A Post Hogwarts Affair Chapter 16

I had one blessed week to get over my little crush. I wouldn't be seeing him as he was away on vacation. I told myself he was probably screwing a lot of girls over. He was a cheater, I knew it, and although I hated cheaters with all my might, he did have a right to be.

Because he was so attractive.

Okay, Hermione, I reprimanded myself, you did not just think that. That was certainly not the direction I had wanted to go. This week was supposed to be therapeutic. This week was supposed to be get-over-Draco week.

But it wasn't working!

No matter what! I had tried every single tactic; I really, truly did. I thought of him as a horrible man who would destroy everything I ever wanted. Didn't work. Tried to make him out as a mini-Voldemort. Didn't work. I thought of him as the vilest creature on the planet, reminding myself of all the misdeeds he had done against Harry, Ron, and me. Didn't work.

The week hadn't gone well. It was already Thursday. Draco came back on Saturday morning, and Saturday night was that lovely business dinner which I really didn't want to think about. At all. Who knew what could happen? And that stupid thing with Harry was bothering me, too. Things had been awkward. Really quite awkward. Why did people have to create awkwardness? Why couldn't we just let it go? A part of me wanted to call Harry and resolve the mess, yet another part protested, claiming I'd make it even more awkward. And that brought me to my conclusion: I was a hypocrite.

My life wasn't going well. I couldn't help it. I really liked Draco Malfoy, disgusting as he was. I couldn't make myself not like him, and that wasn't a good feeling—I can make myself do anything, or so I thought.

The next two days at work were fraught with worry. I kept worrying that someone would know my awful secret, now that I had the gall to actually admit it to myself. This wasn't an ordinary crush. It was one of those crap crushes, the kind you hate but they stay anyway for the longest, most horrible time. I knew a girl whose crap crush had lasted two years. Oh Merlin, if my crush on Draco Malfoy lasted that long, I was done for. Done for, I tell you. Completely shot!

But the worst news was yet to come. Saturday morning, I woke with a good feeling. Something good was going to happen today; I knew it. I could feel it. The weather was perfect; a cool, crisp sunny day, and I was sure the business meeting would go splendidly, and perhaps I could call Harry up and see if we could put the past behind us…

Then, at 10:18 a.m. exactly, my telephone rang. I was one to keep Muggle instruments in my house, and interestingly enough, it was my pureblood friends who called me on the phone more than the ones who had been exposed to it since they were very young.

"Hello?" I picked it up.

"Hermione!" gushed a happy voice. Lavender, I knew.

"Lavender," I responded warmly. "How are you?"

"You will not believe what just happened," she squealed, brushing aside the formalities. "Guess who just asked me to Parvati's wedding?"

"Who?" I smiled to myself, thinking it was a sweet, random guy and we'd laugh and talk about it.

"Draco! Draco Malfoy!"

I don't know when I felt my heart stop beating but it certainly did for a moment. I felt sick and upset, and for a second was completely speechless. "Draco Malfoy," I echoed. "Draco Malfoy asked you to Parvati's wedding. As his date."

"Yes. Isn't that unexpected?"

"Very," I answered, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. How could she think that I'd care who Draco Malfoy asked, anyway? What was wrong with her? The truth was, of course, that I cared, I cared so much that I felt like I could burst with despair. It sounds ridiculous. I know. But I hadn't realized how deep my crush actually was. It was horrible to hear that he had asked someone else, and worse, I had to pretend to be okay with it, because no one really knew about the crush. No one except my immediate friends, and even they didn't know the extent of it.

"But I suppose it's all right. I mean he's a cute guy. No one else has claims to him. He's a bit of a jerk but you know, it's just a date."

It's just a date, I repeated firmly. Just because he asked Lavender didn't mean that he liked Lavender, or wanted Lavender? And just because he didn't ask me didn't mean that he didn't want me, or didn't like me. I was confusing myself. I needed an answer. And I was about to sob my heart out.

"Listen, Lavender," I finally said, trying to keep my voice from cracking. "I have to go. I'll see you later."

"Bye! Ooh I must tell Parvati!" Lavender's bubbly voice disappeared with a click from the other line. I felt gross. And Draco Malfoy, I thought venomously, should be shot.

