Hermione sat on a large rock near the edge of the lake. Near this edge, you could not be seen from Gryffindor Tower, which was where she and Draco were most worried about being spotted from.
They had been sitting in silence since their arrival a few minutes prior. Neither was exactly sure of what to say. After all, where did you begin? They had shared two kisses, and did not even know the silliest basics about each other, things like favorite color.
Finally, Draco said, “You don’t expect me to be nice to Potter and Weasley, do you?”
Hermione felt that this was the wrong foot to start the conversation out on, but she had to reply. “Well…I suppose you don’t have to. Why wouldn’t you be, though?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Draco asked incredulously. “Potter sent my father to Azkaban!”
“He was doing what he felt was right,” Hermione said cautiously. “Your father committed a horrible crime.”
Draco felt a surge of indignation. “Don’t speak of what you don’t understand!” he said angrily.
Hermione looked somewhat wounded, causing Draco to feel extremely guilty.
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “We were very close, and now he’s getting the Ki…” Draco stopped, looking downward.
“Oh, Draco, I’m the one that should be sorry,” Hermione said, instantly understanding.
The Dementor’s Kiss was one of the worst ways you could die, as everyone in the Wizarding world knew. Though none had lived to tell about it, it was quite clear how unpleasant it was to have your very soul sucked out of you.
“There was just so much evidence against him,” Draco said, staring off across the lake. “If Potter hadn’t…” he let his voice trail off.
Draco began to search of a better topic, but found none.
Hermione, however, was still curious. “And Ron?”
“He supported Potter. Through everything.”
Hermione was laughing on the inside, but on the outside managed to keep it down to a smirk. “What am I, chopped liver?”
Draco looked at her as if she had just told him that she was really chopped liver.
“It’s a Muggle expression,” she explained quickly. “It means that I’ve supported him through just as much as Ron has, yet you hate him and kiss me.”
“I sincerely hope that you are not implying that I kiss him, too,” said Draco, smirking.
“Nah, I’d be too jealous of him,” Hermione said, her chestnut brown eyes twinkling.
“Well, we’ll just have to appease your jealousy,” Draco said, leaning over to kiss her.
Luna Lovegood enjoyed walking by the lake on Saturday afternoons, reading the Quibbler in peace. It was a pastime she had long kept hidden, as she was laughed at for enough things anyway.
Normally, the other students had better things to do than take walks on Saturdays, so she never had to worry about interruptions of her solitude. Today, however, she took note of two figures, sitting by the edge of the lake. Curious, she came closer.
Squatting behind a tree, Luna peered out. Sure enough, there were two people sitting on a rock, talking. Namely, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. And it seemed that they were being civil to one another! They even looked rather happy!
Luna’s immediate surprise was overtaken by shock when Draco leaned towards Hermione and kissed her. Why, Hermione didn’t even seem surprised! It was obvious that this was not their first kiss Luna was observing.
Luna walked quickly back to Hogwarts, shaking her head. What the world had come to these days that Draco and Hermione had to come all the way out here just to kiss.
Then again, she had to go all the way out there just to read the Quibbler in solitude. Though, now that the lake seemed to be occupied on Saturdays she’d have to find yet another place…
When Draco and Hermione pulled away from each other, Draco held a determined look in his eye.
I have to show it to her, he thought.
He immediately stood up and motioned for Hermione to follow. He led her away from the lake, past many trees and up to a large rock that looked as if half of it had been broken away to make it flat. Carved into the rock in large, crude letters were the words “L and N forever”.
Hermione stood there looking at the rock, unsure of what to say.
“Well, gee,” she said finally, “I didn’t know that Luna and Neville were so close…”
Draco instantly started laughing. Hermione was still rather uncomfortable, though, as she had no idea what the purpose of bringing her here was.
“Lucius and Narcissa,” Draco said with a smile. “Not Luna and Neville.”
“I knew that,” Hermione said quickly.
“Of course you did,” Draco said, smirking slightly. “My parents carved that, when they were still here at Hogwarts,” he said, stooping down to touch the rock’s surface.
Hermione understood how much this rock meant to him. It was a symbol of the days when his father had actually been happy.
“He used to bring me down here to show me this rock,” Draco said, and then turned to face Hermione. “He told me to bring the girl that I fell in love with here, someday.”
Hermione’s heart flipped over in her stomach. It seemed that that sensation was becoming a regular one.
