Disclaimer: I asked. They said no.
Summary: Sequel to Leaving. After Lucius removed Draco from Hogwarts after discovering their relationship, Hermione is left all alone. When Draco returns to fight with the Death Eaters, where does Hermione go from there?
Centric Character(s): Hermione Granger & Draco Malfoy with appearances from Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange & Narcissa Malfoy. Also a brief note of Luna Lovegood, Dean Thomas, Mr. Ollivander & Griphook.
Pairing(s): Hermione x Draco.
A/N: Here is the third (and probably final) part. I got the title for this one from Don't Look Back in Anger by Oasis. It doesn't really pertain to the story, but it was what I was listening to at the time. As per usual, I don't promise they'll be in character or that it'll make any kind of sense. Reviews are lovely by the way *hint hint*, especially constructive criticism. Happy reading!
*****
The snow felt softly, joining the blankets already covering the pathways and grass, making the scene look almost like a snow globe. The young woman reached her hand out to her right to take the man's as they smiled. Her soft brunette curls were held underneath the back of her veil and her gown matched the colour of the snow.
"Do you," asked the man in the black suit before them, "Hermione Jean Granger, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do," Hermione spoke with no hesitation.
"And do you, Draco Malfoy, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do," Draco replied with a cocky smirk placed firmly on his face.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Draco leaned in, lacing his hand into the back of her dress. As he was about to place his lips on hers, the scene faded into black and Hermione was left on a cold floor, shaking and sobbing as a man towered over her.
"Rather pathetic really Draco," Lucius Malfoy stated, laughing garishly. "She thought she was going to marry you. How sad for the little Mudblood."
Hermione couldn't move from her spot on the floor of Malfoy Manor as she shook with sobs and pain. Bellatrix howled with laughter while Narcissa retained her place by the hearth.
"A Malfoy soil his blood? What do you think Draco?"
Draco gazed down at the girl by his feet, sobbing pitifully and his response was clear. Taking one step backwards, he spat directly in front of her face, eliciting more sobs from the seventeen year old.
"What you do not realise, my dear," Lucius continued. "Is that my son has… matured rather a lot since his last meeting with you. Two years is a long enough time to get over a meaningless fling."
Bellatrix didn't wait for Lucius to finish talking before she brandished her wand and screeched, "Crucio!"
Hermione screamed in pain as her limbs flailed without her consent and her nerves seemed to ignite. Bellatrix cackled with laughter. "Easy Bella," Lucius said, "don't forget to leave some for Draco."
A sinister smile spread across the youngest Malfoy's face as he reached into his robes for his wand. Draco twirled the wood between his hands and fingers before inflicting any curses upon her nearly lifeless body. "I want to know…" he started before trailing off and looking down at her pleading eyes. "I want to know how she pined for me."
Lucius' mouth twisted into an identical sinister smile and he waved his wand. Muttering a few words, Hermione's memories were open to Draco's wanderings.
*****
Lying in her bed, there was no noise from Hermione except for the occasional sob. Nearing the third week without Draco, Hermione felt the pain more than ever. The only things that kept her going anymore were her classes. Professor McGonagall had taken a shine to her from their first lesson together, and now she felt the need to help Hermione.
Following Transfiguration lessons, McGonagall often requested that she remain behind to help her with some meaningless task, while it was really an opportunity for Hermione to keep away from the peers who had harshly cut her out.
Now, there was nothing that could keep Hermione in the Transfiguration classroom so she had returned to the Gryffindor common room. She only took a moment to walk through and ascend the stairs to the girls' dormitory, but in that time, she felt the glares burning her back.
As she remembered back to the moment her life has seemingly fallen apart, she heard a noise to her left. It sounded almost like a rat, so Hermione turned over to inspect it. The noise turned out in fact to be Ginny Weasley.
Ginny met her with a small smile and leaned against the side of her bed. "Hey Hermione."
"Ginny?"
"Yep, it's me."
"But… I thought…"
"You thought I hated you? Come on, Hermione. You're smarter than that. I had to at least make Ron think I hated you. He's my brother. I'd have come to speak to you before now, but he's kept me in his sight for the past three weeks," Ginny explained. "Oh, Hermione, look at the state of you. Have you been crying?"
"No," she lied.
Ginny raised an eyebrow, showing she clearly didn't believe her. "I know you have been, Miss. Granger. Now come on, perk up. I doubt I'll have much time before Ron comes on the hunt for me. Listen, you know I'm here for you, but don't be surprised if I look like I want to kill you every now and then. And just for the record; Harry still loves you like a sister. Just a sister that went behind his brother's back. We get it though, Hermione. You can't help who you fall for, and I know you well enough to know you didn't intentionally hurt Ron. He's just a bit hard headed."
