Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews everyone, and I hope everbody is having a wonderful summer.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my imagination and whatever else is in this story that doesn't make sense. I was inspired by another romance novel i read and J.K. Rowlings wonderful world. Enjoy!
Chapter 33
"Wrapped so Pretty"
She was out of her mind with worry. Hermione was sitting in the armchair of their foyer, watching the door and waiting. The foyer which lead upstairs to the second floor was softly lit from the chandelier above. Darkness had fallen and the diamond cut glass from the front door and surrounding windows reflected evidence of the moonlight outside. It had been hours since the Falcon's practice session ended this evening. It was just before lunch when she had received an owl from Pulanski. In the letter he told her everything that had taken place during today's starting try-outs.
She became very worried wondering where he could be? She considered several locations that she should have tried in hopes of locating him. Without fully reading the letter she immediately dropped the letter and started for the basement. Although she wasn't familiar with the navigating the pentagram, she would have to learn. Today!
She opened the door and there it waited, filling the basement with a low hum. In the end, she decided not to go. Not because she was afraid to try. Merlin's no, she'd ridden on the back of thestrals, dragons winged hippogriffs. Sadly, all it took was one looked down at the faded halo around her ring finger, reminding her that he was no longer her concern. She forgot about her plans of searching for him, it was the teams decision after all. Maybe he needed a little time away, to live down the shock, he was probably thinking of some non-embarrassing way of letting her know.
So why was she still sitting here like some fool hearted oaf waiting.
Another hour passed by, another chime from the wizarding clock his mother had given them. It was wise wedding gift from Mrs. Malfoy. Hermione made a bee line for the study room, where the clock stood.
As it chimed the eleventh hour, she cursed the miniaturized oval face that was Draco's, its location at this moment only revealed "traveling". Hermione, breathed deeply before turned back into the foyer. Before heading to bed she double checked the grand fireplace hoping there was the slightest chance that maybe he arrived home without her knowing. But at last she had grown tired of waiting, and flustered with her husband's lack of concern for her worry. She turned up the stairs and closed the bedroom door behind her.
Later in the night he had arrived by floo into their study room. He took a few moments to observe the room, not sure were that bastard Krum had delivered him to. Completely wasted and shouting like a drunken sailor. Another argument swarmed between them that night. It was not until four o'clock the following day that Draco made his way into the kitchen.
What had gotten into him Hermione began wondering as she stood by the window, could this be his true character after all. Mean, distant, bossy and completely pigheaded. She was still fuming and he, himself was in no mood to face her. He had no way of that she had helped him over to the sofa last night, and no idea of the fiery words between them. His memory of the argument had vanished by the time he awoke. He had no idea how he made it home. But that's where he found himself this morning.
Drinking does things to you, he felt carefree for a change. He should get drunk more often. He stepped into the entrance of the foyer and moaned. "Aaaa, no light" he said covering his face. The sun poured in from upstairs gave him the impression that it was possibly early morn. He wanted to drop to the floor and crawl the rest of the way. Shouting for one of his elves, it appeared on cue and aided Draco into the kitchen. Draco's hair felt glued to the side of his head and it stinked. It was not until he entered the kitchen that he realized the time. His brain felt as if it had dislodge itself, and was swimming in and out of some sort of grinding machine. He could sure use more sleep, but he had made plans to clear out his locker today.
Hermione was standing by the kitchen window, tending to several planters. It was her little collection of herbs growing proudly beneath the sun and her care. He had to admit, that she was always great at herbiology even during their years at Hogwarts. The glory her knowledge was evident in the growth of her foliage. Today, she was wearing a golden tunic that pleated softly over her expanded belly with shimmers of floral and crafted lace. She wore a matching lengthy copper-tone skirt, and her hair was pulled back into a long thick braid; not to tight, nor to loose, but just so to allow her waves to escape it's hold, for a natural motherly look that simply took his breath away.
He grabbed a fresh box of Lucky Leprechaun cereal from his special pantry of snacks, then collected a bowl and spoon. He slapped the glass container of milk on the counter with more force than necessary and waited for her to lay into him about drinking himself into a stupor and stumbling home so late in the night.
