Heya, everyone!

Sorry for the long delay on this chapter. I have been working on other projects and it's been hard to find motivation during these tough times. I hope everyone is doing okay and being safe!
Please review and let me know what you think. Always love to hear from you
Sorry for any mistakes in this I do use a basic editor but still a lot doesn't get picked up on.
Much Love 3

Draco's Point of View

When I walk into the house it feels full, like my entry alone has made the house pass the fine line of its capacity. Granger moves forward, pushing past Lupin. The Weasel and Potter don't notice her at first until she flies into Potter's arms, using her left arm to ring around Weasel's neck, dragging him into a hug.

I can see it all happening in front of me, but it feels extremely far away. I have been watching this story for years now. The story of the golden trio. I have watched them for as long as I have known them and nowhere in that story did I ever fit in. Something about standing in this slightly familiar house makes that notion ring truer than it ever has. There is merit too it now, it carries its own weight in my chest. Something about watching the way she looks at them seems to solidify my awareness of it all. I can push and pull and cry and beg if I pleased but I will never fit into this picture I see before me. Not really. The three of them seemed to be these puzzle pieces that just click, snap together like they were always meant too. The picture on the box is the same. What you see is what you get with them.

Lupin moves forward to wrap his arms around the three of them as the girl weasel slips under their arms into the centre of the hug, wrapping her arms around Potter. A fair-skinned girl with long blonde hair notices me, standing awkwardly by the door. She turns to a tall man and motions towards me. They whisper amongst themselves for a moment before the man calls to Potter.

"It's okay," Potter says, turning towards me. Granger keeps her arms tight around his neck for a moment before releasing. She turns to the man and towards me watching the wary exchange between the man and Potter.

"What do you mean?" the man asks. He pulls the girl towards him as if being near me might tarnish her fair skin. I fix the tail end of my coat for something to do with my hands.

"It's okay Bill," Potter says, more sternly this time.

The tension in the room is palpable. I can feel it itching at my skin.

"I'm just going to wait outside," I say, turning towards the door. I can feel their eyes watching me as I make my way outside.

The sun is still heavy in the sky and I kick a few loose pebbles on the small walkway up to the house. I climb up the dune letting the breeze hit me, trying to clear away some of the tension that had taken place inside my chest. I hear the sound of the front door closing behind me and I sigh. The sound of footsteps carries up the hill.

"It's fine, Granger. Go back inside," I say as I feel her coming up behind me.

"Not Granger," Potter responds, and I turn around to face him.

How many times in how many years have we stood like this, face to face? It feels incredibly different now. Too much time has passed for me to stand in front of him the way I used too back in school. Tall and arrogant and always so sure of myself. I am too tired now to wear that expression. I am too tired to believe I still have that in me. For many years I would have rather die than show any weakness in front of him. Something changes in his face and I think he can see the reluctance in me. We are both too old now to stand in front of one another as we used too.

I used to think that we were always men when we faced off. Men with ideas and motives just waiting for our bodies to catch up to our mindsets. But even now, we are still children. Tired children pretending to be men.

"About Bill.." he starts.

"Don't worry about it. Not many people want me in their home, Potter. I don't take it personally," I say, cutting him off before he can start with some bullshit excuse.

An awkward beat passes between us as the seagulls fill the silence, squawking loudly as they dip down low towards the water ahead of us.

"You look different, Malfoy," he comments.

"Better than you at least," I say, taking in his tattered jeans. He scoffs a little turning towards the shoreline.

"I suppose you do," he adds, and a little bit of the animosity leaves his voice. Another beat passes in which we both stand completely still, unsure of who is going to speak first.

"Look if you're going to say something about Granger just leave it. I didn't do it for you, okay," I say, trying to get it out in the open before the conversation has to go on any longer than necessary.

"For old times sake I want to say there was a moment that night in the manor where I doubted whether or not you were going to help her," he says.

I turn to him, blocking the sun out of my eyes with my hand.

"But there wasn't," he adds quickly when he notices my expression. "I could see it in your eyes that night. I saw it when you heard her screaming. You were just as scared as Ron and me. I could see it Malfoy. I can still see it now," he says seriously.

"Potter where the fuck are you going with this?" I say, trying to brush off the serious turn the conversation has taken.

