Chapter 14
Time got on pretty slowly in the muggle world. Hermione worked, bought stuff she needed and did a bit of travel. But she was having trouble making friends. She went out with the people from work and that was fun, but it was the kind of friendship that was just a step beyond acquaintances.
She hadn't been back to the wizard world. She wanted to give herself a chance at settling in the muggle world and also she didn't want whatever attention Astoria would get if she went back. Surely people would have noticed her absence. The worst possible outcome would be that reporters started asking her questions. She wouldn't put it past them. She hated reporters.
She had been back in the muggle world for around 6 months. It wasn't bad. She liked it, there was so much going on in the muggle world, although she was lonely.
One night while watching a documentary on the Viking invasions of Britain, she was distracted by an owl at her window. It made her jump because she hadn't expected it, she had gotten out of the habit of expecting large birds scratching at her window.
It was from Harry as she expected because no one else knew where she was.
Apparently the Malfoys were looking for her, the letter said. Harry wrote that he thought she should know that they were trying to track her down.
Hermione didn't know why they were looking for her. She doubted it would be for a divorce, people of their standing didn't divorce. Hermione wondered whether she should get in touch, but decided against it. They wanted something and she was pretty sure she would be the one that would end up worse off.
It could be something silly like they just wanted her to sign something, but probably they just wanted control over her, maybe use her to incubate the next Malfoy heir. She was not going to have a baby to have it taken away. Somehow she didn't see Draco forgiving Astoria's indiscretions so they could play happy family together.
No, she decided, better off having an actual life here. She tossed the note away and decided to forget about it. Her resolution to focus on the muggle world was strengthened. One of the girls at work had invited her on a Hens night in Prague in a couple of weeks, which was a step in the right direction. That is what normal people did, go on benders with their friends in a foreign country to celebrate the fact that singledom was over. Normal was good, it worked for millions of people.
And someone liked her enough to invite her to such a rite of passage. She hadn't been on one since Ginny was getting married. And this one, judging from the girl getting married would be much more fun.
Hermione felt proud of her accomplishments. She suspected that the manager was eyeing her up for the assistant manager role too, once the current one goes on maternity leave.
Hermione was trying really hard to not think about babies. She just had to get used to it that she was not going to be a mother. She had done it before, she would do it again. But it felt like a stab in the heart every time she saw the assistant manager's growing belly.
She was making an attempt to like the shopping too. Shopping wasn't difficult with this body, everything looked good on it. It was a time consuming distraction, and she had everything she needed now, so she had a bit of money to do it. Well, as much as she could tolerate anyway.
In fact she had just bought a pair of boots and was carting her shopping home to her little flat. It was dark, but the streets were still really lively with people going out, going home, everyone going somewhere. She liked the constant bustle of London.
She was thinking about getting a cat. It would be nice to have someone to come home to, she thought as she unlocked the door to the dark second story flat. The heat was on, and Hermione loved coming home to a nicely warm flat. She had hung up some Christmas lights in the window which was the only light in her flat, but she loved the sparkle of the tiny lights. It reminded her of of Christmas with her family.
She was startled by a figure sitting in her chair. She dropped her bag in shock and got an adrenalin rush from the fright.
On closer inspection, she identified that it was Narcissa Malfoy.
"You scared the living daylights out of me." Hermione said. Anger flooded her following the fright. "You could have called out."
"I didn't think of it." Narcissa said. "It was not my intention of frightening you."
"Well, you did a good job of it anyway." Hermione said and turned to the light switch.
"Ah," Narcissa said. "I was wondering how you lived in this place. There are no candles."
"No," Hermione said. "We prefer bulbs." Her head snapped around at a movement on the other side of the room. It was Draco with his back turned to her. His usual black robes. His hair in such extreme contrast with his clothes.
"We?" Narcissa asked.
"People living in the muggle world." Hermione said tearing her eyes away from Draco who was examining her iPod.
