A/N: I'm despicable. i'm not even going to apologize for how long it took for m to update.:-S all i can say is, i graduated this year, so between graduation, college, and all that other crap i just did. Not. Have. Any. Time. Add to that, Xavier, my trusty Vaio laptop of six years that gave me so much inspiration, finally went to laptop heaven. It took a while of rme to adjust to my new laptop, Sir Prancelot, so i had a little writer's block. But im back! and i promise you the next update will be soon. very soon! Cheers!
Hermione's head was reeling, as every thought but one was wiped away from her brain.
This is where I belong.
Every cell in her body was humming, every nerve aware of the person kissing her. It was as if, in the space of a second, she and Draco had merged, become one, in a world with no order, a world neither of them understood or recognized. Hermione was terrified. Oh, so scared and—and… alive.
He had to stop. He had to break this before something went horribly wrong. But Draco couldn't. It felt so right, so much better than he had ever imagined. His heart was beating so hard he was sure everybody in the mansion could hear it. Beating with fear. Beating with love…for her. Only for her. Always for her.
They broke apart, gasping for air, foreheads touching, holding on to each other , afraid it was all just a dream, afraid it will all go away.
A moment, an hour, passed before Draco, coming to his senses, cleared his throat.
"I- I'm…" He paused. The words seemed to be stuck to his throat, and his voice was hoarse. He cleared his throat again. What was he supposed to say? I love you, Hermione? Marry me and have my babies? No, no, that would just scare her. Bloody hell, she must be terrified right now. Of all the insensitive, idiotic—he was such a clod! "I lost control, Hermione, I'm so sorry, I-"
"Hush." Hermione whispered. She didn't trust herself to speak right away. Draco paused mid-sentence. She turned her face towards the window, stalling for time until her brain started working again. Oh, the irony, one of the smartest witches in the history of Hogwarts, rendered speechless by a single kiss! The thought made her smile, and encouraged her.
She brought her gaze back to Draco. Bringing a hand to his cheek, she caressed it. He paled. She looked into his eyes, those grey orbs that had caused many a nightmare, many a dream. She saw the conflict in them. She also something deeper, something stronger.
"Draco, do you love me?" She asked softly, surprising herself. Draco started.
"I—I…Oh, Hermione!" He groaned. He took her hand and laid it in his chest, near his heart. "Do you feel that? It beats for you Hermione. No one else."
And that is what all it took for Hermione to believe him. And then something hit her, so strong she was afraid . She loved him too. Suddenly she felt weak.
"Draco, I need—I need to lie down a little." Her voice trembled.
Draco swore silently. He needed to remind himself to slow down. Hermione was still hurt, dammit! There will be enough time to woo her later. He moved into action, sliding off the bed slowly, fluffing the pillows behind Hermione's head, closing the curtains so the room would be plunged into darkness. After he made sure she was alright, he headed to the door.
Suddenly she spoke up.
"Draco? I think we need to talk—"
"Shhh…" Draco paused. "We'll talk later. For now, rest." He was barely out the door when he stopped again. "Hermione?"
"Hmm?" Came the drowsy reply.
He hesitated. "I just want—I want you to know I'm always here if you need me. For anything." And he walked out the door, closing it silently behind him.
He walked to his office and locked the doors. Lying his head on the cool glass of his desk, he tried to take control of his thoughts.
He'll die of heart expansion if this went on. They could also add headache and an ever-present unmentionable to the list of the causes to his sure demise.
"Gah!" He grunted. He was a grown man! He could deal with this rationally, without acting like some bloody hormone-crazed, love-struck teenager.
Blaise would have a kick out of this. Good thing he wasn't here to watch the great Draco Malfoy go to pieces over a kiss. A bloody kiss, that shouldn't have happened had Draco not lost control! But Hermione's scent had been invading his senses, and she'd put him on overdrive.
