Chapter 14 - Inevitable
May 2003
Days went by, and before Hermione knew it, a month had passed since she had seen Harry for the first and only time since he had married Ginny. It was a relief to her that usually Ginny chose restaurants to meet with her. On the other hand, the less rational part of her mind (or was it her heart?) was aching to see him again, even if he was going to treat her with his coldness.
She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe she loved him as much, or maybe more than before. She certainly had known for sure that she would never forget him, but she had hoped that with time, she would be able to heal. She was married to another man after all. Draco and Daniel were her family now. It wasn't natural that she dreamed about someone else.
But that was what fate had chosen for them. And it wasn't that Hermione was one of those people who believed in predestination... Actually, she was quite against it, but she had to admit that thinking that that was what was meant to be for her made everything a lot easier. If that was possible.
She was now sitting with Ginny, having lunch in a small place in London. Small, but luxurious enough for her red-headed friend. Ginny had said she wanted to discuss something urgent with her.
"Before we start, promise me that you won't reject my proposition before thinking about it," Ginny started.
Hermione eyed her, warily. "Is this an illegal thing?" she teased.
Ginny smiled. "Not at all. This will be a completely honest and legal company."
"Company?" Hermione repeated, puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
"Well... I was thinking. I'm getting bored just being at the manor, not doing anything. So I wanted to start a company... I want to make dresses and fashionable robes for witches."
"Are you kidding?"
"No. This is really serious stuff. And I want you to work with me."
"Me...? But I... I don't know anything about fashion, Gin."
"Of course you do. Don't you remember we used to spend our afternoons designing clothes back at Daguerre? Besides, I bet that dress you're wearing right now was made by yourself... A pure Hermione Granger piece of work."
Hermione laughed. Actually, the red dress she was wearing had been designed by herself. She didn't have money to waste on buying clothes when she could make them.
"Well, what do you say?"
"I'm not sure, Gin..."
"Come on, think about it. Of course, Draco would have a part in this company, too."
Hermione looked at her friend, surprised. "He would?"
"Yes, we need a representative, someone who takes care of the financial stuff, you know. I'm not very good with that..."
"I'll talk to Draco about it," she promised.
* * *
By the time Hermione arrived at her house, she was very excited with Ginny's offer. She loved designing clothes, and it would be really nice to work with her best friend and husband.
She was surprised to find Draco sitting on the couch, with a glum expression and a glass of whisky in his hand. He didn't even look up when she entered in the room. He had obviously had an awful day at work.
Hermione sighed and sat across from him, on a wooden chair.
"Ginny wants to start a business," she said, straight to the point. "Witch Fashion," she added.
Draco took a sip of his whisky and let out a hollow laugh. "What is it? Potter isn't doing well with his billions of Galleons?"
"It was her idea," Hermione said, ignoring his sarcasm, "and she wants us to be a part of it."
"Us?"
"I would be a designer and you would be the representative." She then told him everything she had discussed with Ginny. The salary her friend wanted to pay them - 9,000 Galleons a year for each of them, which was a lot more than what they would earn working ten years at their current jobs - the legal terms, etc. By the time she finished, Draco was pacing through the room, excitedly.
"I was getting tired in the Ministry anyway," he said. "And, in a couple of years I would be earning enough for you to quit and stay home."
Hermione ignored his last comment. "What if you leave your current job and this doesn't work?" she asked.
"Have you no faith? This is exactly what we were waiting for! I'll meet with Ginny."
* * *
Ginny sat on Severus Snape's office, rubbing her hands nervously. Snape was a famous Healer who specialized in the woman's reproduction system... In other words, pregnancy and conception.
She had asked for an appointment with him because she was starting to get worried. No matter how hard Harry and she tried, she couldn't get pregnant. Ginny knew that Harry wanted to be a father more than anything else, and she wanted to give him a child, that would tie him forever to her.
But it wasn't working.
"Have you ever had an abortion, Mrs. Potter?" Snape asked, writing down her answers in a piece of parchment.
"No."
"Have you ever had a child that was born dead?"
"No."
Snape left the parchment on his desk and stood up. "I'll have to examine you, and maybe then we'll find something."
Ginny nodded, swallowing hard.
