Wow. Did not mean to write this, but here I am at 2 in the morning typing this random idea and turning it into... something? A story maybe? One Shot? Who knows... Read it or don't, i'll probably still finish it regardless :)

There was a heaviness to the day, reminding her of the feeling that consumed her the day she obliviated her parents all those years ago. The weight began to present itself early that morning. She felt it in her bones, almost as if someone had filled her insides with lead overnight. Her initial instinct was to remain in bed and sleep until the day passed knowing it was going to be hard enough to see her ex-fiancé with his new wife on his arm without the help of the dreadful feeling forming inside her.

She hadn't always been this miserable. In fact, her life now was more than anything she could have dreamed of as a young child. Sure, she was upset after her and Ron decided to end things three years ago but it didn't take her long to pick herself back up again. For starters, she still had her amazing best friend. Harry helped her through the break up more times than she could count, with Ginny away for her quidditch matches he had more free time on his hands after work... but it wasn't like her and Ron stopped talking. They still spent time together, always with Harry present to smooth out the awkward cloud that would form if they were left alone for too long. So all in all, it was almost as if nothing changed. Sure, she had officially been working for the Ministry for fives years, starting in the Department for the Regulation of Control of Magical Creatures and finally promoted to the Second Head Legislator in the Magical Law Enforcement- an incredibly exciting opportunity to make the real change she wanted in the Wizarding World.

So, for her to feel the heavy weight of dread this particular day was uncommon to say the least. Regardless, she made herself leave her small flat and head to the cemetery to meet Harry and Ron for the anniversary of the deaths of all those who lost their life during the Battle of Hogwarts.

After the ceremony Hermione stayed behind with Harry and Ron to visit a few of the other graves of those who had fallen. Each of them had said very few words to each other, feeling increasingly exhausted with the small talk with those who managed to visit the graves as well. It was something of a tradition for the members of Dumbledore's Army and it had slowly grew as the years stumbled on. It was bittersweet for Hermione, to be seeing most of her friends again. On the one hand it brightened her to see Luna and Neville talk endlessly about their Farm on the edge of Scottland and how they have three children who equally love to learn about the magical plants and creatures on their land and 'Yes, we really should come visit soon' and 'Is that so? I didn't even know Tenderlorkin's were such complex creatures' along with added scoffs from Ron and suppressed smirks from Harry... but on the other hand seeing everyone again reminded her of just how much had changed.

Later that night Hermione stood on the edge of the grounds look down where the Black Lake twinkled under the moonlight. McGonagall had chosen to bury the bodies of all the brave witches and wizards near Dumbledore's tomb, directly down the hill his body lay there were the vast collection stone hedges. In the moonlight now Hermione could almost pretend they weren't headstones at all but simple stones placed evenly across the grounds.

Ron had left shortly after their conversations with the few that lingered after Harry's short remembrance speech, something resembling a quote from Dumbledore's many words of wisdom, and Harry lingered a few hours after with her just walking along the grounds of Hogwarts, laughing and remembering the fonder memories they shared at the place their friendship began.

She was alone now and the heavy feeling in her bones remained. She understood now that her body was simply preparing itself for the amount of tears she would shed and the amount of pain that would resurface. It was sort of welcoming now as... Interesting how the body has even procured a way to adapt to grief-

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as something caught her eye below. She pulled her black cloak tighter around herself and tried to make out the shadowed form below.

It took her a moment to adjust her eyes to what she was seeing. The shadow was of course a person, as they seemed to be mumbling under their breath- almost as if they were arguing with themselves about something. It was quite possible she was imaging the bright halo of hair standing across the large field, but the terrible twisting knot in her stomach told her otherwise. Her feet had given into her curiosity and she had slowly moved down the hill until she was several yards from the figure she know knew to be none other than Draco Malfoy.

Suffocated. That was the final feeling that lingered as he thought of his late wife and it killed him to think that.

