TEN REASONS WHY I DIVORCED OLIVER WOOD
1). My friends liked him.
2). He was boring.
3). We had everything and yet nothing in common.
4). No one expected me to.
5). My friends liked him.
6). He wasn't Draco Malfoy.
7). Draco decided he loved me.
8). I grew a spine.
9). I didn't love him.
10). My friends liked him.
I did go through with the wedding though. I knew I had to. This was real life after all. Nothing was supposed to go my way. I mean, did anyone ever say life was going to be fair? If so, they were lying.
So I married Oliver and we had a good two weeks on our honey moon.
But as soon as we got home, I felt it. I felt it in my gut. 'This is wrong,' I told myself, feeling guilt building up inside of me. 'I can't do this.'
CHAPTER ONE: My friends liked him.
I was so angry at Harry and Ron. I mean really and truly angry. They were making me so mad and I couldn't take it. They were treating Oliver like HE was their best friend or something and I was just his wife.
They would take him out for a drink every once in a while and stop by the house all the time. Not for me of course. They just wanted to hang out with Oliver for a little while.
I became insignificant the moment I took Oliver's last name. God what a mistake that was! I gave up my last name for a man I didn't even love.
Our wedding had been on the cover of every wizard magazine. "THE WOODS HEAD TOWARDS MARITAL BLISS!" They were taking polls on when they thought our first child would be born.
Ron and Harry loved the idea. "Herms, this is great!" Ron told me. "You're going to have such a great life. I know you'll be happy. He IS perfect for you after all. I mean, you can't get much better than Ollie, can you?" It wasn't a question though. He didn't want a response. I could tell. He was just throwing it out there.
"Yeah, Herm. Oliver's great," Harry added in. "He's so cool too. He's one of the Quidditch greats! And your kids'll be super smart and talented. Between the two of you, the Wood family'll be unstoppable. You're going to take over the whole Wizarding World."
"I don't want to talk about the Wood family right now, Harry," I replied through clenched teeth. "I have a bit of a headache and the idea of children is making me slightly nauseous. I am only twenty seven years old. I'm too young to be a mother."
He laughed. "That's our Hermione. Always kidding with us. You were kidding, right Hermione?"
"Well actually…"
"Oh good. I thought so. I mean, for a minute there I thought you were planning on being a career woman and waiting to have kids when you're nearly forty!"
"I am, though."
He and Ron stared at me as though I had ten heads. "But what about Ollie?" Ron asked. "Don't you owe it to him to take his opinion into consideration?"
"It's not just his life, Ronald! I deserve to have my dreams come true too. Don't I?" I waited a few seconds and after hearing no response I grew angry. "DON'T answer that." They both looked at me and then back at each other.
After a few seconds of staring, the smiles came back on their faces. "OH!" Ron exclaimed. "I get it now. It's just PMS, right?" Ugh. Men!
That day when Oliver came home, I sat him down for a talk. We discussed children and I told him he'd have to wait for me to be ready. "Well when is that? I mean, my mum was hoping to have grandchildren while she was still young enough to have energy to take care of them for us."
That was another problem.
His mother.
EVERYONE (and I do mean everyone) loved her. She was the apple of their eyes. Harry and Ron practically worshipped her. She was a lot like Molly... only with money.
I hated her. She was always coming to the house and straightening up after us. She made me seem like a horrible wife, like I could do nothing right.
Harry and Ron told me I was being irrational and I just glared at them.
They definitely liked Oliver too much.
CHAPTER TWO: He was boring.
Oh GOD was he boring. At least in my opinion, anyway. Of course he was beautiful. He was brilliantly handsome and suave. He could charm the pants off of Hitler – no offense to anyone of course.
Unfortunately it didn't matter how charming he was. He had no real personality. Quidditch was his life. Oh yes, and he loved books. He loved to read, just like I did. He too had a library in his home and when it became my home too, we both spent most of our spare time in there.
We never spoke though. When you're in a library, you're silent. We both respected those rules. The Library was sacred to us. You never disturbed the calm and peaceful mood that's been set. It just wasn't right.
So what was a girl to do? I was never very good at just starting conversations. My only topic to discuss was school and books.
But he was my husband! Wasn't conversation supposed to just come to you?
We didn't even have sex after the honey moon. It felt weird. It was all so final. Oliver was supposed to be the last person I slept with and it scared me.
Then I figured I had the rest of my life to have sex with him so he could wait until I was ready. I just didn't want to do it with him as a married couple. It was like when you finally realize – yes, this IS in fact your life. Ha – ha – ha. So hilarious, right?
Having sex with your husband was a shocking wake up call. It was like a slap in the face. BOOM! You're married. You can never cheat on him. You're going to have to have kids with him. You're stuck here for the rest of your life.
