Firstly, I want to thank everyone who reviews. I really do appreciate them. I just wish more of you would review! I like to see your thoughts; it helps me out as a writer!
Secondly, I am sorry with the delay, but with being in college and having midterms my writing won't be as frequent. Fall break is coming up, and I could tell you that I will write more then. But I don't want to lie, since I also have a job too, I have no idea when I can do more writing. Little by little I get it done.
It is time for chapter four. I know everyone is excited. Well I am.
Disclaimer: I own all of the movies, and all of the books… but I will never own Harry Potter. And I accept that (at least that is what I tell myself everyday).
Chapter 4: Blame It On...
Hermione landed in her living room with a loud pop. She was about to break down, but then the lights suddenly flickered on. She looked and found both Harry and Ron sitting in her living room staring at her.
"Hermione, where the hell have you been?" Ron shouted as he wrapped his arms around her. "You didn't show up in the lobby of St. Mungo's after work, and I thought something had happened to you."
Hermione mentally cursed herself. She had forgotten all about the plans she had made for this evening. Other things had just gotten in the way.
"Where were you?" Harry asked calmly, unlike Ron.
"I got caught up with work and then went with Hannah. You remember Hannah Abbott, from Hogwarts? Hannah is working at St. Mungo's now. She wanted to show me her new flat, and at that point I had completely forgotten about our plans. I'm sorry." She said quickly, hoping they wouldn't catch her in the lie. Hermione knew Ron would believe it, but Harry was a different story.
"I thought something bad had happened. It's not like you to forget." Ron said, obviously buying the lie.
Harry just stared at her, trying to figure out if she was lying. He then remembered that she was Hermione Granger, someone who didn't usually lie.
"Next time, just let us know." Harry said standing up. "Now, I have a very pregnant wife to get back to." He said before apparating out of the room.
This left Hermione and Ron alone. Hermione was deep in thought about the day's events. And Ron was standing in the middle of the room staring at her. Hermione felt eyes on her and looked up, seeing that Ron had not left with Harry.
"I'm sorry, Ron, but I am incredibly tired from work today. So I think I am going to go to bed early." She said before walking into her bed room.
After hearing a faint pop she knew that Ron had left. They had tried a relationship when they had gotten out of Hogwarts, but Hermione found out she didn't love him in that way. Ron told her the feeling was mutual. No matter what Ron told her, Hermione didn't believe him. She knew just by the way he acted around her, and how he looked at her. Hermione knew that Ron still wanted an intimate relationship with her.
Of course Hermione loved Ron. After everything that she, Ron, and Harry had been through, they were more like her family than any of her blood relatives. She just wasn't 'in love' with Ron. She never wanted to bring up the subject in fear of hurting Ron, so she chose to ignore it.
She wasn't sure why she had lied to her two best friends, her two brothers. But she knew, that no matter how much the wizarding world was accepting the Malfoys again, Harry and Ron would never understand. The relationship between Harry and Draco had remained the same after the war. It could even be a little worse.
She subconsciously decided that it was better for them if they didn't know about her going to Draco's that day. Hermione herself wasn't even sure why she went.
Walking into the bathroom, she decided that it would help clear her head if she took a bath. So she turned the faucets in the bathtub until she reached the perfect temperature, and climbed in letting the hot water relax her.
-.-
Draco woke up with his face pressed against the kitchen floor. The first thing he did was pull himself up and vomit into the sink. He knew he shouldn't have drunk so much the night before. He had lost count after the third time the bottle refilled its self. Looking over at the clock, he saw that it was noon. He wasn't sure what time it was that he had fallen asleep, but he felt like he needed more. So he laid back down on the tile and tried to fall asleep. That's when he heard a knocking at the door.
Getting up, Draco was hoping that it wouldn't be Granger again. He couldn't handle her while he was hung over. Once he jerked open the door, he was almost surprised to not find Granger standing there. Instead he found his old house mate, Blaise Zabini.
"What are you doing here, Zabini? I haven' seen you in what, two years? The last time was for my wedding to Astoria." Draco said with a little anger filling his voice.
"I'm sorry, mate, but I have had a lot going on in my life. But I heard about what happened. And I had to come over and see how you were doing. It's horrible that she was taken from you so soon, but I thought that was a chance that I could help." Blaise said honestly.
"You can't do anything. Unless you can bring her back, I don't want to see you, Zabini!" Draco said before trying to close the door, but Blaise was too fast and caught the door with his foot.
Blaise glared into Draco's smoky gray eyes, "I talked to your mum. She said you weren't doing that well, so I came to help. Help in any way that I could."
Draco couldn't take this anymore. He turned and walked away from the front door, picked up his bottle of Firewhiskey, and went to the living room and sat down on the couch. Taking a huge swig from the bottle, Draco watched as Blaise slowly walked in.
Not knowing what to say, Blaise just walked into the room and sat down across from Draco. He watched as his friend drowned his sorrows in alcohol. Any other day, Blaise wouldn't let this happen. Or he would be alongside Draco with his own bottle of firewhiskey. Blaise knew that Draco had been through a lot in the past few days.
