Hey I am finally back... And with a fic too! It's a DMHG oneshot, really sad and not a happy ending. I hope you all will like it.
I solemnly swear that I do not own these characters.
She often wished that that it wouldn't be this way.
They shouldn't have started in the first place, it was morally wrong. She and Draco Malfoy. They shouldn't be together, or at least, not like this.
She was after all Hermione Granger, respected and well loved in the wizarding world. He was a well-known businessman and married. And worse, he was married to her dearest friend, Ginny Weasley. They both had reputations they could not afford to lose, just because of a stupid love affair. They both couldn't risk breaking Ginny's heart. And yet they still carried on.
She was the third party, and she knew it very well too. She was the person who stood between Ginny and Draco in their marriage, drifting them away from each other. And she hated it.
She had been perfectly fine, perfectly contented, until he showed up once more. She hadn't seen him until then, not since their masked-relationship in Hogwarts. She couldn't forget him again, and apparently he couldn't either. They had kissed each other fervently in the heavy rain that very day and confessed how they felt about each other. Their passion and love was rekindled once more. But it was too late, they couldn't be with each other. He was already married.
It had been two years since their affair begun. They didn't intend on it happening. At first they both grudgingly agreed that they would remain friends, just friends. He visited her apartment often, and they often discussed about literature and laughed about everyone. She was beginning to accept the fact that she and Draco would remain nothing but friends, and then it happened. Just one day.
Draco had many problems with his relationship with Ginny. Their marriage was constantly tested by many issues. Ginny was hot tempered and stubborn, never conceding to any. She refused to listen to others, including her husband. It was another long angry tiff, and Draco finally came knocking on her door, looking angry and upset. She didn't have the heart to turn him away, he was just too miserable. She invited him in for a cup of tea, and then he cried. Draco grabbed her and leaned on her shoulder, his tears and months of grief finally spilling. Before they knew it... They kissed again.
They lost control. They could no longer help it. Both of them lost control of themselves and sanity abandoned them. It was beyond them and all they could do was give in to their feelings. They spent the night together, asleep in each other's arms. And when they woke the next morning, they both knew that it would be impossible to try and stop this tide of passion.
It happened again and again. It never stopped.
He would come to her house at least once a week. It was his refuge, and hers too. He told her that only in this place could he find peace and comfort. And strange enough, she knew it was the truth. In here, he didn't have to face his demanding parents. Or the pressure of business. Or the wrath of Ginny. This, was his real home. He would run off to her, every time he and Ginny had a fight. He would come back to her arms and flee to her comfort.
Draco just was irreplaceable. It wasn't just because he was smart or handsome or rich. She didn't care about this superficial qualities. Draco often questioned about life's philosophy, and make her wonder about things she never thought about before. He was deeper than he let the world in on and more caring to her than anyone had ever been. He was vulnerable and sensitive, despite his cool exterior, and loved her as a true man would. She loved him.
It wasn't in a moment of weakness did she give in to this temptation. It wasn't because she wasn't strong enough to fend her feelings off. On the contrary, it took all her courage and every fibre of her to cave to her emotions. She used all her strength and bravery every time she dared to kiss Draco. It was strength, that let her love Draco.
He showered her with gifts and kisses, as if to make up for the many nights she spent alone in their bed. But it never filled up the emptiness or loneliness she felt when she hoped that he would stay with her every single time he visited. Nothing made up for it.
It didn't make any sense, why she would do something like this. It was crazy. She had put herself beneath her worth just to be with Draco. And sometimes, she didn't understand why either, when she had her own pick on who she wanted. Something in her water must be affecting her, the way Draco was affecting her. She often contemplated about their relationship, and whether there could be anything more to it, and whether the price she had to pay was too heavy.
But in the end, she knew it was worth it.
She never asked him once to leave Ginny. Not once. She wasn't the type that would want to tear her friend's heart. And she knew somewhere deep inside her, that Draco loved Ginny still. Yes, Draco loved her too, but he also liked Ginny a lot. As much as he was upset with Ginny, angry with Ginny or fighting with Ginny, Draco had loved her. Draco loved Ginny, at least a little bit. She acknowledged this fact quietly, even though he never told her this. She knew Draco was torn between her and Ginny, and either option that he chose, it would hurt him. She didn't want that to happen, she would rather hurt herself.
He would come to her flat sometimes, and they would spent the night together. But he never stayed. He would wait until she was asleep before he left. And when she woke, he was gone. He would never be there when she wakes. When she open her eyes every morning, all that was left was the creases on the bedsheets and the lingering scent of him. Nothing else. Because he had to return to his other home.
He was gone, as if nothing existed between them.
They had crossed to the point of no return, like a one-way road. She couldn't stop thinking about him, nor stopped caring about him. Once or twice, when she felt weak and tired, she would think of leaving him just like she did years ago. But in the end, she knew it was impossible. It would be like breathing without oxygen-- Suffocating and torturous. She was in too deep to care about anything else except to be with him.
No one else found out about what happen between she and Draco. And she preferred it this way. Anyone who finds out about this would automatically spell the end of their relationship. And she had to cling on to as much of Draco as she could get. She couldn't risk this happening.
She was on her own most of the time when Draco wasn't there. She had to pretend to be the independent smart witch that the world thought they knew. She had to pretend that she doesn't care. Even in the night alone in her flat, she had to go on pretending. Pretending that Draco was beside her.
At times they would just sit on her sofa, his one arm around her shoulder. She would lean in to him and inhale his scent, saying nothing at all. He would close his eyes and kiss her forehead. Then he would suddenly say, " We are screwed, aren't we?". She would have no choice but to reply the truth. "Yes," she would say. And then they would stare at the fire blazing in the fireplace, silent again.
He would wrap his arms around her waist from behind every time before he left, and leaned onto her shoulder just as he did the first time they were together, as if to cry again. He would hug her tightly, his grey eyes almost tearing, as if afraid to let her go. She understood what this meant, and she felt the same way too. She didn't want him to leave either. But they didn't have a choice.
Perhaps someone would find out about them one day. Perhaps the truth would come out. She would then be scorned by the wizarding world, shamed by her family, upset by her friends, and hated by Ginny. She knew all these might happen, and she prepared to face them once they come. Face the deathly hallows. She would accept the consequences without a word of protest. She didn't care. She loved Draco too much. He was worth it. He was worth the consequences.
Sorry I just couldn't resist sticking the 7th book title in. I just found out. Do you like it? Please, absolutely please, Review!