A/N: My readers have reached a decision! ;) It's a bit shorter than the last two, but it's setting up for an amazing net chapter, I promise! Next chapter will be posted in twenty reviews! &Here is the long awaited chapter!
Disclaimer: Right after this unnecessary thing right here. Why would JKR write fanfic when she can publish whatever she wants? I am pretty sure that she can publish "." and it will get more views than anything I post on FFnet :(
Word of John Paisley's death spread like wildfire. After all, it wasn't every day that the world came upon a neurosurgeon who got his degree at the young age of 16, and became the best in his field by age 20. It also wasn't every day that such a wonderful character would die so tragically.
Christine had stayed away from London for about another week before returning to make funeral plans for her late husband. The paparazzi swarmed and tackled from every each way, making it hard for the newly wed and widowed woman to move on with her life.
The funeral was to be a quiet affair.
Unluckily, it wasn't. Reporters had the place surrounded, showing no respect at all for the late neurosurgeon. This meant that there were snapshots taken of when Christine slapped Helena Greene. Surfaced along with them were rumours that the lawyer had convinced Dr. Paisley to divorce his wife and return to her.
Looking back at it, Hermione couldn't really hate Christine. She understood; it was a mix of pressure and overwhelming frustration.
"What are you two doing here?"
"We're paying our respects to-"
"Respect? You're the reason he's dead, Helena, you! Get out of here!"
"I have every right to be here as his friend!"
"You killed him!"
"I killed him? You did!"
SMACK! Hermione's hand flew to her reddened cheek, as John's brother and cousin pulled Christine back from hurting the lawyer again. The paparazzi snapped their cameras and took note of everything exchanged. "You convinced him to leave me, because you wanted him to yourself, you selfish bitch!"
Draco interfered then, "Helena would never do something like that!"
"Then ask your girlfriend why she was told to drawn up the divorce papers! We didn't even... we didn't even...We weren't even husband and wife for a day!"
Draco looked to Hermione, who replied, "He left because you didn't love him! He wanted you to find a man who could teach you to love!"
"Bull!"
"He wanted you to find someone who meant more than money!"
"That's not true! You just wanted him to yourself! You told him that you loved him more, didn't you? You don't deserve a good man like D.M., and you definitely don't deserve John, you dirty skank!"
"Don't call her that! She is nothing like that, Christine, and you now it," Draco reprimanded.
The paparazzi were having a field day recording and taking pictures of everything.
"I love him as a brother, and if you think otherwise, it means nothing to me! I just want to say goo-"
SMACK! Another slap flew into Hermione's face as Christine finally freed one of her hands. "I will find some way to prove that you're behind this. You were behind the divorce. You're why he's gone! You are!"
Hermione ran out of the church then, Draco following her. Draco understood why she was so upset at the wedding now; Dr. Paisley must have asked her to draw up the divorce papers then. She never spoke one word to him, though, when he caught up with her. They had walked in silence to her flat, and she merely told him that she needed time alone.
That was five weeks ago. She still didn't know that he knew about her identity.
He decided to keep quiet. This was probably how it should be.
"You don't deserve..." Christine's words echoed in her mind.
Hermione hated it.
She had decided to take a long vacation off from work, letting the co-owner of the law firm take over. There was no way she would be able to work. Not after everything that had happened recently.
To make matters worse? Grant was off in the States for another few days or so. He hadn't been able to Floo much, nor was he able to return owls often enough. She didn't want to talk to Draco. It was too embarrassing. What would he think of her?
Besides, what good would it do? He couldn't know who she was. She could never tell him; what kind of relationship would that be?
Christine sat on the sofa.
She'd been there for days.
She understood what Bella Swan felt like now, when she thought she lost Edward Cullen.
She'd always thought Bella was stupid.
And here she was, pulling a "Bella". Or "Kirsten". Whichever you preferred.
She laughed.
She had the hot guy. The "Taylor Lautner".
Then she chose the other guy.
The guy who killed her on the inside.
Because he thought she didn't love him.
At least Edward knew that Bella loved him enough to die for him.
John never knew that she would die without him.
And it was all Helena Greene's fault.
She hadn't showered in five weeks since the funeral.
She ate once a week.
If even that.
Christine White was ruined.
Grant furrowed his brows. He knew from the few recent owls that Hermione needed him, but what about D.M.? D.M. should be taking care of her, shouldn't he? Of course, there's the problem of him not knowing everything, but it was impossible for him to go to her. At least not from across the world when he had meetings as she slept, and slept while she was awake.
He loved the fashion industry, he really did. It was like... his little haven. He was never too great with arguing and law and that kind of thing, though he did improve quite a bit just by being Hermione's assistant. Grant sighed. If he were in London...
