It was Monday afternoon and Hermione was curled up in a ball in bed, she hadn't been able to bring herself to move from this spot since Finn had walked out the day before. Having Helena back had helped only so much as to not feel completely and utterly alone in the pain, Helena shared the burden with her, but it didn't make it go away. After what must have been the hundredth call to her phone, she turned it off, and called down to the front desk to tell them she would be staying a few more nights. The silence hurt, thinking hurt, breathing hurt. She wondered what he was doing right this second, if he was as torn up about it as she was. The thought that maybe he wasn't despite the way he looked at her yesterday before he left made, her feel as broken as she could ever remember being.
There was knock on the door that brought her out of a fitful sleep, she wasn't sure what time it was, she had drawn the curtains closed unable to have the bright light blaring in at her. There was another knock on the door this time louder. She didn't move, she didn't want to see any, let a lone have to explain to someone what had happened, how it had all blown up in her face so marvelously. Maybe it was housekeeping wanting to know if she needed more towels. Whoever it was knocked again, but she wouldn't move from her spot under the covers.
The locked clicked and she could hear the door open and someone step inside. She thought she might should feel some panic, but she couldn't feel anything other than pain, and loss. Helena laid there beside her, she knew what pain was, she knew what loss was, and for the first time the two were perfectly in sync.
"Granger." She heard him say before she felt the bed sag under his weight. She couldn't find her voice it had gone from lack of use. "I know what happened." He said gently, she wasn't sure if she had ever heard him sound this compassionate. "You don't have to talk, but I do need to know you are still alive. There are a lot of people looking for you right now."
She pulled the covers from over her head and stared into the deep grey eyes of Draco Malfoy. "How did you know where to find me." She croaked out wondered ideally if maybe he had reached out to Henry to find her, but she dismissed that thought, it would only work if he thought she might reach for Helena, and why would he think she would do that.
"I got Finn to tell me." He said sadly.
"Finn." She whispered his name as if the sound of her own voice hurt, which it did of course. "How is…" she couldn't finish the question; did she really want to know?
"Why don't you sit up." He said reaching out to help her. "Have you eaten anything today."
"No." was all she could manage.
"What about a shower?" she shook her head 'no' this time unable to speak. "Do you want me to call Potter or his wife?" again she shook her head. She didn't want to see anyone, she didn't want to have to speak, she didn't want to do anything other than just be here in this spot and not move. "Well you need to eat something, and you need to at least take a bath, if you aren't up for a shower." He stood and walked over to the bathroom, a moment later she could hear the tap running before he appeared at the doorway again. "Get up." His gentle tone gone and replaced with one that was more brisk. She did as he asked and moved past him into the bathroom. "I am going to order some food, while you are in there, and get a maid in here to changed the sheets." She didn't say anything or give any indication that she had heard him at all, she just closed the door behind her. Slowly she made her way to the tube where she slipped off her shirt, shorts, and undergarments before sliding into the warm water.
He was gone and she had been the one to push him away, this had been the first time she thought she might have a chance at happiness, and now it was gone. She had no one but herself to blame for it, she had been clinging onto her secrets for so long, how would anyone ever understand, the only person who did she had pushed away a long time ago, even now she held him at arm's length. She had never trusted herself with him, and now that he had wormed his way back in, she was scared. She was scared that she would feel this pain for the rest of her life. A break-up had never been this devastating before, she had never allowed herself the free will to enjoy someone else company, she carried to many burdens. Now that she had allowed herself to fall, she wondered why she had even allowed it. Sure her life before New York was a bit lonely at times, but being alone meant never feeling like this, and she thought this pain might actually kill her. She could hear Helena in her head telling her that it would be ok, that she would pick up the pieces and survive this like so much else she had survived in her life but she couldn't help but feel that those words were hallow. Helena hadn't survived, four hundred years later she was still pinning after the same man. She lay there in the tub and tried to shut it all off, close her mind to the pain and focus on the coming days, but all she could see when she closed her eyes was the look of hurt on Finn's face as he walked out of the door.
When Harry Potter walked into his new office building demanding to know where Hermione was he was a bit at a loss for words. Why should he know where she was, it hadn't seen her since Friday. The Boy who lived looked scared, and when he said he couldn't reach her on her phone some of his fear started to seep into Draco just a bit. He knew of course that she was capable of taking care of herself, he had seen it first hand one numerous occasions, but something in him was nagging him, things were not right. It wasn't like her not to answer her phone, it was practically glued to her hip. When Draco suggested maybe she was still with Finn, Harry had informed him that the American wizard had taken an early port key back to the States yesterday morning, and Hermione hadn't shown up for work this morning, missing two important meetings, something she would never do without at least telling someone. At this point the fear had finally taken hold of him, he pulled out his own phone and dialed Emily's number, maybe she had seen Finn, and she would know what was going on. When Emily was just as clueless as the rest of them, he made up his mind and asked Potter to get him a two-way port key. Potter pulled out a paper clip from his pocket and casted the enchantment without hesitation.
