The next morning found Hermione sitting at breakfast, chatting with her roommates about their experience with the ball and comparing class schedules when suddenly her group grew quiet, Lavender looking like a deer caught in headlights, as they all stared behind her. Curious, Hermione turned around to find-
"I'm sorry Mione" Ron looked like he was on the verge of tears as he stood there, pleading to her with his eyes "can... can we talk?"
Hermione's heart broke at the sight. She sighed as she turned back to the girls "Would you please excuse me for a moment?" the girls all nodded as Hermione led the boy out of the hall, completely missing the look of concern on Lavender's face as she watched them go.
Once they had found an empty classroom, Hermione let him go in first as she closed the door behind them, casting a silencing charm, just in case. The moment she turned back, Ron was on his knees, clasped around her waist, as he cried and apologized over and over into her stomach... Hermione sighed
"Ron, get up" she ordered gently, as she helped him to his feet. Once he was stood, she looked up into his broken eyes and had to fight back the tears herself
"I'm so sorry love, I didn't mean to hurt you"
"But you did" she whispered sadly "you embarrassed me, accused me, hurt me, and just... left me there"
"Baby, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you have no idea how sorry I am. Please come back to me, babe, I'm completely lost without you... my compass..." he kissed her cheek "my light..." then her other "my love..." then her nose with an Eskimo kiss, causing the girl in his arms to giggle at the tickling "I was a real right git, and I never should have treated you like that. I was just trying to protect you from him, I don't want him to hurt you again... you've been through enough. So for you to try and stand up for him... as if you were friends or something... it was like a slap in the face to my pride, and I lost my cool a bit. Babe, I missed you so much it hurt over the summer, and with every letter, I missed you more. I really just wanted to show you how much I missed you, but when you straight out refused me... it was another hard blow to my self-esteem... I began to question if I wasn't good enough for you... if you even wanted me... so I lashed out... I'm sorry love"
Hermione sighed as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead "Ron, no means no, alright? If you can't respect that then I don't see how this relationship is going to work. I'm not ready for that yet. I love you, and you say that you love me... we've already been through enough growing up in the last four years than any child should have to go through... can't we just use this last school year to be kids? Dating is fine, but I've always dreamed of giving myself completely over to my husband on our wedding day... is that so wrong?"
Ron sighed as he rested his forehead on hers "I just wanted to show you how much I love you... I'm I this for the long haul, love... is it so wrong to want to make love with my potential wife?"
Hermione's breath hitched "R-Ron... we can't even date in the open public, surely we can't be talking about marriage right now"
"You're right, you're right... I'm sorry love." He looked like a little kicked puppy
"Can you wait for me?"
He kissed the top of her head "until you are ready"
She sighed in relief "Good. Now about Malfoy"
"What about him?" he growled as he unknowingly tightened his grip.
Hermione winced as she gingerly pulled herself from his grasp "if I choose to forgive him and the Slytherins, then you need to respect that. I'm my own person Ronald, as well as the brightest witch of our age. I spoke with Malfoy after I went back to the ball after you left me on the floor... he truly is repentant, and even went into detail to seek forgiveness for each and every act created against me... I'm choosing to forgive him. That's what the whole ball itself was about... unity, inclusion, diversity... the whole ball and concept were MY idea... how would it look for me to not hear him out when I myself was trying to preach house unity?"
"He made a big scene about it... the bloody git waited until he had a bloody crowd to apologize... it's obvious he was just trying to play the 'woe is me' card and be the center of attention"
Hermione shook her head "as I said, I spoke with him afterward. He told me that he had been looking everywhere for me and that the first chance he got to actually speak to me... he took it. He wasn't even aware there was a crowd around us as he apologized. Ron, I could see in his eyes how truly sorry he is... how truly sorry they all are. They are the oldest of the Slytherin house, and Malfoy himself is Head Boy... they are trying to show the younger Slytherins the right path as students, to hopefully prevent another war in the future... they're trying to be good examples... to encourage house unity... just like me... shouldn't I accept their apologies and offer my forgiveness? That's one of the reasons I want to be a teacher... so that I can help encourage the next generation-"
"I'm sorry, what? Teaching? But I thought you were going to work in the Ministry. Didn't you say Kingsley offered you a position once we graduate?"
"I turned them down"
"What? Why?" he asked as he stepped back from her, a look of shock plastered on his face
"Because I want to make a difference"
"And you can't make a difference being an Aura with me and Harry? Or Minister of Magic? Heck, if you asked, I'm sure Kingsley would hand over his seat to you as soon as you graduate. You could be the youngest Minister in the history of the Wizarding World. You could make rules and emplace new laws to make the world a better place right away. And instead, you want to... what? Wait ten, twenty years to try and teach ungrateful little brats who will end up despising you just because you give them homework?"
