The Glue of Her Broken Heart.
For those who had never been in love, they were sure to think that heart break was a small matter. It can be healed overnight over a tub of ice cream and binge watching sad love movies while crying your eyes out. Heart breaks can be healed by spending an amount of money on yourself, transforming, changing the hairstyle, putting on some make ups and whatnot. It was more than that.
It's been a year, and Hermione never saw him again. Except for one or two occasions when they accidentally walked pass each other. She made sure she won't flinch or accidentally looked at him. That would cause havoc in her head. She didn't know what crossed his mind whenever he saw him, but she was sure she felt the anger burning in her mind and heart. Pain was inevitable.
They both worked for the Ministry of Magic, in a same department. But his work required him to work in the field rather than the office like her, so she didn't see him often. In fact, she rarely saw him. Every time the ministry held a ball in the honor of the fallen during the Battle of Hogwarts, she successfully avoided it every single time.
But this time, she was determined to go. She had moved on. She didn't even think of him anymore. He had stopped visiting her in her dreams months ago, and she felt light-hearted for the first time since their break up eighteen months ago.
She woke up this morning to an appointment with her hairdresser. She took a long bath since she woke up earlier than her alarm and put on a nice and fresh set of her new jeans and a casual t-shirt. She wore her favorite jacket, snatched her purse which she enchanted with her infamous undetectable extension charm and drove to the salon after putting on her favorite sneakers.
About two hours later, she walked out of the salon with silky hair and head home. She needed to sort out her priorities first before starting to get ready to annual ball. Once she arrived home, Crookshanks hopped down from the couch and rub his head on her legs, asking for his bowl to be refilled for lunch. Hermione patted him and went to the kitchen to give him what asked for and started the cleaning from the kitchen and it moved to the living room, to the bedrooms.
Once she was done, it was four in the evening and she needed to get ready. She hopped in the bath to freshen up herself before putting on some light make up and then her beautiful red dress. It was mid – calf length with a sweetheart neckline. It flared out from her waist giving the illusion of her tiny waist. Her clutch, again, enchanted with her charm was made of black silk and decorated with black gemstones of different sizes. They were fake gemstones obviously.
She curled her hair and put it in an elegant 60s inspired bun. She had lost her frizzy, bushy, unruly and untamable hair once she was of age. Once she was satisfied with her look, she looked at the clock and she had half an hour before the ball started. So she made sure Crookshanks had his bowl of food and water refilled and then apparated to the ministry.
Once she was there, she looked around, not to look for him of course, but to look for her fellow war heroes, Harry and Ron. The employees of the Ministry of Magic flooded the ballroom but it was not hard to find that lanky redhead, Ron. And of course, you can find Harry wherever Ron was. They were laughing at she didn't know what and besides them were their wives. She strode off to them and Harry noticed her first.
"There she is. Our war hero that never attends a ball dedicated for her." Harry said sarcastically. Hermione rolled her eyes and hugged all four of them. As expected, Harry married his high school sweetheart, the infamous Quidditch player, Ginny and Ron married a muggle he met when he visited his brother in Romania, besides furthering his study on dragons with him. The girl was studying dragons too. Ginny was on a long break as she was expecting her and Harry's first child and Val, short for Valerie was expecting her and Ron's second child. And Hermione still hadn't had all that because of that particular person she hoped she didn't see tonight.
"I hate you, Harry."
"Believe me, I hate you too." And they laughed.
"I could drink for you two tonight." Hermione said to Val and Ginny, and they chorused 'Oh, please.'
As expected, the ball started with the new Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebot speeches for the fallen friends and family during the Battle of Hogwarts before celebrating the war heroes, particularly Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"Last year, we didn't get to hear a speech from this hero, but tonight, I would like to invite Miss Hermione Granger, Merlin's First Order, to give a speech." Minister Kingsley addressed her and a spotlight immediately spotted her.
Hermione would very much like to avoid this but apparently, she couldn't. So she walked gracefully in her four inched black stiletto and stood at where Kingsley stood before. She cleared her throat and began voicing her heart out. She saw a flash of very familiar blonde hair but looked away as fast as she found it.