Within in moments of touching the paper clip Draco was standing in front Finn Bishops front door. He knocked twice before waiting to for a sound from within, when none came he knocked again. This time the door swung open to reveal Finn who looked a little worse for wear. "What is it Malfoy." The man spit out at him. Finn's hostile tone took Draco by surprise, the two had always gotten a long just fine.
"Is Hermione here with you?" Draco asked trying to look past Finn into the apartment beyond.
"No." was his clipped response.
"Do you know where she is, she isn't answering anyone's phone calls."
"I am surprised you don't know; I would have thought she would have come running to you the moment I left." The bitterness in his tone was unmistakable.
"Did you two have a fight?" Draco was more than just a little lost. She had been so happy to see him, even if she was nervous about telling him of the change of plan's, and Emily had said the trip was all Finn could talk about all week. Had he taken the news of her staying that badly.
"I don't think a fight would cover what happened between me and Hermione. She lied to me."
"Finn she didn't lie, she just wasn't sure how to tell you. Besides she wanted to make sure there wasn't anything she could do to change the Minister's mind before having to tell you. I know long distance can be a pain but if the two of you really care for each other I am sure you can work it all out."
"She lied to me about why she was even going in the first place. She left out the part where you had asked her to go with you." This surprised him and it must of shown on his face because Finn snorted, though there was no humor in it. "What else has she been lying to me about where you are concerned?"
"I don't know, and it isn't for me to tell even if I did. Look I know that right now you are more than just a little mad at her, but no one can find her right now and there are a lot of worried people back in London. Where was she the last time you saw her?"
The hotel, she had still been at the hotel. Why hadn't anyone thought to look there for her? After Finn had shut the door in his face, he pulled the paper clip from his pocket and closed his fingers around it once more and was swept away back to London. When he had gotten to the hotel, he headed straight up to the room Finn had said they had been staying in, he knocked for what felt like forever before finally pulling his wand from his pocket and letting himself in. He had never seen her look so broken, and that included the time his aunt had turned her wand on her at the manor during the war. It stirred something within him to see her this way. What he couldn't get out of his head though were the last words Finn had said before slamming the door in his face. 'I know who you are Draco Malfoy, does Emily?'
Was it possible that he did indeed know their secret, had Hermione told him? Was this part of their fight, and if she hadn't told him how did he know? Sure, it had been Finn who had told him of the legend when the painting surfaced, but how could he possible know that Draco was indeed Henry? He had never told a soul. Would Finn tell Emily? They had been friends for years, but there was no ways Finn could be certain that he was in fact Henry. Not unless…
He was pulled from his thoughts when the door to the bathroom opened and she emerged dressed her wet hair dripping onto the carpet. She looked a little more put together than she had when he had come, but only slightly. The food had come and was sitting over on the table, he stood and motioned for her to follow him.
"What time is it?" she asked as she set down.
"Nearly six." He answered softly as he moved the chicken and mashed potato's towards her hoping it smelled good enough to entice her appetite. "Are you sure you don't want me to call Potter and his wife?"
"I don't want to see anyone Draco. I want to stay here and wallow in my own self pity for at least the rest of the night before I have to face the rest of the world tomorrow."
"Have you found a flat yet?"
"No"
"Then come stay at the townhome I have here."
"I couldn't impose on you that way." She said
"I am going back to New York tomorrow, being a way for a week is long enough, I will be traveling back and forth as needed from here on out. So, you staying till you find a flat wont be imposing on me."
"I can just stay with Harry and Ginny." She said arguing, not with much effort but still arguing.
"You will have the place to yourself." He could tell she wanted to argue some more with him but she didn't and just nodded her head in agreement.
"Fine, you win." She said finally taking a bit of the chicken in front of her.
"It will get better you know; it won't always feel like this." He said softly.
"How would you know? You turned part of yourself off so you wouldn't feel the pain, and you haven't lost the person you have fallen for since that time."
"Time makes everything better, time heals all wounds." This was a loud of shit, he knew this and he knew she knew this as well. But she didn't call him on it, she didn't have the energy to. Time didn't heal all wounds the two of them were the prime example of how untrue hat statement was.
He stayed long enough to make sure she had eaten at least half of her meal, before standing to go. "The Ministry's floo is connected to the house and I will leave a key for you on the entry way table." She nodded her head slightly in way of acknowledgment of his words. He didn't wait for her to say anything before heading to the door. He knew when he wasn't needed.
"Draco." She said softly as he reached for the doorknob, he turned to look at her.
"Thank you."
"Always." And with that he was gone.
When the door clicked closed, she was once more alone, just her and Helena. She wanted to believe him that time would make it all better, that maybe in time Finn would be able to forgive her and they could pick up where they left off. Helena shook her head at her, as if to say, 'Sweetie don't get your hopes up on that account.'. All she could do now was hope he was right and hope that one day it would all make since. For now she had to put one foot and front of the other and get her back to her life, it wouldn't stay on hold forever, too many people counted on her. She reached for her phone and turned it back on, there was twenty two voicemails, thirty texts messages, but none of them were from the one person she wanted to hear from the most.
