Chapter 5 – Just A Daydream
Waves rushed in the background of her mind, and she didn't understand where she was at first. She had to be somewhere tropical; otherwise the waves she heard wouldn't fit, and the warmth that filled her face would not make any sense. Opening her eyes she registered she was in a swimsuit, and a fluffy towel covered her legs.
Where in the world am I? Thoughts flooded Hermione's head as she took in her surroundings. There was a lounge chair she was on, and a straw styled roof covered the hut behind her. Jungle lined one side of the beach, and then the crystal blue water lined the other side of the beach. Soft sand made the appearance of a commercial on muggle T.V. She could see no one else around anywhere, and that caused her a moment of panic, where in the world was she?
Suddenly memories came rushing to her. She had married Ron Weasley. He had apologized and all of a sudden turned into someone sweet and caring. They had ended up together. Then last month, after four years of marriage Draco Malfoy had come back to her. He started working with her, and then after that they began to talk more.
All of a sudden they had ended up together behind Ron's back. He was everything she ever wanted. They knew they could never be together. So they ran away one weekend, and suddenly Hermione saw what her life was. It was a lie, a sad lie that she hid so close to her heart.
"Hermione! Come join me!" Draco ran up to her, water droplets clinging to his chest, and dropping down his face. He had a goofy grin on his face, and was happier than she had ever seen him.
"But that is so far away…" Hermione laughed, feeling the care freeness of the vacation that was supposed to be a business trip.
"Well I can fix that!" Draco laughed, and tugged her to her feet. Once she was on her feet Draco picked her up, and carried her in his arms towards the brilliant water.
"Don't you dare!" Hermione yelled in his ear, hoping that he would be startled enough to let her down on the beach.
Instead he did the opposite; he kept running until he was knee deep in the water, and threw her into the water, with a maniac laugh as she squealed.
Hermione resurfaced and the sky was dark and the water was no longer a tropical blue. Instead it was a deep gray, with waves crashing onto the sand, and rain pelting down on her. She desperately waved her arms above her head, struggling to regain footing on the sandy bottom. The current was sweeping her along, and she tried to remember all of her training for swimming.
Taking deep breaths Hermione swam towards the shore, searching for Draco. He had to be around here somewhere, they had been together. The lounge chair was turned on its side, and the small hut's door was open. Hermione ran in, the wet sand clinging to her legs.
"Draco!" Hermione yelled louder, her wet hair was falling into her eyes and she pushed it away desperately. Where in the world could he be, he couldn't have just left her alone in the storm.
She entered the hut and shock met her eyes, clothes were strewn everywhere, and the bed was covered with something red. She shuddered to think it was blood. Her suitcase was thrown across the room, and the lamp was broken on the floor.
Treading on careful feet to miss the glass she called out once more, "Draco! Where are you?" Hermione rushed about the small room, flinging open the bathroom door she resisted the urge to throw up. Laying there on the floor was Draco. His eyes were shut, and his head was turned to the side. There was a gash across his chest, and small scratches on his face.
"Draco…" Hermione stared at him, not sure what to do. She ran to him, but it was obvious that there was no way she was going to get him to ever wake up.
Tears poured out of her eyes as she gazed at the love of her life. He was lying to still, so lifeless. His pale body would never meet the sun again, and he would never know about his child that would one day arrive. She felt her throat burning, and bile threatened to rise out of her stomach.
"Figures you would be here." The voice was so familiar, and she turned around, hoping and praying that the voice didn't belong to him.
But it was. It was Ron, standing in the doorway, his lip was bloody, and it was obvious that Draco had put up a good fight. "Till death do us part Hermione, guess that would mean more than that." Ron started moving towards her, quoting their wedding vows like a madman.
"Ron…please." Hermione stared at him. The darkness in his eyes, and something cold and steely glimmered. How had she not seen this side of him? She had though, all those years back when he accused her of being in love with Draco.
He still moved towards her, arms reaching out, ready to grab her. "Ron!" Hermione yelled, looking for anything to defend herself. Her wand was back outside, where she had left it with her book.
"Hermione…till death do us part…I'm sorry." Ron smiled at her, a cold smile that made her think of the dementors. With that he reached out to her, and she felt his cold hands shaking her into oblivion.
"Hermione!" Hermione felt herself being shaken awake, and she jumped up, realizing that her thoughts had all been just a daydream or more accurately, a nightmare. If only they had been real, at least the first part of it.
Blinking she registered green eyes above her, and the familiar scent of the library. "Huh?" Hermione looked at Harry, wondering what she had been doing that caused him to find her and wake her up.
"You were sleeping Hermione…I thought I should come find you and apologize for Ron." Harry was always the peacemaker between her and Ron, probably because he hated being in the middle of his best friends fighting.
"Why should you apologize for him?" Hermione glared at Harry, he should know better than even thinking of trying to cover for Ron, Ron had been flat out rude and he should apologize on his own behalf.
"I just thought that it would help smooth things over. It is Christmas Eve." Harry blushed as he looked down, more like his cheeks were on fire. He didn't want the rest of the break to be a battlefield.
"Ha. I will not talk to Ronald until he talks to me and apologizes. If he can say something like that to me, than I highly doubt I can continue to be his friend." Hermione stood up, making a point to shoot Harry a look, making sure he knew to stay out of it, before she spun on her heels and left the library.
Two could play at the awful game she thought. If Ron was going to be rude to her, and act like he knew her mind. Then she could act as if she knew something about Ron, and that she was in love with someone she wasn't. She knew just who to use in her ploy.
