Shacklebolt approved her temporary transfer the next day, telling Hermione that branching out and making international connections would help her in the long run for her career goals. She was jubilant, an opportunity to live in a foreign country short term while aid their law enforcement department was not something many were able to experience. A lot of pressure was on to perform, mainly put on by herself, but between her excitement and nervous energy she was ecstatic to leave.
The night her porkey was set to activate, she received a horned black owl, holding a postcard of the clock tower in London. She flipped it over, smiling at the message.
'The unexamined life is not worth living.' — Socrates.
Be safe, D.M.
Tucking the card in her beaded bag, she felt the heavy stress and worry leave her chest. Travel jitters were casted away and only excitement remained. As she arrived, she found herself originally struggling with the foreign department. Language barriers despite spells proved difficult, and the fighting circle they were trying to bring down was almost double the size of the one in the U.K.
She requested an extension for another month as a precaution, feeling a little dejected by the first two weeks but not letting it stop her from helping Argentina's DMLE. Ron wasn't the happiest that she decided to extend her stay, even though she explained it could still only be a month rather than two, he was still put off by her lack of communication and painted it as he was going to miss her more.
The sense of loneliness she felt hit her the hardest when she was arm deep in her beaded bag, searching for the extra bottle of sunscreen lotion she knew she packed, but instead grasping onto a thick piece of paper. Bringing it out of her bag, she smiled at the momentarily forgotten postcard and felt herself missing the pleasant presence and conversations with Malfoy.
She ventured out to the tourist destinations on one of her days off, plucking up a postcard with one of the most popular beaches at sunset as the picture. Writing down her quote, she hoped it properly conveyed her emotions.
Draco was shocked to receive a small owl at his window in the middle of the night. It's tame gray and brown feathers handed him a single, brightly colored postcard. His heart lurched and he flipped the card over to read it's note.
'Sweet is the memory of distant friends! Like the mellow rays of the departing sun, it falls tenderly, yet sadly, on the heart.' —Washington Irving
In other words, I'm feeling quite homesick. Hope all is well!
H. Granger
Hermione wasn't sure if it was inappropriate to send that to Malfoy, but their back and forth was something she held very near to her heart, the sayings and quotes filling perfect silences. But her worries were quieted when she received an owl a week and a half later, this time with a magical postcard showing a bustling Diagon Alley.
'You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.' —Henry David Thoreau
London will always be here, as will your friends. Try to enjoy your experience for all it offers.
—D.M.
It was touching, thoughtful and exactly what she needed to hear. It appeared that immediately after he had sent her the message, Hermione's work picked up and the team finally made headway with their case. She also focused on the beauty around her, taking in the warm climate, accepting guided tours from her coworkers.
She sent Malfoy a magical postcard of waterfalls from her day trip outing with her colleagues. Reminiscing about the thrills of her adventure but how much more fun it would be to see his expression once he read this post.
'Be present in all things and thankful for all things.' — Maya Angelou
Have we moved on from philosophers? Should I be concerned your work will suffer if you have to spend all your time trying to keep up with my vast knowledge of muggle philosophers, writers, poets and activists? You should just accept defeat, you won't out show me.
H. Granger
P.S.— I JUMPED off that today. Coolest thing I've ever done. Can you say the same?
Draco chuckled as he read her words, reaching into his desk drawer and fumbling for the postcard he bought weeks ago on reserve, hoping he would receive another one of her updates. Already minding the perfect quote to her snarky little message of beating him, he knew she'd laugh childishly at his next card, even though it was an accurate response to her teasing.
'I'm the chosen one.' — Harry sodding Potter (Assuming of course, but most likely said at some point in his annoyingly heroic life).
—D.M.
P.S. — I'm impressed, but I've fallen off a broom from much taller heights and lived to tell the tale. I think I win.
Hermione did laugh, a chest rattling, stomach aching laugh that caused her to break out into fits of giggles days after. So much so that she would look at the card before bed and have another fit before she had to put it away to stop herself from laughing any harder.
Her happiness only increased when she and her colleagues successfully brought in the remaining stragglers of the fighting ring down all in one day, actually catching them during a fwooper fight night. Not only were they able to save all fwoopers, but a majority of the team went unscathed, only a few receiving non fatal hexes. It also meant Hermione was able to come home a week earlier from her two month time period.
Portkeying back to London on the weekend, she took a few days off to readjust to the time difference and prepare for the inevitable exhaustion that would hit. Come Wednesday, she was perky as ever, eager to get back to work and find a postcard to alert Malfoy of her return home.
The thought halted her into a guilty trance. She wasn't this excited to return home for Ron or Harry or Ginny. Why should she have these feelings for Malfoy?
Rationalizing that it was because of his previous and hilarious correspondence, she was more excited to respond to his jovial comment. Not so much that there was a possibility to see him now that she was home.
Agreeing on that notion, Hermione picked up a postcard from Diagon Alley of a random professional quidditch team zooming over the sky. She wrote her small quip and headed to her office, dropping the post off and knowing it would be soon received by him most likely that afternoon.
