Teardrops on Roses
December 28, 2010
Twirling her ring around her finger, feeling the cool metal of the band, Hermione sat in her office. Ever since the game, and if she was honest, before that, she couldn’t keep her thoughts off of Draco. There was something about him that always tickled her brain. There was a part of her that always screamed at her to pay attention and listen to what her heart was trying to tell her, but her head was always getting in the way of things.
There was a time she couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if she listened instead of avoiding, but none of that mattered anymore. Draco was with Emma, and she was with Oliver. She was getting married, for Merlin’s sake. They had all chosen their paths, and there was no use in going down the path of things that could have been.
But what if…
No. Shaking her head, the witch stood, smoothing out her dress and cardigan before picking up the books and heading towards the stacks. It had been a slow day at the shop, allowing her to catch up on all the back-end work she had been missing due to the holiday rush. It was a nice change of pace, but it did nothing to help her ever-running frame of mind.
“Hey, Hermione,” Theo smiled, walking into Enchanted Tomes, the twins nowhere in sight. Chuckling, the witch sat her things down and looked at him. “Are you busy?”
“Not at the moment, but I do technically run the place,” she pointed out. “I can’t just leave mid-day.”
“Just a walk around the alley with me,” Theo stated. “I want to go and get something nice for Harry. I need your opinion.”
“Go on, love,” Remus chuckled, walking into the room, Teddy hot on his heels. “It’s quiet right now.”
“We can handle it, Mimi!” Teddy smiled. “Dad says I should learn more responsibility. This is responsibility.”
“Well, in that case, Teddy,” she smiled, bowing gracefully. “I leave Enchanted Tomes in your ever-responsible hands.”
“See, Dad! Even Mimi says I’m responsible.” Teddy smiled before running off.
“I won’t be long,” Hermione chuckled, slipping on her coat and kissing Remus’s cheek before heading out the door with Theo. Taking her arm in his, the wizard walked the streets, prattling on about the twins and Harry’s new beard that, in Theo’s opinion, was the hottest thing about his husband.
“The way it feels when he-”
“Nope!” she laughed, shaking her head as her cheeks flushed. “I do not need to hear anything about the sex lives of two of my closest friends.”
“Best friends, thank you,” Theo winked as they walked in front of the door to the jewelry store. “Oh, this is the place I wanted to go! Come on.”
“Theo, you never need my opinion on jewelry,” she stated as they walked in together. “In fact, you tell me all the time what I should and shouldn’t wear.”
“Because I know you,” the man scoffed. “And you know my husband. You’re here to temper my need to drown my husband in jewels that we both know he couldn’t care less about.”
“I don’t even want to know,” she giggled and sobered up as the salesperson approached them.
“Hello there, is there anything I can help you with?” she asked, smiling at the two of them.
“Yes.” Theo nodded. “I’m looking for a new pocket watch for my husband. Maybe a locket for my daughter.”
“I can help you with that,” she smiled. “My name is Kerrie. Let me pull a selection for you.”
When the woman came back, Theo pursued the selection, chatting excitedly with Kerrie about his options and telling her all about the twins. Hermione watched, a small smile on her face as she subconsciously twirled the ring on her finger.
“I knew he chose the perfect ring,” Kerrie said, smiling as she looked at Hermione.
“What?” the curly-haired witch asked, pulling out of her reverie.
“The ring,” the kind woman stated again. “He was so very concerned about getting the right one, but I knew that as soon as he saw that one, it was fate.”
“Hermione doesn’t believe in divination,” Theo teased, examining the locket in his hand again.
“Hush, Theo,” the witch admonished. “You sold him the ring?”
“I did,” she spoke. “I knew without a doubt that the woman he gave that ring to was his perfect match. He says you don’t believe in divination, but I have a sense about these things.”
“Well, it’s beautiful,” she smiled softly, staring down at it again.
“The three of you will have a very happy life,” she continued. “I can tell.”
“Three of us?” Hermione asked, looking at Kerrie again, missing as Theo watched her nervously.
“Of course,” Kerrie stated brightly. “Mr. Malfoy’s son was such a precious little thing. He was so adamant that his father picked the perfect ring. It was quite adorable.”
