Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter characters and the Harry Potter world. They all belong to JK Rowling.
Chapter Four
"I'm Here, Aren't I?"
"You are insane, Draco," Blaise declared; enunciating each syllable as if it was crucial for him to remind his friend of his mentality.
The blond ignored him as he continued reading the files by his desk. "I'm not listening to any of your shit right now," he muttered casually. "I'm busy."
"Busy plotting evil schemes," Blaise mumbled, rolling his eyes as he turned the revolving chair he was sitting in away from his 'irrefutably busy' friend. He clicked his tongue for an added effect and busied himself with the surroundings since it was evident that his friend was very intent on ignoring him.
Nothing really changed that much in the place.
Draco's office was enormous, the space was meant for such business with crowned heads such as himself.
Every detail, slope and elevation of the place was obviously well calculated and thought out. It represented strength, modishness, modernity and sophistication; a style that was entirely Draco Malfoy.
Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of the skyline, making the office seem like it was floating on top of the world. Draco loved watching the busy metropolis from his point of view, especially at night when the city lights glowed over the horizon. He loved watching people beneath him; a reminder of who he was as a person.
He was proud and powerful, something he really didn't hide in public. There was no space for modesty and reticence in his vocabulary. No one could counter it, in any case. One word from Draco Malfoy could either make or break a business deal. Then it was simply left to the domino effect; one business deal could affect a company, which then could affect a certain person or employee, which then could affect a family, which was the basic foundation of the community that made up the world. He was at the top of the caste, the cause of the chain reaction. His word was law. No one defied him. He was that powerful and he reveled in it in every way possible.
Despite all of the ridiculously expensive furniture, there was only one colored artwork present. There were no other textured accessories, leaving the room looking empty in spite of its preposterous luxury. Everything, except the artwork, was either black or white; nothing in between, nothing more.
Blaise nodded. Yeah, perhaps, this room was really everything that represented Draco Malfoy.
Lavish but empty.
The single artwork was the main attraction of the whole place. It was a beautiful moving canvas of Hermione Granger. The girl was stunning, Blaise could never deny it. No one could. Whenever investors and shareholders would go inside the office, their eyes would always linger on the striking piece. Not because it was the only colored object in the office, but because of its incontestable beauty and eloquence.
It was painted by one of the most talented painters in the Wizarding world, a celebrated artist by the northern slopes of Russia. Like the historical Mona Lisa, the painting was sheltered by a flexible oak frame with sycamore crosspieces. The whole portrait stretched from the marble floor to the vaulted ceiling. Directly above it was a rectangular skylight that allowed sunbeams to permeate the painting, serving as its spotlight.
Blaise was there the very first time that Draco showed it to Hermione. It was just after her birthday celebration which Draco worked so hard to give her. Draco had asked all the guests to accompany him and Hermione to his office because he wanted to show them something. He had another gift for his girlfriend, he said, as if the grand celebration at the Manor itself and all those impossibly expensive gifts weren't enough.
Everyone was speechless the moment they entered the room. It was a full moon that night, so the luminosity from the opened skylight had gilded the painting in stunning relief. The girl in the enchanted portrait was smiling slightly as the light slithered along her porcelain skin. Her lips were red like rubies, they sparkled as she smiled. She was playfully running her hands on her hair as she stared back at them with her round honey-colored and slightly dazed eyes. Blaise was sure that it was the most beautiful painting he'd ever seen in his entire life. It glowed in magnificence and splendor and eternal beauty. If the girl in the picture wasn't a portrait of his best friend's girl, Blaise was sure he would have bought the portrait of her for himself.
Hermione was blindfolded in Draco's arms and she was almost jumping up and down in excitement as she impatiently pleaded with him to let her see his gift. She could hear the gasps from the guests and she was dying to know what it was.
When Draco had finally taken her blindfold off, she had gaped at the huge portrait and started to cry again. Merlin knew how many times she had cried in happiness that day. Anyone would if they were in her position. The girl was always treated like a princess. Draco had done absolutely everything for her.
But then again, Hermione was the only one who had ever managed to make her way into Draco's nonexistent heart. That act, in itself, was beyond any intellectual capacity. It could even be considered as an achievement. If everything wasn't so tragic, Blaise would have given the girl a medal or an award for simply keeping him at bay for four long years.
The fact was Draco Malfoy could never really be a one-woman man. The fact was, Blaise and Draco… they were the kind of guys who could never really fall in love, the kind who could never really settle. They grew up in a world where marriage was nothing but a convenient fusion of families, a necessity to ensure heritage, inheritance and the lot. In Blaise's mother's case, she married to widen her wealth and possessions; being widowed seven times over with each of her husbands' deaths occurring under doubtful incidents.
For Draco's parents, well, they didn't have any other choice, really. Their fates were sealed before they were even born, or conceived for that matter. It was a family deal and nothing more. They married for the security of their bloodline. It was all a business transaction and marriage was nothing but a permanent binding tool for the said business deal.
