Chapter Four
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A few weeks after their "affair," it was time for Hermione to attend one of Connor Cowell's balls. It was held at one of the finest ballrooms in London and no one was allowed in unless they had an invitation. Harry would be there at Connor's request, as would Draco. Connor had no idea that Draco knew Hermione; he was just invited because of his social standings. Harry would naturally bring Ginny since it was expected of him.
Both Draco and Harry were with Hermione in her room as she was getting ready. Harry was sitting on a chair, his leg jumping nervously while Draco was lying lazily on the bed, his head propped up on his elbow.
"So, remember to listen for any clues when he speaks with his business associates," Harry said for the third time. "And don't suggest going to the room if he doesn't!" Hermione was ignoring him as she was putting on her makeup. Harry looked at Draco for help, but Draco offered none. "We'll be close by if you need us," Harry continued and Draco rolled his eyes.
"Potter, you're acting like her father. You'd almost think that you were her jealous boyfriend," he added, after a second of thought. Hermione watched at Harry's expression through the mirror.
"I don't want her to get hurt."
"She can handle herself."
"Thanks, Draco." Hermione turned and looked at him.
"Draco?" Harry asked and made a face.
"That's my name, fool," Draco answered.
"Will someone help me with this necklace?" Hermione asked and both Harry and Draco took a step forward. They looked awkwardly at each other and then Harry took another step forward. He stood behind Hermione at the mirror and placed the necklace around her neck. He looked down at her naked shoulders and fought the urge to kiss them.
"You look very pretty," he whispered to her and she turned around and smiled.
"Thank you, Harry."
You look very pretty?! What an stupid thing to say! he thought and scolded himself.
Hermione walked over to the dresser and took her glass of wine that was waiting for her.
"I feel prepared for tonight. Who are you bringing, Draco?" she asked and tasted her wine.
"Don't remember her name."
"Charming! This wine is delicious," she said and drank some more.
"Yeah, I brought it; I thought you would like it. It's similar to the one we had this weekend," Draco said and looked gleefully at Harry.
"This weekend?" Harry asked and tried to sound casual.
"Oh, Draco brought some wine over. We couldn't work since Connor was away, so we just had to hang out here."
"Where was I?"
"You were with Ginny," Hermione answered rather coldly. She swept her glass of wine and stood again.
"Well, I'm supposed to meet Connor in the bar."
"Not even picking you up at the door - what a gentleman," Draco said.
"Coming from the one who couldn't remember his date's name," Hermione answered as she grabbed her bag and left. Harry turned and looked at Draco. What was going on? Since when did Malfoy and Hermione share witty banter?
"Why are you bringing wine to Hermione? What are you playing at, Malfoy?" Harry took a step forward.
"Shut it, Potter, stop acting like you're her boyfriend. You're not, you are getting married - remember?" Harry clenched his fists as he held back the urge to beat the smirk off of Malfoy's face.
"I have to go home and get Ginny," he finally said.
"Yeah go home and get your fiancé!" Draco called after him.
----
Hermione was not impressed when she arrived at the ball with Connor. The people in the ballroom were all people she would usually never be around. She had been forced to attend a few formal galas after the war and a few fancy parties with Ron and his Quidditch team, but nothing could compare to this.
Everyone was dressed in elegant clothes and they were carrying drinks of different sorts. The women were sparkling with expensive jewelry and many of the men had what Hermione found to be very funny mustaches. Hermione looked around for a familiar face but saw none. She felt Connor caressing her lower back and she wanted to hit his hand away.
"You look very sexy in that dress," he leaned close to her ear and his hot breath made her skin feel wet. She playfully hit him on the arm. "Oh, there is your friend. Get him over here," Connor ordered and nodded towards the entrance.
Indeed Harry had just entered with Ginny on his arm. Hermione's heart jumped a beat; she had forgotten how incredible he looked in a suit. His well-toned Auror physique carried the suit so well and Hermione had to reach for a drink so she wouldn't start to dribble. She felt like a giddy schoolgirl…. She caught his attention and waved him and Ginny over. Ginny looked pretty, as always, in a light blue silk dress.
"Hermione," Ginny shrieked and hugged her. "You look hot!" Hermione smiled and turned to give Harry the polite and obligatory hug.
"Harry," she said politely as she put her arms around him. With her face turned away from the others she closed her eyes and took in the scent of him. "This is my date, Connor Cowell," she said as she pulled back and introduced Connor. Connor shook Harry's hand and kissed Ginny's hand.
