Author's Note: Okay, I just read the latest reviews for chapter eleven and you know what? EVERYBODY IS CRYING! I can't take it. Goodness. I don't like making people cry, so here... I wrote another chapter! Yes, it's true! Believe it. A sort of fast update. Anywho, I feel terrible. Well, I hope you still have some Kleenex left. This chapter might leave you with a few tears as well. But don't worry this is not the end. I repeat: Not the end!
Thanks: sweet-77-thang, flirtytype214, carly114, SnApEyPiRaTe, DMTABF, LilChocolateAngl, LysteriouslyUnique, orenji, Aleesha, Sila-chan (Awh, dun cry. Things will get better.), V0xLoS (Don't worry, they'll come to their senses.), fionger (Oh goodness, another one crying. I'll try and make this sad part go as quickly as possible.), Saiyachick (Oh gosh! I'm being stalked. Well, here... the new chapter!), mesmer, Spilled Milk, stellerr, Gryffindor620, hyparly4suger (Thanks for commenting on both of my stories.), Axisha (Thanks for the kind words and erhm... what a wonderful singing voice you have. -grin-), RedCinders (I understand where you're coming from. Things are moving fast, but I have to have it that way for the plot to work. Someone asked if Draco liked her in Hogwarts. I said that he was in love with the idea of Hermione. I guess that is why I feel okay about the pace.), midnight solitaire (I'm sorry that you didn't like the last chapter. I hope it's just because it was sad and not because you think it was poorly written.), Amanda (Dude! Yay for Oogly-ness in stories! Sorreh, had to get that out. Glad to make ya smile. ...Oh and I wanted to say thanks for reviewing 'The Horoscopes'! I'm so happy someone finally read it! I'm replying to your reviews of that here because I don't know when I'm going to get around to updating that. -grin- ...And I can only imagine what your next unrelated topic will be!), Hyper Dudette (S'ok, I guess. Even though I'm not exactly sure why you are sorry.), Jinet, Gopher2806, Pigwidgeon188, Luna Gypsy, and Kadoatie24 (No, no... definitely not the end. How could I be so cruel to end it like that?!).
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. -----Chapter Twelve: Much Needed Advice
"Hermione, dear," Her mother knocked on her bedroom door, "I've brought you some breakfast. Can I come in?" There was no answer, but Diane could hear the faint sound of sniffling. She opened it a crack and peeked her head inside.
"Mum?" Hermione asked, hearing the voice from her doorway. She sat up, watching Diane walk in and set down a cup of tea on the bedside table.
"Are you alright, Honey?" Diane asked, putting the plate of food on the table as well.
Hermione paused for a moment. She wished with every fiber of her being that this awful feeling in the pit of her stomach would go away. After all the wishing that their relationship were real, she wished it wasn't now. She couldn't deal with this pain. She couldn't handle this aching sadness that seemed to consume her. She wished Draco Malfoy didn't matter to her, because this feeling of emptiness and loss was completely too much to bear.
"No, mum, I'm not. I miss him." She started crying again.
"Oh, Hermione," She said, her voice gentle and comforting as she pulled her daughter into a hug, "He wasn't good enough for you anyway."
"No, Mum," She paused, looking up at her, "He was good enough. He was perfect."
()()()()()()()()()()
Draco couldn't sleep at all that night. All he could do was lie in bed and stare up at the ceiling, constantly glancing at the clock on his side table. When it read 5 o'clock, he got up and after hastily getting ready, he apparated to work. He tried to get some paperwork done. After all, he had taken the better part of a week off. A week he would have normally spent working.
It had started to get light out and at about nine o'clock, his office door opened.
He looked up to find his secretary looking rather startled.
"Oh Mister Malfoy. I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were back from your trip…" She rambled, apologizing profusely, waving her arms around slightly.
"It alright, Amy, I got back last night. Ended rather unexpectedly…" He looked down at this, trying to fight off that feeling again. He shook his head, adding, "Decided to come in early to catch up. Did you need something?"
"Oh, no. Just the mail." She walked over to hand it to him when he noticed a glimmer on her left ring finger.
"Thank you," He said automatically and she went to leave, but stopped when she heard him start to say something, "Amy, don't you have some news for me?"
She looked confused for a moment, but then grinned widely as any new bride-to-be would and strode over and waggled her hand in front of Draco.
"Will asked me over Christmas." She grinned, "We were at his parents' cabin in the mountains and we were drinking hot cocoa and… I'm rambling, aren't I?"
"No, no…" He said, looking slightly dejected.
"Is there something wrong, Mister Malfoy? I don't mean to pry; it's just that you seemed so happy before you left and now… Well, not so much." She smiled awkwardly. "Did something at the meeting go sour?"
"No, nothing like that," He said, seeing her mouth an 'oh' and then look like she was about to start to apologize once again, when he added, "Girl trouble." She gave him a knowing smile.
"I know all about that... well, the other way around. Boy trouble." She smiled dreamily, looking down at her diamond, "I guess that's all over with now…"
Draco watched her, trying not to think about what Hermione was doing just then. Probably having a wonderful time with her family. He frowned, wanting to think that she might be feeling the same as him, but he knew better. He skulked and was brought out of his doubts by Amy's voice.
"Well, if that's all, I'm going to go and finish those reports…"
"Yes, that's all." He smiled, and then said, "You know, why don't you take the rest of the day off? Surprise Will." She smiled brightly.
"Oh, thank you, Mister Malfoy." She paused, "I'll be here bright and early tomorrow." He chuckled slightly and looked up at her but she was already gone, off to spend time with her love.
