About 2 years ago...

Pain. Unimaginable pain. Bellatrix laughing in her ear at the pain, She yelled the question repeatedly in her ear. Hermione just wanted it to stop, tears streaming down her face. This was the first time she felt truly defenseless, the first time she badly wanted to die. To give up so the pain would stop, so she could stop fighting. There was no convincing Bellatrix no matter what she said. The crucio curse was too much and Hermione was unable to move, frozen in pain and fear. She looked down at the blood on her arm, remnants of tears blurring out most of the branding.

Her eyes shot open as she quickly jolted upright from the bed. It took her a moment to realize the war was won a long time ago and she was safe in her bed. As if to double check, Hermione lifted her arm, holding it by her wrist with her other hand. There in faint scar marks that had the writing, "mudblood". It served as a constant reminder of that night and her dirty blood that contaminated her body. Some nights she could go along fine with herself and her blood status, but there were times, specifically after those dreams, where she felt like the most disgusting creature on the planet.

She looked over to find the space next to her bed finding it empty. Ron had been gone for a week now on a case that he said would only take a day. Of course she didn't blame Ron for things like this. It was a rare occurrence that Ron would be out of the house for so long, she knew that Ron was out with his best friend solving crimes in the wizarding world, and she was proud of Ron for all the hard work he occasionally does. There were times when Hermione enjoyed the independence when he was gone, however, it was nights like these when she needed Ron. She needed a shoulder to cry on and someone to tell her everything was okay. Although, Hermione was indeed contradicting herself. She was craving Ron's comfort when she hadn't even told him about the reoccurring nightmares. This was something she wanted to take care of herself. Ron did not need to worry and get involved, there were far more important things to worry about, like Rose and Hugo and her work. By keeping these things in mind she could be distracted from the minor nuisance in her head.

Tears slipped down her cheeks, this nightmare was more vivid and realistic than the previous ones she had experienced. Hermione got out of bed and went over to her medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Although there were many magical methods for Hermione's relief, Muggle medication was the one of the few things she didn't keep in the Muggle world after discovering she was a witch. Hermione opened the bottle and tilted it into her hand only to have nothing came out. This was the one thing she hated about Muggle medicine. Groaning, she placed the lid back on the bottle and stored it back into the cabinet. Hermione decided she would not be able to go back to bed and changed into something more socially appropriate. After changing, she grabbed her wand and told her free, paid house elf, Dotty, to watch the kids and she was heading out to run errands. Dotty insisted that she could do the errands, Hermione thanked Dotty for the offer but declined. She felt bad about leaving her children alone, but she was justifying herself by needing fresh air to clear her mind. She started walking around the town trying to put her mind at ease. The images haunted her, how even after all these years she was still thing about the Battle of Hogwarts.

She stopped after who knows how long outside a pub with a sign that read "The Fountain of Fair Fortune". If it weren't for the nightmare that still swirled in her mind, Hermione would've never stepped inside, then again, if it weren't for the nightmares, she would've never would've left her bed. Letting the door shut behind her, Hermione took a seat at the bar and ordered a Firewhisky. After she got the glass, Hermione immediately downed it. Tonight was definitely not a typical night. The first one was just to get the bite out as quick as she could, the others she took a bit slower with a draught of beer. It didn't take longer than an hour for Hermione to start feeling a whole lot better. She let the alcohol drip away all her horrible thoughts until it was just her, the glass, and the bar man. At one point she looked over to see a white haired man enter the pub. Draco Malfoy. Just seeing his face was enough to sober her up a little, feeling the slight sobriety kick in she quickly took another shot.

As if Draco had sensed her presences he saw her and walked over. Curiosity leading him to the former Hogwarts student in her year. It wasn't like Granger to be seen in the middle of the night at a bar. "Fancy seeing you here, Granger," he set his coat down and took a seat.

"I could say the same about you Malfoy," it was evident from her words she was drunk, "and it's Weasley now."

"Right, Granger, I just think it's odd to randomly find a face in a crowd like this who you don't see in a place like this." Draco finally ordered a Dragon Scale ale from the bar man. "How about I keep you company. They say it's never good to drink alone."

Hermione puffed, "And why do you care?" She asked spitefully as she took a sip from her beer.

"Not saying I do, but it's polite to offer."

"Right, you, polite." "Yes, Granger, I was raised in a polite society where offering your company to others was-"

"Will you stop calling me that?" Hermione slammed her bottle down. "After I asked you not to call that, you continuously do it. You're like a child!"

Draco scoff, "You know what, fine, be that way. I was just trying to be nice, but you can forget it."

He got up from the stool and was about to leave when Hermione grabbed his arm. "Wait," she took a breath, "I'm sorry." The breath didn't seem to help, tears threatened to spill again. "I had a rough night," Draco sat back next to Hermione. He was curious to say the least. It wasn't often Draco had a nice chat with a member of the Golden Trio. In fact, none of them ever got to talk as equal. He never really had interest in the past, but in this moment, sitting next to an intoxicated Hermione Granger, or now Hermione Weasley as she wanted to be called, he couldn't help but to be the tiniest bit intrigued. "Why are you here? It's three in the morning?"

"Actually," Draco took a look a his watch, "It's closer to five."

"Same question still applies," Hermione slurred her words. Although she couldn't believe how much time had passed. Had she really been drinking that long? Well that explained a lot.

"Astoria and I had a fight, she thinks I spend too much time with my collections," Draco took a sip from his drink.

"Collections?" "It's nothing, really," another sip. "Your turn, why are you drunk at a pub so early in the morning?"

Hermione was silent, now embarrassed as to how she trying to solve her problems. "Just a question, out of curiosity, do you get nightmares?"

"Why do you-"

"Just answer the question." Hermione looked at Draco sternly. It was obvious that the question was about Hermione.

"On occasion," Draco thought back to his nightmares. The last one he had was a week ago. The therapy Astoria made him attend helped, but his guilt ran far too deep to heal any wound. The nightmares weren't often, but when they came, they hit hard.

"Ron's not home at the moment, off being the brave man he's become. It's hard, though, when he is sometimes." The tears ran down her cheeks and they wouldn't stop. "It's been 10 years and I'm still terrified some days," she held her scarred arm. "This isn't me. I have to go." Hermione placed a few sickles on the counter and rushed out of the pub and down the road. Suddenly out of nowhere she was pushed against the wall and held by her shoulders, "No! Get off me!" Hermione was suddenly flashed back to when she was 18 and running away from Snatchers and trying to find the Horcruxes, when all of the sudden they are trapped. Snatchers grabbed her and her friends and they're forced to Malfoy Manor where-

"Hermione, it's me!"