Taking Chances (Dramione)

Chapter 5: Hesitation?

*HERMIONE*

I hope things with Draco's dad went okay. He seemed stressed before he left, and I hope that he resolved the issue. I jump at a loud cracking sound.

"Oh Draco, you scared me!"

"Sorry." He still seems stressed out. Maybe a little more than he did before.

"You all right?" I ask. He has a bandage wrapped around his arm now. "What happened to your arm?" I reach out to touch it but he pulls away.

"Don't touch it," he says sternly.

"Tell me what happened, please."

"It's all right, Mione. I just got burned while making a cup of tea for Mother. The hot water splashed on my arm. It'll heal."

I couldn't tell if he was lying or not, but I didn't push him. "Okay..."

I follow him back inside the Burrow. "So should I assume that it went bad with your father?" I ask.

He shrugs. "He wasn't there, so..."

"Did you talk to your mother then?"

He didn't answer for a moment. "Yeah," he says, "I did."

"Is she well?"

"Yeah."

I don't ask anymore about his parents because he probably won't give me anything more than one syllable.

"So," I say, "what were you thinking about for a job?"

"A healer," he says automatically.

"That's good."

We sit in an awkward silence for a couple minutes, until I say, "I'm going to go talk to Ginny." I stand up and walk up the stairs to Ginny's room.

"Hey," I say, walking in without knocking.

"Hey," she says with a bright smile. "What's up?" She's going through her bookshelf.

"Draco." I fall on her bed. She cocks her head and frowns.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know, that's the thing. He came back from talking to his father, but apparently he wasn't home, and he claims he talked with his mother, but he won't say more than one syallable for each response. It's either 'yeah' or 'no'."

"Hmm..." she says. She has two stacks of books: one is a keep pile, the other a throw away pile. She sets a book in the keep pile. "He's probably hiding something."

I groan.

"I mean, if he's not saying much, I'm just guessing. But just give him some space, I guess. Something might've happened, or talking about his mother and father is a sore subject."

"I asked him if he talked to his mother and he hesitated, like he didn't know if he should say yes or no."

"I don't know, Hermione," Ginny says with a shrug. "Like I said, maybe some space."

I nod reluctantly. "Want any help?"

"Hmm?"

I point at the books.

"Oh!" She looks back at her shelf. "I only have a couple left. Thanks though."

"No problem. Do you think Ron is still mad at me?"

"I don't think he's mad, exactly. Maybe frustrated...or confused."

"Why would he be confused?" I ask, feeling really stupid.

"Because you chose Draco, and he thought..." she trails off.

"...what?" I say.

She sighs. "He thought you would choose him."

"You know, I thought that was the case, and I just brushed it off."

"He was devastated, you know," she says.

I shake my head. "He'll have to live."

Ginny doesn't say anything further. I huff, then go back downstairs and to the front lawn. Draco's gone from the living room. I find a spot in the tall grass and lie down, placing my hands on my stomach.

I really hope Draco is okay. He's worrying me. Maybe I should Apparate to wherever he's at and then I'll know what's going on.

"No," I say to myself. "Whatever's going on is private information."

I pull a flower from the ground with a ton of petals, and do the childish thing.

He loves me...he loves me not...he loves me...he loves me not...

Over and over. It lands on he loves me.

What if he doesn't though?

What the crap am I thinking? Of course he loves me. Why would he propose to me if he didn't love me? I'm pretty confident with my knowledge of him working for You-Know-Who, and I'm pretty sure he stopped after the Second Wizarding War.

Draco's good now. I know it.

I hear someone call my name.

"Hermione!" It's Harry.

"Yeah?" I yell back.

"Mrs. Weasley wants us all to go to bed!"

"Okay, be right there!"

I stand up and brush the petals and dirt from my clothes and walk back to the house.