27. Decisions

Author's Note: Okay, so...a really nice reviewer named Tulips and Jill recently told me that she had recommended this story of mine to her readers in the author's note to her D/Hr story, "Converted Sensations". And I was all, "That's sweet!" so I went to check out her story, and once I started reading it, I.Was.Blown.Away. Seriously - I got so hooked that I stayed up way past my bedtime to read it. I just didn't want to leave it! It's funny, it's sweet, it's sad, it's AMAZING. It's the first fic I've been incredibly excited about reading in a LONG TIME. So...if you all haven't checked it out yet, you seriously need to do so now. You will not be disappointed, I swear!

Thank you all once again for the reviews! I just want to give a special shout-out to one of my anonymous reviewers, named Sydney, who said if she could, she would make me the biggest and best cookie I would ever encounter. I really, really LOVE cookies. And if I could, I would bake every single one of my reviewers a cookie (regular-sized ones, of course). You guys are seriously the BEST.

Disclaimer: I realized the other day that I have not included the character of Hagrid in ANY of my fan fics. It's not because I haven't wanted to. It's just because I keep forgetting he even exists. My bad.

It was Monday, but Draco was unable to muster up the desire to attend classes. All he could think about was Hermione and seeing her again. Not that it really mattered whether or not he went to class – he'd had terrible attendance for the last two months already. And the likelihood of him actually passing for the year because of that was slim.

So he opted, instead, to go visit Hermione in the Room of Requirement, figuring that her parents would not still be hanging around. After he got out of bed, he quickly took a shower and got dressed. As he exited his bedroom and headed for the common room, his gaze traveled over to the Head Girl's room. Realizing that he hadn't been inside her room since the new Hermione had left, he figured he should quickly check it over, to make sure it was ready for the old Hermione to move back into.

Surprisingly, it looked the same as it had before the other Hermione had arrived. The bed was neatly made, and it looked as though nothing else had been touched or moved. Draco smiled in satisfaction – he was glad to see the other Hermione had decided to keep everything in its place. It was almost as if she had never been there in the first place.

Turning to leave, something on top of the bed caught his eye: Hermione's teddy bear. He smirked; he had forgotten all about it. Chuckling to himself, he reached out and grabbed it. He then threw it into his knapsack and rushed out of the room and headed for the portrait hole.

He practically bumped into Dumbledore as he bolted out the door.

"Bloody hell!" he exclaimed, stumbling back a few feet. "What are you doing here?"

Dumbledore glanced at the bag Draco had draped over his shoulder. "Heading off to class, are you?"

"Uh…" Draco hesitated, silently cursing himself for his sudden inability to lie.

"You're going to see Miss Granger, aren't you?" the Headmaster asked, smiling slightly.

Draco sighed. "I was thinking about it, yes. Are her parents still there?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "They left a little while ago. Draco, I was wondering if I could have a word with you before you left?"

"Okay…" Draco moved aside, letting the Headmaster enter the portrait hole. "What's this about?"

Once inside the common room, Dumbledore stopped and turned around to face him. "I had a talk with the Grangers earlier, and the three of us have agreed that it would be best if Hermione did not return to school here."

Draco blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure that it would be wise for her to reveal herself at this point in time. Everyone believes that Hermione is dead – including the people who wanted her dead in the first place. If she comes back now, she may be putting herself in danger – setting herself up for another attack. I'm not sure that is a risk she should be willing to take."

Draco swallowed hard. "Wait…so you're saying that she should continue to let even her best friends think she is dead?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"And you think that she should stop attending school here? Then where is she supposed to go?"

"Her parents want her to return home with them and finish her schooling as a Muggle. I think that would be a good idea."

Draco gaped at him. "And you've mentioned this idea to Hermione?"

"Yes, the Grangers and I discussed it at length with her this morning."

"And?"

"And…she thinks it is a terrible idea, of course," Dumbledore replied.

"Well, I agree with her," Draco said. "You're suggesting that she leave her friends and the wizarding world behind. Why would she think that was a good idea?"

"Mr. Malfoy, we are talking about Miss Granger's safety here."

Draco couldn't argue with that. In many ways, Dumbledore was right – Hermione's life could possibly be in danger if it was revealed that she was still alive. And of course, the idea of that killed him.

He cleared his throat. "Okay, I hear what you're saying, but…what does this have to do with me?"

"I'd like you to talk with her," Dumbledore replied. "She won't listen to me, and she won't listen to her parents. But we do think she will listen to you."

Draco's eyebrows shot up. "And what makes you think she will listen to me?"

