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Assistant: Title: Broken
        Author: inadaze22 inadaze22 
        Chapter: 8/37 
        Summary: Draco felt something close to pity for the woman in front of him. While that disturbed him to no end, what really disgusted him was the fact that something had broken Hermione Granger’s spirit beyond recognition.
            
            She didn't expect to get back what she'd lost.
        Contents: Chapter 8: rooftop confessions
    

    

        
          
          
            He liked to think he was stuck in the middle of 'pleasant' and 'Voldemort'.
          
        

  

  
  
    
    
  Chapter Seven
Rooftop Conversations  
  Part One: For reasons he didn't understand
After overhearing Granger's last two muffled words, Draco knew that he had to hide quickly. Since there was no time for anything fancy, he settled for a poorly executed Disillusionment Charm that blended him into the white walls just as the door to room 211 was thrown open haphazardly.A furious Potter shot out and stalked past him, so irate that he hadn't noticed that the walls outside of the room had looked slightly different…and there was a random pair of expensive black shoes awkwardly positioned on the floor; one firmly on the floor, the other raised on the wall.For the ignorance and overall stupidity of Saint Potter, Draco was thankful. For what Potter said about his mother and best friend, the git was lucky that he hadn't hexed him. The door slammed rather loudly behind him, and less than thirty seconds later it opened again. A hobbling Granger shot out the room in the opposite direction, audibly crying in hospital issued garments and hideous orange socks his mother knitted up for her using charms.Despite everything that Draco had heard, and despite knowing the truth about what she had done to save Pansy, he still was torn between doing what was proper and what was painless.In the end the proper choice had won, but only by a whisker. D@mn him for having a conscience.After placing a better Disillusionment Charm on himself, one that hid his shoes, Draco followed Granger, making sure that he kept ample distance. For the first time in his life, Draco felt like a deranged stalker. He wondered just when his life had hit that particular new low.It was everyone's fault, he concluded.Why he was even in St. Mungo's was his father's fault.Father had another meltdown in the middle of the night and tried to throw himself down a flight of steps. A house elf had stopped him by levitating his body. The act alone had earned him a few days in his private suite at St. Mungo's where he paced miserably and talked to veagles when he wasn't doped up on potions.After, he had taken the day off and stayed with his upset mother, who tended to her husband until he fell into a troubled slumber at daybreak. Instead of resting like a normal person, she'd gone for a quick visit to check on Granger.Why he had stood outside Granger's room while she argued with Potter was Pansy's fault.
  "I'm going to be out of town for a few days...promise me that you'll check on her."

  "Blaise and Mother sit with her every day."

  "Just check on her...please."
He couldn't deny her.After seeing her worst memory firsthand, he really hadn't known what to say, so he had said nothing at all. The memory replayed in his mind for three days straight. It had made him violently ill on few occasions, and still he said nothing.It was a miracle she had even turned out as normal as she-well, that wasn't exactly the truth. She had suffered, privately and publicly. She teetered over the ledge of sanity for a long time after she returned from Australia. Draco remembered when Pansy had snapped. He remembered a highly destructive and hedonistic Pansy, who went on rampage after rampage, trying to erase something out of her life. He remembered an angry Pansy who had destroyed everything that had anything to do with her mother.Back then, he hadn't understood her behavior, but now—now it all made sense. She was simply transferring the anger she harbored from the rape onto her mother. As much as he empathized, more than ever, he wished he had seen the signs earlier.Blaise had, but he simply ignored him.After all, they had the emotional connection.Well, she and Granger had one too.And as for her, well, that rock of indifference in his mind had been obliterated.He couldn't say that he cared for Granger, no, but he held a newfound respect and appreciation for her.Her words had haunted him.Draco had a similar thought when he fled with Snape from Hogwarts after the Sixth-Year fiasco; the look of horror and dread on Granger's face had mirrored his almost too perfectly. She'd done something he hadn't had the courage to do and for someone who had never given a d@mn about her before that moment.So, for the last three days he had checked on her.Usually she was asleep when he had stuck his head into her room. He never stayed long because she always stirred in her sleep when he came in the room. It was as if she had subconsciously known that he was there, watching her. Draco wasn't sure how he would pull it off that day with his father being in the hospital without looking