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The Affair	By : snowblind12 & Lissa Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 55609 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: This fanfic is based off the Harry Potter books which are owned by JKR. I make no money from this fanfic and these characters as well as the Harry Potter books and world belong to JKR!

Chapter List
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- 28
Disclaimer: This all belongs to JKR and her publishers. I own nothing.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I value your reviews soo much and I really enjoy reading your thoughts! I'm juggling 2 of my own stories and 2 co-authored stories with LissaDream. To say I do nothing but work full time and write would not be an overstatement. But, I'm not complaining, I love it! Your reviews are the fuel that keep me going and I'm grateful.
This chapter is what I call a transition chapter. It moves the plot along but it's not a fun and sexy chapter. Hang in there with me ;) My updates are slower these days, but they will continue to come, I PROMISE! Lots more to come with this story ;)
This chapter is not beta'd. LissaDream's plate runneth over. She just posted an amazing chapter of Bless the Broken Road. If you are in search of a great story, check it out!
Thanks again for reviewing!
Friday Evening, Cont...
She landed outside the door and opened it quickly, stepping inside and closing it before Draco would have a chance to catch her if he was in pursuit. She dropped her bag on the floor and absently walked to the sofa, collapsing on it and laying on her side. Tears and regret overcame her. She was mentally and emotionally exhausted. She just couldn't take anymore... not one more thing.
She drew her knees up to her chest. It was for the best. This was all just too difficult and she couldn't do it anymore. Her emotions were raw, her body so tired, her mind overwhelmed. She needed to let Draco go. Oh Gods... The pain of that thought caused a small sob to escape her lips. She wiped her cheeks. His reaction...his anger, it had disarmed her, but she realized it shouldn't have. His hurt was justified. She sighed as she rolled onto her back. It's an impossible situation.
Her resolve strengthened as she stared at the ceiling. She would finish out her six months with Theo. She would focus on her work, her case before the Wizengamot. At the end of six months? Well, who knew what would happen then. Maybe things would work out between them. But, for now...she couldn't navigate the complicated waters of this triangle. She was Theo's wife. He and his mother held the cards and much to Hermione's frustration and humiliation, she was trapped in their grasp...at least for now.
She sat up carefully, letting out a shaky breath. Her bottom was really tender. She stood up, grabbed her bag and slowly walked back to the bedroom. Theo was still sound asleep. She tossed his borrowed clothes from her bag into the dirty laundry basket and went back to the kitchen. The owl post box at the window was full of mail from the past few days. With everything that had been going on, neither of them had checked it. She poured herself a glass of water as she mindlessly went through it all, dividing it into his and her piles. It was a welcome distraction. There were a few bills, a few notices from various doctors offices which she was sure were reminders of her upcoming annual appointments and there was a ton of junk mail. She threw out the junk mail and set the bills and other pieces of mail aside. She would open and read them this weekend.
Deciding a soak in the tub would help to relax her and help to soothe her sore behind, she headed to the bathroom. She turned on the water and added her favorite bath enhancing potion. She undressed and carefully slid into the welcoming, hot water. She leaned back and closed her eyes, deeply inhaling the moist, warm, verbena scented air. Yes. This is what you need, Hermione, to relax. You need to minimize the stress in your life.
Unfortunately, it wasn't long before she felt her eyes prick and sting with unshed tears as her thoughts went back to Draco. She could try not to think about him, try to forget him, at least for now, but she knew it would be next to impossible. He had come into her life with such a force. Theo's Affair had turned her world upside down, but Draco had already shifted its axis. You were going to leave Theo, Hermione. Before you knew he had been cheating, you had decided to leave him. It was Draco, Draco had been the catalyst for that decision. Despite everything that had happened, she was glad Draco came along when he did. He had reminded her what it felt like to be cherished. He had not only brought back spice into her sex life, but he had brought so much more..love, humor, excitement, anticipation. Gods, Hermione. If he hadn't come along you would probably still be with Theo! Unaware and trusting. She may be miserable at this particular moment and may have Ezmirelda and Theo blackmailing her, but she was not longer the clueless, unsuspecting wife. She would be eternally grateful to Draco for that, no matter how it all turned out in the end.