Hermione was frozen, taking in everything that the woman was saying. Draco bought the ring, not Oliver. Scorpius helped choose the ring. The ring was not meant for her but for another woman. The air in her lungs seized up, and she felt herself swaying as her ears began to ring. She could barely hear as Theo apologized profusely and purchased both the locket and the watch, instructing where it should be sent.
Warm hands guided her from the store, whispering in her ear, but all she could hear was static and mumbling. How could any of this have happened?
“Hermione,” Theo stated again, his form firm but kind. “Are you with me?”
“Theo?” she whispered, her legs giving out as she reached the table, her fingers holding onto the oak wood as the wizard guided her into a seat. When they had entered the pub, Hermione had no idea. She didn’t even remember Theo leaving her as a drink was placed in front of her.
“Drink,” he stated, downing his own. “You’re going to need it.”
“Draco… He picked out the ring…”
“He did,” Theo nodded with a sigh. He didn’t want to hurt her, but she deserved the truth, and if Draco and Harry were going to pussyfoot around it, well, he could be the bad guy. “It was supposed to go to Emma on Christmas morning.”
“Why did Oliver give me this ring… Draco’s ring.”
“From what I understand, and keep in mind this is just pillow talk-”
“Harry knows?”
“We are getting off-topic here,” Theo gently reminded her, steering her away from the potential for an explosive argument with Harry. “Let’s stick to the facts. Both Oliver and Draco were in the store at the same time. When they left, they were apparently speaking with one another, and then fireworks went off.”
“George was testing a new batch…”
“Exactly,” he nodded. “Drink, love. When the fireworks went off, both men were startled and dropped their packages, causing the switch. Then come Christmas morning, you open the ring, and instead of what Oliver really got you, there was Draco’s ring. He didn’t want to look like an idiot and, let’s be honest, piss off Black and Lupin, and proposed to you while Emma got the earrings.”
“Earrings?” she breathed, taking a long sip of wine. She couldn’t believe the words that were falling out of his mouth.
“Golden snitch earrings, to be exact,” Theo spat in disgust, causing Hermione to snort before she downed the rest of her wine. Part of her would have probably continued to think he was lying or playing some joke on her, but it was the snitch earrings that gave it away. Oliver Wood was a liar and a thief, apparently.
“I’m… am I really that stupid?” she asked, her voice as small as she felt. She knew that her relationship with Oliver wasn’t perfect and that she let a lot of things slide when it came to him, but never did she believe that she was that blind and naive.
“You are anything but stupid,” the curly-haired man snapped, taking her hand in his and motioning to the bartender for a refill of her wine. “You want to be loved and spend your life with something. There’s nothing wrong with that. But you have to ask yourself… Why do you love him? And why does he love you?”
“What am I going to do…”
“Well, right now, you and I are going to get obliterated until you no longer feel bad about yourself and you get angry at him.”
&&&
“What did you do?” Remus asked, his arms crossed over his chest, Teddy standing by his side. The glare on the child would be almost comical if the golden eyes of his father didn’t send a shiver down his spine. Everyone knew that Remus Lupin was a gentle soul, but that didn’t mean the werewolf wasn’t still lurking inside of him. When you angered Moony, all bets were off.
“What do you mean?” Oliver asked, looking wearily between Teddy and Remus. “She sent me an owl to meet her here.”
“Mimi is making more scones,” Teddy pointed out, his eyes shifting to gold just like his father’s. His normal turquoise hair was even the same shade of sandy blonde. It was quite disconcerting. “It’s almost closing time. We don’t need any more.”
“What did you do?” Remus stated again.
“I didn’t do anything,” Oliver sighed, scratching the back of his head. “I mean, I canceled our dinner last night but-”
“Fix it,” the werewolf demanded, flicking his wand to send books back to their respective shelves. There was one thing he wasn’t going to allow, and that was for Hermione to get hurt by the likes of Oliver Wood. “Now.”
“Or I’ll call my other dad,” Teddy commented, glaring at the Quidditch coach before storming off. Everyone knew that Sirius Black did not allow anyone to mess with Hermione.
Taking a deep breath, Oliver stepped behind the counter and entered the kitchen. There was music playing softly, tunes that Hermione listened to when he wasn’t with her because she knew muggle music made him uncomfortable. Looking around, he saw mixing bowls getting stirred by magic, and at the very end of the table, Hermione stood, her curls pulled to the top of her head, flour on her cheek, all she worked the pastries into the correct shape.
