Chapter 26
Prelude to the end?
Hermione had never felt so uncomfortable in her life. Well, no, there were certain moments that could compete with her current state, but she was too frazzled to think straight. All night she had tried to look super cheerful, the essence of power and grace, everything that she believed that she stood for in the wizarding world. But nothing could change that fact that her heart was still broken, the strap of her shoes were digging into her ankles, and oh, Draco Malfoy had been seated directly in front of her for the dinner portion of the evening.
'Stupid committee, no doubt trying to rouse us into some sort of scrap to bring a bit of publicity to a no doubt dreadfully dull evening.' Hermione snorted. She sat glumly in her elegant dress looking up at the dais where Harry and Ron were surrounded by the most prestigious wizards in the world, looking as thought they had swallowed bubbotuber pus.
'Good,' thought Hermione. 'At least I'm not the only one.'
Across the table, Draco studied Hermione carefully. He couldn't help but marvel at her heart-shaped face, her soulful dark eyes…'Soulful Dark eyes?' Draco shook his head, 'That woman has made you soft, Malfoy.' Nodding in agreement with his own thoughts, Draco continued to watch Hermione. She was doing her best to avoid looking across the table. They were becoming somewhat of a distraction for the ballroom where all the prying eyes of wizarding high society were focused on Draco and Hermione, watching and waiting for the other shoe to drop at the ball.
Hermione could feel everyone's gazes on her back. She shrugged it off and continued to pay undivided attention to the sorbet that had been placed in front of her before the main course.
"Ahem."
Looking up, Hermione locked gazes with Draco. Everyone in the room, including their two tablemates, a couple who had no doubt been briefed on the scandal before they were seated, leaned in.
"Don't you think we should at least keep up appearances for the press? Everyone is staring at you dissect your sorbet."
"Don't you think you should learn to keep your drawers on around whores like Pansy?"
That shut Draco up for the moment. He then leaned in over his plate, "I told you, those photos were doctored up! How many times do I have to tell you that?"
"And how many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to you speaking to me?" snapped Hermione. She returned to looking down at her sorbet, occasionally stealing a glance at the couple seated at their table who were casting furtive glances at both herself and Draco.
'This is ridiculous,' Hermione thought to herself as she managed to stop attacking the sorbet. It was all melted and runny and she was a bit embarrassed to have made such a childish mess. 'I can get through this evening," she assured herself.
"Fine."
Draco looked up to see Hermione looking directly at him. He was startled to hear her address him; he had been sure she was talking to someone else.
"Excuse me?"
"Are you deaf Draco? I said 'fine,' as in fine, I will keep up appearances and do my best not to kill you in public. I can very well hire someone to do the dirty work for me."
Draco nodded his head towards the nosy couple who were pretending to be engrossed at the mural on the ceiling of the ballroom.
"I don't care who hears me, Draco. Back to what I said. I will gladly be civil towards you, but only in the company of others. I don't want you talking to me privately, or even looking at me for the matter."
"You drive a hard bargain, Hermione."
"And you drive hard into your ex-girlfriends Malfoy, so this temporary lowering of arms is extended to you. Take it or leave it."
"Whatever. I accept."
"Good." Hermione sat back in her chair and looked up at Harry and Ron who were giving her a curios look. She dismissed their gaze with a wave and a smile, and then returned to frowning across the table to Draco.
"This meal has been quite exemplary, don't you think Hermione?"
Frowning slightly, Hermione sat up straight, and mustered up the most outrageously forced smile. "Oh, absolutely! It is just divine! I simply must get the coordinators to tell who the chef was so I can give my compliments!"
'Charming,' thought Draco. 'If she lays it on any thicker..'
His thoughts were broken off by additional voices. Focusing his gaze at Hermione, he saw that she was in a conversation with the couple seated at their table. Listening intently, he could distinctly make out that the couple was French.
He listened, trying to make out what Hermione and the French couple were saying.
"Bien, merci. Je savais que nous avions un magasin à Paris, mais je ne me suis pas rendu compte que c'était si populaire!" The couple smiled at Hermione, who returned the smile and looked at Draco, almost triumphantly.
(Well, thank you. I knew that we had a store in Paris, but I was not aware that it was so popular! )
At first, Draco did not know what to make of the look, then he remembered a while back when she was speaking Italian to a client…'My French is impeccable…'
Draco nodded, and decided to play along.
Extending his hand across the table, Draco promptly introduced himself.