The last moments they shared together weren't in his Manor, or even walking through his mothers gardens- which happened to be his wife's favorite place to read on a Sunday afternoon. She would flip through a book about some desperately unfathomable romance and every few moments tilt the book down to watch Draco with their son, usually teaching him about flying or how to levitate the house elves for entertainment. She would either voice her opinions about the proper age to begin learning how to fly was not, in fact, four but ten years old- or how the house elves are not meant to be played with, but instructed to obey. Draco would politely listen and then when she turned back to her reading, move deeper into the gardens maze to show their son how to properly sit on a broom.

No... their last moments were not spent in the open air or even an open room. Their last moments were spent in St. Mungo's, surrounded by panicked doctors and the entire Greengrass family begging him to save her.

He didn't.

She died.

She left him in that crowded room holding their son- their son who watched his mother die.

In the room that suffocated him... with people who hated him for letting her die.

And suffocated he felt everyday since. Especially right at this very moment even though he was outside, walking along the perimeter of the Forbidden Forrest waiting until the entire field of graves was empty.

He did this every year.

Astoria never understood why he did and he could never explain it to her either. There was a lot he couldn't explain to her. She hadn't been there. She hadn't seen any part of the war or who he was during it. All she knew was the shattered pieces of what remained and she had slowly picked up those pieces. Draco was sure that had she lived she could have found almost half of him and helped him form some semblance of a worthy man. She had given him Scorpius after all.

Scorpius, who was probably staying up too late waiting on his father to return. Scorpius, who was probably nuzzled into his grandmother's side as she read him a story of a heroic character who made all the right choices. Scorpius, who was the only silver lining in his life- the only person who truly looked at Draco and saw someone worthy of loving, unconditionally.

He was conceived three months into their marriage. Narcissa Malfoy and Elizabeth Greengrass wasted no time on encouraging a quick pregnancy, both having their separate reasoning for wanting it in such a rush. Astoria was more than happy to play the loving Pureblood wife, not concerned of the obligation, practically expecting it ever since they met two weeks before they were wed- only three months after the Battle of Hogwarts. It had sickened him at first, to be wed to someone so willing to give up so much of themselves to someone they hardly knew or wanted, but in the end he understood- she had never known any other way...

The first year was spent rebuilding his reputation. With the added support of Harry Potter himself, it was easily done. Serving only one month in Azkaban, he quickly focused on building his own path- apart from his mother and father. He was a Philanthropist in every since of the word, but hardly anyone was aware of this- deciding it better to remain anonymous, worried people may see him as just following in his father's footsteps in trying to buy his way into the Ministry. His true passion, though, lie in Alchemy. After several failed attempts to earn a position as an Unspeakable he was finally given the opportunity to study under an Argo Fleece, a former Unspeakable, an alchemist, and former instructor and close friend of Severus Snape. Shortly after Argo died, Draco was able to conduct a new potion to heal most common internal injuries quicker than the existing magic available. Most of the work he had done with Argo has helped him discover the magical healing potion and after presenting it to the Unspeakable's they eventually allowed him a preliminary position as a Personal Assistant to none other than Head Unspeakable Irene Montebello.

It took him the entirety of the past five years to move out of the preliminary position and would soon begin as an official Unspeakable, working in the Department of Mysteries. It was to be an incredibly exciting opportunity for him to finally prove that he could impact the Wizarding World for the better, though he knew any new discovery he put his name on would always be tainted by the past. The only reason he was able to introduce the new development in healing magic to the Ministry was by placing it under Argo's name.

He sighed to himself, pushing the worry of tomorrow out of his mind. He could feel the cold air whipping around him, but enjoyed the bitter sting it left across his skin. It helped him feel less of a miserable fake for coming to grieve the lives of those he put in danger. That was why it never made sense to Astoria- for him to return year after year just to be reminded of all the pain he caused, but he knew she couldn't understand and she never tried to.

He stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and moved quicker until he stood in front of the grave he always visited first- Fred Weasley.

Hermione tried to hold her breath. She tried to not make a single noise. She didn't want to disturb the utterly unsettling sight play out before her.

Draco Malfoy was squatting in front of a grave. A grave she knew entirely too well..

She took slow steps forward to confirm that it was, in fact, Fred Weasley's grave and that Draco Malfoy was, in fact, in front of his grave and her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. His shoulders rose and fall slowly as if he were trying to control his breathing. The twitch of her palm reminded her that she was acting terribly rude and she should probably make her presence known. Instead, she just waited... unsure what to do next.

