There's only so many tears that you can cry
Before it drains the light right from your eyes
He watched her as she walked through the garden with his mother, a small smile on her face. He had noticed that for the last few months, the light in her eyes had been fading. Draco had to wonder what the Weasel had said to her at his party, because since then he had seen resignation in her eyes. Though she had resigned herself to their marriage, that didn't mean that she was making things easier on him.
Though they shared many meals together, and he took her out on dates, it was like he was spending time with an acquaintance rather than an actual date. There were also many mornings when she awoke with red eyes, proving to Draco that she still cried over the past that would no longer be a part of her life.
Potter had come by a few times and every time gave him a look of pure, unadulterated loathing, that Draco had to wonder if he knew something was twisted about his marriage to Hermione, or he suspected something. Draco's eyes followed Hermione as she and his mother stopped to look at a rather large bloom amongst the peach colored roses.
As the wind blew through her wavy hair, Draco was mesmerized when a gloved hand moved up to push her hair out of her face. She really was a beautiful woman. Beautiful and all, he was getting tired of her indifference. He was tired of hearing her crying when he passed by her room. He was tired of living in a fake marriage that he had brought on himself. He wanted her to see that he was serious about having a relationship.
Narcissa left her outside alone and he watched Hermione as she sniffled, dabbing at the corner of her eyes before she too walked back into the Manor. His heart did a funny little thing in his chest at the sight of her crying. I guess I'm not so heartless after all,' Draco mused to himself. Or maybe he was, because he was getting angry at the thought of her crying over Weasley.
After thirty minutes of wondering if she was being melodramatic, he left the paperwork he had brought home from work and stormed up the stairs and to Hermione's room. He knocked the door sharply, waiting impatiently for her to open it or to give him a sign that he could go in.
She opened the door herself and watched as his eyes narrowed at the sight of her. Though she had tried to fix her face—in vain—her eyes and nose were still very red. "Crying again?" he asked with a barely refrained sneer.
"What's it to you?" she asked, voice choked with emotion.
"I can't believe this," he spat, stepping into her room and slamming the door shut.
Hermione's eyes narrowed at the glint in his eyes. Usually that glint was followed by an argument between them. After nearly a whole year of living with the man, she had come to know what ticked him off, how he looked before he would start teasing her, or before they were about to have an explosive argument, or when he was about to compliment her on something. "What?" she asked slowly.
"It's been months since Weasel and Brown announced their engagement and they are getting married in two weeks. Get over it!" he nearly yelled at her. "I'm sick and tired if seeing you crying, or seeing you red faced after you've been crying!" he exploded, making her jump slightly.
At his words, her eyes watered, but she would be damned if she cried in front of him ever again. "You asshole!" she screamed at him. "That is not why I'm crying! If you would just take your nose out of your own arse for more than a second, you would know why I'm like this. I cannot believe that you would yell at me for crying!"
"Why else would you be crying if it wasn't for the fact that Weasley picked to marry someone else and not wait for you?" asked Draco, a full-fledged sneer on his face.
Hermione let out a slow breath, and her eyes flashed dangerously. "You've just proved to me that you're just as stupid and self-centered as you were in school. You wouldn't know anything about compassion if it came and bit you in the arse. Get out of my room. Now."
"Fine," Draco snapped, running a twitching hand through his hair. "Cry yourself to old age, foolish Gryffindor. Get over the fact that that idiot preferred someone other than you! If you would just take you're nose out of your arse, you would see that there are other men in the world who would give anything to be with you!"
"Get out!" she screamed, kicking off one of her shoes so that she could throw it at him.
He stormed out of her room just as the shoe sailed over his head. "You throw like a girl!" he yelled at her.
"That's because I am a girl!" she yelled back before slamming the door to her room closed.
Draco was fuming as he stomped down the main staircase, but the look on his face did nothing to deter his mother when she approached him from the sitting room.