While most of her day was spent getting her up to speed on latest department developments and discussions of her time abroad, Hermione was still feeling a bit tired from the trip. Deciding to visit her hidden haven on her lunch, she knew the soft tappings of rain wouldn't do much to keep her awake, but at least offer her a consistent, calming presence. She rested her head on the glass, shutting her eyes for a moment and taking in the sounds of rain against the window.
"Hermione Granger napping on the job?"
Her eyes shot open, a wide cheek hurting smile growing on her face when she saw his entertained expression and a cheerful brightness in his gray eyes.
"Hey!" She naturally stood, approaching his body, beginning to outstretch her arms to greet him in a hug but suddenly hesitated unsurely. Their eyes locked, a flash of awkwardness showing between them before it melted away with an unsaid tenderness.
Continuing forward, they met each other in a brief hug, something dancing inside their stomachs, twisting and turning in a way that it would almost make pixies jealous of it's fluttering motions.
"I was resting my eyes. Still not accustomed to the weather and time I guess. And you're here…to scold me for wasting precious Ministry funds?" She asked, only taking a half step back, feeling drawn to the scent on his clothes.
"I received postage that was stamped from London and a snooty little note that read something like 'when you assume you make an arse of you and me?'" Hermione giggled at the saying and his confusion.
"Was curious to see what that meant and if the postcard implied your early return home and… I was right, so I…came to say hi and find out the details of your trip." He finished the last part timidly, a surge of regret filling his head but quickly fading as her laugh rang through his ears.
"It's a play on words, I'll explain later. But I returned home Friday night, took a few days to get collected though I should have taken a week. The trip was fantastic! All business of course except for my off days."
She animatedly expressed, eyes lighting up as she recalled her entire trip to him. She spoke of her highlights, the research and difference in commitment this project took versus her other one, sharing nerve wracking details of the days they pursued their criminals and often cutting herself off mid explanation to try and remind herself of another point to talk about later, only to forget it about it until Draco reminder her of it.
"Enough about me, how have you been?" She questioned with genuine interest she only possessed.
"Oh you know, a teacup tried to kill me, a woman in Ireland's family vault spewed black burning smoke and scarred my ankles and I nearly went blind reading ancient runes for a week straight. The usual." He informed with a casual tone. Hermione's mouth gaped and she then reached for the material of his trousers at his legs.
"You got scarred on your legs? Is it serious?" She asked, trying to pull up the leg pant to reveal the flesh.
"No, leave me alone." Draco jumped back and swatted at her hand, laughing at her overstepping of personal space and boundaries. She stared at him in disbelief, gently clutching her hand and trying not to gasp in humor.
"Did you just slap me?" She interrogated with mock hurt.
"I tapped your hand away to prevent your overbearing antics." He rolled his eyes, lips curving upwards.
"No you slapped me. You hit a woman." She gasped loudly. "What will your mother think? I'm off to owl her right this instant." She faked her seriousness then stormed past him, biting back the laugh threatening to spill over.
Draco shuffled quickly after her, raising his voice over the clutter of their feet down the stairs.
"You have no witnesses so it's your word against mine, good luck trying to convince her. Some law enforcement officer you are."
Hermione abruptly stopped her descending steps, turning to face him with a knowing look and grasping onto the railing to peer up at him. His excessive height did not give her any advantages, especially while he remained two steps above her. Reaching up on the step between them and lifting herself on her toes, she tried her best to get in his face.
"'A well informed mind is the best security against the contagion of folly and vice.' Ann Raddcliffe. I think your mother will be well informed after my owl and knowledgeable enough to make her own fair deductions of the events." She turned her nose up then moved to return to her step but Draco's arm shot forward, stopping her in place and keeping her face close to his, mere inches away.
"Tattling is childish, Granger." He lightly scolded and she raised her brow in a challenge.
"And slapping isn't Malfoy?" She grinned back.
"Don't act like you didn't like it."
The octaves dropped considerably, in a deep, dark pit of something unknown that both were never supposed to go near. The smile slipped from their faces, joining in that forbidden pit. Hermione's mind was suddenly surrounded by the warmth his body radiated, accompanied by the strong scent of his cologne. She almost forgot what it smelled like. Involuntarily, their eyes drifted downwards, getting a tiny, tiny peek at the color of each other's lips while they both examined their softness.
Their trance was broken by a loud crashing, followed by a gasp in the atrium far away. The noise broke Hermione free and she stumbled down two stairs and turned her head to the sound. Draco took a step up, eyes widening in a panic about what, or what didn't, transpire.
Gulping in a breath of now clear air, Hermione set her jaw straight and faced him once more.
"I think I've slacked off enough for today. I should—"
"Right, me too." Draco cut her off, trying his hardest not to look affected by their fleeing moment but failing miserably when he offered an artificial smile. She disappointingly did the same.
"Well, thank you for coming to see me. It was nice to catch up." She said as she took another step down, Draco pretended to ignore that the distance she was trying to put between them didn't sting a tad.
