I had major problems getting this chapter out and wrote a couple of drafts which were disposed of…that's the first time that has ever happened in this story.
Hope you like it and thank you so much for your reviews! I love reading them and they really helped motivate me to write this chapter.
And guys? This isn't going to be some kind of fluffy fic or something like that. I know that you guys are looking forward to some 'action' but I don't write that kind of stuff very well so there'll be a little kissing maybe but I'm not going into incredible lengths to produce hard core 'action'. Sorry to people who were expecting it.
For now, let me continue with this story!
Previously: "Has it ever occurred to you," Draco began, as though reading her mind "that I love you?"
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The matter of fact tone, the smooth care-free face…she couldn't take that.
He just told her he loved her. He, Draco Malfoy, loved her, Hermione Granger. Wouldn't the press just love that.
Wait, they already heard about that…why hadn't she been told?
'You're going insane.' She thought to herself.
His words had taken her completely off guard; she didn't know what to say or do. Was she supposed to turn and leap into his arms and proclaim her undying love for him?
Like that would ever happen. But she did like him very much; did she love him?
She had been in love once, it had only gotten her hurt because love did strange things with your head. She didn't know if she even wanted to love him.
'Yes you do.' The voice said. Maybe her conscious was right, but that didn't mean she was ready to marry him in six months or declare her devotion to him.
"Why do I always let these things slip out?" Draco muttered to himself, but Hermione heard him clearly.
He pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. "I'll be in my study…if you need me." He told her motionless form before gliding out of the room.
None of this made much sense to her muddled mind. So much had happened in such a short span of time, was it right? Or was it all wrong?
Getting up slowly and warily, she exited the dining room and walked down the long hallway.
Redecoration had begun but it all seemed a little fragile at the moment, everything she looked at seemed easy to break. The paintings hung on just enough to keep them on the wall, but she didn't walk to fast past them in case they should fall.
The very air felt like the smooth surface of a lake; so easily disrupted.
She knocked softly on the large wooden door and waited with her breath held outside, hoping things weren't about to go all wrong.
"Yes?" His voice floated out from behind the door. To her it lacked the usual confidence and strength.
She opened the door slightly, peeking through into the dimly lit room. "It's me."
"Hermione." It wasn't a question but she saw a flicker of surprise flash across his pale features. "I…" the words died on his lips as he realised he did not know what to say.
"Are you getting a feeling of déjà vu?" She asked without really meaning to.
He stared at her for a second, the corners of his mouth twitching "Yeah, a bit." He indicated for her to come in, so she stepped through the threshold and shut the door.
Awkwardness filled the air between them; discomfort.
"Do you need something?" He asked. Immediately he regretted it, it was so insensitive; the formality making him cringe inwardly.
Hermione took a tentative step towards him "I um…" She looked down and away; at his shoes then at the fire which was burning gently. "I was thinking….well, no I haven't." She admitted, flustered and unable to remember a time when she felt so uncomfortable.
He was looking at her, wearing a black and white skirt with a grey top; her fingers twitching ever so slightly. "I used to be able to keep things from people; I'm sorry I couldn't keep that from you."
"I don't think it would have done any good if you kept it to yourself." She told him gently. Only now were things starting to become clearer for her.
Draco sat down and watched her sit in the armchair opposite him. They sat in relative silence, only the crackling of logs and sound of the spring wind outside. The last light of the day had gone and the only light was coming from the fire and a few candles that hovered near Draco's desk.
"Who told you to wait a year?"
He looked up to meet her amber eyes and smiled that was a soft, bitter twitch of his lips. "My father."
Hermione's eyebrows rose, "I never trusted his judgement."
Draco sat back in his chair "I haven't for a long time."
"Then why are you waiting?" Hermione inquired, faking calm but inside, her heart was beating much faster than normal.
A startled expression fixed itself onto Draco's face "What do you mean?"
"Why are you waiting for a year to go by?" She continued, her voice cracking slightly with pent up nerves.
He gazed at her, searchingly "I…" he paused to collect himself, bringing his fingertips together over his lap. "I don't know."
This made Hermione smile, a true genuine smile that lit her eyes so that they glowed like burning coals "There isn't any reason to." She told him.
"No?" he murmured "I guess not." Then a smiled formed on his face too.
"Are you sure then?" Hermione stood and stepped closer to him so that she stood with the fire at her back. It created a warm glow around her and at that moment, Draco thought he would have done anything for the woman before him.
