"You are gravely mistaken Malfoy, if you believe that The Monster Book of Monsters holds an inkling to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."
"Not just an inkling, it is miles better when considering the amount of detail that is given on the specific care of the animals."
"Okay, still, Fantastic Beasts covers a wider variety of animals and at least its title doesn't insinuate negative connotations regarding the animals in the book."
"What are you on?" He questioned.
"The title! It literally calls them monsters –
"Are you missing the beast part of Fantastic Beasts?" Draco asked.
"Are you missing the fantastic part of Fantastic –
"So, it's fine to call you a fantastic mu…." He trailed off.
"Finish the sentence Malfoy." She dared. He huffed and walked faster down muggle London. She wasn't sure how long they'd been walking but looking at how much the moon's position had changed; it had been a while.
Hermione let him throw his little tantrum and speed walk in front of her until she finally gave in and jogged up.
"Shit, I'm out of shape." She said panting, reaching him.
He snorted, "You and Weaselby don't work on that stamina?"
Hermione rolled her eyes; the second reminder of her fiancée didn't hurt as much as the first, but her face must've shown something that made Draco question, "What happened there, Granger?"
She sighed, could she trust him? Mentally going through everything that happened from his angle was pulling Ron further and further out of his box.
"I'm too sober for this conversation," she finally said. Malfoy chuckled, reaching into his coat.
"No one said you had to be," handing her a flask.
Hermione glanced at it, her box threatening to burst open made her take the first swig but the fact that she was here, with a Slytherin that had a superiority complex, and not hating the encounter, made her take the second, and third.
"Jeez," he grabbed the flask from her.
"You're too chicken to drink too, Malfoy?"
"You're the chicken." He muttered, finally taking a long swig.
"Are you an alcoholic now?" She questioned after a beat.
"You are literally losing your mind. You're the one that was drunk not an hour ago and you're the one that asked –
"I'm talking about how you're carrying a flask filled with fire-whiskey in your coat."
"Has it not come in use tonight?"
"Why are you avoiding the question?"
"Why can't you just ask the question you want to ask?" He countered.
"Do you answer all questions with questions?"
"No."
She groaned. Hermione wanted nothing more in that very moment than to trip his arrogant ass. Maybe he would just fall himself.
Trip, trip, trip, trip.
He chuckled, "I'm afraid it will take a lot more than one flask for me to lose my balance. Not everyone can be you."
What the – Had she said it out-loud? She wasn't that drunk yet…meaning…
"Are you reading my mind?"
"Don't flatter yourself, you were basically yelling it at me."
"You're a Leglimens? How?"
"I've been getting training for as long as I can remember. The Malfoy family must keep its secrets." He ended bitterly.
"Oh…then why didn't you offer when I needed one for Occlumency training?"
"You just assume that everyone wants to be in your head?"
Hermione scoffed, "Obviously that's not what I mean, but you should've brought it up."
"I shouldn't have to do anything."
"God, I just mean that it would have been the nice thing to do."
"I'm not sure if you missed the memo, Granger, but being nice is not very high on my list."
"Whatever Malfoy," she said. How someone could live their life with no regard for those around them was baffling to her. They walked down the deserted London subdivision for a few long seconds in silence before he spoke again.
"It's just – not how I wanted to...uh…"
Hermione glanced at him as he took another swig of his flask. The way his Adam's apple bobbed, and his jaw clenched was fascinating for some reason, even more of interest to the heat growing in her stomach. But that was just the alcohol, of course.
Hermione grabbed his flask before he took another gulp, downing a large mouthful.
"You say many things that make no sense." She said matter-of-factly.
He gave a hollow laugh, "That's a good thing," before grabbing the flask back.
She wasn't sure when the drinking had become a competition but suddenly the flask was empty and all there that was left were two very tipsy wizards, utterly lost in the streets of wherever the fuck they were.
"We should…" Hermione started, threatened by a wave of dizziness that made her forget her sentence.
"Huh?"
"Ummmm…" She trailed off, no thought making sense in her mind. They were holding onto each other now, both dreadfully close to causing a combined face plant which would only be made worse by the dress tangling at her heels. She could barely walk straight in shoes.
