Hermione, Michael, and Helena were all sitting at the dining table for their breakfast when a letter dropped in front of Hermione.

"What is it dear?" Michael asked, noticing the concerned look on her face as she read

She shook her head, "Nothing. Nothing at all… Helena, could you clear your plate and go upstairs? Mummy and Daddy need to talk privately."

Helena smiled and left the room. After the couple counted to ten in their heads, Michael was the first to speak up. "What is it?"

"It seems as though I have a problem with my ex." She said slowly, "Remember when we sent those letters when all he did was send them back?"

"Yes?"

"Now he wants to go through with it." She smiled. "Finally!"

"Wait…" He took the letter, "Why now? Why after four years did he decide to take interest in your divorce?"

"I don't know." She said quietly. "Maybe he… oh."

The Daily Prophet had a cover story on the soon marriage of Draco Malfoy and Giselle Hawthorne.

Hermione picked up the paper in rage. "I think I know why! He's probably getting married, and wants a divorce so he can go through with it. That bastard!"

"Dear, lets keep in mind there is an eight year old sitting in her bedroom wondering why we wanted our privacy." He whispered. "Let's keep our language to a minimal."

She frowned and stared angrily at the letter.

Michael hugged her from behind and rested his head on the nook of her shoulder. "But I do agree. He is a bastard for doing this to you. Now why don't we schedule a meeting with this guy, and see what we can do."

"No. That's the reason why I left him." She quivered. "He wouldn't dare see me with him in public."

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Draco Malfoy paced his study when Giselle popped in from her daily shopping trip. "Sweetie, you're home!"

"Stay away from me, Giselle. I don't know if we can get married just yet." He grew angrier and angrier as time passed as he waited for a reply from… her

She froze. "What do you mean, we can't get married?"

"I need to get divorced first, and my ex-wife is being so… stubborn." Draco sneered at the clock. "Where is it!?"

"You're married? Rubbish." She scoffed, picking at her nails.

He held up his left hand to her face, "Do you see it? Do you see the ring?" all of his fingers had rings attached to it, but a small Hermione Forever was encrypted into the white gold wedding ring on his ring finger. "Do you see the welts this damned thing gave me?"

Giselle gasped and ran from the room, leaving Draco to vent his anger

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"Your detention will be alphabetizing the essays from twenty years ago and placing them neatly into a pile." Professor McGonagall said

Draco muttered an 'Easy' that only he could hear

"And no magic." She said before returning to her office, "No funny business… I can see you."

Draco's smirk vanished from his face, "What do you mean no magic?!"

"No wands, you twit." Hermione spat, "Now lets get this over with. The more we do the less we have to do tomorrow."

"Look-" Draco started, but the froze when he saw McGonagall peer through the door, "You're right."

"What?" She asked, "I'm right?"

"Yes." He sneered, "Now let's get back to work."

Hermione smiled, 'No. Not until you repeat it."

"Repeat what?"

"That I'm right."

"No." He scoffed, picking up one of the many stacks of paper

"Say it." She teased, "Say it- Say it- Say it- Say it-"

"No!" He yelled, "Get to work!"

"Mr. Malfoy! Do you want another detention?"

"No." He said through his teeth

He glared at Hermione, "Don't be a pain."

Hermione ignored this, smiling inside. He said she was right, and he didn't want to admit it.

The final day of their detention, Draco walked into the class room to find Hermione alone among the final stack of papers.

"Where's McGonagall?" He asked, sitting on one of the desks

"Out." Hermione replied, "She went to St. Mungo's for the weekend."

"Oh." He murmured, "Is that all that's left?"

"Yes. If we get this done then we can continue on with our lives." She laughed, "Then we wouldn't be here for our evenings."

He picked up the first paper, "Greg Schmidt, 1983. 'It is a smart decision to turn into an animal at will. A frog would be stupid, because you could be eaten. A hawk would be clever, but you would be noticed. That is why a dog or any other domesticated animal would be the better choice for an animagus.' Not bad."

Hermione giggled, "Not this one. This girl is talking about how mice are the dominant species, even to humans. Oh, she received a low mark."

Draco laughed. Not a sarcastic laugh, but a genuine laugh that he hadn't heard in years.

Hermione felt awkward. She never heard him laugh before, and for her to hear it now was freaking her out. Was he going to pull out a knife and slice her? Or was he actually laughing?

Hermione went back to the pages when Draco started talking again, "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"How can you pretend to be someone your not?"

Hermione felt her face getting hot, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't deny it. I have been watching you for the past few days. You make everyone around you believe that you know all the answers, when really you're just as scared as the rest of us."

"You don't know what you're talking about…" Hermione choked, "And I've been watching you, too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You act like a bad ass, when in the end you're just a softie."

"Now that's where you're wrong. I act the way I am. Never have I wished I wasn't, and never will I be something else."

They glared at each other, hoping the other to say something they could argue. As the minutes passed, so did their patience.

"Your right about me," Hermione said after silence, "I am scared."

"I knew it!" Draco said triumphantly, "I figured you out!"

"Why would you?" She asked, "To find the 'real' Hermione? To understand the real person behind this mask?"

"No." He spat, "It was just easy. You spend enough time with a person when she is off guard, you learn about them."

"You know onething. Don't go bragging." Hermione scoffed, "Besides, You may be mean to everyone, but when you find the one person who you care about enough, then you will suddenly realize that life isn't all that bad."

"Please Granger. I don't even care about my own mother." He mused

"That's cold." Hermione said, "Not even loving your own mum."

Draco grew angry. "You have no idea who she is."

"She gave birth to you."

"She didn't want me." He spat

"She raised you."

"No she didn't. She didn't even look at me in the face until I was ten."

Hermione smiled, "She put up with you."

"Put up with me? How is that hard?"

Hermione laughed, "You don't know, do you? It's hard for the people around you to put up with your crap."

"Shut up." He sneered, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes I do. I know exactly what I'm talking about."

Draco had the urge to slap her, but he didn't want McGonagall to pop in at any moment and see him abusing her.

"You don't see the people around you are scared of you. They don't like you. They pity you."

"Shut up, mudblood." He growled

"-You don't trust your own mother because she doesn't like you. You need to realize that everyone around you wants to kill you, you're so annoying."

"Are you done?" He sneered

"No." She laughed, "I wish."

He glared at her, inching his way to her. If he hit her, she would shut up but then tell McGonagall who would tell Dumbledore who would tell his father who would get angry at him for causing havic and disrupting the family order by making him communicate with the old bat some people call 'Headmaster'.

If he called her names, she would cry and do the same thing as if he were to hit her.

What could he do?

"You're angry, upset, worn, stupid, and I am pretty sure people have used you. Then again you have used everyone I know… You insult everyone because they are below you. You can't get the hint that not many people love you, if any,"

Draco stood inches from her

"One last thing. You're weak. You're the weakest person I know. You're weaker then-"

He kissed her. The only thing he could do but didn't even think of was to kiss her.

At first it was light, but then became deeper and deeper. It seemed as if time around them had stopped.

She kissed him back, forgetting everything she had just said

He picked her up and sat her down onto the table; her legs opened enough to wrap them around him.

They didn't take off each other's clothes. They didn't move south on one another.

He kissed her deeper and more passionately. Hermione put her hand to his face for needed support while Draco's hands ran through her hair, feeling every frizzled curl.

His eyes opened and he noticed who he was kissing. Draco quickly pulled away, shock and fear running in his mind.

"What did we do?" He asked

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