Another Chance? By Cedar1

A/N hope u all had a fab xmas and new year!! Am afraid this term my updates are going to be less irregular as my laziness from last year has caught up with me and I have loads of work to do. But keep sending in reviews, they never fail to get me writing again. If I don't post for awhile check out my other fics ' immortal', ' roles reversed' or the latest one parter ' cupid's busy day', and let me know what you think!

My last chap got pretty mixed reviews cos it was mainly ron, sorry to any of u who don't particualy like him but thought id better mention him sooner or later as he does have a little bit to do with what happens next storywise and it made sense to make clear his feelings. However although he appears once more in this chap I promise herm and draco feature much more … hope that makes up 4 the last chap. So I'll let u read on and hope u like it…….

(Warning: there are scenes of a more R rated sense with bits of strong language, just to warn those who may not like such things)   

Disclaimer: I'd be a right muppet if I said I owned anything but a plot!

Chapter 9: Love and Revenge

Previously*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

10 years later an older Draco was carrying a dishevelled Hermione up the steps in Malfoy manor. His mother was away, and he could no longer be witness to Hermione's spiralling descent into madness. He would get nothing out of her like that. He had already fed her, and she now sleeping in his arms. That was his reason for his actions, not the feelings that had consumed him in the dungeons or the emotions that had led him to plant a kiss on her forehead. As he laid her on his bed, he asked himself a question. " Could she really change who he was."

*********************

" Just wanted to say that your girlfriend is in Malfoy's bed."

His eyes widened for a second; emotions of joy and hurt running through them simultaneously before they closed, as he passed out at her feet, his head hitting the floor with a dull thump.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            He lay beside her, the bed groaned as it accommodated his weight. Despite the disturbance she didn't stir, her eyes remained shut; to her he didn't exist. And so he stayed unnoticed watching the gentle rise of her chest and listening to the melodic whistle of the air that passed through her lips each time she breathed in and out. He began to inch his way closer to her. His elbow was now touching hers as they rested on opposing arms. He was so near he could feel the warmth of her breathe lapping his face. The simple desire for her to wake up and see him had been his motive to move. He wanted her to realise he was there for her. To make up for all those times that he wasn't.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o* Start Flashback

            He knew she was behind him, despite her attempts at being discrete; trying not to stare at his neck – all that bare skin exposed crying out to be kissed and loved, her hands balled up into fists, jammed in her robe pocket, fighting the temptation to pull her towards him. Yet regardless of these acts of self-control she could not prevent the shameful pink blush that spread like wild fire across her cheeks. It was the only outward sign of unnatural behaviour, and was caused by the scandalous memories of their various meetings that raced through her mind every time she saw him. But Draco couldn't see this give away, no his clue was the scent that seemed to radiate from her body, float through the hallways, filling his senses, alerting him of her presence. It wasn't the heavy pungent smell of flowery perfume that many of the girls in his own house favoured, but lighter, sweeter, something that only she seemed to possess.

 

She wanted to talk to him. All through charms he caught her nervous glances in his direction, her mouth opening slightly before realising words should never be spoken between them in public – her gaze would then immediately flick away, defeated. On more then one instant Draco was positive that their two way ocular conversation was intruded by two additional unwanted pairs of eyes – Weasley's of course and Parkinson, he guessed she would have caught the unintentional signs that pointed to the relationship, she may not have been the sharpest quill in the box but she was observant, especially when it came to him. However their contributions were short-lived, as they both looked away with identical looks of hurt and pain on their faces. But Draco spent no time pitying them, life was unfair, deal with it.   

***************

            Hermione followed the straight-backed figure into the library. Her quick reflexes preventing the door from slamming in her face in his wake. Chivalrous behaviour was not for the eyes of others, come to think of it gentlemanly manners weren't his strong point in public or private; it just wasn't his style. She followed the sound of his no doubt highly polished shoes clicking against the ancient floorboards as she made her way down the windy paths of the aisles. The deeper she went the less light was able to penetrate through the cracks of adjacent books, and the haunting whispers of age-old texts calling to her, inviting her to flick through their pages of dark magic was doing nothing to end the chills of trepidation that tracked up and down her spine. He was doing this purposely, leading her away from the light to the dark, to his world.

