Love times 5

Cedar1

Inspired by the French film 5 times 2 by François Ozon. It's an amazing film and my story is of the same lay out and some of the plots and ideas are also from it. So this is a BIG DISCLAIMER to them so please don't sue me.

Oh and of course one to JK Rowling for the characters

A/N 000000000000000000 denotes a new scene time span is up to u.

Oh Blaise has undertaken a sex change and is now female in my story

Chapter 4: Closing the curtain

"That's a nice dress."

She was wearing a black gown that fully covered her front before revealing a toned back above layers of chiffon material.

"Where did you get it from?"

She was struggling to clasp the pearl necklace which would complete the outfit, each slip of the fingers followed by a sigh of annoyance. He moved up behind her and removed the gold hook out of her hands.

"It was my mothers. I found it in her things when I was clearing up last year."

Draco nodded. He had stopped listening for the smell of her skin and her perfume hitting his senses had brought all other activities to a standstill. He could only focus on that smell. Her smell. He hadn't been this close to her for months. They were still sleeping in separate bedrooms. Touching had been reduced to an impersonal squeeze of the shoulders or when she was feeling up to it a stroke of the cheek. A kiss was rare. A gift that Draco would revel in whenever he received it. He understood her need for space but it had been months. It was as if that one incident sapped every ounce of warmth and love from her tired body. And it's not to say he hadn't tried. He had done everything he could to take her mind off the past; flowers and chocolates, and trips to exotic cities that removed her from a house that was stained in pain. Though no matter how hard he tried that trail of misery dogged them, tearing them apart.

Her smell had now pulled him downwards so his lips were resting ever so slightly on the junction between her neck and shoulders. He could feel her watching him through the mirror. Her quick breaths were timed perfectly with his beating heart. He could almost taste her.

He could taste her. The tip of his tongue flicked over the sensitive area. A sigh escaped from her lips and he took that as an excuse to be bold, and latched onto her skin with his mouth. He lapped and sucked her up like a dying man would do an oasis in a desert. Her low moans pounding his ear drums, reverberating in his head.

Then suddenly it was gone and he was left gasping for breath and craving for more. She had forcefully pushed his head away from her body and that space that had for a few minutes been non existent now seemed, once more, bigger than ever.

The frustration that was plaguing him, for the first time, made itself known.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Running away every time I touch you, every time I kiss you."

"Don't be stupid. You better get ready or we're going to be late for your friend's party."

The door of the bathroom slammed in the wake of her exit and Draco was left staring back at his broken reflection.

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The party was Hermione's idea of hell. She was surrounded by the self proclaimed socialites of the wizarding world; witches who were keen on up keeping their status in the ranks of the elite, doing whatever necessary to claw their way to the top. They ignored Hermione of course, she was not pretty enough and had too many qualities that could have her classed as being 'nice' and 'boring.' She was the one that had slipped through their net and muddied their world. However they dealt with that quite easily, and simply forgot she was in the room.

Her husband on the other hand was the toast of the ball, even with his boring, nice, mudblood wife. Draco dragged her to this event each year - The Christmas Ball for the Foundation of Wizarding Excellence – a board that funded extra schooling for the gifted, basically another word for pure-blooded rich kids. She hated the concept more than the people behind it and had let Draco know of her feelings about his association with the company on several occasions. But he had convinced her to come that first time, using her love for him as a reason, and now it had just become a tradition she loathed each time it came around.

Though in the past it had been mildly bearable for they had spent most of their time together, and when apart they would converse with their eyes from across the room. Hermione rolling her eyes at yet another droll comment and Draco jokingly glaring at her telling her to behave. But this year was different Draco had left her side as soon as they had handed in their coats to the cloakroom and had not looked at, or even for, her since. She was left alone in the corner now.

Shouts and cheering lifted her out of her thoughts and into reality. Glasses of wine were being raised, male voices were encouraging with comments such as, "Go on you lucky bastard," and the looks began. Soon heads were turning to face her, their lips smirking with cruelty. Hermione was confused for a second but as if of one mind the swarm parted presenting a path to a couple with a halo of mistletoe around them. The floating wreath had been causing awkward situations all night, but it had never received this much attention, until now it would seem.

There was her husband, whose, for the first time, cheeks were coloured with two red spots and Blaise Zabini. Unlike Draco the woman was enjoying the spot light, tossing her hair in all directions, flashing her smile to all that surrounded her. He was staring straight at her, asking for her permission. She nodded and watched her husband place a gentle kiss on the cheek of the other woman. Blaise was obviously disappointed at such a passionless response, so too the crowd who called out for 'more.' If they were any other couple this would not have happened. But they weren't. She was the woman who had stolen one of their own away from them and he was the one they wanted desperately back into the fold, by any means, no matter how indiscrete. He was staring at her again. His eyes begging her to sort the situation out, to help him. At first she thought she was doing the right thing when she nodded and then she saw the brief look of hurt in his eyes and knew it wasn't.

In slow motion she watched as he kissed Blaise. His hands cradling her model face in his hands. His lips moving against hers. She thought he would have been happy, for it would have saved face in front of his friends and maybe giving him the touch she felt she was not ready to give him yet. But that look told her everything. All he wanted was to be loved by her, to have her say 'no' and show the whole world that she was his and only his. Then she knew she was lying to herself. Her reason for nodding was that she wanted him to do the same thing she had so many nights ago, commit the same sin. She had naively thought that if they shared the same guilt she would sleep easy for once.

