Bad Romance - Time

Hermione walked through the village of Hogsmeade and wrapped her scarf more tightly around her neck. The snow falling like confetti out of the sky landed on her chestnut coloured hair and made her wish she’d remembered to bring her hat with her.

It was less then a month to Christmas and Hermione was looking forward to the holidays. She couldn’t wait to get away from the school for a while. Everywhere she seemed to go and everywhere she looked she saw Malfoy.

And when she was alone she saw him in her mind. She tried her best not to think of him but she couldn’t help herself. She needed a break. Just a short one, to get away from him for a while.

Christmas at the Borrow should do the trick, she thought. As she thought about the rambling home of the Weasley’s she couldn’t help but smile. It would be so good for her to be able to spend time with Ron and Harry again. She was missing them so very much.

The last few trips to Hogsmeade Ron hadn’t turned up for and that had Hermione worried. Was he still hurting over the fact that their relationship didn’t work out? She hoped not because the whole reason they had decided not to continue to try and make it work was so they could continue to be close friends.

Ginny had told her she was being foolish, yet here she was in Hogsmeade again and Harry had promise Ron would be visiting, yet here he wasn’t, again. Harry had arrived on his own.

Hermione walked to the centre of the town and towards the old well that marked the middle of the small square, opposite The Three Broomsticks. She brushed some snow off the small wall of the well and sat on the edge.

In the past she had often seen students of Hogwarts throwing a knut into the well and making a wish. Hermione had always refrained from doing so. Thinking that she needed to save all her wishes up for the war.

Now though her hand dug into the pocket of her jeans and searched for a forgotten coin. She found a muggle penny.

Shrugging her shoulders, she figured it’d work just as well as wizard money, she closed her eyes and threw the coin into the well.

After making her wish she opened her eyes and found herself looking into icy, grey ones.

‘Malfoy!’ she gasped her voice catching in her throat. He was standing a few feet away, right in front of her.

‘What did you wish for, Granger?’ he asked. His voice was hard and cold but it didn’t have the edge to it it normally held, she noticed.

‘What’s it to you, Malfoy?’ she asked, scowling at him.

Draco stared at her for what seemed like hours. His eyes bore into hers and just as Hermione thought he was going to say something a shadow fell over her, catching her attention.

Hermione broke eye contact with Draco and turned her head to see what had blocked out the light.

‘Ron!’ she cried and stood up. ‘I thought you must have changed your mind?’

Ron was frowning and his red nose and freckles stood out on his pale face. He wore a orange knitted hat that classed horribly with his hair, and which she knew Mrs Weasley had knitted him the Christmas before.

‘I got held up,’ Ron said and looked at Draco again. His frown deepening. ‘What do you want, Malfoy?’ Hate shone from his brown eyes and even more could be heard in the tone of his voice as he spoke.

Draco looked sharply at Ron and then he looked at Hermione, taking his time to let his gaze wander over her, from head to toe and back again.

‘Obviously something you don’t...’ he mumbled so quietly that Hermione thought she’d heard wrong.

Draco walked away as Ron’s frown deepened even further. ‘What the hell did he mean by that?!’

Hermione didn’t have the foggiest. She didn’t understand Malfoy at all.

She slowly shook her head. ‘Goodness knows. He’s obviously just trying to get a reaction out of you of some sort.’

Ron turned his head to watch Draco in the distance. He then looked back at Hermione and she noticed how the tips of his ears, sticking up from under his hat, had turned bright red. He looked down at his feet and then back at her face.

‘How are you, ‘Mione? Harry said you’re finding it strange.’

‘It is, Ron,’ she answered and sat down again on the edge of the well. ‘It’s so strange without you or Harry. I’m getting by of course but after last year... well it just seems so strange to be apart from you both.’

He nodded and sat down besides her. ‘Do you wish you’d joined us at the ministry?’

Hermione took her time to answer. ‘At first I did... I questioned over and over whether I’d made the right decision,’ she paused and took a breath. ‘But now I don’t. Education is important to me, you know that, so I can cope for a year. After all we’re growing up, getting older and getting on with our lives. Things wern’t going to stay the same forever, were they?’ she turned and smiled at him.

Ron gave a weak smile and then quickly stood up. This time Hermione noticed that his face looked flushed. He was feeling awkward she could tell. He looked and was acting uncomfortable.

He had something to tell her, she realised as she watched him chew at his bottom lip and try to avoid her eyes.

‘What is it, Ron?’ she quietly asked, knowing whatever he had to tell her was important.

Ron swallowed and took to steps to the left. He then returned to his original place. ‘You know, no matter what I’ll always be there for you, don’t you? We’ll always be friends, Hermione, even when we’re eighty.’

‘I know.’

‘Ok...’ He swallowed again and shuffled his feet. ‘Christmas... er... Are you looking forward to it?’

‘Of course I am... Ron what is it?’ Her voice sounded more harsher then she had meant it to but she was losing patience with him. She wished he would hurry and tell her what ever it was.