suspicious, but Mother had given him the perfect opportunity."Draco, Harry Potter's up there with her now and I'm worried. Go make sure that she's all right."Her worries hadn't been completely unfounded.Draco still couldn't fathom her being alone and without her friends. However, after three excruciating minutes of mindless flirting with the witch at the check-in desk, he had come to believe the tales of his mother and best friend. Outside of Pansy, mother and Blaise, there had been three people who had visited her.Three.And none, he knew, had visited just to say hello.Since the Marquette Manor incident, there had been a lot of hush-hush drama occurring in the Auror Department. Outside of the department's employees, the Minister himself, and those he had trusted emphatically, no one else knew about the post-incident fallout in the department. The Aurors had been enraged at his punishment, or lack thereof, and things had been tense in the department. As much as he had tried, Draco found it impossible to steer clear and wait for it to mull over.Not when it had involved a blatant hush-up attempt.Granger just had to be abandoned by the most popular, although not highly ranked, Auror in the Ministry, didn't she? If it had been anyone else, they would've been terminated immediately and horrible stories would've been written about them in The Prophet; stories so scathing that they would have never been able to acquire another job in the Ministry. But no, it wasn't an ordinary bloke who had abandoned their post. No, it was Harry f@ck@ng Potter, boy-wonder, and saviour of the wizarding kind.While that had infuriated Draco, what really made the steam shoot from his ears had been the decision to approve the use of Memory charms on any Auror suspected of disclosing information about the incident, which had been suddenly filed as top secret, to reporters. It really had meant that they were approved to Obliviate all the Aurors who had rescued Granger on mere suspicion and without evidence.Once he had heard about it, he had seen to it that Blaise had made it out with his memories. Thanks to nearly three months' worth of vacation time he had built up over the years, his best mate had made it out, though the other Aurors hadn't been so lucky.But as Draco followed the weeping woman, he found himself seething at the egregious injustice done to her. It had been almost two weeks since the incident, and the effects of Potter's abandonment were still visible.While she hobbled around and was bound to a cast as well as a hospital bed, Potter got to spend two weeks at home on administrative leave, resting and spending extra time with friends and his girlfriend, no doubt. Potter slept in while everyone in the department had to work overtime to cover his mistakes before anyone in the media had caught on. They'd Obliviated so many to protect him. And so many hours of the last six days of Draco Malfoy's life had been wasted doing damage control instead of working on his cases.It was all because him.And that disgusted him to the extreme.If anyone wanted to know why Draco Malfoy hated Harry Potter, the last two weeks explained it better than words ever could. He got away with everything short of murder because he was the most popular orphan in their world and because he had rid them of a bloodthirsty maniac. Well, congratulations! Draco didn't give a d@mn if everything he did in school was for the greater good or even that he was predestined to fight the Dark Lord since infancy. The Dark Lord was gone and Potter still broke the rules…and rule-breakers were supposed to be punished.That was how it worked.Potter had rarely been punished for a thing in his entire life simply because he was The-Boy-Who-Lived. It had always left a bitter taste on Draco's tongue, but for some reason it was bitterer these days.Two weeks of administrative leave, which had been blamed on the need for a vacation when asked, and desk duty, blamed on the heavy paperwork load, were the sorriest attempt at punishing 'The Wonder Git' that Draco had ever seen.Draco followed her up the stairs to the roof of the hospital and watched as she pushed open the doors forcefully. He was stunned, but slipped through the door just in time.The roof was like a garden, full of flowers, vines, bushes, and grass; all charmed to stay green and beautiful all year, no matter what the temperature was outside. Today, the weather was cool and the wind blew through her baggy garments without mercy. He instinctively pulled his jacket closer to him, chilled, but she didn't seem to be affected.He figured that her anger kept her warm.From his spot near the door, he watched as Granger hobbled a few feet from the edge. She sat on the grass, groaning in pain and clutching her leg after making a few adjustments. Then Granger rested her face in her hands and sobbed. He wanted to turn around and leave her to cry alone. A sobbing woman had become a weakness that he acquired with his new conscience.But for some reason, he didn't walk away.One step after the next led him right to where she was. He removed the Disillusionment charm and chose his words carefully. "Please don't tell me you're wasting your tears on a git like Potter?"  