"Bonjour! Mon nom est Draco Malfoy, le président courant du conseil à VERSACELF. Comment ça va ?"
(Hello! My name is Draco Malfoy, current president of the board at VERSACELF. How do you do?)
With a smile, the gentleman shook Draco's hand and introduced his wife. It turned out that they were the Marquis and Marquise de Volange, wizarding French royalty who were personally invited by the IFOW President as guest.
The Marquis took a sip of his wine and looked at Hermione and Draco, "M. Malfoy, Mlle Granger, c'est une joie d'entendre de tels jeunes gens brillants comme vous-mêmes se prononcent la langue admirablement. pourtant, je beleive ma jolie femme préférerais parler sa langue." (Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger, it is a delight to hear such bright young people as yourselves speak out language beautifully. however, I beleive my lovely wife would prefer to speak her language.)
The Marquise looked at Hermione, "My dear," she said with a slight Irish brogue similar to Seamus Finnigan's, "As lovely as your French is, I would adore to be immersed in English for a bit."
"Madame de Volange, I did not realize that you hailed from the isles. Do tell," whispered Hermione, "How on earth did you land such a wonderful man as your husband?"
With a slight giggle of that of a woman who was obviously raised a commoner, she leaned into towards Hermione. "Well, I met him when his family was staying at the Manor House at Galway. I was working there for the summer as a housemaid and well, it was like fairytale really. He and I were married soon after. His family was a bit put off at first, but contrary to what they say about the French, they absolutely warmed up to me."
"That's a lovely story Madame," sighed Hermione, her gaze leaving the Marquise and landing on Draco.
"Tell me, Ms. Granger, is it true what I heard from the ladies out in the gardens, well, about you and Mr. Malfoy?"
"Well, I didn't think you looked to be the type to be steered by idle gossip, Madame," snapped Hermione rather harshly.
"My dear," the Marquise shifted her chair to face Hermione, "I do not care much for idle gossip, but whatever it is that the two of you once shared, it's a shame to see that go to waste, especially seeing how he looks at you."
Sighing, Hermione took another sip of her wine and emptied the glass.
"yes, it is a shame."
/
"Monsieur Malfoy, you must tell me, that enchanting Mlle. Granger, she is yours, qui?"
"Ha, no, not at all," said Draco, "Well, you see, we had a bit of a falling out a few days back."
"Ahh," the Marquis nodded. "Well, Monsieur, I must say, if I had a 'falling out' as you say with someone so lovely, I would certainly fix it before it was too late to get back on." The Marquis gave Draco a wink and turned to speak to his wife.
Across the table, Hermione and Draco's eyes met, a sudden connection was felt, and it was almost as if they were drawn to one another by an unexplainable….
"Well well well. This is such a lovely sight. Shame I have to break up the party." Both Draco and Hermione looked up to see Pansy Parkinson, draped in turquoise and gold, sneering down at the both of them.
/
FYI: Made a minor change in Hermione's dress if anyone cares. check out the last chapter---and sorry that the link is crappy on the last one--apparently i can't read the disclaimer that says no html code. but if you want to go try -- w w w . e dr e ss me.co m/dina barel1.h tml ---in order to actually use the link, i suggest just copying that address WITHOUT the spaces---it was the only way i could get a sort of link there. thanks!
/
" I didn't expect you to invite your latest conquest with you this evening. Perhaps I should go," said Hermione with a quavering voice. She was seething with anger. In less than a few seconds, Harry and Ron had appeared at the table, hoping to keep a bit of peace. Hermione got up and grabbed her clutch.
"Well, my appetite is ruined, I don't believe I'll stay for the main course. Harry, Ron, Monsieur, Madame, excuse me, I believe I will spend the rest of dinner exploring the grounds." Without another word, Hermione swept out of the dining hall into the veranda. Draco looked nervously at Harry and Ron who were speechless. The conversations had stopped around them as all eyes watched and waited.
"Potty, Weasel, this is some fancy soiree they've thrown you…"
"What in Merlin's name are you doing here Parkinson?" Ron had his hand on his wand, his face almost as red as his hair. The evening had been going relatively well, until Pansy's untimely appearance.
"Can't an old school chum come by to congratulate the two of you?" Pansy donned an expression of utmost innocence. Draco let out a laugh and stood up.
"Look, you've successfully added another story for the gossip rags just to speculate about. Haven't you done enough?"
"Darling, I'm just getting started." With a short wave, Pansy excused herself and sat back down at a table in the back of the room. She was surrounded by several men, no doubt many of them were former 'clients' of hers.
