Fade Into You
Chapter 7 - Home Truths
When Hermione wakes up early the next morning leaning on Harry's shoulder her heart sinks. She knows that there is no way she can keep denying her feelings for him anymore as she tiptoes from the room and leaves the house. She gulps in the cool morning air of the forest and pulls her phone from her pocket.
"If Draco asks, I was at yours last night," She sends to Hannah.
There is a text from Sebastian waiting for her too, "You are due at the London Apparition Centre at 9am on Monday morning. You know the drill, get there for around 8am."
Hermione takes another breath and sits down on a slightly damp bench next to the door. She sends Sebastian a thank you for letting her know and shuts her eyes briefly. All of these years have passed and she has largely been able to forget about Harry, but not anymore. She doesn't have a reason to want to be with Draco anymore which means she has a dozen reasons for wanting to be with Harry.
Nothing has happened, well nothing physical. Just a lot of reminiscing, watching films and falling asleep in each other's arms. Hermione has to suppress a groan at her thoughts and then her phone vibrates.
"Sure. Where were you really if I'm your cover?"
Hermione replies, "Harry's old place in the Forest of Dean. I'll explain before I go to Australia, are you busy tomorrow?"
Almost instantly she gets a reply, "No, I'll get Nev to watch the kids. That new place in Diagon Alley at 6?"
"Sounds great," Hermione replies, tucking her phone in her pocket and doing a few glamour charms to freshen herself up. Without looking back at the house she shuts her eyes, spins on her heel and apparates to the gates of the house she shares with Draco.
She sneaks into the entrance hall and tiptoes into the kitchen where she grabs a slice of toast and puts the kettle on. It is 6am, so she expects everybody else to still be in bed but there is a note from Draco on the kitchen countertop.
"I had to go to work early today with the campaign taking its toll. I'll be home late too so don't wait up for me. Have a good day with the kids.
Draco."
It is signed exactly like that, Draco. Not 'love Draco', just Draco.
If Hermione had any hope of salvaging things between before, she has next to none now.
"Morning Mum," Cassie says, throwing herself onto a stool and grabbing some toast from the stack on the kitchen bar.
"Morning," Hermione says with a smile, "How did you sleep last night?"
"Good," Cassie says cheerfully, "Where's Dad? Is he still in bed?"
"He's-"
Before Hermione can finish Scorpius walks into the kitchen, rubbing sleep out of his eyes and yawning. He pulls himself up onto a bar stool and looks around, "Where's Dad?"
"He's at work," Hermione says quietly, "The campaign is very hectic and he said he couldn't get away."
"Not even for family day?" Scorpius asks, sounding incredibly hurt.
Hermione shakes her head, she feels guilty about this because she has to be the one to break the news.
Cassie sighs, "Well why doesn't Uncle Harry come instead then?"
Hermione opens her mouth and then shuts it, "Why…why would Uncle Harry want to come?"
"Because Puddlemere is his favourite team," Cassie replies, "He took me to my first ever game when I was like 3."
"Dad took me to my first ever game," Scorpius says thoughtfully.
"Dad worked a lot more when Cassie was young Scorp," Hermione explains, "Uncle Harry took care of Cassie when I was busy."
"He'd love to come," Cassie says brightly.
"And he's part of the family," Scorpius pipes up, "So he's allowed to come to family day, isn't he?"
Hermione wants to think of a reason to say no but she can't. The kids both love Harry and they have been raised to think of him as family. She has no real reason to say no, so she takes her phone out of her pocket, "Alright I'll ask him, but I expect he's probably very busy so don't get your hopes up okay?"
Both kids nod and Hermione dials Harry's number while they watch hopefully.
"Hello?"
"Hi Harry," Hermione says, suddenly feeling very nervous "I know this is really short notice and you probably have a lot on today with us leaving on Monday for Australia-"
"Nope, I have no plans at all," Harry cuts in.
Hermione curses inwardly and continues, "Well the kids and I are going to a Puddlemere game today and Draco has to work so they asked if you wanted to join us instead."
"That sounds great. Do you mind if I bring Teddy along?" Harry asks.
"Do you mind if Harry brings Teddy along?" Hermione asks Cassie and Scorpius who both shake their heads.
