Apologies for the late update. Mid-terms. Plus this is the next to last chapter so I guess I sort of don't want it to end. Enjoy Chapter 25.
Harry and Ginny started to clean the kitchen.
"Okay I'd say it's time to get you back to the hospital." Draco stood and offered his hand to Hermione.
"What? I'm not going back there. It's our wedding night, Draco." Hermione complained.
"Hermione, you weren't even supposed to leave. They only let you go for the night because I told them what I was doing and they all thought it was romantic."
"It was romantic and I'd like to have a romantic night as well." Hermione smirked but it faded when she heard Harry groan, reminding her that him and Ginny were still in the room.
"Hermione-"
"Draco-"
"Actually," they heard a voice other than their own, "I agree with Hermione." Draco's eyes shot at Ginny. "Well I sort of have a surprise for you both." They both looked at her, begging for her to continue. She walked over to a drawer and pulled out a key then handed it to Draco. "Take my hand." She held out her hand for them both to take hold of.
"Ginny, do you really think this is a good idea?" Draco pleaded.
"Draco Malfoy shut up and realize that you're about to get laid." Ginny snapped.
Harry spat out his drink and started coughing.
"What about Draco?"
"He will obviously stay where he's at; sleeping upstairs in the nursery with James."
Hermione took Ginny's arm and looked at Draco who sighed and reluctantly put his hand there as well.
They arrived at a place unfamiliar to them both. "Ginny where are we?" Hermione inquired.
"This," She opened her arms wide to a small cottage, "is your honeymoon suite. Now please go inside, strip each other naked and have long, passionate, newlywed sex." She smiled and then she was gone.
Hermione's cheeks had turned red again. Draco suddenly swept Hermione up in his arms.
She screamed slightly, "What the bloody hell are you doing?"
"Carrying you across the threshold." He smiled as he opened the door.
Once they were inside they saw a fire burning and a room surrounded in candles. Draco placed Hermione on her feet and she walked into the room.
"This is incredible."
Draco leaned against the wall, admiring her still in her wedding dress.
"You look beautiful." He found himself saying. She turned around and he could have sworn it was slow motion. His heart began to race at how gorgeous she was. He suddenly couldn't stop thinking about how he wanted to take the dress off.
"Draco? What are you looking at?" Hermione giggled, slightly embarrassed.
He slowly walked over to her and caressed her face. "I love you." He then slowly leaned in for a kiss. It was no ordinary kiss. It was passionate and gentle but she could tell this was the kiss that would lead them to be naked in the morning.
He continued to kiss her and brought her short frame close to his tall one and lifted her off the floor slightly then setting her right back down.
"I want to make love to you, forever." She whispered seductively as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt.
He closed his eyes for he knew that forever wasn't going to last long, but he continued anyways by unzipping her dress which immediately fell to the floor, much like the first time they made love. She tore off his shirt and soon they were lying on the floor next to the warm fire, naked. He slowly kissed down her neck releasing a moan from her. He caressed her breast and got the same response. All too soon they had consummated their marriage and they fell asleep in each other's arms.
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The next morning they awoke in the same position, only the fire had burned out as had all the candles. He held her tight against his chest.
"Thank you for last night." Hermione mumbled. "I'll never forget it."
"Anything for you." Draco kissed her forehead.
"I can't wait to start our life together." She continued. He tightly closed his eyes again trying to push away tears. He felt an enormous wave of guilt flash over him. He knew he had to tell her. When he didn't respond she sensed something was wrong. "Draco? Are you still there?" She laughed lightly.
He nodded, "Yeah," was all he could manage without letting tears fall. He swallowed hard as he tried to prepare himself for what he was about to say. "There's something I need to tell you."
She didn't catch the worry and the pain in his voice. "Tell me anything," she said happily.
"When I found out that it was my father who tortured you, I went to Malfoy Manner." He paused trying not to sob. "I went there with intentions of killing my father," he took a deep, shaky breath, "They're going to come for me. They're going to take me. They're going to take me to Azkaban."
Hermione shot up with a blanket still wrapped around her. "What are you talking about, Draco?" He could see the tears welling up in her eyes, much like his.
He too then sat up, "I think I killed my father, Hermione."
"What do you mean you think?" She demanded.
He lowered his head, ashamed of himself. "I used the sectumsempra spell on him and left him for dead. I'm not sure if he made it."
She closed her eyes and tears escaped, "So that's what this was all about? You knew that you'll be in prison within the next few days."
He took her face in her hands, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. "I did that because I wanted you to be my wife."
"You did it because you were out of time." Hermione snapped.
"So what? So what if I wanted to give you a wedding before we were torn apart? Is that wrong? Is it wrong that I cared about you so much to do that for you?" She didn't respond. Instead she just cried. He leaned his forehead against hers and put a hand at the back of her neck. "I'm so sorry. I never wanted this."
"I wanted a life with you. We were going to have children and grow old together and die together." She managed to mumble.
