A/N: I'm back! Okay, I know, I'm not supposed to post this chapter until like February, but it was too tempting, I just miss writing my author's notes, I just miss you guys alright? Anyway, this is a much waited chapter, taa daa! Okay, you guys got a little treat, but Chapter 16 is the drama! And it won't be posted for a long time, I want to create the suspense! Okay, I'm guessing this story will be about 30-40 chapters. Still a long way, and I'm thinking of starting a new story after this one is done. I don't know but I'm really upset with this story, I don't know why, it just felt like it was hanging and there's alot of explaination to do. Explains why it's lack of review, but I think the next story will be better. I've got two choices, to do a sequel to this story, or to create a new story. Well, you can't judge it with just this chapter bcoz so far it's all been lovebirds story. Next chapter will decide the need for a sequel. If it's a sequel, then I won't explain much in this story. If you don't want a sequel, the explaination will be blow by blow and the whole story will be as though it's very well planned. Well, you've got the power in your hands so, decide! Oh yeah, California rocks man!
Back Where We Belong
18 February 2005
Hermione Granger
I was sleeping peacefully, with no worries, no pain, nothing. And it actually felt good. I lay there, enjoying the peacefulness when my alarm clock rang. I sighed and stopped the alarm. Seeing that the peaceful atmosphere had been destroyed, I made my way to the bathroom. After splashing freezing cold water on my face, I stripped and stepped into the shower cubicle; feeling the cold marble floor pressing against my feet. A turned of the tap and almost immediately, cold water came gushing through my body. I yelped and stepped away from the water. There must be something wrong with the hot water. I tried to figure out what was the matter until I heard a faint singing voice next door.
Argh! Damn that stupid witch! I cursed in my thoughts.
I picked up my wand and heated the water before stepping into the shower again, my relaxed mood totally ruined. After a short shower, I turned off the tap and stepped out of the cubicle and grabbed for my towel. Wiping water off my body, I stared at the reflection of myself. It wasn't a very pleasing sight, really. With thick curly brown hair and sad looking eyes due to sleepless nights, I'm really nothing much to look at, compared to other witches. I pictured Draco next to me, with every strand of his platinum blonde hair, not a single one out of place, down to his expensive cloak; I'm totally invisible standing next to him. I let out a distressing sigh and continued drying my hair and wiping my body. I wrapped the towel around me and went into my room, searching for something decent to wear. I finally picked out a pastel blue tank top and white pants. Selecting a blue matching jacket, I made my way to the bathroom once again to brush my hair. Tying a simple plait, I left the room.
As I locked the door to my room, I heard someone humming a tune not very far from me. I turned to find Jennifer standing at the kitchen counter. Jennifer was my housemate. I met her at the Ministry a few days back when I was applying for a job and since she was searching for a place to stay, I allowed her to stay with me, thinking that no harm could be done. I was proven wrong. Jennifer was absolutely annoying and kept bugging me to get my nails done with her, or get my hair done, or buy clothes with her and practically, do everything with her. I made my way to the kitchen, still not forgetting about the cold water incident, grabbed my bag and walked right past Jennifer.
"Morning, Hermione! Want some breakfast?" Jennifer asked cheerily.
I silently wondered why everyone I knew was so perky in the morning. I smiled sarcastically to her and sat on the breakfast bar.
"Sure," I replied sweetly.
As Jennifer picked up some more bacon with her back turned, I conjured a sandwich. When Jennifer had turned, I waved the sandwich at her and sat back to enjoy her confused yet embarrassed expression.
"Got to run," I said to her.
"Oh wait, I'll come along," Jennifer said, grabbing her bags.
"It's still the same, it's not like we get to be separated for a minute even, since we're apparating," I pointed out.
And with that, I apparated to the Ministry. After giving my information to the witch at the counter, I received a badge reading: Hermione Granger, Job Interview. I smiled at the witch and made my way to get my wand scanned. Jennifer was right behind me by then. I made my way to the Department of International Muggle Connections. After filling out a form, I sat patiently on the sofa provided. One good thing about the Ministry is that there's very little red tape needed. Jennifer wasn't applying for a job as she already had one, at the Sports Department, after she applied for a switch from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Jennifer personally confided in me that she wanted a job that requires less work and the Sports Department was the best one. Replacing the substitute for Bertha Jorkins who eventually quitted, Jennifer found herself doing nothing at the Sports Department. I applied for an interview two weeks ago. My interview is scheduled today while Jennifer's interview was scheduled last week. I'm getting a little nervous, seeing that a few other candidates were also there applying, eager and looking confident. The door to the Head of Department flew open and a man, around his mid twenties, with round spectacles and a pale face, came out. He was looking so glum I couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy. After a few more candidates entered and exited the room, my stomach clutched tighter. I started humming tunes.
