1Chapter 2: So Far Away

She was sitting in the large armchair near the east side window. It was the largest window in the room. It was very early. The sun had not risen yet. She woke up each morning early, before anyone else and sat in the same chair next to the same window to watch the sunrise. It made her feel less alone and more normal. After the hues of pink, gold, and purple disappear into a vibrant blue she would accept where she was and go about her daily routine. Sunrise though was her escape. That and her dreams, but they were so few and far between lately that she had almost given up on them.

Hermione read a lot. Of course she did. She was always known for being a bookworm in school, but now it was to keep sane. Most of the time she was left completely alone in this mansion. Just the hard walls and barely used furniture for company. Although, she did prefer being alone than having to interact with his goons. Those were the worst days. They were crude and obnoxious. She didn't understand how he could stand them.

Hermione Granger had been held in Draco Malfoy's summer home in the south of France for the last two years. She had no contact with the outside world except that she was allowed to read the Daily Prophet. She no longer had her wand, but Draco did allow her to use a wand that was designed specifically to only allow certain types of spells. She could do cleaning or cooking or any normal day activities. It couldn't be used to defend herself or attack him. He could have not given her any chance to use magic at all therefore, she was grateful for the little bit that he did give her.

The day of the final battle plagued her mind again. It was the day she lost the love of her life, Ron Weasley. She was being held by Lucius Malfoy. He was an evil, wicked man. He was about to kill her and Ron when Draco had saved her. Draco had used a spell to slow down time for a few moments and had rescued her. She was grateful for Draco's daring to save her, but unfortunately, the explosion that had ensued had killed Ron. She lost half of herself and had never felt whole again. Without Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger felt dead herself.

Draco had brought her here. He swore that he wouldn't hurt her, and he had not. He had told her that Lucius would be after her, and that he would keep her safe. At the time, she hadn't really fought it, but she hadn't believed him completely either. She didn't really care what happened to her at the time. She had already lost everything. Harry had died during the last battle after he had beaten Voldemort and the entire Weasley family too. She had nothing left to live for. What did it matter if Draco kept her there? She didn't have a life either way, but Hermione slowly grew accustomed to him. He was much different than he had been during their days at Hogwarts.

Draco treated her kindly, which surprised her. He had breakfast and dinner with her each day. He would spend the day with her whenever he could, but he had business all over Europe, and she didn't expect or really want much from him. Draco had become so caring towards her. Hermione was shocked to learn of his feelings for her, but she was not interested in him. He wasn't Ron and after how he had treated her in school, she couldn't contemplate anything with him. She wept for Ron every night. She called out his name, but she knew he would never answer. Everyday she slowly resigned herself to her fate of living in this foreign home with a boy that she thought always hated her without the boy that she knew had truly loved her.

Hermione couldn't complain though. Draco was always a complete gentleman. He would always meet her in the dining room promptly at seven o'clock. He was never late. There he would hand her the Daily Prophet, and they would talk over their meal. Crabbe and Goyle tended to lurk around the home, but she saw them rarely. Draco realized that she disliked them joining them for meals, so he put a stop to it.

The boy she knew in school just didn't seem like the same one sitting across from her at the table sipping tea and discussing what was going on in the wizarding world or how much he disliked his father. Lucius had pushed all of his radical ideals onto his unknowing son and had treated him badly as a child. Draco had finally realized his father's faults right before the end of the war, and that is what made him save Hermione.

She couldn't complain. He was kind, but he wasn't Ron. Ron was amazing. He was brash and strong willed and she just adored him and missed him terribly. She was ripped from her thoughts of Ron when Draco entered the dining room at exactly seven.

"Good morning. I'm sorry, but I have to cut breakfast short today. I promise that I'll make it up to you though tonight. I need to have a meeting with some of my associates. Here is the paper as usual, and I also got you a present. Please accept it. I have to dash. I'll see you tonight," Draco said to her as he handed her the paper and kissed her quickly on the top of her head.