"Always a pleasure Granger." He said with a nod and then she blinked a few times, the pink on her cheeks spreading to her neck as she turned and hurried back to the lifts. Draco waited a few minutes, taking a seat on the window and rubbing his hands over his face a few times, replaying the mental image of her eyelashes lowering over and over again.
Two months later he came into work with a picture of Granger and Weasley on the front of the newspaper, holding hands while walking through Diagon Alley then next to it, a close up of Hermione's left hand, a sparkling ring on a particular finger.
He stared longer than considered normal or healthy for his eyes. Bill came into his office ready to walk with him to their next meeting when he saw his hard gaze on the paper.
"Surprised? So am I." He said and moved the paper to face him. Malfoy blinked rapidly and then rubbed his eyes.
"Seems…" He began but unsure of anything to truly say at all. The announcement caused him to feel tongue tied for the first time in his life.
"Out of nowhere? We all were a bit shocked honestly, especially when Mione kept telling us they were in no hurry, but I guess you never know, right?." Bill tossed the paper back to him and Malfoy thoughtfully frowned. "Ready?" Bill asked motioning towards the door and Malfoy reluctantly got up from his desk and followed him out. He later ordered a dozen white and pink roses, sending them to her office.
"Every heart sings a song incomplete until another heart whispers back." —Plato
Congratulations
—D.M.
Hermione smiled at the thoughtful gesture, but the muscles in her stomach flexed uncomfortably and she felt nauseous for the rest of the day. Her engagement to Ron had in fact been out of nowhere. Their relationship didn't feel like it was ready to move forward to a deeper commitment, but Ron's speech and the way he went about proposing made Hermione feel like she was seventeen all over again, however fleeting the feeling was.
She didn't hesitate to say yes, but the next day she found herself feeling uncomfortable looking at the ring. It felt wrong, but she repeatedly told herself it was nerves.
But the nerves didn't stop, following her all the way to the New Year's Party and only stopping when she was able to slip away from the congratulatory smiles and hugs, and make her way up the stairs. A feeling of hope grew inside her as she passed the wall and it only exploded into an anxious energy when she saw the panel of his back in his black robes.
"I haven't seen you all night. For awhile I thought you didn't attend." She approached his side, facing the window with him as they viewed the people walking on frozen pavement, attempting to not get chilled by the wind.
"I wasn't planning on attending tonight actually." He replied with an unusual tone, unwilling to look at her.
"Oh? Why not?" She queried, feeling as if he were across the street, his entire appearance seeming to mimic the composure of the man she once considered to be less of a human and more of a myth.
"My mother wanted me to join her at the Greengrass' tonight." He responded, eyes flickering up and down the road below them. Hermione stared at the shifty movement.
"And miss all this fun?" She tried to sound lighthearted but he grimaced, barely, but still there, and she caught it. "You seem…down. Is everything alright?
Draco finally turned to her, gray eyes showing the careful marks of someone on guard and hesitation bleeding with untrusting. It was quicker gone than it was present, morphing into a melancholy expression that worried her.
"Suppose I'm feeling a bit behind in life and trying to force it to be where I think it should be. Thoughts of, what I should have done differently ages ago to place me better for where I am today have been frequently on my mind. More than usual anyways." He explained, returning his attention to the window, the soft glow of the fading yellow and white lights lighting his face.
Hermione inhaled a long breath, releasing it carefully through her nose as she let his words sit in her brain.
"'Every instant of our lives is essentially irreplaceable: you must know this in order to concentrate on life.' Andre Gide." She quoted and Malfoy nodded slowly, processing the words. "And: 'comparison is the root of all evil.'" She added.
Draco snorted. "I think Aristotle would argue that ignorance is."
"Maybe so. But it doesn't mean the statement isn't less true." She expressed then moved so their shoulders brushed, the sleeves of her dress loosely hanging off her arm. "I don't think you should rush to the life you covet. You'll soon blink and realize it's all over before you truly get to appreciate it."
"I know Granger." His words were quiet, speaking a secret. "But I can still dream of a life I want but won't get while enjoying the one I do have."
She was taken aback by the sadness in his tone, but, as if to sense his own emotion, he shook his head and turned his head to her, the first sensible smile coming to his features she's seen all night.
"You look lovely by the way." He complimented, eyes taking in white dress that fitted her better than usual. She greedily accepted the compliment, still wanting to discuss his previous remarks, but he pushed forward before she could speak. "Wearing white to prepare for your wedding?"
He half joked and Hermione chuckled while rolling her eyes. "I don't think there'll be a wedding for quite some time if I have it my way."
Draco looked perplexed by the line. "Why's that?"
She shrugged, her bare shoulders rising up below her cheeks, Malfoy noted the spread freckles over the skin.
"I'm in no rush. Wasn't really in a rush to get engaged. I just think it's unnecessary when Ron and I both have a lot going on with work and we're still very young." With her statement, she began to pick at the skin on the side of her thumbnail, feeling bad for admitting that she wasn't keen on quickly marrying her lover, especially when the magical tradition is to marry and have kids young.