There was no such thing as love,so Blaise and Draco had promised each other never to seek it, to never fall for it; because they truly and utterly believed that love was illusive, an erroneous conviction people made to make life somewhat bearable. The only problem was… Draco did. Big time.
On Draco's desk, there stood four picture frames. Those frames never really left his desk even after the two had went on their two year, around the world, reckless, wild bachelor tour. Draco didn't want anyone to touch his things inside his office even after he broke up with Hermione. He had his house elves clean them for him but they otherwise remained untouched.
There was one with a picture of Draco, Narcissa and Hermione that was taken in the living room of the Malfoy Manor. The picture was most important to Draco. It was the picture that indicated Hermione's attachment to him and his family. It signified the fact that he considered her a member of his family. Being the head of the manor, Draco was seated on a luxurious black leather chair and Hermione and Narcissa stood beside him. Hermione was the only one smiling, which was understandable since the Malfoys never really smiled in family photo sessions. They usually just stared at the camera with blank, formal expressions. Draco and Narcissa were trained for that, having those photo sessions in weekly issues of the Daily Prophet for the sake of Lucius Malfoy's public status. If Hermione ever noticed it, she never really opened it up, knowing the implication of where the topic would lead them.
The second picture was a candid picture of Hermione, looking quite pensive and lost in thought. It was taken in the grand Malfoy garden. She was seated on one of its benches, not really aware that Draco was taking her picture. Draco said it was his favorite picture of her. Deep down, Blaise knew why. The Malfoy Garden didn't really look like a garden before Hermione entered their life. It was more like a deserted graveyard. Hermione came like a ray of sunshine to the Malfoys. She was fond of beautifying things, obliviously healing them in the process.
Narcissa had looked near as a ghost until Hermione came to the Manor and changed her. Once at dinner, Hermione randomly mentioned how vast the space she'd seen in the vicinity of the Malfoy Lake while she was wandering around the grounds that day. She said that she found the field's soil fertile and perfect for a garden and asked them if she could use it to plant some roses, not really knowing that the actual ground she was talking about was the Malfoy garden itself once upon a time.
Draco and Narcissa had looked at each other awkwardly when Hermione innocently chatted to them about it, but Draco knew how much Hermione adored roses and he couldn't really say no to her. She had a beautiful garden outside her little cottage and she had left it to be with him. Narcissa didn't mind, the Malfoy grounds didn't matter much to her like it did before. She was forced into St. Mungo's for the major depression she suffered after the execution of her husband. She just didn't have the time or the energy to argue about anything so trivial as a garden.
Hermione started cultivating some green roses at once. She told Draco once that she loved green roses because they were rare and they reminded her of him. Green roses were strong and disease resistant, but they were very tough to plant. They were very high maintenance and they needed extra attention, care, and love in order for them to grow well, but when they did, their beauty lasted all through its life. Green roses were rare but eternal, she said.
When springtime came, the garden was filled with Hermione's green roses, it almost looked like paradise. Narcissa approved of it, and eventually there came a day that she was often seen wandering around the gardens. It was a huge step for her, as for years she had isolated herself inside the Manor, afraid of falling back into depression again and be sent back to St. Mungos if she stepped out of her sanctuary. Once or twice, at Narcissa's requests, she and Hermione even had dinner by the loggia together. In time, Narcissa fell in love with the place. By that time, Hermione started to grow different kinds of roses, too, from deep scarlet to pink esperance to lavender to yellow to white…
Narcissa was so pleased with the outcome of the garden that she started joining Hermione with her leisure pursuit. Without realizing it, Hermione had helped Narcissa to smile more often, to talk more and to mingle just like she had used to before the untimely death of her husband. Months after that, Narcissa had began on hosting parties at the Manor again, even bragging and showing off the new, beautifully cultivated Malfoy garden to her friends, proudly telling them that she and Hermione were the very ones who tended them.
The third and fourth pictures were of Draco and Hermione. The first one showed he and Hermione on their bed. Draco was kissing her on her temple while she laughed and waved playfully at the camera. She was wearing a thin, white camisole and panty shorts. Draco appeared to not wear a thing from that angle. His naked torso was visible but his lower part was covered by the blankets and Hermione was seated on his lap. The picture was sexy but also modest and sweet enough to be displayed on his desk. Secretly, it was Blaise's favorite, if he needed to have one.
The latter one was taken at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor in Diagon Alley. Hermione was smiling happily at the camera while holding her favorite treat called 'Florean Special Ice Cream', which was a chocolate truffle flavored ice cream with special chocolate chip cookies and caramel toppings. It was the store's specialty. Draco was beside her, looking resignedly at the camera while showing off his Neapolitan ice cream as Hermione undoubtedly had instructed him to raise it for the camera. Every weekend, Draco would take her there for an ice cream treat. One could say that the couple was regular visitors of the place, so it also became a regular spot for paparazzi.
