Forever Yours
"Come on! Hurry up! We're getting late!"
"Coming Mum!"
Hermione rushed upstairs, looking at the clock, which read 10 o'clock exactly. Her heels clanked on the stairs as she ran up, but she couldn't even think to care about it. They would surely be late if they didn't leave in exactly five minutes.
Hermione Granger was never late, even if her husband always was.
Pulling open the door to her daughter's room, she peeked in to find her packing a few last things into her trunk.
"You're still packing? God, what did I say about being organized—"
"I'm almost done! Just...a few last things."
Hermione noticed she was hiding something flat behind her back...the family photo album.
"Sweetheart…"
"I wanted to take it with me. You know...I won't see you guys until Christmas. I'll miss you."
She walked up to her daughter, and looked down at her with pride. She pulled her in for a tight hug, taking the album into her hands to glimpse through it herself.
It was the muggle photo album. Of both of her children, it would be her elder daughter, who would choose the muggle album. Even though her father was a pureblood, she always made sure to keep ties with the muggle side of her family strong.
The album contained so many memories...pictures of her wedding, when she had been twenty-six years old. She laughed at a picture of Harry and Ron, lifting her up on their shoulders, getting her through a particularly muddy area of the ground, making sure her beautiful white dress wouldn't get stained.
As she flipped through more pictures, she found the day that she had given birth to her eldest daughter...the best day of her life. She had never recalled being more happy. Motherhood suited her.
In the picture, she was covered in sweat, her husband holding her hand, evidently in pain as well, as her fingernails dug into his skin. Her child godfather and godmother, who had gotten married a week prior, stood a bit to the side, smiling down at her, somehow crying of pain, and laughing out of happiness at the same time.
So many images followed...the birth of her second child, and so many more family trips. Their small family of four had been to so many places together...so many more than she had been to when she was younger. Perhaps being a wizard in the upper class of wizarding society helped with that.
She handed the album back to her daughter, before leaning in to kiss her on her forehead. Looking down at the young lady in front of her, she couldn't be more proud to call her her daughter.
She was Hermione Granger's daughter through and through. Bushy brown hair, and an intellect matched by none other. Her younger brother took after their father more, with a knack for trouble running through his veins.
"Keep this safe with you. Whenever you miss us, look at it, and write me a letter right away."
"Okay. I love you, Mum."
"I love you too."
"Hermione! Are you coming?" called a voice from outside the window.
"Coming! Start the car, we'll be there in thirty seconds."
With one last glance at her room, Hermione and her daughter were on their way downstairs, headed to King's Cross Station.
"James! Your hair is so long! How long has it been since we've seen each other?"
"It's a spell, sweetheart. Let me remove this right away—"
"Mum! Why can't I go like this? Grandpa Sirius had long hair."
"James—"
"Oh, allow it, Ginny."
Rolling her eyes, Ginny Potter sighed, putting her wand back into her pocket.
"Hermione!" yelled Harry, leaning in for a hug. "Finally here. Did he actually drive?"
"Surprisingly, he did."
"Damn mate, that's impressive!"
"Oh gosh, don't inflate his ego more so than it already is." Hermione joked.
"Hey!"
She laughed along with the group, while keeping an eye out for someone in the station. She had heard that they would be coming, and wanted to see if it was true.
"Why do you have two last names?"
"Because I just do. It's not Rose Weasley, it's Rose Granger-Weasley. Please get it right."
Hermione smiled at her daughter, who was speaking to Cho Chang's daughter, a few feet away.
Suddenly, everything went quiet, as a wave of murmurs ripples through the crowd, as someone began moving through the platform.
"Blimey. It was true then."
"What is it, Ron?"
"Hermione…"
Moving forward to get a better glance, and standing on the edge of her heels, she finally saw.
He was back.
The crowd continued to split, as whispers got more and more silent.
Draco Malfoy was back in England.
He was as devilishly handsome as he had been twenty-two years ago, walking through in a black collared shirt, his icy blonde hair messy, as he had always kept it. Walking behind him were his...wife and child?
So he had gotten married as well.
