Honestly, after the war was said and done there was still a lot of healing to do. Emotionally and physically the world was different. Those who were in cahoots with Voldemort were apprehended, including the young Draco Malfoy. The Order of the Phoenix was broken beyond repair and those who lost their seventh year at Hogwarts went on to graduate the next year.
Hermione and Ron were having issues, they could not look at each other without remembering everything bad they had been through. Hermione started to see a therapist to help her cope with the nightmares and trauma she experienced. Ron wanted to cope other ways without the help of anyone not even Hermione. Soon they were too far apart from each other they decided to go back to being friends.
Harry and Ginny were stronger than ever, turning to each other to forget the horrors of the past. They even announced their engagement after her last year of Hogwarts. Some secretly think the rush was an unplanned pregnancy, but nothing was confirmed yet.
Everyone else to some degree was healing, however slowly but surely they began the next chapter of their lives.
Hermione sat on her couch, a book resting on the arm and her eyes were glued to the tv. Wizard news was showing and something about Azkaban caught her attention.
DRACO MALFOY RELEASED ON GOOD TERMS
What could that possibly mean? Granted Hermione believed Azkaban was too harsh of a punishment for him since he too was a child of war and most other Death Eater children were released with no fault of theirs, but She believed because he had the mark it made it too hard for someone to prove him innocent.
Hermione turned up the volume and watched as Draco Malfoy walked out the Ministry of Magic and past all the press lined up to question him. No smile was found on his face and there was a black sleeve on his left arm. His hands revealed how tense he was as his fists formed tightly next to his body. She wondered briefly how the years in Azkaban changed him. Surely she could owl a message to him asking if he would be willing to meet, just to get closure.
There was a whistle as the wind changed in her room. She looked over to see Harry standing there.
"Well, thanks for the heads up!" Hermione chastised as she was dressed only in one of Ron's old shirts that just hit the tops of her thighs.
"Sorry, I just saw the news…." Harry trailed off as his eyes went to the tv. "Why do you think they released him?"
"Maybe because they finally realized he is not like every other Death Eater that chose who they followed" Harry went to talk but Hermione continued. "Come on Harry, do you truly believe that he was following Voldemort out of his own volition. That is ridiculous for you to believe after everything Snape did and several other people who went out of their way to save you."
"I know… There is just a piece of me that remember what a horrid human he was to begin with. I just don't know if maybe deep inside he is still that person. " Harry confessed, "Are you going to try and see him?"
"I was thinking I might, but I don't know if it seems a little weird. I have no reason to seek him out, maybe to try and get an apology but that should be his duty. Then again, I could do it out of peace." Hermione shrugged and then looked back at the tv as Draco finally was able to apparate out of the area. "I think I'll give him a week before I try and visit" She concluded and Harry nodded before giving her his goodbyes and leaving her to her thoughts.
She looked down to her book, some Muggle YA Novel that was her guilty pleasure and she closed it with a sigh. Hermione then stood up and walked over to her desk and got out a pen and paper. Although she loved how wizards still used old style parchment and quills she much preferred her Muggle commodities as well.
Draco,
I understand you were released from Azkaban, I humbly offer to help in the transition to normal life by setting up a visit by the end of the week. I am very busy in preparing for the new year at Hogwarts, but I will send another owl marking my meeting by at least a half hour.
-Hermione Granger
She sat straight and sealed it with wax and handed it to her Owl that was resting just outside her window. "With haste, Dancer."
Outside the Malfoy Manor was a weird sight, Hermione was just wearing simple clothes as she had just finished writing out a yearly syllabus as Arithmancy teacher. A pair of dark jeans and then a light blue shirt with a print on it advertising a Muggle company. She knocked gently but the door swung open.
The manor was dark, which not surprisingly made her pause. What was she doing? Why would she visit someone who was one of her enemies and even watched her be tortured at this very place? Hermione shook those thoughts from her head and decided to step in. There was definitely something off about this place. Floors covered in dust and debris, her eyes went to the walls and there were lighter spots where there once hung portraits of the Malfoy family. Glass shattered across the floor and she worried it would penetrate her flats.
Hermione stopped for a second and listened. Whispering a spell that would enhance her hearing just a bit. Crying echoed lightly in her head and she decided to go towards that sound. A bathroom that emitted light is where the source of the sound came from. She pushed on the door slowly as to try not to startle the person within.
