Chapter 20: The Ultimatum
Hermione had been miserable since Ron had found the box, and they still weren't talking. A week went by, and Hermione was even avoiding Ginny by not going to the meetings the Weasleys were holding to plan the wedding. Draco had also stopped bursting into her office, as he had done every morning for the past two months. A knock on her office door dragged her out of her reverie.
"Come in," she called, and looked up to find Harry. "Harry. What are you doing here? It's been ages!" She got up and hugged her old friend.
"It has been a while. I'm sorry I couldn't come and see you earlier: I've been swamped with work. But I'm not here to catch up." Hermione slumped her shoulders.
"You're here to lecture me, aren't you?" Harry sighed.
"Ginny told me what happened the day after your birthday and Ron told us about the box. I can't believe you, Hermione."
"I know. I just couldn't throw it out." Harry hugged the young witch again.
"You're going to lose one of them, Hermione, if you keep this up. On the one hand you choose Ron and he will probably not want you seeing Draco anymore, and I don't blame him. If Ginny was spending that much time with an old flame, I wouldn't like it either, especially if she couldn't throw out some paper that he had once given her. On the other hand, you can see what you really, really want, and avoid hurting anyone anymore."
"I am marrying Ron!"
"Hermione, your life was going by smoothly until Draco came back into it. He has acted like a spanner in the works; he is creating a rift between you and Ron. You're clever enough to see it. Think carefully: do you still want to be with Ron now that Draco is back in the picture?" Hermione stared at Harry, and saw that she didn't know. She had been so sure that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Ron, and yet now she had doubts.
"I want to make it work with Ron." Hermione told Harry, who nodded, and kissed her forehead.
"Just remember: it's never too late to back out of the marriage. It can be postponed, you don't have to get married now."
"I think I might postpone it. To try and sort out the bumps in the relationship." Hermione took a deep breath. "Which means I can't hang out with Draco." Harry gave her a pitying look.
"Tell you what; let's all go out for drinks. Just you, Ron, and me like old times. What do you say?" Hermione smiled, and nodded.
"I'd like that." Harry smiled.
"I need to get back to work now. We need to hang out more." Hermione smiled and bid her old friend goodbye. She knew what she had to do.
"Is Mr Malfoy in a meeting?" Hermione asked his secretary the next day, who shook her head and told her that she could go in.
"Hermione?" He looked surprised. The two hadn't spoken for a week, and whenever they did have to speak Hermione kept her voice professional.
"I am engaged to Ron. I have been with him for four years and I love him very much. What we had died the day that we said goodbye before you went to Azkaban. Just because you are back doesn't mean I can just drop everything for you." She handed him the box. "I don't want to destroy it, but I don't want it anymore." Draco opened the box and looked back at Hermione, before nodding. "I need you to stay out of my life now. I need to make this relationship work." She started to walk to the door when Draco spoke.
"It's always going to be him, isn't it?" Hermione closed her eyes. They paused before Draco spoke again. "I meant what I said, Hermione."
"What?"
"In the letter. I meant what I said. I am forever yours." Hermione felt as though someone was crushing her heart as she took one last look at the young wizard. She fought back the urge to run to him, to hug him and ask him to never let her go. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Brown to grey, grey to brown.
"Goodbye Draco." Hermione told him, before walking out of his office, a solitary tear running down her face.