Pride and Pretenses. (Dramione)

Chapter 23

"So, are you ready for today?" Harry asked Hermione over breakfast.
"I think so," Hermione replied, spreading some jam on her toast. "I'm a little nervous. There's so much I need to catch up on."
"Don't worry, we didn't really do much the past couple of weeks anyway," Harry reassured her. "Even the professors were sort of out of sorts when you weren't here. McGonagall was so depressed she just gave a whole bunch of pages to read in class. Hey Ginny," Harry greeted, giving his girlfriend a good morning kiss.
"Good morning to you too," Ginny murmured after they broke for air. "Good morning everyone," Ginny greeted the rest of the table.
"Do you have to do that in front of us? We're trying to eat you know," Ron whined.
"Do you have to be such an arse? Honestly, Ron, I can do whatever I want!"
Hermione tuned out Ginny's retort with a smile. It felt good to be in the Great Hall again. She never realized how much she missed the loud meals until she didn't have them anymore. She looked around the room taking it all in. Her eyes landed on the Slytherin table where she was surprised to find Draco staring intently at her. She surreptitiously smiled in his direction and her heart skipped a beat when she saw his features soften for a moment. He gave her a small smile before turning his attention to Blaise who had asked him something.
Hermione couldn't help but think about the night before. The feeling of being with Draco again was indescribable. She felt so many emotions at once, she couldn't pinpoint and recognize them even if she tried.
They talked for hours well into the night but Hermione couldn't remember what they had said. All she can remember is the feeling of sitting beside him, his arm wrapped around her. They were never apart the whole night. He always held some part of her – he stroked her arm, played with her hair, held her hand as they talked. She was baffled by his behaviour but also grateful for it. After being apart for so long, she felt an overwhelming need to be close to him and she was glad that he understood and she didn't need to ask. Eventually, they fell asleep.
Hermione woke up with a soft smile that morning when she realized she was still in Draco's arms. Her head lay comfortably on his shoulder while his arm was around hers. She could feel his head resting on top of her hair so she tried to remain still so as not to wake him up.
Hermione felt the sense of peace she only felt with Draco as she watched his chest rise and fall. She felt like could stay like that forever.
A slight movement broke her musings. She felt Draco tighten his hold and take a deep breath above her.
"Good morning," Draco whispered with a smile, making Hermione's heart beat so fast she was surprised he couldn't hear it.
"Hey," Hermione answered softly, looking up at him nervously.
"Are you gonna be okay with today?" Draco asked, concerned at her expression. "Maybe you should take the day off."
"No," Hermione said with a smile, relieved that he misinterpreted her expression. "The sooner I get back into things the better. I'm sure I have a lot to catch up on."
"Well, don't rush it," Draco replied. "You know you can always ask me for help. I hear I'm quite the brilliant student."
"From who? Yourself?" Hermione asked with a grin. "No thanks. Besides, I'll just ask Harry if I don't get something."
There was a pause before they both laughed out loud.
"Sure, go ahead, if you want to fail out of Hogwarts," Draco said, still laughing.
"Hey," Hermione retorted. "Harry's not that bad."
"At quidditch and saving the world," Draco answered. "School, however, is a different story. Unless you count being able to make up answers out of a divination textbook brilliant."
"Well, either way," Hermione said, reluctantly getting up. "I won't have any questions to ask if I don't make it to class." She held out her hand to Draco. "Time to get up."
Draco took her hand in his. Hermione felt a warm current shoot through her arm, making her stomach flutter.
Draco looked at her questioningly as he pulled himself to his feet. "See you tonight?"
"It's a date," Hermione answered with a smile, before walking out the door.