"Yes, I'm quite sure." He laughed, standing up and kissing her.
She was surprised by his boldness but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy the moment in its perfection.
"I think we just placed another thing on our plates." Draco whispered softly into her ear as they embraced.
Hermione laughed "Yes, we're going to be very busy."
"You will be; wedding plans aren't my thing." He smirked, placing another gentle kiss on her lips. "I have Quiddich after all."
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"YOU'RE WHAT?" Ginny screamed when Hermione told her the news the next morning.
They were at Ron's house with Harry, Cho and Padma. Ginny's voice caused the other four to come rushing into the kitchen, expressions of concern on their faces.
"What's going on?" Harry asked, looking at them as they stood by the sink in the kitchen. For a moment, the only noise was the chopping of the knife as it sliced a cucumber.
"SHE'S GETTING MARRIED TO MALFOY!" Ginny yelled again.
Harry's grinned, Ron's eyes widened in shock and Padma ran to hug Hermione. "I'm so happy for you Hermione!" She beamed.
Hermione laughed "Thanks Padma."
Harry was still grinning at her when she let go of Padma "Congratulations Hermione."
"Thank you Harry." She smiled back at him.
Ginny was simply shell shocked, she seemed to have lost all ability to speak and was standing dumbly, gaping slightly.
"You are?" Ron asked in a slightly hoarse whisper.
Hermione nodded "Yes, we decided last night."
Ron came to her then and hugged her fiercely "I never thought I'd be congratulating you for your marriage to Malfoy."
Hermione laughed, feeling at ease for the first time in what felt like days "I don't think many people did."
"As long as your happy Hermione." Ginny appeared to have recovered slight and was smiling.
"Thanks Ginny. You did spare me the trouble of telling everyone." Ginny blushed but laughed with everyone else.
"I appear to have missed the joke." A silky voice drew their attention to the doorway where Draco stood, his hands in the pockets of his robes as he leaned casually against the door frame.
"Draco, I just told them the news." Hermione beamed, not at all unnerved by his frosty gaze.
"Take it well did they?" He continued, though the ice in his eyes seemed to melt a little.
Hermione deduced that he much have arrived by Floo powder as she brushed some off the sleeve of his robes "Yes, it's a happy time."
He couldn't hold onto his calculating manner then and laughed "I never would have guessed."
The others watched with openly stunned expressions as the stone-like man they had known for over a decade melted before them and bent down to kiss Hermione deeply.
"Blimey, he looks like a good kisser." Ginny muttered so the four of them could hear. They gave her mildly scandalised looks.
"It's not all about that Ginny Weasley." Padma scolded, but could not hide her smile.
Ginny smirked back "No but it's pretty darn important; do you think they're going to resurface any time soon?"
"I heard that!" Hermione laughed.
Ginny turned to face the couple, his arm wrapped around her waist and she fit just-so in his embrace; they were a perfect couple. Ginny couldn't be happier for her friend; none of them could have been.
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Hermione and Draco walked leisurely down Diagon Alley on a Saturday morning, a slight breezing picking up the cloaks and swishing the identical black material around their ankles.
"You wanted to buy some new robes?" Draco asked as Hermione linked arms with him.
She nodded "Yes, some nice ones to go out in."
Silence fell between them and they strode down the street; ignoring the odd looks of the public.
Draco felt Hermione tense when they passed a florist. He glanced down at her quizzically and saw her lips compressed into a thin, tight line. Her face had lost some of its previous pinkness and she was staring at the shop.
"Is something wrong?" He asked her gently.
The shop was small but couldn't be easily been over looked. There was some pictures of fields of wild flowers in the window; inside, Draco could see bursts of colour and several odd looking flowers he wouldn't have gone near on any of his good days.
"That's were I first saw them." She said in a tight voice.
"Saw who?"
"Seamus and her." The venom in her voice barely concealed.
Draco was surprised at her lack of hesitation to speak of her past relationship when she had previously tried to avoid the subject at all costs. He had wanted to know for so long and here was the shocking answer before him. A brave, heroic Griffindor had been the one to make her so wary of him? They were always out to make his life more difficult.
"Seamus?"
"I can't believe I ever fell for him, I'm supposed to be intelligent." She bit off the last word sharply.
"You are." He reassured her.
She laughed bitterly "He had me wrapped around his thumb. I won't forget how I felt when…"
"Yes?" Draco placed his other hand on her arm which was still linked with his.
