Simply fate.

Chapter eleven

« So let me get this straight... You handed up laying on that prick because of... the stairs ? » Harry said, frowning as he was facing his bestfriend and his enemy.

« Yes ! That's exactly what happened ! » Hermione respond, a relieved smile on her face.

« Is that really what happened ? »

« Yes Harry ! For the thousandth time yes ! It because of the stairs that were swinging around that me and Draco got in this position ! » she said exasperated.

« Wait a minute. 'Draco' ! So now he's Draco ! » Harry cried out furiously.

« Harry calm down ! » Ginny said, trying to sooth her boyfriend.

« Calm down ! You want me to calm down after I just found my bestfriend playing lovey-dovey with this snake ! »

« Why this reaction scarhead ? Are you jealous ? » Malfoy said with a smirk.

« Shut up Malfoy ! » Hermione said, placing herself between the two boys in order to separate them. « You are making the things worst. Now, Harry, nothing happened between us. It was just an accident. And I am calling him Draco because that's his name ! And, as you might have noticed, he is Ron's boyfriend' s bestfriend ! So we might just start calling him by his name. And honestly Harry, it hurts that you think that way about me. You preferred believing him, who lied to us for years, than your bestfriend ? I'm disappointed. »

« No Hermione, it's just that... » he tried to say but she cut it out.

« Save your saliva for a time when you will have to say something worth it. » she spat. « Now if you'll excuse me,  I'm heading downstairs for dinner.»

That said, she turned round, followed by Ginny, who gave a reproachable look at Harry, in the direction of the Great Hall.
The two boys glared at each other for a minute before splitting in different direction.

A week had passed and Harry and Hermione hadn't talk to each other since the fight. Ron was back and was surprised to see that his two friends had a fight.

A few days later, Hermine was reading in her secrete room when suddendly the door unlocked. She quikly pulled her wand out, ready to hex the unwanted visitor. Who else knew about this room ? She had been a bit reckless to think that only her could access to it. Besides, there was this one time when she couldn't enter the room after she left. Hermione had never thought that it might have been because somoene else was using the room. Then why could they enter the room while she was there ? She did not had time to think this throught, the door was opening.

" Who's there ? " she asked.

A tall silhouette appeared behind the door and finally Hermione was able to recognise it.

" Malfoy ? What are you doing here ?"

" Oh ? So it's no longer Draco for you ? I'm dissapointed, really, I thought there was some progress between us !" he said with a smirk. " Could you please lower your wand ? It would regretable for one of us to get hurt, don't you think ?"

" I'll lower my wand whenever I want Malfoy ! I do not trust you ! Futhermore, it is because of you that Harry and I got in a fight. Ihope you enjoyed it. And now, as if it was not enough, you came here and take my room away from me ! What else do you want Malfoy ? When will you stop destroying what I love ? It's because I am what you call a Mudblood ? That's it ? Don't you think I know that I am not pure blood ? I am never going to to forget thanks to your dear aunt who graved it into my skin ! You had forgotten about that, didn't you ? I was wrong to think that you might have changed after the war and the fact that Harry gave testimony to your trails so that your mother and you did not end up in Askaban. I was so wrong ! You are still the same git who made Buckbeak get executed in third year. I was naive !"

"Hermione calm down !"

" No ! You don't get to call me Hermione."she said coldly, " Now, go on take this room. I don't want it now that I know that you're here. You disgust me Malfoy."

Hermione left the room right away and went up to the Gryffondor common room. She had enought ! She was going to apologise to Harry. Malfoy was not going to ruin her life. When she arrived, she quikly found Harry. He was cuddling with Ginny in an armchair, gently playing with her hair while talking. Hermione cough to announce her presence and Harry stood up, telling Ginny that he'll be right back. She gave a positive nod and Harry and Hermione found a more private place to talk.

" So Harry..."

" Let me talk first ! Please ?" Harry asked.

" Alright. Go on."

" Thanks, so what I would like to say is sorry. I shoudn't have react that way. But most of all, I shoud have trusted you. Your my bestfriend Hermione and you will always be. I don't know why I believed that git instead of you. Maybe it's because when I saw you two laughing and I was a bit jealous. Since the war, I haven't heard you laugh like this, it was so genuine ! Also, I apologise for not giving you much time during those first months. I reckon that I was traying to catch up the time with Ginny but I ended up letting you and Ron alone together. I should've been more sensitive about the fact that you two just broke up but ended up spending more time together than when you were a couple."

" Wow Harry ! That's nice of you to say that but I have my wrongs too..."

" Yes but I was so blind about your feelings ! Ron got himself a new boyfriend and I have Ginny. I let you alone. All alone when you have no family left !"

" The Weasley are my family Harry ! Even if my parents couldn't get their memories back..." her voice broke," I'm so glad to have you all ! And I know that my parents are going to have a long and happy life even if it means that I am not part of it."

A tear roll down Hermione's cheek. She hadn't thought about it but she was feeling pretty lonely these days. Even if the war was over, she had lost so many people that she loved : her parents, Fred, Remus, Tonks, Sirius... They were all part of her family. And now that everybody around her was starting to slowly move on, she had made no step forward. She was still Hermione Granger from before the war, she needed to change in order to become another person. She needed to embrace her past and start a new happy life where she could truly be herself.

Hermione started to cry. She just could not stop herself as the wave of emotions was getting bigger and bigger. Harry pulled her into a warm embrace, running his hands on her back to sooth her. He was not trying to make her stop crying, at the contrary, he was showing that he was there for her and that she could release her tension and emotions. After a few minutes, Ginny was there too and she gently hugged Hermione while the latter was starting to calm down.

" What's up guys ?" said Ron cheerfully before he saw Hermione. "Hey 'Mione, what's wrong ? Tell me." he asked gently.

Hermione her turned face towards him, faking a smile before running into the arms that he had opened for her. She tugged her head his chest as they slowly sat on the settee. After a few minutes of quietly sobbing, Hermione fell asleep in Ron's arm.