~eleven~

The last few hours of the afternoon passed by slowly with only a few more customers trickling in. There was a slightly busier time after 5 o'clock when the other shops of Diagon Alley began to close and staff began to make their way home, many calling in to Draco's shop for a quick browse and a coffee. As the customers left, he began his evening routines of getting the shop tidied and secure as closing time drew near. His mind was racing with the thoughts of everything Theo had told him earlier.

He went around the store, swishing his wand here and there, magically rearranging the records into their correct locations that he always kept painstakingly well organised. As he did so he took in his surroundings. Yes, he could see how Astoria might struggle to see the appeal of the place, even though he loved it.

The bare wooden floorboards, brick walls decked with framed album artwork, rustic wooden and industrial looking shelving and displays and the comfy, second-hand sofas that furnished the lounge area certainly seemed to be in sharp contrast to Astoria's high end, wizarding tastes. Maybe she had been expecting something else when she had called by earlier, and her surprise had been misconstrued by Theo as distaste somehow?

He walked back over to the lounge area and knelt down as he began polishing the coffee table with a soft cloth, choosing to do it the muggle way, as he was often inclined to when his mind was occupied by troubling thoughts. He began to mull over the idea that his father had a plan to lead him away from his music business.

It was no secret that his father had orchestrated his developing relationship with Astoria in the beginning, and that had been no surprise to Draco really. Purebloods were renowned for matchmaking between each other for their heirs and heiresses, and his father had never shied away from expressing his own clear distaste at Draco's muggle venture. It did sound like something his father would do, but it was the idea that Astoria was in on it that Draco found to be the most disconcerting. Was she really that two faced that she had been able to pull the wool over his eyes?

No. No he just couldn't see it at all. Astoria had been nothing but supportive and interested in what he was working on. He really liked the girl, so much so that he had been considering getting a bit more serious with her. He was sure that he would have known had she been hiding an ulterior motive from him.

He zoned out and pressed on with polishing the coffee table in large circles, continuing to digest the afternoon's events, when all of sudden and with a yelp of surprise, Draco was shaken from his reverie by the sight and sound of a large and familiar looking manuscript landing heavily with a loud thud in front of him on the polished surface. He jumped back slightly and looked up with confusion etched on his face.

He was startled by the sight before him. There stood Hermione, with her arms folded challengingly across her chest, which was rising steadily up and down as she breathed deeply. She looked visibly shaken. Her eyes were full of emotion as she stared him down. He stood up slowly, not taking his eyes off her for a second.

"What are...? You have my study?" he asked with disbelief, a torrent of questions forming in his mind.

"Yes. I had a visit from Theodore."

Draco's raging anger rose within him at his friends' intrusion and interference.

"Theo…?"

"Draco. You… you did this?" she said stepping towards him eagerly. "You continued with your study? And... you've potentially found a way of healing powerful memory loss?"

"Well… yes. Maybe."

"Draco, there's not really much maybe about it! I mean - I've read it. I've sat and devoured the whole thing in the last two hours. It's… it's perfect." she said with a whisper.

Draco stared at Hermione. She looked different somehow. She looked…sad and exhausted. A little more like she did back in eighth year - thinner and with dark circles under her eyes. He felt pain in his heart at seeing her like this. He smiled at her warmly.

"Thanks, Hermione. I'm glad you're happy with it."

Hermione gave a teary-eyed smile in return and a small, wry laugh escaped her lips. Her glassy eyes looked skyward as she sighed with exasperation, shaking her head slightly. She looked like she was on the verge of bursting into tears.

Draco took a step towards and reached out to touch her in a comforting gesture to only be surprised when she shrugged him off swiftly, moving out of his reach. He froze to the spot, feeling hurt and confused.

Hermione walked away from him, arms still wrapped across her chest.

"I… I really messed up with you, didn't I?" she muttered quietly.

"Sorry?"

She turned with a sad smile to face him once more.

"Just when I thought I was getting over you, you go and do this amazing thing!" she exclaimed, before realising her unplanned confession and closing her eyes with regret.

Draco absorbed her words fully. "You? You were getting over me? I…? What…?" he stammered with confusion.

She breathed out and sat down heavily on one of the sofas, head in hands as she explained.

"Last year. When you were living with Justin. I guess I... sort of had feelings for you."

"You had feelings for me?"

"Yes, well, you had feelings for me too!"

Draco stared with surprise at her accurate accusation, letting out an indignant huff.

"Well don't deny it, Draco. Theo told me everything this afternoon…"

"Theo had no right!" he shouted, causing Hermione to visibly startle at his words. Again his heart cracked at the sight of her emotion and he took a breath to steady his own feelings and keep his anger in check.

"Why on earth are you telling me this now? Yes, I had feelings for you, okay? God's Hermione, I turned myself inside out seeing you with Justin every day. I mean, I bloody well kissed you, didn't I?"