            Suddenly the comforting noise of his shoes stopped and the only sound that met her ears was that of murmuring books. Hastily she continued her path straight on, eyes squinting, trying to make sense of her surroundings, searching for a shock of blonde against the blackness. To her surprise a stonewall blocked any further progress. A dead end. But then where the hell did he go? She turned round, only to gasp when she was confronted with two silver mocking orbs. In her shock she stepped backwards, her head whacking painfully onto the solid wall behind her.

"Ow!"

Reactionary tears of pain sprung from the corner of her eyes.

" You had to do that didn't you? You just had to."

He answered with a throaty chuckle while his fingers busily moved through the mass of hair, feeling for any bumps or cuts.

"You're fine." He lifted his hand from within her curls, trailing his fingers down a lone strand, playfully tugging it down as he gave his diagnosis.

Still angry she yanked the hair from his grasps. "Gee thanks." Despite the evident sarcasm she failed to get a rise out of him, for his blue eyes still harboured the tinniest glimmer of amusement within their well-covered depths. Grumpily she turned her attention to the dust covered books that surrounded them. Curious fingers traced the elaborate font that spelled out the various titles; 'The darkness within: unleashing the dark wizard within you', 'A black spell for every occasion.' They must have sneaked into the forbidden section, trust Draco to find some way in without having to consult Madam Pince first. She found herself lifting one of the books out of its rightful place. It wasn't that she had a sudden immense desire to desert the white side, but she couldn't deny that she was attracted to the darker spells. As she flicked through the yellow pages, her eyes flitted from curse to curse, widening as they took in the descriptive details of how to perform the complex magic. It was this that appealed to her, not the end effects. They were a challenge, not like Herbology and Charms, which had descended down a spiral of routine wand flicking and boredom.

            Draco watched intrigued as he saw the girl drink in the information presented in the text with her eyes. He could almost see the cogs turning in her head as she tried to understand the finer details that were pointed out in each set of instructions.

" I could teach you how to do some if you want."

She slammed the book shut, shoving it back to where it came from. " No thank you," she said curtly, her back still facing him. He knew why she did it. It would have just been another reminder of his dark background, and for now she preferred to be in a state of denial when it concerned that part of his life.  But he was less eager to partake in games of pretence, graduation was tomorrow and with it came a new beginning in his life, one that his father would have been proud of, and one that his mother commanded he walk down.

**********

            Hermione fiddled with the hem of her robe, awkward silences always brought her worse habits out into the open. She had wanted to ask him for so long, and in her mind she would re-enact his various answers, but being the optimistic girl that she was he would always say the same thing, "Yes." However, now at the point of letting out the question that had been burning up her insides for so long, she felt less sure of his response. Would he actually do it for? Could he? They had remained hidden for so long, but Hermione was beginning to tire of it. Tomorrow was graduation, they were officially adults, they could do what they wanted, couldn't they? Despite the vast amount of time they had spent in each other's company they had rarely talked about the future. But that didn't mean that Hermione hadn't thought about it. Hadn't envisioned a life of blonde-haired, brown eyes kids running around happily in green gardens. Sometimes however there would be a nagging voice in her head, Ron's, telling her he could never change, and in a flash the joyful vision was scrapped and was replaced with one shrouded in darkness, a haunting figure dressed in black robes and a mask at the centre of it. Hermione began shaking her head, wanting to get rid off that image from her mind. No he had changed. The Draco Malfoy she knew now would pass his fingers through her hair until she was asleep, would magic cups of coffee into the room during one of her long study nights. They had never spoken of love, but it was there, hanging in the air – a silent declaration made up of actions and kisses. With these thoughts Hermione finally gained the courage to speak.. 

 "It's about graduation….," her confidence lapsed under his intent gaze, and so she stuttered the following sentence, " I wanted to know if you would dance with me."              

He looked at her with a queer mixture of disbelief and amusement.

"You know I can't," he stated firmly.

