Beauty From Pain

Chapter Three

The three friends had stayed up late into the night, finished their bottle of firewhiskey and broken into a second one, all while discussing Theo's recent visit to Hermione's tattoo shop. Blaise and Draco had been grilling him and asking every question they could think of about tattoos, the shop, and his experience. They had finally lapsed into a thoughtful silence.

Blaise was sprawled on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling, most likely only a few drinks away from blacking out. Theo was sat on the floor nursing his drink and inspecting his tattoo; the awe still hadn't faded from his eyes. Draco was staring into the fire in his fireplace trying to wrap his head around the fact that Hermione Granger had given one of his best mates a tattoo.

Hermione Granger.

Gryffindor Golden Girl.

Merlin's Favorite Prude.

The Next Minerva McGonagall.

When had she gone and become a - what was it - a tattoo artist?

Draco shook his head and took another long sip of his drink, the familiar burn rushing through his lungs and chest. Swirling the amber liquid in his glass, he considered the last time he had seen her. It had to gave been several years now.

After the War had ended, after the quiet had set in and the reconstruction had begun, they had run into each other in one of the destroyed halls of Hogwarts. They had stared at each other, each searching the other for Merlin knows what, wands held tightly in their hands.

Hermione had finally broken the silence and said, "Tell your Mother I said thank you."

He had nodded, knowing she was referring to the lie Narcissa had told in the Forbidden Forest, the lie that had not only saved Harry Potter but had brought about the end of Voldemort's reign of terror. If only they had been able to act sooner.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

She started, surprised by his kindness.

He could see a shimmer of tears cover her eyes, but they were swiftly blinked away and the hardness returned.

"I'm sorry for yours as well."

Draco nodded again, this time in thanks, and glanced around the hallway unsure if he should stay or go.

Hermione shuffled her feet and without looking at him said, "Thank you for changing your mind. There at the end." She frowned slightly and shoved some hair that had fallen loose out of her face. "It took bravery to give Harry that wand."

"I should have been braver sooner."

Her frown deepened, this time directed at him. "We were children."

Were. As if they were no longer children. As though they hadn't been students only a few weeks ago. Moments ago. As though they weren't standing in a war zone that had once been their school, that should still be their school.

They stared at each other a moment longer, the silence filled with apologies, respect, and regret. The quiet, unspoken things that they couldn't find the words to express. A heartbeat or two passed before they started moving again to repair the hallway they stood in. They worked quietly, side by side, until the hallway showed almost no signs of the horrors that had occurred only a few hours before.

He was unsettled by how easily the remnants of war could be hidden.

Hermione caught his eye again, an unreadable expression in those once-warm brown eyes. She sighed softly and it almost echoed in the quiet hallway. He watched the weight of the world settle itself once more upon her shoulders, and then watched her leave.