Hermione listened to the soft music of the music box she bought at the Christmas fest in muggle London last year. She was hiding and running away from death eaters and trying to blend in with crowds of people when she accidentally stumbled over a music box vendor. Hermione damaged and scratched one of them. The vendor told her to buy it as she damaged it by running recklessly in a busy place. She carried that music box anywhere as it became her only company while she was away for safety.
Her little amount of wizarding currency savings had been locked up and only withdrawn enough to provide her with a small apartment and food for six months. She could not have her money exchanged into muggle currency when the word of her being on the loose spread like wildfire. The people in charge of the department connecting the muggle and wizarding world were all the Dark Lord's followers. She knew they would not hesitate to arrest her or worse kill her.
She checked her muggle savings that her parents set aside for her, and it wasn't that much at all to make her feel confident about her expenses. She was able to withdraw it and even risked her safety when she obliviated the people she encountered at the muggle bank. That was the last time she used magic for convenience. She then hid in a small apartment at Deal, a coastal town in Kent, England.
She lived a simple life. She grew her own food on pots that she placed in her small front yard. When she adjusted there a little bit, she grew her own flowers. Arranged them into bouquets and sell them. Her neighbours have been kind to her as well. The old couple next door kept inviting her over and offering her some snacks, saying she reminded them of their daughter who was studying college in Italy.
She had been living well, but a huge part of her was keeping her anchored to the horrible world she escaped from. She had spent her nights crying as she wondered what Ron could be doing. Where Harry was buried. How Ginny is. How everyone is doing while she was there at her small place trying to live. Spent her nights thinking, what if her location had been tracked down. She spent her nights thinking, what if they tracked her because she used her magic once. She felt guilty about escaping and living well when Ron probably suffered with the rest of the order.
"Granger?"
Hermione snapped out of her deep thoughts when Draco called her.
"Yes?" Hermione asked as she traced the spine of the book she forgot she was reading.
"Are you okay...?" Asked Draco, concerned about the way she suddenly zoned out.
"Uhh— yeah... I'm fine..." Replied Hermione, focusing back on her book.
"Where did you get that?" Draco asked as he glanced at the music box when it stopped playing.
"Muggle London," Hermione answered, not meeting his eyes.
"When?" He asked as he enchanted the music box to keep playing and automatically replay.
"Last year, Christmas. I was being chased by a couple of death eaters and eventually bumped into a vendor. I damaged that one, and I bought it."
"Was it broken then?"
"Yeah. I fixed it."
"Well, it's looking great and sounds great as well..." Draco commented. "What song is this?" He asked as he listened.
"Canon in D—"
"Oh that's why it's familiar," said Draco.
Hermione looked at him with a questioning face.
"Professor Flitwick introduced muggle music to us back in the third year. He said this song was composed by a German composer, Johann Pal— Par— Pa—"
"Pachelbel," Hermione corrected.
"Yeah. That one—"
"You listen to muggle music?" Hermione asked as she flipped another page of her book.
"I actually don't, but I keep hearing you practising this song at the school piano back at Hogwarts," explained Draco.
"Was I too loud?" Hermione asked.
Draco chuckled. "No. We kind of enjoyed keeping track of your progress."
"We?" Hermione raised a brow.
"Yeah. Theo and I used to bet on how soon you would master this song," he confessed and chuckled.
Hermione dropped silent for a while before she answered.
"I didn't master this song," Hermione admitted bitterly.
"Why?" Draco asked as he took a sip of water.
"We were busy looking for Horcruxes and didn't have the spare time to practice," Hermione's heart clenched.
"Oh. I see," said Draco and cleared his throat. "Look at the time, uhm... It's almost time for dinner. Would you like to join us?" Draco asked as he stood.
"No, thank you. I'll just have it in my room." Hermione declined, not meeting his gaze.
"Alright. I'll tell Kristell to bring it to you," said Draco and marched towards the door.
Hermione let out a heavy sigh like she had been holding her breath, the whole time Draco was there with her.
Her eyes landed on the table calendar in front of her. Only two days left before the wedding. Her heart felt heavier each day that marched closer to December 25th. It was the week of their wedding schedule, and she didn't get proper sleep for three days. She has dark circles under her eyes and lost weight as her appetite became unstable. She only eats when she feels like it. Also, the reason why she was unable to convince herself to eat was her guilt. Whenever she eats, she always wondered about what food is Ron eating? Is Ron even eating? Has Ginny been eating well? Do they have water?
She only eats when her stomach growls and clenches in hunger and only drinks water if she was terribly parched.