…And HE is the last guy you are ever going to be with.
So I didn't want to have sex with him but then what did that leave for us to do? Talk? ABOUT WHAT?
God, in school I had been so good at this. I could start a conversation, albeit it was always about a book I had just read or an upcoming exam or at least something related to that area but there was no more school and I could never talk about a book with Oliver until he had read it. He didn't want me to inadvertently give away the end.
And even if he had read it, he would usually have nothing much to say about it. Here's an example of one of our conversations:
"Oh Oliver, I just read the most incredible book," I might say.
"Oh? And what's that, dear?" he could reply.
"I read this wonderful novel, The Great Gatsby. What did you think of it?"
"It was good. A lot of symbolism."
"I know! Like the way the author uses the clock to display Daisy and Gatsby's relationship, wasn't that brilliant?"
"Yes. Very smart man he was." Then he'd kiss my forehead. "Keep reading. I have to go practice now." Then he'd leave.
JERK! Get a bloody personality. Talk to me. I'm trying here!
I swear, if he would only start up a good conversation I would talk until the cows came home. But how could I talk when he never gave much of a response?
The man was such a bore and when I spent time with him, I felt as though I'd fall asleep any second.
When we finally made love again for the first time, I pictured it was Draco. I took control and straddled him, trying to imagine how I would do it with Draco.
Of course making love with Oliver was much different no matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise.
But a girl could try, right?
CHAPTER THREE: We had everything and yet nothing in common.
Oliver was supposed to be a perfect match for me. On paper, we were meant to be together. We even LOOKED perfect for one another.
We both loved to read. We shared the same friends. We were both Gryffindors. We had both been prefects. We were both famous.
We were BOTH supposedly deemed boring.
And I may have been boring to everybody else but I'll tell you something, Draco could never say he was bored with me.
I offered him basically anything he wanted. Sex, interesting conversation, playful arguments, scandal, drama… you name it.
But there was nothing I could offer Oliver.
Sex was a no. I never wanted to sleep with him again. Been there, done that. No thank you. I decided only to sleep with him on our anniversaries but that was it.
Interesting conversation was thwarted by Oliver's dull nature so there goes that idea.
Playful arguments- well they would confuse him way too much. He'd think I was serious and instead of taking it as flirting, he'd ask me if everything were okay and if I needed to go and lie down for a while.
And scandal and drama were impossible. He was like I said the perfect match. No one finds PERFECTION scandalous. I might as well have killed myself if I wanted scandal.
It was just difficult to be in a relationship where there was no excitement. I wasn't even physically attracted to him. Sure, he had the body of a God and the voice of an angel. But there was no intrigue, no challenge.
I couldn't take it. I was someone who needed a little thrill. Maybe that's why I was friends with Harry and Ron. So there you have it. ANOTHER reason my husband made me want to kill myself.
CHAPTER FOUR: No one expected me to.
In first year, I earned the nickname Know-it-all-Granger. I became…predictable. If a fellow student (Neville for example) was having troubles with their work, they always came to me. When the teacher posed a question to the class, they were safe to say that I would be the one answering it (except for Snape but he was just an asshole anyway).
The point is, I kept the predictability for far too long. On our fourth anniversary, Oliver and I had a party. Harry and Ron came (I think mainly to see Oliver) and I sat them down for a nice long talk.
"You guys, I have to tell you something," I confessed, dragging them into the living room of my new home, The Wood Manor. "I'm afraid that this will come as a shock to you but…"
"YOU'RE PREGNANT!" Ron practically hollered. "Oi! Hermione, I'm so happy for you. We thought you'd never have children. This is just so unexpected! I want to be the Godf…"
"NO!" I cut him off. "Your assumption, Ronald Weasley, is wrong. I am not pregnant nor do I plan on being pregnant anytime soon so you can just keep your hopes to yourself. I do NOT want to hear anymore about children until I am…"
"Hermione, what's going on?" Harry finally asked, looking a little nervous. "You look unhappy but I don't get it. You've got a great life here. You've got a great home, a great job, a great hus…"
"If you finish that sentence Harry Potter, I'm afraid I'll be forced to regurgitate my anniversary cake."
"Stop being a drama queen and tell us what's going on, Hermione." Their cheeks were red with nervousness as were mine. My heart beat a hundred miles a second. I knew before I even said it that they would overreact.
"I'm unhappy, Harry." There it was, out on the table. I confessed the truth. I didn't know what they were thinking until Ron finally spoke up.
"Kids'll cheer you…"
"NO, Ron. No kids. Not with HIM anyway. You see, I'm not unhappy because I'm bored, though that is part of it. I just can't take HIM! He's as interesting as a broomstick to me and you know what that means."
