The next few weeks passed at a nice routine. Hermione had her internship 4 days a week, coffee in the mornings with Harry, lunch with Ginny once a week or Ron, then a date with Draco on the weekend. He had a big project at work and found himself bringing work home again. She didn't mind. It gave her time to think, and regain some of the normalcy in her life.
True to his word, Draco met her in public. He took her for dinner, or for a walk around the park, or to a museum. They both had a love for art, and it was a nice place to talk.
Unfortunately she found some of the art sexy, and apparently he did as well. The heat between them escalated to the point where she almost used her wand to augamenti them both. The kisses were lasting longer too. Getting desperate as they pulled apart each night after their dates. At this rate, Hermione was quite sure sex was on the horizon. She wanted to do it. He wanted to do it. Ginny and Harry wanted them to do it. Something was holding her back, and she couldn't figure out what her problem was. Perhaps it was because they were so busy. The wedding season was among them as the first round of dark party matches got ready to walk down the aisle.
Another dark party recently happened and apparently there were a lot more matches, including Ron! But she didn't know the witch yet.
Hermione had met with Daphne a few times, and was beginning to like her well enough. Daphne told her that she would like Hermione to be in her wedding party as an honor to Harry and Hermione accepted. In a few weeks, Harry and her would be married.
—
Hermione was running late as usual. She threw her hair up in a wild bun on top of her head, added mascara and a swipe of lipgloss. This would have to do, Merlin knows Harry had seen her look a lot worse.
Daphne went to school with her, so hopefully Daphne's expectations weren't that high for Hermione to look put together. This whole lunch was Harry's idea, a chance for some of the wedding party to get together and meet each other, and for a few friends that weren't in the wedding party to co-mingle without all the animosity from being rivals at school. Hopefully paving the way for a smooth, stress free wedding. The idea was that everyone could put everything behind them in time for the engagement party, the bridal shower, bachelorette/bachelor parities, and the wedding itself. Seemed like a smart idea to Hermione.
She assumed that's why Draco was invited. She found herself smiling in the mirror. She wondered when she started looking forward to spending time with him. Their dates had been going well and now that they slowed things down physically she realized that she was really starting to like him. He was quite adorable and not at all as she expected. Everything was looking quite positive for their future marriage except for her relationship with his parents. That was a problem for another day though. Hermione looked at the luncheon invitation again:
Please apparate directly into the tea room to discourage the press promptly at 11:00.
She grabbed her bag and apparated.
Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.
The guests arrived promptly at 11:00, and it took Hermione a minute to take in her surroundings. She saw Harry first and smiled at him. Why did he look so guilty? Daphne was by his side at the table looking solemn. Then she saw Blaise grinning, and was that Percy Weasley on his arm? She gasped! Then she saw Ron, and smiled, when she noticed his date. Her mouth dropped.
"FUCK! Pansy?"
"Hello, Hermione."
They paused before they both burst out laughing and ran to hug one another.
All eyes stared at them taking in the scene of two former adversaries hugging and smiling with delight. The silence was deafening.
Draco looked at Pansy, then Ron sneering. Ron looked at Draco, turning red, then at Percy who looked back with a shameful expression before looking away awkwardly. Blaise looked at Draco, and then Ron, as if to apologize. Daphne looked at Harry as if to say what a horrible fucking idea this was, and Harry looked at everyone. Everyone started talking at once:
"What the hell Hermione?" Draco asked?
"When did you become friends with Pans? And Weasel? Are you matched with her?"
Ron ignored him and turned to Percy, "what the bloody fuck Percy? You told mom you matched with a girl."
"I can explain," said Percy
"Draco so good to see you, NOT." Pansy directed a glare in his direction, still with her arm around Hermione protectively.
"Draco, I present to you my match from the ministry," Blaise exclaimed proudly! Quite pleased with the whole situation.
Ron stepped forward to get answers or perhaps explain his own situation when Hermione gasped again. Her eyes wide with shock.
Theo.
Theo and Luna.
Theo was here, matched with Luna. Her heart plummeted.
Theo stared at her, burning her with his eyes. Her heart rate accelerated.
Draco turned to gape at his old house mate before looking back at Hermione to judge her reaction.
No wonder Harry looked so fucking guilty. Hermione started to panic.
"Harry! WHAT DID YOU DO?" Hermione turned, shouting at her best friend, horrified. As everyone turned to look between her and Theo.
"Hermione," Theo spoke to her quietly, his voice pleading with her to look back at him. Hermione looked at Harry with tears in her eyes. Shaking her head.