‘Well... we’re all going to be there, the whole family - including Charlie!’

‘I know, Ginny told me. Ron?’

‘I’ve invited Lavender Brown to Christmas!’ he said very quickly.

Hermione blinked several times. ‘What?’

Ron sighed and came and sat down besides her. ‘She’s been writing me and I’ve wrote her back. I... er... came to see her a few times and...’ he shook his head. ‘I invited her last week. Mum and Harry... well everyone really, told me I best come tell you in person before Lav told anyone and it got back to you.’

Hermione felt like Grawp had just sat on her chest - she wasn’t able to breathe.

‘I hope it’s ok, ‘Mione. But we’re not... you know...? And she... well we... you see?’

Hermione finally found her voice. ‘You don’t have to ask my permission, Ronald. You can invite anyone you wish to.’ Her voice sounded tight and squeaky, even to her own ears.

She was completely shocked. And not in a pleasant way. She couldn’t understand the feelings she was having. Rage ate up inside her and she tried her best to stay calm. She loved Ron of course she did but over the last few months she’d thought over her feelings for him so many times and had come to the conclusion that she loved him the same way she loved Harry with a bit of a school girl crush thrown in for good measure. She’d soon got over the crush.

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t a tiny bit jealous. And she couldn’t explain that jealousy. Was it because of her feeling for Lavender. The old feelings of jealousy from when Ron had dated the girl before. Or was it a different type all together?

It was madness, she though. She didn’t want Ron so why should she be feeling this way at all? He was her friend and she wanted him to be happy. If Lavender made him happy then so be it.

‘Lavender’s a nice girl, I’m sure we’ll all have a lovely Christmas together.’ As she said the words Hermione knew she was lying. To him and herself.

What hurt the most was the fact that all those times she had though Ron too busy to visit he’d been visiting Lavender and Harry had been covering for him. The git!

Ron smiled, seemingly relieved that Hermione had taken his news so well. Hermione, however hid a grimace, she had so been looking forward to Christmas.

What she had said to Ron was the truth, they were all getting older and growing up. Moving on with their lives. She understood a little of what she’d been feeling now. They were all moving on with their lives yet here she was, still at school. They were moving on and she was getting left behind. Being pushed out.

First Ginny and Harry, which Hermione couldn’t really say she minded because Ginny was such good friend to her. And now Lavender was taking Ron. If he married her and had children with her, Hermione wondered how often she’d get to visit him? She didn’t think it would be that often.

But if that was what he wanted she would have to respect his wishes. Even if she hated it.

*************************

Draco walked back up to the castle wearing a scowl on his face the whole way. He just couldn’t stay away from her. Everywhere he turned she was there and when she wasn’t he went looking for her.

She was even invading his dreams now. Yet he wouldn’t take a potion for a dreamless sleep. He found that he liked having her in his dreams. It was the only place he didn’t have to hide.

It couldn’t carry on though. He had to get a grip.

So he was attracted to Hermione Granger. He’d get over it. He had to. His family would never accept it. His friends wouldn’t either.

Not that that really concerned him. After school he was leaving for the states and making a new life for himself.

Hermione would stay here. With her golden boys.

Who would kill and dismantle his body if they ever found out about the thoughts and feelings he’d been having about their princess.

Footsteps running towards him had Draco turn to the right.

Blaise Zabini thundered up to Draco with a grin on his face.

‘Draco, where have you been? You just missed it! It was so funny, man. That stupid muggle lover, Weasley just went sliding all hell for leather on some ice in the square. He couldn’t stand up. ‘Course myself throwing snowballs at him couldn’t have helped him any.’

Blaise was glowing with his triumph but Draco couldn’t even sum up a smile. Foolish tricks and immature games, he thought. Stuff that would have amused him during third year.

‘Hey, do you know he’s with Lavender Brown again?’

Draco’s ears picked up at this and he looked at Blaise as they continued walking.

‘He’s been dating her since the start of school, I think. Strange but I always though he and that mudblood Granger would get married and populate the world with more redheads.’

Draco’s hands clenched into fists at his sides.

‘Guess it’s a hard choice picking between the two,’ Blaise continued, not noticing anger on Draco’s face. ‘I mean, yeah, Granger’s a mudblood but as she’s grown she grown into a hot mudblood. I wouldn’t mind getting a bit. Wouldn’t mind a bit of Lavender either.’

Draco wanted to hit him. Blaise had been his friend since the cradle but all he wanted right then was to hit the other man as hard as he could.

‘Hey? Do you reckon Weasley went with Lavender because she puts out more then Granger? I always thought Granger looked to be a bit of a cold prude.’

Draco couldn’t stop himself. Just as they walked under a tree he slowly pulled out his wand but kept it hidden from sight. He flicked it up at the snow covered tree and a load of snow landed on Blaise just as he walked under the tree’s branches.

Draco continued to walk towards the castle as if nothing had happened and left the other man buried under the snow.

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A/N: Please leave a review and let me know what you think :) I love reading your thoughts.