Draco Malfoy's whole life was based on lies. Everyone always assumed that he hated all muggleborns, because he called them "mud bloods." He didn't. They also thought he hated one Hermione Granger, because he picked on her hair and her teeth and her studious ways. He didn't. He may have disliked her at first, all pureblood children went to school disliking muggleborns, except the Weasleys. His childhood had been one of whispered propaganda. By the time he first walked onto Platform 9 ¾ he assumed he was better than all others.
It took a day to realize he was wrong.
Ironically, it was Professor Snape who helped him see the truth. The first day of Potions, Professor Snape had been asking Potter to answer questions that Draco didn't even know. But Granger did. This scared Draco, because it made her superior, so he did the first thing that popped into his head, he mocked her raised hand. Pansy had laughed, so Draco made a habit of picking on the poor Gryffindor. It gave him excuses to watch her, and he always did. He was probably the only one in their fourth year to realize she must have been given a time turner, but he didn't tell anyone.
During the Final Battle, he finally had a chance to show her the reason why he'd always been watching her. Show her that he didn't hate her, that his feeling were quite the opposite. After Potter tricked the Dark Lord into his suicide, Draco had grabbed Granger's hand, pulling her into the empty hallway where they had first met. She didn't believe his love for her. He didn't blame her.
It was twenty years later, no one had taken the place of her. Not even his wife, chosen because she looked like his favorite witch. He had known for years that if he couldn't be with the witch he loved, he would not marry a witch. After everything his father had told him, there was no way he would ever marry a pureblood. Muggle or muggleborn, nothing else for him. That would prove to his witch that he wasn't as evil as she thought.
After his wife had died, Draco had mourned her, more than he had the idiot Crabbe, or the insipid Pansy, but not as much as he would his soul mate. Dropping off Scorpius, he had realized that his love didn't look quite right. Yes, she had grown into her hair. Yes, her teeth hadn't been so big since years before school was out. It wasn't a physical difference, it was a mental. He couldn't place it. When he had picked up his son, he noticed the slight shimmer of a glamour on her shoulder, but there was nothing out of place, or overly made up about her. He realized then what had happened.
He cried himself to sleep that night. Scorpius had thought it was him still mourning for his wife, not knowing Draco was crying for the sweet witch he had fallen in love with years before.
He spent the next few days thinking constantly of the woman he loved, and how much pain she had to be in. He wondered, vaguely, if she thought of him to, he knew she had to at least once a day as he sent his owl with the letters. He only wrote a sentence or two each time, but knew she'd understand, even though he was only pulling words out of the stream of his thoughts,
At night, he dreamt of running to her. Running to take her away from the pain she'd been living in. He had the whole moment planned out. She'd say "is it really you, or am I dreaming?" He'd shake his head and quietly whisper, "you're not dreaming." Then he'd help her pack and bring her to his own house. To the manor that only years ago had been a shrine to the dark. Now it was a home, one that he would gladly share with her.
Every morning he'd awake with his pulse pounding, ready to go. This had happened for weeks. Today it was different though, today he had woken to an owl. The letter tied to it's leg had one word. "Now." Quickly he got dressed, grabbed his Firebolt, and flew to the woman he loved. Today he had a mission.
Author's Note: Sorry this took so long. Been out of town, and the internet doesn't always want to connect. Next chapter should be quicker and longer. This is just a filler chapter . Thanks for everyone's reviews, I'm so glad everyone seems to like it.