He scowled and turned back to the unorganized paperwork scattered on his desk. Draco flipped through the mail, and then tossed it down on the desk, letting out a frustrated sigh.
Then one envelope caught his eye. It was from Hermione. He knew he had no reason to hope, but he couldn't help himself when he saw who it was from. When he opened it, he was expecting a letter or, well, anything but this.
It was the article. The bloody article. Just the article. No note. Nothing. He had never felt quite so empty, empty and cold. A cold that no fire could fix. Well, no fire but the passionate one that blazed in Hermione's eyes. The flicker that, when she gazed at him, he thought was real. But now he knew it wasn't. Things couldn't get much worse.
()()()()()()()()()()
Hermione was lying in bed. She glanced over at her clock. Ten o'clock. She had been hiding away for the past two days now. She couldn't face them. She couldn't face her parents. Or even anyone else for that matter. But her conscience was eating away at her.
She felt completely awful about this whole thing. Everyone was being so nice to her. Her mother wasn't even pushing her to come and spend time with Marilyn and Connor before they left. She just let her stay in her room and cry, thinking that she needed this time to herself.
But the only thing that all that time was doing, was making her want to come clean about this whole thing. She got out of bed, pajamas and all, and headed downstairs with a newfound resolve.
"Mum," She said, finding Diane at the landing. Hermione stood there, watching her mother rummage through the coat closet, but went on anyway, "We need to talk."
"About what, sweetie?"
"Well..." She said, not knowing how to start. "I just wanted to tell you that... well, um," She swallowed hard, watching her mother pull on her coat. Hermione wondered what she would think. She opened her mouth, but it wasn't a confession that spilled out, "Mum, what are you doing?" She asked, quite dumbfoundedly.
Diane gave her daughter a sheepish grin as she pulled the scarf around her neck, "I have a patient. Complete emergency." She paused, "Root canal. I do hope you understand..."
"Sure, Mum."
"Oh, good." Diane smiled, kissing her daughter's cheek. "We'll have that little chat some other time."
Hermione guessed that the truth would have to wait.
()()()()()()()()()()
Hermione did her best to keep herself occupied while her mother was away. She did some dishes, tidied her room, took a shower, and even... well, you get the picture. She glanced at the clock again, wondering how long a bloody root canal could take.
After running out of ideas of how to kill time, she frowned and headed into the kitchen. Maybe a little snack would help to get her mind off of her troubles.
So, after raiding the fridge and only coming up with some leftover turkey, she sat down at the kitchen table. Taking a bite of her turkey, she boredly began to sort through a messy pile of papers someone left on the tabletop.
The top of the pile was a few sections of the newspaper. She quickly pushed that aside; it only reminded her of work and that she had sent out the article to Draco. She shook her head, as if that would remove the thought of him from her mind.
Underneath the newspaper were some already opened Christmas cards. She pushed them aside too. She had had more than enough Holiday spirit to handle right then. The last thing was an extra invitation to the Granger's annual New Year's Party.
Hermione's chocolate brown eyes scanned over the details although she didn't really have to… everything about the party was always the same.
Her parents would splurge and have their little shindig at Macri's, the finer restaurant at the town's more upscale hotel.
Hermione set the invitation back down, and then tidied up the pile before finishing her snack.
()()()()()()()()()()
Draco was back at the office again, working at insanely early hours. His desk calendar glared at him. December 31st, it stated. New Year's Eve, it reminded him in those big bold letters that seemed to mock him.
He frowned. He knew it was over. He and Hermione were over, although they never really had been together to begin with. He knew it, but in the back of his mind he had some hope. He was still supposed to be with Hermione at her parents' house. He had no reason to keep faith and he told himself that he was an idiot for doing so, but he couldn't ignore it.
He couldn't forget the way her eyes seemed to sparkle when he made her laugh or how wide they got when she saw the necklace he gave to her on Christmas or how…
He was brought out of his thoughts when there was a knock at the door. It was Amy. Mail was here.
"Good Morning, Mister Malfoy." She said politely, "Here's your mail…" She paused and looked like she was thinking something over, "I wanted to thank you about yesterday…"
Draco's face almost immediately took on a look of depression. He was happy for her, but he just couldn't take her story right now. He couldn't hear how she and her fiancée went on a picnic or walked on the beach or whatever the bloody hell they did. And he certainly didn't want to hear how they'd live happily-ever-after.
"Well, if that's all, Amy, I really need to get back to work." He said abruptly and instantly felt sorry for being so harsh.
"No, that's not all." He looked up, surprised. "When you gave me the day off, I kept thinking about what you said. I didn't know and really I still don't know if I should be saying this… because, who am I to give you advice about anything? But, I've been working here a long time and I know you better than you think. With all the overtime I put in, I should think so. And, well, I've never seen you quite so down as you are right now. I don't know what happened with this girl, but I think you should give it another try. She seems worth it."
Draco was shocked. How simple it seemed when she said it. And he knew what he had to do.
Amy looked a little bit scared right then. Surely he would fire her for that. She had no right to say that. Her mind was screaming at her for being such a blabbermouth, and then she saw the look on his face.
Amy thought it was a miracle when she saw him smile.
"That was the most brilliant thing I've heard in such a long time. You're absolutely right." He said, starting to put some things away.
"Well, thank you Mister—" She started when he cut in.
"Amy, take the day off… No the week!" He paused, throwing on his coat, "Just do one thing first."
"Whatever you want, sir."
"Find me a car, I have somewhere I need to be."