Changing Destiny

Forty-Four: Bye Bye Crown!

Younger Hermione

The Sword of Gryffindor laid across Albus Dumbledore's desk, and looked too much like a letter opener for Hermione's peace of mind. None of them wanted to involve Dumbledore, but Snape explained that it would look suspicious if they did not.

She picked up the sword, and it was perfectly balanced and as light as air. "Are you certain that you still wish to be the one to destroy the horcrux, Miss Rosier?"

She looked up at Dumbledore, and then her companions: her boyfriend Draco, her future son and husband, her former DADA Professor, her future son's model beautiful girlfriend, and then Sirius Black. He insisted upon tagging along as a witness, and did not want to be put on babysitting duty any more than necessary.

She felt her resolve wash over her, and she nodded her head firmly. "I was sorted as a Ravenclaw, so it's more fitting that I destroy Lady Rowena's prized diadem."

Dumbledore approved, "Very well. Please proceed."

Sirius put the diadem on the stone floor, and he said, "We're all here for you, Hermione. Just...be careful, alright?"

"I will be fine. Let's do this thing."

Hermione stared down at the horcrux, and lifted up the sword, and brought it down in one hard downward stroke. The diadem shattered into pieces, and dark smoke issued from it, and Voldemort's voice filled the air, "You won't win, you treacherous bitch! Harry is already mine, and when I come into my power, I will make sure you will suffer in ways you cannot imagine."

Hermione lifted up the Sword of Gryffindor again, and cut it into further pieces, and Voldemort shrieked and screamed in terrible agony, and then the office fell quiet. Everyone with a Dark Mark on their arms shuddered in pain for a moment, before shaking off the effects of the destruction of the horcrux.

Hermione felt some of the psychic pain as well shoot through her head before it settled into a dull headache just behind her eyes. Severus caught her, and she trembled in his arms. He held her close, and only Draco's face was thunderous as he watched Snape hold her in his arms. He stormed out, and Hermione felt herself go unconscious as she woke up later in the hospital wing...

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Draco

He knew damned well that he had no cause for jealousy, but it sure felt like a kick in the balls to have his godfather comfort his girlfriend. At least, she was supposed to be his girlfriend. He sat beside her bedside, and hated himself so much for crying, because tears were useless.

He took her hand in his, and kissed it. "I'm such an idiot. You will never really want me."

He saw Pansy Parkinson approach him, and she was carrying star lilies in a pot for her. She placed it next to the pile of flowers Hermione already received. "How is she?"

Draco wiped at his tears. "Unconscious. Sleeping. More than that, Pomfrey cannot, or won't say. I'm an idiot, Pans."

Pansy sat beside him, and hugged him. He hugged her back, loving that she was rubbing his back in soothing circles the way his mum used to do when he was little. "Oh, no, you're not, Drake. You care for her. Why would you say that about yourself?"

"If you knew the whole story, yeah, you might think differently," He replied vaguely. Pansy could be a good friend, but she couldn't be trusted to keep secrets. "The point is is that I always seem to go after witches I cannot have, not really."

Her brown eyes went wide. "But you two are like the perfect emerald couple, or whatever. Sure, she's a Ravenclaw, but they're more like us snakes than they know. Did something happen?"

Think of something pureblood-like that she'll believe. Do it now, coward. "Yeah. Min' met her betrothed, and they really like each other. It was arranged when they were both quite young, and well, you know how these things work."

Pansy frowned. "Oh my. Yeah, that's a shame. But, it does happen. Are you going to break up with her over it? I love the girl to death, but I can't deny that I don't like you when I do, babe."

He knew that already, but he simply didn't like her in quite the same way, if he was being completely honest with himself. "I know, Pansy. I'm not ready to do that, especially since they aren't exactly of an age to date actively." That much was true, at least, but still, it hurt like hell that he would always have to measure up to a powerful dark wizard even his father respected and admired a great deal, more than even his godfather knew.

Pansy was surprised, "Oh wow. I mean, just...wow. I mean, you know it's not unheard of for such betrothals, but I didn't think Hermione was in such a betrothal. Talk about traditional to the extreme."

"Yeah. What sucks is that I have real feelings for her, but she feels torn," He confessed. "I can't ever marry her, but you know what I mean."

Pansy nodded. "Definitely."

The bell rang for Herbology, and he honestly wanted to study mandrakes alone, but maybe...welp, what Hermione didn't know wouldn't hurt her, right?

"Will you be my study partner, Pans?"

Pansy smiled. "Sure. Let's go before we're late."

They walked out of the hospital wing hand in hand, but not before noticing that Harry Potter was also in the hospital wing, and being looked after by Cedric Diggory. He was holding Potter's hand, and Daphne Greengrass was there as well. Draco chalked it down to an interesting development, and filed that information away for later. But if there was some kind love triangle going on, that was intriguing and taboo to say the least, and Draco loved knowing all the juicy secrets of Hogwarts, just in case such information became useful for possible blackmail later on.

For the first time that day, Draco Malfoy was genuinely happy, and he whistled a little tune he made up himself as he laced his fingers through Pansy's, and breezed through the rest of his school day. From that time forward, Pansy redoubled her efforts to date him, and he didn't discourage her, because even when Hermione woke up from her mental ordeal, she didn't try to stop Pansy from getting closer to him. He took that as a sign, and decided to talk to her later about their relationship woes, but the time came just after Viktor Krum, the famous Bulgarian Seeker decided to take an interest in her as a potential suitor in his own right....