  Part Two: Conspiracy
 Granger went from tears to alarmed and standing, eyes wide with disbelief. However, instead of the typical, 'What are you doing here, Malfoy?' she lifted her head to the heavens and shouted in a shrilled voice, "God! Have I not been punished enough?"Confused by her declaration, Draco folded his arms and said. "I don't know who this 'god' is that you're talking to, but you sound barking mad for yelling at someone who isn't here."She looked as tired as she sounded. "Why are you here, Malfoy? Come to taunt me? I know that this is a perfect situation for you, especially with your penchant for kicking people when they're down." Hermione looked down. "Get your fix and move on. I'm so tired of fighting everyone."His response came from his subconscious. "Then don't."Granger's eyes bugged. "What?"He didn't answer her question immediately. Draco wasn't surprised that she'd thought so ill of him, but had to concede that his behaviour towards her hadn't been the best. The surprising part was that her scathing tone had burned in his chest. Draco wasn't supposed to care what she had thought about him; she was as insignificant to him as dust on a bookshelf.Or so he thought."You're right, Granger. It's not like me to pass up such an opportunity." Draco chose his next words with more care than usual. "But alas, I've grown up and my intention for foll-" He cleared his throat. Never would he admit to stalker-like behaviour. "Coming up here.""Then why are you here?"An uncomfortable moment passed between them as Draco scrambled for an answer to her question. It was complicated. Not exactly black and white. And in the last two weeks, Draco began to realise that she wasn't either. "To say thank you, I suppose…for a few things. Defending my mother, for starters."Her eyes widened and her already pale skin went nearly translucent. "You mean—"Draco waved his hand dismissively because in the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter that he'd overheard their argument. "Yeah, yeah, I heard it…it was hard not to, you were practically screaming at him and everyone knows the only rooms that have Silencing Charms are the ones in the mental ward—" He'd spoken too much.If she caught on to his faux pas, she didn't mention it. "I-I forgot," Granger dried her eyes quickly with the sleeve of her shirt. She looked nervous, but at least she wasn't crying anymore.Mission accomplished.Wait, was that really his mission?Draco turned to pay special attention to the blooming pink hibiscus to his left, while she stared down at her ridiculous orange socks, sniffling and shifting her weight from leg to leg. It was pretty obvious that it pained her to stand so long and he wondered why she didn't just sit down. Well. It probably had to do with the fact that she didn't feel comfortable enough around him to let down her defences low enough to even sit; not that he'd ever given her reason.His conscience screamed for to speak, but Draco stood his ground. At least for the moment. He wasn't at all surprised by the high level of awkwardness that surrounded them. Everything about their interactions, since the first, was uncomfortable and every single one of them usually ended with one of them in flight mode.Granger broke the silence with a pensive stare in his direction. "Why were you standing outside of my room?"Draco comprised a forty-item list of all the excuses he could use in his defence; a nasty little habit he had that his conscience didn't like. And while it screamed for him to tell her the truth, he skimmed his list of lies; none of them were good enough to be uttered. Reluctantly, he went with a variation of the truth. "Mother was worried about what would transpire between you and Potter and sent me to check on you.""Oh…" her voice trailed off as she looked off into the distance, fidgeting with the last button on her shirt."You can sit down, you know."Her brow went up, but she didn't meet his gaze. "I prefer to stand."Granger was such a stubborn, proud thing and while it was still irritating, he