"Look Malfoy I'm not going to bullshit with you and say that I accept or even understand what is going on between you and Hermione. I mean never in a million years would I have thought this was a possibility. I thought that night in Hogwarts when you walked away with the Death Eaters that that would be the end of it all. I thought she had moved on. I mean she never mentioned you when we were together. She never spoke about it and I guess looking back now that says more about it than she ever could.."

"Potter," I say raising my hands to stop him before he can start.

"Let me finish," he interrupts casting his eyes up at me. I brush a nervous hand over the back of my neck.

"That year we spent out together was the worst I ever saw her. I'm not saying that was entirely your fault because even I'm not that selfish. But something was hurting her and hurting her badly. I'm telling you this because you must understand how bad she got. She wasn't eating and she was barely sleeping. I would sit across from her and force her to eat until we nearly spat blood at each other. Some of the things we said to one another were so horrible that I doubt we'll ever speak of them again."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" I say, exhaling loudly. I kick a rock and step up on the embankment, looking down at him. Back towards the house, Granger opens the front door, stepping out awkwardly onto the porch. She lifts her hand to block the sun and watches us like a worried mother. Potter turns and notices her standing there watching us.

"I'm saying this because I'm worried this thing between you two is going to hurt her again. I can't sit back and watch her fall apart again. I just can't it was too hard the first time. I won't do it again and I don't think she would survive another year like the one we just had," he warns as Granger starts taking a few steps towards us, unsure from this distance whether the conversation is going to turn south quickly.

"What do you want me to say, Potter?" I argue back. He shrugs his shoulder, waving off Granger who relaxes a little at the action.

"Honestly if I had a choice in it, I would say thank you for getting her out of there but kindly fuck off," he says with a smirk. I roll my eyes at him.

"You don't have a choice in it," I say seriously. He rolls his eyes at me.

"I know that. I'm just worried about her Malfoy. You can understand that, right? That girl is my family. We may not share the same blood but she and Ron have been my family for as long as I can remember. I would do anything to keep her safe," he says. He kicks the ground roughly and turns a shade of red with anger.

"Fuck Malfoy!" he shouts suddenly causing some of the seagulls that we're feeding on the embarkment nearby to burst up from the ground.

"What?" I shout back at him, unsure. Granger starts moving quickly towards us.

"Why her? Why did you have to pick her? From what I heard back in school there were so many other girls you could have picked," he says, the anger fully present in his voice. I slid back down the embankment towards him, kicking dirt up onto his already filthy jeans. I scoff in his face. Granger breaks into a run and I imagine from the angle she's watching us it must look like we're squaring up to one another.

"You think I picked her? Are you stupid? Why in the hell would I pick her if I had a choice!" I shout back in her face.

"My God Potter I thought maybe with you being the chosen one that might have given you some brains. Do you think if I had a choice, we would be having this fucking conversation right now?"

"Alright, back up," Potter says pushing on my chest. I move away slightly just as Granger makes her way up the steep hill.

"Hey!" she shouts slipping herself into the small space between Potter and me. To my surprise she slips in with her back to Potter, her attention focused on me. But I don't break eye contact with Potter as he steps back away from us and cast his eyes away.

"Harry go back inside," Granger orders. Potter stares at her defeated for a moment before turning slowly on his heels to make his way back inside.

"Potter!" I shout when he's walked a few feet away. He stops for a moment and turns slowly to stare over his shoulder at me. Granger puts her hands on my face and tries to pull my attention away but I stare straight ahead at him, ignoring her.

"Malfoy let's go," she murmurs, trying to pull me away.

Potter stands, waiting as Granger stares between us trying to read us.

"There was never a choice," I say turning away and sliding down the sand dune towards the beach.

Hermione's Point of View

I stare towards Harry as he waves me off with a quick hand motion. I watch as he turns and makes his way back to the house. I slid down the sand dune with a lot less grace than Malfoy, stumbling several times as I try to catch up to him.

"Wait!" I call ahead as he walks in a direct beeline towards the beach. He stops, swinging around quickly on his heels.

"You didn't have to come out Granger. We weren't going to tear each other's heads off," he scowls at me. I slow my pace a little take back by his anger.

"Don't look at me like that," he argues. I rub at my nose as the heavy wind rips through the beach.

"It looked like ye were fighting," I argue back. Malfoy sighs and starts walking ahead. He stops when he gets to the water and stares out towards the horizon.

