Chapter 2: Complications
It's all about
soul
It's all about faith and a deeper devotion
It's all about
soul
'Cause under the love is a stronger emotion
She's got to
be strong
'Cause so many things gettin' out of control
Should drive her
away
So why does she stay?
It's all about soul
Hermione walked into the building where Draco worked. She went up to the administration desk and asked if they could contact Draco and tell him that she was here because he was expecting her. The man behind the desk told Hermione to take a seat and Draco would be out soon. She didn't really feel like sitting down but she went over to the comfy looking couches anyway.
Hermione only had to wait for a minute before she saw Draco coming towards her. He was wearing his normal work robes but somehow he looked better than usual. It could have just been the broad smile he had on his face. He looked so happy to see her it gave Hermione flattering feeling in her stomach and her own broad smile. Ron had never been about to make her feel like this just by smiling at her.
She stood up at Draco came closer and greeted him with a bright "Hello."
"Hi," Draco replied, "I had been waiting for the call from the front desk. I finished all my paperwork about fifteen minutes ago and I started to look up a few things I wasn't one hundred percent on." He stopped talking and looked straight at Hermione, taking all of her in for the first time. His eyes widen and he swallowed before he spoke again. "Wow," he said in a soft voice. He knew she had a good figure but hadn't know she could look this good in the clothes she was wearing.
Hermione looked down at herself and then let out a small giggle. "I thought you would like my choice of clothes. I hope it wont distract you too much though."
"I think I might need the distraction," Draco retorted and they both laughed. "Come on, I will take you into my office and we can get started." Draco turned and gestured for Hermione to follow him. Hermione wasn't sure whether Draco meant they were going to start talking legal matters about the divorce or whether he was hinting at something else but she knew there was only one way to find out and she began to walk after him.
As they walked past a few of the other offices to get to Draco's a couple of the male lawyers made cat calls at Hermione. Draco didn't pay them any attention and all Hermione could do was smile at the compliment but made sure to keep up with Draco, trying not to look at he guys making the calls.
They reached Draco's office and he opened the door, letting Hermione walk in before he followed her. He gestured for her to sit down and he moved to sit behind his desk. Hermione chose one of the two chairs in front of Draco's desk to sit on and then looked around. All the walls were painted a creamy white and bare of any paintings, photos or anything else. The only way to see outside the office was through the window at the top half of the door. Nobody could really see Draco behind his desk unless they opened the door and walked in and they could only really see Hermione if the stepped right up to the door and looked in. Draco had a great amount of privacy in this office.
"Did you chose which office you wanted or was this one just given to you?" Hermione asked curiously.
"I chose it," said Draco, "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, I just noticed that it seems to be a fair bit more private then the other offices we past," Hermione said casually.
"Yeah, well… I like my privacy. I picked the office when I still wasn't really totally accepted in wizarding society," explained Draco.
"Why haven't you asked to change your office?" Hermione asked. "I know in the ministry we rotate who get which office every three years or so."
"This isn't the ministry and I still like my privacy. I have gotten used to this office and I don't think anyone else wants it anyway."
"Fair enough," said Hermione not wanting to start an argument. She watched Draco as he flicked through a pile of papers in front of him. He seemed to be looking for something. "What are you looking for?"
"Standard divorce contract," answered Draco plainly, not looking up from his search.
"Oh," said Hermione. So they were going to get straight to business. She had half hoped that he would get too distracted by her outfit but maybe that would come later. Business was all right.
"Ah," Draco exclaimed pulling a bunch of papers out from the middle of the pile. "Found them." He put them to one side and then moved the rest of the pile onto the floor beside his chair. He started talking to Hermione as if she was just another client, though the language he used was more casual than what he generally would have used with his other clients. He didn't use as many 'big words' and explained the lawyer jargon in simple English and a few times with a couple of expletives.
It was nearly eleven o'clock before Draco finished reading, explaining and personally the contract to Hermione's needs. "Well, that looks to have covered everything. I'll have to re-draft it tomorrow and then get my boss to check over it before we send notification to Ron."
"It doesn't seem like it is real but I know it is," said Hermione. "I can hardly believe that it is real."
"I know you never thought you would be doing this when you accepted Ron's marriage proposal, but I cant say that I never thought of it," Draco told her truthfully. When Hermione didn't reply Draco continued. "You know how during the war I turned to the Light and I had to prove that I wasn't going to turn back to Voldemort. Your friendship after I explained why I wanted to help destroy the Dark Lord really helped me to gain others friendship and trust. I don't think I have ever properly thanked you for that."
