"Dammit Hermione! Don't you know I love you!"

There was the sound of crashes all throughout the small flat as a crying twenty-one year old Hermione Granger walked briskly into a bedroom. The way he was acting was just justifying her decision. This had been happening more and more often. The screaming and throwing things, she was surprised the cops have never been called for disturbing the peace. Harry was currently out on a date with his new fiancée Ginny, so they were alone.

She slammed the door shut and opened the closet, pulling out a giant trunk similar to the one in her Hogwarts days. An angry and very drunk Ronald Weasley stumbled through the doorway as the woman angrily packed her clothes.

"Come on 'Mione!" Ron purred, his tactic suddenly changing. He reached out and tried to grab her. "Ya know I love ya?" He slurred. Hermione just slammed her trunk shut and picked it up, brushing past the red head and using one of her sleeves to wipe away the remaining tears from her eyes.

The flat that she was in currently was one that she was sharing with her two best friends. After the war the three had decided to stick together but living at the Burrow was quickly struck out with the over crowded area. Instead, they had spent days brainstorming and hunting before picking out a modest flat close to Muggle London. It was this same flat that Hermione was trying to get out of at the moment.

The death of Fred had not gone well for the youngest Weasley brother. Ron had taken it upon himself to pick up the habit of drinking, and mixed with his already temperamental attitude it lead to explosive fights. It had annoyed the brunette woman to no end that the man would rather drown his sorrows in cheap alcohol than talk to her, not to mention it made her loose her value as a girlfriend. What kind of girlfriend would she be if she couldn't help sort his problems?

"'Mione wait!" The red head made one final grab towards the woman but missed, tripping over the small coffee table in his drunken stupor. She was almost at the door when Ron's voice finally stopped her. It was demanding and surprisingly sober sounding.

"It's about Malfoy, Isn't it?"

Hermione to pause at the door, her hand positioned on the knob and about to turn. She looked over her shoulder with trunk in hand while Ron stumbled to his feet. His face was pale and he looked like he would be sick all over the floor in a few moments from the movement but he quickly schooled his features back into submission.

"Yeah that's right!" He tittered as if he had made a world-class discovery. "I know all about you and the lil' Ferret!" He hiccupped. She just narrowed her eyes at him, all traces of tears now gone.

"You don't know anything."

And with that, she opened the door and left.

It had all started the first day at her new job earlier in the year.

Hermione had just started at the Ministry in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and was quite high in the ranks already for just getting hired. The position coming from a combination of both good N.E.W.T.S scores, her performance in the recent war, and personally knowing the new Minister of Magic, Mr. Kingsley Shacklebolt, himself.

She was just getting finished settling into her new office when she came across a small picture. It was of her and her two friends with Ginny thrown in the mix. It was taken a while ago and they all seemed happy then. Following the kiss in the Chamber, Hermione and Ron had started dating. It wasn't the most ideal at times, but she had finally gotten a hold of her crush.

To bad it wasn't all rainbows and roses.

She set down the picture and went back to make everything up to the 'Hermione-standard' in the new office. A knock on her door interrupted the alphabetizing of her books. She looked up, aware that the door wasn't closed, to find a man. He was handsome and tall with a shocking head of blonde hair. The only possible flaw with his features was that he looked quite tired. Then she noticed something.

His eyes.

They were a silver color, but seemed like they had seen everything. They were filled with regret, sadness, and a new understanding. He was most likely a war veteran as he didn't seem any older than herself. They were eyes that had seen even the death of a friend. War truly does change people.

Even people like Draco Malfoy.

She had heard some of the things that had happened to him and his family over the passed two years, considering it was almost always in a new addition of The Daily Prophet. His father, Lucius, was sent to life in Azkaban for his crimes and forcing his son to take the Dark Mark, which most likely still marred his pale skin. His mother, Narcissa, was under house arrest with limited magic for the next five years. She was given a much lighter sentence for telling Voldemort that Harry was dead, aiding him in the Dark Lord's defeat.

Draco however she didn't know much of. He did have a trial but considering he was forced to take the Mark and was underage when he received it allowed him to get off nearly scot-free. Hermione, Harry, and Ron even attended the trial and testified for the former enemy. His sentence was fifty hours of community service, helping with the rebuilding of Hogwarts and things related to the war.

