Struggling Through New Beginnings

Chapter 35

When Ginny had come back from rounds, she�d told Harry that she�d run into Ron and
Pansy and they�d proposed all of them going to The Hog's Head for a bit. With
the war over and security tightened around the school and village of Hogsmeade, it was allowed for seventh years to go out on
weekends until midnight. Harry had agreed that it was a good idea and added
that they should see if anyone else wanted to come along. Ginny had mentioned
Parvati and Theo, and he had added that they should find Hermione to see if she
wanted to join them. He hadn�t even considered Malfoy in the equation.

He was planning a fun evening with his friends after a long week of studying
and stress. One minute he had been walking down the corridor with Ginny,
smiling and laughing at her story of her and Blaise�s rounds that evening. And,
the next he saw red. Hermione, his innocent, sweet friend, was being pinned to
the wall and mauled by the blonde, ferret, death-eater-wannabe.

�Hermione!� Harry called sharply, despite Ginny�s
nails digging into his hand.

He shook off Ginny�s restraining hand and lunged forward. He grabbed Malfoy by
the back of his robes and pulled him back as hard as he could. Then, before the
man could straighten, Harry punched him in the stomach.

�Get off of her!�

�Harry!� both Hermione and Ginny screeched at him, but he didn�t have time to
react before he was thrown back from Draco�s punch to his face.

They both froze when a wand appeared between their panting faces.

�Don�t make me do it,� Ron�s said softly from the side.

�That evil git was mauling our best friend!� Harry
shouted.

Draco sniffed derisively, but before he could comment Hermione shouted back,
�Do I look mauled to you, Harry James Potter?!�

Harry took in her reddened lips, messy hair, and shirt that needed adjusting
and almost said yes. But, he also noted that Draco looked much the same. Harry
had to admit to himself that, as much as he wanted it to be otherwise, they
simply looked like two people who�d had a good snog.

�No, not now,� he conceded.

With a tsk, Hermione moved to Draco�s side. Ron,
Pansy, Theo and Parvati all looked at Harry with varying degrees of
disappointment, and the look on Ginny�s face made Harry wince.

He flexed his sore jaw, �Gin, I��

She stepped back, �Don�t!�

He watched as she shook her head at him and then straightened her shoulders and
looked past him.

�Draco, are you okay?� she asked to Harry�s consternation.

�Yeah,� he answered. �No, tha��

But, whatever he was going to say was stopped by Hermione�s outburst as she
rounded on her best friend.

�What the hell was that?! What were you thinking? WERE you thinking?!� she
shouted at him as she poked her finger repeatedly in his chest.

He stepped back to avoid her finger and ended up against the wall they had
previously been leaning on, �Hermione, I��

�Apologize now, Harry!� she demanded.

�What? No!� he answered; shocked that she would ask that of him.

But, then he saw something he hadn�t seen since the middle of the war.
Hermione�s eyes actually flashed in her anger. But, unlike when it had been
directed at their enemies and he had been almost happy to see it, this time it
was directed at him and it scared him stiff.