Slow Grenade

Chapter Thirty

Hermione waited anxiously for Draco in the library. She was pacing from one bookcase to another, her hands clenched tightly together. The students of Hogwarts were due to be leaving for the summer holidays in just a few hours' time and she needed to speak with him before they left.

After Harry had woken up, she had been able to piece together everything that had happened. All of it was terrible, and the ultimate outcome even worse.

Draco strolled casually around the corner. "Oh, hello there, 'devious Miss Granger', are you here to toy with yet another boys' affections?"

Hermione grimaced. "Don't, Malfoy."

"Well, there haven't been any articles for a while now, Skeeter must have got bored with you."

"Actually, I think it's jarringly obvious that she's missing."

"What?"

"I'll explain another time," she said airily. "I need to talk to you about Dumbledore's announcement, there were bits left out."

Draco stared at her. "Why do I feel like you always drop some bombshell on me at the end of each year?"

"Because, I do?"

He grumbled and gestured for her to continue.

Hermione told him everything and Draco was quiet for a long time before he said, "Okay, Moody was actually Barty Crouch Jr. The Death Eater who was sent to Azkaban by his father and then swapped for his mother. He put Potter's name in the Goblet of Fire as a very convoluted plan to bring the Dark Lord back to life."

"Yes, that's an accurate summary."

"So, he's back and the Minister for Magic refuses to believe it?"

"Also true," Hermione sighed. She moved from her seat and into his lap, trying to get as close as possible. "Draco... there's something else."

"Okay?"

"Your father was there, at the graveyard."

He'd known it before she answered and instinctively tightened his grip on her. "I wondered whether that might be the case."

"What are we going to do, Draco?"

"As long as no one finds out about us, you'll be okay. I've told you before that I'll always keep you safe."

"And what about you? What happens to you?"

He didn't know the answer to that. The 'meetings' his father had been holding would likely increase. Draco would have to make sure that nobody suspected his allegiances no longer aligned with his family's. It was unlikely to be a carefree summer. "I'll be fine. Can we not spend our last bit of time talking about it?"

Hermione knew there was no point pushing him further, so she just nodded slightly.

Kissing her temple, Draco murmured, "The article wasn't true about you going to visit Krum, in Bulgaria, was it?"

"It's true that he asked me but I'm not going, obviously."

"Why obviously?" he smirked.

"Well, there's this other guy..."

"Oh, really?"

Draco peppered kisses along her jawline as she replied, "He's handsome... intelligent... funny..." he lowered his head to continue his ministrations down her neck. "Too bad you could never compete, Malfoy."

He sucked gently. "Rude."

"Is there really no way we can keep in touch over summer?" Hermione whispered.

"I know it's going to be even harder than normal, but... with everything going on, it's especially important that we don't risk it."

Her brow furrowed in thought. "I could send an owl under a different name; do you think that would work?"

"It might, but only once," he knew he was being selfish, he should say not at all, but he also couldn't face an entire summer away from her. "We need to start moving, it's not long before the Express arrives."

"I'm going to miss you, so much."

"Hermione - "

She tasted the sound of her name on his lips and kissed him desperately. As if it might be the last time. Raking her fingers through his hair, she clung to him. Draco groaned and she pressed her tongue into his mouth. His hands began to roam underneath her shirt, hesitantly stroking bare skin by the waistband of her skirt. She stilled.

"Sorry" he breathed.

"No, no, it's not that. But you're right, we do have to go."

Cursing under his breath, he gave her one final kiss before they stood up and prepared to leave the safe space they had created together.