Taking Chances (Dramione)

Chapter 7: Return

*HERMIONE*

After writing the letter, I go to Hogsmeade trying to find Harry a birthday gift. I enter a broom shop and walk over to one of the far shelves where the books are at. Harry isn't a big reader, but maybe he'd like a book on how to care for his broom, and a cleaning kit. I decide to get both the book and the cleaning kit.

I go back to the Burrow and hurry up to my room to wrap Harry's gift. After lunch I decide to go visit my parents. I go up the walk and knock on the door. The door opens a couple seconds later.

"Hermione!" Mum cries

"Hey Mum."

"Come in, come in." I step through the door and into the small house. I always feel guilty about obliviating my parents, but the spell was countered and they remember me again.

"HONEY!" Mum screams. "HERMIONE IS HERE!"

Dad descends the stairs and embraces me in a monster hug.

"Hey, pumpkin," he says. "How's that man of yours?"

"Umm...that's kinda what I wanted to talk about..."

My parents look at each other and then back at me.

"All right," Mum says. "Let's go sit in the dining room." We claim chairs at the table. Mum then goes to make some tea and I start telling them the story.

"So Draco had been visiting his mother for a few months, and then he surprised me by coming to the Burrow. Then he skipped out on dinner so he could go sort things out with his father, because his father isn't very fond of...umm...wizards and witches like me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dad cuts me off.

"Well," I say, "some wizards and witches have Muggle parents, which means their parents have no magical blood what-so-ever. Giving that, I would be Muggle-born. Draco's father believes that only purebloods - those wizards and witches who have wizarding parents - are the supreme rank of wizard, and extremely dislikes Muggle-borns."

"Oh" is all they reply with.

"So as I was saying," I continue, "Draco skipped out on dinner to go sort things out with his dad. But he came back several hours later all self-possessed and emotionless. I asked him if he talked with his father and he told me that his father wasn't there. Then I asked him if he talked to his mother, and he hesitated and then said yes."

"Sounds like he's lying," Mum says.

"That's what I thought," I agree, "but I didn't want to push him to answer anymore questions."

She nods her head.

"When is the wedding?" Dad asks.

"That is irrelevant," I say.

"Not really," he says. "We were talking about you and Draco, and if Draco's not here then you can't really have a wedding, can you? So when is it?"

"We decided in November."

"That's nice."

"Well," I say, "I should be going back. Ginny and I were going to make Harry a cake. It's his birthday tomorrow, you know."

"That's right!" Mum says. "Tell him we said 'Happy Birthday'!"

"I will." I give them both a tight hug. "I'll come by soon."

"You better," Dad teases. I laugh and then step outside and Disapparate.

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I arrive at the Burrow.

"Ginny?" I yell into the house.

It sounds as if someone's tumbling down the stairs, until I see Ginny poke her head around the wall from what looks like a normal standing position.

"Yeah?"

"We gotta make the cake."

"Right! I sent Ron and Harry out only a couple minutes ago, so we should have plenty of time."

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We end up making a five layer cake with red icing and gold decals, with two candles on the top layer: "19".

"That's a lot of layers," I say.

"You know it," Ginny says with a mad grin. "I can't wait to see Harry's face when he sees how big the cake is."

Ginny and Harry had been together for a while now, for almost three years.

I smile at her. "Yeah."

That night we eat a hearty dinner. Draco still isn't back by the end of the meal.

"I'm going to go to bed early. Goodnight, guys," I say. They bid me goodnight and I head up the stairs to the guest room, only to find someone already laying in the bed.

"Hermione?" he says, his eyes closed. I walk over to him and before I know what's happening, my hand collides with his arm and a loud SMACK sounds. "What the....!"

"How dare you scare me like that, Draco Malfoy! I had no idea where you were and it freaked me out and I didn't know if you were with some other girl, bailing on the wedding-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, sloooow down. With some other girl?!"

"Did you get my letter?"

"No, not yet."

"That explains it. I was telling everyone here how I was worried where you were, and Ron claimed that you were having an affair with someone else."

"Oh God, Hermione, I would never do that, I swear."

I rub my eyes and fall back on the bed. I cross my arms over my eyes. "Where were you?" I ask.

He's quiet for a moment, but then says, "Visiting."

"Visiting who?"

"People."

I sit up. "Look, Draco. If you're gonna hide this stuff from me - if you're not honest with me - I don't wanna do this anymore." I gesture between him and me.

"Mione. Family. I was visiting family. People keep passing through town and stuff, and I'm not going to just miss out on seeing family."

I sigh. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Look, we should go to bed. Harry's birthday is tomorrow." We both crawl under the sheets. "Did you get him something?"

"Yeah. I went to Hogsmeade all alone." I turn my back to him.

"Mione, I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

I don't respond.

He kisses my shoulder. "Please?" I sigh and roll over so I'm looking at him. He smiles. "That's better," he says.

I kiss him. "I forgive you."

"Love you, Mione."

"Love you too."

A/N: I think this is the longest chapter so far in this story. hahahah I finally updated. :D