Against All Odds – Phill Collins
How can I just let you walk away
Just let you leave without a trace
When I stand here, taking every breath with you, ooh
You're the only one who really knew me at all
How can you just walk away from me
When all I can do is watch you leave
'Cause we've shared the laughter and the pain, and even shared the tears
You're the only one who really knew me at all
So take a look at me now
'Cause there's just an empty space
And there's nothing left here to remind me
Just the memory of your face
Ooh, take a look at me now
'Cause there's just an empty space
And you coming back to me is against the odds
And that's what I've got to face
I wish I could just make you turn around
Turn around and see me cry
There's so much I need to say to you, so many reasons why
You're the only one who really knew me at all
So take a look at me now
'Cause there's just an empty space
And there's nothing left here to remind me
Just the memory of your face
Now, take a look at me now
'Cause there's just an empty space
But to wait for you is all I can do
And that's what I've got to face
Take a good look at me now
'Cause I'll still be standing here
And you coming back to me is against all odds
It's the chance I've got to take
Take a look at me now
~*~
Background: Hermione and Draco are 18 and have already graduated. They have
been together since their 7th year (Voldemort had been killed at the end of
the 6th). They were both Head Boy and Head Girl, and shared dormitory etc.
So now they've been together for about a year, and everyone is okay with
that. Hermione studies Healing at St. Mungo's and Draco works in Gringotts.
Against All Odds
By Roni Black
"Don't you want some dessert, Hermione?" Draco Malfoy asked. He raised his
hand and played with his blond hair. "Look," he added, pointing at his
menu. "There's something called bouillabaisse here. What do you think it
is?"
"It's a shellfish and it's French," Hermione replied. "It's very tasty. I
had it when I was in France, five years ago. I'll have the bouillabaisse,"
she told the waiter.
"All right, so will I," Draco said. "It sounds pretty cool."
"Why?"
"A shellfish? Isn't it some kind of an oyster? Maybe I'll find a pearl in
it."
Hermione grinned. "What will you do with a pearl?"
"I'll give it to you, of course," Draco replied with the sweetest smile,
and Hermione leaned over the table and gave him a quick kiss.
They ate the bouillabaisse. Draco even said he liked it. When they were
finished, they didn't really feel like going home yet, so they stayed for a
while longer.
"I didn't find a pearl after all," said Draco, looking disappointed.
"It's okay," Hermione answered. "I already have a pearl necklace at home, I
don't need another one."
"You can't make a whole pearl necklace with one pearl you find in your
food, Hermione," Draco commented. "If you're lucky, you can give it to the
goldsmith and he will place it in a ring."
"Whatever," Hermione replied, smiling at him.
"However..." Draco said, clearing his throat, "I do have something for you,
after all. It doesn't have any pearls in it... but I think it's lovely
nevertheless..."
He took out a small box and handed it to Hermione. She gave him a surprised
glance, then opened it. Inside was a shiny diamond bracelet. Hermione's
heart gave a jump.
"Draco, it's so beautiful!" she declared. "It must have cost you a
fortune!"
"Who cares how much it cost? Come on, try it on."
"I want you to put it on me," Hermione replied shyly, stretching her arm
forward. Draco smiled and put the bracelet on her wrist.
"Thank you so much, Draco," Hermione said and kissed him. "I love you."
"I love you too, Hermione," he replied, kissing her back.
~*~
Draco walked Hermione back to her apartment, which was very close to St.
Mungo's. They stopped near her door.
"Good night, Draco," Hermione said, kissing him on the cheek. She withdrew
from him and looked at him, smiling. He was so beautiful, and she loved him
so much. 'I couldn't live without him...' she thought.
"Good night, Hermione," Draco said, moved in closer and kissed her lips
softly.
"W-would you like to come in?" she asked hesitantly as the kiss was
finished.
"Now?" he asked. "I've got a long day tomorrow..." His eyes met hers again.
"But who cares," he laughed. "I'd love to."
"Great." Hermione opened the door and they both stepped inside.
~*~
The next morning, Hermione woke up next to Draco's warm body. She turned
around to see him smiling at her. "Good morning, beautiful," he said,
touching her cheek.
"Good morning, you," she said, smiling. "What time is it?"
"Eight."
"What?!" Hermione jumped off the bed at once. "I've got to be at work in
fifteen minutes! Where the hell are my clothes?!"
"Fifteen minutes?" Draco looked at the clock. "Don't you set an alarm clock
before you go to bed?"
"Well, usually, I do," Hermione replied, looking frantically for her work
suit inside her closet, "but last night..." she flashed him a smile, "I had
other stuff in mind."
"In fact, I have to go, too," Draco said, still lying calmly in the bed.
"I can see that," Hermione answered while quickly dressing up. She ran into
the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she was back, Draco still hadn't made
a move to get out of the bed.
"Draco – I'm really sorry I have to tell you this, but can you please get
out of the bed? I only have seven minutes to get to work," Hermione begged.
"Would it do you any harm to skip work one day?" Draco asked tantalizingly.
"Yes, it would, because I have just begun working there like two months
ago, and I really, really must behave perfectly, at least at first. So will
you please get a move already?"
"All right, fine," Draco groaned, getting out of bed. He started getting
dressed. "I'll be gone in a few minutes. See you tonight?"
"Sure," Hermione replied, giving him a quick kiss. She grabbed her
portfolio and ran to the living room. Draco followed. "Good bye, Hermione.
I love you," he said and waved at her before Apparating.
~*~
Hermione had an extremely busy day. She got home at 5 P.M., than quickly
got into the shower. After that, she went to her room and her eyes fell on
the calendar. She suddenly noticed something weird...
As she went closer and checked it carefully, she felt as if a cold knife
was pressed against her chest. Something was definitely wrong here...
Hermione was used to mark the days she got her period. Normally, at least
one day in each month was marked. However... the last three months didn't
seem to be marked... at all.
Was something wrong with her? She wondered. Her period was usually very
regular, once every 24-25 days. So maybe she had some kind of a disease?
But then another possibility came to her mind...
No, no, she thought immediately. That's impossible. I probably have some
kind of an illness, I'll go see a special Healer, and everything will be
all right. I mean, it really is impossible. Draco and I always use condoms,
we always used them! I have nothing to worry about...
But instead of relaxing, Hermione got more and more worried, and before she
knew it, she found herself grabbing a pregnancy test kit and running
frantically to the bathroom.
~*~
Ohhh. She could hardly believe her eyes. She had taken the test seven
times... and they were all positive.
"Oh my God..." she sat down on the couch and buried her face in her hands.
How could this happen? She and Draco had always used condoms... and
protective charms... They were both responsible and mature, it was
impossible. And yet, it happened. Hermione felt ill.
How would she tell Draco? The question burned inside her mind like white-
hot iron. Her head ached. What was she going to do? How would he react?
Would he agree to help her? Would he ask her to abort? Would he abandon
her?
Questions, questions and not one answer.
She was pregnant...
But I'm not ready to have a child yet! She felt her mind protest. I myself
am almost a child! I'm only eighteen, and by the time this child is born,
I'll probably be about nineteen. That's so young. Oh, it's too young!
Hermione sat on the couch for a long time. Eventually, she calmed herself
down. I'm going to tell Draco, she decided, but not tonight. It's too soon.
I have to think about it before I tell him. I have to be alone and think
about it. Tomorrow's Saturday. I'll have whole two days to think, and then
I'll tell him.
At seven P.M. she started making dinner for Draco and herself. They were
going to have a romantic dinner with candles, and she wanted it to be
perfect. She made sure the bracelet on her wrist was very visible.
Draco arrived at 8:00, and for some reason, he seemed a little tense. They
had dinner almost silently, though Hermione kept trying to form a
conversation. Draco seemed too into his thoughts. When they finished, they
went over to the couch and Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione's
shoulders. They sat like that, hugged and silent, until Draco finally spoke
up.
"Hermione... I have something to tell you."
Hermione raised loving eyes to him. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.
What was he going to tell her? She wondered. Whatever it was, it couldn't
be worse than her own news – the pregnancy... Anything would seem like good
news to her now.
"Yes?" she said.
"Well, today my boss, Mr. Weiss called me to his office. He said he had
something really important to tell me."
"Isn't your boss a goblin?" Hermione interrupted.
"Of course not!" Draco answered. "The goblins run the bank as you customers
see it. However, it is humans who do the rest. We search for hidden
treasures, we brake the curses if needed, we do all the paper work. So far,
I've only worked in an office. But today..."
"Yes?"
"Well, Mr. Weiss told me he was really satisfied with my work. Lately, he
and the rest of the managers had a conference, and they decided to offer me
something more... challenging."
"Oh, that's great!" Hermione cried, hugging him. "What did they offer you?"
"Well, they offered to let me search for treasures."