"No Harry, that's fine. The game starts at 3 so we'll meet you and Teddy outside the Puddlemere ground at 2.30?" Hermione suggests.
"Sure, I'll see you there Hermione."
"See you there," Hermione says, hanging up the phone and putting it back in her pocket.
"So he's coming?" Cassie asks.
"He and Teddy are both coming," Hermione says with a false smile. She is struggling to pretend to Harry that there is nothing between them but friendship and now she has to act like nothing has changed in front of her children which she knows will be difficult. She suppresses a sigh as she makes her way upstairs to get dressed for the day. So much for a fun, relaxing family day out.
"Mum?"
Hermione turns around to see Cassie standing in the doorway to the bedroom she shares with Draco, "What's up Cass?" She asks.
"I heard you and Dad arguing the other day, about Uncle Harry," Cassie admits, "And I wasn't going to ask because it's not my business but…"
She trails off and Hermione says, "Your Dad and Uncle Harry don't like each other Cass. They try and get on for me because Harry is my friend but we all went to Hogwarts together and they weren't friends then."
"Weren't friends?" Cassie asks with a frown, "Mum, Ross says they hated each other."
Hermione sighs deeply, "They did. Your Dad was a Slytherin and Harry and I, and Ross's Dad Uncle Ron, were Gryffindors. Back then that meant we didn't really mix and your Dad bullied Uncle Harry an awful lot. So when your Dad and I got married he found it hard to be around Uncle Harry."
"Oh," Cassie says, deep in thought, "Will he be angry that Uncle Harry is coming with us today?"
"No, of course not," Hermione lies, "He will just be happy that you and Scorpius will be having a good time. Now you should probably get dressed, I was planning on taking you down to Diagon Alley for ice cream before the game."
Cassie smiles, "Okay, thanks Mum," She says as she leaves the room.
As soon as she has shut the door, Hermione puts a silencing charm on the room and rings Hannah.
"Hey Hermione, what's up?"
"Harry," Hermione says, well practically groans, "Look Hannah these feelings are coming back with a vengeance and that is bad enough. But now Draco can't make family day because he's working and the kids asked me to invite Harry instead so I did."
"Wow, so let me get this straight…you and Harry are taking the kids out for family day?"
"Yes, exactly. Me, Harry, Cassie, Scorp and Teddy are going to a Puddlemere game this afternoon as a family," Hermione says, "And I don't know what to do. I can barely conceal my feelings from Harry, how am I supposed to make sure the kids don't catch on?"
"Are you having an affair Hermione?" Hannah asks in an undertone, "Are you sleeping with him?"
"No," Hermione replies entirely honestly, "I fell asleep at the old house last night with him. We were just sitting watching films, nothing happened."
"Physically at least," Hannah retorts, "How did you keep this all in for years? And why is it all spilling back out now?"
Hermione sighs, "I never really felt it when Draco and I were happy. But now...running for Minister is changing Draco, he's turning into the guy he was before, the one I hated. I can barely stand to be around him, he's even bailing on the kids which isn't like him."
"So you don't have a reason to root for your relationship with Draco anymore, since he's turning into an asshole on this power trip of his," Hannah says slowly, "Meaning you no longer have a reason to stop yourself from feeling something for Harry. Right?"
"I guess," Hermione says, "In the past Harry was bad news, but he hasn't had a drop of anything alcoholic for years now. He's the same guy he was when I…well you know what I mean. Whereas Draco is becoming that person I can't stand to be around again."
"I get it Hermione, I really do. But you need to make a decision soon, I get that you think going to Australia is going to be good for you and Draco and maybe you're right. Some space might fix all that needs fixing, but if it doesn't then what?"
"Then I don't know."
"Exactly and look at it this way. You and Draco are in a bad place right now so do you really think going to Australia with Harry for months is going to help? This could very quickly spiral into an affair which could very quickly ruin a lot of lives, your kids included," Hannah says sincerely.
"I know that Hannah but I swear, it won't become an affair," Hermione says firmly.
"Well sooner or later you'll have to either think about a divorce or try and fix things with Draco. You know that right?" Hannah asks.