"Granger," He breathed, finally snapping Hermione out of her thoughts. There was not a trace of a sneer or former arrogance in his tone. It was flat, almost dead. His hand was poised in a fist on the doorframe after knocking, dressed in black robes.

"Malfoy," She returned with the same tone and a nod of her head. She supposed they weren't enemies anymore, more like just passed schoolmates.

His eyes shifted to the floor and he lowered his hand. He seemed nervous, an action totally different from the Malfoy she knew in school.

"I'm sorry." He finally whispered. The sudden apology took her off guard but when she lifted her head to speak, he was already gone.

The next few months after the day with Draco seemed to pass in a rather boring fashion. You would think with all the Death Eaters that were still loose would cause excitement and a heavy workload, but no. It was rather dull around the office, yet at the same time it wasn't.

Ever since Malfoy's apology, there has been somewhat of an understanding between the two. No they were definitely not friends, but more of acquaintances. If they passed each other in the hall, they would nod towards each other and carry out their day. This small gesture wasn't much but it was progress for the two, and strangely, Hermione found herself looking forward to these small moments in the hall. However weird that sounded.

People in the office still seemed quite weary of Malfoy's presence though. Whispers throughout the hall would ensue every time he would walk by, things such as 'Death Eater's Spawn and some such nonsense. This annoyed Hermione for some reason, leader her to even snap at a few of her co-workers. Who were they to judge someone they didn't know?

The thought caused an epiphany for Hermione, for that is exactly what she had done. She didn't know him in school truly but she still played a roll in how he was treated. Sure he had done some rather awful things in the past but that all could have been stopped if she had known who he really was.

Hermione stormed into work later that night, still halfway in her pajamas. She had just had another big fight with Ron and was in no mood to stay at the flat. It was no surprise that when she came home that her boyfriend was in a drunken stupor on their couch, moaning about the hardships of life. He lost a brother, yes that was bad, but other people were hurting to. Just look at her, her parents were still in Australia somewhere with no recollection they have a daughter.

She had decided that working on the particularly hard case she had just received would get her mind off of it, and if she had to work overtime then so be it. It was here when she was about to open her office that she heard loud crashes and an angry scream. Pausing at the door, she listened to the sound of another crash followed by and loud sob.

It was coming from Malfoy's office.

She took off down the rest of the hall toward that general direction, moving so fast that her brain didn't even process what she was doing. Finally after a few long strides she had reached the door with a golden nameplate that read 'Draco Malfoy: Head of Security'. The title was quite ironic if you think about it.

Hermione hesitated at the cracked open door and suddenly, the inside became silent.

Mustering up all her old Gryffindor courage, she tapped the door. The small force was enough to cause it to move open slightly before she regained her nerve and opened it fully.

The office inside was a mess. Papers flung everywhere, a desk and bookshelves were turned over, and a vase was broken by the wall. It was then that Hermione spotted the darkly dressed man in the center of the room with a mop of tousled blonde hair. In his hand was a crumpled piece of parchment.

She looked up just as he turned his head; his eyes were red from most likely crying. His eyes, though, were completely devoid of emotion. It was then that a single silent tear fell and caressed his cheek.

That single tear seemed to cause a wave as suddenly the man collapsed to his knees with his hands over his face, sobs violently racking his body. Hermione had never seen him like this. She didn't know what to do, so she followed her instincts. Call it her damned Gryffindor heart, but she took a step forward, and then another. Soon she found herself by Malfoy's side, crouching next to him.

He tensed as she wrapped her arms around him, but soon relaxed and continued to sob. She had no idea what caused this reaction from him but for some odd reason, it hurt her heart. She soon found herself absentmindedly stroking his hair like he were a small crying child, marveling at how soft his hair was while whispering soothing words into his ear.

"Shh Draco, you'll get through this. I'm right here." The man looked up then and she had to suppress a gasp at the sheer emotion in his gaze.

"You called me Draco…" He breathed, sounding just like a child making a discovery. Hermione was taken slightly aback but smiled softly and nodded her head, seemingly enjoying the tingling on her lips from saying his given name.