Pansy had now joined Draco and Blaise's conversation. As she watched Pansy try to get Draco's attention, Hermione couldn't help but think about what the other girls saw in him. Draco was attractive, she'll give him that. But while other girls admired his deep set eyes, Hermione liked how she could get lost in their depths when he let his guard down. While they gushed about his well-toned body, Hermione liked how well she fit in his strong embrace. While they wondered about his lips, she liked the many different smiles he made with them. While they swooned over his hair, Hermione liked how his hair fell over his eyes, unkempt after a long day. Girls like Pansy didn't deserve him. He deserved someone who saw more than his looks, more than his money. He deserved someone who recognized how smart, caring, and amazing he was. Someone who knew him and loved him for who he was, faults and all. Someone like her. The thought hit her like a ton of bricks. She might be falling in love with Draco Malfoy.
Her terrifying revelation was interrupted by Genevieve's voice.
"...robes for my interview on Tuesday," the girl was saying.
"Who's doing the interviewing?" Harry asked.
"The letter only said 'current ambassadors' but some of Father's contacts in the ministry have mentioned that the Minister of Foreign and External Affairs himself might do them," Genevieve answered.
"Tuesday?" Hermione was surprised to hear her voice ask the question.
"Oh that's right, you didn't know," Harry said to Hermione. "Genevieve applied for this internship at the ministry and they're giving her an interview on Tuesday. Can you imagine? One of us, ambassador to France or something?"
Hermione nodded weakly. "Congratulations Genevieve. When...when did you find out?"
"Well, they told me I was up for an interview a couple of weeks ago," Genevieve said, staring at Hermione haughtily. She knew Hermione got the same letter. "Then, they sent me a letter with the time and date three days ago."
Three days ago. Three days ago she was still at her parent's house. She never got a letter then and her friends never told her of any post coming for her. They wouldn't have seen it anyway. Didn't owls deliver right to the recipient regardless of where they were? Various scenarios ran through Hermione's head. Maybe Hermione's mother intercepted it. But no, owls, ministry ones especially, were trained to hand letters right to their recipient. And when would her mother have taken it? Hermione was at home all the time. Maybe they couldn't find her. But the ministry owl from Mr. Diggory's office managed to find her without any problems.
Hermione grew worried. Up until now, she merely assumed that they hadn't set the dates yet. But they had. Three days ago – and Hermione still had not gotten hers. Abruptly, she stood up.
"Dumbledore wants to talk to me before class about catching up to the material," Hermione explained to Harry's questioning gaze. She promptly made her way to the Headmaster's office.
oOoOoOoOoOo
"Ms. Granger," Dumbledore greeted her with a smile. "To what do I owe this pleasant surprise? You're settling back in well, I hope?"
"Yes, sir. It's good to be back," Hermione replied. "Umm, I was just wondering – have any mail come for me while I was gone?"
"Not that I know of." Dumbledore answered. "Were you waiting for something specific?"
Hermione told him about the internship, her application, the interview and Genevieve's appointment.
"Hmm, that is quite strange, indeed," Dumbledore said, his face serious. "I haven't heard anything from the Ministry or any other sources about your interview. Although if you like, I can give you permission to go to the Ministry right now and ask them about it."
"Thank you sir," Hermione replied.
oOoOoOoOoOo
The Ministry of Magic looked much better than the last time Hermione had seen it. Of course, the last time she saw it, Voldemort and his DeathEaters were tearing the place apart. As she stepped out of one of the many floo fireplaces, Hermione thought they did a pretty good job of restoring everything. Remembering her purpose, she nervously stepped into an elevator and headed for the Department of Foreign and External Affairs.
"Foreign Affairs." A serene female voice announced as the elevator doors opened with a Ping!
"Good morning, how can I help you?" A blonde girl in her mid-twenties asked Hermione when she walked up to the front desk.
"Is there someone I can speak to about the student internship?"
"That would be Henrietta Crosswire. She's down that hallway, room 402," the receptionist directed.
"Thank you," Hermione said as she made her way to the room. When she reached it, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
"Come in," said a voice.
Hermione opened the door and entered a standard office. On one side of the room was a bookshelf filled with binders, a filing cabinet was in the other, and in the middle of it was a messy mahogany desk, almost entirely covered with papers. Behind the desk sat a thin, stern looking woman not unlike Rita Skeeter.
"What can I do for you?" Henrietta Crosswire asked, looking up at Hermione.
"I came to ask about my application for the internship."