"If I fall –," she hiccupped, "Blame Daphne."
"Why?"
"This stupid – dress – her idea."
"Remind me to send her a card."
"You want me to trip?" She asked. It wouldn't be that surprising.
"No, you nincompoop. It's...you don't look terrible."
"YOU LIKE IT?" She glanced up at him, the thought making her dangerously dizzy.
"I am a man." He simply said.
She giggled into his shoulder, "Draco Malfoy likes my dress."
He snorted, "Hermione Granger just giggled."
"Hey I giggle a lot…well…I used to...before...at Hogwarts!"
"English becoming difficult Granger?" He chuckled. Hermione made no effort to counter, focusing simply on the path ahead of her. One step in-front of the other.
"So, what changed since then?" He asked.
"Huh?"
"Why have you become a bore since Hogwarts?"
"Ummm, maybe it was because - how my parents forgot my existence and it was my fault. Also, maybe that - how people that I loved died around me." She stated.
"Shit...way to bring the mood down."
Hermione smacked his stomach playfully...his hard stomach. Fuck. She didn't pull away immediately and he looked down at the contact. Staring for a second before gulping audibly and physically moving her hand away.
"Uh…"
Hermione's cheeks burned at the almost rejection. "Well," she spat defensively, "You were rude…and don't even try to act like you're the same person since Hogwarts."
"Why must you make everything a competition."
Hermione huffed, "I'm just saying that I told you something so now it's your turn."
He sighed, rolling his head slightly, "You've read the papers: my parents are in Azkaban and I'm a Death Eater."
"You're not still a Death Eater." She stated.
"Once a Death Eater…"
"No."
He looked down and made eye contact with her stubborn gaze, holding it as her neck heated, and breaths became shallow. They were so close now, if she just moved a little closer, their lips would –
He cleared his throat, whipping his face away but the movement was too sudden for Hermione's leaded feet and she toppled, clutching Malfoy tighter for balance but instead pulling him down to the ground with her.
"AGH." He yelled, their legs entangled into each other, "I've been attacked."
"Dramatic! It was an accident!" She protested, pulling them apart but unable to stand back up. Instead, she sat on the curb of the empty, dark road, inspecting herself for any cuts or bruises. "And you were the one that jumped like you got electrocuted," Hermione tried evenly but she could hear her voice waver with the hint of the second rejection in one night.
He groaned, putting his head in his hands.
The sound pulled out the common sense buried under the alcohol, what was she doing? She was engaged for one, and two, two, this was Malfoy. The man who had called her a mudblood, been part of the reason Dumbledore was dead and had terrorized her best friends their entire childhood.
She would fail a test before she would ever let Malfoy think that he rejected her. Silly of her to believe that he'd want to do anything different anyway, he'd looked at her with disgust ever since she had first locked eyes with him sitting under that sorting hat.
"I just meant that you moved like a sporadic chicken, so this is your fault; not that I wanted anything other than to be a mile away from you." She said with as much bite as she could muster.
He looked up and she thought she could see a hint of hurt in his face but that might have just been the blurriness of it before he looked back at his loafers, kicking away a rock. Should she say something? She had expected at least a sarcastic comment back.
Hermione thought of a way to quell any suspicion of her wanting his contact and she blurted it out the second it came to mind: "Are you coming to the wedding?"
He scoffed, still staring at his shoes, "I don't recall getting an invite."
"Well, consider this one. You did buy the dress after all."
His eyes shut tight, and for the first time, there wasn't bitterness or a smirk but he just looked tired.
"You'd like for me to come?" He asked.
Hermione pondered this for a whole minute before answering. One, was there even going to be a wedding? Two, did she want him there…Hypothetically, if there was a wedding, him being there would no-doubt cause issues with Ron. But, if that wasn't the case…Hermione almost laughed…if the guy she was marrying wasn't in the marriage, then yes, she believed she did want him there.
But, Ron would, of course, be there.
"Probably wouldn't be the best idea." She finally answered
Confusion bloomed on his face, followed by an expression she couldn't place.