Hermione wasn't hurt that he wasn't joining her. It was just lonely here in this large, empty house. "Don't feel bad. It's fine. I'll see you later. Oh, and Draco? Is there any news of your father?" Hermione asked quickly as he was dashing out of the door.

Draco turned toward her and shook his head miserably. "No, sorry dear," he said and he left the room.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get out of here," Hermione said to no one but herself and began eating. She placed the gift on the table to open later. She feared that it would be another expensive gift that she didn't need or want. He always bought her the most expensive things, "because she deserved the best" he would always say.

She shook her head and continued eating.

"Crabbe! Goyle!" Draco called sternly.

"Yeah?" they answered in unison while sitting in opposite chairs in the west wing of the house.

"I was contacted by our old friends," Draco stated flatly.

"What?" the two exclaimed as they jumped up from their seats.

"Yes, they know that the Aurors are on their trails, and they want to cause a little more havoc before they're caught because it is inevitable. They are so careless," he explained.

"What do they want to do?" asked Crabbe.

"They want to take out Potter and Weasley. Honestly, I just want all this to be over. I thought it was. The famous duo is pretty powerful unfortunately. I don't think any of us could take them out. They're strong and heavily guarded. Therefore, I came up with my own idea. I may have deserted the Death Eaters, but it doesn't mean that I like Potter or Weasle. We need to hurt them and lure them to us. Then we would have the upper hand. I want you two to go back to England. Crabbe, you take Potter. Goyle, you take Weasley. Find a way to lure them here. Go," Draco demanded.

As the two apparated, Draco smiled to himself. He had been waiting a long time to seek revenge on Harry and Ron. They were the reason his father was dead. Draco may have disliked his father and how Lucius had treated his only son, but Draco had never wanted him dead. He kept up the charade that his father was still alive to keep Hermione here believing that it was for her own safety. The truth was that he had been infatuated with her for years. Draco Malfoy was not accustomed to not getting what he wanted either.

He had been young and stupid when he had taken Hermione, but now he wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't keep up the ruse forever. He had a lot to think about, but that could wait until later. Now he had to plan his revenge.

"What's so funny?" Ron asked.

"You and your dancing!" Anna exclaimed. "I've only got ten toes! You've probably broken about three!"

It had been almost a month since he had met Anna. He would never have guessed that he would be with her a month later when she had sat down at the table with him that night.

Night after night he kept returning to Lady Luck's. He brought Harry and Ginny with him at first, but they soon learned that it wasn't that Ron wanted to go out. He just wanted to see Anna. They eventually made him go alone, and that was when it really started.

Ron started acting like himself again. He told jokes and got overly jealous when another bloke was looking at her, and she would always laugh while his ears would turned red. He gave her a nickname, and she acted like she hated it. Ron knew though that she loved it.

They danced, and they talked. He soon realized that she wasn't just some way to spend the time. He was starting to genuinely care for her. She was not only beautiful, but she was smart. She had gone to some private school and had studied economics. Ron really wasn't sure what that was, but he didn't want to let that on. She had already noticed some of the odd things that he didn't know about or understand because he was a wizard, but luckily she took it as him being cute or just pretending to be clueless. He was thankful for that.

Ron hadn't told her about Hermione yet. Harry and Ginny had met Anna on several occasions and kept encouraging Ron to tell her. 'She'll understand. She's wonderful, Ron,' Ginny would say. 'You need to get it off your chest. It's a little weird that you've been seeing her for a month and you haven't even kissed her!' Harry would declare.

"Hey! Where are you?" Anna asked him inquisitively.

"What do you mean where am I? I'm right here, Anna Banana," Ron replied.

"No you're not. You're mind is somewhere else. You seem preoccupied, and stop using that name!"

Maybe this was the right time. Maybe he should tell her. She had told him about her family. If that wasn't a tragedy, then he didn't know what was. If he didn't start moving to the next level of whatever it was that he had with her, then he would lose her before he truly had her.

"Let's sit down," he said to her as he pulled her to the sofa. The pub was closed on Sundays and Mondays. Today was Sunday and they were in her flat above the pub. It was neat and yet comfortable, and Ron really liked it.

