Chapter One ~
19th September, 1999
3 months, 9 days since graduation
Dark clouds covered the sky as the sun began setting behind them. A woman with dark brown hair walked up the winding street, pulling her coat closer to her as the wind chilled her skin and licked at her face, exposed through the gaps in her hood. She walked up to the house at the end of the street, the run down double story with a single light shining through the bottom story window that she called home.
The shutters that hung crookedly from the windows had come loose in the gale and slammed loudly into the rustic walls. As she walked up the creaky porch steps she pulled from her pocket a wand made of vine wood with a dragon heartstring core and waved it over the door handle.
Quickly she pocketed it before entering the house with quite a lot of help from the wind and forcing the door closed behind her. Inside the air was still, warm from the fire that she could hear crackling in the other room. She pulled her hood down and began unbuttoning her coat so that she could hang it on the coatrack.
She heard someone enter the room from the kitchen, his heavy footsteps causing the trick floorboard to creak under his weight.
“I’ve been waiting for you.” He said.
She spun around to look at him; he almost didn’t recognise her in her ice blue contact lenses.
“Well I had errands to run.” She said as she walked past him and into the small dining room.
She rested a hand on the table as she looked around at the candles floating by the stormy windows and hovering over the centre of the table. It looked like he had put a lot of effort into this.
“I’m aware.” He said, following her into the room.
“Well some of them turned out to be more difficult than others.” She turned her back to him as she removed her contacts.
She blinked as her eyes adjusted.
“I don’t like it, you out there alone. Especially on a night like this.”
“You don’t need to worry about me. I’m perfectly capable of protecting myself under duress.” She took another look around the room, it was clear, neat.
The books that had been sprawled over the table were tidily arranged in the corner and the coats were all hung so nicely on the rack beside the door.
“Why the change in scenery?” She asked, turning to look at him properly.
He smiled, that half smirk that he knew she loved, he executed it so well. “You didn’t think I would forget your birthday did you?” He asked.
He stepped closer to her, his body drawing nearer slowly. With that smirk still glued to his lips he pressed himself against her and leaned in for a deep, slow kiss. His lips pulled back only an inch and she smiled, biting her lip gently.
“I didn’t think you’d be so careless.” He kissed her again, this time his hands holding her sides, resting on the slender curves of her hips.
She cupped his face in her hands, savouring the taste of his lips, a light stubble on his chin grazing her as she opened her mouth wider to take more of him in.
His hand slipped down her thigh and lifted her until she was seated on the table and her legs were wrapped around his waist. He reached back and let his fingers trace her from ankle to calf and then back over her thigh, lifting the hem of her long coat ever so slightly.
He tore his lips from hers and let them make their way along her chin and down her neck where they kissed her quite marvellously.
“I see you made plans for it then.” She said with that playful arrogance that he enjoyed so much.
“Not so much, I would be happy to do this any day of the year.” He murmured into her neck.
She laughed at his eagerness but pushed him away. His hungry eyes burned with questions and she wouldn’t leave him unanswered.
“I thought you might say that.” Her cheeks flushed a little.
She began to unbutton her large coat, her fingers shaking with both nerves and excitement. His eyes watched her fingers work with absolute attention and it wasn’t until she had released the last button that she let it slide off her shoulders and fall to the table.
She wore a plain T-shirt and her tight black pants and he thought she looked perfect. She never changed herself for him and it made him glad to have someone like her.
He caressed her face before he slid his hand down over her chest. She leant back as his hand glided easily over her stomach and thighs.
“Now, there’s just the question of what to do with you.” He grinned haughtily and she laughed.
“I think you already know that.” She kissed him again and he swept her off her feet and carried her up the narrow staircase.
They reached the small but cosy bedroom and he threw her down on the bed, climbing over her and pressing his warm body into her. He put one hand to her cheek and caressed it gently with his fingertips.
“I love you.” He purred.
“I know,” she teased as he kissed his way down her neck.
These moments made her forget about everything else, she found that she was able to lose herself in him as he buried himself in her. Everything about him made her heart soar and right in that moment it was pounding faster than ever.
He made sure to let her feel every bit as good as he did, never wanting to be selfish. Not with her.
As they held their bodies tighter together and stripped the layers of clothing from their skin their lips continued to melt into one another in a series of kisses that were both tender and scorching.
He always wanted it to be perfect for her.
As they lay beside one another panting she looked over with a smile washing her features, “I love you.” She breathed.
He leant in for a kiss and with a smirk he replied, “I know. So… was there anything you wanted for your birthday?” He said with a weak smile.
She snuggled up close to him. “How could there be anything else that I could want?”
They shared a kiss and she rolled out of bed to shower. The hot water felt amazing on her hypersensitive skin. She was covered in goose bumps but it wasn’t the weather that had shivers running through her.
Once she dressed she wandered downstairs in her long sleeved shirt and jeans only to find that there was more than one man standing in her kitchen. The two of them didn’t get along all that well but they had made more of an effort since she had become their mutual friend. She could never fully explain to them how much that mean to her.
“You’re here.” She said and the two of them turned to look at her.
“Yeah, it’s your birthday. You didn’t think I’d miss your birthday did you?” He smiled and she ran over to hug him. “By the way, there’s a present over there from mum, she wants to know when she’ll be seeing you.”
