Faded Pictures
Chapter 4
"Faded pictures in a broken glass,
like a mirror revealing what the woman is feeling.
Was it someone from a distant past?
'Cause it's breaking my heart
to watch her stare into the glass...
As she turned through the pages,
the tears rolled down her face.
I could see her reminiscing,
why her life had to be this way...
And she stopped as she came to a page where her diary ends
to smell the scent of an old rose
from her lover I suppose..." – Case & Joe "Faded Pictures"
Hermione woke to the blissful smell of freshly brewed coffee, and yawning, she rose from the bed. She pulled on her bathrobe and slipped on her slippers as she left the bedroom. She paused and wondered when she'd changed into her nightie, realizing that Xan had probably done it for her. Thinking about the strong, handsome, wonderful man that awaited her in the kitchen brought a broad smile to her face as she strolled down the hallway.
"Good morning, sexy." Hermione whispered as she wrapped her arms around Xan's waist. He had been standing at the stove, checking the bacon whose smell was now deliciously wafting through the apartment, but turned in her arms to place a kiss on her upturned face.
"It most certainly is a good morning, gorgeous." Xan kissed his fiancée softly on the nose. "Why? Because you have the day off and we can spend the entire day together." He nudged her softly away from him, turning back to the bacon. "For now, however, you should go get dressed while I finish making breakfast."
Hermione chuckled as she made her way back down the hallway to the bathroom to shower. How lucky could a woman get? She had the perfect man waiting in her kitchen for her cooking breakfast, ready to cater to her every whim. She relished the feeling of the water cascading over her shoulders as she took a relaxing shower.
Tying her smooth brown hair into a bun, Hermione sifted through her drawers in search of a suitable outfit for the day. She finally settled on a soft cream sweater and a pair of comfortable jeans. Her chocolate eyes sparkled at her in the mirror as she checked her reflection one last time.
Eyes drifting over the mirror, Hermione spotted her clothes from the day before near the end of the bed. She stooped over, picking them up to put them in with the dirty clothes when a letter fell out of her pocket. It was Draco's letter. She remembered putting it there the night before so that she could open it alone. Well, she was alone, so there was no putting it off any longer.
"Dear 'Mione,
It is absolutely fabulous news. Harry and I are definitely
looking forward to the ceremony. We also look forward to
spending loads of time with one of our favorite people. We have
missed you more than you can imagine. I especially miss our
talks. Pansy and Ginny are wonderful female companions, but my
talks with you were always different.
Harry was a bit stunned by the news at first. He only wants
what will make you happy, though, so you won't get any trouble
out of him. About Ron, I don't know what will happen. I just
sent Harry to tell him a few minutes ago. No matter what, Harry
and I are coming. We are getting the instructions for arrival
from Ginny and should get there in three days. I'll send word
tomorrow of Ron's reaction.
Love always,
Draco (and Harry)"
Hermione sighed and tossed the letter in the trashcan, both relieved and disappointed. She had hoped to find out whether Ron was coming or not, but feared what the verdict would be. Love was not something someone got over quickly. Knowing that, she easily admitted that she still loved Ron after all those years. However, she had to move on. Ron said himself that they weren't going to marry. Besides, she loved Xan too, and he wanted to get married.
Thinking about Xan, Hermione pasted a new smile on her face and returned to the kitchen where breakfast was served. After sitting silently for a few minutes, chewing her food absentmindedly, she decided that a conversation needed to be started. "I think I'll finish cleaning out that old trunk today."
Xan looked up from his food startled. His dark eyes traveled over her face, studying her for a moment. "If you're up to it, so am I." He smiled supportively at her and reached across the table to take her hand. "I'd love to find out the rest of your story. I had no idea there was so much that I didn't know about you."
Hermione ducked her head as she thought of the last secret buried away in the trunk... Ron. Most of the mementos had been properly removed, leaving only a few old diaries, some picture frames, and other random junk in the bottom of the trunk. The diaries were a can of worms she dreaded opening, however. She wasn't sure Xan would understand her relationship with Ron. Hell, she didn't understand her relationship with Ron.
"Well, when breakfast is over, I suppose we should get that out of the way. Everything else is a piece of cake." Hermione smiled at Xan who had returned his gaze to his plate.
"Of course, Sweetheart. Whatever order you think is best. I'm only here to help." Xan smiled, his eyes glittering warmly. His only worry was that Hermione would have another breakdown and be unable to finish packing. Not wanting to discuss that, however, he decided to change the subject. "So what would you like to do when your guests arrive?"