"Hermione, the least you can do is look at me. You owe me that. You owe me an explanation." Theo's voice started to rise as his emotions took over.
"I… um… I don't…" Hermione stammered, without turning, feeling an anxiety attack growing. Tears spilling out of the corners of her eyes.
"I never would have imagined you'd be capable of being so cruel." His voice rose again. He stood on the opposite side of the table leaning across it to close some of the distance., "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?" He slammed his hand against the table, rattling the china.
"You left without a FUCKING word. I wrote you letters with no reply. I came to bloody England to find you and you put a fucking notice me not spell on yourself. You DESTROYED everything I had planned. All my happiness. OUR FUTURE! We should have been matched, we belong together, and you RUINED EVERYTHING! And now you're with him. You're such a… bitch" He finished the last word with a whisper.
Draco snapped.
He flipped over the table and charged Theo hitting him in the gut. Theo punched him in the face. Then they proceeded to beat the shit out of each other. Punch after punch, kick after kick, until they were wrestling on the floor of the nice restaurant. And everyone else was horrified. Hermione apparated home without a word.
When Draco heard the pop of apparation he stopped to look where Hermione went and promptly got his nose broken. He turned back to blacken Theo's eye. Ron, stepped between them at last, pulling Draco up by his shirt. Breaking up the fight.
"ENOUGH!" He commanded.
"Draco go!" and for once Draco listened to him apparating quickly, followed by Harry who gave Daphne a quick kiss on the cheek before he left.
Theo was fuming, breathing heavily, bleeding, and unable to see out of one eye.
"Theo," Ron said, getting his attention, "I'll tell you what you want to know."
Theo stopped, and turned to Ron, sitting up, "what?" His uninjured eye was wide with fearful desperation.
"I'll tell you why she left. Clean yourself up and meet me at my apartment," he explained, giving Theo his address. "This has gone on long enough."
"Pansy, you should go see Hermione too, I'll floo you tomorrow." Ron kissed her hand goodbye.
Luna turned to Theo, "I can fix your eye if you like?" She said warmly, not at all bothered by the events that transpired.
"Thank you, I apologize." He replied stiffly leaning into her wand to be healed.
"That was fucking entertaining as hell," said Blaise while leaning back in his chair with a crab puff in one hand and Percy's hand in the other.
"I'm still not exactly sure why I was invited to this," said Percy.
—
Hermione apparated into her apartment and immediately broke down into sobs on the ground.
"So How was the luncheon?" Ginny said frowning.
Hermione didn't respond, she was clutching her knees and crying through panicked breaths.
"Hermione!" Ginny rushed over once she realized her friend was having an anxiety attack. "What happened? Are you okay? Breathe!" She hugged her on the ground. Ginny held her for a few minutes as she sobbed hysterically patting her back and saying, "shhh" softly.
Pop. Pop.
Draco and Harry entered the apartment and rushed over.
"Hermione," Draco said, "are you okay? Please talk to me."
"What the hell happened to you?" Ginny questioned pointing at all the blood on Draco's clothes. "Is your nose broken?"
He ignored her, reaching over to help Hermione up. She snapped towards him.
"I AM SICK OF THIS!" She screamed, "this relationship is a complete sham. We HATED each other, your parents STILL hate me. I'm through bullshitting, pretending we could have something real. THIS ISN'T REAL! We are getting married tomorrow at the ministry, 9:00 a.m, and don't you DARE bring your father." She had her finger in his face and looked at him with fire in her eyes. "Now leave! And if you don't show, I will have you thrown in Azkaban for breaking the marriage law." She stormed away from him towards her room before turning back at Harry, "and YOU, are NOT invited," she screamed as she slammed her door with a lock.
Draco looked on, fear and disappointment in his eyes.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow Ginny," he walked over to the floo, shouting, "Malfoy Manor!" In a troubled voice.
Pop.
In walked Pansy.
"You're quite the little prick, aren't you?" She said to Harry. Before walking past him to Hermione's door.
Harry walked over too. "Alohomora." Pansy said.
"This has gone on long enough. Ginny! Get in here!" Harry bellowed. "Now Hermione, tell us what happened with Theo. We're not leaving until you do." He crossed his arms at her in defiance.
Pansy sighed, exasperated at Harry before sitting on Hermione's bed to watch the scene unfold. Ginny sat next to her, alarmed at Pansy's presence in their home, but remained silent. She knew Hermione was about to explode.