“Hey, Mione,” Oliver stated, but all the witch could do was sigh. When he reached to tug a stray curl, she recoiled but refused to make eye contact with him, moving toward the pan of scones again. “I’m sorry I canceled our plans again. I was just riled up about the game, and Malfoy and I just– I needed to work out my frustration. I had to fly.”
“How did you get the ring, Oliver?”
“What?”
“It’s so perfect, so me,” she stated, looking up at him for the first time since he entered the kitchen. Her normally bright eyes were dull, and Oliver knew immediately something wasn’t quite right. “I never wear jewelry, and I can’t help but wonder how you managed it. I thought perhaps Harry or even Theo went with you to pick it out, maybe even Sirius. You did buy the ring, right Oliver?”
“You know..”
“Yeah, I know,” she stated coldly.
“Look, Hermione, I messed up,” he started, but she cut him off completely.
“Messed up?” she laughed, the noise sounding more like a choke than anything else. “This isn’t just a mess up.”
“I know, but I just-”
“You just what?”
“I had just asked you to go with me for this new position, and you were so on the fence,” Oliver tried to explain, his rationale only making Hermione more angry and upset. “I wanted you to go with me. I love you, and then you opened your gift, and I just… I knew. I knew the moment I saw the ring that I wanted to marry you.”
“What was your plan?” she asked, her eyes brimming with tears that she refused to let fall. She would not have an emotional breakdown in front of this man. Not after everything she had learned that day and everything he had already put her through. “Were you going to wait until we were married? Until I had given up my business and my life in London to go be with you? Then you would just tell me the story one day, and we would laugh? What were you thinking? You gave me someone else's engagement ring, Oliver!”
“I didn’t have a plan. I know it’s crazy I just… I wanted you, Hermione,” Oliver sighed. “I wanted you, and I felt you slipping away. Then I saw the ring box and just… I could picture it. You and me together. How could I give that up?”
“So you did this, you gave me someone else’s engagement ring, for me? Because you love me?”
“Yes,” he nodded fervently. “I love you, Hermione.”
“Why?” she asked softly.
“What?”
“Why do you love me?”
“Mione, I,” he stopped and looked at her, waiting for her to give in and scream or hex him. But she didn’t. She stood there silent and calm, waiting for him to answer. “Well, I mean, we’ve known each other since we were kids. We fought a war together. You’re pretty and kind and everyone loves you, Hermione.”
“Those aren’t reasons to be in love with someone Oliver,” she said slowly, looking into his eyes. “You don’t marry someone because you went to school together and fought a war together.”
“Mione.”
“I’m not giving up my store, and I’m not moving,” she stated, her breath shaky. “Because you lied to me and because clearly… we aren’t in love with one another.”
“Hermione…”
“I’ll take care of getting the ring back to Draco,” she stated, putting the pan into the oven. “I’ll have Theo bring you back your things. We both know Harry would just set them on fire if I gave them to him.”
“You’re ending this…”
“I am,” the witch nodded. “We both deserve something more, someone we are irrevocably in love with. And I think you know that.”
“There’s no chance to make any of this right with you, is there,” he said, the words not a question but a statement. He knew the answer already, but he couldn’t stop himself from saying it.
“I’ll handle Draco and the ring,” she spoke quietly, turning back to her pastries. “The two of you have a volatile relationship at best, and it will be better coming from me.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Oliver sighed. “I can take it back to him.”
“No,” she shook her head. “I need to do this… and I need you to leave this shop. Please.”
Pausing only for a moment, Oliver let out a sigh and walked over to her, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.
“For what it’s worth,” Oliver spoke gently. “I hope you get everything you want in this life. You deserve all of it and more.”
And for the first time in a very long time, Hermione truly believed she did. She deserved more than empty words and empty promises. Happiness was what she craved. There were moments in her life when she could smell it, taste it. But at times, it felt as if it was diluted, almost as if it something was missing. It was like baking. Baking was simple when you broke it down. You followed the instructions, and you put your heart into it, and after a certain amount of time, you had a beautiful concoction ready to enjoy. There were risks, though. Too much or too little of an ingredient could alter the flavors and differ the texture but it could still be edible. But a missing ingredient? Well, it could ruin the whole recipe.