"Granger I hope I don't sound incredibly rude when I ask this, but, why did you say yes to getting engaged then?"
"Because I love him, obviously. We'll get married one day, but we should first relish in the relationship we have now. Ron understands." She added fast, not wanting it to sound like she was an ungrateful fiancé who dictated the relationship.
Draco's eyebrows were low on his forehead, crinkles cutting into his skin as a look of disbelief crossed his face. He scoffed.
"I think if I ever ask a witch to marry me my intent would be to do it as quickly as possible. If you love someone enough to spend the rest of your life with them, why would you want to wait?"
"'Love is patient, love is kind.' I suppose we just differ on the views of marriage." Hermione retorted to which he scoffed again.
"Yeah maybe." He muttered under his breath, Hermione catching him rolling his eyes. She frowned, defenses suddenly high.
"What's the attitude for?" She demanded.
"There's no attitude."
"Yes there is. You scoffed at my words then proceeded to roll your eyes. Do you have something to add?" She asked while facing her entire body towards him, putting the farthest distance away from them since she joined him by their window.
"No." He quickly replied.
"Seems like you might." She pushed.
"I don't." He avoided.
"Bloody hell, just come out with—"
"You shouldn't have said yes if you don't want to marry him." He interrupted her, a distinct edge in his voice and Hermione felt her jaw drop.
"I do want to marry him." Her voice rising.
"Really? You seem so thrilled by the idea of it." He sarcastically commented.
"Everyone has different opinions. I don't see why you can't respect mine." Her chest weighed heavily down, like she was buried under the snow. "Is it so wrong for a woman to not be eager to walk down the aisle and instead focus on her career for a bit?"
"Obviously not, but you know that's not what I meant." Draco gave her a look of incredulity, she hated it.
"Then what did you mean, because it sounds like you're questioning my relationship." She accused.
"That's not at all what I meant. You don't seem…enthused. It begs the question why say yes if you don't really—" His own voice began to rise, now wishing he wouldn't have said anything to begin with.
"Let me make this clear: to question my love or my loyalty to Ron is to question me." She firmly stated.
"I'm not—"
"And I will not let someone who knows nothing of my relationship tell me what's really going on." She was seething.
"Granger I'm s—"
"For you to even imply such a thing is highly offensive. I know you and Ron never got along but he is the man I have always loved. I'm sorry if you can't be happy for us but I will not allow former childhood differences and your misplaced bitterness to spoil my own happiness. Have a good evening Malfoy and Happy New Year." She dashed away with a shaking anger twitching at her hands and vibrating throughout her being.
He called after her once, but she quickly escaped the stairs and he knew how it would look for him to chase after her should someone come across them. So he told his legs not to move when his chest was trying to tug him forward. A crippling fear that he had offended her beyond repair was soon replaced by annoyance for her lack of waiting for him to explain himself. Taking a few minutes to stow away his emotions, he checked his pocket watch then left for the floo, heading to the Greengrass' to join his mother.
Hermione was livid in the days to come and the feelings surrounding her argument only pushed her guilt forward with Ron about accepting his proposal prematurely. The conflicting feelings inside her drove her away from everyone. But when an opportunity arose from Minister Shacklebolt himself, she let herself be consumed by the positive direction she was heading.
A long term idea she had since she was in Hogwarts was finally coming to fruition, and she was heading the entire project. The beginning of the year flew by as she made travel preparations, seeing as she wasn't to return to England for the next six months.
When she excitedly told Ron her work secret, he immediately frowned, not even congratulating her for finally being able to start one of her biggest goals for the DMLE.
"That's so long. I thought—" He looked down, shoulders slumping, Hermione's posture fell as well and she feared his next words. "I thought we could begin planning our wedding for this year or early next."
"Ron this is…this is everything. Surely we can wait?" She asked hopefully and for a moment, Ron almost had the courage to have a conversation with Hermione regarding their relationship. But the sweet smile she wore held his voice hostage and instead he bit his tongue, agreeing with her then asking for the details of her departure, wanting to plan weeks ahead to visit her.
News of Hermione Granger's 'United Ministries Conference' or the UMC as she referred to it, spread quickly throughout the U.K. It would be the largest meeting amongst magical world leaders this century had seen, and she was the organizer for the entire event. The goal of the Conference is to bridge international relations while discussing the importance of progressive laws implemented while instituting a system of oversight to maintain said progress.
She began in Argentina, a familiar government with an awareness of their issues, law enforcement and a great understanding of the goals of their lawmakers. She traveled to other counties in South America, ensuring that even those with a smaller magical population were invited and had their seat at the Conference.
She moved upwards to Mexico, the States and to Canada, finding a majority of her time was spent not allowing the Americans to strong arm her to take over her project and needing a better understanding of their social laws.
Ron joined her once she travelled to Greenland the first time they saw each other in almost four months. Their expectations were not met, and it felt as if they were both trying to make up for something. One night after dinner, they held each other's hands, bodies resting in one another, dread filling them up as they ignored the breaking thread.