"I know that, why do you think I'm so eager to escape for a month or two?"
"Alright, well at least you know how close to self-destruction you are," Hannah teases, "Are we still on for tomorrow?"
"Of course we are, I'll see you then. Thanks for the…comforting…chat Han," Hermione says.
Hannah chuckles on the other end of the phone, "That's what friends are for Hermione. See you tomorrow."
The phone goes dead and Hermione falls back onto her bed as she tries to come up with some sort of strategic plan to get through the day.
Hermione has already picked out their picnic spot when Harry arrives with Teddy. Cassie and Scorpius are looking through Quidditch Weekly and talking about the players who will be playing today. This match is a friendly between Puddlemere and the Appleby Arrows, everyone in the Malfoy family is rooting for Puddlemere because Cassie and Scorpius both support the team.
"Uncle Harry's here," Scorpius says, glancing up from his magazine and waving to Harry.
Harry waves back, "Hey Scorpius," he says with a smile.
"Hi," Scorpius says, looking back to the magazine.
Cassie jumps to her feet and hugs Harry, "Uncle Harry, I haven't seen you since Christmas!"
Harry smiles and hugs her back, "Sorry Cass, I've been working a lot. Blame your Mum for that one."
Cassie laughs and Hermione gets to her feet and hugs Harry, "Thanks for coming today," She says.
Harry nods happily and Hermione then turns to Teddy, "Hey Ted, how did he wrangle you out of school?"
Teddy grins, "There are perks to having the chosen one as your Godfather," he says simply. Today his hair is black and his eyes are pale green.
Hermione laughs and they all settle down on the large blanket. They are going to have a great view when the game starts.
"So Cass, Hogwarts in September right?" Harry asks.
Cassie nods eagerly, "I can't wait!"
"I bet, what house do you think you'll be in?" Harry asks her.
Cassie shrugs, "My Dad says Slytherin but I think Ravenclaw."
"Not a Gryffindor like your Mum?" Harry asks, smiling at Hermione.
Hermione shakes her head, "No, I don't think so. She's much smarter than me and she doesn't need to be in Gryffindor like I did."
Harry frowns but before he can say anymore the game begins. The kids very quickly get captivated by the match and Harry shuffles closer to Hermione, "What did you mean by that?"
"Don't you believe in destiny?" Hermione asks.
"Isn't that like believing in Divination?" Harry asks with a raised eyebrow.
Hermione rolls her eyes, "No, that's all nonsense. But people exist for a reason and things happen for a reason. Can't you imagine how different things would have been if I hadn't been in Gryffindor? If I hadn't been there to help you?"
"So you think if it hadn't been for me, you would have been in Ravenclaw?" Harry asks thoughtfully.
Hermione fixes him with a long look, "Or Slytherin, according to you."
"You know that I didn't mean that," Harry says apologetically.
"I know," Hermione says with a small smile, "And all that I meant is that there was a prophecy about you in that hall. How do you know I didn't have one? One saying that I was destined to be a Witch to help you?"
"That's a pretty powerful statement," Harry says, catching her eye.
Hermione shakes her head, "I meant as a friend Harry."
Harry nods, "I know what you meant," he says, brushing his hand over hers gently as he pretends to reach for something in the picnic basket.
Hermione looks away and tries to focus her attention on the match. They don't talk again until the match breaks for lunch and they serve out the food in the picnic basket. They all get talking again and the subject of the matter somehow becomes Draco.
"Thanks for coming instead of Dad today," Cassie says to Harry.
Harry smiles somewhat sadly, "I'm happy to. What's so important to your Dad that he's missing such an awesome day?"
"His stupid campaign," Scorpius complains, "Nobody even wants him to be Minister for Magic."
"It just makes him and Mum fight all the time," Cassie says.
Hermione sighs, "Adults fight Cassie and your Father and I are no exception. We don't agree on everything."
"You don't agree on anything anymore," Cassie says.
"Hey Cass, at least you have two parents," Teddy says with a shrug, "So what if they argue? At least they love you and look out for you."
Harry gives Teddy a sympathetic glance, "Don't be a complete sulk, you've got me. I'm not a completely useless Godfather am I?"
