Part three

Lucius lay in a crippled heap on the rotting wooden floor of the dusty, dark shack of a house. Draco just stood, looking upon his dead father. For so long had Draco wished he had done it all those years ago, but now he had; well, he wasn't quite sure how he felt. He was so certain that he would feel so proud and purely happy the day Lucius died, but now that he had his whole body felt riddled with guilt. Lucius had made Draco's life hell from the day he was born; beating him and his mother; using him in ways to serve Lord Voldermort or the other Death-Eaters. But now... he was a murderer. He always would be from now on. He could never shake that off; that feeling of knowing.

He took a deep breath and stepped over Lucius's body towards the front door. He pulled the door open by the large iron handle. As it slammed behind him when he entered the outside world once again, he leaned back on the door and closed his eyes as he sighed deeply and regret flowed thickly into his veins...

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Hermione, meanwhile, was trying to carry on at work as normal. She got the usual stares for the bruises that made up her face, but she didn't care about that. Draco still wasn't back. She wondered whether Draco had perhaps decided to come into work yet. He hadn't been there when she arrived in the morning though. As they both worked in the Ministry of Magic, it wasn't difficult getting in touch with each other usually.

She got up from her desk in her office on level six: "Department of Magical Transportation, incorporating the Floo Network Authority, Broom Regularity Control, Portkey office and Apparation Test Centre", and made her way down to level two: "Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use Of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration Services".

Both Draco and Harry were Aurors, so Hermione went down the corridor to Draco's office cautiously in the hope of avoiding Harry.

She tapped on Draco's office door, but to her surprise (to put it mildly) Harry opened it. He looked at her in great surprise too; obviously he didn't think Hermione would stop working for a second to come down to see her husband. He was about to speak so Hermione cut in before he could mention the previous night's discussion.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked bluntly. Why would Harry be in Draco's office?

"The Minister asked I get all the paperwork and files concerning the past year's incidents that the Aurors have had to deal with. As your delightful husband hasn't bothered to turn up today, I had to find the reports myself. Okay?" he told Hermione cynically.

"Oh." was all she said in response.

"I take it by the look on your face you were expecting Malfoy to be here. So what happened; he didn't bother to come home last night?" Harry continued.

"He was probably just feeling too ashamed to face me." Hermione told Harry, her voice shaking.

She knew that couldn't be the reason, but she couldn't exactly tell Harry that. She began to think about what had happened last night: how had everything turned out so that she had currently lost her husband and her oldest and best friend? As she thought about this, she had forgotten she was stood in the doorway of Draco's office with Harry in front of her. Tears welled up to her eyes and she stepped aside silently to let him past. Harry left without another word and she stepped into the large office of her husband's. She closed the door behind her, leant back against it and slumped down to the floor with her head in her hands and tears spilling onto her bruised face.

Why was he doing this to her? She may not have always been the perfect wife to Draco, but he was far from calling himself the perfect husband. Of course, in Hermione's eyes he was perfect. Harry couldn't understand it: he never would have dared imagine back in Hogwarts that Hermione would ever have allowed herself to be used and hurt like she was now by Draco. She had been so strong-minded when she was younger and never allowed herself to be worn down. He couldn't figure out what happened; how they'd fallen in love right under his nose; how she'd been able to lie to Ron and him for so many months.

He hated what he'd allowed to evolve and now he had no power to stop it. Now he just had to watch as the woman he loved got hit and abused by his worst enemy. And now they weren't even talking made him feel that much more useless. At least when they were friends he could keep an eye out for her and she had somebody she could trust if things got really bad. But whom did she have now? No one.

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It had been four days now since Hermione had last seen her husband. She didn't know where he was, or if indeed he was even alive. He always liked getting into fights, especially when he'd had a drink or two, and she wondered if perhaps he was lay in a ditch somewhere. She tried to put that thought to the back of her mind and carry on as normal. However, when in the shelter of the night, in the cover of darkness, alone in their bed, she would lay and cry for him. Why had he done this? She loved him so much and he should know by now that she'd forgive him, so Hermione wondered why he still wasn't back. Maybe it was just that he didn't love her anymore. After all, he didn't treat her in the most loving way.

As time went on and Draco still didn't return, Hermione eventually got into her own routine and started to put thought of Draco away for as long as possible. She would still think of him and wonder where he was, but she was less worried. He was a big boy; he could look after himself, and if he was choosing not to come home, she decided she would accept that and move on.

That was a fine plan, until just three weeks later Hermione became worried: she hadn't had her period and she began to feel nauseous in the mornings. At first she put it down to the stress of Draco leaving, but she had to face it eventually: she was pregnant. She took a test to be sure, which confirmed her suspicions, and then she made an appointment at the doctors to make sure everything was okay with the baby. She had no idea where Draco was, and really needed to speak to him: he was going to be a father. She couldn't have a baby on her own. How would she cope?

She picked up the phone that had been in the muggle apartment before they moved in and called Ginny's phone. Hermione and Harry, having been brought up in the muggle world obviously knew how to use a telephone, but the Weasleys and Draco were very put out to have one and found them most complicated. Ginny was just getting used to hers though.

