I don't own Harry Potter.
"I have loved you for half my life, but I am done running after you. I'm done," Hermione whispered, allowing her shoulders to drop. "I've wasted years of my life chasing after you, and I can't do it anymore. You know what I want, what I've wanted for years, but you'll never give it to me. I can't live like this anymore, Draco. I just can't. Goodbye."
Hermione grabbed her purse, and with one last tearful glance at Draco, she apparated away. She landed down the street from her destination and began the short walk to the entrance. As she walked, she began thinking about what led her to break things off with her long-term boyfriend.
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They had just entered Draco's flat from a night out with their friends, and she knew something was wrong. Draco had been to see his parents earlier that day, and he had been different since his return.
"Draco, what's wrong? What happened at your parents?" Hermione asked, watching him.
His shoulders slightly slumped, but he quickly regained his posture. "Nothing, Hermione. Everything is alright," he replied and walked into the bathroom.
She knew he was lying, but she didn't want to press the issue, not yet. She began to get ready for bed, keeping her thoughts to herself.
Slipping out of her dress and into her nightgown, Hermione padded over to Draco's bed and slipped under the covers. She waited for him to come out of the bathroom and join her, but when 10 minutes had passed, she decided to check on him.
Slipping into her house slippers, Hermione walked towards the bathroom, and lightly knocked on the door.
"Draco?" she waited for a response. When none came, she called again, "Draco?"
When he didn't answer again, she reached out and turned the doorknob, thankful that he didn't put a locking spell on it.
"Draco," she whispered as she lightly pushed the door open. "Why are you in the dark?" she asked as she stepped into the darkened space, scanning the small room for her boyfriend, and then flipping on the light.
"There's a reason why I always refuse going to see my father, Hermione. And I had managed to do so since he got out of Azkaban three years ago," Draco said from his seat on the side of the tub. He hadn't looked at her when she entered, and he still hadn't looked at her as she approached him.
"Why?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.
"You. You are why I always refused to see him. Why I always refused to return to the Manor. But this time, you insisted that I go see him. Why, Hermione?" Draco asked, finally looking at her. When he did, Hermione halted her progression towards him. His eyes were black, a color they only changed to when he was truly upset. She'd seen it many times, but never had she been the cause.
"I th-thought you two would make up, and begin to rebuild your relationship," Hermione stuttered.
Draco stared at her, his eyes becoming blacker by the second. "Hermione, Hermione, Hermione. You, my dear, knew exactly what you were doing, and that was not your intent. I know why you sent me there, it's all so clear now, and you know how I feel about that. We've talked about it many times before, and that's not something that I want right now."
"Draco, we've been together since we were 18, that's eight years! Surely you don't want us to live like this for the rest of our lives?" Hermione cried.
"What's wrong with how we live, Hermione?" Draco nearly yelled, finally standing.
"Draco, please. If you don't know by now, then I guess I'll give you some time to figure it out. I'll be at my flat, if you ever figure it out," Hermione fumed as she turned to grab her clothes from that night and apparated to her flat.
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That night was the beginning of the end, well, in Hermione's mind it was. It took Draco two days to come see her. He'd waited until she had come home from work before he decided to make his appearance. When he arrived, they'd argued some more. They argued well into the morning when Hermione reminded him that she had work in the morning and politely asked him to leave.
Draco left and didn't return for another three days.
When he did return, he was full of apologies and promises. Promises to one day make Hermione his, and to stop hiding behind his fears.
She knew it was a long shot, but she hoped that one day he would come through on his promise.
Finally reaching the entrance, Hermione pulled out her wand, and wordlessly unlocked the door. Her parents' home had been unoccupied for the past two years.
After the war ended, Hermione went to Australia and found her parents and restored their memories. At first, they were understandably upset with the young witch, but their love for their daughter outweighed their anger. After much deliberation, Hermione's parents had decided to stay in Australia where they had begun to build another life for themselves. They kept their practice open there and connected their fireplace to Hermione's so that she could visit whenever she wanted.
Before her parents moved to Australia, they sold their house to a young couple looking to start their family. And that family resided there for six years. Until Draco had informed Hermione that he'd bought the house from the couple, and handed Hermione the keys and deed to her childhood home.
Hermione smiled as she entered the familiar house. She hadn't been back in years since right after Draco had bought it back for her. She had moved some furniture into it in case she decided to stay there. She knew Draco sent over his house elves to clean the house, and even though she protested, he did it anyway.
She made her way towards her old bedroom on the second landing and placed her belongings on the bed.
She knew in her heart that Draco would never ask her to marry him. He was too afraid that he would end up like his father. But she knew that he was different. She could tell by his actions, by the way, he looked at her and how he talked to her. There was no way that Draco would ever end up like his father. She just wished he could see that.
Hermione laid on her bed and wondered how long it would take Draco to come find her this time. If he ever came.