Hermione opened her mouth to cut in but Draco stopped her with his outstretched hand. "No, don't. I need to say this and I think you need to hear it." Hermione closed her mouth and he put his hand down. "After a while I felt genuinely accepted by most people, especially you Hermione. I started to feel more than friendship towards you. I tried to fight my feelings for you but I couldn't. They were always there whether I pushed them away or embraced them. Either way I believed you would never feel that same for me. You were so close to Ron and he loved you. I couldn't compete with him."
This time Hermione just cut in, her voice a little hoarse as if she was holding back tears. "Draco, why are you telling me all this?"
"Because, I want you to know how much you mean to me." He got up from his chair and walk around his desk. He sat down in the chair beside Hermione, moving it closer to her as he did so. She wasn't looking at him so he reached out, placing his hand on her cheek and gently moving her head to face him. He caressed the soft skin on her cheek with his thumb. Hermione put her hand up to his, pulling it away from her face so she could it in her hands.
She moved her whole chair around so that she was now facing Draco, still holding his hand in hers. Draco stood up and pulled Hermione up with him. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She let go of his hand and took a step closer to him, not that she could get much closer. She both placed her arms around him and looked up. His mouth was only inches from hers and the space between them was growing smaller as Draco started to lean in. Hermione rose up to met him, their lips locking in an emotion filled kiss.
Hermione was the first to pull away from the kiss. They were both holding each other now and Hermione looked up into Draco's dazzlingly grey eyes. She couldn't help but think that this was wrong. One voice in her head told her to push him away while another told her to kiss him again. Something must have shown on her face because Draco asked "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry," she replied and pushed him to arms length. He let her do it, removing his arms from around her.
"No, I'm sorry," said Draco, "I thought you wanted me to kiss you-"
"I did," Hermione said cutting him off. "Oh Draco, I did want you to do that." She clasped in the chair and put her hands over her face. "Its just that every time you do there is a part of me that tells me I shouldn't being doing it. I shouldn't feel the way I do about you. That it is wrong." Draco had knelt down in front of her and was pulling her hands down from her face. He lifted her chin so that he could see her face and looked into her eyes when he told her, "I don't want to hurt you."
"I know you don't," she sighed. "It's not your fault. I just…" but she couldn't put how she was feeling into words. It was too confusing.
"Maybe you should go home and get some rest," suggested Draco.
"Maybe," said Hermione but made no effort to move from the chair. Draco stood and walked behind his desk. Almost as soon as he sat down there was a knock on the door. Hermione looked at the door and then at Draco. "Who is it?" Draco called.
"It's me Draco. I need you to take a client that just came in. I wouldn't ask but everyone else is busy," came Draco's boss' voice from outside the door.
"Okay. I'll be in your office in five. I just need to finish up here."
"Sure thing."
Hermione heard her walking away from the door and when she couldn't hear the footsteps anymore she started to talk. "I guess I should go then." She stood and went for the door but Draco stopped her from opening it with the use of a quick locking charm. She looked back at him. He had that smirk of his face that told her he was up to something. He put his wand down on the table as he got up and moved towards Hermione. His armed moved behind her back for the second time that night and he pulled her close to his body.
"Don't I get a goodbye kiss?" he asked in a mischievous tone.
"Don't you think that is asking a little much after what happened before?"
"Please Hermione," Draco said pleadingly and she couldn't resist that face and those pouted lips. She reached up and gave him a light kiss on the mouth. Draco looked at her as if to say "Is that all?" Hermione just pushed his arms back to his sides, pulled out her wand and unlocked the door non-verbally. She opened the door and walked out without even a glance back at Draco. As soon as she could she apparated back to the apartment.
---
When Harry finished at work he apparated straight to the back of Ron's house. He knocked on the back door and waited for Ron to let him in. The door opened a minute later to reveal Ron in some old jeans and baggy red T-shirt. He held the door open with his right hand while his left was clasped around a half empty bottle of butterbeer. When Harry saw what was in the bottle he was relieved it wasn't firewhiskey. Ron had take quite a liking to that particular drink over the past week and Harry knew if he kept it up Ron might lose his job as the Keeper on the regional Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons.
"Hi Ron," Harry greeted him, "Can I come in?"
"Sure," Ron said and stepped aside so Harry could walk past him and through to the lounge room. Ron locked the door and followed his friend back into his house. He sat down in the armchair he had been in before Harry had knocked on the door and Harry sat on the three-seater opposite him. "So did you come straight from work?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, thought you might like some company," Harry told him causally. "Have you had dinner yet?"
"Not yet." Ron said it as if he didn't plan on eating for a while. Harry had worked up an appetite during his last hours at work but he thought his stomach might settle for a drink.
"Do you mind if I get myself a drink?"