"Were you arguing with Hermione again, dear?" she asked, refraining from rolling her eyes. His cheeks were flushed with a pale pink, and his hands were in fists as he paced back and forth in front of her.
"Mother, not now, please," he said, breath huffing out in anger.
"Be nice to her, Draco."
"Why should I?" he asked petulantly.
Narcissa shook her head at him. "Because tomorrow is the anniversary of her father's death. She's been in tears all day because of that," she said gently.
Draco's breath left his lungs in a long huff as he realized what he had just done. "Kill me, mother. I'm a complete idiot."
Narcissa smiled sympathetically. "I can't do that. Who would be the heir to the fortune then?" she asked as she patted him on the back. "Sweetheart, if you want Hermione to see you, really see you, you have to start treating her better. She's a sensitive woman who needs a man who can be patient and sensitive with her. If you keep treating her this way, she will never allow you to get close to her."
Before Draco could reply, Hermione came storming down the stairs, face set in a frown that softened when she looked at his mother. "Narcissa, I am going to see a friend; I will be back later," she said before going to the floo room, and not even sparing a glance towards her husband.
"You better pray that the friend she is going to see is not Blaise Zabini. Now he is a sweet, sensitive boy," Narcissa said before walking off towards her sitting room where she had been knitting. She had just finished a little outfit that she hoped Draco and Hermione's child would wear in the near future. She knew that her son was a good, sensitive boy. A bit foolish and hardheaded, but thankfully, she had taught him never give up. If he truly loved that girl, he wouldn't stop until she loved him back.
Narcissa smiled, picturing children with blond curls and brown eyes.
Hermione sniffled as she pulled her short, black gloves on and reached for her long, matching overcoat. She had gone to see Harry and Ginny last night. It had taken a lot of whining, but she had convinced them to not be there at the service with her. Though she would've loved to have them there, they would've made her cry with their comfort and words, and she needed to be strong for her mother. If she cried, then her mother would too, and Hermione didn't want that.
She needed to be strong, so for the past two hours, she had cried all that she could muster as she waited for sunrise. Then she had showered, dressed in all black, and was now ready to go to her father's last resting place. She smiled slightly as she looked at herself in a full length mirror. Thanks to Narcissa, she was dressed stylishly in black, and she wore her hair in a side-ways tail, in big curls and tied with a black ribbon.
As she pulled the door open, a heavy breath left her when she came face to face with the last person she needed to see today. "What do you want? I'm on my way out," she said tersely.
"I—I would like to accompany you today," he said courteously.
Hermione give him a suspicious look. "Why?"
"Because I am your husband," was his obvious reply. "And because I was an idiot for what I said to you yesterday. I'm sorry," he said clearly.
Hermione stared at him. "This is going to be a muggle ceremony. My muggle family on my father's side will be there. They will want to speak to you and shake hands with you. You'll go through all that without making scathing remarks or without making faces?"
He smirked roguishly at her. "Even I know when to refrain from doing two of my favorite pastimes. Scathing remarks and making faces," he said with an amused tone of voice. "I will endure it all for you."
"Okay," she conceded. "But you have to promise that you won't blackmail me, or tease me about anything. Not today and specially not in front of my mother. Agreed?"
"Agreed," he replied.
"We will floo to my mother's house and from there we will take a car to the cemetery. A muggle care," she emphasized.
"Fine," he said simply, walking her out of the door and towards the floo room.
Hermione's step faltered as she gazed at him. She wondered how much effort it had taken him to not mouth off about muggles and automobiles. He sure was acting strange today, and she wondered what he was trying to get out of the situation. Her mother was waiting for them by the door and the drive was a quiet one. Draco stood by her and held her free hand as her other arm wrapped around her sobbing mother.
He had to admit that he was a bit surprised at her strength because not once did she show a sign that she would cry. Though the sadness rose off of her in waves, she was the picture of courage and strength, even as some curls came undone and waved in her face with the wind.