But, she didn't seem to notice or even care that he had entered the kitchen at all. She had gone from the sink, then back to the window watering her personal garden without so much as looking at him.
The last thing he wanted to hear was her nagging him with questions, but he'd give the world away in a shiny basket just to have her at least look at him.
He ripped open the box of cereal.
She rotated a pixie fern into its shady spot.
Something was wrong he could feel it. Their argument the other day had never truly blown over but there was something more ominous hanging between them.
The Lucky Leprechaun cereal clattered into his bowl.
She raised her eyebrow as she heard the oats drop against the dish.
Draco stared incredulously into a mound of completely dry cereal. It was his favorite, yes, but something was seriously wrong with them. All the marshmallows were missing! He saw lots of beige-colored frosted oats cereal, but not a single marshmallow. No multicolored gem stones, no green clovers, no blue whatchamacallits, no little white unicorns, not one single yellow golden nugget.
Maybe someone tampered with the box his conscious said after a minute or two of staring. But he argued with that idea , no one could have tampered with it! It was sealed up tighter than a unbreakable vow when he opened it. Something must have gone wrong at the factory, or wherever those little guys do their magical cereal making stuff, that was the only logical explanation.
He pushed the first bowl and box aside and headed back to the pantry for a fresh box. Grumbling to himself. This was all he needed to make a lousy morning worse. He ripped open the second box, and poured it into a bowl, but all he saw were more frosted oats. No marshmallows.
"I don't believe this!" he mumbled aloud. He marched back in and grabbed a third box. Ripped open its seal and dumped it upside down. He stared down at the exact same thing, nothing but at lot of funny shaped oats, not a single solitary marshmallow, not a single speck of rainbow color in the whole box.
"Something wrong?" Hermione said at last.
"Look at this," Draco poured his sabotaged breakfast favorites onto the countertop. Little bits of rolling oats tumbled on the kitchen floor. "What the bloody hell is this, there are no marshmallows!"
She studied them for a moment. "O my goodness, maybe someone tampered with the box." She said coolly as if this were one of her hypothetical equations.
"Tampered with it! Hermione no one could have tampered with it, it was sealed tighter than a vault at Gringotts Bank." She gave a rather you-got-me kinda look as he ravished the pantry and pulled out several more stored boxes and ripped them all open, one by one pouring out a heaping load of marshmallowless sugary cereal.
"I don't believe this." He stood there, and looking flabbergasted at seven boxes. Neatly in a line, nearly enough cereal to last him his entire stay here, and it was all somehow ruined.
"I'm sure it was a mild fluke." she said and went back to her watering.
"A fluke, a fluke? Define fluke Hermione! A fluke is when two marshmallow are magically merged together, or if there are loads of blue nuggets instead of gold ones. A fluke is maybe one box missing half its clovers….this….this is not a fluke." he pointed with outrage at the counter.
"Then perhaps you should right a complaint, a letter!"
"A letter! Damn right I'm righting them a letter. It doesn't make any difference whether if this is some sort of a fluke or not. This should never happen to anyone. When a man buys a box of Lucky Leprechaun's he has certain expectations."
"Then perhaps you should write the president of the Leprechaun's Draco Malfoy" she taunted him. "Or better yet, try making a sandwich, it is midday after all, or would you rather a strong cup of coffee to kill off your hang over from last night?"
" Don't you start on me. I don't want a sandwich, and I sure as hell don't want any coffee." He was furious. Wasn't anything in his life going to go right ever again. Hermione had his heart spinning cartwheels, but she couldn't stand the presence of him and she clearly didn't give a damn that someone or something had ruined his all time favorite cereal; Petur Krum was materializing out of nowhere; his mom and dad had completely fallen apart. And now all the marshmallows were missing from not one, but seven boxes of cereal.
"I don't want anything, from anyone." He stormed out of the kitchen, and headed for the shower. Another day, and another set of crossed words passing between them. He didn't want to fight with her, not in the least….He wanted to lift her off her feet and carry her up to their bedroom so he could forget about: Quidditch and marshmallows, the day, the night before, everything.