Draco and Hermione were considered a celebrity couple. Hermione wanted to make their relationship private but it just wasn't possible, seeing that Draco had always been a high profile business man, not to mention the most successful, most loved eligible bachelor in the Wizarding world. No matter what they did, there were always cameras everywhere as Draco seemed to be the favorite topic of articles in 'Witch Weekly'. Yet, despite everything, their relationship still got stronger.
Draco's love life had always been in the spotlight. More often than not, everything was always in speculation as he was often seen dallying with a different girl almost every week before he had settled with Hermione. Many famous witches had been linked with his name but Hermione was the only girl he had publicly introduced as his girlfriend. The act alone made them the most celebrated couple in an instant.
It was a big deal that Draco Malfoy had announced that he was dating someone exclusively. The interview landed in the headlines in almost all of the Wizarding newspapers. Nobody really thought that the notorious womanizer would land himself a serious girlfriend. Before, the name 'Hermione Granger' had always been connected to Harry Potter; seeing that she was one of the 'golden trio' in the Second Wizarding War. However, when Draco publicly announced her as his first and only girlfriend to make everything official, her name became the name that all the other girls desired to have. She was both admired by the sensible ones and hated by the jealous ones.
Hermione paid no attention to any of them. If anything else, it just strengthened her relationship with Draco. People often said they were meant to be together.
There was a time when everything was just perfect, in any case.
But it really wasn't meant to last.
Their relationship was something that never really should have happened. It messed with the normal current of the universe, thus Draco ended up breaking the heart of the only girl he ever truly loved. It wasn't supposed to happen in the first place.
Blaise had always thought that Hermione was a very sweet girl. She was innocent and was deserving of being loved. She was normal. She didn't come from a messed up family like Blaise and Draco did. She grew up with parents who loved each other. She grew up surrounded by people who cared for her because of what she was and not for what she had. She deserved better and Blaise felt guilty for letting Draco fall for her, because he knew it would just end badly. And so it did.
Blaise saw it before his very eyes. He knew it would all lead to destruction, which was why he did what was best. He plotted to place a strain on Draco and Hermione's relationship by luring Draco into that weekend getaway to cheat on her. He knew he was at fault but it just needed to happen. He didn't do it to sabotage their relationship. If anything, he just really wanted to see how much Draco would sacrifice for her, because he knew Hermione deserved to have constancy, not a high profile relationship that was filled with guesswork and uncertainties. She needed a clear future.
It was a test, and Draco didn't pass it.
If they were truly meant to be, and if Draco really changed because of her, he really wouldn't have cheated on her even if he was drunk.
Blaise just wanted to see and he was right. He needed to impede everything before it got worse. Draco didn't know what he was doing and it was best for Hermione to stay as far away from him as possible.
Blaise knew just how much his friend loved Hermione. He knew she was all he needed, but he also knew that in a relationship, trust and love should be mutual. Draco and Hermione's relationship was unhealthy. Hermione shouldn't take care of Draco forever like the mother that he never had just because he seemed incapable of taking care of himself. His parents had deprived him of such a care when he was younger. Draco was traumatized by his father's rage and his mother's inability to protect him, so he became defensive of everything. He was easily angered, incredibly possessive of Hermione and unconsciously leaning on her in everything he did. In their relationship, it looked like he was the one taking care of Hermione but it was actually the other way around.
Hermione would calm him down when he lost his temper, reminded him again and again not to drink too much or to cause much trouble inside a bar, or to never drive when he was drunk, or to always place his seatbelt on when he tried to drive her muggle car. Whenever he was not feeling well, he wouldn't even drink a potion by himself. He'd just lay there so she'd see him and take care of him. He wouldn't even touch his tie because he knew Hermione would fix it for him… petty things, really. But Blaise knew that Draco just needed to get past it and just grow up.
Draco acted like a little kid because he never got to be one. However, Hermione shouldn't be his mother just because Narcissa failed to be one. But Draco was unyielding. He was stuck in his past. Whenever Blaise tried to talk to him about it, he'd just go ballistic and tell him how barmy he was.
Draco didn't love himself enough to love a person. He was too messed up, and if he couldn't let go of his issues, then he would just hurt Hermione again even if he promised never to do it anymore. Blaise knew Draco had meant every promise he had made for Hermione before, it was just the fact that he really couldn't keep one for long. He was destruction in the making and Blaise couldn't let him hurt Hermione again, because when it happened, he knew Draco would never forgive himself. He would loathe himself more for hurting the only girl he loved again. If that time came, Blaise knew he would truly lose his only friend.
Twice was really more than enough. They'd thank him at the right time.
"Shouldn't you be at work or something?" Draco snapped, frowning at his documents.
"It's four o'clock in the afternoon." Blaise shrugged as he twisted his recliner to face his problematic friend again. "I happen to have a very exciting nocturnal job, not as big as yours, but it's not as boring."