--x---x---

"So, Hermione," Ginny giggled. "You excited for tonight?"

It was four p.m. I couldn't get that stupid Draco-asking-Lavender thing out of my head. It's not a big deal, I kept stressing to myself, but I couldn't help but dwell on it. It hurt so much, even when I knew he wouldn't ask me; even when he asking me wasn't even close to an explanation.

"No," I sighed. "not at all. Really Gin, I don't want to talk about it. Can't you just do my bloody make-up?"

I was in Ginny's beauty parlour getting ready for the business dinner. "ooh, this subtle green will totally bring out your eyes," Ginny grinned.

"Ginny," I mumbled, "my eyes are brown."

Ginny tut-tutted and tsk-tsked. "You don't know anything about make-up," she smiled. "but don't worry. Auntie Ginny is here to help you!"

"Auntie Ginny," I said in all my gloom, "If you don't stop it I swear I'll go looking like an Umbridge."

Ginny gasped. "Hermione! Don't you dare! If you dare wear a doily to your dinner party, I'll … I'll never speak with you again!"

I smiled weakly. "I'm only joking."

"There is something totally off with you," Ginny declared. "I wasn't going to question you about it since you don't seem very talkative at the moment; rather taciturn, actually… but what is it? What's bugging you?"

Glumly I proceeded to tell her the whole story. "And," I finished up lamely, "what bugs me the most is not that he asked her. It's just that…that no one's asked me," and this time the tears really did begin to fall. "it's like nobody is interested in me at all."

"Hermione, sweetie," Ginny soothed, "you're only months out of a divorce with your best friend. I'm sure men just figure you're not ready to date yet."

"but it's just to a stupid wedding!" I yelled. "it doesn't mean anything! So why does it bug me so much? Why do I care so very much?"

"Because darling," Ginny paused for theatrical effect, "you're madly in love with him."

"And you're madly in love with Harry," I rolled my eyes.

Except Ginny wasn't laughing. She just gave me a serious, reprimanding look, and then I knew. "Oh gosh," I shrieked in delight, "you do love him! Ginny that is amazing! Call him up right now!"

Ginny shot me an annoyed glance. "no, Hermione, right now we're talking about you," she explained curtly. "And you do seem to care entirely too much that he didn't ask you to the wedding."

"It's not the fact that it's him," I sighed, "it's the principle of the thing. Why would he ask Lavender? She's such a whore!"

"Now the truth comes out," Ginny said gleefully. "You're insulting her. Obviously, you really like him, Hermione. Fess up!"

"Fine, I do," I bit out. "But it doesn't matter since he apparently doesn't feel the same way."

"You never know," Ginny shrugged. "Maybe he's afraid to ask you."

"Afraid?" I snorted. "Hardly. He would never be afraid. I hate him! He's a perverted, filthy prat!"

"Insulting him isn't going to get you anywhere," Ginny noted perceptibly.

Miserable, I stood up to go. Ginny was done and bringing up the Malfoy thing wasn't going to get me anywhere. I grabbed my purse and made a beeline for the door. "Thanks Ginny," I called moodily. "But it seems like nothing can help me now."

"This is your big night, Hermione," Ginny replied, staring at me with a hard expression. "If I were you I'd make the most of it."

I walked out, turning Gin's words over in my head. I knew perfectly well what she meant, but I couldn't bring myself to believe them. I'd woken up this morning and I'd thought, you know, maybe I did have a chance with him. A small chance, but I could make the most of it.

Apparently not. Certainly Lavender had something I didn't.

Boobs.

Men were pigs, I thought fiercely, as I struggled to keep tears from falling. I couldn't ruin my make-up, no way. We'd spent much too long on it. I didn't quite know where Malfoy's house was. Slightly disoriented I apparated in the general location, knowing full-well that blind apparitions always worked badly for me. I remembered Parvati's stupid party and how I'd ended up in some other house. That had not gone well.

Luckily for me, I ended up right in front of a sprawling mansion. Kind of hard to get away from it, I mused. The house was no smaller than expected. I'd thought of a ridiculously and unnecessarily large house and here one was. What an idiot, I thought.

I was so mad at him! Even if he didn't know that I liked him, he had no right to ask someone else to that wedding! How dare he!

