Chapter Ten

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Ginny.

Ginny Weasley.

Why was Harry choosing Ginny Weasley?

Harry was picking Ginny Weasley over her.

Hermione agitatedly dropped the stack of books she was carrying.

How could he?

The book gave an indignant squawk as its pages were flipped a little too roughly.

She knew that she and Harry were no longer a couple. She knew that teenage relationships never really lasted long. She knew that she couldn't expect Harry to commit to her forever. She knew that. She was not naïve enough to think that love conquered everything. She and Harry had parted on mutual terms. She had gotten increasingly upset at all his secrets- he refused to go back to practicing occlumency with Snape, and refused to tell her what had happened. He would not tell her what Dumbledore had been teaching him in their sixth year. She understood that. But he would not tell her what troubled him after all Snape and Dumbledore's lessons. It had pained her to see him frail and ashen after every lesson. Looking and defeated and exhausted, he would not say anything, but sit on what had become "their" couch in the common room, and lay his head on her lap, clutching the folds of her robes in his hands like a lifeline. Hermione had always trusted that he would talk to her eventually, but he always had some excuse. Not now, Hermione I'm tired. It's nothing. Just a little knackered is all. Hermione had been hurt at his treatment. After spending six years with Harry, after seeing him grow up, she knew how he was when he was scared, hurt, or lying.

Harry on the other hand could not stand her growing bond with her brother. He did not like how she treated Ron. Hermione knew of the dark reputation of the Malfoy family. She avoided them at all costs. It was why she never stayed long in any room with Lucius (she refused to call him father), or with Draco. She felt that Harry had gotten completely irrational. She spoke to Draco when it came to family matters. Draco would come to her in the library to ask about school work. They barely had conversations that lasted more than five minutes. Harry would blow each one out of proportion, talking about fraternizing with the enemy and dark family. Needless to say, as a part of the same family, she had gotten upset at his thoughtless wording. It had hurt Harry deeply that she would not trust his judgment, as Harry firmly maintained that Draco Malfoy had a hidden agenda, wanting to turn Hermione against him.

Ron was another matter altogether. Ron had gotten out of hand, resorting to petty gossip and rumors to discredit Hermione since she ignored Ron completely. No matter how much Harry had tried to fix things between his two best friends, all it would take was one encounter with Draco Malfoy, and Harry would be right at square one again. After spreading a particularly vicious rumor that Harry had only stayed with Hermione out of pity and was secretly dating Ginny, Hermione had completely forgotten her pact to ignore Ron. In a fit of temper, she had yelled at him and hexed him. Not that he hadn't retaliated, she had protested to Harry. He had given as good as he got, although Hermione was not the top student at Hogwarts for nothing, making up for in imaginative curses what she lacked in stinging verbal taunting. Draco had obligingly beat up Ron, although had come off the worse for wear. Harry had not spoken to Hermione for a full two days. Two days of which, Hermione mused, had done the opposite of Harry's wishes. She had spent more time with Draco, visiting him in the hospital wing, telling him about her troubles with Harry. Her conversation with Draco had cemented her decision after the duel: she would never again be friends with Ronald Weasley.

That pronouncement had brought another wave of fights between her and Harry. Hermione grew cold every time Harry and Ron went together, complaining bitterly to Harry afterwards that he always sided with Ron, even though Ron had hurt Hermione so much. Harry maintained that Hermione had to be the bigger person. Ron had lost so much, he explained, why couldn't she treat him nicely? A kind word never hurt anyone. Hermione had flared up against that. Ron had consistenly pushed Ginny at Harry, telling him that Ginny really needed a friend. Never mind that Harry already had a girlfriend.

It was times like those, when Hermione would wait for Harry after Quidditch practice, that made her heart constrict painfully. She would see him laughing with Ron and Ginny, a friendly arm around them both. With her arms crossed, she would raise an eyebrow, flip her pale silver hair, and ask in her coldest voice if he was ready. As he left Ron and Ginny, it was hard to miss Ron's scathing comments. It's like the ice queen marching you to your death. Hermione would not had let the comment annoy her, if not for Harry's sudden downcast mood, a direct contrast from the boy who had been laughing on the Quidditch pitch.

Times like those, where it seemed like she was bringing him down, where she couldn't make him happy… Those times, she grew sick with fear. If she couldn't do that, well. What reason would Harry have to stay with her?

Which he hadn't.

