She looked in the mirror at the swirling white material around her. The lace was perfect, the color was just the right shade of off white and the train was the exact length she dreamed. Too bad she couldn't fit into it.
"Ginny I want this dress," Hermione said simply to her best friend, "But it's too small. I'l never be able to lose this weight by April." The red-headed girl smiled at her, rolling her eyes.
"Sometimes I think for the brightest witch your age you sure are stupid sometimes 'Mione," she said simply and the older girl glared at her in the mirror.
"Please Ginny," she said, sarcasm dripping from every word, "tell us how you really feel."
Ginny laughed, making Hermione grin a little bit. "I only meant we can magick the size for you. You truly are a muggle-born aren't you?"
"Oh shut up," Hermione said, mentally slapping herself for forgetting about magic.
Hermione smiled once more into the mirror, imagining herself walking on the green lawn of the Malfoy Manor in the gorgeous dress. She smiled at her imagination, willing the last few weeks to move faster.
"Come on," Ginny said, "I'm craving chicken and this will not go away until we head to The Leaky Cauldron."
Hermione snickered at Ginny, happy that her best friend was pregnant. It had been a year since Ginny and Harry had been married and now in three months they would welcome their first child. Draco and Hermione had a bet going whether the child would have black hair or the Weasley famous ginger hair.
They finished their shopping quickly, paying for the dress and leaving it at the Salon to come back for alterations in another week. They walked down the long stretch of Diagon Alley before coming to the familiar brick wall. Hermione stopped for a moment, remembering fond times during her Hogwarts years. Her shoulder burned slightly, thinking of Ron and Harry. She brushed it off though and headed after Ginny.
They took their usual spot in the back corner, ordering their food quietly. In this time following Voldemort's defeat nearly five years ago, everyone still gets excited about seeing two of the world's most famous witches, especially now that Hermione is about to become Mrs. Draco Malfoy. A daily prophet made it's way to their table but Ginny snatched it up before Hermione could read it.
"Hey," Hermione said as she watched Ginny toss it on another table, "I wanted to read that."
"Oh I read it this morning," Ginny said casually brushing the conversation off, "there was an article about Pansy being married for the third time."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "I can tell you're lying now let me see that paper." She tried to push past Ginny but the red-head blocked her way. "Move Gin."
"So you're gonna shove a pregnant woman?" Ginny demanded, playing the pregnancy card. Hermione stopped and glared at her. As a waiter passed them she grabbed his Daily Prophet off the tray and sat down to read it. Ginny snatched it form her again.
"Ginny!" Hermione said harshly.
"If you want to read it," Ginny said quietly, "we need to go somewhere private." Hermione began to worry about what was on the cover. She followed Ginny upstairs to an open bedroom. Ginny handed her the paper and shut the door.
Hermione looked down and her eyes began to water at the title.
No Sign of the Famous Ronald Weasley; Hunt for the Mad Man Still at Large
The once famous best friend of Harry Potter is still at large, after escaping from a psychiatric ward three months ago. Hermione Granger, whom Wealsey attempted to attack the night of his incarceration has no comment to make on the matter. Harry Potter, a current Ministry employee had only this to say; "It is sad to see Ron deteriorate to such a state after the war with Voldemort. We are trying our best to track him down and to get him help. I am confident that one day he will return to his old self, the one Hermione Granger and I used to know." When questioned about how he feels the engagement of Granger to the Malfoy heir, Draco Malfoy, has fueled Weasley's rage Potter did not comment. Many experts speculate that Wealsey's personality has become one of the sociopath, and believe he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. If you see the infamous mad man, contact the Ministry right away. Do not approach this individual.
Hermione stared at the picture of Ron smiling at her in an old photo. She shuddered at the idea of Ronald finding her once more. She felt sick suddenly and got up off the bed. She ran past Ginny into the bathroom across the hall. She locked the door and ignored the calls of her best friend through it.
She approached the sink, looking pale and sweaty. She lifted the sleeve of her blouse up, revealing the scar Ron had left the last time she had seen him. It burned just looking at her. The world around her felt dizzy and was shifting all around her. She felt gravity over power her and she let the darkness take her.