"I seem like I'm somewhere else sometimes because well, sometimes I am."

"Well, that's interesting," Anna said with that silly grin of hers.

"Just listen please. This is serious. I really like you. I mean I met you a month ago and I'm so comfortable with you. You're wonderful and amazing and so different than anyone else I know, but I feel guilty."

Anna looked at Ron like she was thinking hard. Her expression then relaxed and she asked, "Who is she?"

"It's not what you think. Her name was Hermione, but she's dead. She died two years ago. Anna, I loved her so much. I was in love with her from the moment I met her at eleven years old. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She was smarter than anyone I've ever met. She was so perfect and rarely broke the rules, but when she did it was for good reasons. She was so loyal to me and Harry. The three of us were inseparable, and I miss her so much. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss her or think about her. I think part of me died the day that she passed away. I was in this downward spiral, and I didn't see any way out, but then I met you. You smiled at me and asked me to dance and—I just feel like I'm becoming whole again. That makes me feel guilty. I have fun with you, and she's dead. I just don't know how you do it. You seem so adjusted and content. I want to be like that. Do—do you understand any of this?"

Anna listened to him earnestly. Her eyes were full of emotion. It was like she was seeing him in a new light. "Oh Ron, of course I understand. The worst thing in the world is to have someone you love die. I'm not adjusted. Each day I think of my family and relive the episode in my mind. It's so hard, but I realized a long time ago that self-pity would not help me. I left home and ran my father's bar like he would have wanted me to. I decided to go on living. You need to do that too. Living your life is not forgetting what you had with Hermione. You won't be betraying her memory. She wouldn't want you to pine over her for the rest of your life, but I can't tell you what to do. You need to do what you are most comfortable with when you are ready for it. I like you, Ron. I want something with you, but if you are not ready for that, then I understand. Only you can decide what is best for you. Just know that you are cared for," Anna said to him as she stroked his cheek gently.

Ron adored the girl in front of him. He didn't love her like he would always love Hermione, but it was time to let the pain go. It was time for him to live again. Hermione was dead. Ron wasn't. Anna was sitting there in front of him blatantly telling him that she cared for him, and he needed to do something about it. He looked into her big blue eyes and for the first time he didn't wish that they were brown. He ran his fingers through her wavy hair and didn't wish that it were big and curly. He was finally living in the moment with Anna. She was beautiful and caring, and all Ron wanted to do at that moment was press his lips against hers.

Anna read his actions and began to lean closer to him. Ron's pulse quickened, and he swore that he could hear his own heartbeat. "Anna, I care about you too," Ron whispered as he leaned down toward her. Their lips were so close but hadn't touched yet. There was time to turn back, but he couldn't. He wanted to feel anything but pain again. He wanted to remember what it felt like to be happy, and he just knew that those lips were the key.

Ron finally closed the distance between them, and he captured her lips with his own. He was in complete bliss. Her hands became instantly embedded in his hair while his arms snaked around her waist to pull her in closer to him. Anna opened her mouth to allow Ron access so that their tongues could ravish each other.

Ron could barely breath, but he didn't care. He was too excited and overwhelmed to even comprehend that he was becoming light headed until Anna abruptly pulled away from him. He was about to ask her if something was wrong when she spoke. She looked completely sexy and tempting as she spoke and Ron wasn't sure if he would be able understand a word that she spoke.

"Ron…I want you to stay…" Anna said to him breathlessly. She didn't ask him. She just told him. That was so Anna. Ron briefly thought that Hermione would never have been that forward, but then reprimanded himself. He needed this. He needed to get lost in her. He needed to feel again. He needed to so much, and he just knew that she could give it all to him.

Ron didn't think before he replied to her statement. "I want to stay too." Ron was never going to forget his beloved Hermione, but he had to move on because where Hermione was—was so far away. She was in a place that he wasn't ready to go to.

Outside the window of Anna's flat floated a dark cloaked figure. He disappeared with a pop as quickly as he had appeared a few moments earlier. He reappeared hundreds of miles away in a dimly lit study.

"Draco, I know how to get Weasley," said Goyle sinisterly.