Truth or Dare ✔️

38

Hermione summered her holiday between France and Grimmauld Place. She walked around nearly catatonic for the weeks after Sirius' death, she thought that only Harry and Remus and possibly Tonks would understand why?

School couldn't start soon enough for her and she had told her family and friends that she had wanted a quiet dinner alone at the Three Broomsticks for her sixteenth birthday.

Unable to properly study, Hermione wearily headed back toward the common room from the library, uninterested with the concerned glances from her closest friends.

Even Malfoy left her alone...until the afternoon of the nineteenth...her birthday...

He was leaning on the banister of the staircase and cleared his throat as she walked up.

"Alright there, Granger," he asked.

Walking past him, she looked crossly toward him, then her eyes softened. "None of your business," she replied harshly out of habit. Then she sighed and closed her eyes as she continued walking.

"Ah well, that's good because I don't rightly care anyway."

She turned to face him. "THEN WHY DID YOU ASK!"

He grinned. "I merely wanted to know how the Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was, is all?"

Her brown eyes widened and she grabbed his arm and led him down toward a seldom used corridor and then whipped him around. "How do you know about that!"

He sneered playfully as he stared at Sirius' ring still dangling on the sterling chain around her neck and fingered it. "Word gets around," he replied.

She lifted her hand and snatched the ring from his fingers, breaking the chain and she cried out and fell to her knees. "You broke it," she sobbed.

"Blimey Hermione! You really did love him!" He knelt down before her and pointed his wand toward the chain. "Repairo," he whispered. "I didn't know. I'm sorry for your loss. I really am."

She looked up into his eyes...they were Sirius' eyes. Why hadn't she ever noticed them before?

"My mother took a trip to France this week you see, and stopped by the old family homestead as it were, whilst there. She told me that she saw you on the official family tapestry. Said the threads were golden in color and that it's very rare in our family. Said I wasn't to tell anyone. She asked that I check on you, to make sure that you're, you know, alright?"

Hermione nodded. "Well, I'm not."

Draco nodded. "Clearly."

"Look, I appreciate your sympathies, but I really do have to be going. I can't imagine what your mates would say if they saw us talking." She rose to her feet and wiped at her eyes.

"Mother also asked me to inquire..."

"Yes?"

"You wouldn't happen to be pregnant or anything would you?"

"No."

"Oh. That's unfortunate."

"Why?"

"Should something happen to you, then the Head of the family returns back to the Frenchies. And the British line falls to Bella."

"She doesn't have any children."

"That's right, she doesn't. And should she die, it then falls to my aunt Andromeda."

Hermione smiled and nodded. "Another outcast," she whispered.

Draco grinned and nodded. "Yeah. Take care cousin. Should you need anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate."