Thank you all for being so patient with me. I told you all that it wouldn't be a long break. I just need some time to sort myself out. I am so appreciative for every single one of you and I want to personally thank any of you that reached out to me on FF and Tumblr. All of your messages mean so much to me. I can't promise that this won't happen again. I struggle with personal things outside of FF and I will always put my mental health first and I won't apologize for that, as should anyone. I'll do my best to ignore miserable people in the future.
As you can see I decided that I'm not very fond of second person POV for FF. I wanted to try it out and see how I like it and it isn't for me. This chapter is kind of a filler chapter before real shit starts going down. I'm doing my best to set up characters and background stories first.
I want someone, with secrets
That nobody, nobody, nobody knows
-Gangsta, Kehlani
"Why were you hanging around with Draco Malfoy?"
These were the first words that greeted her as soon as she had settled Teddy and herself into her car. She froze, only for a millisecond, before buckling in and starting the ignition.
"It was nothing. He was just keeping me company while I waited for you," she calmly replied.
She could feel his eyes on her, and Hermione's earlier suspicions of him not being so drunk came back to mind. She glanced at him as she navigated the sharp turns of the street, the city lights guiding her path. His dark blue eyes glowed in the dimly lit vehicle as they rested on her, something unknown in them. Teddy suddenly sighed, shifting in his seat before leaning his head against the passenger window.
"Draco Malfoy isn't…good, Hermione."
His words came out clear and with so much conviction in them that she was forced to listen. Her hands tightened around the steering wheel, heart pounding as he confirmed what she already knew.
"He's a gambler and he does drugs and I'm pretty sure he's a borderline alcoholic. He isn't known for his hospitality and he doesn't run with the best of crowds-."
"Oh? What are you, then? Correct me if I'm wrong, Theodore, but didn't I just pick you up from the same party that he was attending? For the second time?"
He huffed in irritation, suddenly sitting up in his seat, startling her with his abrupt movement.
"It's different, we're different. People who get caught up with him…" he suddenly shook his head, scoffing "He's caught up in shit that a girl like you couldn't even imagine."
Hermione frowned, his words striking something within her.
"A girl like me? Oh, I see. I'm your innocent, goody-two-shoes friend who you feel you have to protect from the charming, rich asshole lest he corrupt her," she spat.
"Yes! That's exactly it, Hermione. He doesn't associate with just anyone, and he sure as hell doesn't do it for the sake of being friendly. You were there at the table, by his side. He was laughing with you and pouring you…drinks," he spat out the word like it was something dirty. "He fancies you."
Hermione already knew this. Now, she also knew that Teddy had seen more than she originally thought. She had been convinced that it was pure chance he showed up at the table, telling her he was ready to go, just as Draco had finished speaking.
"Maybe I'm interested in him," she weakly replied.
It wasn't a complete lie. While a large part of her was repulsed by Draco simply for his attitude, she couldn't deny that she was also intrigued by the mysterious man. His offer still burned an elephant sized hole in her brain.
"I have what you need…but you need to give me what I want."
Teddy's sudden sharp laughter brought her out of her reverie, and she found herself frowning at her tipsy friend. She glared at him, eyes flickering back and forth between him and the road.
"What? What is so funny?"
"You're not interested in him," he boldly stated with a shake of his head.
"I could be," she defended.
"Look, I don't know what you're trying to prove with this conversation, but you're not interested in him. You sleep with blokes like Ronald Weasley and Cormac McLaggen. You associate with vanilla boys who take you to the movies and kiss you on the cheek at the door, luring you into their beds with false promises of love and commitment only to metaphorically leave you on your ass the next week when they break it off, a new girl on their arm two days later."
Hermione sharply inhaled, the sting of tears pushing at her eyes as Teddy's words hit her like a freight train. God, she loved him, truly she did, but she absolutely hated how brutally honest he could be. She swallowed, biting her lip as he continued.
"You're used to little boys who like to play mind games and give you a false sense of security and hope. You don't know guys like Draco. Hell, you don't even like guys like Draco…like me."
