The Joys of Married Life
A/N: Enjoy!!! Please R&R!
Chapter 7: Separation
Hermione stood in her mother's kitchen with a mug of steaming hot chocolate in her hands. She was staring out of the window, watching as the wind furiously tore the leaves from their branches on the trees. It somehow brought upon her a slightly soothing effect, and the rain pouring down from the grey sky seemed to have the same affect.
Grey. The colour of his eyes. The rain was his favourite type of weather, transparent and sinless was how he described it. Sinless? That was a joke. Hot chocolate happened to be his favourite drink. She took a sip and closed her eyes. She'd made it the same way as he made it; three heaped spoonfuls of the powder mixed in with hot milk, and a sprinkle of cinnamon powder. The same way that he'd made it for her when they'd spent their first night together a few years ago...
She abruptly opened her eyes and snapped herself out of her reverie. Don't think about him! She willed herself. All of a sudden the delicious, smooth liquid turned sour, and sickening, as if the milk was off. She poured it into the sink and slammed the mug down angrily. It was as though she was wearing Draco-tinted sunglasses.
She glanced at the digital clock on the microwave and groaned. Five am. She hadn't gotten much sleep since she'd left Draco last night, and knew that he hadn't either. Her mother had tried to get her to rest but she couldn't bring herself to. Every time she tried, a mental image of her husband and that...that thing popped into her mind.
She looked down at her wedding ring and took it off. I promise to love you forever until the end of time was the inscription. She smiled slightly as memories of her wedding day flooded over her. She'd been so nervous and hadn't eaten a thing all morning. Narcissa and her mother had been fussing about trivial things like napkin colours and table decorations, and she'd pretended to listen to their rants obediently. How could she possibly care about what colour the bloody napkins were when all she could think about was the moment that she finally became Mrs Draco Malfoy.
Once the ceremony was over and she'd got to kiss her new husband, she could remember Draco leaning in to whisper something in her ear. "Only a few more hours until our honeymoon baby!"
She giggled out loud and then stopped abruptly.
Why can he still make me laugh? She thought angrily. He'd broken her heart in the worst possible way, and yet amongst all of the pain, she still found it possible to laugh at one of their happiest memories.
"Hermione?"
I turned to see my mother walk into the kitchen. I smiled half heartedly at her and she enveloped me in one of her famous motherly hugs.
"Sweetie, you haven't slept all night have you?"
I shook my head and pulled out of her embrace.
"I can't mum. Every time I do I see him and...her! I just can't... how could he mum?"
"Oh Hermione! What can I say? He's a man, he's weak! But, from what you've told me I honestly think that he did it for the right reasons..."
"The right reasons? How can there be any right reasons? He destroyed all of the trust that we'd ever built!" Hermione exclaimed angrily. "You know, even if he'd have lost the business, the money, the house, he'd never have lost me! I would never have left him, and he knew it!"
Hermione's mother sighed and led her daughter over to dining table. She sat her down in a chair before sitting next to her and taking both of her hands in hers.
"Hermione, you know Draco better than anyone. If he thought that he could save the business and keep you he'd have done anything. You say that even if Draco lost everything you would never have left him, from where I'm standing you are his everything. Has he lost you?"
Hermione thought for a moment and sighed heavily.
"So what are you saying mum, that I forgive him? I can't just take him back! I feel physically sick every time I even think about it!"
"Of course not, it would be ridiculous for you to take him back so soon. All I am saying is that you have to think long and hard before making a final decision. Being cheated on, having your trust and heart broken causes a lot of pain and heart ache. But living apart from the one that you love? That's a completely different thing altogether. You may be strong Hermione, but not even you would be able to handle that, neither of you would."
~*~
"Draco you have to eat something!"
"I'm not hungry mother!"
"Nonsense! Not eating isn't going to bring her back and you know it!"
Draco scowled and contemplated apparating back to his own house, but then remembered that he'd come to the manor to escape it in the first place. He hadn't slept all night; all he could picture was Hermione's face once the realisation of what he'd done hit her. He could actually see the light leave her eyes and knew that he'd broken her heart to a point that was maybe, beyond repair.
"What have I done? How could I have been so stupid?" he muttered to himself angrily.
Narcissa sighed and felt a surge of pity for her son. She didn't know all of the details. All she knew was what Lucius had told her; that Draco had cheated on Hermione with Pansy. She knew that there had to be a reason for him not going in to many details, but hadn't pressed the matter. She knew that it was a pointless task.
"Draco, Hermione loves you. She'll come back to you; all you have to do is be patient and give her some space."
"I'm not so sure. I've hurt her so badly mother. She's always stood by me. She's sacrificed her own happiness for me so many times, and how do I repay her?"
"Draco, you made a mistake. A terrible mistake, yes, but it's a mistake nonetheless. She's forgiven all of your other sins, and she will forgive this one. Hermione is a fighter and will not give up on your marriage this easily."
Draco stared at the plate of bacon and eggs on his plate and sighed.
"This is different mother. She was prepared to stand by me even if we lost everything and... Oh shit!"
Narcissa looked up sharply and stared at her son who inwardly cursed himself. Damn it Draco you idiot! Now look what you've done!
"What do you mean by that? Why would you have lost everything? Draco?"
Draco considered lying to her but found that he couldn't make his brain think properly. The lack of sleep had made him too tired to even conjure up a simple lie. Plus there had been too much deceit within the family, and it was about time that it ended.
"We're in trouble mother..."
Draco recounted the tale to Narcissa, guilt evident in his voice. Narcissa's shocked expression seemed to deepen with every word, and anger began to boil within her. Once Draco had finished she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and counted to ten. She then slowly opened her eyes, and gave her worried looking son a convincing smile.
"Mother, I wanted to tell you. Father didn't want you to know and..."
"It's ok Draco. This is what your father does. I've known that something's been up for a while now. I'm just so sorry for you and Hermione! How could he have dragged you into this?!"
Draco shrugged and toyed with his food. A good five minuets passed before Narcissa stood up, an air of confidence suddenly radiating from her.
"Where are you going mother?"
"To have a talk with your father. Now listen, you are going to go upstairs, have a shower and start planning how you're going to get your wife back. It's about time someone pulled you and your father into shape!"
