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FOR THE FIRST TIME
Chapter Four
The next day, Hermione Granger prepared herself for work. Wearing skinny jeans and a white sweater, she skipped out of her room and met her daughter on her way. Dione was already dressed up and greeted her mother with a kiss on the cheek. Both of them went to the dining room to eat their breakfast. Draco is already sitting there, in the head of the table. Dione sat on a chair on her father's right and Hermione positioned herself on the tail of the table. Without a word, they started eating. Out of nowhere, a house elf appeared.
"Mistress Hermione, only ten minutes left before the designated time for your work." The mentioned woman just nodded her head and started to get up.
"Work?" a manly voice asked.
Draco also rose and refrained himself from eating. He stood proudly, wearing a black tuxedo with green tie that greatly emphasized his stature. Dione surreptitiously watched her parents as she drank her glass of milk.
"Yes. I have a scheduled photo shoot." Hermione answered, waiting as Dione stood up and went to her mother's side. "Dione is going with me too. Do you have no work?"
"Cancelled it for a week." Draco answered. Hermione's right eyebrow rose.
"What happened that the Draco Malfoy cancelled his work for a week?"
"I have to fulfill certain someone's wish." He said, looking at his blushing daughter. Hermione just nodded absentmindedly.
"I am coming with you." Draco said before he could stop himself.
Dione smiled and she took her father's hand on her left and her mother's on her right. Without any complaints, Hermione apparated the three of them.
And in a split second they arrived in a room full of dresses and wardrobe designers. The moment they spotted Hermione, they turned into evil step sisters and grabbed her to make her taste the sweetest torture ever.
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Draco and Dione Malfoy sat down on the chairs graciously given to them by the crew. Dione waited as her father would say something, but again she remembered. Guys are never good in making conversations. She shrugged and she seized a random portfolio. Scanning it, she discovered that it was her mother's and an additional genius idea penetrated her mind. Lightly slapping her father's shoulder, she motioned him forward. Draco, who is bored to death, looked peculiarly to his beaming daughter. Dione propelled the portfolio in front of Draco's face. Merlin, his features blushed so hard it nearly bear a resemblance to tomatoes.
A woman was wearing only a black two piece bikini, and it showed all her hidden curvatures. It is not like Draco hadn't seen nearly nude women before. Merlin, he seen thousand women naked in front of his own eyes, yet this one is special. He seen her body the first instance they had their honeymoon, and it was wonderful. Yet after so many years, it evolved into something he cannot take, of course in a positive way. The seductive girl in the cover after all, is Hermione Malfoy.
Excruciatingly taking his eyes on the photograph, he looked at his daughter who gave him the daddy-I-know-what-you-think-of-this-picture look. He should not have this sort of thoughts of her; after all they are gonna have divorce. Last night, Hermione presented him the signed papers. He hadn't given the papers to his lawyer, and he didn't want to. And that what troubled him the most.
Suddenly, a man carrying a camera move toward running towards the crew. Dione came in the direction of the huddled crowd and eavesdrops to the discussion. Draco wobbles his head while smiling; his daughter's curiousness will get her to a trouble in the future. Dione said something and the group listened to her. Due to the far distance, Draco could not listen to it. The crew looked at his way and back to his daughter.
The photographer gazes at Draco and stroll towards him. Draco looked up as the photographer reached him. The chap has raven hair and blue eyes. And those eyes stare at him, as if eyeing a material.
"Mr. Draco Malfoy, I presume?" the man said with an accent with serious authority.
"Yes. I am." Draco nodded, glancing at his daughter then to the man.
"Have you imagined yourself modeling, Mr. Malfoy?"
"No. As you can see, I am an entrepreneur." Draco answered, referring to his clothes. Knowing where the tête-à-tête is leading, a fraction of him hates the proposal, yet the other half thinks it is worth it.
"Why won't you try modeling for one time, Mr. Malfoy?"
And with this, Draco fastens his mouth up.
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Hermione watched as the people who will give her a makeover circled her. She had been a model for two years now, she was asked by a friend of hers to replace the model that time who was involved in an industrial accident. Being the factual Gryffindor that she is, she agreed to help.
She remembered the day that Harry and Ron saw her on a Wizarding magazine. Their eyes bulged out from astonishment. Who would have thought that the geek Hermione Granger would become the audacious model on the front cover of a glossy magazine? Certainly she did not. There she discovered that she wanted to go beyond the limited expectations everyone was giving her. The students and the professors and even the Headmaster himself thought that Hermione would join the Ministry of Magic and work there. But she did not.
