WML Chapter 5: Late Night Revelations
Hermione woke with a start and sat up in bed. She was shocked at first to be waking up in a bedroom that wasn’t her own. She glanced around as her eyes adjusted to the still dark room. She had no idea what time it was but clearly, it was still late at night or very early morning. She saw Draco lying next to her sleeping.
He was sound asleep and was breathing quietly. He looked completely relaxed and she realized that she has rarely seen him relaxed before. He is always stressed at work or sometimes goofing off with the other guys but never really relaxed.
She ran her hands over her body and was happy to feel her bra and panties still on under the big shirt. She breathed a sigh of relief and then looked back over to Draco. She slowly moved her hand over to his face and gently brushed some loose hairs from his forehead.
She wasn’t sure why she did it except that it was an impulse at the moment. She slowly moved her hand back and sat in silence for a minute. Her head was hurting, and her stomach was starting to twist in a nasty way.
She scanned the darkness for her dress, but she couldn’t see it anywhere. She noticed the trash can next to the bed, but she wasn’t about to be sick in front of him.
She slowly stood up and took a couple of wobbly steps away from the bed. Her stomach jolted and she knew she had to go before things got embarrassing.
She quickly apparated to her house with a pop and she almost fell when she arrived. She didn’t have time to see if anybody else was home or not as she plopped down in front of the toilet and started to get sick.
‘Thank you, Mojitos.’ She thought sarcastically.
She couldn’t remember how many drinks she actually had that night but obviously, it was way too many. She was mentally kicking herself as she continued to throw up.
After what felt like an hour of getting sick in the toilet she finally stopped and sat back to take some deep breaths. She felt like hell, but she knew that she needed a shower to clean up and get rid of any mess that may have gotten on her.
She brushed her teeth twice and then she summoned clean pajamas and started the shower. She pulled off the shirt and it was miraculously still clean and still smelled like Draco. She grinned as she inhaled the scent.
She set the shirt to the side and finished removing her undergarments. She slowly stepped into the shower and under the steaming hot water. The water was almost too hot to stay under, but it felt good in a way. Like it was burning away all the dumb decisions she made that night or at least burning away the alcohol that was lingering.
When she finally finished washing up, she stepped out of the shower and started to dry off. She wrapped a big cozy towel around her body, and she took a big deep breath to clear her head. She felt so much better already.
She heard a light knock on the door, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She quickly tossed her pajamas on top of Draco’s shirt and made sure her towel was secure.
“Yes?” She asked, trying to sound normal.
The door opened a little and Ron stuck his head in to look at her.
“Are you okay?” He asked softly.
Hermione looked at him questioningly.
He stepped in a little more and continued, “I heard you get sick. I didn’t think you would want me to come in, so I waited.”
She nodded in understanding and made an oh shape with her mouth as understanding hit her.
“Oh. I’m okay. Just a bit too much to drink.” She replied.
Ron nodded back.
“I’m on the couch if you want the bed. I didn’t bring Lavender here and that won’t happen again. I am sorry for how things came out about us. I never wanted you to find out like that.”
He was looking at her with big begging eyes like he wanted her to understand more than anything. She tried not to get angry, and she didn’t feel like dealing with any of their drama right now.
“Look, Ron, I’m not really in the mood to have this talk tonight. Can we just put a pin in it and go to bed please?”
He looked relieved and almost smiled at her, but he held it back.
“Of course. I’ll be on the couch if you need anything. Good night, Hermione.” He said as he turned away and pulled the door closed.
Hermione rolled her eyes and let out a big breath that she didn’t realize she had been holding. She quickly dried her hair with a flick of her wand and pulled her clothes on.
She felt comfy in her clean warm pajamas. She hung up the damp towel and she grabbed the shirt. She folded it up and tucked it under her pajama shirt before she switched off the lights and walked out of the bathroom and down the hall to her bedroom.
She climbed into bed and pulled the shirt out of her pajamas. She slid it under her pillow and smiled as she thought about it.
She flicked the lights off with her wand and pulled the heavy covers over her body. She felt exhausted and all she wanted to do was sleep but suddenly she remembered what she saw in her bed. She sat up and looked around the room.
