Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter characters and the Harry Potter world. They all belong to JK Rowling.

"Somebody That She Used to Know"

Summary: Adventurous, rich Draco Malfoy was never a one-woman man, so he'd broken it off with Hermione to venture out. After two years of limitless womanizing, he realized he was just truly lost without her. But what if he couldn't get her back… because she couldn't remember him anymore?

Chapter One

"Who Are You?"

Draco Malfoy was not a stalker.

No, scratch that. The Draco Malfoy was not and never would be a stalker.

How could the perfect, exceedingly gorgeous, and filthy rich Most Eligible Bachelor in the Wizarding world be one?

At the age of twenty-six, he was a powerful business man, the richest of his age. In other month or so his beautiful, flawless face was in the headlines. His company catered to a variety of businesses, covering everything from real estate, to financial, to agriculture and mining…

He was one of the youngest business tycoons in the Wizarding world, a business celebrity. Wherever he went, there were always those nosy paparazzi, taking his pictures here and there.

He couldn't blame them, of course. Their job was to feed people with what they wanted. And the people just couldn't get enough of him. One word from him and men would tremble, women would faint. His word was law. His surname was synonymous with gold and luxury, a surname every girl killed to have.

He was living life like a fucking king.

He was the one being stalked, for pity's sake.

So he was not a stalker, except now.

"Aren't we going to get jailed for what we're doing?" Blaise Zabini, his best friend of more than twenty years, hushed behind him. "This is a fucking private villa, Draco. And Merlin knows just what Potter would do to us if he knew that we're actually breaking inside his precious fiancée's private all-women's weekend bash just so you can spy on Hermione. Everyone knows that Ginny Weasley has the blood of an Amazon in her. This is a strict all-girls getaway party and if she fucking smells a single male, I'm sure she's going to kill and eat him."

"I'm not sure if you purposely made that statement to scare me or you just really have that sick fantasy of the Weaslette eating you up," Draco grinned suggestively behind him.

"Shut the fuck up. I'm not the one who's hopelessly stalking his ex-girlfriend here and umph—!" Blaise was suddenly silenced when Draco swiftly tugged on his shirt to hide them behind a beach house curtain. He was about to grumble and complain about the brutality of his best friend by shoving his precious chiseled face into the pristine glass when he suddenly realized that the object of his best friend's unhealthy obsession was currently walking and laughing together with her friends.

"Well, there she is mate, obviously still prettier than you are now," Blaise tried to joke as he looked at his friend, but the latter was too serious and pensive to even laugh back, so Blaise decided it was best to shut his mouth for now.

Draco smiled slightly as he stared at the girl of his dreams.

His Hermione.

For years, she'd always been his and nothing had really changed. It would never change.

She was walking in flip-flops, wearing a white, loose racerback burnout tanktop that stopped at her thighs. It was so thin that he could clearly see her sexy black bikini underneath. Her hair was loosely pulled back into a fun, messy, flirty updo, with her fringe allowed to fall softly to frame her delicate, slightly sun-kissed face.

She was chuckling along with her friends about some topic that he couldn't even care less about.

What he cared about was her angelic smile and the soft jingle of her giggles that two years ago was always aimed at him.

What he cared about was her hair, which was always so messy when she woke up in the morning next to him and that he'd smoothed it out before kissing her. What he cared about was those gorgeous legs which had so often been tangled around his waist. What he cared about was her soft, silky skin, which he had always touched, caressed and kissed on a regular basis…

Fuck, he missed her.

It had only been two years but he really, really missed her. Seeing her like this made him feel like he might burst.

She was even more beautiful than he remembered.

And what he cared about was getting her back into his arms again. He was going to get back what was rightfully his.

He couldn't even believe that he had let her go. Twice.

In those two situations, he had been the one to break it off. He'd been the biggest jerk on the planet and he knew it would take some time for his girl to forgive him. But she'd always been the most forgiving person on earth. She would come to see just how much he had really changed and that this time he would keep his promise, love her in every way possible, and would never let her go again.

Looking at her now, he was reminded of the best four years of his life and the very first time everything started, and ended.