A smile played at the Headmaster's lips. "Draco, it is quite obvious to me that Miss Granger means a great deal to you, and you to her. I honestly believe she will value your opinion above all others. Mainly because I believe she trusts you the most."

Draco couldn't help but snort. "I highly doubt that, sir."

"Doubt it all you want, Mr. Malfoy, but I think you'd be surprised how much Miss Granger values your opinion. That's why I would like you to have a talk with her about this."

"So let me get this straight. You want me to convince her to give up everything in her life that is important to her?"

"Well…something like that…"

"No," Draco said, shaking his head. "No way. I'm not going to be the one for her to blame when she leaves this place and is miserable for the rest of her life. This is her decision to make – nobody else's."

Dumbledore sighed. "I was afraid you'd say no." The old man proceeded to brush past him, heading back toward the portrait hole. He stopped at the door and turned around. "Just think about it, will you? Convincing her to do this might just be the best thing for her."

"I think the keyword there is 'might', sir."

"Very well, then. I will not force you to talk with her," Dumbledore said. He turned to leave, but stopped. "Oh, after you're done visiting with Miss Granger, perhaps you might consider going to class."

That's unlikely, Draco thought. But he just nodded as the Headmaster exited the portrait hole.

What the hell kind of spell was the old geezer under? How could he possibly think he could try to persuade Hermione Granger to do anything she didn't want to do? Hermione loved Hogwarts. She loved magic. And she loved her friends. There was no way in a million years she would ever give that all up, no matter what. Draco knew this for certain, that's why he figured it would be pointless to try and get her to leave.

And besides…he didn't really want her to leave.

He thought about it as he made his way to the Room of Requirement. On the one hand, Dumbledore's advice was very sound advice, and Hermione would be wise to take it. But on the other hand…

Draco sighed as he realized there was no other hand.

He stood before the empty wall, glancing all around to make sure he was alone. When the coast was clear, he closed his eyes and thought about how he needed to see Hermione. And the door automatically appeared.

He knocked on it, not wanting to just enter the room unannounced.

"Come in," he heard her say from inside. So he turned the knob and let himself in.

The room looked pretty much the same as it had the night before, but now Hermione was sitting over near the corner, at a small table covered in books and parchments.

Draco groaned. "Granger, please tell me that's not schoolwork you're doing."

She smirked up at him. "Fine. I won't tell you anything."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Leave it to Hermione Granger to wake up from a two-month-long coma and immediately get started on her homework."

"Malfoy!" she said in exasperation. "I have more than two months work to make up, added on top of whatever other assignments I'm given from here on out, and there is not even four months left to the school year! Call me crazy, but I'd like to graduate."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Don't be so melodramatic, Granger. You and I both know you could do two months of accumulated schoolwork in your sleep. Don't sweat it."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "Surely you didn't come here just to lecture me on my studiousness."

"You are correct," he said. "Actually, I just thought I would stop by and bring you someone to keep you company for the remainder of your stay in here."

"Oh really?" she asked curiously.

Grinning, Draco reached into his knapsack and pulled out the teddy bear he had retrieved from the top of her bed. She gasped as he held it out to her.

"I do believe this is yours?"

"Mr. Jingles!" she exclaimed, yanking the bear out of his hands. A huge smile formed on her face as she glanced down at the teddy bear with glee.

Draco tried hard to stifle his laughter. Hermione must have sensed this because her face suddenly became red.

She immediately wiped the smile of her face, cleared her throat and said indifferently, "I mean…oh, this old thing? I'd forgotten I even had it."

Draco chuckled. "Granger, it's okay – you don't have to try and hide the fact you like teddy bears. There's nothing wrong with that! In fact, I find it kind of endearing."

"Really?" she said, staring up at him with an amused expression on her face.

"Really," he replied. "And you don't have to worry about me spreading this information around the school and ruining your popularity."

"You mean because I have no popularity?" Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

Draco smirked. "Well, it's nice to see that you haven't lost you're ability to figure out my insults before I even get a chance to say them out loud."

"That's a skill I think will stick with me for the rest of my life," she said, grinning. She stood up from the table, teddy bear in hand, and went over to the bed and sat it atop her pillow. She stood there for a moment, with a thoughtful look on her face.

"So my parents and Dumbledore had a talk with me earlier," she said, her smile faltering.

"Oh yeah?" Draco said, feigning ignorance. "What about?"

She shook her head. "You're never going to believe this. They want me to leave Hogwarts and go back to living as a Muggle! And without even telling anyone that I'm still alive! Isn't that crazy?"

This was Draco's moment to tell her how preposterous that idea sounded, and then have a good laugh with her over the absurdity of it all. But before he could stop himself, he said, "Actually, Granger, I don't think it's crazy at all."

