Chapter 15
Hermione sighed to herself for the umpteenth time as she looked up from her books and out into the library.
Ever since she had all but confronted Malfoy about what she believed to be the truth a week ago, he had all but been avoiding her.
He had stopped showing up to their Arithmacy lessons, and their study sessions.
Maybe she had pushed too hard. She wasn't friends with him, so she really had no right to ask him if it were the truth. In retrospective, if their positions had been reversed, and Malfoy was harassing her about some secret he potentially could use against her, she wouldn't be happy either. In fact, she would be furious, and would be questioning his intentions. For who knows what she could do with the information that he was a Death Eater? She could use it in any number of ways, between blackmailing, reporting him to Dumbledore, or even worse, the Ministry. She could threaten him, or try and find out the truth of his mission.
Because Voldemort would not have recruited Malfoy without ulterior motives. It most likely was because Lucius Malfoy had been locked up, and probably was either a punishment, or a way to keep the Malfoys in line.
The boy was probably terrified of what Voldemort would do to him, and here she was adding to his stress.
Because even if she knew he could trust her, did he? They weren't friends. He owed her nothing. Hell, their past alone was enough reason for him to not trust she had his best interests at heart. How could she ask him to believe that she genuinely did not want him to face the life he had been given.
So from every perspective she completely understood why he didn't trust her and had stopped coming to their session. How could she blame him?
But it didn't make it hurt any less. She cared for him; they weren't friends. They were far from it. But she cared about what happened to him. She wanted him to know that she had his best interests at heart. She wanted to help him, to ensure he didn't have to live with his fate.
She cared about him.
The words struck her as odd, and she wondered just when he had gone from her tormentor to someone she had cared about what happened to.
Merlin, Ron and Harry would have aneurysms if they knew that she had come to care for him.
One thing was for certain; she would not give up that easily. She would give him a bit longer to cool down, before she sought him out once more. She would promise him that whatever was going on with him would be his business. She would not pry any more than necessary. No, she would be a friend to him, and hopefully it would be enough for now to save him.
But for now, she would take a step back and let him decide for himself what he wanted to do.
Draco sat in his flat as he took a swig of the bottle of firewhisky. Between the case and his ever growing feelings for Hermione, he didn't know what he was going to do. He needed some time and some solitude to process.
He closed his eyes, as he tried to think about what he was going to do next.
"Merlin, if I knew you were going to spend your time sulking, we would have come earlier, and brought more alcohol," he heard Blaise's voice call out as Draco looked up to see his two friends holding up a few bottles, and a smirk on his face.
"What are you lot doing here?" Draco asked, groaning at the sight of them. He cared for his friends, yes, but he was in no mood to entertain. Not when all he wanted to do was drink and ignore the entirety of the world.
"We figured you needed some company," Theo said, pouring himself a glass as he made himself comfortable on the chaise across from Draco. "Clearly we were right, by the looks of it. So, Draco, what has you drinking by yourself on this fine night?"
Blaise snorted, "Clearly he's pining, Mate. Look at his face. It's the look of a man in love with a woman who doesn't reciprocate."
Draco glare at his friend, and Blaise smirked.
"What, were we pretending that you did not have feelings for her still?" Blaise asked innocently, "My bad."
"She's leaving her husband," Theo chimed in, "Everyone in the Leaky heard him grumbling about it loudly. Why don't you take this chance and ask her out? It's as if the fates have given you another chance at the love you royally screwed up before."
"Because she just left him," Draco said swung his glass, as he took a long sip, "He wasn't a good husband to her, and she needs some time to heal from it. The last thing she needs is to rush straight into another relationship, least of all with me."
"If you say so," Blaise said, shrugging, "Just remember, that eventually she'll want to move on. And by then, it might not be with you. Merlin knows what you would do if she moved on with someone else."
"I don't want to think about that," Draco grumbled.
"Does she know you still care about her?" Theo questioned.
"Yes," Draco winced, "I might have let it slip that I still love her."
Blaise's eyes widened, "Well at least she knows that if she still wants you, you still care about her."
"But will she want me back?" Draco sighed, "I hurt her in the past, in an attempt to keep her safe. And she's a single mother now. What if she believes that I'm not a suitable influence for her daughter? Merlin knows my father and uncles would still love to hurt her, even if they wouldn't publically say it."
"Please, you would be a far better father to that girl than her actual father ever was," Theo snorted.
