1 Year Later
Hermione felt herself surrounded by people hugging her, shaking her hand, and congratulating her on a job well done. She smiled back, giving generic, mindless answers. She was distracted, searching for two friends. Finding the first, she called out, hugging the girl who ran over excitedly tightly. Even though Hermione had been away for five weeks, Ginny was still exactly the same.
“How was France?” Ginny asked her as they set out on a walk in the garden. Hermione laughed.
“You make it sound like I was on vacation! I suppose it was nice, but I was mostly concentrating on tracking Death Eaters.”
“Of course. And Harry and Ron were bearable?”
“Even more easy to live with than when we were Horcrux hunting. Then again, we didn’t have a bit of Voldemort’s soul hanging ‘round our necks.”
Ginny shuddered. “I still can’t believe you did that.”
“Neither can I,” Hermione admitted. “But we couldn’t afford to lose it.”
“And….Ron?” Ginny asked tentatively. Hermione sighed. She and Ron had been together for about three months after the Battle of Hogwarts, but then realized that the relationship wasn’t working with the stress. They had broken it off cordially, but there was some manner of tension.
“All fine,” said Hermione. “Better than I expected, actually. It’s just like we were before.”
“Constant bickering, you mean?” Ginny teased.
Hermione laughed. “Of course!”
“Oi!” came an indignant voice from across the garden. “You talk to Hermione before me?” Ginny turned to see Harry and let out a squeal of delight. She ran to him and they kissed passionately. Hermione smiled and turned to finish her walk alone. She thought she might find the other person she was looking for in the garden. By the roses. She made her way to the back of the garden, where Mrs. Weasley kept her rose bush. And there she saw him.
Draco Malfoy. One of her best friends. Heart-throb of the century.
The magazine Witch Weekly had written about him last month, bringing him national attention as Death-Eater-turned-hero and naming him Britain’s most eligible wizard bachelor. His heroic Death Eater hunts and his bewitching good looks all made him fascinating to women, but what cinched his allure was his back story.
What made him irresistible was Tria.
Tria Summers had been Draco’s soul mate. They had been perfect together, two pieces of a puzzle. Tria was a tiny blonde with big blue eyes and a personality that was as sweet as ice cream, which was contrasted by a feisty temper paired with fierce loyalty. She was the best singer Hermione knew, and could play piano beautifully. She was adorable, sweet, pretty, and funny. Everyone loved her.
She had been Hermione’s best friend, more like a sister. Hermione and Tria had been friends since the Hogwarts Express at their first year. Sorted into Gryffindor together, they had made friends with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. The four had been inseparable. Hermione kept the easily distracted Tria down to earth, Tria brought out the fun in Hermione. The bookworm helped the fashionista in school, while the fashionista helped the bookworm outside of studies. Hermione had never thought the day would come when she couldn’t talk to her best friend anytime, anywhere, about anything. Adjusting after Tria’s death had been hard for Hermione. She found a lot of comfort in Ginny and Draco.
When Tria and Draco started dating at the Yule Ball in fourth year, the whole school had been thrown into uproar. Instead of bringing the houses closer, the relationship between a well-known Slytherin with suspected Death Eater connections and a popular Gryffindor with known affiliation with the Order of the Phoenix had brought House rivalry even closer to boiling over. At the end of their sixth year, Draco ran off with the Death Eaters and Tria went with her friends on a Horcrux Hunt, both devastated. Hermione would never forget Tria’s first week after Draco had left. The bright ray of sunshine she knew changed into a bleak and desolate girl. Tria had gotten over it, of course, staying strong to help Harry on his Horcrux hunt. But she was clearly still not over Draco.
The Battle of Hogwarts had been the climax of Draco and Tria’s Romeo and Juliet tragedy. Tria had been slain by Voldemort, leaving everyone who knew her devastated. Harry, Ron, and Hermione grieved together and healed slowly. Things between them were almost back to normal, though her absence was always felt. Draco, however, still hadn’t gotten over the loss.
Hermione and Draco had developed a tentative friendship at first, bonded by loss and a desire for revenge. Then they discovered that they had much in common. Draco was more studious than Hermione would have suspected, and after the war was less prone to blood prejudice. Eventually, the two had become good friends. At one point, Hermione even developed feelings for Draco. But that had passed, because she knew he would never get over Tria.
He didn’t seem to notice as she went up to him, because he was staring at the roses. She knew why he was here. It was his Tria place. And she knew he was in a state of melancholy and regret.
