AN: Thank you for all your support and kind words so far, I hope you continue to enjoy the story! x
They landed in Blaise's bachelor pad, three streets down from Draco's previous home. Blaise never did settle down, always looking for someone to love and have a great time with, but never meeting anyone he would like to make a commitment to. Hermione didn't blame him. His mother was on husband number eight and she could see the beautiful but deadly woman passed on her thirst for love and pleasure to her handsome son. At least he was responsible enough to not make anyone promises.
She headed straight for the guest room, worried for their friend and fresh divorcee. After the war, Lucius received the kiss for his part, Narcissa was released and left for France, taking her share of the Malfoy fortune to start a new life, and Draco was left to pick up the pieces and rebuild the Malfoy family name. He stayed in touch with his mother regularly and went to visit her once a year, but it wasn't the same after the war, and Hermione knew it weighed on him. The Manor was burned down by escaped Death Eaters, some of the rare books, heritage and portraits lost forever. So Draco sold the vast estate at least so the land and the beautiful gardens could be better utilised, and bought a townhouse in London that was better suited to his taste and close to the Ministry. His fortune was still vast and all the proceeds from the sale of the land and several other properties they weren't using went to various charities for war orphans, heritage and health trusts. It went a long way to help rebuild his reputation and he worked hard to maintain the good Malfoy name.
With that came the expectation to get married. He was a prominent pureblood bachelor with a great estate and despite his family's involvement in the war, he had quite a few eligible witches lined up to meet him. Blaise and herself knew his reasons for marrying Astoria were both political and personal, as she was introduced to him during one of the Ministry balls and he did genuinely see in her something unpracticed and natural that he grew to be fond of. And Hermione did think he may have loved his wife at one point…
She didn't bother knocking on the door. Having seen him in too many compromising situations over the past years, she couldn't care if he was naked and doing cartwheels. What she found however was a rather drunk version of the man she considered a dear friend.
"Hey," she greeted, kicking off her slippers and climbing into bed next to him.
He was a right state. His slacks were crinkled, his grey t-shirt had some tear and whiskey stains, and his hair that was usually neat and arranged was dishevelled and lacklustre. What however gave her the biggest pause were those red-rimmed, puffy eyes that held sorrow and the pain of betrayal that nearly made her hurt with him.
He just looked at her for a long moment, before dropping the empty Glenfiddich bottle on the floor with a dull thud and turning to curl up on his side to face her. "You're in Australia," his voice grated, as if he hasn't spoke for a day or two. Knowing him, he probably didn't speak to Blaise for most of the day so there was no surprise there.
"I got back three hours ago," she pointed to the towel still wrapped around her damp hair and tired but clean face.
Draco looked at her blearily, trying to decide whether she was real or a dream and reached out, touching her hand with his. She offered a small encouraging smile and laced their fingers, hoping the human contact would soothe him. With Draco it could go two ways. He usually rejected all help when getting over a problem and reappeared a few days later, ready to get back to normal. The times when he did accept help though, they knew he needed it the most.
"I just couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't live there after…" he rasped as he reached for her.
"I know," she whispered and wrapped him up in a tight hug, letting him cry into her jumper, his greasy blond locks tickling her chin as she just held him and let him get it out.
It was rare the blond showed his vulnerability and she provided the silent support he needed while the tears flowed. He eventually calmed down and she wondered whether he'd gone to sleep but then she felt him clean his face up with the cotton handkerchief she handed him earlier and his whispered words cut the silence in the room.
"At first I thought she wanted to grieve silently. She carried our son for five months, I thought she was happy we were expecting. When we lost him, she showed barely any emotion…." he said so softly that Hermione had to strain to hear him but she waited patiently for every word. "I saw my mother grieve a miscarriage before, and she never showed her pain. I thought this was the way Astoria coped. I was so wrong…" his throat tightened again and he leaned up to look at her. "She never wanted him in the first place because she was already seeing Villeminot, from the French Wizarding embassy… She was actually relieved her magic rejected our little boy…"
Hermione looked at him calmly and silently, though her eyes mirrored his pain and disbelief at such betrayal. "I'm so sorry for your loss," she managed to whisper as his eyes once again brimmed with heavy tears of mourning and his grip on her top tightened as he gave into the silent sobs that wrecked his tall frame.
