"I actually did this" she whispered sitting in front of the roaring fire. James had brought her to his castle and she had been sitting there for a little while. He handed her a mug filled with hot soup.
"I actually ran from the castle and left my husband, while I am pregnant with a baby" she continued. "I could be the star of a soapopera" she sighed. James corked his eyebrow.
"The star of what?" he asked.
"Nevermind."
"It will be alright, Hermione, lots of kings and queens live separate lives" he started.
"You could go back to Argon, I'll come with you. I promise, I'll take care of you and your baby" Hermione pressed her palm against her stomach.
"Oh my god, my baby" she whispered. The room grew quiet while Hermione sipped her soup.
"I can't believe he did this" she finally said.
"Lots of kings have mistresses" James explained.
"Well, I'm not having it. I don't do infidelity, and I don't want my husband to have a mistress. Call me old-fashioned." She stood from her sofa and started walking around.
"Will he find me here?" she asked, looking out of the window.
"Probably" James walked over to her.
"I could hide you" he continued. Hermione shook her head.
"No, I have to confront him. If I disappear, he will get my crown, I signed it away" she whispered. James grabbed her hand.
"I would never have done this to you" he whispered. Hermione looked at him. He was still as beautiful as the day she met him. So different from Draco. They were night and day. She remembered their first kiss. It was lovely and passionate and if Draco hadn't been in the picture, she probably would have married this man. James pressed his hand against her cheek.
"I would never have" he repeated. He made his move and Hermione turned her head. His lips landed on her cheek.
"I understand you need time, but I will be there for you, whatever you need" he whispered before walking out. Hermione looked out the window where a snowstorm was blocking her view. There was no was the kingsguards would come find her in this storm. She would be safe for tonight, here.
Hermione spent the night in the biggest room James' chateau had. He slept in the guestroom. Although she hardly slept. She missed Draco, she missed home. The next morning there was a knock on the door. Hermione wrapped herself in blankets and opened the door. James was standing outside her room. He handed her a dress.
"I found this, it must've belonged to my sister" he explained.
"It's about your size, I believe and you'll need something to wear." Hermione nodded.
"Thank you" she whispered before closing the door again. The dress was simpler than she usually wore but it was beautiful none the less. It was a strange iridescent color that seemed to take different colors depending on the light. It was an off-shoulder dress that had loose sleeves. The dress was centered around her waist. She tied her hair in a messy bun, letting a few strands escape and frame her face. When she came down, breakfast was on the table in the dining room.
"You didn't have to cook for me" she took a seat at the table.
"You need breakfast, you're feeding another human" he simply stated before placing a plate filled with food before her. Hermione thanked him before digging into her food. She wasn't hungry, so she spent most of the meal just shoving the food around on her plate.
"Have you reached a decision?" he asked. Hermione shook her head. £"I don't know what to do" she admitted.
"We could just go back to Argon. People love you there" he advised. "And when the baby's born, you could maybe get a divorce, even though the Catholic church wouldn't condone it" he continued.
"But what will happen to my child?" she asked.
"Any title he had in England would be taken from him, but he would still be your son. He would still be the crown prince of Argon." Hermione sipped her water. "And after a while, you could maybe remarry?" he quietly added.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" she suddenly asked. James looked at her.
"When have I not been nice to you?" he sounded offended.
"When you threatened my husband and unborn child not too long ago." He looked away.
"I've only ever loved you" he answered. Hermione didn't answer. She didn't know if he was being honest, but right now, he was the only one helping her. "The storm dissipated" James noted. Hermione nodded. "They'll come for me soon enough." She knew it would happen. Draco would come and find her and he would tell her he never really loved her. He would tell her she was still the filthy mudblood he knew in Hogwarts and that all the time they had spent together here was a lie. She didn't know if she was ready for it. She stood to once more look out the window. She pressed her hand against her stomach again. Whatever Draco did, what was growing inside her was part of both of them. She wouldn't be so cruel to rob a child from his father, would she?
"You need to decide, Hermione, am I taking you to Argon?" James asked. Hermione bit her lip and a tear spilled over her cheek.
"I don't know" she sobbed. James walked over to her and pulled her into an embrace. Hermione didn't fight it, she welcomed the feeling.
"Please, just let me take you away from here. Everything will be better, I can promise you that." He whispered in her hair. Hermione closed her eyes. Was she going to go with him and leave everything behind? Maybe she could get back to Hogwarts on her own and leave Draco here to rot. No. She would never leave someone behind, however vile they were. He pushed her from him so he could look at her. He grabbed her face in his hands and his thumb wiped away the tears that were rolling down her cheeks.