"Why not?" Her eyes were glazed over with hurt.

"You know why not." He hoped this would end this conversation, however she had other ideas as her mouth once again formed words he'd rather not hear.

" Don't be difficult Malfoy ( so she was angry with him, Draco thought as his first name was replaced scornfully by his last). We're adults, who cares what others think?"

" Stop going round in circles Hermione," he dragged her name out, hoping to annoy her, " You say you don't care what others think, then fine lets keep this," his pointed his finger first to her and then to him, " quiet. If we don't dance nobody will be there to pass on their opinions, nobody will know, nobody need 'think' anything."  He couldn't take the sound of her pleading with him anymore, maybe it was the fear that he might just break down or that he could feel the burning heat building inside him as their argument continued, and so he made to leave. But he wasn't expecting her final last grasp for hope..

"But I love you," came her quiet whisper.

Draco froze, his feet were stuck to the floor. He wanted desperately to run down the aisles and out of the library had his whole body not felt heavy with the weight of her words, pushing down on him in all directions. He had never heard or spoken those three words in their time together, and he had believed that if it was not said it didn't exist. But her declaration smashed that façade, bringing him down to the unforgiving world of reality.

" Did you not hear me. I love you."

He needed to get out and the only way he could do that was to give in, to lie.

" Fine I'll dance with you."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End Flashback

            Draco had always been a good liar, and that time had been no exception. Of course he hadn't attended the dance, to the then eighteen year old Draco initiating himself  into the death eater circle had been more important than meeting the whims of a disillusioned girl. For wasn't that what she was – a believer of dreams? In no world could a Malfoy ever openly cavort with a mudblood. Admittedly he had feelings for her, but they weren't strong enough for him to go public, to shun everything he believed in, to deny destiny. He didn't love her?! And so the night of graduation he had slipped out before the festivities began, the tune Hermione was singing in the bath marking his exit. That night whilst Hermione was dancing with several partners, her head giddy with excitement, her eyes continually flicking to the doors waiting for a pledge to be met; he was in a darkened wood making new promises to his lord. When he went back that night he hadn't been sure what he was going to tell her. He just thought that after today their lives would simply separate down paths that were already decided for them. She no doubt would become an auror and he a death eater. Two opposites that would soon forget about one another. But it hadn't been as easy as that…

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*Start Flashback

            Making sure no one else was around Draco whispered the password and let himself into her quarters. It wasn't his first choice of call but he had left his robes here and he needed them back. The room was thrown into darkness with only lucky patches lit up by the faint moonlight. He hadn't seen her at first, curled up in her armchair, her feet hidden beneath the dense silk robes. But then he could feel her eyes boring into his back, her smell filtering through his robes, caressing his skin.

" How long have you been here?"

" Only a few minutes," she answered matter-a -factly.

"Have you seen my robes," he asked casually. She sprung out of her chair and was upon him in a matter of seconds.

"Have you seen my robes. HAVE YOU SEEN MY FUCKING ROBES! You promised me. You promised that you would be there that you would dance with me." Her eyes blazed with fury, Draco could see the sparks of angry brown crackling around the pupils.

" Its only a dance Hermione." He tried to move past her, but she grabbed onto his arm. A jolt of pain rocketed through it, as her fingers pressed ever more tightly on to the dark mark that now adorned his flesh. Gritting his teeth he pulled her fingers off him, flinging her arm away from him.

" Grow up Hermione," he yelled in her face, the coupling of her angry words and the sheer pain of the dark mark sent his blood boiling spitefully under his skin. " It was only a fucking dance. There are more important things in life that prancing around in a hall high on cheap drink." He felt ask if he was talking to a child, seemingly pointing out things that were plainly obvious.

But then she replied in a similar manner, her head shaking with his apparent stupidity, " Of course it wasn't just the dance. It was about us. It was our chance to show the others that we loved each other…." However her speech was cut short by his ruthless words.

" I've never told you that." Never told you that I loved you.

*************

She stopped mid-sentence, her heated face replaced by one of pure hurt. She always just assumed he did. Everything they had done, how he acted around her hadn't that added up to love? She couldn't be wrong about this. She was never wrong. Determined to prove her case she began to rack up a series of arguments in her head.

