Stillness

Chapter 30

Things moved very quickly after that, Hermione getting frantic the closer the N.E.W.Ts came. Draco started hiding from her as he openly admitted she scared him sometimes. Ron teasing him about being an amateur, him and Harry have dealt with Hermione's test stress for years. One night a week before the exams Ginny finally snapped.

"Will you just go out to the lake and see your boyfriend?" She snapped at Hermione. "Maybe he can relieve some of your stress."

Hermione glared at her as she threw her quill down and stormed out through the portrait hole. She vaguely wondered if Draco would even be out there but of course he was. He eyed her wearily as she sat down in a huff and tossed her his flask before holding his hands up in surrender.

"Peace offering?" He said and she laughed, taking a sip.

"I haven't been that bad." She murmured.

"Granger I thought you were scary around finals when you hated me, it's worse now that you like me." He told her.

"Maybe I do need to relax." She sighed.

"That would be brilliant." Draco muttered.

Slowly their friends drifted out to join them and they got a fire going, everyone a bit subdued as the weight of the future settled over them all.

"I want to be a healer." Draco told them, his eyes on the dancing flames.

"Gonna have to work on that bedside manner a bit." Ron quipped and Draco grinned.

"I didn't take years of etiquette lessons for nothing." He mumbled.

"It's ok to be scared, right?" Pansy asked them. "I mean, we've survived a war. Why am I scared to be an adult?"

"Because our adults failed us. So now we have to figure out how to do it right." Draco told her.

There were no games that night as they passed Draco's flask around the fire. Just quietly murmured fears and soft reassurances that they had each other.

The week of the O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts passed in a blur, both Pansy and Hermione ending up needing multiple calming droughts from Pomfrey. Draco acted more arrogant than he had been all year, which they all knew by now was how he showed stress. Theo and Blaise just got quieter and Harry and Ron got louder. Finally on the other side of the tests that determined their futures they threw a two day party, starting in the Gryffindor common room and ending in the Slytherin common room. Hermione spent the entire Sunday in Draco's bed, feeling the stress leave her as they teased and laughed and learned each other's bodies.

Hermione woke up on her final day as a Hogwarts student before the sun. She sat in her bed, staring at the purple graduation robe draped across her chair. She had dreamed of this day since she first received her letter but she never imagined the path she would take to get here would be so rocky. Ginny stirred across from her and smiled at Hermione as she climbed out of bed. Hermione pulled on her simple white dress, slipping the purple robe on over it and turned to take in her reflection. She sighed as Ginny slipped her hand in hers and they made their way downstairs.

The Great Hall was loud with excited voices as everyone sat at their house tables in honor of the event. She met Draco's eyes across the room and he smirked at her, his fork twirling between his fingers. She had no appetite but she ate to keep Ginny off her back. Finally McGonagall stood, smiling kindly over them and began dismissing them by house to make their way out to the grounds. They all found their seats, the 7th years pulled to the front and the younger years mingled a few feet behind them. This year it was a closed event to respect the students who had had to fight a war, literally and figuratively, to get to this moment.