To Her

Silence

Small note: Sorry I wasn't able to update recently, I'm in the middle of exams and I've had to travel home because of a family issue. I promise to try and have the next chapter up within a week or two! TW: suicidal thoughts

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Later than night, Hermione joined her friend Taura for a drink.

A lovely new bar they found when they began working together, called the Whizzing Wand. They meet here every so often, gossiping and sharing stories through their drunken joys and laughter. Hermione valued their friendship and was able to confide in Taura with anything. Well, almost anything.

The War made her weary as to who she could trust with her secrets. Of course she trusted Ron and Ginny and Harry. They'd been through the War with her. She didn't know why she was like this with Taura, despite Taura showing her loyalty.

Hermione did consider Taura her closest friend, it just had more to do so with the trauma she endured, she supposed. It's hard to talk about one's own trauma. She barely told anything to Taura about her time in the War, she also thought Taura would hold some guilt for escaping to Canada instead of fighting if she did. So, Hermione never brought up the War, or her experiences during it much. And Taura never asked.

They sat at the bar on swivelling chairs, Hermione with nothing other than a firewhisky in her hand and Taura with her usual Elderflower wine.

They chatted of their weeks since the addition of former Death Eaters to the sectors and departments.

"Mr. Malfoy seems to be getting on quite well. I thought he'd be harder to work with, but he's a very good communicator and he keeps up with the work you assign, and does even more work on top of that." Taura said while on the topic.

Hermione nodded in agreement, thinking of how their meeting went earlier today and their horrendous encounter before. "Malfoy's always been well-read. And a great student. He was almost never late with assignments, and was always in the library when I was. I imagine he took as many breaks as I did."

Hermione only remembered this as he was second-to-best in every class, after her, of course. And his chattering with his gormless bodyguards often interrupted her studies within the library, it was hard to miss the sound of his annoying voice.

She went into a daze as she began talking of Malfoy, she assumed it was because of her 5th or 6th glass of firewhisky, which she was almost finished consuming. "He was a vile git who's made some awful decisions, but there's no doubt in my mind that he'll be a great and productive addition to the S.P.E.W. He'd always been so smart." She smiled at her glass.

"Don't tell me you're smitten, Hermione." Taura smirked as she sipped her wine.

Hermione jerked her stare up to Taura, speechless once again for the countless time today.

"I-I don't know, I mean no, for Merlin's sake. I haven't even though about it until today, I mean, before I didn't ever give it a second thought b-before, nor a first thought actually, and I don't now either." She stumbled quite incredibly, "No, definitely no. I have Ron, and I'm happy." She wrapped up her incoherent ramble.

She blushed more than ever before. She hadn't talked about her love life with Taura much, as it never changed. She was with Ron, and no major events ever occurred. The most she'd ever told Taura about Ron was that he was her longterm boyfriend, and they'd been best friends since their first year. Sometimes she'd update Taura that he'll be coming back for the weekend and then the following Monday she would tell her that they had a great weekend together.

But this was new to Hermione and surprising for Taura.

"Are you sure?" Taura questioned her friend, knowing there was something different in the way Hermione acts while on the subject of Draco Malfoy.