Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything connected to his world… some of the characters and this plot are all mine though
A/N: I'm actually writing this for a class at school… so please review and tell me what you think… suggestions will be great and completely taken into account and if they're added to the story… I'll mention whomever it was that made the suggestion. Thanks to my wonderful Beta M for helping me!!! I LOVE YOU WOMAN!!!
Two years after the war Harry and Ron shocked everyone in the Weasley family when they decided to come out and declared their love for one another. Hermione was especially shocked, due to the fact that before they all left to fight in the war, Ron had proposed to her.
Though she was happy for the boys, she suddenly felt so alone. Ginny wasn't too surprised though, she saw it coming, and she and Neville ended up getting married soon after the boys went public. Hermione soon became very depressed, she thought Ron loved her, she thought they'd be happy together forever.
Fate had other plans for her.
Hermione owned and operated her own book store with a café in it in Hogsmeade, and lived in a flat nearby. She relished her quiet life; she had her time to be by herself. She never found anyone after Ron left her for Harry; Crookshanks had died during the war in a Death Eater raid. She was completely on her own to wallow in her sorrows.
The Hogwarts staff was glad that Hermione stayed so close to the school. They were very upset when she didn't take the teaching position they offered her when she decided that the life of an Auror wasn't for her. Minerva McGonagall would often come visit her at her shop whenever there was a trip with the school. Hermione heard everything about what was going on at her childhood home-away-from-home. One thing she wasn't thrilled to hear at the start of this term was that she had allowed Draco Malfoy to return as the Potions Master. She didn't want him there corrupting the students and members of the future Wizarding community.
She knew that he had been pardoned for what he did sixth year due to an intense interrogation which included large amounts of Veritasyrum, joined the Order and redeemed the Malfoy name in the eyes of the Wizarding world. She also knew though, that Malfoy could see that Voldemort was losing support as word "mysteriously" got out that he was only a half-blood, and Malfoy's don't fight on the losing side of any argument or war. Though everyone thought he had changed and was now on the right side fighting beside them, depending on them as much as they were depending on him. It was all for his own personal gain.
That wasn't her biggest shock from Hogwarts though, the biggest shock was when he actually had the audacity to walk into her bookstore and asked her to sit and have a cup of tea with her. She had fought alongside him many times during the war, but the war was over now and she wasn't really keen on sitting down with him in her own shop.
"Look Malfoy, just because we fought on the same side during the war and lived in the same place, doesn't mean we're friends. So what in the name of Merlin's beard are you doing here?"
"I'm here on business Granger, can you please just come sit down and talk to me without making a scene."
'What business would he have with me? We haven't talked at all since the war was over and we went our separate ways.' She thought tentatively as she led him to a small room off to the side of the café.
As if reading her mind he looked at her sternly and said, "Just get us somewhere where we can converse privately Granger and I'll explain everything."
They sat down with their tea and some cookies she conjured up from the kitchens. When they were situated, she glared across the little table over her teacup at him.
"Alright, there are many silencing charms and locks on the door, what on earth could have compelled you to talk to me?"
"This isn't about pleasure, not some sick twisted way for me to get you locked in a room and have my way with you if that's what you're thinking Granger." He replied with his trademark sneer. "So you can get off your high horse and listen for a minute."
'I know he didn't just say that to me! Who does he think he is?! Just because he comes from a rich family and can buy anything and anyone he wants, doesn't mean he can treat people like they're below him.'
"Alright, I'm all ears, what are you doing here?"
His face sobered as he thought of what it was he had to tell her, and wondered how to say it. 'How does one tell someone that an insane person is trying to replace Voldemort and killed her parents? Even if it is Granger, she just lost her fiancé and any hope she had of a happy marriage. Now she lost her parents and is completely alone. Now she knows how I feel, with my father dead and my mother running off with Snape and neither telling me where they went, I too am completely alone.'
"I'm here on business from the Order; they want you to take up the position of Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts for your safety."
She eyed him quizzically, "How is my safety in question? There is no more threat, Voldemort is dead. I saw the curse backfire before it hit Harry."
"It's not Voldemort, it's an unknown Death Eater has put it in their mind to continue on in his footsteps."
"Well what does that have to do with me personally? I have many security charms and alarms around my flat, nobody can get through them." She interjected, making sure she let him know that she could take care of herself thank you very much!