Days passed, and she learned how to tolerate Draco around her. She figured it would be easier for her to allow him to be around her than to stress over his presence and lock herself in her bedroom all day. They were casual, but, not friends nor even trying to be. She was somehow proud of herself that she can handle a conversation with him without glaring her eyes at him or mocking him. She just treats him like an old acquaintance. Though it was a bitter choice, it lessened her stress a bit.
He told her she was welcome to the library, at first, she was hesitant, because one time she was at the library and Lucius entered. She did not feel comfortable from then on, but Draco offered to accompany her whenever he was at home. He even offered to bring her to the bookshops, but she was too uncomfortable to go on book shopping with him.
Narcissa's been worried about her unhealthy diet as the dress might not fit her properly. It seemed like each day, there was always a person or two that she needed to meet for the wedding preparations, and it strained her too much, especially since she had zero interest in this wedding of hers. Narcissa would stand beside her and coach her like a professional. Telling her to choose such colour, that fabric, that kind of flowers, that type of table setting and many more. She almost snapped of her patience and nearly yelled at Narcissa about why she's so obsessed with perfectly planning the wedding when it was clearly not to her liking or Draco's.
She always wondered that, but then again, the Malfoy family always wanted the Dark Lord's approval. That's the answer she's looking for.
Yesterday, they were choosing flowers, and that was the lightest task for her as she has a special connection with flowers, but of course, the groom's mother has always required the desire to impede.
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"So, these are our arrangements and these are the flowers available for this season," said the florist as she laid a magazine in front of Hermione and Draco.
Hermione knew that Narcissa would want the flowers to match the white winter wedding theme, and she would definitely pick the winter roses.
"There aren't winter roses available?" Narcissa asked the florist as she spoke from behind the settee.
"Oh, hi Mrs Malfoy! Unfortunately, we are out of those," said the florist.
"Why are all these flowers brilliantly coloured for a white winter wedding? Flip the page Hermione," Narcissa mandated and supervised from behind, adjusting her glasses.
Draco cleared his throat and began tapping his right foot on the floor the moment his mother decided to sit next to Hermione.
"Hmm... Oooh these are Pieris. Hmm? They quite match the theme! What do you think, Hermione?" Asked Narcissa as she seized the magazine from Hermione.
"What do you want, Granger?" Draco finally asked.
"Hmm?" Hermione asked as she resurfaced from zoning out.
"What do you want?" He repeated.
Hermione took a moment of hesitation, glancing at everyone in the living room.
"I— uhm... I was thinking..." She faltered hesitantly.
All eyes were on her as she thought of what to say.
"I was thinking... camellia?" Said Hermione which triggered Narcissa's soul in disbelief.
"It won't match the theme," Narcissa reasoned out as she landed her eyes back on the magazine, flipping over the pages, finding the perfect flower to match the theme.
Draco heaved a deep breath to control his temper for his mother. He wanted it to end fast, but his mother made every appointment difficult because of her unsolicited interference.
"Only the Pieris looks decent for the theme. We are getting the Pieris," announced Narcissa as she shut the magazine and handed it back to the florist.
"Okay... uhm is that settled, sir? Miss?" The florist laughed awkwardly and asked approval from the persons to be wed.
Hermione glanced at Draco and met his gaze as he looked at her.
Hermione cut their eye contact and bit her inner cheek, her very own gesture of 'whatever.'
Draco sighed in defeat and agreed to the Pieris as the flowers for the wedding.
"Pieris it is," said Draco making Narcissa smile in victory.
The florist and her assistant bid their goodbyes and left Manor. Hermione and Draco were left alone in the living room with the awkward silence hovering over them.
Hermione clasped her hands together as she stared at her feet while Draco massaged the bridge of his nose.
"Uhm... Do we have to do anything else for today?" Hermione asked softly as she stole careful glances at the man sitting on the settee beside her.
Draco facepalmed and huffed heavily as he leaned back on the settee. He crossed his arms and stared at the ceiling.
Hermione knew that Draco's stressed out as well. She could see that he wanted to get over the planning and have some rest. Draco agrees to whatever she chooses, and if he sees her being hesitant, he'll decide for the both of them to avoid bickering like what transpired at the jewellery store. They settled to make it that easy for the both of them, but with Draco's mother being around, criticizing their decisions, it was more tiring. One time Draco snapped from his patience and told his mother to decide about everything, but still, Narcissa kept pushing them to be involved and still ended up deciding about everything.
Hermione sighed when she saw him clench his jaw.
She stood from the settee and made her way back to her bedroom to give him some alone time to think.
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