When Hermione Fights

Old Hermione at the Manor

Chapter beta: Dani

Chapter translator: Aivy

~WHF~WHF~WHF~WHF~WHF~WHF~WHF~

The day of our return to the Manor came as inevitably as the rise of the sun in the morning. After the exercise, we had all fallen into bed, exhausted but happy, and let the magic work, which was urgently needed to heal. Astoundingly, the next morning we felt like new people, all of us! It was good that we tested this to see how long it took to recover from such injuries, and let's not make light of them: they had been quite substantial for we had not gone easy on each other. We also let our hair grow out so we looked like ourselves again. Short hair didn't really suit me.

Then Draco arrived to pick me up and to tell us about yesterday's funeral. However, he didn't get a chance to speak, not really at least, because everybody told him very excitedly and especially Ron in a breathtaking speed and excitement what had happened during our fight. Ron didn't seem to register in his exuberant and enthusiastical excitement that he was talking intently with his arch-enemy.

Draco seemed very amused about this, only raising his brow in amusement and giving the rest of us a blank look when he saw Ron's exuberant joy. One had to give credit to Ron's narrative flow, he told it very vividly, analytically and well, in every detail, so that Draco could get a full picture of the fight.

"That's nice. It's a pity, I would have liked to take part, because believe me, Weasel, then Potter would have had to face two opponents in the end. Well, next time! But now for the funeral: it was a tedious, never-ending affair, as expected, but people love us now, which is good! That show Father put on was brilliant! If there's one thing he can do, it's staging drama. The old coot was once again present and watched everything with eagle eyes. Fortunately, this farce is now over. I'm telling you, one more day and I would have cast an Avada," Draco exclaimed, "at myself!"

Ah, all right, I thought, who's the dramatist here? Those Malfoys were all the same! I valiantly suppressed a smirk.

He was interrupted by Ron who told him in detail how we healed ourselves and even Draco couldn't be disparaging or even unenthusiastic with so much honest, openly shown delight and admiration and so he listened attentively.

"That's nice that Hermione has won this fight for herself as well. Since today we are going back to the Manor, she may face the next one right away," Draco effectively brought Ron back down to earth, which immediately silenced him.

I said goodbye to them all. In keeping with the occasion, I wore a bright and iridescent long silk dress without sleeves with an elegant, straight cut. The delicate, shiny, abstract pattern, which was reminiscent of a snake skin, whose base colour was ivory white, shimmered in a light beige-brown to yellow. It was very simple, but elegant and noble, befitting the Manor and Lucius. I wore my regrown hair pinned up with a few loose strands that gently played around my face. I was striking to look at, but not provocative or sexy; that was how I would have described myself.

I admonished Ron to keep his promises and not to forget them and asked him to practice, then I confidently left everything to others. Draco gallantly offered me his arm, which made me laugh. Since our dispute, which I had decided in my favour, he was attentive all around. He led me to the oak tree and we apparated in front of the big wrought-iron gate of the still deeply impressive mansion.

As odd as it may sound, I had missed the cold, endlessly large and extensive building and now the bright sun bathed it in a warm glow and made it look even more tempting to me! Yes, I was now at home here, it went melancholically through my mind as I took everything in.