Draco sighed again. He looked around his office, filled with papers that needed to be signed, case forms that he needed to fill out. Things he'd been neglecting ever since…
He flicked his wand, and an old, dusty account book appeared on the mahogany desk. Draco rolled up his sleeves, and sat down. He needed a diversion, and reviewing the Malfoy fortune's records was just the thing for it. He had always loved numbers, and Merlin knows he'd been putting it off enough. He picked up a quill, and started to work…
A few hours, three quills, and two Butterbeers later, Draco was fully immersed. There was something wrong with the records. Some of the numbers didn't add up correctly, and it seemed like Draco was short a few thousand. He counted up again. Yes, he wasn't mistaken. Maybe he sent it to a charity somewhere, and forgot about it? Draco's charity work wasn't accounted for in the records. But he still kept the receipts for the withdrawals. He searched around the room, fishing all the papers he could find. He paused, an unmarked envelope catching his eye. It looked vaguely familiar, and something niggled at Draco's memory. Maybe this would explain the missing money.
Draco sat down at the desk, reached for the ruby encrusted letter opener, and slit the envelope open.
Meanwhile…
Hermione had been a fitful state of sleep ever since Draco had left. I'm always here if you need me. For anything.
His words had infiltrated her dreams. She kept thinking about them. Words so simple, yet meant so much. Hermione needed, wanted many things, but she wasn't sure if she had the courage to ask for them. What's more, she didn't think she deserved them. She sighed and shifted in the bed. She was feeling listless. She wanted to move, walk, anything but sit in this bed and be treated like a helpless infant.
But you are helpless. Pathetic and cowardly too. A little voice in her head reminded her.
"Shut up!" Hermione murmured. She won't let the dark thoughts take over her again. Not when she was feeling…something so perilously close to happiness. She threw off the bedcovers. "I'll show u helpless." She said aloud. Her legs felt like jelly as she tried to gripe her way to the window. She felt drained by the effort, but kept on pushing herself until, at last, she reached the chair near the window and plopped into it, weary and out of breath.
"Aha!" She exclaimed, then felt silly for saying it out loud.
"Aha what, dear?" A familiar voice asked as she bustled into the room. Abigail gasped when she saw Hermione.
"You silly child, what are you trying to do? Kill yourself? What are you doing out of your bed?" She admonished.
Hermione tried not to feel guilty. "I'm sick of the bed Abby! I just wanted to change. And it didn't even take that much effort!" She hoped she her nose wouldn't grow longer, like Pinocchio. She peered at it just to make sure. It didn't.
" If you wanted a change of scenery, then just call for me dear! That's what I'm here for! Oh if Master Draco knew. Speaking of which, what are you doing out of your bed child?"
Hermione was confused. She decided it was just another peculiarity of Abby's. She peered out the window and spotted the gardens. She was suddenly filled with such a strong feeling of longing it took her by surprise. She longed to touch the beautiful flowers and breathe in fresh air.
"Abby?" She turned tentatively towards her caretaker. "Can we go for a stroll through the gardens? I have never seen them, and I so desperately need a change of scenery!"
Abby snapped to attention. "Certainly not my dear! Oh, you'd probably catch your death of cold, amongst other things! Which shouldn't go without mention, you are still not strong enough for prolonged exercise."
"Oh, please, Abby, I need this!" Hermione pleaded. She felt that if Abby said know, her heart would absolutely be crushed.
Abby hesitated.
"Please, Abby!"
She gave in.
"Alright then. But only for a short while! And no walking about, I'll carry you about with my wand. Do you hear me? " Abigail brandished her wand as a warning. Hermione felt joyful.
"Oh, thank you so much!"
Abigail stopped. "Oh and you should be as snug as a bug on a good old Scottish wool rug! That means we're going to need a few minor wardrobe adjustments."
An hour later, Abigail and Hermione were happily seated in a secluded part of the gardens. They had stumbled upon a beautiful clearing, with a marble bench in it surrounded by rose bushes. Sunlight streamed through the branches of an old oak tree and lit up the place, and Hermione could see a few fluttering fairies hidden in some of the bushes. It looked like a scene right out from one of her Muggle fairytales. She took a deep breath of the sweet scented air.
"I never imagined Draco as a person with such appreciation for plants." Hermione confessed.
"Well, he does care about the gardens, they are connected to the Malfoy Manor you know. And they remind him so much of Narcissa, poor boy, that he hasn't changed a thing since she died. Blaise tells me he went through several gardening establishments until he found the right people to maintain Narcissa's flowers." Abby told Hermione.