"Ron!" she couldn't believe what she was hearing
"Just picture it Brightest Witch Of Her Age, Reduced To A Glorified Babysitter. I'm sure the Prophet would LOVE that"
"The Prophet? Why in Merlin's name are you worried about them?! Isn't that the reason we can't date in public? Because You DON'T Want Them Involved In Our Relationship?!"
"I'm Worried Because I don't Want Your Name Dragged Through The Bloody Mud! You're A Hero, Hermione, And My Girlfriend! You Deserve The Respect Of The Whole Wizarding World, And I Won't Have You Stepping Down To Reduce Yourself To Be Some Bloody NOBODY!"
Just then Hermione's wand gave a small flash, signaling it was time for them to go "Classes are about to start"
"We'll talk about this later... I just... I can't let you belittle yourself like this... do you realize how little teachers actually make?"
"Can't we just... agree to disagree?" Hermione asked with pleading eyes
Ron sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, made his way over to her, and gave her a sweet, gentle kiss on the lips "alright. You win. We still have a year to figure this out. You think about it some more and we can discuss your future before we graduate. Heck, if it's kids you want to surround yourself with and you want to avoid the Prophet, then how about considering being a stay-at-home mom? Huh?" he asked with a glint in his eye
Hermione frowned, she knew what she wanted, what she was going to do, she had already spoken with both McGonagall and Kingsley about it, but... it's obvious her boyfriend wasn't listening to anything she said "Sure Ron... we can talk about it later"
He smiled and kissed her once more before making his way out of the classroom and into the busy hallway. Hermione sighed as she herself made her way to her first class.
"Are you alright Hermione?" said girl turned to see Lavender Brown taking a seat right beside her. Turns out, neither Harry nor Ron had taken advanced potions 201, which was fine with her since they were both retaking potions 101 instead... serves them right for always having her do their homework. "Did you clear everything over with Ron?"
Hermione smiled at her roommate "Everything's cleared up. He apologized over and over again until I had no choice but to forgive him"
"Did he give you those puppy eyes?"
"Broken puppy eyes actually"
---
Draco watched as both Granger and Brown laugh together at some inside joke... he frowned. He couldn't get Lovegood's warning out of his head. And the fact that she had said it as if she were talking about the weather... he shuttered at the discomfort
"Draco? You okay?"
The Head Boy turned to see his best friend taking a seat beside him "Yeah Blaise, I'm fine, just... Lovegood said something that sort of creeped me out and I can't get it out of my head."
"What did she say?" Blaise asked, giving his full attention to the blond
"She was talking about these made-up creatures that change colors and connect people when she said that Weasley's creature was black and that we" he motioned between himself and Blaise "need to keep them" he pointed to the two Gryffindor girls in the front "safe. She said that apparently his creature was dangerous and was trying to force both of theirs to... basically, be its mate"
"Um... okay? While I can see why this disturbs you and could even cause you anger, you shuttered because..."
"She said it all with a light-hearted smile on her face"
Blaise's face fell as a shudder ran through his own self "bloody... are we sure that girl's not a seer?"
"She says she's not, but I don't know"
The two watched as the two witches across the room began pulling out their cauldrons and ingredients.
"As far as I know, those two are still single"
"I wouldn't be too sure about that..." Draco leaned in to whisper where only Blaise could hear him "Granger told me that the reason she wasn't in the Great Hall long enough to eat dinner before McGonagall called her up on stage, was because she was having a fight with her boyfriend... apparently, the bloke wants to take things to the next level... she's not ready though... he didn't like that"
Blaise caught his breath "do you think that's what Lovegood's warning was about? And where does Brown play into all this?"
Draco shook his head "I don't know, but I think it's better safe than sorry to keep an eye on the three. If there's one thing I've learned about Lovegood over the years, it's that, when it comes to actual people... she's usually spot on."
---
After classes were over, Hermione made her way to the Stadium Bleachers. Gryffindor's Quidditch team was set to practice in half an hour, and she wanted to be sure she and the girls had a good seat before the bloody fan clubs made their way there. Turns out though... they all got there before her. She had just taken her beside Parvati, who was sat beside Lavender who sat beside Luna when the current team using the field took back to the sky.
"Hermione!"
