Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter characters and the Harry Potter world. They all belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter Three

"Will You Dry My Tears?"

It was a rainy Friday night, the start of the weekend once again. Hermione was smiling as she entered the building's lift going to her fiancé's apartment suite.

There was a time when Hermione hated weekends beyond all else, but now she could safely declare that the period from Friday evening through Sunday evening was her favorite time of the week. It was her reprieve from all the nonstop work especially since her department was considered the largest department in the Ministry of Magic and all the other departments were answerable to it.

As a Department Head of her sector, she had the responsibility to make sure everything was in order among the divisions under her. Despite being the youngest in the position, she was well trusted by her staff and she had worked her arse off to maintain that trust.

Sometimes she wondered why she even accepted the job offered to her in the first place when she was very much contented with her position as a Senior Personnel in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures; however, she knew that it was because of her passion for her goals to help the underprivileged magical creatures in her former department. She realized that by being the Department Head of the Magical Law Enforcement, she would be able to extend more tangible and corporeal help to those Magical Creatures by revolutionizing the Ministry.

Her friends thought her goals were much too ambitious.

As the head of the Auror office, Harry had promised to support her in everything she did; though she knew that deep down, he thought her goals were not that viable in some way. He said her undertakings were too ambitious to be placed into action in the near future. Nevertheless, as pushy as she may sound, Hermione had promised never to give up. She knew that she could make a change even with these baby steps, and she had already gone a long way.

She had worked so hard to attain this position and she was confident enough that her plans would be executed someday. She had the brains, the will, the capacity… She was competent enough and she knew that if she pushed through, she could do it. What was the use of all her studying from night till dawn in the library during her Hogwarts days? She knew that she had toiled for a reason.

She was just thankful that she had the most understanding and supportive fiancé in the world.

The thought of Theo had always made her smile. In everything she had done for the past two years, from her bereavement to her healing, Theo had been there for her. He became a good friend and he didn't rush her. He had supported her and had patiently waited for her for almost a year. Sometimes, she really couldn't help but think of him as her angel.

She had known him at school, but they met again in the Auror headquarters on Level Two of the Ministry of Magic at Harry's office cubicle.

It was Friday in the evening, and she had been a wreck…

She was always a wreck during the weekends.

It was, after all, the time when Draco had gone off to Blaise's bachelor pad to cheat on her. Nobody really knew the length of the damage Draco had done to her. She often prided the fact that she was a strong woman, but it was more than she could handle. She even needed to see a psychiatrist to alleviate the pain of the aftershock.

Whenever it was the weekend, there was this nagging fear that someone she loved would do something to betray or hurt her. It was irrational and unfounded. She thought she was losing her mind. Her psychiatrist told her that her fear of the weekend had stemmed out from the psychological trauma she had to endure after the huge breakup she had emotionally suffered from.

Draco was the very first boy she had fallen in love with and the very first to have broken her heart over and over again. She had somehow loved Viktor during their time together, but not in the way she loved Draco.

It had always been different with Draco.

She had loved him more than she had ever loved anyone. She had given up her pretty cottage house so she could be with him in his manor because he had wanted her to. She had ditched some of her friends on their prior arrangements sometimes just so she could spend time with him. Even if wearing those expensive clothes he bought for her made her uncomfortable, she'd still put them on just to please him.

Her world revolved around him.

She had given him everything she could possibly give to another being; her heart, her innocence, her body, her mind, her time… Hell, she would have given him her soul if he had asked her to.

She had given him everything.

Ginny told her it was just probably because he was her first, the very first to have ever touched her, the very first she had ever loved. Ginny said that a girl would never really forget her first love no matter what, but then again, Ginny's first love was Harry and they were together until now.

It just wasn't fair sometimes.

It had been four months since Draco had left her and every weekend she had stayed at Harry and Ginny's apartment; knowing that the last time she had spent the weekend alone, Ginny had found her sprawled on her living room's floor with a bottle of Ogden's whiskey on hand, insanely drunk and about to obliviate herself. Ginny had needed to wrestle her to take her wand away.

She had cried nonstop that day. She was hysterical. Her friends didn't know what to do so they resorted on calling her parents instead. She was reduced into a wretched, pitiable little girl needing her parents to make everything okay again. She looked pathetic but she didn't care; because she knew she needed them, because she knew she would never ever be okay again, because she knew she had nothing anymore. That day, she had allowed her parents to take her to their home. She had allowed her daddy to kiss her hair like his baby girl once again when she cried and told him how broken her heart was. She had the chicken soup her mum cooked for her. It always made her feel better. She had allowed herself to sleep in her childhood room again, crying and squishing old Mr. Panda Bear into her chest as her mummy held her like a little girl once more.