"No, help yourself." Ron said it automatically, like he had hardly heard a word Harry had said. Harry went to the fridge and pulled out a butterbeer for himself, all the while thinking of a something to test whether Ron was really paying attention and just a tad high on the butterbeer or whether his mind was elsewhere tonight. He finally thought a Quidditch question might do it.
"Do you think you have a chance at playing for England in the next Quidditch World Cup?" he said when he pulled his head back out of the fridge, closing the door with a butterbeer in hand. Harry found Ron looking at him, his eyes showing some surprise at the question but his mouth gave him an answer all the same. "A minimal one but still a chance. I'm not keeping my hopes up though."
Harry sat back down on the couch and opened his butterbeer but he didn't drink any of it yet. Instead he sighed and said "Okay Ron, what is on your mind?"
Ron looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you have something on your mind and I want to know what it is. I have an idea but I want you to say it."
"I don't know what you're talking about Harry," said Ron firmly.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Harry exclaimed, "and the sooner you say it the sooner we can talk about it."
"I don't want to talk about it," Ron said more stubbornly, this time, than firm.
"So you admit there is something on your mind?"
"No," answered Ron but the look on his face and tone of his voice told Harry that he knew he was defeated.
"Ron, why won't you just tell me? It will help to talk about it."
"No it won't. You know it wont Harry. I'm not going to get her back. Not with Malfoy around anyway. So what difference does it make talking about it? It is done, over and there is nothing I can do about it."
"I thought you would have put up more of a fight than this," Harry admitted. "Do you remember how Hermione told you that she wanted to end your marriage? She still wants to Ron. It will be easier if you just sign the papers, maybe spend a few months apart or so, you might be able to retain your friendship."
"What do you mean, just sign the papers?" Ron almost shouted. "I'm not going to sign any papers. She may want to end our marriage but I sure as hell don't"
"But you just said you knew you were never going to get her back?"
"I thought you were my friend?"
"I am"
"Then why are you on her side?" Ron accused
"I'm not on anyone's side," Harry protested
"Sure you're not," Ron said, voice slick with sarcasm. "She has just sent you to soften me up, get me to sign the papers and agree to anything she wants." Harry tried to cut in but Ron just kept going. "You know, Malfoy has probably got her under a spell or something. Maybe even the imperious curse. I'm sure he would be capable of it and his father mostly would have taught him."
"Okay Ron, that's enough!" Harry exclaimed. He didn't need Ron speculating about Malfoy right now. He needed Ron's focus to be on Hermione and what he had done so that their marriage was broken. "I'm not on Hermione's side. But I'm not on your side either. I'm the neutral party in this whether I like it or not. You need to understand that no matter how much you try to change it and make everything right, your relationship with Hermione has suffered due to your stupidity and desperation. So may eventually forgive you but I doubt she could ever forget what you tried to do."
Ron sat with his elbows on his knees, both hands around his half empty bottle and head hung in what Harry thought was either sorrow or shame, maybe even both. He didn't like to see his friends like this. "I know it has to be really hard for you to hear and accept, but if it comes down to a decision having to be made by the courts because you were too stubborn to negotiate the terms of your and Hermione's split, she will get it her way. She wouldn't be as cruel as to leave you with nothing and I think she might even be very fair about it, but the judge will rule in her favour, not yours."
Ron looked up at Harry after he finished speaking, really looked at him and saw through his eyes how much it was hurting Harry to watch his best friends fall apart, how much he wanted them both to just be friends again and stop the fighting. It pained Ron to do it, to watch his best friend hurt so much for him, but he couldn't just let Hermione go. Not without a fight and not willing into Malfoy's arms. Ron shock his head at Harry's pleading eyes. "I can't do it Harry. I'm sorry, but I cant just let her go. I have to try."
"Try to win back her friendship, yes. But your marriage… no Ron, no," Harry said, shaking his head at the last words.
Neither man spoke for a long while after that. Ron sat back and started to drink again and Harry opened his butterbeer and drank from it. They shared several drinks after that and also sharing a very late dinner in silence. Eventually Harry spoke and they played a few games of wizards chess before they were both too tired to think. Harry crushed on the couch and Ron went to his bed some time in the early morning.
---
Harry apperated at the Ministry late the next morning after waking up with a headache (nothing a small potion couldn't fix) and a rambling stomach, which had been satisfied with a big English breakfast. He wasn't as bright and cheery as he usually was when he arrived at work but he was close. He was greeted with warm smiling faces and many 'good morning Mr. Potter''s as he made his way up to his office.