Hermione had never once been so pleased to hear someone's voice being directed at her, without it being one to throw an insult. Flinging her covers from her body, she launched herself into Ginny's arm. "Thank you so much, Ginny. You have no idea how much you mean to me. I thought I'd lost you and Harry for good. Have I already lost Ron?"
Ginny wiggled her lips in both directions. "I'm not sure, to be honest, Hermione. I think maybe if we give him enough time and big you up to him, we just might be able to scavenge something. I doubt it'll ever be the same though," she admitted.
Hermione fought the urge to cry, just happy that she knew Harry and Ginny still liked her. "I think Neville's on your side too," Ginny smiled. "Now how you holding up?"
Hermione hugged Ginny tighter and rested her head on her friend's shoulder. "I miss him so much Ginny."
*****
The cruel, calculating laugh that erupted from Draco's mouth was the harshest sound to ever enter Hermione's ears. She wasn't sure she could bear it. With a little flick of his wand, Draco muttered a word that Hermione couldn't hear, and a deep cut appeared on her cheek. With a another nonchalant flick, the cut dug deeper, drawing a cry of pain out of Hermione as blood seeped down her cheek.
"Draco…" she whispered feebly, trying desperately to get through to him.
"Don't you dare say my name, you filthy Mudblood!" Draco ordered, the cut going steadily deeper.
Nearing exhaustion and her physical pain becoming too much, Hermione laid her head down on the floor and nearly felt herself slip away. She wanted to go. Right as this very moment, Hermione wanted nothing more than to die and finally be rid of all the pain she was in at the moment. Not allowing her to lose consciousness, Lucius flicked his wand again and drew more cries from the girl by inflicting more cuts over her body.
"Let me see more," Draco requested, a hungry look in his eyes.
Lucius smiled at his son and flicked his wand once more, allowing his entry into her mind.
*****
Strolling gently across the snow covered grounds of Hogwarts, Hermione relished being in Harry's company. "I've missed you a lot, you know," she whispered.
"I've missed you too Hermione. Ginny explained to you why we pretended to be angry with you, right?" Hermione nodded. "You and Ron are the closest thing I have to family and just like you hate the idea of losing me and him, I hate the idea of losing him and his family. Sorry you got put down because of it."
"It's alright. I deserved it. I was stupid."
"You weren't stupid, Hermione. If I had to describe you in one word, 'stupid' would be the furthest thing from my mind. Just because I hate Malfoy doesn't mean you have to. It's a bit of personal thing between me and him, and I never meant to drag you and Ron into it. But after first year it was too late and now because of all that, he hates you."
"It's alright, Harry. None of this is your fault. I just thought maybe I was actually breaking down the wall that Draco puts in front of himself, and then he was taken away."
"Speaking of that, have you had any word from him or about him?"
"No," Hermione whispered sadly. Harry slung an arm around her shoulders and hugged her.
"It'll be alright, you know? I'm putting in good words for you with the other Gryffindors and Luna is spreading it around the Ravenclaws."
Hermione smiled at the mention of Luna's name. The eccentric one had stuck with Hermione through everything, not being involved in the hatred between them and Draco. It was great when there was a break between lessons as Hermione had someone to hang out with and talk to, but they shared no lessons, and Luna couldn't go in the Gryffindor common room.
"Thanks," she said quietly. "Does Ron know you're out here with me?"
"Yeah. It's been three months, Hermione. He knows I still love you like a sister and after Ginny came out that she had been talking to you again, he knew there was no way he could stop everyone talking to you. It's his own personal thing now."
"Will you please try to get him to forgive me?" Hermione pleaded. "I've tried myself, but he refuses to even be near me for more than three seconds."
"Course I will," Harry promised. "Besides, it's not like Malfoy's still here, right?"
"Right," Hermione agreed feebly. She didn't mention the little voice in the back of her head that was praying for him to return.
*****
Hermione was sat comfortably in one of the large red chairs in the common room, seated warmly in front of the fire. A book was lying in her lap as her chin rested on her palm and her eyes read across the page.
A voice cleared beside her, and she looked up, ready to greet whoever it was. The majority of the Gryffindors as well as the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws saw all of it as bridge under water now. She and Draco were old gossip except to the Slytherins who saw their relationship as an attempted Mudblood infiltration of Slytherin. Right…
Beside her, however, was Ron. Hermione closed her book sharply and stood up. "Ron," she whispered. He held up a hand to silence her.
