Hermione and Draco

Disclaimer: These characters are not of my creation (I wish!). Everything belongs to JK Rowling, I'm just delving into the Pensieve and playing around with the memories a little! I am making no money off of this. Do you really think you'd be reading it HERE for free? Hell no! You'd be laying on your bed reading the book! ;)

Chapter 1 – Weddings and Wishes

Hermione stood in front of the mirror, stunning in her Valentino wedding dress, tears leaking from beneath closed lids. She opened them, and her eyes trailed down her body, looking first at the way she filled the size 4 dress, to the beautiful silk and satin Gucci pumps, to the bouquet in her hand, and finally to the engagement ring on her finger. Perversely, the last made her cry harder.

Hermione thought back to her past. Life was so… uncomplicated then. Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter had gone to school together at Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione had ended up together – just as Harry and Ginny had. She had fought against Lord Voldemort at Ron and Harry’s side, and they were victorious, but she had not been as victorious with her emotions about Ron. She had fallen in love with frightening intensity.

After 4 years of off-and-on dating, Ron had proposed on the anniversary of the defeat of Voldemort. He had taken Hermione to the fanciest wizard restaurant known – in Paris – and had a concerto playing to her as he got down on one knee and proposed. Hermione was so happy – and surprised – that Ron had proposed, she had cried for a week. She went into a positive flurry of activity to get the wedding planned so they could start their married life together.

But as Hermione had stood there, putting the finishing touches on hair and makeup, Ron had flooed. He told her in a casual tone that he couldn’t marry her because he didn’t love her. He was off to the US with an American witch he’d met at one of his sisters’ Quidditch matches and said he would not be coming back. He even apologized for misleading her into thinking that he could ever settle down and be happy with her.

Music started outside the antechamber in the little chapel, signaling the time to start the wedding. It just made her cry harder.

Oh, get a hold of yourself, Hermione, She sniffed through her tears. You knew that this was a good possibility. You should have said yes to Viktor instead of pursuing Ron.

In her fourth year at Hogwarts, Hermione had met the famous Bulgarian International seeker, Viktor Krum. Viktor had become smitten with Hermione at once, they had dated for a year and although he was a very nice, but quiet, guy, Hermione just didn’t feel the same way about him. They had remained good friends through the years since.

With a determined set in her chin and eyes, Hermione walked out of the antechamber. At the doorway she looked at the chapel, feeling tears pricking her eyelids again. It was decorated in an understated fashion, with trumpet lilies and baby’s breath everywhere. The colors she’d used were symbolic of everything she’d been through. Red and gold, highlighted by blues, greens and browns showed anyone who knew her that she credited her time at Hogwarts for this occasion, and this was her way of thanking it. Taking a deep breath, she walked up the aisle without ceremony and turned to face the crowd. With tears glistening in her eyes, she explained with a barely discernable tremble in her voice that Ron had just flooed and the wedding was off.

The reactions of those assembled were so comic that Hermione would have laughed out loud if she hadn’t wanted to cry so very hard.

The family pew, which held all of the Weasleys, Harry and Ginny Potter, and the Grangers, looked like someone had run behind them, hitting each one in the back of the head with a board. After a startled moment, they all broke into different reactions. Molly and Arthur Weasley were doing great impressions of fish, while Harry looked like he wanted to kill something – and do it messily. Ginny looked like she was about to jump on her broomstick and chase after Ron. Bill, Charlie and Percy had startled expressions, lower jaws in their laps, but the Weasley twins – they were huddled over, and looked for the entire world as if they were counting something.

The worst was Hermione’s parents – her mother was crying into her fathers shoulder, and her father had the exact expression that Harry did.

All her friends and family – everyone that Hermione knew and cared for – right down to Draco Malfoy, who had turned against Voldemort and helped with his downfall – was there, gaping at her. She could feel her knees going weak and a funny gurgling in her stomach. She took one look at everyone, and started to giggle. Finally she had to sit down, because she was laughing hysterically. Everyone looked at her with wide eyes, and that made her laugh even harder.

When Harry and Ginny saw Hermione sit down and start laughing, they knew what was next. After exchanging knowing looks, Ginny went to sit next to Hermione, and Harry got up and asked everyone to adjourn to the reception hall.