Little did she know that would be the beginning of the end.

Each day for the next week they would stop and talk to one another more. It was awkward at first, but they soon got passed it. She had learned Draco had changed and for the better. He was no longer an arrogant git, but he did have his moments.

But that's what made Draco who he was.

The following Monday Hermione had found Draco standing awkwardly at her door, a position similar to the one he was in when he first entered her office. She looked up from the stack of papers she was working on to smile warmly at him.

"Hermione…" He asked slowly. He had decided that she had called him Draco, he might as well call her by her given name as well.

She smile suddenly dropped a bit. His eyes seemed sad and he had withdrawn into himself again. She stood up and walked over to him, ushering him inside while closing the door behind him.

"What is it Draco?" She asked, taking back her seat behind her desk. The man looked her in the eyes and took a deep breath.

"Will you…" He started awkwardly; he took another breath and just decided to say it. "Will you come with me…to my mother's funeral?"

Hermione's eyes widened. She didn't know his mother had died. Surely it would have been all over the Prophet? That's when something clicked, the parchment in his hands, the anger, and crying.

He had just gotten word that his mother had passed.

"Oh Draco," She breathed, sympathy suddenly washing over her. He looked at her expectantly, bracing himself for rejection. It wasn't like he was asking for a date, just for a friend. He needed somebody there. "Of course I'll go with you. When is it?"

Hermione found herself the next day standing in her office with a modest black dress and heels on. She figured it would just be easier to meet at the office so no one would get suspicious. She was just attending as a friend, nothing more, but she didn't want to cause any problems at the moment.

She had no idea what to expect at the funeral and who all would be there. It could be filled with people who still deemed Pureblood supremacy, shunning all Mudbloods. Heck she still didn't know where the funeral would be held or how his mother had come to pass but she would do it anyway. She had found herself attached to the man in some way since she had found him in his office. Perhaps it was the fact he had lost basically both his parents, just like she had.

She was lost in these thoughts when Draco stepped into her office in his traditional black robes. He looked extremely handsome and Hermione felt her heart give an involuntary leap. Yet again, it was his eyes that had captured her attention. They seemed like he was bracing himself for the worst. He looked up at her, offering a rather broken smile.

"Hermione…you look lovely." She blushed at the compliment and took his offered arm. She took a deep breath and Draco lightly squeezed her arm in a comforting manner.

They gazed into one another's eyes before Dissaperating with a loud crack.

When they arrived they had landed near the back of the large drawing room. Hermione's breath caught in her throat at the sight but she steeled herself and grabbed Draco's hand, ignoring the pleasant feeling that came from it, and lead him into the room. She was stopped though by a small tug. She looked over to see Draco looking at her sympathetically. He had seen her tense up at the look of the room.

"You don't have to do this you know." He said, while captivating her gaze.

"I have to do this." She whispered while squeezing his hand to show that she was there for him. The feel of his bigger and rougher hand around hers felt strangely comforting.

He looked away then. "I…I don't think I can do this."

"Draco," He looked up at her. "I know you can. I'm right here."

He took a deep breath and together they entered the room. There weren't that many people but the ones that were there seemed weighed down by deep seeded grief. She never knew that Narcissa may have had true friends that would care such as this. She half-expected a room full of people that Draco's mother didn't even know all standing with a glass of Brandy.

They stood together towards the back, listening to everyone speak and not letting go of his hand. She had felt Draco squeeze her hand more than once throughout the course of the hour and was surprised he hadn't cried or shown any form of emotion. She could tell his mother meant a lot to him.

Finally towards the end Hermione had convinced him to go up to the casket and say any last words. He had agreed, although begrudgingly.

Narcissa looked peaceful, not a single frown line marring her skin. She looked perfect and worry free and it made her look younger. She was dressed in a lavender gown that oddly didn't clash with her pale skin while her hands were folded neatly over her torso.

Draco let go of her hand then and stepped forward to trace the lines of his mother's face. Hermione tried to ignore the feeling of loss she felt when he had let go, instead choosing to watch the interaction. He looked defeated and lost but gave a short lived smile before blinking. One tear fell, landing on Narcissa's cheek. He leaned over and placed a chaste kiss to her forehead before turning away and grabbing Hermione's hand again.