"That's not all Hermione, if you'd just let me finish, this isn't exactly easy for me to say, even to you."
"It must be something bad, you used my given name, you didn't even do that during the war. Alright, I'll stop that now." She said all the anger at him had dissipated when she realized there might actually be something of extreme importance in what he was trying to tell her. She finally decided to listen intently to what he was saying.
"Finally she gets it! I thought you were supposed to be the brightest witch of our time?" She glared daggers at him, but kept her mouth shut. "Sorry, but it did take you a while to understand that I was trying to say something important." He paused, trying to find the right words to tell her that her parents had been attacked in the middle of the night and taken prisoner, then tortured to death.
"If it's so important, why don't you just say it, I'm a big girl, Malfoy, I can take it."
"If you insist I do it bluntly, McGonagall contacted me this morning telling me there was something urgent to tell you. She told me that the Ministry was contacted and that someone found something." Again, he paused.
"Will you just get this over with, I have things to do."
"Damn it woman! I'm trying to tell you that your parents were kidnapped two nights ago and were found early this morning tortured to death!"
'That probably wasn't the best way to let her know, but her impatience made it impossible to tell her anything in a more respectful manner.'
She couldn't speak, she couldn't move. For once in her life, Hermione Granger refused to allow herself to think. She wouldn't think of how they could have been tortured, whether it was magical or not, or a terrifying combination of the two. She completely detached herself from reality.
Forgetting that Draco Malfoy was sitting across from her, she allowed herself to break down and let all her pain show. She didn't care who was there or who saw, in her mind, it was just her and her pain. She was now completely alone, it was just her. She had only her pain for company.
She closed the shop early and went to Hogwarts to talk to McGonagall about the news she received this morning. She refused to let herself think of the horrible things she had known Death Eaters to do to the people they tortured. She knew too much about that as it was, and asked for the Deputy Headmistress not to go into any of the details about what had happened to her loving parents. They would be buried in the plots they had bought when they first married.
After the memorial and the gathering afterward, Hermione went to the place she called home when she wasn't at Hogwarts. She refused to allow anyone to come with her. This was something private for her, like her own personal goodbye. She wandered around the house, remembering her childhood and trying to imprint it all in her head so that when she sold the house, she would never forget where she came from.
She went to the room that had been hers when she still lived there. Her mother had preserved it exactly as she had left it for when she returned home for holidays and special occasions, or when she just missed Mummy and Daddy. Completely overcome with grief, she walked zombie-like to her bed and collapsed. Finally allowing all of her pain and anger at whomever it was that ran the universe, hating them for hurting her continually like this.
Four days later, she got out of bed, took a long bath, then an even longer shower. She had to close the sale of her bookstore before she could go back to Hogwarts; she had finally accepted the recommended Transfiguration post. She was glad to find that the person that was buying the store was none other than Ginny Longbottom. Her friend would now always be close by to support and watch over her.
As of late, all Hermione knew was pain and suffering. She had been through so many hardships. Even before she found out she was a witch and became the famous Harry Potter's best friend.
Though she tried to keep herself positive by burying her pain in her studies, she could never forget her past. Every time Uncle Robert would visit from his home in America, he would do horrible things to her. He would insist that her parents go out and enjoy a night on the town and said he would watch over her. When her parents would leave though, he would torture her, both physically and emotionally. Telling her that since she was so "different" her parents didn't love her as much and that she wasn't worthy of the Granger name. He would say that she was some sort of weird experiment and that her parents did nothing to deserve such an abomination in place as their daughter.
Then he would start hitting her, only in places where it wasn't easily visible. He'd throw her to the ground and kick her in the stomach, back, and chest areas yelling, "If you're so powerful, then make it stop. If you're so special and have a reason to be here, then there would be something to stop me."
'No, I'm not going to allow myself to actually believe the words he said. I'm not going to allow myself to consider that there is any way that I deserve this pain. I must rise above all this pain and show Uncle Robert and whomever this lunatic is that killed my parents that I'm strong and I won't let them win.' She tried to convince herself that it may be horrible now, but it would get that much better in time. 'Time will tell I'll show them that I am the brightest witch of this time. I won't let it get me down, at least not yet. When this is all completely over, once and for all, then, and only then, will I allow myself to grieve over this. Until then, I'll walk with my head held high.'
A/N: again, I'm writing this story as a school project, please let me know what you think. Good or bad, just let me know.