AN: Another Dramione, even if I have so many already, unfinished, but well... this wanted to be born, so I hope some of you comes to like it. As usual, my English grammar is still quite far from being perfect, so take that in mind before reading. This story follows the books, yet not the epilogue, otherwise there would not be a Dramione story to write. I don't own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters, just having fun twisting the tale. LOL

Nightmares Under The Dark Moon

Chapter One: A Warning, A Pendant, And A Ring

Unknown

Two Months Before The Memorial

It's been a long time since he lived in hell and he was tired of it. He had lost so much and gained nothing before and after the war, that he wondered if it had been worth it. Perhaps they should have never been involved, however, it was too late to regret, for regardless of the outcome of the war, they were condemned to live in shadows and apart from everything. He and his family had suffered greatly, though they were not so active during the war and they were not the only ones who ended up in the same way. So many others, not only had lost the war or their freedom, but also friends and all the possibilities of having a future.

Time and time again, he had tried to leave the past where it belonged, but, of course, no such thing was allowed for those who were marked with Voldemort's curse, not even the Malfoy's who had been 'pardoned' after the war. They were hardly seen in public these days and that made his blood boil with rage. He knew well the feeling of being a prisoner without the walls of Azkaban. Many of his kind, just like the Malfoy's were trapped inside their own homes, always being heavily criticized by commoners if they dared to leave the security of their homes and he hated it all.

However, it was all going to end soon, very soon, since he had decided that they had suffered enough, that they have been punish for too long. His life was already a living hell, so it didn't make any difference, if he ends up becoming a murderer at the end. At least he would feel free, even if it was in a twisted way. He was not alone in his sense of disgust, so he could fool himself by calling it a 'cause'. The Golden Trio, as ordinary people call them these days, were going to pay for being responsible for making their lives miserable and then, if he survives, he will bring the wizarding world to his knees.

He smiled slightly as he watched from a safe distance, to two of his future prey. The first, was Hermione Granger (although sadly not his main target), who was the filthy mudblood that he had detested even more than Potter. She had been the key to Voldemort's downfall and he wanted more than anything to get rid of her as soon as possible. Just watching her carefree smile, so happily free to walk the streets and openly enjoying her ideal life, even if she was only a mudblood, made him want to puke with envy.

He was more than sure that cutting off the trio's head, would make the rest of the body collapse lifeless on the floor, but as much as he wanted to get rid of her, the first target was the one next to her, Harry Potter. The bloody 'boy who lived' had continued hunting them down, like the Auror in which he had become and that was unacceptable, unforgivable. Ron Weasley had also followed in Potter's footsteps, but as those two will soon discover, the Weasley Auror was a much easier prey to hunt, than the top head Potter. He had decided to let him live for now, but only to give the message to the other two that very soon, their lives would be in his hands. He longed to see them fear, before he kept his promise.

"Soon Potter, very soon ..." He muttered to himself walking in the opposite direction of the two long-time friends. The preparations were almost finished and he vowed not to fail, even though he might lose his life in the process. He smiled this time, thinking of the many ways he would make Potter suffer, and in doing so, he didn't notice an old woman standing right in front of him, with which he ended up bumping into her.

"Oh, sorry dear... I only stopped for a moment... these old bones are a problem these days..." The old woman apologized.

"Do not worry, I wasn't looking where I was going... I hope you have a good night, ma'am." He said and moved to get past her, when she suddenly grabbed his arm with freezing cold fingers.

"So polite, yet, so full of anger... be careful, my dear. Things may not go as well as you think..." She said, taking him by surprise and he turned to look at the old woman, but she was gone the moment she'd said those words to him. He felt a chill run through his body, however, even if fate itself might warn him to do otherwise, he was still willing to risk everything for a promise he was going to keep.

Harry

"So how are you planning on telling her? Please Harry, I hope you are thinking in something romantic, because if you propose to Ginny in a casual and insulting way, just like Ron once did with me, she is definitely going to kill you." Hermione said and Harry half smiled, while they walked in the crowded Diagon Alley street.

He and Ginny had been together for the past six years and he was more than sure that she was the one for him, so it was only natural for them to get married. She had been giving him hints that she wanted to be engage in marriage and he was going to give her exactly that. However, he wanted their engagement to be something special, not like the disastrous one Hermione had, which ended her already unstable relationship with Ron in one go. Ron, had foolishly been drinking too much that night, when he suddenly declared himself in front of everyone at a Christmas party no less, that he wanted to marry the most insufferable, bookworm, headstrong and know-it-all women in the world.

