Fait à la Perfection

23

James had gone with Hermione to the restaurant with her for the following week. All the cooks took him under their wing and even Florence loved seeing James in the kitchen.

Right now Hermione was showing him how to cook pasta when Nicolette came up to her.

"There's someone outside."

"Who?" Hermione asked.

"I think it's best if you go talk to them."

Hermione exhaled and looked at James.

"Can you keep an eye on him?" She asked. Nicolette nodded and Hermione stepped outside.

"Malfoy?"

He pushed off the wall and turned to her. He looked like hell as if he hadn't slept properly. 

"What are you doing here?" She asked him.

"Can we step outside?" He asked.

Hermione glanced towards the kitchen. James was being distracted by Nicolette and Archie was mouthing at her to go.

She sighed and nodded. Malfoy led her out and into an alleyway. It was slightly raining and both of them casted an umbrella over themselves to keep them dry.

"What?" She snapped.

"James got suspended?"

"So you did receive my millions of calls and messages? Good, I thought a troll ate you," she spat, "how dare you ghost me for a week and then come here acting all normal?! I needed you Malfoy, James—James was asking for you and I had to keep covering for you."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I needed time to think."

"About what?!" She snapped.

"About what you told me."

She exhaled angrily.

"Why?"

"Because it was a lot to process, now..."

"Well now what?" She asked angrily, "Malfoy I needed you, I know what I said freaked you out but I thought I could rely on you, I'm losing my kids, James is...James is as broken as I am and I can't help him because I'm barely getting better myself and I feel like such a hypocrite, Molly...she tried to sabotage me and it worked, she ruined James's reputation at school and they'll use this against me...James needed uou and you weren't there, hate me all you want for being broken but James needed you...and you weren't there."

He reached for her but she pushed his hand away.

Love always ends up hurting a person. Whether intentional or not. Putting yourself in a position where you are going to get hurt is not work it. Hermione learned that the hard way.

"Granger—"

"Piss off Malfoy," she whispered, "I don't need you anymore, we'll only communicate when James needs you, other than that...leave me alone."

She went back into the restaurant. Wiping her tears away as she tried to mend her shattering heart. She stood by the door. Waiting for him to enter. To tell her no, he wasn't leaving.

But after five minutes of waiting. He didn't enter.

He left.

"Hermione!"

Hermione jumped and turned to see James waving at her eagerly. She pushed away her emotions and entered the kitchen with a smile. Nicolette looked at her but Hermione shook her head.

But what she never knew was that Malfoy was standing outside, drenched in clothes since the rain began to pour. Rain which washed away his tears.

Has she looked up a second earlier. She would have seen him. But alas...she didn't. And when she looked up, he was gone.

<><><>

Draco sulked in the darkness of his office with a tumbler in his hand. His house was quiet, too quiet, he had given the elves the day off and now he was alone.

He took a large gulp and stood up. Grabbing his wand he apperated to the cemetery and made his way to the tombstone.

He sat down and stared at the name.

"Hello Mr. Granger," he murmured, he sniffed and took a sip from the bottle he brought with him, "I messed it up...you can thank my ancestors for that, Malfoy's don't handle difficult situations very well...and I found out that your daughter — the love of my life — lost our child years ago and I fled like a sodding coward...and now...well now she doesn't want anything to do with me..."

He ran a hand through his hair once more.

"I really wish I was sharing this drink with you in a different way...but alas I am cursed to die alone pining after the brightest witch of the age, all because I was an idiot and I left when I knew...I knew it was a sensitive matter..."

He looked at the grave.

"She misses you sir," he whispered, "and...and even though she might never tell me...I think I know how you died...and I have to ask...why? I mean I've been there...truly been there...but...I had nothing to live for and I stayed...you had everything...why did you leave?"

"Draco?"

He scrambled up to his feet but accidentally tripped over his own limbs. He struggled to get up once more and looked at Jean Granger-Wilkins.

"M-Mrs. Granger."

"I already told you to call me Jean, Draco...Draco...how...how are you here?" She asked.

Draco sighed.

"She bought you here?" Jean whispered, "s-she came?"

Draco nodded softly. She sat down on the bench and cried softly into her hand.

"It's been years..." she whispered, "it's been twenty two years since she has been here..."

Draco sat beside her.

"Has she told you?" She asked.

Draco shook his head.

"Do you know? Or at least suspect?"

He nodded.

"And I take it something happened between the two of you for you to be here?"

He nodded again.

She sighed.

"My daughter is...brilliant, always has been...but since Bobby...since Bobby died...she...she has put this wall around her, blocking everyone including me out...and she tends to overreact sometimes, sort of a way to enforce these walls...some part of her knows that she must have reacted irrationally...but she's scared—terrified..."

"I was—"

"She blames herself for what happened to my husband," she blurted out, "but...but it was my fault...I knew and I still left him alone...she won't listen...but it was my fault."

Jean cried. Draco placed a hand over hers.

"It's neither of your fault," he whispered, "it just...won..."

She sniffed and looked at him.

"My daughter wants to love you Draco," she said, "I can see it in her eyes...she wants to love you...please be patient with her...you bought me back my little girl, I-I truly thought I lost her when I lost my husband...but you bringing her back...thank you..."

He nodded.

"Bobby will always be the love of my life..." she whispered, "but Richard helped me get back on my feet and he...he breathed life back into me...you have done the same to Hermione...just please...be patient with her...you're breaking her walls...walls thay she built when she was six years old...no one that young should experience that sort of pain ..but you are helping my daughter...she's falling in love with you...just give her a little more time, please..."

Little did she knows that Draco was willing until wait until time ran out.

He would wait for Hermione until all the stars in the sky went dim.

Because he was utterly in love with Hermione Granger and had been for almost two decades.