Since then, Ginny wouldn't let her out of her sight when the weekend started. Every Friday, Ginny would get out early from work just to fetch her from her office. Ginny and Harry insisted Hermione stayed with them every Friday night, then they would do things to distract her during the course of the weekend. If Harry and Ginny were busy, Luna and Parvati would be there. If Ron was in the country, he would often take her out to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley for friendly dinner dates. She had such caring and thoughtful friends and she couldn't complain. She was lucky to have them.

Harry was working late and Ginny had an overdue emergency meeting in her department. Hermione told them that she could go ahead to their home to wait for them. But both Harry and Ginny wouldn't let her, nervously shaking their heads in unison. It was pretty alarming.

Did they think that she had completely lost it?

But then again, she'd tried to obliviate herself many times already. Maybe she was really losing it. Her friends knew that she was an expert on the Memory Charm. She had used it against certain Death Eaters during the war. It also became handy during the time she was in desperate need to protect her parents by sending them to Australia.

However, deep down she knew she could never really do it to herself. She knew she was responsible enough never to inflict such an unwanted feat on herself. It wasn't in her character to do such a reckless and stupid thing. But sometimes, her emotions could prove her otherwise. Maybe it's true that your heart could really dictate you to do the stupidest thing in the world. It could totally shut your brain out. She wasn't thinking when she got drunk that night, but you couldn't really think straight when your heart hurt like hell, could you?

Since then, her crazy self had been constantly trying to consider the thoughtless act every time she got in contact with alcohol. It was the only way she could forget of Draco. She'd always been sober before, but drinking seemed to be the only thing she could think of in numbing the hurt. That was when she realized she needed to see a psychiatrist. It helped a lot. Now she was feeling better. She was still wounded, but she was coping. She would try her hardest to crawl back to who she was before the storm, to who she was before she was broken.

She was Hermione Granger, dammit.

She wouldn't allow herself to always be the damsel in distress. Her prince just turned out to be an evil enemy and she needed to stand up for herself now. She was raised that way. She was tough. She was a strong woman. She wasn't considered one of the war heroes for nothing.

But she was just a girl as well.

She had cried so much, had questioned her inadequacy. Draco often told her she was beautiful, that she was perfect, but that actually doubled the hurt. If she was as perfect as he said she was, why would he leave her? He had spent years trying to regain her trust and to rebuild her confidence, only to break them again… like she was nothing but a plaything. He made her the happiest. He planted himself as the center of her universe only to walk away and let everything crumble into nothingness. How could he be so cruel?

Now she was left to pick up the pieces once again. He was her curse and he just killed her. And she'd never felt as low and as stupid as this.

Harry and Ginny made sure she would stay and wait for them here before going on with their unfinished businesses. She knew that her friends were just looking out for her, but they were really going overboard this time. Well, not that she could blame them, of course.

Every Friday night, the three of them would watch movies. If Ron was around, he would come and join them as well. Ron was now a professional Chaser for the Chudley Canons in the British and Irish Quidditch League and was constantly travelling the world. He was now dating a beautiful Irish woman as well.

Sometimes Hermione would wonder what could have been if Draco hadn't come into her life. Ron had always fancied her before and had been incredibly angry when he'd found out about her relationship with Draco at Hogwarts. Since then, Ron had stopped whatever feeling that was blooming for her.

When Draco broke up with her, they regained their friendship and Ron had always been supportive of her, but he didn't make any move and had stayed as a good friend and nothing more. He'd even been conciliatory when she and Draco became a couple again years after that. Ginny told her it was because she was Ron's first heartbreak and he was afraid to dig those feelings up again and so he decided that it was best to just forget about it, until a day came that it was finally gone.

Hermione had had a little crush on Ron when they were younger and if Draco hadn't been in the picture, maybe they would have worked out like Harry and Ginny did. Viktor was a good boyfriend before even if he was constantly out of the country. He had always made sure that he had enough time for her. If Draco hadn't come back and ransacked their relationship, maybe she could have married Viktor and lived a happy, peaceful life.