After the examination, Snape went back to his chair and surveyed Ginny with his black eyes. "You have had a child before," he started.
"Who was born alive, not dead," Ginny pointed.
"Was it a hard delivery?" he asked.
Ginny explained what had happened - of course, avoiding the political details- the night that Daniel was born. It wasn't easy. She hadn't expected she would have to relive that part of her life.
"Internal bleeding?" Snape wrote down. Ginny nodded. "Well, Mrs. Potter, I will be honest with you. The Healer that attended your delivery was in a really hard position. To save you, he caused a lot of harm to you..."
"I don't understand."
Snape sighed. "You won't be able to conceive again," he said, slowly.
The news hit her like icy water. "What?"
"I'm really sorry, ma'am. But your womb is partially destroyed, and there's no way you could get pregnant in that way."
"That's impossible," she said with a shaky voice. "You have to be wrong."
"If you want to go to another healer, you can. But I assure you he will tell you the same thing."
* * *
"How did it go?" Harry asked gently that night.
"Hermione and Draco accepted my offer," Ginny replied, trying to avoid her discussion with Severus Snape. Before going to his office, she had met with Draco Malfoy.
Harry nodded absent-mindly. He had seemed excited when Ginny had told him her idea, but his enthusiasm disappeared at once when she added she had offered a job to the Malfoys.
"I'm talking about your appointment with the Healer," he said.
"Well... he examined me," Ginny said, biting her lip.
"And?" he asked, his green eyes shining expectantly.
"He said we should keep trying," she beamed at him.
"Really? There's nothing wrong?" he asked, obviously relieved.
"Of course not!" She kissed him lightly. "Harry, a year is not much time... You'll see, we'll be parents really soon."
* * *
Two weeks later, on a really hot Sunday, the Malfoys flooed themselves to the Potter's manor. Ginny had invited them for lunch, to sign the contract. They had brought Daniel along. After all, if they were going to work with Ginny, it would be inevitable for them to see each other.
Hermione didn't know what made her more nervous: Ginny and Danny's meeting or seeing Harry again.
"Mr. and Mrs. Potter are expecting you by the pool," Dobby said.
Hermione took Danny's hand and followed Draco outside, shaking like a leaf.
"You're finally here!" Ginny said, approaching them, grinning.
"Yes, 1 o'clock sharp," Draco said, and motioned Hermione and Daniel to come closer. The little boy looked up at the red-headed lady, puzzled.
"Danny, this is Mrs. Potter," Hermione said, pushing him forward.
"Hello, Daniel," Ginny greeted him, smiling.
Daniel muttered a weak "Hi" and hid behind Hermione.
"He's a little shy," Draco said, laughing.
Ginny smiled at the couple. Inside she was really hurt. This was her boy. And he was hiding from her behind her worst enemy.
"Please, come to the pool," she said, turning her back at them and walking to where Harry was sitting, reading the Daily Prophet. When he saw them, he stood up and shook Draco's hand. He just nodded politely to Hermione. She felt like slapping him.
"You must be Daniel," Harry said, kneeling in front of the boy, who was clutching Hermione's skirt. "Do you like the water? Would you like to come and swim with me?"
Daniel stared at him, considering the offer. After a couple of seconds, he nodded and let go Hermione's hand and followed Harry to the pool.
"Wow, that's amazing, it's the first time he goes with a stranger," Draco commented.
"Harry is great with kids," Ginny shrugged. "Well, you can go through the contract," she said, giving it to them. Then she pulled a chair and sat by the pool, while Draco and Hermione moved a little apart, to read the terms.
"Here it says that all your designs will be licensed under her name," Draco read. "What do you think about that?"
"That's normal, every Fashion company does the same," Hermione said. Her mind wasn't really in the contract. She was staring at Harry, who was playing in the pool with Danny. She shuddered when her eyes fell on his arm. Something had happened to it. The skin was red...
"How is it going?" Ginny asked, approaching to them.
"We're done," Draco said. He turned to Hermione and noticed she was staring at the pool. "Chiquita, stop worrying, Harry won't let Danny drown," he said, rolling his eyes.
"What? Oh, yeah, right..." she said, feeling embarrased.
"Harry, dear, we're about to sign!" Ginny called him.