Although the break-up had been mutual, Hermione had still cried for days about it.

Giggling from behind her startled her, thankfully distracting her from the increasing darkness of her thoughts and the growing ache in her chest. She noticed a group of fourth year Slytherin girls sit at a table next to her. She followed their line of vision- they were ogling Blaise Zabini. Honestly. Blaise Zabini was good looking, but you forgot that once you saw his mother. Blaise's good looks seemed like a cheap imitation next to her, Hermione observed, remembering the parties the Zabinis had attended. Blaise seemed to notice them too. He glanced around, and catching site of Hermione, moved to sit next to her.

"Mind if I sit here?" he asked cautiously. "The last time those girls were here I ended up answering a bunch of questions about 1000 Magical Herbs and Fungi. I've got to do research on this essay for Snape, and I don't fancy explaining the pros and cons of self-stirring cauldrons to that lot this time."

Hermione nodded. "Take a seat."

He returned with the books and parchment from his old table, and took a seat opposite Hermione. She had become a human shield of sorts, as he seated himself so that Hermione hid him from view.

After the few moments of silence, Hermione found her thoughts going to dark territory again.

After all they had been through together, after Harry's fervent professions of love he was going to ask someone else to the Yule Ball.

Ginny.

Ginny Weasley.

Of the "his eyes are as green as a fresh-pickled toad" fame.

Why her.

Why her.

Why her.

Despite her appearance, which Harry had compared to a Greek goddess', Hermione still thought of herself as a bushy-haired, buck-toothed know-it-all. Even though she was physically different, it hadn't changed her a bit inside. Something had always intimidated her about girls who knew how to dress, how to flirt. Hermione was brilliant at school work, but not at all street mart.

Ginny Weasley was very much street smart.

It hadn't helped when Ron had spread the Harry and Ginny rumor, Harry had perpetually shrugged it off. She's just a friend, Hermione. We've both known her since before she went to Hogwarts. She's only a good friend. You used to be her good friend too, you know.

And now…

All of Harry's denials had just lost credibility.

He was going to the Yule Ball with Ginny.

Weasley.

"I have Moste Potente Potions, if you need it."

Hermione blinked. "Pardon?"

"Moste Potente Potions," Blaise repeated. "Snape gave me the slip for it. I'm done with it. I was going to return it, but I thought you might need it. It has a pretty detailed description of Polyjuice Potion."

"Yes, thank you, I would like to check a few facts," Hermione answered mechanically. "I had the book last week, and wasn't able to copy the entire section of testimonials." Blaise silently passed the old book, opened another one, and resumed writing.

A feeling of loneliness hit Hermione so acutely she stopped writing her essay.

She had always been the only girl in Harry Potter's life. Since she was eleven, she had looked out for Harry. She repaired his glasses, reminded him of homework and essays, made sure he was eating.

The time they were together, their fifth and sixth year, had been wonderful. Harry had aided her through the pain of loosing her parents, and situating herself in a completely different family. Harry was dense a lot of the time, but when it came to missing your family, no one understood her better.

Harry also, was starved for affection. He had told her about his horrible childhood with the Dursley's, revealing to her that her hug in their first year, when he was about to face Quirrel, was the first hug he remembered anyone giving him. Hermione had then resolved to get rid of Harry's awkwardness with affection. Holding hands. Brief hugs before games. Quick pecks on the cheek when parting ways. Eventually, Harry had lost all awkwardness when it had come to showing physical affection. In their sixth year, Hermione remembered marveling at how far Harry had come. When she retuned after Christmas break with the Malfoys, he had ambushed her with a fierce hug, extracting promises from her that she would spend the next Christmas at Hogwarts with him the minute she stepped back onto Hogwarts grounds. "I missed you so bloody much," he had whispered, burying his head in the crook of her neck.

Hermione remembered all too well the promises and declarations of love. She remembered every "I miss you", "I need you" and "I love you" that had fallen from his lips. She remembered the feeling of being in his arms, reveling in the feeling every time it happened. She remembered a casual arm that would drape around her shoulders when they were with friends and a snaking arm around her waist while they studied side by side.

It was another level of agony to think of those arms holding Ginny.

Ginny.

Ginny Weasley.

Harry was with Ginny Weasley.

More giggling. Hermione stood up with a start, and sent a muttered "Silencio!" in their direction as she left the library.

