Chapter 2: Comfort, Betrayal
Draco Malfoy had a strange life. At first, everything was great (as it usually is when you're a young child) and the way it was supposed to be. He was a young Malfoy boy, his parents adored him, he was given everything he wanted, his blood made him better than everyone else, and, above all, he had power just because of his name. That is what he was taught anyways.
However, as Draco entered his schooling at Hogwarts, different factors and variables began to slowly take away everything that was him. Firstly, Harry Potter. Harry Potter was a foolish boy in Draco's mind. Some silly little kid who got way too much attention for a stupid scar on his head. He got away with things no other person could get away with, like for instance being able to get a spot on the House Quidditch team in his first year. Harry Potter also made friends with two people who anyone would want to be friends with: Ron Weasley, who even though is a blood traitor, is completely loyal and a good friend, and Hermione Granger, who even though is a muggle born, is brilliant and clever. To everyone else in the school, Harry Potter was a hero.
Draco was really just jealous.
Next, his parents began to wear on him. Mainly his father's doing, Draco was getting a lot of youth-destroying pressure to be apart of a cause, an evil cause. At first, joining his father in Voldermort's group seemed like a dream come true. To be a Death Eater was a must in his life. Obviously, it was what his father wanted.
However, as years went by he slowly began to realize that what his father wanted and what he wanted were beginning to become two very different things. Lucius Malfoy wanted Draco to continue in his place, becoming a Death Eater, upholding the family honor, marrying a pure blooded witch (preferably a Slytherin), and producing many more wonderfully pure blooded heirs. Draco wanted something very different. While he did not really wish to be the "good guy" he certainly was not up for being one of the bad guys.
By the time his sixth year rolled around, Draco was determined to ignore his father's requests and find a way to get on the right side of the up and coming war.
However, that was when he was asked to do something he would most likely fail and be killed for: killing Dumbledore as initiation to becoming a Death Eater.
To this day, Draco wished Snape had told him he was secretly working for the Order. It would have been a lot easier. But he knew that there would be no way Snape would tell him, for he would not believe Draco didn't want to be a Death Eater.
So Draco spent his time that year coming up with a way to kill his headmaster just so he could save his own neck. However, in the end, Snape was the one to kill Dumbledore, saving Draco the trouble.
However, Harry Potter won the war, without any of Draco's help. Lucius was killed and his mother fled off to somewhere unknown with a small amount of their money, leaving Draco alone with a huge house, enough money to live on for several lifetimes over, and a terrible reputation in the wizarding world.
So, he involved himself in the clean up, the reconstruction. He made a truce with the famous and renown Harry Potter. He vowed to him to help with whatever he could in the capture of all remaining Death Eaters. It was because of Draco's information that several "Most Wanted" Death Eaters were now rotting in Azkaban for the rest of their lives. Draco had made it well known he heavily disagreed with his father on many matters he believed in and his reputation was steadily growing. All he had to do now, was decide what he wanted to do with his life.
And it was at this point that Draco Malfoy was living his life. He was 20 years old. He was alone, with a few select friends, and a desperation to rebuild the honor of his name. While the ideas of "Pure blood Superiority" still were rooted in him, he was trying ever so hard to repress his very old prejudices. His main concern was to make the view of him and his name revered in the eyes of the world, just for his future children and grandchildren. Draco Malfoy would be damned to the deepest level of hell before having his family repressed for something his ancestors had believed in.
Hermione's job at the Ministry was the Special Assistant on Magical Matters to the Heads of departments and the Minister himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Her job was extremely important and had a huge range of expertise needed. Of course, Hermione Jean Granger was positively perfect for the job. She always had the answer to the problems. Even if she did not have the solution right away, she was quick to find one. Hermione was always on time. And she never missed a day of work in her life. As smart and creative as she was, the wizarding world expected her to replace the Minister in due time, becoming Mistress of Magic, and the first one in over 50 years.
So, when Tobias Gilbert, a select Head of the Department of Strange and Magical Items, asked his secretary for Hermione Granger for an important issue, and his secretary responded with, "She called in sick today, Sir." he just about had a seizure.
"What do you mean by 'Called in sick today'?!" He sputtered dramatically. He had a thing for theatrics.