"I know I told you this last year, but Scorp really can't go a week without visiting you and your brother's mockery of a business. He can't seem to get enough..."

He let out a small laugh. His voice was light, filled with a sense of comfortability and sincerity that she had only ever heard from him once before, during his trial...

I'm immensely grateful that both Harry Potter and Hermione Granger would speak on my behalf today. I am aware that I do not deserve either of their mercy, as I never awarded either of them as such. I hope that, given the verdict is in favor of my freedom, that I may live up to the courage and bravery the two of them presented during the war and eventually, possibly one day in the future I can repay them for the respect they have presented me with today. There will never be enough time in my life to begin to convince them, or any others effected by my decisions, that I am sincere when I say that I am sorry, but for now I would like them to know that I am, truly. I don't think I knew the consequences of what it meant to not choose what is right but what was easy... and I will tell my son one day of the bravery of the three Gryffindors with a sense of regret and pride; regret for not being the man my son would one day call a hero, and pride knowing that even so, those heroes awarded me a second chance to become one... for him.

Hermione remembered his speech right before the Wizengamot voted in his favor, sentencing a month in Azkaban, minor probation, and a short time of house arrest. She remembered being speechless and utterly dumbfounded at witnessing the sense of sincerity radiating from his very core. It had shocked her for the entire year following the trial and whenever she would hear his name brought up or read about him in the papers she would have a hard time envisioning her childhood bully as the same man who had so eloquently spoken on her and her friends involvement in the war; and of course she wouldn't be Hermione Granger if she didn't indulge in her curiosity.

After his trial Draco Malfoy had become some sort of an enigma for her. He had often been the focus of her late nights in the office, not him particularly, but his actions proceeding the trial. To the public he was quietly serving his probation at Malfoy Manor, biding his time before he could get his hands on his inheritance and begin business as usual, like his father; but Hermione wasn't so easily fooled. Narcissa Malfoy had often visited the Ministry in the following months, working with Kingsley, Harry and the other Aurors. She became a sort of informant on all things Death Eater related; their activities overseas that could potentially still be in progress, curse objects they hide around their estates and how to reverse them (Draco would be called in for this specific information as he was apparently a untapped wealth of knowledge on not only all things Dark Arts but how to stop it). Between the two of them, the Auror department was able to ensure the safety of the Wizarding community following the war and stop any imposing threats following in Voldemort's wake. Hermione only knew of such things because Harry Potter was her best friend, but to the public they were merely the lucky few who weren't sent off to Azkaban.

It quickly became difficult for Hermione to make any assumptions into the person Draco Malfoy truly was. It was because of this that she continued to wonder about him at all. Hermione kept an ear out for any mention of him, but eventually she heard very little, wondering for a time if he hadn't completely left Britain after being turned down by the Ministry so many times. She knew he had a wife and a son, but she hardly remembered Astoria Greengrass from school and had never laid eyes on his son.

It occurred to her during the first few years following the war that she focused heavily on the happenings of Malfoy's life as a way to ignore her relationship with Ron was falling apart. Malfoy's life wasn't her only distraction, but just one among the hundreds she found to ignore that Ron was unhappy and she would never, could never, be what he needed without giving up a piece of herself in the process.

Along with Draco and Narcissa Malfoy's contributions to the Law Department, Hermione began to take note of certain non-profits and reformation acts receiving random donations and had even played with the possibility that it was the Malfoy's doing. Contributing to the community often around the same time of year, this month to be exact...

Her mind stopped twirling the never-ending thoughts inside her head to realize that Draco Malfoy was now pushing his legs up from his squatting position and if he turned around he would see her watching him. She felt her palm twitch again and her wand dropped into her grasp and she quickly apparated away without another glance at the bright halo of blonde hair.