Draco just rolled his eyes. Leave it to Blaise to insult his 'boring' job. Blaise had always been all about fun and games. He owned three of the most exclusive and high profile nightclubs in England. Blaise's mother had asked him over and over again to accept the position she was offering him in their company, but whenever the topic was mentioned, he would either walk away or turn a deaf ear. Blaise didn't have the ambition and drive that Draco had. They were very much alike in many ways, but Blaise always had his mother to look out for him. He was lucky enough not to have experienced the struggle that Draco had undergone when his father had received the kiss in Azkaban. Draco's mother wasn't as strong as Blaise's mother. While Mirabella Zabini was busy reconstructing a business empire, Narcissa Malfoy was practically a lunatic in the wards of St. Mungos, leaving her only son to pick up all the pieces.
By then, Draco had learned to stand on his own. Even when he and Blaise had gone away for two years and Narcissa was left in charge of everything, Draco had never forgotten to check on her from time to time. He considered his company an empire, his empire, proof of his power and strength.
"Pansy just called me up again by the way. The gang misses you. She's going to arrange a welcome home party for the both of us tomorrow night," Blaise informed him.
"I'm having dinner with Hermione tomorrow night." Draco smirked smugly at his friend.
Blaise almost stumbled out of his seat. "Come again?"
"I said I'm having dinner with Hermione tomorrow night," he repeated, looking more conceited than ever.
"How the fuck did you manage that?"
"You seem to forget who I am," Draco reminded him, his husky voice dangerously low. "I'm Draco Malfoy."
"Quit beating around the bush and spit it out. How the hell did you manage to get her to agree to have dinner with you?" Blaise was absolutely intrigued now.
"I had a meeting with the Minister a few days ago. I'm one of the benefactors for one of their department's annual fundraiser balls. Our meeting was arranged by the Minister himself as I specifically requested for Hermione's assistance, seeing that she is the Department Head of the Magical Law Enforcement. I have the Minister at my back, she couldn't really say no; and besides, she won't know it's me until tomorrow night," Draco sniffed, looking as if he was waiting for Blaise to praise him for his, yet again, ingenious plan.
"You're abusing your power," Blaise said, narrowing his eyes.
"That's what I do." Draco shrugged nonchalantly while waving him off. "Again, I'm Draco Malfoy."
"You're insane, Draco. Just fucking insane!" Blaise stood up and started pacing the room. His friend was crazy. Why couldn't he just give it all up and move on? He didn't want to be a part of breaking Hermione's heart again. The poor girl had already suffered enough.
"She's mine, Blaise. She's my girl. Mine," Draco growled.
"You're the git who ruined her life," Blaise cruelly reminded him.
"She doesn't remember me," Draco whispered.
"But surely her friends do," Blaise retorted.
"Which is why I'm meeting her alone," Draco explained impatiently. He was annoyed at Blaise's taxing aversion to his plans. "My mother is the owner of one of the biggest nonprofit organizations in the Wizarding world and I'm her kind, perfect, charitable son. Hermione and I will have dinner as if it is the first time. It will be a fresh, clean start. She will love me again," he stated with finality and ludicrous confidence.
Blaise was unimpressed. "You just used the name of your mother's charitable foundation without her permission. Last time I knew, you're not even interested in it."
"It doesn't matter. She'll thank me when I finally have Hermione back. My mother adores Hermione. She wanted me to marry her; and I'm telling you, once I have Hermione back, I intend to do so. I'm never going to let her go again. I'm serious. She's mine. She's always been mine," Draco declared firmly.
"All because you realized that the grass isn't greener on the other side, of course. After you cheated on her, left her and broke her heart. As the saying goes, once a cheat, always a cheat. You'll just change your mind again. You're hopeless, Draco." Blaise shook his head in aversion.
"I never cheated on her!" Draco was visibly fuming now as he harshly stood up, thumping his fists on his desk. Merlin, the guy was delusional.
"Yeah, right," Blaise snorted sarcastically. "You just shagged some random girls over a wild weekend away from her. Yeah, big deal, right?"
"It was nothing, Blaise! I was drunk!" Draco defended himself.
"Doesn't matter. You broke her heart. Twice, Draco," Blaise argued.
Draco wouldn't have any of it. He sighed tiredly, "I made some mistakes in the past but I know better now, okay? The first time I did… well, we were so young. I chickened out because I realized that I-I had fallen for her. You know I really didn't believe in that shit, Blaise. I know I've hurt her and I don't even have a proper excuse for it, except that my life was hell with my father being a sick, sadistic murderer sentenced for a kiss in Azkaban and my mother being the sick masochist that she was. No one showed me they loved me and Hermione was the very first. I didn't-I didn't know what to do. I got scared. I didn't think I deserved her. So I did what I had to do. I ran away and I know I was an idiot for doing so."
Blaise stared at his perceptibly distraught friend. Draco looked somber; grave, even. It was a contrast of how he usually appeared. Blaise didn't wish any harm on Hermione or Draco. In fact, he just really wanted what was best for them. Draco was his best friend and Hermione had been nothing but good and kind to him. He knew the depths of Draco's feelings towards Hermione, but he also knew that his friend was somewhat… unstable.
