Life has a way of getting in the way when I try to make significant progress on my own novel. Sadly, I did not reach the 50,000 goal, but all is not lost for the words I have written are more than I had originally.
On to other news!
It's December and that means I intend to finish publishing the rest of this story.
Sorry it's a little late, I have my reasons… I swear.
After Hermione's outburst against Draco and subsequent apology at his office, he had graciously accepted her forgiveness at the café. Hermione quickly made plans for several outings for gift registry building and venue scouting so they could cover the most amount of ground.
They found themselves going from store to store with lackluster enthusiasm and little hope of finding a stopping point.
The brisk breeze had the nipping into a store they hadn't planned where exotic fixtures covered the floor room and strange pieces dotted the shelves. Hermione instantly went to work scanning objects.
Draco followed behind watching her slowly devolve from her usual put together self into a crazed woman on a mission to scan every bar-code imaginable. He kept his hands in his pockets occasionally dodging where her arm erratically went after an item that caught her eye. Hermione scanned an over-sized vase with an emphatic beep from her item scanner and deep frown on her face.
"Do you think they'll actually want that?" Draco questioned lightly trying not to press his luck if he struck a nerve, but no matter how much he wanted to spend his time in her presence he did not want to spend it scanning items for a wedding no one was looking forward to.
"I honestly don't care what they'll want," she snapped in return before whipping her scanner towards an item across the aisle.
"I just don't see how all of this is necessary," he said taking his hands out of his pockets and grabbing an item off the shelf. He guessed it was some type of utensil holder but he couldn't be sure if it wasn't actually a sex toy. The shape was rather phallic.
"Well some people want the gift giving part of marriage," Hermione stated with her nose in the air.
"You mean the wedding part? I would think that's the worst part?" Draco put the object back on the shelf.
"You're supposed to enjoy the process, Draco."
"I don't see how anyone would enjoy the whole process anyways."
"What's that supposed to mean."
"I'm just saying, marriage itself is pointless."
"It is not pointless. Your supposed to support each other through everything."
"Well marriage that I have learned has been about furthering family lines and securing political moves. It's nothing more than a means to move oneself forward in life."
"Your ideas about marriage are outdated then. Marriage is supposed to be a show of mutual trust and commitment with each spouse being sacrificial to the other. It's not an I get what I want and you have to compromise. It's about knowing what the other needs and meeting those needs despite yourself."
"Ehh it's a whole lot of marketing I think."
Hermione grumbled under her breath. "Just because you think that doesn't mean you should be keeping other people from their happiness."
"Marriage doesn't equate to happiness."
"I know that," she snapped. "But there is happiness to be had throughout the process."
Draco went to retort again but noticed the glare Hermione was giving to the inanimate objects and thought it better to keep her glare there than on him.
The day wore on and after several stores and the blustering wind in between they ended up back at her place with the wind to their backs and the building towering over them. They trudged inside in silence making their way up the several flights of stairs to her flat. Hermione offered him a cuppa once they were inside and they got to talking about weddings and things again, albeit with a civil air this time. Before long several hours had past and Draco realized the need to relieve himself.
"Bathrooms down the hall and to the left," Hermione gestured with her hand. Draco nodded and made his way past several closed doors before spotting the one he needed, but something else caught his eye. Draco stopped short staring at the closet door to his right. The latch was not all the way closed and through the edge of the crack he caught a glimpse of vibrant pink chiffon.
"Are these your dresses, Granger?" Draco asked pointing at the closet door. Hermione's head popped around the corner and her eyes went wide. She sprinted down the short hall and wedged herself between the closet door and his prying eyes. Draco's smirk widened and Hermione felt her stomach drop. "Come on let me see."
"Draco, no," she said firmly pressing her hands into his chest.
"Why not?" He pooched his lower lip and puffed his cheeks out. "Come on, Granger."
"Don't you pout like that," she said giving him a firm smack on the shoulder. "I am not going to parade around and show you all those dresses."
"Now that's an idea." His eyes twinkled with mischief. "Come on, don't you want have a little strut around your apartment? Think about how empowering it would feel."
A giggled wracked his body and he tried to hold a straight face.
"You need to stop this instant," Hermione said trying to keep her lips in a frown, but they kept pulling at the corners like a stubborn child. "Draco."
"What? You need to relax a little. I won't force you to put on all those hideous dresses if you don't want to."
"They are not hideous!" She exclaimed.
"Yes, they are. You cannot be telling me that you think bridesmaids' dresses are actually decent?"
"Of course, not all of them are decent, but there are some good ones?"
He raised a single thin brow at her in disbelief. "You mean to say that there is a dress in there that is perfectly okay?"
"I'll show you." She whipped around catching him in the face with her hair, but she ignored his outcry to focus on the dresses before her. She pulled at a deep red fabric before turning back to Draco. She gave him a pointed stare clearly believing that she was correct.
"Well we can't tell what it looks like on the hook. You see these dresses tend to look ridiculous on those who wear them." He said pointedly giving her a once-over hoping she would get the idea of putting the dress on.
"They do not." She tucked her chin in indignation and his heart-rate sped up. "I'll show you." She pulled the dress of the hook in one swift manner much like she was the owner of a dress shop pulling dresses for people to buy. "Excuse me if you will."
She motioned to the bathroom and Draco stepped to the side to clear her way. "By all means, milady."
She rolled her eyes at him before closing the bathroom door with a snap. Hanging the dress in the corner, she looked it over quickly remembering why she had not liked wearing it. Draco would be sure to comment on it. However, she squared her shoulders determined to prove him wrong.
With Hermione changing, Draco meandered over to her living room and took a seat on her overstuffed couch to wait. With the moment alone, he gave himself a moment to look over her small apartment and quickly concluded that the place suited her just fine. His head whipped around when he heard the door to the bathroom creak open.