She didn’t let him go for a few seconds more, she hadn’t seen him in two weeks and any friendly faces are a welcome sight, his in particular.
The first man turned away sullenly, he wouldn’t let his jealousy at her fondness for him ruin their night – even if he had to share it.
“Let me guess,” she pulled back and looked up at him with a smile. “A new sweater?”
He laughed and pulled his coat off and hung it over the back of the chair. “Probably, you know what she’s like, always fussing.”
She grinned and reached up to kiss his cheek before turning to the parcel sitting atop the table. Her fingers untied the string and she turned it over to carefully peel off the tape.
Both men watched as she pulled away the paper to reveal a hand knitted set of mittens and matching bobble hat. She smiled at the gesture and knew she would definitely wear them out in the coming cold weather.
“I guess you were wrong about the sweater.” The first man muttered.
“These are just as good – better even! Make sure you thank her for me.” She said, ignoring the tone in her lover’s voice.
“She can't wait to see you, when do you think that will be?” He asked.
She sighed. “Not for a while yet I suppose, I only just got the last of the things I need to make the potion.”
“Well we can wait, for as long as you need. Oh, and while I think of it…” He reached down into his coat and pulled out another small parcel from one of the inside pockets. “For you Hermione, for your birthday.” His smile was warm and caring and her face positively radiated happiness.
“Oh Ron! You didn’t have to!” She took the parcel from him and began to unwrap it.
She didn’t have to remove the paper to know that it was a book. Its hard cover was obvious under the thin brown wrapping.
Difficult Incantations and Advanced Magic: Third Edition.
“I love it, thank you!” She reached over and gave his hand a squeeze. “I think Draco is preparing something for dinner.” She looked up at him and he gave her a sad excuse for a smile.
She wandered over to where he stood in the kitchen, his back now turned to her. She placed one hand gently on his back and stroked his shoulder blades gently, leaving a tender kiss on his arm.
She knew he didn’t like it when Ron came by, his jealousy was always more obvious than he would have preferred. There was still one more face to come and he had been preparing this meal all day in the hope that he could impress her and avoid looking the fool in front of her friends. The one person he actually felt comfortable around wouldn’t be joining them; she was back at school for her final year.
As if on cue there was a feeble knock on the door and Ron stood up from his place at the table. “I’ll get it.”
When he was out of earshot Hermione leant in close to whisper in Draco’s ear. “I know you would rather not have them here, but they’re doing a lot for us, and they’re all I have now.”
He sighed. They meant so much to her and he knew it. He would never deny her the chance to see them, especially when he knows what it feels like to be completely alone.
“And you’re all I have, so if they make you happy I won't make a fuss.” She turned his chin toward her and gave him a kiss; his words making her feel lucky to be where she was.
“Sorry I’m late; my grandmother wouldn’t stop pestering me.” Neville walked in, a grand smile on his face and Hermione threw her arms around him for a brief embrace.
“I’m just glad to see you, how’s Luna going?” She asked and they sat down at the table.
Draco stayed in the kitchen, cooking a welcome distraction from the visitors that he still couldn’t quite call friend.
“Great, she’s glad to be back, she says Ginny’s still ignorin’ her though.” He shrugged a little.
Poor Luna, Ginny was the only one left to really understand her and with the rest of them gone she was all but alone.
“Ginny’s ignoring everyone.” Ron said with a sigh.
Hermione could see the mood turning sour and as much as she wanted it to be a happy occasion she knew that happy moments were always marred by the empty chairs that sat around the small table and the people who should be sitting in them.
“And Harry?” She asked with hope in her voice but none in her heart.
Ron shook his head. “It’s impossible in that house, between the two of them not talking to me and mum non-stop talking to me I don’t have a moment to think about anything else.”
Silence filled the room for a moment, all of them thinking about how different it could have been.
Draco hated that silence. He knew that it was he who caused it, the rift between the once stable group that they were was torn by his relationship with Hermione. He loved her, and wouldn’t trade her for anything, but sometimes he wished they could just go back so that she could be completely happy again.
“I think I brought a dark cloud with me.” Neville muttered.
Hermione shook her head, “nonsense, we just need to stop dwelling on the bad things.”
“I think I’ll give Draco a hand.” Neville said stiffly.
Out of the two of them he was the one who tried the hardest to be nice to him. It was clear that they were the most out of place pair imaginable but they both tolerated one another and put aside their past differences to try, each for an equally extraordinary girl.
If it weren’t for Luna he might not even be here, and there was no way that Draco would last all this time without saying something derogatory to Neville if it wasn’t for Hermione.
He had changed though, those thoughts never occupied his mind anymore. He accepted Neville, more than he did Ron, but that was more to do with jealousy than anything else.
The two of them silently worked together in the kitchen until the meal was ready and Hermione waved her wand to bring the plates over to the table.
“I uh, brought us some proper butterbeer, to celebrate.” Neville pulled out a large bottle from his satchel bag and smiled.
“Well go on, pour us a glass!” Ron said, the grin spreading from ear to ear.
They poured out four glasses and Draco held his up in the air. “Happy birthday Hermione.” He said, his loving smile reserved only for her and she blushed.
“Happy birthday.” The others repeated and they took longs sips from their glasses.
They were determined to enjoy this fleeting moment of calm before the storm finally arrives.