Harry nodded and climbed out of the pool, carrying Daniel. He took a towel and dried his hair and then put a t-shirt on while walking towards them. Danny ran to Hermione and grabbed her hand.
"Are you sure you don't want to revise it again?" he asked, looking at Draco.
"We've already read it," he said, smiling.
"Yes, but maybe you should ask a lawyer..." Harry said, still talking directly to Draco, completely ignoring Hermione's presence.
"What, did you put a hidden term in it that will doom us to bankruptcy?" Draco teased. The truth was that he couldn't afford a lawyer.
"I'm just suggesting you should-"
"Harry, it's alright," Ginny interrupted. "They are comfortable with the contract, let's sign it, all right?"
She grabbed a quill and signed it. Draco and Hermione followed. Since it was a magical contract, once signed, it was impossible to destroy it. Grinning, Ginny opened a bottle of champagne.
"For Virginia Weasley," she said, lifting her glass. She had decided that was the name of her new company. It was a glamorous name.
The first step of her plan was done.
* * *
The weeks that followed that day were very busy for Hermione. Draco had decided that, now that they were going to earn a lot more money, they shouldn't live like a poor family anymore and move. Hermione didn't consider her house as "miserable" as Ginny and Draco had called it, but she had accepted.
Ginny had helped them in choosing a new home. Hermione had wanted just a simple, regular house, but Ginny had showed him a really big one in one of the high suburbs of London. Draco had absolutely loved it.
"This costs too much," Hermione argued, "We can't afford it."
"Why are you always complaining?" Draco said, angrily. "This house is spectacular."
"But Draco, look at the price, it's too high. We can't..."
"Excuse me," Ginny interrupted. "But, if you want, I could lend you some money to pay for it. You can pay me later."
"No, Gin, we can't accept..." Hermione started.
"Thank you very much, Ginny, That's very generous of you," Draco cut her off. "See, Chiquita? We can have this house."
Hermione sighed. "We don't need a house this big, Draco."
"Can't you see I love this house? It's all I ever wanted! Why can't you let me have, for once, an opinion?" he argued.
Hermione gave up. He was always like that. She was getting tired of it and didn't really need an argument now.
So, a week later, they were moving into that big house that Draco had wanted so much. To celebrate, Ginny offered the couple a vacation in an apartment she and Harry owned in Kent, right next to the beach. Draco had accepted immediately, saying they needed a holiday before starting their new job.
* * *
July 2003
The second morning in the Potter's apartment, Daniel woke up Hermione at 7 a.m. He wanted to go to the beach. Hermione got dressed and went with him. They didn't wake Draco up. Hermione considered it would be better to let him sleep.
They ran and played in the sand. Daniel had turned three years old, but to Hermione he looked much older than that. He was so serious and mature...
"Look, mum, Mr. Potter is here, too!" the boy said suddenly.
Hermione turned around violently and spotted a man walking slowly through the beach. It couldn't be... Harry was with Ginny in London. She then noticed that the man had a snowy owl on his shoulder. There was no mistake. It was Harry.
She wanted to disapparate right then. If she hadn't been with Daniel, she probably would have. But Harry had already spotted them, and, to her surprise, he was walking towards them. Hermione sighed and got ready for the inevitable. He would, once again, treat her with his cold politeness, which was much worse than plain despise.
"Good morning," Harry said. Daniel ran to him and shook his hand.
"Hi," Hermione whispered, trying to pull back her hair, quite a hard task thanks to the strong wind blowing. "I thought you were in London."
"I'm only here for the day," Harry said, looking at the wide ocean. "Business," he added.
Hermione nodded and took a deep breath.
"You're up very early," he commented.
Why don't you go to hell? She thought bitterly. "Well, I'm sure that my waking-up habits are not a mystery to you," she said, despite herself.
Harry's eyes turned to her. It was the first time he looked directly at her in that way since they had met again. "No, they're not," he said softly.
Hermione looked at Daniel. He was a little far off, playing in the sand. He couldn't hear them. She turned to Harry again. "You know, we'll have to see each other a lot from now on," she said while he just stared at her, in silence. "So, maybe you could just drop that attitude, and behave like a grown-up."
"What attitude?" he asked.