" What about all the times you said you couldn't live without me."

He lazily walked towards her, the bright patches of moonlight playing upon his feature, dancing on his smirk.

" Lies."

"But.." He silenced her with a cold finger on her lips. He brought his face even closer to hers, his lips nearer, making sure she could fully see him enunciating his words, " All lies Hermione. A boy would do anything for a fuck." In that one coarse word he had dismantled her happy dreams. But that didn't stop her from desperately trying to re-build it.

"Well if that's all you wanted why didn't you go to Pansy or any of your other groupies?"

"Malfoy's like challenges, and anyway I had a promise to uphold,"

She looked quizzically at him, wide brown eyes glistening with fresh tears.

" I said I'd ruin your life that night in detention, and if you listen really well," his finger once again pressed onto her lips, his eyes closed mimicking the action of listening, " You can hear pieces of your heart splintering off one at a time." The twisted smile that ended that sentence was enough to crack the final fragment of her fragile heart. Damage done. The necessary completed he began to move away from her, the missing robe forgotten.   

            She felt so empty. She couldn't stand it. In a sudden move she grabbed on to his sleeve, desperate to stop him from leaving her. The force of her action surprised both herself and him as the black material ripped at the top of the arm.

And there it was the most ugly thing she had ever known on the most beautiful thing she had ever known. Ron was right all along. She was shaken out of her stooper by two strong arms that were gripped tightly on her shoulders.

" Don't you dare speak of this to anyone Granger. Remember who I am, who I'm connected to. It won't be just you're heart I'll be breaking."

The fear that was running amok in her was not due to his words but the anger that radiated from the narrowed slits of blazing silver, it was freezing her to the core. How could she ever have been naïve enough to think that love could exist in such a remorseless place.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o End Flashback

            That night she had run away, tears blinding her escape, from his arms to that of the Weasley's. Sure enough on the train journey he saw his protective arm over Granger, shielding him from ' that evil son-of – a bitch Malfoy', Hermione had briefly looked at him, before turning her head away, blanking him from her life. The night before had been the last words they spoke for ten years, that morning the last look. Yet that didn't mean he didn't see her, maybe not up close but in the distance. From above, looking down on her as she fired spells towards his associates on a muddy wasteland. Doing nothing when he saw her body writhe in agony as she became a target of an unforgivable. Through newspapers, with their many photos, detailing her 'passionate' affair with Weasley and then a few months later announcing the split with a picture showing Hermione by herself at a ministry event. Surrounded by glowing couples, a fake smile plastered on her face, loneliness tingeing her brown eyes – something that probably he could only see. The night that newspaper had come out Draco brought yet another eager pureblood to his bed, while Hermione had cried herself to sleep in a bed that was far too big for one.   

His long fingers grazed her cheek tenderly, missing the bruises that he had himself caused only hours before. The words fell from his lips so naturally, like they had always been on the tip of his tongue. He just never had the courage to admit it. Ten years had been long enough to dwell on his mistakes and their relationship. In truth she had never been the disillusioned one in regards to their feelings for one another, he had been the one lying, to himself and her. Too young to realise that the expectations of others was no way to live your life and that destiny was what you made it, not something that was pre- planned Second chances were there to be taken hold of not to pass by, and so he finally confessed his deepest darkest secret.

" I love you."

He was startled to find her looking back at him.

                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Lifting  her robe off the ground Pansy stepped over the slumped figure of the red- headed Weasley. Heavy guttural snores were being emitted from his gaping mouth offending her ear-drums, spurring her intense desire to get the hell out of the money deprived hovel of a house. She had done the necessary. Her revenge was complete. Yet however sure she was of her actions it did not stop her hand from shaking as she fumbled with the steel lock. What was wrong with her? The dawning thought that essentially she was presenting a life of imprisonment in Askaban wrapped in a sheet of bitterness to a man she would always love, was probably it. But then didn't he deserve it? Hadn't he imprisoned her for the rest of her life? Maybe not literally, but she was trapped in her own cell - a loveless marriage and the part of the dementors were played by the passing inadequate lovers all of whom sucked out the hope that there was someone else out there for her, leaving her in the knowledge that the only one who was, was lost to her. No he deserved it, every last miserable second of it. With more confidence she was finally able to click the lock open, yanking the door forward. The heavy pine hit the unconscious man on the head. Pansy didn't care. The snoring stopped temporarily before once again settling down to the rhythm that had been created in such a short space of time.