And she just held him through it, sharing his pain and grief in comforting silence and tight hold as he let it overwhelm him. It was past midnight when he finally fell asleep from sheer exhaustion, and Hermione herself was ready to drop. She unwrapped her towel and let it drop down beside the bed so her curls could dry overnight. Flicking her wand down at the blanket, it neatly covered them to prevent them from getting too cold, though Draco was holding onto her so tightly she had no doubt they might end up being too warm instead.
He finally looked more peaceful in his sleep, but she could clearly see the toll his broken marriage and the loss of their child took on him. A once happy and prospering marriage turned into a web of lies and infidelity. Astoria as it turned out was interested in the Malfoy name and the estate that came with it but never wanted to have children and didn't hold the fidelity clause high in regard. Hermione remembered Draco was devastated when they lost their baby last year. To now find out that not only did Astoria's magic and body reject their son but his wife didn't even mourn and instead fell into the arms of another man was devastating for the blond. Draco handled everything calmly and even when the tabloids got a hold of the divorce proceedings, he simply provided a short statement and requested the public allow the couple their privacy to avoid scandal. This heartbreak has been months in the making...
Hermione could understand why he paid the clerk to be swift with the divorce proceedings and sold the house immediately. She could remember his excitement as he began shopping for the nursery after the first trimester safely passed. She remembered his happy curiosity when she bought him a set of muggle glow in the dark stars for the walls of the nursery and he had them up all over the ceiling in seconds. Living in a house he bought for his family to grow into must have been torturous.
Maybe he would finally find some peace now that the house was sold and he could begin anew. With that thought, she settled down for the night and let her tired body get some rest with him.
….
She woke up to movement, realising she was holding onto a warm, slim body. She looked down sleepily and noticed Draco's grimace as the hangover kicked in, his deep frown a good indication of his raging headache. She summoned him a glass, filled it with water, and summoned a hangover potion form the medicine cabinet in the en suite bathroom.
"Drink up," she said softly to not irritate his head too much and moved out of the way.
Draco took the glass from her hand and raised up on his elbow to drink the water, grimacing more as he finished the whole glass off. "Thanks," he set it down and looked at her before rolling off the bed and rubbing his face tiredly.
"How about some breakfast?" she asked, wondering if he had any appetite.
Draco shrugged, not sure what his body could take. "Coffee, I think," he said softly, his mind still clearly weighed.
Hermione nodded and got out of bed. "I'll leave you to shower, take as long as you need," she offered before heading for the kitchen.
She felt her wild mane and groaned, toying with the wild curls and sensing the volume of it. There was nothing for it, she angered it by sleeping on it while it was damp, so she will just have to pay the price and let the beast live.
Blaise's side of the flat was still quiet so she cracked on and put his large moka on the hob while she started on her dad's French toast recipe. No one, not even hangover Draco could resist the cinnamon deliciousness. The coffee was ready in no time and she poured herself a double espresso which went down fairly quickly before she hunted down her favourite tea bags in Blaise's cupboard and made herself a nice steaming cuppa to go with breakfast.
"Is that your French toast?" Blaise padded in on bare feet in a t-shirt and a pari of silk boxers, sniffing the air like a bloodhound on the hunt.
"It is. Coffee is ready as well," she shooed him over to the other side of the kitchen bar to sit and get out of her way.
"Dray?" he asked after pouring himself a small cup of the strong ambrosia.
"Showering, should be out soon. What's the news?" she asked, seeing Blaise summon the muggle and wizarding mail from his mailbox.
"Let's see," he unfolded the Prophet and she could see by his unimpressed look that it was no good. "See for yourself before I chuck it in the fireplace," he said simply, handing it over.
Hermione exchanged a loaded plate for the paper, looking at the front page headline that screamed 'Malfoy divorce finalised, love nest sold to realtor for £800,000 galleons!'. Beneath the headline was a photo of Astoria and her lover Jacque Villeminot seen having dinner in an opulent restaurant, and the beautiful house Draco sold just a couple of days ago. Splendid. Just what they needed right now.
She quickly flicked through the pages before chucking the thing to the other side of the table, paying it no more attention as she continued to flip the cooking toast a little bit more aggressively than perhaps necessary. Blaise would find it quite entertaining if his best friend's reputation wasn't being tarnished by his daft ex-wife.