"I thought you understood that we offered you a house with sufficient facilities for your comfort." Narcissa said.
"I felt the need for a bit more hustle and bustle." Hermione said.
"So you decided to try living in the muggle world?" Narcissa said with distaste. "Quite a little rebellion."
Hermione stopped herself from rolling her eyes. Astoria would never go into the muggle world, so her behaviour must be a mystery to Narcissa.
"We all have our moments of subversion, I suspect." Narcissa said haughtily.
Hermione gritted her teeth.
"But now comes the time to think about our responsibility." Narcissa continued. "And your responsibility lies with your family. Sufficient time has passed now, it is time to start thinking about a reconciliation."
"Perhaps." Hermione said. "I will certainly think it over." She hoped like hell that was enough to make them go away.
"Well, you can think it over at home." Narcissa said. Hermione was pretty sure she wasn't referring to the home they were all standing in. "Draco is a good boy. He knows what is expected of him and he is ready to forgive you."
"Maybe it would be better to take it a little slower." Hermione said trying to work through her dry mouth. She was pretty sure Draco was not ready for forgiveness. "Maybe a gradual re-acquaintance would be more successful." Actually, Hermione was thinking more along the lines of emigrating to Australia.
"Don't be silly." Narcissa said. "Your place is with your husband."
Hermione got a moments panic that Narcissa was reading her thoughts, but dismissed it. "He will see you home, where you belong so we can all put this nonsense behind us." With that she walked into the hall and apparated.
That left her alone with Draco in the small flat in London. She wondered what kind of barrage of duty lectures Draco had been enduring at home. He probably had six months of it and he had finally given in to reconciling with his wayward wife. Hermione felt sorry for him.
"How did you find me?" She asked him as he was leaning on her bookcase. There was only one person who knew where she was and he would never reveal it.
"Saint Potter sold you out." He said. Hermione was shocked.
"He wouldn't." She said adamantly.
"He did." He said watching her intently. "Being an auror, he is compelled to comply with a court order."
Hermione felt her whole body flush. She felt hurt that Harry had betrayed her, even though she knew intellectually that he had to comply with a court order to reveal her location. But a court order had to be specific, so they must have known that Harry knew. She doubted that the Malfoy's would assume that Harry knew.
"How did you know that Harry knew where I was?" She asked.
"There were some questions with regards to your wellbeing." Draco said dryly, still watching her like she was going to bolt or pull her wand. "To the point where the authorities were being appealed to."
Hermione guessed that people assumed that the Malfoys had done something bad to her as she suddenly disappeared. If Malfoy's wife disappeared after a fight, she would have assumed the worst too. Probably was that not a lot of people would put it past them to get rid of her.
"Harry revealed that he knew you were fine." Draco said. "A petition to the court and he had to reveal your location. You should have made him a secret keeper. Not even a court order would dissolve that obligation."
Hermione felt annoyed being preached to about how magic works.
"So, now your little escapades are over." He said.
"Draco, we both know that we are better apart." She said. She had kind of accepted that her mental idea what she could have a nice fulfilling life with Draco Malfoy was the dumbest pipe dream anyone had ever thought of.
"Well, that doesn't matter, darling." He said. "You just have to lie in the bed you've made."
I didn't make this bed, she wanted to scream. Hermione knew he had his wand at the ready and hers was in her bag. It would probably take her two minutes to dig it out.
"Funny thing though." He said. "The first person my wife runs to when in trouble is Harry Potter, the wonder boy. Why is that?"
Hermione didn't say anything. She could proclaim that she was Hermione Granger like she had so many times in the past. He didn't believe her. But Astoria would not seek out Harry help, no matter what. Maybe this was some ploy to get her committed to St. Mungus' mental ward. She got an image of Lockhart telling her how fabulous that magnificent man in the mirror was.
"Lets go...wife." He said and grabbed her by the arm as he apparated them.