19th July 2002
It had been five days since Draco had admitted he'd paid Ron to move out of the house. Hermione hadn't returned his owls, and she forced Mrs. Smith and Padma to send back any flowers or gifts that came to the apothecary. Since she'd put up Anti-Apparition wards, the only way in and out of her house was via Floo from the apothecary and Grimmauld Place. He hadn't come to see her in person yet, and she didn't know if she should feel grateful that he was giving her space or furious that he hadn't come to fight and make up.
Both her heart and her body were shattered — she loved Draco, but Hermione was so fucking furious with him for giving Ron anything. She had asked him not to do it on more than one occasion, and he had disregarded her feelings entirely. When Theo had told him that things weren't likely to go in her favour, Draco took matters into his own hands. What annoyed her the most was the fact that he hadn't even bothered talking to her before he'd contacted Ron. Even though the house meant a lot to her and she knew Draco was just trying to help, she would've preferred to handle her divorce on her own — she still felt like she could've talked Ron around eventually.
And her body, well, it was screaming for Draco. Hermione wasn't working in the lab because her magic was becoming unbalanced again. She had contacted Professor Slughorn, and he sent two promising seventh year students to intern and brew the easier orders for both Hogwarts and St. Mungo's. Padma was working on restocking the shop and any pending research that had to be brewed during this part of the moon cycle. Hermione was living on a steady stream of suppressants and Calming Draughts, but they weren't really helping as much as they usually did. Apparently, getting shagged more than once a day by an Alpha was addicting and her body was going through a detox.
Oh, Gods, I need him. I'm so empty. I feel so empty without him. How has this only been going on for two months?
Worst of all, in addition to her own anguish, Hermione could feel Draco's. Often times, she couldn't separate their feelings unless there was a sudden jolt she was certain didn't belong to her. Like the rage he had felt when she had sent back the lovely sapphire earrings with a note that said, "Save your fucking Galleons, you already bought me a house."
She knew she was torturing him in addition to herself. Ignoring all his attempts to talk or woo her back was more than likely cruel, especially when she knew she couldn't keep it up indefinitely. She physically needed him at this point.
Hermione folded her arms on her desk and put her head down on them. It was 7pm and she should pack up and go home for the night, but she couldn't stand the thought of being alone again. Nights were the worst since she had grown accustomed to being tangled in Draco's limbs, feeling him somehow touching every part of her. A little over a month had passed since the incident with Cormac, and she'd only slept alone when he was off on a case and couldn't come back. Even then, she was in their bed at the Manor, surrounded by his scent. Right now, Hermione had nothing to make her feel close to him. She just had a gaping void, a neverending ache that reminded her he wasn't there. Since her heat would start some point in the next week, she knew she needed to patch things up with him soon. Just thinking about going through it without him was enough to make her cry.
Hermione's pride was getting the best of her, and she was willing to admit that. Most women would probably welcome a gesture like that from their rich boyfriend, but she just felt like he was trying to buy her. It was ridiculous — she was already his, and he knew that — but her mind had never been rational when it came to Draco. With him, she felt everything more deeply and it was terrifying.
Her office door had been half-open, so she didn't hear Padma enter. Her business partner walked up and placed a warm hand on her shoulder. Hermione startled, causing the lights in the room to flicker.
"I'm so sorry, Hermione. I thought you heard me come in!" she apologized.
She shook her head before dropping it back onto her arms. Keeping her eyes on Padma, she saw the looks of concern and sympathy on her face.
"You can't keep this up, Hermione. What's done is done. It's time to forgive him and move on," the logical Ravenclaw said.
Tears filled her eyes, and Hermione furiously swiped at them. "He didn't listen to anything I said, and then he went ahead and just did it without really talking to me! I can't stand that he just disregarded my feelings and gave Ron the money. It's not like I couldn't have done that myself!"
"I don't know if you've noticed, Hermione, but you're not the easiest person to compromise with. You know you would have blown up at him for even suggesting it—" Hermione started to interrupt, but Padma raised her hand. "No, don't even try that shit on me. We've been working together for quite awhile now, and I'm sorry that you're hurting, but I'm not going to argue with you. You always want to take care of yourself and believe that people will do the right thing if you can convince them to see your side of things, but that is a load of rubbish. You hurt Ron badly, Hermione. He's not going to behave rationally, even if he knew that this would happen eventually. Draco is trying to save you unnecessary upset, and you're doing nothing but pushing him away because you can't just accept that he loves you and wants you to be happy."
