Hermione Zabini

Chapter Twenty Seven

Flashback: 

'Hermione...it really is you.' The voice spoke and left Serafina momentarily surprised. 

Now

Serafina takes a shaky step back and grips her wand tightly. 'I.. do not know who you speak of.' She says and the winces, there was no confidence or power to her voice. Almost like she doesn't believe it herself. Her voice sounds weak to her own ears.

The figure steps out of the shadows and reveals themselves, henceforth come Harry Potter. Serafina resists very hard to keep a neutral face but wanted nothing more to wrap her arms around him. While being a Slytherin was fun, and having Blaise and Draco around were amazing, she did sometimes miss her old friends. 

'It's okay, I know who you are.' He says calmly and Serafina blinks in shock before quickly regaining her senses. The wind blows harder and almost pushes them together. She quickly takes a step backwards to avoid stepping to close to Harry before speaking. 

'There must be some mistake. You obviously thought I was somebody else.' Serafina finally gets her emotions under control and her voice regains its cool edge which shocks Harry as he stumbles back. 

He stutters. 'I... no Hermione or Serafina.... however you are, I know you. You were my best friend.'

Serafina takes a deep breath and her heart clenches in her throat. Sometimes she wishes she could pull out her emotions and crush them. With an aching heart, she forces herself to turn away and walk toward the exit of the Owlery. 

'Hermione... please!' His voice sounds broken and dejected. As a last resort he leaps forwards and connects Serafina's hand with his own. He hears the quiet gasp she lets out. 

Serafina freezes, horrified that she had been caught. There was no way out of this now unless she hexed him. 

'Just... hear me out okay?' He says and releases hold of her hand. Serafina doesn't immediately run, which Harry takes as a good sign. 'Draco told me. I confronted them... sort of... and I helped work towards curing you. I was the one that recognise the Witchchest leaf. I spent time with Draco trying to come up with a cure...' His voice is pleading.

'Your on first name basis with Draco?' She asks in disbelief, momentarily forgetting the dilemma they were in. 

Harry lets out a small smile as Serafina turns to face him. 'Yes, and Blaise. We worked together. I wouldn't exactly call it a friendship... but that's beside the point. I had a feeling it was you Hermione, when I saw you on the train. I wanted to confront you then and there but Ron talked me out of it. Besides I am sure no one would've believed me anyway. Look Hermione or Serafina... no matter what's happened, we are back now. Ron and I. I am your best friend...' He trails off when he sees the raw streak of pain flash through Serafina's eyes.

She swallows and resists the urge to cry. What she would give to hug him on more time. 

'Not anymore...' Her voice is soft and gentle but its the words that cause them both the most pain. Harry takes a step back obviously confused and dejected and Serafina tries to calm herself before continuing. 

'Its not safe Harry. It isn't safe for me anymore.' Serafina's voice cracks and her eyes begin to become glassy. 'You must understand, for you to forge a friendship with me as I am now would only put you in danger. I love you Harry, so much so and I am happy that we got all the time together that we did. But you must not tell anyone.' Serafina had lost the last bit of her self control as tears begin to stream down her face. 

She steps forward to Harry and looked at his red rimmed eyes. He looks away avoiding her gaze, hurt and pain shown clearly in his features. Her hand cups his face and Harry looks into her eyes hopefully. In a spur of the moment decision she rushes towards him and hugs him tightly. It only fuels her mountain of tears when he hugs her back just as tightly. 

After a moment she pulls away and takes a deep breath while hurriedly clearing her rapidly falling tears. They look at each other in silence for a moment before Serafina heads towards the door. Before stepping onto the stairs and out of view, she turns to Harry. 

Tears pour down his face and he begins to shake as he meets Serafina's eyes. She nods at him slowly and offers him a small smile.

'You must forget me.' She says quietly.

By the time Harry looks up, she is gone. He runs to the edge of the tower and leans over the edge. He wipes his eyes quickly and scan Hogwarts grounds desperately. He waits patiently for a few moments before his is rewarded..

A dark green shimmer glides across the Hogwarts grounds.

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Serafina does her best to make sure she looks presentable before making her way to the Slytherin Common room. The first thing she noticed is that the common room was still deserted. Except from Draco who sits in front of the fire. His gaze is intense and harsh. Serafina's entrance alerts him of my presence and he looks up swiftly. 

Upon recognising her, he darts forward allowing Serafina to find relief within his arms. The chill and controlled façade she wore for most of the day had now been dispersed. Draco knew this and gently leads Hermione to his dorm which is empty. Just as they sit on the bed together Serafina bursts into tears. 

There is no exchange of words, only understanding. Understanding of the hurt and pain that Serafina feels at leaving her old life behind. The expectations that had been so rudely thrust upon her, the need everyone has for her to be the perfect pureblood girl. 

Draco holds her as she cries her emotions out. With Draco's strong arms wrapped around her, she begins to feel safe. Soon enough Serafina takes back control and her once heart breaking sobs are now muffled in Draco's chest. She is thankful to have Draco at her side. 

Draco on the other hand is concerned for nobody but Serafina. He felt so useless when Serafina broke in his arms. He wished he could have helped her and stood by her side. Unfortunately the battles she faces, must be faced on her own. So while Draco can support her and holds her while she falls, Draco cannot fight her battles for her. 

He presses a soft kiss to the top of her head and can hear Serafina stifling a yawn. If the situation wasn't so dire, he knew he would've made a joke at Serafina's apparent sleepiness. However he knew she was drained and obviously wasn't ready to talk just yet. 

A small smile appears on Draco's face as he feels Serafina untense and relax into his embrace completely. Within minutes her breathing evens out and he knows she is asleep. Kissing her on her head slowly again, he wishes they could run away from it all. Keeping Serafina safe is his top priority. 

He loved her even if he couldn't admit it just yet. 

A/N: A short chapter but I think it served it purpose. Feel free to drop a vote :)