"Harry? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be down with the Gryffindors in the locker room?" Hermione asked as Harry came over to sit beside her
"Nah, decided to take the time off and focus on my studies this year. Plus... I'm kinda tired of being the center of attention, but I still wanted to be here to support Ron and Ginny... what are you all doing here?" he replied sheepishly, directing the question to the other three girls
"Same as you. Ginny's our roommate, so we came out to support her and the Gryffindors" Lavender replied with a smile
"Ginny is my friend, so I came to support her and make sure the nargles are kept at bay... I hope she's wearing that butterbeer cork bracelet I gave her this afternoon" Luna replied
Hermione added "and I'm here to support our friends, which have yet to come out yet. I must say though, Harry, I can understand wanting to just step back from the spotlight, and I'm proud of you for dedicating that time to your studies. So... do you think you'll be able to do your own homework now?" the group laughed together, before a rush of wind whipped in front of them. Hermione turned her attention back to the current practicing team to see "Malfoy?"
He had all the girls' attention as he twisted and turned, flying faster and faster and faster as he chased after the snitch, which was heading directly towards-
"EEP!" Hermione closed her eyes, but when she felt the sudden whip of air blow her hair backward, and yet no collision with her face, she chanced a peek to see a smirking Draco, holding the snitch mere inches from her face
"Granger" he winked before speeding off, holding his victory up for his team to see, causing a loud eruption of cheers from the Slytherin team as they all flew down to the grounds to pack up for the day
"Hermione? Are you okay? Your face is all red" Parvati asked
"Is it?" she responded as she felt her hot cheeks
"Oh, don't worry, their woofenpuffs just got a little too close together, that's all"
"Woofenpuffs?" Lavender chuckled
"Oh yes, Draco and Hermione's woofenpuffs like each other very much, just like how yours and Blaise's woofenpuffs like each other"
Lavender blushed nearly as red as Hermione "Wh-what?!"
"I noticed it when you two were dancing at the ball last night, both of your woofenpuffs turned a very pretty pink. I must admit, it was rather sweet to see the two get along together so well"
"What exactly is a woofenpuff?" Parvati asked
"Very gentle creatures. We all have one. They constantly change colors until they finally meet the one they most connect with. Although, they're very lonesome creatures. Their whole lives they spend invisible to their own kind, constantly changing colors until they finally see another of their kind. Once the two see each other, they sync to become the same color to show that they two have recognized each other. Then their synced color changes with the closer their humans get. For example, Hannah and Nevil's woofenpuffs are green, Dean and Astoria's woofenpuffs are pure white, Lavender and Blaise's woofenpuffs are pink, Hermione and Draco's woofenpuffs are purple, and Harry and Ginny's woofenpuffs are a vibrant red."
Now Harry was the one blushing up a storm.
"The only ones you want to look out for are the black ones, these ones are actually not so nice, very cross, very demanding, very selfish, and very dangerous. The black ones are never content and usually are convinced they can have more than one mate, even if by forcing the other to see them... usually black woofenpuffs can be found on cheaters or abusers. So if you ever come across one, it would be good to get away as fast as possible, seeing as how injured woofenpuffs tend to take a very long time to heal when they've been hurt"
"Well, what about me? What color is my woofenpuff?" Parvati asked
"Yours is still changing colors. I'm not sure your match has been made yet" Parvati frowned
"By the way your talking, it's as if you're saying that these puffinwoofs have something to do with our romantic feelings" Lavender pointed out
"Woofenpuffs, and yes, that's right."
"B-but that's impossible! The only reason I danced with Blaise last night was because my boyfriend left before we could da-" Lavender's eyes widened in horror at what she'd just said
"You have a boyfriend?!" Parvati asked
"Wh-WHAT?! No! N-No, I don't have a boyfriend!" Lavender tried to rush out
"Sounds like denial to me" Luna pointed out with a smirk
"You can talk to us Lavender, we promise not to say a word" Hermione promised. Lavender looked around to all the girls, before setting her eyes on Harry, who soon gained all the attention of the other girls...
"Okay, okay, I get it. Girl talk. I'm just gonna... grab some snacks from the kitchen"
A chorus of "Thanks Harry" could be heard as the boy quickly made his way back into the castle.
"Alright, he's gone, now spill." Parvati ordered, eager to hear what her roommate had to say
"W-well... fine... it's true... I do have a boyfriend... but it's a secret! You girls can't tell ANYONE!"
"How come?" Hermione asked "Why do you want to keep it a secret?" for that she really DID want to know, since she didn't realize she wasn't the only one in a secret relationship
"W-well... the Prophet for one thing... after the war, the prophet has been trying to dig up dirt on all the contenders... even I have had dodge paparazzi a time or two, and... he doesn't really much want our relationship in the papers. Not to mention... I don't really get along too well with his friend group, so... I'm working towards making friends with them, so that once we finally DO go public, then I won't have to worry about any resentment... especially with his one best friend. I can't count how many times he has reassured me that he thinks of her as nothing more than a sister... but I would still like to get to know her better... perhaps put the past behind us?"