was oddly relieved to see that side of her shine through the haze of depression that seemed to smother the life out of her. But she was hurting. It was obvious. And Draco was annoyed. "Your leg is clearly bothering you. Quit being daft and stubborn, and sit down before you hurt it worse." To prove his point and show her he meant little to no harm, Draco whipped his wand from the holster in his jacket and conjured a chair. Pointedly, he glared and hissed, "Sit."After a visible examination of said chair for dark artefacts or anything malicious, she complied cautiously and grimaced; it was as if she expected the arms to suddenly grab her and hold her captive.Of course, Granger didn't relax, not even once she realised that neither he nor the chair were out to get her. Draco thought she looked quite foolish."I'm not going to do anything, you can relax."She muttered. "I beg to differ, you're an opportunist and this is the perfect opportunity."His attention went to a rose bush less than five feet from her transfigured chair and then drifted back to Granger, watching as she massaged her leg with her good arm and a pained expression."How are you?" It was out his mouth before he could stop it. Draco immediately wanted to jump off the building to avoid her reaction to his question, but knew there were all kinds of charms that kept him from fulfilling that want.Granger's head shot up. "As if you care, Malfoy."Really, he didn't…right? The question was an innocent slip of the tongue, but it had been asked and d@mn it all, he wanted a response. "Maybe I don't, but just answer the bl@@dy question."After regarding him with a strange glare, she sighed wearily and told him the truth. "I'm the furthest thing from 'fine' and the fact that you're sort of not acting like a loathsome git is rather alarming."That was fair. Draco wasn't the same boy from Hogwarts, but he didn't win Witch Weekly's annual 'nice award' either; he wasn't even on the ballot. On quite a few occasions, he purposely made comments that cut people to the bone and said things that he knew would hurt. He'd done that to Granger more than he could count. He had lied and didn't care about the consequences until his conscience tackled him. He wasn't a nice person, but he wasn't a Dark Lord in the making, either. He liked to think he was stuck in the middle of 'pleasant' and 'Voldemort'."Apologies for being decent, Granger, you'll never have to worry about that happening again," was his automatic response as he calmly swept past her and took a seat on the edge of the grass."That's not exactly what I meant."A few minutes passed in silence before she stood up and attempted to sit next to him with such great difficulty he almost helped her. Draco already knew how poorly that would turn out, but she kept trying to calculate her trajectory and it was annoying him. So he grabbed her hand and provided the leverage she needed to sit, ignoring just how little effort it took to help her. Granger let out a surprised and strangled noise, looking at Draco with such wide eyes he was starting to get a complex. But he stubbornly didn't let go until she settled next to him; her injured leg stretched out while the other was bent at the knee."You've never been decent to me, not for honourable reasons."She had a point, but he wanted nothing more than to change the topic. "What happened with Potter? I came into the picture when he started talking about Pansy and my mother."The shrug she gave meant she didn't want to discuss it thoroughly, but she gave him a vague answer all the same. "He came to ask for my forgiveness about the Marquette Manor incident and I told him in more or less words to shove it."Draco was impressed; he half expected Granger to cave and forgive Scarhead the moment he walked into the room. Everyone forgave him immediately anyway so it felt good that his quest for forgiveness from Granger was presented, not considered, and denied. Not everyone got what they wanted; now even the Boy-Wonder knew that.Sweet vengeance at its finest.  