The ceremony was a nice one, even though he understood little of the things that had to do with what muggles called, 'religion.' When it was all over, Hermione moved away to hug and speak to her aunts. Draco discovered that she had two uncles on her father's side, and two aunts. She also had many girl cousins her age and younger who were all looking at him as if he were the most attractive thing they had ever laid eyes on. At Hermione's annoyed look, he smirked and flashed her a wink before she huffed and turned back to her family. Her uncles had come over to shake his hand and to ask him if he was treating Hermione right, that she was their pride and joy. All he had said was that she was his pride and joy as well and that he was trying to be a good husband to her.
"You can cry now, your mother is gone," Draco said as he watched her staring at he marble tombstone with her father's name and date of birth to date of death on it.
Hermione gave him a forced smile. "It was hard. I tried my best to be strong for her, but inside I was a mess," she admitted as she turned to see her mother getting into her car with her sister-in-laws. Hermione had convinced her that she and Draco would find their way home.
"She saw right through your hard face, you know. A mother always does know her children," Draco said as he wrapped an arm around her slim shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"Thank you for being here," she muttered as he drew her into his arms and hugged her.
Draco felt relief wash over him when she took the comfort he was offering. "Do you forgive me then? For what I said to you yesterday?"
Hermione nodded against his chest. "Yes. I guess it's a bit of my fault for not telling you of this day. But still, you shouldn't assume things that can make an ass out of you," she said quietly, trying to ignore the fact that he had pulled the ribbon out of her hair and was running his fingers through the strands.
Draco chuckled lightly. "I want to take you on a trip out of the country," he said.
Hermione pulled back from his embrace and shook her head. "I can't right now. I have some really important research that I can't postpone," she said, drying the tears on her face with the handkerchief he offered.
"Well, lucky for you, I want our trip to be on our anniversary. So you have two weeks to tell your boss that you need five to seven days of vacation. Unless… you want me to talk to him about it," he said slyly.
She gave him an annoyed look. "No, I'll tell him myself. Where are we going by the way?"
"Venice, Italy."
"Ooh, I heard that they have a renowned museum of history there!" Hermione said with a smile.
Draco rolled his eyes and lifted her chin so that she could look him in the eyes. "I want things to change between us," he said quietly. "Here, in front of your father, I would like to ask you to give me a chance to make things work out with you."
She stared into his eyes and flinched slightly as the silky strands of his hair tickled her cheekbones. "You and I will never work things out unless you show me that you will be a man that I want to be with."
"Tell me what to do and I will do it," he murmured, inching his face towards hers.
She gave him a very faint smile. "I can't do that. You have to figure it out on your own," she said before their lips met in a gentle kiss.
Draco cupped her face in his hands and kissed her slowly, feeling her hair tickling his face with the wind, feeling his heart swell when she responded and didn't pull away. When they finally moved away for breath, he stuffed her ribbon into his pocket for safekeeping. He would find a way to make things right, even if it meant giving her her freedom back.
Hermione watched Draco as he signed the papers at the check-in desk of their five star hotel. He had a very nice signature; a very neat cursive with a large M and a curling y. The woman behind the desk was eyeing him with interest until she caught the look on Hermione's face and cleared her throat before organizing the papers on her desk.
"I hope you enjoy your stay, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Your room is on the last floor and it is the presidential suite. Have a good evening," she said in a very clear tone, even with her accent.
"Thank you," said Draco as he took the keys and guided Hermione towards the lifts.
"Are all Italian women so—so—" she was at a loss for a word to use.
"What do you mean?" Draco asked her as he pushed the button for the top floor.
"Oh, please. Don't tell me you missed the way she was practically drooling over you," she said snidely. "Everyone noticed. Even the couple at the next desk."
Draco eyed her with that look that made her mouth run dry and smirked. "With you by my side, there's no reason for me to notice other women," he said seriously.