(Write paragraph to do with Harry's work)
It was about half an hour later that he heard a knock on his door. "Come in," he called without looking up from what he was doing. Harry heard the door open and close before he lifted his head to see who had entered his office. "Oh, hello Hermione. What's up?"
"I thought I would come up and find out how last night went with Ron," Hermione said not really knowing what Harry would tell her.
"He is still as stubborn as ever," Harry stated. "Sit down. Do you want a cup of tea?"
"Yeah, that would be nice," said Hermione as she took a seat in front of Harry's desk. Harry turned in his chair and waved his wand at the tea things sitting on the filing cabinet behind his desk. The small white teapot poured piping hot tea into two cups then milk added itself to one of the cups and Harry waved his wand again so the each cup with its matching saucer floated over to them. The tea with milk headed for Hermione hands and the one without floated down to land in front of Harry on his desk.
"He isn't going to make this easy for either of us, is he?" Hermione asked and then blew across her tea before drinking some.
"No, he isn't going to make it easy. I tried to tell him that you didn't want to lose him altogether and that you wanted to be as painless as possible but he will not give up on your marriage without a fight." Harry paused to drink some of his own tea and then continued. "He has almost totally excepted that he wont change your mind and he knows what he did was totally unacceptable but I think it me be Malfoy that is making him so determined to fight to stay married to you. I don't think he would be able to stand you being happy with Malfoy instead of him."
"I can't help who I fall in love with Harry. If Ron really did love me he would let me be happy with anyone including Draco."
"I know Hermione. I know but trying to tell Ron that... well, it isn't easy."
"I'm sure it isn't," Hermione sighed. She drank some more of her tea. "Thank you Harry. I know it must have been really hard for you to do what you did last night."
"You're my friends. Neither of you left my side when I needed you the most and I'm not going to leave either of you when you need me the most." Harry saw all the emotion in Hermione's eyes and instinctive got up and walked around his desk to give her the comforting hug from a friend that she so desperately needed.
---
A week past and Draco had finalised the divorce contract. He sent a copy to Ron and gave Hermione her own copy. He also sent a letter with Ron's copy informing him that he was Hermione's legal representative and that if he wanted to contest the divorce the papers he would be happy to speak to his lawyer.
Harry had been going to Ron's house each night and he seemed to have made a minute amount of progress. No where near enough of a difference to get Ron to sign the contract straight out. Ron himself had even admitted that Hermione wasn't asking for anything Ron won't have given her or thought she had a right to. He wasn't signing it because he wanted to keep Malfoy from moving too far in on Hermione for as long as he possibly could. You might say he was being slightly possessive of her.
Of course Draco had other plans and he and Hermione had gotten very close in the past week. Hermione had pushed her conscience to the side and enjoyed Draco company for what it was. She had even slept with Draco in his bed for the first time the night before last. She was beginning to feel a lot more comfortable with him and the idea of them being together for a long while to come.
Three nights after Hermione had started in Draco's bed she had this nagging voice in her head telling her that something wasn't right but try as she may, she could not figure out what was wrong. She thought it might have been her conscience kicking in again but the feeling wasn't the same as it had been when it was her conscience. No, it was something else. She thought she might not be getting enough exercise, enough fresh air so during her lunch hour she started to go for walks with her friend Samantha from the muggle department of the Ministry. The walks helped but after a few weeks the nagging feeling was back again.
Hermione finally told Harry about it over their fortnightly lunch together. He didn't know what it was but he suggested that maybe she should go to St. Mungo's for a check up if it was bothering her that much. She took his advice and made an appointment for the next morning and told her boss that she would be late into the office due to an unavoidable personal engagement.
Hermione apperated into St. Mungo's and took the elevator down to the general clinic. A medi-wizard called her named out and asked her to follow him into one of the examination rooms.
When she walked into the examination room she instinctively moved towards the bed, as if to sit down on it while the nice wizard examined her. She had never come to the wizard hospital for an ordinary check up before. The medi-wizard noticed her movement towards the bed. "On the chair will be fine," he said calmly as if many people did the same thing each time they walked into the room. He sat on the chair situated in front of a desk in the right hand corner of the room and Hermione saw the chair the wizard had been referring to was sat beside the desk and placed so the person sitting on it would be facing the medi-wizard at the desk.
After Hermione was seated the medi-wizard spoke again. "So what seems to be the problem Ms... Mrs Weasley." He said the last words after looking at the papers in from of him. Hermione tired not to show the wizard her discomfort at being called by Mrs. Weasley and answered the question. "Well, I have been feeling a bit off colour for the past few mornings and for a few weeks before that this weird feeling started, like I may have been under a spell or something." Hermione tried to explain how she had been feeling in a rational way to the medi-wizard.
