Here we go...Back to your fave couple my Dramione lovers. :) Enjoy!
CHAPTER 13
"More Tea?" Malfoy offered, his voice slightly hoarse from hours of weeping.
Hermione playfully frowned. "Seriously, Malfoy, what do you have in that tea? Are you trying to poison me?"
"Oh believe me, Granger, I wouldn't be stooping down to some predictable run-of-the-mill scheme like poisoning one's tea", Malfoy tweaked and eyebrow at her.
She giggled bitterly having known that she just poured out all her emotions to this one man she least expected. And somehow this all felt right. No one else would understand her predicament right now…not even Harry. Besides, he was blissfully married to one of the best investigators in the Magical Law Enforcement Squad at the Ministry. Not that Harry would feel any less inferior; him being the Head Auror.
She wanted that: a man who can keep up with her and someone whom she can lean on at times when the world was just getting too rough for her. Ron was never that man. Having earned a small profit by investing in his brothers' businesses, he made sure that a percentage of his earnings would go straight to his drinking sessions with his newly found friends; the Slyths. Hermione not only disliked the fact that he was meddling with bad company but also the fact that said company still held a cold shoulder towards her. Like Ron, they particularly did not excel in their own fields of work as well. However, with old money, they could care less.
Ron was being such a discouraging sight to her that she sometimes, admittedly, buried herself in her work focusing instead on making whatever good there is left for her better. Her valiant attempts at trying to fix their household and keep up with their reputation as the "Golden Couple" were taking a toll on her and the only ones who knew her problem were Harry and Ginny. Not even Mrs. Weasley, who she loved dearly, knows about how crumbled up her son's marriage to Hermione is.
But right now, openly talking to all her qualms with Malfoy was refreshing despite the heart-wrenching truth that she found out just minutes ago from him. She raised the teacup to eye level and slowly stirred it around. "Must you always have to stir that tea as if you're brewing, Granger?" a voice right across her spoke.
She looked up at a very smug Malfoy. His red nose and puffy eyes were overshadowed by the infamous smirk. She scoffed. "I've always bested you in Potions, Malfoy. You should practice this some time." She tweaked an eyebrow at him and gave him a curt shrug.
He shook his head and smiled to himself. "Ever the clever one there, Granger" he calmly said. Malfoy looked outside the balcony and took a deep breath. He then looked down at his new wineglass and slowly spun it around stirring the contents. He was deep in thought and Hermione knew what was going on in his head. Seeing that image of Malfoy; weak and defenseless, almost resigned, brought her back to memories of the past. Memories she dared not visit and have forgotten had Malfoy not walked into her life yet again. She looked away, feeling invasive with her staring. She fell silent and focused on stirring the tea that was starting to get cold.