After Tonight

Chapter 20: Honesty

Somehow, Hermione managed to fall asleep squished around Luna, Ginny, Hannah, and Pansy. It took a bit of convincing, but Ginny was eventually comfortable with sharing the room with the former Slytherin. Hermione couldn't blame her, but she was grateful for the eventual silence.

When Hermione awoke the next morning, Luna's face inches from her own, she spotted Pansy, already dressed and sitting on the window sill. She held a cup in her hands and turned slightly as Hermione sat up slowly.

"Good morning," she greeted her.

"Morning, Granger," Pansy replied, crooking her finger at her. "Come feel."

Sleepily, Hermione moved off the bed and climbed over to Pansy, careful to not trip over Hannah's sleeping form. She held her hand out and Pansy grasped her wrist, guiding it to the lower part of her abdomen beneath her shirt.

She paused, waiting for the movement, and she smiled when the flutter greeted her finger tips. Pansy took a sip from her cup as Hermione removed her hand and straightened.

"Seems healthy," she commented.

Pansy raised her eyebrows. "I hope so," she replied, glancing down. "She was awfully still last night."

"She?" Hermione repeated.

Pansy shrugged. "It's just a feeling."

"What's a feeling?" Ginny yawned, sitting up from where she slept and Pansy gave Hermione a look of steel.

"A feeling that this will all work out," she replied, looking between her two unlikely friends. "That we'll win."

"You best be right, Granger." Pansy said, sipping once more and gazing out the window. "We're all counting on it."

When Hermione and the rest of the girls made their way to the living room, Narcissa was already staging out every aspect of their plan, working through the kinks, repeating them over and over. Draco and Theo both leaned on the table, their shoulders tense as she spoke.

"We're in and out," Theo said, his eyes landing on Pansy as she entered the room. "We don't stay any longer than necessary." He walked over to her, wrapping an arm around her waist, and she seemed to instantly relax.

Hermione looked around the dining room, trying to keep her gaze from settling too long on Draco, and did a mental headcount. "Where's Kelly?" she asked, blank stares greeting her.

"I haven't seen him since last night," Draco spoke up, scratching the back of his neck. "He went out to the porch last I saw."

"I'll look for him," Ron offered, nodding to Neville to follow him. "He can't have gone far." Luna absentmindedly followed behind them, her long hair tied down her back so that it swayed when she moved.

Hermione watched Ron go, where a wave of discomfort washed over her like a dust cloud. If she paid attention, she could sense the tight tension, ready to snap like a rubber band if she pulled too hard. She cared for Ron, loved him, even, but it wasn't in the way she was supposed to. She loved him like she had loved Harry, but nothing more. No one can force that feeling, not even the loss of their third member.

Then, she thought of Draco.

Now that he was here, sitting in a wooden chair before her, his eyes pools of silver, she felt like she had him. Hermione had never really been the selfish type, but she wanted him all to herself. She wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and beg him to tell her all about himself. What was his favorite subject at Hogwarts? Did he prefer summer or fall weather? Did he really want her, despite her blood status? The questions of skinny love were new, unfiltered, and it gave her a headache.