Breakfast at Natalie's

"This isn't right," said Malfoy, reading the note again. "She would never do this."

"How do you know, Draco?" said Natalie, stirring sugar into her tea.

They had put Cassie and Riley upstairs for their afternoon nap and were now downstairs in the kitchen.

"I just--look, I've known her for a long time," he said. "It just doesn't seem like something she would do."

"What if she had a family emergency? I mean, anything's possible. You're always jumping to conclusions."

"Her parents are in Australia. And don't you think her note would've said that? No, there's definitely something going on."

"Maybe she didn't want you to worry," reasoned Natalie.

"Well, she's doing exactly the opposite," said Malfoy, running his fingers through his hair in aggravation. "She's not picking up when I call and no one at work has seen her..."

"Just give her some time, alright?" said Natalie, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure she's perfectly fine."

"She isn't," said Malfoy stubbornly. "I can feel it."

"Fine. I'll leave you here to wallow in your own anxiety then. I'll be in my room if you need me."

She placed her empty teacup in the sink and stalked out of the kitchen. Malfoy sighed. They'd found the note when they returned, shortly after noon, laden with shopping bags. He'd checked in her room; nothing seemed to be missing or out of place. The bed wasn't made from this morning, but other than that, her room was just as tidy as it had always been.

Where could she have gone? He didn't think she'd go to visit her parents; she hadn't mentioned anything about a trip. What exactly did she mean by "business"? Perhaps she'd gone to find a divorce lawyer...

He examined the noted for what seemed like the thousandth time. It was definitely her handwriting. A little sloppy, but she'd probably written it in a hurry. He'd even checked it for codes or any hidden meanings, but there were none. He folded it up and tucked it into his pocket. Then he got up and paced around the lower floor of the house, thinking. His left eyelid started twitching, and he stopped in front of the mirror in the bathroom to examine his reflection.

That was when he noticed something very odd: her purse was on the bathroom counter. Why would she leave her purse behind? He opened it and found her wallet, her mobile phone, her house keys, and a few other items in it. He ran back to the kitchen, and found what he was looking for: her wand, exactly where she'd left it next to the sink this morning. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Natalie!" he said, rushing into her room where she was busy painting her nails.

"What?" she said, blowing on them to make them dry faster.

"She left her purse here," he said.

"So? She has more than one purse," said Natalie, looking totally unconcerned.

"I found it in the bathroom with her wallet, phone, and keys. And her wand's still in the kitchen."

"Where did you find it?" said Natalie. He'd finally gotten her attention.

"The bathroom in the front hall," he said.

"Let me see." He led her to the bathroom.

"Here it is," he said, gesturing at the purse.

"Hmm," said Natalie, looking around. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed a bright blue package sticking out of the trashcan. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, Draco."

"Oh, er...okay," he said, backing out of the bathroom and trying to mask his frustration. Couldn't she see how urgent this was?

Natalie bent down and pulled the empty cardboard package out of the trash.

"New AccuTest--faster and more accurate than any other brand!" bragged the label.

She hid it underneath the rug and checked in the trash again. There was another similar package, a different brand. She took it out and hid it with the other one. Then she pretended to flush the toilet and wash her hands. When she opened the door, she found a very irritated Malfoy standing there with his arms folded.

"Well?" he demanded. "I'm right, aren't I? Something's happened to her."

"Yes, you're right," said Natalie. "But like I said before, don't go jumping to conclusions."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he said, giving her a suspicious look.

"It means--" She had to find a way to say this subtly. "--that she may not have left for the reason you think she did."

"Wait a minute," said Malfoy. "You know something, don't you?"

"No," said Natalie. "I don't know where she is. I'm just telling you... Oh, Draco. Sometimes..." She struggled to come up with the right words. "Sometimes...people have to do things--they have to leave--for reasons they can't explain to anyone, at least not right away. Not until they're sure of it themselves..."

"Are you saying...that she...she left...because she doesn't love me anymore?" The shock of it hit him like a Bludger.

"On the contrary, I think she left because she cares about you and doesn't want to hurt you," said Natalie wisely. She didn't know where all this was coming from, but she felt like it was the right thing to say.

"And how," said Malfoy skeptically, "is leaving me supposed to show that?"

Natalie sighed. "I think you'll understand it in time."

He thought for a moment. "That still doesn't explain why her wand is still here."

"Your Auror training is going to drive me mad," said Natalie, shaking her head.

----------------------------

There was no way of knowing how much time had passed. There wasn't a clock, and the room was dark. She leaned against the wall, her body feeling stiff.

