I'll Always Be There for You...

I'll always be there for you...

Chapter 15

As soon as I heard Draco walking down the hallway to his room I got up and then went into the bathroom to have a shower. Then I got dressed for the party that night.

Tonight, I decided that I didn't want to get dressed very fancily. I just wanted something simple and something that suited me.

In the end I ended up wearing an off the shoulder green dress that went just past my knees. I put on minimal makeup and then swept my hair into a small clip at the back.

We got to the party just as people were still arriving.

We handed our invitation to the person at the front and they let us in. The hall was filled with people, milling around, some in dress robes, while others in Muggle attire.

Lots of people recognized me and said hello.

Draco found his old pal Blaise in a few minutes. Since I refused to even look at his face, I went off walking around the hall on my own.

I found Julie and started talking to her. After a few minutes, she started talking to someone else.

As I began walking around some more, I heard someone gasp behind me.

I turned around and saw Ginny standing behind me, looking stunning in red robes, with Harry beside her.

"Hermione!" said Ginny, when she saw me. Her face lit up into a beautiful smile. She came to me and hugged me tight.

Even thought I was kind of mad at her for everything before, I couldn't help but hug her back. I missed my best friend.

When she let go of me, I saw that her face was shining with tears.

Harry had now joined us and he hugged me too.

I let go of them and stood back. "Oh my goodness, look at you two. You both look amazing!"

Ginny smiled at me while wiping her eyes with the handkerchief Harry had handed her. "Forget us, look at you! When Ron told me that you were a model, I didn't believe him. But now...I'm speechless. You look amazing."

Harry nodded, his black hair as messy as ever. "You look great Hermione. I couldn't believe it was you. Ginny spotted you first, walking around and said that it was you. But I wouldn't believe her, so we've been following you for the past ten minutes, trying to get a closer look at your face."

I laughed. Harry was still Harry.

"I heard about you and Ron," said Ginny, looking serious now. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I said, not being able to look her in the eye. I could just feel my eyes welling up with tears so I just stared at the floor.

"Hermione?" said Ginny. I looked up and met her eyes and she immediately saw that something was wrong.

"Harry, give us a minute," she said. "Hermione come here." She led me to a table and sat me down and sat down beside me. "Now tell me what's going on."

Without meaning to, everything came tumbling out. I told her how I was mad at her, as well as everyone who ignored me, and what Ron did to me and how I ran away and how Draco Malfoy found me and wanted me to model for him. Then how I actually felt like people appreciated me and thought I was beautiful, and how I became so famous. Then how Draco proposed to me and told me he loved me, and how we were engaged now.

"Oh, Hermione," said Ginny, hugging me. "I'm sorry for everything that happened. Ron's a prat, but do you love Draco?"

I showed her my hand and her eyes widened at the ring. "I'm not sure, but he treats me nice and...he loves me. I don't want to be alone anymore."

"Hermione, you were never alone," she said.

I shook my head. "You weren't here, Ginny. No one believed me and..."

Ginny wasn't looking at me anymore though. She was looking behind me.

I turned around and saw Ron standing there. For some reason, my breath caught in my throat when I saw him. His red hair was standing up in about three different directions but it made my heart clench. He was wearing a black collar shirt and a pair of dark jeans. He looked adorable.

Ginny stood up. "I'll be back." She grabbed Harry, who was standing behind Ron and both of them left.

I stood up, and stared after Ginny, wishing she had stayed. This moment could not get any more uncomfortable if only Draco had been standing here, watching us. Thankfully, I spied him standing on the other side of the hall, chatting with Blaise and his new girlfriend.

I opened my purse and sifted through my belongings quickly. I found the ring and I held it out to him.

Handing it to him, I said, "I think this is yours."

He took the ring in his hand; I tried not to touch his skin and just dropped it in.

He looked up and then pocketed the ring. Ron then took out something folded in his pocket and held it up for me to see.

It was a picture of me on the cover of Vanity Fair in the bikini. Then he held up several pictures of me in revealing clothing and several more of me on the beach. He then went back to the one on the cover, the most revealing one of all.

"Is this what you've become?" he asked me, staring at me. "Is this the real Hermione Granger?" He pointed to the title beside my picture that said The Real 'Mione Granger.

I looked away from the pictures, because I felt ashamed of them. But I didn't feel like being ashamed. What right did Ron have to make me feel ashamed of something I had done? What did he know?

"Why do you care?" I demanded.

Ron gave me a look that could melt ice. "Can we go outside?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I spat out.

"You don't trust me?" he said. It was more of a statement then a question. "You trust Draco Malfoy, the man that called you Mudblood when you were in school, but you won't trust me, someone you've known for eight years."

Taking a deep breath, I said, "Fine. But make it quick."

Without saying anything, Ron led me out the back doors and down some steps. In front of the steps was a pathway that led around a beautiful garden that shone under the moonlight.

I stood on the stone steps and said, "Now speak."

Ron turned around to look at me and I was shocked to see how much feeling was there in his eyes. He hadn't ever looked this emotional about anything, not even Quidditch.

"You were right. I got drunk on some stupid 'No Symptom Wine' that Fred and George made and I tried to rape you," he said. "You were right."

"It took you long enough to figure out," I said. "But it doesn't matter to me anymore. Because I'm through with you."

"So this is what you're all about then, huh?" he asked me. "Slutty dresses, tons of makeup and hanging around with a git like Malfoy? So this is the true 'Mione?" The way he said 'Mione was like a swear word.