"Hermione Granger!" barked the secretary.
"Yes!" I said instantly, jerking my head upwards.
The secretary motioned me towards her and I followed suit.
"Are you planning to waste the rest of your life here?" the secretary whispered to me once I was close enough to catch every single word.
"Aren't you wasting your life here too?" I asked, seeing that she's no older than me too.
"Which makes me realize the mistake, right?" the secretary said.
"I just wanted something to take my mind off my problems," I informed.
"Funny, you wanted something to take your mind off, I wanted something to pay my bills," the secretary laughed at her own joke.
The Head of Department's door opened for what seemed like the hundredth time that day and another man came out.
"You're next!" the secretary informed and hissed to me, "Remember, his name is Colin Street!"
The next thing I knew, I'm standing facing Street who was reading my application form.
"Miss Granger," Street said smugly, "have a seat."
I took the seat in front of his desk and crossed my fingers, praying that I would get this job.
"No point praying now you've come so far," Street taunted.
Smug, self-centered, and galleon-filled future boss. My, am I lucky, I thought sarcastically.
"Ah….you don't want to go insulting your future boss in your mind do you? You have a very unhealthy way of handling your anger," Street said, smirking.
Exact clone of Draco Malfoy; minus the Leglimency skills, I thought again.
"Quite incorrect, Miss Granger. You see, Draco is rather good in Leglimency already. He learned from his father himself."
"Is this a job interview or a Malfoy family advertisement?" I asked coldly.
Street chuckled.
"Well, Miss Granger, this certainly is no Malfoy family advertisement. They had enough publicity to last forever," Street said.
I got the faint impression that Street was somehow connected to the Malfoy family. He seemed to be one of the purebloods-only kind of people.
"I haven't had a chance to introduce myself as I usually do in interviews," I said and continued, "Lovely morning, Mr. Street, I'm Hermione Granger."
"I'm Colin Street. Now I'm aware that you used to write for the Daily Prophet?" Street asked.
"Yes, I did," I assured.
Street checked my profile and added, "Quit after two years. May I ask why?"
"I got transferred to er - the gossip column," I said.
Street frowned slightly and motioned me to continue.
"Gossip isn't really my area. I liked my post on investigative journalism as that dealt with real facts, not just some made up rumor," I explained.
"Ah… heard you got into some scandal back at Hogwarts," Street said knowingly.
I smiled sheepishly and said, "That explains why I dislike gossips then."
"I see. But you must know, Miss Granger, you should be willing to take a chance sometimes. I hate this job, but I'm still sitting here today," Street advised.
"I guess we're two different people then," I replied.
"I'll be contacting you if you pass this interview," Street said, ending the session.
"Thank you," I said, standing up and heading towards the door.
I extended my hand to turn the door knob when it sprung open from outside.
"Morning, honey!" a woman's voice said.
The woman entered and I recognize that it was Chris. I tried sneaking out of the door before she spotted me. Suddenly Street called after me -
"Miss Granger, meet my wife, Chris," Street introduced.
Chris spun around, "Hermione?" she asked.
I bit my lip. This is going to be bad. Really bad.
"You've met before?" Street asked.
"Yeah, Hermione, this is Colin. I told you about him before," Chris said, smiling sweetly.
"Hey Colin, what a coincidence," I said, trying hard to smile.
"Well, you two can go ahead to lunch together," Street said.
"Why?" I asked at once.
"Yeah, why?" Chris asked, agreeing with me.
"I slacked some work. Sorry dear," Street told Chris.
Chris stared at him for a while, their facial expression were unreadable. After a moment, Chris said, "Sure!"
I stared from Street to Chris quizzically. They must have used Leglimency to communicate. I really should master Leglimency.
I bid Street goodbye and made my way to the elevator with Chris. Bad really isn't the right word to describe this situation. Chris flashed a smile at me and I returned it with a polite smile.
"Long time no see, Hermione," Chris said once we were in the elevator.
"Yeah," I replied shortly, not knowing what to say.
"There's a really good coffee shop nearby," Chris tried making conversation again.
"I'm looking forward to seeing it," I answered shortly once more.
The elevator stopped and Chris stepped out of it, I followed closely. She led me out of the building and crossed the street. She waited for me to cross before walking on again. After walking for about 5 minutes, Chris stopped in front of a small café. She held the door for me. We found a table at the far end and settled down. The waitress took our orders and Chris smiled at me sweetly.
"Lovely place, isn't it?" Chris asked.
I looked around and shrugged, "It's okay."
The waitress came back with Chris's garden salad and my mint sundae.
