VISITING HOURS

Hello guys! I've been in love with Dramione for many, many years, and I've come across many beautiful and life-changing fanfictions. This is my first one, so I know it will never be like the ones I'm in love with, but I figured I would give it a try! For anyone who reads chapter one of this love story, I am very thankful.

Half of the story takes place post-war during Hermione's visits to Draco in Azkaban. The other half consists of their time at hogwarts together. The time period will be changed every other chapter.

Chapter 1

It was May 27, 1998, and the wizarding world was recovering from war. Hogwarts remained rubble, but witches and wizards arrived at the great hall every morning to help rebuild. That's what it was about...starting over. Honoring those who were lost by living happily and in peace. But how could I When Teddy Tonks had to be raised the same way as Harry? When Lavender Brown never found her knight in shining armor. When George Weasley had to run his shop without his brother.

I supposed that's why I was in azkaban during visiting hours, waiting to see the only thing that allowed me to live happily.

The guard that was my escort grabbed me roughly by the arm and yanked me into the azkaban lift. For a moment my mind flashed back to the face of Bellatrix Lestrange yanking me to the ground. I shivered violently at the vision and threw the man a glare.

He spoke a short incantation, pointing his wand at the door, and the lift shot downwards.

Gasping, I clutched the railing with my arm marked "mudblood". Bellatrix is dead...Molly killed her. She doesn't bother you anymore. Even as I thought this to myself I knew I was lying. The insane witch haunted my dreams night after night, hitting me with the cruciatus and slicing me with a knife.

More often than not my friends were lying dead beside me. Sometimes Harry was sprawled on the floor next to me with dead, open eyes and covered in blood. Often it was Ron or Ginny begging for me to save them from the terrible fate that awaited them... The memory of these visions made my heart start beating faster and filled me to the toes with dread.

Everyone had scars from the war; physical, mental, emotional...I had nightmares of the friends I had lost, of my mum and dad, of the torture I received in the drawing room of Malfoy Manor. I knew anybody who fought experienced them as well.

Ginny could be heard pacing her room late at night in the burrow. Ron sometimes disappeared at odd times and didn't materialize until hours later. Harry stayed up later than anyone else, counting in his head the friends he lost, still believing it was his fault.

We were so lucky to have each other in those times. When we were broken and our hearts were still freshly shattered with the grief of war. Of course, nobody ever truly recovers from a tragedy like the battle against Lord Voldemort. I knew we would always have nightmares. Always feel guilty for being alive and together when our friends were long gone...

A jolt in the lift snapped me out of my thoughts and I breathed in sharply. For a moment I began to panic. Suddenly the walls were closing in and my escorter was replaced by the face of a masked Death Eater. I quickly grabbed for my wand and slid it out of my robes pocket. The Death Eater turned to me in astonishment as I stuck my wand to his throat and began to whisper an unforgivable curse. However, a small voice screamed at me that this wasn't logical at all, that Voldemort was dead and his followers were stuck in the very prison I was visiting. I squeezed my eyes shut and breathed deeply, counting to ten, and when I opened them the grumpy guard was standing before me.

He seemed to be in shock from my outburst for a moment, but he soon snapped out of it and had my wand in one hand and my wrists wrapped up in the other.

"Unfortunately for you now, I'm going to have to confiscate your wand. You, miss, are obviously extremely unstable. You're very lucky I'm kind enough to allow you to visit 'Lover Boy' after that stunt."

"Oh...Of course. M-My sincerest apologies, I d-don't know what came over me," I stammered out uneasily and forced myself to hand over my wand. I was almost happy to give it up for a while...maybe I was unstable couldn't trust myself with it.

It wasn't easy to completely relax anymore. Anytime I witnessed a child crying or the sound of a spell being shot from a wand, I tensed. It took all the strength I had sometimes to restrain myself from drawing my wand.

The rickety elevator was slowly coming back into view. A small sigh of relief escaped my lips when my sight was completely normal again. It seemed quite often that my mind slipped away from me for a moment and terror overcame me once more.

After settling back down, I noticed we had been descending for what seemed like 5 minutes. I wondered why they kept him so far underground.