"You don't know anything," I said, not meeting his eyes. "You don't know anything, okay!"

He nodded, a sad smile on his face. "You're right. I don't know. I don't know who you are anymore. I thought I knew at one point, but I don't now."

"I thought I knew you, Ronald!" I said. "But you proved me wrong, didn't you! That night you tried to rape me. Maybe it wasn't your fault, since you were drunk. But you chose to drink that night. And instead of...backing me up when I needed you, you accused me of loving Harry and lying to you. That proved to me that you never knew who I was in the first place!"

"All right, fine," he said. "I was wrong about that and I tried to apologize to you, but you never let me."

"I never let you!" I screamed out. "Do you think I would ever want to see your face again after what you did to me? You tried to rape me and then you turned against me when everyone did. And even before that, everyone took advantage of me, even you. Let Hermione do all the work; she likes to do it. Let Hermione listen to what I have to say; it's not like she has problems of her own she would like to share with me. Don't let Hermione ever talk about her problems to anyone, because she doesn't have any. My problems are bigger.

"All of you took advantage of me and I was sick of it. Sick of it!" I said. "Was it wrong of me to want a life for myself? Want to have someone there beside me who listened to me? Who cared what I said? Live a life where people actually thought I was beautiful? Where people respected me? Was it?" I demanded.

He shook his head. "No, but if this is your way of doing it, then it's disgusting because..."

"You're disgusting Ron," I said, not wanting him to dig up the things I had buried.

"You know it, that's why you won't listen to me," he said. "You know this all. Is this what you wanted to do your whole life? Be a model and lie on beaches naked? But that's beside the point, Hermione. Look inside of yourself! Look at who you've become! You've become so used to your high and mighty lifestyle, your riches, your glamour, you've forgotten everything else! All the things that matter."

I paced the stairs and then sat down. "Like you can tell me what matters?!"

"Your parents," he said. "Before you used to worry about them all the time, saying that they might miss you if you went out to much. And now...? How many times do you talk to your mother on the fellytone now? Did you remember your parents' anniversary last week?

"You've become self-centred, that's why," he said. "You've made this web of big things around you and you can't see anything else. Not only have you lost sight of everything around you, but you've forgotten yourself."

At this point, I couldn't listen to anymore of what he was saying. I couldn't see anything, because there were too many tears shining in my eyes, blocking everything else. I got up and started to go back inside, but Ron grabbed my hand.

"You're not Hermione anymore. You're just 'Mione," he said, looking disgusted. "You used to be a kind person, who cared about other people. Someone who was always there for everyone listening to them..."

"I was tired of listening, Ron!" I screamed, trying to wriggle my hand out of his.

"Then you should have said something. You've stopped listening though, Hermione. You only talk. And that's selfish. Tell me, did you ever notice that woman Julie trying to talk to you tonight about her husband? Did you?"

Suddenly, I vaguely remembered several times tonight when I was milling around, that Julie had smiled and said hello to me and started rambling about something. I had immediately made an excuse to get a drink or go to the bathroom whenever this had happened.

Nodding at the realization that had struck on my face, Ron nodded. "Exactly. Because you were too strung up in your own thoughts. In your own world. It's all about you, isn't it?"

I couldn't take anymore. The tears wouldn't stop coming, yet they weren't from my eyes but from somewhere deep inside. And it was as if they weren't even mine, because I couldn't control them. They were falling automatically. And that feeling that had stayed deep within me, for the past week and a half, grew at that second. It was as if I was suffocating within myself.

I tried pulling my hand away from Ron. "Let me go. You're hurting me."

With one last look, he said, "No, you're hurting yourself." And with that he let me go.

I ran inside to the hall and took a few breaths to calm myself. But I couldn't see anything, because my tears were making everything blurry.

I walked towards Draco, or so I thought, but banged into something hard. Suddenly I felt like I couldn't breathe anymore and the thing that had been buried deep under overwhelmed and suffocated me, so that my eyelids began to flicker and I lost consciousness as I fell.

********

Some time later, I woke up in a bed. Groggily, I began to remember what had happened as I opened my eyes and sat up.

My body was aching and I saw that I was in my bedroom and it was the next day. I was still wearing my green dress, except that it was wrinkled now.

Draco came into the room just then and smiled at me. "How're you feeling?"

I rubbed my eyes, not even feeling the touch of my finger on my face. "What happened?"

His face grew serious. "I don't know. I was talking to Blaise and I heard a big crash and when I turned around, I saw a group of people around something. And when I came closer, I saw that it was you on the ground. What happened?"

For some reason, I pulled the covers further up my bare legs. "I'm not sure."

"You were outside, weren't you?" he asked me. "Someone told me that they saw you coming from outside. Julie, I think it was, saw you stumble back in and said you looked sick. She tried to help you, but the next thing she knew you crashed into a serving trolley and fainted."

"Yeah," I said, "it was cold outside, and I just felt sick." For some reason, I didn't want Draco to know about Ron and what he had said to me. "I'm okay though."

"Are you sure?" he asked me. "Because your mother called and she wanted you to look for some dresses in an hour with her for the wedding and she invited some of your friends. I didn't tell her what happened though."

"That's okay," I said, getting up out of bed, "I'm fine now. I'll get ready."

He nodded, and kissed me on the forehead and then he left. I shut the door after him, feeling guilty, now on top of everything else, that I was deceiving Draco when he was being so nice to me.

I stripped my clothes and then got into the shower, letting the hot water massage my tense body.

