Chapter 8
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot.
Draco parked the car in front of fairly sized restaurant. He stepped out of the car first, then opened the door for Hermione. Looking up, Hermione read the name of the restaurant. It was written in Chinese characters. "Silver Dragon."
"You know how to read Chinese?" Draco was amazed.
"Only a few words," Hermione replied, walking towards the door.
Draco accompanied her and opened the door for her. It was cozy inside. The room was dimly lit, and the tables and chairs were made of wood. Several designs of dragons and other Chinese characters were decorously placed all over the room. Hermione has read about Feng Shui before and from her knowledge, the position of all the furniture in the room concurred to the rules.
They took a seat by the window and a waiter approached them. Draco helped Hermione in choosing her food, suggesting those that he had eaten before and that he had liked. But he also made sure Hermione ordered the food she wanted to eat.
After a satisfying lunch, Hermione was more than glad Draco treated her out. Draco paid their bill and the waiter left a plate of fortune cookies on their table. Hermione picked up one and cracked it to reveal the paper which held her 'fortune.' She then read it out loud for Draco to hear, "You're a princess but you've got the wrong prince." Hermione laughed. "I wish! I thought these things were to predict your future, it sounded more like trying to teach me something. Draco, you try."
"No, thanks, I don't believe in such things," Draco waved his hand at her.
"Just take one, just for laughs, please." Hermione said doing her puppy-dog eyes.
"Fine," Draco replied. He took one of the cookies and cracked it. He held the paper up and read it out loud: "You're not free to fall in love." Draco smirked. "What does that mean?"
Hermione laughed out loud. "These things are funny. Vague but funny."
Draco reached for Hermione's face and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. "You have smooth skin, smooth and fair."
Hermione's face turned red. "Thanks."
"Look who's blushing now?" Draco teased her.
Hermione looked at him intently, half smiling. Draco knew what she was about to do. She flipped her hair to the left with one motion and turned to face Draco again. She laughed so loud when she saw him frozen on his seat, face red.
Finally, he was able to speak. "You like doing that, don't you?"
"Is it that obvious?" Hermione beamed at him.
"We should do this more often. It helps me forget that I have problems," Draco said, turning his smile to a serious face.
"Same here," Hermione went serious as well. "Why is it that every time I get to have fun, my problems never fail to surface again and remind me of their existence?"
"I always feel the same thing. And what's hard is, no one can escape it," Draco said, resting his hands on his lap.
"I guess we just have to get immune to it," Hermione added. "Wait, you told me you're not living at the Malfoy Manor anymore. Where then do you live now?"
"I rented my own apartment," Draco replied.
"Oh, like Ha---" Hermione didn't finish her sentence. She tucked her hair behind her ears and started playing on paper from the fortune cookie.
"It's okay to compare me with Harry, Hermione. He is indeed your boyfriend," Draco spoke, noticing Hermione's gestures.
"It just doesn't feel right comparing anyone to Harry," Hermione responded. "Everyone thinks he's perfect, because he's the boy who lived."
"But do you think he's perfect?" Draco asked.
"I used to. But I guess nobody's perfect," Hermione answered.
"The ones we love will always look perfect in our eyes, no matter what errors and imperfections they have. We will always look past them if we truly care for a person," Draco uttered, looking down the table.
Hermione smiled. She liked what he said, and he was right. "Where do you get all these ideas of yours?"
Draco looked up. "I have my own source of inspiration." Draco stared at Hermione, then to the necklace she was wearing. "Hermione, always wear that necklace."
"I will," Hermione responded, smiling at him. Then Hermione remembered something. "Draco, yesterday, at the stadium, you were about to tell me something about this necklace, what is it?" Draco reached for the pendant and began feeling its texture. Though the light of the room was not bright, the necklace still glimmered. Hermione noticed Draco had closed his eyes. "Draco, are you okay?"
Draco opened his eyes and moved back, resting his back on his chair. "Hermione, what you have to understand is---"
"Hermione!" His words were cut when Harry suddenly entered the restaurant and started calling for Hermione. Hermione turned around and stood up, surprised to see Harry there. Harry grabbed her by the arm and began to pull her. "Hermione, let's go." Draco stood up when he saw this.
"Harry, wait!" Hermione tried to pull her arm back but Harry was stronger than she is. "What are you doing?" Hermione saw that the people inside the restaurant were already whispering at each other, watching all the commotion. "Harry, let me go!"
