Summary: Hermione's life is left in pieces, all because of Draco. She finds herself lying often, betraying her friends' trust.
Draco meets a mysterious woman, who has a thing against him. He finds himself spending more time than he cares to stomach with Kyle Thompson—the only guy to ever win Hermione's heart.
As for this mystery woman, well, there's a deeper meaning than Draco could ever comprehend as to why she's sneaking around, bent on being there at every turn of his life. A deeper meaning that she herself doesn't want to remember.
Disclaimer: I only own Kyle Thompson, Hope Woods (sorta), Carrie, and anyone else I wish to throw in. Oh, and Johnny Depp, who is mah slutty pirate. Lol, jk.
Last time:
[Draco]
He kept ranting on, completely unaware of Kyle's presence.
"It's not as though I could tell her I'm sorry! She's not exactly here for me to explain everything, now is she?"
"Talking to the ceiling now?" Kyle broke in finally, a hint of satisfaction buried in his voice.
Draco's jaw set, and he stood frigidly, facing the opposite direction. "Sod off now, Thompson. I've had more than enough of your crap, thank you."
"So I see," he replied dryly, his lips twitching in amusement. "You know," Kyle added after a moment's pause, "I could take you to Hermione…"
Draco snarled, "Is that who you think I was talking about? That stupid mudblood bitch?"
Kyle frowned. "Don't call her that. And yes…I do think you were talking about her. I'm not Lucius, Draco. You can stop pretending."
Draco whirled around to face Kyle. "You shut your trap, before I kick your arse. Whoever said I was pretending?"
[Hermione]
No, Harry! I'll wait," Hermione insisted. "I want to be able to talk to you normally…before you hate me."
"Hate you? Hermione, what's going on?"
"How's your wife?" she pressed on, once more ignoring his question.
Harry glanced over at her. "My wife?"
Harry's wife glanced up at the mention of her title, looking at him confusedly. She brushed back her wavy hair, placing James on the floor.
"Yes, your wife. And your son, while I'm on it."
"James is just lovely, and Hope's fine."
Chapter Four: The Vial
Hermione settled onto her couch, hoping and praying for the end of the week. That way, Ron would be home, and she would finally be free of all her baggage.
She bit her lip, which was a nasty habit that she had reserved for whenever she was nervous or deep in thought. It was annoying, and Draco had once told her it was endearing—'In a stupid, silly mudblood way, anyhow'. Well, that was what he had added after seeing her expression.
Anything that was endearing to the hateful Malfoy had to go. Immediately.
She sighed contentedly, letting her memories take over.
~*~ Flashback ~*
Hermione strode over to a shelf, scanning it for the book on Potions she needed for her essay. Finally, she let out a relieved sigh, and reached for it.
Suddenly, a hand pulled it out, and she heard the book open, and a male voice murmur, "Interesting."
Hermione recognized the drawl immediately, and closed her eyes in frustration. "Go away, Malfoy," she groaned, feeling tears prick the corners of her eyes.
She turned her head in order to hide her moist eyes from him.
"Hermione…you just…you have to let me explain! You don't understand, I—"
"I don't have to let you do anything!" she exclaimed, one single tear rolling down her face, leaving a shimmering trail down her cheek. "Just sod off!"
"But Hermione! I didn't mean to! It's not my f—it's not my fault! My father—"
"Save your pathetic excuses for someone who cares, Malfoy," Hermione spat, heaving a deep, shuddering breath, and began to stalk away from him.
"You just can't sit there and tell me you don't care when you're sitting there crying, Hermione!" he yelled angrily, following her through the gaps in the shelf.
"I can't believe you have the nerve to speak to me!" she hissed quietly, stopping her pacing, and turned to where she thought he was. "Because I don't care for what you have to say."
"Pansy means nothing to me. You do. Don't you get it?" Draco asked desperately, reaching through another gap in between the books to touch her outstretched hand.
"I know what happened. Pansy told me, Malfoy," Hermione snapped, grabbing the new book, and snatching her hand away from his fingers.
"T-Told you?" he asked in a confused tone, scratching his head. "Told you what?"
Hermione faltered, at seeing his piercing molten eyes next to a book. Shaking her head, she continued, "I was a bet, Draco! She warned me that if you tried to come back to me…it was because this amused you, or Blaise set up another bet with you. So don't you get it? I. Don't. Care. Go pay Blaise and all those other Slytherins their money and LEAVE ME ALONE! Don't forget to thank Pansy for me," Hermione added, turning her head away from him, her jaw clenched.
