There's More To You Than You Let On

Chapter 21: Love Triangle

Previously;

The Minister walked out of the room with the official results.

"Those who have been under a spell are...,"

—

"Those have been under a spell are, Ronald Weasley, and Harry Potter, under a potion was Hermione Granger," He said. Draco felt his heart break into a million pieces. "Again, we do not know what spell or potion."

Narcissa knew Draco needed to leave, she knew her son. She took hold of his arm and apparated them away, Luna, Pansy, Astoria, Blaise, and Theo following behind.

"So Draco wasn't under any spell?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, anything he said did or felt was completely real and out of his own accord," The minister said.

"Yes!" Ginny exclaimed making Harry and Ron look at her. "What?"

Hermione didn't say anything the whole time. She looked as if she was contemplating her own life decisions.

"Mione, are you ok?" Ginny asked. She gave a small nod.

"I want to go back to Hogwarts," She said. They all agreed and apparated back to just outside the grounds of Hogwarts. Hermione walked up to her common room and walked straight to her room. Ginny stayed with her, knowing she was probably going to have a bad night of sleep not being with Draco, with her nightmares back again.

As predicted, Hermione didn't get a wink of sleep. Ginny got up and went to the Gryffindor Common Room to get ready for the day. Hermione got up and took a shower to wash the sleeplessness off of her. She brushed her teeth and hair before changing. She walked down the marble stairs and walked into the Great Hall. There she stopped and looked around. Everyone was staring at her. She looked over to the Slytherin table and say Draco and her Slytherin friends looking sad at her, she then looked over at the Gryffindor friends to see them looking expectantly at her. Her chest began to heave as her breath caught. She looked back and forth and was about to turn and leave when Ginny walked in behind her and dragged her over to sit at the Ravenclaw table with Luna and Neville. Hermione smiled gratefully at her before she began to pile food on her plate.

—

"She could still love you!" Pansy said to Draco, over at the Slytherin table.

"But she doesn't! Don't you think if she did she would've told me by now?" Draco said.

"She just doesn't want to hurt Ron's feelings. She's too nice, you know that," Astoria said.

"Or she just doesn't want to hurt my feelings so she hasn't told Ron yet," Draco said. "You heard what the Minister said, she was under a love potion."

"No, he said she was under a potion," Blaise corrected.

"That could be anything," Theo added. "Plus she is pregnant with your child so she's kinda stuck with you." Pansy stepped on his foot. "Ow!"

"Thanks, Theo, that makes me feel so much better," Draco said sarcastically. "I want her to actually love me like I love her. Like I thought she did all this time."

"We know, Draco," Pansys said sympathetically. "We're so sorry this is happening to you."

"We're always here for you," Astoria added.

"Yeah, mate," Blaise and Theo said.

"I'm worried about her," Draco said.

"Why?"

"Well if she hasn't made a choice it means she's sleeping on her own. And if she's been sleeping on her own that means-"

"She's been having nightmares," Pansy and Astoria interrupted.

"Where have you been sleeping?" Blaise asked.

"My secret room," Draco said.

"I don't know about Hermione, but if you ever need any company you're always welcome to stay in the Slytherin Common Room," Theo said.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," He said.

Hermione spent the whole day avoiding everyone. The only two people she hung out with was Ginny and Luna because they were both neutral to the situation. Even though they wanted to know, Ginny and Luna didn't ask what potion was taken off of her or who she was going to chose. They knew she was already stressed about it as it was.

Hermione was walking down the corridors alone during free period when she heard shouting from up ahead. She walked quietly and stopped around the corner. She heard their voices and peered her head around, unnoticed. Ron was shouting at Draco. "You leave her alone, Malfoy! She's mine!" Ron shouted.

"She isn't yours, Weasley! She's not a piece of property! You don't get to claim her!" Draco yelled back.

"You'll see, Malfoy! In the end she'll belong to me!" Ron said before storming off. Draco turned to walk in Hermione's direction. He saw her standing there and froze. They made eye contact for a split second before she bolted the other way. She ran all the way back to the Head's Common Room, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. She distracted herself by studying for exams and eating food she had Ginny bring up for her.

Later that night, Hermione was patrolling the corridors for Head duties when she heard voices. She ran ahead and peered around the corner to see Draco, Ron, and Harry arguing. Draco, for some reason, was holding a plate of food and a drink.

"I challenge you to a quidditch match. Slytherin vs. Gryffindor, winner gets Hermione," Ron spoke.

"Any cheating and the team's disqualified," Harry added.

"What is wrong with you both," Draco snapped. "Hermione is not a prize to be won, nor is it our choice on who she chooses, so stop treating her like it. We both know neither of us deserve her, but at least I can respect her."

"Hermione and I have been best friends for years. She fell in love with me first. I was her first boyfriend," Ron boasted. "She'll chose me."

"Shut it!" Draco yelled quietly, on the verge of tears. "I've already felt like I've lost her, you don't have to go rubbing it in. Go back to your common room before I give you both detention. Now, there is a first year Slytherin girl waiting for her dinner." He turned and walked away leaving Ron and Harry shocked at his words. He was a few paces ahead when he felt the necessary to turn back around and say, "And by the way, you weren't Hermione's first boyfriend, Victor Krum was." He then walked down to the Slytherin common room. Harry and Ron went back to theirs as Hermione slid down the wall and began to sob. She knew her choice, she just didn't want to hurt the other. She had to figure out a way to talk to him before she told the love of her life.