The One That Got Away

The One Who Got Away


Present Day:


I’d always wondered what it would feel like to have my heart broken. To feel every single crack as the solidness of my love for one single person broke. It was the single, most awful feeling I have ever felt in my entire life. Even worse than when my parents were murdered by Death Eaters, or when I watched as Harry was carried out of the Forbidden Forest by a distraught Hagrid. Heartbreak is something I am vaguely familiar with, but the pain I felt during those occasions felt nothing like this did. To love or be loved is meant to be the greatest weapon you can ever possess, but what happens when it breaks? Is the muggle saying really true? That what doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger? It was a cold rainy night in November, which put that saying to the test.


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Hermione Granger laughed as her Maid of Honour, Ginny Potter placed a round of muggle shots down on the large round table, on which her Hen Party was currently seated. Made up of faces she knew both from her magical and muggle childhood, Hermione could honestly say she was having the best time of her life. In less than a week she was set to become Mrs Draco Malfoy, and as much as it seemed to shock and sometimes appall people, she was deliriously happy.


They had been together for all of three years now, and she could honesty say, although they had experienced many ups and downs she loved him more now than she ever thought she could. Draco wasn’t the same person she had met that day on the Hogwarts Express, when she was 11. At first, she had laughed in his face when he had tried to woo her and told him to just give up on whatever game he was playing, but six months down the line he was still there, constantly asking her out on dates, or turning up at her office of a lunch time with takeout for two.


She eventually gave in, and on her first date with Draco he took her to a muggle nightclub. She had secretly got a kick out of seeing his jaw practically drop as she stepped out into her hallway in her secret weapon. Her little black dress. Her hair flowed in smooth bouncy ringlets like a wave to the small of her back. She knew what he was thinking, his face was like an open book. She would bet a thousand Galleons it was along the lines of ‘why didn’t she ever look like that in school?’ and Hermione knew that answer better than anyone…If she had to choose between beautifying herself or helping defeat the darkest wizard the Wizarding World had ever seen, the latter would win every time.


She didn’t really know what to make of Draco’s intentions as he took her arm and apparated them away to a small club outside of Liverpool. She was pleasantly surprised as they were ushered up a winding staircase and into a decadent V.I.P lounge. Dimmed red lights created a hedonistic atmosphere, and Hermione could scarcely make out the other patrons through the darkness. She could feel Draco’s hand on her hip as he led her to their booth, which was unsurprisingly in the furthest corner of the room. He allowed her to settle down before he passed her a glass of champagne from the ice bucket at the center of their table. It seemed as if the hours flew by as they talked, laughed and lastly, danced, pressed up against each other, her curves moulded to his muscle. Hermione blamed the alcohol on her lack of restraint and couldn’t help but respond when Draco leaned into kiss her. It was as if months of tension where released as he teased her with his tongue, his hands settling on the curve of her behind.


Hermione had woken the next morning with a smile on her face, and with a little of the hardness chipped away from her heart. Her last relationship hadn’t ended well, and she could help but want to hold a little back from Draco. She had to protect her heart, she couldn’t bear for it to get stamped on a second time. But it was with bright open eyes that she dived into her relationship with Draco, and now three years later they were set to become man and wife.


She smiled fondly when she remembered how Draco had proposed, completely unexpected as it was, it was perfect. They had been walking down Diagon Alley, last Christmas eve, when Hermione had tripped over a flagstone and landed flat on her bum. Draco had let out a bark of laughter as she sat there completely dumbfounded, her hand rubbing soothing circles on her knee. She sat there just looking at him, her bright amber eyes fixed upon him. He took a deep breath and kneeled in front of her, pushing a curly lock away from her face and tucking it behind her ear. He took the hand that was rubbing her knee and kissed her knuckles. He looked up and uttered just four words.


“Will you marry me?”


Hermione didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Draco started to worry as her bottom lip began to tremble and her eyes filled with tears. This was not the reaction she thought he was hoping for. But these were not tears of shock or of sadness, but of joy. She smiled as the tears rolled down her cheeks, and she reached out to grab him. It there on Christmas eve, in Diagon Alley, that Hermione Granger became engaged to Draco Malfoy.


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She was just about to raise her shot to her lips when she heard the raucous laughter of her soon to be husband. She could tell his laugh from a mile off, it being a rare occurrence unless he was blind stinking drink. She figured that was the reason why he looked as if he was doing an Irish jig. It had been his idea to travel to Dublin for their last night of freedom, it looked like he was really getting in the spirit. She could see the smooth, bald head of Blaise Zabini as he downed what looked like to be some kind of red shot. She was so looking forward to teasing him about his hangover in the morning.


