Chapter Five
The morning after the gala
"(You're as cold as ice)
Oh, yes I know."
-cold as ice by foreigner
Astoria's words from the night before, as she'd continued to berate him after they'd returned home, echoed in his mind as he rose to dress in the morning.
"You don't get to have anyone care about you because no one cares about me! So you can suffer alone. I let you keep that job because it was lonely and miserable and pathetic like you."
He dressed slowly and carefully, trying to delay the inevitable.
"Don't ever let me see you talking to them again. I will take you away from here and you will never see your precious little Theo and his mudblood Granger again. Doesn't it bother you to see them so happy together?"
"Answer me when I speak to you, you milksop!" Astoria backhanded Draco across the face hard, her heirloom wedding ring raking across his skin. Draco felt the burning in his cheek and the wetness that meant she had drawn blood.
It was the first time she had ever hit him, but it was not the first time he had ever been struck. He realised Bellatrix had slapped him in the same room during the war.
In Astoria's eyes, he saw something that reminded him of his dead aunt. The madness and hatred he saw there was eerily familiar.
Draco felt numb. And when the numbness receded, Draco felt truly afraid.
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Draco tried to avoid Theo and Hermione and had managed to do so for a couple of days, letting the clerks know that he was leaving for lunch about 20 minutes before Hermione and Theo usually arrived and then hiding in the loo for an hour. He should have known that that wouldn't work long term.
On the third day, they caught him in the corridor on his way to the Atrium to Floo home. He froze in fear upon seeing them.
No. no. no. They are going to make me late. Astoria's going to find out. She is going to know. What if she hurts them? I need to go. This isn't safe anymore.
"Draco," Theo said, "we have some news, but before that," he paused and looked at Hermione.
"I overheard Astoria at the gala," Hermione started speaking quickly as though if she didn't get it all out something would stop her, "and none of what she said to you is true. You are not repulsive, undignified and evil. I don't despise you! I'm not using you! I've never heard someone be so cruel to their spouse before. You don't deserve to be treated like that."
Draco didn't know what to say to Granger, he did deserve it. He knew he did. Nothing Astoria said was ever a lie, she just didn't care if it hurt him when it came out. He started to speak that truth out loud, but he felt a manicured hand grip his shoulder and Draco's blood ran cold.
"Oh darling, I was waiting for you in the Atrium and when you were late I decided to come looking for you," Astoria Malfoy whispered into her husband's ear, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" Draco felt his hands start to shake. She wouldn't belittle him— in front of Granger would she? She might. He didn't want her and Theo to see him the way Stori saw him, the way he saw himself. They still had illusions that he was good. They didn't know he was barely better than a squib.
"Stori, um, Nott and Granger were just sharing their good news." Draco tried desperately to keep his fear out of his voice.
Theo put her arm around Hermione's shoulder and she held out her hand to show Astoria the engagement ring. It was an ancestral ring from the Nott estate— a large vibrant emerald surrounded by diamonds.
"It looks a bit like something from the Queen's treasury, but I do appreciate that Theo cared enough to have all the anti-Muggleborn curses removed" Hermione smiled, despite her nostrils flaring.
"How thoughtful of him," Astoria purred, her possessive hand on Draco tightening. "Have the two of you set a date yet?"
"We aren't sure yet whether we'd like a fall or spring wedding," Theo confided smiling affably, better at faking being okay than either Hermione or Draco. Draco was nearly trembling, attempting to stand still to not garner any further attention. Hermione was very close to lunging for the other woman's throat.
Hermione realised his subtle body language showed that he was terrified of his wife. All their lunches suddenly made sense. Draco's nervousness and fear of anyone seeing him had so confused her.
The pieces started to snap together like a puzzle and she was no longer confused.
He had a glamour on his cheek. The shimmer attracted Hermione's attention and she couldn't look away. She remembered how the glamors would look on her skin, hiding Ronald's fingerprints and the bruises. That fucking bitch had hit him in the face. Hermione did not understand the angry possessive feelings that were flowing through her at this moment. Hermione didn't want Astoria touching Draco because he was hers.
"Well it's all been quite lovely catching up," Astoria said, her tone making it clear it had been nothing of the sort, "But Draco and I have to go now. Don't we, darling?"
