Authors Notes and disclaimer:

First of all, I must let everyone know that this is my first Harry Potter fanfic ever. It is Deathly Hallows friendly. It's not Ron friendly. The relationship is Hermione/Draco. If you're still with me read on. If you're not a fan of Dramione, don't, you'll just upset yourself.

Secondly, each chapter of this story is based on a song from The City Drive's album, Always Moving Never Stopping. I don't mean it as a true song fic, because I know that this is not the interpretation they were trying to go for when writing the songs. I haven't officially asked the guys that, but I'm 99 percent sure they were not writing the songs with Draco and Hermione in mind. Anyone who has heard their music will easily recognize this. This use is not for profit, so please don't sue me TCD, the best thing you'll get is the shirt you all signed last year at Warped Tour Cincy and my copies of the Harry Potter series. I want this fic to be my tribute to my favorite band.

I am also borrowing the characters from J.K. Rowling. Once again, not for profit. I haven't done any writing in a year, and decided to do a fanfic as an exercise, to use prewritten characters. Ms. Rowling, if you for some unknown reason happen upon this story, you've been a struggling writer as well, I know you understand. Thank you for giving us these wonderful characters and plot lines.

All my love and respect go out to these wonderful artists I've already mentioned. If anyone wants to hear some City Drive songs, you can order the cd on Smart Punk, or go to their myspace. I know anyone reading this knows how to get a copy of the Harry Potter books.

Thanks!

TheBesoakd1

Defeated

Hermione Weasley had many secrets from those who thought they knew her best. One of those secrets was the truth about exactly why she was so good at healing the scrapes and bruises all the Weasley and Potter children seemed to get, even though no one remembered her ever studying healing.

Hermione had spent another night alone as Ronald and the kids had stayed overnight dispersed throughout the Burrow. No one thought it was odd as Fleur and Bill were visiting with their children as well. Only Hermione and Ron knew why it was that Hermione was alone, and that she was crying enough tears to fill the little lake near their house. Ron and Hermione were fighting, again. No one saw the truth about her so-called "fairy tale marriage." Everyone saw the two war heroes as having gotten together to have the perfect relationship, like Harry and Ginny Potter.

But the relationship wasn't perfect. Hermione was well past the point of being able to count the amount of nights she'd cried herself to sleep, or cried so hard she didn't get a wink of sleep. She couldn't count the number of times the glasses in the kitchen had been broken when thrown at her head during one of Ron's rages. Or the number of times her simple whisper of "reparo" had fixed the furniture. She was numb to it all, numb to life. She only smiled now when in public, to continue her charade of being blissfully happy with the one she loved. She knew now that Ron only loved himself, Harry, and food.

She wanted to go to Harry about the whole situation but she held back. She knew he'd never believe her unless he saw it for himself. She'd tried to get him to see past her smile to the tear tracks on her cheeks in the past, just to have him think she was joking, or dreaming. How anyone could think this was a joke she'd never know. But once Harry finally saw it, she'd be ready. He'll say "you were right." And hopefully he'd take her and the kids away. Harry had power over Ron that no one else did. He still felt guilty for having left the two of them in the woods while they were on their search for the horcruxes.

She'd tried leaving without any help, but she couldn't follow through. She loved her kids too much to leave them, even if he'd never touched them. The thought that he would finally hit them over her departure was too much for her to take.

Only one person seemed to understand what was going on. The least likely person, at least in everyone but Hermione's mind, Draco Malfoy. Her daughter Rose had become friends with his son Scorpius their first year at Hogwarts, when they had both been put into Ravenclaw. After Draco was widowed earlier in the summer, Scorpius had spent a full month living at their home while Draco put her affairs in order. When Draco had come to pick him up, Hermione was surprised by the look in the former Slytherin's eyes. She had expected a look of sadness, in mourning for his wife, but was surprised he was more interested in her than even seeing Scorpius after so long. Hermione had not had time to heal a bruise on her shoulder, when he had knocked on their door, and as she was wearing a sleeveless top she had quickly put a glamour charm on herself as she went to answer the door.

Draco had come into the house and looked at her. His eyes moved from her shoulder to her face multiple times. She had felt naked during his long perusal and was almost afraid to sit down across from him in the living room, while their children had finished packing Scorpius' clothes, even though he had been friendly since Harry had saved his life the night of the final battle.

