Everything Falls Apart Chapter 2
Title: Everything Falls Apart
Beta: apkblack
Characters: Hermione, Draco, Ron, Harry, Ginny, and assorted others
Rating: R
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, spells, and locations of the Harry Potter universe belong to JK Rowling. I am not JK Rowling and I am making no money on this.
Summary: Hermione Granger is just over 40 when everything in her life falls apart: her marriage, her job, and her peace of mind. How does she pick up the pieces and build a new, more satisfying life?
Chapter 2: Dead on the Inside, October 8, 2020
Author's Note: Draco signs the divorce papers and reminisces about Hermione.
Previous Chapters
Draco Malfoy read through the papers that would complete the largest business deal of Malfoy Enterprises since the war. Rather than profit projections and asset spreadsheets, his mind lingered on the package sitting on the far corner of his desk, the one he had pointedly ignored all afternoon.
His accountant's voice droned on, pointing out details that were particularly beneficial to the overall financial health of the company. Usually Draco pored over every number himself and considered every nuance of the business, taking a personal hand in dragging his family's holdings and name back to their pre-war status. But today, all he could think of was the divorce settlement tucked into the plain manila envelope, waiting for his signature.
"Enough, Howard," Draco cut the squirrely little man off. "Just prepare the final presentation for the board of directors meeting tomorrow. I'll sign off on it before I head home." He waved at the door in obvious dismissal and reached over to the packet.
Hearing the door close, he drew the papers out and skimmed the pages to make sure that neither his nor Astoria's lawyers had made any last minute changes. Satisfied, he initialed each page and quickly signed the document that would finally and officially end his sixteen-year marriage to one of the most boring, beautiful, and inoffensive pureblood women he had ever known.
He breathed a massive sigh of relief. It wasn't as if it were her fault that their marriage was dead, nor had she asked for an end to it. But with their only child, Scorpius, doing well at school and only home for the holidays and short periods during the summer, they lived completely separate lives.
His father had argued against the divorce and couldn't understand why Draco just didn't find a discreet mistress as he had done many years ago. His mother worried more about the social consequences than anything else. Draco had set Astoria up with a posh townhouse in a magical neighborhood in London, a tidy trust fund, and an annuity that would leave her wanting for nothing. The majority of the Malfoy fortune was entailed and distributed throughout the family's holdings and not his personally, since his father still lived, which limited how much her lawyers could carve from him. Scorpius was well taken care of, with rooms with each parent and at the Manor. He had taken his son, now in his fourth year at Hogwarts, on a three-week trip through Europe during the summer holiday. The two had spent the time hiking the Alps, Draco lost in his thoughts and Scorpius sketching every vista and wildflower.
Besides his love and pride for his son, Draco felt nothing anymore. For so many years he had felt dead inside without noticing it. He leaned back and closed his eyes. His mind wandered back to when he had first realized how empty he was.
"Dad. Dad? Dad!" Scorpius practically jumped on his father to get his attention before he looked over to where Draco was staring. A large group of people, many with bright red hair, were talking excitedly over one another.
Draco could hardly breathe. He hadn't seen Hermione in over a decade, not since Paris. And there she was hugging and laughing with two red-haired children who must be hers by Weasley, who stood just to the outside of the group looking slightly uncomfortable.
She still looked good, better than many of the other mothers her age. He couldn't tear his eyes from her, even when she looked directly at him and nodded slightly before turning back to the young girl who must be her daughter starting at Hogwarts this year.
"Dad?" Scorpius's frustrated voice finally penetrated and Draco turned to him. "Sorry." He seemed to be saying that a lot lately. Sorry that your mother couldn't be bothered to say farewell at the train. Sorry that your grandparents drag you to society events to increase their own prestige. Sorry that your father is an emotional zombie.
Draco knelt down to put himself at Scorpius's level and gave him a hug. "Take care of yourself and that new artist set I gave you, but don't neglect your studies in order to sketch all the pretty girls," Draco teased lightly and ruffled his son's platinum blonde hair. Scorpius smiled shyly and blushed before turning quickly and boarding the train back to school.
Once the train was leaving, Draco turned to see her looking at him curiously from a distance before her attention was captured by some comment from Potter that had her smiling and shaking her head.
And just like that, he was smitten again and knew that he had to do something about the wasteland of his life.
That had been three years ago, and Draco still only saw her for a few minutes over the distance of the train platform each September and June. He told no one that those few moments that their eyes had met had led directly to the divorce papers sitting in front of him. Not that she would appreciate that, or remotely reciprocate.
He shoved the papers back into the envelope and called his tawny owl over to his desk. After feeding him a treat and stroking his feathers, Draco attached the envelope to his leg, opened the window, and launched the bird into the night sky.
The deed was done. Tomorrow the world would know-courtesy of the Daily Prophet-that his marriage was over. Tongues would wag and rumors fly. The paparazzi would follow him and Astoria for a few weeks before they got bored or another scandal would grab their attention. Thankfully, Scorpius was safe at school and the headmaster had been informed to keep the educational environment as sane as possible.
He turned at the knock on his door and saw his assistant enter with the presentation that Howard the accountant had finalized. He took it from her hand, bid her good evening, and turned back to his desk to review it. With his final signature, he whispered to no one at all, "That takes care of that." He turned out the light and Apparated to his lonely penthouse flat two stories above.
Chapter 3