The war had changed everything.

The Wizarding society had drastically changed after Voldemort's fall. A lot of Death Eaters had been sentenced to death. They each were sentenced to receive a Dementor's Kiss, including Draco's father who had been in the inner circle. He was considered a madman by many, obsessed about the purity of his blood and drowned into the mistaken prejudice he had fed to his family.

But those years had changed Draco for the better. What didn't kill you made you stronger, after all.

It had taken years to raise his family's name once again. Draco was a mere 17-year-old boy that time, only barely turning 18, but he was given such a heavy responsibility, especially after his mother had fallen into a great depression because of his father's death.

Yet he had done it. Many had marveled at how he had done it. But it was all about hard work and an astonishing thick skin against all those hushed judgments… and because of Hermione Granger.

He remembered the moment after his father's trial before the Wizengamot, after he was sentenced to a kiss in Azkaban. He had tried so hard to look like it didn't matter as he stood beside his wailing mother.

And she was there, beside Potter, who had tried his hardest to testify to help his family. She was one of the well-loved, valuable and precious war heroes; the brain of the trio, as they said. Even if they hadn't managed to save his father, at least they were able to save him and his mother. He was grateful for that little blessing, but he just couldn't bring himself to face them.

He was walking down the hallway when she called after him. He remembered how her hair danced with the airstream, and how flushed her face was because of her run.

He honestly thought she was going to preach her pity to him, to try to express sympathy to him because of what happened to his father, just like everyone else was doing. Everyone was expecting him to burst into tears just like his mother. He was sick of it. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing him cry. He didn't need anyone's useless, worthless pity. But he stopped to listen to her out of gratitude, knowing that she, Potter and Weasley had somehow helped with his case.

What she said was far from what he was expecting, however. "You have a future ahead of you, Draco. We all have. This is just a new beginning. You're smart and talented. Make good use of it, I know you can make it better for you and your mother."

He had almost stepped back when she reached out to gently squeeze his hand. But he didn't.

She had the softest hand in the world. And she called him by his first name, as if they were friends, as if she truly cared for him. Even if it wasn't true, he really appreciated it. Because in that moment, she was the only one who made him feel that he wasn't alone.

He would never forget it. Even today he remembered the tingle of her touch upon his skin.

He didn't know what came over him, but as he watched her smile and walk away, he promised himself that he'd actually be better so that everyone would see, she would see, that he could survive.

That time, nobody really expected anything good from him, nobody really believed in him.

Except Granger.

That one statement kept him going. He didn't really care if it came from Granger who was his nemesis' best friend. By that time, he really couldn't care where that statement came from.

What mattered was that it kept him going.

Months later, they met again. She had decided to go back to Hogwarts to sit her N.E.W.T.s and she was the only one of the trio to do this, which left Draco a little… happy, though he firmly denied it.

They were civil with each other and had even shared a smile or two in the first month. They were both chosen as the Head Boy and Head Girl so a truce was in order, after all.

Draco really didn't know how his little obsession with the Head Girl started.

Maybe it was the morning that he saw her sitting by the window of their head dorm as she read the morning newspaper. The sunlight beams twirled and danced across her smooth, porcelain skin. She was almost glowing; he just couldn't take his eyes off her. When she looked up and caught him staring at her by the doorway, she had blushed and looked away. She had the most beautiful blush he had ever seen in his life.

Maybe it began the time he had asked her to help him out with his Arithmancy homework on that rainy night. They were both seated near the hearth. It was supposed to be a very cold night, but when he had looked up at her, chewing her lower lip in deep thought for the equation she couldn't seem to solve, he just knew he'd never felt so warm and alive all his life.

Maybe it was when he had first heard her squealing in delight when she witnessed the first snow of the year. She had practically dragged him outside only to have a little snowball fight with him.

Maybe it began when he finally had the guts to ask her out for a Hogsmeade date. Or when she said yes. He was a nervous wreck, but he ended up having that shit-eating grin by the time he heard her shy answer. They ended up laughing and running around the Hogsmeade village and it turned out to be the greatest weekend of his life.

