10author's note: okay well i got this story from The Way I Loved You by Taylor Swift. it started out as a simple songfic (which I have posted also) but after i got towards the end i realized i could actually make something out of this. so here we go. i have it rated T at the moment because there is some profanity but the rating very well could change to M later on so be warned, i haven't decided exactly where i'm going with it yet. also haven't found a name for it yet either so please throw me some ideas...if i pick yours you will get credit!
anyway, i hope you enjoy the first chapter. i might not have a chance to upload anything else until sometime next month but i will try to get something up after the holidays, it all depends on whether i can get to a computer to write seeing as mine isnt exactly working right now. but i promise i wont leave you hanging without good reason and i will try to keep writing even if i cant upload for awhile.
also, i am still kicking around ideas for a long promised sequel to the Destiny Series. any suggestions or ideas are greatly appreciated so if there's anything you'd like to see in a sequel please let me know and i'll see what i can do.
oh and of course, all characters are not mine (i wish) and i dont get jack shit from any of this LOL
Some Things Never Change
Flashback, Prologue
"Stop," Hermione said, not shouting for the first time in an hour. "I can't do this anymore."
She crossed the massive bedroom to her closet and began pulling out all of her clothes, stuffing them into any bag or suitcase she could find. She didn't even bother folding them. She needed to get out of there as quickly as possible. Pulling out her wand she quickly zapped the bags closed and grabbed her purse off of the vanity chair and headed towards the door.
Draco watched her in shock. This was the first argument that they'd had in the last three and a half years that had ever ended like this. Usually they screamed at each other for a couple of hours then realized how stupid they were both being and laughed at each other. Never had she threatened to leave him. Snapping out of his shock, he dashed to the door throwing himself in front of her, blocking her path.
"Hermione, where are you going?" He asked, unsure of whether he really wanted to know the answer.
Looking down at her feet, Hermione sighed. She blinked back the flood of tears that was threatening to escape and took a deep breath, unable to look him in the eyes.
"I meant it, Draco," she answered quietly. "I can't do this anymore."
Pushing past him silently, she exited and walked swiftly down the stairs and out the front door. Pausing at the gates, she looked back at the lavish mansion which she had called her home for the past two years. She saw Draco standing on the patio outside of their bedroom, watching her sadly, not knowing what to do.
"I love you." Hermione whispered, letting the tears fall finally as she walked through the gate and Apparated away.
Eleven months later
"Hermione," Harry said, poking her in the arm gently, trying to get her attention. "Earth to Hermione."
Turning away from the window, Hermione looked at her boyfriend and smiled sheepishly. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed that they had already driven clear across town to her apartment.
"Sorry," she answered. "What were you saying?"
"I was asking if you were excited about the Ministry's Ball this year." Harry replied, laughing. "You know, it'll be the first big event for us as a couple."
Hermione sighed. She had almost forgotten about the Ball this year. Normally it was one of her favorite events, but so much had happened this year that it had completely slipped her mind. She had been attending the Ball for the past six years, but after last year's, she wasn't sure if she wanted to go. Last year was one of the worst nights of her life. It wasn't the Ball itself, which was beautiful as always. It was what had happened afterwards that had crushed her world.
It was afterwards that she had found her boyfriend of almost four years kissing another girl. And it was not just any girl, but his ex-girlfriend, Pansy Parkinson. She had lost it that night, packed up everything she had and left. He had begged and pleaded with her, told her it was all a misunderstanding. He even told her the famous line, 'she kissed me'.
But that was many months ago. Now she had a wonderful boyfriend, one whom her friends and family had been pushing her towards for a long time. And he was wonderful, everything she deserved. She pushed her memories back into the hole she had dug for them in the back of her mind and smiled at Harry.
"Yes," she finally answered. "Of course I'm looking forward to it. It'll be fun."
Harry took her hand and squeezed it gently, smiling at her. He couldn't wait to show up with her on his arm. He had received the invitations for both of them a couple of weeks ago and was surprised to see the location for this year. Malfoy Manor. He had known that Draco was making some contributions to a few Ministry programs but it had been the first time that he'd done anything like this. Harry kept that news from Hermione, though, knowing that if she knew where it was being held, there was a good chance she'd refuse to go. That place had a history for Hermione, and not necessarily the best one either.
Harry didn't know too much about her relationship with Draco. Of course, he knew that they had dated for almost four years and that she had lived with him in the Manor for around two of those years. He also knew that whatever had happened to end the relationship as suddenly as it did had to have been something bad, but Hermione refused to talk about it at all. All she said was that it was time to move on and that she was through with that chapter of her life. Even so, he was a bit worried about how she would react when they arrived at the Ball this coming weekend. Draco would very obviously be in attendance and, as much as Hermione insisted that she was 'completely over it', Harry was worried about what would happen.