But it had only made things worse and deeper, for now she had tainted his heart as well.

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Hermione helped herself to another glass of red wine, her unsteady hands spilling some of the expensive liquid onto the sparkling white tablecloth. Draco watched as the crimson spot seeped into the material whilst Hermione began taking big gulps of her forth glass of alcohol. He had only seen her drunk once before, each time when she was sunk in pain. He looked around the table and saw Harry and Ginny sharing concerned looks from across the table. They had never been great friends. They tolerated each other for her, they were brought together by her. And now he could tell what they were thinking, "What the hell had Malfoy done to their best friend?"

His fingers curled around the stem of his wine glass tightened, until his knuckles were blanched white.

"Hermione, maybe you should slow it down a bit," urged Harry. His forced smile trying to hide his uneasiness.

Hermione waved her hand in the air in an exaggerated motion.

"No need for rescuing today Mr Potter. I am quite fine. In fact I am perfect. Nothing could be better. I have a husband who loves me."

Her head swivelled so that her dilated pupils were now fixed on him. With the elegance of a drunk she grabbed hold of the hand that had been resting on his lap and encased it around her own.

"I love him despite the fact that he kissed another woman in front of me, and even, and even..." her tone more sober, "...even when he comes home late at night stinking of her fucking perfume."

The grip around his hand tightened, conflicting with the love lorn smile that was on her face, it was squeezing harder and harder, trying desperately to break any bone, no matter how small and inconsequential. But Draco wouldn't give her the satisfaction of crumbling, especially not with her friends giving him looks that would send him to the centre of the earth if they could. With a similar smile to her own he replied to her statement, "But darling don't you remember? You gave me your permission to kiss her. Some might even say you wanted me to kiss her."

Her powerful grip instantly relaxed and she retracted the hand that was covering his. The smile on her face faltered; cracking just like their marriage. For an instant gone was the happy drunk and in her place was a woman who would permanently regret her mistakes. Though as quickly as it had appeared it vanished.

"Well hasn't this been a pleasant night. How about some music."

The low tones of a saxophone floated into the kitchen, soon followed by the deep and smooth voice of a melancholy singer. No longer able to contend with the wide eyed stares of Potter and Weasley from across the table Draco made his escape into the living room. What he saw made him stop at the doorway. In the centre of the room Hermione was swaying to the music, her hips moving in time with the seductive rhythm. Her closed eyes suddenly snapped open and caught him staring. She gave him a lazy smile and started to walk towards him. Those butterflies in his stomach made a sudden reappearance as she stepped closer. No matter how hard they fought or how much they hurt each other she was the only creature he had ever met that could make his body feel like that. As she held out her arm he fully expected her to grab hold of his hand and so was surprised when she reached out past him and grabbed Potter, who unbeknown to him had been standing behind him. She dragged him onto the dance floor and started the next show. Potter was unsure how to proceed but decided to give in to his drunken friend and began to move with her. Each touch on the other man's arm, each whisper in the ear felt like a kick in the stomach. A new monster rose within him, long gone were the fluttering butterflies. It screamed and roared, wanting her to stop. Using the power of his mind the music was brought to an abrupt end and the room was plunged into a thick, uncomfortable silence.

A throat cleared. "Well I think me and Ginny better be off. Hermione." Harry gave her a peck on the cheek. "Anytime you want to stay with us, you know you can." The couple made their way to the front door and as a second thought Harry turned round.

"Malfoy."

It wasn't a polite good bye but a warning, which Draco could not be bothered with.

"Well wasn't that just fucking perfect? I'm going to go out."

"Going to see her are you?"

"May be, may be not. I wouldn't bother waiting up." Draco went to grab his wand and his travelling cloak.

"We need to talk about this."

"No you're drunk and you need to sleep it off."

With a crack he was gone and Hermione was left in the room alone.

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She couldn't sleep. He still hadn't come back yet. Getting up from bed she made her way to the window. How had things become so messed up? And the stupid thing was she still loved him, so much. She had been stupid. They both had. They needed to stop lying and start telling the truth. A fresh start, a blank canvas, which wasn't already painted with secrets and lies. She pulled back the curtain and looked out into the night with their gleaming stars. Everything could go back to the way it had been if only they could forgive each other. And they could. She was sure of it. Closing her eyes she leaned against the glass pane.

Muffled voices brought her out of her daze. Outside two figures stood close to one another deep in conversation. It wasn't hard to guess who it was. She stepped forward and encircled her arms around him, an action which he copied.

Hermione stopped breathing.

The woman then leaned in for a kiss and was granted a peck on the cheek. They lingered in the intimate position for what seemed like for ever before she was gone in a blink of any eye.

Hermione's heart stopped.

Seeing them felt like a million knives driving into her, piercing her, cutting her up into little pieces.

As if he knew he was being watched Draco looked up and saw her at the window. At first he was shocked, though his face soon fell into one of neutrality. She couldn't read him and for the first time in her life she knew she was ready to give up, and she closed the curtain.

A/N as ever reviews are loved, so if u fancy it press the blue button.

Cheers cedar1