More Than Meets the Eye

Chapter 15

“How the hell could you agree without at least checking with me?”

Hermione looked into the stormy grey eyes in shock. For the life of her, she couldn’t understand why her announcement had caused such a reaction. “Draco, I’ve spent part of my Christmas holiday with the Weasleys since third year. You knew this, so why are you so upset?”

“I would think that as your husband I should have some say in how we spend our first break together.”

Hermione fought the impulse to roll her eyes. He could be so exasperating! “Draco, it isn’t like going to the Burrow will interrupt anything. We were planning on just staying here.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then, what is the point?”

“Did it never occur to you that I wouldn’t want to spend my free time with Weasley?”

Hermione felt anger lace through her. “Listen you arrogant prick, its only Christmas eve and day. They are my friends, and I don’t think it is too much to ask for you to put aside your superiority complex for a day and a half!”

“What in Merlin’s name are you talking about?”

“You’ve made it perfectly clear that you think that you’re better than the Weasleys because you’re rich and they’re poor.”

“Bloody hell Hermione! I haven’t thought that way for years. You’ll notice that I used the singular not the plural form of their name. I don’t have a problem with the Weasley clan as a whole. It is the Weasel that I don’t want to be around.”

“What is your problem with Ron exactly? You seem to get along okay with Harry, so why not Ron?”

“I don’t like the way he treats you. He is very demanding!”

Hermione paused a moment at his words. This coming from the mouth of Draco Malfoy! she thought to herself with a slight smile. Sighing softly she addressed his accusation. “Draco, I realize that Ron can be difficult at times, but he is my friend. I can overlook some of his flaws because that’s what friends do. They’re there for each other and help one another.”

“Oh really?” he asked, his voice as hard as steel. “Tell me Hermione, when has he ever helped you? When has he ever been there for you? It seems to me that the only time he’s there is when he wants something. He expects you to put up with all of his shit but if you fail to be completely perfect, you get the silent treatment. By your definition, he isn’t a friend, he’s a user!”

“Stop it Draco, that’s not true,” she whispered.

“It is true!” he continued in frustration. “What do you honestly think his reaction would be if you absolutely refused to help him with his homework?”

Hermione didn’t answer him. She hated him for his words, but she hated herself more for wondering if he was right. With extreme effort she pushed her doubts away and attempted to pull their argument back to the original problem. “If your only problem with going to the Burrow is being around Ron, then you don’t have to worry about it, he won’t be there. He is spending his break with Lavender and her family.”

Draco released a deep breath. “Fine!”

“Listen, I am sorry that I didn’t check with you first. I didn’t realize that it’d be a problem. In the future I’ll make sure to talk to you before accepting an invitation, alright?”

“Yes, but I don’t understand why we have to celebrate Christmas at all.”

“What in the world is that suppose to mean?”

“Hermione, Christmas is a muggle invention. We aren’t muggles, so why should we celebrate Christmas.”

“I’ve celebrated Christmas my entire life!”

“I never celebrated it until I came to Hogwarts.”

“Some of my fondest memories come from Christmas and everything that goes along with it. It is a fun time, especially for kids. One day when we have children you’ll be able to…”

“No!”

“No? What do you mean no?” she asked, shocked by the amount of anger behind that one word.

“Hermione, you are a witch. I am a wizard. One day we will have little witches and wizards. I will not allow them to be confused over who and what they are!”

“Who and what they are will be our children! Were you planning on them not knowing that their mother is muggleborn?”

Draco rolled his eyes at her question. “Of course they will know you’re muggleborn, and one day, when they are old enough, they’ll learn about the muggle world. However, when they are very young they don’t need to exposed to it.”

“Exposed to it?” she repeated, her voice increasing in both volume and pitch. “You make it sound as if the muggle world is some sort of disease!”

“Not a disease, but something that could be detrimental to their development.”

“You can stand there and make a comment like that, and still believe that you’re not a bigot?!”

“Ah yes, the faithful accusation rears its ugly head, ready to be thrown out at anyone who refuses to accept all things muggle!” he answered bitterly. “Well you want to know something Hermione? The act is getting old. Really, really old! Muggleborns are constantly talking about how proud they are of their heritage. Well I for one am sick of being told that I have no right to be proud of who I am. I am tired of being told that being a pureblood is meaningless. And I am tired of being told that we need to understand and compromise, when it seems like we’re the only ones having to do so! You want to call me prejudice? Fine! I am beyond the point of caring. This is why I am against muggleborn and pureblood marriages. Whenever there is a conflict between a muggleborn and a pureblood, it is always the pureblood that loses!”