She had known he had changed shortly after Voldemort's defeat, even going so far as to marry a muggle. Harry had whispered that it was to prove he was not a Death Eater. Hermione disagreed, his lack of a Dark Mark, and unwillingness to fight the war was enough. Hermione and Harry's own testimony had set him free. They'd had a mostly unmentioned understanding since then. Ginny's take on Draco's wife was much different. At the wedding, Ginny had leaned over to Hermione and whispered to her excitedly. "That woman could be your sister!" Hermione had noticed the resemblance as well. Like herself, Draco's bride was of shorter stature, though skinny, with wavy brown hair, and chocolate eyes. Her teeth even seemed a little on the large size, not that Hermione's were anymore.

While Hermione had been thinking back on her and Draco's past, their children had come clambering down the stairs, sounding almost like a herd of elephants. Scorpius had almost knocked Draco over in a big hug. Draco looked back at Hermione as he left their house. She tried to stand in a way so that he wouldn't be able to look at her shoulder, afraid he could see through her glamour charm. Mentally she scolded herself, knowing that she was more than proficient at that specific spell. That evening, she'd gotten an owl. It was unsigned, and even though she didn't recognize the handwriting, she knew who it was from.

"The cleverest witch of her age in this situation? It's hard to believe."

The next few nights she got more mysterious letters. All one line, none seeming to go together.

"You want it, you need it. You won't be defeated."

"Offer blood and devotion."

"Scars will heal in time."

"What goes around, always comes around."

She didn't answer the letters. Ron saw her receive them, upset she was receiving unnecessary correspondence. He got even more upset when she wouldn't hand them straight to him, even going so far as to accuse her of cheating. That was why he was at the Burrow now.

Hermione heard a faint knock at the kitchen door. She went to look out the window, and was not surprised to see Draco there. He seemed to know she was standing just inside, and that she was alone, because he started talking through the door.

"It's in motion. This is your chance. You've got to take it if you're going to make it." She stood silent for a moment, then opened the door, standing on the threshold, not truly going outside.

"Draco, I can't leave. He'll hurt Rose, and Hugo. And what will Molly think? I can't have George thinking of Ron the same way he used to think of Percy. I just can't!"

"I saw through your glamour the other day. The swelling was horrible. I can tell it's gone now. He does it often." Hermione knew this wasn't a question, although she nodded slightly. Draco had been able to read her emotions for a while now. She'd wondered many times if it was him reading her mind literally, or just knowing her so well that it seemed like he could.

The year after Draco's hearing, she had run into him in Diagon Alley. He took her to Fortescue's for ice cream, his claim was that it was a "thank you" for saving him from Azkaban. She didn't believe him, but he was being a gentleman towards her for the first time ever, and she was intrigued. They'd talked and laughed. When he walked her back to her flat afterwards, he had looked her in the eyes and claimed she didn't love Ronald Weasley. She'd disagreed, and he stated she was in love with someone else. When she asked who, he said one word, but it had more pride than anything she'd ever heard him say.

"Me." She huffed off, upset that he had purposefully ruined the first good day she'd had since she'd found her parent's had died in a car crash in Australia two weeks after she'd sent them there for their safety.

Ron had come over that night, and was trying to get her to elope with him, as he did almost daily, claiming it would be "terribly romantic", and that it would be the only way to keep the wedding out of the Daily Prophet. In a moment of weakness, upset with Draco and tired of being lonely, she had agreed. That had been the beginning of the end for her.

"Hermione, he doesn't love you. He never did. And I told you years ago that you weren't in love with him. All your life, he cut you down to size. Now it's time for you to stand up for yourself."

"But Molly and Fleur…"

"They're going to get it. Got it? Go!"

Hermione didn't listen. She walked back into her house, not a home as it held no sanctuary for her, not even the massive library. She shut the door on the man she had silently loved since she'd spied him crying in Myrtel's bathroom sixth year, and went back to knitting in front of the fireplace.

Hermione Weasley had many secrets from those who thought they knew her best.

AN: What do you think? I'll update once a week. Eleven more chapters. Please review, don't flame, but if you have any helpful criticism, I'll be glad to hear it.