When Draco Met Hermione

Chapter 7: Muggle Football and a Bookstore

Draco and his friend Blaise sat in the stands. Below them, a muggle Football game was in progress. Draco sipped his beer and ate his hot dog like a good fan of football. Personally, he never got the point of huge, hulking men ramming into each other for an oddly shaped ball. But he got up and did the wave like an obedient dog. His old friend, Blaise, was a big football fan. He once claimed that it was more fun to watch than quidditch. After that comment, Draco ignored Blaise for a week.

He was in the middle of trying to understand what was going down on the field when Blaise slapped the side of his arm.

"When the hell did this happen?" Draco looked at Blaise and remembered that they were talking prior to his musings about the worthlessness of football.

"Oh," Draco took another sip of beer and promptly got up to do the wave. "Friday. Helen comes home from visiting her parents in Diagon Alley, you know they just took over Flourish and Botts, and she said, 'I don't know if I want to be married anymore.' Like it's the institution, you know, like it's nothing personal," Draco and Blaise got up in time to catch the wave that seemed to be coming around rather frequently, "just something she's been thinking about....in a casual sort of way. I'm calm, I say 'Why don't we take some time to think about it, I haven't seen you for a week, you've been in London, you know, don't rush into anything."

Blaise let out a burp and Draco grimaced. All around him people were standing up and cheering. The section where he and Blaise were sitting suddenly got on its feet and cheered for whatever team's side they were on. Draco, trying his hardest to have fun, got up and cheered alongside Blaise who was really whooping and clapping his heart out. After they had sat back down, Draco continued his story. "The next day she said she had thought about it and she wants a trial separation. She just wants to try it, she says, but we can still, get this, date." Blaise snorted and shook his head. Draco nodded, "I mean, I got married so I can stop dating! So I don't see where we can still date is any big incentive since the last thing you want to do is date your wife, who's suppose to love you. So it occurs to me at that moment, a revelation of sorts you know?" Blaise nodded again as he finished the last of his beer, "So I say to Helen, 'Don't you love me anymore?' and as a Malfoy, I never would even stoop to ask such a question, I mean, who doesn't love a Malfoy right?" Another nod came from Blaise, "I mean, people who claim to hate me really love me, I'm sure of it, anyways, you know what she says?"

Blaise shook his head, "She says, 'I don't know if I've ever loved you.'"

"Ohhh, Draco that was Harsh, coming from that witch of a wife of yours!" Blaise started laughing at his comment, then stopped immediately when he saw that Draco was not as amused. "Well, that, Malfoy, is a comment you don't bounce right back from."

"Gee, thanks mate, I'll keep that in mind." Draco scowled and took a big gulp of his beer finishing it off. He signaled to one of the vendors walking around the stadium for two more beers. Soon, Draco and Blaise were chatting over new beer. "Then, get this Blaise, she tells me that one of those uptight lawyers she works with is going to South America and she could sub-let his apartment. I don't believe it for one moment, and the doorbell rings, and the words 'I can sublet his apartment' are still hanging in the air, you know, like a balloon attached to a mouth..."

Blaise nodded, "Yeah, like a muggle cartoon drawing."

"Right, so I go to the door, and there were moving men there, muggle moving me, which to me was odd because she used magic to move all her crap to my place when she first moved in. Now I start to get suspicious. I say, 'Helen, when did you call these movers?', and she doesn't say anything. So I asked the movers, 'When did this woman book you?', and they're just standing there. Three huge men, kinda looked like what Crabbe and Goyle's kids would look like now if they were grown, one of them was wearing a muggle shirt that said 'Don't Mess With Mr. Zero.' So I said again, 'Helen, when did you make these arrangements?' and she says she made them a week ago! I said 'You've known for a week and you didn't tell me?' and she says 'I didn't want to ruin your birthday.'"

They stood up and did the wave as it passed by their section. Blaise spilled some of his beer on Draco's shoes, but Draco didn't even seem to notice.

"You're saying that Mr. Zero knew that Helen was leaving a week before you did?"

Draco nodded solemnly, "Mr. Zero knew."

"I can't believe this!" Blaise threw his hands in the air.

"I haven't even told you the bad part yet."

Blaise looked at Draco like he had sprouted two heads. "What could be worse than Mr. Zero knowing?"

"It was all a lie." Blaise had stopped paying attention to the game and focused solely on Draco. "She's in love with someone else, some tax attorney, and a muggle nonetheless. She moved in with him"

"Whoa, how did you find this all out?"

Draco sighed, his beer was getting warm and that was not proving good for his mood. "I followed her in my dad's old invisibility cloak. I know it was stupid to even bring that thing out on the streets of New York, but I knew she had to be lying so I followed her and stood outside the building where this fancy tax attorney lives."

"Merlin, Draco, that's humiliating. Are you going to owl Narcissa? Gads, what is she going to say? Suppose she'll hex Helen out of this world?"

"Nah, I think I will spare mum the details. But yeah, it's a small...no, a huge humiliation. And I knew it, deep in me I knew that even thought I thought we were happy, even if she thought we were happy, I knew it was just an illusion and one day she would kick the bludgers out of me. I mean, look at my parents and their marriage!"

"Draco, marriages don't break up on account of infidelity, it's just a symptom that something else is wrong."