As everyone filed out, Hermione’s laughter ran out, she hiccupped once, looked at Ginny, and collapsed onto her shoulder, weeping like a broken-hearted child.

Harry moved to go to Hermione’s side, but he heard a movement by the chapel door, he turned to look and saw Malfoy standing there, looking at Hermione with an oddly painful expression of longing in his eyes before he realized that Harry was looking at him and he shuttered his expression.

”What are you doing here, Malfoy?” Harry asked when he was close enough to speak quietly.

“The same thing you are – I was invited to a good friends wedding, and here I am,” smirked Draco.

Harry walked up to Malfoy and looked him squarely in the eye. “If you make any trouble with Hermione, Malfoy, I’ll hex you into a million pieces.” Harry said fiercely.

“Potter, haven’t you seen enough yet to figure out I’m not the same sleaze I was back at Hogwarts?” said Draco just as quietly and fiercely – with something strange lighting up at the back of his eyes. “I happen to care a lot about Hermione – maybe even more than you.”

Harry was perplexed. Malfoy caring more about Hermione than him? Hermione was his best friend; he cared more for only Ginny, his wife. Harry looked into Malfoys eyes, and saw there a flame of something. Then Malfoy switched his whole attention to the weeping woman in Harry’s wife’s arms and the flame became incandescent.

Bloody hell! Harry thought. Not only does he care for Hermione, he’s fallen in love with her! Look at him. He shields it pretty well when he’s not looking directly at her, but when he’s watching her, there’s no hiding it.

“Okay, Malfoy, you can stay,” Harry whispered. “But please stay seated in one of the back pews until Ginny and I get Hermione calmed down a little. We wouldn’t be able to control her if she decided to vent her spleen on you.”

“All right, Harry, I’ll sit in the back pew and be quiet – but only because I think you’re right. She’s likely to be looking for someone to take her frustrations out on, and I don’t want it to be me.”

Harry started at the fact that Malfoy just admitted that he was right, not to mention the fact that it was the first time Malfoy had ever used Harry’s given name. Nodding at Draco, he glanced out the window to see if the world was coming to an end.

Sparing no more thoughts for Draco Malfoy, Harry turned on his heel and walked back up to Hermione and Ginny.

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

Draco Malfoy was almost beside himself with anger. How could The Weasel do that to Hermione? He hadn’t stopped thinking about Hermione ever since what happened during the Final Battle… she had saved his life, when Voldemort had found out that he had switched sides and tried to kill him. He had seen the bravery in her, the will and the Power – dear gods, the Power – which she held in that moment. Then, after the battle, she came up to him and kissed him on the cheek and told him how wonderfully brave he was. Her eyes shined at him, and suddenly, he wanted her eyes to shine only for him. Then, as the others came up to them, and she had turned those shining eyes on Ron, eyes that not only shone, but glowed, for Ron and Ron only, did he realize he would never have her heart. That hurt more than the Cruciatus curse that the Dark Lord had turned on him.

Draco gave his head a little shake… no time for living in the past – Hermione was here, without The Weasel. As he listened to Hermione tell Ginny and Harry what happened, he couldn’t believe his ears. Ron had told Hermione that he had never loved her, would never love her, and could not go through with marrying her because of that. How could anyone not love someone whose eyes shone like the morning stars? He was baffled – and the more he thought about it, the angrier he got. If someone didn’t go to mete out some punishment, he would make sure it did get done!

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

Harry moved up to the altar and sat next to Hermione, looking over her head at his wife. The look in Ginny’s eyes was at once curious, wondering who was at the back of the chapel, no doubt, but mostly there was smoldering anger there – it quite plainly told him that she wanted to find Ron and rearrange some sensitive body parts – parts that were very near and dear to him.

After a few minutes, Hermione’s crying started to subside. She looked up through swollen, red-rimmed eyes.

“Thank you both so much for being here for me,” she hiccupped. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“Aw, Hermione,” Ginny sighed. “What did you expect? We love you; you’re family and we…”

As she was saying this, the door at the back of the chapel opened and Bill, the oldest of the Weasley children, walked in.

“Sorry to break in on you,” he started. “But we’ve got a bit of a situation here.”

“What’s wrong, Bill?” asked Harry.

