Tuesday 5pm
Draco looked up to see who was at the door and stumbled over, falling on the floor.
Hermione ran to him with a worried expression on her face.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked.
Draco got up and straightened himself out, sitting back on his chair.
"Sorry about that." Draco smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It's alright." Hermione smiled.
"So, what brings you here?" he asked.
"Well, Mr. Grayson, my lawyer is away on business so he said that you would do this case for me." Hermione stated.
"Oh, that's you!" Draco said, coming to realisation. "Okay, let's get started. What's the reason that you want divorce?" he asked, though he knew already.
"Ron cheated on me with Lavender." Hermione said quietly.
"I see. Had he been acting strangely, rather distant to you before that incident?" he asked, writing notes down on his notepad.
"Yes, he had, but like an idiot, I ignored it, thinking that he was just busy with work." Hermione said angry with herself. "How could I have been so stupid? Thinking that he loved me all this time." Hermione wept, unable to contain her tears anymore.
He went to her and pulled up her chin so that she was looking at him. "Hey, listen to me. It's not your fault, okay. You loved him a lot, I can see that. Hell, anybody could see that, yet he couldn't. That's his fault. He doesn't know what a beautiful, intelligent woman you are. If he did, then he would never have done such a thing to you. Just...don't blame yourself for something you haven't done." Draco assured her. Hermione nodded slowly, still teary eyes. Draco reached for her cheeks and wiped her tears with his thumb gently. He looked at her.
She looked at him surprised. He really had changed for the better. She smiled at him.
He went back to his chair and wrote down more notes, while Hermione waited for him to finish.
He looked back up. "Hermione, are you sure you want this divorce?" he asked.
"Yes, I can't go back to him after what he's done. We've been married for ten years! Who knows how long he's had that affair with Lavender!" Hermione exclaimed. Draco sighed, understanding what she meant.
"Alright. The divorce papers will be ready soon; I will mail them to you as soon as possible as well as to Weasel-bee." He informed.
Hermione chuckled, receiving a confused expression from Draco.
"What?" he asked baffled.
"Nothing. It's just the fact that you still cal him Weasel-bee." She smiled.
"Why wouldn't I? He'll always be a weasel to me." He said, making Hermione giggled again. He smiled back.
"I guess I should go. Thank you, Draco." Hermione gave him an endearing smile before exiting his office.
That was when Draco remembered that he had to ask her to the Masquerade! He mentally slapped himself for not having said anything. He needed to find another chance quickly. He only had 3 nights and 4 days before the party was due.
For now, he needed to get through the paperwork for Hermione's divorce. He got to work straight away.
Hermione went back to the Burrow, only to be unfortunately met by Ronald Weasley. Just what she needed. She was not in the mood for this.
"Hermione, I want to talk to you." Ron said.
"Well, Ronald, I don't." Hermione said sternly and headed for the stairs.
"Hermione, please, just hear me out." he reached for her arm and pulled her.
Hermione was turned around harshly. Her palm made contact with his face.
"What is there to hear about, Ron? Huh?! You cheated on me, Ron! For Merlin knows how long! And you expect me to just let it go and forgive you, because you've only just realised your mistake? No. I can't. I won't. If you were unhappy with the marriage, you could've told me! Having an affair with a married woman was the wrong thing to do! How could you even think that it was alright to do so?" Hermione asked rhetorically in rage.
"Hermione, I know. I know now, I should have done such a thing to you, and I'm sorry! Please Hermione, it was a mistake!" Ron cried pleading.
"Did you love me, Ron?" she asked quietly.
"What?" he asked, looking at anywhere but her.
"Did you love me? Yes or no?" she asked, louder this time.
"O-Of course I did! A-And I still d-do!" Ron exclaimed pathetically, not making eye contact. That was all Hermione needed to know.
"You're lying!" she cried. Then, another question popped up in her mind. "W-why did you even marry me, Ron?" she asked in the verge of tears. His silence gave everything away. He didn't want to marry her. He never did.
Hermione took his hands off her arm and ran upstairs, her tears running freely down her cheeks. It was all a sham. He never loved her.
Just as Ron was about to run after her, Harry stepped in front of him, halting him in his tracks.
"I don't think that's a good idea, mate." Harry said. He led Ron to the door. "You shouldn't have married her Ron. If you didn't even love her, then why did you marry her?" Harry asked.
"Because of mum! She kept on pressurizing me! That Hermione was the right girl for me, and Lavender wasn't!" Ron exclaimed.
Harry's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't believe he was blaming his own mother for all that's happened to him.
"How dare you, Ronald Bilius Weasley! How dare you blame mum for all your mistakes?! She would never pressurize you to do anything! Even if she had, you could've stood up to her and told her that you didn't love Hermione but Lavender and that you wanted to marry her!" Ginny exclaimed.
"I tried! It didn't work! She wouldn't listen to me!" Ron reasoned pathetically.
"She's your mother, Ron! Why wouldn't she listen to you?" Ginny questioned.
"Because she doesn't love me like she loves you! And George, and Percy, and Charlie, and Bill!" Ginny's palm made contact with Ron's already reddened cheek.
