Hermione woke up; sweaty from her atrocious nightmare. The moment she bolted her head up from her bed, she can't regain a single memory about it, but she could remember one thing. Her mother was in it. For the first time after her meeting with Narcissa, she woke up in the middle of the night remembering the face of her mother that Narcissa showed. Hermione crawled out of her bed and walked to a table across the large bedroom.
On the table, she picked up an album copy Narcissa gifted her with. There on the first page was a picture of Narcissa, Alice and another Slytherin girl Hermione didn't know laughing in front of the camera while hugging each other. They were at Hogwarts with their ties loosely tied. Hermione recognised the place; it was at the school's courtyard.
Hermione flipped the page to the next photo of Narcissa and Alice with Helen this time. They were obviously taken at Helen's because the décor of the house didn't seem too extravagant, in fact it seemed homely and warm, the total opposite of what Narcissa's and Alice's house had been, considering their elegant houses.
Hermione smiled at the innocence of her teenage mothers and god-mother, Narcissa. It was funny to have a biological mother, foster mother and godmother as best friends. But, at least they remind her of each other and she will never forget one of them with another one of them.
Hermione looked at the picture beside it; it was of Narcissa, Alice and surprisingly Bellatrix who was laughing along with them. She didn't look like the Death Eater that had tortured Hermione. She looked like a carefree teenager along with Narcissa and Alice. They were at the presumably the Black's house. They were holding hot chocolates in their hands and all three of them were sipping it with a smile on their faces. It was truly touching and Hermione could hardly believe these people came from people closely related to Death Eaters.
Bellatrix was beautiful, she realised. She had round eyes that evidently showed her happiness when it wasn't filled with madness. Narcissa looked happy and she was not as cold and frozen and stiff as Hermione last saw her. Alice, she was the most beautiful and she'll stay like that in Hermione's eyes. Being the only Gryffindor among the circle of Slytherin friends she had, Hermione was proud of her. Maybe house rivalry was something that could be avoided, like Dumbledore had always said.
Hermione flipped the page to see Alice, Eric, Lucius, Narcissa, Bellatrix, Sirius and Regulus happily lying down on soft, freshly mowed grass. It was like they were carefree teenagers just like typical muggle teenage. Hermione wished she was there to see the happiness in the air.
Sirius was happy because Alice wasn't like the rest of his family. How come Sirius never mentioned it to her? Sirius was close to Harry after all. Bellatrix was like Alice in many ways but she chose the wrong way and ended up blinded and mad, thinking that power was best to get over her sadness. Narcissa was scared and she kept to herself after all these years and her silence brought to her sister's rage especially since Narcissa ignored Bellatrix because she had killed Sirius, Bellatrix decided to place an Imperius on her own sister, to shut her from the constant muttering and mourning. From the Dark Lord's rise everything started going downwards, everything…
Hermione felt her soft tears, she had never felt so vulnerable in her life, something so painful hitting her at the moment she was weakest. Every piece of the jigsaw finally clicked in, it made perfect sense. It was a no wonder.
Hermione eventually fell back into a deep slumber with the album book opened to its last page; a photo taken at a gazebo near a sparkly river, where there were flowers that bloomed beautifully and graciously. Alice was smiling towards the little baby in her hands, Eric's arms were around her waist and he was smiling at the camera, Derrick was making puppy-eyes at the camera with a toy wand in his hand. Narcissa was smiling at the camera with a blonde baby in her arms, Lucius was shrugging his shoulders while smiling and running a hand through his short, unkept hair. The last family was a surprise to Hermione when she first saw it; Bellatrix was holding a girl with dark hair with her husband that seemed sane enough that hugged her from behind. Hermione's last thought before she slept was 'Who is that little girl?'
"Wait a moment!"
Hermione frowned at whoever was at her door. Whoever it was, that person was just utterly impatient. She had just woken up to the constant knocking from an idiot from beyond the doors. Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands, she threw her legs off the bed and slipped into her fluffy bunny slippers.
Vision blurred, Hermione walked unsteadily towards her front door. Hermione ran a hand through her messy hair and tied it into a quick pony-tail. She twisted the bolt and yawned before yanking the door open to reveal a certain Slytherin.
"Malfoy", she drawled icily, visibly showing her detest towards him. He smirked and breezed himself past her, allowing himself to enter her house uninvited. Hermione's jaw dropped but she pushed it back up before he turned to face her while raising an eyebrow critically.