She felt a pang in her chest, as she watched him walk up with his son and his wife, Astoria Greengrass.
He had completely vanished from the face of their country, until that day. Seeing him so healthy and stable so many years later should have made her feel happy for him...but it just made her nauseous.
From twenty feet away, their gazes connected, as they simply stared at one another, twenty-two years later. His eyes were just as captivating as they were before.
In those moments, she was taken back to when they had been in school, before he had left. She relived so many memories...memories that she had tried so hard to get rid of, but simply was unable to. They were engraved into her. He was engraved into her.
Once upon a time...they would lay together in the grass, talking about muggle novels, or secretly kiss in the library. They would rush to the Room of Requirement, and stay there together for long, lazy hours. Once upon a time, he belonged to her.
Once upon a time.
But now, everything was different. He had left, and she had married her best friend, Ron. She was the mother of Ronald Weasley's two children, and Minister for Magic. She had no idea what he did for the past twenty-two years, or where he was.
Realizing that they had been staring for too long, she was the first to break eye contact, diverting her attention back to her family.
Hermione, saying her final goodbyes to her children and godchildren, waved, as the Hogwarts Express was off, once more.
It was hard for her to leave the station without getting one more glance, but she did.
Merlin help her, she did.
"Good morning, Ms. Granger."
"Good morning, Thetherclot. Did you prepare the files I asked you to have ready?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Excellent. Come meet me in my office after lunch then, we'll discuss them then."
"Yes, Ms. Granger."
Continuing on until she got to her office, Hermione stopped at her PA's desk, before entering.
"Good morning, Melinda."
"Good morning, Ms. Granger. Before you go, I have some mail for you." she said, handed over a sealed envelope.
"Who is it from?"
"I'm not sure. It was a tall, blonde man. He said to give this directly to you."
She almost forgot to breathe, as her eyes threatened to spill out.
He came to her office.
"Thank you, Melinda, I'll see you later."
Rushing to her office, she teared open the envelope, not able to wait one more second to check it's contents. Inside, she found a letter.
Dear Granger,
You must be shocked, I know. I also know that you happen to have a lot of questions for me. I can also say the same for myself. I was hoping...we could meet up one last time...just for a proper closure, if you must call it that. How about we meet at the muggle restaurant you told me you were so fond of? The one by your parents' home. I'll be waiting there at 7 tonight, regardless of if you show up or not.
See you soon, hopefully,
Draco.
She considered not going. She wanted to tear up the letter into a million pieces, until it was impossible to put it back together. She wanted to hate him.
But she couldn't.
Somehow, she found herself in a muggle restaurant, twenty two years after the Battle of Hogwarts, looking for Draco Malfoy, after she had married Ron Weasley.
It didn't take long to find his head of blonde hair. Even without it, she could recognize it from miles away. She made her way to the table, and took a seat across to him.
"Granger."
"Malfoy."
"It's Malfoy now?"
"Things change in twenty-two years."
"Expectedly so."
"When did you marry Weasley?"
"When I was twenty-six."
He simply nodded, absorbing the information, as the waitress came to take their order.
"I'll have a glass of wine. And he'll have champagne." she said.
They watched the waitress leave, before resuming their conversation.
"I could order myself, you know."
"You have no idea about anything on this menu. You'll like it, don't worry. It tastes like the French boisson d'or you were so fond of."
"You still remember my drink preferences."
She realized that she had slipped up. Fuck.
Choosing not to respond, she asked him a question.
"Where did you go, after you left?"
"I went to Italy. We have a home there. That's where I've been...until now."
Their drinks finally arrived, as Hermione took a sip of her wine, Draco of his champagne.
"You were right. I do like it."
"You're welcome. I see you still haven't gotten past the habit of finding it hard to say thank you." she laughed.
"That, you are correct about."
They drank in silence for a few more minutes, before Draco finally spoke up again.
"You know, you can ask actual questions. Don't be boring, Granger."
She twirled her wine glass, nibbling on her lip, her question swirling on her tongue. Finally, she let it out.
"Why did you leave?"
"I wasn't needed."
"What do you mean?"