"Well," Hermione's eyes glinted with excitement as she spoke, "Ginny will be the first to arrive. She'll get here tomorrow and we'll probably have a little excursion just the two of us. Sorry, Sweetheart. The next day, however, everyone else will be getting here and I think we should all go out somewhere fun. I'd really like to catch up with all of them." She tapped her fingers slowly on the table as she thought about all the things she must have missed in her friends' lives.
"You finished eating?" Hermione's thoughts were thoroughly interrupted as Xan stood to clear the table. She nodded silently and watched in wonder at her delightful fiancé. He was so perfect. Not only did he cook for her, he cleaned up too. She wondered how long that would last after they moved into their new house.
A few minutes later, Xan and Hermione were once again seated in her room, looking through the old trunk. She yanked out a few things, throwing them haphazardly onto the bed beside Xan before reaching in to take out a picture of her and Ron, taken after a ball during sixth year.
16-year-old Hermione waved happily from her place beside the tall red-head before wrapping him in a tight hug. Ron, in turn, kissed the top of Hermione's head before winking up from the picture. A single crack ran lengthwise down the frame from where Hermione had thrown it against the wall in the dormitory before packing it away in the bottom of the trunk.
Xan watched patiently as tears filled Hermione's eyes and ran down over her cheeks. He settled onto the floor behind her and wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her back against his chest. "Let me see it." He reached out, taking the picture in one hand as he stroked her head with the other. "That's Ron, right? Was he you boyfriend during school?"
Hermione nodded and laid her head back, looking at the picture with Xan. "Yes, he was my boyfriend. I loved him a lot. In some ways, I still love him. He was more than a boyfriend to me. He was also my best friend. Like I said, we had a falling out seventh year. It was right before graduation. I haven't even spoken to him since that day."
"That bad, huh?" Xan put the picture down on the floor next to them and rubbed Hermione's arms. "Have you forgiven him for whatever he did?"
Hermione's laugh sounded odd in the air. "What makes you think he was the one who did something wrong?" She closed her eyes, fighting back memories.
"Well," Xan began carefully, "You were the one who ran away."
Hermione bit her lip, opened her eyes and leaned back over the trunk. "You're right, Xan. I did run." She lifted out the final items from the bottom and showed them to the man sitting behind her. "These are my diaries. There is one for each year." She took the one from the bottom and threw the rest to the side.
"Do you want to know why I ran? It was because of this." Hermione flipped to the last page of the diary. Lifting an enchanted rose from between the pages she breathed deeply, inhaling the scent.
"A rose... a rose is why you left?" Xan sounded disbelieving as he watched his fiancée smell the beautiful flower.
"No, not the rose... this..."
FLASHBACK
"Ron!" Hermione stumbled across the battlefield as she saw her boyfriend lying still in a puddle of his own blood. She fell to the ground beside him and cradled his head in her lap. She sent up sparks to call for help. Now that Voldemort was defeated, healers were making their way around. Tears flooded down her cheeks as she leaned over to whisper in his ear. "It's over, Ron. It's all over. Harry's done it, he has..." She stopped her rambling as she heard a choked whisper coming from her fallen friend.
"I love you." Ron choked on the words as they spilled from his lips. He reached up slowly to trace Hermione's lips with his fingers. "Promise me something. Promise me, Hermione." Tears ran down his cheeks as he struggled to stay awake.
"What is it, Ron? What do you want me to promise?" Hermione was prepared to promise the moon if it was what Ron wanted. She only wanted him to stay alive. Wiping the tears from his pale cheeks, she was ready for anything he asked.
"I want you to promise... that you'll never leave me." Ron's eyes started to close as Hermione's tears hit his face. "Marry me, Hermione. Stay with me forever and be my wife. We'll have kids, and a house, and..." He trailed off as he started to choke again.
"Ron..." Hermione started to speak, but was cut off.
"Promise me, Hermione."
"I promise."
"Good. Now, go to my room and I want you to hurry. In the bottom right corner of my trunk is a little box." Ron started choking and spat up a little blood. Hermione cringed and tried to keep him from talking. She sent up more sparks and noticed Harry and Draco running towards them with a healer. "Get the box, Hermione." Ron closed his eyes and coughed once more before going unconscious.
"I love you, Ron." Hermione whispered as she leaned over to kiss her boyfriend. "Just stay alive and I promise I'll do it."
Later
Hermione was relieved that Ron was alive, but he was still in a coma in the care of Madame Pomfrey. Knowing that he was okay for the time being, she crept away from his bedside for the first time since his arrival two days before. She made her way to his room and opened his trunk. Shuddering at the mess, she dug to the bottom right corner for the little box. Finding it, she pulled it out and hugged it to her chest. She then opened it, and looking inside, she gasped.