Suddenly she heard the loud chants of “Down it! Down it!” coming from the boisterous group of men. She grimaced as she watched Harry and Draco drink a whole pint of what seemed to be muggle beer. She turned back to her ladies, who were eyeing the men with distain, as they behaved like Neanderthals.

Ginny sighed as she watched Harry, shaking her head and turning away. Hermione laughed and brought the shot to her lips and slapped the table as the sourness of the green liquor flowed down her throat. The girls cheered loudly as their Hen drank a parade of different coloured shots. It was only when a drunken voice slurred out “Is that my girl?” did she realise just how drunk he was.


Draco staggered over his arm thrown over Harry’s shoulder, and smacked a fat kiss on her cheek. Hermione laughed and pulled him down by his t-shirt and kissed him much to the amusement of the other Stags and Hens. Draco practically had to be dragged away from his fiancée and carried on shouting endearments as he was lifted from the pub. God, she really did love him, even if he was a lightweight who couldn’t handle his ale.


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Her feet hurt more than her head, and that was saying something. Why on earth did she let Ginny talk her into wearing those monstrous shoes? Felt like they had eaten her feet alive. She winced as she stood to go to the bathroom, sighing with relief as she leaned against the bath, listening to the sound of the running water. She rose gingerly to look in the mirror, screwing up her face and looking away when she didn’t like what looked back at her. She heard a mournful groan coming from the bedroom, and smiled evilly, no matter how hung-over she was today, she knew Ginny was worse. It had been her first weekend away from James, and she had certainly lived it up.


As they made their way down to breakfast, Hermione noticed Harry and Draco speaking with their heads together, they were talking fast, barely noticing when she and Ginny joined them. She gave Draco and quick kiss and sat down beside him.


“What’s up?” asked Hermione.


“Nothing.” he answered almost instantly.


He seemed jumpy, and he was fidgeting with the corner of his napkin as he spoke to her. She noticed every time he spoke at Harry, he looked away, like he was avoiding his eye. Either something had happened or they had had a unique bonding experience that none of them wanted to live down.


“What’s going on?” she asked again.


“I told you, nothing.” snapped Draco.


“I think we should get… packing, yeah lets get packing, Ginny.” said Harry as he grabbed his wife’s hand and led her away from the table.


“Ok, you’re scaring me now.” she said as she looked at him.


“You know I love you, right?” he asked as he took her hand.


“Yes, what’s that got to do with anything?”


“And you know, I’d never ever do anything intentionally to hurt you.”


“Why are you saying all this?” she asked, the fear starting to churn in her gut.


“Hermione…Oh Merlin…I don’t know how to say this.” he said.


“Say what, Draco? Say what?” she almost pleaded.


“I kissed someone last night…that wasn’t you.” he said softly, unable to look her in the eye.


“You..You…What?” she asked, flabbergasted.


“I kissed another woman, last night…Hermione, please you have to believe I never meant for it to happen.” he said as she yanked her hand away from his.


“I think I’m going to be sick.” she said as she stood.


“Please, Hermione. I was out of my tree! Drunk as a skunk, whatever you want to call it! I didn’t mean to do it!”


“Oh god..” she said as she turned and walked away from him.


“Hermione please!” he called after her as she ran out of the hotel and into the street.


The sky was pouring with rain as she stood with her hands covering her face, her small frame shaking with sobs. Draco’s heart ached as he watched her cry, it was something he hated to see, and him being the cause of it made it a thousand times worse. He reached for her only to be pushed away feebly. He just stood in the middle of the street, watching her cry. Her hair was soaked and sticking to her head in long dark panels of thick wetness, her shirt clung to her body, rapidly becoming see through. He tried in vain to hold her, instead he fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around her middle.


“Please, Hermione, please,” he begged, “I’m so, so sorry.”


“How could you?” she said brokenly.


“I don’t know, one minute I was dancing and the next she was kissing me! It lasted for ten seconds before I pushed her away!” he pleaded as he looked up at her.


“Ten seconds to late.” she said as she tried to prise his hands away from her waist, but had no success.


“I can’t…I won’t let you go, Hermione.” he said as his eyes burned with tears.


And so they stood, him on his knees, with his arms around her, in the pouring rain.


Sometimes tears are all there is to say.

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Ok, so this took a lot out of me. It was extremely hard to write, given my current situation but it was in my head and it needed to be let out.

Thank you to my 2 amazing friends, my sisters, by which we are separated by an ocean, Snapes_Goddess and LadyBlueEyes, who have supported and help me a lot! I love you guys!!!

Chapter 2 will be up tomorrow!