For some reason, I couldn't get Ron's voice out of my head. Is this who you are now? Is this the real Hermione Granger?

I also couldn't get the image of the picture of me on Vanity Fair out either. I knew it was wrong when the woman told me about it, when I was preparing for my shoot, but I never knew it would lead to this.

As I got out of the shower and began to get dressed, every magazine cover, picture and article I was in started popping up into my mind and I kept hearing Ron's voice over and over again.

So I did the only thing that I could think of then. I opened my closet door and found the foot high stack of magazines that I was in and took them out.

I then got a permanent marker and opened the magazine to the first picture I found of myself and started drying moustaches and uni-brows and pimples on every picture of me.

It must have been like a stress reliever for me, because the more I drew and made fun of me, the more of the monster that was inside of me came coming out. But then more tears started spilling on the magazine pages, smudging them, and the more my body started racking and the more of a mess my feelings became.

I was a blubbering mess. I got up and threw the magazines into a pile on my bed and took out my wand from my dresser drawer and muttered, "Incendio!" In a matter of seconds, the pile of magazines turned into flame and then into a pile of ash.

Pushing out every thought that was in my mind, I went downstairs and just thought about how nice it would be to spend some time with Mum again. Maybe I could buy her a belated anniversary gift, since I had missed her anniversary....

I shouted up the stairs, "I'm leaving!" Then I closed my eyes and Disapparated.

A second later I was outside my parents house. I straightened up and then rang the doorbell.

Ginny opened it and she smiled at me. "Hey, Hermione!" she said.

"Hi," I said, confused as to why she was here.

I walked in and saw my mum waiting for me with several of my friends there. There was Lavender, Parvati, Ginny, and Luna.

"Hi, dear," said Mum. "Ready to go?"

I gave her a look that said 'what's going on?' but she ignored me.

"I thought it'd be more fun if some of your friends could accompany us," she said, taking her purse. "It'll be fun."

"Thank you so much for inviting us, Mrs. Granger," said Parvati, smiling at my mum and looking apprehensive when she saw me.

"No problem," she said. "Now come one, let's go."

So we went outside and started walked towards the shop that weren't too far away.

We went to a classy end of London and roamed around some shops.

As Mum, Parvati, Luna, and Lavender talked I asked Ginny, "What are Lavender and Parvati doing here?"

She shrugged. "Don't ask me. Your Mum invited them. Why?"

I shook my head, my head suddenly throbbing. "No reason. We just had a fight."

"Oh. How are you feeling by the way?" she asked me, giving me a worried look. "Draco was pretty worried about you, but he didn't notice for a while."

"What happened?" I asked her.

She appeared thoughtful. "Well, I saw you and Ron go out to talk and I saw that you looked pretty stressed and then you were out there for a long time. Soon you came inside but you didn't look so good. Harry was chatting with the Head of Magical Sports and I was watching you, because you looked really bad. I don't think you even saw where you were going because the next thing I knew; you hit the food trolley as you fell. I started to come towards you but Ron was faster."

"Ron?" I asked her, as we crossed the street.

Ginny nodded. "He came in after you and he was watching you the whole time. He didn't look too good himself, except he didn't look sick like you did. He was the first one to reach you when you fell. He ran pretty fast and he transfigured a fork into a pillow as your head crashed onto the ground. He looked really upset and was shouting for help and then everyone noticed and I ran to you. Draco finally noticed and he came running over and I told him what happened, except I left out the part of Ron."

"Thanks, Ginny," I said. "I don't think he would have liked if you had told him."

She gave me a half smile. "You're welcome. I had a feeling you wouldn't like it if I told him. Anyways, as soon as I finished telling Draco what happened I looked for Ron to ask him what had happened, but he had disappeared. I couldn't find him at all later."

"Oh," I said. I couldn't believe it was Ron that was the first one to see what had happened to me.

We walked into a boutique and soon Ginny was all on top of it. She told the woman at the counter exactly why we were there, to get a wedding dress as well as some bridesmaids dresses. She then handed my measurements to the lady and told her my size.

Fifteen minutes later, I stood atop a stool modeling a dress (white of course) in front of a mirror, while my Mum and friends chatted in the background and also tried on several dresses.

As I stared at my reflection in the mirror, I couldn't help but not like it. I knew I was beautiful, because I was voted number 10 on the most beautiful women on earth, but I didn't like the way I looked. My hair was straightened and hung in a loose, perfect bun at the back of my head. My eyes were big and framed by dark lashes that no one ever noticed before because of them always darting back and forth while I read something quickly. My nose was small and graceful, my little nose stud making it look even prettier. It glimmered under the lights. My lips were a light pink colour and not too thick nor too thin.

As I stared at myself, I remembered thinking when I was in seventh year that Lavender and Parvati were so stupid to spend so much money and time on what they wore and looked like, when in the end it was the brain that mattered.

I always felt this rush of satisfaction whenever someone would ask me a question that I knew the answer to, or when a teacher asked a question and I answered it correctly. It gave me great satisfaction to read and to learn about different things: in the Wizarding world and in the Muggle world.

I felt that the world was so big and I would never see or experience it all, and that thought excited me, because it made me want to do what I loved even more. But now, the world seemed small in comparison. It was as if I had seen everything already.

"No, this makes you look fat," said Mum, handing me another dress to wear. She pushed me into the dressing room and I changed into the dress she gave me.

I came out of the room and Mum smiled. "Lovely! There stand up on the stool now."

I stood up on the stool and twirled for them, sighing.