"Shit." Harry and Ron just shrugged and patted Draco on the back.
"Look mate," consoled Harry, "I would just wait a moment, then I would check up on Hermione. I suggest putting some sort of shielding charm though."
"Right he is Malfoy, that calm demeanor Hermione was trying to exude, well, that's what I guess muggles call the 'calm before the storm.' Trust me, I ended up with four legs and the head of an ant the last time I truly pissed her off."
Draco paled, "Weasley, I think I did a bit more than piss her off. You boys don't have a few bodywizards who can walk out there with me do you?"
Harry and Ron both shook their heads. Sighing resignedly, Draco excused himself and made his way out of the dining area into the veranda.
Conversation among the diners resumed once again, except rather than talking about the induction ceremony, all were speculating what would become of Draco and Hermione.
/
The air was colder than Hermione had expected. Muttering a simple warming spell on the veranda, Hermione stepped closer to the railing and looked out.
Despite her mood, Hermione could not deny that the location that the IFOW had chosen was breathtaking. The outdoor tent, which inside resembled a grand dining hall and ballroom, was constructed on the cliffs of Dover. To her right was the South Foreland Lighthouse. She could tell that the tent was constructed right at the edge of the famous white cliffs. The sea breeze caught the stray wisps of her hair as she stared out into the black water.
"It even beats my view of the Thames," a voice behind her mumbled.
Knowing exactly who it was, Hermione remained where she was, her gaze never leaving the sea.
"Did you know that Dover Castle was once proposed to be the new site for Hogwarts?"
"Really?" Draco moved in closer until he was standing right next to her.
"Really. It was in 1066; not many knew that William the Conqueror, famous as he is in the muggle history books, was actually a squib and direct descendant of Helga Hufflepuff. He built Dover Castle, there, you can see it right beyond the lighthouse, hoping that the headmaster at the time would move Hogwarts to Dover, and in exchange, he wanted to be restored his powers. He was a bit mad, everyone knows that once a squib, well, and there is not much you can do about it. After being turned down several times, he devoted his life to being a muggle, and making sure he got his name in a history book."
"That was absolute fascinating, really, I mean that. Before tonight, I thought Dover was a place where songs were made."
"Why are you here, Draco?" Hermione's voice was so soft that it was almost hard to hear her over the chattering of the party and the crashing waves below.
'Remember, Weasley warned you about the calm before the storm,' thought Draco as he cleared his throat.
"Umm, well, thought it would be best if you and I had a talk, a real one, to you know, um, straighten this whole, erm, mess out."
"Well, you at least got that sentence out in less than a minute. I never knew a Malfoy could be rendered nearly speechless before."
"Right, well, to be honest, I'm a bit terrified of you at the moment. I've been warned, you know."
"Harry and Ron, no doubt. Well, it is a good thing, because they were probably right. Look," Hermione turned to face Draco. In the moonlight, he could tell that she had been crying, even if just a bit. He never took her for the sobbing hysterically type, at least not in public. "Draco, I don't know what you and Pansy are playing at, but I suggest that, unless you want to end the evening on a terribly sour note, or worse, dangling from these cliffs without your wand, you return to the table and sit there, contemplating what a pitiful individual you've become. You've had your fun playing me for a fool. You've won, you've gotten your name cleared of any indiscretion in the past. The least you can do is make any future mistakes without bringing up my name to clear you of them. Excuse me." Hermione turned to leave, but Draco, being far too quick, grabbed onto her arm and spun her back around.
"You must be mad. I don't know what in the world you're talking about. I came out here to tell you that I love you and that I can prove that those photos were fake, and that…"
"It's too late." Both Draco and Hermione turned to see Pansy leaning against the posts that were constructed to let off soft lighting for the veranda. Loosening his grip on Hermione Draco pulled out his wand and pointed it straight at Pansy.
"This is all your fault Pansy. It's never too late to change, I know that now."
"Oh please, spare me the dramatics Draco. You were never much of an actor, well, at least not around me." Sauntering up to the couple against the rail, Pansy laid a look of hatred at Hermione, and one of what looked like pity upon Draco.
"She knows everything, Drakie," Pansy smirked when she saw Draco wince at his former pet name that she teased him mercilessly with at Hogwarts. "The night she came to Blaise's. I used the veritas spell on dear dear Blaise, and opps! Out came the truth about your little game." Draco turned to Hermione, whose head was bent.
