- Rated M for mature and sexual themes. Reader discretion is advised. -
It was a frosty-cold December afternoon. The sun was high up in the sky but I would've seen it if not for the thick unforgiving clouds floating above. If only those clouds would let a little ray of sunlight down, it would look a little more chirpier and warmer here.
I buried my mitten-clad hands into the pockets of my thick fur coat as I continued the journey down the concrete pavement, like I always have the previous four years. Every year, on this day, I always make it a habit to take a journey down this path to the abandoned manor house situated beside a private lake.
I could already see the edge of the lake, with some fishermen taking up some spots by the edge. One of them noticed me and I managed a polite smile and a slight bow as he bid me a good afternoon. My hand felt a scrap piece of paper in my coat pocket and I took it out. My eyes laid on the familiar handwriting written on it and I was instantly taken back to the night when everything changed.
"Don’t leave.”
“I have to. It’s not safe when you’re with me.”
There was a pregnant pause before I managed to find my voice again, cracking a little. “When will you come back?”
“When I am sure of your safety.”
A tear slipped past my lashes and he noticed. Wrapping his arms around my shoulders, he pulled me in for a tight embrace, kissing my cheek and neck. He buried his nose into my brown locks and took a deep breath, memorizing my scent.
“It hurts for me to leave you, but I have to do this. You are always in danger in my proximity. I don’t want anything to happen to you.’ He pulled away slightly and brushed the lone tear on my cheek with his thumb, cupping my chin and placing a light kiss on my lips. “I love you and I promise I will be back.”
Later that night, we made love for the last time and when I woke up after, I was tangled in the sheets, naked and alone. I glanced over to the spot where he last laid and couldn't help but slowly broke down in silent tears, pulling my legs into my chest. I took his pillow and buried my face in it, deeply inhaling his scent that still lingered fresh and strong on the fabric. Five minutes later, slightly cooled down, I noticed a small piece of note that fell from the pillow just beside my shoulder on the bed. It had the familiar cursive handwriting of his, where he wrote: ‘December 31’.
“December 31,”
I read the now crumpled and slightly tattered piece of paper and sighed as I folded the note back neatly into two and stuffed it into my front jeans pocket. As I walked down the concrete pavement with the vast lake by her left, the private manor came into view. It still looked magnificent as ever, a majestic grey and brown English country house, despite being abandoned for the past few years. It looked rather dreary in the dull and cold weather, with the clouds hanging low above, not letting any warm sunshine through. In the summer, it would look inviting with the vibrant flowers blooming in the gardens in front.
A couple of minutes later, I finally reached the two-meter tall iron gates, complete with the creepy-looking gargoyles embossed at the top of the archway. I got the key out of my pocket and shoved it into the rusty lock, unlocking the heavy chains that locked the gates tight. Letting the chains fall into a heap on the ground, I pushed the gate open, creaking loudly on the rusted hinge, and walked inside.
The grasses in the front garden were already growing past my knees and the neat hedges that framed the walkway I was walking on were in dire need of trimming. There were a few birds floating around the row of apple trees along the garden and a couple of squirrels scrambling about near the oak tree on the other side. It was rather pleasing to see some signs of life in this dead-looking place.
Reaching the massive front porch, I unlocked and pushed open one of the heavy oak doors with a lot of effort. The door creaked loudly as I stepped inside, the sound of my footsteps echoing throughout the foyer and main hallway. It was slightly dark and dusty inside so I drew open the first set of curtains in the foyer, letting some light from outside into the mansion.
Satisfied with the amount of natural light filtering in through the windows, I walked down the main hallway into the living room. Everything was as it was a year ago – white sheets draped over all the furniture and the paintings were placed on the floor below where they were supposed to be mounted, leaning against the wall.
After that brief inspection, I headed straight for the east wing as I always had the previous years. I went up the grand staircase, my footsteps against the marble floor echoing off the empty walls, until I reached the third level and opened the first door in the hallway.
Taking a deep breath, I observed my surroundings and memories flooded my mind of all the times spent in this room five years ago. Both happy and sad memories involved every piece of furniture that was covered by the white sheets. Letting my breath out, I placed my bag by the side of the door and took off my fur coat, rolling up my sleeves to get ready for some room sprucing up. I drew the curtains and opened the windows first, letting the cool fresh air seep into the meek and dusty room. I removed all the white sheets from all the furniture and chucked it on top of a chest in the corner. I took the paintings that were stacked upright beside the fireplace and mounted them back onto the walls at their respective places.
After about a good 45 minutes, I took a quick look around the room and was rather pleased that it looked at least a little more habitable. I rested on the bed and glanced at the bedtable, where there was a photo frame placed face down. I knew what photo it was but I picked it up anyway and saw that it was a picture of me and him, arm in arm with beautiful fireworks in the background during a New Year’s Eve party five years ago. I willed myself not to get emotional by all the fond memories that suddenly flooded her mind, but how she missed all those happy times spent together with him. I quickly placed the frame back onto the bedtable before walking towards the window seat, where I sat for some time staring into the far distance.
It was a quarter past five and I was starting to get hungry. Grabbing my bag from where I left it by the door, I made my way to the kitchen, which was all the way in the west wing. With the fresh food I packed from home, I managed to cook a bowl of cheddar and mushroom soup with some croutons. Placing my dinner on a tray, I walked back to the east wing, passing by the living room, when I noticed something different.
All five sets of curtains were drawn. That was odd. I couldn't remember if I had actually done it earlier when I arrived in the afternoon, but I knew that drawing those heavy curtains was a difficult chore for someone petite like me.
“I couldn't have possibly done it myself,” I thought. “Or maybe I did. How odd.”
I shrugged and tried not to think too much about it as I made my way to the west wing and back to the room. I had my meal by the window, looking out at the vast lake, as the sky slowly turned dark. After dinner, I felt like having a book to read. Placing my empty bowl on the coffee table in front of the fireplace, I walked out of the room and into the study, which was at the other end of the hallway.
I stepped inside and noticed immediately that the curtains were drawn, letting in natural light from outside. That's strange. I clearly remembered that I did not step into this room the entire day. I frowned and wondered if they were open the entire time since last year when I last visited, but that was highly impossible because first, I was not a careless person to leave the windows open for a whole year and second, there were no signs of nature in the study despite the recent windy rainstorms.
My mind was totally boggled with all the theories for her 'carelessness' as I closed the windows and picked out a book from a bookcase. I didn't want to bother about it anymore as I walked back to the room when I immediately noticed the fireplace was lit. Now something was truly strange.
I started to think quickly of what might be happening. First it was the windows in the living room, then it was the windows in the study and now the fireplace in his room. Through all my rational theories, I can only conclude with two possible reasons: either a ghost has inhabited the mansion or someone has broken into it. My bet was on the latter.
Instinctively, my hand clasped around my wand in my pocket and I pulled it out. Suddenly I heard a sound from behind and I whirled around, wand out in front of me. The door was ajar and I rushed over, peeking out into the hallway, where I managed to spot a shadow, or a silhouette rather, from the end of the hallway. Not quick enough, sucker, I thought.
My heart was beating rapidly that it felt like bursting out of my chest. It told me not to go but my legs were already automatically following the suspicious being, where I found the door to the study opened slightly.
I pushed the door open to enter and that’s when I realized that the room was dark – there wasn't enough light from the windows. I quickly went to the nearest window and drew the curtain open when my eyes caught the faint reflection on the glass. I gasped at the sight and my breath was momentarily taken away but his name managed to slip past my lips in a soft whisper.
“Draco.”
I turned around and my eyes landed on the most beautiful man I have ever laid eyes upon. His skin glowed an eerie ghostly white, even though he was still in the shadows between the bookcases. My eyes met his steel grey orbs, which were slightly dark around the edges, from fatigue and lack of sleep perhaps. Oh, how I missed looking into those eyes. His eyebrows were arched in an apologetic look, which intensified the cool intensity of his silver orbs while still warm with love. I could just submerge into those depths and never resurface. His platinum blonde hair had grown, falling slightly over his eyebrows and covering his ears a little. He also had some messy stubble growing along his jawline.
I stared and inspected every detail of him for a good ten seconds, when his voice broke my train of thoughts.
“Hermione…”
The distance between us wasn't far but I ran to him and flung my arms around him, locking him in a tight embrace, in which he returned with the same amount of passion.
“Oh, I missed you so much!” I cried, my voice muffled by his shirt, tears pouring out of my eyes.
“I missed you more, so much more!” he said, kissing my cheek, ear and neck as he lifted me off the floor.
I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist, locking my feet at the ankles, as I sobbed silently into his shoulder. Draco pulled me away slightly to kiss gently on my lips. My hands were instantly in his hair, pulling him closer as I returned his kiss passionately. I missed the feel of his lips on mine, how gentle and passionate he could be, despite his looks. We broke apart momentarily, foreheads touching and breathing heavily as I finally broke into a teary-eyed smile. “You came back, Draco.”
“I promised, didn't I?" Draco said lovingly, tucking my hair behind my ear, before stealing my lips again for a brief kiss. "And you waited for me. All these years, you waited for me."
“Because I love you so much, Draco.”
“And I love you more, Hermione.”