"Hmm...there must be something better here," said Mum, turning around again, looking for another dress, just as she had done for the past half hour.

So I stood on that stool and continued to stare at myself in the mirror.

"So this is what you're all about then, huh? Slutty dresses, tons of makeup and hanging around with a git like Malfoy? So this is the true 'Mione?" I could hear Ron's voice echoing through my head as I stood there.

He was right though, now that I thought about. I had become one of those sluttly, stupid models with nothing but fluff in my head.

"You're right. I don't know. I don't know who you are anymore. I thought I knew at one point, but I don't now."

He didn't know who I was anymore and neither did I.

"Is this what you wanted to do your whole life? Be a model and lie on beaches naked? But that's beside the point, Hermione. Look inside of yourself! Look at who you've become! You've become so used to your high and mighty lifestyle, your riches, your glamour, you've forgotten everything else! All the things that matter."

I had never wanted to become a model before. Never in my life had I ever imagined that I would do this and become a model. When my life got tough, I ran away and found an easy life. But I hated this life. Ron was right. I had so many riches and glamour all around me that I forgot everything that used to matter to me.

"Your parents," he said. "Before you used to worry about them all the time, saying that they might miss you if you went out to much. And now...? How many times do you talk to your mother on the fellytone now? Did you remember your parents' anniversary last week?

"You've become self-centred, that's why," he said. "You've made this web of big things around you and you can't see anything else. Not only have you lost sight of everything around you, but you've forgotten yourself."

It was true! It was all true! I had forgotten my parent's anniversary last week and I had completely shut them out of my life so that I could make a wonderful life for myself and become rich and famous. They had given up so much for me and that I could have a happy life.

There was this web of lies all around me and I couldn't sort out what was true and what was fake.

And it wasn't Ron's fault. Maybe it was Ron that triggered this change in me, but I felt as if it would have happened anyways.

I had become shallow. I had lost sight of everything that mattered to me. My parents, my friends, my books, learning, honesty, love, intellect: everything that was part of me.

He was right, I had changed. Changed into someone else that no one could recognize.

"You're not Hermione anymore. You're just 'Mione. You used to be a kind person, who cared about other people. But now you're too strung up in your own thoughts. In your own world. It's all about you, isn't it?"

It had been about me. I didn't care about anyone else. I only cared about myself, my dreams, my aspirations, and my thoughts. It was all about me.

It was true. I wasn't the Hermione that used to listen to everyone and care about me, that cared more about what was on the inside than the outside. I had become 'Mione, who cared only about herself, only listened to herself speak, didn't care about anyone; I had become shallow and only cared about riches.

I closed my eyes, feeling the tears welling up.

I opened them again, but instead of seeing my own eyes staring back at me, I saw Ron's eyes staring back at me from last night.

When I had told him to let go of me because he was hurting me, he gave me a look that was so full of meaning. I had never known Ron had so much feeling inside of him.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a look is also worth a thousand emotions. Ron's expression was one I could never forget. One that said he was sorry to see me like this. One that was angry to let me go. One that was surprised to see who I had turned into. And a million more.

I couldn't tell what he was trying to tell me, but I knew that there was a lot of pain, hurt, anger, guilt, surprise, and sadness inside of him.

"No, you're hurting yourself."

I was hurting myself. I had lost my beliefs, my values, my morals, my thoughts, everything.

"This is so weird," said Ginny.

I blinked and came back to reality. I had forgotten where I was and had become absorbed in everything.

"Sorry?" I said, getting down from the stool and sitting down beside her.

She shrugged, looking sad. "I always thought I'd see you getting married in robes, not a dress. I'm sorry. It's just weird."

I looked at her and she said, "I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm happy for you, I really am. But I always pictured you in robes, getting married to Ron. And I always saw that we would be sisters, because you would be married to Ron. And we would live happily ever after." She laughed and wiped away the tears from her eyes. "I'm crazy, aren't I?"

I shook my head, trying to stop my tears as well. "You're not crazy. I'm sorry that your dream won't come true." I hugged her and she hugged me back.

She wiped her eyes and then laughed again. "You always were so selfless, Hermione. You always thought of others before yourself, and this was one quality that I loved about you. You always put others before yourself. Took care of other people's needs, solved their problems before your own, did other people's homework before your own." She laughed. "But this was always wrong, because sometimes you need to be a little selfish, Hermione. You need to know what's right for you and you need to follow it. Just because I'm telling you that this is my dream, doesn't mean you forget yours and just go along with me, okay? You have to be a little bit selfish for your own needs, otherwise you'll stay behind."

I smiled sadly to her. If only you knew how selfish I am, I thought. I'm selfish enough for the both of us. If only I was the way you thought I was.

She smiled at me. Mum came back with her hands on her hips, the attendant trailing along behind her.

"Maybe you could tell us what you're looking for?" said the lady. "We've been looking for something special for a long time."

I sighed and thought about what I really had wanted to wear to my wedding, when I had been younger.

Well I had always wanted to wear turquoise coloured robes, but of course she wouldn't have them here. I liked the fact that in the Wizarding world wedding robes could be any colour you wanted them to be, but in English weddings, it was most often white. It was such a plain colour.

But since Draco wanted a Muggle wedding, I thought about my personal Muggle style. I always wanted to wear a gown, the kind that I read about in fairy tales. The kind that was so fancy and heavy with lace and all this work done on it.

"I want something fairy tale like," I said, "something different, something unique. Something that makes your jaw drop when you see it. Something conservative, not sleeveless."