"You don't like broomsticks, Hermione, because you never opened your mind to the sport. You were too busy in schoolwork to see the amazement. Maybe if you took some time off from work, went on a second Honeymoon with Ollie, then maybe…"
"It won't work, Ron. Listen, I'm not asking for your blessing because I know you love him way too much to give it, but I'm going to divor…"
"Don't," whispered a sad looking Harry. "Don't even say the word because I know WHY you're saying it. You didn't even give Oliver a chance. You've had your mind set since the day he asked you out. You only want HIM and that's not fair for your marriage. You're letting yourself indulge in a fantasy that's not going to happen."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, playing dumb for the first time ever.
"Yes, Hermione, I think you DO."
"I'm not doing this for Malfoy, Harry. I wouldn't dream of giving something up for Malfoy. Goodness knows that he would never do it for me. I just think that I'm stuck in a pointless marriage. Oliver doesn't even talk to me."
They both sat in silence for a few seconds thinking over all that I had said. But sooner or later, someone had to break the silence and so Harry sat in awe as he said, "I never would have expected you, Hermione Granger, divorcing Oliver Wood. You just seem so…"
"Perfect together?" I finished for him. "Yeah, I know what you mean."
CHAPTER FIVE: My friends liked him.
Let's rewind a bit, shall we? My first year of marriage was obviously a flop. A disaster from the start. But for all the horror of year one, the next year was even worse. I was falling into a slump. My career was a failure. I had quit my job and taken a new one.
I was the Assistant Mistress of Magic. Oh yes, I know. It doesn't sound so bad to you. Most people would probably hear the title and call it success. Truth is, I didn't like being under anyone. Assisting the Minister was one thing, but covering up for him?
I had become the face of the ministry. That meant I had to talk to the press daily which meant I had to look good every day and make up lies for our bad mistakes. I'm sure it doesn't sound too bad but it was totally against my morals. I had become one big deception.
One day I went to the Three Broomsticks for a drink after work. It was an average day, just like any other. Work hadn't been particularly dreadful that day but I just wanted a drink.
The man at the bar asked me what I'd like but before I had a chance to respond, a voice sounded behind me, "She'll have a Firewhiskey on the rocks. Make mine dry, please." I knew exactly who it was before turning around. Only one person would be so bold as to order my drink for me.
"I'll order my own drink, thank you very much Mr. Malfoy," I replied, still not facing him and taking out my money to show I wouldn't have him paying for me.
"The drink's on me, Granger," he answered. "And don't get your panties in a twist. It's a one time thing."
The bartender gave us our drinks and I put my wallet away after more persuasion from Draco. After I gave up, Draco asked, "How's Wood?" Small talk. I should have known.
"Fine."
"And you? Are you…happy?"
"I'm fine."
"That's not what I asked."
"Regardless, that's all I've got to say."
"You don't love him."
"Yes but you didn't love me either and we were together for oh, I don't know, twelve years? Forgive me if I seem rude but I don't think you're in the position to question about my marriage. I heard you married Pansy so I'm pretty sure that your answer would be the same thing."
"I'm happy," he quickly shot back, as if he had something to prove. "Pansy and I have a great marriage. The sex is amazing." He took the seat next to me as we both took a swig of our drinks.
"You're hopeless, Draco. Two years and STILL all you care about is sex. Doesn't it ever get tiring? You're like the little energizer bunny. You just keep going and going and going."
"What's the energizer bunny?"
"Never mind."
"Well I just know that I get laid every night. You look like you haven't had sex since your honey moon."
My face went red and I took another swig of my drink. That's when I noticed it was almost empty. Ignoring Draco's comment, I asked the bartender for another, "And keep them coming," I requested sadly.
"I'll take it I was right."
I sighed. "Having sex with Oliver Wood is like shaving my legs. It's something I only like to do for special occasions otherwise, the hell with it."
He made a face at my shaving comment but I didn't care. Any lady out there agrees, who wants to shave their legs unless they have to? "Your legs were never hairy when I was around."
I laughed. "You were different. You weren't a frigid bore. I swear he hardly moves. It's just an unfortunate disaster."
He seemed to love that. "So I was good for you?"
"Not in this life time, bucko. At least Oliver knows how to treat a woman. You on the other hand…"
"We had chemistry, Granger. Don't underestimate the power of good sex," he told me, stopping my insults before I began. "And I think you forget just how much I gave you. I gave you everything."
"And took away everything else, including my life and my friends."
"Oh come off it, Granger. I wasn't THAT controlling."
