Nzomniac: Hi everybody! I'm Nzomniac. How did I end up here? Well, my new obsession is Draco/Hermione fics. Searching for DMHG pairings, I found my way here. Ashley had just posted chapter 4, I think, and I really liked the story - which is why I offered to beta for it. I came onboard starting with chapter 6 and Ashley and I worked so well together that she offered to partner with me on it. Although I've written a lot of stuff over the years, this is my first work that's made it online. Hope you all enjoy!

Ashley: (sniffs) Thanks...I think I'm going to make loads and loads of spicy food for you to be sent via mail. Lol...thanks again tawdkwaii! (inside joke for all you confused ppl out there!)

ALRIGHT, I LEFT AN AUTHOR'S NOTE DOWN THERE AND I HOPE YOU GUYS WILL TAKE THE TIME TO READ IT...SKIP IT IF YOU WISH BUT THE NOTE REALLY MEANS THE WORLD TO ME!

Someday, Somehow

January 29th 2005

Hermione Granger

Someone was in my room. My first hint? When said person opened the curtains, letting a stream of morning sunlight flash across my face.

I groaned in protest.

"Rise and shine Hermione."

The voice was female, that much I could tell using the two functioning brain cells still alert at this ungodly hour. My head swam a little as I got up from my bed. I was headed towards the toilet but decided I was far too tired to make it. I reached for the arm of the nearby sofa, my vision blurry due to the sudden change in light. I usually kept the curtains closed all day.

"Boy, your room is a total mess," the woman spoke again.

"Boy, I'm sick of getting up and meeting some annoying stranger," I muttered.

"Well, you're up now so you might as well. I'm Chris Street," the person, now known as Chris, added as she gave the hotel room another appraising glance.

I hate it when people are so damned perky in the morning!

"Chris Street?" I stifled a yawn.

My hand crept towards my forehead and rubbed it before sweeping up into my hairline. My fingers getting snarled in the night's worth of unruly tangles -- managing to thoroughly ruin my already messy hair. It was a nasty habit I inherited from my father. Whenever I'm frustrated or pressured, I tend to rake my hands through my hair. Again and again and... well, you get the picture. It was easy for my father to deal with as he never had a hairdo, but it's an irritation to me.

"Go get dressed first. I've got some things to settle with you," Chris instructed.

Twenty minutes later, I was dressed in a simple halter top and velvet skirt that reached to just above my knees. Chris was wearing a generic t-shirt and jeans. My vision had had time to adjust by the time I'd washed my face and applied a little make-up concealing the rings beneath my eyes from lack of sleep. I'd been up every night since the fight with Draco the other day. I was writing in the diary I'd kept since I was ten. Inside it were pictures, drawings, notes, and most of them were writings to myself. No one dared to open it or even touch it. I guess I just don't like people knowing the problems inside my head. I hated it when people interfere with my life.

Chris led me downstairs to the hotel's restaurant next to the lobby. The breakfast buffet was too tempting to resist -- life-shattering events and uninvited visitors not withstanding. After loading my plate with various foods, Chris and I settled on a table quite far from the crowd.

"So, Chris, care to tell me who you are and what you had in mind bursting into my room just now?" I questioned.

"I was waiting for you to ask me that. I'm a S.W.A.T agent. I saved you from the redhead at Piazza Navona, remember?"

"Oh, it was you," I said rather knowingly.

"I want a word, Hermione. See, I've been reading your file a bit and found out that the redhead was your ex-fiancé. The one you ditched at the altar," Chris said taking a gulp of her orange juice.

I gaped at her.

"How did you found out?" I asked her.

"Got a few friends inside the Ministry -"

I almost spilled my coffee.

"You're a witch?" I asked again.

"Yeah…you know Colin Street? He works under a man named Draco Malfoy. Colin is my husband and he also happens to be Draco's best friend. Me here, used to be Draco's playmate," Chris said grinning.

"Okay, I've had enough surprises this morning to last the rest of my life," I said, this time truly spilling my coffee as the cup banged down on the table.

"Wow, you must have a life full of surprises!" Chris said sarcastically.

"Okay, so what if the lunatic up at the Piazza Navona that day is my ex-fiancé?"

"And so what if Draco breaks your heart and wants to mend it again now? Colin told me what happened. Hermione -"

"I've had enough. I can understand you digging into my past in regards to Ron -- but that doesn't give you license to bring up my past with Draco. You have no right to do so!" I said, feeling my temper rising up.

I stood up and left the table angrily.

"It's not easy moving on from the past! We all have our own demons, Hermione. It's not wrong to remember our past - for someday, somehow, we'll face it again. Why not now? A few tears now are better than a bucketful later!" Chris called to my retreating back.

I stopped in my tracks. She was right, yet, I wasn't going to give her - or Draco - the pleasure of acknowledging they had any measure of control over me. I turned back slightly.

"Well I fear to think how many tears it would be later if the bucketful I'm already crying now is anything to go by!" I hissed and continued my exit out of there.

