They were dead. Both of them. His parents.

Draco couldn't believe it. He still only barely believed his memories, and had to constantly stop himself from flooing the Manor just to make sure it wasn't just a nightmare.

The Manor was his now. It was now just a big, dark, and lonely manor that held memories of the Dark Lord's tyranny. The childhood memories that he had once had within those walls were wiped clean by the bloodshed and screams of the past that Draco no longer wanted to remember.

All Draco wanted was to never see the manor again. Just leave and never come back, but he couldn't.

This was the ancestral Malfoy home. He couldn't simply abandon it because of his own ill-feelings towards it. Just because walking within those walls made him sick to his stomach, it didn't mean that he could deny every Malfoy that came after him the right to know and live within the Manor. His ancestors would be rolling in their graves at the very thought and the founders of the Malfoy legacy would become ghosts specifically to haunt him.

Draco sighed.

He was keeping the Manor for tradition that was all. He didn't even need to spend a lot of time in the Manor if he didn't want to.

He just hoped, prayed to whoever was up there, that everything would get better.

….oOo….

Someone had slipped into the chair next to him almost soundlessly. Only the slight breeze that the action caused alerted Draco to the new presence.

"Granger!?"

"I heard about your parents. Are you okay?"

"Why do you care? Shouldn't you be in some library with your nose buried in some old tomb? Where's Weasel and Potter anyway? I'm sure they'd like to take a couple jabs at me."

"Merlin! You aren't the only person who has lost their parents! That doesn't mean that you should snap at everyone around you," Hermione huffed, turning to leave despite the fact that she had only just sat down.

"Granger, stop. I'm sorry. It's just… in Slytherin it was never a good idea to show weakness to anyone, not even those you considered friends."

Hermione nodded, and sat down once again.

"It's just difficult to go back there every day and know that there were people tortured and killed within those walls, to know that I was a part of all that. It makes me sick," Draco paused to glance at the ceiling.

"Then don't hold on to those awful memories. Hang on to the good memories that you have, because that's all you have now," Hermione said, eyes firmly on the counter in front of her.

"I hadn't thought your parents were killed. What happened to them?"

"They don't remember me anymore. I had to obliviate them before the war."

Draco felt shock flood through his system. He hadn't thought there would be anything worse than what he was facing, but Hermione's situation was much worse than his. Draco couldn't imagine knowing that his parents were still alive but didn't remember his existence, especially after doing that to them himself.

"I'm sorry," Draco murmured.

"What for? They are happy and safe. I saved them from this war that they would not have been able to defend themselves in. That's all that matters."

It was fairly obvious that was not the case but Draco didn't push any further, not knowing how far he could push the Gryffindor but not willing to risk it.

….oOo….

Their seemingly accidental meeting at the Leaky Cauldron soon turned out to be a nightly occurrence where both Hermione and Draco would simply talk or vent their frustrations on whatever had happened that day.

Draco hadn't expected to fall for Hermione during that time, but somehow he had managed to. He could only hope that Hermione returned the sentiment. Draco wasn't sure what he would do otherwise, but Draco did know that Hermione was brave enough for both of them.

"Hermione?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you go out with me?"

"Took you long enough."

Written for Game of Life Challenge: library; fall; founders

Written for Triwizard Tournament: Sharing is caring – Dramione; Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi

Written for Ten Times Ten Challenge: Thestral

Written for 100 Pairing Challenge: Draco/Hermione

Written for Demi Lovato Songs Category Challenge: Skyscraper