A/N: Before I begin, this story will take place just a few years after war. I don't want anyone to get confused, that's all.
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What had she done wrong? Everything was going perfectly as planned, right? She was in love with him and he was in love with her. When two people loved each other so dearly, marriage was obviously something to think about. But something happened. What had she done wrong?
Everything had been perfect. Just a few weeks ago, she had accidentally stumbled upon a wedding ring in one of Ron's jacket pockets. She had tried desperately hard to look nonchalant and casual all two weeks. And tonight - tonight was the night he was supposed to propose. He had told her to wear something nice and meet him at the restaurant across from their flat. He had told her he had something important to tell her. He had told her he would be waiting for her to come. And she got ready as quickly as she could, put on her best dress, styled her hair meticulously, and even took extra time to make sure she put on the perfume he liked the most. She was ready to go.
But then he broke up with her. Instead of him going down on one knee and proposing to her, he took her hand and broke up with her.
Hermione opened a bottle of firewhiskey and reached for a glass. She looked down at it and shook her head, putting it back in place as she took a long sip of the drink straight of the bottle. The drink burned and stung as it slipped down her throat, causing Hermione to shut her eyes tightly. She finally slammed the bottle down next to her as she stood in her empty flat, instantly feeling cold and lonely.
The brunette heard a crack and knew who it was. "You heard?" She asked quietly, eyeing the bottle of firewhiskey once more. Maybe she could drown the pain and numb it out.
"Hermione, what happened?" The fiery redhead walked over to her friend with concern running across her face.
"Ron dumped me." She answered harshly and suddenly felt an empty void in her heart. It felt different saying it out loud. It actually happened - Ron had actually dumped her. "Ron dumped me." She repeated again, gaining a sense of clarity from that one sentence. Hermione turned to her friend with a look of confusion. "I can't believe it. We're over."
Ginny sighed deeply and put her hand on her friend's back, rubbing circles to comfort her. "What happened?" She asked quietly, peering over at her friend curiously. "Everything was going great, you two were great just a few days ago. How did this happen?"
The empty pit in her stomach, the deep pain in her heart, and the reality of her relationship hit her all at once. Tears spilled out of her eyes as they sailed down her rosy cheeks. "I don't know." She answered truthfully, shaking her head and blinking away more tears. "I don't know, Ginny. What did I do wrong?"
Ginny pulled Hermione into a warm hug, patting her back. "It's okay, Hermione ... it's okay." She whispered softly into her friend's ear. "Ron ... is stupid, Hermione. He doesn't deserve you - you deserve someone so much better than my brother. I promise, you're going to find him soon. You're okay, Hermione, you're okay."
Hermione sniffled as she pulled away from the hug, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "Everyone knows, don't they?" She asked, her lips trembling. "I thought he was going to propose to me tonight." Her voice cracked as a new wave of sadness and anger hit her. "I thought he was proposing, Ginny."
"Hermione, I'm so sorry." Ginny spoke softly, not knowing what to say. It was her older brother who had caused her best friend such pain. What was she supposed to do?
"I'm so stupid. I should've seen the signs." Hermione said and nodded. "There were signs everywhere and I was stupid to overlook them. He became a little distant a week ago, I thought he was just getting nervous because he was going to propose to me. I thought he was just nervous, I didn't think he stopped loving me. God, I'm so stupid." Hermione whispered as she broke down again, this time she covered her face with her hands as she silently cried.
"Did he even say why? Did he even try to explain himself?" Ginny asked, leading her friend to the couch and sitting her down.
Hermione nodded as she sniffled, wiping her tears away with the her hands. "He said he ... needed time to think. That he wasn't sure if we were ready to marry. He said he had to figure something out. And then he left." Hermione explained and sighed deeply. She thought she would cry again but it seemed that all the tears were gone. There were no more tears to shed. Now, she just felt empty and heartbroken. "It's really over between us." Hermione said quietly and nodded, sniffling.
"Hermione, I --"
"Thank you for coming by." Hermione cut in as she turned to look at her friend with big, red, puffy eyes. "You should go back to Harry now." She said and Ginny knew Hermione wanted to be alone now.