"I miss you Mione." He softly said and Hermione felt her chest shatter.
"I miss you too."
And she did. She missed the way they once were, looking to make each other happy, having infinite amount of moments to love and learn, creating memories that she thought they would one day tell their children about. She missed feeling that white light of innocent love that once blossomed between them.
Two months later, Ron joined her in Africa, discussing that it was quite obvious they shouldn't be engaged and break things off for now. They sobbed together, mourning the end of their relationship and the future they both envisioned for themselves. It was painful, and they agreed to only disclose their break up to family members, both needing time to process and grieve in private.
The only remedy to her sadness was the large amounts of information she was learning in Africa. She took more time exploring, making the most of every moment of her experience while breaking from her Ministry work. Her final leg of her visit to South Africa was Victoria Falls. She marveled at the pure power and immense size of the element. It was something magnificent to behold and as she passed a tourist store later that day, she noticed a postcard stand and decided to buy the one of the Falls.
She hadn't spoken to Malfoy since New Year's and she wasn't able to attend the Ministry's 297th Anniversary this year due to the fact she was abroad. Happy to miss the celebration as she was not yet ready to come public with the news of her and Ron's separation, she did feel guilty for the way her and Malfoy's last conversation went.
Eyes roaming over the card, she nervously wrote a message, unable to decide if she should leave the quote unattached with anything else or ask him of his well-being to force him to respond. Mulling over the possibilities five different times, she sent the card.
'Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.' — Albert Einstein
I didn't jump off these falls this time.
H. Granger
A violent twisting premiered in Draco's chest, as if someone reached inside his ribcage and began juggling with his heart and lungs. He stared at her script, the H and G of her signature clear and concise while the remaining letters were squiggled off in a hurry.
It felt wrong of him to want to respond immediately, but he forced himself to wait and consider whether it was now appropriate for him to resume correspondence with her, given everything.
He sent a picture of the White Cliffs of Dover, accompanied by an excerpt.
He opened the door back up again. But the spark of hope he felt after he sent the owl was soon extinguished when his own postcard was delivered back to him. He thought she was in South Africa, and if she wasn't, then she must have already left for another country or continent. Internally groaning, he knew there was no way to find her location unless he asked people within DMLE, and he couldn't accomplish the information without it looking odd. So he waited, wondering if maybe it was a sign that his post never was delivered.
Initially her ego and feelings were wounded, until she realized she never told him her next location, so there was no way for her to receive a post from him. If, and that's a gigantic if, he sent one.
The last two months were spent in Australia and Asia, her favorite stops. Traveling across almost every continent left her with nearly a thousands of new photos, she was anxious to show her friends all she learned once the Conference was over.
Returning to England was the busiest she ever saw the Ministry. Since they were the host of the first ever Conference, ministry officials were working in overdrive to ensure their guests would view their experience highly. Hermione hardly had any time to see friends or family, knowing she'd get a break once the week was over and planned to take a vacation for the first time ever since being at the Ministry.
The UMC was one of a kind, forging a new global tradition that was wildly successful, exceeding everyone's expectations. Magical Leaders had thoughtful discussions and debates about wizarding-kind and the duty every government official has to continue its development. It was a dream come true for Hermione and she felt overwhelmed with the amount of support she received from her colleagues now from all over the world.
In the closing ceremony, Kingsley accredited everything to Hermione, saying the future of the wizarding world is in strong and compassionate hands because of her and announcing she was now the new Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The Atrium exploded into applause, receiving a ten minute standing ovation from the crowd that caused her to cry.
It wasn't until after she returned home from her much needed vacation that sifted into the holidays that she came across Draco's postcard on her desk, lost amongst the stacks of thank you notes, flowers and congratulations of the legendary inaugural UMC. She held the picture, the spark of happiness reigniting inside her as she read.
'…My lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people…This is what it is to be happy.' —Slyvia Plath.
Maybe these ones then?
—D.M.
She wanted to owl him right then and there, but she remembered the New Year's party the next day and decided she would speak with him then. It was silly of her to deny it any longer. She liked Malfoy and had a massive crush on him. While her break up with Ron was a severe hardship, she found herself missing Draco more in those months abroad, thought of his witty remarks and show stopping smiles that seemed to fluster her mind when directed at her.
They certainly had close moments, while at ministry functions and outside of them. Was it possible he felt the same rumblings inside his stomach when they would accidentally touch, or even purposely touch? Did he notice the pink on her skin when he'd compliment her? Did he know how absolutely horrible it felt to not speak with him for almost a year?
She was nervous to attend the event alone, more nervous to face him, but the energy drove her to wear her best silver and gold gown. Confidence shining through her eyes when she stepped out of the floo, she was met with a swarm of people still excited over the UMC and her promotion.
She eventually found Harry and Ginny, both of them laughing at her uncomfortableness with the constant flashing cameras.
"Thanks for finally taking some attention away from me Mione. I almost feel like a normal person." Harry joked and she narrowed her eyes while Ginny giggled.
