"In My Life"
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other characters in this story. All I own is the plot.
Chapter 3
"And CUT! Lunch break!" Mr. Foroy shouted to the cast members on the set in front of him. "Excellent job, everybody!" He said. He caught up with Hermione as she was leaving the set. "Ms. Madison, I must tell you that you are doing a splendid job with this film."
"Why thank you, Mr. Foroy." Hermione smiled, pleased with herself.
"I know that this isn't exactly the most interesting screenplay." He whispered to her. "I don't really have much of a talent for writing."
"Oh, did you write the script, Mr. Foroy?" Hermione was surprised. She didn't think that Mr. Foroy was the writing type.
"Yes, actually, I did." He smiled a small smile.
"Oh, well that's great! It's an excellent screenplay!" Hermione lied with encouragement in her voice.
"Well, thank you Nicole. I was surprised that I could get so many famous actors and actresses from across the world. There are some big stars here." He looked around. "Very big stars."
"Yes, there are." Hermione agreed. "Mr. Foroy, I was wondering, how did you get inspired to write this screenplay? Did you just like the idea of the story, or what?"
"Well, Nicole, to tell you the truth, I had no urge to write this story at all." They sat down on the edge of a table in the set. "I was commissioned to write this story."
"Really?" asked Hermione, "By whom?"
"Well, it was the Malfoys. You know, you met their son, Draco, last night." Mr. Foroy looked as though he was suppressing a smile.
"Oh Malfoy, yeah I remember him." Hermione said with tension. "All too well." She muttered to herself.
Mr. Foroy looked at her curiously. "Have you, by any chance, met young Mr. Malfoy before?" He questioned her.
"Of course not." Hermione said hurriedly. "Why?"
"No reason." Said Mr. Foroy, shrugging "Anyway, the Malfoys commissioned me to write this screenplay and to direct it. They told me that it was necessary to cast the biggest stars in the acting world. I guess they really want this film to be a hit."
"I'm sure they do." Hermione said. 'To fund some extravagant Death Eater reunion, no doubt.' she thought viciously.
Mr. Foroy stood up slowly. "Well, I'm sure that the Malfoys have good intentions on their minds. Perhaps a charity of some sort." He said. "Anyway, you'd better eat your lunch. We'll be starting to shoot again in a few minutes." He walked away.
'Best intentions my ass.' Hermione thought. 'The day the Malfoys donate to charity will be the day the world stops spinning.'
"Ms. Madison! Could I have a word with you?"
Hermione turned around and saw Draco Malfoy walking quickly to catch up to her. 'Lovely.' she thought. "Hello, Mr. Malfoy." She said with all the warmness she could muster. Her eyes remained somewhat cold as she smiled.
"Ms. Madison, I just wanted to talk to you a little bit." Draco said, "I didn't get much of a chance to yesterday at the party." He laughed a little and they started to walk down the street together.
"About that," Hermione said. "I'm sorry, I was sort of feeling a little weird about something, and felt that it would be better if I left." This was the truth, though she didn't state what exactly the something was that she was feeling weird about.
"Well that's quite alright. Are you feeling better?" Draco asked.
"Yes, a little better. Thank you Mr. Malfoy." Hermione replied politely.
"Please call me Draco." He smiled charmingly.
"Well, in that case, please call me Nicole. I'm still not quite used to being addressed as 'Ms. Madison' all the time. I'm only eighteen, after all."
"Really? Me as well." He couldn't take his eyes off of Hermione. "You're very pretty, Nicole." He said as he smiled his charming smile again.
Hermione was slightly startled. "Th-thank y-you." She stuttered. "You're not exactly bad looking." She muttered.
"Well, thank you." said Draco. "Nicole," he asked hesitantly, "Will you go to dinner with me tonight?"
She looked at him curiously before replying. "Sure, Draco. I'll join you for dinner." 'What the fuck are you thinking?!' she thought angrily to herself. 'Dinner with Draco Malfoy?!'
Draco smiled, looking pleased. He laughed and they walked down the street together until they found a small cafe a few blocks away. They ate dinner, and though Hermione felt unbelievably anxious whenever she remembered who she was sitting with, Draco seemed to be enjoying himself. And, if Hermione would only admit it to herself, she wasn't having a horrible time. Draco was more pleasant than she ever remembered him being. She wondered if he had just finally grown up or, more likely, if he should consider a career in the acting business. But why act so nice to a complete stranger? Hermione made a mental note to keep an eye on him.
After eating, Hermione agreed to walk with him for a bit. They talked a lot, though Hermione was cautious to keep the subject on Draco and not herself. But then he sprang the questions Hermione had been dreading all evening on her.
"So, Nicole," Draco said as they were walking. "What's your history like, where did you grow up?"
Hermione started to get a little nervous. "Well, I, er, grew up in London, that was where my family lived. I went to a, um, boarding school in the…country for a while. Then I, well, my parents died, in a car crash." Hermione blinked away some tears as she remembered that painful day. She all of the sudden felt more lonely than she had ever felt in her entire life. She hadn't had many friends since Hogwarts; she spent too much time filming and trying to survive. Eventually a tear streamed down her cheek, but she brushed it away quickly.
"Nicole?" Draco looked at her, concerned. Hermione looked up at him, and he saw that her eyes were sad and pained. "I'm sorry Nicole, I didn't mean to upset you." They stopped walking.
She sighed and shook her head. "It's not you, Draco. I just--" She looked away from him for a moment before looking back into his misty gray eyes. "Haven't had…time…to get over my parents, with school for a while and then filming." She paused and smiled sadly. "I miss them a lot."
Draco eyed her with sympathy. They were both silent for a moment, and Draco gestured for her to sit beside him on a nearby bench. Hermione nodded and sat, her mind lost in memories of her parents.
Draco comfortingly slid his arm around her shoulders. Hermione felt that she should be appalled, but for some reason, she was actually soothed by Draco's presence. Draco finally broke the silence. "It's okay, Nicole." He whispered, "You're not alone."
Hermione didn't really understand what Draco meant by that, but she found his words reassuring all the same. "Thank you." she said almost inaudibly, and lightly rested her head on his shoulder.
The night darkened around them, stars appeared in the deep blue that was the sky. Time passed, but neither of them realized it, lost in their own thoughts and dreams.