Draco must be home by now, she thought. I wonder if he found my noted...I wish I'd written how much I love him...I don't know if I'll ever see him again...

The tears slipped easily down her cheeks. Suddenly, the door swung open, and the room was momentarily engulfed in light as Joseph entered. Then it was dark again, and she could hear him groping his way over to the bed, the groaning of bedsprings as he sat down. It was a few minutes before he finally spoke.

"Do you know why you were brought here?"

"No," she said curtly.

"Take a guess."

"I don't know...to torture me...to kill me..."

"And why would I want to do that? Jesus Christ, Hermione, I'm your husband."

"You're a monster," she spat.

"I came in here with no intention to argue."

"Like I'm supposed to believe that."

"You are, and you will."

"Whatever."

"Tell me, why did you run away from me?"

She snorted derisively.

"Why wouldn't I? You raped me, for God's sake, Joseph. What was I supposed to do, just sit there and wait for it to happen again?" She clenched her fists. It felt so liberating to be saying this. "I never felt like I was appreciated. I cooked, cleaned, and looked after the kids, but did I ever hear a single 'Thanks Hermione, I appreciate it'? No. You weren't even home half the time, always at work or out drinking with your friends. And that's not even the worst part. I didn't mind that you went to bars, but you had the nerve to drink at home, in front of our children. Do you know that I got called to school for a private conference with Riley's teacher because of it? Do you know that our son told his classmates that his favourite thing to do on weekend was to 'Stay up late and sit next to my daddy when he watches the telly'? Because apparently, 'sometimes he lets me have a sip of his grown-up apple juice. It tastes funny, but it makes me feel special.' I can't believe you let Riley drink your beer--"

"He didn't drink it," protested Joseph. "I just let him taste it--"

"And you told him it was 'apple juice.' Did you think you'd have a laugh, teaching your son that he should drink 'apple juice'?"

"He's got to learn it sooner or later."

"I'd prefer it to be later," she said acidly. "Or not at all. What were you thinking, Joseph? He's six years old."

"Okay, so I'm not a perfect role model. So what?"

"So what?" she said indignantly. "So--so you're corrupting our children! And you lied to me!"

"I didn't want you to know," he said, turning on the light.

"I can't believe I married you," she said, shaking her head.

"Relashio!" he said, and the ropes were severed. She rubbed at her sore wrists and stood up, staring at him and wondering why he'd untied her. "I never finished magic school," he confessed, and she could see the shame in the half of is face that wasn't hidden in the shadows. "I'd been living with my uncle since my parents died, and then when he died, there was no one left to support me. Everything he'd paid for--my books, my robes, our house--everything...all that money was borrowed. He didn't have a single cent to his name."

"You could've gone on scholarship," she said pointedly. "Or did your school not have a fund?"

"There was one, but I didn't take it. I couldn't stand the thought of owing anyone, so I dropped out and went to a Muggle university to get a degree so that I could find a better job. Once I did, I started paying back my uncle's debts. There was so much of it...I didn't think I'd ever pay it back. It took me years to do it, but I finally paid everything off. That was about a year before I met you."

Neither of them spoke for some time.

"Joseph?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember Harry and Ginny? You've met them a few times. We always go over for Christmas."

Joseph thought for a second. "The redhead?"

"That's Ginny."

"Yeah, I remember. Why?"

"They started dating while we were still at Hogwarts. They got married the year Ginny graduated. Everyone always said they were meant for each other. And, I don't know, I was just a little jealous because I wanted what they had. They were so...happy. I don't think I was thinking quite clearly at the time though, since I'd come out of a pretty...dramatic relationship."

"Are you over him now?"

"I...don't know, to tell you the truth," she said. "That relationship was just really...crazy. But then I met you, and things went so fast...before I knew it, we were married and Riley was on the way. I think...I think I might've rushed into it, Joseph. I think we both did. I remember you told me that you were still getting over your last girlfriend at the time. It was a rebound relationship for both of us...and...I don't think we were really meant for each other."

"Shall I call up a divorce lawyer then?" sneered Joseph.

"That's not what I'm trying to say!"

"Then what are you trying to say?"

"I'm just...I think we need to work on this...us..."

"There's no point if you feel that way about me."

"Well, obviously, you don't care to try, so go ahead, call a lawyer," she snapped.

"Fine. I will."

He stood up and walked past her to the door.

"Good. I hope you do. I was going to tell you something else, but you clearly aren't in the mood to hear it."

"You're right, I'm not."

He paused, his hand on the door. He turned back to look at her.

"Oh, Hermione?"

"What?"

"I really appreciate this," he spat, slamming the door so hard that the lampshade rattled.