"THAT attitude!" she exclaimed. She knew that all of the anger she had building up inside of her since she had known that he had just played with her was about to blow up. "The attitude of a stupid, snob, rich man who treat the rest of us as if we were inferiors!"
Harry blinked. "Hermione, I lost the sense of this conversation."
"The bloody sense is that something happened between us, Harry!" she yelled.
"A long time ago," he added, not raising his voice at all.
"I'm not saying the opposite. But that politeness in your treatment is disgusting! I'm sick of it! It won't erase the past!"
"What's the point of remembering something that's behind us?" Harry asked, with an expressionless face.
"Well, maybe if we bring up the past, we'll be able to behave normally when we're together."
Harry was about to say something, but he turned his gaze away from her. Suddenly, his eyes widened.
"Oh, God!"
Hermione turned around and realized immediately why Harry had said that. Daniel was being pulled by a huge wave. Before she could even do anything, Harry started running towards Daniel. Without losing a second, she followed him. Harry got in the water, swimming desperately to reach the small boy. Hermione wanted to get in the water too, but Harry turned to her.
"Stay back!" he yelled.
It was like that time on the mountain. He was in control of the situation, and just as she had trusted him back then, she trusted him right now. Although she was really scared, she somehow knew that Harry would save Daniel. She went back to the beach, shaking.
Three minutes later, Harry came out with Daniel in his arms. The boy was unconscious. Hermione wanted to scream. This couldn't be happening...
"Hermione," Harry said, with a strong voice that forced her to remain calm, "I happen to have my broom here. I'll take Danny to the hospital. You apparate there, and wait for us, OK?"
* * *
"I sent Hedwig to Draco. But I don't know how long will it take for him to be here," Hermione said.
She was sitting with him in the waiting room of Kent's Wizarding Hospital.
"Don't worry," Harry said. His clothes were still wet and dirty with sand. His hair was messy and he had left his shoes on the beach. "Besides, he can't do anything."
"What if they need the permission of both parents for an emergency surgery?" she said. She sighed, trying to forget the fear she was feeling. "He looked bad, didn't he?" she whispered.
"He's going to be all right," Harry said.
Hermione stopped trying to act calm and covered her face with her hands. "I should have gone inside with him. He doesn't like strangers..."
"I'll bring some coffee. We both need some," Harry said. "I'll be right back."
Hermione didn't care about a stupid coffee. All she could think about was her boy being pulled by that wave... Her head was spinning. Her brown eyes filled with tears. She tried to wipe them, but it was no use.
"Hermione..." She felt Harry's voice. He was back with the coffee. He sat beside her. "What happened?" he asked softly.
"Nothing yet," she said, grabbing the tissue he summoned for her. "This is all my fault."
Harry frowned. "You didn't call that wave to the beach, Hermione."
"I let him go on his own. I should have been taking care of him instead of trying to impress you, to make you recognize that there had been something important between us, when there obviously wasn't anything..." she started sobbing.
"Here," he said, giving her another tissue.
She blowed her nose and stared at the mug with dark coffee he had given to her.
"Does it taste bad?" he asked. "Do you still like it with two spoons of sugar?"
If Hermione hadn't been so worried about Danny, she would have noticed that that comment was an acknowledgement of their time together. "It's fine," she whispered, taking a sip. She then turned to look at him. "I haven't thanked you yet for saving his life."
"Did you expect me to just stand there, not doing anything?"
"The current was incredibly strong, you could have drowned..."
"I'm a good swimmer."
"It was very brave of you," she said. "You're always brave... God, why do they take so long? What if is something really bad, what if he's in a coma or-"
"Hermione, stop it!" Harry exclaimed.
"I'm sorry... I'm just a worrywart mother." She took another sip of her coffee. "I'm going to the bathroom. If something happens, just call me, OK?"
Once in the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was pale and her hair was frizzy and full of sand. But she didn't care. She just washed a little her face with cold water and went back to the waiting room. Harry was rubbing the arm she had noticed in their house.
"Harry?" he jumped a little and look up at her. "What happened to your arm?"
"It's not a very nice story," he muttered.
"The war?" she asked.