"I forgive you," he said simply. Hermione could feel the tears welling in her eyes again. Flinging her arms around him, she hugged tightly and felt the warming feeling of his hand on her back. Now was the time for him to forgive and forget.
*****
Bellatrix had also invaded Hermione's mind and laughed shrilly. "The poor little Mudblood. Missing her boo-boo and with no friends. Poor sweetheart."
Bellatrix got in on the fun and added another slice to the repertoire. "Come on Cissy! It's fun!" Bella declared.
Narcissa looked up with the expression of distaste. "I'd rather not," she replied. She looked over to her son and shuddered. Narcissa did not enjoy watching her son engage in such activities.
Unknown to any of them, a small being had Apparated just outside of Malfoy Manor sitting room. The bat eared creature peered into the room and saw the scene of a screaming and crying Hermione, stood over by Draco and Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange.
Gazing deeply into Draco's eyes, Dobby flicked his fingers and allowed Hermione entrance into his mind.
*****
Draco sat, hunched over a table, quill in hand, penning a letter in his bedroom. Unbeknownst to him, his father and aunt stood in the shadows just outside his door, watching as he addressed the envelope to the Granger girl at Hogwarts.
"We're got to fix this," Bellatrix stated.
"Thank you for the obvious, Bella. Do you believe I want my son ruining the family name, hm?"
"Calm, Lucius. No need to get shirty now, is there? What do you think- Imperius?"
"Hm… That's what I was thinking. By the time we take the curse off him, the Mudblood will be dead, and he'll believe whatever we tell him."
"That settles it!" Bella declared dramatically and raised her wand, pointing it into the room. "Imperio!"
*****
Hermione found herself on the floor of Malfoy Manor again and shuddered. Imperio. Looking into his eyes, Hermione noticed the vacantly, dark appearance. This was not Draco.
Hermione wasn't sure whether to be terrified or elated. The boy she knew she was in love with didn't really want to cause her any of this pain, and he was in there somewhere. But on the other hand, he was under the control of two very powerful Death Eaters who had no care for the love they shared. In fact, they wanted nothing more than to extinguish it. Kill it.
Dobby remained in his position, silently waiting until he was sure Hermione understood. Then he clicked his fingers again and the curse on Draco lifted.
Hermione could physically see the curse fade in his eyes and he blinked rapidly a few times. Hermione could almost feel a smile light up her face, but kept it down to avoid alerting the Malfoys and Bellatrix to Draco's freedom.
He looked down at her and gave her the most discreet wink, even she wasn't sure she had seen it. "Draco?" Lucius called out. "Would you like to finish it? Or would you like some more play time with your new little friend?"
"I think now is an appropriate time to finish it, Father," Draco replied. Extending his wand, he pointed it directly into Hermione's face, worrying her. Had the curse really been lifted? Opening his mouth to utter the killing words, Draco smirked curtly. Hermione was certain now.
"Do it, Draco," Bellatrix encouraged. The grin extended across Draco's face. Without any kind of warning, Draco spun on his heel.
"Stupefy!" he yelled, pointing his wand at his aunt. Bellatrix had no chance to defend herself and fell to the floor unconscious. His father raised his wand to attack, realising his son was no longer under his control. As he did, Draco dived in front of Hermione and yelled, "Protego!"
The shield charm protected the two of them from Lucius' onslaught. "I'll kill you, boy!" he yelled, fury boiling over. Swiftly moving from her place by the hearth, Narcissa raised her wand. "Stupefy."
Lucius also hit the floor, unconscious, allowing Draco to lower the shield. "You'll not touch my son," she declared to the unmoving figure. Dobby, by now, had Apparated down into the cellar to free the others.
Draco gripped Hermione's hand, knowing they had very limited time. "Mother…" he whispered as Narcissa rested a hand on his cheek.
"Go Draco. Take her and go."
"What about you? I can't leave you here."
"I can take care of myself," Narcissa assured. "I'll be long gone before he ever wakes up. I'm sure Minerva McGonagall will help me."
Hermione smiled, for the first time in far too long. "Thank you," she whispered. Narcissa reached out her other hand and laid it on Hermione's cheek. "Go, my dear."
Draco gripped Hermione's hand and the couple ran from the house. They waited outside the boundaries of the house for Harry, Ron, Luna, Ollivander, Dean and Griphook, reading to go as soon as possible. When the full group arrived, Hermione silence Ron's questions with a look, and all of them Disapparated.
*****
A/N: I'd super duperly love some reviews :D