“Are you saying that you wished that you never married me?” she asked him barely over a whisper.

“I’m saying that this marriage would be a hell of a lot easier if you were a pureblood. Then maybe there would be some fucking chance that you could ever understand me!”

Hermione looked at the floor as her eyes burned with tears. She swallowed hard in an attempt to control her emotions. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She wouldn’t! Knowing she was fighting a losing battle, she brushed past him and ran to the bedroom. She put up as many wards as she could to keep him out, and threw up a silencing spell to keep him from hearing, before she allowed herself the luxury of breaking down.


************************

“So how are things going dear?”

Hermione looked across the table into the warm brown eyes of Molly Weasley and shrugged slightly. They were sharing a pot of tea while everyone else was scattered about the house. “They are fine,” she answered blandly. In truth the past week had been awful! Although an unspoken truce had been formed and Draco was back to sharing the bedroom, the tension between them was still thick. She was starting to wonder if they would ever get back to the relaxed and easy life they had had before their fight.

Molly smiled softly. “So its happened huh?”

“What has?”

“The first real argument.”

Hermione looked at her in surprise. “How did you know?”

“You mean besides the fact that you’re both wearing the same forlorn expression?”

Hermione’s lips twitched lightly before releasing a half sob. “Oh Molly, it was awful! Everything was going along fine. More than fine really, great even. Then we have this huge fight. Now just being in the same room feels awkward.”

“The first fight is always the hardest. It reminds you that you’ve married another human being and causes reality to come crashing in.”

“But Molly, that is part of the reason I feel so stupid in all of this. It’s not like I was some love sick bride. This was an arranged marriage. I have been fighting with Draco for years. I knew what he was like when I married him. So why do I feel this way?”

“Honey, you may have had your eyes more open than most brides when you got married, but that doesn’t mean that you still can’t get blind sighted by the first argument.” She reached across the table to squeeze her hand. “Remember, it isn’t important whether you fight or not, because all couples do now and then. What’s important is whether you love him. Do you?”

Hermione covered her eyes with her free hand and groaned. “Yes.”

Molly’s warm laughter filled the kitchen. “Now why would such a wonderful admission be so torturous?”

“Because Molly, he said some things in our fight that makes me think it would be impossible for him to ever love me.”

“Of course he can love you, you are the Gryfindor princess after all!”

Hermione smiled softly at her reference to the nickname her friends sometimes used for her. “I’m not sure that Draco wants the Gryfindor princess.”

“Hermione, pureblood wizards from old families don’t know what they want, and they certainly don’t know what they need. What Draco needs is your love, and he needs to know that he is loved.”

“But what if he doesn’t love me? Molly, I don’t think I could bare it if I told him that I loved him and he didn’t return my feelings.”

“Hermione Jane Malfoy, are you a Gryfindor or not? Don’t you dare use your fear of rejection as a reason to hide your love from him. It isn’t fair to him or yourself. Unfortunately being married to a pureblood, you may never hear those words, but I thought you were smart enough to realize that words don’t count for a whole lot. It is actions that count. I believe there is a muggle religious book that talks about love being patient and kind. Would you say that Draco loves you using that definition?”

Hermione looked at Molly in surprise. “You’ve read the Bible?” she asked, not answering the question.

“Yes parts of it.”

“Why?”

“Remember whom I’m married to dear. Arthur’s fascination with muggles isn’t new. For his final project in Muggle Studies, he did a comparison between different muggle religions and the wizarding religion that died out nearly a millennium ago. One guess on who got to proof read his paper. Anyway, don’t think that I didn’t notice your avoidance of my question. You don’t have to answer to anyone but yourself, but what does Draco’s actions tell you? Does he love you?” With a final smile and squeeze of her hand, Molly stood up and left the kitchen, leaving Hermione to sit there, alone in her thoughts.


A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I am going to lose internet again soon. I hope to get another chapter up before I do. If I don't an update might take awhile but don't worry I am going to finish this story. Please leave reviews, I love hearing from everyone. Ryz