Blaise knew that if Draco wanted something, he would go to great lengths to have it, but there was always the possibility of him running away from it in the net second, not because he was bored but because he was too unsure of himself to deserve such happiness. Boredom was nothing more but a mask, but he'd run away and never look back anyway. Hermione was anything but that. Hermione was a good-natured girl, the kind that a man would take home to his parents, the kind that you would marry and be faithful to. She was the kind that began a relationship and was willing to commit for forever, but Draco with the word 'forever' just didn't mix. His friend was a mess. That was just the way it was. There was no hope.
"You still cheated on her, Draco. You still fucked those girls. The fact that you were drunk doesn't justify it," Blaise reminded him.
"I know and I'm sorry! I am, Blaise! It was a mistake. But you must understand that it didn't look like what she assumed. I never had an affair with anyone. You can't call it like that when it didn't mean a fucking thing! I love Hermione!"
"Yeah sure, it's just pure sex, right? Nothing serious, really… didn't mean a thing since you love her so," Blaise replied sarcastically.
"Stop patronizing me. I love Hermione. I do! She's the only girl I've ever loved," Draco exclaimed, running his hands through his hair resignedly.
"Still, the damage is done," Blaise harked back. "Even if you won't call it cheating, that's basically what you did. You've hurt her to the point that she obliviated you from her memories."
This seemed to leave Draco speechless. Blaise could hear the sharp intake of breath from his distressed friend and he knew that he had just hit the nail on the head.
"Draco, mate," Blaise started warily. "Look, I know that—"
"Even if I have to take my life away to erase the pain that I've caused her, I will, Blaise. You don't know how sorry I am. I want to make it up to her. I want to love her the way that she should have been loved in the first place," Draco whispered softly. His grey eyes were partly hidden by his loose bangs but Blaise knew the sincerity that would be found in them.
"If you're really sorry, you should just stay away from her," Blaise sighed resignedly. "She has someone now, Draco. She's happy now. She can't remember the pain anymore and I honestly think that it's a good thing, you know, for you, for her. Just let it go. Just let her go, man. It's too late."
"You don't know what you're saying, Blaise. Hermione is mine. No matter what it takes, I will have her back. You'll see," Draco whispered as he finally looked his friend in the eye, his bangs casting dangerous shadows across his greedy expression.
Blaise tossed back his whiskey as he stared at his friend's hawk-like eyes. Draco slowly sat back in his chair, leaning back to gaze at the huge canvas in the middle of the office, sipping his whiskey. There was an eerie determination in his eyes, almost like he had transformed into his predatory form.
Blaise knew what his friend was thinking. Draco was very combative in nature. He was the predator, the prowler that didn't care for anything but what he wanted. He was selfish and he didn't share.
What Draco Malfoy wants, Draco Malfoy gets.
Theodore Nott should be ready if he wanted to keep his girl.
It was a sunny, busy weekend in Diagon Alley. Hermione leaned closer to Theo as they huddled through the crowd to get to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Theo had his arm protectively around her waist as they battled through the crowd.
"You okay?" Theo asked when they were able to flee from the mob of people crowding the cobbled alleyway.
"I forgot that school starts in only a week," Hermione blurted while fanning herself with her hand. She felt so uncomfortable and sticky. The place was packed with witches and wizards shopping for school supplies. She had completely forgotten about it when she asked Theo to accompany her for a little stroll at the alley as they always did every weekend. Her talk with the Minister about her department's annual fundraiser ball had taken all of her attention. She was going to meet one of the biggest benefactors they ever had tomorrow night and she was excited and nervous about it.
She was usually very composed about these matters but she was just in awe of the amount this benefactor had just offered to their fundraiser. She was asked to be the person to seal the deal tomorrow and she felt that her department's fundraiser was in her hands now. They didn't have enough benefactors this year and the anonymous giver was her only chance to push through with her planned projects.
If only she'd remembered that Neville had only just been blabbering to her two days ago about how excited he was about his new lessons in Herbology for his students this year, she could have dragged her fiancé to muggle London instead to avoid being caught in a stampede in the middle of a shopping extravaganza a week before the school year opened. But then again, there was no 'Florean Special Ice Cream' in muggle London. There was none like anywhere else in the world. A taste of the scrumptious chocolate truffle flavored ice cream with special chocolate chip cookies and caramel toppings completed her weekend and it was really worth all the hassle.
"Merlin, I'd really kill for my favorite ice cream right now," Hermione grunted as they made their way to the parlor.
Theo chuckled fondly while tucking a loose curl behind her ear. "I seriously think you're addicted to the stuff. I swear one scoop of it makes you the happiest person on earth."
Hermione suddenly froze. She must have unconsciously stopped walking because Theo frowned and asked her if she was okay.
Hermione just nodded and smiled as they went inside the ice cream parlor, shaking her thoughts away.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Theo asked again. "You look a bit pale."
"I'm okay, Theo," Hermione replied, smiling. She was okay. It was just that-that, well, the way Theo described her love for her favorite ice cream was just… the way someone from her past had said it to her before.
"I swear one scoop of it makes you the happiest person on earth."
They just sounded too alike, it almost killed her.