Hermione felt her stomach flutter at his words. Though she wasn't too convinced about really giving him a chance to woo her, she had to admit that she her resolve was breaking with his efforts. Ironically, Ron and Lavender had gotten married two days ago, and Hermione had to wonder whose idea it had been to make their marriage so close to her own with Draco. Before she had a chance to respond to Draco's words, the doors opened and she stepped out.
They found their room at the end of a short hallway where there was just one door across from it and Draco showed her in. Hermione had to stop and stare. This was a room? It looked more like a flat than a room. The colors were a mix of blues and greens that matched wonderfully with the mahogany furniture. There was a large sitting room with a TV in a closed cabinet, a dinning section connected to a kitchen, and towards the sunken terrace, there was an indoor pool just the right size for two. She just wondered what the bedroom looked like and hoped fervently that there were two beds in there.
"Because of the time change, we will be going to dinner in an hour. So I suggest you get ready because I will be taking you to one of the best restaurants in the country," he said, noticing that their luggage had been set just inside the bedroom door.
Hermione nodded and took a few minutes to look around the suite before grabbing her clothes and magically fixing them into the proper places. She took a quick shower, thankful that the shower was in a separate section from the other fixtures, including the tub. She knew exactly what dress she should wear for dinner. Narcissa had insisted on helping her pack and Hermione now realized that it had been with an ulterior motive.
"Come on, Granger! If you take any longer I'll come in there and drag you out!" Draco called from the door.
"Keep your pants on! I'm on my way," Hermione said as she grabbed her purse and tried not trip in her haste to get to the door. She didn't miss the look on Draco's face when he saw her. Hmm, it seemed that he liked her dress.
Draco stared. There wasn't anything else he could do, short of making a fool out of himself. She was wearing a gown the color of red wine and made of a very fine silk. The halter-top tied at the back of her neck and the two strips of cloth trailed down her bare back. She was also showing a decent amount of cleavage and the style of her dress highlighted her slim waist before flaring out and down. Her hair was almost completely straight with the exception that it curled at the tips of every layer. The only jewelry she was wearing was the medallion he had given her, and a pair of tear-drop diamond earrings.
She looked at him with those brown eyes—that were almost toffee colored because of the make-up she had applied—and he was completely floored by her. "You look… amazing," he murmured.
Hermione smiled and tried with all her might to not blush at the look in his eyes. She did her own inspection of him and found that he looked very handsome in the all-black suit he was wearing. He had cut back his hair again, but it looked much shorter than his last hair-cut. It wasn't really a wonder that women stopped to stare at him wherever he went.
"Thank you. If we're done staring at each other, can we go?" she asked with a nervous laugh.
Draco cleared his throat and helped her into her coat before pulling on his own and heading out the door. As they walked through the lobby, Draco noticed that almost every male eye turned to her and watched her as she walked next to him calmly. Hermione was none the wiser, as if she wasn't aware of the beauty radiating off of her. How could a woman not see that she was so amazing?
They walked a short distance to the restaurant and were greeted by the maître d', who took they coats with a smile.
"I have a reservation under Malfoy," Draco said.
"Right this way sir, ma'am," said the short man, bowing slightly before leading them to their table. He held out Hermione's chair for her to sit and then handed them their menus. "Would you like anything to drink?"
"Yes, bring us a bottle of your best red wine," Draco said. They stayed in silence as they looked over the various meals, and Hermione was thankful that they were in English because she didn't know much Italian. When the waiter came over with their wine, he poured them a glass and took their orders.
"Do you come here often?" Hermione asked as she looked around at their private section of the restaurant.
He shook his head. "No, but they do know my father. I think that Lucius owns half of the restaurant by now," he said with a chuckle. He took a small sip of wine and sat back so that he could look at her. "I have a surprise gift for you."
Hermione raised her brows at him. "And what is it? I hope it's not jewelry, because I happen to think that expensive jewelry is rather a rather monotonous gift."