"So nice to finally meet the famous Harry Potter, I've been trying to get you to attend one of my little parties for a very long, but you always decline." Harry looked embarrassed.
"Yeah, my Harry doesn't like parties that much," Ginny explained.
My Harry? Since when did Ginny call him my Harry? Hermione thought resentfully. Well it is her Harry, so just drop it you twit!
Connor started talking to Harry about the latest business idea, seeming to think that it might interest Harry. Hermione watched in amusement as Harry shifted from foot to foot, obviously uncomfortable, and she had to turn away so she wouldn't start laughing. She looked around the crowd and spotted Draco at the far side of the hall. He had his arm around a beautiful blonde and he met her eyes, but quickly turned away. Hermione continued scanning the crowd but she didn't know a single person.
"Who are you looking for?" Ginny whispered to her.
"Oh, I don't know, just wanted to see if I know anyone here."
"Look at the tables, aren't they beautiful?" Ginny cooed. The long white linen cloths hung down to the
floor and the tables were set with silver cutlery. Large bouquets of roses sat in the middle of the tables.
"These balls really are a great way for people to meet on private grounds and share business," Connor said and grinned at Hermione, adding, "And sometimes we share other things, too." Harry frowned, what the hell had Cowell meant by that? Did they share women at this party? That couldn't have been what he meant. Did he mean that they shared stories about their dirty deeds? Or maybe of their criminal activities….
"Hermione, my dear, I see someone with whom I must speak. Harry and his beautiful fiancé will keep you company." He kissed the side of her forehead. Just a few seconds after he had walked away, Ginny rounded on Hermione.
"I can't believe you are dating Connor Cowell, he is like a zillionaire or something! Did you know about this?" She turned to Harry.
"Yeah, Hermione mentioned it."
"And you didn't tell me?" she shrieked.
"Relax, Gin," Hermione said as she patted Ginny's arm to keep her calm.
"He is really charming, isn't he?" Ginny smiled.
"Yes, he sure is," Hermione smiled back.
"Not more charming than you, of course, Harry," Ginny hastily added and kissed Harry's cheek.
"Oh, shit!" Hermione suddenly said and Harry saw that something was wrong. She looked like she had shrunk five inches. He turned and saw what she had just seen. Entering the ball room was Ron Weasley. Ginny saw him and shrieked. She clapped her hands, ran across the room, and threw herself around her brother.
"What is he doing here?" Hermione whispered to Harry.
"How the hell do I know?" he looked confused at her.
"This could ruin everything!" she sounded panicked.
"Why?"
"Ronald usually doesn't take to well to me seeing other men."
"I thought you had broken up!" he hissed from the corner of his mouth.
"We did!"
"Right," he answered sarcastically and before Hermione got a chance to answer, Ron came walking towards them, beaming.
"Hermione, Harry!" he called out as he approached. He gave Harry a friendly hug and then turned to Hermione.
"Hi, beautiful," he said and kissed her on the lips. Harry suppressed a frown and looked for Cowell.
"Wh - What are you doing here Ron?" Hermione finally croaked out.
"I was invited by Connor Cowell. Where did my date go?" he asked more to himself than anyone else. He turned around and obviously found who he was looking for.
A black haired Asian girl, not unfamiliar to Cho Chang, walked up to them.
"This is Liza," he said and introduced her. He looked guiltily at Hermione, and there was an awkward moment for all of them. Hermione knew that look, it was a "Is this okay? Please be jealous," look.
"Hermione, gorgeous," Connor's voice came booming from behind her and she felt his hand seize around her waist. It happened very fast, but she quickly looked at Ron who was now staring at the hand around Hermione's waist and he followed the arm to see it's owner. His face was growing redder by the second as Connor introduced him.
"You're a good man to come all the way from the States," Connor said and shook his hand. Ron nodded, and honestly he looked kind of like a fool. He glared at Connor, but Hermione could see that he tried to keep his jealousy down. Hermione looked at Harry for help, this wasn't good. Luckily it was Connor who saved the situation when he called for everyone to take their seats.
During dinner Connor hardly spoke to Hermione, but she didn't care. She wasn't there to be a part of his boring conversations. As they were eating dessert, she suddenly felt his hand on her inner-thigh and she drank some more champagne. As the music started he took her hand and without asking pulled her towards the dance floor.
She looked towards Ron's table and saw that he was following them intensely. She looked over at Harry and saw that he, too, had his eyes fixed on her. She couldn't handle it; the pressure was getting to her. Connor swiftly jerked her arm and she was spun around into his arms.