The lady thought for a second. "Oh my god! I have something that might be perfect! I've been saving it, because it's so expensive and I thought that someone might tear it if they tried it on. Hold on, I'll be back."

She went to the back of the store and two other ladies followed her, holding something wrapped in plastic.

They opened it and my mouth dropped when I saw it. It was a gorgeous gown, just as I had imagined in many of the fairy tales I read. It was very long, with not a long train (thank god- because I was so afraid I would trip). It was white (surprise, surprise) with sleeves that had pretty, delicate lace that flared out at the end. It was very feminine. The bodice was fitted with lace on top, while the skirt was huge (but not puffy) with an intricate design on the bottom.

"I'll take it," I said. "It's beautiful."

The lady smiled and Mum smiled as well. "Finally!" she said.

Parvati, Lavender, Luna, and Ginny all came up to the front to see it.

"Oh my god, the fabric is so soft," said Lavender, feeling it. "It's almost silk..."

"But it's not," said one of the ladies.

Lavender smiled. "No, it's better."

"All right, why don't you try it on?" said the woman.

I went off into the changing room and tried it on. It fit perfectly and felt so wonderful on my skin. I zipped up the back and then stepped out of the changing room.

"Oh my god," said Ginny as I stepped out. "You look amazing."

Lavender and Parvati agreed, while Luna couldn't even find the words to say anything. Mum was speechless as well and said, "I agree, we'll take it."

Half an hour later we were home and the girls were showing me the dresses they had bought.

I nodded and smiled, but my mind was a million other places.

We ordered dinner and had a girl's party; everyone was laughing and talking, but I couldn't have been quieter.

At eight, I told Mum that Ginny and I were leaving, after Lavender, Luna and Parvati already left, and she gave me a bundle of food to take with me.

"Hermione, please come meet Harry," said Ginny, as we walked outside. "Just stop by for a bit. He really wanted to sit and chat with you yesterday, but after what happened, he wasn't able to. So come with me, please?"

I looked at my watch. "Um...I'm not sure, Gin."

"Oh come on, it'll really make his day," she said. "He keeps going on about how good the Hogwarts days used to be and when you guys were the best of friends and he really misses you. Please?"

I smiled. "All right."

So Ginny looped her arm in through mine and closed her eyes.

In less than a second we had stopped outside a small house in a Wizarding village. Ginny said, "Let me just tell him you're here."

She opened the door and let me in and saw Harry in the living room, talking with Bill.

"Hi Harry, hi Bill," said Ginny. "Look who I brought."

She moved to the side and I smiled at them. "Hi, guys."

"Hey, Hermione!" said Harry, getting up immediately and hugging me. "Are you okay now?"

I nodded. "Fine, thanks."

"I meant yesterday, what happened?" he asked me, his green eyes filled with concern.

"Oh that," I said. "It was nothing. Just got a headache and yeah..."

He nodded. "Come sit down."

Ginny and I both sat down just as the door to the kitchen opened and Mrs. Weasley came out of it, followed by Fleur, holding a little girl by the hand, as well as a baby in her arms.

"'ermione!" said Fleur, coming over and hugging me. She kissed me on both cheeks and said. "Oh my god! You look so beautiful. Does she not, Bill?"

Bill nodded. "You look amazing Hermione."

I was a bit confused. Hadn't Fleur and Mrs. Weasley been cold to me the last time I had seen them. So why was Fleur acting like this?

"Hermione" said Mrs. Weasley, setting down a tray of tea and coming towards me. "Hermione, Ron told me everything that happened. I'm so sorry I never believed you, dear. I am so sorry."

Wait. What? "I beg your pardon?" I stammered.

"About what happened with Ron and that wine Fred and George made. I would scold them, but let them rest in peace for now. I had no idea. I should have believed you and known you were telling you truth. Please forgive me," she said, tears in her eyes. "You must know you are like a daughter to me. I was stressed out about the wedding, even though it was after, and about Fleur's pregnancy, about everything. I spoke out of way. Please forgive me."

"It's okay Mrs. Weasley," I said.

"But I want you to know, that it was just this time where I just lost it, when I shouldn't have. I should have trusted you. But I didn't. I'm so sorry."

"Mrs. Weasley, it's all right," I said.

Fleur smiled at me sadly. "No 'ermione. It has been tres sad at ze Burrow without you. Alaina missed you tres."

Alaina peeked around the side of her mother and I grabbed her. How could I have forgotten her? She was adorable.

Fleur handed me her newborn baby. "Zees is Marie."

"Aww," I said, looking at her. She was adorable, with hazel eyes and rosy, rosy cheeks.

I handed Marie back to her mother and said, "I have to go now. Bye."

"But you didn't eat anything or drink any tea," said Mrs. Weasley.

"No, that's okay," I said, opening the door. "Bye."

I walked outside and then Disapparated before anyone could stop me.

Outside, I took deep breaths to calm myself. Seeing Mrs. Weasley and Fleur had brought back so many memories. Many of them were painful, yet some even sweeter.

Mrs. Weasley had apologized for what had happened, but I wasn't sure I wanted to forgive her. Forgiving her meant that I was letting her back into my heart. Letting her into my heart would mean letting Ron into my heart. And I'd come too far to let that happen.

I didn't feel like going back 'home' just yet, so I wondered around London for a bit.

It had gotten dark, and there were many people wandering about, chatting loudly, talking on phones, and going on with their lives as I stood stuck in mine.

I passed a magazine rack and I noticed that on the cover of every magazine was a picture of me and Draco announcing our wedding in four days.