Draco approached them and tried to pull Hermione when Harry suddenly threw him a hard punch on the face with his free hand. It was so hard that Draco was thrown backward, causing him to slam at the table. "Stay away from her!" Hermione just stood there, unable to speak. Harry continued to grab her out of the restaurant, throwing a large sum of money at the cashier on his way to the door.
Once they were outside, Hermione tried hard to free herself but Harry's grip was so tight. "You're hurting me, Harry." Harry turned to see the hand he was grabbing and saw that it was already swollen. He involuntarily let it go, and Hermione touched it carefully with her other hand.
"I'm sorry," Harry muttered.
"Sorry? Don't say sorry Harry!" Hermione was furious. "You barged into the restaurant, punched my date and forced me out. And you hurt me, Harry."
Harry stared at her swollen arm. "That will heal."
Hermione raised her arm. "Not just this, Harry. What you did proved to me that you don't really trust me."
"I don't want you to get hurt. Malfoy is an evil person and he's just playing you around to get back at me."
"What are you talking about?"
"I beat him at the Seeker position for the Quidditch team and now he's trying to hurt me by hurting you."
Hermione smirked. "He's not the one who's trying to hurt me, Harry. You are."
"He's the one who's always tried to hurt you in the past. One date won't change that."
"Why do you always bring up the past? That was before, Harry, this is now. I've forgiven him and so should you. No matter how you try to dissuade me, I will still believe that he has changed and I will continue to be his friend. Now if you have a problem with that, then I think we should end this relationship once and for all."
Harry was motionless. He just let all of Hermione's words stab him like a sharp knife. "You're going to choose him over me?"
"I'm choosing his friendship over a relationship with you. Because I know which of the two makes me happy."
Harry moved towards Hermione but she only backed off. "Don't you love me anymore?"
Tears began rolling down Hermione's cheeks. "I do love you, Harry. But my love's not enough to save our relationship. It's just not enough."
"How about my love for you?" Harry responded, staring at her.
"If you love me, Harry, you'll let me go," Hermione said with a tone of finality. She turned around to see Draco standing by the door, touching his face where Harry had punched him. "Draco, could you please take me home?"
Draco walked quickly towards her and assisted her to the car. Harry just watched them leave, his world falling down on him. Since he couldn't carry the weight anymore, he dropped to his knees and buried his face on his hands. Was this really the end of his relationship with Hermione? Because from what Harry had seen, it was.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot.
Draco parked the car in front of fairly sized restaurant. He stepped out of the car first, then opened the door for Hermione. Looking up, Hermione read the name of the restaurant. It was written in Chinese characters. "Silver Dragon."
"You know how to read Chinese?" Draco was amazed.
"Only a few words," Hermione replied, walking towards the door.
Draco accompanied her and opened the door for her. It was cozy inside. The room was dimly lit, and the tables and chairs were made of wood. Several designs of dragons and other Chinese characters were decorously placed all over the room. Hermione has read about Feng Shui before and from her knowledge, the position of all the furniture in the room concurred to the rules.
They took a seat by the window and a waiter approached them. Draco helped Hermione in choosing her food, suggesting those that he had eaten before and that he had liked. But he also made sure Hermione ordered the food she wanted to eat.
After a satisfying lunch, Hermione was more than glad Draco treated her out. Draco paid their bill and the waiter left a plate of fortune cookies on their table. Hermione picked up one and cracked it to reveal the paper which held her 'fortune.' She then read it out loud for Draco to hear, "You're a princess but you've got the wrong prince." Hermione laughed. "I wish! I thought these things were to predict your future, it sounded more like trying to teach me something. Draco, you try."
"No, thanks, I don't believe in such things," Draco waved his hand at her.
"Just take one, just for laughs, please." Hermione said doing her puppy-dog eyes.
"Fine," Draco replied. He took one of the cookies and cracked it. He held the paper up and read it out loud: "You're not free to fall in love." Draco smirked. "What does that mean?"
Hermione laughed out loud. "These things are funny. Vague but funny."
Draco reached for Hermione's face and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. "You have smooth skin, smooth and fair."
Hermione's face turned red. "Thanks."
"Look who's blushing now?" Draco teased her.
Hermione looked at him intently, half smiling. Draco knew what she was about to do. She flipped her hair to the left with one motion and turned to face Draco again. She laughed so loud when she saw him frozen on his seat, face red.
Finally, he was able to speak. "You like doing that, don't you?"
"Is it that obvious?" Hermione beamed at him.
"We should do this more often. It helps me forget that I have problems," Draco said, turning his smile to a serious face.
"Same here," Hermione went serious as well. "Why is it that every time I get to have fun, my problems never fail to surface again and remind me of their existence?"
