Hermione awoke in her bed, for a few precious seconds she had forgotten about the previous night. Then like a freight train everything hit her at once, dancing with Darius, Draco hauling her out the club, the two of them fighting, emotions flying everywhere, her telling him she was done, the look of anguish in his eyes before she apparated away from him.
Sitting up in bed Hermione scrapped her hair back in a messy bun. How she wished she had already moved, she could have just slobbed about in her pyjamas with a bottle of wine but no today was moving day and she would have to endure awkward small talk, sneaky glances and unspoken questions.
Her feet hit the floor as she stood and stretched. She stole a glance in the mirror before taking a second look, looking closer she noticed bruises on her throat. Images of Draco with his hand wrapped around her throat bombarded her.
Now she had two choices, she could do a quick charm to cover them or let people see what he had done to her. People could see it as a crime of passion but this was all about control. He wanted to assert control over her, hold her in place, assert his dominance and she wasn't having any of it.
Voices distracted her from her thoughts.
"So where is the tall brooding one? I thought he would have been here at the crack of dawn. Half expected him to have his nose halfway up Grangers arse by now." Ah yes Theodore Nott, tactile as always. Hermione listened closely.
"I don't think we will be seeing Draco today, last night something went down between the two of them. He stormed out the club with her like a man possessed, he came back in without her and hit the bar - hard, ended up in a fight and was chucked out. By the time I went out he was gone." Hermione recognised Blaise's voice, he had such a soothing tone.
"Shit, do you think he's ok? Do you think this is to do with Narcissa? I went and saw her -"
Hermione heard the creek of Ginny's bathroom door.
"If you two really want to know what's going on look at the gossip part of the Prophet. It's on the table." Hermione heard rustling followed by lots of "oh shit" and "fuck sakes".
A roar of Ginny's fireplace alert Hermione to someone either leaving or arriving into the flat.
"Where's Theo away too?" Hermione peeked out her door. She saw Ginny standing in front of Blaise in a robe, her hair damp from the shower.
"If I had to guess he's away to kick Draco's ass." Blaise moved closer to Ginny cupping her face with one hand while the other snaked around her waist. They were very close, almost nose to nose.
"You look beautiful today - well everyday. When are you finally going to agree to a date with me?" Ginny was away to reply when the fireplace came to life and Adrian walked through. The two of them sprung apart as Adrian dusted off the soot.
"Coffee? Tell me there's coffee? Don't be holding out on me Weasley. I feel rougher than a troll right now." Ginny laughed shaking her head as Blaise continued to look at her.
"In the kitchen is a fresh pot. You guys go and grab a cup while I get ready and go and see Hermione." Hermione backed away from the door taking a seat in front of the vanity.
"If you are going to ease drop don't make it so obvious next time." Ginny came to Hermione's side eyeing up the bruises on her throat. "Malfoy is such an asshole, is that his handy work? He better stay the hell away or I will hex his bollocks off. What the hell happened last night? I got home and you were already asleep." Hermione had heard Ginny coming home and pretended to be asleep, she hid her tear stained face in the covers and managed long enough to even out her breathing to make it look like she was sleeping. In reality Hermione didn't fall asleep until the first rays of the sun shown through her bedroom window.
"Don't worry it's over - we are over. You were right we were just kidding ourselves. It would never have worked. We are - it's too complicated. As far as I am concerned Draco Malfoy doesn't exist."
Draco lay on his bed still dressed in last night clothes covered in bruises and dried blood. In that moment he wished he had never been born. Last night came crashing down on him, Hermione dancing with another guy, Draco dragging her out the club, his hand around her throat, fuck he had really done that. Put his hand around her throat, squeezed it, possibly bruised her flawless skin. Draco had truly fucked up, he felt disgusted in himself for laying hands on her. He would only do that with permission, what an idiot.
No wonder Hermione called time on whatever this was that they were doing, it certainly wasn't no strings sex. No this was now a web, a complex web that they had spun together.
"Salazar left tit, it smells like a fucking brewery in here. You need to get up, showered and get your ass over to Grangers." Draco rose slowly looking at his friend standing at the entrance to his bedroom, his large frame taking up most of the space.
"Please do come in Theodore, just what I need when I have got the mother of all hangovers. You whining at me. Fantastic. Now kindly piss off so I can go back -"
"Back to what wallowing in self pity? Poor Draco the boy who had no choice, wah wah wah! Get a fucking grip of yourself for the love of Salazar. When that bastard of a father of yours died you became the man of the family, free to make your own choices -"
"Well you know what Theodore! I choose to stay in this bed and regret how I fucked things up with the one woman I could possibly have had any happiness with. Maybe I just want to be left the fuck alone." Draco could feel the rage coursing through his veins like acid, burning through his body. He rolled his neck and cracked his knuckles trying to relieve some of the tension.