One of the magazines showed an 'exclusive' interview with me and Draco, but I knew that neither of us had ever met with the press since we announced our marriage.

Opening the magazine, I flipped to the section that featured us. Immediately, I wanted to throw the magazine away or burn it, because everything written in it was lies. Nothing but lies.

It said that since Draco hated kids and I couldn't have kids we would never have any. It also said that we had planned a Las Vegas wedding, but then decided to stick to our own country. It also said that we had gotten married weeks ago, that we were only having this wedding for publicity sake.

I thrust the magazine back into the vendor's hands.

She looked at the magazine and said, "Do you want it?"

I shook my head. "No, I was just looking."

She put it back and then straightened up. "Hey! You're 'Mione right?"

"Yes." I sighed.

"Congratulations about your wedding and your baby," she said, smiling at me.

"Baby?" I said. "I'm not pregnant."

"Oh," she said, looking confused. "But it said here..."

"It's not true," I told her. Whatever. I just walked away.

What a bunch of lies. Each and every one of them were lies. But then again I had created this life; full of glamour and the press. I guessed this would be a part of my life forever.

I turned into an alleyway and closed my eyes and then Disapparated home.

Opening my eyes, I saw that I was standing in the entrance. The whole house was dark and I didn't think Draco was home.

"Hello?" I called. "Draco?"

There was no answer. He was probably gone out somewhere.

I checked my watch; it was only nine thirty.

So I trudged up the stairs to my room. I stopped outside the door, because there was a note there.

'Hey 'Mione, I went with Blaise for some work related stuff. I'll be back at eleven. Hope you had fun with your Mum, Draco.'

I sighed and opened my door and then closed it. I started to put my things away and then got changed and lay in my bed.

The wedding dress was going to be delivered to me the day before the wedding, because there were some minor adjustments to make like the length and such.

I felt so lonely. So very lonely, and so lost; as if I didn't know where I was going. My head felt so heavy with thoughts and emotions, that I felt as if it would explode.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

******

The next morning, I woke up and stretched. I felt as if I just fallen asleep minutes ago, not hours ago, because my body was aching.

I brushed my teeth, washed my face, brushed my hair, and got dressed and went downstairs.

Draco was already down there, eating breakfast. "Hey," he said, kissing me on the head.

"Hi," I mumbled.

"Um, something's come up," he said. "I have to go to Dublin for a few days."

I looked up from my bagel. "Why?"

"Just some Ministry stuff, you know," he said. "It's supposed to be for five days, but..."

"Five days?" I said. "But our wedding is in four days."

"I know," he said, looking sorry. "But it's urgent. If I don't go for a week now, then I'll have to go for two months after."

"Oh," I said. "So what about the wedding?"

He looked strained. "I have to go now, but if you come with me, then I can come back in time for the wedding."

I raised my eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"If I go by myself, they could make me stay for more days and I don't know when we'll have time to reschedule. But if you come with me, I could always say that you're making me go back." He grinned at me.

I smiled back a bit. "Okay, so you want me to come with you?"

He nodded. "I know it'll be a strain on your Mum because she's planning it, but this way I'll be able to come back."

"Okay," I said. "When do we leave?"

"At noon," he said. "I know that's short notice and all, but I have to. And don't worry; I'll hire your mum a wedding planner to help her out."

"Okay," I said.

"Great," he said. "I'm going to pack." He kissed me on the forehead and then went upstairs, and I finished my breakfast alone.

When I was done, I got my phone and called my mum and told her the situation. She seemed pretty upset, but when I told her that Draco would hire a planner, she calmed down a bit.

I then started packing my stuff up into an overnight bag. I changed into some proper clothes, just because you never knew when photographers could be around the corner taking pictures. I groaned inwardly as I dressed up in a light blue flared skirt that went to my knees and a knit top. I brushed my hair and tied it back into a bun and let a few curls slip down my face.

Draco knocked on my door and came in. "Ready?" he asked me.

I nodded and he took my bag and carried it downstairs, while I grabbed my purse and followed him down.

"I've called a wedding planner and sent her over to your parents place," he said. "We're just going to Apparate to the airport, to a safe spot. Okay?"

I nodded my head and closed my eyes as he grabbed my hand. In less than a second, we were there.

I opened my eyes and saw that was were standing in a deserted hallway.

"Let's go," he said, walking in front of me, leading the way. We got to the line and checked our luggage in.

In half an hour we were on the plane and taxiing down the runway. I closed my eyes and fell asleep while Draco looked over some papers of his.

An hour later, the plane landed and I woke up with a jolt.

We exited the plane and were driven to our hotel.

Draco dumped his things into his room and then came over to my room and said, "I have to leave now, for a meeting. But I'll be back later, okay? We'll go out for dinner."

I nodded and he kissed me and then left after putting some protection spells on the door.

I stared at the door after he left. Then I slowly began to take off my killer sandals and threw them on the floor. I couldn't think of anything else but sleep, so I closed crawled under my covers, closed my eyes and fell asleep.

Later that day, I woke up and Draco took me out to dinner. He was talking about the wedding and how excited he was: and happy.

The more he thought, the more intense this knot became inside of my stomach and the deeper I felt like I was falling.

The next day, Draco was busy all day and I hardly saw him at all. I felt as if I was shutting down, and for some reason I was almost happy he wasn't there to see how deeply I was falling.

I was so confused about what to do in my life anymore. I had built this whole great career for myself and then run away. Now Draco had given me a second chance. He cared about me when I was down. If I left him, then it would be as if I was ungrateful. What was right and what was wrong, I didn't know anymore.