I'm so sick of people acting like I'm complaining over a little bit of suffering! I'm sick of people thinking I'm just some pampered kid that needs to feel a little suffering! I'm sick of people looking at me like I'm trash! I'm sick of all that!

A tear fell from my eyes. I wiped it angrily. I'm frustrated! I hate it when I can't stop crying! I hate the fact that I'm crying for a jerk! I hate myself for falling in love with him! I hate myself because I can't move on! And worse of all, I hate myself for loving a jerk so much!

I'd decided to do the whole tourist thing for awhile. Afterall, poor Harry was paying for me to enjoy the sights of Paris. And I was desperate for any kind of distraction. That's how I found myself facing a very famous, gilded and horribly overdone marble fountain. I didn't pay much attention to what the tour guide was mumbling. My eyes fell on the signboard in front of it. Seems the fountain came complete with its own legend. The sign says that for whomever tosses a golden coin into the fountain, a miracle will happen. I snorted at the idea of miracles. I decided to give it a try though.

As long as this coin stays on the floor of this fountain, I will not talk to Draco!

With that, I turned my back on the fountain as I tossed a Galleon, not waiting to see if it hit the ground or not. If only I'd lingered a few seconds, I would have seen the coin actually land on top of another coin. According to the legend, the toss didn't count. The coin never landed on the floor of the fountain!

"What in Merlin's name have you done to her Draco?" Chris yelled as she stormed into Draco's room.

"What do you mean, Chris?" Draco muttered angrily.

He was angry with Colin who'd managed to botch the healing spell on his arm. And Chris, being Colin's wife, storming angrily into his suite, didn't help at all.

"That girl is badly wounded by you! One more hard push and she can turn crazy just because you can't keep your hands off every-single-unlucky-woman-you-meet!" Chris said loudly, jabbing her finger in his chest to emphasize the last few words.

"Easy, Christy! I just poked him with the needle a few times and jabbing his chest with your finger isn't going to cheer him up," Colin said, appearing suddenly beside Draco.

"Speaking of which, how come you get to abuse him and I don't?" Chris said and jabbed Colin instead.

"Excuse me?" Draco said loudly.

"No one said you could speak!" Chris yelled at Draco, pushing him and causing him to stumble a bit.

"I thought you were on our side!" Draco yelled back.

"I was until I found out that's she'd crying her head off over a jerk like you! I seriously don't blame her for hating you!" Chris shouted on the top of her lungs.

"Christy -"

"And you Colin! If you ever treat me like Draco treats Hermione, I'll turn the whole S.W.A.T team against you! I'll make sure every last S.W.A.T unit aims their snipers at you! I'll snap every single wand that's available if that's the last thing I do!" Chris yelled as loud as possible.

Chris stomped her way to the door. Turning back with her hand on the door, she paused just long enough to deliver a withering glare worthy of the Slytherin himself.

"And Draco, I seriously reconsidered calling you my friend after what you've put her through! Imagine, I don't even know what happened but I could see she's suffering! You're lucky I don't know what happened! Hermione could dehydrate with all the tears she's shed over a jerk like you!" Chris spat before leaving the two mans looking ashamed.

I sat in my hotel room for a considerable length of time. Gazing lazily into the fire, though my mind was busy thinking. It's not wrong to remember our past for someday, somehow, we'll face it again! Why not now? Chris's voice kept ringing in my head. I felt as though someone really understood how I felt. Almost as though Chris had once been hurt badly too. I kept wondering why it's the women that were always crying, not the men. I guess that's just how things go. Draco meant the world to me, he's the only one that made me feel special and appreciated. Well, that's until he betrayed me. But no one, not even me, would ignore the look on Draco's face when he called it off. As though he was forced to do it. I wanted so badly to accept the ring he gave me. I wanted so badly to hug him and hold him. I want so badly to be with him; but at the same time, it hurts to let him in because doing so would mean betraying myself. I'm torn between the choices of life. I feel so alone. I'm dying…deep down inside me. I'm dying…beneath my smile…I'm dying.
A/N: okay...i wrote this when i was like not in the mood to write...then i felt guilty...so u can say...it's not so good...just some angst and humor in it...well...Nzomniac made it all nice and well so if you think it's good, thank her! haha...now she's GOT to give my legolas back...hehe...okay..this is IMMPORTANT i wanna wish my sister happy birthday and i dedicate this chapter to her...it's november 23th at 3.17am and three hours seventeen minutes pass her birthday and i just want to wish her happy birthday! although she's not reading this, i'm sure she will someday, when we make up the 6 years difference in age between us, she can read this or most probably reading this to her daughter...heck, depends on how long it takes her to read this! Happy 18th Birthday Sis! you're my one and only sister in this world and i know, no matter how many times i stick my tongue whenever i see you or how many times i yell at you, i will always love you bcoz you're the world's best sister and much more of what i expected you to be...happy birthday...i'm broke...i can't get you a gift...hope you'd accept this chapter as your 18th birthday present!

A very guilty girl bcoz she didn't wish her one and only sister happy birthday...

Ashley (Signing off)