"Wow!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Yeah, I was really happy, but there's one problem," Draco said quietly.
"What is it?"
"The job's in America."
Hermione's jaw dropped. She stared at Draco for a long moment.
"Yes," Draco said. "They want me to work in New York – the state, not the
city. Mr. Weiss said I would still have to do some paper work at first, but
afterwards I'd join the searches, and not just in New York." He paused and
looked at Hermione worriedly. "What do you think?"
Hermione grabbed the couch for support. "I – I don't know," she mumbled.
"Listen, Hermione..." Draco took her hand in his, "I know it's a lot to
ask, but... will you come with me to America?"
"Wh-what?"
"Please come with me," he begged. "I'm sure you'll like the U.S.A. It's a
wonderful place, and you've never been there. We'll live there together,
see new people and scenery... Come on, Hermione, why not? You'll love it.
We'll go on trips wherever you want. I promise, I'll do anything to make
you happy there."
"Draco, I – I really don't know what to say," Hermione stammered.
"We'll have fun there..." he begged.
"I can't, Draco, I can't!" Hermione burst out. "It's impossible. America is
too far away... All my family, all my friends, everything is here... My
job..."
"You'll get a new job," Draco said quickly. "There are a lot of hospitals
there, I promise you."
"But I don't want a new job!" Hermione protested. "I like St. Mungo's, I
don't want to leave! And my home is here, Draco, I don't think I can just
leave everything behind..."
"But Hermione... how am I going to live without you?" Draco asked quietly.
"Do you have to go there?" Hermione asked desperately. "They said it was an
offer – right? So you don't HAVE to go – right?"
"I'm sorry, Hermione," Draco said with a long sigh. "This is a hugh
opportunity for me. I don't want to be stuck in that office for the rest of
my life. I want to search for gold. That's why I went to Gringotts in the
first place. If I don't take this offer, I might never get such a good
opportunity again."
Hermione raised her eyes to meet his. She felt her own eyes well up...
Should she tell him about the baby? If she wanted to tell, now was the
time... If he knew she was pregnant, he wouldn't leave her. He would stay
in England with her...
Or will he?
She could hear his voice again... "I can't miss this opportunity... it's a
hugh breakthrough for me..."
No, she decided. I can't take that away from him. I don't want him to feel
guilty... and besides, I'm not ready to tell anyone yet, especially not
him. It's too soon, I myself have found out about it only a few hours ago!
I can't tell him.
"So," she finally said, "I guess it's goodbye, then..."
"I don't want to leave you," Draco said hoarsely.
"It's okay," she said. "I understand."
Draco pulled her up to her feet and hugged her. She hugged him back, but
her body was stiff and she couldn't help it. Her mind was numb. She stared
forward, not saying a word.
"I love you, Hermione," Draco whispered in her ear. "Are you sure you don't
want to come?"
"I can't, Draco," Hermione whispered back. "I'm sorry..."
Draco pulled back and kissed her; Hermione knew it might be the last time
she saw Draco, so she kissed him back, trying to release her feelings for
him. They kissed for a few minutes, then the kiss grew soft and they both
pulled away at the same time.
"I love you," Hermione said softly. "Bye, Draco."
"Bye, Hermione," Draco whispered. He lingered for a long moment, gazing at
her, his blue-gray eyes full of unspoken emotions. And then he was gone.
~*~
Two days later, Hermione found herself in front of the entrance to St.
Mungo's Hospital, even though it was her day off. She took a deep breath
and stepped inside...
After finding herself in the big entrance hall, she started walking towards
the lifts. But the moment she raised her hand to press the button, she felt
fear wash over her. It was as if an unknown force was pulling her, pulling
her away from this place...
And before she knew it, she was running, running away from the Hospital.
She didn't stop running until she was six blocks away. Then she found a
small coffee house, entered and ordered hot chocolate.
Everything seemed clearer now. She knew what she wanted to do. What she had
to do. She had no doubts anymore. Then she started speaking voicelessly, to
the child inside her:
"Don't worry, my child, my darling," she said. "I am going to have you... I
will have you and bring you up, and do everything to make you happy. Since
your father has left and will never come back to us, you and I are on our
own. But I promise you this, my child... I will always be there for you."
And with that being said, Hermione suddenly felt very relieved, and
swallowing her tears, she smiled.
~*~
A/N: Well? Any comments/suggestions? Let me know what you think. This was
only the prologue, though... The next chapter will already involve Hermione
and Draco's child, who will become one of the main characters.
