It was a tearful, if slightly drunk Hermione who returned to the apartment several hours later. Needless to say that things had not gone according the plan she had imagined in her mind, and she cursed herself for being so wrong. What was it about love that made her think so illogically? Or was it simply bad choice in men? All Hermione knew was that she had only just passed her twenty third birthday, and had never been in a true relationship before.
Oh she had dated some, had a long distance fling with Victor, and had loved Ron through most of her adolescence, but had never gotten remotely close to committing. She had to have the worst taste in the world to fall for loser after loser, but Hermione saw no hope for the future to break the cycle. Wanting to keep the recent experience as far from her mind as possible, she began to clean up the apartment, and hopefully her own life.
Many had thought that to see Hermione at exam time was to see a true disaster, but they had obviously not seen her in a true crisis. But if there was one thing that she knew to be true in her life, it was that keeping oneself busy is sometimes the best medicines. It had worked for her before, and it would certainly work now.
And that is how Draco found her when he arrived at the spacious apartment they shared. She was somberly making dinner and avoiding eye contact, and experience told him that everything had went badly. Heck, he had expected her to tackle him at the door with every little detail, but oddly enough, she wasn't even speaking.
Draco quietly approached her and attempted to do damage control. "So what did you do today?" He asked the question knowing full well her intent this morning.
Hermione looked up from the stove, as if she had just noticed he arrived. "Oh…you know lunch with Ron, followed by the complete collapse of my life. Nothing much." She once again looked down, as if the simple meal was the most fascinating thing in the world.
Draco let out some kind grunt of frustration. "I could kill that little bugger! What did he do?" He reached for the vegetables and began chopping in hope that he too could relieve some of the aggravation he currently felt towards a certain Weasley brother.
"I went to meet him with the highest of hopes. For some reason thinking that he was finally ready to settle down, but when I got there he was hardly alone. Lavender was there too, only with an engagement ring on an important finger." Hermione stopped her dinner preparations to halt for a second, as tears threatened to escape, and then once more continued, "Merlin if I don't have the worst instincts! I thought he was ready to settle down, only for some reason I thought it would be me. Is that so stupid? To want to be married to some one who leads you on until he proposes to someone else. Ugh!!"
She found herself wrapped in Draco's comforting arms, and was glad for the millionth time since graduation that they had become so close. It was university that had made them friends, but their lives had drawn them even closer. He was her best friend, and it seemed almost comical that he should be the one to dry her tears over someone she had once considered one of her closest friends in the world. The thought brought a laugh to her lips, and let her forget, if only for a second.
It was hard to say that the break up had not been years in the making. For Ron and her had shared a relationship that could best be described as unique. He was never there for her, rarely had time, and had delayed any commitment too many times to count, but she had thought herself in love at the time, and it was only now in heartache that she saw it should have ended much earlier. And so now she grieved for her own stupidity and lack of foresight.
Hermione stayed in Draco's arms, quietly sobbing for what seemed like an eternity, until they were driven apart by the smell of something burning. The horrid smell it turned out was the casserole she had started to bake earlier. Everything seemed to be going completely wrong today, and she needed a break from it all.
Draco reached for the phone, as she cleaned up the mess. "How bout we order in? I think we could both use a little treat." He checked for the number to their favorite, though in less stressful circumstances he could have dialed it by memory. "Chinese good with you? There's no better comfort food than that."
She mumbled something to the affirmative, and he began to place the order. Hermione looked miserable, in all of the years he had known her, he had never seen her this much a recluse. It was quite the opposite from her usual personality, bursting with knowledge waiting to be tested, and it hurt him to see her so affected. He hadn't developed a plan yet, but there was no way he was going to let a Weasley see her in this state.