It was his first day and he was almost an hour early. He was standing in his Unspeakable robes, a dark blue that he felt was entirely too outlandish for him as he would much prefer black, staring at the entrance completely unmoving. Several people passed by him, hardly noticing him. He gripped his wand for some sort of familiarity and it didn't help in the slightest. He tried to imagine his son's face that morning before he felt, a sloppy grin on his son's features that mirrored his own, his hair fluffed too much on one side- the left, his preferred side to sleep on like his father. The image settled the anxious fluttering in his chest slightly. He was about to take a deep breath when he felt someone knock into his shoulder and a pile of papers went soaring in front of him, along with an odd blur of brown and then someone fell in front of him landing on all fours. He immediately tensed feeling annoyed at the interruption to his anxious thoughts, but quickly shoved it aside, welcoming the distraction.

"Oh- it's quiet alright- my fault really- must've been too excited-

It was a woman with unruly hair and as he leaned down to grab her elbow, muttering his apologies, then he hear her voice and found he couldn't move from his kneeling position beside her.

"-you see, this morning i'm presenting my plans for the Elves Reformation and Equality Act- and really should have been looking where I was going-"

After summoning her papers to her and placing them firmly under her other arm, she slowly turned to face him and the fluttering in his chest completely stopped, his heart dropping into the pit of his stomach and shrinking until he could feel nothing at all and everything at once. Her eyes held his for a moment. He noticed her swallow once as they both glanced down to wear his hand was resting on her elbow and then back at one another.

"M-Malfoy- I, um-"

They both shoved themselves to their feet and took a quick step backwards so they were no longer within reaching distance. He felt the blood rush from his face as she stuttered to meet his gaze. He wanted to smile and laugh at how clumsy she was, make a joke, tell her it was his fault for simply standing in the middle of the entryway, tell her he should be the one apologizing, really... but he didn't do any of those things. Instead, he just stared at her as she lifted a nervously shaking hand to push a piece of hair behind her ear and glanced up at him and then away again.

"I-I'm- I didn't mean to, um- I should just- right, I'm- Goodbye."

He watched her quickly turn on her heel and she was immediately lost in the sea of people shuffling to their respected offices. He remained standing there, starring after her for another twenty minutes.

His first day hadn't been as terrible as he expected it would have been. In fact, it had been fairly uneventful- unless you include his abrupt encounter with Hermione Granger early that morning, which he didn't- as he was focusing on forgetting it happened entirely. He couldn't think about her. He had spent too much time dwelling on the mistakes of his past and she was the ringleader of them all. Seeing her was like swimming in the pool of his tears in a pensive filled with his deepest regrets and when she could hardly look him in the eye-

No, he did not include his run in with Hermione Granger in his first day experience.

His boss, Head Unspeakable Irene Montebello, was surprisingly cordial towards him. She hardly spoke more than twenty words to him the entire day, but Draco found that much preferred that to the excessive chatter that came from the other offices he passed within the Ministry. Irene was odd, and Draco was sure she was not a very social person. She would often miss social cues and he found her abrupt way of saying exactly what was on her mind reminded him much of Luna Lovegood, save for the dreamy endearing way Lovegood would offer her opinion- Irene, would bluntly speak her mind even when never prompted.

"You're not capable of casting a Patronus." Irene had said after reading over his chart presented by the Ministry, collecting his merits from school and his studies following after with Agor.

"Correct." Draco said, his jaw tense.

"It's not unnecessary in our line of work. Learn it."

Draco said nothing. Instead, he waited for her to speak again, but she didn't until another hour later. Leaving him to stand quietly off to the side familiarizing himself with the instruments and odd set up of her office. Structured chaos was the only way for him to describe it. Colors, and an abundant of colors, most likely in some particular order than Draco didn't have the patience to try and decipher.

"You will need to befriend the Auror department. They are an unfortunate sort and not entirely smart, but necessary to accommodate for some of our procedures."

Draco didn't ask questions. He simply nodded and followed Irene to her lab. The rest of his day went much like that. Long periods of silence until Irene found it important to speak, hardly interested in anything Draco said or did, just expecting him to follow along and he did. He was able to impress her once- at least he believed he impressed her. She asked him to create a controlled variation of a complex potion and he did so without any issues. She turned to him and said nothing, then continued to the next line on her check list. Draco had taken that as a nod of approval. He had been surrounded by men and dark wizards who rarely gave positive recognition to him his entire life after all. He knew all about taking affirmation where he could.