I stop just behind him in the large shadow he creates. I turn back and notice how small my shadow looks in comparison to his.

"Why are you angry?" I ask, most of my voice getting lost in the breeze. I feel so small when he's like this. A wave of anger I can't quite reach is stuck in him.

"I'm not angry Granger," he argues.

"Then what's wrong? What were you and Harry talking about before I came over?" I ask.

"Nothing, don't worry about it," he responds. I grab his hand and pull him around.

"Why are you acting like this? Don't pull away from me like that. Are we not past that?" I shout, properly angry this time.

"Are we?" he asks, tilting his head towards me.

"What's that suppose to mean?" I say, hurt. He rolls his eyes at me and pulls his hood up to shield some of the breeze. His fringe sticks straight up in the wind and if we weren't arguing right now I would probably laugh.

"Look," I start, prodding my finger into his chest with purpose. He pulls away and rubs at the spot slightly.

"Just cut the bullshit and say what's wrong. I'm not doing this with you anymore. I'm not fighting with you!" I shout, stepping forward and poking at his chest again.

"Jesus okay! Just stop poking at me!" he shouts, rubbing his chest.

"Okay," I say, lowering my hand.

"You can't be surprised that there was a little tension between Potter and me. You can't act surprised. It was bound to happen, and it'll probably happen again. That's just the way we are. I have no reason to like him and he has no reason to like me."

"There is a reason," I interject.

"No there's not Granger don't be stupid," he answers.

"There's me," I imply. He stops, kicking the foot of his shoe against the sand.

"Look he said some shit and I said some shit. That's what happened. It's over with now, okay? Can't we just drop it?" he asks.

"I want to know what ye talked about?" I ask, leaning forward, hopeful that he might answer.

"We talked about you," he says.

"Oh," I answer. That I had not expected. I thought they might have been arguing about some stupid rival stuff they had indulged in back in school. I didn't imagine they were going to go straight to talking about me.

"What did Harry say?" I ask, looking back towards the house. From this view, I can only make out the side of the house, but I imagine someone is keeping an eye on us out the window.

"He said a lot of shit about what you were like during that year you were on the road," he answers.

"Oh, I see," I say, mentally wanting to strangle Harry for bringing it up.

"Yeah," he answers.

"What are you thinking?" I ask, watching as he visibly slips away into his mind.

"Hey!" I say, pulling on his sleeve. He comes back slowly, turning his head away to the shore.

"I'm just thinking about everything," he says quietly.

"Such as?"

"I'm just thinking back to Hogwarts and what it was like then. I remember thinking nothing could be harder. It's funny to think about now. That was the easiest we ever had it. That year was the worst and then this now is even harder than that. It just feels like it's getting harder with each day Granger. Is that not something you think about?"

"Hogwarts feels like a lifetime ago now," I admit. "That year when I was on the road was probably the hardest year of my life for a multitude of reason. Now doesn't even feel like a time. It feels like we're just suspended in space, dangling. I do think about it Malfoy," I say.

"Everyday something or someone new brings up another reason to question this. To question us and every day I'm having the same conversation with myself about it," he says.

"So, what? Harry says some shit and now you're just out?" I say, trying to bite back the fear and anger. Malfoy runs a frustrated hand through his hair.

"That's not what I'm saying!" he argues back. I fold my arms and wait, refusing to speak first.

"Fuck Granger!" he shouts, taking in my stubborn expression.

"No! Speak," I start watching his almost pleading expression. "See you want me to pull the words out of your mouth, so you don't have to feel vulnerable," I say. I move towards him, laying my cold hand against his face.

"Everybody feels vulnerable Malfoy. So, you may as well just say whatever it is that you want to say because I'm not going anywhere until you do!"

He shoves his hands deep into his jacket pocket and stares towards the house as if they can hear our conversation from this distance. He turns his attention towards me, and I see the fire start to build behind his eyes. The anger seething from his pursed lips.

"Potter looked me dead in the fucking eyes and asked me why I picked you!" he starts, shouting so loud that I almost take a step back. But I keep my feet planted firmly on the ground. Let him speak, I think. Let him get it out, whatever it is.

"He looked into my eyes and asked me that! Like I actively chose this. How can anyone look at this situation and think that I would choose this? If I had a choice Granger I would be far away from here. Look at all the pain and hurt I've caused you throughout the years and he thinks that I chose it."