“Well, it looks as if Fred and George just left to go find Ron. They were talking about force-feeding him Skiving Snackboxes and Ton-Tongue Toffee at the same time.” Bill looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh.

“Good!” Harry exclaimed fiercely. “I hope they find him and put a good hex on him!”

“Now, Harry,” said Hermione. “Ron doesn’t deserve all that. Granted, he could have handled this situation better,” she took a deep quivering breath. “But that doesn’t mean he deserves…”

“My ass he doesn’t deserve it!” came from the doorway.

Everyone started and stared – speechless – at the back of the chapel, for that epithet hadn’t come out of Harry, Ginny or even Bill – it came straight from the mouth of Molly Weasley. Molly stood in the doorway in a towering fury, with her husband, Arthur, the British Minister of Magic, standing behind her.

She stalked down the center aisle of the little chapel, looking for the entire world like a great, angry jungle cat.

“If I was able to, I’d have joined Fred and George – as it is, I could only tell them to go after Ron and do their worst to him – provided they don’t kill him or permanently maim him.” She glowered.

As Arthur walked in his wife’s wake, all four of the youngsters could see that there were tears in his eyes.

“Molly’s right, Hermione. Ron could have broken it off a lot sooner than now. He could have told you 2 months ago when you started planning this wedding!”

“Mum – Da… I mean, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, I know you’re right, but I just can’t hate him yet – I still love him.” Hermione’s lip started quivering again.

“Aw, go on Hermione,” said Arthur gently. “You can still call us Mum and Dad. You’re like one of our own anyway and always will be.”

Hermione hugged them both with tears in her eyes and her lower lip trembling.

Ginny looked up at the members of her family. “Why don’t you three go back to the reception? Harry and I have got this for right now, and we’ll see if we can’t get her back together enough to handle going in for a little bit.”

Harry nodded as he put his arm around Hermione and she collapsed, crying, into his shoulder.

“All right,” Molly Weasley said. “We’ll go and see if we can keep everyone entertained until she can pull herself together. Come on Arthur… Bill.”

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

As the Weasleys walked out of the chapel, Draco sat back up and watched the three friends sitting at the foot of the altar. At Hogwarts, he had been jealous of The Golden Trio for their friendship – and later for the relationship that Hermione and The Weasel had when they started dating – although he would never have admitted it to anyone – even himself.

But now, looking at the weeping Hermione, he finally had to admit to himself how he felt.

I care a great deal about Hermione, he thought to himself. I have wanted to be more than her friend for quite a while now. But truthfully, was that because I liked her, or because someone else had her?

Draco thought hard about it, trying to sort out all his feelings about Harry, Ron – and especially Hermione.

I – I can’t be feeling for her what I think I’m feeling! He grimaced. Oh, sure, Draco – you can’t possibly be interested in Hermione Granger, anymore than you would want to be friends with Harry and Ginny.

And as for The Weasel…if I ever get my hands on him, he’ll be in St. Mungo’s for a year!! Oh, surely, Draco… you have it bad for Miss Granger.

Draco suddenly realized that Harry and Ginny were standing up, as if to go, but Hermione looked as if she were staying – at least for a few more minutes – probably to get changed for the reception. This would be the chance to talk to her alone that he wanted.

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

As Hermione lay against Harry’s shoulder crying again, clutching at the front of his shirt to keep herself from wailing, Ginny looked at her handsome husband and mentally cursed her brother again. How he could do something so heartless and cruel she couldn’t imagine!

“Come on, Hermione,” Harry said. “It’s okay, we’re here, and we aren’t going to leave until you’re okay to be alone.”

Hermione lifted herself off of Harry’s shoulder, hugged and kissed him on the cheek and then hugged and kissed Ginny.

“You two are the best friends a girl could ever have,” she sniffed. “I need to quit crying and pull myself together for our – I mean my – guests. They aren’t going to have any fun without at least one member of the “happy” couple showing up!” She smiled tremulously, trying to project some laughter in her voice and was surprised when she succeeded.

“If you’re sure...” hesitated Ginny. “If you’re sure you can handle it, then we’ll go back to the reception hall and catch you up … wait. Who’s that at the back of the chapel?”

“That’s Draco Malfoy,” Harry said. “He says he was invited by Hermione, but I still don’t – quite – believe him.”