Henrietta motioned for her to sit in the chair in front of the desk. "Name?"
"Hermione Granger."
Henrietta stood up and walked over to the filing cabinet. "Granger, granger," she murmured as she looked through the files. "Ah, here it is." She sat back down on her desk as she rifled through the folder in her hand. "Ah, yes, Ms. Granger. Quite a good application you had."
"Thank you," Hermione replied. "What I'm wondering is when my interview is scheduled."
Henrietta looked at her confusedly. "I'm afraid I don't follow you."
"You have notified candidates of their interview times correct?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, the letters were sent out a few days ago."
"I received the invitation for an interview but I'm afraid I didn't receive the latest letter with my date and time."
"Well, of course not," Henrietta said simply.
"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, confused.
"We did consider you for an interview but you had left school." Henrietta looked at Hermione like she was an imbecile. "For obvious reasons, you can't possibly be part of the internship if you didn't even finish school."
"But that was only temporary. I'm back now, so is it possible to schedule me in?"
Henrietta looked at her file again. "It says here that you've 'dropped out of Hogwarts permanently' and have decided to 'leave the wizarding world to pursue a muggle career'. Is that not correct?"
"Yes, I mean no." Hermione was confused. She had never notified the department about her departure and she knew Dumbledore never mentioned it to them either. He didn't even know she had applied until this morning. Besides, she knew that Dumbledore never changed her status at Hogwarts hoping she'd find a way to come back. This whole time she had been a Hogwarts student on paper. Henrietta was still looking at her. "What I meant to say is that yes, I did leave for a short period. There was an incident at home but everything's resolved now so I'm back at school. I'm not sure where you received this information."
Henrietta sighed exasperatedly. "You told us yourself, Ms. Granger. You sent us a letter saying that you were withdrawing your application because you were no longer living in the wizarding world. I even have the letter right here." She handed Hermione the letter.
She was right. There on the parchment, in Hermione's handwriting was a letter saying that she didn't want to be interviewed anymore.
"I didn't write this letter," Hermione said.
"It's in the same handwriting as the rest of the application. Did you not write that one, either?" Henrietta asked sarcastically.
"The application I wrote, but not this letter." Hermione was getting frustrated. Why would anyone do this? She took out her wand and pointed it at the parchment. "Specialis Revelio." In an instant her writing disappeared leaving the same words but in a different handwriting she knew well. Genevieve's handwriting.
Seething but trying to remain calm on the outside, Hermione showed Henrietta the parchment.
"Oh. Oh my," said Henrietta.
"Since I clearly didn't write this letter and my enrolment in Hogwarts is in order, is it possible to schedule in an interview time then?" Hermione asked.
"I'm afraid that's not possible. This internship is extremely competitive. All the times have been booked and the ambassadors themselves had to schedule in these interviews in their busy schedules. The interviews are in a few days. For logistical reasons, we simply do not reschedule."
"Isn't their anything you can do?"
"Well, I suppose we could look into it. This is an extenuating circumstance." Henrietta sighed. She removed her glasses and looked at Hermione in a deprecating manner. "To be honest, I wouldn't hold my breath. I'm not trying to be harsh dear but this is the reality: sorting everything out for you would take some time. We would have to confirm your enrolment at Hogwarts, find a suitable time for the interview, find an ambassador available for that time, etc. Interviews are in a few days and by the time you get your turn, they would have interviewed most, if not all candidates. By then, I'm sure the spots would have all been filled. I suggest you just let this one go." Hermione must have looked a bit shocked and outraged because Henrietta continued. "I'm only trying to save you some disappointment dear. In this line of work, muggleborns – " she paused. "Well, let's just say that these jobs can be influential and we are looking for those who have already been exposed to influential people and know how to play the game. The people you would be interacting with are very powerful individuals. They are not just nobodies off of Diagon Alley. Heritage, where you come from does matter. Sadly, as good as your application is, it's just not as competitive as many of our other applicants."
"Pureblood applicants you mean?" Hermione asked, trying to keep her voice calm.