The first shocking news was on her last year on Hogwarts, where she had become lovers with Draco Malfoy. Gryffindor princess and Slytherin Prince together? Not unlikely. Everyone thought that it was only false gossips, until the two of them penetrated the Great Hall holding hands as if it was the most usual thing in the world. Harry and Ron were angry at her, yet after a week of pleading and explanation they acknowledged the relationship. They would say nothing against it unless Draco would do something to her. The next was when she accepted Draco's matrimony proposal.
Hermione heave a sigh as she finished her speech as the Head Girl, everyone present clapped their hands. She sauntered down the stage and met with Draco half way. Draco gave her an uneasy smile and Hermione gave her an encouraging one. It is hard for Draco to face this horde of wizards. A year ago, he was recognized as a death eater and an adversary. Now he was the Head boy and lover of his enemy, which everyone disapproves of.
As she took her seat and saw the smiling faces of her best friends, she knew that her speech was great. She heaved an exhausted sigh and listened to Draco as he started his speech. He thanked everyone from Hogwarts, the professors, the Houses, and even the Gryffindor. All of the eyes are focused on him, as if eyeing a prey. And Hermione's heart broke because of it. Why can't everyone accept that Draco already changed for the better? Why can't they accept him as her lover? She asked all this questions while looking at Draco.
Her heart soared, this is her Draco. He never falters; never show his weaknesses to other except for her. When Draco glanced at her, she smiled affectionately. And the next sentences he muttered made Hermione's world spin faster.
"I know that many of you disapprove of the relationship of Hermione and me. But really, I don't care. She is the best thing that happened to me, and I will never let her go. You might think that because this is the graduation day, we will break up. But sorry to inform you folks, I have no plans whatsoever." Draco looked at her while bending his two knees. The crowd gasped, and Hermione covered her mouth in shock. He opened a small black box, and inside it was a very intricate diamond and emerald ring.
"Hermione Jane Granger, will you do the honor of being my wife and change your name into Mrs. Hermione Jane Malfoy? I know that we haven't reached our first year together as lovers, but heck I cannot wait any longer. You have to be my wife."
Hermione's breath hitched. Draco is proposing to her. Draco is asking her to be his wife. Well technically, Draco is half forcing her to marry him. Not noticing the watery eyes that she had, or the approving gazes her best friends are giving to Draco. She stands up, and looked up at the kneeling form of Draco on the stage. He was brave. So brave that he faced his fear, and proposed to her in front of everyone who hates him. How could she say no?
"Yes."
She said, and everyone heard it due to the deafening silence. Draco jumped out of the stage and whirled her around, and that was the time everyone applauded. She knew that she made the right decision when she accepted his marriage proposal. Hermione saw the happy faces of everyone and they congratulate the both of them.
And on that faithful day, she was officially engaged to Draco Malfoy.
And this day, she regretted that she accepted the proposal.
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Draco eyed the clothes he is wearing; there are very complex designs on it. He ruffled his hair and looked at the swooning female population from the crew. The concept of the photo shoot is Romeo and Juliet. He read about it once, it was a story of star crossed lovers. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet's families were mortal enemies, whether in politics or wealth. Young Romeo fell in love with fair Juliet when he met her on a party hosted by her parents. Draco never understands why everyone loves the story of William Shakespeare. For him, Romeo is just a stupid boy who easily forgets Rosalie who he proclaimed the love of his life for a new girl named Juliet. The ending pretty sums it all up, both of them died.
One of the male crews led him to a chair in front of the photo shoot location. It was a balcony, and Draco remembered that certain scene. Hermione and he made a fool out of it, and they spent a night laughing about it when they acted it out themselves.
"Oh Hermione, where art thou Hermione? Deny thy father and refuse thy name. And thou if would thou not, be but be sworn by my love. And I will no longer be a Slytherin."
"Draco, you are disgusting."
"Hey! This disgusting man is the one you married!"
"I know, and you always make me reconsider it."
"You are banned on reconsidering it, Mrs. Malfoy!"
The male crew explained to him what he should do on the scene. They will have two scenes, first is the balcony scene, and the second is the death bed scene. He had no problem in it, modeling, for him is such an easy feat. You would just pause and look at your partner.
The photographer asked him to get under the balcony, side by side with the bushes of red roses. Draco hadn't seen Hermione yet, but the crew reassured him that Hermione is already on the balcony. Dione was propped on a chair, visibly enjoying the scene.
"Okay folks! Let's get this started!"