It wasn't long before she wasn't only thinking about Draco, but berating herself as well. She had monumentally screwed up by sleeping with Theo and she should have found a better way to tell Draco it had happened. She had been impulsive and inconsiderate. What she did to him was unfair...asking him to punish her without an explanation. And then running away when he reacted poorly to her confession. What were you thinking? She slid lower into the tub, bringing the water line up to her chin.
She could lay in this tub and despair and regret to her hearts content, but it would change nothing. Nothing would change the fact that she was stuck with Theo for another 5 and a half months. She should just focus on work. Her relationship with Draco would have to wait. If he couldn't wait, and found another, then so be it. She forced herself to to not think about that possibility. She could do this. She could gain control of her emotions, if not her future. She was even more resolved the more she thought about it. It was the right decision, no matter how hard. Once again, she needed to rely on her logic and not her emotion.
The weekend was a quiet one. Theo had slept all through Friday evening and was up earlier than usual on Saturday. He didn't crowd her or ask her to talk. He had learned his lesson and knew better than to force anything. They each read, but in separate rooms and didn't interact much. Hermione was relieved he was giving her space and hoped he might finally be coming to terms with the fact that their relationship was over. She wasn't sure if his realizing that fact would be a good thing or not. It would depend on what he disclosed to his meddling and sadistic mother.
Sunday rolled around and it was more of the same. Hermione did some grocery shopping and Theo went through his stack of mail and paid some bills.
It was late afternoon when the doorbell rang. Theo was in the living room and Hermione in the kitchen. Hermione stepped into the living room and exchanged a look with Theo. Neither of them were expecting company.
"I'll get it," Hermione said as she walked towards the door. Her heart had begun to race in the anticipation it might be Draco. She internally chastised herself for hoping for something that would only make her life more difficult. She looked through the peephole, disappointed to find it was a head of blonde hair she despised. "Your mother!" she spat with irritation. Gods, she hated that woman.
Theo jumped up as Hermione was about to open the door. "Wait!," he exclaimed in a loud whisper. He dashed to her side and pulled her to him, crushing his mouth on hers, kissing her soundly. Hermione squealed and tried to push him away but he wouldn't relent his hold on her. One of his hands moved to her head and mussed her hair. The doorbell rang again as he chewed on her bottom lip, untucked her shirt and fingers began unbuttoning her blouse. She finally shoved him away. "Theo, what the..."But, he was ignoring her. He had stepped back and was mussing up his own hair and pulled off his shirt. Hermione's jaw fell as she realized what he was doing. "You could have told me!" She chastised quietly, but not harshly. It was a clever and helpful idea.
"Ok, open it," he whispered. As Hermione opened the door, Theo was standing behind her, his arms wrapped around her, nibbling on her ear. The haughty elder witch froze at the sight before her.
"Hi Mother," Theo said with a big smile as he slapped Hermione's bottom affectionately. Hermione maintained a fake smile as she slightly jumped and let out a small squeal in pain. Unbeknownst to Theo, Hermione's bottom was still tender from Friday night.
Ezmirelda walked in, her hawk eyes astutely scanning Hermione's just kissed mouth, messy hair and half buttoned blouse. A fake smile curled over her charmed white teeth. "I'm sorry to drop by like this, but I just wanted to see how you two were doing." Her eyes were now on Theo.
Theo was pulling on his shirt and making a show of smoothing his hair. He immediately pulled Hermione back into his arms. "Things are great!" He looked down at Hermione and smiled as she looked back up at him, a beaming fake smile on her face. "Hermione and I ...well, we are working on things. We are both devoted to our marriage and we aren't willing to give up on it." He looked down at her again. "Are we kitten?"
Hermione was dumfounded, but managed to maintain her smile. Say something! "Yes, Theo's right." She looked up at him and back at Ezmirelda. She re-buttoned her blouse as she added, "things are much better and it's because we're communicating."
Ezmirelda seemed skeptical but then her face softened and she smiled at Theo. She stepped over to him and kissed his cheek. "I'm glad things are better my dear boy." She pat his cheek affectionately, her long red nails like talons against his pale skin. She then turned to Hermione and smiled. "Take care of my boy, young lady." The underlying meaning was not lost on Hermione.
