Draco liked to think that the decision to go to her flat had been a spur of the moment decision, but he knew that it had been a nagging thought for months but when tipsy logistics didn't matter. All that mattered was he was standing at her door not even knowing if she was there. 'It is the night before her wedding why would she be here?' rubbing his face he decided it wouldn't hurt to at least knock. Putting his better judgment behind him he did it.

He waited anxiously and started pacing not knowing what else to do. A minute passed, then another, and when he finally turned to leave knowing fate wasn't on his side yet again the door opened to a soft voice. "Draco?" turning around a little too fast and nearly stumbling over his own feet he looked at her. Neither of them said a word simply staring. She had been crying he noted. Her eyes that so often were filled with joy, but they were filled with despair and uncertainty. The look she always had when he saw her. And it was all his damned fault.

"Uh…Hey…I'm not sure why I came here I'll just leave you be." He stated as he turned away and made his way towards the steps all of his courage abandoned. "Draco don't. Please just come in?" she all but begged him and he knew if he turned around again, she would have the look on her face that he could never resist saying no to. Stupidly, he turned around and walked towards her. Moving from the door frame he walked directly into her boxed up living room. Cringing at the barren walls he remembered being filled with photos, books, and the silly little trinkets she refused to get rid of for fear of hurting her surrogate niece and nephews' feelings. Turning back towards her as she closed the door behind her he could see the tension in her shoulders.

"What are you doing here? You never wanted to see me alone again last I remember?" the sadness running over her attempts of anger as she stayed turned towards the door holding the knob as if preparing to walk out in an instant. Shrugging he tried to come up with an explanation. He really shouldn't be there for so many reasons. The false reason being he was to watch happily as Ron- who he was now a stand in groomsman for as of three days ago- married her and the real reason trying to convince her one last time to leave Ron for good.

"Go home to nothing or stay out for a chance of more?" he mustered not telling the full truth but not exactly lying either. Finally turning to look at him and actually look at him she knew immediately he was drunk.

Hermione wouldn't admit it, but she would ask questions about how he was doing to Harry and Ron who had both become rather close to him. They were both worried about him told her something, or if their suspicions were correct, someone had 'really fucked him up.' They would tell her how almost every night he would end up drunk either with them or alone. Apparently, he would claim that work was getting the best of him, but they knew he was lying. 'Malfoy mentioned something about letting a girl go he shouldn't have one of the worst nights,' Harry had told her. 'I think he could really use your advice,' but she never went to him knowing the damage it would cause.

He looked terrible and they both knew it. With a heavy sigh Hermione made her way to one of the boxes in the kitchen and riffled through it pulling up random bottles Draco recognized as potions bottles she insisted on reusing whenever she brewed something fresh. Something about decreasing waste if he remembered correctly, but his mind wasn't in a great state for memory recall. "Why are you drinking yourself to oblivion? Alcoholism doesn't suit anyone Malfoy," agitation evident in her movements and voice. Hiding the hurt in his voice as she regressed back into using his surname "The more I drink the less I care about the fallout of us," without response she kept rifling through the box until she let out a small cry of victory as she pulled out a bottle and handed it to him. Looking at it questioningly she huffed at him, "Do you honestly think I'm going to stage your murder?"

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," he teased lightly and examined the bottle. 'Sobering Potion + Pepper Up' the label read in Hermione's immaculate scroll followed by brew and expiration date. She had always like mixing potions that could be combined, and he found it strange but never questioned it. Removing the stopper from the bottle and taking a large swig from the bottle he handed both the bottle and stopper back to her as he chocked down the god-awful solution. Once she told him it was to try and deter her from drinking too much so she wouldn't need to take it. Always the clever and slightly manipulative witch. The great thing about Hermione Granger was her ability to decrease the time a potion would need to take effect. Potions had been one of her focuses in Healer training and she was damn good at it. Before he knew it, he couldn't feel the starts of the throbbing headache and felt his equilibrium return to normal.