"Now my dear, we dance," he whispered in a husky voice. A tango started and he pulled her flush against him. He led her around the dance floor and Hermione felt very uncomfortable. Many eyes were on them, Connor being the host, and she wasn't mush of a dancer. Especially tango!
Who knows the tango? she thought
Connor let his hands roam down her back and he let it gently rest on her backside. Hermione closed her eyes in discomfort and she could just imagine Ron's fury. He was so bad at being a friend after all these years as being her boyfriend. She didn't want to hurt him, she didn't want him to make a scene and she didn't want to blow the cover. She felt her tears burning as Connor dipped her low and kissed her right above her plunging neckline. He grabbed her leg and pulled it up against his waist and Hermione saw Ron start to get up. She quickly looked over to Harry and he was now walking towards Ron.
Yes, thank God, Harry is going over there to distract him! she thought
"Why did you invite my old boyfriend?" she asked Connor as he was twirling her around the dance floor.
"Well, why not?"
"I don't find it necessary to throw it in his face that I'm seeing someone else," she spat.
"But you are more than welcome to see him as well, we're not exclusive, my darling," he smiled wickedly at her.
"So is this some sort of test?" she asked.
He leaned close to her ear and whispered: "Maybe."
"And how am I doing?"
"Well, you chose to dance with me even though your old lover is watching."
Hermione turned and saw Harry and Ron together, they were both watching her.
Yes he is, she thought.
As the dance ended Connor pulled her in for a kiss, he shoved his tongue into her mouth and dipped her again. "I think I need to go and talk to him," she said as he pulled her back up.
"Yes my dear, I think you should. Now I've made sure he knows that you are with me now." She forced a smile and walked away, but as she did Connor smacked her butt. Ron and Harry stood in silence watching her as she arrived.
"Hi," she said almost in a whisper.
"Hi?" Ron asked cynically.
"We should talk," Hermione continued and took his arm and led him out of the ballroom. She turned and looked at Harry, still standing at the spot. He looked even more upset than Ron. As soon as they had left the ballroom and were out in the long corridor, Ron yanked his arm free.
"What is going on, Hermione?" he said and tilted his head.
"Oh Ron, I didn't want you to find out like this."
"So you are seeing that guy?" He obviously couldn't believe it.
"Yes, yes I am. But Ron, please try and be happy for me. You are here with someone right?"
"Someone Bill set me up with. I was hoping you and I could maybe…well, I missed you, you know." Hermione ran a hand through her hair.
"Please don't do this Ron. You always do this when I meet someone new, you don't really mean it."
"But I do," he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. Hermione looked into the familiar eyes and shook her head.
"We can talk about this tomorrow, okay?" He knew that look, she meant it.
"Yeah, alright," he kissed her cheek and let her go. "I hate seeing you with that guy," he added as he turned and walked away.
He returned to the ballroom and Hermione felt like she couldn't breathe. What was she doing? Risking her friendship with Ron for some mission? She didn't want to hurt him; she had done enough to him already. Her mind briefly touched on old mistakes, but she pushed them out of her mind. She started breathing faster until she was hyperventilating. She couldn't catch her breath; she felt her tears welling up.
Suddenly someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into one of the closets.
"Get your self together," Draco hissed at her. He was holding her arm very hard and it hurt her.
"I-I just can't…. I mean…Ron."
"Yeah you are having some sort of panic attack. Just breathe!" Hermione started to get dizzy.
"I'm going to pass out." Draco grabbed her by her upper arms and held her up. She leaned her head against his chest. He felt odd. Standing in a closet with Hermione Granger, holding her very, very close. He was suddenly aware that his heart was beating faster.
"Why do you care about Weasley? You broke up, right?" he said in a harsh tone.
"Yes, but I still care about him."
"I'm sure he would be happy to hear about how you yearn for his best friend," Draco continued.
"What?"
"Please, it's nasty how you drool over Potter. Learn some dignity, Granger!" Draco pushed her back against the wall.
"I-I don't…"
"I-I don't..." Draco mimicked her. "You're an Auror now, start acting like it for fuck's sake!" She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.
"Thanks," she whispered and Draco could hardly believe it. He had just been rude, slightly violent and had insulted her and she was thanking him. He let go of her arms and looked into her eyes.
"You can do this, I really think you can. You just have to remember to be an actor around Connor; your real feelings don't exist."
"Is it that easy to be an actor?" she asked.
"I'm not the one under cover," he answered. She took a deep breath.
"So how should I act out there? Just ignore Ron?"
"Yeah, why not? If you were on a real date, would you let Weasley get in the way?"