Teddy smiles at Harry, "Nah, you're pretty good."
Harry chuckles and Cassie apologises to Teddy who shrugs it off with a smile. They finish eating and the game resumes, they all watch silently for a while until Harry can no longer not ask the question buzzing around in his head.
"So it's true then? You and Malfoy?" Harry asks under his breath.
Hermione has been expecting it, the game looks like it is drawing to a close so the kids are captivated which gives Harry the perfect chance to ask awkward questions.
"I got the impression things were strained," Harry adds, "From the way you were talking last night."
"We're going through a rough time, that much is true," Hermione says honestly.
"But you aren't getting divorced?" Harry asks.
"We have two kids Harry," Hermione says in an undertone, "And nobody has done anything worthy of a divorce yet."
"Yet," Harry says with a shake of his head, "Your faith in your marriage is astounding Hermione."
Hermione glares at him, "It isn't any of your business what Draco and I are or aren't. You're my friend, I don't owe you anything."
"I know that," Harry says honestly, "I'm just worried about you. Lately you haven't been yourself and I thought Malfoy might have had something to do with it."
"Marriages are hard Harry," Hermione says, making sure the kids are still talking about the game. She lowers her voice, "It's not like your relationships that are full of sex and barely last a month."
Harry shoots her an irritated look "That's not fair. I actually like Chelsea, as hard as that may be for you to believe. The age gap gives me problems, morally that is."
"So it should," Hermione mutters.
"And even if I did want to be with her, she ruled it out," Harry continues, "She says she didn't want to date someone who is clearly in love with someone else."
Hermione's eyes snap up in surprise at those words. She inadvertently meets his eyes and he smiles slightly, "I guess some people just meet at the wrong time."
Hermione swallows and tried to ignore how dry her mouth has gotten, "I guess," she can only say.
Their little moment is over as quickly as it had begun because the crowd roar and cheer as Puddlemere's Seeker catch the snitch.
"Draco, we need to talk."
Draco sighs as Pansy walks into his office looking grim, "What is it?"
"The past," Pansy says with a frown, "It's going to come back to haunt you. It's going to haunt us. This campaign…they're digging deep."
"What are you talking about?" Draco asks from his desk, immediately on edge.
"Those people from the Ministry who questioned you," Pansy says, "My Husband knows of them. I told you that he works for the DMLE, didn't I?"
"In foreign affairs, yes," Draco says slowly, "Why?"
Pansy glances around before whispering, "We went out for dinner last night and we were talking about the campaign and about you. He told me that they were going to be doing an investigation."
"Into what?" Draco asks sharply.
"They have their concerns about your involvement in the war, with the Dark Lord," Pansy says quietly, "They are launching a full investigation into your war crimes."
"Then let them," Draco says after a moment of silence, "They will never find out what happened unless you tell them. You are the only witness, Pansy."
"I would never tell them!" Pansy hisses under her breath.
"You're as much of a Slytherin as I am, Pansy," Draco says as he gets to his feet and walks around the desk towards her. It is late and the office is closed to all but them and Narcissa.
"I know but I won't betray you. I would never betray you," Pansy says, "I swore that back then and I'm swearing it again now."
"Why?" Draco asks in disbelief, "Why should I believe you when for years we've not spoken? You were as quick as the others to abandon me when I married Hermione and now all of a sudden you've wormed your way back into my life with your help on my campaign-"
"No, stop right there!" Pansy exclaims, "You abandoned me when you married Hermione! I said I would wait for you to get over what had happened in the war and I meant that. I thought you would come back to me, not marry a mudblood!"
Draco shakes his head in disbelief, "Don't talk about my wife like that."
"You barely talk about her and when you do it's to rant about Potter. Do you even know what she's doing? She spent today at a Quidditch match with your children, Potter and his Godson for Merlin's sake!"
"What?" Draco hisses.
Pansy nods, "Blaise was there with his daughter, he told me when he dropped the campaign paperwork off."
Draco leans against the desk as this sinks in, "Why are you doing this Pansy? All of this, why tell me that? Why keep my secret after all these years?"
"Because I love you," Pansy says, her voice catching in her throat, "Merlin Draco, isn't that obvious? I loved you then and I still do now."