"So giving you the medallion was dull?" he asked in amusement.
She shook her head. "No, I really liked the medallion. I wear diamonds and silver and gold because your mother has been drilling me to since before we got married. I just think that that kind of jewelry is pointless."
Draco nodded. "Then I should be relieved that I didn't buy jewelry. No, this is something else that I have for you."
"Was I supposed to get you something too?" she asked before taking a sip of wine and feeling the liquid smooth down her throat.
"No, but it would've been nice if you had," he replied.
Hermione fidgeted with her napkin and tried not to feel as if she were on her first date once again. She had to admit that things between her and Draco had changed since that day at her father's resting place. She couldn't ignore the look of longing in his eyes when he looked at her, and she knew that if he kept on being charming and suave, he would throw down the last of her resistance to see him as a partner and not as an enemy.
Dinner was set in front of them and afterwards, they sipped on their third glass of wine as the band began to play slow, classical music. They were away from prying eyes as Draco stood and offered her his hand. "Will you dance with me?" he asked slowly.
Hermione smiled and stood, feeling a bit tipsy as he took her in his arms and they moved slowly to the rhythm. "When are you going to give me my gift?" she asked as she placed her cheek against his shoulder and tried not to fall asleep in his arms. The wine had made her sleepy and heavy, but she was still conscious enough to know what they were talking about and where they were.
"I can't really show it to you now, but I can tell you what it is," he whispered against her temple, brushing back the hair that had fallen over her neck.
She moved back to look at him in curiosity now. "Well?"
Draco sighed and ran a hand through his baby-fine hair. "Remember that you told me that I had to find a way to make things right so that you could give me a chance?"
"Yes," Hermione said with a nod, feeling more sober with his words. "What did you do?"
He swallowed hard before taking her hands in his. "Yesterday, I met with the Weasley's."
"What? Why?" she asked, not understanding what he was getting at. Why would he do such a thing?
"I asked to see them at my office, where my lawyer and a notary were present so that I… so that I could give them back their property," he said seriously.
Hermione stared at him as if he had sprouted a second head. Her eyes were wide and searching his desperately for some sign that he was joking or lying. But he wasn't. He had been fully aware of the fact that maybe he would lose her completely upon returning the property because he would lose the only leverage he had held to keep her married to him.
"You're serious?" she questioned.
"Completely."
Draco nearly started when she kissed him, her arms wrapping around his neck, but he slipped his around her waist and pressed her to him. Now that he felt the touch of her lips on his out of her own accord, he knew that he had done the right thing.
Hermione was acutely aware that the situation between her and Draco had changed as soon as they had entered the bedroom of their suite and he had kissed her again. She also noticed that there was just one bed, not that she was currently complaining. She had asked him for proof of what he had told her, and he had paid for their dinner and brought her back to the hotel suite to show her the paperwork. He had even told her to test it with her wand so that she could see that it was all authentic. He had then followed her into the bedroom.
His lips traveled down her neck to suck at a spot that made her arch into him, and she felt the last of her resistance finally melt away. Maybe it was the wine in her system, or the fact that he had given up his blackmailing that was pushing her to give into him. He stopped, breathing ragged, and pressed a kiss to her jaw.
"Are you sure about what you're doing? Once we start, there's no going back," he murmured.
Hermione's own breathing was coming in pants, and just the fact that he had stopped to ask her if she was sure about going all the way with him proved that he was really trying to win her over. "I'm sure," she said before kissing him again, deeper and more urgent.
He pulled away with a small pop. "Are you sure you're not drunk? That you won't regret this tomorrow?"
She huffed out an impatient breath. "I'll regret it if you keep trying to convince me not to do this," she snapped. "And no, I'm not drunk. I know perfectly well what I want and what I want you to do to me."