There sat the man with white hair and matching skin leaning against the toilet. A wretched sound emitted as he vomited into the bowl. Hermione without thinking rushed and helped to rub lightly on the back as she had done several times to her friends when they had drank too much for the night. The vomiting soon ended and Draco slumped over, obviously exhausted.
Firewhiskey permeated the air as she stood up. She wasn't even sure if he was fully aware that she was there but looking around, she realized quickly that he had destroyed the place. The mirror was shattered and the was blood on his hands from coming in contact with glass.
Hermione stood there for a while before she was convinced he was done puking and she bent down to try and get him standing. Eventually she managed to sling his arm around her shoulders and holster him up and began the journey to his bedroom. It took several minutes to find the correct room and she tried to avoid walking on any dangerous debris since he was barefoot. Finally, she was able to lay him down on his bed that was covered in emerald green sheets and stains that looked awfully like cleaned up vomit or blood.
He fought her in being put into the recovery position but he was out cold. Finally, he was resting correctly and she decided she would stay and clean up some of the mess that he had created. Empty firewhiskey bottles and bottles that looked strangely like Muggle prescriptions, but they did not have his name so they went into the trash.
What happened to him?
Hermione was sweeping the hallway when there was finally noise coming from Draco's room. She walked towards the door and heard grumbling and then a bang against the wall. She ran in to see Draco holding his own wrist.
"Whoa. Are you okay?"
"My medication.. WHERE IS IT?" He started flipping out and glared at her.
"It was strong pain medication.. And not prescribed to you. I threw-"
"I bought them. I NEED THEM" Hermione jumped as he completely came unglued and punched the wall again next to a hole that must have been from the first bang.
A few more punches and he crumbled to the floor. Crying and whispering to himself about how he needed the pills.
Hermione had to calm herself before kneeling beside him. He startled slightly as her hand touched his. Then for the first time in years his eyes, stormy gray, looked up to meet her brown ones. There was a brokenness there that she had never seen before.
"I.. can come back later" Hermione's voice broke through the silence and as the last word escaped her she felt his hand touch her forearm. The one that was scarred from Bellatrix's torture. She shivered and went to move her arm away, but he held tight.
"Don't leave." Draco barely whispered and then rested his forehead against her collarbone. Hermione tried not to breathe for a second before her mind wrapped around the fact that this man was trying to find comfort in her touch.
Draco was sitting on his bed with a cup of black coffee and his eyes were a lot more aware and not hazy from drugs or alcohol. Hermione sat on the chair that was near the bed, but not too close. They had sat on the floor till he rushed to puke more in the bathroom.
"I can see you are not transitioning well" Hermione finally pointed out. Draco's free hand picked at his sheet. "You know you have reached out when I first sent the letter-"
"I didn't want you to come" Draco cut her off. "I don't want to transition to normal life."
"Well, what else would you do?" Hermione was growing angry.
"I don't know, okay!" Draco ran his hand through his hair, making it even more messy. "Die I guess.." He mumbled truthfully.
"What about everyone else? You don't think every single one of us haven't felt that way! I wanted to die every day after that I would undress and finally see the scars laid on me. Harry wanted to die the day he woke up from a nightmare where he had died. Ron suffered quietly till he no longer wanted to share a bed with me because he couldn't bare letting me see him cry." Hermione snapped at him. "You can't just give up. You can't continue to be a coward for the rest of your life"
Draco flinched at her words and bit his lip before taking a long sip of his coffee.
"What am I supposed to do? I can't go back to school. I won't be able to get a job anywhere" Draco's shoulders slumped. "Alcohol seems to at least shut off my brain and the drugs just numb everything"
"Are you in pain?" Hermione asked and Draco nodded. "Mentally or physically?"
Draco looked at her with broken eyes and she didn't need to hear his answer.
"Well, since the war, Hogwarts has been helping those who struggle with their lives create new beginnings as teachers. I know for a fact that we still have a position open, but I'm not sure if you would even want it.. It is Muggle studies." Hermione changed the subject and then looked away so Draco could have a minute to process.
"I don't know"
"I know it was stupid, but I figured I would offer. Cause then you could try and just do your final exams to be recognized as finished and then next year you could go on to another job"
Hermione trailed off and she was startled when he reached to place his hand on her knee.
"I'll take it.. I need out of here anyways. And Muggle studies might teach me a little something about how to live nowadays. Everything is so different I feel." Draco agreed and tried to give Hermione a smile that never made it to his eyes.
