Happy Battle of Hogwarts 23rd anniversary! Here's my fic to "celebrate" the battle, as per tradition!
Enjoy!

The last year had been full of hardships.

Following the battle, over the summer, a lot of the students had come back to the castle to help rebuild, along with their parents and extended family.

It was a revolving door of volunteers, as many had to go testify at the trials.

Harry and Ron had been absent most of the time as they both had to testify the most and they were thrown into Auror training almost immediately following the battle.

Hermione had other plans. She wanted to finish her education, so between testifying and rebuilding, she prepared herself to finish her education.

Hermione testified just as much as the boys, the worst one was Draco Malfoy's trial.

So much had happened between them.

Not what you're thinking, not how he routinely bullied her or anything like that; no; rather, how they had been in love their sixth year.

How they had met over the summer between fifth and sixth, and they bonded for over books.

How Hermione had lied to Harry about Draco being a Death Eater, because she knew. She knew everything that was happening with Draco, and she lied through her teeth to her best friend, because something had changed between her and Draco.

She could put her finger on it too.

Draco had become more brooding, more serious, grown up, and more caring. He stopped calling her mudblood the year before; and he apologized when Hermione saw him in the bookstore in Diagon Alley over the summer.

"Look, Granger," he stuttered at the shop after a few rendezvouses there, "I'm sorry. For how I've treated you. I've always known you were amazing and I was jealous of you and your success. I'm sorry."

Hermione smiled, "Thank you for your apology Draco. Hey, what do you say we head to Muggle London? Actually hang out?"

Draco smiled back, "I'd like that."

So they did. And for that summer, they rarely separated.

They hid in Muggle London most of the time. Visiting small bobbles shops, various cafes, more book stores filled with literature by the muggle greats.

It started to get real with "the kiss."

When Draco looked at Hermione funny inside a muggle book store in the Shakespeare section.

Hermione was holding a copy of "Romeo and Juliet" when Draco leaned his head down and captured her lips in his.

Hermione almost dropped the book, she was so surprised, and Draco pulled away a few seconds later blushing deeply.

Hermione smiled and kissed him quickly.

And so began the intimacy in their relationship, evolving from enemies, to acquaintances, to friends, to lovers.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger had a conference about one week before the train left for Hogwarts, and they left Hermione alone for the night, where she immediately broke their one rule of no boys and brought Draco over, where she gave her everything to him, and him to her.

Returning to Hogwarts only sped things up between them.

Hermione often lingered over Draco's dark mark, but never for too long.

He had joined to protect his mother, not his father, his mother. And Hermione respected that decision.

Things were blissful until Easter, where upon returning to the castle, Draco severed ties with Hermione.

He never told her what had happened, but he sent her one last note saying goodbye.

It hurt, but Hermione knew it was only a matter of time before it had to happen. Things were getting dark; Harry was coming in closer to finding out the truth, and the final battle would be upon them soon.

Draco went on to kill Dumbledore a few weeks later.

And Hermione was sad but she understood.

What she couldn't understand is why he didn't help her when she was tortured at his manor by Bellatrix. He did nothing to help her, except stand there and stare in horror.

Hermione could have forgiven him for his participation on the wrong side during the war, but she could not forgive him for standing by idly.

He told her he loved her.

But apparently he didn't.

Hermione had moved on from the affair. She ignored Draco in the hallways after his trial. He had been sentenced lightly since he was just a child when it all began. And he had been required to finish his education.

Hermione threw herself into her studies, preparing for her NEWTS that year. She felt behind even though she wasn't; it was still a feeling of foreboding.

A year after the battle, to the day, classes were cancelled as students wandered around the halls aimlessly, lost in thought.

Little Dennis looked comatose and could be found in the courtyard, staring at the ground.

Hermione wandered through the corridors aimlessly, finding herself at the Great Hall, where a congregation of students had gathered around Neville.

There were sad smiles on their faces as they told stories of the battle, their triumphs and losses.

Hermione took position next to Ginny and leaned her head against the red head's shoulder.

Ginny leaned her head on Hermione's as they listened to Neville tell the story of how he killed the snake. He rarely talked about it, but it was something big for him.

At the end of his story, there was silence in the great hall for a few moments until there was a commotion at the doors.

Everyone looked as they slammed open, and in stalked Draco Malfoy.

He looked around the room frantically until he locked eyes with Hermione.

He rushed over to her and stopped right in front of her.

"Hermione." Draco stuttered. "I need to apologise."

"What?" Hermione asked.

"I'm sorry for everything. Everything I did, everything I didn't do, absolutely everything that I must be sorry for, and then some." He started to grovel.

"What?" Hermione asked again, shocked.

Draco fell to his knees, "I'm so sorry. I should have killed my aunt, I should have saved you from her, I should have NEVER become a Death Eater. I should have never left you. I fucked up. I fucked up everything we had, and could have had. I'm so damn sorry. I love you so much that it physically hurts. Not holding you brings me agony. I'm begging, please, forgive me."

He started to weep.

Hermione was silent for a few seconds before also falling to her knees and wrapping her arms around him.

"It's okay," she cooed, pulling his head into the crook of her neck. His tears were making her uniform wet. "I forgive you. You were just a child, like me. We were so easily manipulated and we were both pawns."

Draco sniffled and pulled back to look at her, "You forgive me?"

Hermione felt tears brimming her eyes, "Yes, I do. Just don't do it again."

She pressed her lips to his cheek and pulled him back in for a hug.

A few people began to weep.

This had been the first sincere apology from a Death Eater.

So much was different from last year, many people gone, many people changed, and many lessons learned.

One of those lessons being forgiveness.

Pls review, comment, and favorite! Back to regular scheduled programming in a bit!