I took the last swig of my second firewhiskey and started on my third. "Of course not, Draco. You weren't controlling at all. What was I thinking, accusing you of such a thing? I must be off my rocker."
He laughed. "You always did have a good sense of humor." He asked the bartender for another firewhiskey for himself and then proceeded to ask about work.
"If it was going well, do you think I'd be here?"
Nothing happened between Draco and myself that night. But, as I was leaving, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I thought it was Draco trying to get my attention but it turns out, it wasn't him.
"You just couldn't stay away from Him, could you?"
"Harry, please…"
"How could you do this to Ollie?" And with that said, he left. I looked to Draco who was seated at the bar still, watching me and I waved goodbye but with the knowledge that I would see him again.
Soon.
CHAPTER SIX: He wasn't Draco Malfoy.
I began seeing Draco again on a regular basis after that. Just casually of course. No sex or anything. Strictly friendship but it was better than nothing.
Half the time we would meet for drinks at the Three Broomsticks. Other times, he'd invite me to the Manor for tea. The house elves were so confused. They didn't know whether or not to call me Mistress again so they simply tried avoiding names. Pretty soon, though, they went back to old habits and I was the mistress again.
And after a few months, I was quite literally the mistress. I was caught up in a heated affair with Draco Malfoy. Of course when we met, Pansy wasn't around. She would have gone straight to Oliver if she knew and I wasn't ready to lose Harry and Ron just yet.
When Cornelius Fudge finally retired, I was voted Mistress of Magic of the whole Wizarding World. I was the youngest Witch OR Wizard to ever receive the title. At the age of 29, my life had become bearable once more.
On our third anniversary, I slept with Oliver again. We made love on our bed with the fireplace going, and of course, a perfect example of our sham of a marriage, in the middle of it, Harry and Ron's faces showed up in the fire. "Hey Ollie, are you there?"
"GO AWAY, BOYS!" I shouted. "We're in the middle of something. Please leave us alone." They couldn't see from where they were but I think they got the picture as they left us alone right away.
I had to fake an orgasm that night. Like usual, Oliver did nothing for me. He wasn't…exciting enough. I mean, we only ever made love on the bed. Couldn't he be more original? Like what about the floor outside under the stars? Romantic. Cliché but romantic nonetheless.
Draco liked the exotic things. He had a flare for romance. We did it anywhere, bed or not, didn't matter. I remember one time, he had taken me to California. We went to the Santa Monica beach. He shagged me right there, under the pier, everyone else still swimming around us.
Why couldn't Oliver be more like Draco?
CHAPTER SEVEN: Draco decided he loved me.
Now I want to be very clear before I begin this next part. I was still the same old Hermione. I still had all the same interests and the exact same personality as always. I promise, I didn't change into a stupid, love sick puppy, waiting at the feet of the man she adored. I was still Hermione Granger, with my own beliefs and my own opinions. Draco may have originally suppressed that but I can assure you, I wasn't letting that happen again.
Not this time.
So when our affair became too routine for me, too obvious, I told Draco what was on my mind. "How are we going to do this again? Cheat and lie and sneak around over and over? I can't take it!" I confessed.
He didn't say anything. We were lying in bed, the sheets drawn around us. I sat up on the edge, facing away from him and towards the beautiful balcony. The sun was rising spectacularly. It was comprised of pinks, yellows, and oranges. All of my favorite colors.
"I don't know how to do this!" I continued. "How come you're not responding? I'm telling you that I won't see you anymore." I looked over my shoulder at him and he looked so nonchalant.
"I know you want me to say something, love, but how can I respond to a line that's already played out? It's nothing I haven't heard before and yet…look! Here you are, in my room, in my bed, without any clothes on. I find it hard to believe that this time, you're serious."
I scooted over closer to him on the bed and placed a kiss on his lips. "But don't you love me?" I asked, not really knowing what I was up to. "Don't you care that one day, I WILL leave and there's nothing you can do to stop me?"
He sat up in bed and looked at me, finally eye level. "What do you want from me, Granger? I don't know how much more I can give to you. You know I'd give you anything you asked of me…"
"Just tell me you love me," I broke in. "That's all. If you can tell me you love me, that there's no way Oliver can give me even a fraction of the love you can give me, then I'll leave him. You don't have to leave Pansy, that's not why I'm saying this. I just need to know… well I don't know what I need to know. I just…need to feel like we're not going to be stuck in the same rut for the next ten years." I moved over to the edge of the bed again and turned away from him so he couldn't see my face. I didn't want him to see how frustrated I really was.
Or the tears that filled my eyes.
He scooted right behind me. His fingers brushed over my shoulders lovingly and his kissed my shoulder blade. "I love you." It was barely a whisper. If I hadn't been paying attention, I probably would have missed it. But he DID say it.