“She loved roses,” Draco said as he finally became aware of her presence. “White ones were her favorite. I was going to put a wedding ring on a single white rose in a bouquet of red roses.”
“You’re never going to get over her, are you?” Hermione asked quietly, though she knew the answer. He shook his head.
“How could I? Everything I see makes me think of her. Whether she liked or disliked it, whether she would have liked or disliked it. I think about what she would have said about everything. Other girls….either I don’t see them or all I can think about is how they’re not her. How different they are from her.” He paused. “I went on one date. One. Her name was Andrea Brown, and I didn’t even last a quarter of an hour. Everything she did or said, even the way she looked, all I could think about was how she wasn’t her. I got up and left after twelve minutes of comparing the two.”
“Draco,” Hermione said. “You haven’t laughed in a year, you’ve smiled maybe twice, you barely talk, and you’re obsessed with catching Death Eaters. Maybe it’s time to move on.”
Draco shook his head. “I have to catch Death Eaters. I have to put them all in prison, or let them die. It’s the only thing that helps, because it helps me to feel like I’m avenging her death.”
Hermione was quiet for a moment. “I don’t think I can understand,” she said slowly, after a minute or so, “because Tria was just my friend. My closest friend, yes, and more like a sister, but to you…to you she was everything.”
“She was the only reason I had for living,” Draco whispered. “She was everything.”
“And I had other reasons, other friends,” Hermione continued. “We all did. Except you.”
Draco nodded. He sighed, stood up straighter, and said, “Well, it’s good to have you back, Hermione. Thank you for trying to understand.”
Hermione put her hand on his arm. “Just try to remember that you’re not the only one who lost her.”
He hugged her tightly. “I’ve missed you more than I thought I would have over these past weeks.”
Hermione hugged him back. “I missed you two. Harry and Ron are great, but they just aren’t you.”
Draco almost half-smiled, but couldn’t quite manage it. He didn't say it, but Hermione knew exactly what he was thinking.
'And you just aren’t Tria.'
***
(Author’s Notes: Before you cry “Mary Sue!” about Tria, keep this in mind: people have a tendency to remember only good things about their dead best friend. Hermione isn’t going to sit there remembering that Tria was terrible at History of Magic, disorganized, and was an awful Quidditch player. She’s going to remember Tria’s musicianship, her friendliness, and her sense of humor.)
Hermione felt herself surrounded by people hugging her, shaking her hand, and congratulating her on a job well done. She smiled back, giving generic, mindless answers. She was distracted, searching for two friends. Finding the first, she called out, hugging the girl who ran over excitedly tightly. Even though Hermione had been away for five weeks, Ginny was still exactly the same.
“How was France?” Ginny asked her as they set out on a walk in the garden. Hermione laughed.
“You make it sound like I was on vacation! I suppose it was nice, but I was mostly concentrating on tracking Death Eaters.”
“Of course. And Harry and Ron were bearable?”
“Even more easy to live with than when we were Horcrux hunting. Then again, we didn’t have a bit of Voldemort’s soul hanging ‘round our necks.”
Ginny shuddered. “I still can’t believe you did that.”
“Neither can I,” Hermione admitted. “But we couldn’t afford to lose it.”
“And….Ron?” Ginny asked tentatively. Hermione sighed. She and Ron had been together for about three months after the Battle of Hogwarts, but then realized that the relationship wasn’t working with the stress. They had broken it off cordially, but there was some manner of tension.
“All fine,” said Hermione. “Better than I expected, actually. It’s just like we were before.”
“Constant bickering, you mean?” Ginny teased.
Hermione laughed. “Of course!”
“Oi!” came an indignant voice from across the garden. “You talk to Hermione before me?” Ginny turned to see Harry and let out a squeal of delight. She ran to him and they kissed passionately. Hermione smiled and turned to finish her walk alone. She thought she might find the other person she was looking for in the garden. By the roses. She made her way to the back of the garden, where Mrs. Weasley kept her rose bush. And there she saw him.
Draco Malfoy. One of her best friends. Heart-throb of the century.
The magazine Witch Weekly had written about him last month, bringing him national attention as Death-Eater-turned-hero and naming him Britain’s most eligible wizard bachelor. His heroic Death Eater hunts and his bewitching good looks all made him fascinating to women, but what cinched his allure was his back story.
What made him irresistible was Tria.
Tria Summers had been Draco’s soul mate. They had been perfect together, two pieces of a puzzle. Tria was a tiny blonde with big blue eyes and a personality that was as sweet as ice cream, which was contrasted by a feisty temper paired with fierce loyalty. She was the best singer Hermione knew, and could play piano beautifully. She was adorable, sweet, pretty, and funny. Everyone loved her.