And in that moment, Draco looked up and saw Hermione. Wearing a golden dress, looking down at him. She looked ethereal with her curly hair down, a petite diadem resting on her shining brown head. Her face was covered with a faint make up. It was just Hermione and her natural beauty, and Draco was captured by it. That split second, they did not mind the people looking at them, or the flashes coming from the camera. It was just the two of them. Hell, it really felt like they were Romeo and Juliet that time due to the distance.
Draco plucked a rose from the bushes, get rid of the thorns and reached out for Hermione. The latter accepted it, with a faint smile etched on her pinkish lips. She smelled it and looked at Draco eye to eye.
"You look beautiful." He said, and in Hermione felt beautiful and brave that instant.
"You are devastatingly handsome." She said. And Draco had no reason not believe it.
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Dione observed as her parents take the photo shoot. Her father is wearing a pale blue shirt, black trousers, and a silver-brocade waistcoat while her mother was wrapped in an appealing, low-cut gown of sparkling gold the exact shade of her glorious dark eyes. Her lustrous brown hair was pulled backside off her forehead by the diadem, diminishing in waving swirls over her shoulders and partway her back.
She smiled as she saw the innocent progress her father is doing to her mother. The photographer looked like he's getting good shots though. The crew was looking with their mouths agape, as if entranced by the modeling of her parents. Who could not be? They portray the role very well; you would actually believe that they are the modern day Romeo and Juliet.
She is quite glad the photographer and the crew accepted her suggestion. Frankly, she thinks Merlin has been helping her accomplish this task. Maybe she should also ask her godfathers about it.
She stayed on the front, looking as the crew and her parents moved to the next scene. Now, Dione smiled. This will be freaking one of her favorites, she thought as she pulled her own camera out. For a six year old, she is quite vile.
To her greatest admonishment, the coffin of her mother was a bed. It was surrounded with blazing candles in unlike sizes and different species of flowers were on the deathbed. She saw her father helping her mother in getting on the bed.
"Way to go, Dad." Dione murmured.
As if in magic, the two of them stumbled and landed on the bed. With Hermione under Draco, to help the situation they were nose to nose. Dione could not help grin as she took a photo of it with her trusted camera. The photographer too seemed to like the pose that he took a shot of it. With the light of the flash, her parents snapped and stand away within 4 meter radius with each other. Their faces were crimson, and Dione suspected it as a sign of blushes.
"Wow. I have never seen blushing adults before." Dione drawled dryly.
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She could not stop her face from blushing. How could she when a minute ago, Draco and she are practically nose to nose! For two years, they haven't been that close to each other and certain feelings began to resurface again. Holding her dress up, Hermione positioned herself on the bed and closed her eyes. That is what the photographer asked her to do, and she willingly obliged.
She never knew that Draco was looking at her with affection in his gray eyes. Never knew that the photographer started snapping pictures of them. She only heard her heart beating faster when Draco held her hand, or when she felt Draco's breath on her skin. Sending her heart in a mad twist of confusion and impending heart ache. She was panicking, afraid that Draco would hear her dim-witted heart.
"Hermione?"
Her breath hitched. Oh god, the way he said her name sent a tremendous shiver in her way. He is so close to her, yet she knew she cannot touch him. Yes, she could totally relate to Juliet's heartache when she can't be with the man she cherishes. But in Hermione's case, she is with the man she loves but then he felt so far away.
"Yes?"
She patiently waited Draco's response, with her eyes tightly shut. A full minute passed and Hermione opened her eyes, wondering he hadn't replied. Draco was looking down at her, with arms on both sides of her head. He was sitting on the bed, with feet propped on the floor. Shades of orange and yellow lights coming from the candles flickered to his features.
"Forgive me for what I will do." He whispered achingly.
Hermione's closed her eyes again, with her eyebrows furrowed. What does he mean by that? Hermione hadn't asked it when she felt a soft sensation pressing on her mouth. It was so full of love, that for a split second she thought that she must be hallucinating. Love? Draco Malfoy did not have a pint of it for her anymore. She always says that to herself, as if reminding her of all the sufferings. But she lay her armor down, and for the long wait of two years, cherished the small time that Draco is kissing her.
Grimly, Hermione thought to herself.
"How could you still do this to me, Draco."
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A/N: Sorry for the super long update, I had so many plates to pass, a Hagia Sophia model to make, and Departmental exams to answer. Yup.. Busy.. On the other hand, sorry if there were wrong grammars and something, or that Draco did not obviously exhaust himself.. (I want to see Draco get exhausted). So yeah, I had to study now.. Especially Solid and Analytic Geometry.. Leave a review if you want.