Now, Ron was happy with someone else. Harry and Ginny had each other. Even Viktor was engaged to someone else now, a slender beautiful blonde graduate from Beauxbatons. And she was left with nothing but a severely broken heart and an uncanny, irrational fear of the weekends.

All because of Draco Bloody Malfoy. The bastard.

Draco had taken everything away from her. She had given him so much. She had given him everything that she had and maybe that was partly her fault. She should have known better. This wasn't the first time that Draco had hurt her. He had hurt her before and she hadn't learned from it. He made her look like she was the dumbest girl in the world. But then, she was in love. It wasn't a choice at all. He had her wrapped around his slender-and-overly-sexy fingers. And damn, how stupid she had been.

She chewed on her lower lip as she impatiently looked around. The Auror headquarters was a busy place. It consisted of a series of open cubicles, each Auror being given his or her place to work. She was seated on Harry's chair, edgily twiddling some of his quills between her fingers and demurely tugging on her pencil skirt which looked a little skimpy in her current sitting position. She was out of place. She felt too… feminine. Every male Auror who happened to pass by Harry's cubicle would stare and smile at her. A brawny young Auror even had the gall to whistle and stare at her legs. He ended up being whacked by a hardbound book by another female Auror, who happened to be his girlfriend as he then had kissed her ruefully after that. The female Auror smiled apologetically at Hermione as she dragged her pussy whipped boyfriend away. It was amusing to watch.

There were a lot of pictures of Undesirables, maps and newspaper clippings on the walls of the cubicles. Harry's desk was a bit of a chaos and her hands were itching to clean it up. She tried her hardest to stop herself from doing so since she knew that this was Harry's desk and she might disrupt or misplace something if she did so. She could see that the other desks were a mess as well. Maybe Aurors worked that way.

Instead, she entertained herself by watching some of the pictures on the frames that Harry had placed by the side of his desk. There was one with her, Ron and Harry during their Hogwarts years. Oh, how she missed those days.

There was another with her, Ginny, Ron and Harry. She was laughing with her best friends at the camera. She looked so happy that time. She smiled a bit, until she remembered the person who was taking the picture.

It was taken on her birthday. Draco had planned everything to give her a grand surprise party. How he managed to work things out with her workmates, family and best friends especially with Ron, was beyond her. All she knew was… she was the happiest then.

Until now she could still remember his cheery voice, urging her to look at the camera. That time, she just knew that he was the best boyfriend in the world. There were some imperfections, like the fact that he hated going to her charity events or that sometimes he could be very moody. But he was still the sweetest.

Draco loved and protected her in every way he could. He worshiped her beauty, treated her like she was the most beautiful woman on earth, bought her everything she could possibly imagine and he could do things so unexpectedly that often ended up with her crying in happiness.

Even now, the memory of it still stung.

Hermione could feel her eyes water again as she stared at the picture. She hated it. After four months, here she was, still pathetically mourning for an offense she hadn't done. Yet, she just couldn't take her eyes away from the photograph, at the time when everything was perfect.

Everything was just so bittersweet…

It was a picture of a perfect time, a time when she thought she was so sure of what her future would be, a time when she thought nothing could ever go wrong. For all it's worth, it was a beautiful picture.

Despite the heartache and the memories, Harry must have placed it here because it was a pretty good picture. He may have even forgotten that Draco was the one who took it. He wasn't broken like her, after all. Harry had a lot of complications in his life but had it smooth when it came to love. He and Ginny were so simple, so happy, so content. He couldn't really understand the depths of what she was feeling at the moment.

There was one picture of Harry and Ginny by the middle of his desk. It was taken in their living room. They looked so good together. There was also a solo picture of Ginny. She was smiling shyly at the camera. It was taken at an Auror yule party and she looked beautiful.

Hermione had seen her own pictures in Draco's office before too. There was even a huge canvas of her in the middle of his office. He often told her that those pictures of her always made him forget his problems at work. He said that her smile alone could soothe and relax him. Now she wondered what he did to them. Maybe he threw them away, or maybe he burned them just like she did with his pictures. But then again, he wasn't as hurt as she had been and those dramatic flairs weren't really necessary for him.

She was pathetic. Miserable and pathetic.

She sighed and shook her head. Four months and she was still losing it. Everything seemed to be connected to him. How long would she suffer like this? Everything that had happened felt like it was yesterday. Urgh. She really hated the weekends. She wished it was Monday every day. She was a mess.