"Yeah, well Blaise, that symptom is fucking my wife!" Draco dropped his cup of beer and walked down the stands. Blaise watched Draco storm out. He knew his friend was mad, and any good friend of Draco's knew not to come near him when he was mad. He would have been hexed and returned to his apartment in a box. Blaise just sat back, then jumped right back to do the wave and enjoyed the rest of the game.

~*~

Hermione finally dragged Ginny to a bookstore so she could find something to read and take her mind off Harry. They were browsing through the new books and once again discussing Ginny's affair with the married man. Ginny was flipping through the pages of a magazine and talking Hermione's ear off.

"So I just happened to see his credit card bill."

Hermione stopped browsing and frowned at Ginny, "What do you mean you just happened to see it?"

Ginny blushed to her roots, "Well, he was in the loo.....and it was right there in his briefcase." Hermione frowned, then sighed and shook her head.

"Gin, what if he came out and saw you looking through his briefcase!"

Ginny was no longer concerned that her best friend was wagging the 'Disappointed in You!' card in her face. She went back to her magazine and talked behind it so she wouldn't see Hermione's reactions. "Well, Herms, you're missing the whole point. I'm trying to tell you what I found. He just spent a hundred and twenty dollars on a new night dress for his wife! I don't think he's ever going to leave her!" Ginny sniffled a bit behind the magazine.

Hermione was not as sympathetic as Ginny hoped she would be. She just continued to browse and pick up books, "Ginny, no one thinks that he's ever going to leave her."

"Oh Herms! You're right! You're right, I know you're right." Ginny slumped against the side of a book shelf and slid down into a crumbled heap on the floor. She looked up at Hermione who was not the least bit concerned that her friend was in near tears on the floor. Ginny got up and straightened herself out when she could sight of a blond man staring intently at Hermione. She quickly rushed to Hermione's side and began to giggle. She whispered in Hermione's ear, "Someone is starring at you in 'Personal Growth.'"

Hermione looked over and smirked. 'Well well well, Mr. Malfoy is still in the neighborhood. Merlin, it's been about five years since he's made my blood boil. Look at him, prowling around personal growth like he has any other interest that striking up some stupid conversation about men and women....' Hermione looked over and back to Ginny. "I know him, you'd like him, and he's married. And I think you went to school together."

"Who is he Herms?"

"Draco Malfoy, a political consultant when I last saw him."

"Malfoy? Gads, he sure has gotten cute since him and my brother Ron used to wrestle each other to near death at Hogwarts." Ginny gazed at the blond man dreamily for a few moments, then shook thoughts out of her head. "How do you know he's married? The resident playboy of Hogwarts got married......it must be the New Yorksmog, gets in the lungs and in your brain...."

"Because the last time I saw him he was getting married." Hermione continued to pile more books in her shopping basket.

"When did you last see Draco?" Hermione mused for a bit, "About five, six years ago."

"So, Herms, do you know what I'm thinking?" Hermione shook her head as she read the back cover of a cookbook for busy women, "He might not be married anymore!"

"Well, he's also an obnoxious prat."

"Oh Herms!" Hermione winced a bit, tired of hearing the awful nickname Ginny had given her. Every time Ginny spoke to fast, it sounded like she was calling Hermione 'Worms.' "This is just like the movies! Remember? When the lady vanishes and she says that she is going to meet the most obnoxious man in the world....."

"Gin, I believe it was the most contemptible...."

"Whatever, and they fall in love....." Ginny gazed dreamily out the window.

"Ginny, he probably doesn't even remember me."

Just them a hand reached over and tapped Hermione on her shoulder. Ginny almost squealed out loud.

"Hermione Granger." The low drawl was unmistakable. Hermione turned around. "Hello Draco."

"I thought it was you." Ginny almost swooned. He still had the sexy drawl and he was talking to her best friend who needed a man!

"Um, yes, well, this is Ginny, Ginny Weasley, you may remember her...." But when Hermione looked around, Ginny was halfway down the steps that lead to the main floor, and the exit. She was waving and giving Hermione a thumbs-up before she disappeared in the crowd on the steps.

"Well, that was Ginny."

"So, Hermione, how are you?"

"I'm fine, fantastic."

"How's Harry?"

A dark look came over Hermione's face. She couldn't be upset at him for asking, he wouldn't know. "Fine. I hear he's just fine."

Draco caught on quickly, "You're not with Harry anymore?"

"Well, we just broke up." Hermione immediately picked a book out of her shopping basket and examined the back cover with feigned interest.

"Oh, well, I'm sorry to hear that, it's too bad."

"Yes, well, you know, "Hermione placed the book back in the basket, "yah. So, what about you?"

"I'm fine, same old same old."

"How's married life?" Hermione saw a flicker of anger pass over Draco's face. He didn't meet Hermione's gaze when he answered. "Not so good....I....I'm getting a divorce."

"Oh Draco, Oh I'm so sorry!"

"Yeah well, what are you going to do. Say, why don't you pay for those," he said, pointing to her overflowing basket, "and have some coffee with me. We live in the same city, it's a shame we never get together. We can catch up!"

Hermione smiled, 'well, he just got a divorce, I can be nice today'. She nodded and paid for her books and followed Draco across the street to a small empty café.