"Well, I can't do worse than Ron, that's for sure, but I'd like to make it special. That's why I want you to help me with this, I've already brought the rings, but... well... Should I declare in private or in a romantic restaurant instead? Maybe do it the old fashion way, like kneeling?" She starts laughing. "Come on, Hermione, I'm serious... help me please, just this once, okay?"

"Of course, Harry... sorry, I just can imagine you, kneeling before her with the ring in hand, like a Prince Charming in a fairy tale..."

"Isn't that what every woman dreams about?" He asked as he watched her laugh a little more. Some people looked at them while she laughed and whispered between them, making them at the mercy of unfounded rumors, as they did a few years ago, when Rita Skeeter wrote about their alleged hidden relationship, when they always shared a very good friendship instead, much closer to the relationship between siblings, than to a romantic one.

"Muggle ones, maybe... but Ginny is a professional Quidditch player..." Hermione continue.

"Okay... so, what about hiding the ring inside a snitch? You know that she once took my place as a seeker. We can have a private game or something, only the two of us being seekers. I'll let her catch it, so when she touches the specially enchanted snitch, it opens to reveal the..." Whatever he was going to say next, was left unfinished when he felt someone watching him. He had grown to be more alert since he became an Auror and over the years had developed some extra sense. He turned to look behind them, carefully searching for the reason he had been restless for a second.

"Harry... are you okay? Is there something wrong?" Hermione asked at his side, making him lose focus for a second. The alarming feeling, lost from his senses.

"What? Oh... no, it's nothing... just a strange feeling..." Or rather he had felt bloodlust nearby. He had felt something similar several times when at work, hunting for a Death Eater who in particular hated him more strongly than others.

"No wonder you are currently the best Auror in the Ministry, you have sharp instincts... Is someone following us? Should I be concerned about it?" She asked.

"How did you…?"

"Please Harry, I've seen that look before... Ron also told me once, how difficult it is, to take you by surprise... So, are we in trouble?" She asked again, without any particular concern, since both were more than capable of defending themselves and Harry sighed.

"I should have known better. Nothing goes unnoticed, to the most brilliant witch her age. No, it's okay now. Come on, let's meet Ginny and the others, as planned. We're almost there anyway..." Harry said, but at the same time, a woman tripped over Hermione, who almost knocked her down, if Harry had not instinctively held her before she could fall.

"Oh, I'm so sorry dear... my sight is not the best these days..." The woman said, apologizing.

"Please do not worry about that... are you okay?" The old woman looked as if she were lost. "Do you want me to help you get somewhere?" Hermione asked and the old woman shook her head.

"No dear, I can find my way just fine... but since you've been so caring, I'll give you this... It will bring you good luck. Always keep it with you and it will protect you and keep you safe." The woman said, putting in her hand a simple but elegant pendant, shaped like a raindrop, made with what she knew was a rainbow moonstone. The stone flashed in a bluish color in her warm hand, that made something stir inside her, as if she was looking at something precious.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Harry asked when he saw her sad expression. She then looked at him with confusion, since she didn't know why he was asking that and Harry sighed. "You looked sad for a moment, are you okay?" He repeated.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine, forgive me ma'am, but I cannot accept this..." Hermione began to say, but to her surprise, the woman was nowhere to be seen. "Where did she go?" She asked and turned to look, but then, they both heard someone shout their names, not too far from where they were.

"Harry, Hermione, it's Ron!" Ginny shouted, approaching and the two hurried to meet her.

"Ginny, for Merlin, what happened?" He asked, already alarmed.

"It's Ron, he was attacked and taken to St. Mungo's Hospital... we need to go, now!" And without any hesitation of any of them, they disappeared from the busy street to appear a moment later, in said hospital, to be face to face with the last person they expected to see there. Draco Malfoy.

Malfoy

Draco Malfoy was tired that night, very tired indeed. Since the end of the war, things had been a bit difficult for his family and since he had asked Astoria Greengrass to marry him, as expected in an previous arranged marriage, things had also gotten a bit more complicated for him. Astoria had been periodically sick for about a year and a half ago, which was the reason why they have postponed their wedding for so long. At first, it was always something minor, but lately, her illness had worsened. The healers could find nothing wrong with her and could only relieve the symptoms when they came.

