Here – consider myself off the hook as far as the cliffie is concerned. I hate this chapter, I think it stinks to high heaven, but enjoy anyway, because I've just realised my whole plot is flawed and I have to change it slightly, so this may be all you get for now.
Chapter Four"If I take my hand away from your mouth, will you shout out?" He asked cautiously. Hermione stood still for a second, and then shook her head. Draco sighed with relief. "Good," he took his hand away from her mouth and she stood still, staring at him. "Say something."
"How did you find me?" Her voice was quavering with fear and shock. She had not expected to see Draco again for a long time, like forever. He hadn't changed much appearance wise, except he had grown bigger, and there were the dark circles of the sleep deprived under his eyes.
"I was in the bar earlier and I saw you there." Draco shuffled his feet. "I didn't know what to do, so I waited here, so I could talk to you privately."
"Well, you've talked to me now." Hermione answered him; all she could think about was getting away from him. "Goodbye Draco." As she walked away, he grabbed her arm and spun her back round to face him, his face inches from her own.
"Do you seriously think I'm going to leave it like that?" Hermione looked at him coldly.
"Yes, because I'm leaving it like that. But you can talk to this bin if you want to." She tapped the bin and smiled coldly at him, before turning around again and heading for home. Her only thought impulse was to leave this situation asap.
"Hermione, you don't want to do this." Draco shouted after her.
"Yes I do." The image of him kissing Naomi flared up in her memory, making her quicken her pace.
"I'll follow you home." Hermione stopped dead. Knowing where she worked was one thing, but knowing where she lived…
"The place is hidden," she whispered to herself. But that cast more doubt on her. Leading him home was one thing, but leading him to the Headquarters was suicidal.
She spun around. "What do you want from me, Draco?" She raised her arms in helplessness, letting them drop to her sides.
"What do you think I want?" He caught up with her, gently grasping her shoulders. Hermione shrugged his hands off her. "Hermione, we have unfinished business."
"No we don't. We broke up six years ago." She left the alley, but turned right, away from Grimmauld Place. She could hear Draco following her, her heart was beating crazily.
"Hermione, you know what I'm talking about." He came level with her, but she kept her eyes fixed straight ahead.
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Her voice grew steadily higher. She was close to tears.
"Yes you do." Hermione stopped, finally submitting to the conversation. "Where is my child?" Hermione stayed silent, Draco grabbed her shoulders again and shook her lightly. "Come on Hermione, where is my child? What are they like? Just give me a name. I have a right to know. The thing that happened between me and Naomi, it was a long time ago, please, can we just go and talk somewhere." She found herself torn, one way, she could run and pretend it didn't happen, the other, she could stay and open a whole new part of her life.
"Okay, but not here." Hermione conceded. "Follow me." Draco nodded, and she led him down the road of closed pubs and shops, around a corner and into a little muggle late-night coffee shop. The place was dim, and there were little booths lining the walls. The two slid into one of these, facing each other.
Draco looked around, "Is this where you get your hot chocolate fix these days?"
Hermione did not smile. "What do you want?" She asked as the waitress came to take their order.
"I want answers."
"Two cappuccinos please." The waitress nodded and hurried to the bar.
"Now," Draco prompted as the cups were placed on the table. "Why won't you even give me a little detail about my first born?"
"First?" Hermione smiled. "There are more?" Draco rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Of course not." Hermione nodded. In truth, she didn't want to tell him anything about Helena. She felt a deep churning in her stomach, making her suspicious of the way that he was so desperate to find out about her, she knew he was a father, but he didn't seem at all interested in her, just his child.
"What have you been doing with yourself since we last met?" Hermione asked, playing for time. Draco made a frustrated noise, but then smiled.
"This and that. Dropped out of school in the sixth year."
"Why?" Draco shrugged.
"Without you there, the halls were empty. The classes meant nothing, everywhere reminded me of you, all the time I was thinking about you. Wondering where you were, whether the kid had been born yet, if you were coping okay. In the end I just packed my trunk and left. Ever since that I've been moving around a lot." Hermione listened silently. "But I've found what I was looking for." He stared into her eyes, and her heart beat sped, his sweet aftershave drifted towards her and she breathed deeply. "Everyday I thought about you and our child."
Hermione looked over to the clock and found it was nearing two. "Look, I've got to go." She put money for the drinks on the table and stood to leave.
"Wait, you haven't answered my questions! When can I see you again?" Hermione began to walk to the door, then left the shop. Draco followed her outside and grabbed her arm roughly, spinning her into him. She hit his chest and stood there for a second, disorientated. Draco wrapped his arms around her and breathed in deeply. "Hermione, I'll never bother you again." He whispered into her ear, but she was only half listening. His black shirt reminded her of something, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "I just want to know the name of my little girl."
Hermione let out a long breath, and looked up at his face. "I never told you that she was a girl…" Suddenly, everything clicked into place and she pushed him away from her. "It was you outside that supermarket, wasn't it?"
Draco stood for a second, shocked, then sighed. "Yes, it was."
"In the Death-Eater attack." Draco nodded. "That's why you were so interested in her…and knew her age…" Again, he nodded. "So you're a death-eater?" Tears filled her eyes and she said this. Draco stood still and silent, looking at the ground. Cautiously, Hermione approached him, rolling up his sleeve; Draco stood still and let her. When she had got it high enough, she gasped and stumbled backwards. On his arm, black as coal, was the Dark Mark.
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We knew he was a death eater, Hermione didn't, now she does. Yay. Sorry, not in good mood, come back later when I'm awake.