"What are you thinking about?" Hermione asked, realizing that Harry was staring off into space. They had been sitting in front of her apartment for about five minutes and Harry had yet to get out or say anything for that matter.
"Oh, nothing. Want me to walk you in?" Harry asked. He knew that sometimes, especially if she'd had a long day, she just wanted to be alone and relax.
"Not tonight," Hermione answered, pretending to yawn. "It's been a long day. I think I'm just going to take a bath and go to bed."
Harry nodded knowingly. This wasn't anything out of the ordinary for her. In the six months that they'd been dating, he'd only been invited into her apartment at night a handful of times. And they still had yet to consummate their relationship, which was okay with Harry. He knew that she needed time, even if she insisted she didn't, that she just wasn't ready yet.
"Okay then, hon," Harry said, squeezing her hand again. He leaned across the seat and kissed her cheek softly. "See you this weekend?"
Hermione nodded. She couldn't let one bad experience keep her from enjoying her favorite gala. "Of course. Seven o'clock, right?"
"Yep. I'll be here at seven and we'll Apparate together." He replied, nodding and smiling.
Hermione smiled. They said goodnight and she went up to her apartment, closing and locking her door behind her. Sighing deeply, she leaned on the door, sliding to the floor as she let the memories of last year's Ball flood her mind.
Flashback
Hermione had been looking everywhere around the old castle for him. Draco had told her he'd be back in a little while and it'd been almost two hours since she'd seen him. She took her heels off so she walk less noisily through the corridors of Hogwarts Castle. She and Draco had been attending the annual Ministry Ball which had been held in the Great Hall of Hogwarts this year, thanks to Headmistress McGonagall. She shivered slightly as she made her way towards the dungeons, the place that Draco had mentioned he was heading. He had said something about wanting to explore his old grounds to see if they were still the same without Professor Snape to patrol them anymore. She had understood, of course. It'd been years since either of them had been in the castle where they had grown up. So many things had happened there during their seven years that it was strange being back. The two had parted, Hermione joining Ginny and Harry (who were there together but had decided that they were better off friends a couple of years earlier) to take a walk around Gryffindor Tower for old times sake.
They were supposed to meet back in the foyer at ten o'clock. Now it was close to eleven and there was still no sign of Draco. So Hermione set out, with Ginny's help, to find her boyfriend. They made the long trek through the dungeons towards the Slytherin dormitories. As they grew closer to them, Ginny motioned for Hermione to be quiet. They listened for a few moments and realized that they heard Draco's voice coming from the open common room. Only he wasn't alone. There was a female voice too, one that both girls recognized immediately as the annoying Pansy Parkinson. She had been practically obsessed with Draco all through school, and even still called or popped up at his work or the mansion 'just to say hello'.
Hermione and Ginny listened closely, trying to figure out what they were saying. But it was hard to hear anything through Pansy's annoying giggles. Then it grew very quiet for a moment. Looking at each other curiously, the girls peered around the doorway only to be given a sight that neither of them, especially Hermione was ready to see. Draco was lying back across the big armchair, Pansy sprawled on top of him kissing him intensely.
Stepping into the common room, making a very loud 'ahem' to get their attention, Hermione simply stared at Draco. He shoved Pansy off of him and made to get up quickly. Hermione simply held up her hand for him to stop and shook her head, trying desperately not to let the tears that had quickly filled her eyes fall. She couldn't believe it. After all these years, all this time they'd been together. How could he do this to her? Without saying a word, Hermione turned on her heel and ran almost at full speed back through the dungeons and up the stairs to the Great Hall. Shoving her way through the doors, Ginny panting and out of breath behind her, she pushed her way through the crowd till she found her best friend. Harry had always been her best friend, even closer to her than Ginny but then they'd been through more together so it was understandable. Harry had smiled at first when he saw her coming towards him through the crowd but then his features turned to worry when he saw her face.
Without explaining a thing, Hermione asked Harry to please take her home and of course he obliged, telling Ginny he'd be back soon. He helped her through the crowd and out the Great Hall doors just in time to see Draco come up the stairs from the dungeons and call out to Hermione. She looked at Harry, her eyes begging him not to stop. Harry looked between Draco, who he'd become friends with during the past few years, and Hermione and shot Draco a look that said plainly 'I don't know whats going on but if you hurt her, I'll kill you' and led Hermione the rest of the way out the front doors, down the walkway and out the gate. Grabbing her close to him, he Apparated them both back to Malfoy Manor.
Hermione tore up the walkway and the front staircase, finally stopping as she entered their bedroom, Harry hot on her heels trying desperately to get her to tell him what was going on. Taking a deep breath, Hermione started to tell him but was interrupted by the loud sound of someone thundering up the stairs behind them in a hurry.