Only a few hours ago, when he visited his parents at home, now living alone, a house elf serving the Greengrass family, came to him to tell him that Astoria had fainted while she was alone in her house. He and his father had appeared at Greengrass's house and called a healer. However, after a brief examination, the healer had said that she needed to be transferred to St. Mungo for a better treatment and he should accompany her, which of course he agreed, but as he expected, once there, the rumors and whispers began, as did the looks. That, along with many other things, was the reason he hated leaving home unless necessary, as at that time.

Yet, dealing with Astoria's illness and the unwanted rumors that might come from him being there, was draining him more than he wished. He had come to like… no, he had come to love Astoria quite a lot at first, but their relationship was not going well after their second year. The reason was quite simple, the healers had told Astoria and him, that as she was weakening with each passing year, she could not risk having children, which started an internal war between their families.

He didn't mind being the last Malfoy in his family, and he'd told her so, many times, but Astoria insisted his family must have an heir, as his father wished even though it could cost her life, which only made him angrier with her. For him, her well being was first, no matter the sacrifice, and he was going to keep it that way, even if that meant that their relationship would eventually crumble apart, as was probably happening lately.

"Draco, you can go home now, it's been three hours and I'll be discharged soon, so I'll be fine. There's no need to worry about me." Astoria said, with an equally tired expression on her face. She was getting worse, he thought, as he held her hand.

"It's okay, I don't mind waiting, as long as you feel better, besides, what kind of man would I become, if I leave my fiancé alone in a cold hospital when her parents are out of town?" He joked, however, his comment seemed to hurt her in some way, and he knew what was coming next.

"Draco, about that ..." He stopped her forthcoming speech by rising from his seat and running his hand over his hair in a gesture of impatience. He had a bad feeling that maybe this time, was going to be different from their other arguments.

"Please Astoria... not tonight. We have talked about this, many times already and the answer will always be the same. I don't want a child if that means that your life will be at risk. I really don't mind being the last Malfoy... I'm not the same as before, so all that pureblood rubbish that my father loves so much is behind me. Let's have a better life, a new one, free from all prejudice and... "

"I want to break-up with you Draco…" He stopped and looked at her in disbelief. He expected more discussion about having children or not, but he certainly didn't expect her to ask for the dissolution of their engagement.

"Don't do this Astoria… not now." He pleaded.

"I'm sorry Draco, but I think it's time to end this, for both of us. If you refuse to have an heir with me, then you'll have the opportunity to have it with someone else."

"I told you, I don't need anyone else. I just don't care if the Malfoy name dies with me!"

"But I care, Draco! What good is it to you, when I'm always sick and I give you nothing for all your care?!"

"What about love? You have given me plenty of that and that's enough for me…"

"Is it Draco? Is that really enough for you? For the love of heaven, you must look at yourself in a mirror. You look awfully tired and I know it's getting harder. The healers don't know what's making me sick, so this could continue for the rest of my life! Do you really want to marry a woman who would be sick all the time? I'm cursed, Draco! Even love has its limits and I want more than anything to give you a child for if... "

"That's enough, Astoria. I will not break-up with you, no matter what you say…" He said while looking at her a bit angry.

"Well, that's too bad, because I want to finish this engagement, right now. Sorry to tell you this Draco, but you cannot have a relationship with yourself, and that's exactly what you will have from now on, since I refuse to be with you for another day. Not like this Draco, no more like this, it hurts so much..." She said as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Astoria…" He whispered, seeing the real pain in her, no longer concealed or hidden under a mask of false happiness.

"No Draco, let's face it, our families hate each other after I got sick. I cannot give you a child, not even a proper intimate life, not to mention that I'm sick most of the time and I don't offer you any happiness in return! I hate it, Draco! Please don't make me hate myself any more than I already have!" She yelled as she cried and it broke his heart in a million pieces and he fought the urge to hold her and tell her that it would all work out somehow, because at heart he knew it was a lie, just as he had just said it. However, his heart ached in pain as much as hers, for he could still tell her that he loved her, without becoming a liar.

"I'm sorry, Draco... please don't cry too..." Draco, then realized that against his will, some tears had found their way out and ran down his cheeks too.