"Give me a break," she suddenly whispered disbelievingly as she noticed the discarded copy of the Daily Prophet inside Harry's dustbin. It was hastily crumpled but the name 'Draco Malfoy' by the headlines could still be seen from her point of view while seated on Harry's chair.

Harry must have hurriedly thrown it away before she could see it. She tried to steady her breathing as she reached for the rutted newspaper. She didn't want to know the contents of it. She didn't want to know what the bastard was doing now. But she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully without knowing.

She was a very curious girl and sometimes, she was just so sure her curiosity could be the cause of her death someday.

She breathed hard; in and out, in and out… before she opened her eyes and read the article.

'Draco Malfoy, the Red Lover.'

By Rita Skeeter

'Draco Malfoy, owner and Managing Director of Malfoy Inc. and one of the hottest and youngest business tycoons today, was seen enjoying Santorini's Red Beach with a hot girl clad in red bikini bottoms. The beautiful beach in the Akrotiri area in Greece gave off its majestic setting as the two lovers were shot engaging in some serious make out sessions.'

'After his infamous break-up with his long-time girlfriend of four years and renowned war heroine, Hermione Granger, the gorgeous business man seems to have moved on quite easily with his newest beau as they occupied themselves in an intense public display of affection, as seen in the photos below. Seems like Mr. Malfoy got bored of his old relationship with Ms. Granger and…'

She had to stop reading. She had to literally push the newspaper onto the desk so she couldn't see the asshole's pictures with his new bitch.

Her eyes hurt a bit, must be from the dust on the newspaper since it was from the trash. She refused to believe that it had to do with something else.

"Such a jerk, isn't he?"

She frowned and looked up. Beside Harry's partially enclosed workspace was a tall, handsome young Auror, poking his head out from his own cubicle. He had messy jet-black hair like Harry's and beautiful amber eyes with a russet, coppery tint in them. He was on the leaner side but had a strong, athletic build. He somehow looked familiar as well.

"I read that crap a while ago. Malfoy's such a git," he sniffed. The young Auror was smiling as he walked out of his cubicle to stand beside her, examining the newspaper in disgust.

"Yeah, I want to kill him." Hermione never thought she would sound that vengeful. It almost sounded like she meant it, well, not that it was unlikely.

"Don't worry. I won't arrest you if you do. Pretty sure everyone is going to be in your favor anyway. I'm an Auror, Potter's the Head Auror, while Malfoy's a jerk." He smirked while shrugging casually. He sipped on his coffee while leaning on the cubicle's partition, studying her.

Hermione giggled softly at his joke as she stared at him. He exuded confidence and good humor. She realized she hadn't giggled like this for so long. It was spontaneous. That was nice. She instantly liked him.

She just had to figure out when and where she had seen him. He looked so familiar but she couldn't quite place her finger on it.

As if reading her thoughts, the guy placed his coffee on Harry's desk and extended his hand toward her. "Theodore Nott, we were classmates at Hogwarts."

"Oh, yeah." Hermione smiled, nodding in recognition. She remembered they'd always been partnered in Potions before. It was Draco's favorite subject and… urgh! Draco. Again. Get a grip, Hermione.

"It's nice to meet you again, Nott. I didn't know you work with Harry," she greeted while shaking his hand. She stared at him further and realized why she hadn't quickly recognized him. Nott had always been tall before, but he was a bit weedy as well. He was a loner and though he had a mature build, he often looked pale and sickly. Yet, now here he was. Gone was the skinny boy with a bit of a weak and gaunt appearance. He was strapping and muscular now, not to mention really gorgeous.

"Aw come on, still my surname?" he quipped while faking a disappointed expression. "We're not at school now, you know. It would be nice if you call me Theo."

"Theo," she echoed as she smiled and nodded.

"Ah, a pretty lady calling me by my first name at the start of my weekend, I'm in luck," he chuckled. This made her blush. "So, where were we? Oh yeah, we're on your modus operandi of killing Draco Malfoy."

"You know, if you keep that up I might actually do it and you could be an accomplice to the crime," Hermione joked.

"Nah, I'm an Auror. I know my ways," he blurted out playfully, which made Hermione laugh while shaking her head in amusement.

They stayed quiet for a while, until Hermione had to awkwardly look away when she noticed him staring at her rather intensely. He wasn't looking away and was just… staring.

"You're even more beautiful than I remember," he suddenly told her softly, still not taking his eyes off her.