  Part Three: The Conscience of Draco Malfoy
 He'd lost count of how many uncomfortable silences fell between them. He took to focusing on everything else except the woman next to him. It was easier that way, especially when her hand brushed against his leg and he could feel just how cold her fingers were. Annoyed, he thought about taking off his jacket and giving it to her, but thought she would pass out from the gesture.For the life of him, Draco couldn't figure out why he was still there. He'd done what his mother had asked of him. Actually, he'd gone far and above his duty. She wasn't getting hexed to bits by Potter, so why was he still there?"Blaise told me about your wand. Can they fix it?" He asked just to make conversation.Remorsefully, her eyes lowered to the ground and her hand reached into the right pocket of her hospital garb and pulled out her broken wand; it was in three pieces. "No, but I'm not ready to part with it. It took me ages to find it after the final battle."Draco started to ask her why, but he understood the link between a wizard and their wand. After Potter disarmed him that night in Malfoy Manor, he'd felt completely empty. He sought Potter out after everything calmed down following the final battle and asked the git for his wand back. He'd gotten it via owl two weeks later and it took almost a year before it yielded to him again.A gust of wind blew and while Draco shivered, Granger didn't seem to notice.He figured it was now or never.He took a deep breath. "Thank you for saving Pansy in Australia."Her face was as white as the hospital garments she wore. "H-how—she told you everything, didn't she? She said she would. I just didn't think she'd do it this soon.""She let me use Legilimency on her."Granger stared up at the sky and he stared at her."That night easily was in the top five for the 'Worst Night Ever' award, right in front of the night in Godric's Hollow with Harry and Nagini," she said, her voice raw and quiet.Draco understood all about the 'Worst Night Ever' rankings. "You did what you had-"She shut her eyes. "Don't say that, Malfoy." There was a pained expression on her face and he knew she was reliving the night all over again. A lone tear rolled down her cheek. "Pansy's been saying that for over five years. Use of magic on a Muggle is a crime that could have landed me in Azkaban. I could've stunned him, but—but when I saw what he was doing to her, when I heard her cries…" her voice grew cold, "The Killing Curse was relatively minor in regards to what I really wanted to do to him."He understood.Granger took a shaky breath and opened her eyes, wiping the tears from them. "She doesn't blame me for it, but I blamed myself. He came after me that night first and all I did was a Revulsion Jinx and a Trip Jinx to throw him off and hid under a Disillusionment Charm. It took me fifteen minutes to pull myself together enough to go after him, but it was too late. I heard Pansy and lost it. I don't remember speaking the curse, Pansy said she didn't remember hearing it. All I remember is a flash of green that came from my wand and…everything stopped."Draco couldn't figure out why he wanted her to keep talking. He didn't want to hear it. Seeing what Pansy went through was enough, but listening to Granger's account just made it harder."What happened after that?" He only asked because she looked like she needed to get it all out.She looked at him as if she didn't quite understand why the words were spewing from her lips. "We just stood there, staring at each other. And then the gravity of the situation dawn on me and I just lost it, right there in the alley. I don't know if I felt guilty about killing him or if I was guilty that I used an Unforgivable, but I didn't have time to figure it out.""Why not?"She shook her head and stared out into the distance. "Pansy snapped out of her trance and started screaming."Draco cringed. He'd heard it in Pansy's vision. He never wanted to hear her scream like that again.Granger continued; her voice was thick with emotions. "I had to tackle her to get her to stop before any Muggles came running. I wouldn't be able to explain how he'd died, so I fixed her clothes, set his body on fire, and erased all evidence that either of us were there. By then, she was unresponsive so I brought her back to my hotel and I put her in the tub," she closed her eyes again, remembering it all. "All I wanted to do was leave and mull things over alone, but she had a fit when I so much as adjusted on the floor next to the tub. She clung to me for the rest of the night."As he internally reeled, Draco found himself staring up at the sky.She shifted next to him and he could hear her scratch at the skin just beneath her cast. "Pansy stayed with me in my room for the rest of the time she was in Australia and didn't speak a word for the first three days. I had to convince her to talk, for her sake. And when she caved, Pansy sobbed for hours."Really, he didn't want to discuss Pansy's tears.Or discuss anyone's tears for the matter."Did anyone find out?" He asked just to change the topic."Not that I know of; I'd probably be in Azkaban right now if they did. The next morning, they found his body right where we left him, burned beyond recognition. They identified him by his dental records within the week. Turns out he was some fugitive serial rapist from the States. He'd raped and killed more than ten girls in Australia