It was my fault really. Love gained, love lost. And then, found again in the most unlikely of people.
I was with Harry… for a while. More like three years, one hundred and twenty seven days, six hours and thirty-nine minutes. But who was counting?
Alright, I was.
I was so hopelessly in love with him I could truly see nothing else.
It started really simple.
"I like your hair up rather nicely." He'd say. And so I always wore it up. "I like the colour violet on you best Hermione." I practically threw out my whole wardrobe.f
We started dating just after his defeat of Voldemort, half way through our seventh year at Hogwarts. We dated about three months after leaving school before he popped the question. I was so blind that I said yes. I couldn't see how much he'd changed me into something I really wasn't.
"I love you Harry." I'd say. He'd just smile and kiss me. I don't even remember if he ever said it. He called me 'love' of course, but that's not the same.
So we got married. He was keen on children straight away. I couldn't refuse him. By that time my love for him began to scare me. And so I became pregnant, little Albus was born on our nine-month anniversary. I hardly knew how to be a wife before being thrown into the pressures of mothering.
He wasn't around during the day. He came in late at night and left early in the morning. He never held Albus. Never talked to him, never helped me raise him.
A year later I became pregnant again. This time I had twins, James and Lily. He wasn't even there when I gave birth.
I kept wishing that he would change and be better than all that he turned out to be. But he didn't.
On the twins' third birthday I made my move. I hadn't talked to Harry in about a month. Albus was almost five years old when we left.
The old Knockturn alley was the only place I could think of to go to where Harry wouldn't think to look. All of the old dark shops had been changed to be more like Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, but questionable characters still lurk around the place.
I changed my appearance every time I went out and used all of the magical locking charms on our small apartment. We were living fine and I hadn't heard anything of Harry looking for me.
It was three months before I literally bumped into someone I once knew.
"Draco Malfoy." I said, surprised to even see him alive after the defeat of Voldemort. He turned to me and looked at me for a second as if he was trying to remember who I was. He blinked and took a step back but inclined his head towards me.
"Granger?" He asked, quite surprised. I rolled my eyes and nodded. "Wow. I mean, you look different."
"Yeah. Thanks." I said with an indifferent tone.
"You still with Potter?" He asked somewhat harshly. I shook my head and willed myself not to cry in front of him. I was just coming to terms with exactly how stupid I had been with Harry. He looked kind of surprised. "You're not?" he asked again. Once again I just shook my head. "So that's why you changed your looks?" I nodded my head, starting to get sick of this guy already. He let out a hmm and smirked slightly. "See you around Hermione." He said before walking off.
It was quite a strange encounter, but somehow I found myself running into him again a month later. Somehow the expression on his face made me wonder if I had bumped into him by chance.
"Hello Granger." He said with a smirk on his face.
"Mr Malfoy." I said politely, dipping my head.
"Are you particularly busy? Or may I buy you a cup of tea? It'd be nice to catch up."
"Sorry Draco, but I really should be getting home." I said, beginning to walk towards my apartment.
"What for?" He fell in step next to me. I turned my head towards him.
"My children." I said simply. He looked shocked.
"You have kids?" He asked. I nodded.
"Three." I said simply.
"I'm sure they're fine on their own."
"The eldest is barely five, and I told Ginny I'd only be gone an hour." We walked in silence the rest of the way to my apartment. When we reached the place, I inserted the key and looked back at Draco.
"Too bad we can't talk and catch up." He looked at me sad and dejected. I sighed and rolled my eyes at him.
"Oh come in Draco, I'll make us some tea." He perked up immediately and smirked when I had my back turned. He followed me into the house. Albus, James and Lily came running to me.
"Mummy!" Albus exclaimed, grabbing onto my legs. I picked up Lily who was looking up at me with her gorgeous green eyes. Lily pointed at Draco as if to ask who he was.
"Kids, this is Draco Malfoy." I introduced them. "Draco, this is Albus, he's five, and James and Lily are twins at three." I pointed to each of them in turn.
"James is the only one with your eyes." Draco pointed out.
"Yep." I replied, readjusting Lily on my hip.
"But Albus and Lily have your hair." I nodded as Ginny came into the room.