"I see. Have you been experiencing any abnormal behaviour over these weeks?" asked the wizard as he pulled a quill from the draw of the desk, dipped it in the ink bottle on the desk and started to write a few words down on the parchment that had Hermione's name written on it.
"No, the feeling hasn't affected my behaviour." Hermione thought for a few seconds as the wizard began to write again and then added, "Although I think it may have made me happier than what I usually am. Made me look at thing in more of a positive light, if you know what I mean."
"And you couldn't count this change in attitude to anything else that has changed in your life over the past weeks?"
Hermione's thoughts went directly to Draco. "Maybe but I would still like to make sure it is not a spell or potion."
"Okay then." The medi-wizard stopped writing and stood up. He told Hermione to stand in the middle of the room and she did so without questioning. He took his wand from his pocket, waving it a few times in front of her and then letting it go. As soon as he did so the wand whizzed around Hermione's body. She turned to follow it with her eyes as it moved but it was too fast and it was changing colours so fast that she felt a little dizzy after 30 seconds.
The wand whizzed around her for another minute before it stopped in front of her, glowing a bright pink and pointing at her stomach. A smile grew on the medi-wizards face. "Ah, it all fits now. I don't know why I didn't think of it before."
Hermione looked down at the wand still glowing pink and pointing at her stomach. She looked back at the medi-wizard and asked "Think of what?"
"You, Mrs. Weasley, are pregnant," he pronounced.
"What?" Hermione said in astonishment. "You have got to be joking?"
"I don't joke much Mrs. Weasley," he stated grabbing his wand from the air in front of Hermione. He watch it lose the pink glow and then placed it on the desk. "And my wand doesn't lie either. It was pointing at your stomach and glowing pink. Positive result for a pregnant woman."
"I just don't know how this could have happened," Hermione confided.
"Were you and your partner not trying to have a baby?" the medi-wizard questioned.
His use of the word 'partner' made her think that the father of the baby could be Draco when before all she had in her head was that she hadn't spelt with Ron in nearly two months. Hermione walked backwards to lean against the bed. She was feeling a bit overwhelmed by this news. "I'll take that as a no."
"Are you able to tell me who the father is?" Hermione asked.
"Not right now Mrs. Weasley." The wizard sat down in his chair facing Hermione. "But if you were to make another appointment and bring your partner in with you the test is a simply procedure."
By the way he was talking Hermione could almost swear he knew that she wasn't with her husband anymore. The way he said partner was as if he knew it was someone other than Mr. Weasley. But how the wizard knew wasn't her problem. Finding out whether the father of her child was Draco or Ron was.
"Is there any way I would be able to preform the test myself?" Hermione asked hopefully.
The medi-wizard seemed to think about that before answering. "I think I would be able to teach you the spell."
---
After a quick lesson on how to preform the paternity spell Hermione found that she hadn't lost her knack for learning new things at a fast pace. Now all she had to do was test her new ability. She took a late lunch break, as she had arriving at work an hour after her usual starting time, during which she went to Draco's apartment.
She found the blonde man sound sleep in his bed. He looked so peaceful laying there. She wanted to lean over and kiss his forehead like you would a child's, maybe even climb onto the bed and curl up beside him but she resited the urge. He was a light sleeper and he might wake up if she touched him.
No, she couldn't afford that. She knew he wouldn't let her do the spell without asking questions and if he started asking questions she knew she would have to tell him she was pregnant. If he wasn't the father, she wasn't sure how he would take it. With him asleep she could preform the test and decide how and what to tell him depending on the result.
She pulled her wand out and waved it as the medi-wizard had told her to do. She whispered the words and two streams of white light spread from her wand. One towards her stomach and the other towards Draco. As the light touched each of its destinations it didn't change to a bright yellow as the wizard said it would if the man was the father. Instead it just disappeared and Draco opened his eyes sleepily.
"Hermione?" he asked is a soft sleep-filled voice. "What are you doing here?" He began to set up.
"No, don't sit up. I was just leaving. You should go back to sleep. I'm sure you're really tired after work," Hermione said trying to persuade Draco not to get up on her account.
"Why aren't you at work?" Draco was now sitting up and ignoring Hermione's words.
"I took a late lunch break," Hermione answered.
"So then why aren't you at lunch?"
"I missed you and came to see whether you were awake or not."
"You know you aren't that good a liar, although I do appreciate the thought."
Hermione looked puzzled. "Why do you think I'm lying?"
"Because you're wand is out and it was the white light that woke me up."
Hermione sat down on the end of the bed. "Draco… I don't really know how to tell you this."
"Tell me what?"
"I'm pregnant."