"Sober? Good. What the hell do you want?" she bit out to him. "Hermione you know what I want and we both know you won't agree." He sounded so lost as the words slipped and Hermione could feel herself soften as they stood staring at each other mere steps from one another. Before he could register her movements, he felt her familiar body hugging him as tightly as she could around his waist.

Hermione couldn't say why she did it, she just had. When his arms snacked around her It felt so good and so right to be in that moment with him. Everything with him had been so easy and she wished with every fiber of her being that she could have a time-turner to follow through and end things with Ron three years ago. But it was too late, and she couldn't even have one more night with him. She knew it was wrong to be thinking of the sinful nights she had with Draco the night before she wed but she would give so much for one more night. Ron didn't deserve this from her, and she knew it and she knew he could never know. It would destroy him in a second.

"I just want one more night," she admitted into his chest and before she could even think of what to say next, he had her pinned against the half wall that separated her living room and kitchen. The forceful action had knocked the wind out of her, and she struggled to gather her thoughts as Draco stared her in the eyes with the searing look that made her stomach pool with desire. "One more night," he repeated, and it took all of her will power to try to push him back, "I don't want to end up in Azkaban," she mumbled out and he chuckled. "Not married yet, engagement preps the spells to become active, very old blood magic practically engrained into England soil itself, Ministry regulations require rings to record engagement using magical traces from both parties. Law doesn't go into effect until the moment you kiss on that alter," he told her as he leaned down and kissed her neck. "Th-That's barbaric," she whispered as he continued his assault of her neck. "Welcome to pureblood culture" he murmured back before smashing his lips on hers. There was so much emotion in that kiss they both felt dizzy. Clothes shed as they made their way towards her bedroom which she had shed tears for him on earlier that night. But he didn't need to know that.

When Hermione woke up the next morning, she knew he was gone. Feelings of indifference started to fill her as she looked around for the last time at her familiar bedroom. Ron had insisted she move in with him at the home he had bought two years before. "God he was preparing for our future and I was fucking his mate," she said to herself as she pulled herself out of bed and walked into her kitchen, anytime he left before her he would leave a note on her counter in the kitchen but there was nothing and she knew that it was the last time they would touch and it killed her. Finally looking at the clock on her stove she knew she had better shower and head to the burrow to prepare for the biggest day of her life.

She was so tired of searching for the right thing to do. Every fiber of her being wanted to run away to some foreign country with Draco but she knew what she was expected and would do. Logic trumping her heart as it always had she made her way to the shower and made quick work of it before she apparated to the burrow. While showering she finally realized how sore she was. Flashes of the night before invaded her mind as she remembered the way he had tortured her with light stokes over her clit, the gentle loving thrusts, and the deep thrusts that made her toes curl. The way he held her hips so hard that she had insisted on a bruise salve before falling asleep curled into him, and the way he had kissed her so lightly before she fell asleep it was like he was no more than a ghost. With a sad sigh she realized that was all he would ever be to her from now on.

Getting dressed in a button up shirt and lounge shorts she gave her home one last look and apparated to her second home. The place she would be married under the billowing trees. The home her children will know as grandma and grandpas. The home she'd see Draco eventually bring the woman he would love and marry and eventually his children would be considered surrogate grandchildren just like Teddy. It was a cruel reality that she had to accept and give into. But she would take their secret to her grave and she could only hope he would too.

Draco had left to the burrow before Hermione had even thought about stirring in her sleep. As a surrogate groomsman for Neville he had been recruited into the setup team. He would be lying if he hadn't considered sabotaging the integrity of the tent that would house the reception after the ceremony, but he knew Hermione would hate him and known it was him if he had. Somehow, he had also ended up being the one who had to talk Ron down from a blubbering fit when he started second guessing the whole endeavor. He bit his tongue and forced comfort to Ron who he knew didn't deserve the betrayal he and Hermione had conspired in. Where Potter had run off during all of this, he had no idea. Probably to check on Hermione. God what he would give to switch places with him.