Ron looked down at his picture in the Daily Prophet. He smiled at Hermione's look, touching his finger tips to her ink face. It moved beneath him, smiling and laughing at his ink self. He threw the Prophet to the other side of the table and picked up more pictures. One was of Hermione, slowly undressing in her room. Another was of her jogging near her old apartment. Yet another one was of her sleeping, peaceful and at ease. He dropped a new photograph onto the table, one of her twirling around in the mirror, holding her new wedding dress.
He lightly traced his fingers over her face, wishing he could touch her then. He leaned back in his chair, staring at the largest photo of them all. A picture of her showering. He watched as the water rolled down her naked torso, steam billowing up from the hot water. He closed his eyes, letting his imagination roam. He pretended it was his hands and mouth on her body and not the water. He pretended she was here with him, kissing him and loving him. He called out to her, not caring that she wasn't there. For this moment, he pretended she was in his lap, touching him all over. A rush of ecstasy came over him, but it was for only a fleeting moment. He opened his eyes to his dark reality that Hermione was not here with him. That she was with Malfoy, probably fucking him.
Ron growled at the thought of Hermione with another man. He wanted Malfoy to suffer for what the blond had done to him. He thought of Hermione to calm himself down and looked up. He smiled at the photo of her showering, slowly tracing his hands along her curves. His heart still pounding from his climax, he quickly changed his clothes. He needed to get out of the apartment he was renting in the Muggle district. He needed to figure out his plan for getting Hermione.
Hermione heard voices before she saw faces. She heard Harry and Ginny arguing in hushed tones. She felt someone smoothing her hair away from her face. She smelled the distinct clean smell of a hospital. She tried to remember what had happened but could only recall the article about Ron in the Daily Prophet.
"Why did you let her read it?" Harry whispered harshly.
"You can't stop her when she's determined," Ginny whispered back angrily, "you should know that."
Hermione's eyes fluttered open and she saw the blond hair of her fiancé. He smiled at her, mouthing 'Hi'. She smiled back, wincing as she tried to sit up. Her head felt like Hagrid was sitting on it. Ginny and Harry stopped arguing as soon as they realized she had woken up. Ginny smiled and Harry looked shaken but managed a smile.
"What happened?" Hermione wondered, lightly touching her head.
"You fainted," Ginny blurted out. Everyone was silent for a moment.
"You hit your head on the sink in the bathroom," Draco finished explaining, "Ginny was frantic when she contacted my office. When I got to you, there was so much blood, I was afraid you had died. You've been unconscious for about three days now. The medi-witch," he choked back tears for a moment, "said you may never wake up from your coma."
Everyone stayed silent for a moment, it made Hermione feel uncomfortable.
"I'm kind of hungry and tired," she croaked out, not realizing how dry her throat was.
"We'll go get you food," Ginny said, dragging Harry after her. He waved at Hermione as he was dragged down the hall.
"Get some sleep," Draco told her, brushing her hair back and kissing her forehead, "I'll be back in a little while." Hermione nodded her head and curled up in her hospital bed. She drifted to sleep listening to the footstep of Draco leave and footsteps coming into the room.
Draco could sense something was wrong. A sudden feeling over came him as he sat in the hospital cafeteria with Harry and Ginny. Ginny was absently rubbing her bulging stomach and Harry stared hard out the window. Draco felt a pull in his mind, as if someone was reaching for him. He got up quickly, with puzzled looks from Harry and Ginny.
He ran through the halls, nearly crashing into people as they passed him. Several shouted at him to slow down but he wouldn't until he knew Hermione was safe. He reached her room and his heart stopped. Her bed was empty, a chair had been knocked over too. The sheets were bunched up at the end and something was taped to the wall above her bed. Draco ran over and tore it from the wall.
He swore and threw it on the ground, storming out of the room to find Harry and Ginny. Behind him the photograph moved and smiled. Ron lightly kissed Hermione's cheek in the photography, showing over Hermione's hospital gown. He winked and the photograph set itself on fire. It burned on the floor silently, leaving behind only Ron's mad grin as he planned his kidnapping of Hermione Granger.