What Was and What Is

Disclaimer: Characters taken from JKR's Harry Potter © and used in this fanfiction do not belong to me.

RECAP: From Last chapter

"Wait. Its actually really late, why don't you just stay the night?" Draco looked at her with a surprised look.

"Alright. I'll stay. But I'll leave in the morning." He turned back to the kids and began to turn off the television and began to take the kids upstairs. As they put them to bed, they both kissed each one of the kids and then met up in the hallway.

"Well, I'm going to the guest bedroom. Goodnight." And at that Draco kissed Hermione on the cheek and moved to his room. For a few seconds Hermione stood in one place and put her hand to her cheek where Draco had kissed her.

"Goodnight." She whispered and walked to her bedroom.

Chapter 11: Hermione's Evening

As Hermione walked to her room and closed the door. She sat down on her bed and tried to remember how she had gotten from her hating Draco this afternoon to almost loving him again and Hermione began to remember her evening and how she had gotten to this point.

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Hermione put on her royal blue strapless dress with diamond earrings, necklace and royal blue kitten high heels. Hermione was going to have dinner with Ginny and then go to dancing afterwards.

As Hermione ran down the stairs, she noticed Valerie coming toward the stairwell. Valerie looked up at her mother as she came running down the stairs and grabbed her blue beaded clutch. Valerie gave Hermione an exasperated look.

"Mom, won't you even stay just to say hi to Dad. I mean its so rude." Valerie said as she watched her Mom grab her keys off the side table by the door.

"I'm really running late that's why I'm trying to leave quickly, not because of your father." Hermione checked her face and hair in the mirror. She looked great, with just enough makeup on to enhance her natural beauty and her hair was straight and sleek. She smiled at herself in the mirror as Valerie shook her head.

"Right, its not because of Dad you're basically running out of her." Hermione walked over and kissed her daughter on the head.

"Don't wait up." Hermione walked to the front door, opened it and ran into a someone standing on the doorstep. Hermione fell on her butt and shook her head as she saw a hand reach out in front of her to take hold of. Hermione looked up and saw Draco standing with his hand extended to her, his other hand holding her clutch.

Hermione took his hand and stood up. With her other hand she took her clutch ,but she still held onto Draco's hand as she looked into his eyes. For a few seconds, Hermione couldn't stop looking into the silver eyes that she had been in love with. Then suddenly she shook her head, took her clutch, stepped around Draco and quickly walked to her car. As Hermione stepped into the car, she took one last look at Draco and thought, wow he looks good. Then Hermione got in and drove to St. Pierre's.

As Hermione drove to the restaurant, she thought about what had just happened between Draco and herself. Why had she stared into his eyes the way she had? And why had he done the same? She was still angry at Draco for cheating on her, but during the three weeks they'd been apart Hermione had actually stared missing him. But every time that happened she had a mental picture of him kissing another woman and Hermione's anger flared up once again.

As Hermione got her car parked and walked to the restaurant, she made a resolve not to think of Draco for the entire night. As Hermione went into the restaurant, she gave her name and was seated. She sat down and waited for Ginny. Hermione waited for a good 20 minutes before her phone rang. Hermione took out her phone and answered it.

"Hello?" Hermione said into the receiver.

"Hello? Hermione? Oh its me Ginny." Said the voice of Ginny over the line.

"Ginny…where are you? I'm already at the restaurant." Hermione said anxiously into the phone.

"Oh Hermione I'm so sorry but I can't make it. Brian and Sabrina both got the chicken pox and Harry had to work late at the Ministry. And I couldn't find anyone who would baby-sit two sick kids, not even my mom. I'm really sorry if I ruined your evening." Ginny said in a rush on the phone. Hermione sighed. She couldn't blame Ginny because if her kids were sick she would of done the same thing.

"Its alright Ginny. I'll find something to do. I hope Brian and Sabrina get better soon. I definitely recommend you bathing them in oatmeal. Its an old Muggle trick that I used on the twins when they got the chicken pox, it really does help." Hermione said as she looked at the empty chair across from her.