Apparently, that hadn't been the reaction she'd been expecting. Her jaw dropped open slightly. "Are you saying you think it's a good idea?"

Draco sighed and glanced away from her. "I don't know, Granger. I guess I'm saying that I think it's a smart idea."

"Wow," she breathed. She paused for a moment, before saying, "And here I was thinking that you at least would understand where I'm coming from."

"Granger, I understand perfectly well," he said. "I understand you don't want to give up this life that you have created here over the past seven years. But I'm beginning to think that perhaps you do not understand why your parents and Dumbledore think this is something you need to do."

She nodded. "You're right – I don't understand. I'm eighteen years old, Malfoy. I am a big girl. I am old enough to take care of myself, and old enough to make my own decisions."

Draco scoffed. "You may be old enough to make your own decisions, Granger, but obviously you are not old enough to take care of yourself. In case you have forgotten, you were attacked. You almost died."

"I have not forgotten anything!" she said defensively. "Yes, I was attacked. But these things happen. This world is not a safe place, no matter where I am. If my parents think that bringing me back to live with them will somehow protect me from all of the dangers of the world, then they are crazy! I could just as easily get attacked in the Muggle world and die. I could get hit by a car and die. I could get cancer and die. Being a Muggle isn't going to make me immune from death."

"Granger," Draco hissed, "are you bloody daft? This attack on you was not random. Meaning that somebody out there wanted you dead. And there may still be more people like him who would want you dead if they were to find out you were still alive. What part of that doesn't scare the hell out of you?"

Hermione shook her head sadly. "I don't believe this – you're actually siding with them on this? I thought…I thought you were my friend, Malfoy."

Draco's heart sank at the term "friend". It wasn't as though he should have expected her to think of him in any other way, but it still stung nevertheless.

Putting on his best blank expression, he said, "Right - friend.That's exactly what I was, Granger – your friend. I was your friend, and Potter was the fucking love of your life. I'll bet that's what this is really about, isn't it? You can't stand the thought of never seeing your precious Harry again. I'm right, aren't I?"

He really hadn't meant to bring Harry into the discussion, and seeing the hurt expression on Hermione's face made him automatically regret it. But it was too late to take back his words now.

Great, he thought. I've spent the last two months wishing I could see her alive again, and now that I have been given the opportunity to, all I can seem to do is argue with her.

Hermione's pained expression quickly dissolved into an angry one. "Oh, here we go again," she spat. "You with your Harry Potter complex. What did you manage to find to entertain you these last two months, without me around to accuse of being in love with Harry?"

Draco shook his head. "Oh believe me, Granger, I never found that to be entertaining."

Hermione scoffed and folded her arms across her chest. "Well, you could have fooled me. You were always so obsessed over my feelings for Harry, and I can see that you still are. You think this is all about Harry, do you? Well then maybe you should ask yourself this: if Harry is the guy I've been so hung up on all this time, they why were your dreams the ones I visited every single night? Why were you the one I thought about constantly? Why were you the only one who was able to wake me up?"

Dumbfounded, Draco stared at her in awe. He opened his mouth to speak, but she immediately cut him off.

"Merlin, Draco – how daft can you possibly be? And you thought Harry was oblivious! You're just as bad as he is, if not worse. I mean, how hard should it be for you of all people to notice when a girl is in love with you?" She glanced sheepishly away from him, staring over at the teddy bear on her bed.

He stared at her in shock as her words began to sink in. He searched her face for any sign of regret over what she had just said, but he found none. Instinctively, he took a step closer to her.

"Granger," he murmured. He reached out his hand and gently brushed it against the smooth skin of her face. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, nuzzling her cheek against the palm of his hand. His own eyes drank in her intoxicating beauty, starting at her big brown eyes, which were now open and staring back at him. His gaze followed the trail of one lone tear as it traveled down the side of her face, and ultimately his eyes settled on her lips, which were parted slightly.

He remembered kissing those lips.

He didn't even notice as he started to lean in closer to her, nor did he notice his heart beginning to pound in his chest. He didn't even realize he was going to kiss her until his lips were on hers – light, soft and sweet. It lasted only a brief moment before he pulled away slightly. He hadn't meant to do that – it had just happened. He didn't regret it; he was only afraid that perhaps she did.

He opened his mouth to speak, to apologize, but he was not given the chance. Hermione immediately reached a hand around the back of his neck and pulled him down to her, bringing her own lips to his, to continue the kiss where they had left off. It was soft and sweet at first – shy and hesitant, as if it were the first kiss for each of them. Instinctively, Draco removed his hand from the side of her face and wrapped both of his arms around her waist, pulling her in closer to him.

