Fait à la Perfection

41

Hermione cut some celery as her mind wandered. Her finger glistened with the ring every few minutes and it brought a smile to her face each time.

"Hermione."

Hermione dropped the knife as she exhaled shakily, her eyes began to water as she slowly turned.

"Daddy," Hermione sobbed. She threw her arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder. He looked just like she remembered. He held her close as she wept.

"You've gotten so big," he whispered, "you're so beautiful..."

"Why did you leave me?" She sobbed, "why wasn't I enough for you? Why wasn't mum enough for you?"

He sighed softly as he held her closer.

"You were more than enough for me," he whispered, "you and your mother were worth more than anything."

"Then why did you leave?!" She yelled, pushing him back, "why did you leave me?!"

He reached for her but she shoved his hand away.

"You broke mum! You broke me! Why did you leave me?! Why did you abandon me?! You just gave up on us! You say that we were more than enough and you just gave up!"

Years of pent up anger and pain began flowing out. She always imagined what would happen if she ever got the chance to see her father once more.

And she was telling him all the pain and hurt she has endured because he gave up on her.

She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Her father put his hands on her shoulders. She cried painfully as he pulled her hands away.

"No matter what I did...what I went through...you and your mother were the best things that ever happened to me. I loved you and your mother from my first breath to my very last one...I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to stay. But know...you are a lot stronger than I ever was...I'm so proud of you."

Hermione awoke with a gasp. She sat up as a snap of thunder echoed outside.

Draco slept soundly beside her. His bare back flexed as his head was tucked under his pillow.

Hermione looked at the clock beside her and realized that it was a time that no one should be awake.

She slowly crept out of the bed and grabbed her coat and shoes before sneaking out.

There was a place she had to go. It didn't matter what time it was. Something told her to go there.

Hermione pulled into the parking lot and slowly began walking down the cobblestone. Passing tombstones both new and old. She reached a bench and exhaled shakily as she flicked her hand and an invisible umbrella hovered her and the bench dried.

She sat down and looked at the tombstone in front of her. The new flowers were drenched and the granite was almost black. She put her head on her knee as she looked at it.

"Hi daddy," she rasped, sniffing as she curled up tighter, "it's been a while...hasn't it?"

Hermione didn't know how long she stayed there. She had forgotten her cell phone and knew that Draco was probably losing his mind.

But she just wanted to be alone. To mourn her father.

A sudden splash snapped her out of her thoughts and she turned to see Richard walking up to her.

She wiped her eyes as he sat down beside her. The umbrella shield her from the external storm but not from the internal storm.

"How did you find me?" She rasped.

He sat down and looked at the gravestone.

"I knew that you would come here eventually...it was only a matter of time before you were ready to mourn."

Hermione sniffed and looked at him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"What for?"

"Because you weren't just my stepfather, you were the man who was willing to love me like your own daughter...why?"

He smiled sadly.

"I could never have children of my own. When I met your mother, I fell in love with her within minutes. She told me about Robert...and she told me about you. I hadn't even met you yet and I was already loving you like my own. I know that in another universe; your father is alive and well. But I knew that if there was any timeline that the roles were reversed...I'd want him caring for my daughter like she was his own...so I vowed to him to love you and protect you like my own."

Hermione put her head on his shoulder. 

"Thank you..." she whispered. She sniffed and snuggled closer to him, "dad..."

He stilled momentarily before wrapping an arm around her shoulder. He kissed her forehead and smiled softly.

She raised her head slightly.

"Will you walk me down the aisle?" She whispered softly.

He looked down at her.

"Let me get you home first, your mother is climbing the walls and Draco is close to having a panic attack."

Hermione looked at the tombstone.

"He's a good man, isn't he?" She whispered. "Draco?"

"He is."

"Different from the boy that he was...he's more..."

"Free."

"Free," she repeated, "oh gods, if you told twelve year old me that—"

"I couldn't tell you anything at that age," he chuckled, "you didn't like me telling you anything."

She wrapped her arms around his chest.

"If you had told me at that age that I would call utterly in love with Draco Malfoy, I would have laughed in your face...but now...for the past few years...he's all I can think about...and now..."

"He's your reason to smile."

She nodded.

"I can see why my mother loves you," she said, "because you make her smile."

He rubbed her bicep.

"Let's get you home, like I said, both your mother and fiancé are about to call a search party."

Hermione got up and walked to the tombstone. She touched the stone before leaning forward and kissing it softly.

"Goodbye daddy...I'll come back soon."

William helped her up and let her to her car. They drove back to her home and as soon as Hermione walked in: she was bombarded by her mother quickly giving her a once over while asking a dozen questions a second.

"Mum—"

"Granger."

Hermione looked over her mother's shoulder and she quickly walked up to him and hugged him tightly before kissing him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm sorry for leaving."

He kissed her back.

"You look different," he murmured against her lips.

"I am different," she whispered as she looked over her shoulder. William smiled and nodded slightly before leading her mother into the kitchen. Hermione looked back at Draco.

"Let's get our children back...I want them to be there for our wedding."