"She owl'd to say that she was feeling 'Quite dreadful and simply can not come in today.'"
"I... I see." Tobias was feeling suddenly miserable. A work day without Hermione? Oh dear.
Meanwhile, Hermione was laying in her high bed, buried by the blankets, and thinking. Because, thinking is what Hermione does. It makes her feel better and enlightens her at the same time. Right now, she was thinking that maybe the reason why Harry left her was because things were too right. After all, didn't people say that a little conflict keeps things interesting? That perfection was boring? Was she boring?
At this thought, Hermione suddenly hated herself for trying so hard to make things perfect. Of course. That had to be the reason why. Harry wanted something more than a boring, routine life. But then, why did he have to break things off with her? Couldn't they have just talked about it, worked through this problem?
And at this thought, Hermione got angry and thus, began to think irrationally. Honestly, if he wanted some problems in his life, Hermione could have easily come up with something. After all, she worked in a high position in the Ministry of Magic, where problems were constantly arising. She could have easily made things interesting! And then... Oh. Gods. Was it their sex life? Was she... boring in that area too!?
Hermione began to cry again, this time out of pure anger. That little bugger broke up with her because she wasn't that great in bed. Now Hermione "understood" just perfectly. But, as always Hermione's logical side took over, replacing the bad, evil, irrational thoughts that shook her. No, no. Harry would not be as stupid as to break up with Hermione just because she was terrible in bed, especially since he had told her otherwise on several different occasions. Hermione reasoned at that point that it would probably be for the best if she just forgot about Harry for a little bit. She needed a distraction.
So, she stood up and made her bed. Then ran off to take a shower. She was going to go shopping. Shopping, like chocolate, had magical healing powers, female only.
So, 45 minutes later, Hermione could be found in a muggle department store picking out dresses, jeans, skirts, shoes, and bras; all the works. She was dead set on spending as much money as was possible in that store.
"Ahh shopping therapy, how I love thee." She thought happily, Harry completely off her mind. Who needed that obnoxious jerk anyways?
After purchasing her new wardrobe, Hermione decided to meet Ginny for lunch because it was 12:30 and she was surely on lunch hour. And that was when problems occurred.
Hermione opened the door to Ginny's office with her shopping bags overflowing her hands only to find Harry there. Oh and he was attached at the lips with her redheaded friend.
"Oh. My. Dear. Lord."
At her words, Ginny jumped clear 10 feet into the air, shocked. When she landed, she slapped Harry right across the face.
"How dare you!" She screamed, flushed.
Hermione stood rooted, staring at her great friend and her ex-love.
"How dare him? HOW DARE YOU?!" Hermione screamed so loudly, she felt a little dizzy. Before she could even stop them, hot and venomous tears popped out of her eyes.
Harry looked guilty. "Don't Hermione. It's not her fault, I... I kinda snuck up on her..."
"I'm so sorry!" Ginny ran up to Hermione. "Please, Hermione, oh gods...."
Hermione just shrugged helplessly and bolted from the room. As soon as she reached the atrium, she floo'd to her flat and locked herself in her room.
"Oh man. Oh man." She spoke to herself. "Now I understand. Now it makes sense. Oh man. Harry and Ginny. LOVE REKINDLED!!!" She spat. "Oh man....."
Hermione fell face down into her bed and screamed. She was not sad. No, Hermione was angry. Not even a whole day, Harry was seeking another female champion. "OH MAN!"
Later that night, Hermione was sitting in a small muggle bar close to her flat. She was drinking her face off. While she had promised herself earlier that she would not resort to drinking, her will power was drained. And after a long, massive cry over her boyfriend, no, her ex's betrayal and her best friend now being the object of his eye now, Hermione found herself in this bar. The bartender, whose name was Gary, was becoming great friends with this girl.
"And he was ....kisshing GINNY!" Hermione slurred for the millionth time.
Gary just nodded.
Hermione mumbled under her breath something like, "Shtupid pothead" and then took another swig of her vodka. "Gary!" She screamed.
"Whatcha need now, sugar?" Gary asked politely, humoring her.
"Do you love meh?" She asked desperately.
"More than life itself."
"I think we should get married."
"Do you now?"
"Yesh, Gary. I love you with all of the heart I hath in me." Hermione drained the rest of her drink. Gary poured her another.