She could feel her face heating up. She knew she was clearly blushing and she was embarrassed for doing so.

"Maybe we can discuss the murder on Draco Malfoy over dinner or something," he swiftly added, now smiling playfully at her with his comfortable quality back.

Hermione looked up at him in surprise, tilting her head to study his confident expression. Did she hear it right? Was he asking her for a date?

He smirked, walking over to Harry's desk and boldly seized the newspaper. He casually crumpled it and threw it into the dustbin where it had been a while ago.

He was gently smiling as she turned to look at him. "Yes," he admitted as if he could read her mind. "I am asking you for a date, if you're alright with it."

She felt her lips quirk up into a gentle smile.

That night, for the first time in four months, Harry and Ginny finally had their time alone together on a Friday night.

Hermione's musings were interrupted when she reached Theo's apartment suite. The lift slid open to reveal the grand foyer.

Theo's muggle flat was urban and very modern. The ambiance was serene and calm, with black marble bench tops, glistening floors and large sliding doors. It was luxurious and fashionable but very unadorned and masculine. Hermione's garden plants by the terrace were the only indication of femininity in the place.

"Good evening, Ms. Hermione," a lady in her late forties greeted her as she took her shopping bags. Hermione smiled at old, sweet Aretha, Theo's trusted private housekeeper.

Hermione loved Theo's place. It felt like home to her and she could go in and out whenever she wanted. Theo had asked her over and over again to permanently stay with him in his apartment, even to the point of pleading her and publicly expressing his wish on random occasions during their dinner with friends or dining out by the muggle city with her parents, just to get her to say yes.

Yet, Hermione was so adamant of her decision of not leaving her simple cottage home at Wimbledon village. She had left her past home once, in order to stay with Draco at his Manor and it didn't do her any good. Besides, she loved her home. It may not be as sophisticated and contemporary as Theo's flat but it was what she loved the most about it.

Hermione had always been all about simplicity and she loved that her home and village elicited that virtue as well. She loved strolling around her village with its modish shops and cafes, with period buildings and spacious lanes. She lived in a classic English country cottage surrounded by beautiful trailing roses and pastel perennials along the brick paths. Typical colorful butterflies and bumblebees were seen roaming around the beautiful place. She loved her garden. She loved taking care of it during her free time. Narcissa once told her that she had a green thumb and she had spent four years with the older lady beautifying the Malfoy Manor garden during some of her free time before.

She loved Narcissa Malfoy like her own mother. Sadly everything had to end when Draco broke her heart. She couldn't face the older lady anymore. She'd been too hurt and she just couldn't look back at anyone or anything that reminded her of Draco. Sometimes, during her quiet moments, her mind would wander back to the beautiful flowers in the Malfoy garden that she and Narcissa had cultivated. She wondered what had happened to the garden now. She hoped Narcissa hadn't taken it for granted now that she wasn't around to help her.

"Master Theo isn't around yet. Did he tell you he's coming home late, dear?" the older lady asked as they both headed towards the kitchen to prepare the things Hermione had bought for dinner.

"Yes he did. He sent me an owl a while ago. They are working on a late case," Hermione proclaimed before she left the older lady to go to the master bedroom, casually shrugging her work clothes off to enjoy the nice, warm bath prepared for her.

After a relaxing bath, she placed her hair into a messy bun and put on Theo's oversized white shirt. She had her own clothes and dresses in Theo's walk-in closet but he preferred her wearing his own clothes as he told her that he found it sexy. She loved pleasing him and besides, she liked wearing them as they were just so comfortable.

She then hurriedly went back into the kitchen to start cooking. It was customary that every Friday night, Hermione would cook dinner for Theo. Aretha was an exemplary cook, but Theo always pointed out that he loved it when Hermione cooked for him. It wasn't just the food; it was the act that made it special for him.

Her weekends were often reserved for Theo alone. Even if he told her that he respected her decision for not moving in with him, Hermione knew that Theo was really sad and frustrated about it. So as her compromise for not permanently staying in his apartment, she made it a habit to stay during the weekends just to appease him. It seemed to make him happier. He said he always loved it when he'd wake up in the morning and she was there beside him. He was just so sweet and precious like that.

"What are we making now, Ms. Hermione?" Aretha inquired.

"I'm thinking beef wellington," Hermione replied as she casually sat on one of the bar stools in the large, luxurious kitchen island.