Draco smirked before running his hands down her sides and hitching up her dress so that he could touch her skin. Hermione gasped when he turned her around, so that her back pressed against his chest and his long fingers hooked into the sides of the lace panties she was wearing. "Have you done this before?" he whispered against her neck as he pushed them down.
She nodded almost reluctantly. "Once. Long ago."
"Just once?"
"Yes," she bit out in annoyance. "I was fifteen, and I swore I wouldn't do it again until I married."
"Why?" he asked as one hand trailed up the inside of her thigh.
"Because," she said breathlessly as she felt his hand caress over his goal. "It hurt and I didn't enjoy it."
"You'll enjoy it now," Draco whispered before his fingers moved against her slickly. Her breath came out in a small moan as he found that hidden place that made her hips jerk. With his other hand he undid the knot at her neck that held her dress in place and watched as the silk pooled at her hips, stopped completely by his busy hand.
Hermione gasped and dug her nails into the hand that was working her towards that peak she hadn't experienced her first time, and she heard Draco's breath came out shaky as she ground herself against him. She nearly doubled over when his hand stopped and drew away. He turned her around forcefully and watched her body as her dress fell and pooled around her feet.
"You're beautiful," he said before leaning in to kiss her with ferocity as his hands ran over her exposed body.
Her hands moved to his pants and she undid his belt and fly before slipping her hand inside. Draco jerked against her and groaned when her warm hand moved slowly against him. "Not today," he whispered, taking her hand out before undoing the buttons of his shirt and pulling off his clothes.
She ran her hands over his finely defined muscles before he wrapped his arms around her and laid her on the soft bed after he had shoved the sheets and covers away. "Ready?" he asked her, his breath hitching in anticipation.
Hermione nodded, her speech evading her as she felt his body slide against hers, and her mouth opened at the sensation of him inside of her. Her thoughts shattered as he moved slowly inwards. There was discomfort at first, just shy of pain, but he was slow and patient. Two qualities that she had never thought she would see in Draco Malfoy.
There was sweat on his brow with the effort it took to not move, trying to give her time to adjust. Hermione shifted and ran her hands up his back, feeling the burn and discomfort recede almost completely. "Draco?"
"Yes?" His voice was strained.
She brought him down for a kiss before sliding her legs over his hips. Draco groaned and began to move. The sensations were new to Hermione, and she felt like a virgin all over again, but in a very good way. Her breath came out with a long moan as his lips found her chest, even as his movements never faltered.
His eyes were half-lidded as he watched her move beneath him. Her mouth was open and her eyes were closed as her fingers slid up his shoulders and her nails dug into his skin. The feel of her was even better than he had ever dreamed, and she was finally his. It had taken them a year to get to this point, but this was worth the wait. Giving up his black-mailing schemes had proved to be the best decision he had ever made in his life.
Hermione cried out as she felt a different burn coming from where she and Draco were connected, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her chest to his as she arched back and moaned his name in pleasure as she came undone. Draco held her with a hand around her waist and ground hard against her before his control snapped and he followed her release with his own. He let her slide back onto the bed and pressed his forehead to hers as they tried to calm their breathing.
After a moment of peace and quiet, he moved off of her and to her side, watching as her face moved to his and she offered him a smile. "Are you regretting it?" she asked teasingly.
"Never," he replied before kissing her slowly, lazily.
"You better," she said before turning on her side and smiling when he spooned her. "Because I thought it over and I'm willing to give you that chance that you wanted to make me happy."
Draco kissed the side of her neck and gave her a squeeze. "That's good. I was getting sick of trying to convince you that I wanted to be with you."
Hermione laughed. "At least you weren't trying to convince me that you were a good guy," she muttered. Draco bit her shoulder and she slapped his arm with a laugh.
Things were good. For the moment. Hermione let out a sigh as she thought of what she would tell Harry and Ginny about this change in her situation. Harry would kill her if he found out that she didn't hate Draco the way she had before. But for now, she would enjoy the week she and her Slytherin would have away from the real world.