" Fool," came her last parting shot, as one satin covered shoe stepped onto the pavement outside.

            But then it hit her. The man she had just confessed to was laid comatose at her feet, what was the likelihood that he would remember any of what she had told him? Hell his memory was probably limited when sober forget when he had had two bottles of fire whiskey tipped down his throat. Slamming the door shut she glared angrily at the source of her present problem.

"Fool!"

The stream of thick drool leaking from his mouth was enough for her to want to throw up the exquisite food she had had for lunch.

" Incompetent idiot!"

Getting her wand from within her robes she violently hit the wood of the instrument to the wood of the Weasley head, muttering "sobrio" under her breath. His mouth widened as slowly a cloud of red mist began to steadily stream out of him. It rose above their heads, dispersing the smell of alcohol around the room.

And she waited.

************

            It was a strange feeling having the hangover spell being performed on you. Ron could almost feel his head getting clearer as the fog that clouded his mind was pushed out. He watched the last clouds of alcohol float past his eyes. It was then that he saw he angry female face glaring at him.

" Do you remember what I told you?" her harsh voice penetrating his skull. Her eyes bored into him, daring him to say no.

But unfortunately he did, every last word. And how it killed him.

" Yes." His eyes were downcast, now too tired to withstand the effort of looking upwards. He watched as her small shoe stepped over his outstretched legs, a flash of pale flesh passed before his eyes. He could almost see her reaching for the lock when something came out of him…

" Why?"

She stood still; her fingers lay frozen on the metal, the tips tingling from its coldness. She didn't need to ask to what he was referring to. It was obvious to them both.

" You know why." She had thought the answer was too.

He remained silent, not replying to her response. So he wanted her to say it. Fine. Why not tear more holes in both their hearts?

" They shouldn't be together. Its not right." Not when we are there.

She was once more met with silence. Well if he wanted to elaborate the point, he would have to do it alone. She didn't want to play that game. She was always the loser.

About to leave she was surprised to feel the tight grip of his hand on her arm. She turned to stare into the dull blue eyes of the now standing man, wondering what the hell he was doing. But he shocked her further by smashing his lips onto her own. Yet what was more startling was that she didn't put up any resistance to the intimate invasion, instead she retaliated with equal force. She could taste the tangy remnants of the alcohol on his thin lips, as his over eager tongue began to push into her mouth, suffocating her. The strength of his body pinned her own small frame against the door, squashing her. But she still didn't stop despite the pain his forceful actions generated and the disgust his callous hands rubbing against her flesh evoked. Why?

Revenge. The possibility of the shocked looks on their faces when they found out that two people closest to them had been together.

            Ron picked her up, only to drop her on the hard surface of the table as he continued ripping the clothes of her overly thin frame. He didn't fully understand why he was doing this, or why he was so adamant on seeing it through. He didn't find her attractive, her eyes were too small, her hair too stiff with the numerous styling spells she had applied on it and her bones were poking through her pale flesh, making his fingers want to curl up in revulsion. Yet he maintained the close contact. Perhaps it was a way getting even closer to the woman he had shared years of pain with. Or maybe, and more accurately it was the simple childish desire to put one over Hermione. She fucked his enemy, so he would fuck hers. Revenge.

            As their actions got more intense and intimate the two figures found themselves being transported to a world of imagination, anything to get away from the sickness that the act produced in their stomachs. Coarse red hair gave way to silky platinum strands, freckled skin to smooth marble. Whilst bony hips plumped up to give a more rounded figure, and hair twisted into wild curls. In their minds they were making love to their true loves, not to each other.

                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  

            " I love you."

