Are You The One That I Want? (Dramione Love Story)

Chapter 23: An unpleasant surprise

Chapter 23: An Unpleasant Surprise

‘Have you seen Draco?’ Hermione asks as she looks around the Great Hall.
‘No.’ Ginny shakes her head.
‘Hmm odd.’
After the Hogwarts Express had arrived back at the platform nearby Hogwarts they had all made their way over to the carriages, getting in and travelling up to the castle. After entering, everyone went straight to the Great Hall for dinner. Hermione spots Blaise over at the Slytherin table. She manages to catch his eye and he gives her a small smile.
‘Where’s Draco?’ she mouths.
Blaise looks around him before looking back, shrugging and mouthing a ‘I don’t know.’ back. Hermione frowns before she turns back to her friends.
‘Hi.’ Luna says dreamily.
‘Oh hey Luna, how was Christmas?’ Hermione asks as Luna sits down next to Harry, opposite from her.
‘It was great. Neville’s grandmother’s lovely.’
Neville smiles at Luna before turning to Hermione.
‘How was your Christmas?’
‘It was great to celebrate Christmas with my parents and family again. Been a long time since that happened.’ Hermione smiles.
‘What about you?’ Neville asks turning to Harry.
‘It was good. Just really weird without Fred around.’ Ginny sighs.
Neville nods understanding.
‘Must’ve been quiet.’
‘It was.’ Harry nods.
‘How’s George doing?’
‘He’s coping. It’s hard on him, trying to run the shop on his own. But I know he can do it.’
Hermione nods. ‘He’ll be okay.’
Ginny gives her a small smile and nods. ‘We all will.’

Hermione walks up to Snape’s portrait before stopping and looking up.
‘Good afternoon.’ she says.
‘Oh, you’re back.’ Snape says duly.
Hermione rolls her eyes.
‘Poly Juice.’
Snape portrait swings open and Hermione makes her way into the common room.  She looks around, but there’s no Draco to be found in there. Hermione frowns, where is he?
‘Draco?’
No answer.
‘Draco, you here?’
Again no answer. Hermione makes her way over to his bedroom and opens it, but there’s no one in there. She walks over to her room, which is also empty, before grabbing a book she had gotten for Christmas from Ginny out of her trunk and lying down on bed. Ginny, Harry and Ron had send their presents over to her, carried by owls. She had attached her presents after that to the owls before sending them back their way. It was different, not having them around her with Christmas. It was quiet and not so much Christmas without them. But the person she had secretly missed most was Draco Malfoy, whom was nowhere to be found. Something in her gut told her something wasn’t right, but perhaps that  was just the fact that she had missed him so much and now that she should be close to him again, he’s gone. His stuff are still in his room, which means he can’t be far, now can he? He wonders where he’s gone to, where he is at this moment. Perhaps he went off to the Slytherin common room to say hi to Blaise? Perhaps he’s getting help with studying by a professor? Perhaps he’s in the library and has fallen asleep, not knowing that everyone has returned again? All the possibilities rush through Hermione’s head before a groan leaves her lips. Her eyes had been gliding over the pages of the book she was holding, reading every single word, but her brain hadn’t processed a thing as for the fact it had started to wander off. She tightly shut her eyes before blinking a few times and rereading the pages again, this time really processing what was printed on the pages of her book.

Hermione yawns as she wakes up in the morning, the book lying next to her on the bed. She must’ve fallen asleep while reading. She gets up and walks into the bathroom, getting ready for the first day of school after a two week break. After having taken a shower, pulling her uniform on, applying make-up and having done her hair she grabs her wand from her desk and places it in the pocket of her cloak before making her way out of her room. She can’t help but take a little peek inside Draco’s room, but it’s empty, still empty. No one has even slept on the bed yet, being it perfectly made up. Hermione walks out of the common room before making her way downstairs and out of the castle. She walks up to the bench across from the Black Lake, secretly hoping she might find him sitting there, staring out at the surface of the water, but no, there’s no one. Hermione sits down on the bench and looks at the sky, it’s still dark, the moon shining bright behind a few dark blue clouds. Hermione opens her notebook, which she had taken with her before starting to write.