Chapter 4
18 July 2000
"Hermione!" Mrs. Granger called with a hint of agitation at her daughters lack of focus.
"Sorry mom, I was far away." Replied Hermione flatly. Her mother's face softened, she hated what Hermione was putting herself through, but she respected her decision even if she didn't like it.
"It's alright dear, I was only asking when you would get the nursery painted." Said Mrs. Granger softly. Hermione allowed a tentative smile to grace her lips , as her hand rose to rest on her now protruding belly.
She was four months along now and her little one was one of the only things that made her smile. Her mother smiled back at her, how odd they must look in overalls in an empty apartment with nothing but boxes and cream walls.
Hermione had decided to move out and find her own place, claiming that she needed to be independent. Although it was partly the truth , she also wanted to escape her parents current hovering.
"Well it won't be the classic blue or pink, because I don't want to find out the sex, maybe a gray or a soft green." Replied Hermione , her mind already planning where what would go where.
"I still don't know how you expect your father and I ,to buy our grandchild clothing and toys if we don't know the gender." Her mom huffed, tucking a greying curl behind her ear.
"Easy, you stay away from the pinks and blues and you buy unisex toys like...a teddy bear!" exclaimed Hermione, while her mom gave her a skeptical look.
Hermione allowed herself a chuckle at the look on her mothers face. Mrs. Granger and Hermione began bustling around the apartment, making quick work of unloading and packing away the items from the boxes.
"You know what mum, its okay, go home to dad...I can handle the rest." Said Hermione moving to stretch her muscles.
"Oh no, honey. I couldn't possibly leave you here." Her mother replied.
"No, I insist, get going...come on shoo." Hermione added in at the end when her mother would not budge.
"Well alright, but call me if you need anything." Said Mrs. Granger, grabbing her purse and kissing her daughter on the cheek.
"Thanks for everything mum and I will." Added Hermione as she accompanied her mother to the door.
Hermione let out a sigh as she closed the.. her door. The apartment had potential, it was a pretty thing. With two bedrooms, bathroom , study and a balcony with a nice view of the city. Her walls were cream and the wooden floors were a mahogany brown. The boxes that were left, littered the floors and Hermione found herself wishing she hadn't drove her mother away, but dismissed the thought, she needed the quiet.
Hermione worked tirelessly until every last box was unpacked before pouring herself a glass of water and relaxing on the couch to watch some telly.
Hermione hadn't been sitting for more than 10 minutes when a knock interrupted her musings. With a huff, Hermione got up and went to go investigate, wondering who on earth it could be.
When Hermione opened the door she was met by a man. He was about 6 feet tall, muscular and yet toned, with a strong jawline and a pale complexion. But the features that struck Hermione the most, were the stormy dark grey eyes, that held nothing but warmth and the platinum blond hair that fell in messy wisps on his head. He was effortlessly handsome and Hermione thought he was the picture of how a Malfoy should look.
"Hello, I'm from number 411, right across from you and I just came to welcome you to the neighbourhood." His voice was deep and laced with honey and Hermione knew that he had who have no problem into sweet talking people.
"Oh thanks, I'm Hermione Granger." Said Hermione as she stuck out her hand. The stranger returned her gesture before replying.
"Its nice to meet you Hermione, I'm Collin, Collin Morrigone." He replied.
"Lovely to meet you too." Hermione told stranger , while attempting a smile.
"Oh, hey...congratulations by the way." Exclaimed Collin. Hermione looked at him curiously after his exclamation before following his line of sight. To her sudden self-consciousness, he found that he was looking at her tummy. Her arms sprang to cover her stomach, even though it was futile while mumbling a quick 'thank you'.
"So you probably moving in with your boyfriend or husband then?" He asked in a controversial tone only Hermione wasn't pleased.
"You shouldn't assume things Mr. Morrigone, it isn't polite and its none of your business." She told him in a cold voice.
"..I'm sorry, I ..you right. I don't really have a filter sometimes." He told her as his cheeks slowly turned pink. Hermione was glad that he at least looked flustered.
"Well then maybe you should work on that." Hermione added before closing the door on Collin Morrigone's stunned face.