I entered the gardens, seeing a front door looming in the distance. Vile little git, I thought unhappily as a house-elf fluttered out to greet me. "Welcome miss," it said cordially, "the Master is expecting you."

"I bet," I scowled.

I followed the house-elf into an abnormally large house decorated sparsely. I could really redo this place, I found myself thinking. It was nice, and mellow, but there was potential for more. I bit my lip to suppress a grin. I'd just realized one of my personality traits acting up: trying to improve everything and anything. Maybe it was just because I was mad at him, because in reality, his house was awfully nice.

"Hermione," he was standing on top of the stairs.

"Draco," I couldn't look him in the eye. I was afraid I might whip out my wand and do something I (possibly) could regret.

"We've got to meet your Muggle friends in approximately an hour at the restaurant. Can Minky get you anything right now?" he asked, gesturing to his house-elf.

How could he talk to me so normally when he had hurt me so badly? How could he? I knew I was overlooking that matter of he didn't know I fancied him, but still…he was supposed to read my mind. Why wasn't he?

"No," I told him shortly. "I hope you're all set to present a good case to Mr. Rivers. Charm his wife but don't flirt."

"Oh, yes, Hermione, I was planning on flirting with her right in front of her husband, who could really benefit my company," he rolled his eyes. "no. that's why you're there, as well. So Mr. Rivers knows that I am… interesting in pursuing other fields."

"Don't be ridiculous," I snapped, feeling my heart beat beginning to race. "There is nothing between us."

"isn't that obvious?" he smirked. "can't you act?"

"No. I can't!"

"Learn then."

"I won't, you selfish little unmentionable!" I shrieked.

Our spat was interrupted by Minky bringing me a glass of water. "Thank you, Minky," I told the trembling little thing as nicely as possible, while simultaneously glaring at Malfoy. Taking a sip I continued to glare as he descended the stairs and stopped just a few feet away from me.

"Hermione," he said, looking right into my eyes.

"Draco," I could barely breathe. He was too close. He was making me uncomfortable. Not an unpleasant uncomfortable, but just a strange feeling that I couldn't describe. I wanted him right there but at the same time I would've preferred he take a few steps back.

He moved closer. He was inches away from me. "What are you doing?" I whispered.

He leaned in, so close, so far, so slow, and he was so close to my face I could feel his breath and my heart beat if possible doubled and I was beginning to sweat like a pig, and just then…

I dropped the glass.

It clattered to the floor, making a tremendous racket. He swore and stepped back, and I turned away, blushing chimney red. I looked at the floor, noticing the glass that now decorated it.

"Um," I began intelligently, trying to appear calm and cool and collected, but did he just try to kiss me? and oh my God I'm so screwed I probably broke a thirty galleon glass! kept running through my head.

"We ought to go," he said coolly, not looking unnerved in the least. "I've got dinner reservations. The limo I sent to pick the Rivers' up should be arriving there any moment."

"Okay," I swallowed down my questions, staring at him in disbelief. Was he going to pretend like nothing had happened?

Okay, so nothing had happened, but still, something was going to happen, I could feel it. If I hadn't broken that glass… was it a good thing I broke the glass, or a bad thing?

"Definitely a bad thing," Draco commented lightly, and I froze. Oh my God could he read my thoughts?

"What?" I asked meekly, hoping against hope that he couldn't. I'd kill him with my bare hands if he put some sort of spell or potion on me! I'd massacre him!

"I can't find my portkey," he continued. "I swear I left it right here, but … it's not here."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Oh, thank Merlin.

Just one less thing to worry about.

A/N: I'm so sorry it took me freaking forever to get the chapter out but really, my real life is disgustingly busy. I'm just really glad I finally finished. I hope you all liked the chapter. I don't know when I'll be able to post the next one; I'm so behind in everything! Ahh! I won't abandon anything though, I promise. It might take me forever but I won't quit on my stories; not when I've come this far.

Thanks to all reviewers. You rock.

Please review on your way out. They really are encouragement to keep going. If very few people review, I always feel as if my work hasn't really been worth it because no one really cares. So reviews make one happy author who in turn makes more chapters. Happy thinking and reviewing!