But my head became heavier and I felt like throwing something at myself. Wait that doesn't make sense...oh whatever.

On Saturday morning, the day of the wedding, I started packing my things for the flight home. I was still as confused as I had ever been, if not more.

I felt like pausing everything and then coming back and playing it when I could deal with it and understood what was going on. But life was never like that. Life moves on and you're caught in the whirlwind of it, trying to keep up.

We boarded the plane at seven o'clock in the morning; the wedding would be at four o'clock in the afternoon. We were to go to the airport, get dressed there in a big dressing room and then go to this hotel to get married.

The whole plane ride I was fidgeting and couldn't sit still, because I was very worried about what I was going to do.

When the plane started to land, I had this weird feeling in my stomach. I buckled up my seat belt when the pilot told me to.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Draco asked me, looking concerned. He was looking at my hands. I kept twirling my engagement ring around my finger. It was a nervous habit. Whatever ring I wore on my fingers, I always had to play with.

I jammed the ring back onto my finger. "Yeah, just peachy. Why?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

I nodded fervently. "Why?"

"You were really quiet on the trip," he said.

I pushed my bangs up on top of my hair. "Oh that, I just had a lot on my mind."

"The wedding." He nodded.

I didn't say anything because just then the plane landed and the pilot came onto the speakers and told us that we had landed in London.

Unbuckling my seat belt, I got up and followed Draco out the door and onto the platform.

But I couldn't see a single thing after that, because a million flashbulbs started going off in my face and I heard many people screaming and calling my name excitedly.

"'Mione!" they called. "'Mione, can I have an autograph? I love you 'Mione! Congratulations on your wedding."

I tried to smile and seem poised and elegant, but I couldn't. I just thanked them and then Draco led me to a separate room where Mum, Ginny, Luna, Parvati, and Lavender were waiting for me. He then locked the door and left.

Mum hugged me. "What happened honey?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, just a bunch of fans."

Ginny peeked through window that showed the hallway outside, where the fans were being pushed back by security guards. "Those are a lot of fans," she said.

I nodded and sat down on a couch. There was another woman also in the room that sat in the corner with a bag of makeup and my wedding gown.

"Hermione, are you all right?" asked Lavender, looking concerned as she put her makeup on.

My hands were shaking right now, but I managed to nod. "I'm fine."

"Come on, get dressed, honey," said Mum. "The court marriage is soon. First you and Draco have to go to court to get the contract signed."

I just got up and started getting dressed while the other woman (who's name was Mary) as well as Mum and everyone else got me dressed.

Soon I was sitting in a chair with my dress on, Mary doing my makeup and hair, and everyone else ran around getting ready.

Once when I had gotten mad and stomped off from Ron I had heard him tell Harry that I didn't have a temper and I always held in my anger. But when I was mad, I erupted.

Well that was what I felt like was happening to me. I was going to erupt soon and it wouldn't be pretty.

Then Mary made me stand up and stand before a full-length mirror while she did my last minute adjustments while I stared at myself in the mirror.

Mum handed me a glass of pumpkin juice because I hadn't eaten anything all day. I drank it in little sips.

She had straightened my curly hair so that it looked sleek and shiny and tied it back into a twist at the back of my head. I wasn't wearing much makeup because we had decided on a natural look.

Mum and Lavender mumbled something about checking up on the limo in the front, and Parvati went off to the bathroom.

Ginny stayed and I heard her putting her makeup on behind me as Mary put the veil on my head and began fixing it in the back. I just stared at myself.

Soon my face changed though. Suddenly Ron was standing behind me, holding a bunch of red roses.

I quickly turned around and there he was, standing behind me as usual.

"Hermione, you can't go through with this," he said. "You can't."

Ginny moved towards her brother, giving me an apprehensive look. "Ron, please. Now's not that time."

He pushed his little sister away gently. "No, Ginny. It is the time. Hermione you can't do this. Not to me and not to yourself."

Ginny looked worried as she saw the look on my face. "Ron, please..."

"Is this who you are? Is this the real Hermione Granger?" he demanded. "You always wanted to be a model? And marry Malfoy, is that it? What about all the promises we made to each other? To ourselves? That we would never forget who we were! You're making a huge mistake, Hermione."

I closed my eyes and felt my anger, frustration and hurt erupt. It was silent in terms of my voice, but not invisible. My tears showed no sign of stopping and they flowed from my eyes like a river.

"This isn't you! This was never you! Where's the Hermione I loved? Who loved to read? Who loved to be bossy? Who helped everyone? Who was always there when everyone needed her? Where is she?" he cried out.

His voice was not unheard though. Two beefy looking security guards came into the room and told him to get out, but when he ignored them, they started to drag him out.

"Don't do this!" he shouted, as they started to lead him away. "This isn't you! You've become someone else. Look inside yourself, and you'll realise I'm right. I'm sorry about what I did. I was a jerk. I always am! I just don't know any better. But I'm getting better!"

He tried to escape the guards but they caught him, and one of the guard's elbow hit him in the eye and he screamed, getting hurt. The guard grabbed him again and the other one smashed a small vase at his head to make him hold still. Bits of blood flew out of his head as the vase smashed against his head.

I closed my eyes, not able to see him in pain. The glass of pumpkin juice cracked under the pressure that I was holding it with. I felt sharp shards of glass poke through my skin and could feel the blood flowing out, but I couldn't open my eyes.