"I am deeply honored to stand with you today, commemorating the sacrifices of our fellow family and friends, who fought for us with their lives. Let us never forget every single one of them. Let them live in our hearts and let us cherish every single breath we drew in today and every day remembering them. And let's not forget to cherish and be proud of ourselves today." She paused to control herself from bursting right then and there. "We too fought valiantly for freedom, not caring of our blood and social statuses. Nightmares have been haunting me every single day since that night, and it hasn't stopped. I am very sure that every single one of you has them too. And I hope it will go away sooner than we ever expected. When Harry, Ron and I ditched our seventh year…"
He saw her from the entrance, her eyes wild searching for her friends, no doubt. He moved into the shadows to avoid from being caught by her brown orbs. He knew she was still avoiding him even though they were done more than a year ago. He knew she was still hurting, because he was too.
If she thought that their break up was easy for him, she was wrong. But he was a Malfoy. He could hide his feelings very well it even hurt himself. Watching her cry because of him broke his heart but he had to do it. It was his father's dying wish and he had to obey it because he loved his father very much despite everything.
She looked like an angel, wearing the red dress. He used to love seeing her wearing her Gryffindor color. He still loved it. And tonight, she looked no less than beautiful. He saw her laughing her contagious laugh, and couldn't help but smiled a little. She was very far, but he could hear her laugh from afar as if he was beside her. And he missed it so much. Kingsley called her to give a speech as she was absent for the last few years. For the first few years, she just couldn't bear to contain the sadness for everyone that was sacrificed in the war, but last year, he was pretty sure it was because of him.
She floated elegantly and took the place where Kingsley stood before. Before she began her speech, Draco was pretty sure she saw him and tried her best to look away quickly, but he still caught her eyes. At the middle of the speech, her voice was trembling but she covered it quickly. Draco clapped along with the audiences when Hermione ended her speech.
He saw her took her place amongst her friends and they hugged her dearly, trying to calm her. He walked away.
Hermione danced with her Harry and Ron and few other coworkers who had tried their very best to court her after her break up but to no avail. She shut her heart indefinitely from any chance at love again. Fortunately, they understood well enough.
Hermione sat at the table and sipped her wine.
"I need to get some air." Her friends just nodded and she walked to the one of the balcony with a glass of wine she refilled before. She leaned in on the stone fence and drew a long breath. She thought about the owner of the blonde hair she saw earlier when she was about to give a speech.
"That was a nice speech earlier." A very familiar voice crashed through her trance. She turned her body around to find the one and only Draco Malfoy, sitting there sipping his wine.
"Thank you." Hermione made a move to get inside but he caught her hand first.
"Stay." He whispered softly.
"Why would I?" she glared at him. He could clearly saw tears forming at the brink of her eyes. She was clenching her jaw in hope she could refrain her tears from falling. He pulled her to the balcony and asked her to sit with him at the hideous table behind the door. She followed him as she too needed to know why he would do that last year. He shed his jacket off and put it on her shoulders. Hermione breathed in the scent of him that she missed so much subtlety, but he still noticed it.
"How are you doing?" he asked, not knowing how to start this very much needed conversation.
"I'm better than ever. Except for just a few minutes ago." She said without looking at him. She suddenly remembered the day he broke it off.
It was a fine day, and as usual, he brought her to his favorite café to have lunch. Just as she finished her meal, he called it off and explained why he did what he did. Of course it was all lies but he could not tell her the truth. She immediately put on her glasses and walked off quickly. He knew where she would go so he let her be for a few moments and then went after her.
She was in their favorite park, sitting on their bench alone, with her sunglasses to hide her red eyes and earphones stuck in her ears. He walked slowly and sat beside her. She was so angry that she didn't even play the songs she intended to hear. He took her hand and she let him. She didn't have any will to fight back.
"I'm sorry I did this, Hermione. We could never work out. I've been receiving threats from everyone to kill you if I stay with you. And you know very well that I can't live without you."
"Whatever, Draco. I'm done." She whispered. She stood up and faced him. "If this is going to be the last time I see you, let me take my glasses off so that I can etch every inch of your face in my mind clearly." She took off her glasses and it revealed her red rimmed eyes. "And if this is the last time that I'm going to be able to hear your voice, then let me take my earphones off so that I can replay your voice every night before I go to sleep. And those will definitely kill me, but I'd rather die than live without you." she took off her earphones and kept it in her pockets. "That was the poem I created for you just now. Good bye, Draco." she took her wand out and apparated straight to Ginny's. She spent the week crying herself to sleep.