The nerve, this had to be the third person to 'assume' that she was happily in love with the father of her child. Well, she did love him but it was a painful kinda love and she hated to think that it was all her fault. Hermione angrily switched of her telly and threw her glass in the sink. A nap would do her good, so she wandered off to her drab room and tossed herself on her bed.
Hermione never got any sleep though, she spent the better half of an hour tossing and turning on her bed. She couldn't stop thinking about Collin and as anger turned into guilt, Hermione found herself getting more restless.
Now that she looked back on it, she shouldn't have been so rude. But what to do for a peace offering.
With an idea two hours later , Hermione found herself with a container of brownies in front of room 411. She began to lose her nerve as the minutes ticked on, hand half raised to knock on the door. It was nearing to eight o' clock and if she didn't knock soon then she'd be out here the whole night.
She allowed her knuckles to wrap three times on the door and with bated breath waited for an answer. Only it never came, Hermione sighed dejectedly before turning around to head back to her apartment. She started walking only to bump into something.
When she looked up she was met with the face of Collin Morrigone.
"Look, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I really shouldn't have assumed what your..err situation was and I am really sorry." He said with a careful smile.
"Its alright, I shouldn't have been so rude and I should have handled it better. So I..uh brought you a peace offering." Hermione said nervously, holding up the brownies.
"Thank you, do you want to come in and enjoy these with me?" Asked Collin, his smile completely natural now.
"I think I would like that." Said Hermione offering a smile of her own.
Collins apartment was modernly designed. With gray and white walls and rounded furniture. It was also awfully neat for a guy to be living there.
"Your apartments lovely, I could only hope that mine comes out looking as beautiful as yours." Hermione sighed out loud.
"Thank you, my mom actually helped me decorate the place and when I say helped, I mean she completely took over." He told her with a chuckle.
"So when did you move here from England?". Asked Collin while plating the brownies.
"Ah, the accents a dead give away. I moved here about three months ago and until recently I've been living with my parents." She told him.
"I used to live in England too, grew up there but we moved to Australia before my eleventh birthday." Said Collin bringing her the plate of the brownies.
"These are really good by the way." He offered after his first bite.
"Thanks, I make a mean treacle tart too." Hermione added with a sad smile."So Morrigone, that's an awfully sophisticated surname." She told him.
"What, are you saying it doesn't suit me" asked wiggling is eyebrows. Hermione giggled at his ridiculousness.
"Yes I definitely am." She said jokingly.
"I am from a line of what you could call aristocrats, but I don't agree with their views. So I have the surname, but I am not the epitome or rather I do not live up to it, or so my father says." Collin told her with a bitter edge in her voice.
"Your surname sounds familiar too Granger, I am almost positive I have heard it a couple of times in my youth as a complaint." He added with a crease between his brow. He went back to the kitchen and proceeded with trying to warm the milk over the stove. Hermione wandered if she should try and help him. Men just couldn't work their way around a kitchen.
Then an idea struck Hermione and maybe she was even right and if she wasn't then she could just obliviate him. Something had struck her about Collin, he looked and acted like a pureblood but in a toned down manner. He also had heard her surname a few times and had Malfoy features. So Hermione wandered if maybe he could be magical.
"Collin?" Hermione asked. His head snapped up from the stove.
"Does the..does the surname Malfoy ring a bell to you?" She asked carefully, trying not to give away much.
If he had been stumped, then Collin didn't show it. He looked at her curiously before answering her question.
"I am related with a family of Malfoys, in fact that's why your surname rings a bell. I have a cousin who used to go to school with a girl with the surname Granger, she was apparently a know-it-all." He told with a chuckle at the end.
"She was not!" She exclaimed a little too loudly. Collin rose his eyebrow at her reaction.
"Hermione..where are you going with this." He asked, guarded.
"If I am right, then your supposed cousin is Draco Malfoy and I was the so called know-it-all." Hermione found herself smiling at the statement.
Collin stared at her for a long while before speaking. "You've got to be kidding." He said.
"I'm magical too." Hermione offered with a smile while holding up her wand.
"Well than that makes life a whole lot easier for me." He told her as he took out his wand and warmed their milk with it instead.