"When I saw him in there with someone else…kissing." Tears began to form in the corners of her mouth and Draco felt an intense anger towards the Griffindor prat who dared to hurt her.
'Quite a hypocrite aren't you?' That evil voice purred once again in his head. He shoved the thoughts that followed to one side and concentrated on the woman before him.
"And he was holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand…they were for me." A tear made it's way down her smooth cheek and stopped, wobbling slightly before falling to the ground below where it shattered.
"It won't happen again." He told her firmly, knowing he would never do anything like that to her.
'But there are other ways to make a girl cry.' He felt a surge of hatred for that purring voice in his head and once again attempted to block it off.
"I hope not." She whispered as they began walking again.
Draco couldn't dispel the dark thoughts in his head; would he end up hurting her?
'No, it won't happen.' He thought to himself. He wanted nothing more than to be the man she believed he was; the one who cared and the one who needed her as much as she needed him. He wanted to be her pillar to lean on.
"I trust you not to Draco." She stopped, turning to face him "I know you wouldn't do anything like that."
Her words only made it harder for him; why was she so sure? Why wasn't he?
"I know you do." He finally said, shielding his thoughts and smiling. "I know."
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Over the next week, Hermione was busy finishing the redecoration of the Manor while Draco was setting up the business with Harry.
For the most part, Hermione stayed out of the business, she found that she didn't actually like the whole atmosphere. She preferred a nice cosy library full of books, while Draco preferred the Quiddich pitch.
He attended two more practices with Harry, arriving home each time in a pleasant mood, sharing animated conversations with her over dinner each time.
"I like the new bed sheets." He told her before putting a mouthful of baked potato in his mouth.
Hermione smiled "They are rather nice aren't they? It was so dark before in the bedrooms; how could you stand it?"
"I didn't really know any different." Draco informed her casually "And Slytherin dungeons aren't much brighter; if you get my meaning."
"I believe I do." She mumbled.
He motioned to a house elf which stood in the far corner "The wine has run out." He informed her.
The little creature leapt up and out of the room to get more wine with a little squeak.
"You could be a little kinder to them." Hermione frowned, making Draco smile to himself.
"Old habits die hard, dear."
She gave him a disapproving look and went back to her dinner, plainly trying to ignore him.
"Hermione? Oh come on, you can't possibly be mad at me for that…Hermione?" He tried to get a glimpse of her face.
Before he could see though, the elf entered and re-filled their glasses. "Thank you." He said, his voice devoid of emotion.
The elf seemed startled by his actions and slightly fearful "You are most welcome Master." She squeaked before returning to her post in the corner of the room.
Hermione was looking at him when he turned back to the table, he smirked "Satisfied?"
"Yes I am." She grinned "How is the business coming along?"
Draco shuddered "I swear Potter is just out to make me look like a fool."
Hermione laughed "Why? What has he done now?"
"According to him, everything I do isn't right. I can't use any magic or talk about anything that has any slight relation to magic!" He shrugged in confusion "I never really understand what I'm doing wrong."
"Harry does know muggles better than you do." She pointed out, laughter threatening to bubble out of her.
"I am aware of that!" He replied hotly "But what can I possibly talk to these muggles about if I know nothing about them?"
"The weather." Hermione said, unable to hide her laughter any longer.
"Oh yes, this is so funny." He drawled, ignoring her and turning back to his plate.
"I'm sure you're not that ignorant." She said in soft apology.
He chewed slowly "I'm not." He swallowed "But I honestly don't know how to deal with the muggle corporate world."
"It's all one and the same isn't it?" She asked.
"Not quite, as I had the pleasure of discovering." A wiry grin spread across his features; quite unusual but not unpleasant to look at.
"But things are going alright for the business?" Hermione continued.
He nodded "Yes, we're proving rather tough competition for such a new business." He couldn't mask his pride in the quick recovery of his business, the thought made Hermione smile.
"Well that's good news. Did you read the article in the Prophet this morning?"
Draco drank from his glass, leaning back and giving her a contemplative look "Yes I did, it was rather… interesting."
'He has changed.' She thought, surprised that he hadn't been angry about the article.
"No one ever bothered to tell me that I was marrying you to gain access to your secret stash of galleons though." A smirk followed instead of the deep, angry frown she was expecting.
"I wasn't aware I even had that much gold sitting around; I must have misplaced it over the years." She grinned at him, liking this Draco that had emerged since they had agreed to get married.