&&&
“Draco,” Remus stated as the bell above the door rang. The older man smiled as the wizard walked in with his son at his hip. “Scorpius. You two are here rather late this evening. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Hermione sent me an owl and asked me to meet her here,” Draco stated, running his fingers through his son’s fine, blonde hair. “I had to pick up Scorpius from Potter and Theo’s place first.”
“My daddy says he’s going to do all the talking, and I should just be my precocious self,” Scorpius piped up, causing Remus to laugh. The smile on the little boy's face never faltered as he looked at the worn man who had a soft spot for him.
“Teddy is putting up some books. Why don’t you go try to find him, and maybe I can gather us some goodies to eat while your father talks to Miss Hermione,” Remus smiled warmly.
“Do you have anything with apples?” the young boy asked, his eyes immediately going wide.
“I bet you I can find something,” the wizard winked. “Go on.”
They both watched as Scorpius ran off into the stacks, calling for Teddy.
“So Draco, do you have something you would like to tell me?” Remus asked, his eyebrow raised as he looked at the young man standing before him. Draco never got enough credit, in his opinion, for all the positive changes he had made in his life. He had worked hard to rebuild his name and his reputation, learned to leave his prejudices behind, and even brought his parents into the new world along with him. Remus had always known he was a bright young man but even he underestimated just how strong the Slytherin was.
“Do you know?” Draco asked, raising a brow of his own.
“I know that something isn’t right,” Remus nodded, closing his book and walking into the bakery side with him. “I know that Harry has been acting strange and Hermione as well. I have a feeling that you are involved somehow. I would like to know what is going on. For Hermione.”
Sighing, Draco went into detail about everything that had happened, from the incident at the jewelry shop to the missing ring Christmas morning. He told him in excruciating detail about Harry’s reaction and what happened between them and Oliver at the Quidditch match. By the end, he could see that the wolf was trying to keep his composure.
“That is… not what I was expecting,” Remus said slowly. “It’s worse than I thought.”
“I wanted to tell her when I saw it on her the day after Christmas,” Draco started, running his fingers through his hair. “But I couldn’t. I didn’t want to hurt her. I never want to hurt her again…”
“You were right not to.”
“She… She told me about the night Sirius found her,” Draco spoke, his voice gentle and careful. “How she almost…”
“She told you?” Remus asked, his eyes wide as he looked at Draco. Not even Harry knew the details about that night and the locked-up potion cabinet that followed the incident.
“She did,” he nodded. “I think she told me because she thought I could understand. After the war, I was a mess. I was addicted to dreamless sleep, and until Scorpius was born, I just… felt I had no purpose in this world. I could relate to her. I never want to be part of the reason she feels like that again… It’s why I don’t know what to do about this.”
“I’ll talk to Sirius,” Remus stated, resting a hand on Draco’s shoulder. “You’re a good man Draco Malfoy.”
“Thank you,” Draco replied.
“She’s just back there. You can go on in.”
Draco watched for a moment as Remus pulled a few pastries from the case and journeyed into the stacks to find the boys. Chuckling to himself, he pulled his gloves from his hands and slipped his coat off before stepping into the kitchen. A smile crossed his face as he watched her humming along to the music playing as she prepared her famous scones. She was in her element, beautiful. This was his favorite version of Hermione Granger.
“Hello, Granger,” Draco stated, chuckling as her head popped up at the sound of his voice. It would never cease to amaze him that she no longer flinched when she heard him enter a room. Her capacity for kindness and forgiveness knew no bounds, and he would be eternally grateful.
“Hi,” she smiled softly, but he could see that it didn’t reach her eyes. The flecks of gold he had grown so used to were missing, and his heart ached at the idea that someone had stolen her spark. “I see you got my owl. Thank you for coming.”
“Of course,” the blonde wizard stated, walking towards her and rolling up his sleeves. “Need any help?”
“You want to help me?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Only if you want me to,” he chuckled, stepping up beside her. With a soft nod, Hermione allowed him to join her. Draco didn’t know that he would be the first person to ever join her in baking. It was a sacred time that she kept for herself, but she found that she didn’t mind Draco stepping into it with her. As she gave him instructions, she realized he was a quick study, and while he could easily fill the air with small talk and surface-level conversations, he remained silent, allowing her to gather her thoughts and be the one to break their comfortable silence.