She had been Hermione’s best friend, more like a sister. Hermione and Tria had been friends since the Hogwarts Express at their first year. Sorted into Gryffindor together, they had made friends with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. The four had been inseparable. Hermione kept the easily distracted Tria down to earth, Tria brought out the fun in Hermione. The bookworm helped the fashionista in school, while the fashionista helped the bookworm outside of studies. Hermione had never thought the day would come when she couldn’t talk to her best friend anytime, anywhere, about anything. Adjusting after Tria’s death had been hard for Hermione. She found a lot of comfort in Ginny and Draco.
When Tria and Draco started dating at the Yule Ball in fourth year, the whole school had been thrown into uproar. Instead of bringing the houses closer, the relationship between a well-known Slytherin with suspected Death Eater connections and a popular Gryffindor with known affiliation with the Order of the Phoenix had brought House rivalry even closer to boiling over. At the end of their sixth year, Draco ran off with the Death Eaters and Tria went with her friends on a Horcrux Hunt, both devastated. Hermione would never forget Tria’s first week after Draco had left. The bright ray of sunshine she knew changed into a bleak and desolate girl. Tria had gotten over it, of course, staying strong to help Harry on his Horcrux hunt. But she was clearly still not over Draco.
The Battle of Hogwarts had been the climax of Draco and Tria’s Romeo and Juliet tragedy. Tria had been slain by Voldemort, leaving everyone who knew her devastated. Harry, Ron, and Hermione grieved together and healed slowly. Things between them were almost back to normal, though her absence was always felt. Draco, however, still hadn’t gotten over the loss.
Hermione and Draco had developed a tentative friendship at first, bonded by loss and a desire for revenge. Then they discovered that they had much in common. Draco was more studious than Hermione would have suspected, and after the war was less prone to blood prejudice. Eventually, the two had become good friends. At one point, Hermione even developed feelings for Draco. But that had passed, because she knew he would never get over Tria.
He didn’t seem to notice as she went up to him, because he was staring at the roses. She knew why he was here. It was his Tria place. And she knew he was in a state of melancholy and regret.
“She loved roses,” Draco said as he finally became aware of her presence. “White ones were her favorite. I was going to put a wedding ring on a single white rose in a bouquet of red roses.”
“You’re never going to get over her, are you?” Hermione asked quietly, though she knew the answer. He shook his head.
“How could I? Everything I see makes me think of her. Whether she liked or disliked it, whether she would have liked or disliked it. I think about what she would have said about everything. Other girls….either I don’t see them or all I can think about is how they’re not her. How different they are from her.” He paused. “I went on one date. One. Her name was Andrea Brown, and I didn’t even last a quarter of an hour. Everything she did or said, even the way she looked, all I could think about was how she wasn’t her. I got up and left after twelve minutes of comparing the two.”
“Draco,” Hermione said. “You haven’t laughed in a year, you’ve smiled maybe twice, you barely talk, and you’re obsessed with catching Death Eaters. Maybe it’s time to move on.”
Draco shook his head. “I have to catch Death Eaters. I have to put them all in prison, or let them die. It’s the only thing that helps, because it helps me to feel like I’m avenging her death.”
Hermione was quiet for a moment. “I don’t think I can understand,” she said slowly, after a minute or so, “because Tria was just my friend. My closest friend, yes, and more like a sister, but to you…to you she was everything.”
“She was the only reason I had for living,” Draco whispered. “She was everything.”
“And I had other reasons, other friends,” Hermione continued. “We all did. Except you.”
Draco nodded. He sighed, stood up straighter, and said, “Well, it’s good to have you back, Hermione. Thank you for trying to understand.”
Hermione put her hand on his arm. “Just try to remember that you’re not the only one who lost her.”
He hugged her tightly. “I’ve missed you more than I thought I would have over these past weeks.”
Hermione hugged him back. “I missed you two. Harry and Ron are great, but they just aren’t you.”
Draco almost half-smiled, but couldn’t quite manage it. He didn't say it, but Hermione knew exactly what he was thinking.
'And you just aren’t Tria.'
***
(Author’s Notes: Before you cry “Mary Sue!” about Tria, keep this in mind: people have a tendency to remember only good things about their dead best friend. Hermione isn’t going to sit there remembering that Tria was terrible at History of Magic, disorganized, and was an awful Quidditch player. She’s going to remember Tria’s musicianship, her friendliness, and her sense of humor.)