"It doesn't matter how you spin it," Henrietta said waving Hermione's comment aside. "The point is, even with the interview, you probably would not make it."
"Well, that's for me to find out," Hermione declared stubbornly. "I would still like to go ahead with the interview. Thanks for looking into this matter for me."
Henrietta nodded in acknowledgement, a sardonic smile on her lips. "If you wish."
Hermione stood up. "Thank you for your time. I look forward to receiving the new time and date for the interview." She held out her hand. Henrietta stiffly shook it before Hermione walked out the door.
oOoOoOoOoOo
Draco was worried. He hadn't seen Hermione in any of his classes all day. At first he thought that maybe she just decided to take his advice and is now resting in her room. But as he listened to Potter and his friends, he realized they didn't know where she was either. Wouldn't she have mentioned it to them if she decided to simply take the day off?
Get a grip. She probably just wanted some time to herself and didn't want anyone to fuss over her.
He had to stop doing this. He had to stop freaking out every time he spent more than a few minutes without seeing her. She was here, at school and her parents have abandoned her so there's no reason for her to leave again.
Merlin, this was driving him crazy! Yes, he might kind of, sort of, maybe, be in love with her (he shuddered at the word) but it doesn't mean that he had to pine for her like a lovesick puppy. He didn't even know what love was, not this kind anyway. For all he knew, he could just be worrying about her like Potter would worry about her. She seemed to have that effect on people.
Great, now I'm analyzing Potter's feelings. He shook his head. Feeling the need to clear his thoughts, he grabbed his broom and headed outside.
"Draco!"
A female voice called out to him as he walked across the school grounds. He stopped and turned around.
"Oh good, I caught you," Genevieve said as she neared him. "Free period?"
"Yeah, I was just – "
"Oh, good, me too," she said, interrupting him. "So, since we're going to be Heads next year, Dumbledore – "
"You foul, loathsome, evil little bitch!"
Draco took a step back when Hermione suddenly appeared, her wand pointed at Genevieve's throat.
"What are you doing Hermione?" Genevieve asked innocently. She looked toward Draco for help.
"Oh no, I'm staying out of this one," Draco said with a blank face, trying not to smile. "I don't ever want to be on the wrong end of Granger's wand. I've been there and it's not pretty."
Genevieve coolly turned to Hermione. "What is it now Hermione?"
"Why are you trying to ruin my life?!" Hermione asked, her eyes blazing.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Genevieve answered.
"The letter," Hermione seethed.
"Simple. I went after what I want," Genevieve said matter-of-factly. "Like I said, I'm strong enough to do whatever it takes to get to the top, unlike you."
"Well, if I'm not a threat why did you go through all that effort?"
"You're so naïve Hermione," Genevieve said with a short laugh. "I knew you wouldn't be much competition. All this," she said waving her hand to show the school. "You don't deserve any of it. I know I will always be superior but I'm also not stupid. I had to put a little insurance to make sure I get the spot."
Genevieve looked at Hermione. Though her wand never wavered, Genevieve could tell that she was starting to get to the other witch. She decided to end this and bait Hermione into doing something that would get her expelled.
"What are you going to do about it mudblood?" Genevieve asked, not hesitating to use the term in front of Draco. She knew he'd probably even enjoy it. "Curse me? You don't have the guts. You couldn't even stand up to your parents until you actually had a way out."
Hermione put her wand down.
Genevieve smiled. "I knew it. You're weak."
Suddenly, Hermione swung her arm, her fist connecting with Genevieve's face.
"No," Hermione said as Genevieve reached up to find blood on her face. "You're just not worth it."
"I do not envy her right now," Draco said as Genevieve ran to the hospital wing. "You know how to throw a punch."
Hermione whirled around. She didn't even notice he was there.
"Want to tell me what that was about?" Draco asked.
Hermione shook her head. She was still trying to stop herself from running after Genevieve and ripping her hair out.
"Alright, come on," Draco said taking her hand. After checking that it was ok, he pulled Hermione toward him.
Hermione focused her eyes on Draco who was now sitting on his broom. "What?"