She remembered walking in and seeing Ron and Lavender naked together in that very bed. She felt tears well up in her eyes, but she took deep breaths to calm her emotions and keep the tears from falling.
While she was doing deep breathing, she noticed that the bed covers smelled freshly cleaned and her senses were overtaken by the smell of cleaning soap.
‘Ron must have cleaned the bed.’ She thought.
She was thankful for the thoughtfulness but just because it was cleaned didn’t mean that the affair never happened. She did feel a little better about being in the bed with it freshly cleaned but it still didn’t feel right to her anymore.
She sighed.
She stood up out of the bed and she put Draco’s shirt back under her pajamas to hide it. She slowly walked into the living room and Ron sat up when he saw her.
“What’s wrong?” He asked as he looked her over.
She walked over and stood at the side of the couch. She looked down at Ron.
“Can we trade, please? I can’t sleep in that bed. Not after…” She broke off as she noticed him staring at her.
“Of course. I’m sorry, I didn’t think.” He said as he jumped up off the couch.
They were standing in front of each other for a minute before Ron went to walk past Hermione and stopped as his body was almost touching hers.
Hermione was waiting for him to walk past so she could get on the couch but when he stopped and started looking into her eyes, she wasn’t sure what to do. Her body froze.
Ron leaned in and started kissing her. He pressed his lips against hers and put a hand on her shoulder to pull her closer.
She stayed frozen and unsure what to do for a minute before her senses finally flooded in and her eyes widened in shock. She couldn’t believe that he was kissing her. Not after everything that he had done and said to her.
She pulled away and pushed his hand off her shoulder.
“Don’t. Do not do that.” She said sternly through gritted teeth.
Before she had a chance to stop them, tears started falling down her cheeks. She felt betrayed by her emotions, but she couldn’t control them. She felt so betrayed and confused and pissed off.
Ron stepped back and dropped his hands to his sides.
“I’m sorry… I… I’m sorry.” He said back apologetically.
She looked at him and wanted to smack him again. How could he think that it was okay to kiss her after everything?
“What are you doing? You told me that you were with Lavender now so why are you kissing me?” She asked.
He sighed loudly and glanced around as if looking for the words.
“I know… I just… You’re still my wife, Hermione. There are still feelings there.” He said simply.
Hermione plopped down on the couch, feeling as though she had been punched in the stomach.
She sobbed, “How can you say that?”
Ron sat down next to her and tried to pull her hand into his, but she quickly pulled it away and crossed her arms as a shield against him touching her.
“I didn’t want to leave because I stopped loving you. I decided it was time to leave because I got tired of always being on the back burner for you. Everything comes before me, Hermione. It’s not like that with Lavender. We make time for each other.” He finished as a single tear fell down his cheek.
She nodded her head as tears continued to stream from her eyes.
“I get it. You’re saying that you were never the most important thing to me. I don’t know if that’s true but I’m sorry if you felt that way.”
He half-smiled at her through tears.
“Thanks. I am sorry about everything and I’m sorry for trying to kiss you. I’m just confused. It’s hard for me to think that we won’t be a part of each other's lives anymore. I will always love you.”
Hermione grinned at him and wiped the tears off her face. It was useless because fresh tears continued to fall.
“I understand and we will always be in each other's lives. Maybe not how we thought or hoped but we will figure it out. It will take some time and some getting used to, but I will always be there for you Ron… Even, if I am mad at you for now.”
It was one of the hardest things for her to say but she knew that once the anger and hurt wore off that she would want him in her life. They were friends first for years, maybe they could find their way back to that somehow.
“Thanks, Hermione.” He choked out in a sob.
He leaned over and hugged her. It was a very one-sided hug since her arms were still crossed but it felt like he needed it.
He let her go and stood up. “Good night.” He said to her as he walked out of the living room and down the hall to their bedroom. She could hear him shut the door and climb into bed.
She breathed a big sigh of relief, and she wiped the rest of the tears off her face. She sniffled, then she pulled the shirt that she was hiding out of her pajamas and slipped it under the pillow on the couch. She laid down and covered up with the throw blanket.
She couldn’t believe the events of the last twenty-four hours. She was physically and emotionally exhausted now, and she fell asleep almost as soon as she closed her eyes.
A/N: Sorry, I know that chapter wasn't very exciting but we will get there ;)