"The UMC was over a month ago. You'd think something more interesting would happen by now." She commented.
"Well there was one thing that happened on Christmas. Ma—" Ginny began but Hermione's name was called by someone from across the room, she grimaced then headed in the direction of the group of people wanting to speak with her, sending a look to her friends who watched with amusement.
Throughout her evening, she'd crane her head to search for his appearance, but as the minutes passed, she grew more disappointed by his lack of attendance. It would have been nice to have a distraction from the constant questions of where Ron was and when they will set a date. Having enough of keeping up a front and lying to people, Hermione headed upstairs, missing her hideout.
Hoisting herself up carefully on the ledge, she leaned her back to the wall and watched the mixture of sleet and snow fall from the sky. It was a dreary night for New Years, but she wouldn't allow the weather to worsen her mood. She made a plan to send Draco a holiday card if she didn't see him tonight, shuffling her memory for the perfect quote to go with it.
Draco did arrive, as soon as she padded upstairs and cursed himself for allowing his mother to talk him into leaving so late. Swarming him were friends and people who knew him and his family, congratulating him. Though he didn't speak much during those conversations, he anxiously looked over to where Potter and Weasley stood, noticing neither Hermione nor Ron were near.
Excusing himself to have a quick chat with Bill, he approached the group and offered a polite smile.
"Evening all." He greeted and Bill turned with bright eyes and a large smile.
"Hey mate! Congrats! By the looks of it everything went well, eh?" Bill shook his hand enthusiastically and Fleur kissed his cheek. Harry shook his hand as well when Draco chuckled and scratched the back of his head with a subtle smile.
"Went wonderfully. How was Christmas for everyone?" He politely asked, needing to make a minute more of conversation before appropriately noting the lack of presence of a certain witch.
"Great! Albus took his first steps and James got a toy broom from George. We're expecting him to land in St. Mungo's within the next few months." Ginny joked, making everyone laugh.
"And the kids loved their presents, thank you Malfoy." Bill said and he grinned.
"Of course. You seem to be short a few Weasley's tonight, where is everyone?" He questioned and Harry and Ginny both gave each other a quick look and took an inhale before Ginny quickly spoke.
"Mum and Dad are watching the kids tonight, with the help of George and Angelina. Percy's around. Ron couldn't make it though and I think Hermione wandered off, the attention was a bit much for our little celebrity." Ginny said and Draco nodded, appearing as if the information was just another casual conversation piece.
"Ah. Well, wish them all a happy holidays for me. I need to fetch drinks before I get in trouble." He parted ways from them and tracked down a server to grab two flutes of champagne. He handed one off, and alerted his party he needed to use the loo then. Before walking into the hallway, he grabbed another glass of champagne, debating on finishing both right there.
A paranoid feeling hit him as he kept looking over his shoulder, hoping his absence wouldn't cause a problem. But there was also something that screamed at him to turn around, nothing good would come from seeing her, especially now. Shoving the swirls of guilt and dread away, he felt his shoulder slink forward and began walking upstairs.
Hermione heard the soft footsteps, they were slower than usual and she whipped her head to the stairwell, concerned that it actually wasn't him. But her wide eyes squinted as she began to smile, her stomach flipping as he reciprocated.
"Well if it isn't the most popular witch in the world right now." He teased, extending his out to her as she sat up and adjusted her dress to swing her legs off the ledge.
Hermione stared at him a little longer than necessary, shocked to see him in a traditional black suit with a red rose boutonniere attached to his lapel. He always looked charming at these events, but something was different. He looked again like the man that glided through these nights without a care in the world. He was dreamlike.
"Ha ha. I came up here to escape all that nonsense. But knowing you, I guess I should have expected it." She sipped the bubbly drink, her tiredness vanishing as she swallowed.
"I see you still have troubles with bragging about yourself and taking a bloody compliment." He responded, taking a sip of his own drink and sticking his free hand in his trouser pocket.
"Always. It's unnecessary." She said, trying to wiggle her bum off the ledge. Draco raised his hand and she took it, using his strength to steady her once she returned to her feet. He didn't pull his hand away after she was fine to stand on her own, and she lifted her gaze to find his gray eyes looking pensive and meaningful.
"Not when it comes to you Granger." The lull of his voice was something she nearly forgot. Essentially a year passed without one of them speaking to each other and she was only left with dreams and memories of the smooth yet coarse sound of his voice. Much like the feeling of sand underneath one's feet early in the morning. Still cool from the night, but warming with the height of the sun. Always comforting.
He released her hand, eyes quickly flashing to the ring she wore. He stepped back, not far enough for there to be a question regarding his behavior.
"Care to catch me up on the last year of your life? The papers failed to mention your trip to Victoria Falls." He then asked and Hermione shrugged with a smile.
"I wouldn't even know where to start. So much happened and I have three new photo albums sitting at home still waiting to be filled." Hermione's eyes lit up as memories of her adventures were recalled to the front of her mind. "We should get lunch soon, then I can tell you all about it."
