Disclaimer: I, in no way shape or form own any of the Harry Potter characters.
Thank you all to who are reading and reviewing this story. I adore each and every one of you for making my day. And I will continue to work as hard as I can on this story. Hope you all enjoy this chapter. Pay attention, lots of foreshadowing in this one.
By the way though, I didn't base my plot on Beauty and the Beast, but that was a really good comparison. I love that movie.
It had been exactly four months and six days since Hermione was brought to the manor. Yet it seemed as if it had been eternity.
What had happened in the bedroom never leaked from either of their mouths. They both pretended like it was a sort of dream. But each had thought about it since the event took place. It was difficult to look Draco in his eyes after that. Hermione felt dirty, like she had betrayed Harry. But there wasn't any Harry to betray. He was gone.
Hermione started crying at that thought. There she sat in the dining room, with her head in-between her legs and her eyes crying a river. Some of the house elves tried comforting her but it was no use. The cries got louder and Hermione was gasping for air. It had been at that very moment that Lunch was being served for Draco and a few of his closest followers.
As the Dragon came he spotted her right away. He muttered a few curses under his breath, but he didn't want to make a scene.
"Hermione?" He questioned while walking towards her. Once again, "Hermione?"
She didn't answer, instead got up as nothing had happened, dried her eyes and gave a meek smile before dismissing herself out of the room. They all watched her leave and stood in silence waiting for Draco's move. But he did nothing. He just sat down and hosted lunch like he was supposed to.
"Com'on Harry. Hurry up, we'll be late," Hermione shouted from the kitchen.
She was making last adjustments to her dress, her hair, anything that needed to be done before the ministry Christmas party. With one last spray of perfume she shoved everything into her clutch and peered around the corner.
He placed his hand over her mouth, "Shh. Just stay silent for a few seconds."
Hermione stared at him with bewilderment, but nodded her head. She watched as he fumbled nervously through his pockets until he found was he was looking for. A little black, velvet box. Her eyes widened as she watched him open it with extreme caution.
She cut the thought off before she slipped into the same cell she had found Blaise in when they brought him here. He was asleep on the cot, a plate of bread and margarine beside him on a wooden table. It broke her heart seeing him in the condition he was in, but there was nothing she could do.
Getting on her knees beside the cot, she gently rubbed his shoulder for him to wake up. He stirred for a couple of moments before she saw his eyelids pop open.
"What are you doing here?" he whispered frantically.
She smiled, "I came to bring you lunch."
And out of her coat she started pulling out cookies, chocolates, even a bottle of butterbeer. All of it she kept in her room. Whatever she could find she gave it to Blaise. It had been going on for four and a half weeks without Draco noticing a thing. After all Draco wanted Blaise to rot to death so he never checked up. But for Hermione, Draco had kept Blaise alive instead of killing him.
Blaise stroked her hair and took everything and put it in a box under his mattress except for a few chocolates, which he put on the plate for later.
"Thank you, Hermione."She nodded and took off her own coat to give to Blaise, but as always he refused and placed it back on her. He sat up on the cot and pulled Hermione up to sit beside him. After a few minutes of stretching and waking up fully he asked her the same question he asked every time she came down.
"Where is he?""Lunch."
"Ah, well, then I guess he'll be awhile."
She nodded.
Blaise ate a chocolate and stared at her from the corner of his eye. He noticed something. Raising a curious brow he turned his full attention to her, "Something's on your mind."
She shook her head this time. But Blaise knew the brunette well enough to see right through her.
"You don't have to be afraid. Tell me.""But I am afraid. God you don't understand how afraid I am."
Her statement took him by surprise. He placed a hand on her shoulder and continued to listen.
"Blaise I can't remember what Harry smells like anymore. I can't remember the way Ron laughs. I don't remember how my parents sounded. I hate him! I just --- I want to kill him, just like he did everyone that I love. I want to watch him die. But would I feel any better? Would that bring back Harry? Would I get my life back? NO!" Hermione took in a deep breath and jumped up from the cot. She paced for a good while until she calmed down. The sudden outburst alarmed her but it didn't seem to faze Blaise at all.
"You don't hate him."
"What did you say?"
He smirked and shrugged, "I know you Hermione, and I can see it. You don't hate Draco Malfoy. You hate yourself for not hating him."
"Yeah?"
She took a couple of steps towards him, "You're just afraid as I am. And you were Draco's bitch before he turned on you. I saw it when we went to Hogwarts, yet I didn't know who you were. No one did. You were always the boy with Draco Malfoy, never Blaise Zabini," two more steps, "You did everything and anything for him. And look where it got you," now she was face to face. Something dark had come over her, "And you will never, ever be what you wanted to be. You want what Draco has. And you'll never get it."