"You really are a huge disappointment, you know that right? Is that what you want to hear?" Theo walked further into the bedroom, he was now looming over Draco.
"Narcissa would be disgusted in your behaviour." Draco shot out of bed and his fist connected with Theo's nose a sickening crunch bouncing off the bedroom walls.
"Mother fucker!!" Blood rushed down Theo's arm as he doubled over holding his nose.
"What - the - actual - fuck!" Theo glared at him before he turned to walk out the bedroom.
"Theo -"
"You know what Draco, we are all fucked up. Some more than others and yeah there is a lot of heavy shit going on right now but you need to sort things with Granger, she is good for you. She makes you happy and I have seen how happy she is around you. That is all any of us have ever wanted - happiness. Let her in, stop trying to carry all this shit yourself. It is ok to let other people in, to tell her how you feel. Salazar it's been years I think you need to tell her that you love her. That you have done for a long time. Apologise and tell her everything. What do you have to loose?" Draco heard Theo's footsteps disappear down the stairs.
What did he have to loose? Nothing.
What he had to gain? Everything.
Picking up the pizza boxes Hermione made her way to her new kitchen, Ginny, Blaise Theo and Adrian had helped her move and she had treated the group to beers and pizza. The group had sat around her TV watching some Saturday night game show. Adrian and Blaise were arguing over what the right answer was.
Hermione heard a throat clear as she turned to see Theo standing in her kitchen, his large frame taking up a big portion of the space.
"How's the nose now?" Theo's hand instinctively went to his nose rubbing it.
"It's ok, thanks again for fixing it." Hermione let out a quiet laugh.
"It comes in handy knowing how to fix noses when you are surrounded by testosterone infused boys who keep getting into fights and like to live dangerously by playing quidditch." Theo gave out a breathy laugh.
"Look Granger about Malfoy, he's not in a good place. Hasn't been for a long time. That doesn't excuse what he did at the club but there's a lot you don't know about -"
"Theo it is admirable that you want to stand up for your friend but this thing that was between us was just sex, it was never meant to be anything more. Maybe it - it just wouldn't have worked Theo. He's too - and I -"
"It's never been just sex for him - ever. We were always taught feelings were a sign of weakness hence why we are all such - fuckups - to put it bluntly. He lo-"
A blue orb came whirling into the kitchen stopping before Theo. Malfoy's voice came out, there was an anguish to his voice
"It's time, she needs us. You know where the port key is I will see you soon." Theo visibly paled. Hermione reached over and touched his arm.
"Theo? Theo? What's wrong? Who needs you?" Theo's green eyes stared into her brown ones, his eyes brimming with unushered tears.
"Narcissa."
Draco stood alone staring at the black marble flecked with pieces of gold, Narcissa Malfoy's grave, his mother's grave. He was all alone in the world.
Draco hadn't cried, he hadn't cried when he listened to his friends saying nice things about his mother, when the Minister of Magic came up and gave his condolences, when his Aunt Andromeda came and hugged him and said he would always have her and Teddy as family, that she loved him always.
He stood there just staring, he felt empty, numb. Last time he felt like this was when he came across a dementor. Like all the happiness had been sucked out of him, like he would never feel warmth or happiness ever again.
He would never hear his mother's voice again, the way she would scold him with a smile on her face, the way she would call him darling boy. The warmth of her when she hugged him. She was gone, forever.
The sky above him was crying, the rain ran off of Draco. His blonde hair saturated, drops of rain running off his nose. He felt - he felt nothing, absolutely nothing. Not even the cold wet rain.
The rain stopped and Draco felt a warmth spread over him, his sodden clothes were dry, gone were the raindrops running off his nose, a small warm hand held his own large cold hand. He looked to a witch standing beside him, her brown hair slightly frizzy and curly due to the weather, her brown eyes sparkling and a sad smile played on her perfectly full lips.
Hermione.
She leaned up on her tiptoes pressing a kiss to Draco's cheek before she placed an umbrella in his now empty hand, he missed her warmth. She stepped forward and conjured up a ring of white roses in front of his mother's headstone before she turned and kissed him again on the same cheek and walked away.
A/N: this chapter was so raw for me. I hope you all enjoy it.