A single tear managed to escape but I wiped it away before he could tell.
"Did you hear me, Granger?" he asked. "I said I…"
"I heard."
"Well you can leave Wood now. Right now. Tomorrow would be good. Do you hear that? I don't want you…"
"I hear you, Draco." I turned around and looked into his eyes. "But give me time. I want to make sure Harry and Ron will understand and right now…"
"No. I won't wait for Weasel and Scarface to understand our relationship. That'll never happen. They just won't let grudges die. Not that I would either, but that's exactly my point. They won't see what they won't let themselves see. Does that make any sense to you?"
I laughed. "Quite frankly, no. But you have to give them a chance. They're good people. They just don't get what I see in you. They don't see that you're different."
"Granger, don't start this again! All the 'he's changed' crap won't convince anyone that you leaving Wood is a good idea. They'll hate me forever. You're going to have to make the choice."
"What choice? There is no choice. I want both!"
"What if you can't have both, love? What then?"
I stood up, taking the sheet with me. "I get to have both, Draco. You're not taking that away for me. I won't choose. It's ludicrous to ask me to."
I marched straight to the bathroom and slammed the door in his face. He loved me enough to want me all for himself but that wasn't exactly what I wanted.
Well, I was going to leave Oliver one way or another. At least I found out that Draco loved me any way. Bonus points.
CHAPTER EIGHT: I grew a spine.
Me and Draco weren't exactly on stable ground when I finally decided to do it. We just kept fighting after that night. It was like a bad habit. Every time I visited him, he'd ask me if I did it yet. I would say no and he would call me a coward.
I suppose I was a coward, though. I mean, I couldn't even work up the nerve to tell my best friends in the entire world that I was leaving my husband? It's not like I was ruining their lives so why couldn't I just do it, get it over with?
One fight we had, it got pretty bad. I went over to his house. It was supposed to be a day when Pansy wasn't there. She wasn't supposed to be there, he had told me so. He said she was staying at her parents for the weekend.
So Saturday night, I went over. When the door opened, there she was, dressed in a green silk nightgown, her blonde hair up in a pony tail and a cup of what I can only assume to be firewhiskey glued to her hand. "What are YOU doing here?" she asked in the most obnoxiously rude voice I'd ever heard. Then again, I guess she had every right. I WAS, after all, sleeping with her husband.
"I came to talk to… uh… Mr. Malfoy," I replied hesitantly. "Official…Ministry business. If you're busy, I can come back another time. It'd be no trouble really."
She laughed. "Eight o'clock on a Saturday night and you think "Official Ministry business" is a good cover up story? Good Gods, Granger. You really are a Gryffindor through and through." She left the door open and turned her back as she screamed up the steps. "DRACO! YOUR WHORE IS HERE!"
I walked in and looked at her. "Look, Pansy…I know what this uh…what this may look like but…"
"Oh please. Don't take me for a fool, Granger. I've been enough people's mistresses to know all the lines when you get caught. DRACO! IT'S IMPOLITE TO KEEP HER WAITING! I'M SURE YOU HAVE PLANS! DON'T BE RUDE!"
I blushed and addressed her one more time. "Really, Mrs. Malfoy. I'm just going to go. This is… awkward. Tell… Mr. Malfoy that I'll talk to him… about Ministry business… some other time."
I turned to leave but was stopped by a voice. "DON'T GO, GRANGER!" It was Draco. He was wearing just a pair of black pajama pants and throwing on a bathrobe, leaving me to believe whatever thoughts ran through my head…which of course all had to do with him…and Pansy…and sex!
"Why?" I asked in my flustered tone. I felt the warmth rising in my cheeks and got angry at him for putting me in this situation. "We can…talk later. The business can wait."
"Since you're so keen on insisting that it's Ministry business," Pansy began with annoyance. "What's it about?"
"Just some boring stuff," I said. "Just trying to talk to all the major Quidditch Players, see if they can promote the Ministry. Good P.R., you know?"
"I see. Well by all means," she gestured sarcastically to the living room. "Don't let me stop you." She turned to Draco. "I'm going to shower and then I'm going to my parents." She walked up to him where he stood at the bottom of the stairs and kissed him, her hand resting on his chest and then brushing along his stomach on its way down. She glanced at me with a smile before going upstairs.
Draco walked into the living room and I followed. "Want a drink, Granger?"
I declined.
"You should have a drink, it'll loosen you up a bit. You seem tense."
"If I'm tense, Draco, it'd be because I walked in to find you and Pansy half dressed when she was supposed to be gone for the weekend," I whispered angrily.