"So, you don't want this," I say airily, trying to understand and summarise it. I squeeze my thumb down on my index finger hard until I feel the knuckle crack under the pressure. I squeeze and squeeze fighting back the tears. How stark the difference is between now and earlier this morning.

"I'm angry because he assumes that there was a choice," he answers. "I'm angry that everyone thinks I chose to mess everything up for everyone," he adds.

"I don't understand," I admit. A breeze passes close by my ear and I remember what Malfoy had said to Harry before he had walked away.

"There was never a choice for me Granger," he says, repeating what had just come to my mind. "Everyone acts like I chose this but for me, this is all there ever was. In school, I fought against it and lived in this pretence that there was a choice if I made it so. But I was just putting off the inevitable for me," he says. I crease my eyebrows together at him.

"What?" he asks, staring at me in confusion.

"Why did you say it like that? For me?" I ask, watching him intently as he wrings his hands together slowly.

"There was never a choice for me. But there can be for you," he says, and I feel the weight of his words. I understand now that he's said what was really bothering him. I can see it in his eyes. This was the moment of vulnerability he wanted to avoid and conceal behind anger.

The wind whistles loudly around us, tearing through the beach and suddenly dropping as if some giant switch has been turned off. The beach is quiet with just the sound of the waves rolling towards us. I take a step towards him and slip my hands under his jackets and around his back, laying my head against his chest. I can feel his heart thumping loudly against my ear. Slowly and almost reluctantly I feel his arms circle around me, and the warmth is enough to make me want to fall asleep right here.

He leans his head down against mine, his lips close to my ears.

"Granger please hear what I'm trying to say," he whispers. I take my ear from his chest and look up at him.

"I know what you're trying to say but you're wrong so I'm not going to indulge it," I admit, and he laughs a little. A peal of quiet broken laughter.

"Aren't you tired of it?" he asks seriously. "The looks from everyone. The questions. The whispers behind hands. The disbelief?"

"I am extremely tired of it. I am tired of everything but that doesn't change anything for me. It doesn't even scratch the surface Malfoy," I admit. He stares at me with raised eyebrows.

"How can you be like that? I look at you and think that one day you're going to turn to me and you're going to hate me for all of this. You're going to wake up and wish that you had left when given the chance," he says.

"The future is something that I have stopped looking too for a while now. I try to live in the moment Malfoy. I kind of learnt that ideology on the road. The future can be a cruel temptress at times. But things always end up going in a different direction than you imagine," I say.

He casts his eyes away and I follow trying to read them before he masks the emotion.

"Hey," I call, pulling his attention back. I reach my arm up and curl his outgrown hair behind his ear. He leans into my touch almost like a wounded animal. When his eyes turn to mine, I see hurt in them.

"Can I tell you something though?" I ask, waiting for him to answer.

"Sure," he says his voice small.

"If there had been a choice for me. I would still choose this," I admit. There's a flash of surprise in his eyes.

"Why? Granger, you could have anyone and anything you wanted. You're that kind of person that people are just drawn to you. I don't think you realise the kind of impact you have," he says incredulously. When I look at him, I can see the reason clear as day. A feeling that built up slowly over time and eventually solidified in my chest and that's where it resided to this day.

"I just feel different when you're around," I admit, unsure of how to express the feeling. "There's so much noise all of the time and everyone is always on edge. But when I see you, I just feel better. I don't know how to describe it, but everything isn't as daunting or worrisome. You can bring out this stillness in me. This air of calmness I've never experienced with anyone else. I just feel like me again when you're around. I feel like the old me," I admit, pushing myself up onto my toes and hiding my face into his neck. He squeezes me tightly.

"Granger?"

"Can we just stop fighting now? I'm tired," I plea with a sigh and he nods into my shoulder.

"Sure. We can stop," he agrees. I lean back and pull his head down to mine. His lips feel ice-cold against mine, but they light a fire in the pit of my stomach. His arms pull me flush against his body. Our mouths move dangerously slow together and there's something deeply sessional about it. I feel all the reasons again at that moment. All the different reasons I want him around however far-fetched he might find them. They're enough for me.

He pulls back slightly and I feel his smile against my cheek. Malfoys head shoots up and I turn to see what he's looking at. Back towards the house, I notice Ron walking back in the front door. The slam echoes across the beach. The seagulls squawk loudly against the abrupt sound.