𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐀 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄 [𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞]

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞

HERMIONE was exhausted.

Pedro had taken time off in order to spend time with his family, leaving Hermione, Avery and Aaron to cover for him. Hermione had to cut her lunch break in half so she could take care of his tasks as well as her own, some days she didn't even have time for a lunch break.

Today had been one of those days, and to make matters worse, she had to work longer hours. 

She hadn't been able to stop all day, her feet were aching terribly and she had a horrible headache. All she wanted to do was to arrive home, spend time with Ron, and then go to bed.

Now, she was waiting for Avery in the corridors while she was taking care of Malfoy for the night. She wasn't supposed to, but Hermione had begged her to.

Malfoy had been on her nerves all week, almost as though he were reverting back to his old ways—only without the violet name calls and the direct insults. He was being rude to her, and even though she didn't want to; she understood why.

He thought they were going to send him back to his coma where he would lay in the basement of St. Mungo's hospital alone for the rest of his life, however long that was.

Hermione glanced down at her watch, letting out a low sigh as it was nearly half past eleven. She needed to get to sleep soon as her shift started at eight o'clock the next morning. She didn't think she could handle his snootiness if she was tired.

Her head shot up at the sound of footsteps clattering against the tiles, then smiled at the sight of Avery approaching her. They headed for the elevators and travelled up to the ground level.

"What a long day, huh?" The blonde witch said. "I'm so relieved it's over."

Hermione nodded, "Too long, if you ask me."

A singular laugh passed Avery's lips as the doors for the elevators reopened and the two women stepped out, walking towards the exit. Hermione gave a sincere smile at the receptionist as she passed, which they kindly returned.

A cold gush of wind immediately hit their faces as soon as they left the building, causing Hermione to hug herself tighter as she consistently tried to rub away the goosebumps growing on her arms.

Avery then met Hermione's eyes, saying to her. "Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day."

The brunette nodded, "Hopefully."

"Well, goodnight then." The blonde witch smiled, pulling Hermione in for a quick hug. "Give Ron my best wishes." 

"I will, and the same goes for Jason."

Avery smiled and took a step back as Hermione sharply apparated away.

It took her a few long seconds to get back to her feet once she arrived. She wasn't too fond of apparating; it made her head spin and her stomach churn, but it was the fastest and easiest way home, though it required a lot of energy.

She picked herself and her bag up from the floor and stared up at her apartment buildings. Muggle apartment buildings. She convinced Ron years back to live in a Muggle area after they married, and he was still adjusting to the new scenery and lifestyle.

She brushed out the creases in her dress before beginning to walk towards the large clear doors. The heat fanned her face as she stepped in, wiping her feet on the mat before making her way towards her mailbox.

"Good evening, Hermione. You're home late again." Hermione spun around at the familiar voice and smiled.

"Hello Geoffrey." She greeted him. "Pedro is still on his holidays, and someone has to do his job for him." 

The man laughed, and waved goodbye as Hermione headed up the stairs. She was a few flights up, on the fifth floor.

If she thought she was tired before, there wasn't even a word to describe how tired she was now.

She strolled down the corridor until she eventually got to her apartment. She couldn't wait to change into comfortable wear and cuddle up on the sofa with Ron as they watched another episode of their favorite show.

She turned the knob and pushed it in, stepping into her home, closing the door behind her. She groaned at the mess; newspapers everywhere, shoes left by the sofa, books left on the table, and a game of wizard's chess that had just been completely abandoned.

Hermione hung her bag off the chair and slipped off her shoes as her eyes scanned the room. "Seriously, Ron!" She took in a deep breath; she didn't have the energy to be mad.

There was no response.

She thought that was rather odd and began to search through the apartment. Surely he was here, he would have told her if he wasn't.

She started off with the kitchen, considering that that was his favorite room, but he wasn't there. He wasn't in the living room or the bathroom either, and so she began to make her way towards the bedroom.

The door was closed, which she thought was strange. Maybe he was too tired to wait for her and decided to go to bed early. But he couldn't of, the light was still.

She balled her fist and raised it to the door, but before she could knock, she heard something that sat uncomfortably in her stomach.

There were gasps and moans coming from the bedroom.

Hermione instantly stumbled back, her hand clasping over her mouth as her chest ached. Maybe he was watching porn, she thought to herself—or rather hoped. Maybe he was just getting off.

She steadied her breathing just enough to listen, she hated this.

"Oh, Ron!"

That broke her. 

Hermione shook her head in disbelief and widened her eyes as she stumbled back, her head spinning and her heart shattering. Her hands trembled and her knees almost buckled. She felt as if she was going to retch.

Why would he do this to her? She had tried her best to provide him with all her love and affection she had inside of her. Working late this week had been really hard on their relationship, but she didn't think it would end up like this.

She couldn't believe it; there was a stranger in her home, in her bed, shacking it up with her husband. Even thinking about it made her sick. 

What was she going to do? She didn't know. She backed away from her bedroom as tears prickled in her eyes and a huge lump expanded in her throat. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't—

Maybe that was how Malfoy felt.

Her throat tightened as she thought about it, but she desperately needed a distraction. Maybe she finally understood why he acted the way he did when he was strapped to that chair. He felt betrayed and hurt by them—she felt betrayed and hurt by her husband. 

The moaning had started to get louder and it was clear to Hermione what she had to do; she had to get out of there immediately. She didn't know if it would be forever, but for the time being, she didn't want to be anywhere near Ron.

Hermione shuffled through a drawer for some spare parchment a quill, once she found them, she began to write.

Ronald,

Tell Harry and Ginny that I won't be able to make dinner this weekend and that I'm sorry.

-Hermione.

She wanted to make her letter longer, but she had nothing she wanted to say to him. She grabbed her bag and her coat, draped them over her arm and slipped back on her shoes before leaving. It wasn't until she heard the click of the door behind her that she finally let go of her tears she had been suppressing.

She found herself running through the corridor and down the flights of stairs. Luckily for her, Geoffrey was out of sight. She pushed the door open and ran out at a rapid pace. She wasn't sure where she would go.

But she kept running.