Luna smiled "I think that's a very brave thing to do Lavender. It takes a lot of strength to put aside past grudges for the betterment of a beautiful new friendship"
"Luna's right" Parvati added "If you marry a man, you marry his family, and this includes friends that he considers family. If you can let past bygones be bygones, who knows... maybe you and his sister-friend could become BEST Friends."
"That would be nice" Lavender whispered shyly as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
"I'm sure that whoever it is, she would love you if she got to know you like we have. I mean, you helped me back at the Ball, and honestly... you're pretty cool Lavender" Hermione smiled at Lavender's light blush "And Luna's right. You are brave. I can't imagine if my boyfriend-"
"YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND TOO?!" all three girls shouted together
Hermione's eyes widened at what she just let slip "Shhh. Keep it down" she whispered as she motioned for them to all sit back down... Hermione groaned "Ugh... fine. Since Lavender shared her secret and I'm trusting that ALL that's said on the bleachers STAYS on the bleachers" she waited until she had all the girls' promises "Okay... yes, it's true... I have a boyfriend"
"Who Is It?!" Parvati asked
"Keep it down, will you?!" Hermione whisper-yelled as she pressed the girl back into her seat "I can't tell you. I guess the war must have had a huge impact on the school because my guy doesn't want to go public yet, too... as far as I know though, aside from his actual little sister, I'm the only girl he actually considered as an adopted sister before we started dating. I applaud you though, Lavender, honestly, if I had a falling out with his friends, especially his family, it would probably take me a good long while to puck up the courage to even apologize, let alone ask for a second chance"
Lavender smiled back at the complement.
"She is sorted into Gryffindor after all" Luna finished
All the girls continued to gossip together until a sudden Deer Patronus appeared with a whispered voice
"Hey Mione, I'm waiting for Ginny to come out of the girl's lavatory to wish her good luck, and I realized I forgot to grab her good-luck-on-your-first-practice gift... would you be able to run and grab it for me? It's in my dorm room, under my bed, oh crap, Ginny's coming. Thanks, Mione"
The girls all giggled and cooed over how cute Harry and Ginny were together before Hermione excused herself to help her self-adopted brother, heading straight for his shared dorm room.
---
The Slytherin's had just finished up their ending talk on the field after their practice concluded when the boys all pointed out that Draco stunk like a stye, in their playful, boyish ways, of course. Draco laughed as everyone threw their hand towels at him and ordered him to head straight to the showers before he scared all the girls away.
Shaking his head amused, he began making his way to the boys' showers
"Draco! Wait up!"
Draco stopped for a moment as Blaise finally caught up to him
"Thanks"
"No problem... what's up?" Draco asked as they began walking again
"What? Can't a bloke just want to take a shower with his best mate"
Draco paused and lifted an eyebrow at him
"THAT CAME OUT WRONG!"
Draco chuckled "I figured as much. Now common... what's this really about?"
Blaise sighed "Okay, look... I'm not saying I believe her or anything, but I overheard Looney talking about Puffinwoofs-"
"Woofenpuffs. Continue"
"Um, o-kay... so she was saying that she could see certain couples... woofenpuffs... and that one of the couples mentioned were me and Brown..."
Draco began walking again, motioning for his friend to continue "B-but the thing is... the dance was the first time I'd ever even noticed the girl, let alone talked to her. I mean... she was just sitting there all alone, looking like a depressed little wet kitten... what was I supposed to do? Just leave her there all alone?"
Draco chuckled at his friends rambling "Zambini, if you like the girl, just ask her out"
"That's the thing... I can't. And what Looney said wasn't the only thing I overheard"
"Oh please Blaise, stop being such a-"
"She has a boyfriend"
Draco stopped in his tracks "What?"
"I KNOW! I know, it's just... it's not like I'm in love with her or anything, a-and I wasn't trying to eavesdrop... it was just the position Nott put me in... I could hear their loud squeals from my spot. Sure I couldn't hear when they were whispering, but there were some pretty loud outbursts, including how Brown has a boyfriend. My question though... where was he during the dance? How could he just... leave her there like that?"
Draco nodded in agreement "I know what you mean... apparently Granger had it out with her boyfriend before the ball... I swear if I find out who he is-"
"WOOOOOAH!" came the joint shouts from the shower house. The two Slytherin's stopped outside, obviously, the Gryffindor team still wasn't done yet
"Ey yo, yo, check this out! Me and Bones... Second base"
"WOOOOOAH!"