"I can hardly remember," Hermione joked and Draco rolled his eyes. "Sorry," she added.
"Just go out there and concentrate on Cowell." She nodded and walked out of the closet.
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After Connor had dropped Hermione at the hotel with his limo, Hermione headed to the gym. Connor and his friends were going to a private nightclub, but Hermione had decided not to join them. He was so drunk that she was sure he would stay there all night. She felt really frustrated with herself, she had been far more unprofessional than she should have been. She was also mad at Ron for showing up like that. They were over and he needed to get that through his head.
Living in the States with Ron, sharing a flat, had many times left her with this feeling of frustration, and she had learned that going to the gym and beating the crap out of a sandbag really helped her. It was also one of the reasons she had gotten such good grades on her physical training. She punched the bag again, images from the evening flashing before her eyes. Strongest of all the pictures were Ginny on Harry's arm.
"My Harry…" she heard Ginny's voice over and over. Sometimes it felt like Hermione was living in her own world, nothing that actually happened around her was as she would like it to be. She thought about Connor's disgusting tongue down her throat and kicked the bag. She thought about Ron again, how could he think it was okay for him to have a date, but not her? She punched the bag so hard that her hand started to hurt. She walked over to the treadmill and started running. Harry's eyes on her when no one was watching had not been missed by her. Why did he do that? Why did he taunt her? It was like he was dangling himself in front of her and saying: this is what you can't have. And that irritating Draco Malfoy had noticed it. He had told Hermione that she was yearning for Harry, and she hated to admit it, but the little ferret was right.
Hermione suddenly felt slightly bad about calling Draco a ferret in her mind, he had actually been decent to her tonight. And they had had a few decent nights in the hotel room. She ran so hard that her lungs were hurting her. She suddenly felt like she was being watched. The hotel had a large gym, but it was completely empty, being that it was late on a Saturday evening. She took the lift back to her room.
As she entered she was slightly startled to see Harry sitting on her bed. He was still in his suit, but his necktie was now hanging lousily around his neck.
"What are you doing here?" she sounded more cross than she wanted.
"I wanted to see if you were okay." Harry looked at her sweaty clothes. "Did you go running?"
"I went to the gym," she grabbed a bottle of water from the mini bar and downed it.
"One of those nights, huh?" he knew exactly how burning energy with physical training could help with stress, or thoughts one had to get rid of - a cold shower sometimes helped as well… depending on the thoughts.
"Did you know Ron was coming?" she turned to him.
"Of course I didn't. Are you all right? You looked a bit panicked there for a while." She grabbed a towel and patted her wet forehead.
"Yeah, Draco talked some sense to me, so it's all right."
"Draco?" She nodded. Harry looked at her toned arms. "You are really fit," he said and felt ashamed
about being so blunt about it.
"Well, thank you, Harry," she winked at him.
"No seriously, it looks like those arms could beat someone like a bludger." She flexed her arms and joked around making poses. Harry got up, walked over to her and he squeezed her arm. "Not bad Granger," he said. He kept his hand on her arm and she looked into his eyes. He still had his hand on her sweaty arm, but it slowly moved down slightly, towards her elbow.
"I'm taking a shower," Hermione broke the silence.
"Do you want me to leave?" he asked, embarrassed.
"No!" she had answered faster than she would have liked to. "No, please stay. I'll be out in a few minutes." Harry made himself a drink from the mini bar as she showered. The door to the bathroom was slightly open, but he couldn't see her. He was tempted to push it further open with his foot, but didn't. Harry handed Hermione a glass of wine as she exited the bathroom.
"What a night, huh?" he said and took a sip.
"Insane," she agreed. Harry was half lying on her bed and she sat down on the sofa.
"So what's going on with Ron? I mean you said it was over…"
Hermione sighed. "This is the way it usually goes… We break up, I go on a date with some random guy and he gets jealous. Sometimes we end up giving it another try, but we won't this time. We decided that together. I think he just got a bit cross today because I had promised him to tell him when I met someone."
"Do you always tell him?" Harry looked fixedly on her.
"Not always," she answered him without breaking eye contact. Harry quickly looked away. Hermione sighed.
"So is Ginny at your flat?" she asked.
"Nope, back at her place tonight." There was an awkward silence again.
"Look Harry, I better get some sleep. Today really took it out of me, and this red wine isn't making me anymore energetic.
"Gottcha," he said and jumped off the bed. In a few moments he had jumped into the fireplace and was gone. Hermione threw herself on the bed. What a mess, she thought.
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