"A bet?" Draco repeated hollowly. "You think that it was a bet? Why would I be so evil to you at first? Huh? Did Pansy explain that?"
As calmly as she could muster, Hermione whispered, "Get away from me. I don't ever want to see you again."
"But you have to—"
"Let me dumb it down for you, Malfoy. I don't want to be your friend, your girlfriend, you lover, your wife—I want no part of it. I will speak civilly to you for projects and in front of teachers only. This is because I value my position, and I will not let you take one more thing away from me."
Draco opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione glared, and abruptly turned from the shelves. "Fine, I'm leaving, then."
"It's not what you think, Hermione," he said sadly. "But if this is what you want," Draco added quietly.
She froze on the spot, and swallowed, roughly wiping away the tears. Finally regaining her sense, she walked out of the rows of bookshelves.
~*~ End Flashback ~*~
Hermione shifted uncomfortably, glancing at the sleeping form of Carrie.
It seemed foolish, to have turned it down. But she knew then that he was only trying to use her.
It was now that was her only problem. Draco had sounded so sincere, and it haunted her.
Could he have been telling the truth?
~*~
Draco turned around on his bed, moaning.
Her scent was everywhere. That stupid floral-fruity perfume she wore everyday!
Fuck Hermione. She didn't want him, so he didn't want her.
He turned his head, which was resting on the fluffy pillow. Draco gazed out the window with a sorrowful gaze.
He watched one solitary bird flit just outside the window, and scowled when another turned up. Everything had a partner but him these days!
There was an abrupt knock at the door, followed by a quiet, "Draco? Are you up yet?"
Draco moaned, and buried his head in the pillow.
There was another knock at the door, more insistent this time. "Draco?" the woman asked impatiently.
If Hope thinks I'm still asleep, she'll go away, he figured, grabbing another pillow, covering his head.
Just as Draco was pulling up the covers, Hope screamed, "DRACO! YOU GET OUT OF BED THIS INSTANT!"
His jaw dropped, and he rolled off his stomach, onto his back. He sneered, and grudgingly pulled his legs out of bed.
Draco's hand was on the knob, when he thought twice about it. He had, after all, been up for hours.
With that in mind, he cringed, and rubbed his hands fiercely through his hair, giving it a messy look. He took off his shirt, and threw it on the floor.
Draco made a mess of the bed, and finally flung open the door.
Hope was standing there angrily, hand raised, prepared to knock again. She started screaming again, and knocked, never noticing him.
Draco howled in pain when her fist collided with his forehead. "You stupid bitch!" he seethed, clutching his head. "Did you not see me open the door?"
She raised her eyebrows, pursing her lips. "You're joking?" she asked in a disbelieving tone. "I've been pounding on this door for the past five minutes!"
He scowled, and gestured to his bed. "Just got up," he said simply, running a hand through his tousled hair.
Hope's arms folded neatly across of her chest, as she observed him and his room. "Did you drink last night? I don't see you for the type of person who thrashes about while he sleeps."
Draco shrugged. "Mighta had a glass or two," he answered nonchalantly, turning to go back into his room. "Mind telling me what was so urgent for me to get up right this second?"
He felt Hope's eyes drilling holes into his bare back as he searched through his dresser for a new, suitable top.
"Would you mind not staring at me, undressing me with your eyes? I believe you're about to be married, dearest Hope," Draco called over to her cockily.
She huffed, "I am not undressing you with my eyes! I have better things to do, Malfoy," she retorted, watching him turn around, and shrug on the sky blue button-up.
"Uh huh," he replied sarcastically, buttoning up all but two.
"Anyway," Hope began, ignoring his sarcasm, "Kyle's off to work in the Ministry, and I have the week off. So, we're going house hunting."
"House hunting?" Draco repeated, skeptically.
"Yes," she replied brusquely. "Don't give me that tone. You only have two months at this house, before Kyle kicks you out."
"I could always live with you," he hinted, with a sly grin. "Wouldn't that be fun?"
Hope scoffed, rolling her eyes. "In your dreams, Malfoy!"
Draco froze. In his dreams? That sounded so familiar…
"In your dreams," she spat.
"In my dreams? No, in my bed, Hermione. You're gonna be afraid of the strong feelings you're gonna have. That's a promise, Granger."
Draco flinched...he had been such an arse then. "Yeah," he gulped faintly. "In my dreams."