"Narcissa liked to garden?" Hermione asked, eager to find out a little about Draco's well guarded history.
"I'm telling you what Blaise told me. Yes, apparently she did. And she had quite a green thumb too. Everything you see here was planted, grown, and taken care of by Narcissa . She spent most of her time in these gardens, up until she died."
Hermione had a million and one questions to ask, but realized that Abigail had probably told her all she knew. Her stomach suddenly rumbled.
"Abigail, do you think we can have some food sent out?"
Abigail was shocked, but soon recovered. "Oh, dear, find your appetite have we? Oh, love, I'm so happy! This calls for a special arrangement! Oh, I know, how about a picnic? We'll have the elves bring the food out right here. Are you feeling cold dear?" Abby stopped to look at her charge. Hermione shook her head.
"I think that's a wonderful idea Abby."
"I know dear. I'm famous for those. Now, where is a blasted elf when you want one? Wait here while I go look for somebody, okay?"
Hermione nodded. She wouldn't mind a few moments alone in this magical place, she wouldn't mind it at all.
"Okay then! I won't be long!" Abigail hurried out of the clearing. Hermione could hear a shrill "Twinky? Bitsy! Anyone?" Soon, the sound of crunching gravel faded away, and everything became silent.
Hermione looked around her. This was Draco's world. And she couldn't think of a more suitable, more beautiful place to fit him.
She remembered his words earlier.
"Do you feel that? It beats for you Hermione. No one else."
It beats for you Hermione. It beats for me. Only me.
She could almost feel the erratic pounding of his heart against her hand. And a thought came unbidden into her mind.
I love him. I love him.
She felt her heart expand, finally heal. It was true what they said, she mused. Time cannot heal all the wounds. Only love can. Love.
"I love him." She exhaled, trying it out, seeing how it sounded. "I love him."
She said it again, louder, with more confidence. "I love Draco Malfoy! I love him!"
Someone clapped. Suddenly all the warmth left Hermione. Her heart sank as she turned around slowly, and she could not breathe, gripped with a paralysis born solely of fear. Fear and hatred of the man who had hurt her.
"Bravo, Mudblood." His voice was chilling, calm. "Never thought I'd see the day. I thought I had broken you enough, but apparently I am mistaken."
Her husband smirked. Hermione's blood ran cold. She was not going to be bullied around anymore. She was Hermione Granger, and the man in front of her was the scum of the earth.
"You were mistaken about a lot of things Roger." She said quietly. Her voice shook.
"I suppose your quite correct about that. For one, I had thought my darling wife had more decency than to kiss another man behind my back." The smirk dropped from his face.
Hermione gasped. How did he find out? With that shock, her mind was shaken out of its paralyzed state and began to whirl. How did he find her?
"How did you find me?"
"It was pretty easy actually. Those "friends" of yours are pure idiots, sweetheart." He made the endearment sound degrading.
"What do you want from me Roger? Haven't you done enough? What more do you want?" Hermione asked.
For a second, Roger's mask slipped, and pure maniacal anger showed through.
"I want revenge. I want what is rightly mine! What he took!" He paused., the mask was back. He continued. "Which is why, oh darling Mudblood wife, I am going to take you. Luckily enough that boyfriend of yours found the envelope, and it took him well enough, let me tell you, he is one dim-witted fool. So we revert back to our original plans. Now enough chitter chatter, lets get going!" And he snapped his fingers. Cords crisscrossed Hermione's body so tight she could barely breath.
Hermione was terrified. She didn't understand anything. What Roger was doing here, how he got in, and what Draco had to do with anything!
Draco. He was going to trick Draco! He was using her as bait! But why? She was the one Roger wanted, what did Draco have to do with anything?
Roger laughed, a cold, mirthless laugh, as he saw the confusion in her face.
"Don't you worry your pretty little head about it. I have great plans for you when I'm done, my little Mudblood whore." He laughed again. "Now, we leave!"
And with a swish of his cloak, he and Hermione were gone.
A/N: this chapter is for everybody who stuck by little ole me in high school. specially prongzy. love u guys!