"Goodbye…Mother."

The two had later found themselves walking through the Manor gardens, something Draco had told her he used to do as a child. Just admiring all the flowers and watching his mother read on a stone bench not far away. They walked in silence, neither wanting to break the peace that had settled.

Suddenly Draco stopped near the center of the gardens, taking both of Hermione's hands and turning her to face him. There conflicting emotions flashing over his face, as if he wasn't sure what to say. It was quite strange really, proud Malfoy such as himself not knowing what to do next.

"Hermione…I wanted to thank you for coming with me today. It means a lot." Hermione just smiled innocently, unknowingly making Draco's breath catch at the sight of her.

"You needed someone Draco. I just wanted to help." She said, squeezing his hands lightly.

Draco bit his lip, trying to resist a sudden pull in his gut. Hermione didn't know it but the small gestures she had done for him meant the world and he didn't know how to properly thank her for everything. He had found a feeling resurface in him that he had thought died the day he received his Mark. Happiness. Acceptance. Love? Being cared for? He didn't know what Hermione felt about him, but he sure as hell felt more for the brunette than originally thought possible, and all in a matter of a few months. It was amazing really.

Suddenly Draco acted on impulse, swooping down and capturing her lips and pulling back just as quickly. He knew it was wrong. He knew she still had a boyfriend as she had told him about the stupid git on more than one occasion, but he couldn't help it. It just seemed like the perfect moment for the sun's beams had hit her just right, making her look like an angel.

Hermione was beside herself in shock. It was the most abrupt kiss that had ever happened to her but in that short time she felt something like lightning shoot through her the moment his lips touched her, as cliché as that sounds. She looked up then and felt herself enamored by his eyes again, the raw emotions that were played there. No matter how stoic he tried to keep his face, his eyes told all.

"Draco?" She breathed, still not sure what to say.

He bit her lip at the lack of reaction. He expected a fight of some-sort but nothing happened. Looking away from her he grabbed her hand and apparated them back to the office. When she finally regained her balance, he was already gone.

When she got home that night a fight soon ensued. Ron had drank enough to put any normal person in a coma and it didn't help that the Prophet had printed a special edition featuring her and Draco holding hands by Narcissa's open casket. How low could Rita Skeeter possibly get? It was a funeral for Merlin's sake!

"What the bloody hell is this?!" He had screeched. It always seemed to her that he didn't start drinking until he knew Harry would be out. How convenient.

"It was his mother's funeral Ronald!" More screaming soon followed as well as a few crashes and the breaking of a picture of her parents. He had somehow managed to get a hold of her, grabbing her hair and crashing their lips together. Hermione struggled against him. Unlike with Draco, this felt completely different as it was all saliva and moving lips.

Hermione wanted to retch.

What had happened to the sweet Ron that was slightly awkward? She was right when she though war changes people, and not always for the good. The Ron she knew was long gone. Suddenly Draco flashed into her mind and finally she was able to shove him away and apparated out of the room. Going to the first place she could think of, her office.

She stumbled a bit when she landed, as she had left so quickly. As soon as her feet touched the ground though, she immediately wiped her mouth on her sleeves coughing and gagging on the alcohol taste. She wiped away a few angry tears and tried to take a few calming breaths.

"Hermione?" She whipped around at the sound of her name to find Draco sitting at a desk, papers strewn before him. What was he doing in her office? That's when she noticed it. They weren't in her office at all. She was in his.

"What are you doing here?" He asked while standing. He moved around her desk to face her, taking in her haggard appearance. He reached up and placed a hand on her cheek, swiping away a stray tear with his thumb.

"What happened?"

She looked into his silver eyes and that's when it hit her, like a ton of bricks. A pull. She wanted to suddenly confirm what she had felt in the gardens, forgetting Ron entirely. She reached up and placed her small hands on both sides of his face.

"Hermione?" He questioned, but he didn't get an answer for at that moment Hermione pulled his face down, crashing together their lips. He was shocked at first but didn't question it, and instead kissed her back.

She had been right; there was a spark that lit a fire in the pit of her stomach. She reached up, placing her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She knew by doing this she was basically cheating on Ron but she couldn't help it. The red head was different now. Nothing ever seemed to stay the same. Draco was a prime example of that. He had changed and for the better.