"I have something to show you."
"I'm not getting on that," Hermione said, looking warily at the broom.
"I'll have you know, I'm an excellent flier," Draco said, still holding her hand. "I promise I won't drop you. Do you trust me?"
Hermione had a brief flashback of Cedric asking her that same question. She looked at Draco. With a sigh, she got on the broom.
oOoOoOoOoOo
They flew around until Draco felt Hermione start to relax against him. He headed for their destination and lightly landed on the ground.
"We're here," Draco said to Hermione, whose face was buried against his chest.
Hermione looked up and quickly got off the broom thankful to be on solid ground. "Where are we?" she asked, looking around in awe.
They were standing on a small rocky beach with lots of pebbles instead of sand. In front of them was a slow moving river, the colour the deepest blue Hermione had ever seen. They were standing in the bottom of what looked like a gorge. Cliffs rose up on either side of the river and Hermione could make out a forest on top of them, the tall, green, trees forming a canopy above. The place was so serene and beautiful, Hermione couldn't help but stare in wonder.
"I come out here when I need to think," Draco said, watching Hermione closely. Her wondrous expression made him catch his breath.
"Where is here, exactly?"
"The Forbidden Forest."
Hermione looked at him questioningly, not quite believing him.
"See those trees up there?" Draco asked pointing to the forest above. "That's still part of the Forbidden Forest. This just happens to be a river that runs through it."
"I wonder why no one's ever heard of this place. Even Hagrid hasn't mentioned something like this. I don't even think people know there's a river."
"Well, we are pretty deep into the forest. Closer toward the sea actually, which I suspect is where this river goes. And I doubt anyone has ever been this far, the forest, is after all, forbidden and all."
Hermione glared at him but she was smiling.
"It's so peaceful here," Hermione said with a soft smile. Draco noticed that her eyes were still troubled.
"Want to tell me what happened back there?"
With a sigh, Hermione proceeded to tell him about her morning and her trip to the Ministry.
"I don't even know why I bother. Maybe she's right – an interview probably would not have helped anyway. I knew going in that they would want Purebloods and – "
"That's it!" Draco interjected, shocking Hermione. "I'm so sick of you feeling sorry for yourself! You care too much about what everyone thinks about you! About what some idiot in the ministry thinks of you."
"It's not just one idiot!" Hermione yelled back. "When so many people tell you one thing about yourself you start to believe it ok? So you know what – screw you! Screw you Mr. Rich, Elite Pureblood and can be whatever the hell you want. Yeah, screw you. You don't know what my life has been like or how hard this has been or how hard I've worked. I've worked since I was 11 to freaking get here," Hermione continued, tears streaming down her face. "You don't understand –"
"Why don't you just shut up for one second?!" Draco said, grabbing Hermione's shoulders. "I don't care what anyone else thinks about you! I don't care what the Ministry thinks about you, I don't care what Genevieve thinks about you, I don't even care what you think about yourself, but I believe in you ok?!" Draco paused. He bent his face closer to hers, their foreheads touching. "I can care less what anyone else thinks," Draco said fiercely, holding Hermione's gaze. "I believe in you. And I want this for you more than anything, but you...you just gotta start believing yourself, Hermione."
oOoOoOoOoOo
"You know," Draco said quietly breaking the silence. They were sitting on a flat boulder looking out onto the river. "You don't have to prove yourself to anyone. You don't have to keep trying so hard to live up to people's expectations. It's not worth it. Once you reach something they're always going to want more. You'll always have to achieve something else, something higher. They're never going to be content. There's always something more. I should know." He turned towards Hermione. "The only person you have to prove anything to is yourself."
Hermione looked down. "It's just so hard. Magic is a part of me. I can't just live a mundane muggle life. But now that I've left that world, I have to succeed in this one. I have to prove my parents wrong. But my blood is a part of me too and with it, I can't make it in this world either. It seems like no matter what I do or how hard I try, I just don't belong anywhere."
Draco gently grabbed her chin and tilted her face up to his. "You belong right here...with me." With that, he brought his lips down to hers.