He eyed her with his green eyes and Hermione felt her heart beating faster. "Yes, the war," he said, slowly. He then stood up and started pacing. Hermione sat down, looking at him. Harry then leaned against the wall and looked at her. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Hermione, but I have the impression that you think I abandoned you."
Hermione gaped. She was totally taken aback. She took a couple of deep breaths, before saying, "You never wrote back."
"It's true, I stopped writing to you."
"Well... I didn't know what to think. I tried to look for you. Lady McGonagall had a friend in the Resistance... He told us your reports arrived in time."
"They weren't mine," Harry said, looking down.
"What?"
"I didn't send any reports. Of course, they arrived anyway. People in the Resistance never thought that the FOS was smart enough to fake them..."
"Where were you then?" she asked, almost afraid of his answer.
He lifted his head and their gazes locked for a second.
"In Azkaban."
"Azka- You were a prisoner?" she gasped.
"Almost two years."
Hermione rubbed her temples. Ginny hadn't told her anything about Harry being in Azkaban. She hadn't forgotten to mention the other women he was dating, though. She looked at him, amazed. She had heard terrible stories about Azkaban. The tortures and the darkness... Not many people made it out alive.
"It was after I met you in Madrid," he continued. "I was released shortly after France's Liberation, but those two months aren't very clear to me. I was lost, shocked. Remus found me and helped me. Thanks to him, I'm fine now."
Hermione wanted to cry... If she had known...
"I'm so sorry, Harry..." she said. She trailed off when a nurse passed by.
"You never took the check to Gringotts," he said.
"What?"
"The 300 Galleons I gave you at the party."
"Oh, those."
"I was very nice at the time, huh? That's me, I always behave like an asshole when I'm nervous," he said.
"Why would you be nervous?" she asked.
"Very simple. When I was in Azkaban, the only thing that kept me alive was you. It was the only way I could've made it through that hell, seeing you again. And, when I come out, it turns out that you, my heroine, had stood me up..."
"I didn't stand you up," she said, quickly.
"The thing is, it was quite hard for me. I decided I would never see you again. And then, Ginny came up with that idea of the party..."
Hermione swallowed. "After you recovered in Remus' place..."
"I went immediately to Paris. Remus had found out where Ginny was living. I went to see her right away, and that's when I learned about your marriage..."
Hermione's eyes widened. "But Ginny told me..."
Her voice went out. Ginny had lied to her. In that room, with Daniel almost dying, her friend had lied to her. She couldn't believe it...
"What did she tell you?" Harry asked.
Ginny was the only friend she had. She was Daniel's birth mother and her employer... And Draco's too. She stared at Harry, not knowing what to say. She was too shocked to think.
"Mrs. Malfoy?" a voice asked. She turned to see a woman wearing a white apron.
"It's me," she said, standing up, nervously.
"Are you Mr. Malfoy?" the Healer asked, looking at Harry.
"I'm just a friend," he replied, not telling her his last name. "How is Daniel?"
"Your son is fine. Just a few bruises, that's all."
Hermione let out a relieved laugh. The Healer smiled at her and left. They were left alone again. Hermione was too tired to remain on her feet, so she sat down again. She was happy that Daniel was okay. But the conversation she just had with Harry clouded her emotions. Before she knew it, she was crying again.
Harry kneeled in front of her and grabbed her hands. Hers were cold, but when he touched her, she felt warm. It was as if all her fears were swept away. Harry looked directly into her eyes. The hospital was really noisy, but looking into each other eyes, they didn't notice.
"It's true that you saved my life, Hermione," Harry whispered. "In Azkaban, the idea of dying is very tempting. But thinking about you helped me to stay alive and strong."
Hermione squeezed his hands. "Harry..."
He moved a little closer to her. "I-" he started.
"Hermione!" a voice called.
Hermione and Harry turned around and saw Draco running to them, with Hedwig flying behind him. Harry instantly backed away from her and stood up. Draco stopped in front of them and caught his breath.
"I'm sorry, I was sleeping and didn't notice the owl until now," he apologized. "How is Danny?"
"He's going to be fine," Hermione muttered.
"Thanks goodness," Draco said and hugged her.
In her husband's arms, Hermione's eyes searched for Harry. He looked at her, smiled weakly and disapparated.