In Gryffindor’s common room, two young boys were getting extremely bored.
“You’re sure we did all our homework already, mate?” Ron asked for what was probably the third time.
“Positive,” Harry replied.
Ron sighed. He had always thought people who finished their homework on Saturdays when it wasn’t due until Monday were slightly crazy. Now, finally, he thought he might understand them, for once.
Then he got an idea. “Harry,” he began, “Where’d Hermione say she was going?”
“Library. As usual,” Harry replied with boredom.
“Should we go down there?” Ron asked tentatively.
Harry shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt, I guess.”
Meanwhile, Hermione and Draco walked along the edges of the lake, talking.
“So, what’s your favorite class?” asked Draco.
“I’m not sure. I like most of them a lot…” Hermione said thoughtfully. “Probably Arithmancy, though.”
“Interesting,” Draco said with a nod. “I’m more of a Potions man, myself.”
“And the fact that the Professor is hopelessly biased towards you affects your decision, I’m sure?” Hermione asked.
“Well,” Draco said, smiling slightly. “It does help.”
“Is there a reason he really likes you? I mean, I know there are reasons he dislikes Harry, other than the traditional Gryffindor and Slytherin thing,” Hermione said.
“I don’t know,” Draco said thoughtfully. “I’m going to have to think about that.”
In the library, Harry and Ron were just arriving.
“Hermione?” Harry whispered, as not to disturb the other occupants of the library.
“Where is she, Harry? Do you see her?” Ron asked.
“No…” Harry said, eyes scanning the library for signs of her. “Check behind all the bookshelves, Ron.”
“’Mione?” Ron whispered, peering behind the bookshelves while Harry continued to walk around the library.
Two minutes later, their search was still fruitless.
“Harry, do you think she’s all right?” Ron asked, with panic rising in his voice.
Harry rolled his eyes. “You are seriously overprotective. Hermione can leave the library and go to her dorm or something whenever she wants to, without telling us, you know.”
“I know, but she usually spends hours in the library!” Ron said, still worried.
“Mate, I hate to break it to you, but if we got our homework done, she did too,” Harry said, smiling slightly.
“I know, but…” It was obvious that though Ron had run out of excuses for worrying about Hermione, he still did.
“Would it make you feel better if we found Lavender and Parvati and asked them?” Harry asked.
“Well, yeah,” Ron admitted.
“Fine then. We’ll do that,” Harry said.
Luna and Ginny were having a conversation in the common room when Harry and Ron entered, Harry looking slightly bored and Ron looking nervous. Harry cast a quick wink at Ginny, making her blush furiously. Ron, however, ignored his sister and her friend and headed towards Parvati and Lavender, who were in the corner giggling.
“Seen Hermione?” he asked anxiously.
“No,” Lavender said, avoiding Ron’s gaze.
“She left early this morning and hasn’t been to the dorm or common room since,” Parvati added, still giggling.
Ron shrugged off the giggling. Parvati was such a ditz sometimes. “You haven’t seen her? Anywhere?” he asked, worried. “Harry, stop flirting and get over here!”
“I’m not flirting!” Harry protested indignantly.
“Oh, whatever, just get over here!” Ron shouted at him.
Harry, annoyed, crossed to the corner of the common room. “Yeah, Ron? Where is she?”
“She’s not here, Harry! They,” he motioned to Parvati and Lavender, “Haven’t seen her! Since this morning!”
Unnoticed by the others in the room, Luna and Ginny were exchanging knowing looks.
“Well, then, come on,” Harry said, motioning to Ron.
With a small smile and a quick goodbye to Ginny, Lavender, and Parvati, Harry exited the room. Ron extended no such courtesies, but he followed Harry out just the same.
“If I wasn’t so bloody worried about Hermione, I’d have to talk to you about flirting with my sister,” Ron said. “And I fully plan to as soon as this whole thing is over.”
“Ron, I said goodbye to Parvati and Lavender too!” Harry protested.
Ron shrugged that off. “Whatever you say, mate,” he said. “Where are we going, anyway?”
“To consult a source that knows exactly where Hermione is,” Harry said. “I plan to prove to you that she’s perfectly fine.”
“Who?” Ron asked eagerly, ignoring his comment about her well being.
“It’s not a who,” Harry said. “It’s the Marauder’s Map.”
A/N: There are a few things in this chapter that probably seem pretty minor, but are big hints to how the fic will end or will turn out to be a plot point. Can you find them?