"Thanks Hermione. I'll try that. I will definitely make this up to you I promise. Bye." Ginny said.

"Bye." Hermione said and hung up her phone. Hermione picked up her menu and glanced at what she wanted. She guessed she'd be having dinner for one.

"Ms. Granger?" Said a deep voice from behind Hermione's menu. Hermione lowered her menu and looked up to see the handsome face of Leslie Hunt. Hermione smiled up at him as he sat down across from her.

"Les. What are you doing here?" Hermione asked as she put down her menu. He gave her a dazzling smile and then answered.

"I was just meeting a couple of friends for drinks but they left and I thought I would get a bite to eat before I left. What are you doing here?" Les said as he looked at her.

"I was meeting a friend who had to cancel ,so I'm having dinner alone." Hermione said as picked up her menu again.

"Wow. I didn't know beautiful women like you ate alone, ever." Les said with a smile. Hermione blushed at his compliment.

"Is it alright if I join you?" Les asked. Hermione looked at his face which he'd put into a puppy dog look. She laughed.

"Alright. I was about to order anyway. Why don't we choose together before I call the waiter over here." Hermione suggested as she opened her menu again. Les picked up his menu and chose his meal right away and put it down and watched Hermione look at hers.

When Hermione had chosen her meal, she noticed how Les was staring at her. Hermione put down her menu and looked at Les.

"Why are you staring at me?" Hermione asked with a smile playing on her lips.

"You straightened your hair and I think it looks beautiful." Hermione was surprised. When she had first straightened her hair, Draco hadn't even noticed until two days later. Hermione smiled at him and shook her head.

"Let's order now okay?" Hermione said as she summoned the waiter. Both Les and her, surprisingly ordered the same thing, Shrimp Pasta Alfredo, with garlic bread.

As Hermione ate, she and Les chatted about a lot of different things, but then he asked her a question that she didn't know how to answer.

"So Ms. Granger, when I heard I was going to be interviewed, they told me it was to be done by a Mrs. Malfoy, so either you got divorced before our interview or you're not telling me something. So what's going on?" He looked at Hermione intently as she looked down. She didn't know how to really answer that.

"Well my relationship with my husband right now. Actually, we're separated as a matter of fact." Hermione said as she looked at Les. He looked sad at her words and then took her left hand.

"Its such a shame that you're husband didn't appreciate you for how wonderful you really are. Because Ms. Granger, you don't deserve that, you really don't." Les said with actual heart felt feelings. Hermione smiled at him.

"If I had a woman like you who was intelligent, beautiful, funny, and determined, I'd never let her go." At this Les looked into Hermione's eyes and she had a strange moment. Her whole body felt warm as she looked into Les's dark blue eyes. Hermione pulled her hand away and looked at her dessert menu. Les raised one eyebrow and then took his own dessert menu and began to scan it.

As Hermione looked at her menu, she began to think why Les had this affect on her. He made her feel like a teenager again. She was reacting to him the way she had reacted to Viktor. All giggly and blushing all the time. Hermione pushed the idea of her having feelings for Les out of her mind. Soon afterward Hermione ordered her dessert and the night went on without anymore awkward moments.

After they finished Les walked Hermione to her car, but before Hermione got in she turned to look up at Les.

"Well I had a really good time tonight. I hope that you don't tell people that you wined and dined your boss before you got the job. It'll make me look bad." Hermione said as she smiled up at him. Les smiled back.

"Oh I won't but….Ms. Granger. I want to know something." Les said as he moved in front of her and took her hands.

"Ms. Granger, at the table I swear we had an intimate moment, where I felt something for you. I know it is strange for a new employee to be declaring feelings like this but, I just needed to know if you felt them too. If you didn't, I won't ever bring it up again and we'll just be friends but I thought….you felt it too." Les looked hopefully at Hermione who didn't know what to say.