"Excellent choice, Ms. Hermione," Aretha cheerily commented as she took out some butter, large sprig fresh thyme, eggs, slices of prosciutto, chestnut mushrooms, puff pastries, beef fillet and a bottle of dry white wine from the paper bags. Hermione was always in charge whenever she was around.

Aretha was very fond of the couple. She had been working for Theo for years now and treated him like her very own son. She was a pureblood Squib who lived in the muggle world until Theo came by to help her. She was banished by her own family in an attempt to save their untainted pureblood name. She was hidden in her family's manor house until she decided to run away into the muggle world at the age of forty. Because she had grown up and was imprisoned into the Wizarding world all her life, she didn't fit well with the muggle world, thus she lived a very isolated life by the country.

Without Theo, she'd have probably died of hunger as no one really accepted her in the muggle world thinking that she was an evil hag and that she was dangerous. After the Second Wizarding War, Theo had decided to vacate his late father's manor house that was given to him since it held a lot of painful memories. During his Auror training, he met and befriended a lot of muggleborns and halfbloods. Through them, he had become fascinated by the muggle world itself. With the absence of his pureblood father, it was all so new and exciting to him. By then, he had decided to live in the muggle world to venture it out. That was when he met Aretha.

Hermione would often smile when she looked at the older woman. She was just one of the many people her fiancé had helped out. Theo was a good man. She was lucky to have him.

As if on cue, the door by the foyer finally slid open as her gorgeous fiancé entered, looking a bit fatigued from work. He was dashing in his business suit, loosening his tie to take his coat off and carelessly tossing it into the rack. His hair was a bit tousled as he absentmindedly slumped into the huge sofa, sighing and reclining his head into the headrest.

Like a little girl, Hermione jumped from the bar stool to rush into the foyer to welcome him. When he saw her standing there barefooted and wearing his oversized white tee, his face broke into a breathtaking, boyish smile.

"Fuck, I love Friday nights." He grinned as he opened his arms for her, obviously forgetting about his grueling overtime at work.

"Hi Auror," she greeted as she leaped onto him to sit on his lap, running her dainty hands on his unruly hair. "How was your day?"

"It was hell," he snorted. "But I'm obviously okay now that my sexy fiancée is here," he added as he kissed her, moaning in pleasure as Hermione straddled him to kiss him back as passionately; her shirt inching upwards as his hands caressed her bare legs.

This was what she loved about Theo. He wasn't demanding when it came to her time but he appreciated her in every way he could. He was always so calm and controlled even if he had a terrible day at work. He would always place her first before anything else. They were both lost in the moment for a while, not even the soft clatters from the kitchen could stop their heated snogging session.

When they broke their kiss, however, Theo seemed to stare at her in deep thought. Hermione frowned at him but he just shook his head, smiled and kissed her again.

"I love you," he whispered breathlessly while tucking a stray curl away from her face. He suddenly looked so serious. He was looking at her as if he was trying to decipher her. She realized he was frowning as if something was worrying him. He looked as if… he was waiting for her to tell him something.

"Theo? What's wrong?" she prodded worriedly, kissing his chin. They'd only been together for almost a year but she knew when there was something bothering him.

"Do you love me back?" He sounded playful again, but there was a crack in his voice. He sounded a bit disappointed and… sad.

"What kind of a question is that? O-Of course, Theo. Are you alright? Did something happen at work?" Hermione frowned, gently stroking his nape in a soothing manner. She did love him back, but she always wondered why she couldn't say the actual words out loud. "Do you need a massage?" she asked, trying to bring the lighter mood back.

Theo just sighed and shook his head. He gently led her to stand from the sofa before kissing her hair and walking straight to the kitchen. They held hands as they ambled towards the large kitchen island. Aretha was there, chopping some chestnut mushrooms as finely as possible for Hermione's unfinished dish.

"Aretha and I will be making beef wellington for dinner. I thought you'd be coming very late so we weren't able to prepare earlier," Hermione told him, trying to lighten up the mood. He still wasn't letting go of her hand and she squeezed his hand gently. She knew something was bothering him.

"Good evening, Master Theo," the older lady politely greeted him, unaware of the sudden tension in the room.

"Good evening, Aretha." Theo smiled at his housekeeper as he greeted her back. "Will you excuse us for a moment? I just have something to ask my fiancée."

"Of course, Master." Aretha bowed before scurrying off to her room, giving the couple the privacy they needed.