"Yes, of course. Nott, Granger. It was nice seeing you again." Draco and Astoria turned and walked away, Astoria's hand possessively on his arm. Draco's other hand clenched into a fist, but he didn't look back, not even once.
Hermione couldn't stop herself from hyperventilating. That had sounded far too formal and far too much like goodbye.
She didn't want to lose Draco. Not like this.
Theo pulled her into his arms, and she let the tears fall. He murmured reassuring sounds into her hair until she calmed.
"That sounded like a goodbye," Hermione whispered into Theo's chest when she finally got ahold of herself.
"Because it was," Theo said, rubbing circles on her back. "I'm just not sure if it was real or for his wife's benefit."
"Theo, she is awful to him," Hermione bit back more tears, "What can we do?"
"I don't know, love, I don't know." Theo sighed, "I don't know if there is anything we can do."
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Hermione didn't plan to confront Astoria Malfoy, despite fantasising about using every Dark curse there was on the woman. The following day when Hermione was heading up to the Minister's office to meet with Kingsley to go over some case numbers from the DMLE, Astoria was coming out of the office.
Hermione shifted the paperwork in her arms and Astoria looked at her with disdain, her perfectly manicured hand curling as she looked at the other witch.
"Mrs. Malfoy, what a coincidence seeing you again so soon," Hermione said, trying to keep her voice under control. She wished she had learned occlumency.
"Miss Granger," Astoria said, sounding bored, "Working hard I see." Her distaste for work could be seen in the tightness of her mouth.
"Yes, I have a meeting with Kingsley," Hermione said, desperately wanting this to be over. She could not hex a Lady of a Noble House in the anteroom of the Minister's Office and expect to keep her job.
"Ah yes," Astoria examined her nails, "I've just come from meeting with Kingsley myself." The way Astoria said his name made Hermione's jaw clench. "Letting him know that dear Draco will be taking a long term absence. I can't be bothered to know who his actual supervisors are, Kingsley promised to let them know." The woman's smile could only be described as malicious.
"You won't get away with this," Hermione snarled at the other woman, unable to hold back any longer.
"Why, Miss Granger I already have," Astoria laughed, the perfection grated Hermione's nerves.
"Does it bother you terribly that I have something you want, little mudblood? Not satisfied with Nott, well Draco is mine, to do with whatever I want. And he wouldn't know what to do with your filthy cunt even if you offered it to him."
The realisation that her dreams had been accurate in that regard stole Hermione's breath for a second. "You are foul. You can't just abuse him however you like!"
A smiling Astoria leaned forward as though imparting a secret, "There's no law against it in the Wizarding World, Hermione. Look it up. Have a good day."
Astoria walked away and Hermione stood there, staring after her. Her breath coming in pants and her hair crackling. When she finally went into her meeting, Kingsley, wisely, did not ask what was wrong.
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This dream started much softer than the others. Hermione, Draco and Theo cuddled in front of a fire in a castle tower. Draco's head was in Hermione's lap and she was running her fingers through his hair. Theo's head was on Draco's chest and his hand was holding Hermione's thigh. They couldn't be any closer together. Draco was nearly purring in contentment and Hermione could feel the warmth of true joy inside herself. Everything was perfect.
Pounding on the door disturbed their idyllic moment, and Astoria's screams could be heard from the other side of the door. "I know you are in there Draco! If you don't come out, I'm coming in and your whores won't like it when I do." Theo sat up, fear in his eyes as he looked at Draco who sat up as well.
"I have to go," Draco whispered, caressing each of their cheeks. "This has been wonderful. You don't know how you have kept me sane but I won't be able to see you again. I love you, both of you. Be happy together okay?"
And then he vanished as though he had never been there at all. Hermione started to scream.
She woke up in Theo's bed, her voice hoarse from shouting, tears running down her face. Theo's arms were wrapped around her. She felt his tears dripping onto her shoulder as he shook with his own sobs.
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Draco woke up to Astoria's face inches from his own, her wand pressed to his temple. His head pounded like it did when Bellatrix had been teaching him occlumency. Oh no!
"Legilimens," Astoria hissed and as Draco felt his occlumency shields fall and his memories be ravaged, he knew it wasn't the first time she had cast that spell tonight.
No. No. No….