"Are you sure?" Ginny asked with furrowed brows.
Hermione nodded. "Of course." She sighed out, staring blankly as the ground. She heard a sigh and small footsteps then a crack. She was alone. Hermione curled up into a small ball, positioning herself into the fetal position as she buried her face into the pillow.
She was too tired to change out of her dress, to take off her makeup, and to pull her hair out of its elegant bun.
Maybe the pain would be gone tomorrow morning.
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The next day, Hermione stirred awake by the sound of plates clattering and bread popping out of the toaster. She abruptly sat up with surprise as she groggily looked around the place. She yawned and stretched, glancing around the empty bedroom. Wait, bedroom? She slept on the couch last night. What in the world? Hermione glanced down at her attire to see she was still in her dress and her hair was in what seemed to be a squished, undone bun.
She furrowed her eyebrows at the sound of another plate clattering down on the floor. What was going on? Hermione grabbed her blanket and wrapped it around her body as if she was a mummy and walked out of her bedroom. "Hello?" She called out and poked her head into the living room, then caught sight of red hair. "Ron?" Hermione asked, her eyes lightening up with hope.
"You're finally awake? When did you go to sleep last night?" Ron asked, beaming at her as he flipped an egg over. "Come on, let's eat."
Hermione stopped in her tracks and looked around. "I'm dreaming, aren't I? This isn't real."
"What are you talking about, 'Mione?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "You feeling alright?" Ron turned the stove off and walked over to her, placing a hand on her forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever. What's wrong?"
Hermione shook her head, taking a step back. "No, this isn't real."
"What are you talking about, Hermione? How many drinks did you have last night?" Ron asked with a small chuckle.
The brunette shook her head profusely and began to walk backwards, suddenly tripping over and falling hard on the ground.
knock, knock, knock.
Hermione groaned as she rubbed her arm from falling. What is that sound? She opened her eyes and saw that she was on the ground. "What the ..." She quickly sat up and looked around for any sign of Ron but saw nothing. Her flat was empty. She was alone. "It was a dream .. more like a nightmare." Hermione had simply fallen off the couch while sleeping. Sighing, she looked outside the window to see that the town was still asleep. The sun was shining brightly as its rays peaked through her house.
knock, knock, knock.
Who was banging on her door so early in the morning? Hermione groaned and looked down to see that she was still in her dress. "Damn.." She walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. "Who is it?" She called out and saw a flash of black hair. "Harry?" She opened the door and in walked in Harry. "Harry, what are you doing here so early in the morning? And why didn't you apparate yourself in here?"
"I was with Ron with last night and I just wanted to make sure he didn't think I was coming over to you. I just thought it'd be more safe to just do it the muggle way." He explained, glancing at his friend's attire. "You look --"
"Awful? I know. I feel dreadful." Hermione admitted with a small laugh, rubbing the back of her neck.
"I was going to say tired." Harry flashed her a crooked smile and walked over, hugging her. "Are you okay?" He asked.
Hermione nodded and pulled away from the hug. "I've been better but ... I guess I am. I mean, there's honestly nothing I can do, right?"
"I talked to Ron last night and ... Hermione, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you last night."
"No, don't be ridiculous. Ron probably needed a friend as well and you're his best mate." Hermione said with a weak smile. "I'm fine. You didn't have to come."
"No, I wanted to make sure you were okay. What Ron did - it wasn't right. I'm sorry, Hermione."
"Stop saying you're sorry. There's nothing you have to apologize for, anyways. Ron and I were just not meant to be, as much as it hurts to admit it. I guess we weren't."
"So what are you going to do now?"
"What do you mean?"
"You two are over but ... is the friendship over?"
Hermione stared at the ground for a long time and shook her head. "I honestly don't know, Harry. Ron just ... left after he broke up with me. I don't know."
"Just know Ginny and I are here for you, 'Mione." He said, patting his hand on her arm.
"Yeah, I know.." Hermione replied with a nod, but deep down, she knew that already, there was a thin line of division among her and her friends. "Thanks for coming over, Harry. I should wash up and ..." She looked around for an excuse. "Clean the house."