Hermione smiled sweetly, "Oh, I plan to."
Ezmirelda sighed. "Well, I'll be off then. I'm having dinner at the Parkinson's."
Theo smiled as he stepped towards the door with his mother, leading her out. "Have fun, Mother. Love you." She stepped further into the hallway and apparated quickly.
Theo closed the door and leaned his back against it, letting out a big sigh as he looked at the floor.
Hermione's voice was soft and genuine. "Theo..thank you."
He swallowed and lifted his head, meeting her eyes. His voice was soft and conciliatory. "It's not right what she's asking of you. I want you back, Hermione, but I don't want my mother making things harder than they already are." He pushed himself away from the door. "It's not any of her business. We'll take this slow and at the end of the six months we'll either have worked things out or we won't."
Hermione watched him as he walked back towards the sofa. "Ok, Theo. You help me with Ezmirelda and I'll give you the 5 1/2 months we have left."
He didn't look at her as he picked up his book. "That's all I'm asking for," he said quietly as he opened it.
Hermione buttoned her blouse and smoothed her hair as she walked back to the kitchen to get started on dinner.
Monday
Monday morning, Hermione arrived at work to find an owl post from Draco. She recognized his handwriting and held the letter, not sure if she wanted to open it. Her fingers trembled slightly as she broke the seal.
H-
I'm truly sorry about my reaction on Friday. I was surprised and hurt and angry. I understand why you fled, I was out of line. What I said was unfair and I'm sorry.
The truth is, I love you. I want you. But, our situation is unbearable for me. I wish you would leave him, but I respect your decision to stay. However, I can't be on the sidelines as you live and sleep with your husband. I was willing to settle for that when I first pursued you, but now, I want so much more and I can't put myself through that torture. I'm going to live my life the next 6 months and hope that when the time comes, you'll come find me. My feelings will be unchanged. That, I am quite sure of. If you change your mind about leaving him sooner, I stand by what I told you before, we'll handle the fallout together.
Yours,
D
Hermione let the letter fall from her fingers onto the desk and rubbed her forehead. She had pressure behind her eyes as the headache took hold. She had been getting headaches constantly the past couple weeks from all the stress she was under. She opened her drawer and pulled out another headache potion, tossing it back quickly.
Her thoughts went back to the note as she rubbed her eyes. On the one hand she was glad he was thinking along the same lines as her, but on the other, she wanted her knight in shining armor to bust down the door and ravish her. She wanted him to refuse to let her pull away, even if it was only temporary. But, the logical side of her brain recognized the foolishness of that fantasy and realized they would likely end up right back where they are now.
She didn't want to think about it anymore and instead grabbed the files Draco had dropped off Friday and started going through them. She needed to be sure everything they needed was included. She was anticipating hearing from the Wizengemot any day and her court date could be next week or in six months. There was no telling. Therefore, she needed to be ready. First, she needed to make sure the files he handed over included everything she needed and that nothing had been taken out. She still felt guilty for how she had gotten the files originally. One day she would come clean about that, but it might be a very long time before she confessed.
Hermione heard the front door of the office open and heard the unmistakable voice of Rita Skeeter, "Is Mrs. Nott available? I need to speak with her."
"Uh, Hi Rita. I'm not sure she's in her office. Let me check," Lizzy lied convincingly.
Hermione nodded when Lizzy cracked her door. "I'm back, Lizzy. Just floo'd in. You can let Ms. Skeeter in."
Rita walked in, her stiff, overprocessed hair and curls framing her round face and glittered frames. She approached Hermione's desk. "I haven't heard anything from you, Hermione. What's going on with your case? I left those files and haven't heard a peep since!" The witch was clearly irritated.
Hermione held her hands up in mock surrender. "I know, I'm sorry. There isn't much to report. The review board has agreed to put our case before the Wizengamot. I don't know when it will be. You will be the first person I tell, after Moxie, of course."
Rita let out a small huff of irritation and then sat. Hermione followed suit and sat in her chair, gingerly. Her bottom was still tender.
"What about that exclusive story you promised?" Rita asked, doubt in her voice.