He was more stable and wasn't prone to random bouts of anger.
"You'll let me know if you find it won't you? Or you know, I might decide to murder your family." He finished off the last of his wine in one smooth motion.
"That'll be a little difficult seeing as my parents are already dead."
"What?" Draco turned sharply and pinned her to her seat with his steely gaze "What did you say?"
Hermione felt the atmosphere turn cold and couldn't pull her eyes away from his "I said they are already dead."
Draco scrutinised her for a short moment before breaking eye contact with her "I'm sorry to hear that."
Hermione looked down at her empty plate "They were killed by death eaters four years ago." She told him quietly.
If she had of looked up, she would have seen how pasty Draco's face had gone and the metallic glint in his silvery eyes.
"We didn't get there in time to catch them, they had planned it well; we were all far away on a false lead. I wish I could have said goodbye." Even though it had been years ago, Hermione still felt a chill run down her spine at the memory of arriving at her home.
Everything had been upturned and ruined. The Dark Mark hung above the home, warning her at what was inside, but she didn't believe it until she saw them, mouths open in horror and arms thrown up in fear. Then she didn't see anymore for the tears that blinded her vision.
"A false lead." Draco said hoarsely. He had been a death eater four years ago; he had been a loyal servant of the dark lord; he had hunted down and tortured countless people already.
"Yes, we were on the other side of the country, hunting down non-existent death eater hide-outs. By the time we heard about my parents, they were probably already dead." She felt tears prickle the back of her eyes and tried fiercely to hide them.
Draco felt as though the blood in his veins had turned to ice. A false lead to get Potter and his followers away; it was time to make a statement, to let them know Voldemort didn't tolerate Mudbloods.
You are my most loyal servant Malfoy; I trust things will go as planned.
Yes my lord.
"Merlin." He whispered
"What?" Hermione shook her head slightly to clear her emotions and looked up. The sight that greeted her was shocking; Draco had turned a sickly pale and his eyes shone with an unhealthy brightness. "Are you alright Draco?"
She reached out to take his hand but he pulled it away; towards himself. "Merlin, no." He whispered again, his horror unconcealed. He was staring in front of him but the beautiful paintings on the wall weren't what he was seeing.
"Draco?" Hermione began to worry.
They are coming back Malfoy.
Have you cast the mark?
Yes.
Go, our business here is done.
As Hermione reached towards him again but he stood abruptly; the very air around him seemed to shiver as the very particles themselves tried to get away.
It has been done My Lord.
Well done, you are a credit to the Malfoy family; your first kill is it not?
Yes, it is My Lord. I feel very much satisfied.
Hermione felt a the presence of a dark shadow; it loomed over the room, creeping up to her slowly. The candles that had lit the room flickered out, leaving them in darkness with only the moonlight to cast shadows over them.
Your second shall be more rewarding, I assure you young Malfoy.
My Lord, I believe you have been ill advised, it will be my third.
The light fell across his face sharply; emphasising his straight nose and cold eyes that matched the night in it's grey depths.
Just as suddenly as it had come, the shadow receded and Hermione breathed out, not aware she had been holding her breath. The candles remained unlit, but it appeared that all the power and stiff strength that had held Draco rigid before had dissolved.
He placed his hands on the table and breathed out loudly, his head hung down and his blonde hair fell forward, hiding his features.
Hermione was afraid to speak, she had never experienced anything like that before and didn't understand any of it.
"I didn't…Merlin tell me I didn't." He prayed quietly.
Hermione was puzzled by his words and made to rise from her chair but before she could Draco stood up straight and turned. He paused, as though contemplating something, then walked straight out of the room.
She continued to sit at the table, and after a few moments she heard the vase outside in the hallway fall and shatter, followed by a cry of anger.
The words reached her ears clearly, though she didn't understand them at all.
"I didn't bloody do it!"
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How was it? Oh dear Draco must seem a little unstable in Hermione's eyes mustn't he?
Let me know what you think is going to happen!
Thanks so much to One White Tulip, Obnoxiously Peachy Twit 2008, and White-Pink-Fluffy-Strawberriez!
Also a big thanks to Golden Angel 71, Missy Muggle Witch, asianchickkno.1, Black Kibeth, Atlanta, Flaming Amber, Aria DeLoncray, Vala Douglas, BubbLy01, MayuBlack, so this is love, rebelwilla and Carly.