"She loves you just as much as she loves all of us. Don't you dare even think for one second that she never cared for you!" Ginny shouted at him. She had had enough now. "You know what? Just get out. Right now. I don't want to see your face again in this house. How could have such cheap thinking?" Ginny pushed her elder brother out of the household and slammed the door on his face, hardly.
Harry opened his arms so that he could comfort his wife. Ginny ran to him and embraced him tightly. She wept quietly, while Harry just held her, stroking her hair softly.
"It's alright. It's alright." Harry assured her.
After such a hectic afternoon, Ron decided that he would just have to accept that he was not going to be allowed back into Hermione, Ginny and Harry's life.
He decided to wonder around Diagon Alley and entered a small cafe.
As he entered, he immediately heard whispers around him.
"How could he even think of doing that to Hermione?"
"It's good that she decided to divorce him."
"Yeah, he doesn't deserve her."
"He should be ashamed of himself."
"He thinks awfully big of himself, strutting about in here like he hasn't done anything wrong."
That's was the last end of the straw. He couldn't take it anymore. He immediately headed for the exit and apparated back to this apartment.
He couldn't believe how cruel people were being towards him! He hadn't known the bitch was married! She was the blame for this – Lavender. She told him that she loved him and him only, and that she would never get married to anyone besides him! What a lie! He decided that he was going to stay away from her and was going to try and fix his ways. He knows now how idiotic he had been. Hermione was his wife, more importantly his friend, and he just pushed her away. Now, he meant nothing to her.
He sighed in regret. They were right; he didn't deserve her.
Hermione had heard everything that occurred in her absence downstairs. She couldn't believe him – resorting to blaming his own mother for his faults! Mrs. Weasley would never do such a thing to him.
She looked at the mirror on the wall apposite her bed. She was a mess! Her eyeliner stained her cheeks. Her lipstick had been smudged across her face.
She wiped her tears off, merging the lipstick and eyeliner together.
She was stronger than this. She shouldn't be crying over someone who never even loved her in the first place. He had only played with her feelings all this time.
She got up from her bed and entered the bathroom. She washed her face until she was removed of her light make up. She wiped her face with the towel that hung on the radiator and exited the bathroom.
Hearing a knock on the door, she allowed the person in. She wasn't surprised to see that it was Ginny and Harry. They were here to comfort her, she knew it, but she refused to cry anymore. Ron wasn't worth it.
"We just came to see if you were alright." Harry said quietly.
"I'm fine, you guys." Ginny have Hermione a look of worry. "Seriously, I'm fine." Though, now that she heard it, she didn't seem to believe herself.
"We know how much you love Ron, Hermione. We would understand if you were to cry. He broke your heart." Ginny frowned
Hermione looked at Ginny and Harry. She just couldn't keep it in. She had to let it out. It wasn't good to keep things bottled up.
She broke down. Ginny and Harry quickly came to Hermione's side for support and led her to settle down on her bed.
They held her until she was out of tears, saying soothing words to her.
She cried herself to sleep that night. The Potter couple lied Hermione down on her bed and tucked her in. They each took turns to softly kiss Hermione on the cheek.
They departed and left to their room. They needed good rest too, after Ron had wreaked such havoc today.
Draco was quite surprised to find that Hermione was his client. Her mere presence made his heart beat rapidly, his smooth wording stuttering. He didn't quite understand how he could feel this way for a woman, especially one that he had hated for more than 17 years. This had never happened before.
Though, he thought to himself – Hermione is like any other woman he's dated in the past...right?
No, she wasn't. She was someone who could – would- never be his. She was too good for him. He was surprised that she had even forgiven him so quickly, unlike others who just assumed to know everything about him because of his father.
Sadie came just in time to see her dad sulking. She knew just what about – Ms. Hermione. She knew he thought about her all the time, but she also knew that he was too scared to approach her voluntarily.
There's only one thing she could do. All he needed was a little push to right direction, and then he'd be on his way to winning Ms. Hermione's heart.
Unfortunately, she knew she couldn't do it alone. She needed help. All the help she could get.
Her grandma had agreed to help her out, but she needed more people.
Then, it came to her. Uncle Blaise and Aunty Pansy. Surely they knew about her dad's infatuation for Hermione, and they would be willing to help her out.
She decided to go downstairs before her dad noticed her and picked up the telephone, dialling in the number to the Zabini residence.
"Hell?" a voice that sounded like Pansy answered.
"Hello, Aunty Pansy, I need your help. It's about dad."
"What happened?"
"He's sulking in his room about Ms. Hermione. I need your help in getting them together."
"Say no more, Sade; I already have just the thing." Pansy explained her plan to her niece and smirked at how brilliant it was.
"Okay, I got it. I'll see you at the party, Aunty Pansy. I'll tell grandma to make dad look extra good for Ms. Hermione. Okay, bye." Sadie said.
"Bye, sweeties." Sadie hung up the phone and smiled to herself. This plan was absolutely perfect. She was sure nothing would go wrong.
"Who was that, honey?" Narcissa asked, peeking her head from the kitchen.
"Oh, grandma! Me and Aunty Pansy just came up with the best plan ever to get daddy and Ms. Hermione together!" she squealed in delight.
"Shh! Your daddy will hear." Narcissa hushed, but smiled, seeing as how much effort her granddaughter was putting in to getting the two together. She was happy to help, of course. How could she refuse when it meant that her son could finally be happy?