How can I just let you walk away
Just let you leave without a trace
When I stand here, taking every breath with you, ooh
You're the only one who really knew me at all
How can you just walk away from me
When all I can do is watch you leave
'Cause we've shared the laughter and the pain, and even shared the tears
You're the only one who really knew me at all
So take a look at me now
'Cause there's just an empty space
And there's nothing left here to remind me
Just the memory of your face
Ooh, take a look at me now
'Cause there's just an empty space
And you coming back to me is against the odds
And that's what I've got to face
I wish I could just make you turn around
Turn around and see me cry
There's so much I need to say to you, so many reasons why
You're the only one who really knew me at all
So take a look at me now
'Cause there's just an empty space
And there's nothing left here to remind me
Just the memory of your face
Now, take a look at me now
'Cause there's just an empty space
But to wait for you is all I can do
And that's what I've got to face
Take a good look at me now
'Cause I'll still be standing here
And you coming back to me is against all odds
It's the chance I've got to take
Take a look at me now
~*~
Background: Hermione and Draco are 18 and have already graduated. They have
been together since their 7th year (Voldemort had been killed at the end of
the 6th). They were both Head Boy and Head Girl, and shared dormitory etc.
So now they've been together for about a year, and everyone is okay with
that. Hermione studies Healing at St. Mungo's and Draco works in Gringotts.
Against All Odds
By Roni Black
"Don't you want some dessert, Hermione?" Draco Malfoy asked. He raised his
hand and played with his blond hair. "Look," he added, pointing at his
menu. "There's something called bouillabaisse here. What do you think it
is?"
"It's a shellfish and it's French," Hermione replied. "It's very tasty. I
had it when I was in France, five years ago. I'll have the bouillabaisse,"
she told the waiter.
"All right, so will I," Draco said. "It sounds pretty cool."
"Why?"
"A shellfish? Isn't it some kind of an oyster? Maybe I'll find a pearl in
it."
Hermione grinned. "What will you do with a pearl?"
"I'll give it to you, of course," Draco replied with the sweetest smile,
and Hermione leaned over the table and gave him a quick kiss.
They ate the bouillabaisse. Draco even said he liked it. When they were
finished, they didn't really feel like going home yet, so they stayed for a
while longer.
"I didn't find a pearl after all," said Draco, looking disappointed.
"It's okay," Hermione answered. "I already have a pearl necklace at home, I
don't need another one."
"You can't make a whole pearl necklace with one pearl you find in your
food, Hermione," Draco commented. "If you're lucky, you can give it to the
goldsmith and he will place it in a ring."
"Whatever," Hermione replied, smiling at him.
"However..." Draco said, clearing his throat, "I do have something for you,
after all. It doesn't have any pearls in it... but I think it's lovely
nevertheless..."
He took out a small box and handed it to Hermione. She gave him a surprised
glance, then opened it. Inside was a shiny diamond bracelet. Hermione's
heart gave a jump.
"Draco, it's so beautiful!" she declared. "It must have cost you a
fortune!"
"Who cares how much it cost? Come on, try it on."
"I want you to put it on me," Hermione replied shyly, stretching her arm
forward. Draco smiled and put the bracelet on her wrist.
"Thank you so much, Draco," Hermione said and kissed him. "I love you."
"I love you too, Hermione," he replied, kissing her back.
~*~
Draco walked Hermione back to her apartment, which was very close to St.
Mungo's. They stopped near her door.
"Good night, Draco," Hermione said, kissing him on the cheek. She withdrew
from him and looked at him, smiling. He was so beautiful, and she loved him
so much. 'I couldn't live without him...' she thought.
"Good night, Hermione," Draco said, moved in closer and kissed her lips
softly.
"W-would you like to come in?" she asked hesitantly as the kiss was
finished.
"Now?" he asked. "I've got a long day tomorrow..." His eyes met hers again.
"But who cares," he laughed. "I'd love to."
"Great." Hermione opened the door and they both stepped inside.
~*~
The next morning, Hermione woke up next to Draco's warm body. She turned
around to see him smiling at her. "Good morning, beautiful," he said,
touching her cheek.
"Good morning, you," she said, smiling. "What time is it?"
"Eight."
"What?!" Hermione jumped off the bed at once. "I've got to be at work in
fifteen minutes! Where the hell are my clothes?!"
"Fifteen minutes?" Draco looked at the clock. "Don't you set an alarm clock
before you go to bed?"