END FLASHBACK
Ron grumbled to himself as he pulled out his traveling bags. He tossed them on the bed and turned to scowl at Harry and Draco who were leaning against the wall watching him pack. "You know, if you're going to be here, you could help."
"I'll help, Ron, but I don't think Draco's going to lift a finger." Harry smiled and walked over to help his best friend pack.
"You're damn right about that. He didn't help me pack, so I'm not going to help him." Draco smirked and folded his arms.
"So why did you even come?" Ron shot, throwing clothes into the suitcase. Draco frowned and eyed the clothes being shoved inside.
"Isn't it obvious?" Draco raised one eyebrow and cocked his head to one side. "I came to supervise." Harry instantly broke down in laughter and Ron scowled. "You call that packing?!" Draco exclaimed as he saw Ron toss in another pair of pants, unfolded. "Move... now. Go make yourself useful. Go unpack your stuff from Hogwarts. It's been five years and you haven't even made a dent in that trunk."
Ron waved his arm toward the suitcase, shaking his head. "Be my guest. I asked you to help in the first place." He scowled and pulled his trunk out from the closet. "And how did you know I hadn't unpacked my trunk yet?"
"It was actually just a lucky guess, Weasel. But, since it is actually true... you might as well unpack it. Stuff is probably growing in there or something." Draco wrinkled his nose and pointed to the far corner of the room. "Do it over there and don't get in my way."
As Draco began re-packing Ron's suitcase with a little help from Harry, Ron sat down in front of his trunk. He had been avoiding that trunk since he found out Hermione left. There were too many memories in that thing and he didn't want to face them. They were especially hard to face now that he figured out why she left.
Ron thought she should've known better than take him seriously when he was angry. He didn't think she had reason to run off. It wasn't as though he had actually proposed. At least, he couldn't remember ever proposing. He had planned on doing so the night before graduation. He had his grandmother's wedding ring and everything. It was in a little ring box in the bottom right corner of his trunk.
Pausing, Ron thought about the look on his mother's face when he had asked for the ring...
FLASHBACK
"Mum, you know that ring you're saving for when I want to get married?" Ron wrung his hands nervously as he watched his mother look up from her book.
"Yes," Molly Weasley began slowly, not sure where the conversation was headed, "it was my mother's wedding ring. I'd like for you to give it to your future wife when the time has come." She eyed her son suspiciously as he fidgeted in front of her. "Is there some reason why you're asking about it? You never seemed interested before."
Ron bit his lip. He knew the day would come when he'd have to tell his mum he wanted to get married. He just never thought it would come so soon. Gulping audibly, he tried to think of something to say. "Well," he began awkwardly, "you know that Hermione and I are dating."
"And..." Mrs. Weasley raised one eyebrow at her son and crossed her arms. She half expected Ron to announce that Hermione was pregnant and that they were going to get married because of it. The only thing stopping her from chewing his head off about the consequences of premarital sex was the fact that she knew Hermione well enough to expect better.
"And I love her very much... AndIwanttogetmarriedtoher..." Ron mumbled the last part rapidly and was sure his mum didn't catch it. Much to his disappointment, he was right.
"What did I tell you about mumbling, dear? Speak up. I didn't catch that last part." Molly smiled at her son. She knew perfectly well what he had said and only wanted to hear it once more, clearly.
"I want to get married to her, Mum. I want to propose, and so I need the ring." Ron blushed furiously as Mrs. Weasley sprang from her seat and wrapped her arms tightly around him.
After a few moments, Molly pulled back to look into her son's bright blue eyes. "That is a very serious decision, baby. Are you sure?"
"I've never been more certain of anything in my life. I love Hermione so much that it hurts. Sometimes I think my heart will burst open." Ron smiled as tears filled his mother's eyes. "I can't imagine my life without her by my side." He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "So, you approve then?"
Mrs. Weasley smacked Ron lightly across the back of his head. "Of course I approve. Just don't mess this up..."
END FLASHBACK
Ron shook his head at the memory. "Don't mess it up... that's exactly what I did..." He muttered under his breath sadly as he bent over the trunk and began unpacking. As he pulled item after item out of the trunk, grumbling and muttering about stupid ferrets and bloody hard-headed girls the whole time, he finally reached the bottom of the trunk.
"Where is it?!" Ron yelled. He overturned the trunk and searched through the remains of its contents.
