The Web Of Love

Blaise signed the documents he had been working on for the past hour and leaned back in his chair exhausted. It had been a week since Charlie had been released from the hospital, and their little munchkin was back to normal. So he had no choice but to slowly go back to work, which he didn't mind at all because he liked his job and didn't have to think about Hermione at least for a small part of the day. On the other hand, he was afraid that an old bad habit would take hold of him. This was also the reason why he decided to return only for a few hours a day. The situation with his ex-wife and his best friend hurt him so much that he was in danger of withdrawing, and his best escape from his problems was always work. That's exactly what he did when the first troubles in their marriage appeared.

He sighed. He had spent every previous day at Hermione's apartment, and it was really difficult for him. She tried to give him space, for which he was very grateful, but how much can you do when you're in the same room together? Not much. And even though it was still excruciatingly painful, he had to control himself a lot not to go soft. He would prefer to tie her to him and never let her go. Why couldn't she start something with some strange guy that Blaise could quietly hate, but could let it go at the same time? Because he could do it. He could let it go if it was a stranger. They could easily be married again by now, but instead, Blaise was lost in thought as he desperately tried to find answers to the questions running through his mind. Thoughts about if he could ever forgive them.

A knock on the door echoed through the office, saving him from further thoughts. "Go on," he called to whoever was standing outside the door.

The door opened slightly, and a blond head appeared between them. "Can come in?" Draco asked in a calm voice, though he was actually nervous.

Blaise balled his hands into fists but nodded his head in agreement. He wasn't going to avoid it in the end, so he'd rather have it over with.

Draco walked in and closed the door behind him, where he would stay in case he had to escape from Blaise. His friend only glared at him, which made him even more nervous, so he began to look around the office. 

"It's nice here. Are you planning on staying here long?” he mumbled as he worked up the courage to look at him again.

Blaise nodded. "Yes," he answered simply.

“I have spoken to Theodore, and after all I have decided to accept his offer to go with him to France. Just for a few days, maybe weeks, " he informed him, tugging at the collar of his shirt a little, as he somehow began to run out of breath.

Blaise nodded again but said nothing. The blond was only now beginning to fully realize the impact of his actions. He kind of expected his friend to tell him that there was no need for him to leave, but as you can see, he was wrong. He should have guessed it when he found a new office.

"I don't know what you want me to say," he said when he still didn't speak.

And if it was a different situation, then Blaise would have laughed, because this was exactly all Draco. But this wasn't a different situation, so instead he gritted his teeth a little before saying coldly, "You know, most people would at least try to apologize."

"I think you're dramatizing it a little too much. After all, it's not like she's cheating on you with me. We've been through far worse. You would not let this pettiness ruin our friendship," he stated a little hurt. It was Blaise who let Hermione go. He was the one who hurt her and left her alone. So it wasn't fair of him to blame him for anything here. They were all single, and they could do whatever they wanted.

Blaise angrily slammed his fists into the table and quickly jumped to his feet. "Pettiness?! Merlin, wake up, Draco! I love her, okay? I love her, and you know it all the time, and you sleep with her anyway. This is a thousand times worse than anything we've been through. This is betrayal. And you know very well that betrayal is not forgotten and certainly not forgiven," he snapped at him.

Draco gave him a slightly startled look. “Okay. We've all made a mistake. You sabotaged the only thing that brought you happiness in your life and I allowed Hermione to use me to fill the void you had caused. And you know what? I didn't know it at first, but she wasn't the only one who needed to fill a void. We've all made mistakes. Let's put this behind us and move on. I'll go to France, you'll go back to her, and maybe when I get back to London we'll laugh about it together."

"Don't try to find a way out of this by blaming others! I admit that what you said is true, but that does not give you the right to defend yourself. You were my best friend. You and Theo. We literally went through hell together, and then you go and start sleeping with the woman I love with a clear conscience? You were there when I started dating her. That time you proved you were a better person than everyone thought you were. You befriended her because you knew how much I cared about her. To Charlie, you are the uncle I never thought you could be. So why did you have to screw it up like that?" he wanted to know because it was one of the questions he wanted to know the answer to. He just couldn't understand it. He knew Draco. He knew very well that he was capable of many things, but he never expected this from him. They were brothers…

"I'm sorry," he breathed out softly, and he meant it. Once again, he took it all in stride, as he was wont to do, and once again he got it all wrong. It didn't matter what Hermione and Theodore were telling him. The weight of his actions began to weigh on him after Blaise's words. And it was too late for him to fix it.

"Sometimes an apology isn't enough," Blaise said in a calmer voice.

"What are you saying?" he asked, no longer hiding behind his stony face. This really didn't mean the end of their friendship, did it?

Blaise shrugged and slid back into his chair. "Go to France as planned, and hopefully time will tell."

"How long do you imagine I'll be there?"

“I don't care how long you'll be there. Do as you wish. That shouldn't be a problem for you, right? You always act in your own interest. Just don't meddle in my life, and I'll maybe get over it," he answered honestly, if a little harshly. He couldn't help it. The truth was, that he had hurt him.

"I'm sorry," he said once more, not knowing what else to say, leaving him alone in the office.

It seemed he had finally reached the point where he would not forgive him, and they would part ways. He had always wondered when it would happen and what he would do to make one of his friends run out of patience, but he never would have guessed that it would be this.