alone, which didn't include the two girls they found the same night I killed him. They were raped and strangled before they were tossed in a dumpster in the same alley the attack occurred in.""Merlin." Draco realised Pansy and Granger had been lucky to escape with their lives."I think they were just glad to see him dead. After they initially announced his identity on the news stations, we never heard about it again…"Draco remained silent, just shocked by what they'd been through."Sometimes I dream about it," Granger confessed almost in a whisper."You shouldn't. He was a monster—""Don't you think I know that, Malfoy?" Her voice was cold. "I don't dream about him. I don't care about him. It took a while for me to understand, but he deserved what he got. I dream of all the different ways I could've saved her.""Granger," He spoke, unsure as to why he was trying to comfort her. He wanted to stop there, but something wouldn't let him. "I think you need to take a page from Pansy's book and let it go. It's not your fault. Pansy doesn't blame you and I sure as hell don't. You saved her."She stared at him as if he'd sprouted another head.Draco felt like he had, but kept talking anyway. "Years of being a Gryffindor have left you with a Hero Complex like your old best friend, who shall not be named because I really want to push him off the top of a Quidditch Pitch at the moment. The thing is that you can't save everyone; no matter how many lifelines you throw out. Don't be so hard on yourself."Granger looked at him as if she was seeing him for the very first time. "I've been told all that countless times—""I'm not Pansy," he snapped, "I don't give a sh@t if you choose to listen to me or not.""You never let me finish," she growled in response. "I was about to say that it makes a lot of sense the way you put it—""I always make sense."She sighed. "You're impossible to talk to.""And yet, here we are.""And here we are."Another gust of wind blew through them. Draco didn't have the faintest clue why either, but he had mixed feelings about the result of their conversation. It was getting harder and harder for him not to feel some sort of empathy for her. After all, she'd been through a lot, but he just knew she wasn't telling everything. He knew there was more to her story. It was getting harder for him to dive into her past because if that was the catalyst, he didn't want to know what else had transpired. It was getting harder for him to remember just why he launched the investigation in the first place."I have no idea why I told you all that," Granger told him quietly.But as they sat in a silence that was almost companionable, there were twenty-seven things the conscience of Draco Malfoy wanted to tell her. Though he never spoke of it, he understood at least some of her struggles. He had terrible nightmares about what happened in the Astronomy tower, and he too sought redemption for the things he'd done in the past. But that was where it was. The past. It was over and she couldn't change anything. After all, dwelling never did anyone any good. His conscience wanted to tell her that she had to first forgive herself before any kind of redemption could be found.He wanted to say so much more, but never got a chance.  
  Part Four: A stare that could end wars
 The door to the roof creaked as it opened.Granger was the first to turn her head. He heard her muttered curse and turned to investigate. Perhaps it was Potter again; rearing and ready for round two.But no, it was a Weasley—the girl.Nothing made sense anymore.Draco was just as shocked to see her as she was to see him, but not for a moment did he show it. She-Weasel blinked, eyes darting back and forth between them, her walk in their direction slowed as she became more and more confused. Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy outside, sitting next to each other, and talking without hexes or curses? An impossibility, but there they were.Besides, he really didn't hate Granger.When Granger used his shoulder as a prop to help herself back onto her feet, he should've been angry with her. But he wasn't. She was hurt, after all. But that didn't mean he liked the way her thin hands gripped his shoulder. Draco stood after she did because the tension was back and he didn't think he needed to be sitting.That tension fell over them like a mist, colder and more intense than it had been before.The only thing that he felt was the wind as it blew through Weasley's red mane and did nothing to Granger's frizz ball. It looked like a scene in one of those cheesy western movies Blaise had introduced him to a few years back. All they needed was the horrible theme music. Granger's defensive walls that had slowly lowered during their conversation were back and higher than ever.It was quite obvious that She-Weasley and Hermione Granger were not fans of one another. It was a cat-fight in the making and Draco didn't know who to place his bets on. She-Weasel was an ex-Quidditch player with six brothers; she had to be strong and athletic. But Granger, well he very well couldn't sleep on her. After all, she had a weapon on her arm and a stare that could end wars."Malfoy," came the cool greeting from the redhead.His response was impassive as ever. "Weasley."Clipped and unemotional, the she-Weasel greeted Granger. "Hermione.""Ginny." She wore an impressive poker face, calm and even. "Should I deduce that Harry sent you?"Draco's brow