"Where is what? And stop yelling. We can hear you just fine. After all, we're only a few feet away." Draco turned to see Ron kneeling in a pile of junk in the corner, searching frantically for something. "I repeat, Weasley, what are you looking for?"
"The ring... it's gone! I can't find the ring, damn it!"
"What ring?!"
"The ring I was going to propose to Hermione with!" Ron paused and his jaw dropped. "Hermione..." He couldn't believe it was possible. Dazedly, he looked up at Harry and Draco who both looked utterly confused. Hermione couldn't have it. He couldn't remember ever telling her about it.
"You were going to propose to Hermione?" Draco finally spoke after sitting in shock for a few moments. "Why didn't you tell us? You twit... she's getting married now."
"No shit, Sherlock." Ron muttered quietly. "She has made her choice. She's moved on."
"Wait a minute here, Ron." Harry finally joined the conversation. "Do you still love Hermione?"
"Of course I still love her, you stupid git! I've been trying to tell her that for five years, but she won't listen." Ron glared at Harry. "What do you think I've been doing? Sitting on my ass?" He looked at Draco, daring him to say something.
"Well then, we've got a wedding to stop!" Harry was excited. He had been waiting for something to happen so that he could jump into some action. Walking over to Ron, he clapped the red head on the back. "We have to keep Hermione from marrying that guy."
"Wait a minute, mate. If she's happy, I don't want to keep her from him. Her happiness is the most important thing... and as much as I hate to admit it, she probably really loves this guy. She probably doesn't give a shit about me anymore either, as a matter of fact." Ron looked at his hands and hung his head.
"Oh quit your whining, Weasley. I'm glad you just said what you did about her happiness. Now I can help you. I've got a plan." Draco walked over and placed his hand on Ron's shoulder. "So, Ron..." Harry smiled at Draco's use of the man's first name. "Are you willing to do anything you can to make sure Hermione is happy?"
"Of course..." Ron smiled at Draco. He was really starting to like this bloke.
"Good then, we need to get Ginny in on this if she'll help. First thing to do is to figure out what happened to the ring." Draco sent Harry to owl Ginny and had Ron continue looking for the ring. "I need to owl Hermione."
Hermione fingered the ring that she had taken out of the diary. Turning it over and over in her hand, she finished telling Xan her story. "So, he proposed and you ran? But, didn't you promise..."
"Yes, I promised. I was scared, Xan. I was just a girl and my boyfriend had proposed on what I was almost sure was his deathbed. When I was certain he'd live, I was more than happy to carry out my promise. Then he up and took back his proposal and made it seem like I was psycho for ever thinking he'd want to marry me for real. I guess he had thought it was his deathbed, too." Hermione sighed and looked at the ring glinting with the sunlight streaming through her bedroom window. "It's over now, though. I'm marrying you."
Xan squeezed Hermione's hand shut over the ring and kissed it. "Are you sure you want to get married, Hermione? I think you may have some unresolved issues to discuss with Ron."
"No! I'm sure I want to get married. Everything is resolved." Hermione got to her knees and turned to look into Xan's eyes. "I want to marry you. I love you."
Xan sighed as he looked into his fiancée's warm brown eyes. "I know you love me, sweetheart." He kissed her softly and cupped her cheek with one hand as he used his other to stroke her hair. "But you love him too..."
Xan slowly got to his feet and pulled Hermione up as well. "If you are sure about this, then we'll go ahead as planned. But, if you need time to think about things, that is okay too." He placed his hands on her shoulders comfortingly as he went on. "I love you very much, and I'll wait for you as long as you want."
Hermione kissed Xan with everything that was in her. Moving her lips across his feverishly, she wondered how she'd come across a man as great as the one she stood there with. Breaking the kiss reluctantly, she pulled back and brushed a strand of dark hair from his eyes. "Thank you, Xan. You have no idea how much that means to me, but I'm sure. The wedding is still on."
Author's Notes: Does everyone understand why Hermione left now? Well, if you don't, I guess you'll have to wait and see what happens when she meets up with Ron again. And for all you ladies out there, isn't Xan just the most understanding, sexy, kind... Umm, where was I going with that? Oh, right... isn't Xan perfect? Well, thanks to my beta-reader/roomie, N.C. PsyChick (the Most Wikkidest lol), and my little sister for getting me back on track with this story. Without their encouragement, this chapter would not be finished right now. Maybe if more people were reading and or reviewing I would be more motivated HINT... HINT Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter... REVIEW... and I will try my hardest... REVIEW... to get the next chapter out soon... REVIEW!!! PEACE!
P.S. REVIEW ALREADY!!!