She fell asleep in her clothes and woke to the sound of her wand alarm buzzing the next morning. As she got ready for work, Hermione thought about Draco. They had spent so much time together, and she had loved him for even longer.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. Believe me, I had no choice," Draco pleaded. Hermione hadn't talked to him in days and it was killing him. He shouldn't have called her a Mudblood, but he had been showing out in front of his friends.
"Draco, after all the time that we've spent together, I would have thought you'd know better. We're no different from each other. There's nothing I can do about who my parents are, just like you can't do anything about who yours are," Hermione said, keeping her distance from Draco. He had cornered her in the library, the one place he knew Harry and Ron wouldn't follow her.
"Hermione-" Draco began.
"No, Draco. I need more time. I need to sort out how I feel. Please leave," Hermione pleaded, closing her eyes.
Draco sighed, and with one last pleading look, he turned and left.
Hermione made it to work on time and spent her entire day avoiding Draco, since they worked in the same department. she had locked herself in her office, filing paperwork, sending memos, and scheduling meetings. She had almost made it through the entire day without seeing him, until the department head, Mr. McMillian, called a last-minute meeting and requested that the entire department be there. Gathering her things, Hermione made her way to the conference room, choosing a seat near the far back door in hopes that she could slip out as soon as the meeting was over.
Hermione watched as everyone else filed into the room. When she saw Draco enter, his eyes automatically landed on her and stayed on her as he took a seat across the room. She fidgeted in her seat, and looked down at her nails and began to pick at them.
She heard Mr. McMillian clear his throat, calling everyone's attention to him before he began.
"I called this meeting today because I would like to introduce a new member to our team. Alexander Bradshaw. He will be helping us with this case, seeing that it is a big one, offering us a fresh pair of eyes and new ideas. Alexander, would you like to say a few words?" Mr. McMillian asked before taking a seat.
Alexander stood and looked around the room. "My name's Alexander, but you can call me Alex. I just moved here from America, and I'm looking forward to working with all of you," he said before he quickly took his seat again.
"Great," McMillian said standing once again. "Seeing that the only open office is the one next to yours, Ms. Granger, Alex here will be taking that office. Would you be so kind as to show him around the office?"
All eyes turned to Hermione, and she nodded, then went back to looking at her nails.
"Well, with that settled, everyone have a great evening, and I'll see you tomorrow," McMillian said, and before he finished, Hermione was out the door.
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A few weeks had passed since Hermione and Draco's breakup, and Hermione was dealing with it much better now than she was before. She no longer spent her nights curled into a ball waiting for Draco to come calling. She spent them with her friends and their families. Though she did miss Draco, she wouldn't let herself go back to him if he wasn't ready for that next step.
Work was a little easier to handle now. After Hermione helped Alex settle into his office the day after the meeting, they became fast friends, and often ate lunch together. He made Hermione laugh without trying, he debated with her, and he was a gentleman.
"What's the deal between you and Draco?" Alex asked during lunch one day.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Hermione denied.
"Really?" Alex asked skeptically.
"He's my ex. Nothing more, nothing less," Hermione commented.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Alex asked before taking a bite of his sandwich.
"Not really, no. Let's talk about something else." Hermione said wanting to change the subject.
They fell into silence for a few minutes and ate their lunch.
"Well isn't this cozy."
Hermione's heart stopped for a beat, and she closed her eyes.
"What do you want, Draco?" Hermione asked without turning to face him. How dare he interrupt their lunch.
"I was merely getting lunch when I saw my coworkers and decided to come over, but if I'm interrupting something, I'll just leave," Draco said but did the opposite as he conjured up a chair and sat down.
"No, by all means, Draco, have a seat," Hermione said sarcastically, scooting herself farther away from Draco.
"So, what are we talking about?" Draco asked just before the server came and took his order.
"Nothing of importance," Hermione said flatly.
"Hermione was just telling me about how she came to work here," Alex interjected.
"Interesting, please continue. I'd love to hear that story," Draco remarked before taking a sip of his drink.
Hermione looked at him for the first time since he sat down and frowned.
"Actually, I'm not feeling well anymore. I think I'm going to take the rest of the day off and head home. See you later, Alex. Malfoy." Hermione said as she stood up and exited the restaurant.
"That went well," Draco remarked, staring after Hermione.
"Well, if you didn't taunt her, then maybe she would have stayed, Draco." Alex chided before finishing off his sandwich.
Draco shrugged. "What were you really talking about?"
Alex looked at Draco, and leaned back in his chair, but said nothing.
"Alex, what were you talking about," Draco said once more, his voice deepening, and his eyes turning darker.
Alex smiled, "Draco, Draco, Draco. No need to get angry. We were talking about you. She didn't say much though. All she said was that you were her ex, then she wanted to change the subject."
"Not good enough. I need her back, and you're wasting time," Draco whispered angrily.
"All in good time, my dear friend. All in good time," Alex smiled.
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Hermione's pace sped up, her mind racing. Draco was everywhere, and she needed to get away from him. She knew she couldn't take time off work, but luckily the weekend was fast approaching. Two days until the weekend, she thought.
She'd been spending more time at her parent's house than her flat, only stopping there to grab her clothes or something she needed that she didn't want to rebuy.