"I suppose," Draco said in before stewing in silence. If either of his friends wanted to add anything further to the conversation, they refrained from it, thankfully.
Out of all the people Hermione expected to see in her office that day Molly Weasley was not one of them. She hadn't seen her soon to be former mother-in-law since Molly had all but confronted her about her leaving Ron.
She knew the woman had been distraught over the matter, and Hermione couldn't blame her. She had been one of the people who had all but pushed Hermione and Ron together because she had believed that Hermione and Ron were soulmates and would be perfect together. And between the pressure between Ron and Molly, Hermione had found herself married far too soon.
She didn't blame the woman, of course. Molly had just wanted what was best for them, and had hoped the two of them would make each other happy.
"How have you been, Hermione?" Molly asked her softly, as she sat down across from her.
"I've been well," Hermione said, unsure of how the woman would react, given how she did last time. "What can I do for you, Molly?"
"I've come to apologise," Molly said, placing her hand over hers. "I was wrong in my reaction to your divorce, and I should have supported you. I shouldn't have believed that my son could do no harm, because it felt like I had failed as a mother. I never would have raised my son like that. To be cold and a drunk. I never would have let him believe that his behaviour was acceptable. Because it's not. It's not acceptable to hit anyone, to harm them. To endanger one's children. That goes against the nature of a parent or a loving spouse. But Ginny was right, the war changed Ron. It's not an excuse, nor does it justify his actions."
"No, it does not," Hermione said softly, as she looked down, unable to look Molly in the eyes.
"I want you to understand something, Hermione," Molly said softly, "When I was a child, my parents treated me with upmost responsibility over my younger brothers. I didn't raise them, but I was trusted with their welfare on numerous occasions. I loved them, and I had always known that I wanted to do just that for the rest of my life. To raise a family, love them, and cherish them. I always wanted to be a housewife, and a career was never meant for me. Arthur respected that; it was one of the things I love about him. He told me when we were younger that I could pursue a career if I wanted. I could raise a family if I wanted. I could have both, or one or the other. It didn't matter to him which one I wanted, because he loved me dearly. He stood by my decision to raise our family."
Hermione looked up at the woman, puzzled. She had always known Molly had a penchant for family; she had of course all but adopted Harry and her into her family when they had first met.
"But what I'm trying to say, Hermione, is that was what I wanted. I've been living the life I've always dreamed of; to raise my children and then care for my grandchildren. And just like that has been what I wanted for my life, yours is to be a career woman. There is nothing wrong with you wanting to pursue great things, Hermione. I've known from the moment I saw you that you would be there on the front lines, changing the world. You seek knowledge and justice. You need a challenge, or your mind will be idle. You fight for what is right, and to make the wizarding world a better place. But you also make sure Rose is not neglected. You care for my granddaughter and ensure she knows love and happiness. That is what makes you happy, Hermione."
"Yes," she responded, unsure of what else to say. Because Molly was right, she needed a career as well as a family.
"There's no shame in that, Hermione," Molly told her with a smile, "Ginny loves Quidditch, and I assume will either return to playing, or to a management position once her baby has been born. Fleur still consults with Gringotts, Audrey is working at the Ministry, and Angela herself enjoys working at the store when she's not in peak Quidditch season. So suffice to say I have no problem with any of you working, Hermione. For I can see just how happy it makes you to do so. How can I ask you to be a stay at home mother when I understand better than anyone the desire to live a certain lifestyle? "
Hermione smiled softly at that, thinking about her sister-in-laws, and how each of them seemed to be happy with the paths they had taken; and their husbands happy for them.
"It's wrong of Ron to expect you to be like me," Molly said softly. "I might have been softer on him than the other boys, since he was my youngest son. For him to expect you to give up what makes you happy to make him happy is wrong. That is not what makes a marriage work, but rather both partners giving equally. But I don't think he's going to see that. He's stubborn, Ronniekins. And the war hardened him in his ideals of what is right and wrong. So I understand why you feel as if you need to get a divorce, Hermione, I do. I just hope that you do not feel as if you will be losing the rest of us by doing so. We love you and care for you deeply, and will always be by your side.
"Thank you, Molly," Hermione said, her throat closing up slightly. She stood, and Molly pulled her into a hug, and Hermione felt herself let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding.
"Well?" Rodolphus asked as he placed the griffin hearts on the table in front of them. "We've been collecting all the potion ingredients, yet we are still no closer to the two we need. When do we strike and take it for ourselves?"