Hope cocked her head to the side, and looked at him strangely. "Draco? You ok?" she asked, this time concerned. "You just got really quiet. I'd expect some egotistical remark from you," she laughed.
Draco waved his hand, shaking his head. "No, I'm fine. Well, let's go do this infernal…'house hunting'."
She gave a small laugh, and grabbed his hand. "Follow me."
Draco looked down at her delicate fingers entwined with his, and blinked. He let a wistful grin escape, tugging at the corners of his mouth.
~*~
Hope's heart was beating furiously. It was a stupid move, grabbing his hand! She'd never want to let go, and—
"Did you find any good houses?" he asked in a slightly strangled voice. He coughed, his pale cheeks becoming washed over with a tinge of pink.
She smiled again, at his awkwardness. It was cute, it was adorable…it was wrong. "Um, yeah, I found one or two. Of course, they're not as enormous as the legendary Malfoy Manor, but…they're decent."
Draco nodded, unconsciously squeezing her hand reassuringly as he insisted, "I'm sure it'll be fine."
Handholding was a gigantic, massive no. Simply because Draco had unintentionally squeezed her hand, her heart was going wild!
There were things to consider here. He thought that she was engaged to Kyle, and by letting this charade continue on, his ego was inflating, for sure. He probably thought that she was giving into his charms, and would leave Kyle…
Hope yanked her hand away gently, wiping it on her robes. "We're here," she announced, turning to face Draco.
His face had been a picture of disappointment, but as soon as he caught her gaze, he fixed on the stony face. "Great," he intoned.
Hope heaved a sigh, and watched Draco open the black gate, stepping through, and holding it open for her.
"Thanks," she murmured quietly, trying to ease her rapid heartbeat. "The owners should be out in a minute," she informed him, resting her hands stiffly by her sides.
He nodded, and they waited in tense silence for two minutes before the gargantuan door creaked open, revealing a friendly old woman. "Hello, please, come in!"
Hope stepped through first, and Draco followed close behind.
"This is the entryway, of course. To your left, is the living room. Next to that, we have a ballroom, which is large enough to have a decent party," the old witch began.
Hope snuck a glance at Draco, who was still regarding it with a stony face. "What's your name?" he asked suddenly.
"Amanda Simpson," the witch answered, continuing on, after they had peeked into the ballroom.
"I see," he said softly, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Your home is lovely," he added, trying to make conversation.
"That's nice," Amanda answered quickly and carelessly. "As I was saying—"
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm interested, ma'am," Draco cut in, his eyes flashing. "It's really not what I'm looking for…"
"Excuse me?" the witch exclaimed, as she unintentionally slammed the door to the ballroom.
"Draco," Hope hissed, looking apologetically at the woman. "Terribly sorry, miss," she mumbled, following Draco, who stalked out the door.
"I don't want it," he told her again, as she eased the door shut.
"Why? It's lovely!"
"But that hag is absolutely horrendous! She wouldn't even carry on a polite conversation—" Draco began, before Hope held up her hand impatiently.
"Do you mean to tell me that you don't want this place merely because the witch can't have a 'friendly' conversation with you!" she shrieked, walking away quickly. "Are you insane?!"
"I wouldn't expect you to understand," Draco retorted sharply, his arms crossed. "I wouldn't expect anyone to understand!"
"Don't shout," Hope growled, stopping without warning.
"I'll damn well do WHAT I WANT!" he roared, sneering. "I said I didn't want the place, and that's final. I'm going back to Kyle's."
"No you won't," Hope nagged stubbornly. "There's one more house, and you are going to see it."
"I don't have to do anything you say!" Draco grumbled, turning the other way. "I just told you I'm not going to have another moment of this."
She grabbed the sleeve of his robes, causing him to halt to a stop. "You are. Now why is conversation so important to you?"
"Forget it," he answered, his muscles tensing. "Just forget it."
"No. Tell me why!"
"Sod off!"
~*~
Draco was positively boiling, steaming at the sides. That woman knew how to push his buttons, which was certainly aggravating.
Sighing in defeat, he knew she'd never leave him alone until he told her.
"I just like to know that the owner of the place was nice, ok? I don't enjoy living in houses that previously had horrible people staying there. It's just a thing. Now leave me the bloody hell alone," he added angrily.
"Oh," Hope said softly. "Is it because of your old house? Because your family treated you and others awfully?"