"I know I could've gotten through to Ron eventually! He loves me, Padma! He—"
"That's exactly why you wouldn't get through to him! Why can't you see that? Why can't you see that Ron is in such a temper that he's trying to hurt you in any way he can? He may forgive you eventually, Hermione, but it's not going to be anytime soon," she argued.
Hermione froze, thinking of Ron's behavior over the past month. Demanding that she give him the house and saying he'd leave the business alone, Luna on her dining table in front of the Floo, the pictures in the Prophet — Luna on one arm, Tracey Davis on the other. Luna taking her to lunch and asking if she had tried this, that, and the other thing with Ron in bed. Hermione was sure that wasn't an intentional attack by Luna, but one orchestrated by Ron. Luna was so open about everything; with a little nudge, she would ask anything.
Each time, Draco had been there to make her feel better after she was upset. He had found a way to give her what she needed, whether it was affection, a hard and fast shag to take her mind off of things, or proposing solutions to her problems. Hermione covered her face with her hands and started bawling. Sobs racked through her, and she felt every single one of Padma's words cut through the layers of anger she had wrapped herself in. Her Gryffindor friends, like Ginny, Parvati, and Harry, had helped her to fuel the anger, telling her that they understood why she was upset and that she had every right to be. They were ruled by emotion and, while that was helpful in some situations, it caused her to carry on for far too long in this instance.
When the Floo in the shop activated, hope flared in her chest. The apothecary had been connected to the Manor for weeks, and she smelled Draco as soon as he entered the building. As they listened to the footsteps coming down the corridor, Padma looked at her. Hermione wiped at her eyes and breathed in deeply; the winter chill soothed her in a way that nothing else had been able to, and she knew she was ready to give in. They needed to talk about everything, and she hoped Draco wouldn't fault her for her emotional behavior.
After the initial soothing feeling, she felt a familiar rush. Her blood seemed to speed up in her body, and her knickers flooded.
Apparently Fate felt they'd waited long enough, and she wasn't going to allow one little fight to tear them apart.
It was just like the night at the Victory Ball — she breathed him again and her heat began.
Five. Fucking. Days.
Draco paced around the bedroom he'd shared with Hermione since his birthday and let his pain overtake him. It had been a stupid idea to just pay Weasley to move out of the house. He should have talked to her first, but he knew her — she would have refused and insisted she could bring Ron around to her way of thinking. However, as someone who'd had Hermione Granger and then lost her, he knew what Ron Weasley was feeling. The gut-wrenching sadness, the jealousy, the anger. When added to the usual "poor me, I'm the youngest son of six and not special in the least" attitude he had carried since age eleven, it was clear to everyone but Hermione that he'd be holding a grudge for quite some time.
Quite frankly, Draco thought she was behaving like a child at this point. He could see one day, or maybe two, of ignoring him to prove her point, but five was ridiculous! Sending back flowers and earrings with snarky notes was just rude, and he knew she was trying to rile him up. Did she forget that he could feel her pain? Her constant longing and arousal? He knew she was missing him just as much as he was missing her, but she was being fucking stubborn.
Why in the bloody hell did I have to fall in love and bond with a fucking Gryffindor? Why does she choose this situation to behave like a lion, forsaking all of her better qualities? No Ravenclaw logic since it's bloody clear to everyone but her that Weasley isn't going to come around anytime soon, no Slytherin self-preservation since she's just living with the anguish.
The worst part of all — Hermione had barricaded the house that she was mad at him for getting back for her like a fucking fortress and wasn't leaving it except to go to work. Draco had paid for their five days of separation! He knew she was there and not at Grimmauld Place or a hotel. If she was really that angry, why was she staying in the fucking house?!
Irrational, stubborn little bint! If she hates the fact that I got her bloody house back, why the fuck won't she leave it?