"You're always welcome to our home," Harry told her reassuringly and smiled one last time before walking out of the house.
Hermione sighed deeply and slumped her shoulders. "Right." She whispered and headed for the bathroom to start a dreadful new day.
---
Draco stared at the picture of gorgeous girl and scoffed lightly, tossing it down on the table and turning to look at his mother. "Mother, when you called me over for tea this morning, I wasn't expecting you to throw a picture of a girl at me. What is the meaning of this?" He asked, sitting back in his chair, leaving his tea to grow cold.
"Draco, I think it's time for you to settle down. With your father gone, you are the one to lead our family and you must help uphold family traditions, and most of all - produce an heir." Narcissa explained to her son tenderly as she eyed the picture of the woman. "That is Astoria Greengrass and she is the woman I would like you to marry."
"I do recall telling you that I'd like to choose my own wife. We went over this conversation a year ago. You told me I could choose my own wife, what happened to our little deal?"
"Draco, that was a year ago, like you said. I told you that I would let you choose your own wife within that year. That year has passed and you did not find a wife, so it's up to me to choose --"
"No, you didn't say I had to bring a girl home within that year. You simply said I could choose my own wife."
"And where is that lucky woman to wed my handsome son?" Narcissa asked with the slightest smile on her face as she challenged her son with daring eyes. When she heard silence, she nodded and sipped her tea. "Now, you are to wed Astoria Greengrass. If you want to continue living alone in that flat of yours, I suggest you listen to me, love and do as I say. I have already talked to her parents and they agreed to the wedding."
Draco sighed deeply as he shut his eyes. His own mother was threatening him with his flat. He loved living alone in his flat and she knew that. What a wicked woman. No, he couldn't let his mother win so easily. He had to do something to change her mind - something to secure his hold on his flat. "I found someone." Draco quickly said, shooting up from his seat. "Mother, I have a girlfriend." He lied as he confidently looked down at his mother. "Did you think your only son was living a reckless single life for the past year?" He asked incredulously, trying his hardest to sell his lie. "Mother, I am disappointed in your weak faith in me."
Narcissa's eyes brightened as she put the cup down with surprise. "Is that so? The last time I heard, my precious son was caught with many different women the past year." She told him with a small chuckle. "Draco, you cannot fool your mother--"
"Mother, I met her a few months ago. We've been ... dating in secret because well, she's different." He explained as he racked his brain for a plausible lie to tell his mother. "We've only been dating for a few months and I don't think she's ready for marriage nor am I. I wanted to get to know her more before introducing her to you."
His mother raised an eyebrow as she sighed. She leaned back in her chair and Draco knew he had her hooked. He just had to continue with the lie.
"Truth is, mother, I don't think you'll approve of her."
"And why is that?"
"Well, she's someone you wouldn't like."
"If this woman is going to marry my son, I'm sure I can make an exception or change my view on her. Draco, who is this woman?"
"It's ..." Draco looked around the room and finally his eyes landed on the newspaper and his eyes widened with joy when he saw a certain article written by Rita Skeeter. The article was in bold printing: THE BELOVED COUPLE HAS SPLIT with a moving picture of Weasley and Granger splitting apart. Granger.
"Draco, I'm waiting." Narcissa said with a pinch of impatience as she let out a deep sigh.
"Mother, don't be alarmed when I tell you." He said, sitting back in his seat and reaching for his mother's hands. He placed his warm hands over her small cold ones. "I'm dating Hermione Granger."
Narcissa's eyes widened as she gasped, her jaw dropping.
Draco hid his smirk as he looked down, trying hard to control his expression. He had won.
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Remember when I said I'd have another Dramione up? Yeah, that was just a few minutes ago. I'm kind of obsessed with Dramione and I couldn't wait to start posting this. lol This is just the introduction of this story. This story will be a lot more fluffy and light rather than dark. I hope you enjoyed and hopefully it's okay :) I really like this idea and I hope I can execute it well enough like I want to. Please drop a comment below and tell me what you thought about it & also vote! :)
xoxo Annie