"Why not?" His voice was quiet but the underlying hope was detectable, what was he expecting?
"Uhm, you're a sore topic between Ron and I."
"Why?"
"God, the questions."
"If I'm the topic of any conversation between you and Weasley, I think I have a right to know."
She scoffed, the audacity, "You have no such right actually. And anyways, it's too hard to explain."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just that…" She groaned, her box was opening and there was no stopping it. How was she supposed to put into words all of the reasons he wasn't a friendly topic?
"…you're a…touchy…subject because of everything you did at Hogwarts," she gave him a pointed look before continuing, "and he's been having some...issues...controlling his emotions when you come up."
He was watching her when she looked up, analysing her face to pull out more than she was giving. How much was she willing to give up anyway? She was tired of the lying, of having no one to talk to this about. Technically, she could talk to Daphne, but she barely knew her, and Daphne didn't know Ron from before. It wouldn't be the same.
Hermione was exhausted of putting Ron back into her box, but could she trust Malfoy?
"Elaborate." He stated, eyes piercing. The intensity scared her; this was too much already. She wasn't ready for this.
Hermione looked down her hands, picking away at her nail, "Nothing, forget it."
"Hermione," he said, voice level, "What does he do?"
"Uhm…it's nothing, he just has spurts of anger and sometimes…I just get in the way."
Hermione looked up to see Draco's face scrunched in confusion, "You get in the way how exactly?"
"I don't want to talk about this." She stated, eyes burning.
Malfoy grabbed her face, pulling her gaze back to him, "Then show me. Let me in."
Hermione gulped; his face was so close to hers. Her body, her brain was aching to give in. To just have him know everything that was weighing down her chest. "Can I trust you?" She asked.
He whispered, "Yes."
"Okay," Hermione finally said, against her better judgement, taking the lid off of her box, tears already swelling, "Okay. Do it."
"Legilimens," he breathed.
The witch relived her worst memories again, for the third time, but this time it wasn't just her alone or the piercing eyes of Daphne, but rather the presence of Draco and it made it all a little easier…a little; the snap of her wrist, still caused panic to bubble up. The whimpering as Ron entered her giving her a flush of humiliation and finally the hit that brought it all to today.
Hermione expected Draco's distaste, but not the rising anger she felt so strongly that she thought it was hers. Draco exited promptly when the memories ended, his face seething, jaw clenched, eyes narrow.
He lifted his hands from her face gently, clutching them to his sides into fists.
His voice was strained when he started, "You are not getting married to him."
It was a question more than a statement; she saw the desperation in his eyes as he waited for her affirmation.
"That's none of your business."
"FUCK THAT." He yelled.
Hermione startled at his outburst and he was suddenly ten feet away, seething.
"YOU ARE SERIOUSLY MARRYING THE FUCK?" He demanded.
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING. WHY ARE YOU YELLING?"
"BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU WERE SMART." He took a breath before continuing, "How can you not see this?"
"What Malfoy, what can I not see?"
"He obviously doesn't love you, let alone the fact that he would probably end up KILLING you."
Hermione gasped, how dare he, "You. Don't. Know. Anything."
"I know that you are behaving like an insane person."
She didn't say anything. Instead, she letting her tears flow out of her eyes and continued picking at her nail.
"Is this what love is to you, Granger?" He pleaded. "Getting punched? Getting raped?"
Hermione's tears were gushing down her face, "Fuck off." She spat. It was a full minute before anyone spoke.
"You could have told me." He whispered.
"We aren't friends."
"At the conference room, you could've said where the cast was really from, I would've, I could've…"
"What Draco? What could you have possibly done?" Hermione's voice was rising again, how dare he make this about him.
"MORE THAN JUST SEND A HEALER."
"WHAT? RON SENT THAT HEALER."
Draco rolled his eyes, pacing, "I just used his name, so you'd trust it, I DIDN'T KNOW HE CAUSED IT."
"You sent the healer?"
"God, you're slow for the bright –
This whole time, she hadn't known. Assuming Ron did was half the reason she went back to him in the first place. It had been Draco this whole time?