"I always feel the same thing. And what's hard is, no one can escape it," Draco said, resting his hands on his lap.
"I guess we just have to get immune to it," Hermione added. "Wait, you told me you're not living at the Malfoy Manor anymore. Where then do you live now?"
"I rented my own apartment," Draco replied.
"Oh, like Ha---" Hermione didn't finish her sentence. She tucked her hair behind her ears and started playing on paper from the fortune cookie.
"It's okay to compare me with Harry, Hermione. He is indeed your boyfriend," Draco spoke, noticing Hermione's gestures.
"It just doesn't feel right comparing anyone to Harry," Hermione responded. "Everyone thinks he's perfect, because he's the boy who lived."
"But do you think he's perfect?" Draco asked.
"I used to. But I guess nobody's perfect," Hermione answered.
"The ones we love will always look perfect in our eyes, no matter what errors and imperfections they have. We will always look past them if we truly care for a person," Draco uttered, looking down the table.
Hermione smiled. She liked what he said, and he was right. "Where do you get all these ideas of yours?"
Draco looked up. "I have my own source of inspiration." Draco stared at Hermione, then to the necklace she was wearing. "Hermione, always wear that necklace."
"I will," Hermione responded, smiling at him. Then Hermione remembered something. "Draco, yesterday, at the stadium, you were about to tell me something about this necklace, what is it?" Draco reached for the pendant and began feeling its texture. Though the light of the room was not bright, the necklace still glimmered. Hermione noticed Draco had closed his eyes. "Draco, are you okay?"
Draco opened his eyes and moved back, resting his back on his chair. "Hermione, what you have to understand is---"
"Hermione!" His words were cut when Harry suddenly entered the restaurant and started calling for Hermione. Hermione turned around and stood up, surprised to see Harry there. Harry grabbed her by the arm and began to pull her. "Hermione, let's go." Draco stood up when he saw this.
"Harry, wait!" Hermione tried to pull her arm back but Harry was stronger than she is. "What are you doing?" Hermione saw that the people inside the restaurant were already whispering at each other, watching all the commotion. "Harry, let me go!"
Draco approached them and tried to pull Hermione when Harry suddenly threw him a hard punch on the face with his free hand. It was so hard that Draco was thrown backward, causing him to slam at the table. "Stay away from her!" Hermione just stood there, unable to speak. Harry continued to grab her out of the restaurant, throwing a large sum of money at the cashier on his way to the door.
Once they were outside, Hermione tried hard to free herself but Harry's grip was so tight. "You're hurting me, Harry." Harry turned to see the hand he was grabbing and saw that it was already swollen. He involuntarily let it go, and Hermione touched it carefully with her other hand.
"I'm sorry," Harry muttered.
"Sorry? Don't say sorry Harry!" Hermione was furious. "You barged into the restaurant, punched my date and forced me out. And you hurt me, Harry."
Harry stared at her swollen arm. "That will heal."
Hermione raised her arm. "Not just this, Harry. What you did proved to me that you don't really trust me."
"I don't want you to get hurt. Malfoy is an evil person and he's just playing you around to get back at me."
"What are you talking about?"
"I beat him at the Seeker position for the Quidditch team and now he's trying to hurt me by hurting you."
Hermione smirked. "He's not the one who's trying to hurt me, Harry. You are."
"He's the one who's always tried to hurt you in the past. One date won't change that."
"Why do you always bring up the past? That was before, Harry, this is now. I've forgiven him and so should you. No matter how you try to dissuade me, I will still believe that he has changed and I will continue to be his friend. Now if you have a problem with that, then I think we should end this relationship once and for all."
Harry was motionless. He just let all of Hermione's words stab him like a sharp knife. "You're going to choose him over me?"
"I'm choosing his friendship over a relationship with you. Because I know which of the two makes me happy."
Harry moved towards Hermione but she only backed off. "Don't you love me anymore?"
Tears began rolling down Hermione's cheeks. "I do love you, Harry. But my love's not enough to save our relationship. It's just not enough."
"How about my love for you?" Harry responded, staring at her.
"If you love me, Harry, you'll let me go," Hermione said with a tone of finality. She turned around to see Draco standing by the door, touching his face where Harry had punched him. "Draco, could you please take me home?"
Draco walked quickly towards her and assisted her to the car. Harry just watched them leave, his world falling down on him. Since he couldn't carry the weight anymore, he dropped to his knees and buried his face on his hands. Was this really the end of his relationship with Hermione? Because from what Harry had seen, it was.