The Cruellest Dream Is Reality

Chapter Sixteen

For a fraction of a second Draco's face broke into a smile, pleased to see the return of someone dear to his heart, but then, as though shooing up invisible barriers his whole demeanour grew cold, his eyes icy, his expression blank.

"Granger." He greeted her with a curt nod, surveying her with hard eyes before adding "Although I suppose judging by your outfit it should be Potter now."

"I preferred it when you called me Hermione." She said quietly, shocked that he could be so blunt after months of being so friendly.

"Yeah well I preferred it when you weren't leaving the island for Potter, I guess we're both having a bad day." He shrugged as he leapt down from the rock and walked past her.

For several helpless seconds Hermione watched him go unable to speak, but finally a desperate cry of "Draco wait, please!" managed to emerge from her lips.

Thankfully he stopped but kept his back to her, did not turn around did not bridge the distance between them. Hitching her skirts up to her knees she made her unsteady way over to him.

"What are you even doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be busy getting drunk at your reception?" He asked when she got into hearing range.

"I came to see you, I needed to tell you something."

"Oh yeah any what's that?"

"I needed to tell you that you were right." She told him.

Frowning he asked, "Right about what?"

"You were right about me, I was making a mistake. I don't love Harry and he doesn't love me. I didn't marry him."

"Then why did you leave?" He asked.

"I was confused. I didn't know what I wanted. I do now! It's you I want Draco, not Harry."

"Well good for you." He muttered and walked off.

Tears welled in her eyes as she watched his retreating back, it wasn't supposed to be like this, she was supposed to return and Draco was supposed to sweep her up in his arms not walk off in a huff. With shoulders sagging in defeat she made her way back to her nearly empty cabin.

Opening the door and kicking aside a few empty cardboard boxes she lent against the hallway wall and closed her eyes for just a few moments before gathering her strength and making her way into her bedroom where, to her surprise she found an empty suitcase lay upon her bed with a note attached.

Hermione,

I thought I'd save you the trouble of having to send for your things by sending them for you, and I thought I'd save you the trouble of unpacking by doing that for you too! Finally a household spell mum taught me that's come in handy!

Good luck with Malfoy, I suppose he can't be that much of a git if you like him so much. I hope all goes well.

Owl me as soon as you get the chance, everything over here is a little manic to say the least but you don't need to worry about that just yet.

All my love,

Ron.

Crumpling the note in her hand before letting it fall to the floor Hermione pulled the suitcase towards her looking down into its empty space. Her luggage hadn't even occurred to her when she had left, she'd been too wrapped up in thoughts of seeing Draco again. But it seemed good old Ron had thought of that for her, it was just a shame that he'd gone to the trouble of unpacking for her when it looked like she'd be returning to England so soon. Even moving back in with her mother seemed more enjoyable than spending even one more second than was needed upon the island.

Reaching behind her she tugged on the zip of her dress and peeled the wet clothing away from her skin before pulling on something a little more appropriate to her mood, this of course being sweatpants and a rather large t-shirt. If she'd had a carton of ice cream she would have sat down and devoured it on the spot. But instead she immersed herself in packing, the muggle way, she wanted to kill some time before she left, wanted the scene at the church to have died down a little before she went back to face the music.

Draco was fuming but he wasn't exactly sure why, he had been in a bad mood all day of course. Something he believed he was quite entitled to seeing as it was the day the woman he was falling in love with was supposed to be marrying someone else. But why then, he asked himself, did her return spark such fury within him? There Hermione was just an arms length away and all that was stopping him from reaching out and grabbing her was his stupid pride. He stopped and turned, began towards Hermione's hut and then stopped again. Pride and love. Two big emotions inside him now at war, for a long while he stood letting them do battle in his head. Finally with his fists balled he began to walk.

It wasn't long before he arrived outside Hermione's door he knocked but there was no reply. After a moment of contemplation he pushed open the door and entered. From the end of the hallway he could see her in her bedroom slowly, meticulously folding things before placing them inside the case on her bed. Standing in the doorway he simply watched her for a while before speaking.

"Leaving so soon?" his question made her visibly jump, with a thudding heart she turned to face him as he continued, "some people would think you're running away."

"So what if I am?" She asked defiantly, "It's not like there's anything for me to stay here for."

"You're giving up? Are you really that weak?"

"Well it's obvious that you don't love me so what's the point? Why should I stay here when you made it so clear that you don't want me."

"So know I'm not even allowed to be angry? You left me Hermione! I tried to spill my guts to you but you were too busy planning your wedding to listen to me."

"I was confused! Ever since Harry and I got together it was my dream to get married and have a perfect life with him and then I fell into the coma and when I woke up everything was different. I came here because I could face being in England, yes I ran away, and slowly I got over him, but it was harder to get over the dream."

"Oh come off it Hermione!" Draco snorted.

"No Draco, listen to me," Hermione begged, "I didn't love Harry but with the grief I was feeling because of my father's death it was a comfort to think I'd be able to slip back into the dream. The problem was that I realised by that time I had a new dream." She stepped forward and took his hands in hers.

"And what was that?" Draco asked in a hoarse whisper.

"You Draco, you. I want you Draco." She told him, "I'm so sorry that I left but I promise you that I will never do it again. You can handcuff me to the bedpost if you don't believe me but all I want to do is spend my life showing you how perfect my dream could be."

For a long moment he said nothing, made no reaction, before with a yank at her hands he pulled her into him and covered her mouth with his own.

"I love you Hermione." He whispered.

"I love you." She told him with a grin.

"Now," He added with a smirk, "what were you saying about handcuffs and bedposts?"

The End

A/N - Sorry it took so long, I've just gone back to school and it's been hectic! I've got exams coming up so revision is a biggie and coursework has to be in by Christmas, plus I've just wasted two hours of every night for two and a half weeks auditioning for West Side Story to not get the part which pissed me off a little, but I guess I can't complain too much I've still got a part... but anyway! it's finished...again. I hope you liked this one better than the first. I'm considering re-writing all of my fics, if anyone would want to read them that is. But I guess I'l have to see if I can timewise and so on. Let me know what you thought of it and keep cheacking out to see if I'm postng any new fics.