Or maybe it was when she found him inside the bathroom, drowned with firewhiskey and crying pathetically on the floor on the day of his father's execution. It had been the lowest point of his life knowing that his mother had even fallen into a great depression and that they had confined her inside St. Mungo's just to stop her from continually hurting and cutting herself.

He had no one. But Hermione was there to embrace him, to kiss his head as he buried it in her chest like a little lost wounded puppy.

Without her, he could have really just killed himself right there.

But she was his sunshine, the only thing that made him smile despite everything bad that was happening to him.

She was beautiful as she walked down that staircase during their Christmas ball.

Right in that moment, when he looked up and stared at her, he just knew he wanted her.

He had asked her to dance with him, and he ended up kissing her.

He couldn't help it. Her lips were so soft, so red, so velvety… he needed to know what they tasted like.

Hermione's kisses were so different from that of any other girl he had sampled in the past. She was so shy, so innocent, so pure, so untainted… but also so passionate in everything that she did.

She had this fire inside her and he wanted to own it… to own her.

And so he gave in to his fixation of the little Gryffindor. He did everything to woo her. He gave her roses every day and he never failed to try to make her feel like the most special girl in the world.

It took two months of hard work before she finally gave in to his pursuits and another five months before she finally gave him everything of her. He was her first and he'd been very patient with her. He was the gentlest when he first took her. He could swear he'd never been that gentle in his past conquests, but when it came to Hermione, he could always make an exception.

She was just so beautiful in every way. He could swear no one had ever made him feel that way. She was a mystery to him and he didn't how it happened.

But last thing he knew, he was dangerously falling in love with Hermione Granger, and fast.

It scared him to death.

He couldn't handle the idea of falling in love. He'd never loved anyone, after all.

All his life, he had been the center of attention of the female population and he had enjoyed it to the highest limits. But it had always been one-sided every time. He had used them for entertainment and pleasure but then that was it.

This… feeling that he was having for Hermione was not normal for him.

He wasn't ready to face it yet so a day before their graduation, he broke it off with her.

She had been incredibly calm that day, asking him the reason why.

And he couldn't even answer anything back. Hermione was perfect and there was absolutely nothing wrong with her. She was the girl of his dreams. It was just an issue about him.

He was just too afraid of how serious it all had gotten.

He had asked her if they could still be friends. Her answer was a hard slap. His face had hurt so fucking badly, but he knew he deserved it.

Hermione never showed herself on their graduation and he blamed himself greatly for it. She was the class Valedictorian and he had ruined it for her.

But he forced himself to move on without looking back. At least everything was back to normal.

He had the best two years after that. Draco wasn't proud of what his family had done in the past, but he was proud of what he had made up for it. His mother had finally survived her depression. It wasn't an easy task to help her out of it, but Draco was able to do it.

He worked harder than he'd ever had and with the help of his Father's galleons, he earned a name for himself in the business society. There was no question who was Draco Malfoy. He was the crème de la crème. He was the most eligible bachelor, even the richest of his age.

He'd been to places, been with different girls, and was pretty much a celebrity.

'Young, famous and filthy rich', that was what the name 'Draco Malfoy' stood for. Women, beautiful women, threw themselves at him like he was a god. They practically worshipped him. Everyone loved him and he damn well enjoyed the spotlight.

But then, he saw her again.

He was always out of the country so he hadn't seen a single glimpse of her in years.

It was on a business assembly.

They were hosting a ball to one of his mother's charities when he saw his sweet Hermione again…

She had become such a beautiful woman.

That night he couldn't take his eyes off her.

She was wearing a very sophisticated black evening gown with a sexy V neck halter that showed her flawless décolletage. Her smooth curls were swept back into a refined updo. She was glowing from head to toe. She looked like a goddess. Blaise had to remind him to close his mouth as he was practically gaping at her like a puffer fish.

He had tried to ask her for a dance that night but she turned him down, probably still carrying a grudge from what he had done to her years ago. She wasn't rude about it however and had excused herself politely.

But honestly, she really should have gotten over it already. They were so young and he was foolish back then.