"Thank you Ginny." I smiled at her.
"It's not a problem Hermione. I'm really happy to help in any way I can. Such a shame what's happened." I nodded. Ginny didn't even seem to notice Draco there, but left my apartment quickly before apparating away.
"Alright guys. How about you go and watch some TV while Draco and I have some tea." I suggested.
"Alright." Albus said, running back through the house to my room where the TV was set up. Albus was able to climb on the bed himself. I set Lily down before helping James up. I left the three of them in there watching cartoons to find Draco in the small living room.
"I'm sure it's smaller than you're used to Draco, but this is all I've got." I stated.
"No, it's just fine." He gave me a light smile. I raised my right eyebrow at him quizzically before entering the kitchen to put the kettle on. "You love your muggle appliances."
"Yes, I use a lot of them, having grown up using them." I explained. We talked a lot about the years since graduation, what we'd been doing and who we'd been with. Surprisingly Draco hadn't had a single girlfriend.
"I haven't found anyone like that." Was his excuse. We said goodbye that evening knowing a lot more about each other. Somehow I saw another side to him that hadn't been there throughout our years at Hogwarts. He had matured greatly and I didn't see that jerk he used to be. I found myself offering for him to have dinner with us the next week, which he agreed to.
We saw each other about once a week from then on, and I found myself somewhat attracted to his new, adult personality. After a couple of months, he got up the courage to ask me out. I was slightly hesitant but found myself saying yes. He was awesome with the kids. Something I'd never seen before in Harry.
Draco was everything Harry wasn't. Somehow kind, somehow sweet, somehow sensitive to what I've been through. And somehow I found myself falling in love with him. We got married three years later. I did not want to rush into marriage with anyone, even with someone I loved, because of what had happened. But Draco was kind and waited until I was ready.
I realised later that Draco was what I needed all along. If Draco hadn't been an enemy to me all through Hogwarts I feel that I would have fallen for him in the first place and that the whole mess with Harry wouldn't have happened.
The week before the wedding I was shopping with Ginny when I saw Harry at the Leaky Cauldron. The way he walked into the pub told me he was intent on getting drunk.
"Hermione, let's go." Ginny suggested. I shook my head and without looking at her, made my way up to the bar and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around suddenly and stared at me in shock.
"Her-Her-Her-Hermione!" Harry stuttered.
"Hello Harry." I said politely.
"Wh-where did you go? You left."
"That's right. I'm sure you've got the divorce papers by now." I had filed for divorce and given him the papers about a month earlier. He just nodded at me.
"I love you Hermione." He said quietly, looking up at me with his big green eyes.
"I'm sorry Harry." I paused before continuing. "I'm getting married next week." He looked at me in utter shock.
"To who?" He asked before downing half of his drink.
"To-To Draco Malfoy." He stood in front of me threateningly and I took a step back. I realised I needed a change of topic. I also realised that he hadn't said one word about our children. "The kids are fine." I said. "Too bad I'm not going to let you see them."
"Why?" He forced out, although I thought his question was more aimed at finding the reason why I was marrying his enemy.
"You never saw them Harry, even when we were married." I said before leaving the Leaky Couldron.
I got married to Draco. Harry didn't come to the ceremony and I didn't see him again. The Daily Prophet front page headline for the day after the wedding said: Boy-Who-Lived Lives No Longer. He had committed suicide the night before.
Draco and I moved into the Malfoy Manor, which I am still not used to. His parents were away in Azkaban for life following the war so Draco had inherited the property.
A year later, the children were off somewhere in the manor playing when I walked into Draco's study to see him working on something. He looked up and smiled at me. I went right over and sat on his desk facing him.
"I love you." I whispered, looking into his eyes.
"I love you too."
"You're no longer just a step-dad." I smiled.
"What?" He asked, not understanding.
"Draco, I'm pregnant. You're going to be a real father." His confused expression changed to one of surprise and joy. He stood up and put his arms around me, engulfing me in a hug.
"I love you Hermione." He whispered in my ear. He let go of me and placed his hands on my still-flat stomach before kissing me passionately. "I love you so much."