She pulled back, panting for air as well as Draco. She didn't know what to feel but she knew it felt right. The man raised his eyebrows while his face was flushed.

"Hermione? What's going on?" He asked quietly, still in a form of shock. Hermione ignored the question, instead asking one of her own.

"Did you feel it?" She questioned. At the confused look that she had gotten she rephrased. "Did you feel the spark?" Draco's face suddenly turned to one of thought as he nodded absent mindedly, she smiled. Tentatively the man reached up and touched her face, moving a stray bushy curl from her forehead.

"I don't think I know where this is going Hermione."

The woman lost her smile then. "I-I can't be with Ron anymore. He's not the same man he was before…" At this she licked her suddenly dry lips. "When-when he kissed me tonight…I didn't feel anything."

She had purposely left out the part that the kiss was forced and instead watched as the man's face darkened slightly at the mention of Ron but turned into a curious lilt when she said she felt nothing. He was getting confused now. It was happening so fast.

"What are you saying?" He asked cautiously.

Hermione took a deep breath. "I'm saying…that I want to kiss you again."

At this Draco smiled widely, complying with her request.

For the next few months it continued like this, Hermione and Draco sneaking to his office late at night. Sometimes they would spend the whole night talking in each other's arms, and others they would just snog until the sun came up. She felt as giddy as a school girl with a crush sometimes but that didn't take away her other problems.

Hermione had tried on multiple occasions to break up with Ron but to no avail. The drunken red head still had delusions on a perfect relationship. This had lead to multiple fights between the two and it was coming to the point where she wouldn't be able to take it anymore.

"Hermione…" Draco asked later one night. They were lying on the floor of his office, staring at the ceiling. They hadn't done anything inappropriate, just laid there with Hermione curled into Draco's arms while he drew invisible patterns on her arm.

"Hmm…" She hummed sleepily. The scent of him and the calming patterns he was drawing were lulling her to sleep.

"Let's go away." He stated abruptly. This caught her attention as her head snapped back up.

"What?"

He looked down at her. "Let's go away. Disappear."

She sat up to look down at him, her eyebrows furrowed. "Why? What brought this on?"

He sat up as well, taking her hands in his. "There's nothing left for me Hermione. Nothing but bad memories. I can't even walk down the hall without someone screaming Death Eater! I want to leave but…not without you."

Hermione couldn't believe her ears. Was this a roundabout proposal? She knew he's had a tough time and it was true that people were weary because of his father's sentence to Azkaban. The question was…did she really want to leave what she had behind?

Then the question hit her. What did she really have? A broken delusional best friend and another who is two busy with starting his own life to deal with her problems. Her parents were in Australia with no memories of her. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she didn't have much to lose either. Sure she would miss Harry to death but there were always owls. She didn't know Draco that well either but the prospect of an adventure excited her. The fact that she was with Draco right now excited her.

With her mind made up she looked at the emotions displayed in his eyes. They seemed sincere; he really wanted her to come with him. She smiled at him warmly.

"Where are we going?"

"Are you ready?" He asked her. They had found themselves once again in his office as she had just finished Apparating from the flat, her trunk in hand. She looked up, wiping the last of her tears from her eyes and nodded her head.

He took her hand and tilted her chin to look at him. "You don't have to do this you know." His eyes were begging her to go, but there was the look of acceptance. If she chose to back out, he wouldn't blame her.

Hermione just smiled at him, squeezing his hand. This was her escape, to leave the memories behind and start anew. "I have to do this." She said, repeating her words from the funeral. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

He smiled brightly before dipping his head down to capture her lips, the fire in her stomach never fading despite how many times their lips touched.

And it was in this position that the two had disappeared with the tell-tale crack.

A/N: Okay first one-shot ever...didn't go as I had planned but I was bored so here it is! This is why I kinda don't like one-shots they always feel rushed and awkward to me. I think I'll stick with stories for now but I wanted to get this out because I was bored.

You don't have to review this but at least check out my story Hall of Prophecy! Its rated higher but it should probably be rated T. If you could just drop a review there it would mean the world!

Happy Reading!