Despite the uncertainty that initially plagued the kiss, it practically took his breath away. For so long, he had dreamt of this moment, never expecting it would ever happen anywhere other than in his dreams. He had never expected to hold her in his arms again…to feel the soft curves of her body up against his…to kiss her lips.

Suddenly, he tightened his grip on her waist and lifted her up slightly so that she was more level with him. She sighed into the kiss – an act that drove Draco wild – and suddenly the kiss went from slow and soft to urgent and deep, as though they were both finally waking up to the fact that they had two whole months to make up for.

He never felt more complete than when he was kissing her. He had felt this way the night of the Yule Ball, but the uncertainty of that kiss had prevented him from becoming too overwhelmed with his feelings for her. But there was something different brewing between them now; there was no uncertainty – just pure, unbridled passion.

And it scared the hell out of him.

The sudden realization of what they were doing – of what he was doing – startled him so much so that he quickly grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away from him. The sudden loss of contact was excruciating, and suddenly he felt very empty again. He stared over at her – her lips swollen, her facial features twisted into a look of confusion – as they both struggled to catch their breath.

"Hermione," he said hoarsely. He hated the sound of his voice at the moment, as he was unable to hide the sound of lust as he spoke her name. That wasn't going to help what he was about to say to her. "We can't do this."

She shook her head. "Why not?" she whispered.

Draco took a few steps away from her, needing to put as much distance between them so he wouldn't lean in to kiss her again. "Granger, the reason you almost died…it was because of me; because of how I feel about you."

Hermione blinked. "How…how do you feel about me?" she asked quietly.

Draco groaned. "No, Granger – don't do this."

"Why not?" she demanded, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "Draco, how do you feel about me?"

"Damn it, Granger!" he yelled. He hadn't meant to raise his voice, and he automatically regretted it when he noticed her flinch. But he couldn't stop now.

He stepped closer to her; close enough to take her in his arms again – but he didn't. "For once in your life, stop giving a damn about anyone else! Your safety – your life – is at stake here. Don't make me tell you how I feel about you, because the second I do, there is no taking it back. I'm not going to let you risk your life because of some stupid feelings I might have for you."

Hermione bit her lip. "You think those feelings are stupid, do you?" She scoffed. "Maybe the problem isn't that you're worried about me – but that you are worried about yourself! Having feelings for a mudblood would be immoral and stupid, wouldn't it? It would taint your precious reputation as a pureblood – is that it?"

He wanted to deny it – to tell her that their different heritages had nothing to do with it. But then the realization hit: it had everything to do with it.

"You're absolutely right, Granger. You are a mudblood, and I am a pureblood, and those two things just don't mix. Just the fact that you're in this room right now is proof of that. There are people – dangerous people – who will do anything to ensure that the long line of purebloods is not tainted with the likes of someone like you. And if you think I'm going to let my feelings for you – whatever they may be – endanger your life again…well, then you're not as smart as I once thought you were."

Hermione's eyes glistened as tears began welling up, spilling over and traveling down the side of her face. She couldn't seem to look him in the eye.

"So you're saying then that…you want me to leave Hogwarts?" she asked softly.

Draco swallowed hard. "Yes," he lied, hoping his answer sounded genuine.

She nodded, glancing back up at him, staring him straight in the eye. "So then these feelings that you have for me…they are not strong enough to make you ask me to stay?"

Draco clenched the muscles in his jaw and shook his head slowly, back and forth. He did not dare to answer her verbally, for fear that his voice would break, giving away his lie.

He couldn't ask her to stay. Doing so would be selfish – and that was something Draco didn't know how to be anymore, especially when it came to Hermione Granger.

"Okay," she said firmly, quickly wiping away the tears from her eyes. "Fine. I'll tell my parents that I'm coming home."

"Fine," Draco said, a little harsher than he had intended.

"Fine. Great." She turned her back on him and headed back over to the table. "You can let yourself out."

Draco lowered his head and stared at the floor. So Dumbledore had been right – Hermione did value his opinion. It just wasn't the opinion he had been expecting to give her.

"Right," he said, standing up straight. He glanced over at her one last time. She was still standing so that he couldn't see her face. But he could tell by the way her shoulders shook slightly that she was crying.

It took all the willpower he had not to go over and comfort her.

"Goodbye, Granger," he said in a strained voice. He didn't wait to see if she would respond; he turned on his heel and headed out of the room.

Once he was out in the empty hallway, he let out a deep breath. He had to tell himself over and over that he had done the right thing; that she had made the right decision.

But he couldn't fool himself.

He watched as the doors to the room disappeared, separating him from the one person he needed most in the world.