"On the day of the Battle of Hogwarts, I happened to be passing by the seventh floor, when I saw Ronald Weasley kiss you in the middle of the hall."
"What?"
"I saw the two of you together, and I realized that...it just made sense. You and I on the other hand, did not. You were seen as an angel, while I was Lucius Malfoy's son. I was...the stain on your white dress. I realized that I'd do more good if I had left. Weasley would keep you happy...does he?"
"What?"
"Keep you happy."
"Yes."
"That's good."
Hermione digested his words, revisiting that day, and the events that led up to it. Her and Draco had had a huge argument that morning…
"Draco, please! Don't do this to me. I lo—"
"Granger. You don't realize that you can't do this to me. My mother is on that side!"
"We'll bring her over. She'll be safe."
"Can you promise me that?"
"Draco I—"
"Can you promise me that, Granger?"
Silence.
"I thought so…"
"Draco just come with me...it's almost over…"
"I can't, Hermione. I'm sorry. Whatever we were...whatever we are...I'm so thankful for it. I'm so thankful for you. But when we started this, I knew it had to come to an end. This can't happen...we're on different sides in a war. How can you be so sure that this is over?"
"Draco, you know you don't believe in that bullshit!"
"I don't. But I was...I always have been...one of them. Involuntarily so, but...this is how it is."
"Draco…"
"Granger go. Stick with the Weasleys—and promise me something. Don't die."
She didn't realize when her eyes had gotten watery. Blinking back tears, she broke the silence once more.
"After he kissed me, I pushed him away. I said no to him, Draco. After the war...I looked for you. But you weren't there. And then I realized that you had already stopped loving me—"
"Who said I did?"
"...what?"
"Who said I did, Granger?"
"Draco…"
"I never stopped, Hermione. I don't think I'm capable of that."
"What about your wife?"
"I don't have a wife. The lady at the station was a friend's wife, and her child. She was new in England, so I helped her out. I couldn't marry anyone else Granger...not when I still had memories of you...of us."
"Draco…"
"I love you, Granger. I needed you to know that. I have no fucking clue why...but I did. It makes me the happiest man in the world to see you like this. Happily married. I can die peacefully, just with the knowledge that you're happy. I just want you to know...even if you can never be mine, I am forever yours."
They shared a moment of silence, as Hermione contemplated what to say next. But before she could say anything, Draco rose from his seat.
"I'll pay the bill at the counter. Goodbye, Granger. It was nice seeing you."
With one last smile at her, he was gone, leaving her alone in the restaurant with her half empty glass of wine.
His words had...broken her. It made her think...what could have been. She imagined herself married to Draco, not Ron. She imagined how different her life would have been. If they had happened.
She had been married to Ron for thirteen years, and had known him since she was eleven. They were best friends...and that's why she had said yes when he had asked her to get married. Everyone knew that she was married to Ronald Weasley, but no one knew about her actual relationship with her husband, other than Harry.
Ron found her when she had been broken. Almost a lifeless form, giving everything to look for Draco. She just wanted to find him. To see him one last time.
Seeing her that way, Ron suggested that they got married, simply as friends. To simply stick by one another, until the moment they died. Her marriage had truly...saved her life. She had never even had sex with Ron. Their children were conceived by artificial insemination.
It hurt her that it had to be this way. It really did.
Because she knew that Ron loved her. Unconditionally.
But she...she loved Draco.
Always had, and always would. He would never be hers again...but she belonged to him.
Forever his, until she died.
a/n: ahhhhhhh! My first ever one shot! I got the idea literally at 12 am, and decided to start and finish writing it TODAY. It's 3 am, and I need to sleep!
I know I said I wouldn't be writing anything until I was done my other multi chapter fic, Black, White, and Everything In Between, but I couldn't resist! But for those of you following that fic, I promise an update before New Years.
Gosh, it broke my heart to write this. I usually hate stories without happy endings, but the concept of this was so beautiful, I had to. Don't panic guys, Black, White, and Everything In Between *will* have a happy ending.
Pleaseeeee comment and review. They really help me, as a writer, and I just love to see them!
Love you guys, as always,
Sydney