Home Wrecker

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Disclaimer: I own not Harry Potter nor "Homewrecker" by Hellogoodbye.

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Tomorrow would be their seven year anniversary. It would also mark the end of the seventh consecutive week that she didn't come home until one in the morning. Every night he heard her footsteps coming up the staircase, walking into their son's room, kissing him goodnight, and singing him a soft lullaby, before she crept into their bedroom, undressed, and slid under the covers in her slip. He always pretended to be asleep. He always pretended everything nowadays.

I built this house
With my own hands

This pattern was repeated tonight, except for one thing. Tonight when she slipped into bed she curled up against his back and whispered, "I can't wait until tomorrow night."

He wondered if she would come home tomorrow night to spend time with their child, with him. She had been "working late" for so many nights for so long that he wondered if she remembered she had a family.

And she just came
And burnt the plans

Blaise tried to deny the smell of sweat on her skin each night when she came to bed, the slyness on her features at breakfast as she fixed breakfast for the four year old Jesse. She never really looked Blaise in the eye anymore. They never made love anymore.

She found the safe
And cracked the code

But Blaise chose to ignore all of this. He wanted their marriage to be all right. For their anniversary he had made reservations, bought tickets, had rose petals…it was going to be perfect. Until the fateful words escaped her lips: "I'll be late tonight, my love; there's a back up at work." She kissed him apologetically. "I know you've probably planned a fantastic evening, and I'm so bloody sorry. I'll try to be home before nine. I'll tell them they can get someone else: tonight's my anniversary with my fantastic husband."

"I love you, Hermione."

She grabbed the goods
And hit the road

Blaise couldn't believe himself. Why had he actually thought that she would be home on time, for their anniversary night at that? She was mocking him. He loved her, he devoted his life to her, and she was mocking him.

And I'm
Feeling dumb

Despite the fact that he knew all of these things, he couldn't stop himself from loving her. She was his everything. She had been his everything for over seven years, since they became friends after Hogwarts. He would never be able to let her go.

Oh, oh, girl
You're the one

Not that he was sure she would want to let him go. She probably took him for a fool. She probably thought that he didn't notice all of the signs. He knew she was cheating on him. He knew she was sharing her bed with another man. He knew she was violating their marriage vows. Blaise just hoped that Jesse hadn't noticed anything unusual.

Hermione still hadn't replied to his confession of love. He hadn't told her those three words in six weeks, and it had been even longer since she had responded to him. He chose to ignore the fact that her breathing was becoming deep and her grip around his back was loosening. He fought the frustration and sadness building behind his eyes.


Who shut off my electricity
Explained we just lack chemistry

When he awoke the next morning there was a note on the bedside table from Hermione, telling him happy anniversary. No I love you, no see you tonight, no you're amazing…nothing that she used to do for him. They had been living as roommates for at least two months, and she had been growing apart from him weeks before that.

And on the walls and on the shelves
She hung up pictures of herself

He didn't know what was wrong. Their life together had been perfect for six years, and the addition of Jesse to their home had only made things better. He was the light of their lives. And right now, Blaise needed to get him to daycare.

He tried to push Hermione out of his mind until he accomplished that task, however hard that may be. She was haunting his mind, and it was driving him crazy. He was tired of ignoring what she was doing. But he couldn't lose her.

And I'm keeping one
Oh, oh, girl
You're the one

"I didn't see Mommy today," Jesse complained when Blaise woke him up. "When's Mommy coming home?"

"I don't know, Jesse." And he didn't know. "Let's get you to daycare, buddy."

She must have left early this morning. Blaise wondered if she was seeing more than one man. The thought disgusted him, and he pushed it out of his head.

Really, he had half a mind to not let her back home, anniversary or not.

Who makes it hard to
Lock my doors at night

The sad thing was that he knew he wouldn't do it. He knew he needed her. And so, he got Jesse to daycare before calling off of work. He wanted to make tonight a perfect one, whatever happened.

Even my fire alarms won't work right
And as I try to sleep I
Glance next door

He was laying out the trail of white rose petals from the front door to their bedroom when there was a sound at the front door. It sounded as if someone was attempting to open the front door, fumbling with a key. Blaise's hand flew to his pocket, where his wand was kept. He was on the defense mode as he watched, from the bedroom door, the front door open and two people stumble in, entwined with each other. He froze.

Hermione.

And all I see is his lips touching yours
Oh girl

He didn't know what to do. He watched Hermione kick the door shut, let her keys fall to the floor, and start to make her way to the bedroom, where Blaise was standing. Her face was glued to this man's, and it appeared they were in the midst of heated snogging.

His first reaction was to attack this man, to wrench him from his wife, to beat him until he screamed for help. His second was to wretch. His third was to scream. But it was the forth, following in rapid succession, that he obeyed. He hid. He sprinted to the walk-in closet of the bedroom, shutting the door as quietly as he could.

His ears were ringing.

I will dig a hole and label it love
And trick her to fall in from above

He watched through the slats in the sliding door as Hermione stumbled into their bedroom. The man pushed her onto the bed. Their clothes were already coming off.

Blaise wanted to wretch again. He clutched the clothes surrounding his head tightly, for something to keep him in reality. This had to be a dream, right?

Strategically placed at the front door
I'll coax her to come back to get more

He was a coward. He was waiting idly in a closet as his wife lay naked on a bed with another man. He was naked now, too, and their bodies were touching, rubbing together. Hermione was moaning. The bile rose in Blaise's throat and tears stung his eyes. His Hermione. She was cheating on him; he couldn't deny it now. The proof was right in front of his eyes. She was having sex with another man on their seven year anniversary. Seven years out the window.

Oh, girl
You're the one
Oh, girl

Blaise's hands flew to his ears to block out the sound. This wasn't happening. Hermione wouldn't do this to him, to Jesse. Jesse.

He had to do something.

But he didn't. He couldn't. He sat there, submerged in the depths of the closet, watching the love of his life shag another man on their bed.

Who makes it hard to
Lock my doors at night

When they were finished and lying entwined, Blaise's head grew light. They weren't saying anything as they lay there, and for that he was glad. He didn't want to hear Hermione say another man's name. He didn't want to know his name. This could not be real.

Even my fire alarms won't work right
And as I try to sleep I
Glance next door

The man left before long, and Hermione got dressed. Once she slid on her socks, she perched herself on the edge of the bed and began to cry. Her sobs pierced Blaise's heart and he struggled against bursting from the closet to comfort her. He still loved her, even though he had just witnessed her deceit.

And all I see is his lips touching yours
Oh, girl

He waited until she left the bed and closed the front door to go back to work to make his decision.

He needed to leave.

Things from the closet were the first he gathered. Then he crossed to the dresser, headed to the bathroom, and emptied his drawer of the bedside table. He packed everything into a suitcase.

He was leaving her.

Who makes it hard to
Lock my doors at night

He picked of Jesse from daycare. He would not leave his son with a mother who was unfaithful.

"Daddy, where are we going?"

Even my fire alarms won't work right
And as I try to sleep I
Glance next door

"We're going on an adventure, Jesse," Blaise replied. The tears were still burning in his eyes, blurring his vision of the road. "We're going on a vacation. Mommy needs some time alone."

He hated to do this to his son, but it was necessary. Hermione could no longer be a part of their lives. He was leaving her, and he hated himself for it.

And all I see is his lips touching yours
Oh, girl