The Beginning

After the war everything must begin again. Hermione makes a decision to part ways with Ron and Harry. Awaiting trial in Azkaban, Draco receives a pointless letter. Harry pays back a debt. Hogwarts begins again.

Chapter 1

The Beginning after the End

1998

May

The time immediately after the war was not what Hermione had been expecting. She was not sure exactly what it was she had been expecting, but it was not this. It was pure devastation. It was as if the entire fantastical, amazing wizarding world Hermione had known had imploded. There was so much death and pain that Hermione almost wished she had never received that life-altering letter seven years ago. But she refused to let her emotions consume her, because she needed to be strong and help rebuild this world to its former grandeur.

But it would not be an easy task. The wizarding world was a mess. However, before Hermione could help restore the wizarding world, she needed to restore her own life, which meant finding her parents.

Only two weeks after the end of the war, she left behind her grieving friends and messy world to travel to Australia. The search for her parents was longer and more difficult than Hermione had been expecting. She had not wanted to know any specifics about her parents' whereabouts in case she was captured and Death Eaters tried to torture the information out of her or even tried to use Legilimancy on her. So she had merely left them with the desperate urge to move to Australia and two one way tickets to Melbourne. What her parents did after they got off the plane Hermione did not know.

June

It was a very long and frustrating month before Hermione found her parents. When she finally saw their loved, familiar faces again, staring at her curiously, with no sense of recognition, she broke down. She cried big, hot tears, frequented with huge, shuddering sobs, while standing on the porch of her befuddled parents who thought her a stranger.

Although Monica and Wendell Wilkins did not know or have any feelings for this strange, crying girl at their doorstep, they invited her in for a seat and cup of tea out of pity. The Wilkins sat in awkward silence for nearly a half an hour while the young woman in front of them slowly composed herself.

In that half hour Hermione managed to squash her emotions back down and prepare herself for what she was about to do. She thanked Mrs. Wilkins for the tea and apologized for her strange behavior.

"It's been a rather difficult year," Hermione said.

They smiled at her and assured her it was no trouble and asked her if there was anything they could do for her. Hermione smiled and nodded. Moving quickly and with a large amount of guilt and regret she wordlessly charmed the kindly couple in front of her so they both slumped in their seats on the couch, fast asleep. Starting with her mother and then working on her father, Hermione very carefully undid the memory charms she had placed on her parents a year ago.

When she was done, Hermione collapsed in exhaustion on the loveseat opposite her parents couch. She sat there for sometime, unmoving, with her head back, eyes closed, and body limp, until she heard sounds of stirring across from her. She sat up and tensely watched her parents awaken. Her mother opened her eyes first and took a moment to adjust before she turned her eyes to Hermione. The brown haired woman gave a cry and launched herself at her once again daughter. A moment later her thin arms were accompanied by a larger pair and Hermione could no longer breathe.

"Mum, Dad," she managed to wheeze out after a few moments of everyone crying.

They both reluctantly let go. Her mother moved to sit on the coffee table situated between the couch and loveseat and her father took the seat next to Hermione. Hermione leaned into her father enjoying a few silent, joyful moments as everyone composed themselves.

"Hermione Jean Granger," Mrs. Granger spoke, interrupting the silence, "You will explain to us what this is all about."

Hermione nodded, looked into her mother's green eyes and took a deep breath before recalling the events of the past year, although she left out a few details to spare her parents feelings. At the end of the story her parents were a bit miffed, but understanding. Cradled in their arms, she cried again when her parents forgave her.

That night was the first after the war that she fell asleep knowing for certain that, eventually, everything would be okay.

.!.B.!.

Draco sat alone and fairly cold in his cell on his eighteenth birthday. He, along with any other captured Death Eaters or Voldemort supporters, had been imprisoned in Azkaban immediately after the war had ended to await trial. Draco's future looked bleak at the moment, the black, unmoving tattoo on his left forearm damning him. He and his family were hated and rightly so, he thought. He hated his family, just as he hated himself. They deserved whatever they got, be it death or life in Azkaban.

Although Draco's foreseeable future left much to be desired, he was actually much more at peace lonely, dirty, and hungry than he had been for a very long time. That said it would be a lie to say he did not wish things were different. He wished to be taken pity on. He wished for a new chance at life away from the terror and darkness that had consumed him since he was sixteen. He wished, in his heart of hearts, for a chance to be happy. He wished for all those things, but he did not expect any of them.

So he would be a good inmate. He would eat and drink what they gave him, do what they told him to, say what they wanted him to, and when the time came for his trial he would be truthful about his actions and he would try not to cry when they told him if his death would be sooner or later.

AN: So pretty short first chapter, but I was thinking of sticking to about 1,000 words a chapter in order to update in a timely manner. Anymore than 1,000 and updates will be kinda slow. However, if you really don't like short chapters and would rather wait a few days longer or more in between updates for a longer chapter then I don't mind doing that. Just tell me your preference and I will adapt.

This is a Draco/Hermione story. No matter what it may seem like as we go along, the Draco/Hermione relationship is the main focus of this story. That said I am trying to make this story as realistic and Epilogue compliant as possible for a Dramione story. Thus the road will be long and possibly frustrating. This story will be exactly as the title say "The Beginning" of Draco and Hermione's relationship. Even in a magical world, real love does not magically appear out of nowhere.

The good news is that there will be a sequel to this story that will be much more romantic and exciting than this one.

Despite all this I truly do hope you choose to stick around and join me, Hermione, and Draco on this journey of self exploration and second chances.

Love, Bee