned his eyes away when they met hers.

She took a deep breath and closed her book.

Ron practically jumped out of his skin when Hermione reached out and took his hand.

She placed it under her sweater on the warm skin of her lower stomach.

He looked at her curiously, then smiled when he felt the tiny baby began to move.

“Ginny says it’s a little girl.” he said.

“Yea, she is.” Hermione smiled. “I’m pretty happy about it.”

“She also said Malfoy hasn’t been able to feel her move yet.” he said, casting his eyes to the ground and grinning slightly.

“Yea, that\'s true as well.” Hermione sighed, still smiling herself. “Now that I think about it, how about we keep this” she motioned to Ron’s hand that the baby was happily kicking. “to ourselves.”

“Okay.” he smiled at her, actually looking at her when he answered.

Hermione sat there for a moment letting him feel the little one moving, but got very uncomfortable when she felt his thumb brush across the soft skin on her abdomen.

She was unsure if his primary motive was feeling the baby or touching her skin and it made her insides squirm.

She smiled nervously and shifted in her chair, trying to impart to him that it was time to move his hand.

His head snapped up and he pulled his hand away, his cheeks flushed a slight pink.

“So,” Hermione said, attempting to break the awkwardness. “How have things been since I’ve been away?”

“Alright, I suppose.” he said, frowning.

“Ginny told me you have to see a counselor.” she added, hoping it wasn’t pushing him too far.

“Yea, once a week until they think I’m better.” he replied, looking down at his shoes.

Hermione gave him a sympathetic smile

“It’s going to be okay.” she added, trying to sound encouraging, but somehow, it just sounded empty. “It’s just going to take a little time. Good things will come.”

“Really?” Ron said coldly. “Like what do you suppose?”

“Well,” she began. “For instance, look at this.”

His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

“Us! Sitting here, chatting. Things are getting better.” she smiled softly, reaching over to pat his hand.

He jerked it away and glared.

“Yea sure,” he snorted sarcastically. “You jump and flinch every time I get close to you. It’s like a constant reminder that I hurt you.”

He shook his head and stood up and began to walk away.

Hermione jumped off her chair and stormed after him.

“I don’t know what you want from me!” she cried in a hushed whisper. “I am trying so hard to forgive you, but its like you’re so content to wallow in your guilt you won’t allow me to! If anyone should be surly and cold, it should be me!”

“I know that, I know.” Ron said, breathing deeply and rubbing his face in frustration. “I know. I’m just.....I don’t know, I’m having a hard time, okay? I‘m sorry.”

“It’s alright.” she replied, taking a deep cleansing breath herself.

“I think I’m going to go.” he said, looking back at his shoes.

“Okay.” She answered, giving him a small smile. “I think I’m going to go too. I’m getting tired.”

“Okay.” he said.

Hermione wrapped her arms around him, enveloping him in a tight hug.

She felt his body stiffen in her arms, then relax as he returned the symbol of affection.

They stood there for a moment enjoying each other’s embrace, Ron leaning down to rest his head on top of Hermione’s, smelling the sweet scent of her hair.

Hermione pulled away from him and gave him another small smile.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” she said softly.

“Okay.” he replied, then watched her disappear through the library doors.

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When Hermione returned to the common room, Draco was still in their bedroom.

She entered and saw him reclined on the bed with a smug, self-satisfied look on his handsome face.

“What are you so cheery about?” Hermione asked, almost laughing.

She crawled up beside him and curled up against his chest.

“Oh, you’re going to give Pansy Parkinson a coronary heart attack tomorrow.” he smiled.

“What??” Hermione asked, chuckling a little in disbelief.

“Just wait and see.” he smiled, giving her kiss on the forehead.

Hermione’s eyebrow raised, but knew it was useless to press him for information.

“Hmm.....a coronary heart attack??” she thought. “Maybe tomorrows going to be a better day than I thought.”


A/N: Well, I think my muse has finally decided to come home!! I’ve got so many ideas for upcoming chapters that the next update shouldn’t take as long as this one.
Oh! And before anyone corrects me, I can\'t remember how to spell Arithmancy....Arithmacy......however the hell you spell it! lol

lol Also, I read something in one of my reviews that made me want to rip my guts out and throw them around the room. *Someone* said my grammar was off. For the longest time (like, the first 28 chapters lol) I didn’t have a beta reader and I don’t always catch my typos. (Plus, I think there\'s a little something-something wrong with the download process on this site because typos that I know for a fact I didn’t make are showing up in my story.) Anyway, on to my point! If there are any grammar problems, rest assured that I had no intention of making them. Bad grammar drives me insane!! lol

Also, sorry this chapter is kind of short, but its quality, not quantity that counts, right?.......right??......hello??