Chapter Four- A Decision Made
When Hermione pushed herself out of the confines of her memories, she noticed that within the box, Draco had left a note. She was full of both dread and hope at what the note might contain. True, he had seemed like he wanted to be quite cordial to her at the party, she was the one to bring out all the snarkiness, but she was also very aware of the fact that he hadn't spoken to her in two years. Also, she couldn't very well push out of her mind that he was involved with at least two women that she knew of at the moment.
She was, however, surprised when she read the note, it's simplicity making her more confused.
"Granger," it said, "I've had this for years…I found it in the pocket of the cloak that was wrapped around me when I was taken into the Mediwitches after the final battle, and knew them both to be yours. I wanted to give it back to you many times, but for some reason I couldn't part with it. I would like to see you again; I hope you will consent to this request. Happy Birthday," it concluded, and it was signed 'Malfoy'.
She read through it once more, and found that she was forcing herself to not read too much into it. So, he wanted to see her again? That could mean anything. By why had he kept the wand for so long if he didn't feel some sort of emotional attachment to it? It wasn't like he couldn't have found anytime in the two years following the war, when they were not in personal contact, but still had many similar acquaintances. She reasoned that had their situations been reversed, she would have kept his wand as a reminder of what they had shared; when they had nothing else, this personal item would be the last thing of his she could really have. She wouldn't have wanted to give it up, but was that how he felt as well?
"Grow up, Granger," her mind screamed. "He probably just didn't want to return it at the risk of having to actually thank you for trying to save him."
Yes, as much as she loathed to admit it to herself, this was probably closer to the truth than any other reason she could imagine Malfoy having. Still, it made things much easier. Perhaps if she were to see him again, she could remind herself of all the reasons it was completely impossible for them to be together, not to mention why she had always thought him an egotistical, bull-headed, prat, before she started to care for him.
"Oh stuff it; you know you want to see him again just to see him again. You want to know if his hair still feels the same, if he ever laughs anymore, how he's changed. You want to know who he's become. What kind of man he is now."
She winced at her thoughts, knowing them to be the unfortunate truth, and settled herself back into bed. She knew that she should get some bit of sleep, since Laurence, who had stayed away tonight figuring her to be exhausted and over-stimulated by the "surprise", would be over early in the morning, to celebrate with her the official date of her birth.
Hermione awoke the next morning resolved to put Malfoy far out of her thoughts, and enjoy her birthday angst-free. She showered and dressed, opting for casual spring clothes, and waited in the kitchen for Laurence's inevitable arrival. He came, on time as usual, bringing with him Harry as a surprise.
"Morning, My," Laurence exclaimed as he swept her up in an embrace. "I brought Harry with us; I thought he might like to spend the morning with you as well.
Hermione smiled at Laurence's thoughtfulness. He was not a jealous man, and understood how close Hermione was to her two male friends, and never presumed to object to this closeness.
"So boys," she said cheerfully, "What's the plan for today?"
Harry smiled at her in return, and looked to Laurence for the answer.
"I was thinking that we could go to breakfast, and then maybe a walk in the park? I have your present already, and Harry has one too, but if you wanted to make a stop in Diagon Alley, Harry and I agreed last night that we will treat you at Flourish and Blotts." Laurence laughed slightly at the way her face lit up at this revelation. In reality, Hermione was both pleased and slightly embarrassed. She hated being so predictable sometimes, knowing that her friends saw her ultimate birthday treat as a free trip to a bookstore made her blush. She couldn't deny the truth of the assumption, but somehow felt ashamed of how boring it was.
"That sounds excellent, thank you Harry and Laurence. Why don't we go to Diagon Alley first? We can eat there, and then go to the bookstore and then the park?" She grabbed her cloak in case the early spring weather took a turn for the worse, and made her way to the fireplace.
"Well, what are you waiting for? A written invitation?" She smirked at them as they both scowled at her, before joining her to Floo to the Three Broomsticks.
