I do not own Harry Potter…only the plot.
(A/N: I was inspired to write this when I heard the song Til My Last Day by Justin Moore…I thought it was a good story line for a Dramione…you'll see why! Hope you enjoy..)
Chapter 1: Draco Comes Back
He couldn't believe that it had been five years since he had had anything to do with the Wizarding World. He had wanted to stay separated for as long as possible. He couldn't face his fear yet.
The fear he had was actually childish to an extent. His fear was losing everyone he was close to and the only person he was close to was his mother. That was the only person. And he had just lost her. She had been in St. Mungo's ever since his father had been sent to Azkaban and given the Kiss after the War. Yes, Draco Malfoy had been scared of losing his mother ever since he was a little kid and it had finally happened. At the age of 23, Draco had lost everything he held close.
That's when he dropped his head into his hands and cried just like he had when his dog died when he was 7. Draco had never cried since that time; he never even cried when his father was sent off. No, this was the first time he had cried in 16 years.
She sat there and wept. She couldn't believe the woman who had been her rock for so long was dead. She had leant on Narcissa Malfoy ever since her parents died and Narcissa had been sent to St. Mungo's. Cissy, as Hermione liked to call her, had always given her advice when it was needed even though Cissy's mental health was steadily declining. Hermione knew it wouldn't be long until Cissy would pass but it would get any easier. Hermione believed she should have had more than five years with her Cissy.
She stopped wallowing in self-pity when she felt arms wrap around her and looked up into her best friend's eyes. "Why did it have to happen so soon, Ginny?" Hermione said, "Why?! Five years just isn't enough. I feel as if I've just lost my mother for a second time!" And with that, continued to weep into her arms.
Ginny looked at the older woman who was breaking into pieces in front of her. She hadn't saw Hermione with her guard down like this in a long time.
When the train came to a stop at King's Cross Station, Draco wiped his face and stood and grabbed his carry-on luggage and went to wait for the rest of his luggage. As he looked around the platform he had just got off, he realized exactly where he was. He was right next to platform 9 ¾ .
He stared at the brick wall for the longest time until the bagman gave him his bags and walked away. He looked at the clock next to the platform and realized it was September 1st at 10:00 a.m. Very soon there would be witches and wizards galore; so, if he didn't want to be in the mist of them he had better leave quickly.
As he picked his way through the crowd, he saw the luggage carts with owl cages or cat carriers on them. He made himself scarce at that moment. He made way to a dark corner and made sure he had all his bags and for the first time in five years, took out his wand and Apparated to Malfoy Manor.
Once inside, he looked around and couldn't believe how kept up the place was which only meant one thing, there was still house elves here.
After a couple of hours of crying, she finally pulled herself together. She stood from Ginny's grasp and told her, "I have to go to the Manor. I'm sure the elves already know but I need to feel like I'm close to Cissy somehow and she made sure that the wards were down for me to enter." Ginny just silently nodded and watched her best friend Disapparate away.
When she got to the Manor, she had to take a deep steadying breath and grabbed the necklace Cissy had given her just two weeks after being at St. Mungo's. She began her way upstairs to Cissy's private study when she heard talking coming from down the hall. She pulled out her want and slowly made her way down the hall.
As she came closer, she recognized one of the voices as the head elf's voice, Daisy, but the other voice made her think. It was the voice of a man; a man whose voice sounds like it was filled with sorrow; a man whose voice sounded as if his heart had just been shattered by losing his mother; a man whose voice had taunted Hermione all throughout her school years at Hogwarts and called her 'Mudblood'; a man whose voice belonged to the one and only Draco Malfoy.
Hermione slowly made her way back to the large living room and sunk down onto the couch. She couldn't face Draco yet. Besides, no one had probably bothered to tell him that the Healer that had looked after his mother was the girl he had hated all through Hogwarts. And knowing Draco, he wouldn't like that idea.
Draco talked to Daisy about the funeral arrangements that had already been set; by whom he did not know and Daisy wasn't telling.
After he finished talking with Daisy, he excused her and went upstairs to his old bedroom. He opened the door and looked around at all that was familiar to him. He saw the pictures of his father and mother. He grabbed the closest picture of his mother and looked down at the smiling and waving picture of Narcissa Malfoy. He sat down on his bed and wondered what his mother was like in the last days of her life. He hated that he hadn't been there but after the War he just had to separate himself from the Wizarding world. He couldn't handle being looked down upon by everyone because of how he was raised. So, he had left.
He had went to northern England into a Muggle-only community where no one would recognize him and it was where he had spent the last five years. Hell, he was so distanced that he didn't even know who had took care of his mother. As he thought of this, there was a knock on the door and as he rose to answer it, he never would have thought to see this woman again, especially in his house on the day he had just lost his mother. But here she was, Hermione Granger was standing outside his bedroom door. That was the last thing he remembered before blacking out.