Hermione's face fell slightly. She had forgotten about that. After a moments thought she responded, sincerely, "I Promise you'll get your exclusive, Rita. Nothing is official yet, but when it is, I'll give you the story first."
Rita looked skeptically at Hermione over the rim of her glasses. "Hmpf. I wonder if this 'exclusive' you've promised is worth what I gave up. News about the Malfoys sells papers, Hermione!"
Hermione nodded in understanding. "I know, I know they do. But, I promise the exclusive will sell papers as well. However, you need to know it might not be for a few months."
Rita's face turned red and she stood, her voice an octave higher. "A few months?"
Hermione held her ground. "Yes, Rita, a few months. Please sit down." She gestured to the chair Rita had just stood from. Rita let out a bark of air as she sat stiffly.
Hermione spoke softly but her words were firm in their meaning. "I made a promise to you and will keep it, but you must keep your promise to me as well. I will control how news about ME's involvement in these future proceedings is disclosed via the Prophet. Also, you need to destroy your copies of the ME employment files. I have obtained what we need legally. You need to destroy what you obtained illegally. It's to protect us both and to protect this case."
Rita looked angry and didn't respond. Hermione continued. "How about I fill you in on the meeting with the review board and you can write an article about that. You can say that Hermione Nott is now championing the cause of magical beings in the work place. You can mention Moxie and her complaint."
Rita contemplated. "Fine, tell me what happened."
By the time Rita left it was after lunch. Lizzy saved the day by walking in Hermione's office carrying chicken salad sandwiches. The witches ate as they dived back into the Malfoy files. Hermione was pleased the files contained everything the originals did. This meant ME wasn't manipulating evidence. By four o'clock, both Hermione and Lizzy were practically cross eyed with exhaustion.
Hermione dropped her quill and waved her wand, magically dividing and stacking the files as needed. "Let's call it a day, Lizzy. We can start fresh tomorrow."
Lizzy nodded and stifled a yawn. "That works for me. Let me just check the afternoon owl post and make sure nothing has arrived since I've been in here."
Hermione had cleared her desk and was grabbing her bag when Lizzy walked back into Hermione's office. She was waiving an official letter with a Ministry seal. Lizzy placed the letter in Hermione's anxious grasp. Hermione opened it and looked up at Lizzy. "Three weeks, Lizzy. Three weeks from today!"
That evening, Hermione sat at the kitchen table and wrote Draco. She needed to respond to his earlier owl. Theo was engrossed in a book by the fireplace.
Draco,
Thanks for your note. You have nothing to apologize for. I handled it all so poorly. I panicked and put you in an unfair situation by asking you to punish me. Then I added insult to injury by carelessly blurting out information that would have devastated me had the tables been turned. I'm sorry about all of it. But, most of all, I'm sorry I got so drunk on Thursday. If I hadn't been so intoxicated, it never would have happened. That's no excuse and I claim full responsibility for my actions.
As far as the rest of what you wrote, it breaks my heart to agree with you. But, you are right. You shouldn't sit on the sideline while I deal with this miserable situation. Live your life. I'm going to focus on work...really dive into it. I have five and a half more months with Theo. Hopefully, it will go fast. I'll come find you when the time comes. I'll be the luckiest witch in the world if you still want me. But, I'll understand if you don't. You owe me nothing, Draco. I love you...soo much! I'm sorry everything is so screwed up.
Yours,
H
She rolled and sealed the note before walking to the open window. Leo was sitting on his favorite branch and flew right over. She whispered as she tied the letter on the owl's leg. "Take this to Draco, Leo. Make sure he gets it." The owl let out a soft hoot before flying off. Hermione watched Leo until he was nothing but a speck of dust on the horizon. That's that then.
She turned away and walked into the living room. Theo was watching her. She wondered if he heard her send the owl.
"I heard from the Ministry today. My case is in three weeks."
Theo nodded. "That's good then, right? Not too long of a wait?"
Hermione nodded. "Yep, that's a good thing." After a brief pause she said, "I'm going to bed. It's been a long day." She turned and walked away towards the bedroom. She had spoken to him and shared something about her day. That's about all she could offer right now.
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The Affair