A smile spread across his face and ran into his eyes. He chuckled, "Oh dear."
"Oh shut up," Hermione snapped. "There are better ones that this."
She attempted to stride to the closet door, but the dress inhibited much of her movement. Her knees were practically glued together with the tight-fitting firm fabric wrapped around her legs. The trumpeted style offered little manageable movement and she cursed tripping forward only to catch herself on the wall which left her rear in the air.
Draco leaned over the edge of the couch to get a better look and was not disappointed as Hermione struggled to gain her footing. He watched on with mild amusement while reaching for his satchel. He pulled out his camera and adjusted the lens. He looked through the view finder till she was centered in the frame. The fabric was pulled tight around her backside accentuating her curves from her bent over position.
Draco snapped a picture.
When she straightened, she was thoroughly flushed mimicking the deep reds of the dress and he snapped a few more. She got her bearings and sent a menacing glare over at his comfy position on her couch. "I see you feel the need to be lecherous."
Caught, a light blush dusted his cheeks, but his smirk didn't leave his face. "Oh come on. Where's your sense of fun?" He chided.
"It flew out the window when you started taking pictures of my ass." Hermione said placing a hand on her hip the other pointing at the window in the living room. She couldn't believe the audacity he had at flirting with her.
"Now, now. It's a lovely ass in that dress. You can't deny that even if the dress is ridiculous."
"Well there are others." She stated flatly with a shake of her head trying to ignore his other comments.
"Oh? Do show," he said looking through the view on his camera again.
She took in a deep breath before confronting the closet. This time she grabbed a simple blue piece.
"If I remember correctly," Draco started, "Those dresses made everyone look like small children."
Hermione harrumphed and took the dress to the bathroom before returning. Her shoulders were slumped and she completely ignored the clicks of his camera as she searched through the closet again.
After several exhausting rounds and flurries of dresses that ended up in a pile near the closet door, Draco decided to go for a different tune.
"Well what's the most hideous one?" Draco asked from his spot on the couch. "There has to be one that none can compete with."
"Oh." Hermione abruptly stood. She had a glint in her eye. "I've got one."
She grabbed a jumble of colors off the hook and disappeared into the bathroom. When she reappeared, Draco let out a sharp laugh.
"That was from Lovegood's wedding, right?"
"Of course, who else would have this lovely assortment of colors with such an eclectic styling."
"You are something else. Willing to out on those hideous dresses just for your friends." His eyes followed her as she made her way to the chair across from him.
"Well if it's the least I could do for them," Hermione said honestly. "And one day when it's my turn they'll be there for me."
Draco snapped a picture out of habit. The click from the camera jolted Hermione out of her thoughts and her eyes darkened.
"Of course, why would you care."
"Hermione, I didn't mean."
"I know." She sighed before flatly saying. "Well it's been a long day and I'm tired."
Draco got the message and gathered his things before moving to leave her flat. His mouth was hanging open like he had something he wanted to say, but at the last minute he snapped his jaw shut and nodded.
The moment he left her flat, Hermione's shoulders slumped. She had been having a wonderful time up until the last minute. Figures he would spoil it. Sighing, she gathered her dresses and started putting them away one by one.
"Malfoy, I wanted that article done yesterday. What have you got to show me?" Rita Skeeter said peering over the edge of his cubicle; her horned rimmed glasses giving the action a rather freakish look.
"I'm working on it as we speak, boss," he replied not giving her a second glance. Since his jaunt with Granger over the past few days he had been writing down a list of facts and tidbits to piece into his article on the Weasel's upcoming wedding. His graceful hands quick at work sweeping an elegant eagle feather quill over an outline draft. "I'm just finishing up the draft, and I plan on getting the meat of the story down right now."
"Good. I'll let you get to work then." She looked down over his work before walking off.
Draco took a moment to gather himself before starting on the first lines. He let the words take him; quill almost effortlessly forming the characters.
We've since known the Great Hermione Granger as one of the Golden Trio, but she currently has another identity that many have not recognized.
As one who frequents the wedding circuit I have crossed paths several times with the Golden Girl herself, and have found, without a doubt, her to be in a specific dress; the dress entirely depends on the current bride of the day, the dress also tends to be a little lack luster and often designed to make those who wear it much less appealing than the bride.
Draco paused thinking over each dress he had seen Hermione wear for him. His quill hovered over the paper dripping with his hesitation. He remembered her bright smile as she pulled dress after dress from her closet clearly remembering her friends' happy moments. His quill started to move again.
I am speaking of course of the bridesmaid dress oft used only once and never spoken of fondly by those wearing it, except by Hermione Granger. Her current total bridesmaid's dresses amount to half the young witch population excluding herself of course.
Ever the bridesmaid, left by her first love only to be coerced into being the bridesmaid of the girl who stole her lover. The tale of the bridesmaid continues.
He wrote and wrote. His hand becoming stiff as the article grew out of control. Trying to find an ending place, he penned:
Will the Golden Girl ever receive her own happy ever after? That remains to be seen.
He put his quill down and rubbed his eyes. The article needed a lot of work before it could be published, and Draco didn't know where he really wanted to go with it, so he put it aside and pulled out that week's potions column hoping the change of topic would spurn his mind on. All the while Hermione's happy face filtered in and out of his conscious.
I finished and edited this chapter today so forgive any errors you see because I have not fully looked over them. As to why I kept pushing my editing till last minute? I was catching up on Yuri on Ice, and by golly it's amazing. I would highly recommend watching it as most of the episodes are already out on crunchyroll.
Anyways, five more chapters to go, so here's to whacking out the last chapter before I get there!
And finally, thank you my faithful followers! You are all great, and I may not respond to every comment, but I do read them all and they mean a lot to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!