Hermione winced slightly as a busy shopper inadvertently bumped her as she and Draco were walking on the paved side road.
"Watch it!" Draco looked furious as he glared at the oblivious stranger. The stranger grunted in pain as Draco hastily grasped his arm.
"What's your problem?" the strange, long-limbed man asked in irritation as he faced them.
"You just bumped my girlfriend and then you ask me what the problem is?" Draco shouted heatedly at the confused and obviously annoyed man.
"Draco, please. He didn't mean it," Hermione whispered warningly while pulling Draco away from the equally pissed stranger. They were starting to attract attention.
"Please, just go," Hermione warned as she faced the stranger. She knew a brawl would likely start if he just stood there and continued to provoke her overly protective boyfriend. The stranger, finally catching her warning glares, scoffed before turning away to slip into the crowd.
"Hey! Get back here, you wanker! Don't you know who I am?" Draco yelled.
"Draco, please! Just let it go," Hermione pleaded, pulling on his arm to stop him from dashing after the offender. "It was an accident. Please."
Draco exhaled noisily, finally succumbing to her gentle caress on his arm. "Are you alright?" he asked her gently, kissing her forehead before examining her from head to toe.
"Draco, honestly, you're overreacting," Hermione rolled her eyes but softened when she noticed just how much he was worried about her. She smiled and kissed him before gently running her hands through his baby soft blond hair that stood up in the crowd. He was just so adorable even during his unstable moments. "I'm alright, Draco. It was nothing, okay?"
"But that asshole nearly—"
"Just buy me my ice cream and I'll be all good and dandy." She grinned brightly at him. This seemed to pacify him. Hermione had just sealed a deal in her department and he wanted to give her everything to let her know just how proud he was of all her achievements.
"I swear one scoop of it makes you the happiest person on earth," he chortled affectionately, pulling her into his arms to kiss her once again in the middle of the cobbled street. There were cameras flashing from Merlin knows where again, but she didn't care. Hermione's eyes fluttered. She had the perfect man. All the rest of the world could go cry and be jealous of her and she honestly didn't care.
Draco held her waist protectively as they continued walking to the small, quaint ice cream parlor.
"Good afternoon," the scrawny looking waiter, a chap by his early twenties, greeted them as they entered the parlor.
"Hi," Hermione greeted back enthusiastically. It was a hot, busy day. She was looking forward for her ice cream.
"We'll have the usual," Draco informed the waiter as he pulled a chair for Hermione.
"I'm sorry sir, but our 'Florean Special Ice Cream' is unfortunately unavailable as of this moment. We have a lot of customers seeing that it is a week before Hogwarts opens. It is a busy day and unfortunately, our stocks were cut short," the young lad apologized.
Hermione was disappointed. She craved it so much that she could practically taste it on her tongue.
"The special chips and flavored concoctions specially made for the chocolate truffle, special chocolate cookies and caramel toppings in the Florean Special Ice Cream are not available as of the moment, sir. We didn't expect the number of customers we had today and there was a children's party by the village that required deliveries from our parlor. We are terribly sorry," the waiter apologized, looking ashen under Draco's penetrating glare.
"I don't fucking care!" Draco burst out. Hermione held his hand to try to calm him but he wasn't fazed at all. He seemed intent to make the poor young man's life miserable. "My girlfriend and I are regular visitors of this place and she's always had your special ice cream! I won't let her settle for less just because of this parlor's ineptness!" he rambled on, making sure to make the waiter feel the severity of his voice.
"W-We are very sorry; sir, but the special chips and flavored concoctions for the Florean Special Ice Cream are all imported from Switzerland and Belgium. The stocks are to be delivered tomorrow morning. We hadn't expected our supply to run out of it. W-We are truly sorry," the waiter stammered, wiping sweat from the top of his creased brow.
Draco looked apoplectic; Hermione had to intervene. "Draco, please. It's really okay. I'll just have some butter pecan, okay?" she whispered, holding his hand firmly; her other hand caressing his arm, trying her best to console him. If anything, however, this just doubled Draco's persistence to get her favorite ice cream.
"No. You will have your favorite ice cream," Draco announced resolutely. "Where is Florean Fortescue?" he demanded.
The young man paled. "H-He is inside, sir," he spluttered, looking like he was about to cry.
"I demand to talk to him this instant," Draco stipulated, bringing forth dominance in the room. No one could ever deny him anything when he was like this.
"Draco, please. L-Let's just go somewhere. We can get some butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks. I think I feel like having some now. This is not necessary, please," Hermione bargained, embarrassed that they were making such a scene. She bit her lower lip as she looked around, watching out for the stalking paparazzi. This little misunderstanding could be translated into a huge feud and be headlines tomorrow. Draco had a big project in talks with the Ministry and was still waiting for a signed permission from the office of International Magical Trading Standards Bodyfor some of his exported goods in his business and she didn't want him to be in trouble just because of her craving for an ice cream.