Blaise didn't make a single sound or movement. He just stared at the woman before him. Before he could do anything she broke into tears. The empty tears she always cried when she knew that her fate was sealed. He took her in his arms and held her. He held her as tight as he could until she stopped.
"I can't do this anymore, Blaise," She finally said.
He looked down at her, "What other choice do you have? Besides you're not only doing this for yourself but for your baby too."
Hermione nodded. She tried as hard as she could to keep the baby off her mind. To not get attached. As horrible as it sounded, she didn't get close with her baby because she knew who Draco was.
Hearing footsteps above them, Hermione frantically put her coat on and dried her tears. She fixed her hair and started out the door only to have her hand grabbed by Blaise.
"If you ever need anything, I'm here."
"I know."
He kissed her hand and let her go. Once again he was alone.
"Like I said Terrence, we'll see about it, I'm sure that they won't mind too much –" Draco replied to Terrence's question about the upcoming event for the Minister of magic, "After all they can't turn down their biggest source for donations, can they?"
They all laughed.
Just as they were about to turn the corner Hermione beat them.
"Where were you?" Draco questioned curiously.
Hermione took in a deep breath and pointed the opposite direction, "Gardens."
He raised an eyebrow but decided not to make anything of it. Extending his hand she obediently took it. Draco and Hermione shared a long stare at each other before Draco started going on about the Minister of Magic.
It did not occur to her that this could be important.
After all, outside contact meant escape.
But when put in situations like hers you didn't think logically anymore, you thought rationally. And for the longest time she had rational thoughts about every aspect of her life.
As they all went on about the obnoxious, vile things they liked to talk about Hermione kept taking sidelong glances at Draco. Blaise couldn't have been right. He just couldn't have. She knew she didn't feel anything for Draco Malfoy, but how come he had such an affect on her? Was she scared, or did she actually want his approval – his attention? It egged away at her brain, devouring each thought until she couldn't take it anymore.
Draco noticed the troubled look in her eyes and began to stroke her hand. He went on laughing, making jokes, but he wasn't enjoying himself.
Finally though all of them had departed and the pair stood at the door without a word in the world, but every thought possible.
Not being able to take it anymore Draco started off towards his room to be stopped by Hermione. She tugged gently at his arm and sighed, "Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"What if I'm not happy? Draco you would still keep me here even if I was miserable?"
She let go of his arm and threw her hands in the air, "Well when you love someone you want them to be happy, and if you're really in love with me then you would want me to be happy, right? Well what if I'm not happy?! Draco what if I can't take it anymore?"
Grabbing her by the wrist, Draco brought her towards him.
"You are happy. I give you everything, you must be happy!"
"But you can't give me what I want Draco! You will never be Harry! You're not Harry!"
And before another word could leave her mouth Draco struck her to the floor. Hermione hit the marble floor with a loud 'thud' and bit her lip to refuse tears to come. Draco stared down at her as she rubbed her side and forced herself to be strong about it.
Stunned, she watched him ascend up the stairs. When she knew he was gone she rubbed her cheek and wiped a few tears away from her eyes. Two times in one day she had compared two people. Blaise to Draco and Draco to Harry, and she didn't feel any better. Why? Why had she said all she had said? Rational thinking. Not only rational thinking, but to cover up what she felt for the two. Good and bad.
She forced herself to go to her room for sleep. She had nightmares about all sorts of things. Things she didn't even want to think about.
"We're engaged!" Harry declared over a toast.
Their peers cheered them on as they shared a kiss. Hermione was the first to pull away with a smile on her face as Ron and Ginny came to congratulate them. Ginny gave Hermione a warm hug as Ron shook Harry's hand.
"How exciting," Ginny said as she looked at them both, "It seems like yesterday we were all at Hogwarts. Now – marriage!"
Hermione blushed and nodded, "Yes, marriage."
As everyone talked and gossiped, Hermione stayed by Harry's side all night, never taking her eyes off of him. She finally had everything. Things were perfect, like they were supposed to be.
She stirred in her sleep. The morning sun always shone through her window. Opening one eye she groaned before clumsily making her way to the closet.
Like every morning she picked out her clothes, she bathed, she made herself pretty, then she met Draco down at breakfast. But as she came out of the bathroom that day she found an unexpected guest on the couch.
"Hello Hermione."
She had to place her hand on the bedpost to keep from fainting.
Notes: If my italics don't work i'm really sorry. The chapter didn't save right.