"So, Hermione, how are things going?" Chris asked.
I could see she's straining not to say the wrong thing.
"I'm fine, spent a couple of days at a friend's house," I replied.
"I see," Chris murmured.
"So you and Colin are married? For how long?" I asked.
"About 3 years now. It's quite surprising you know; never expected it to last this long."
"No offence, Chris. But I don't see the spark between you two," I confessed.
"Female intuition," Chris muttered and we broke into a laugh.
I decided to let the topic drop, but Chris continued talking.
"About four years back, I met this guy. His name was Damien. He was a bit annoying and I really hated his hanging around. At that time, Colin, Draco and I were close friends," Chris started.
My heart jumped at the mention of Draco. I tried to ignore the clutch in my stomach.
"Draco was busy upholding the Malfoy's name," Chris paused to chuckle and continued, "So Colin and I were much closer. I told Colin about Damien and how irritating he was; Colin thought Damien was a bit of a joke. As days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months, Damien continued to annoy me by pleasing everyone and making snide comments about me. He reached his limit by saying I was lifeless and that's why I'm still single. I felt challenged and asked Colin to be my fake boyfriend."
Chris paused. I waited for her to continue.
"I didn't realize I was falling for Damien, I was too busy hating him. I didn't realize Colin was falling for me too. When Damien told me he loved me, I was overjoyed; much to Colin's dismay. Colin proposed to me and naturally, I would said no. But here's the catch; Colin was extremely rich while my family was having trouble supporting me and my siblings. Things got out of control."
I held Chris's hand hoping to comfort her in any way possible.
"Damien knew he had heart problems. So he stepped out of the game. When Colin knew the truth, Damien made him promise to marry me. He told Colin to never let me go. I felt so guilty knowing the truth; guilty that I never took the time to understand him. So I married Colin - not because of love, but in memory of a friend who gave up his love because he knew he was dying," Chris sobbed silently.
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Guilt, Hermione, guilt." Chris took some time placing the words in her head before continuing, "Hermione, Draco loves you. He loves you very, very much. And the reason he turned his back on you five years ago was because of a silly bet. You see, Draco told Colin and me about having strange feelings and developing an attraction towards you. He also told us that you were a muggle-born. We thought Draco was going crazy; we needed to wake Draco up. We thought it was a normal teenager puppy-love but when I saw you that day, I knew I was wrong. It was true love. I felt guilty, Hermione," Chris explained.
I looked at her as though she was out of her mind.
"Hermione, I am the reason Draco turned his back on you five years ago," Chris confessed in a loud and steady voice.
It took a while for the words to sink in my thoughts. After what seemed to be ages, I choked out, "Please tell me that's not true."
"I'm sorry -"
"I can't believe you let me hate Draco for so long for something he wasn't at fault in," I said, feeling slightly angry.
"I'm really sorry, I didn't know you both were serious," Chris apologized again.
I just shook my head and left the place as fast as possible. I stepped into an empty alley and apparated to the Golden Dragon Hotel.
"Excuse me; I'm looking for Draco Malfoy. It's urgent," I said hurriedly to the receptionist.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy is one of our VIPs and we are not allowed to reveal any information about him," the receptionist said.
I sighed, desperately thinking of a solution. I turned to the receptionist and said, "Can you please leave him a message for me then?"
"I'll try my best. Leave your message and name, along with your contact details please," the receptionist said, handing me paper and pen.
I hastily took it and wrote: Poolside Café, 8pm, Hermione Granger.
I folded the paper and handed it to the receptionist, who took it without a word.
As 8pm drew nearer, I got ready and made my way to Poolside Café. Thinking that I'm out of my mind, I took a seat at the bar. With a cup of sparkling strawberry juice, I thought of what Chris had said. I rubbed my hands and continue to ignore the clutch in my stomach.
Relax! I'm just going to say 'hi' and have a conversation with him!
The thought of it even sounded impossible in my own mind.
"Granger," a voice I knew so damn well said, snapping my thoughts back into focus.
I turned to see Draco smirking as he pulled out a seat next to me.
"Dra -" I paused mid-sentence.
He called me Granger! Arrogant prat!
"Malfoy," I said in the same tone he'd used on me.
"Do I get the impression you were planning on calling me Draco?" he drawled.
"You can continue to dream, Draco!" I said, not realizing what I had said.
When I realized my mistake, I clasped my hand on my mouth. That's it! I blew my cover!
"Looks like my dream came true," he smirked.
"Can we just have a conversation where we're not snapping at each other?" I said heatedly.
"Quite impossible -- but I grew up learning that nothing is impossible," he continued to smirk.