"Baby, don't worry about it, okay?" Draco's expression softened when he looked at her. "Just hang on, you're going to have your ice cream even if I have to barge in and talk to all the storeowners and buy all their stores in Diagon Alley. You will have your ice cream, I promise." Even if he sounded like the most arrogant, conceited man in the world, Hermione just really couldn't help but feel special and loved whenever he did this. He really loved spoiling her rotten and she just couldn't stop him from it because in truth, as a girl, she secretly reveled in it.
"Do you want me to barge inside to talk to him?" Draco goaded; turning his attention back to the poor waiter.
"N-No sir, I'll summon him right away," the lanky young man squeaked before scurrying inside.
Hermione frowned at Draco. "Look what you did, Draco. It's not his fault, you know. You're being such a bully again," she admonished him, feeling bad for the young man.
Draco frowned equally at her but then kissed her instead of arguing back. "You just told me outside that you really want your favorite ice cream," he reminded her. "I know how much you love it and it always makes your day. I promised to give you anything you want and I don't intend on breaking that promise just because this lousy store runs out of it," he continued haughtily, looking more determined than ever.
Hermione gaped at him. This man was impossible. She honestly didn't know whether to slap him out of his arrogance or to snog him senseless.
With Draco, there was just nothing in between. He could either make her angry and frustrated that she could tear her hair out or he could make her so damn happy and content that she just couldn't ask for more.
He made her feel so… alive.
It was always a rollercoaster with him, always the extreme. It was just one of the reasons why she was so madly in love with him.
"What is the matter, sir?" Florean Fortescue himself, a man in his late sixties, asked when he walked out of the door. His annoyed expression suddenly turned into a haunted, ghostly one when his eyes landed on Draco Malfoy.
"Florean," Draco acknowledged flatly.
"M-Mr. Malfoy! How delightful to see you, sir. How is your mother?" the old man greeted Draco warily; looking as if he was contemplating on whether or not he should bow down and kiss Draco's well-polished, costly Italian shoes.
"She's well, although she doesn't know how inefficient this store has become. Alas, I think it is crucial for me to inform her that the ice cream parlor she had benefited is becoming quite short of quality," Draco told the owner casually while playing with Hermione's soft hand and staring at her beautifully manicured nails.
His voice sounded free of malice but the result of his sentence was instantaneous. Florean's eyes almost jumped out of their sockets. His veins were threatening to crawl out from his head. Hermione was sure the old man was endangered of having an aneurism anytime soon.
"W-What seems to be the problem, Mr. Malfoy?" Florean asked nervously.
Apparently, his attendant was too panicked to explain to him what the problem was. This irked Draco to no end. He sighed loudly as he rolled his eyes. "You see, Florean. This beautiful girl right here is my girlfriend," he explicated as he turned to Hermione who was already blushing scarlet.
"O-Oh, yes. Good afternoon, Ms. Granger," Florean squeaked nervously at Hermione. Everyone knew she was Draco's girl.
"Well, you know we often come here for her favorite ice cream,"Draco started.
"Draco, please. It's okay. I can just have—" Hermione was shushed by Draco kissing her. This rendered her temporarily speechless and flustered. Damn those gorgeous lips and damn those silly fogs they created.
"Hermione has this huge project in her department which she managed to close the deal with and seeing her knowledge and skills, I'm not surprised about it," Draco narrated smugly. There was pride in his voice. "It's a special day, you see, and I want it to be perfect and it won't be without the ice cream that she loves, which is the only thing special about this damn parlor which would have been demolished a long time ago if it hadn't been for my mother's charitable donation." Draco looked really angry and impatient now that Hermione had to gently squeeze his hand to calm him.
"O-Of course Mr. Malfoy. Please forgive the slight trouble. Please stay in your seats. We will be serving you your order. I will personally see to it that my employees will be able to retrieve the lacking ingredients and we will be making and serving you our special ice cream within an hour. For the meantime, please enjoy some pumpkin juice and—"
"Thirty minutes," Draco demanded. Florean almost had a heart attack.
"B-But sir, our special ingredients in the concoctions are from—"
"Didn't you hear me? Thirty minutes," Draco snapped.
"B-But sir…"
"Draco, please. Just give them an hour. Getting the ingredients is enough trouble already," Hermione beseeched.
"Forty five minutes, Florean, or I will make sure this fucking parlor never serves another cone ever again," Draco warned him gravely.
Hermione could swear the old man screamed like a girl before he scurried off in panic.
Exactly forty five minutes later, Hermione was happily eating her favorite Florean special chocolate truffle ice cream with special chocolate chip cookies and caramel toppings… with a bonus kiss from her crazy, yet utterly adorable boyfriend.
"I love you, Hermione," Draco whispered sincerely at her, beaming sweetly with his hypnotic grey eyes sparkling from the light coming in from the window; his soft bangs framing them a little. He looked like an angel, her angel.
"I love you too, Draco," she whispered back, almost hearing the beat of her heart through her chest. It was singing in endless bliss.
Draco Malfoy was… extreme, intense… unforgettable. And he was hers.