"I'm going home." She said, her brain throbbing after the alcohol and Legilimency. She rose to walk back from where they began. She would apparate when she was far enough from the houses, but he clutched her arm before she was out of reach.
"If you THINK that I'm going to let you go back to that piece of –
"Let me? You – You have no right to –
"If you're going to be such a bonehead and go back to him then –
"Not that it's any of your business but I'm staying at Daphne's."
"So, you did leave him?"
"I just needed some space. Let go," She spat.
He made no move to let go of her arm, and just sighed. Hermione felt the hot hair at the base of her neck, goosebumps rising. She felt him come closer behind her.
"Please Granger, you deserve -
She snatched her arm out of his grasp and apparated to Daphne's right there.
Fuck this.
She arrived a moment later, her skin still burning from the contact. Hermione almost looked back to see if he was still there, but she couldn't tell which answer she wanted more. Her heart ached and the feeling made her hate him. Fuck him for adding more to her plate, fuck him for making her feel this way. She would've apparated back just to say something that hurt him even half as much as she had, if she only knew where to go.
Instead, she made her way to the door, surprised to find Daphne's light still on. It must have been almost 2 in the morning.
"Hello?" She called, walking in.
Daphne popped out her head a minute later, "Oh thank Salazar, I thought I was going to have to send out a search team."
Hermione let out a weak laugh and followed her into the living room, falling, exhausted, on the couch.
"Where'd you go?" Daphne asked.
"I couldn't tell you. W – I just walked around for a while."
She didn't say anything back, just closed her eyes and tilted her head onto the rest.
"Can I ask you something?" Hermione broke the silence.
Daphne gave a small nod.
"Why did you help me? I mean, you didn't even question me going back to him, you just offered, and you, you barely even knew me."
The Slytherin came up to gaze at Hermione, finding a burning curiosity. She sighed, a sadness coming over her face before she looked away, deep in thought. It was a full minute before she answered.
"It's not a pleasant story." She warned.
"I wouldn't trust it if it was."
Daphne gave a weak smile before starting, "I didn't have the best childhood Hermione. My dad, he had these bursts of anger. Rarely, only a couple times a year, but when they happened, it was terrifying. My sister and I, we would hide under her bed waiting for it to pass."
Hermione said nothing, waiting for her to continue.
"It always did, the moments. He never did come looking for us or rather, he never even lifted a finger at us but my mother –
Daphne's voice cracked, her eyes glistening with tears before she continued with a hoarser voice.
"My mother was always near him when they happened. She would say something or do something and it would just set him off. Never anything deserving of course - not that there could be anything...but I always wondered why she didn't come join us. Or just leave and come back later but after, I realized that it was so he wouldn't look for us." Tears were now dripping down her face, Hermione wondered if she should comfort her somehow.
"I asked her when we were all older why she didn't leave him, and she said that she couldn't. He was all she knew. And that even if she could, she had nowhere to go." Daphne glanced back at Hermione, wiped away her tears and said with determination, "I just wanted you to have what...what she didn't, a place where you could go. I was scared that saying anything about why you're still with him might have scared you away."
Hermione hadn't noticed her own tears had started flowing until she felt the coolness on her cheeks.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Granger, you know that you deserve better right? You know that you can't go back?"
Hermione just stared, she didn't know anything any better than when she had first arrived here and lying to her in this moment felt wrong.
Daphne's face fell and she gave her a curt nod before promptly exiting the room and she let her go.
Instead, Hermione walked slowly towards the guest room, sitting stiffly on the bed. The wedding was now exactly seven days away and while she didn't know what to do, she knew she wouldn't find the answer staring at the four walls of an unfamiliar room.
She had to go home. She had to be brave.
~ NOTES ~
Hello lovely people! Sorry for the short chapter! For the sake of not leaving it at a cliff hanger or starting a scene I couldn't finish, I decided to end it here. Maybe the early upload makes up for it? No?
As always, please let me know what you think - especially about the banter/Draco convos, that's a new field for this fic.
*kisses*
ps: I'd like to thank blubberingSquish for the 11/10 support;)