But he'd already chosen to let it go. Hermione would be happier with D.M., right? There really was no telling, honestly. Especially since D.M. didn't know her. But... that could come in time, right? Grant stared at the portfolios he was given by designers. They would kill to have their designs in his family's stores.
Before he met Hermione all of this was more important than... anything. He grew up wanting to work in the fashion world, perhaps one day even starting his own line. Law school was just something to kill time, and get to know more about the legal part of business and designer copyright. Then he met her in a class. She was perfect. Suddenly, law school became something that he kept up with so he could stay with her... and now... here he was, back at square one. Doing a job he loved, but without the girl he loved even more.
After this, I'm going back. I need her. She can make a choice... she can choose to not be with me... but she can't choose for me what I do with my life.
Hermione groaned.
Yet another day.
Another long, monotonous day of thinking
Just thinking.
She never thought she'd see the day where thinking was this hard.
It was suffocating.
But it was all she could do.
She couldn't focus on anything else.
It was instant noodles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
She couldn't mess that up, right?
If only Draco would call, or something, and take her mind off of things.
She needed closure.
She needed to see Christine.
She needed to be beaten.
Hit.
Yelled at.
She just wanted to feel again.
Anything but wallowing in self-pity and guilt.
Christine could make her not feel so terrible.
It was selfish, she knew.
Christine probably didn't want to see her.
It would be a reminder of John... but...
She needed someone else to blame her.
Someone other than herself, so that she could feel like she deserved it.
So that she would stop feeling guilty, because she was being punished.
Some may call it masochistic.
She just didn't want to feel this way anymore.
Hermione crumpled up in bed and cried.
Where was Grant and Draco when you needed them?
One best friend... one... lover? Desired lover.
Both were just as far away from reach.
That bitch. How dare she show up? Christine knew what Helena wanted.
She wanted someone to blame her so she didn't feel guilty. She wasn't stupid. She didn't finish a university degree, but that didn't mean she never took her Psychology courses seriously.
Which was why she went for the "I'm miserable, and it's totally not your fault. I'm sorry I smacked you, I was just extremely emotional. Would you like some tea?" approach. Her hair was unwashed, and she knew she stank. All the more proof that Helena had ruined her life.
Helena got what she deserved. Let her wallow up in pain and misery. In her near-comatose state, Christine had seen newspaper articles of the lawyer taking a long break, which was extremely unusual for her. Serves her right.
After Helena left, Christine returned to her usual post on the couch, rocking herself to sleep, if it came tonight.
Calla lilies. That was the smell Draco smelled while walking downstairs to his shop to check up on how things were progressing. He scanned the area for Hermione... no such luck.
Or perhaps, it was a sign that he should see her. There had been articles written all over about her temporary leave from work, and...
He was worried, wasn't he?
It was never good when the worrying began. Worrying meant caring. Caring leads to friendship. Friendship between a male and female could often lead to... the one thing he swore off of.
Falling for Hermione wasn't the bad part.
The bad part was that this was his "out". He was supposed to drift away now, but he couldn't. He hadn't wanted to talk about how to break up, and now Merlin was helping him by making her avoid him. (Avoid everyone, really, but that included him). Instead of taking Merlin up on the offer, he was actually telling himself via "omens" that he should go see her.
This was insanity.
Draco Malfoy did not like this. Not one bit. The media was already writing stories of how they had probably broken up, but of course, all of it was just rumours, nothing confirmed. It didn't feel right to confirm nor deny it while Hermione was in such a state, so he often just ignored the reporters, dodging with statements like, "Helena is devastated about her friend."
He sighed, standing on the stairway, watching customers and employees bustle around. Life had to go on, didn't it?
Hermione wept.
She completely ruined Christine.
Completely.
And the dear girl didn't even blame her.
All this time spent not liking Christine seemed so childish and mean, now.
The once beautiful woman had stopped grooming herself... stopped eating.
Her slim frame had dwindled down to nothing but skin and bone.
And it was all her fault.
She needed Draco, but... how could she face him? She was just for his amusement. It wasn't his job to comfort her in private, especially now that she knew that Christine was his ex-girlfriend.
This situation wasn't supposed to get so complicated. It really wasn't.
Maybe... it was a sign that she couldn't have her cake and eat it, too. She shouldn't want so much... be so greedy. Draco wasn't hers, and never will be. That was the way it always was, wasn't it? Otherwise, they wouldn't have such a horrible past.
Grant rearranged his schedule to squish the rest of his meetings into the next day. Hermione's letter was urgent, and he knew he had to get back to her. She didn't specify on what happened, and he didn't get the Muggle news in the Wizarding World. Whatever it was, she was heartbroken, upset, and afraid.
Whatever D.M. was doing wrong, he was just going to have to make it right again.
Next chapter: The return of Grant :O Dundundunnnnn! 20 Reviews 'till it's up!
