Determination| 𝐴 𝐷𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 (𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚛 4, 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 2)

Chapter Twelve | Be Alright

Be Alright, by Jada Facer

   Once Hermione made it back to the Gryffindor common room, she told her friends that she was going to bed. She was too mentally drained to continue a conversation about any of that day's previous events. Ron and Harry said a quick goodnight, barely giving her a passing glance, as they were still busy discussing the Triwizard Tournament. When they were out of earshot, Ginny walked over to Hermione's side. "I think I'll join you. It's been a long day and we need to have a girls' talk. There are some things I'd like to discuss with you." Hermione was about to protest but she really needed another girl to talk to. So, Hermione nodded, and she and Ginny made their way up to the girls' dorms.

When they reached Hermion's room, Hermione kicked off her shoes and fell into her bed with a sigh. The other girls weren't in the dorm yet so Hermione assumed they were still in the common room. She was glad for it though. If she and Ginny were going to talk, she would rather not have others listening. She also had no clue what Ginny wanted to talk about. Well... she did, but it could be a wide variety of topics that she didn't necessarily want Lavender or Parvati to hear. Hermione closed her eyes, attempting to rid herself the headache that she'd had all day as Ginny came over and sat beside her. "What's going on?"

   Hermione sat up, hesitantly. Should she tell her what happened with Draco? Ginny was always a good person to go to for advice or simply to vent about something troubling. But she was also close to Theodore Nott and Theo was close to Draco. If Ginny misjudged the situation and trusted Theo with anything Hermione said, it could get back to Draco. Hermione didn't really want anything she said to get back to him. For one, she didn't want to hurt his feelings. And for two, if his feelings weren't hurt, she didn't need him knowing how she felt about him. It wasn't that she didn't trust Ginny, but she knew Ginny trusted others very easily.

   Hermione contemplated it a second longer but finally gave in, choosing to trust Ginny. She had to trust somebody. And she couldn't talk to Harry or Ron about this. Harry would be overprotective and Ron would be downright rude. Who else could she trust? Draco was the only person she talked to about everything. She missed that. She needed that. It was time to trust someone again. And Ginny was a good friend. Hermione knew she could trust her. So with a deep breath, she admitted what was bothering her. "Malfoy was acting weird today."

  
Ginny's brow snapped downward, and she frowned. "Malfoy?" She tilted her head, her expression riddled with confusion and question. " I thought for sure you would be on a first-name basis again."

Hermione grimaced. "I don't know why you would think that. I mean, you know what he did to me, Gin." Hermione shook her head, trying not to read too much into Ginny's comment. It was almost as if she was dismissing everything that Malfoy had done. But she continued, hoping Ginny had a reason. "Anyway, he came up to me today and was acting so strange. Like he thought that we were still dating or something." Ginny looked at Hermione skeptically. It was almost as if she didn't believe Hermione, or she didn't realize they had ever even broken up. Why was everyone acting so strangely today? "What's going on? You seem almost defensive of him, Ginny."

"Well, I think I would be after all the trouble he went through to ensure your safety. You should be a little more open-minded." Ginny looked somewhat offended. Her tone was definitely defensive. Whether she was defending Malfoy or herself, Hermione couldn't tell.

"Open-minded? My safety? You keep talking about Malfoy like he's some hero. And you keep making comments about us making up earlier? I don't understand why you would think any of that. When exactly do you think all this happened?"

Ginny looked confused. "When Malfoy saved you the other day."

Hermione froze. "Saved me?"