He was beyond jealous when he finally learned that she was actually dating the famous Viktor Krum.

But after that night, he couldn't keep his mind off of her.

So he didn't stop there.

He hired some men to investigate her and later on found out that she had been in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, working hard in order to help and support neglected and deprived creatures such as house elves. Later on she was given a high position in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The reason why she had accepted the job was because revolutionizing the Ministry was one of her goals. Even if this was so, however, she was still as passionate in helping and aiding funds to the underprivileged magical creatures, which was why she had attended the charity event and was one of the beneficiaries of the said event.

She was still his helpful and caring Hermione.

Draco had tried his hardest and had worked hard to be in her good graces again. He was the Founder and Managing Director of one of the greatest and most valued business organizations in the Wizarding world, the Malfoy Inc. and he had the power to aid such nonprofit organizations that used surplus revenues to achieve its goals.

By the help of his own Mother's charitable organization, he had bridged all the possible help Hermione and her goals needed and he had made sure that she knew that all the help came from him.

At first, Hermione resisted his help but later gave up when he wouldn't stop pursuing and fooling with her conscience. He was manipulative in every way. It was pure talent.

It was then that she was forced to have business dinners with him. The dinners had gone from weekly to daily, until Draco had practically visited her in her own office almost twice a day before he would pick her up for dinner to take her to some of the fanciest restaurants he could get them into. Every day, Hermione's office was covered in fresh white and red roses.

This led to the eventual breakdown of her relationship with Krum, much to Draco's evil pleasure

Viktor Krum was always busy, touring for his Quidditch matches and he was hardly ever home so the devious, scheming Slytherin took matters into his own hands. Viktor was beyond angry when he discovered Hermione's little dinner rendezvous with Draco and the fresh roses every morning didn't help as well.

But Draco had been the most charming man on earth. Hermione had already asked him to stop giving her roses, but somehow, he always got away with it.

His sources informed him that Viktor intended to propose to Hermione on her coming birthday and he could never allow for that to happen.

It was harder than he'd expected, but Draco finally ruined Hermione and Viktor's relationship… which sent Hermione running to the manipulative blond and crying in his arms after.

Hermione was his, end of story.

He begged her for a second chance and confessed to her how he still loved her and that he had been a total jerk when they were younger. He told her that he was a grown man and he was ready to prove to her that he had indeed changed. It had taken him so long, but eventually, she gave into all his pursuits.

He pampered her beyond belief. He would say that he was indeed the perfect boyfriend. After three months, he had even convinced her to stay with him at the huge Malfoy Manor. Hermione was initially apprehensive of the new setting but he was proud of how easily she had adjusted.

Narcissa Malfoy adored her to bits. His mother had even spoiled her rotten.

Their relationship got deeper and even more serious. Draco was completely blissful in those four years of his life with Hermione. It was just near perfect and every day she was becoming more and more beautiful in his sight.

Everything was perfect until his best friend, Blaise, invited him on a boys' weekend getaway. They drank, celebrated life and shagged some random hot girls.

And by that time, he just knew there was something lacking…

He wanted his life back.

Hermione was the love of his life, don't get him wrong. She was perfect in every way and no one could ever top her. But limiting himself to one woman alone was just too boring for a person such as Draco Malfoy.

He was always looking for something and he just couldn't get enough. His Mother told him that maybe he just needed to settle down. One of her biggest dreams was for her son to finally marry her darling, sweet Hermione.

But dammit, he was Draco Malfoy.

He was good looking, had the gorgeous body to boot and this to-die-for, perfect smile.

How on earth was he going to marry and settle himself to just one partner all his life? There were just too many colorful fishes in the ocean, and the ocean was wide. Even if Hermione was the girl of his dreams, he just couldn't possibly waste his youth by limiting himself that way.

After that crazy weekend, Draco was a mess.

He loved Hermione too much, which was why he had tried his hardest to never cheat on her for four years. He had never slept with anyone else in that span of time.

But then, there he was as he walked through that door, greeted by his loving girlfriend as she kissed him and asked him about his weekend.

