Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, if I did Draco and Hermione would have ended up together.

Enjoy! 3


The Things We Do In the Name of Love

Hermione sat in the Heads' common room, her hand clutching a quill tightly while she scribbled furiously on a piece of parchment, pausing only to stop and think of her words. She wasn't sure how things had changed so rapidly, but she certainly knew why she was about to abandon her friends and family, all the people she loved. It was because of…

"Hermione?" a voice probed quietly, interrupting her thoughts.

"Speak of the Devil, he's here now." She thought. She placed the quill down and glanced at her lover briefly, taking in his frazzled appearance. His white-blond hair looked messy and unkempt, just like Harry's jet black locks always were, his eyes were wide and alert, and his clothes were rumpled, chances were he had woken up an found her gone, hastily putting on his clothing in order to find her.

She spoke to him in a soft tone as she began rolling up the parchment, "It's done, Draco. All we need to do is send it and leave." She placed the parchment down and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Are you sure you want to do this, love?" he asked her, wrapping his arms around her hips and bringing her closer to him, staring into her honey-brown eyes.

"I'm sure, Draco. I want this, you and me forever, without rules and restrictions on our relationship. Harry will be fine without me. It's Ron who won't, but he'll learn to live without me. At least he'll know now and for certain this time, that he and I will never be, because my heart belongs to you"

"As you wish, my angel. Let's leave now, then." He kissed her lightly, savoring the softness and sweetness of her lips that would always be his from this moment onward, before releasing her to gather her belongings as he did likewise.

She smiled, watching as he ran up the stairs to his room, before turning around and putting on her cloak and slinging her bag over her shoulder. She grabbed the parchment she had been writing earlier, her heart growing both heavier and lighter as she clutched it, wanting for Draco to reunite with her. By the time Harry and Ron received her letter, she would be far away from Hogwarts and this damned wizarding war.


"Oi, mate! Have you seen Hermione?" Ron asked his green-eyed best friend as he sat down to breakfast at the Gryffindor table.

"Not since yesterday after Potions, she's probably on her way here, now." Harry answered him, piling sausage and eggs onto his plate.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Did you hear about…" Ron began, only to be interrupted by one of the school's owls landing on the table in front of Harry, two letters attached to its right leg.

"What's this? It looks like a letters from Hermione!" exclaimed Harry, taking the letters off and feeding the owl some sausage before watching it fly off. "There's one for you too, Ron."

"Et ee et hen," mumbled Ron, his mouth full of food, but nonetheless reaching out for the letter.

Harry silently handed it to him as he began to read his letter from Hermione:

Dearest Harry,

I am sorry that my last words to you are going to be through this piece of parchment and the ink on it. By the time you receive this letter, I will be long gone and with the company of the love of my life in this journey. My love is none other than the much hated Draco Lucius Malfoy. Our relationship has fought through the hate and prejudice that Draco's family instilled in him, but he loves me and I love him. We will not return until this pureblood/mudblood nonsense and the war are over. Don't try looking for me, you won't find me or Draco anywhere. I love you Harry, but Draco and I were suffocating in this world of nothing but restrictions, we had to leave. I love you, don't try and find me.

Love Always,

Hermione Malfoy nee Granger

P.S.

Take care of yourself and keep on eye on Ron. I have a feeling he'll need you a lot after today.

Harry looked up from his letter, his eyes full of tears, betrayal and confusion, he glanced at Ron from across the table, watching as his eyes ran over Hermione's heartbreaking words, his emotions unreadable.

Ron could feel Harry's eyes on him but he couldn't bear to tear his eyes away from Hermione's letter, with every word he read, he could feel his heart breaking.

Dearest Ronald,

I am not there, as I'm sure you've noticed. But not for the reasons you suspect, I've run off with someone that I love very much. He is someone whom throughout our years at Hogwarts, we have hated and argued with, passion fueling our words and disgust our hate. But, these past few months, I have discovered that he is instead, a man of honor, dignity and utmost intelligence and respect towards others; a man that I have fallen so deeply in love with…that I have married him and run away with him. That man, which we hated so, the man that I now love with all of my heart and all of my soul is Draco Lucius Malfoy.

I've always loved you as a brother and nothing more Ronald, any romantic inclinations you may have had towards me, would never have been returned and should they have been, it would've been out of necessity on part. It was what was expected of us, of me to do once we graduated out of Hogwarts. But I didn't want that, I wanted real love. Love that made my heart flutter and my mind fuzzy and my tongue lose its sharpness. I've found that love in Draco, and I honestly couldn't be happier.

I'm sorry Ronald. I hope one day you can forgive me, but for now and for the rest of my life I will not regret my decision in leaving Hogwarts and leaving with my husband. But I want you to remember something always Ronald, I want you to remember the girl I was to you, the girl I am to you now and know that what I did wasn't meant to hurt you, love was present in my choice. Love for you and love for all, and want for the future to not be filled and tainted with regrets and missed opportunities and hate. Because that isn't a future, Ronald, that's the end and so…I chose an adventure.

Forgive me someday,

Hermione Malfoy nee Granger

Ron crumpled the letter, and not having the willpower to leave, he simply broke down, his pain visible to everyone in the Great Hall, with Harry awkwardly patting his back in comfort.


Years later Harry would see Hermione, pushing a stroller holding the cutest little girl with soft blond curls and honey-brown eyes, her arms linked with Draco Malfoy's as they strolled through muggle London, the family had nothing but smiles on their faces as they walked into the Selena's Sweets.