He looked at me like I was stupid. "First of all, if we're half dressed, it shouldn't matter! SHE'S MY WIFE! Second of all…why the bloody hell are you whispering?"
"Because SHE'S YOUR WIFE!" I put an emphasis on the last part while still whispering. "It would definitely be indecent of me to have a fight with my lover with his wife right upstairs. I refuse. You know what, Draco? I'm going to go. This obviously isn't a good time. Call me when…actually, don't call me at all. This is sickening. I don't want to talk to you anymore."
I began to run out the door when he pulled me back. Damn it, I forgot he was faster than me. "Don't you dare leave! I know what this looks like and…"
"Spare me the bull, Draco. This must be so funny to you. You've playing me for a sap all this time, making me think you hardly speak to Pansy. And yet, the one time I see you together, it's obvious you just had sex."
"But it's not like that. I mean, yes we did have sex. We slept together. You can't make me feel guilty for that. But it wasn't one of those, 'I'm-super-randy-and-you-look-so-good-right-now' type of shags. It was the 'We-know-we're-going-to-split-up-and-here-comes-the-break-up-shag' type of shags."
"Oh yeah, sure. That's what you want me to believe, of course. Why don't you just tell me the truth. Why don't you just admit that you don't want to leave Pansy? Just admit that I'M the back up girl, the one you use for sex! Let me get over you."
"Hermione…"
"NO! I don't want to hear it…I…"
"Come on, Her…"
"Draco, there's nothing you could say to make this better."
"But…"
"NO! Like I said, I don't want to hear it."
He swore under his breath. "What the fuck is wrong with you? You want to throw a hissy fit every time we see each other? Fine! But don't accuse me of things that aren't true without letting me get my say in. You think I fuck Pansy all the time? You think I can even stand to tolerate her? I stay with her because I have to. I stay with her because if I didn't, the world would have to know and that means that my dad would have to know. And then pretty soon, she'd tell everyone about YOU. AND YOU'RE STILL MARRIED!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're scared. You're too scared to do anything that might possibly do US any good. So unfortunately, I HAVE to keep Pansy satisfied every once in a while. It keeps her off our back so we don't have to worry."
Neither of us spoke for the next few minutes until Pansy ran down the stairs. "Well darling," she said to Draco. "I'm off. I'll leave you and your mistress alone. You know, I have to admit, you chose well. Out of all the whores you could have picked from, you chose the Mistress of Magic. Nothing like keeping our marriage alive. Oh yes, and Hermione…do you mind if I call you Hermione?" Not like she waited my response. "Like I was saying. Hermione, do say hello to Oliver. I trust he's doing well? Well, I'm off." She walked to Draco and kissed him once more, this time open mouthed…and with tongue.
I ran out before they broke apart. I just couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't take that Draco was always right about me. I was scared and he could call me on it so perfectly. I just wanted to cry, I wanted to run…I had to do something big but I couldn't. I had to tell Harry and Ron first. Gods I hated my own responsibility. Why couldn't I just do it without warning them?
I waited 'til the next week, my anniversary party and told them then. The next day, I sat Oliver down.
CHAPTER NINE: I didn't love him.
"We have to talk," I said to Oliver. He was in the Library. I had kind of snuck up on his and I knew it wasn't nice to disturb his reading but I couldn't wait another second.
"Can this wait, darling?" he asked. "I'm in the middle of a good book that I just can't bring myself to put down." I looked at him and sighed.
"No, I'm sorry, Oliver. We really should talk right now. I've put this off long enough."
He looked nervous. "Is this a good thing or bad?"
I shook my head sadly. "There's something I really need to tell you. You see, I haven't been honest with you. All these years we've been married…I've never really been…happy."
He looked at me with knowing eyes. "Harry and Ron said you might say that."
"They did?"
"Yeah. They flooed in this morning. Said you weren't feeling quite like yourself. Ron said that you were depressed because you already hit thirty and still don't have any kids."
"Oliver, you know that's not true. I told you a while ago that I didn't want to have kids…"
"Yeah, I remember. You said you didn't want kids until you had a good career. Well you're Mistress of Magic now. Ron said that as soon as you got the title, it was all downhill from there. If you want to kids, Hermione, I don't mind. We can start working on it whenever you're ready."
I sighed. This was going to be harder than I thought. "No. Listen. I don't want kids. At least…at least not with you." He looked confused. Oh Gods, make this be over quickly. "What I mean is… I just don't think we're right for each other. It's not you. You're great. It's me." I sounded like a fool. How could I make him understand what I was trying to say without sounding…cliché?
"You mean…you…want to…separate for a little while?"
I sighed. "Um…well…not exactly. I…" Just then, I heard the fireplace cackle and…low and behold, in walked Draco Malfoy.