Before he knew it, the ceremony had begun, and he had ended up standing at the end of the alter preparing himself to watch Hermione walk down the aisle to marry another man. A man he had ended up standing directly next to. One of the twins had flubbed the order and they just went with the flow like it was intentional. The cruel side of himself that he had spent years getting over and pushing away and come out as he wished for a miracle that she would've gotten cold feet and run off for him to find. But that fantasy was as far from reality as could be.

A smile graced his face as he watched Victoire walk down holding a hand with Teddy as she threw flower petals about from a basket Teddy was holding. The innocence and happiness in both of their faces. It was obvious that Teddy was practically in love with the younger girl at only 8 years old. He hoped for their sakes they would realize that love before it was too late. Maybe he was just more cynical than he thought, he was practically convincing himself that an 8 and 6-year-old were in love when they could even understand the concept. But then again was he really one to say anything about understanding love.

As the two children made their way to the end of the aisle and sat down together everyone stood up silently when the music shifted to a classical melody he had never heard before. Leave it to Hermione to change something so little and have it make such a big difference. When he saw her, he swore his heart stopped beating and his knees locked. He felt like he could cry, and it wasn't even his bloody wedding! Tearing his gaze away to regain composure he could see the smile creeping on Ron's face. So full of innocent love and appreciation but no look of desire. Looking back at Hermione he knew he could never forget how stunning she looked. Her dress was simple and sophisticated, strapless with billowing layers of tulle. Her hair had been pulled into a simple bun and her hair had been slicked back and straightened, her makeup was almost nonexistent the only noticeable change was in her lashes which had been darkened. Harry was walking her down as her parents still had no idea, they even had a stunning and brilliant daughter. Harry whispered something in her ear, and he could swear the smile she gave radiated happiness. When she reached the end of the aisle, Draco realized just how much of a façade she had on. It was all hidden behind her eyes and he saw the pain and uncertainty. She looked over at Draco almost pleading with him to give her some sign that he was okay, but he couldn't. He would never be okay. He knew he was going to finally give in and lock down the doors of his heart.

After some joke Potter made about officiating the wedding because the Bride and Groom couldn't stop arguing about where he would stand next to, eliciting many chuckles from the crowed, he proceeded to go through the whole ceremony that Draco tactfully tuned out until he heard Ron say "I do." Draco looked at her once more and was shocked to see her eyes staring at him too before quickly averting back to Ron's face. A cookie cutter smile plastered on her face.

After the second time Harry repeated "till death do you part?" and everyone held their breath for Hermione's, surprisingly hesitant response. He could practically hear the internal dialogue in her head. "Er…'Mione…. Are you okay?" he heard Ron ask in no more than a whisper desperation heavy in his voice. He could hear people starting to murmur back and forth about what was going on before Hermione finally answered.

"I don't. I'm sorry I can't do this." And with a quick turn she all but ran away from the whole celebration a confused Ron in place. It was as if time stood still as no one knew what to do. Draco was the one who broke the stunned silence filling the air turning to Ron, "I'll go talk to her I'm sure everything is fine and it's a silly little concern. You know how she is." Ron nodded and sat down looking defeated

He found her rather quickly. She had gone fairly far, and he was sure she had to have run some of the distance as she was sitting right next to the pond that was close enough to see people in the distance but too far to hear them.

"I won't go back to him, I can't, and he can't know why I changed my mind it would destroy him," she said firmly.

"Okay, then what are you going to tell him?" he responded.

"That we are to young and haven't had enough time to explore ourselves and a marriage would be disastrous, not a complete lie just omitting more of the truth." She sighed and asked, "Any chance you'd let me stay in one of your spare rooms for a while so I can find a new place?"

"Of course, now we have to go back, and you need to tell Ron okay?" she nodded, and he helped her up before whispering in her ear, "You look so beautiful its practically a crime." And she laughed a sad laugh.

Simultaneously they knew in that moment, they wouldn't be drowning one another's shadows anymore.

Fin

A/N: Thank you for reading this little story. It was based on the song "Drowning Spirits" by Sam Smith. I have an alternate ending to this story that is a not so happy ending if you like Dramione, it is roughly the last 500 hundred words switched out so if anyone is interested in seeing that let me know and I can PM or post a second