"Well, Hermione... I hate to tell you but I'm a married man."
"What!? Gary.... how... wwhhhyyy!!!" Hermione dragged out the last word and started crying all over again.
That was when a blond sat down next to her. "Granger?" Draco asked, somewhat worriedly, then ordered himself a drink.
Hermione paid him no attention and just cried.
"Well, this is interesting." He said to the bartender. "What's she crying for?"
"Some bloke named Harry broke up with her and then went off kissing her best friend. Then she asked me to marry her and I said I was already married. That got
her to this state." Gary explained while cleaning off a beer mug.
"I see. That is really surprising. Granger???" He asked Hermione again.
"MALFOY!" Hermione jumped up, noticing him finally and hugged him. "Would you marry me if ashked?" She looked at him with pleading eyes.
"I might. You'll have to let me take you home first." Draco replied smoothly, laughing on the inside.
"I don't want to go home anymore. That flat ish tainted! Harry and I had shex on every shurface of that place. REKINDLED LOVE!!!" She exclaimed.
"Oh that's.... really interesting....." Draco took her hand and led her towards the exit.
"I don't even know what to do anymore, Malfoy!!! Harry and Ron were my best friends! I pursued a relationship with both of 'em and now my friendship with both of them are completely ruined! RUINED. Harry and I will never have that friendship again, ever!" Hermione cried and whined as Draco dragged her out of the bar and onto the street. "I should have learned from my experience with Ron! When our friendship was not as strong as it was before we dated, I promised I would not make that same mishtake!!! And now look at me!" She pointed to herself dramatically. "HARRY BROKE UP WIH ME. HE LEFT ME FOR GINNY. REKINDLED LOOO-OOO-OOOVE!"
"Where do you live, Granger?" Draco asked, paying her no mind.
"No where, I live no where! A home is a place you can go to when you need rest, when you need comfort, when you need resolve. A home is a place where you can hide from the world when its got you down and feeling shitty! I have no shuch place!" Hermione continued to wail on and on. Her heart felt like it was breaking all over again, splintering into shards like a fallen crystal.
"C'mon, Granger. You're just saying that because you're drunk off your ass and your Potter-toy broke up with you for your best friend. Now where is your flat? Or do I have to take you home with me?" He grinned devilishly at her.
"UGH! You pig, male you! I dun't need you." She shook off his hand and began to stumble towards her flat. Draco followed carefully.
Hermione did manage not to trip and fall. She walked all the way down the sidewalk, up the stairs to her flat, and into the front room with at least some grace. Draco helped her into her room when she finally turned to see that he was still around.
"Get out of my house!" She spat at him, giving him a death glare and pointing towards the door.
"Actually I'll wait until you get to sleep just to make sure you don't choke on your own vomit." Draco said and sat down on her chair in the corner of her room. He folded his legs and looked at her with arrogance on his face, almost tempted enough to say, "What are ya gonna do now?"
"Shtupid.... prat face...!" Hermione was too dizzy to argue. So she fell into her bed. Within moments, she was asleep, at last in a drunken peace.
Meanwhile, Ginny was crying her eyes out in her own room. She did not hear the door to their flat open and close. She did not hear Hermione speaking in the next room over. All she could see in her head was Hermione's face when she saw Harry kissing her.
"I hate him! I hate him! I hate him!" She screamed in her head. Hermione was the most important person to Ginny. Not to say the Weasley's weren't great, just the opposite. They were her family, and would always be there for her. But Hermione? Oh, Hermione was Ginny's greatest friend. Hermione was an angel in the den of evil. Any problem Ginny had, Hermione was there to solve. Every thought, idea, opinion that crossed her mind, Hermione was there to discuss and advise. Ginny felt like the luckiest person; a friend like Hermione was like having a guardian angel watching over you.
Ginny wiped her nose, dried her tears. If she didn't get any sleep, she would not be able to work tomorrow.
"But do I deserve to sleep? No!" Ginny thought bitterly. "I don't deserve anything. Hurting Hermione is like declaring yourself a Satanist! I'm a terrible person!"
Ginny began to cry again, pain scattered in her heart for her misdeed. And eventually, she cried herself to sleep.