Nothing could describe how elated I was to see and have my lover back with me, in my arms. Nothing could describe how much I missed him, how much love I have for him. All these years I patiently waited for him to return. I continuously believed that he would keep his promise and return to me, despite everybody's advice stop hoping and believing after the second year of his absence.
We barely spent ten minutes hugging and kissing when I found out that Draco hadn't been eating well the past week so I decided to make some food for him, despite his refusals. As I cooked up a meal with the remaining food I had, Draco sat on top of the kitchen island and entertained me with his adventure tales on how he ended up helping the Ministry and the Aurors eliminate the last remaining Death Eaters and sympathizers of the Dark Lord,. I made a mental note to question Harry on his account of working with his childhood nemesis. He also talked about why it took so long for him to track down the growing group of Death Eaters.
"You look as beautiful as the day I left you," Draco said suddenly in the midst of his story-telling.
I laughed lightly as I continued stirring the sauce in the pan. "Thank you, love. You still look dashingly handsome, despite the hair growth."
A pair of strong arms slid around my waist and I felt his lips brush lightly against my cheek, his stubble prickling my skin. "You don't like it?" he whispered.
I turned down the heat a little before turning in his arms, draping my arms around his broad shoulders. I looked up into his warm grey eyes and smiled, running my fingers through his soft blonde locks, "Actually, I love it. Though I would appreciate a shave because I don't want to feel like I'm kissing a cactus."
Draco laughed and leaned down to place a short but sweet kiss on my lips before I continued cooking. He didn't let go of me the entire time, even when his food was served on the table. He pulled me onto his lap and secured a strong hold around my waist so I wouldn't escape. I watched as he ate, noticing the sparkle in his eyes as he finally gets to eat good food after five years of being on the run and living like a beggar.
Once he was full and satisfied, I levitated the dirty dishes into the sink with my wand and sent a cleaning spell to get the dishes cleaned. We returned back into his room and sat on the couch by the warm fireplace while looking out the window, that overlooked the dark sky. I've never felt this contented in such a long time and just by being in his arms, in his warmth, gives me the best feeling of euphoria.
"Tell me about how you spent the past few New Year's Eve," Draco said quietly, and then added, "while I was gone."
My heart stopped beating for a moment as my mind took a trip down memory lane and I recalled the past years, how they all had been the same miserable days of lost hope. I laced my fingers through his and I felt him give my hand a gentle squeeze.
"Every afternoon would be the same as today. I'd draw the curtains, open the windows and let some light and fresh air in. I'd go straight to your room and remove all the sheets and dust everything. Most of the time, I would be sitting there," I pointed towards the chaise lounge directly beside the tall window. "I'll sit there and cry quietly, holding a framed picture of us in my hands and watch the fireworks in the distance at midnight."
Draco tightened his hold around me and kissed my cheek. "I'm sorry I made you go through all that," he murmured against her ear.
I turned slightly in his arms and placed my hand on his cheek, looking into his eyes. "I'm just happy that you've returned, safe and sound. Really happy that you're here with me today, tonight, on New Year's Eve once again."
I lifted my chin and kissed him sweetly on the lips. We kissed several times until after a minute or two, he pulled away and said, "I have something for you."
I sat up and watched as he dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small black box with intricate vintage designs. He turned the box around in his hands for a moment before speaking.
"Before the Malfoy Manor was demolished, I managed to find this to give it to you."
He turned towards me and opened the box, revealing a beautiful ring - a silver band and a bright emerald gemstone centerpiece with smaller diamonds adorned around it. I gasped at the sight of it and I knew it was a heirloom from his family.
"Draco..."
"This belongs to my mother. It is worn by all the wives of every Malfoy firstborn male. She told me that she wanted me to give this to the woman I love, the woman I intend to spend the rest of my life with, the woman I want to have a future with. I love you and I want you to have it, so marry me, Hermione Jean Granger."
By this time, Draco had slid down from the couch to one knee, holding the box with the ring in one hand and mine in the other. I couldn't stop the tears as they slipped down my cheeks. I smiled, trying my best to hide the excitement bubbling in my chest, and looked into his eyes for a moment before nodding my head as my approval and agreement.
Draco broke into the widest smile I have ever seen him and wore the ring for me, which magically fit my slender ring finger. As Draco returned to the couch, I flung myself on him, straddling his lap, as I embraced him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder for the second time that day. Wrapping his arms around my abdomen, he kissed my cheek and wiped the tears from my face before bringing his lips onto mine. As we kissed, we could hear the loud noises of fireworks from the far distance, signalling the new year.
"Happy new year, love," he said, pulling back slightly and wiping my tears with his thumbs.
"Happy new year, Draco."
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