Draco could still smell her on the sheets and pillows in their bed, and he hadn't allowed the elves to change them. Her scent calmed him. At the moment, he was half considering stripping down and getting into bed just to feel closer to her. But it was Friday, and he didn't want this fiasco carrying into the weekend. All he wanted in that moment was to have it out with her, to get everything off of his chest and make her see sense. The Weasley she knew was basically gone. He had fucked off to the life of a playboy, enjoying the spotlight she had never been interested in after the war and bedding as many blonde witches as he could get his hands on. He would eventually get sick of it, but for right now, Ron Weasley was a different person, a new man.
Draco looked at the clock. It was nearing 7pm, and he was sure Hermione would be leaving the apothecary soon. Stalking down to the Floo, he paced in front of it. His mother entered the room warily, knowing he had been in a foul mood all week.
"Are you finally going to talk to her in person?" Narcissa asked.
He scowled at her. "She's the most infuriating woman on the face of the Earth! Why is she doing this to me?"
His mother laughed, and he nearly snarled. "Draco, she asked you not to give her ex-husband anything for that house, and you did it anyway. She's teaching you a lesson."
"Well it's absolutely ridiculous! I can feel that she's just as upset as I am, and she's in bloody Scotland! She has to be in a lot of fucking pain for me to feel it this strongly from this distance!" he shouted.
Narcissa took a deep breath and let it out. "Draco, you need to calm down. Going there and shouting at her likely won't help anything."
"What I need to do is go and shag some sense into her," he grumbled.
His mother slapped the back of his head. "Don't you dare use sex against her like a weapon, Draco! Alphas have done that since the beginning of time, and it's wrong on so many levels!"
Moving his hands to his hair, he gently tugged at it. "I'm not actually going to do that, but I've already apologized over and over! What the hell else can I do?"
"Tell her how you're feeling! How much you miss her, how much you love her, how you're going mental without her! It's not that hard, Draco! You think she knows, but actually hearing the words is completely different," she suggested.
In that moment, he felt a sinking feeling in his gut. Knowing it was Hermione's emotion and not his own, he grabbed a handful of Floo powder. "I hope I won't be back tonight," he said, right before the flames took him out of the Manor and dropped him into the apothecary.
Draco could smell her as soon as he stepped out of the Floo. Her scent was so strong, prompting his body to react. He froze at the sound of her sobs, wondering if her scent was being triggered by something — or someone — else. He sniffed the air and could only smell Hermione and Padma. Something was going on — her scent usually tamped down when she was sad. Perhaps she had been angry before she started crying…
Peering around her office door, he saw Hermione sitting at her desk, looking at her business partner with a plea in her eyes. The other witch shook her head and hugged her, heading for the door. "Malfoy," Padma said in greeting. "Take her home; you two need to talk."
He nodded, acknowledging her. However, at that very moment, Draco felt like he was going to lose control. He was happy that Patil was leaving the room because he could feel himself getting hard. Hermione finally looked up at him and her eyes widened, clearly seeing the bulge forming in his trousers, her pupils dilating in response. As she breathed in deeply, a look of lust overtook her features.
Draco couldn't speak or move; he feared that either would lead to him dominating her. She stood from her desk on shaky legs, a look of comprehension on her face.
"Draco, talking is going to have to wait," she breathed. "We need to get out of here. I can feel my heat starting, and you can obviously tell."
She gestured to his trousers, and he inhaled slowly, trying to regain control of himself. He noticed that she made an effort not to touch him.
"We… we need to decide right now," she stammered. "Regardless of this f-fight we've been in, do we w-want this forever?"
Her words cut him a bit — of course he wanted her forever. How did she not know that by now?
"Granger, I've wanted you forever from the first time I had you, even if I didn't realize it then," he managed to reply smoothly. "It's your decision. You need to—"
She cut him off with a kiss, and he could feel a compulsion, a drive starting within him.
"Malfoy, I expect you to claim me properly. Forever isn't even long enough, as far as I'm concerned."
Author's Note: Short chapter... but I don't feel the least bit sorry since you'll have the next in two days! lol
Please forgive Hermione. She's a bit mental when it comes to Ron. I promise they will properly talk through their issues in a few days. It's just not possible at the moment.
Until Thursday... *wink*