Hello everybody! Now this is a depressing story. I don't know what happened, its like someone else wrote it. I just sat there typing. I don't know where I got the idea, or how it developed - it just did.
Its rated for a few swear words, and kinda grim content.
Oh yeah - and JK Rowling owns all the characters, except for the ones I made up (obviously). Thankyou JK!
Now, please r&r! On with the story.
Worth Living For
The rain splattered on the ground. Hermione leant over the rail, gasping for breath, wiping away the thick locks of wet hair that stuck to her face. Just looking down, seeing the long drop that ended in the busy Muggle street made her dizzy. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to control her wild gasps of breath, hardly noticing the tears that streamed down her face, mingling with rain drops and blood.
She gingerly touch the bloody gash on her forehead, and winced with the burst of burning pain that shot through her head when her finger brushed the exposed flesh of the cut.
Sobs that she had managed to hold back all evening came
bubbling up her throat. She choked on them as they forced their way through her
sore, cut lips. She wiped her nose and mouth with the back of her hand and
looked down at her expensive evening dress, soaking wet and torn. Suddenly she
was crying, sobbing, uncontrollably. Turning her back against the night sky and
the lit up city, she sank down until she was crouching against the short wall
under the railing, shoulders shaking, head in hands, memories of
She'd been happier than she could remember being for a long time. There she was, walking arm in arm with her husband, wearing a beautiful new evening dress of light blue satin he'd bought for her. The gift he'd made of the dress had surprised and touched her. He never bought her anything. And this gesture of caring made him seem so much kinder. He'd even smiled when she modeled the new dress for him, clapping his hands and proclaiming it perfect. He'd insisted she wear it this evening. They were going to have dinner with his boss, Jim Richerdly, a wizard in his early forties, who knew seven different languages fluently and had traveled the world.
Hermione was proud of her husband, and his high-class job. Viktor Krum was the Bulgarian wizard ambassador to the USA.
Eight years ago they'd moved to the USA as newlyweds, Hermione fresh out of Hogwarts. Her friends thought she was crazy to get married at such a young age. Ron was especially appalled at the idea, and almost begged her not to go "ruin her life" as he put it. She hadn't listened to them.
"I love Viktor. I'm going to marry him and spend the rest of my life with him. He loves me too. We'll be very happy."
Oh how young and foolish she'd been. Viktor was so wonderful back then. He'd swept her off her feet with his romantic charm and his kindness. Back then he respected her. All that was gone now. Now he was different. There were times when she was so scared of him. Many times she'd been tempted to do what she was going to do now.
They didn't have any children. Many times they'd tried. But all they'd had was miscarriages, and one stillborn. And every time Viktor got the bad news, that he wasn't going to become a father - not this time, he'd get angry at her. Hermione hated it when he got angry at her.
So the dress was a wonderful surprise. And when he smiled at her, Hermione thought Viktor had finally changed.
They entered the fancy Muggle restaurant Mr. Richerdly had picked out looking as they should have - a proud, successful, happy couple.
On meeting Mr. Richerdly and his wife, Isabella, Hermione immediately received a shower of compliments from both. Hermione blushed. She'd spent a long time perfecting her make up and hair, wanting to look perfect, to please Viktor. Her hair, which had long since lost its bushiness, was twisted into a sleek, shiny knot at the back of her head, and she'd used a seductive red lipstick. Viktor's favorite feature was her lips, he always liked it when she made them especially noticeable.
The sudden crash of thunder jolted Hermione from her thoughts. Lightening flashed, lit up the whole sky, and stayed there. It took Hermione a few seconds to realized it wasn't lightening she was seeing, but lights. Peering over the railing, she saw the traffic had been stopped on the street. People crowded at the entrance of the tall office building on whose roof she sat. Police cars were parked everywhere, and great bright lights were aimed up at where they thought she sat.
Shit.
Someone must've seen her and called the police. There was probably someone coming up at any moment now.
She clutched at her belly as if trying to feel the heartbeat of the child inside her. But it was probably dead now, no matter how she'd tried to protect it. So it didn't matter if she jumped, and she couldn't be guilted down by the fact that she was carrying another life, and it would end with hers.
She hadn't told Viktor she was pregnant. She was planning to
wait until the next morning, when he would be in a good mood from the dinner.
She'd almost cried when the pregnancy test had come out positive. If this child
died, things would just get worse for her. On the other hand, if the baby lived,
then maybe...maybe, Viktor would change. Become once again the charming, loving
man she'd fallen
She noticed the bulge showing though Isabella Richerdly's loose peach silk dress almost immediately. She almost screamed with the desperate jealousy that kept growing inside her when they all sat down, and Jim Richerdly put a loving hand on his wife's belly, and looked briefly at her, eyes full of love.
Why couldn't things be like that for Hermione?
Soon the Richerdly's would have a beautiful baby. They'd play with it, cuddle it, take it on walks. The baby would grow into a child, and Isabella and Jim would grow closer bringing it up together.
Not able to bear it any longer, she excused herself and hurried to the lady's room, where she'd almost splashed water on her face - but then realized it would ruin her make up, and Viktor would get upset. So she just stood looking at herself in the mirror for a few minutes, before walking out again.
Viktor was waiting for her outside. He looked at her, his eyes cold. Hermione's heart sped up. He was angry. What had she done? Desperately she scanned her memory for anything she could've done since they'd entered the restaurant to make Viktor angry. She knew he wouldn't do anything here, where people were bound to see, but once they were home...Hermione wondered if she should try begging for mercy - but last time she'd tried that, she got an extra punch.
"Don't do anything stupid," Viktor said, his accented voice barely above a whisper, "Or I'll kill you." He turned, and left. Hermione almost started crying - but no, that would just mess up her make up. That would be a stupid things to do. And Hermione knew Viktor had been serious. If she messed up her make up, she knew he'd keep his word. She didn't doubt that.
Whaddya think? Next chapter coming up soon! Don't forget to review!