"See her bowing down in shame? She should be. Imagine, the cleverest witch to leave Hogwarts in nearly a century can't even figure that she was being played for a fool. All because Draco Malfoy wanted to be invited to parties again."
Hermione tore herself from Draco's grip and backed up. She walked towards Pansy. "You depraved, nasty, rotten, ugh! You! You had to come back and ruin everything!"
"Ruin everything?! There was nothing to ruin to fool! Can't you see, mudblood, this wasn't going to be anything more than Draco wiping off that bit of tarnish on his once good name. And you know what, now that its off, well, we can all go on, can't we?" Pansy sneered at Hermione, who had her wand at the ready, her eyes darting from Draco to Pansy.
"Those pictures, were they real?" Hermione walked closer to Pansy, eventually backing her up to a post. With her wand pointed directly at the jugular, Hermione asked the question again, except this time in a deadly whisper.
"I said, were those photos real!" Pansy winced as Hermione dug the tip of her wand into the side of her throat.
"Ughh, gah, yes!" she spat out, breathing heavily as Hermione backed up away from her. Hermione turned her sights to Draco, who was still leaning dangerously close to the edge of the rail.
"Is it true?" This time, Hermione's voice was filled not with anger, but with a pain so palpable Draco had to fight back his own tears. "Answer me!" By this time, a small crowd, mostly reporters, had gathered in the various doorways leading up to the veranda. Harry and Ron, followed by Ginny had ran outside as soon as they heard Hermione yell.
Draco saw everyone staring at him, waiting for his answer to Hermione's question. No one knew what she had asked, only that they were dying to hear the answer.
"Yes," said Draco, mumbling the single word.
"I didn't hear you."
"Yes."
Lowering her wand, Hermione turned to go back inside. "You two deserve each other," she cried, and with a pop! she had disappeared. Draco turned his wand on himself when Ginny pointed her , "Expelliarmus!" His wand dropping to the ground, Harry, Ginny, and Ron ran to Draco's side.
"What happened?"
"Mate, don't run after her, she would kill you in an instant if she had the chance from the way she looked."
"What question did she ask you? You should have fibbed, Malfoy, at least for a few more hours!" scolded Ginny.
No one was aware of Pansy sneaking up on the group
gathered on the veranda. Most of the crowd had lost interest after Hermione had left and returned to the rest of the dinner.
"Oh Draco, don't tell me that they don't know either!"
"Shut up Pansy, SHUT UP!"
"What is she wagging her tongue about for, eh Malfoy?" Ron looked at Draco. He looked so small at that moment, as if all his strength was gone.
"Poor Draco." Pansy pushed Harry and Ron off to the side and leaned in close. "Would be a shame if I let something slip, especially in front of the mini-Weasley—heard she has a temper on her."
Turning away from Harry and the two younger Weasley's, Draco pushed Pansy against the rail. "What do you want? Anything, just don't breathe a word."
"Hmm, anything? Well, we can talk after the ball," Pansy pushed Draco out of the way and sneered at the three onlookers as she walked back into the party without saying a word.
"What in blazes was she talking about Draco?" Ginny was starting to get angry, her chest heaving as her breathing became deeper and more ragged. Ron quickly threw his cloak over the front of her dress, sending her a look.
"Look Draco," said Harry, "whatever it is you did to Hermione, it doesn't seem to bode well for you at all. I suggest you straighten this out, because if you don't, well, I don't think Ron and I have a choice. We'll send Ginny after you."
"I'm assuming that isn't a light threat?" offered Draco.
Shaking his head, Harry turned around to return inside. Ron followed. Ginny remained, her arms crossed over her chest.
"I knew from the beginning that you would be the one to break her. I was hoping that you would prove me wrong."
"Fuck!" Draco kicked the railing as he watched Ginny Weasley follow Harry and Ron. He slumped down to the ground, burying his head in his hands.
/
Thank you, seriously, to those who have kept up with this story. i am slowly coming out of my writing rut. i managed to finish my very first fic "Sugar High," which is a parody of "Empire Records." Yes---to the reviewer who said it was basically the script of Empire except I changed the characters, that was the whole idea. I never meant it to be an original story. I just thought that when i was thinking about it, so many characters totally fit into the ones in the priginal movie.
Now, I need some suggestions---should I make the next chapter Draco and Pansy having it out? Should I put in a little weepy Hermione in there? I don't know where to go from here---so much help is appreciated!
Again--THANK YOU. I cannot believe how wonderful most of my readers are;-) Keep reading!