Hermione shoved the door close, before turning to him with arms crossed across her chest. "Nice house Granger", he stated, Hermione couldn't detect mockingly or truthfully. "It's Birchwood, Malfoy and I designed it, of course it's nice", she spoke in a matter-of-fact voice. He rolled his eyes, "I don't care if you're Birchwood or a future Malfoy-it must be from the previous night's event- but you're still Granger to me".
Hermione sighed, "Drinks?"
Draco nodded and turned his head to eye her from head to toe. "Cute outfit Granger". Hermione just realised she was wearing a spaghetti strapped black tight sleeping top that was immensely comfortable and pink sleeping shorts that matched her furry bunny slippers. She also wore a long, black, wool fabric around her shoulders to shield her from the cold. Hermione flushed tomato when she saw his eyes on her, but her embarrassment rapidly changed to mild curiosity.
Hermione's eyebrows furrowed, "What's with the two worded statements and Granger". Draco shrugged and gazed around the house, with his legs on the coffee table as he leaned lazily on the couch. Hermione sighed disapprovingly and went to the kitchen to fetch the coffee from her timed coffeemaker, "How'd you like your coffee?" Hermione called from the kitchen.
"I don't mind", she heard Malfoy's distant voice. Hermione tucked a stranded hair behind her ear and carried the tray out to the living room. "You are a witch, Granger", he mocked. Hermione rolled her eyes and placed the tray on the coffee table. "I like to do it the muggle way", she shrugged.
Malfoy placed his legs down, thankfully respecting the drinks on the table and lifted a cup to drink. Hermione took her own cup and sat on a separate chair next to the couch that was equally comfortable.
"How do you like your coffee Granger?"
Hermione raised her brows at the spontaneous question. But, she just answered it anyway, "I don't really like coffee but I take them".
"Then why'd you have a coffeemaker in your kitchen"
"I need some caffeine to kick in the morning occasionally"
"Why didn't you just brew up a potion?"
"I don't want to spend days preparing the potion, I don't need much anyways, I just need a little pepper-up but not the strong brew like the potion".
"Why do you need them anyways? Surely you haven't been working over time; your department has the highest quantity of employees compared to the rest of the departments"
"I don't need them for work; it's just… never mind… Why are you asking these anyways?"
Draco shrugged and looked away to change the subject. But, Hermione was already in her own world. She was having flash-backs at all her break ups. Was she really somebody boring? Or was it that she was always a hopeless romantic? Or is it the fact that nobody could actually love her except for her money, fame and looks?
Absent-mindedly she called her betrothed by his name; Draco jerked his head to look at her. When she noticed, she gave a confused look and covered up, "I...uh…I... Thought you have plans today. What are you doing here?"
Draco shrugged and placed his empty cup on the tray, "I thought of asking you out, since I have nothing to do until tonight, there's dinner at Blaise's and he insisted you come as well", he paused to roll his eyes at his best friend and continued, "So might as well we spend the day and tonight we'll go together".
Hermione blinked in her cup of coffee, thinking about the pros and cons when spending a whole weekend day with a certain Draco Malfoy. A smirk marred her beautiful features; she could spend time with him for one day but with condition…
"Not a bad idea, but I want to go somewhere", she said casually sipping her not yet finished drinks. Draco took a pastry off the tray and asked her without looking at her eyes, "Where do you want to go?"
"Muggle London"
Draco choked on his food; Hermione hastily poured the drinks in his cup before handing it to him. He grabbed the cup and drained the cup into his mouth. Hermione watched in amusement as he choked and spluttered with the hot coffee. His cheeks were flushed red in horror.
"What the hell was that for?" Draco spluttered his tongue still red in pain.
Hermione cachinnated. Draco blushed in indignation and felt his blood boil in angry temper. Fortunately, Hermione adjudicated to peace when she said, "I'm sorry, it was hilarious to see you so helpless".
"I could have died!" Draco's hands flung in the air in exasperation, threatening temper rising.
"Died asphyxiating?" Hermione aggravated, she loved to see him mad especially since he had always accomplished to do so to her.
"You know what I mean!" Draco's voice rise, his temper too.
"You are a wizard, Malfoy", Hermione repeated in mocked amusement as his chest surged in hackles. She was enjoying his reaction after the same sarcasm he used on her a few minutes ago.
"My wand was out of reach" Draco excused lamely, but Hermione wasn't getting the indication and continued.
"Do wand less magic"
"My mind was blocked in panic" Draco said, guarding his egoism.
"It's called coherent manner" Hermione gestured her hands in a 'you-know-what-I-mean' manner.
"How can you do that when you're going to die?" Draco reasoned, still trying to protect himself.
"You're still living" she stated plainly.
"Barely" Draco retorted.