Hermione gulped as she looked up at Theo. She knew something was really wrong.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked him when Aretha was gone.

He sighed once more as he ran his hands through his hair, "I just want… I just want us to be honest with each other, you know. I know that we are and I'm confident in that. I just want to know if there is something you need to tell me."

"What do I need to tell you?" She frowned. Okay, she was completely lost now. What the hell was he talking about?

"I didn't bring it up last night because we had dinner with Harry and the others and I understand if you didn't want to talk about it then, but what about now? Don't you think I need to know as well?" he asked her gently. Too gently. She was nervous now.

"Theo?" She was still clueless.

"Do you want to tell me something about your little tryst with Draco Malfoy at Harry and Ginny's villa? Or… hmm, let's see, what about your fake amnesia?" He looked calm as he poured some wine on the two glasses by the counter, like what he was asking was nothing; even if the hurt on his face was visibly apparent.

Hermione almost stopped breathing when she heard him. Oh. That.

"Who told you?" she whispered breathlessly. She asked her friends not to speak about it to Theo. It wasn't that she was keeping secrets from him. It was just that she didn't want him to get hurt. He knew her history with Draco and she didn't think it was necessary to bring him to this as well. It wasn't that important. Draco's not that important to her now, anyway, right? Right? Oh crap.

"I overheard Ginny and Luna talking about it at our dinner last night. When were you going to tell me? Or are you even going to tell me?" He sounded really hurt this time. She hated herself at the moment. Theo had been nothing but honest and good to her.

"I'm so sorry," Hermione pleaded as she embraced him tightly. She hated it when she disappointed him. Her broken self was scared he would leave her like Draco did. She was always so scared someone would leave her again. She was always so scared to be alone again. She was scared of everything. "Please don't be angry."

Theo sighed and tenderly locked her in his arms. "I'm not angry," he whispered as he kissed her hair. Whenever she was scared, he could always make her feel like she was protected. Theo knew about her insecurities and fears. He was the one who had helped her through it in the first place. She just felt so safe with this man, she couldn't ask for more. What the hell was wrong with her now?

"I'm sorry," she muttered when they broke their embrace. She hated Draco for doing this to her. She wouldn't allow him to come between her and Theo.

"Hermione, I'm your fiancé. What you do concerns me too. I just want us to be open with each other," Theo explained as he cupped her cheeks gently.

"We are open with each other, Theo. It's just-it's just that-" she stammered. She couldn't even finish a damn sentence now.

"It's just because it's Draco Malfoy," he finished for her.

She opened her mouth to disagree but realized just how true that statement was.

Yes, it was just because it was Draco Malfoy. It had always been Draco Malfoy.

That git was the constant barb around her heart, and she just couldn't seem to shake him off there. She had given Draco all of her before and the problem was, until now, she hadn't taken herself back from him. He still owned her, somehow. She hated him for all he was worth but the fact still remained that she just, for the life of her, couldn't let go.

She couldn't let him go. She just didn't know how to. She was trying really hard and everything was going smoothly. She was getting there… until he ruined it again by coming back.

"You know the amount of damage he caused me, Theo," she whispered as she looked up at him.

"And now he's back from wherever place he's been," Theo stated evenly, though he looked… worried? Disturbed? Scared? Oh, Theo. It hurt her to see him like this.

He sighed again and walked over to one of the bar stools at their kitchen. He sat on one of the stools, running his hands anxiously through his hair and looking sullen, like the day that he had dreaded had just arrived.

"I knew this day would come," he voiced to himself as he looked down.

"Theo! What are you talking about?" Hermione couldn't help but run to him and embrace him tightly. She settled herself between his thighs, standing in front of him as she hugged him closely. Their bodies were intertwined with each other, molding perfectly.

Theo buried his nose in her neck, pulling her closer to his embrace. She was nestled between his legs as he remained seated on the bar stool. "Are you… going back to him?" he asked her softly. His voice was filled with fear and sadness. It broke her heart. Was she going back to him?

"Of course not, Theo! What Draco and I had was over the moment he left me." Damn it! Why couldn't she sound convincing enough?

"What if he begs you? What if he tells you that he's changed and he wants you back?" he whispered into her ear, still not letting her go.

"You know what he did to me. He broke my heart twice. I will never forgive him. You know how deep the pain he caused me goes and I'm not stupid enough to ever let him do that to me again," she told him, trying her best to reassure him… or rather, to reassure herself.