Oliver just looked back with even more confusion. "Do you mind?" he asked Draco. "There's a door, WITH A DOORBELL, for a reason."
"Yes, but I'm not staying long. I just need to talk to Granger for a second."
I looked at him with anger. "How the hell did you know I'd be in the Library?"
He laughed with that devilish, sexy smile of his. "Are you serious?"
"Listen, Malfoy, I'm talking to my wife at the moment," Oliver told him. "Whatever Ministry business you have to discuss with her, you'll have to wait." That Quidditch rivalry just had to kick in. Oliver was giving Draco the worst death glare I had ever seen.
"Well, Wood, I guess then that it's a good thing then that it's not Ministry business I've come to discuss. And by the way, Granger, you really shouldn't leave your Floo Network open. You're the Mistress of Magic. Anyone could break in here and since you're such a big figure of the Wizarding World, trust me, they're going to try. You should protect yourself better. Listen, I didn't come here to lecture you on security. Just… can I talk to you alone?"
I shook my head. "I'm…in the middle of a VERY important conversation with Oliver. Please, can this wait?" I said.
"No. If you won't come talk to me, I'll do this right here. I want you, Granger. I want you and I want all of you. I want to fuck you every night 'til you're sore from now until I die. I want you in my house, LIVING THERE without your little spare apartment so no one will get suspicious. I want you to quit being so cowardly and leave this bore already so I can divorce Pansy. I…"
I gave him a warm smile. "Draco…" I quieted him. "I know. But you have to go right now."
Oliver stood up with a look of horror. "Hermione, what does this mean?" he asked me. "You're leaving me…for Draco Malfoy? I didn't even know you were seeing him."
"Well she wasn't about to go and tell her husband, now was she?" Draco snapped.
"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!"
"MAKE ME!"
"How low do you have to be to go and steal another mans wife? Do you…do you even have any decency? I mean, we all know. You're Draco Malfoy, biggest git of the world! I don't know why I even had to ask but I do have one more question. Why Hermione? Out of all the women out there, why did you choose her? You…you hated her?"
He laughed. "Correction. I hate her." He looked at me with that smirk before looking back at Oliver. "But oh God do I love her!"
I walked over to Oliver and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry," I told him. "I can't stay with you. You can keep the house and the money and everything. Don't worry. I don't care. I just…can't stay with you any longer."
I started to walk away before I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Hermione wait…why?"
I looked at him just once more and gave him one of those sad awkward smiles. "Because I love him." And with that, Draco and I walked to the fireplace and flooed away, off into the sunset.
Or to his bedroom to make sweet love all night long. Either one.
CHAPTER TEN: My friends like him.
I spent the weekend with Draco in one of his houses that Pansy knew none of: the one in Italy. We weren't sure what to do yet but I knew that by the time I resurfaced (Monday morning for work), the Wizarding World would know what we had done. Draco swore he didn't care as he took me on gondolarides and for romantic dinners in some of the most top class restaurants we had ever been to.
He said, "I'm ready to leave her."
"But what about your father…"
"It's not like I'm living off of him anymore. I'm a big boy. I can live for myself. If I want to be with you, then that's my choice."
I laughed because this all seemed way too mushy for Draco Malfoy. He never said cute little things like that. He just wasn't cute. He was Draco Malfoy for crying out loud!
Anyway, I wish I could say that I saw a lot of Italy, all those gorgeous places, but I can't. When we went out, all I saw was Draco. When we went on the gandala's, all I saw was Draco. When we ate at those beautiful restaurants, all I saw was Draco.
I was a girl in love and Gods did it feel good. I felt like I was nineteen and had just met the man of my dreams. He was the perfect man that weekend and it was certainly the best get away I had ever had.
When we got back, HE wasn't any different.
But everything and everyone around us was.
I went back to the Wood Mansion to get my stuff and Harry and Ron were there, waiting for me. I sighed in exhaustion and crossed my arms against my chest. "Whatever you have to say, I'm not changing my mind."
Draco was outside waiting for me, even though they didn't know that. I was only supposed to be there to get my stuff. Draco was waiting in case there were any problems. I expected Harry and Ron would be there so I had Draco wait outside. He knew that if I was there for more than twenty minutes, he'd have to com save me, even if we were just talking. I didn't want to be there for any longer. It was going to be hard enough.
"We need to talk to you," Harry said. "Can we talk in the other room?" I nodded my head and followed them into the living room. They took seats on the couch but I stayed standing. "Sit down?" Harry requested.