"I never knew you learned anything when you grew up!" I couldn't help but snap at him.
"You're snapping at me while requesting to have a non-snapping conversation," Draco said as-a-matter-of-factly.
"I wasn't planning to, but it proved hard. With that arrogant face of yours, hard not to," I scowled at him.
"I don't have the whole night, Granger. You see, I, unlike you, have a life to live," Draco said, still smirking.
"I was talking to Chris today," I blurted out.
"Dear old Chris. Had a nice chat?" he asked.
"She told me the truth. The truth I've been denying," I said silently.
Draco stared at me for a moment. I tried to look away from his gaze.
"Took you long enough to say that," Draco said, his tone changed.
I felt my skin grow hot. It couldn't be... maybe it's just hot in this café. Yeah, it's just hot.
"I just never thought I deserved you," I started, "I looked at myself, then I look at you; I feel so invisible next to you. I saw myself as a muggleborn, and you, you're Malfoy!" I exclaimed. "I just never thought that it was possible for you to befriend someone like me, or worse, love me."
Draco took my hand and kissed it comfortingly, "That's where you got me wrong, Hermione. I'm not my father. I'm Draco Malfoy; not Lucius Malfoy."
I could feel tears accumulate in my eyes, "I'm so stupid! I took the time to understand you, but I won't give you just two minutes to speak for yourself! I know that with those two minutes, you'll work your way back into my heart! I'm so stupid!"
"You just made a mistake, like everyone else in this world. What makes you special, you admit your mistake," Draco said as he gazed into my eyes intensely.
I could feel my insides melting again. Just then, Draco stood up and I thought he was going to leave, until he grabbed my hands and brought me to the poolside. We sat there in silence for a while. Memories of Draco and me came rushing back to me. I remember during my 16th birthday, Draco took me to the Room of Requirement for a special dinner. We did nothing but talk the whole night. The night was so perfect; I remember sneaking out of the common room early in the morning to go to Hogsmeade with Draco. I remember sharing a mint sundae with Draco. I remember him buying me a dress robe. A tear managed to escape my eyes, I hastily wiped it away. I remember how Draco told me that he was using me, I remember his turned back, and I remember the tears in his eyes when he left me in the Room of Requirement. I remember seeing him flee with Professor Snape during 6th year; I remember his last glance at me before fleeing with Snape. The memory I'll never forget is our brief talk before he disappeared.
"Haley, the end is yet to come. It's going to be a long journey before we can meet again," Draco said just as another tower collapsed.
"Don't go Draco! Stay with the light!" I pleaded.
"I can be playing for one side while on the other, Haley. Don't give up on me, don't forget me!" Draco said in a hurried tone.
"Don't go!" I begged.
"I'll be back, I promise! The end is yet to come, and when it comes, we'll unite," Draco promised.
"I love you," I whispered though I know he doesn't love me.
"There's something I need you to know, I didn't leave you!" Draco said, holding my shoulder.
"Draco! Let's go!" Snape's voice shouted from afar.
"I didn't leave you! And I love you too," Draco said before giving me a brief kiss in the lips.
"I'll come back," Draco assured again.
He didn't. He never came back. Tears poured down my cheeks reliving this memory. It's been a long journey; a long and tiring journey.
"I didn't leave you," Draco said beside me.
It was as if he knew what I was thinking, I stared at his eyes with shock.
"I don't know if I can trust you, Draco," I whispered to him.
"You can," he replied as he brushed his lips against mine.
The same warmth he gave me five years ago surged through my blood. The same protection he gave me poured through me once more. The kiss didn't last long. But it was sweet, comforting, and reassuring. As though a thousand mistakes were corrected; as though a thousand apologies were said. I sat in silence once more. It was Draco who broke the silence again.
"I never knew how to swim," he confessed.
I smiled, "If Harry and Ron knew, they'd drown you and make it look as if it's an accident."
"Why do you think I kept it a secret?" he asked.
"How come you don't know how to swim?" I asked, smiling warmly.
"My parents never took me out for any activities," he confessed.
"You don't know how much fun you missed," I said.
"Do you still hate me?" he asked testily.
"I never hated you, I'm just dissapointed. I mean, I know the Draco who sent me those chocolates and love poems is somewhere inside you, but I can't wait for you," I explained sadly, " It's like waiting for rain in a drought; pointless and disappointing."
He nodded and we sat there in silence again. It's almost as if a thousand words were said without even uttering a single one. As if we knew what the other was feeling, thinking. It's the love in us, I thought. The ever burning love we had…
A/N: So how was it? Gimme loads of reviews for this one alright? Took me like ages to think how the lovebirds will get together. I deserve a break with tons of reviews alright? Thankzzz!