"Ron!" Ginny screamed, just as the others came back. She was crying as well. "Please just go now."

Ron gave me a look and said, before the guards dragged him off. "I still love you, Hermione! I never stopped! I'll be waiting for you."

Then they dragged him off and shut the door behind them.

I fell to the ground, not being able to stand anymore. I looked at my hands through the blur of my tears and could see that my hands were filled with blood, but I could care less about it.

My tears wouldn't stop, not even when Mum demanded Ginny tell what happened or when Lavender helped me up and performed a healing spell on my hands and wrapped them up in bandages.

Parvati and Luna helped me into a chair and they comforted me as Ginny explained what happened to Mum, and then to Draco because he came in later after having seen Ron being dragged away by the guards.

By when my tears had dried the pain was still there. Seeing him get hurt by those two guards and seeing all the blood pouring out of him...

Draco immediately took me by the arm and told everyone that it was time to leave. So we walked out of the room with guards all around us, with my family all around me as well and Draco's friend Blaise beside him.

We reached the limo outside safely and were met with even more screaming fans.

Draco and I climbed into the limo and Draco closed the doors on both sides and signalled something to the driver that probably meant to start driving. Then he pressed a button which made the window separating the driver and us, go up and separate us.

Then he loosened his tie and ran a hand through his perfect, blond hair.

"I lost, Hermione," he said. "I lost."

I looked up, confused.

He sighed. "That day in the office when you got sent flowers, Weasley came over himself and bet me that he would win you over again and take you away. I bet him that you would never go with him. But he won. I lost."

"But...he didn't win," I said. "I didn't go with him..." At least not yet, I said in my head.

He nodded. "But he also said that he would prove to you that he was the stronger one of the both of us. I kept wondering how he would that. Maybe by showing you his muscles or how much weight he could lift? No, he's stronger here." He put a hand on his chest, right on his heart.

"I rather lose in not getting you, in the end. But I don't want to lose in being the stronger one. That's why I have to let you go."

I stared at him. This was making no sense whatsoever.

"Weasley proved to me--and hopefully to you--that he's the stronger one. He came into that dressing room and told you how he felt. If he was a coward, then he would've sat at home and brooded about it. But no, he came here and told you how he felt. Even if he knew that you wouldn't come with him, he would know that he at least tried.

"You always had it in you, Hermione," he said, shaking his head, a smirk playing about his lips. "You always had the strength and willpower and confidence in you, but you never showed it. But Weasley's right, you lost yourself on the way. And I never wanted that. Don't get me wrong; you're a great girl, Hermione. And this proved to me how wrong I was at school to make fun of you. But Weasley's the one who knows you better than yourself. Don't you think?"

"But what about everything?" I asked him. "All the money you spent on this wedding? All the preparation that went into it?"

He shrugged and smirked. "Granger, its just money. I'd rather lose my money than ruin the three of our lives. You still love him."

I looked down at my hands. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said. "Don't ever be sorry for your love, Hermione. I'm not sorry. So you shouldn't be either. Now, put that training to use and go. Go to him."

"Draco..." I said, not being able to thank him. He opened the door for me and helped me out, holding my train for me.

I hugged him. "Thank you for understanding."

He smiled a genuine smile. "Just go."

I began to walk away, looking for Ron, but then he grabbed my hand. He slipped the ring off my finger and smiled. "Go now."

I smiled back at him appreciatively and then started to run.

I heard Mum and Dad get out of the car behind me. Mum was calling me, but I wouldn't stop for anyone.

The street was blocked for the procession of cars that were to drive down it, so the street was empty, but was lined with screaming fans.

Where could Ron be? I wondered.

I heard the fans running behind me so I started running again, being careful not to trip on my dress, holding the skirts up.

Then I saw that I was nearing my old neighbourhood that I had lived in when I was in seventh year. Ron had come to visit me in the summer and we had gone to this park every day. It was the park where we had made all our promises to each other. Promises to never forget one another. Promises to never forget ourselves. Promises to honour those promises.

I ran to the park and stopped when I turned the corner.

Sitting there on the swing was Ron, looking forlorn as a lost puppy. His eyes were downcast and his head was bandaged up.

He must have heard the fans behind me, because he looked up and saw me standing there, in my wedding dress and all.

He got up and stood and just stared at me. After all the emotion and fury he had shown in the airport, he couldn't say a word now.

I heard cars stop in front of the park and saw Mum, Dad, and all my friends stand behind me.

Ron's mum and family also came with my family and amidst all the screaming fans I heard Mum say, "Go ahead Hermione."

Then Mrs. Weasley said, "It's all right Ron."

Ron came towards me. His eyes were once again filled with compassion.

My eyes started to water and I couldn't stop myself. We just stood there ogling at each other.

From the background I heard Ginny screaming, "Oh kiss and make up you two!"

I couldn't help but laugh and Ron's face broke out into that familiar smile I had grown to love.

I embraced him and he hugged me back, tightly.

My tears broke out again and I couldn't help but cry as I held onto him. Everyone hooted and whistled in the background.

Ron turned his face and then kissed me, in front of everyone and on live television, but I didn't care. Because I loved Ron...and he loved me back.

"I love you, Hermione," he said, when we broke away. "I never stopped and I never will, as long as you're the same."

"I'm sorry, Ron, for everything, for..." He put a finger to my lips and silenced me. "Everything's forgotten now. It's all the past."

"I'll always love you," I said, as I hugged him again.

"I'll always be there for you," he whispered into my ear. He slipped the amethyst ring onto my finger.