The day passed quickly for Hermione. They didn't run into many people that they knew, surprisingly. A friend of Hermione's, an ex-girlfriend of Harry's, and lastly they met up with Blaise again. He had invited them to dinner the following evening, and Laurence had eagerly accepted. When the sun started to set in the park, after hours of chatting, Hermione reading, and Laurence and Harry flying, Hermione bid goodbye to Harry as she and her boyfriend apparrated back to her flat.
"So, My. Did you have a good birthday?" Laurence asked earnestly, peering up at her from his reclining position on her bed.
Hermione finished removing her earrings, and quietly joined him by his side. She smiled fondly at him, and gave him a long, sweet kiss before answering. "Yes, Laurie. I had a perfectly lovely birthday. Thank you so much for giving me such a nice day."
Later that evening, Hermione found herself drifting off to sleep, and she was disturbed by her thoughts. She realized that Laurence's embrace felt wrong, as much as she enjoyed it, and she hated to admit that she did indeed want him slightly taller, leaner, and with much fairer hair.
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The next morning, Laurence returned to his own apartment to change, and do some work that he had left. He promised to meet her at 7 so that they could go to Zabini's home together for dinner. Hermione was surprisingly not nervous, nothing Blaise had said suggested that it was a party or anything like that, and she figured that most of the attention from Blaise would be off of her as he and Laurence caught up. She wondered if Blaise was married, and what sort of woman she would be.
Since she had plenty of time until Laurence came, she quickly picked out something to wear so she wouldn't have to bother about it later. She chose a simple black wrap dress, and her favorite ruby earrings. 'Always the Gryffindor,' she laughed as she laid them on top of the dress. Now that she had that ridiculous task out of the way, she thought it was time to get some real work done. She spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning, arranging, and cataloging her potions supply. It was an arduous task, but one which Hermione reveled in for it's exact application. She finally noticed that it was getting late, and took a bath before dressing.
While she was waiting for Laurence to arrive, she found herself rereading the note Malfoy had given her. He wanted to be friends? It seemed outrageous, but she mused that while he was not, or had not been in love with her, perhaps he did hold her in some kind of importance. If he wanted to be friends, then perhaps this was the chance she had been waiting for. They could become friends, and she could be reminded of what he was really like, and get her head out of the clouds. While Hermione knew herself well enough to know that she was by no means idealizing Draco, she also thought that her love for him couldn't have been based on the real him.
'But what is the real Draco?' she asked herself. Did anyone really know him for real? Was the person he showed me seventh year the real Draco Malfoy, or was that just another one of his masks?' It was with this thought that Hermione became determined. She would befriend him, and it wouldn't be some stupid flimsy friendship either. She wanted the real deal. She wanted to know who and what he was so that she could finally make her heart realize that he was not the one for her.
With that, Hermione quickly grabbed a quill and some parchment and rattled off a note back to Malfoy.
Malfoy,
Thank you for returning my wand to me after all these years. It means so much to have that back in my possession. I have considered your request, and yes, I find it appropriate. I would like to be your friend again, and I allow you to contact me again.
H.G.
Of course, it was a rather cold and perfunctory note, but if he wanted a sonnet then he was talking to the wrong girl. Hermione sent her owl off with the letter, and sat back on her bed to wait for Laurence.
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This chapter was a long time coming, and sorry that nothing really happened in it. But another chapter, the dinner, should be up by tomorrow night, I'm working on it, and I promise some D/H interaction in Chapter 5. Spring break is coming up, so in the next few weeks a couple more chapters should be done and posted as well.
Thanks so much for your reviews, please keep reviewing! It's nice to know that people are reading, and I take your comments seriously. I took yours, Priah, and tweaked the first chapter just a little so that even though it's still a quick intro before Draco shows up, at least he isn't named in her thoughts until the later chapter. I also wanted to say thanks fo much for reviewing, and that I love your fic Tangled Up in Blue. I started reading that awhile back, and I'm psyched to know that you're reading mine!