I shook my head. "You haven't earned that," I explained. "You haven't earned the right to 'request' things from me. You let me suffer for four years, knowing how unhappy I was, all the while trying to get me to feel guilty for not wanting to ruin my life any further. You two should be ashamed of yourself. I'm a good person. I deserved a good life and instead I got the biggest sham of the century!"
"We didn't mean it to be that bad," Harry whispered. "We thought, with time, you'd fall for him. He's a great guy. We figured, eventually, you'd see what we saw."
"You're lying. You're trying to get yourselves out of trouble with me. It's not going to work. You just didn't want me to be with Malfoy. You thought that if I had a distraction, then maybe I could live without him. Well guess what. I don't want to live without him. I love him. And you know what else? He DOES love me too!"
"We know."
"AND ANOTHER THING…wait. What did you just say?"
"We said…we said we know," Ron whispered.
"How do you know?"
"We spoke to him."
I paused. "You what?"
"We spoke to him. The other morning. Yesterday, I think it was. He showed up bright and early at the Burrow. Harry flooed over immediately. He said that you were sleeping still and he had to talk to us immediately. He said that you would never truly be his until you knew we approved and that he wanted," he paused to breathe out a heavy sigh, as if it pained him to admit how much Draco cared. "He said that he wanted all of you without having you worrying every five seconds."
"We told him…after much persuasion," Harry broke in, "that he had our approval. Anyone who has enough guts to come and talk to us without even bringing his wand had to be in love."
"He didn't bring his wand?" I practically cried out. That was certainly not typical of him.
"We wouldn't speak to him unless he put his wand where we could see it," Harry explained.
"And that's when he told us he had no wand," Ron finished for him.
"As much as we like Oliver, Herms, I think we can get used to Draco. He seems to really love you after all. As long as he stays this way, I think it's okay. But I swear to God that if he hurts you, I'll kill him! No wand. Just the muggle way! If he dares to hurt you…"
"His intentions are good, Harry," I told him, tears in my eyes and with a heart that was starting to finally heal. "He loves me."
"That's all we needed to know," Ron said. They both stood up and walked over to me to give me a nice big group hug. Things with the trio seemed to be okay again. Just then, Draco walked in. Harry, Ron, and I all broke apart and I stared into Draco's eyes.
"You…"
"No," he said. "It's you. This is ALL you. Who else could get Draco Malfoy to talk to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley? No one I know, that's for sure. So," he took me in his arms and looked into my eyes. "What do we do now that the world is our playground?"
"Tell Pansy?"
"Done. Saw her right after Potter and Weasley. So what else?"
I smiled. "Well…I did always want to go somewhere…public with you!"
"We've gone to plenty of public places before!"
"I meant like Hogsmeade or just some place where we'll actually know people!"
He laughed. "Well…I do have tickets to a Chudley Canons Quidditch match for this afternoon."
"Yeah!" Ron shouted. "Come see my game, Herms! You can come too, Malfoy. As long as Hermione comes, I'm happy."
Harry cleared his throat. "I think what he meant was, as long as Hermione is happy, we're happy."
"Yeah, yeah," Ron growled. "That too!"
We left then after saying goodbye to Harry and Ron. The minute we walked out the door, however, cameras were all around us, taking photos of us here and there. Rita Skeeter was taking notes on what we were wearing, lying every chance she could, of course.
People were shouting left and right, questions coming from every where we turned as Draco tried to hide me with his jacket.
"Mistress of Magic, can we have a word!"
"How long have you two been seeing each other?"
"Did you leave Oliver for him?"
"How's Miss Parkinson holding up?"
"Are you pregnant?"
"Who's keeping the house?"
"How does this affect your Quidditch Stance?"
"Aren't you worried about what the Wizarding World is going to think? You're the Mistress of Magic!"
We just couldn't get rid of the shouting. "I guess we'll never escape," he sighed, after we apparated back to his place and the same thing happened there.
I smiled and took his hand in mine. "Yes we will," I told him, dragging him up the stairs and to the bedroom. "When we're together, nothing else exists. Stick with me, Draco. I promise we'll be happy."
"You don't need to promise," he told me. "Just saying it makes it true. You do know everything after all."
And maybe he was right.
But maybe it wasn't.
Either way, I knew that I had finally taken the right step. I divorced Oliver and moved in with Draco.
One of the reporters soon asked me why I left Oliver for Draco and I simply gave them the Malfoy smirk. "Because my friends like him."
They never knew which one I was talking about, though the speculations were all over the papers, and I refused to answer.
All they needed to know was that I was happy.
And that was enough for everyone.
A/N…
SEQUEL! I know there are typos. I just finished the last three chapters today because I was home with strep throat. I hope you liked it. If you have a good idea for another story, I'd be more than happy to think about it.
Enjoy.