Draco looks up in surprise and catches her eye, "What?"
Pansy can only nod and Draco is still so taken aback that he can't form words. Yes, he and Pansy had dated before the war kicked off and then they had sort of had a fling throughout and shortly after it. But love had never really been one of the things he considered. Back then he wasn't even sure what love was.
When he looks up Pansy is closer to him and he is startled, "I'm sorry," he says, "I was so caught up in the war that I didn't even…" he trails off and shakes his head.
"And now? How do you feel now?" Pansy whispers.
"I'm married, Pansy," Draco says, not taking his eyes away from hers.
"But you still feel something for me, don't you?" Pansy asks, "You like having me on this campaign, having me close to you."
Draco watches her silently.
Pansy stares right at him, "You want me to kiss you right now."
"Pansy-"
Before he can finish his sentence she kisses him and despite knowing it is wrong he kisses her back. For a brief moment guilt floods him, but then he pictures Hermione and his family out for the day with Potter, the man who he has despised for as long as he can remember. Somehow, all that seems to do is fuel his desire for Pansy.
Scorpius is in bed and Cassie is in her bedroom when Hermione gets to her knees in front of the fireplace with a sigh. Draco still isn't home even though it is fast approaching midnight and dinner had been hours ago.
She throws some floo powder into the fire and it roars green. She speaks the name and address of the person she is calling and within a few seconds his head pops up amongst the flames.
Hermione smiles, she still finds it cute that Ron's hair blends in with the flames, "Hey Ron," she says fondly.
Ron smiles back, "Thanks for calling so late, the kids would have been running wild if you had called any earlier."
"I thought they might be," Hermione says with a chuckle, "And I really needed to talk to you alone."
"I figured," Ron says, "What's going on Hermione?"
"I'm sorry that I only call when I need something," Hermione says guiltily, "It's just hard to catch up with Draco and…" she trails off but she knows that Ron understands.
"Life is busy and a lot has changed," Ron agrees, "Are you okay? You seem on edge."
"Draco is running for Minister for Magic," Hermione sighs, "I don't have to tell you that of course but I hate what it's doing to him. I don't even want him to win, I'm rooting for Percy."
"Trust me so am I, and I never thought I'd say that," Ron says, making Hermione smile slightly.
"It's actually Harry I want to talk to you about though," Hermione says tentatively.
"Is he alright?" Ron asks.
Hermione nods, "For now but we're going out to Australia to work on a new show. It's a special for the Quidditch World Cup."
"I know," Ron nods, "I heard your trial on the radio the other day. It was good, I'll be tuning in."
Hermione smiles, "Thanks and I'm excited about it but I'm scared for Harry. The last time things got bad it was when we were doing these sorts of shows, the after-parties for the games have so much alcohol and temptation and I'm terrified Ron," she admits.
Ron nods sincerely, "You don't want him to go back there and neither do I. It's been years though Hermione."
"Yes but hes been in the background and hes back in the limelight now," Hermione points out, "And I know he thinks he can handle it but what if he can't? He could really hurt himself, or someone else."
Ron nods again, "I know and I think you're right. I'll put feelers out, make sure that if he does anything suspicious we can get on it before it gets like the last time."
"Thank you so much Ron," Hermione says, incredibly grateful for the fact her old friend is an Auror.
"Hey, the last thing I want is for him to hurt you again," Ron says honestly, "You know I'd do anything to protect you."
"I really appreciate it," Hermione says entirely honestly, "And hopefully I'll see you at the final? I scored you, Alicia and the kids tickets."
Ron grins, "Hermione, you are amazing! I like the benefits of having a best friend in the media business!"
Hermione laughs and says, "It's the least I can do after everything you helped me through with Harry all those years ago."
Ron smiles and says, "I've got to head off, I've got a dawn raid tomorrow. But I'll keep an eye on Harry, I promise."
"Thanks again Ron," Hermione says with a smile, "I'll talk to you again soon."
"Yeah, it was nice seeing you again Hermione," Ron says fondly as the floo roars green once more and his face disappears from the flames.
"Draco, can we please talk?"
