The Brightest Black - A Dramione Fanfic

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The rest of the day sped by for Hermione. She managed to get an article put together with Draco and the twins sent it off for her.

No one disturbed them in the old classroom, but she did find a short missive stuck to the door from Professor Mcgonagall stating that Hermione had detention with Professor Snape at one the next day for her display of temper at breakfast.

She scowled, annoyed at the loss of an entire afternoon, but didn't protest. She was a prefect - assuming Mcgonagall had reinstated her - and she knew what did and did not deserve a detention. Throwing an entire table's worth of accoutrements into the air was certainly deserving of a detention.

Even if she had cleaned it all up.

Draco walked her down to dinner, his fingers interlaced with her unscarred hand.

More.

They were more, but what was more?

It had been simple with Viktor. He'd asked her to a dance and then they had kept spending time together before amicably ending things at Diggory's celebratory party in the summer. She'd always known it would end, though they had exchanged a number of friendly letters over the past two years, there was nothing romantic about them.

Draco was different.

There was no end date. No certainty of them parting. Their lives were as intertwined as hers was with Harry. If not more so.

After all, her link fo Harry would likely break when he turned seventeen, if not when they ceased to live together. Blood wards didn't last forever.

The link with Draco was different. It wasn't going anywhere. Not unless she did something as horrific as Voldemort had done to Lucius Malfoy.

And Hermione knew she could never betray Draco that way. Could never kill someone he cared about. Primarily because they cared for many of the same people.

Also, she was sure she could kill if she had to, but she wasn't a killer.

She wasn't Bellatrix.

She didn't seek out pain and death. Even if she was prepared to meet them head on.

So, she was tied to Draco for life. In some form or another. Was it really smart to travel down this path?

To keep becoming more?

She didn't know.

When they parted in the Great Hall and went to their own house tables she still wasn't sure. She was unable to respond to any of her friends questions about earlier, though they had all read the commentary in the journal. Had all commented on it throughout the day.

She was still lost in her own thoughts on Draco when owls appeared, delivering a special evening edition of the Fae Chronicles.

Even as she was unfolding the Irish paper a special evening edition of the Daily Prophet also appeared. It's headline took up almost the entire front page:

RUFUS SCRIMGEOUR APPOINTED MINISTER OF MAGIC AFTER CORNELIUS FUDGE STEPS DOWN

The rest of the front page, for the very first time, was taken up with Hermione's own article, still listing 'The Brightest Black' as the author.

The ensuing conversation in the Great Hall was impossible to follow as students and professors poured over the inky newsprint; their dinner completely forgotten. She did hear Colin Creevy though, when he gasped and shouted, "Umbridge is likely dead!"