"They said that the person you truly love is the only person who could truly hurt you," he divulged as he broke their embrace so he could see her face and look at her intently.

She couldn't look at him straight in the eyes; because no matter how she hid from it, she knew that everything he said was the plain truth. She hated herself for feeling this way in front of the man who loved her more than she could ever love him back.

She loved Theo. She really did. He made her blush, made her feel special, made her feel like she was the only woman in the world. He appreciated her, cherished her…

But she just couldn't give him all of her because of Draco, because of her first love and first heartbreak.

It was so frustrating and maddening.

She hated herself beyond all else because no matter what she did, she just couldn't love him the way she did Draco. She felt like she was struggling to climb out of a deep well with a string tied around her waist, pulling her down to just drown and die. Sometimes she thought that maybe she should just obliviate herself to get it over and done with.

Theo was a perfect fiancé. He couldn't make her insanely, preposterously, madly and crazily happy like Draco did, but he made her happy nonetheless.

And she was getting there. She had worked so hard and she knew she was getting there.

No. Draco couldn't ruin this for her. She had had enough of him sullying every hope of happiness she could ever get. She couldn't allow him to destroy her life again.

"P-Please don't leave me, Theo. Please don't," she pleaded as she embraced him, curling shakily into his chest like he was her very own cocoon. She couldn't give this up. She wouldn't go down without a fight. She would cut that string around her waist, climb out of that well and cover it with a huge stone. She couldn't drown and die.

"Oh baby, why did you ever think I'd leave you? That won't happen, okay? I love you. I'll never leave you," Theo whispered as he embraced her firmly, kissing her temple lovingly.

She felt so small being there, being in his arms as he cradled her whole body into a protective embrace. This was what she loved about Theo. He could always make her feel the safest, most cared for girl in the world.

This,right here…

Thiswas the future she wanted and needed. She had always dreamed of a peaceful, happy life being shared with the one she loved and Theo could give her that. But now that Draco was back, everything that she had planned seemed to have started to fade away again. The path that she had made for herself was becoming unclear again, and she was scared to death.

Draco controlled her emotions and part of the reason why she had made him believe that she had obliviated herself from memories of him was because she was scared of him. She couldn't trust her heart anymore. She didn't trust herself enough to talk to him and not to fall for his tricks again. She was happy now. She just wanted him to go away. Why was he torturing her like this? Why did he have to come back?

"I'm scared, Theo." She couldn't help but say it out loud. "I'm scared of him. You know what he did to me and I'm scared that—that I'd go back to the same old cycle again, which was why I lied about obliviating myself. I don't want him in my life and it's the only way I could think of to keep him away. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. Please don't be angry. Please…" she cried as she held him even more tightly, burying her head into his chest.

"Sshh… No, love, I won't let that happen. I'm not angry, okay? I got you. I won't let anything happen to you. I love you and I will fight for you. I'll protect you. I will never let that bastard make you cry again. I promise."

Song for the chapter: "The Way I Loved You" by Taylor Swift. I love this song! This is just the perfect song for Theo, Hermione and Draco. It pretty much sums up the conflict that Hermione is feeling right now over Theo and Draco.

A/N:

Thank you so much to my beta reader EchoDeltaNine! :)

As you can see at the top, I have a new image for this story (yaaay!) and it includes Theo now. Yeah, the Theo in my head is Tom Sturridge (he looks so PERFECT for Theo, the messy hair, the face, the facial expressions… urgh, everything!).

I've also posted some images on my photobucket for this story under my "Somebody That She Used to Know" Album. If you want to see them just visit my profile for the link for the album! :)

It includes:

1.) Hermione's Cottage House

2.) Malfoy Manor

3.) Theo's Flat

4.) Registered Auror Theodore Nott

5.) CEO/Managing Director Draco Malfoy

6.) Department Head Hermione Granger

7.) Pictures of Hermione

8.) Pictures of Theo

9.) Pictures of Draco

10.) Pictures of Hermione, Theo and Draco

I so love where this is heading and I'm excited for the later chappies. My phantom Draco and phantom Theo are actually glaring heatedly at each other in my head now. Obviously, this chapter gives one point to Theo and Draco isn't pleased. But he's not giving Hermione up without giving one hell of a fight. My poor Phantom Hermione is scared now, just sitting prettily at the corner with round puppy eyes and a scoreboard on hand. Lol. ;D

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

God bless, Sue