"Well, usually, I do," Hermione replied, looking frantically for her work
suit inside her closet, "but last night..." she flashed him a smile, "I had
other stuff in mind."
"In fact, I have to go, too," Draco said, still lying calmly in the bed.
"I can see that," Hermione answered while quickly dressing up. She ran into
the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she was back, Draco still hadn't made
a move to get out of the bed.
"Draco – I'm really sorry I have to tell you this, but can you please get
out of the bed? I only have seven minutes to get to work," Hermione begged.
"Would it do you any harm to skip work one day?" Draco asked tantalizingly.
"Yes, it would, because I have just begun working there like two months
ago, and I really, really must behave perfectly, at least at first. So will
you please get a move already?"
"All right, fine," Draco groaned, getting out of bed. He started getting
dressed. "I'll be gone in a few minutes. See you tonight?"
"Sure," Hermione replied, giving him a quick kiss. She grabbed her
portfolio and ran to the living room. Draco followed. "Good bye, Hermione.
I love you," he said and waved at her before Apparating.
~*~
Hermione had an extremely busy day. She got home at 5 P.M., than quickly
got into the shower. After that, she went to her room and her eyes fell on
the calendar. She suddenly noticed something weird...
As she went closer and checked it carefully, she felt as if a cold knife
was pressed against her chest. Something was definitely wrong here...
Hermione was used to mark the days she got her period. Normally, at least
one day in each month was marked. However... the last three months didn't
seem to be marked... at all.
Was something wrong with her? She wondered. Her period was usually very
regular, once every 24-25 days. So maybe she had some kind of a disease?
But then another possibility came to her mind...
No, no, she thought immediately. That's impossible. I probably have some
kind of an illness, I'll go see a special Healer, and everything will be
all right. I mean, it really is impossible. Draco and I always use condoms,
we always used them! I have nothing to worry about...
But instead of relaxing, Hermione got more and more worried, and before she
knew it, she found herself grabbing a pregnancy test kit and running
frantically to the bathroom.
~*~
Ohhh. She could hardly believe her eyes. She had taken the test seven
times... and they were all positive.
"Oh my God..." she sat down on the couch and buried her face in her hands.
How could this happen? She and Draco had always used condoms... and
protective charms... They were both responsible and mature, it was
impossible. And yet, it happened. Hermione felt ill.
How would she tell Draco? The question burned inside her mind like white-
hot iron. Her head ached. What was she going to do? How would he react?
Would he agree to help her? Would he ask her to abort? Would he abandon
her?
Questions, questions and not one answer.
She was pregnant...
But I'm not ready to have a child yet! She felt her mind protest. I myself
am almost a child! I'm only eighteen, and by the time this child is born,
I'll probably be about nineteen. That's so young. Oh, it's too young!
Hermione sat on the couch for a long time. Eventually, she calmed herself
down. I'm going to tell Draco, she decided, but not tonight. It's too soon.
I have to think about it before I tell him. I have to be alone and think
about it. Tomorrow's Saturday. I'll have whole two days to think, and then
I'll tell him.
At seven P.M. she started making dinner for Draco and herself. They were
going to have a romantic dinner with candles, and she wanted it to be
perfect. She made sure the bracelet on her wrist was very visible.
Draco arrived at 8:00, and for some reason, he seemed a little tense. They
had dinner almost silently, though Hermione kept trying to form a
conversation. Draco seemed too into his thoughts. When they finished, they
went over to the couch and Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione's
shoulders. They sat like that, hugged and silent, until Draco finally spoke
up.
"Hermione... I have something to tell you."
Hermione raised loving eyes to him. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.
What was he going to tell her? She wondered. Whatever it was, it couldn't
be worse than her own news – the pregnancy... Anything would seem like good
news to her now.
"Yes?" she said.
"Well, today my boss, Mr. Weiss called me to his office. He said he had
something really important to tell me."
"Isn't your boss a goblin?" Hermione interrupted.
"Of course not!" Draco answered. "The goblins run the bank as you customers
see it. However, it is humans who do the rest. We search for hidden
treasures, we brake the curses if needed, we do all the paper work. So far,
I've only worked in an office. But today..."
"Yes?"
"Well, Mr. Weiss told me he was really satisfied with my work. Lately, he
and the rest of the managers had a conference, and they decided to offer me
something more... challenging."
"Oh, that's great!" Hermione cried, hugging him. "What did they offer you?"
"Well, they offered to let me search for treasures."