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"What's wrong with your sister?" Blaise asked Draco, as Draco took a seat next to him in the Slytherin common room.

"Something's wrong with her?" Draco asked, surprised. That was odd. He was always able to tell when something was wrong with Tatiana. He had seen her… oh right. The last time he had seen her was Friday, in class. Something must have happened yesterday.

"I saw her in the library. She seemed distracted," Blaise shrugged. "Spent a good half an hour on two sentences."

"How do you know?'

"Sat with her to avoid those fourth years," he shrugged.

His fan club, Draco surmised. Honestly. Zabini was good-looking, but once you met his mother, Zabini's good looks became nothing but a reflection of something greater. Blaise Zabini's mother was famous for her beauty, compared to Helen of Troy more often than not. She had amassed quite a number of husbands though, as opposed to the two husbands of Helen. Whenever they had dinners together, Narcissa had often kicked him under the table. Stop… staring, she would hiss under her smile. It isn't polite.

Draco reluctantly stood up. "I better go check on her."

Blaise raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think you've been taking her a little too seriously? I mean, yes she's your sister, but that doesn't mean you have to be her shadow. Defending her honor is one thing, being her personal nanny is quite another. Especially since she doesn't see all the weird little things you do for her."

The blond boy shrugged, partly out the door.

There were just some things you did for family.

Lucius had ingrained in him that family, and family honor was extremely important. Family honor was what gave Malfoy's the edge over many pureblood families. It was only the Malfoys who had survived through the years, in tact, and with the same high status at society. High status was not achieved by virtue of money, or intelligence, or cunning- those were merely tools to achieve honor. Honor allowed money to go one step more, opened more doors, honor, in short, was the reason the Malfoy family had been able to stay on top.

The art of achieving honor was difficult, but keeping it was another thing all together.

He realized, half way to the library that he had no idea where she was.

He quickly made his way to the kitchens.

"Where's Dobby?" he asked the elf that had greeted him with a squeaky "Hello sir!"

"Dobby is here, Master Draco sir," Dobby pipped up, eyes wide and frightened.

"Tell me where Tatiana is." he demanded.

A few minutes later, Draco approached the lone figure next to the Quidditch pitch.

"This is definitely the last place I thought I'd find you," he commented lightly, as he plopped down beside her. "What's wrong?"

Hermione said nothing, not even sending him the patented look.

Draco observed his sister. Her blond hair was tied in a low ponytail, without a strand out of place as usual. She was dressed in her school robes, the Gryffindor lion embarrassingly evident. Her grey eyes stared off somewhere into the sky. No lines marred her face, it was perfectly impassive, much like a Grecian bust.

Somehow Draco hoped she'd be more responsive than a bust. It became harder and harder to figure out what she was feeling. During the first few months of the activation of the connection, Draco had found it extremely easy to know where his twin was, and what she was feeling. He had even been impervious to curses. On explaining the phenomenon to his father, he had become disappointed. The Geminus was not impervious to harm, thrillingly powerful, or in possession of psychic powers. It had only been a side effect of the curse used to bind Tatiana's identity. So much magical power had been used and suppressed in her, that upon releasing it, it had created a temporary invincibility. It was almost completely gone however. What remained was the same magical ability he possessed before. He didn't know about her though. Was she more powerful in this form?

"Well?" Draco asked his twin searchingly.

"Nothing is bothering me. Now go away, I don't want to talk." Hermione tossed her hair impatiently and turned pointedly away from him.

Draco frowned.

"It's Potter isn't it?"

Hermione looked sharply at it. "Why do you always assume it's Harry? There are other things in my life besides that prat."

"Because it always is about him. Besides, you've never called Harry a prat before. Now I know it's definitely about Potter."

"Brilliant deduction, Sherlock," Hermione snorted.

"Well?"

Hermione sighed. And caved.

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Author's Notes:

To the person who said that Hermione was of age, and therefore could not be controlled by Lucius, thank you for pointing that out! I forgot that legal age in the wizarding world was 17. The story however did first take place in their 5th year, so she was still a minor at the time. So it isn't that much of a flaw.

Secondly, let me make it clear that I cannot stand the Harry/Ginny ship. I think it was completely out of character for Harry to fall for Ginny in HBP. I cringed every time there was an H/G moment in the book. So don't worry! This will be a Harry/Hermione fic, but like it says in the summary, it will be a forbidden love fic. They've got a long way to go.