"I'm tired Hermione," Draco sighs, "I've been working all day."
"I know but in two days I leave for Australia and I think we need to talk," Hermione says desperately. After her conversation with Ron she needs to at least try and fix things with Draco.
"What do we need to talk about?" Draco asks, turning from where he stands in the doorway of the living room.
There is a coldness in his eyes that scares and hurts Hermione, "Us, the way we've been lately."
"Is that it?" Draco asks coldly, "Because I think we should talk about the fact you took Potter out on your family excursion today."
"How do you know about that?" Hermione asks cautiously, "Did you follow us?"
Draco scoffs, "No, I have better things to do, like work. Blaise was at the match, he saw you."
"I was going to tell you but since you've just got in from work-"
"Don't try and turn this on me, don't blame your affair on the fact I have to work hard," Draco says coldly.
Hermione is so fed up with all of this. She pulls out her wand and glares at Draco as she says, "Accio veritaserum."
"What are you doing?" Draco drawls.
"Showing you that you're wrong," Hermione says hotly as the bottle flies into her hand and she sips from it.
Draco rolls his eyes, "Hermione, you are being ridiculous."
"Ask me," Hermione says as she glares determinedly at him.
Draco leans against the wall, "Are you having an affair with Potter?"
"No," Hermione replies.
Draco scoffs "Then you're lying. You didn't take veritaserum."
"Oh, I took it," Hermione says, "Ask me another."
"Have you slept with Potter since you married me?" Draco asks.
"No," Hermione replies.
"Have you kissed Potter since you married me?" Draco asks with a raised eyebrow.
"No, he kissed me and I pulled away," Hermione says.
Draco laughs nastily, "Then you definitely didn't take it."
"I took it," Hermione says, "But why don't you take it and then you'll know it really is the real thing."
"Don't be stupid, Hermione," Draco drawls.
"If you have nothing to hide you'll take it," Hermione says, thrusting the bottle into his hand.
"I don't have to prove anything to you," Draco says.
Hermione's glare is burning into him, "So you do have something to hide then?"
"Of course I have nothing to hide!" Draco snaps.
"Then take it!" Hermione snaps back, "And prove that!"
"Fine," Draco says coolly, taking a few sips from the bottle and putting it down on the table.
Hermione fixes him with a determined and asks, "Have you slept with anyone else since you married me?"
"No," Draco replies.
"Have you kissed anyone else since you married me?" Hermione asks.
There is a very slight pause and then Draco says, "Yes."
Hermione recoils in shock and finds herself against the opposite wall of the living room staring at his icy blue eyes, "Who?" she asks.
"Pansy Parkinson," Draco says in a dead tone of voice.
"When?" Hermione whispers, angrily wiping her stray tears away.
"Earlier today," Draco replies.
Hermione is so angry she feels like killing him, but she is also so upset she just wants to curl up into a ball and cry. She can't figure out which emotion is stronger as she glares at him, "You hypocritical bastard!" she seethes.
Draco glares right back at her, "Two can play at this game. Are you in love with Potter?"
Hermione tries to fight the veritaserum. Draco can see her wrestling for control but it is too strong and she fails.
"Yes," She chokes out, unsure whether she is crying at Draco's betrayal or her own.
"Do you love him more than you love me?" Draco asks, trying to hide the tears burning in his eyes.
"No," Hermione whispers.
"So you love me more?" Draco asks, surprised by that turn of events.
"I love you both equally," Hermione chokes out.
Draco's glare is colder than Hermione has ever seen it as he looks her directly in the eye as he says, "So who really cheated on the other, Hermione?"
Hermione is so angry, with Draco and with herself. She feels sick as everything begins to unravel right in front of her. She turns away from him and walks out of the house in a haze of pain and confusion. In her dazed state she apparates to the safest place that she knows.
The Forest of Dean.
When Hannah walks into the new bar in Diagon Alley Hermione is already sitting at a table anxiously tapping her foot against the hardwood floor.
"Hey," Hermione says with a meagre smile as Hannah sits down.
"You look like hell," Hannah says softly.
"I feel like it too," Hermione admits.
"You can't go on like this Hermione," Hannah says gently, "When did you last talk to Draco, properly?"