"Please, Hermione, I'll love you for the rest of my life and I'll love only you" he whispered. Hermione opened her eyes and looked into James' bright blue eyes. She bit her lip again. He was saying all the right things and acting the right way. He was doing everything right. He brought his lips to hers, she could feel his breath on her skin. They were inches apart when a knock sounded on the door. Both ripped from the moment, they broke away from each other. James walked towards the hallway and Hermione heard him open the door. "Where is she?" she heard Draco hiss.
"I'm sorry, your grace, I don't know what you are talking about" James lied. Hermione stood frozen in the dining room.
"Get out of my way, you slimy worm, I know you took her." Draco hissed. Hermione heard a ruckus and minutes later, Draco barged into the dining room.
"Hermione" he breathed, looking at her directly. He made his way over to her, his hands reaching for her. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" he asked. But Hermione shied away from him. Draco stopped walking and looked hurt.
"I'm alright" she whispered.
"Hermione please, let me explain" Draco pleaded. At that moment James entered the room. He walked over to Hermione and took his place next to her.
"I think your actions explained enough" Hermione heard him speak.
"Stay out of this, you rat." Draco spat.
"You took her the second you realized you could" he continued.
"I didn't force her to come with me, she asked me to take her away from you." James smirked. Draco turned his attention to Hermione.
"Please, please, let me explain, let me talk to you alone. I won't hurt you, you know that." He pleaded. Hermione looked down.
"Okay, but you only get a couple of minutes, then I'm leaving" she spoke softly. She turned to James.
"Leave us for a little while" she commanded. James nodded and pressed a kiss on the back of her hand before walking out of the room. The room grew quiet for a second. Draco took a deep breath before speaking. "I had Lola arrested" he finally said. Hermione looked up at him.
"What?" she frowned.
"I had her arrested because she drugged me" he continued.
"Good god, Draco, you're really going to use that excuse? I didn't know what I was doing because she drugged me?" Hermione laughed out of anger .
"Hermione please" he took a step in her direction.
"What?" she bit. Draco took another step closer and pressed his finger to his lips, beckoning her to be quiet. Hermione furrowed her brow.
"We have evidence. She still had the poison on her" he whispered. "Hermione, she was working with someone to cause problems and to get you to fall into someone elses hands" he continued.
"Why are you whispering?" she whispered. He took another step.
"I didn't cheat on you, I didn't want to kiss Lola. She drugged me, and James is in on it" he whispered.
"What? That's ridiculous. James helped me. He's been nothing but nice since he found me crying my eyes out in the stables" she hissed.
"How convenient. He threatened you not two days ago. Are you really this naïve?" Draco asked. Hermione hesitated. "Please, just leave with me. I promise I can prove all of this to you, and if you're still not convinced you can leave with James. I swear I'll let you go" he grabbed her hand. Hermione bit her lip. She looked at the man standing in front of her. His stormy grey eyes pleading her to trust him. Her head was screaming at her to run as fast as she could but her heart sung a different tune. She shook her head lightly. She was a Gryffindor after all.
"Alright" she whispered, barely audible. Draco smiled at her and pressed a kiss on her cheek. He threw his coat around her shoulders.
"We need to leave, right now" he whispered. He let go of her hand and walked over to the window. He unlatched it and jumped out. He reached for Hermione. She hesitated for a second but grabbed his hand anyways. He pulled her out and dragged her behind him as they ran through the snow.
"Why are we running? Didn't you bring your guard?" she yelled at him.
"I told them to come but I left in a hurry" he explained. He held onto her hand until they reached the road, where Draco had left his carriage. The small path to James' chateau wasn't accessible to carriages because of the snow. He helped her get into the carriage and took the driver's seat. Hermione heard him slap the reigns and the horses started galloping.
After a little while, they arrived at the castle. Several people came running up to the carriage and a lot of people fussed over Hermione. Her dress was wet at the bottom and she was only wearing a thin coat. Draco jumped from his seat and took his spot next to her.
"I'm fine" she slapped the eager hands away . "Take me to Lola" she ordered.
"You should first warm up and put on some dry clothes" Draco protested.
"Take. Me. To. Her." She insisted. Draco nodded, knowing how stubborn his queen was. The king's guard escorted them to the dungeons where Hermione was shown a cell. Inside of it was a young woman. "Leave me with her" she ordered. Draco reluctantly agreed. The girl bowed to her queen.
"I need you to tell me what happened" Hermione asked. The girl hesitated. "Tell me the truth and I will help you" Hermione repeated. The girl started sobbing.
"I'm so sorry" she managed to get out. Hermione grabbed the girl's hands.
"Tell me what happened" she repeated.