He felt like shit doing it to her. He didn't even know why he had done it in the first place. No one could ever satiate him like Hermione. He had memorized her gorgeous body with all his heart and he was practically obsessed with her.

But there was just something about breaking rules, like perhaps having sex with two girls at the same time, or even three. And he couldn't do that with Hermione because he loved and respected her.

And then, there was this thought nagging in the back of his head to seek for more. That maybe there was really something greater out there. He wanted to venture out and see for himself what it was like at the other side of the ocean.

It was inevitable. He had to break her heart, again.

He hated doing it.

He hated seeing her cry that day while she asked him why.

Her question sounded familiar. But then, he had so blatantly done the same thing to her so many years ago.

The difference was that, this time, she didn't slap or hurt him.

She just simply looked at him, with tears in her eyes.

"I hope you'll see what you're looking for. Because by the time you'll see me walk out of this door, Draco, you're permanently out of my life."

He had wanted to take everything back just to stop her from crying, to stop her from walking away from him. But it wasn't that easy. It was too late. He had already made a decision.

He had broken her heart again.

But he broke up with her to make sure he wouldn't be able to cheat on her again. Couldn't she see? He just didn't want to hurt her any further.

Hermione left the Manor immediately and Draco quietly sat on the couch and drank his whiskey as he watched her go.

He was a heartless bastard, but he knew that.

It was the very first time that his mother screamed at him. Narcissa had also cried so hard he almost thought she was going to fall into depression again. She had loved Hermione so dearly and had considered her as her own daughter for four long years.

After Hermione was sent packing, he and Blaise started to travel the world and explore those different, exotic 'fishes' at the other side of the ocean together.

In those two years, they lived one hell of a life.

It was part of the game. Get into the fun, but when commitments come, get the fuck out while you still can.

It was that simple. His life was damn perfect.

Yes, Draco Malfoy owned the world. There was no question to that.

In their first year of travel, he was practically screaming in happiness. He was so damn free and he loved it. He drank, reveled, danced, flirted and had sex with any woman he liked. No holds barred.

He particularly enjoyed it when women had catfights for him. They were beautiful, feisty little creatures and he just adored them.

But after a year, he suddenly felt so… empty.

It suddenly felt like he was doing a useless routine over and over again. And he couldn't feel that sense of peace and contentment in anything he did.

Then, it suddenly hit him.

They were on the beach, with Blaise's blonde babe and Draco's new girlfriend for that week, Samantha, or at least he thought her name was Samantha; when Blaise suddenly mentioned how Draco's preference towards girls was so limited. Blaise was trying to flirt with Samantha and had mentioned that she was indeed Draco's type of girl. Draco had dated so many beautiful girls but he would always prefer those with brown curls and hazel eyes just like she did. Draco also had this finicky obsession of letting his girls wear shades of gold and red whenever they were having sex.

In that moment, all Draco could think of was her tears.

His Hermione and her tears.

It suddenly all came whirling back to him and he realized that there were times when he was so smashed that he called his lovers by hername while he was having sex with them. Along the way, he had always chosen girls who seemed to look the closest to Hermione's features.

It was ridiculous but he suddenly realized that it was indeed true and even Blaise had noticed it.

He pushed her away because he wanted to venture out. He wanted to seek for more, for better…

What he didn't realize until now was that nothing could ever be better than her because she was the best.

She was it.

She was the one.

And he had had her. But he just threw her away like a used bit of parchment. He had had everything and he had just thrown it away. He had had the rarest of all the diamonds in the world and he had thrown it away for useless rubbish.

He was an idiot.

And right now, all that he wanted was to take her back.

Hermione Granger had always been his.

Ever since she had first touched his hand in that Ministry lobby, he knew she was his.

She'd been his girl for years and he intended to seal that deal.

He should have listened to his mother before. He should have just given importance to what he already had. But he was such a fool.

And now he knew better.

He loved Hermione and he was sure that she still loved him back as well.

He would tell her that. He would tell her he was sorry and that he had made the biggest mistake of his life for letting her go. He would kneel in front of her if he had to. He just had to get her back.