"Nah, nah man... there ain't no way someone like YOU could get ANYONE, let alone Bones!"
"Ey yo, yo... War hero baby. That's all I gotta say. Bones, oh it was so tragic, I saw my life flash before my eyes, but when I noticed you weren't in it, I nearly died of a broken heart"
"WOOOOOAH!"
"Nah man"
"Yeah, you? A war hero?"
"Man you were hiding behind Minerva the entire time!"
The whole group laughed
"Ey, what do you know? Weren't you hiding off in one of the secret tunnels or something? At least I had the balls to show my face"
"WOOOOOAH!"
The Slytherins both scrunched up their faces in disgust... were they really using the bloody WAR just to pick up girls? Weren't these supposed to be the GOOD guys?
"Nah man, you just riding on the coattails of the REAL heroes"
"Yeah, like Potter"
"Or Longbottom"
"Heck, even Ron here could get a girl with his REAL heroism charms"
The whole group started chattering about themselves again
"Sorry to disappoint you guys, but I don't have a girl"
A chorus of "what?" "Common man?" "You flippin us?" came jumbled together before-
"I've got two"
Another "WOOOOOOAH!" came from the locker room as the two Slytherins' jaw dropped. There's no doubt that was Weasley... it wasn't-?
"Ey yo, yo, who is it?"
"Well let's just say... a brunette bookworm, and a blonde flower"
"WOOOOOOOAH!"
"Ah, Nah, Nah man, you pullin our legs?"
"Yeah, how the heck do you tame two chicks at once?"
"I tell you what, it isn't easy"
Draco felt his stomach drop
"for one thing, Mione's just a stick in the mud, sayin that she wants her first time to be special, and Lavs, she's more focused on becoming a better person, you'd think she was aiming for goddesshood or something"
"Wai wai wai wait... you tellin me you ain't popped them cherries yet? Like, neither one?"
"Fortunately, no. but see, that's the beauty of 'secret dating', you tell um you don't want to go public yet, make them fall madly in love with you, and eventually lead them into yours, or their, bed"
The guys all chuckled together. Draco heard a growl and held out a hand to stop Blaise from rushing in. oh, believe me, he wanted to pumble the redhead just as badly, but not just yet... they needed more evidence before they did anything drastic
"Yo, but what if they don't wanna give ya some?"
"Yeah? What if they wanna go and make it public before they cave?"
A chorus of "Yeah"s popped out
"Guys, guys... you're thinking of this all the wrong way. Don't ask, what if they want to go public first... instead just convince them that after they prove their love to you, then you'll go public... and then go public with the one who caves first. And if they try to resist even then... a little tough love will remind them who the alpha in the relationship is. Then when they start to cry... you cry first, apologize a thousand times, and make them think it was all their fault in the first place... they'll be putty in your hands."
Another joint shout rang out as finally, Draco had had enough. "One-hundred points from Gryffindor" he gritted out lowly, before squaring his shoulders, and walking into the showers.
"Hey Weasley" he tapped on the redhead's shoulder. But the moment he turned around-
*PUNCH!*
---
Hermione groaned. They literally had all this time to personalize their room, so WHY, in Godrick's name, does everything all look the same?! For Pete's sake, she has NO IDEA whose bed is whose... guess she'll just try them all.
The first one she tried... Definitely NOT, unless Harry just happened to pick up an interest in terribly smelly socks. The second one... not much better. The third one... this one must be Rons. She smiled as she looked over the letters that she- who's LaLa? Mixed in between her letters were these other letters, signed LaLa... love letters. Hermione scrunched her face in confusion... what was going on? She decided to investigate further... there were braided bracelets, a book on poetry, and two boxes labeled Happy Anniversary Love... Hermione gasped... they BOTH held the EXACT same set of lingerie... in TWO different sizes. Hermione dropped the boxes. Was... was he cheating on her? Her eyes filled up with tears before she heard the hoot of an owl. She quickly turned to see Herdwick looking at her with curious eyes.
Quickly wiping her eyes, she immediately went to the fourth bed and easily found the small gift. Smiling a small grin, she quickly released the white owl and told him to take the small package to Harry.
Once the owl was gone, she quickly put everything back the way it was before. If he was cheating, then she was going to find out who with.
Quickly writing a note, Hermione changed her handwriting to his (just like when she used to do his homework), rushed to the owlery, and told her chosen bird to deliver the note to LaLa, before she made her way down to await the answer to all her questions.
"Meet me in the Great Hall Alcoves... I'll be waiting. ~RW"