Draco joined them a few moments later, wrapped up in Blaise's thick bathrobe, damp blond locks framing his tired face. He sat down next to Blaise on one of the free bar stools and raised a brow at the cup of strong coffee and plate of food before him.
"Up to you if you eat," Hermione shrugged and set down a full plate of bacon before she pilled up her own plate, charming the French toast to cool off a bit as she added some crème fraîche and strawberries instead. She sat across from them both and took a large bite, humming contentedly as she dug in with fervour, wiping some butter from the corner of her lips with a thumb before licking it like a cat that got the cream.
"Hungry much?" Blaise asked, though he never complained about a woman with an appetite.
"Well, you did forget to feed me last night so here we are. I'll work it off later anyway," she shrugged, unapologetic about eating a decent meal. There were still days when she ate little because she forgot to eat, but mostly she ate what she liked and worked out several times a week for fun anyway so her body while a bit more filled out never really allowed her to gain much weight.
"Are you still doing that Zumba thing?" he asked, having once popped into her flat for something and instead found her doing a strange aerobics and dance routine in a pair of ancient sweatpants and sports bra.
"Yes, it's fun. I used to dance all the time with my mum and dad. This way I get to work off any stress and don't have to be bound by the opening hours of a gym," she shrugged.
Blaise raised an unimpressed brow. "Fun? You should see this stuff, it looks really odd," he commented flippantly to Draco before he had to dodge a well-aimed spoon.
Draco watched the banter between his two friends flying as he sipped his coffee quietly. He wasn't about to tell Blaise he knew very well what Zumba was because he sometimes joined the brunette on her work out evenings. This somehow felt like a normal Friday morning, and for that he was grateful. Last night was his lowest point in a long while. All through the divorce and house sale he kept it together, but a few days ago his resolve broke and he couldn't help but allow himself to give in. And Hermione held him through it, like she did through every tough time in his life in the past decade. As he let the hot water beat his muscles relentlessly in the shower this morning, he felt a bit more at peace about the situation. Astoria's betrayal of their marriage and his trust was painful, but he did the worst of his grieving for their unborn son last year, and all he could feel when thinking about Astoria this morning was relief at no longer having her poison in his life. He knew the sorrow would somewhat always be there but perhaps with more time or the right person, he will be able to move on.
"Thanks for the breakfast cara, I have to dash," Blaise leaned down to peck her cheek before heading for his bedroom to get dressed, last rasher of bacon still in hand.
Hermione sent their plates into the sink, glad to see Draco ate at least half of his. "I'll need to go report to Kingsley this morning but I'm free from noon. Do you want to meet me for lunch? Maybe muggle London?" she suggested.
Since he was off work and in no hurry to do anything or be anywhere, he nodded. "Pick a place, my treat," he offered, a way of saying thank you for her being there for him.
Hermione walked around the island and kissed his cheek. "Time will heal," she said gently before patting his shoulder once more and heading home through the floo to get ready.
Blaise came back, fully dressed now for a leisurely day of combat and tailing simulations with the trainees. "Has she gone already?" he asked as he drank the last of the coffee left on the table and fastened his duelling doublet.
Draco nodded. "Debrief with Kingsley. Want to join us for lunch?" he asked.
Blaise shook his head. "Can't, already have a lunch date," he winked.
Draco shook his head though a small smile stretched his lips. "Horny bastard," he said good-naturedly and grinned when Blaise did nothing to dispute the words, only waggled his eyebrows at him.
"I am a lover-" he began saying.
"Not a fighter, yes, yes, we all know this," Draco drawled with a bored air. "Go on then, lover boy. Your trainees are waiting," he shooed him off.
Blaise grabbed his kit bag with the rest of his training gear and paused by the fire, looking at his friend. "Will you be alright?" he asked softly.
Draco contemplated him for a moment before nodding minutely. "I just need some time to get back on track," he admitted.
Blaise nodded and turned away before pausing once more when Draco cleared his throat, getting his attention. He paused, waiting, but realised what Draco wanted to say and just shook his head. "It's fine, I knew she would be able to pull you off a cliff edge if need be," he shrugged. "I'll see you later, yeah?" he offered a charming smile before stepping through the floo to the Ministry.
Draco sighed and got up to tidy the last bits in the kitchen. He should start looking at houses or flats to buy but it was far too daunting right now, so instead he headed to get dressed and find something to keep him occupied from thinking too much..