"Is this really what you want? Has this relationship hurt you that much? Have I given you that much pain?" He asked, sitting next to her, in her bed and she turned her head, so she would not face him.

"Y... Yes... I have fool myself for far too long, hoping that a miracle would happen and that I will be back to what I was before. It's not going to happen and I'm just holding you back. I've seen you change, little by little, every time I got sick with something. I know you care about what happens to me, Draco, but it's making you tired and I'm afraid, you'll get sick too if this continues. I hate it, Draco, I hate it because I know I'm the one ruining everything, but I cannot do this anymore. Please, no more pain, no more feeling guilty for something I have no control over. I want to have release... please Draco, I beg you... for me... I have suffered enough. " She sobbed, as she shattered even more, his already broken heart.

"I'm sorry, then... I never wanted to hurt you. Please forgive me..." He whispered and hugged her, letting her cry all she wanted on his chest. Several minutes later, when she calmed down, he bent down to kiss her one last time.

"Goodbye, Astoria…" He whispered in her ear and she smiled at him.

"Goodbye, Draco… I hope you find someone else, I truly do…"

"I still love you…"

"Love comes and goes, Draco."

"If you ever need me…"

"I will be fine, I promise you that."

"Then…"

"Just go, Draco… my parents will be here soon…"

"Maybe I should wait for them, at least…"

"No, it's better this way. I want to be alone." She took out her engagement ring and put it in his hand.

"Take this… it belonged to your family, right?"

"Not exactly. I actually buy it for you, even though my father was against it. Just like you assumed, my family have the same old tradition as most rich families had, but I wasn't going to start a new relationship, with new ideals, with a ring that represents everything I despise now. It's yours..." He said, handing it back to her.

"I'm sorry, Draco… I truly am."

"I'm sorry too, but just so you know... your life was always first to me, even more than any heir. Being with you, even when you were sick, make my life worth living, less hard after war..."

"I know… still, maybe we were not meant to be…"

"We shall see… Goodnight, Astoria. I hope that you find your peace." He kissed the crown of her head. "Take care of yourself…"

"I will…" She whispered back, as she saw him walk out of the room, the she cried her heart out. Draco hear cry for a minute, before finding himself walking away from her room. Part of him felt numb because he wanted to breakdown as much as Astoria, so he barely noticed where he was walking and ended up stumbling over an old woman.

"My apologies, ma'am… I was careless…" Draco offered and the old woman actually smiled at him.

"Oh my... a gentleman and a very handsome one too. I guess this was my lucky day..." Draco raised an eyebrow at the unexpected amusement. Really... well, at least there was a lady who didn't despise him.

"Well, may I return the compliment with some help? Are you here looking for a patient?" He asked, feeling a little lighter as he spoke to the woman. There was something about her that was... familiar.

"Thank you for the offer, but I have already found what I was looking for... still, you were very kind in offering to help me, so I'll tell you a secret..." She motioned for him to come closer, so she could whisper it to him, and he almost sighed, but he controlled himself and did as he had asked.

"So, what secret?" He asked.

"You will find love again, very soon, Draco Malfoy…" She whispered as she carefully inserted a ring into the pocket of his jacket, before Draco backed away from her.

"Who are you?" Draco asked, surprised.

"You will know, one day... don't fight against what you will see, Draco... just make sure it never happens..." She warned him and Draco was about to question her more when a commotion broke out near him, and he looked away to see what was happening. There was a group of people looking and pointing down the hall. Curiosity took the best of him and forgetting the old woman for a second, he approached the group a little, to hear what they were saying.

"Yes, it really is Ron Weasley and he was attacked by a Death Eater..." Then some of the gossiping people noticed him and the whisper resumed, but this time about him, being the one who probably attacked him. Draco was about to leave when three figures appeared a few feet from him, and he recognized all three of them. Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger.

It was only his luck that the first thing the trio had seen when they arrived, was him. He didn't know exactly what had been said to them, since he himself didn't know what was happening, but to see him standing there, moments after the apparent attack to Weasley, would seem suspicious to them. Of that, she was sure, as Granger narrowed her eyes as she looked directly at him. Oh, yes... this will definitely be a hellish night, he sighed as he prepared for yet another painful confrontation with a woman.

AN: To be continue… not so soon, though. Thanks for reading and I hope someone likes this. Take care.