Hidden In the Pensieve (A Harry Potter Fan Fiction)

Chapter 12:

Chapter 12:

Hermione stares down at her lap, blushing at Ginny’s question, while Draco turns his gaze to Hermione.

“I’m sure you overheard me in the hall, so there’s no use in denying it. I’m still in love with Hermione…I don’t think I could ever not be,” Draco discloses.

Ginny looks to Hermione for an answer.

Hermione gulps and lets out a large sigh, before looking up.

“I’d be…lying, if I said I wasn’t,” Hermione admits, the tone of her voice sounding apologetic.

Hermione glances at her engagement ring, feeling guilty for wearing it, since she’s just admitted that she’s still in love with Draco.

Ginny nods, showing no anger, nor disappointment either. Instead, she reaches over to grab Hermione’s hand.

“I love Ron and I want you to be my sister…but I want you to be happy. You’re my best friend. You’re already like my sister! I care about what you want too. Ron will live; he’s a big boy. You need to stop following your head this time and follow your heart,” Ginny starts. “What I’m saying is…if you’re heart’s telling you that you love someone else, you should be with that person, not the person you think or everyone else thinks you should be with,” Ginny explains further.

A meager smile forms at Hermione’s lips, then quickly she wraps Ginny in a hug, thanking her silently for all of her support.

Ron appears at the top of the stairs, with ruffled hair and a sleepy expression, and scratching his head.

“Have you been down here long, ‘Mione? What are you all up for?” Ron asks, rubbing his eyes.

“Not really. I…I couldn’t sleep,” Hermione lies, her voice shaking.

Ron’s face scrunches up, taking in Hermione’s appearance. “Your eyes are all red. Have you been crying?” He asks next, worry showing in his eyes.

Hermione, Ginny, and Draco all make glances at each other, none of them sure what to say.

Ron repeats himself, thoroughly concerned now.

Filling with shame from not being honest with him, Hermione leaps up from the loveseat and climbs up the stairs. She tells Ron that she needs to tell him something and that it’s best if they’re alone when she does.

Moving to their bedroom, Hermione sits at the edge of the bed, with Ron accompanying her.

She pauses for a moment, knowing that the truth will most likely hurt him, but that she has to tell him. It’s the right thing to do.

Hermione tells him about the first night at the Leaky Cauldron, what happened the next morning, about how she didn’t intend to fall for Draco, but she did and she fell hard. She goes on about to reveal the pregnancy, explaining that she was going to marry Draco, but that their baby died shortly after she had been born and after that, she fell apart. She admits that when she moved back into the Weasley house, she had been seeing Draco on and off, even when she started opening up to Ron again.

Ron’s jaw drops in shock. In attempt to comprehend it all, Ron blinks his eyes a few times. How did he not know? Why didn’t she tell him? Hermione with Malfoy? How could that be?

“I’m sorry I never told you. I didn’t know how…and the truth is, I-”

Anticipating her next words, Ron interjects, “You’re still in love him…”

It’s killing Hermione to look at Ron. The hurt is visible in his eyes, causing her to tear up knowing she’s the cause of it.

Her tears are enough of an answer for Ron.

On the verge of tears himself, Ron clears his throat, trying to conceal that his heart has just been broken. Even so, he can see how hard it is for Hermione to be sharing this with him and how terrible she feels for hurting him.

“You know what? …It’s okay. I understand. If you go through all that with a person, it’s hard not have feelings for ‘em, right?” Ron takes Hermione’s hand. “I love you and I always will, but I just want you to feel happy, ‘Mione. You deserve it, because you’ve already given so much to me. You’ve always been there for me…no matter what.”

The room is silent for a minute.

“I do love you, Ron. I hope you know that,” Hermione responds. “But I have to be sure of what I truly want, so I apologize,” she adds, slipping off the ring and dropping it in Ron’s hand.

Ron nods, exhaling deeply. “Take all the time you need. I’ll be waiting for you...if you decide that I’m what you want.”

Hermione smiles, giving Ron a hug and kissing him on the cheek.

Ron mumbles of being tired and says he wants to go back to bed, which is his way not dealing with what happens next. It can wait, anyway…at least until their guests are gone.

Hermione leaves him be and retreats downstairs.

Ginny inquires about Ron’s state. Hermione tells Ginny that she thinks he’s okay and about how he was kind about everything, conveying her decision in subtle way.

Nodding, Ginny stands up. Making the excuse that she is tired and wants to sleep for a little bit before Harry gets up, Ginny leaves the room so that Hermione and Draco can speak to one another privately, or so that they can do whatever they wish to do.

Draco removes himself from the arm chair and steps close to Hermione, gazing into her eyes.

Within seconds, she throws her arms around him, squeezing him to her and laying her head on his shoulder. He holds her close, giving her a small kiss on the top of her head.

“I’ve missed you so,” Hermione whispers. “For so long, I’ve been pretending that it’s okay to have you around, because I’ve been with Ron.” She looks up at Draco. “But every time you’re near, I panic inside and it feels like I can’t breathe.”

She begins to sob.

“What’s wrong?” Draco asks, wiping away a tear from her eyes.

“I shouldn’t have left. I should have been strong and I should have let you help me…instead of pushing you away. I-I’m so sorry,” Hermione weeps, shamefully.

Draco doesn’t say anything. Instead, Draco takes her right hand in his, holding it tight, while he caresses Hermione’s cheek with the other. He leans his head against hers, barely grazing her lips, then meeting her the full distance in a tender kiss.

After a good seven minutes, Draco breaks the kiss.

He lays across the loveseat, bringing Hermione with him. Hermione lays her head atop Draco’s shoulder, keeping her one hand close to her own body and resting the other on his heart.

 Exhausted from the whirl of emotions, sleep eventually sinks in.