"Theo…"
"I see the way you look at me sometimes. I know that you judge my lifestyle, my friends. You hate picking me up from these parties because you hate coming face to face with the kind of life I live. You hate the money and the drugs and their snobbish attitudes. We became friends purely by default, and if it wasn't for our families, you would not even associate yourself with me at all."
"That-that's not true. Yes, I do judge your lifestyle sometimes. Only because I don't understand it, and I probably never will. Yes, I was opposed to you at first. After all, I knew all about you, but you grew on me. You are my friend, Teddy. Don't ever doubt that," she said.
Hermione loved him and would always be his friend. She just wondered if he would say the same if he ever found out about the true nature of her and Draco's conversation.
Hermione was thankful that she didn't have class the next day. After all, it was about three o'clock in the morning when she had gotten the phone call from Blaise. She was tired and stressed because of university. She purposefully ignored the envelope on her kitchen table, reminding her of her monthly bill that was going to automatically charge her card.
She poured herself a small cup of coffee, doing her best not to dwell on the events of last night. She glanced at the notice with a grimace, ignoring how much better Draco's offer was looking by the minute. The sharp ring of the doorbell forced her to set her mug down on the counter, hesitantly approaching the door in confusion.
Her eyes widened as she looked through the peephole, heart lurching in surprise. She took a slow step back, at war with herself on whether or not she should open it. That small part of her, the one intrigued by this man, won for the time being.
A black suit garbed his fit frame, pale locks pushed away from his face, and a single rose was in his hand. She peeked around him, taking note of the expensive car parked in front of her house with distaste. His presence was just as imposing as last time and she almost lost her train of thought.
"How did you find me?"
He said nothing, simply raising an eyebrow, a small smirk dancing over his lips. That was a good enough answer for her.
"Right," she sighed.
Draco struck her as the kind of guy who had connections, and lots of them. Finding her had probably been no trouble for him at all. She didn't want him around, especially since Harry was supposed to be stopping by at any moment. She decided to get straight to the point.
"Why are you here?"
"You know why I'm here."
His voice was much different without the obnoxious sounds of partygoers and music drowning it out. It was smooth and controlled, like silk. Oddly enough, it reminded her of the first time she had gotten drunk. It was just after her breakup with Ron, she had been an absolute wreck. Ginny had made her a rum and coke and the concoction had glided down her throat with ease, despite the fact that there was way more rum than there was coke. She remembered the smooth feeling of it and how it had immediately warmed her cold frame, the heat enveloping her body like a blanket.
She crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at him with something akin to skepticism.
"You mean to tell me that you took the time and effort to track me down like some stalker and showed up on my doorstep with..." she glanced at the red flower "…a single rose all because you're interested in me?"
"You sound surprised," he quietly stated.
"Why?"
"I want you. Do I need a valid reason as to why? We've just met, after all, so it isn't like there could actually be a legitimate reason other than the fact that I saw a beautiful girl that I wanted to pursue," he answered.
Pursue is an interesting way of putting it, she thought and a crooked smile graced her lips.
"Pursue…right. I'm not accepting your offer," she told him.
"No?"
He looked, dare she say it, surprised.
"No. It's basically a modern form of prostitution, and while I hold no judgement for people who do that just to make it in this world, that's not who I am."
He chuckled, an addicting sound, showcasing a set of pearly white teeth. For a split second, he looked slightly menacing.
"May I come inside?"
Her answer was immediate.
"No."
He was unbothered by her rejection.
"Very well. The…offer was simply supposed to be…an incentive of sorts. I know how badly you need the money and, as you said before, you don't like people like me. I like to consider myself an opportunist and I saw an opportunity to get what I want," he explained, tapping the rose against her nose.
She had to give him his props for he was right. She never would have entertained him otherwise, she didn't like people like him. He held the rose out to her, and she gingerly took it with a small 'thank you'.
"I'll see you around…Hermione."
"How can you be so sure of that?"
He said nothing, simply stepping back with a small smirk before making his way to his car. She fingered the rose while leaning against the door frame, admiring it as he peeled out of her driveway. As the sound of his car faded down the street, a dreaded feeling began to fester in her stomach. It was a feeling that told her that she would be seeing him around, much more often than she would like.
Let me know what you think!