Always On My Mind

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Hermione staggered back from the dusty book room in the curse breaking department of Gringotts with several very old tomes about ancient security curses. The Vigilo family had brought various items in that had been found in their family’s attic that most definitely contained gold, but were heavily guarded. Hermione was currently working on an ornate box that caused severe burning of the skin whenever someone tried to open it. It had belonged to the very brilliant, but paranoid Stella Vigilo who had been highly mistrustful of her brother and his children. Who knew what was actually in the box, but Hermione was determined to find out.

As she tried various charms on the antique box a horrid smell entered her nose and she immediately ran to the nearest waste bin to empty her stomach of the contents of her breakfast. When she came back up she saw Ernie Macmillan eating a liver and onion sandwich. How on earth Padma could stand kissing him when his breath smelled like that, she had no idea. Then again, her stomach had been very touchy lately. Her last meeting with Draco had shaken her up pretty badly. The fact that he bombarded her home and workplace with owls didn’t help matters.

Draco Malfoy had worked his way back into the good graces of the Ministry. Although his family had been disgraced at the close of the war, Harry’s avouchment to his character had saved him from Azkaban. His family had been disgraced, but their fortunes had grown and in politics, money could always cover a multitude of sins. Although he wasn’t his father, Draco Malfoy and his money commanded a lot of attention within the Ministry. So much that Hermione received regular correspondence from the Minister of Magic himself. Everyday he reminded her of her duty if she wanted to remain in the wizarding world. He also said that as the most prominent muggle born in Britain, she should definitely consider marrying into a pureblood family to improve relations and dispel bigoted notions. Hermione had owled the minister back stating that she hadn’t found many pureblooded suitors and unsurprisingly the Minister had recommended the Malfoy heir as a perfectly logical and natural choice to be a mate for ‘a witch of her caliber’. He brought up their past relationship which had been chronicled in the gossip section of the Daily Prophet and even offered to perform the ceremony himself. Hermione took comfort in the fact that until her five months were up, the Minister of Magic couldn’t flat out order her to marry Draco Malfoy. It was looking as if it might come to that, however.

Cormac MacLaggen had owled Hermione the day after Draco had left her flat, apologizing for leading her on, but he decided to put all his efforts into wooing Luna Lovegood. Hermione had been confused, but relieved. Cormac meant well, but Hermione didn’t think she could live with him any better than she could Zacharias Smith. Seamus Finnegan, however, she had been quite certain she could live with. He was surprisingly philosophical and she had been on a few dates with him after Hogwarts before she and Draco had gotten together. He had a quick smile, treated her with great respect and most importantly, could hold his own in intellectual debate. However, every time she made an appointment to meet with him to discuss what they both wanted out of marriage, he had some crisis at work that needed his immediate attention. He was a veterinarian for magical creatures and one day Hermione had just gone down to his office to see him in person. When she got there she amazed at how many animals could fit in one space. Owls fluttered all about the room, kneazles meowed and hissed from under the office chairs and there was a baby hippogriff in a pen in the corner. Apparently the ministry had been sending each and every one of its owls to Seamus for check ups. Seamus said he couldn’t complain about the money, it was just difficult to do anything else with so many patients. Hermione went to the back of his office where he showed her the team of Abraxan horses the ministry had ordered him to breed. He’d had a free hour coming up for lunch the next day and they agreed to meet.

When Seamus had shown up, his face was barely recognizable from the bruising. He limped when he walked and winced as he sat down. He told Hermione that after careful consideration he had decided that, although she was a lovely girl, they would not be suited for marriage. He then glanced to the corner of the restaurant and left, telling her a hasty goodbye. Hermione hadn’t been certain, but she thought she saw a familiar blonde head sitting in the back corner and after Seamus left, she was certain of who it was.
Coming back to the present, Hermione turned to Ernie and politely asked if he could eat his sandwich elsewhere.
“Oh, of course. Sorry ‘bout that.” He wrapped it back up in the paper and came over to where she was seated. “What are you working on?”
“One of the items from the Vigilo family. If Stella Vigilo wasn’t such a pain in my arse I’d like her very much. I think her ingenuity could only be surpassed by Rowena herself.”
“The Vigilo family? Are you quite sure you should be working on those?”
“Yes, why shouldn’t I?” Hermione was confused, but in her exhausted state her brain wasn’t working nearly as quickly as Ernie’s.

“I just figured that someone in your condition shouldn’t be working with such explosive or poisonous curses. I know if Padma ever worked on one of those while pregnant I’d tie her to our couch for a week.” Ernie continued speaking, but Hermione wasn’t listening. Her tiredness, nausea and moodiness, all symptoms of stress were also glaring symptoms of something else entirely. Thinking back she realized she hadn’t had her monthlies and she was so regular she could set her watch by it. Standing up and feeling slightly dizzy at the realization of what was happening she left the office and started out the door of the bank, Ernie and Padma calling out after her. Once she got to the door, however, the exact two people she didn’t want to see were standing there.

Draco Malfoy was having a pleasant conversation with the Minister of Magic. When he looked up and saw Hermione he greeted her and then walked right up to her, gave her a quick peck on the lips and continued talking to the Minister, his arm around her waist, as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on. Hermione’s breathing quickened and as she looked from the Minister’s laughing face to Draco’s smiling one, she took two calming breaths and promptly fainted.