Lucius scoffed at him, "Do you really believe it to be that easy, Rodolphus? Slaying animals is one thing, but we need to attack two people for ingredients. One of whom is well known in the wizarding world."
"But that's hardly a problem, now is it? You just need some of their blood. Just oblivate them afterwards if you believe it to be that hard to do. Lucius, you used to kill without hesitation. And to harm that family would have given you great pleasure years ago. You've grown soft; lost your nerve."
"The woman is rarely alone!" Lucius glared at him, "How easy do you think it will be to grab her blood when there always is a swarm of them? Salazar it's as if they move in some sort of pact, unable to go anywhere by themselves. Bloody annoying, that's what it is. But I said I would get it to you, did I not? I'll have the vial of blood in front of you soon."
"And the other ingredient?" Rodolphus asked. "I do not understand why we cannot use the same witch as the sacrifice? Why do we need one for their blood, and an entirely other person to sacrifice? Seems like a waste, if you ask me."
Lucius rolled his eyes, "I explained this to you, many times, Rodolphus. The blood is one ingredient, and it does not matter how much you use of it. Be it you drain the entire witch, or you use a vial, it will be the same. So it would not work to use it for the second ingredient. We need a sacrifice; to bring a life back, we must give a life in return. That is how the balance of nature and magic works. We cannot simply bring a life back without doing so."
"So why don't we just grab a wizard off the street?" Rodolphus asked, confused. "It would be so much easier if we took someone no one would miss. Why do we need someone specific?"
"Because I plan on killing two owls with one spell," Lucius said coolly, "I have a problem which I prefer to have resolved sooner rather than later. And by using her, I eliminate my problem."
Rodolphus let out a gruff sigh, "Fine. But we need to move soon. The Aurors have been sniffing around for rogue Death Eaters after the inferi attack. It is only a matter of time before they gain my scent again and I am forced to return underground."
"Then we shall move quickly," Lucius said, in finality.
"Mummy?" Rose asked in a soft voice, causing Hermione to look up at her daughter. She had been playing with dolls with her daughter, when Rose seemed to pause. "Where's Daddy?"
"He's-" Hermione paused, swallowing. "He's not going to be around for a little bit, darling."
"Why?" Rose asked, sounding more curious than upset.
"You know your daddy and I love you, right Rose?" Hermione asked her daughter softly. "We love you so much, baby."
"Yes mummy," Rose answered, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"Daddy and I have some adult problems, baby, and we cannot fix them. None of them are because of you, Rose. We still love you, and we promise to always be there for you."
Rose was quiet for a moment, "Okay," Rose said softly, as she stood up and hugged Hermione. "I love you too, Mummy."
Hermione hugged her daughter tightly and Rose giggled as she looked up at her mother. She hadn't quite explained the divorce to her daughter before that moment, unsure of what to say. How did she tell her child that she couldn't stay with a man who despised who she was and wanted her to be someone else? She couldn't tell her daughter the truth, so she had settled for a softer version of it. Thankfully for her, her daughter had taken it well. And maybe the full truth of the divorce hadn't set in for her daughter yet, but she intended on making sure her daughter was fine as her first and foremost priority.
"Will Draco come over to play more?" Rose asked her innocently, and Hermione smiled at her child, as she remembered how Draco had made breakfast, and then entertained both James and Rose afterwards.
"Would you like Draco to come over more?" Hermione asked her daughter, feeling slightly nervous. She might just be getting ready to move on from her separation, but at the same time, her daughter mattered to her more than anyone. And if Rose did not like Draco in her life, then she would have to do what was best for her daughter.
Rose looked thoughtful, while she played with Hermione's hair, "Yes," Rose said after a moment. "Draco's nice. He makes pancakes and plays with me. Can he come back and play, Mummy? Please?"
Hermione laughed at her daughter's eagerness, as she nodded, "I'll have to see with Draco if he has time to do so."
Rose cheered as she went back to playing with the dolls, staying on Hermione's lap. Her daughter had all but given her blessings for Hermione to pursue Draco. And if she were being honest with herself, it was something she had wanted to do for a long time. For the first time, there were no obstacles standing in her way to prevent her from doing so. All she had to do now was fight for her own happiness and tell Draco the truth of how she felt about him. And hopefully, he still wanted to be with her, just as she had wanted to be with him.
A/N: I did a lot of research on how to break a divorce to toddlers especially in the case of abuse, and then wrote accordingly.