"Wow!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Yeah, I was really happy, but there's one problem," Draco said quietly.
"What is it?"
"The job's in America."
Hermione's jaw dropped. She stared at Draco for a long moment.
"Yes," Draco said. "They want me to work in New York – the state, not the
city. Mr. Weiss said I would still have to do some paper work at first, but
afterwards I'd join the searches, and not just in New York." He paused and
looked at Hermione worriedly. "What do you think?"
Hermione grabbed the couch for support. "I – I don't know," she mumbled.
"Listen, Hermione..." Draco took her hand in his, "I know it's a lot to
ask, but... will you come with me to America?"
"Wh-what?"
"Please come with me," he begged. "I'm sure you'll like the U.S.A. It's a
wonderful place, and you've never been there. We'll live there together,
see new people and scenery... Come on, Hermione, why not? You'll love it.
We'll go on trips wherever you want. I promise, I'll do anything to make
you happy there."
"Draco, I – I really don't know what to say," Hermione stammered.
"We'll have fun there..." he begged.
"I can't, Draco, I can't!" Hermione burst out. "It's impossible. America is
too far away... All my family, all my friends, everything is here... My
job..."
"You'll get a new job," Draco said quickly. "There are a lot of hospitals
there, I promise you."
"But I don't want a new job!" Hermione protested. "I like St. Mungo's, I
don't want to leave! And my home is here, Draco, I don't think I can just
leave everything behind..."
"But Hermione... how am I going to live without you?" Draco asked quietly.
"Do you have to go there?" Hermione asked desperately. "They said it was an
offer – right? So you don't HAVE to go – right?"
"I'm sorry, Hermione," Draco said with a long sigh. "This is a hugh
opportunity for me. I don't want to be stuck in that office for the rest of
my life. I want to search for gold. That's why I went to Gringotts in the
first place. If I don't take this offer, I might never get such a good
opportunity again."
Hermione raised her eyes to meet his. She felt her own eyes well up...
Should she tell him about the baby? If she wanted to tell, now was the
time... If he knew she was pregnant, he wouldn't leave her. He would stay
in England with her...
Or will he?
She could hear his voice again... "I can't miss this opportunity... it's a
hugh breakthrough for me..."
No, she decided. I can't take that away from him. I don't want him to feel
guilty... and besides, I'm not ready to tell anyone yet, especially not
him. It's too soon, I myself have found out about it only a few hours ago!
I can't tell him.
"So," she finally said, "I guess it's goodbye, then..."
"I don't want to leave you," Draco said hoarsely.
"It's okay," she said. "I understand."
Draco pulled her up to her feet and hugged her. She hugged him back, but
her body was stiff and she couldn't help it. Her mind was numb. She stared
forward, not saying a word.
"I love you, Hermione," Draco whispered in her ear. "Are you sure you don't
want to come?"
"I can't, Draco," Hermione whispered back. "I'm sorry..."
Draco pulled back and kissed her; Hermione knew it might be the last time
she saw Draco, so she kissed him back, trying to release her feelings for
him. They kissed for a few minutes, then the kiss grew soft and they both
pulled away at the same time.
"I love you," Hermione said softly. "Bye, Draco."
"Bye, Hermione," Draco whispered. He lingered for a long moment, gazing at
her, his blue-gray eyes full of unspoken emotions. And then he was gone.
~*~
Two days later, Hermione found herself in front of the entrance to St.
Mungo's Hospital, even though it was her day off. She took a deep breath
and stepped inside...
After finding herself in the big entrance hall, she started walking towards
the lifts. But the moment she raised her hand to press the button, she felt
fear wash over her. It was as if an unknown force was pulling her, pulling
her away from this place...
And before she knew it, she was running, running away from the Hospital.
She didn't stop running until she was six blocks away. Then she found a
small coffee house, entered and ordered hot chocolate.
Everything seemed clearer now. She knew what she wanted to do. What she had
to do. She had no doubts anymore. Then she started speaking voicelessly, to
the child inside her:
"Don't worry, my child, my darling," she said. "I am going to have you... I
will have you and bring you up, and do everything to make you happy. Since
your father has left and will never come back to us, you and I are on our
own. But I promise you this, my child... I will always be there for you."
And with that being said, Hermione suddenly felt very relieved, and
swallowing her tears, she smiled.
~*~
A/N: Well? Any comments/suggestions? Let me know what you think. This was
only the prologue, though... The next chapter will already involve Hermione
and Draco's child, who will become one of the main characters.