She said hopefully and Draco held his breath. "I'd like that Granger, whenever you're free." He said, then quickly added, "Suppose I should first say congratulations on the UMC and for the promotion, Director." He tapped his glass with hers and she giggled.
"Thank you. How's work been?" She asked while indiscreetly watching Draco lick his lips free of the alcohol.
"Was promoted. Finally broke into the Irish woman's vault, burn free, and began working on a family cemetery in Scotland. Apparently there's an entire section cursed that won't allow a woman's muggle husband to enter or their child. There's an intricate amount of dark magic keeping me busy." He explained, not realizing until now how easy it felt to share things with her.
"That's amazing Draco. Not so much about the cemetery plot." She said and he pursed his lips.
"Yeah it's quite the project. Haven't run into any issues yet though." He said cheerfully.
"As long as you're safe." She replied, and the hard beat in Draco's chest reappeared, after so many months of being gone.
There was something that shifted in the air after her words. Her eyes glinted with sincerity, a permanent kindness that he forgot existed. It didn't feel right to pretend their previous conversation never happened.
"Granger, I feel the need to apologize for the last conversation we had." He began and Hermione lightly shook her head, forcing a smile out. "I never meant to offend you and it wasn't fair of me to overstep—"
"It's fine, really." She interrupted.
"No it's not. I shouldn't have said anything about your relationship. I am happy for you and I hope you can forgive me." He told her and Hermione took a breath.
"Of course I do." She said then hesitated for a moment. "Though it's not like you were wrong." She mumbled, turning her body slightly away from him.
"What?" He asked in disbelief.
"Nothing. It's…" She sighed. "You weren't wrong." She said over her shoulder and Draco stepped beside her.
"I don't understand." His pulse was thrumming wildly underneath his flesh. Hands suddenly felt clammy and he had to set down his glass so it would slip through his palm. He faced her while her body was turned to the window, she looked visibly nervous. Chewing on her cheek and rubbing her thumb over index finger, he knew she was having some mental debate with herself. His hand reached up involuntarily, the back of it softly running down her arm.
"Hermione?"
"Ron and I broke off our engagement." She quietly said then cleared her voice. "We broke things off all together."
There was an initial feeling of sympathy for her followed with a quick jolt of something similar to relief that he shoved forcefully down.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know." He regretfully told her.
"It's okay. Happened in the summer and we only told family. Didn't want the press on our case, especially with how much I was doing. It would have been a larger nightmare." She said with a small breathy laugh. He eyed her hand again.
"So, your ring?" He queried and Hermione's fingers flexed for a second before balling into a fist, her right hand resting over it to conceal the piece of jewelry.
"We were going to meet at Christmas so I could return it, but he made the last minute decision to spend the holidays with his brother Charlie in Romania. Our break up will be public and become all the gossip in the next week or so. Whenever Skeeter catches wind of it." She rolled her eyes at the last part.
Draco peered at her face for a moment, finding no signs of heartbreak or misery, or really anything. It looked like she just told him a very distant memory.
"Are you okay?" He asked and Hermione rotated her head to look at him.
"Now I am. It was…expected. Ron and I—" She stopped for a second, trying to think of the exact words to convey her feelings. "We were exactly what we needed for each other at the time. We grew, we built each other's confidence, we loved and we showed one another how to love. Everything we did together and everything we had…I'll always carry that close to my heart."
"So you feel as if you made the right decision?" He asked, voice steadily calm.
Completing shifting her stance, Hermione waited to see if he would move away to put some distance between them. Instead, he stood in place, bodies nearly touching, perfumes and colognes mingling in the air to create a dizzy atmosphere.
"Yes. Absolutely." She stated.
Draco bobbed his head. "You still love him?"
"I'll always love Ron, he's my best friend." She softly explained and Draco suffocated the feelings of jealousy that came with her words. "But for a husband, I want more than just friendship and the expectation to marry."
"What do you want then?" Draco dared to ask and Hermione rolled her lips between her teeth.
"I want an undying flame with a strong friendship. Something that makes me feel scared and relaxed in one, not comfortable with being stagnant. Something that burns within me, to always want them around and know they want me around, never have periods where it feels like…it wouldn't matter if we weren't together. I-Iwant—" Her words broke off and she then laughed at herself.
"If I ever find another man I want to marry, I want him to make me feel like…like." Her eyes shifted to the ceiling, trying to recall the name.
"Like what?" Draco softly asked, his breath sweet with the taste of his champagne as it hit her nose. Her eyes leveled with his, and the moon-like colors of his eyes dragged the words out from her lips before she realized what she was saying.
"I want it to feel like 'Love's Philosophy.'" Her voice was becoming smaller, watching as the dark lashes carefully blinked down to her lips then back up to her eyes.
"And what is 'Love's Philosophy?'" His hand unclenched on the ledge, fingers slowly extending out, the tips brushing over her knuckles. Hermione unraveled her hand, letting his middle finger run along the skin of her own, knuckle to nail, imprinting himself on her.
"It's a poem. By Percy Bysshe Shelley." She said, careful to keep his eye contact.