"Be grateful you're still breathing, Malfoy" Hermione glared in annoyance.
"It would make my job much easier to be dead…"
Hermione stopped dead at that statement. What could his life possibly be like to have such ill-wishes?
"Then why are you mad at me in the first place?"
"I see red because you happened to be enjoying my near-death experience" Draco spat in refusal.
"It's called a mutual feeling, Malfoy" Hermione argued.
"And I wonder how I end up with you" Malfoy rolled his eyes clearly dripping sarcasm out of his mouth.
"If it was my choice, I wouldn't want to end up spending my life with you too. But, since, it is, I'd rather marry you than leave my family and friends broken". Hermione bursted in anger, she was tempted to hex him off, to make her job a lot easier.
"Gryffindor through and through, be selfish for once, you are marrying a Slytherin" Draco contended, while his last few words boiled in sarcasm.
"So is this for your own benefit or for your mother's and father's?" Hermione argued, knowing that what she was saying was true and argued what was his against him.
"My own happiness is theirs, so it's considered my selfishness!" Draco defended himself desperately not wanting his betrothed to see the real him under his mask of ignorance.
"Come on… Just admit it Malfoy, nobody's born selfish after all!" Hermione retorted in anger. Why couldn't he just admit it?
"For your info, there is!" Draco's rage had turned into something else and Hermione secretly feared it but she shrugged it off.
"May I ask, who?!"
"The bloody sick bastard, of course; Voldemort"
Hermione was stricken by the malevolence on his face. She hadn't seen it in a while since the war and it was shocking to see it in reality after so long. That was when Hermione finally curled her body and bit her lip, realising that she had acted ignorant towards his feelings.
Of course Draco had his share of loss; it was a war after all. Hermione had always forgotten that he had a family to be scared for too. Draco was just like the rest of them.
"Look… Let's just cut this out". Hermione tried to reason, not wanting to dwell on the subject further. How could something as common as choking on coffee turn into something so dark and deep? There was an uncomfortable span of silence, before Malfoy spoke, a hint of fading hope in his voice.
"What do you want to do in Muggle London?"
"Let's just have fun… I think we should try to cheer up a little", Hermione noted, she still felt guilty to the change of subject previously. Thankfully, for her, Draco nodded, agreeing but with reluctance.
Draco could see the brunette's hair still damp after her shower while he waited for her in the living room. He had strolled around the living room, to come by a few muggle contraptions he knew. But, what attracted was a photo album opened to the last page.
He realised it was a photo of his family with the Birchwoods and Lestranges. Draco smiled at his carefree parents, 'would-have-been' parents in law and aunt and uncle. He remembered looking at this photo in his mother's favourite album she treasured before the Dark Lord. That evil half-blood, Draco would have loved to see him tortured but it was enough to see the man that wasn't even a man die.
This was one of the only two photos of his cousin that were taken before she died, and Draco barely knew her, but he knew it was her, the reason his aunt and uncle became mad. The Black and Malfoy were biased purebloods but they weren't evil nor were they willing to rid of the impures with the bloods on their hands but everything changed for the respected family. Since the rise of the dark sorcerer, and the loss of the family that brought them together to their conscience, the Birchwoods, everything started to go horribly.
"Are you still there?"
Hermione waved a hand in front of his face as he returned from the universal expedition he had going on in his mind previously. "Sorry, I zoned out a moment ago", he apologised simply.
He acknowledged Hermione's presence when he smiled at him the tiniest of smiles she had ever given him sincerely. He realised she wore muggle clothing just like he had worn to get to her apartment without causing attention. She wore a simple periwinkle tiered flared blouse that stopped at her thigh which were strapless and black jeans. She grabbed a denim jacket and slipped them on before fetching her wand.
Draco knew it was considered simple clothing but he still couldn't believe he was betrothed to such natural beauty even without those fancy clothing. He was used to be surrounded by girls who wear excessive make-up that he couldn't even recognise their real faces.
Hermione returned to the living room after fetching her wand and Draco noticed the only make up she had was a touch of very light lip-gloss to hide her paleness and accentuate her beautiful lips, a bit of colour to her cheeks to hide her pale skin and a small amount of eyeliner and concealer, to distract the view of her eye bags and show off her naturally sparkly round, brown eyes. Her hair that was not damp anymore after a suspected drying charm fell down gracefully on her back with curls. He noticed one thing about Hermione now compared to then was that her hair wasn't bushy anymore instead they were elaborate curls that were stunningly gorgeous.
She dragged him outside the house and put up the wards before taking his arm. Even as he protested, she held him firmly before apparating to somewhere he didn't know.