She could never ask for more.
"Good afternoon," a short, plump brunette girl with large, round glasses greeted Theo and Hermione as they went inside the ice cream shop. The tall, gangly young waiter before was not working here anymore. They said he got a job at the Ministry and got himself a bride. Hermione was happy for him. He deserved a good life after she'd seen the way Draco treated him. She guessed everyone just moved on. It was funny how time could fly so fast. It was funny how the memories of it could still sting.
"Good afternoon," Theo greeted back kindly as he led Hermione inside, pressing his hand into the small of her back to walk her into her seat.
"We'd like to order one butter pecan and one Florean Special Ice Cream, please." Hermione beamed at the waitress. Theo was not as crazy as she was when it came to the famous Florean Fortescue Special Ice Cream and he preferred the simple butter pecan more.
"Oh, I am sorry ma'am, but we are out of our special ice cream today. There was a field trip from the nearby local Wizard preschool by the village, and also since it's a week before the school year opens at Hogwarts, we are out of stock," the waitress apologized to Hermione.
Hermione was crestfallen. She knew it was ridiculous of her to do so but her weekend wouldn't be complete without her favorite ice cream.
"Is that so?" Theo frowned at Hermione worriedly.
"It's alright, Theo. I'll just have some butter pecan," Hermione assured him, trying to hide away her disappointment.
"Are you sure?" Theo asked again, looking really concerned.
"Of course, I'm sure, Theo. Don't be silly," Hermione chuckled softly. "It's just an ice cream flavor."
"Alright then," Theo sighed, smiling fondly at her. He kissed her temple before looking back at the waitress. "Two butter pecan then, please," he requested from the young girl.
The waitress smiled back. "Coming right up, sir."
Five minutes later, Hermione was eating her butter pecan ice cream, it was good but it wasn't the best. She didn't know she had sighed loudly until Theo looked at her worriedly.
"Don't you like the flavor? There are still a lot available, maybe we can—"
"No, no, Theo. It's good. It really is," Hermione chuckled nervously. What was she doing? She was acting like a brat. It was just ice cream. Merlin, she was being insensitive. She knew Theo already felt bad for not giving her what she wanted. She couldn't let him think that she didn't appreciate his efforts for her.
"Don't worry. I promise I'll buy you your favorite flavor tomorrow," he assured her before leaning to kiss her softly.
"That sounds nice," Hermione murmured, smiling lovingly before kissing him again, leaning into his warmth.
She had such a kind fiancé. He wasn't difficult at all.
There were no complications, no fights that ensued. There were no paparazzi, no arguments, no problems… no worries. There wasn't even a need to bother Mr. Florean Fortescue behind the staff door. People didn't need to look at them constantly or speculate some new gossip behind their backs. They were just a normal couple. It was relaxing. This was just what she wanted. It was a normal day, nothing extreme, nothing …special.
"I love you, Hermione," Theo whispered softly to her.
She smiled as she kissed him even more deeply.
Theodore Nott wasn't extreme. He was always in the middle, calm and balanced. He wasn't a rollercoaster. He wouldn't take her to her lowest, but he wouldn't take her to her highest either.
But she knew he was hers forever, mind, body and soul. He would never hurt her.
He was here and he would never go away.
And because of that, she would never ask for more.
A/N:
Thank you to my beta reader EchoDeltaNine for her undying work in tidying this up! :D
I know this is a very late update and I hate myself for it! But I've suffered a really nasty case of writer's block. The kind that… I had all the ideas in my mind, I even had the outline on where I should take this chapter, but I couldn't, for the life of me, place them all together and construct those damn sentences to finish a chapter. It's really frustrating, knowing what to do for the scenes but not being able to formulate them into words! I found myself just literally sitting, staring at the keys in front of me and just doing… nothing… twirling and playing with my hair and foolishly staring back at the screen while listening to music that didn't even give me enough inspiration to type the words I needed. It drove me crazy! So I took a breather and stopped trying for a while and procrastinated, continued my day to day activities away from my story while I waited for my dear muses to arrive.
And then, when I finally had my muses back and was already done with half of this chapter, my damn computer crashed with my files, so I ended up continuing the other half of this chapter in a laptop without having the first half of my finished work from my computer even though it was sooo frustrating not being able to go back and reread what I've written in the first half. Good thing all my files were retrieved so I puzzled both back together, the first half from my computer then the second half in a laptop. So there… that pretty much sums up my explanation slash forgiveness letter slash childish rant. Haha!
Anyway, in this story, Florean Fortescue is alive contrary to the canon. I'm rather fond of his character. I don't want him dead. Also, this chapter is longer than the others so I hope you'll like it. I have as well placed some new pics on my photobucket in my "Somebody That She Used to Know" album so you can check them out if you want. Thank you so much for all your reviews and for being patient with me! Thank you, just, thank you. I really appreciate them! Make me happy and review?
Have a blessed day!
Chocolate truffle flavored ice cream with special chocolate chip cookies and caramel toppings, sweet kisses and hugs from moi!
Sue