Never Give Up

Chapter Nineteen

Draco’s eyes, the grey ones that he could use on girls to his advantage, spotted Hermione when the pub door opened. Draco looked her up and down, slowly. Her hair was loose, just how he liked it, and curly but not frizzy like it usually was. She wore light make up: a brush of mascara and a touch of pale lipstick. Hermione wore a tight fit green top and some jeans, carrying a white handbag which matched her coat. She shivered slightly into her white scarf and peeled her gloves off.

‘Granger,’ Draco called out, holding up his hand. Immediately, her eyes caught his gaze and Draco felt glad that she had reacted so quickly to her surname... or the surname she used to have. He couldn't bear to call her Weasley, it felt wrong on his tongue – foreign, almost.

‘You ordered me a drink?’ Hermione asked, noticing the two glasses in front of him. He nodded, gesturing to the seat in front of him. Warily, Hermione sat down and put her handbag on her lap. She looked down at the drink as though a dragon would erupt out of it, ‘what is it?’

‘Butterbeer. Don’t worry, I haven’t poisoned it,’ Draco replied, pushing it closer to her. Hermione rolled her eyes at him and took a little sip. She licked her lips and nodded her head in approval of the taste. Draco watched her closely,

‘I’m used to stronger drinks since I’m not pregnant anymore. Plus, it’s a way of relaxing, especially when Amelia started school,’ Hermione explained and then blushed a little at Draco’s raise of eyebrow. He obviously couldn’t imagine Hermione being drunk but he said nothing. He wanted to hear her voice, it was like music to his open ears. Hermione shrugged, ‘but it’s nice to have some butterbeer instead of firewhiskey.’

‘Your eyes are a lighter shade of brown,’ Draco stated when there was an awkward silence between them. Hermione didn't blush, nor did she look away in embarrassment, like Draco had expected she would. She gazed into his eyes, narrowing hers slightly, wondering what he wanted from her and how he could notice such an insignificant detail like her eye colour. Draco stared right back at her, ‘your eyes used to be a chocolate colour and now they’re... almost copper.’

Hermione said nothing, she stared at him. Her, apparently, copper coloured eyes gazed into the grey eyes that had not changed colour at all. Draco’s eyes seemed to still be brewing up a grey storm. Hermione sighed, even Fred doesn’t notice her change of hair or eye colour. Hermione would be surprised if Fred noticed that she had a hair cut! How can Draco notice such a small and unimportant factor such as her eyes? Draco smirked at her when she was the first to look away.

‘I saw you at the train station when I dropped of Scorpius. I compared you to your nineteen year old self and I have to admit, you don’t look that different. Not a day older than nineteen. It’s just your hair...’ Draco roamed his eyes over her brown hair that was in a bun at the back of her head. Soft waves of hair came down, framing her face as she looked up at him.

‘What’s wrong with my hair?’ Hermione asked, almost defensively. Draco smiled at her, shrugging.

‘Matter of opinion, love. My opinion is that I think you suit your hair loose and curly. Like how you had it when you were nineteen,’ Draco shrugged and he swore he saw a ghost of a smile appear on Hermione’s face but it soon disappeared as she drank her butterbeer.

‘You can’t turn back time,’ Hermione whispered.

‘If you could?’ asked Draco and she looked up at him with confusion. His smile slid off his face and he repeated the question with a little explanation, ‘if you could turn back time, would you? Would you not get pregnant, not meet Weasley? Would you change your life?’

‘I love Fred. I’d give my life for him,’ Hermione said and she did not see Draco since as though in physical pain. Hermione sighed down at her drink and looked up at him, ‘I’ve been through a lot when I was pregnant. Fred started to drink and I felt as though I was losing him. We broke up because of you, you took away everything I had but... would I change that? The answer is no. Fred and I are as close as we ever could be and I love him so much. I had to go through all that and it made me who I am today. I wouldn’t give Amelia up for anything either. Of course, I wished you didn't take away our source of money and I still haven’t forgiven you for that-’