twitched at the mild, but scathing tone of Granger's voice. He still saw the tears that shone in her eyes from their previous conversation, but they were well-hidden and the glossiness could be blamed on the wind."You shouldn't assume anything," the redhead's hands disappeared into the pockets of her Muggle denims."Why are you here?""I'd like to start over."Granger's brow rose faster than his own. He'd always assumed the youngest Weasel and Granger were the best of friends at school. They were always seen together, even as early as his third year. Draco quickly realised that he knew nothing about the Gryffindors he teased mercilessly at school."Excuse me?" Granger stared her hard.The youngest Weasley squirmed under her intense stare, looking everywhere except at her. She even looked at Draco, who kept his face carefully blank, folding his arms across his chest."Now that you're back in town, I think you and I should bury the hatchet between us."Of all the b@llsh@t he'd heard in his life, the peace treaty that came from She-Weasley's mouth ranked at number one. He secretly hoped Granger wasn't stupid enough to accept.And then she said something that made even him smirk: "That's complete b@llsh@t."Offended, She-Weasel scoffed. "What's that—"Granger never let her finish, "I was gone over five years, Ginny, and everyone seems to think my brain has evaporated. I know why you're here and what you want—and it's not my friendship.""Y—"Draco stood there and beheld the sight of a raging Granger; her hair and skin seemed to crackle with raw magic. Finally, he was seeing the know-it-all he remembered. "Ginny, don't think for one second that I don't know what kind of person you are. You know at least part of the reason why I left; I could tell that you knew based from your first letter.""Well—""It's not that important. The truth is you've had plenty of opportunities to express your wishes for friendship in the letters you wrote over the years, so please don't insult my intelligence with your lies. You're here because Harry told you that I refused to forgive him and you thought you'd use the promise of an alliance to accomplish what he couldn't. You know him, he's going to badger me until I relent and you're using the promise of friendship to keep him away from me."Draco wanted to laugh, but his mind was too busy processing her words. He had to hand it to Granger; she always knew just what to say to put someone in their place.She-Weasel blushed. "I—""You may have filled the hole I left, but you're not the 'Brains of the Golden Trio', you never will be. I hope you've enjoyed trying to live up to my legacy."Draco whistled lowly, but neither of them heard him."I just don't understand you, Ginny." She shook her head and stared at her cast as if it were a difficult Rune she'd spent hours trying to master."What do you mean?"Granger looked at her old friend. Were they friends? "You've gotten everything you wanted. He's yours. You have him and I don't want him; his behaviour as of late has told me loud and clear that he doesn't want me. You have no reason to be jealous anymore. Why can't you be content with that?"To say he was mildly shocked by her words wouldn't have been a correct assumption; Draco cycled between at least three emotions.She-Weasley stared daggers at Granger. "If that's what you think this is about then you're wrong. You should've stayed gone, Hermione. I won't let you hurt them again."For a moment, Granger looked like she was about to cry, but her face never broke and Draco really understood that under that almost too-thin frame was a person who was stronger than he ever anticipated. He was used to seeing her so broken, dejected, and beaten down by life. But today, she'd faced not one, but two of her old friends and put them in their places effectively.He was just as proud of her as he was f@ck@ng confused."I'm not here to hurt either of them, again. Matter of fact, I left to avoid hurting them, especially Ron. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't regret what I did to him.""And I hope you never forget because he hasn't," she spat.Granger only nodded, cradling her casted arm against her chest. Her features softened and she looked as if she was struggling to save face. "I think you should know that leaving Ron was the hardest thing I've ever done." She sounded so worn. "We weren't perfect, but I was happy. I think you should also know that I left London very much in love with him."Draco's mind was working hard. Why leave?And then it hit him like one of Pansy's hexes."Is that supposed to mean something to me?" She-Weasley asked blandly.Draco wanted to shake her and force her to understand what Granger was saying. She left because she didn't have a choice; something made her leave suddenly."Nothing, Ginny, nothing at all. You know, there's something that I still don't understand.""And that is...""When did I become your enemy?"She-Weasel set her jaw. "When you left my brother, Hermione. That's when you became the enemy. Blood before water, Hermione, you should know that.""No," she shook her head sadly, "I've been your enemy long before that and you know it just as I do." Granger chuckled as if someone told a sad little joke, "The funny thing is, Ginny, there was a time when I wished we were friends.""And now?""I'm glad we aren't."'
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
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