"Hello?" she shouted down the phone, almost deafening Hermione.

"Ginny, I thought I told you- you don't need to shout- I can hear you fine if you talk normally okay?" Hermione told her as if she was explaining to a child.

"Oh, right, sure. Is this okay?" Ginny replied, lowering her voice slightly.

"Yeah. Look Gin, I really need to tell you something- it's kind of important." Hermione told her. She couldn't think of anybody else she could turn to that she could tell about the pregnancy, now that she didn't have Harry.

"Well make it quick then. I'm leaving in a minute. I must say, I'm really hurt you didn't come round to say goodbye." Ginny told her friend.

New Zealand. Hermione had totally forgotten that today was the day Ginny and Lavender were going to New Zealand for seven months for the Ministry.

"Oh, I'm sorry Ginny! Look, contact me when you get there okay? I want to hear all about it! Say 'hi' to Lav for me!" she replied.

"Sure. Anyway, what was it you wanted to say? I've got to start loading the cases in a minute."

"Oh, it really doesn't matter. It's nothing that can't wait. You don't want to miss your flight!" Hermione brushed it off.

"I don't know why we have to travel muggle style! I mean, okay, so it's pretty dangerous to use a portkey to get to the other side of the world, but I'd rather risk that than sit in a cabin for twenty-four hours!"

"Well you know, you've got death on the one hand; a really attractive option there, then you've got sitting down for a day. I know which one I'd opt for any day!" Hermione joked in reply. "Anyway, have a great time and ENJOY yourself!"

"Don't worry about that; I intend to!"

"See you in seven months then!"

"Aw, bye Hun! I'll miss you so much!"

"Me too," Hermione replied, while trying to make her happy voice sound convincing. She tried to hold back the tears that were welling in her eyes at the thought of losing that last person she could talk to.

"Bye then!" Ginny continued in her usual bubbly tone.

"Bye Gin."

The phone line went dead as Ginny hung up the phone, and Hermione slowly slouched down to sit on the cream sofa and put the handset of the cordless phone back down on the coffee table next to her. The table also had on it Hermione and Draco's wedding picture. They both looked so happy. How could it have all changed so much?

Harry answered his ringing phone. He suspected it would be Ginny calling for a last goodbye.

"Hello?... what do you-...okay...no, of course- its fine...don't worry...see you in ten then, bye."

That was the call he least expected to receive that evening. He grabbed his jacket and headed round.

Hermione opened the door to see Harry's friendly face.

"Hey." she greeted him. She didn't know what to say really after what had happened last month.

"Hey." he replied. "So, are you going to let me in or do I have to stand in the hallway all night?" he asked with a smile.

"Of course, come in." Hermione replied. She moved out of the doorway and went into the lounge area, leaving Harry to close the door behind him.

"So, what's this all about then? What were you so worried about over the phone?" he asked concernedly.

"Well, first of all, I want you to know I'm really sorry about what happened. I shouldn't have gone off at you like that. I know you were just looking out after me and I appreciate that, but I guess I couldn't handle the truth. I am so sorry, and ...I've missed you."

Harry just looked at her in shock.

"Whoa. Well, I've got to say, I wasn't expecting a full blown apology like that, Hermione!" Harry confessed. Hermione never had been big on apologies. She usually said she was sorry quietly and then moved on.

"So, um, do you accept?" she asked as her head faced down and she raised her eyebrows and chocolate brown eyes in a sorrowful way so Harry couldn't refuse.

"Of course I do, you daft thing! How could I refuse those puppy dog eyes?" he laughed.

"Well, okay then. Now that I've told you that, its time for the big news I have to tell you," Hermione continued.

"The apology wasn't the thing you had to tell me?" Harry asked, surprised.

They heard keys from the landing outside the apartment. Harry looked at her questioningly.

"Don't worry, its just my upstairs neighbours- they tend to get drunk of a Friday night and usually try their key in every apartment thinking it's theirs, until they manage to climb the top flight of stairs and find their own. They'll go away in a minute." Hermione explained. "But anyway, what I had to tell you was, well the thing is, okay, well... I'm pregnant."

"You bitch!" said an old familiar voice from the figure that just entered the room.

"Draco! How did you... where have you been? I've been so worried about you. I didn't-"

"I knew it! I always said you two were at it, didn't I?" he shouted as he came out of the doorway.

"No, Draco, its not what you-"

"Isn't it? I come home to find you two looking nice and cosy in my flat and you're telling him you're pregnant! How is that not what I think?"

"Yes, but he's not the father! You are! How could you even think that I would cheat-"

"Whatever! Look, I don't even want to look at you right now! I don't know why I bothered coming back at all! I should have known!"

"Hey, she's telling the truth, okay? Hermione and me are not-"Harry began arguing.

"Whatever pretty boy! I don't care what you've got to say. But you," Draco looked at his wife, who had tears silently running down her face again, "you stupid little bitch!" he raised his voice once more and turned to leave again.

"Wait! Draco, please," Hermione called after him as he made his way down the stairs he had not so long ago climbed up.

She ran down the stairs after him and as she came to the turning point in the staircase, she tripped and fell to the bottom...

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TBC