"Wait for me outside the gates, Harry," Hermione whispered, staring at the door where Draco was now standing.
Harry looked like he was about to say something but Hermione gave him a pleading look and he nodded, throwing another wary glance at Draco before disappearing down the stairs.
"Hermione, please," Draco said, crossing the room to where she was standing. "You've got to listen. It's completely…"
Hermione closed her eyes and held up her hand for him to stop.
"Don't even say it, Draco. Don't even try to tell me that it was a misunderstanding. That I didn't see you kissing Pansy tonight. That she wasn't all over you. I'm not blind and I'm sure as hell not an idiot. All I want to know is why?" Hermione's voice was shaking so badly that she could barely even get the words out. She was stuck between furious and destroyed and she didn't know what to do.
"She kissed me, Hermione. Not the other way around. I was just sitting there and she practically through herself on me just as you walked in, I swear it. Hermione, honey, you have to believe me." Draco said, his words rushing out in a jumbled ramble.
This just set Hermione off. Not only was he going to sit there and lie to her about what she witnessed with her own two eyes but now he was going to try to play innocent. She began screaming at him with every emotion she had in her body, her furiousness coming out with the tears she'd been holding back. She threw things, anything that she could get her hands on, anything he had given her. The necklace around her neck that he'd surprised her with on their first anniversary went sailing at his face along with countless pictures of the two of them from the bureau and the nightstands. The two argued back and forth for the next hour, each one determined to get the upper hand, determined to prove that they were right.
Finally, Hermione seemed to have had enough. She sat down on the edge of their bed and stared at her hands for a few moments, trying to figure out what to do. Draco saw that she seemed to have calmed down and went to cross the room to sit beside her but Hermione held up her hand again.
"Stop," Hermione said, not shouting for the first time in an hour. "I can't do this anymore."
Draco looked confused. "What do you mean?"
She looked up at him, tears streaking her makeup down her face. She wiped them away with the back of her hand.
"For the last few years, I've lived my life for you. You were everything to me, my entire world." Hermione began softly, her voice barely over a whisper but loudly enough for Draco to hear her from across the room.
"I thought that we had a future together, regardless of what everyone always told me. They tried to warn me so many times that things between us were only temporary. But I never listened because I was too in love with you. But after tonight, regardless of whatever stupid reason you had to do it, I realize that they were right. This isn't where I'm supposed to be, Draco. It was a rollercoaster, a complete rush being with you. But I can't be that person anymore. It's time for me to grow up and move on with my life. I'm sorry, Draco."
She paused for a moment, catching her breath and standing up from the bed. Before she could change her mind, she began throwing everything she owned into bags, charming them to make it all fit. She muttered a spell under her breath and sent her bags to her old apartment, where Ginny still lived. Looking around the room for the last time, she made her way to the door silently.
Realizing what was going on, Draco launched himself to the door before she could get there, blocking her path.
"Hermione, honey, please," He pleaded with her, trying to take her hands in his but she only shook him off. "Please think about this. Four years, baby, its been almost four years. Please don't throw it away over some stupid tramp like Pansy. We can work through this, I know we can. Please just give me a chance to make it right."
Hermione simply shook her head, refusing to look him in the eyes. Ducking past him, she walked through the door. She paused for a moment, without looking at him.
"Goodbye, Draco." She said quietly, feeling new tears fill her eyes.
Determinedly she made her way down the stairs and out the front door. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep her composure as she made her way down the long walkway to the front gates where Harry was waiting, sitting on a bench. He saw her coming and immediately got to his feet, rushing over to meet up with her. Knowing that she'd tell him everything when she calmed down, he put his arm around her and walked her to the gates. Hermione followed Harry out the gates, stopping for a moment to look up at the place she'd called home.
She saw Draco standing on their bedroom balcony, staring down at her looking completely lost and helpless. Even at that distance she could see his eyes pleading with her to stay. She blinked as a fresh set of tears slipped down her cheek.
"I love you." She whispered, looking up at him one last time before turning and shutting the gate behind her.
End Flashback
This weekend was going to be hard, she knew it. Maybe she'd be lucky and Draco wouldn't show at the Ball this year. Or maybe he'd show up with Pansy or some other girl and make her realize that she was right and give her reason to truly let go. It'd been almost a year and she was with Harry now. And he was everything she could ever ask for. He didn't push her, he never lied to her or made up excuses. He always did what he said he would do. He loved her unconditionally and she knew that he could make her happy for the rest of her life if she let him.
Shaking off the memories, Hermione climbed to her feet. Deciding to forgo the bubble bath tonight, she simply undressed and climbed into bed.
'I'm sure things will be great this weekend.' She told herself as she settled in and fell asleep.