"I know. I know. We will. When I get out, we'll have our life together."
She sighed and stood. She eyed a dresser in the corner of the room and walked over to it. Just as she had thought, Ginny had filled it with clothes. She pulled out a white silk robe and slipped it on. Draco stood and threw on his black pants and white button up.
"Azkaban isn't meant to be a pleasant place, Draco. By the time you get out, you'll be gone. Your mind will never be the same."
"I'm going to fight. I'm not going to let the dementors have me." He swiftly walked over to her and took her face in his hands again. "I love you and I will come back to you. You hear me?" She nodded her head not being able to look at him. "Promise me something okay? Promise me you'll be there when I come back. Promise me you won't stop loving me. Promise me forever." She nodded her head.
"Will you just lay with me?" She asked simply.
"Of course."
She relit the fire with her wand and then laid back down on the blankets. He followed and soon they were in their previous position.
Hours passed with silence filling the room until Draco finally spoke. "When I get out we'll move to a bigger house and we can continue our family. I think two more kids would be perfect. What about you?"
She smiled. "Two kids sound good."
"I want a girl, just like you." He said peacefully.
"You do?" She sounded surprised.
"Yeah of course I do. You're beautiful, smart, talented, everything. I hope she has your eyes."
"No. Your eyes are better. They're captivating." They looked at each other staring into one another's eyes.
"What would you name her?" He asked curiously.
She smiled, "Molly."
He smiled at her knowing that Molly Weasley had always been like a mother to her and to him for that matter. "Molly Hermione Malfoy."
She laughed. "Okay. Molly Hermione Malfoy it is." She snuggled into his chest. Then they heard a loud knocking on the door and they both immediately stood then they stared at each other.
"Ministry of Magic! Open up!" Their worst fears were confirmed.
Hermione instantly started crying. Draco engulfed her in a hug. "I love you. I'll come back for you." He pressed his lips to hers slowly so that each of them remembered how it felt to love.
"I love you too."
He kissed her forehead and then opened the door.
There were two men in black, one started to read a paper. "Draco Lucius Malfoy, you are under magical arrest for the murder of Lucius Malfoy using the Sectumsempra curse. You will be taken to Azkaban where you will await trial." The other man pointed his wand at Draco and his wrists were bound with chains. "You're trial will be in approximately five to seven days where the Department of Magical Law Enforcement will decide your fate."
He took one last look at Hermione who was of course sobbing but managed to say something, "I'll wait for you."
He nodded and then suddenly her husband was taken by the two men and she fell to the floor as the door closed, crying.
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"Hermione? What are you doing here? What's wrong?" Ginny inquired as Hermione entered the living area of Grimmauld Place and sat down on the couch sobbing.
"They took him. They took him." Was all she could manage to keep saying.
Ginny knew what her best friend was talking about she just wasn't expecting them to come so soon. She sat down on the couch next to Hermione and wrapped her in a hug. "Shhhh. It's okay. He'll be back. He will never forget you."
"What's wrong?" Harry walked in the room form down stairs carrying James.
Ginny shot a look at look at him and he immediately sat James down in the playpen and sat on the other side of Hermione.
"I'm so sorry Hermione. I should have followed him that day." Harry confessed feeling extremely guilty and sad for his best friend.
"Maybe he won't even be locked up. I mean he has a trial right? He can just say he did it because Lucius tortured you to near death." Ginny sympathetically stated.
"He killed him Ginny and what proof do they have that Lucius tortured me?"
"You could go testify. We all will." Ginny added.
Harry sat silently for he too knew that Draco had almost no hope.
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One week later Harry sat at the kitchen table reading the Daily Prophet.
He saw the article that he had been searching for. "DRACO MALFOY SENTENCED TO 2 YEARS IN AZKABAN." He continued to read. "Approximately one week ago, Draco Lucius Malfoy, former Death Eater, was arrested for the murder of Lucius Malfoy, his own father who was also a Death Eater, using the Sectumsempra curse. His trial was held yesterday morning. Evidently Mr. Malfoy stormed into the home of his mother and father and began yelling at his father, accusing him of torturing Mrs. Hermione Malfoy, formerly Hermione Granger, best friend of Harry Potter and brains of the Golden Trio. Mrs. Malfoy was reportedly tortured and beat to near death and hospitalized for more than a month. However, there was no evidence that this was performed by Lucius Malfoy. There were five people to testify for this. Mr. Malfoy did indeed use the sectumsempra curse to kill his father and the ministry has decided that he will be sentence to two years in Azkaban and will then have another trial to decide if he should be released at the end of those two years."
Harry folded the paper as he finished the article and set it back down on the table. He listened carefully as he heard crying from upstairs and put his face in his hands, knowing that the crying wasn't coming from his son nor was it coming from his nephew. The sobs were coming from his best friend who had yet again lost the one she loved.
Don't be mad. I'm going to have to ask you to trust me one last time. I think you all will enjoy the ending. Thanks for reading.