Hermione chewed her lip nervously and nodded, with a sniff.

"And now you're saying you had feelings for me all along?!"

She nodded again and squeezed her eyes shut as she made her admission.

Draco paced towards the counter, shaking his head and rubbing his hand across his forehead.

"So… when you kissed me that night ...what was that?"

Hermione shook her head, looking up at the ceiling as she recalled the events of that night in the flat.

"I was confused, Draco. Yes, I wanted to hurt Justin for humiliating me, but that was totally secondary to my feelings for you…"

Draco gave a short laugh, again shaking his head in disbelief. An awkward silence fell between the pair as they digested what had transpired between them.

"Hermione, getting over you was one of the hardest things I've ever done." he admitted, quietly.

She looked up at him, sharply.

"And now…"

"Now you're with Astoria." she said, completing his sentence for him with a slight bitterness to her tone.

"Yes, I'm with Astoria!" Draco shouted once more. "You have no right to come down here and tell me this now! I'm with Astoria! I've moved on, Hermione, that ship has sailed! Please…" he trailed off, getting his emotion and volume in check at the sight of the pain in Hermione's eyes.

"...Please. I have to lock up the shop. Please leave." he stated with a quiet voice, not daring to look in her eyes.

She stood slowly and walked to the shop door, Draco determinedly staring at the floor. He knew if he looked at her, his will power might cave in and he might stop her.

As Hermione got to the door and pulled it open, she quietly spoke.

"I'm sorry, Draco. My intention coming over here was to thank you for what you've done. And I've messed it up. I'm glad you've found happiness, and I'll always be indebted to you for what you've done..." she trailed off, her voice breaking as tears finally came through.

Draco's will power immediately crumpled and he looked up suddenly as the pop of apparition signalled that she had left.

Draco paced up and down with despair, the wooden floorboards creaking heavily as he did so.

What the hell was going on today? First Theo making accusations about Astoria and his father, and now Hermione confessing feelings for him! He marched over to the door and slid the large metal bolt along angrily, looking out into the street outside.

His instinct was to apparate straight over to Theo's and punch him in the face. What was he thinking - copying his manuscript and taking it her? He sensed the feint lick of angry magic crackling at his fingertips and took a deep breath to calm himself. He decided it was best to leave off visiting Theo alone until he was in a better state of mind.

He went to the shop counter and pulled out a small parchment, hurriedly scrawling a note on it, reading:

"I am going to give you a taste of Flinchley's medicine when I see you, you interfering bastard."

Rolling the small parchment up, he then stormed upstairs to his small flat, finding his faithful eagle owl perched contentedly in the small window overlooking the streets below.

"Hi Nicomedes." Draco greeted, giving him a small stroke under his beak.

"Take this to that twat Nott, will you?" he asked as he attached the small scroll to the bird's leg. "And feel free to take a massive shit on his carpet, while you're there."

Draco then opened the window and watched as his familiar took flight into the evening air, circling slowly and then disappearing off into the distance.

The cool air blowing in seemed to have a calming effect on Draco as he watched the skies above. He took the moment to gain some perspective on the highly eventful day that he had just had.

Yes, he was furious with Theo, but he could see how he what he had done was just a really stupid act of friendship and he knew that he would most likely forgive him for it sooner rather than later.

He was tempted to owl Astoria that night and arrange to meet her to have things out with her, but after some careful consideration, he thought it would be better for him to sleep on it and approach it with a fresh face the next day at the planned luncheon. He really liked the girl and felt strongly that Theo must have misunderstood her intentions that afternoon. A meeting with his parents would be a good opportunity to watch how Astoria and her father interact and might give him a better insight into her feelings about their relationship.

Thoughts of his feelings for Astoria then naturally turned to his feelings for Hermione. He wandered over to the kitchenette and filled the kettle, placing it on the stove. He was determined to not let her confession of feelings this afternoon take a hold of him. He recalled with a sigh how difficult a time he had had getting over Hermione in the months after the gala evening when she had implied that their kiss had meant nothing to her. Why had she lied about her feelings back then?

The small kettle began to whistle merrily and he carefully made himself a cup of tea. He couldn't help but begin to form a side by side comparison of Hermione and Astoria in his mind as he went over to sit on the small leather sofa. The two girls were really nothing alike in either looks or personality. He found himself smiling with fondness more and more as he thought about Hermione, the feelings being shattered when he recalled her hurt and depressed demeanour earlier that night.

He squeezed his eyes shut with a feeling of regret at the way he had shouted at her so angrily, but then began to chide himself internally for it. No! He was right to be cross! He was happy with Astoria, and she shouldn't have come round here saying what she had.

"It's too late." he told himself assertively. "I'm over her. I'm really over her."

His eyes fell on his copy of Abbey Road that was lying on the side next to his record player and he squeezed his eyes shut with a deep breath, lying back heavily on the sofa and staring at the ceiling.

It was going to be a long night.