A/N: Drabble written for mihnn at the Anti-Valentine's Day drabble-a-thon issued by the LJ community dramionedrabble on Valentine's Day 2011.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling. The author of the following story (which is me) has no connection to J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Publishing, Scholastic Books or Warner Bros., Inc. – No money is being made from this, no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Christmas, nineteen months (and twenty-three days) since the Battle of Hogwarts.
Hermione greets Ron with a kiss as he steps into her parents' house. Her mother and father cheerfully greet them with a couple of small presents, but it's not long before Hermione rushes into the living room to get her cloak on and comes back with a pointed look on her face.
She drags her boyfriend out of the door and they walk for exactly one mile before Disapparating to Diagon Alley. The restaurant is packed once they get there and they're stuck waiting in the small lounge area; Hermione grumpily accepts the drink Ron has offered her, reproaching him for not making a reservation on one of the busiest day of the year.
Draco is sitting at a table not far from the lounge, sniggering at the pair. His date joins with her own sneering laughter and he rolls his eyes; his mother is the one who forced the girl on him. She's sharp and witty, not to mention quite nice to look at, but going out with a pure-blood witch is not what Draco would consider a smart move in the current political climate.
Still, it's Christmas, and Granger and Weasley are providing ample entertainment.
Michaelmas, ten days after Hermione's twenty-first birthday.
It's been almost a year since their first date, and Draco is starting to feel the ominous sound the wedding bells wherever he goes. His girlfriend seems oblivious to the meaningful looks their parents give them whenever the two parties meet, but he isn't blessed with equal blindness. Or ingenuity, he can't decide.
He narrowly escapes a trip down Madam Malkin's largely renowned wedding robes section by diving into Quality Quidditch Supplies.
Hermione is at the counter, paying for what will be Ron's new broomstick. Not that he deserves it, seen as he has twice refused to join her at her place for the traditional dinner; she knows he's just pretending to not understand her Muggle customs.
She notices Malfoy and, unsure on what terms they are now, simply stares at him. He stares back until the owner of the shop asks if he needs any assistance; Hermione is surprised to see him count the money in his bag before he agrees to buy a badge of the Wimbourne Wasps.
Midsummer Day, twelve hours before the wedding.
Hermione is looking at him as if seeing him for the first time, but nothing's changed in the way he looks at her. Draco is still talking about his wife, about her overwhelmingly special qualities, and there's only one thought running through Hermione's mind: she's made the whole thing up in her head.
The day they started going out for coffee is long past, but Hermione remembers it so well, and she realises that when he told her it had been a revelation to have her as his friend, he actually meant just that. Friends. Draco didn't secretly harbour romantic feelings for her; Hermione had started wildly jumping to conclusions since he had appeared slightly morose at the announcement of her engagement to Ron. He had probably been worried she would expect him to pop the question too.
Even when he told her of his own engagement, she didn't give up hope. She paraded Ron's faults whenever they met for their Wednesday afternoon coffee break. Draco was supportive and kindly concerned about her happiness, so Hermione hoped, dreamt, expected him to ditch the girlfriend and confess his undying love to her.
He is staring at her now with the friendly look he reserves for her, and Hermione can hear the unmistakable sound of her heart breaking. She smiles a fake smile and hides behind her cup.
Lady Day, one week before Easter.
Her friends know not call on Hermione over the Easter holidays. Nobody knows where she goes or what she does, nobody asks. Even if someone did, she wouldn't tell them; they all assume she is grieving for the skirmish at Malfoy Manor.
They are, in part, right.
She casts the usual Disillusionment Charm and with a pop, she leaves her flat, only to reappear in the same spot when the sun has already set. Her eyes are puffy and red. She collapses on her bed, curls up in a ball and forces herself to breathe in and out. She is asleep in minutes, and Crookshanks jumps gingerly over the covers, lying to rest quietly next to Hermione's head.
The Disillusionment Charm dissolves an hour later.
Mrs Malfoy is discussing the correct way to plant the hedges of the Manor with her daughter-in-law, when Draco's eye catches a glimpse of something red outside the magical wards. He blinks, and it's gone. He tunes the two witches out, approaching the wrought-iron gates barring the way to unwanted guests. Draco is sure he has just seen a piece of red clothing swap in the nonexistent breeze, and the last time something like this happened, Potter was under his Invisibility Cloak spying on him.
He wants nothing more than to spend the day staring at the young yew tree planted outside the wards of the manor. His wife and his mother leave him be for some time, but when twilight draws near his wife comes closer. She slips her hand into his and pecks him on the cheek, effectively persuading him to go back inside.
Draco is almost certain he's made the whole red thing up in his head.
PROMPT: "I never knew until that moment how bad it could hurt to lose something you never really had." – The Wonder Years.