"How does it go?" Draco asked, his fingers reaching back further across her hand. "Share it with me."
Hermione felt his words intertwine around the muscles of her stomach like vines, tightening until there was no air and she was only left with a tingling sensation.
"'The fountains mingle with the river and the rivers with the ocean, the winds of heaven mix forever with a sweet emotion;" She whispered, her words coming out through breathy pants as he continued to touch her delicately. "Nothing in the world is single; all things by a law divine in one spirit meet and mingle. Why not I with thine?—"
Hermione's opposite hand slowly found his, sliding up his wrist, wrapping around his forearm until it rested just above the bend of his arm. Her eyes fluttered when that hand grabbed the flesh of her hip, flexing hesitantly as if unsure if she were really there.
Leaning forward, Draco rested his forehead onto hers, watching her release a shaky breath then dampen her lips.
"Hermione." It sounded like a plea, a prayer for her to continue. His voice, not louder than the distant echoes of the party, faded and wandering through her head, directly pulsing in rhythm with her heartbeat.
"'See the mountains kiss high heaven and the waves clasp one another; no sister-flower would be forgiven if it disdained its brother;" She sighed when his hand pulled her closer, their stomachs resting against each other. Her hand skimmed up his shoulder, fingers interlocking between the soft fringe of his hair. Draco sighed.
"'And the sunlight clasps the earth and the moonbeams kiss the sea: What is all this sweet work worth If thou kiss not me?"
She tilted her head up, her lips touching his for a briefest second but she wanted him to kiss her, she wanted him to show her he wanted her too.
"Hermione I—"
His lips weakly mumbled, barely brushing over hers as they both shared a gasp. Draco roughly shut his eyes then, with everything left inside him, took a giant step away from her. Hermione swayed forward while she opened her eyes to inspect where he went. The harsh, now cold, air caused her to shiver as her hand fell limply by her side, panic flooded her.
Malfoy looked physically pained, his jaw twitching as he kept his teeth clamped shut. He frustratingly rubbed his face, hand holding his chin then slapping down to his side. He jerked his hand in the air towards her, head shaking as he tried to form a sentence. Hermione had never seen him look entirely in shambles, she took a measured step to him, trying to reassure him.
"Draco—"
"Hermione I'm engaged." He blurted it out, a sad, sarcastic huff leaving his mouth.
The words felt like a physical pain she never experienced before. She had been heartbroken over Ron, but he was her former fiancé. Malfoy was…was nothing. He was unreachable to her, always had been. But the body splitting hurt she currently felt was so strong, her ears began to ring and her blood flamed with a humiliating heat.
An irregular breath felt out of her chest and when felt her brain begin to send messages to the rest of her body, she gazed up at him, the same expression on his face except with added guilt.
"I-I was unaware." She stuttered and then rolled her lips in her mouth.
"It happened on Christmas." He explained, as if proposing to a woman were some kind of accident. Her forehead spasmed as her frown deepened.
"And w-wh—"
"Astoria Greengrass." He revealed and Hermione suddenly recalled last year's event when Draco told her his mother was attending the Greengrass' party. She guessed he must have gone there after…after their argument that night.
Hermione turned her face out to the window, biting the inside of her cheek very hard. Her chest was caving in as she spoke her next words.
"She's beautiful Draco. You must be so happy."
He stayed silent and bowed his head, unable to come up with anything that would make this moment hurt less.
"I-I'm s—"
"Will it be a short engagement then? Do you intend to marry quickly, like you prefer?" Despite her current state, she asked anyway, bravely looking into his eyes and feeling an anger swell over her as he had the audacity to look remorseful. Don't pity her, she'd snap in half if she continued to stare at that emotion.
"Next year, December thirty-first." He admitted and it felt like her body was sinking into the ground. She made a noise, something between a laugh, a squeak and an annoyed huff.
"That's…wonderful."
Swiftly picking up her drink she took a measured sip, then decided to toss the entire thing back. The bells tolled, signaling five minutes to midnight. Draco looked out to the stairwell, knowing it was time for him to go, but he found it improper for him to leave without saying something more.
"I should—"
"'True love cannot be found where it does not exist, nor can be denied where it does.' Torquato Tasso." She let the sentence hang, breaking his own words short. "Congratulations Malfoy, what a way to begin your year."
His half effort to smile at her felt pityingly forced, so she grabbed his flute and began sipping at it.
Draco let his eyes fall over her, regretting that he did not tell her how beautiful she looked but knowing it wouldn't have made this any easier. Tightening both hands into fists, then releasing the grip, he took a few paces closer, his chest twinging with hurt when she wouldn't look at him.
"I missed you, Granger. Happy New Year's." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head then walked away.
Hermione waited until the raps of his shoes against marble flooring disappeared before she let her bottom lip quiver and two lone tears fall from her eyes. Happy New Year indeed.
A/N: A day early because i was so excited to share this chapter. It's a little long and I'm sorry but i just didnt know how to break it up for the flow of the story. I hope you all like it, let me know what you think and please like and share my work!