"He must hate it down there," I murmured to myself.

The man I was visiting was in love with the stars and the trees and the air. He had to be miserable so far away from his element...where he felt most at home.

The elevator suddenly came to a sharp halt, and my knees buckled slightly, causing me to stumble forward a bit and into the guard. He steadied me, but quickly dropped his hands back down curtly.

"Alright you bumbling idiot, get outta' here. I thought you were 'posed to be a hero or something."

"Well if I'm such an idiot, do you mind listing to me the properties and ingredients of a sleeping draught combined with a pepper up potion?" I requested smartly, but his reply went unnoticed by me when I heard laughter. It was beautiful and familiar and almost caused me to break into a small smile. Almost.

I turned to look around for the source. It seemed that there was only one cell on this level, and lit torches covered the wall to brighten it up slightly. The sound of dripping water could be heard in the corner where a small puddle was gathering. After taking in my surroundings, I followed the line of brick to look inside the lone chamber.

Draco Malfoy was directly in front of me now, and he sat against the back wall in his hideous prison jumper. He was gazing at me with a look I had never seen him wear before.

The iron bars were just wide enough to fit an arm through it. A roof and four walls were all dark brick, and the floor was a black tile. An uncomfortable looking cot was positioned in the corner of the cubed room.

His laughter was completely faded when our eyes met. He stood properly and padded toward the bars to meet me. The guard forgotten, I followed his lead and met him halfway. Draco shifted a lone hand across the barrier and tucked a stray curl behind my ear.

"Hello beautiful," he whispered.

"Hi."

His index finger was now trailing down from my temple to my chin. I melted into his touch, just as I always did and just as I always would. His eyes had lost all evidence and light of laughter, and the silver was now clouded with new emotions that I recognized as longing and something else I wasn't quite sure of.

"How are you?" Draco inquired quietly.

"Surviving I suppose."

"I miss you."

"And I you."

He gently applied pressure to my shoulder and encouraged me to follow his lead as he took a seat on the cold, damp floor and continued stroking my hair while I closed my eyes for a moment and enjoyed the feeling of him.

"Tell me a story about us," I murmured. Draco nodded and gently moved down to caress the arm with the mudblood scar.

"Once there was a boy who was completely and utterly lost. He didn't know what to do about his family, his master, or his future. You see, he wasn't really cut out for the life of a murderer, but he didn't have a choice. He was a child...it seemed the most important thing was pleasing his father. He was prejudiced against others simply because of their blood which he later realized wasn't even made of mud. But, when he was at an all time low, beaten and broken, a beautiful and brilliant girl showed him what it felt like to be loved. The witch came into his life so suddenly, so full of life and laughter. She showed him how to love on the Astronomy Tower, she showed him under a willow tree by the lake, and she showed him in their final battle."

His story was short. So was ours.

"Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"I wish you could kiss me."

"I know, my love, I know."

Draco's eyes were glistening, and I knew mine were swimming with unshed tears. The battle of Hogwarts had occurred just weeks before, and Harry had won. He defeated Voldemort, the wizard who had plagued our lives for so long. The one we spent every year at Hogwarts overcoming in different ways. The wizard that killed Cedric Diggory and countless others. The wizard that murdered my parents in cold blood just to get to me. The wizard that my lover served dutifully, but not by choice.

"How are you really?"

My hands were trembling and he attempted to soothe them, but it was no use.

"How well could I be? How well is anyone? If I get any sleep at all, it's plagued with nightmares of you, Harry, Ron, my parents..."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"I'm sick with worry about you."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be okay," he insisted, but I knew he wasn't really. Draco Malfoy was quite good at hiding his emotions, but the slightest hint of pain shining in his silver orbs could be detected by someone who knew him well. The tears I had been keeping at bay started to slide treacherously down my cheeks and I wiped at them hastily. I hated crying.

"Hey. don't. please," Draco pleaded. It was too late. I was crying silently, brokenly.

"I'm sorry," I choked out.

"No. Don't be sorry. Don't ever be sorry."

I hope that was ok! Thank you so much for reading :) if you'd like to review I'd really appreciate tips or feedback :))