"Not that it's any of your business—but yes. I don't want to be anymore like them than I am now, thank you. It's just a weird thing my mother planted into my head," Draco indicated, his voice wavering at the mention of his mum.
"Draco…I'm so, so sorry," Hope whispered. "I-I didn't know…I know your mum must mean a lot—"
"I said leave me alone," Draco interrupted, his jaw set. "I don't want to talk about her. You know nothing about me."
"I know you were hurt before," she protested, tapping his shoulder. "And I know the way it feels."
"Yeah, because that's what I did to you, right?" he asked snidely, whirling to face her. "And somehow you thinks that makes you something like me, huh? Is that what you think?"
"No, I'd never insinuate that I was like you. I was only saying that I know how it—"
"You know how it feels, do you?" Draco laughed. "Is that what you honestly think? You couldn't. You have no idea what it's like to lose your one—"
He stopped himself before he could finish the sentence. He had been seconds away from saying 'only love'.
"Mother? Yes, I do. Don't you think for just one second that just because you lost your mother, that you have the right to be all mad and defensive at me! I lost mine too!" Hope screamed with a fiery passion.
"I wasn't going to say that," Draco scowled. "Don't go assuming things, Woods. It only ends up making you look like an ass."
~*~
Harry Potter plopped onto his sofa, not expecting his wife for a good two hours.
He scratched his head, remembering how crazy Hermione had sounded on the phone the other day.
He just wished Ron would come back soon, because he was quite curious as to why Hermione was so insistent on waiting.
What could have possibly freaked her so bad, to make her think that either of them could hate her?
It has to be bad, he reasoned, because Hermione was always the reasonable one out of the three of us.
Harry was very nervous, feeling incredibly drained. The entire day, he had been distracted, remembering Hermione's urgent voice, and the sorrow in it when she told him he'd hate her.
Maybe it would be wise to visit her, and go check up on her…
~*~
Hope slammed the door to her house, and settled down onto her bed.
Frustrated, she summoned her mirror, and gazed at her reflection. Features she was so painfully familiar with stared her back in the face. This wasn't who she was…at all.
The dirty blonde hair, and the emerald eyes she had been so fond of before, was disturbing.
Her eyes were the same emerald green of the boy she used to dream about marrying. Nothing but a memory now, as she realized how badly she had been treating Harry Potter lately.
The truth would be out soon, and she'd be free.
Hope sighed, and remembered the day's events. Draco had turned so harsh, and refused to go anywhere with her. He had holed up in his room, refusing to come down for meals.
Eventually, she had given in, and sent up a house elf with his meals. Apparently, according to the elf, he had not answered the door, so the tray had been left there.
Checking the hallway of his room confirmed that Draco was being stubborn, and had taken his tray after Tipsy left.
Hope looked away from the mirror, and pulled out the vial attached to her hidden silver necklace.
Just one sip, and it would all be normal again.
She lifted up the tiny bottle, and took a sip, the other bottle clanking noisily next to it.
Slowly, but surely, she felt the potion take effect. She looked back into the mirror, with a grim smile.
The dirty blonde vaguely wavy hair was transforming into the brown she perceived as dull, with lots of curls that had always annoyed her.
The emerald eyes that haunted her now, for her lies, changed back into the vibrant chocolate eyes she adored.
The rest of her face and body changed, as she said goodbye to Hope Woods.
"Hello, Hermione Granger," she whispered softly, clutching at her face.
A/N: Firstly, sorry if this entire thing showed up bold, but I just can't seem to make the damned thing be normal...so, i had to sacrifice to get this evil chapter out.
I know that this is all very confusing, and you'd love to hit me, but, lol, it shall be explained! Hehe, that's pure evil…leading my poor readers to think Hope was Harry's wife, when really, it was Hermione. Perhaps you can figure it out!
Anywayz, I'd sincerely like to thank all of my readers, and my reviewers for getting me to the 100 mark right now. That's seriously awesome.
Now…for the shameless plugs! I have a new Hr/D story, called Mr. Wrong. It takes place in the future, and has a bit of H/Hr, too. Second chapter is half done. Now then…one more thing! I have yet another idea (which I will wait until I finish one of these stories, I think) for this place. It's a murder mystery, and that's all I'm saying. Then after that, I have 5 or so stories in the works that I like, but I'll wait for a while on those, too. What can I say? I love to write, lol.
Hope you enjoyed this.
[Submitted: July 25, 2003]