Then Harry and Hermione proceeded to get into one of the worst fights they've ever had in their entire friendship.
"Don't you dare tell me what to do Harry Potter! I can't believe you would pull such a stunt. You KNEW I hadn't talked to him in years, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE HIM! How dare you throw us together without warning me." Her hair was sparking. She was pacing, her wand out, ready to hex.
"I have NO idea about what happened between you both, but apparently Ron does! How is that fair Hermione? You're like a sister to me! You know everything about my life but you don't trust me enough to tell me this?" He got in her face and matched her tone.
"It's NONE of your business! Ron was there for me when it happened, that's the only reason he knows. You and Ginny were too busy being in love to see what kind of pain I was in." Ginny raised one of her eyebrows in the background still keeping her mouth shut.
"What kind of pain you were in? We were just trying to survive! All the pain! All the grief from the war. I was finally free, you have no idea what it's like to shoulder THAT responsibility and be the cause of so much death!" He yelled.
"YES I DO! That's bullshit, Harry! You weren't the only one that was a part of that! Or did you forget the sacrifices I made for you! After the war I was numb, Ron was numb, we couldn't be together. We felt nothing. We went through the motions and tried to be a couple, but there was NOTHING left. There was NOTHING between Ron and me anymore. We were both grieving everyone we lost. My own parents didn't know who the hell I was. I had to leave. I couldn't stay here and be in pain every moment of every single fucking day. Reliving my torture every single fucking day. So I traveled. I did whatever I wanted, and I STILL WASN'T FREE. I never thought I'd be free, feel anything but pain, and numbness forever! Not until I met him."
"Theo?"
"Yes! He changed everything Harry Potter! He didn't expect anything of me, he didn't exploit my intelligence, he didn't want anything from me. He knew when I couldn't stand the pain and held me until I dealt with it, he comforted me, he made my pain beautiful. He made me feel things, I've never felt before. He broke down all my walls, and rebuilt them brick by brick until I was beautiful and whole, and perfect. Our love was perfect. Everything was perfect."
"Then what happened? Why did you leave, why did you break up with him, and why for the love of Merlin would you not give him a reason, I never thought you'd be that kind of person. To break some poor bastard's heart without a word!"
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! She hit him over and over and over again until she was crying in his arms.
Pansy interrupted. "Potter, leave it, you weren't there and you don't understand. I only know part of why she left but she had a good reason. And I can guess the other part."
Hermione cried in Harry's arms, "tell me what happened." He said softly stroking her hair. She broke down further, crying, and gasping before she calmed down enough to speak. She started to pace, a wild haunting look in her eyes.
"It started with our anniversary trip. We were celebrating 6 months of dating and he took me to the countryside to one of his Father's summer homes. He had to finish up some paperwork for his father's estates and left me for a few hours to meet with the solicitor, when I found the ring. I'd never been so happy and excited in my life. The man I loved, was going to propose. Finally, I could be happy! Everything was coming together and I couldn't wait to see him that night, until I found the will."
"What did the will say?" He asked.
"It said that if he married a muggleborn, he would lose everything and even owe the Nott family estate millions of galleons."
"Hermione, we would have helped pay the fines, we have money from our order of Merlin's AND the Potter vaults. Why didn't you come to us?"
"There was another part of the will Harry, it said that if… if… if he fathered a child... with a muggleborn, then a curse would kill him immediately upon the child's birth. It was a blood will that his father created when Theo was just a young boy." She said with a sad frown.
"So that means?" He started to reply.
"I was pregnant."
—
Ron pulled out a bottle of fire whiskey and two glasses. Theo sat on the couch an eager desperation in his eyes.
"Look mate, I know we've never really met before, but I never agreed with how 'Mione handled things with you. Before I tell you everything I know. What do you think happened?"
Theo took the shot, and then took another.
"I can only imagine two scenarios as to why she would leave. One, she found the ring, or two, she found the will."
Ron drank a glass. Running his hand through his hair dreading this revelation.
"She found the ring. She found the will."
"Then what did it? Did she not want to marry me? I know it was fast but, I thought we were on the same page. We were so fucking happy! I never thought a ring would scare her off. Did she martyr herself so I wouldn't lose money or owe money? I didn't give a shit about the money. I had friends already willing to pay the fines. I told her in my letters that the money wasn't an issue. I begged her to come back, to reconsider. I begged her to talk to me, to give me one more chance. Did she want biological kids that badly that she wouldn't consider adopting with me? That seemed like something she would have loved to do! Why? Ron, why?"
"Theo. She was pregnant."