Always On My Mind

Hermione sat in the tea shop looking across the street, but not focusing on anything. It had been six months. Six months since the happy life she had planned out came to a screeching halt. On May 13th, Ron Weasley, who had fought Voldemort, giants, vampires and death eaters had died from a muggle bullet wound. Ron, who had been her best friend since she was ten years old, wasn’t there. He wasn’t the only thing that wasn’t there.


Twelve days after Draco had run from her as if she were on fire, she and Ron had gone into muggle London to visit her parents. They went to the theater and Ron insisted that they take the tube home. Like his father, he was thoroughly fascinated by all things muggle. The tube had been like riding a roller coaster for him. It was close to one a.m. and the two of them had been laughing their way up the stairs that led to the Grangers’ street. Neither of them noticed the man hidden behind the corner until it was too late. He had black knit ski mask pulled down over his face and he had a gun pointed right at Ron’s chest.

“Go on then, geezer, let’s have your wallet.” He said, looking around anxiously. Ron immediately pulled out his wand and pointed it at him. Hermione, being raised muggle, was instinctively more afraid of the gun than Ron’s wand.

“What the fuck is that, then? You some kind of loony? Give me your fucking wallet!”

“Ron, just give him your money. It’s not worth it.” Hermione begged him nervously. Ron picked up his coin purse and threw it at the man while maneuvering himself in front of Hermione, shielding her body with his. The scruffy man picked up the purse and looked at it. As he sifted through the knuts, galleons and sickles he became more agitated.

“What the- What HELL are you trying pull? I ask for your wallet and you give me your fucking coin collection? This isn’t even real money, you poofta!” With that he raised his gun and shot Ron in the chest three times and once in the head. Hermione started screaming and couldn’t stop. She had been through war, but watching the light go out of her best friend’s eyes undid her. Holding his head in her lap she continued sobbing.

“Shut up, you stupid cow!” The man back handed her while still holding his gun. Her head flew backwards and she came out of her daze. Grabbing for Ron’s wand she pointed it at him. He knocked it out of her hand and pushed her backwards down the stairs. She rolled down the thirty stone stairs, doing her best to protect her stomach, but it was no use. When she finally came to a crunching stop her face was cut and bruised, her left arm was broken and blood was pouring furiously from between her legs. Trying to stand, she screamed in agony at the pain in her belly. She clutched at it and curled herself against the wall as the shocking waves of pain made their way through her lower body. She kept rubbing her belly and chanting, “It’s okay, baby. Just hold on. It’s okay. Mummy’s here.” It was half an hour before any help arrived.

Sighing, Hermione paid for her tea and put her coat on against the December chill. Walking out into the street she didn’t notice the well dressed man watching her walk away. As Draco watched her walk down the street, he wanted so badly to run to her and hold her. He’d never seen her look so broken in his life. He’d gone to the funeral where they had put the urn with their still-born baby’s remains in the coffin with Ron. They were buried in the Weasley family cemetery under Ron and Rosalyn Weasley: Devoted Friend and Father; Beloved Daughter. For weeks Hermione walked around in a daze. She lost weight and wouldn’t take care of herself. Then one day, she came to work looking like her old self, without some of the old Hermione sparkle. Since Hermione worked at Gringotts as a curse breaker, Draco found that his business with the ministry often took him to the accounting division of the wizarding bank. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he got to watch her go to lunch every day with Padma Patil and Ernie Macmillan. Deciding he’d had enough of skulking in the shadows like her stalker he quickened his pace and called out after her.

“Hermione!” His foot slipped on a patch of ice and he slid until he knocked into her and smashed her into the storefront of Madame Malkin’s. This was just great. Now he not only looked like a stalker, but he looked like a bumbling fool. Neville Longbottom couldn’t have done any better. He was brought out of his mortification by the fact that for the first time in two years he was pressed intimately up against her. Not wanting her to feel just how much he was affected by her, he pushed himself off of her and offered her his hand. “I’m so sorry.”

“For what? Following me or knocking the wind out of me?” He couldn’t believe it, she was actually smiling. It disappeared quickly, but it had been there.

‘I haven’t been following you,” he said indignantly.

“Oh, so the Magical Finance Law division has decided to send the chairman of the board to check on the accounting paper work instead of the interns?”

“I’m very thorough,” he said tersely. “I am however sorry for bumping into you. I meant to ask you to lunch tomorrow.” He’d found the Malfoy charm again.

Her face fell and she stepped back from him immediately. “I can’t, I already have a lunch date.”