“I will just cut right to the chase,” Hermione started, wiping her hands off. “I know about everything. I know it is insane. I just wanted to say that I am sorry. I am so sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Draco stated, gently wiping the flour from her cheek. “If anyone is sorry, I am. I wanted to tell you I just- I couldn’t. I didn’t think it was my place, and I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Thank you for being exactly who you are through all of this,” she continued, the shake in her voice causing Draco’s heart to crack for her. “You’re a good man Draco.”
“Thank you…”
“I just… I wanted to apologize myself,” she continued, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. With steady hands, she pulled the ring off of her finger, tucking it back into the box before handing it to me. “It’s a beautiful ring, Draco. Emma is one very lucky woman.”
“Hermione-”
“Once that is on her finger, we can all pretend none of this ever happened,” she stated, laughing a bit, but Draco wasn’t fooled. He could hear her voice break and could see the tears pooling in her eyes.
“He doesn’t deserve you, Hermione,” he stated, his molten eyes boring into her chocolate ones. “You deserve someone intelligent and kind. Someone who can hold a conversation with you that has nothing to do with Quidditch. A man or woman who will give you the stars if you ask for them. A partner, Hermione. You deserve a partner in this life and the next.”
“I tried to kill myself once,” Hermione whispered, her head resting on the strong shoulder of the wizard next to her. Nimble fingers were raking through her curls. The ease of the action had a warmth spreading through her body, causing a comfort that was far too familiar to the feeling of home than she was ready to admit.
“What?” Draco murmured, his body tensing slightly a the feel of her fingers tracing patterns along his forearm.
“I didn’t know how to cope anymore. I was drowning, and it felt like there was no way out of this dark abyss I had found myself in. I had brewed Draught of Living Death… and I was going to drink the entire vial.”
“But you didn’t…”
“Sirius found me,” she continued, taking another sip of her wine. “He pried it from my hands, and I fully expected him to scream at me until I had learned my lesson. But he just smiled sadly and took my hand and led me out of the darkness.”
“I’ll need to send him a gift of sorts,” Draco murmured, resting her chin on the top of her head. Slowly he laced their fingers together, gently squeezing as his warm hand enveloped hers. “I’m glad you’re alive, Hermione…”
“Me too.”
&&&
“Hey, kitten,” Sirius smiled softly as she walked into the room to get a cup of hot chocolate. He was seated at the table with Remus, and they had a plate of brownies in front of them. “Sit with us for a moment? There’s something we want to talk to you about.”
“Alright,” she smiled sadly, sitting across from them. Sirius took her hand in his. “What’s going on?”
“There’s a situation we need to tell you about with Oliver,” Remus started before Sirius cut him off.
“But don’t worry,” Sirius stated, smiling kindly at her, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “I’m already plotting with Weasley on how to take Oliver down. Give him the fright of his life.”
“I know, Sirius,” she stated.
“You know?” Sirius asked.
“You know what, love?” Remus elbowed him, watching her carefully.
“I know everything,” she sighed. “I know about the ring, the lie, all of it. I already gave the ring back to Draco. Everything is back to the way it is supposed to be, and I just, I really don’t want to talk about it right now, ok?”
“No, not ok,” the animagus shook his head while Remus pushed the plate of brownies in front of her. “We need to talk about this.”
“Eat,” Remus instructed. “You’ll feel better.”
“Are the two of you still-”
“No,” Hermione shook her head, picked up a brownie, and took a small bite. Nostalgia flowed through her veins as memories of her first meeting with Remus on the Hogwarts Express flooded her mind. Chocolate was always his answer for everything. “I asked him to tell me why he loved me, and he couldn’t give me a real answer.”
“What did he say?” Sirius asked.
“He said that we fought in a war together and that everyone loved me,” she stated, feeling the tears well up in her eyes again. “I um… I just. I can’t talk about this right now.” Wiping her eyes, she stood from the table. “I cooked enough scones to last the next few days. Remus… do you think you could cover for me at the store? I just need some time.”
“Of course, Hermione,” he stated soothingly, watching her as she left the room, rubbing Sirius’s thigh. When she was out of earshot, he turned to Sirius, watching his expressions. “Should we be worried?”
“About her? I’m always worried,” the man stated, running his fingers through his hair. “I’ll keep an eye on her. Need me to help out at the shop?”
“You? Helping?” Remus smirked, leaning closer to him. “More of a hindrance, really.”
“You’ll pay for that later,” Sirius smirked, grabbing his cardigan and pulling him into a deep kiss.