"By properly do you mean without arguing?" Hermione asks sadly.
"Or without awkwardness," Hannah says, watching her friend with concerned eyes.
"In that case, about a month ago," Hermione says, keeping her eyes on the table, "And we haven't slept together for…well longer than that. We haven't even kissed in weeks."
"Are you even together?" Hannah asks in disbelief.
"It doesn't feel like it," Hermione says, finally looking up with tears in her eyes.
"What happened?" Hannah asks, seeing right through her best friend.
"He kissed Pansy Parkinson, she's working on his campaign," Hermione says quietly, "He didn't believe that Harry and I weren't having an affair so I took veritaserum and made him ask me. He thought I had lied about taking it so I made him take it and then I asked him. He hasn't slept with her…yet."
"Merlin, Hermione," Hannah says, "I'm so sorry."
"I suppose I should be grateful it was just a kiss but if I hadn't asked him tonight…if I hadn't found out Hannah…it would have been so much more," Hermione says, once more trying not to cry.
Hannah reaches across the table and takes her friends hand, "I understand Hermione."
"It gets worse," Hermione says miserably, "He asked me if I was in love with Harry and if I loved Harry more than I loved him."
"What was your answer?" Hannah asks gently.
"That i loved him and Harry equally," Hermione whispers, looking at Hannah with such pain in her eyes.
Hannah sighs and grips Hermione's hand, "Oh Hermione. What are you going to do?"
"I don't know," Hermione admits, "I don't want a divorce, I don't want to do that to the kids but Draco and I just...we aren't us anymore Hannah. I don't like the man he's becoming again."
"I think you do want a divorce and I think he does too if he has been unfaithful," Hannah says, squeezing her friends hand.
"I leave tomorrow, I can't work this out before then," Hermione says weakly.
"Then maybe giving it time while you're in Australia is a good idea. If you both feel the same after that…well then think about a divorce," Hannah suggests, "This isn't healthy Hermione. I haven't seen you so unstable since the Harry days."
"I know," Hermione says, a sob escaping her.
Hannah says sighs and moves across to hug Hermione, "Come on, let's get out of here," she whispers in her ear.
Hermione nods and they leave the bar together, apparating on Hermione's insistence to the house in the Forest of Dean where she had spent the previous night. Once they were in the safety and comfort of the little snug room Harry has created for her, Hermione lets it all out.
Hermione doesn't cry often but she does then. She lets Hannah hug her, she lets Hannah tell her that things will work out even though she doesn't believe her friend. Eventually, she feels able to talk about it all.
"When did my life get so complicated Han? What did I do to deserve this?" Hermione asks through her tears.
"You didn't do anything to deserve this and neither did Harry. The war just hurt him, it hurt a lot of people Hermione," Hannah soothes, "And you have to look on the bright side. Your relationship with Draco was good while it lasted. You had a lot of good years with him and he gave you two wonderful children."
"One," Hermione corrects.
Hannah frowns, "One what?"
"One wonderful child," Hermione whispers.
Hannah's frown deepens, "I'm not sure I understand what you're saying here Hermione. Did you have an affair? Because Scorpius is Draco's spitting image."
"Yes, he is," Hermione says, wiping her eyes, "Scorpius looks just like his Father. But Cassie doesn't because…Draco isn't her Father."
Hannah's eyes widen with realisation, "Oh my god Hermione...no."
Hermione nods, a sob escaping her once more, "That's why I can never be with Harry. Not when I've kept the truth from him for so long."
"Hermione-"
"I can't lie to him if we're together," Hermione whispers, "I wouldn't be able to keep up the lie and he can never find out the truth...never Hannah."
"Hermione," Hannah breathes, "How have you kept this quiet for so long? How did you keep it from Draco?"
"I didn't," Hermione says, looking up at her friend like a lost little girl. She looks broken and afraid, just as she had looked when she finally had the courage to tell Harry that things were over for good, "He knew all along but he loved Cassie regardless."
"Regardless of the fact she is Harry's daughter," Hannah breathes.
Hermione nods, not breaking eye contact with Hannah, "Harry can never find out that he's Cassie's Father Hannah."
TBC :)