Those three simple yet life-altering words spoken by the one person that she had never hoped from hearing it from, yet what she desired most in the world. Hard, cold silver had finally thawed, not to bubbling lust, but to the flowing, tranquil liquid of love. She didn't know what had provoked such a change. But she didn't doubt its sincerity. He had changed.

            She could see his lips twitching, trying to get out the thoughts that were filling up his mind. It had taken ten years to fight away his demons and strip away the layers of denial. Ten long years and she wasn't going to waste time with words. Placing a finger on his mouth, she silenced him. He stared at her, wide- eyed with shock as she began to move her finger along the smoothness of his lips, before planting a delicate kiss on them. He made no attempts to deepen it, letting her decide on the pace. And it was ' gentleness' that best described their night. There were no hurried movements, or forceful caresses everything had stayed slow, with soft kisses and long moans punctuating the atmosphere. They wanted to take their time, to make up for all the seconds they had lost.        

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Low moans reverberated off the walls as the moment of release finally came for the two forms entangled in one another on the Weasley dining table. His head lay heavily on her shoulder, as his body shook with ripples of satisfaction. Beneath him her own limbs were trembling. He may not have been her ideal choice. But sex was sex.

However soon the waves of pleasure cascaded down to nothing and all that was left was the reality of what they had just done. Ron had yet to move from the crook of her neck, uncertain of what to do. Should he be the gentleman; pick her clothes off the floor, offer to call her, before closing the door and running to the nearest bathroom. He felt dirty. He had never done that before. Although reluctant to admit it Ron was an old-fashioned romantic. He believed in wooing the girl, presenting her with flowers and chocolates, getting to know her and then going up to the next level, but only if there was love. If not. What was the point? Disgusted with himself as well as the sordid mixture of her heavy perfume and dry sweat that hung in the air; he could feel a familiar cramping in his abdomen, he was going to be sick.

            The woman who lay below him shared his feelings with equal intensity. The hot heavy breathes hitting her neck were making all the cells of her skin curl up in repulsion, as the moisture they produced formed a slick layer over them. His damp torso lay pressed on to her own chest and all she wanted to do was put her hands up and push him away. Seeming to sense her need to leave as soon as possible he slowly lifted himself off her, his head turned away from her naked form. Losing no time Pansy snatched her expensive robe of the dirty floor and covered herself, hiding the marks he had left on her body. Weasley still had his back to her and not being too bothered about seeing his face before she left, she made her way to the door.

"Parkinson will you swear to what you saw in court." He asked from behind her.

"Yes, and anymore information you might find useful." She stepped out in the open air, glad for the fresh breeze that seemed to cleanse her dirty skin. " By the way Weasley it's Flint," and with that she was gone, but not before noticing the further droop of his head, as he added one more item in the list occupying his guilty conscious.

*************

That night a sober Ron waited for Harry to tell him the news.

They were finally going to get his Hermione back.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

PLEASE REVIEW IF U'VE READ TILL THE END! TA!!

A/N ok am pretty sure that's the most I've ever written for a chapter. But was it any good? Or was it merely a mass of dribble that continued for far too long? Review and let me know please!! Am always happy when get I reviews – nice way to take my mind off depressing exams and work over load argh! Wud like to get past the huge brick wall that is the 50 reviews spot, so I'd like around 10 reviews ( more wud b rather nice) for this chap-pleaaaaaaase call it a late xmas present or early birthday present. Can b nice or nasty (but if u don't like the story tell me what's wrong with it and what I could do to make it better)!

Oh and about the sex scenes if any of u were looking for detailed stuff I don't think ure gonna get it from this fic writer. I think if I tried it would probably get u all cracking up in laughter as it wud b that crap!! So I took the cheap way out and kinda glossed over it.

PS it may seem like I'm getting to an end, but there will be a few more chapters with sum bumps and scrapes waiting for our fav twosome

Thanx to those who reviewed last time; Thalion1, Mesmer, Spaced out Space cadet, Serpent Du Feu, Mishi, mina-chan 2 sorry for the wait in posting .

Bye for now Cedar1

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