“What? With who?” he was in shock and more than a little jealous. Had their years together meant nothing to her? If she was ready to move on from Weasley, then as far as he was concerned, he should be her only option. He would have been her only option period if he hadn’t been so foolish.

“Zacharias Smith has made an offer for me.” She looked down as soon as she said this.

“An offer, what do you mean an offer?” Draco was confused. She didn’t move in Pureblood society where ‘offers’ of marriage were made to form alliances between families, so what kind of offer could that blonde headed twit from Hufflepuff have for her.

“It’s about the new law, Draco. I’m surprised you haven’t been in more of an uproar since you’ll be affected.”

“What? That Marriage Law nonsense? They can’t possibly be serious. That will never pass.”

“It already did this morning. Ginny has been trying to fight it, but they saw that after the war the wizarding population had a thirty percent drop and in the years since it hasn’t climbed back up at all. Everyone between the ages of eighteen and forty is required to find a spouse or the ministry will assign one for us. We then have to produce a child or be fined. Those eligible will be tested for fertility before being forced to pay a fine for not producing children.” At the mention of children, Hermione’s voice got very small and she stared a piece of rubbish on the street.

“And you’re just going to take this? Why aren’t you fighting this? How could you even consider sleeping with that ponce, much less marrying him?” Draco was enraged and he wanted to throttle someone.

“I can’t find a way out of it! I’ve spent countless hours in the library trying to find a loophole and there isn’t one. If I refuse, they’ll snap my wand in half and I won’t be allowed back in the Magical world. I may have been born to muggles, but I am a witch and I won’t turn my back on a society that I fought so hard to preserve no matter how fucked up its laws are!”

Draco’s stormy grey eyes stared back hers and she realized how alive she felt around him. Everyone else tiptoed around her as if she might explode if they disagreed with her or hurt her feelings. It had been ages since she’d had a good argument and she felt relieved. That relief was short lived however when he took two long purposeful steps towards her backing her against the brick wall. He was almost a foot taller than she was and his broad chest was taught with muscles. Even though he had never been violent towards women, his imposing figure and impressive magical abilities made her feel vulnerable.

“Who else has offered for you?” he asked with his teeth clenched.

“Seamus Finnigan, Cormac MacLaggen, and Lee Jordan.”

“Is that all?”

“Those are the ones I’m willing to meet with to discuss the situation.”

“Owl Smith and tell him you won’t be meeting with him.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ve already found a fiancé.

“Who? You? Draco, you can’t be serious. You didn’t want to be with me when you had a choice, why would you want to be with me when you’re forced into the situation. Go find yourself some vapid heiress who won’t make any demands of you, because that’s one thing I’m talking about with Smith tomorrow. I refuse to be in a farce of a marriage. If the Ministry is going to force me into a marriage I’m going to do my best to make it a real, working marriage. I won’t tolerate infidelity and I won’t simply turn my head when it happens. I refuse to be in a marriage that’s a business arrangement where my children only see their father at meal times and special occasions!”

“I never cheated on you!” he snapped.

“No, but you wanted to and don’t think I don’t know that sometimes things went a bit too far to be considered harmless. You broke up with me just to ensure that you wouldn’t cheat on me. If we had been together for a month longer, I don’t think you would be able to make that claim. We were wrong for each other then, we’re wrong for each other now.”

“We’re not wrong for each other! I was a fool and I made a horrible mistake. The only person I want is you and you’re a liar if you can say that there’s anyone out there who’s a better match for you.”

“Draco, you only want what you can’t have. You’re still that same spoiled little boy who wants whatever toy someone else has and then when you get it, you’re bored and want something else.”

“I was never bored with you. I was stupid and made the biggest mistake of my life. I’ve felt empty ever since I left you. I wanted to know what else was out there and as soon as I found out, I realized that all I ever wanted was you.”

“And what was I supposed to do? Sit around and twiddle my thumbs while waiting on you to come back and say, ‘Oh well, you’re the best I can do’?” Hermione was livid now and pushed him away from her. She began stalking towards the apparition point, intent on leaving him behind. “Go to hell, Malfoy.”

Draco jogged after her and spun her around to face him. “You’re right. I am a selfish, spoiled little brat and I get whatever I want. I want you, Hermione, so that means I’m going to get you and I’m going to use every trick and favor I’ve got to make sure it happens. You can go on your little lunch date with Smith if you want, but it would be pointless because you won’t be marrying him or anyone else for that matter. I want you and I’m going to get you.” With that Draco let go of her and disapparated.

A/N- Okay, I hope this is paragraph spacing enough. Thanks to everyone who reviews!