“He’s not lying, Harry.” Hermione chimed in. “I did invite him. He’s a very good friend of mine. He has been since before the war.”

“What?” asked Ginny. “You’re actually friends with him?”

“Yes, Ginny, I am,” sighed Hermione. “He’s a very good friend. He turned his back on Voldemort, his family, everything he ever knew – just to be a good person and help defeat the most evil wizard in history. I think that deserves some good will and loyalty. He’s been incredibly loyal to me; I need to do the same for him.”

Harry watched Hermione very carefully as she spoke of Draco. There was a fierce light in her eyes – partly because she had to continually defend having him as a friend, Harry surmised. There was something else there, though. So secret in the back of her eyes that not even she knew it was there…

Whatever it is, Harry would figure it out. He’d just have to wait until it finally came into the open before he could see what it was. But for now…

“Really, Ginny,” said Hermione. “He’s okay, and I’ll be okay with him. You two go to the reception and tell everyone I’ll be right there – I need to change and I also need to talk to Draco. I won’t be too long.”

“But…” Ginny spluttered.

“Hermione’s right, honey,” said Harry. “She needs to get herself put together and we need to give her the privacy to do that however she needs to. Come on, let’s go. We’ll catch you up, Hermione, when you get to the reception.”

And with that, Harry put his arm around his wife’s slender waist, swept her passed Draco Malfoy and towards the door.

As she passed Draco she gave him a look that said: Don’t you dare hurt her. If you hurt so much as a hair on her head, I’ll make you wish that Harry had gotten to you first, and allowed herself to be swept from the hall.

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

Draco watched Hermione sticking up for him, and felt his heart swell and his spirit soar.

Oh, fine thing, Draco. You just get to the point where you feel comfortable going to the manor again, and you go and fall for a mu-ggleborn. He shook his head slightly and smiled to himself. What will Mother say?

With Harry and Ginny leaving, and the look that Ginny gave him, he wasn’t sure what to expect from Hermione. Granted, she did just stick up for him, but that didn’t mean she wanted him around right now.

“Oh, for heavens sake, Draco,” said Hermione, exasperated. “Come up here and give me a hug, I’m not going to hex you for being here.”

Draco smiled sheepishly and hung his head. Normally someone talking to him like that would just aggravate him, but when Hermione talked to him like that, all it did was make him feel like he was about 13 years old.

As Draco walked up the aisle, Hermione caught herself actually noticing how attractive he was. She couldn’t believe it. Here she was, left at the altar, and she was finding herself surprisingly attracted to him.

What is wrong with me? Thought Hermione. What the hell am I doing checking out Draco on my wedding day? What in the hell is wrong with me?

When Draco reached Hermione he looked deeply in her eyes, wrapped her in his arms, gave her a very intense, but gentle, hug and said quietly in her ear, “I can’t believe he did this to you… I always thought he wasn’t very bright, but I had no idea what an idiot he is, to leave you! That will be the worst mistake he will ever make. I’m so sorry, Hermione, and if there is anything I can do for you, just name it, and it’s done!”

As Hermione listened to Draco talking to her, she was surprised by the intensity in his voice, but more, she was surprised by the hammering of her heart and how her palms started getting sweaty when he enfolded her in his arms! She felt like a giddy schoolgirl, but she wasn’t quite ready to explore those strange, nebulous feelings at the bottom of her heart, so she left them there for now.

“Oh, Draco, thank you so much for coming,” she began before she dissolved into tears again. They were quieter tears, more of regret, which were quickly come, quickly gone.

Draco tilted Hermione’s face towards his, with his heart in his throat and gave Hermione a very gentle kiss on her upturned lips. I can’t believe I’m daring to do this, he thought to himself. But I can’t resist. She’s right here; she’s so sweet and warm… I really do love her. And maybe, someday, I can earn the right for her to love me back.

“Oh!” said Hermione. Now her heart was in her throat, and it was hard for her to think or look away.

“I… I have to get changed and go into the reception, Draco,” stammered Hermione. “Would you be willing to accompany me to my reception, good sir?”

Draco’s eyebrows raised a trifle, and then he smiled. “I would be glad to, my Lady. I’ll wait here while you go change.”

And as Hermione play curtsied and hurtled off to change, Draco thought, for one brief moment, that her eyes were glowing when she looked at him.