He was waiting in the empty lift, heading to the main floor, thinking over the list of demands Irene gave him throughout the day and he was so lost in his notes that he hadn't looked up to see someone join him on the lift until it was too late.

"Malfoy-"

This time Hermione seemed to have her wits about her. She nodded at him, her lips pressed in a tight smile. He noticed her usual high shoulders and snotty arrogance seemed dwindled slightly. He found himself wondering why, but just as quickly shoved that thought away knowing it was better to simply keep quiet. He retuned the nod politely and returned to his notes.

A pause and then three others pushed their way into the lift, smiling at Hermione as she shuffled back until she was pressed against the back of the lift next to him. Draco kept his eyes on his notes, feeling the heavy stares of the others who had entered the lift on him.

"Miss Granger. I hope today didn't crush your spirits... You know the council and how they can be with anything new. Progress to them is simply not having a war on their hands."

Draco did lift his head slightly then to see Hermione's grimace tighten. He assumed it was meant to be perceived as a smile, but he noticed her fingers tighten on the papers pressed firmly to her chest.

"It was slightly disappointing to know that the council deems it more appropriate to funnel money to the efforts of capturing creatures off the registry rather than use the money to protect the creatures under their actual protection." She said, lifting her chin slightly.

This made Draco smirk to himself as he eyes his notes again. She clearly hadn't changed a bit.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll see your side eventually my dear." The larger portly man said turning to give her a wink before exiting the lift. The moment he was out he heard Hermione scoff and it wasn't until he felt her heated gaze on him that he realized he had laughed out loud.

"Find something amusing do you, Malfoy?"

Draco quickly cleared his throat and couldn't help but smirk at her annoyed look in his direction. He felt ten years younger in that moment, like he was standing in the Great Hall of Hogwarts and teasing her about her hair, but instead of the darker feelings of what came later he felt lighter... the heat in her gaze reminded him of something-a feeling... innocence maybe?

"I suppose the Elf Reformation and Equality Act wasn't a hit with the Wizengamot?"

Her brows rose briefly before she narrowed her eyes at him, almost teasingly as the corner of her mouth twitched.

"I don't suppose you had anything to do with my being an utter failure today, did you Malfoy? Slip some curse object in my cloak when we ran into one another this morning perhaps?"

He felt his shoulders tense at first not realizing her intended joke until a smile spread across her lips and then she looked forward in the lift, sighing loudly.

"I didn't think so... it was just my incompetency then..."

He watched her for a moment and immediately remembered all the news clippings he read with her name in the title over the past five years, opening his mouth before he knew what he was doing.

"You won them over before..."

She turned her gaze to him sharply with a confused expression and he rolled his eyes before continuing.

"...with the reform on Pureblood Laws-" He noticed her eyes widen slightly and he smirked as he recalled a certain quote he had committed to memory, "'a progressive voice who ensured the eradication of oppressive, Pure-blood law' - is how they described you I believe... or something similarly as impressive..."

He felt her gawking at him, her expression still conveying her utter bemusement and he felt his face flush slightly, wondering why he was revealing how closely he paid attention to her in the papers and quickly tried to cover his tracks.

"A little delayed I might add..." He tilted his head towards her, meeting her gaze. "Could have benefitted with the banishing of that requirement of arranged Pureblood marriage law a year prior you finally got around to it..."

The lift finally opened to the floor they were both exiting to and he took a step ahead of her, not wanting to continue the conversation any longer if she was just going to stare at him like a mind-numb buffoon. Was he really that difficult to have a conversation with?

"You mean..." She said, hurrying to catch up to his long strides. "You- you and Astoria... you didn't want to...?"

He turned to face her, stopping her abruptly in her tracks almost causing her to knock into him once more.

"No." He said simply. "Our mothers arranged it hoping a child would eliminate any pour publicity on either of our families following the war." He watched her face fall into something resembling pity, and he hated it. "Are we done here?"

She blinked several times- looking him over- calculating- trying to understand and Draco hated that even more. He turned away before she could respond and didn't even turn around as he heard the faint whisper of his name as he apparated away.