"Les….I felt it too, but I'm still technically married, so…." Les let go of Hermione's hands and smiled.

"It's okay I just thought that maybe…but never mind." As Les turned away Hermione made a rash and unpredictable move. She grabbed Les's arm and pulled him toward her and kissed him. Les was so surprised, but he didn't fight her. He just wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

Hermione kissed Les with everything she'd been feeling for Draco and more. He deepened the kiss and slipped his tongue into her mouth. Hermione began to caress Les's tongue with her own and then she heard herself sigh. They pulled out of the kiss and they looked into each other's eyes.

Hermione smiled up at him and then kissed him one last time lightly before she got into her car. She waved and he waved back to her in a daze. Hermione was smiling almost all the way home before she remembered that she was still technically married to Draco.

Soon Hermione began to feel guilty and sick. She was just as bad Draco, she thought. No I'm not because I didn't just and go and have sex with him. It was just an innocent kiss. A wonderfully hot passionate kiss. Hermione knew that she could date if she wanted because Draco was dating, and they were separated.

By the time Hermione got home she was still unsure about Les. She liked him but she didn't know if she could be with him without feeling guilty. Hermione got out of the car and walked up to the door. She pushed all thoughts of Les from her mind and walked into the house.

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Hermione changed into her night gown and sat down on her bed as she realized that she didn't know if she wanted to pursue the relationship with Les or try to work it out with Draco. Hermione began to pace as she began to list the pros and cons of both men.

In frustration Hermione slammed her fists against the wall between her bedroom and Draco's room. Why did this have to be so hard? Why did she even have to make a choice? She was supposed to debating over wanting to make love to her husband tonight or just cuddle with him, not between what man she wanted to be with. Tears began to roll down Hermione's face as she slid down the wall into a heap on the floor.

It wasn't supposed to be hard. It was supposed to be her and Draco, she thought. Hermione sobbed silently as she whispered to herself.

"I don't even know if I can ever forgive him because what he did hurt me so much. But…. I still love him. Oh God, what am I going to do?" Hermione whispered in the large room full of pictures of her and Draco.

Hermione got up and walked over to the bed and picked up a picture of her and Draco when they had been at Hogwarts, off the side table. It was in a gold frame and it just made Hermione cry harder as she looked at how happy they once were. Hermione collapsed on the bed in tears and clutched the picture to her chest, feeling almost as bad as the night Draco had left.

In the morning, Hermione woke up and sat up in bed. She wiped her eyes and looked around as she noticed a bag by the side of her bed. Hermione picked up the bag as she put the gold frame back on the side table. Hermione opened it and pulled out a small white box. On top was a tiny paper that magically unfolded itself and held itself at eye level so Hermione could read it. It said:

Hermione, I just left you something to thank you for letting me stay the night. It was originally our anniversary present but since we didn't get a chance to celebrate it, I didn't get to give it to you. But I got it made especially for you so enjoy.

Draco

The note folded itself up again and floated back into the bag. Hermione opened the box and gasped. Inside was a gold necklace that was dotted with diamonds that spelled 'Mione'. Hermione picked it up and noticed it was a locket. Hermione opened it and tears formed in her eyes. Inside was two pictures, one of Hermione and Draco at Hogwarts and the other was them last year on their anniversary. Underneath was written the words, 'What Was and What Is…..Love Forever'.

Hermione couldn't hold back the tears as she looked at. It only made it harder for her to fight off the love she felt for Draco. Hermione put the locket on the side table and wiped her eyes. She went into the bathroom, washed her face and brushed her teeth.

Hermione didn't know what to do. She didn't know who she wanted especially after Draco's touching gift. Hermione got into a hot shower and then got dressed for work. She knew she'd be busy the whole day, so she knew she'd be distracted enough that she wouldn't think about Draco but before Hermione left, she picked up the locket and put it on. Then grabbed her bag , and left her room for another tiring day at work.