Story- Painfully in Love with the Enemy

Summary- The story follows the relationship of Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger through the trails of being in love with someone that they can never understand. Takes place seven years after she leaves Hogwarts, after a final battle that killed both Harry and Ron. A second person, watching over her carefully, find himself trapped into the heart wrenching tale of Hermione's life after the war, and the way she dealt with her pain.

Pairings- HG/DM, SS/HG (somewhat), DM/PP, HG/RL

Author note- This is my first DM/HG fanfiction. It's going to be kind of dark.

Warning- Several character deaths. Abuse (both emotional and physical), nonconsensual situations, suicide, murder. Very dark.

Disclaimer- I own nothing of the Harry Potter universe. They belong to J.K. Rowling. I just use them in my fantasies.

Chapter One- Beginning of the End

She gripped the wet, slick ledge through the sheets of rain. Her knuckles began to turn white as she strained to hold onto the edge of the balcony. Her dress and hair flowed in the wind, soaked with the freezing cold water. Her tears mixed freely with the rain as it fell from the sky and onto her face. Her small, weak sobs were barely audible over the sound of the rain hitting the closed windows around her. "Please." She choked out. "Please, someone help me." She cried her voice cracked with terror. A wicked, evil laugh came from the open window above her. She looked up into the eyes of the man, the cold and gray eyes she had grown to love. They used to be filled with a passion, a lust, a spark of fire; but now they held nothing but power and anger. They were cold, unyielding eyes, instead of loving eyes. She shivered, both from the cold and from his new, strange eyes. She stared up at him, a new resolve present on her face. "Goodbye." She said as the gray-eyed blonde looked down on her. She smiled and let her hands slip away. She fell back, the rain barely touching her body anymore. She felt peaceful like she was floating away from life. The darkness melted her sense of sight, but she felt everything. The rain as her body flew through it, the wind as it whipped at her hair and exposed skin. She calmed, awaiting the end of her life. But, she didn't hit the ground! Instead, she felt arms wrap around her waist and grab her to safety. "Damn you." She said, as she stood to yell at her "savior". She was angry, she wanted it to end. His eyes had been filled with nothing, no symbolism of the love at all. It broke her heart. "Damn you, you bastard." She turned her attention to the person who had "saved" her. His raven-black hung over his coal-black eyes, which stared at her through the darkness of the night. His pale, white skin glowed in the moonlight. He stood straight, domineering, giving him the appearance of authority. She gasped a small, yet weak sound. She gathered herself and ran, far away from the man who had "saved" her life. She ran, straight to her room, her eyes filled with water and her breath labored. She turned, hoping not to find what she saw there. He stood, the same authority and dominance that he had outside. "Please, just leave. You have done enough." She said in a weak voice.

"Ms. Granger, you need to tell me what's been going on. Where is your husband?" the man asked with no emotion showing in his voice.

"Please, leave me." She said through her tears.

The man closed the gap between them and pulled her into a firm, safe hold. "Ms. Granger, please tell me. Or, shall I go get your husband?" His voice was demanding, like it have been seven years ago when she had last talked to him.

"No!" She answered quickly. She walked towards the door and locked it. "Silenco." She muttered, placing a silencing charm around the room. She sat down in a chair in front of her fireplace, her "savior" sat next to her. She lit the fire with her wand. "You've been gone a long time."

"I know. After the war, I didn't feel like staying around." He kept his head down, staring at the fire.

"I missed you. We wanted to tell you that we were sorry. I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for accusing you and trying to kill you in the final battle. It took me a while to realize that you were on our side." She said.

"That's quite alright." He said.

"I guess you heard about my marriage." She said, turning to look at him.

"Yes. It was one of the first things I was told when I arrived." He didn't look up at her.

"I would have married Ron, but he died in battle with Harry. I didn't mean to fall in love with someone else and never meant for it to be him." She looked out the window.

"Are you happy?" He asked showing a slight concern.

"For a while, yes I was." She didn't move to look at him, although she could feel his eyes on her.

"Care to explain, love?" He asked, almost daring her with.

She smiled, watching his reflection in the window. "Do you have the time to hear about it?"

He let a small, yet genuine smile cross over his face. "For you, I have all the time in the world."

She smiled, ignoring the pet names, the subtle hints, and the concern in his voice. "Okay." She said, finally looking at him. "Prepare for the worst love story ever."

-x-

A/N: I know this is kind of strange, and that it seems to be a SS/HG fic, but it's not. There is a reason that I don't use the names of the men in this chapter, but you will see soon. This is my first attempt at a HG/DM fic, as well as a dark/angst-ridden story.