He couldn't take it anymore.

Draco Malfoy needed his girl back and he would have her no matter what.

"Draco! What the fuck—" Blaise hissed when his friend all of a sudden jumped out of the curtains

The girls were so shocked they started screaming hysterically. Blaise had no choice but to show himself as well.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Ginny demanded as she pointed her wand at the two Slytherins. She and Parvati Patil were standing on either side of Hermione and they seemed to have backed away to protect her when they saw Draco.

"I need to talk to Hermione," Draco demanded while piercing his gaze towards his luscious witch who seemed to have coward away beside the eerily calm and listless Luna Lovegood.

"How dare you demand that? Get lost now or I'll go tell Harry before hexing your balls off!" Ginny screamed outrageously at the pair. The Weaslette was never one to be messed with. Blaise backed away a little and covered his precious balls.

"Shut up, Weaslette! You—"

"W-Who are you?" Hermione suddenly muttered nervously beside Luna who was hugging her tightly as if to calm her down.

"Baby," Draco started pleadingly towards Hermione. He knew he looked pathetic but he didn't care. "I know this is all so sudden but I'm really so sorry. I want you back, baby. I miss you so much. I love you and you're the only woman I'll ever love. Please—"

"I-I'm sorry, but I really don't know you," Hermione stared curiously at him, looking as if she really didn't recognize him.

"Baby, if this is all about what I've done to you, please hear me out, I just—"

"What? Why? What did you do to me?"

"I—what?"

"What did you do to me? And who are you?"

"I don't fucking understa—"

"I'm so sorry. But I really don't know you, sir. I think you've only mistaken me for someone," Hermione smiled at him calmly before she excused herself from the group.

Her friends followed behind her but not before Ginny Weasley had stomped on Draco's foot and he ended up cursing in pain. He screamed bloody murder as he attempted to follow them to demand they tell what the hell was wrong with his Hermione but then he was seized by Blaise to apparate away. Harry Potter and his Aurors might be here any second and he didn't fancy a little trip to Azkaban. The bloke was a little too obsessed with his shrieking fiancée to see reason.

"Are you alright, Hermione? What was that all about?" Parvati asked worriedly when they had all went inside the Summer House.

"Oh, those bloody Slytherins!" Ginny screamed outrageously. "Don't you worry, Hermione. They're really going to pay big time for sneaking inside my private villa! Especially that Malfoy! The nerve of him to even apologize to you after what he's done to you and what you've been through and—wait, what happened out there? Why did you act like you can't remember him? Do you even remember him? Oh Merlin! You didn't attempt to obliviate yourself again from his memories, did you? Oh Mione! Please don't tell me you did it!" Ginny was bursting into tears now as she hugged her friend.

After Hermione's huge breakup with Draco, she was devastated to the point of dying. Hermione had tried countless of times to Obliviate herself, but in those occasions, it was either she was always too scared to do it or she was caught in the act of almost doing it by one of her friends. One time, Ginny had to wrestle her out of her wand when she tried to Obliviate herself after she got drunk.

"Oh that jerk! He isn't worth it, Hermione! Why? Why did you do this to yourself? Whhyyy?" Parvati cried with Ginny while shaking Hermione like she was a ragged doll. She looked like one of those hysterical people inside the theater doing a tragic, dreadful scene.

Oh the drama. She had to roll her eyes.

"What the hell are you talking about? Of course I remember the bastard. But he doesn't need to know that, does he?" Hermione whispered as she stared blankly towards her friends. By that moment, venomous poison of vengeance was seen slithering in her eyes.

Twice was enough.

A/N

Of course, first off, thank you to my awesome beta reader EchoDeltaNine for tidying this up!

I know I told you guys that I won't be posting a new story until I finished my "Almost Perfect, Almost Yours"! But this had been kicking out inside my head and I just had to post it! Please know however, that "Almost Perfect, Almost Yours" is still my number one priority at the meantime and this fic would have to wait until I'm done with the prior.

Thanks everyone! After my serious fic, I think it's time for me to do a little fluffy one! What do you think? Have a fun, blessed day!

Sue