Eventually Draco passed out on the couch. Blaise, who had ended up fallen asleep himself, woke up in the early hours of the morning to find his friend asleep on the couch. He sighed and moved Draco into the spare bedroom, using magic of course.
He turned back into the living room and laid down on the couch to get some more sleep.
-.-
The next day was Saturday, the day of family brunch at the Weasley's. Even though Hermione wasn't a 'blood' relative, she was still invited, and expected to be there. She apparated just outside the gates, due to the protection spells that Mrs. Weasley insisted upon even though the war has been over for years. Taking a deep breath, Hermione walked down the path and to the door. She was comfortable enough to walk in the house, and when she did, she felt like it was home. She could hear small explosions coming from up the stairs. Hermione figured that it was Fred and George working on their latest addition to the joke shop. She could smell the sweet scent of breakfast in the air. She could also hear the house getting cleaned little by little with magic.
Smiling, she walked over to the kitchen where she found Molly cooking the food with a little help from magic. Ginny was sitting at the table with The Daily Prophet in one hand and her other resting on her large belly.
"Hermione! It's good that you could make it. After what happened last night, I was worried." Ginny told her in a very serious, motherly voice.
Hermione shook her head, "I know Ginny. I am sorry. But I lost track of time, and I had forgotten about everything." She watched as Ginny nodded as if to say it's okay, this time. Hermione then turned to Mrs. Weasley, "Do you need any help, Molly?"
"No, Dear, you just sit and relax. Everything is going just fine." Mrs. Weasley said with a smile.
Sighing, Hermione knew it was a lost cause. No matter how many times Hermione had asked Mrs. Weasley if she needed help, she has never accepted. Hermione pulled out a chair and sat across from Ginny at the table. "Anything exciting?" She asked, nodding to the newspaper.
"No, not really." Ginny said as she continued to look. "Oh! Here is something."
This got Hermione's attention. "Yes?" She said trying to prompt her friend to say it.
Ginny folded up the paper and slid it across the table to Hermione, so she could read it for herself.
Astoria Malfoy
Astoria Malfoy, wife of former Death Eater Draco Malfoy, died on Wednesday. She is survived by her parents Henry and Delilah Greengrass, her sister Daphne Flint, her husband Draco Malfoy, and her son Scorpius Malfoy.
There is no word yet how she died. St. Mungo's has declined to comment. A source inside the hospital tells the Daily Prophet that Astoria's body was badly mangled, perhaps due to a potions explosion, as Mrs. Malfoy is very well known for her experimentations within the Potions industry. Another source inside the hospital told the Daily Prophet that Draco Malfoy, Astoria's husband, was very reluctant to give any information, and that he seemed "sketchy" and "unhealthy" about the nature of his wife's death, perhaps pointing to evidence of his guiltiness.
Astoria Malfoy was a graduate of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She went on to become a potioneer and created the now popular Formositas, used to change ones appearance without wand magic.
The funeral is set for Monday at ten o'clock in the morning at the Wizarding Cemetery near London.
"Can you believe that?" Ginny said as soon as Hermione's head snapped up. "I bet it was all Malfoy. She was probably getting to be 'too much' for him. So he offed her."
Hermione was angry by this point. Yes Draco had been a Death Eater. The key words being had been. He had changed sides during the war, and with his knowledge on Voldemort, the Light won quicker. It was prejudiced of Ginny to immediately think he was the one to kill his own wife. "I can assure you that that did not happen, Ginny." Hermione said quickly with a little venom in her voice.
"What didn't happen?" Harry asked, walking into the room.
Without taking her eyes off Hermione, Ginny handed Harry the paper to read the article.
"So the Fitchburg Finches creamed the Chudley Cannons. I can assure you that it did happen, I was at that match. Remember, Love?" Harry said to Ginny.
Ginny glared at him, grabbed the paper, flipped it over, and gave it back to him, so he could read the correct article.
Harry glanced down at the paper once again and quickly read the article he was supposed to, as to not upset his pregnant wife.
"Malfoy's wife died?" He asked, surprised.
Nodding, Ginny looked at her husband. "I was telling Hermione that it was Malfoy. He seems like the type of person to get bored after a while." She said with a cold hearted smile.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley! I don't ever want to hear you talking like that again. Draco helped us win the war. He would not 'go off' his wife." Mrs. Weasley scolded her youngest child, while finishing up breakfast preparations. "Now, breakfast is ready. You lot sit down, and I will let the others know." She told them before exiting the kitchen.
Hermione was glad that Molly had come to Draco's defense. She wasn't sure why she was so upset about it. After all, it was Malfoy, the same person who ridiculed her all throughout school.
While sitting in her chair, Hermione watched as everyone else filed into the cramped kitchen. She noticed, probably for the hundredth time, that everyone else was paired up and with kids. There was Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Fred, who married Katie Bell, George was with Angelina Johnson, Bill and Fleur, and of course, Harry and Ginny. Even Percy had found a woman, Audrey. This left Hermione and Ron alone. So naturally everyone thought they would be together, no matter how many times she said nothing was going to happen.
Hermione sat quietly and ate her food. She would listen to other's conversations, and sometimes input her opinion. But most of all, Hermione sat there and felt the warmth and joy of the family.
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