That was the first time she and Draco had spoken since they broke up, and in her opinion, it was an utter disaster.
"Bloody arsehole," she murmured as she flopped down on her bed. She laid on the bed for a few minutes, replaying her encounter with Draco, over and over in her head. She knew she couldn't move on, she wanted him back. But how could she get him back?
"Alex." She stated.
The next day, Hermione woke with a smile on her face and walked with a spring in her step. She'd spent most of the night coming up with a plan to get Draco back. All she needed to do was get Alex on board.
When she arrived at work, she headed straight to Alex's office hoping that he was already there. Luck was on her side today it seemed, as Alex was walking into his office as she was stepping out of the lift.
"Hey, Alex!" She called, "Wait up!"
Alex paused at his door and smiled. "Good morning Hermione. I'm glad you're feeling better," he assessed as she walked up to him.
"I have a favor to ask, mind if we step into your office?" Hermione asked with a bright smile.
"Yeah, sure. Come right in," Alex stated as he let her into his office. "What's up?"
"I need you to help me get Draco back," Hermione began. "I know it's a weird request, but I need him back and I need him to think it was his idea."
Alex stared at her. "So, you need me to pretend to be your boyfriend, and make him jealous?"
"Yes. Draco won't be able to just stand by and watch me date someone else. He's very possessive, and I know he still loves me. I just really need him back," Hermione pleaded.
"I don't think any of this is necessary. Why not just talk to him, work out your problems that way?" Alex asked watching Hermione shake her head.
"No, that won't work. It has to be this way. He needs to think that us getting back together was his idea and the only way to make him think that is to make him jealous. Please help me, Alex," Hermione begged.
Alex regarded her for a moment, then sighed. "Sure, what do you need me to do?"
"Great! All you have to do is…"
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Hermione was excited, she knew her plan would work. It was finally the weekend, and she and Alex were putting her plan into effect. Alex had asked her out on a date that afternoon, and word traveled quickly to Draco, who not so quietly let his disapproval known.
Hermione smiled and looked at herself in the mirror once more before she apparated away.
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Draco paced in his room and rubbed his hands over his face.
"Draco, just talk to her. You both love each other and want to be together. Just talk to her so that I don't have to go through with this," Alex pleaded.
Draco shook his head. "If she wants to play games, then that's what we'll do. I'll play along with her little game. I'll play the jealous ex-boyfriend like she wants. And by the end of the night, she'll be back with me, where she belongs."
"This is slightly unhealthy, Draco. I don't know if I can do this anymore," Alex said, pulling on the knot of his tie.
Draco eyed the other man.
"Fine. I'll do it," Alex relented.
Draco nodded and watched the other man apparate away.
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They met at a water fountain near Hermione's parent's house. Hermione had loved that fountain when she was a child. She'd made many wishes as she threw loose change into it.
As she waited for Alex, she tossed a coin into the water and closed her eyes thinking hard about her wish.
"There you are." She heard and smiled when she turned and saw Alex standing next to her.
"Here I am. Thank you for doing this. I really appreciate it, Alex," Hermione said as she beamed at him.
He nodded. "Hermione, there's something I need to tell you. I haven't been truly honest with you."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"I've been-"
"He's been helping me."
Hermione froze, her eyes going wide. Slowly turning around, Hermione came face to face with Draco.
"Wh- what? I don't understand," Hermione stuttered.
"He's been helping me, trying to get you to come back to me. But he's been doing a lousy job, if I might add," Draco drawled.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"He's been getting close to you and feeding me information about what you talk about. Mainly if you talk about me or not. He hasn't told me anything other than you want to get back together, and Hermione, I want to get back together too," Draco admitted.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. At first, I was only helping a friend, but then we got to know each other better, I became conflicted. I tried talking him out of it, but once he sets his mind on something, you know how hard it is to change it," Alex offered.
"Thank you, Alex. I think Draco and I need to talk," Hermione said before giving Alex a small smile.
"See you two later," Alex said with a wave goodbye.
"Walk with me, Draco," Hermione said as she began to make her way to a small bench nearby.
Draco followed. He hoped he still had a chance with her. He hoped he hadn't messed things up too much.
He watched her sit and pat the spot next to her.
"We need to decide if we're going to do this or not, Draco. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I want to be your wife, and have your children," Hermione said honestly.
"Hermione, I-" Draco began.
"I just don't understand why you don't want to marry me. We make each other happy, don't we? I know you make me happy, and I just want to show the world that we're in this together. I want-"
"Hermione! Goodness woman. Let me speak," Draco chuckled.
Hermione snapped her mouth shut and pouted a little as she waited for him to continue.
"These last couple of weeks have been hell. I don't want to lose you ever again, you're too important to me. With that said, Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"
AN: My first Dramione! I've been wanting to write one for a couple of years now, and I finally took the plunge. Hopefully, you like it. I wrote it in one day, and edited it the next day. Hopefully, I caught all errors, but sometimes mistakes are made. Please review after you read it, let me know what you think please =)