"It's been hard you know, living without you." he started. She still didn't look at him. "My every nightmare, every night, were about you."
"I'm not the one who left." She replied short.
"I know it was my fault." He paused. "Every single day I hoped that I didn't make that mistake. But I can't change anything. So here I am, asking you, is there any second chance for me?"
"No." she answered without doubt. She stood up, put his jacket on the chair she sat before and walked away but again, he caught her hand. Not like last time, she pulled her hand roughly and tried again before Draco swiftly closed the door locking them outside and put a strong locking and silencing charms. "Is it not enough, Draco? The first time you hurt me, is it not enough? What am I to you? A puppet? All I asked of you was to care for me and love me as I am, but I don't know what happened, poof, I'm single again. What am I to you? What had happened to us?" Hermione screamed at the top of her lungs.
"My father happened, alright?" he screamed back. "He was dying and his dying wish was to see me broke it off with you. And I did because I loved him. I loved that prick and he was my father. All the reasons I gave you last time were lies." He lowered his voice down.
Hermione drew her wand out but Draco was quicker. He wordlessly took her wand with his. She was speechless but she didn't want to look like she had lost the arguments.
"That didn't and won't make up for what you have done, Draco. My heart is still in pieces. And I don't know how to mend it. I tried and tried every single night, and just when I thought I have succeeded, it broke again every time I see you at work. And the nightmares of you leaving me replayed every night, more than the nightmares of rubbles, bodies, blood and death. I tried so hard to be happy with myself, even though I know it will never happen without you. But to accept you right now, means risking… risking my heart to be broken again. It hurts so much."
"Do you really think that breaking up with you didn't hurt me at all? Mother had to lock me in my room so I didn't get my hands on the firewhiskey I needed to drown the pain I felt in here." he poked his chest a few times. "She took away my wand, sealed the window so I couldn't jump to end my life. She sent the elves to feed me, which I refused every single time." Hermione looked at him. He did look a little thinner than before, but the aura of a Malfoy never left. "Hermione, all I ask of you is, just to consider everything. I never stopped loving you, and I know you haven't stopped loving me."
"Too bad, I'm not one to easily fall inside a trap. Now give me back my wand. I'm sure they are looking for me." Draco obeyed and unlocked the door. He was defeated. Hermione walked as fast as she could to find the ladies room to fix her make up. She found Ginny there.
Ginny, being the good friend she was, sensed that something was wrong with her and her guess was right. It had everything to do with Draco. Hermione couldn't help but cried for the second time that night and poured everything to her. She listened very carefully and when Hermione stopped, she said a phrase that would change Hermione's life forever.
"It's obvious that you two couldn't live without each other so, go get him, Hermione. He is the glue to your broken heart." Hermione looked at her with her red eyes, and got up. She left her things with Ginny and ran out.
'He's the glue to my broken heart. He's the glue to my broken heart. He's the glue to my broken heart.' She chanted the phrase in her mind while she was looking for him. She went to the balcony first but he was not there. She looked everywhere but he was nowhere. She was about to give up when she remembered the podium where she stood earlier. The guests were suddenly attracted to what she was about to do. They stopped their conversation, dancing and eating to hear to what she had to say.
"For the one that holds my broken heart from the moment he broke it, for the one that haunts my nightmare every single night with the words of farewell, for the one whose flawless face etched in my mind clearly, for the one whose voice I replayed every night, I never stopped loving you, and I will never, ever stopped loving you. So if you could hear this, be a man and come and face me now. I created this for you, just now."
"You seem to recycle the poem though." The crowd turned to the source of the voice. The voice of Draco Malfoy. Hermione saw him and ran down the stairs before pulling off her shoes and ran up to him. She threw herself into his and the crowd cheered. "I will never do that again, ever." He whispered. His voice was thick with emotions as he spoke and kissed her forehead just how she liked it.
"Azkaban or not, if you ever do that again, I will kill you. Prick!" Draco laughed and twirled her before kissing her on her lips. The crowd continued cheering. Hermione could feel that heart mended itself. He was the glue to her broken heart.
And that was the start of the happy ever after.
A/N: Hello beautiful people! I'm back! I've been busy with my college assignments and all. I wrote this between 12am to 3am last night and I apologize if it doesn't make sense or whatnot. Nonetheless, enjoy! Much love xx