A/N - Hey guys! I know I've been terribly bad about updating "Harry's New Home" lately(if you're not already a fan, go ahead and read it! I'll figure out what I want to do with it soon, hopefully). Unfortunately, I just can't manage to jump start my silly muse! This exercise is going to hopefully stimulate it though. Basically, I'm going to write a series of unrelated one-shots that are on topics or pairings that are difficult for me to see or picture. I'm forcing my muse to work! Either way, Please bear with me as I work through this creative slump. Hopefully things will work out soon! And if you think one of my one-shots would make a good story, let me know!

Topic/Pairing: Hermione/ Draco

Title: Never Alone

Hermione Granger stared at her friends. Or those who used to be her friends.

"You're seriously ditching me? Over something like this?" she asked with tears in her voice.

"Hermione," Harry said with the air of a parent who's heartbroken over their child's inability to understand how wrong they are, "Think about how he treated us. How he treated you! Ron burped slugs for hours in second year after trying to defend you from him. He's always hated you. Always."

"That's what you think," she said indignantly, "You're boys, you ought to know that little boys are mean to the girls they like! Ron, you were mean to me at first too! Even though our relationship never really got far off the ground doesn't make it any less real. The reason he was mean to me later was because I didn't want you guys to do exactly what you're doing to me today!"

"So why tell us now, Hermione?" Ron yelled, "Why tell us about how much you love that git and how long you've been feeling that way now? Why not just keep it a secret forever?"

Hermione stared at him helplessly for a moment. Then she steeled herself for the explosion.

"I decided to tell you now because I'm getting married in a month and I wanted my two best friends to be there," she blurted out, the tears in her voice migrating to her eyes.

"No. Way," Ron said, ever tactful, "You are NOT marrying him. That can't happen. It's not okay."

"I am," Hermione said in a stronger voice, "He asked me to marry him almost seven months ago and we've been living together ever since. Look!"

She showed Harry and Ron the beautiful engagement ring sitting gently on her right hand. It had an understated diamond in the center, with an emerald set in silver on one side and a ruby set in gold on the other. The band was made of intertwined gold and silver. Ron and Harry's eyes widened. Then Harry shook his head.

"Look, Hermione," he said in his most patient voice, "You've gotta choose- us or him."

Both Harry and Ron looked extremely pleased with themselves- as though they never imagined what she would do next.

"Fine then," Hermione said, crying, "if one day, you guys would like to be civil, look me up. I might talk to you then. If not, then forget it."

To Harry and Ron's astonishment, she walked out of Grimmauld Place and never looked back.

When she safely returned to her flat, she curled up on the couch and sobbed.

Draco Malfoy looked at his father in shock. He couldn't believe his ears.

"What was that you just said, Father?"

"I said," drawled Lucius, "if you expect me to condone this unholy union, you are seriously mistaken. You will not marry the mudblood."

Draco's face hardened.

"Yes, I will, Father," he shot back, "And you can't stop me. We're getting married in a month."

"Then you will suffer my displeasure," Lucius said with foreboding. He raised his wand at his confused son, "Crucio!"

Draco screamed in agony. There was absolutely nothing like this. Nothing in the world. It would break him. Dimly he heard his mother screaming at his father,

"Lucius! No! Leave Draco alone!"

"I'll teach him not to mate with mudblood dogs!" Lucius snarled, "I have no honor, no glory, no prestige, nothing. I only have my money and my purity! I will not have this boy ruin that one last thing for me!"

"Lucius, No!" As the pain faded, Draco realized that his mother was running toward him as his father powered up another spell.

"Mother! Watch out!" Draco yelled. She either didn't hear Draco's warning, or chose to ignore him. As Lucius pointed his wand at both of them, she jumped in front of Draco and suddenly a series of shallow cuts appeared all over his mother. Lucius shoved Narcissa out of the way and repeated the spell on Draco. These cuts were somewhat deeper than his mother's. It felt like the spell that Potter had (probably accidentally) used on him in their sixth year, only much more agonizingly painful. He felt as though he were dying. He forced himself to get up as his father started shouting more curses at him. Only a few of them hit him. Most were weakened versions of the Cruciatus curse that did nothing but add to the agony of the gashes in his skin. As soon as he was out of the door, he apparated back to his flat.

Hermione was startled by the sudden reappearance of her fiancee. His robes were matted in blood and he collapsed as his body spun back into existence.

"Draco! What's wrong?" Hermione cried. Draco couldn't do anything but moan in pain. Hermione gently levitated him to the bathtub and took his robes off. The gashes were horrible. What was worse was that Draco Malfoy, the great Draco Malfoy, was crying. Huge sobs racked his body as Hermione began healing him.

Finally she got him healed and back in the front room. Her own sorrows forgotten, she simply held him until his sobs quieted.

"He's never hurt me that badly before," he finally croaked.

"Oh Draco," Hermione's eyes filled with tears.

"And he hurt my mother too..." he continued, "she jumped in front of him when he tried to curse me. I hadn't been in that much pain since Potter accidentally cursed me in sixth year."

At the mention of Harry's name, Hermione began to sob.

"What's wrong, love?" Draco asked.

"They hate me," she said simply.

"What? Who?" Draco cried.

"Harry and Ron. They think I'm making a huge mistake and they won't have anything to do with me until I 'see reason' as they put it. As though I was ever going to stop loving you!"

"I'm so sorry, love," he held her to his chest and rocked her gently while she sobbed.

"Hermione, look at me," he said finally, putting one finger gently under her chin and raising her head so that she looked into his intense eyes, "We have each other, and we'll have each other forever. I'll never leave you alone, love. You're quite stuck with me," he smiled slightly. She returned it with a tiny smile.

"Really?" she said timidly.

"I'll always be yours."

Together they fell asleep on the small couch, safe in their knowledge of each other's love.