Crimson Rain Drops
Epilogue
Disclaimer: I only own the plot and the characters that obviously aren't in the books.
Warning: This is not like a real chapter. It is simply points in time that I feel you need to be told to wrap up my story. Also, there's a few things that I couldn't conclude in the story, so I'm writing a lengthy Authors Note that I hope you all read. I love you all and thanks so much for all your support.
&&&&
Cold as Ice
Hard as Stone
Both believe
They must face this world alone
What happens
When Enemies Meet
All they share; a love of hate
But what they find; they do not seek
&&&&
Christmas of that Year
They sat around the table laughing and just enjoying their last Christmas at Hogwarts. There were seven of them there. Hermione, Draco, Eva, Dallis, Luke, Harry and Ron. No, they weren't all the best of friends, but they all got along well enough and there was no reason for Hermione to split her world in two like she had for so many years.
Hermione settled with her head on Draco's shoulder and she looked around. Her family had never been in that baby blue house that she grew up with. Her home was never going to be with those two people who had claimed to love her for so long. Her life was now, and forever would be with these six people.
Draco put an arm around Hermione and hugged her close, whispering 'I love you' in her ear. Hermione smiled a little and sighed. Yes, she was happy. For the first time in years she was truly, unbelievably happy.Little happened between Christmas and Grad. Luke, Eva and Dallis all but moved into the Head Common Room because of the amount of time they spent studying. They studied every day for at least two hours, not including the time they spent on homework, which had more then doubled since the beginning of the year. All five of them were also tutoring fifth years three times a week, helping them prepare for the OWLS.
The biggest event was the night of grad. Two events took place.
Number one
Hermione and Draco both took their blades and destroyed them. With the help of Dallis, Eva and Luke, the blades were cast into oblivion forever. Finally, both of them were ready to step into the future with nothing left of their past besides their friends and their scars.
Number Two
Draco proposed to Hermione that evening. He got down on one knee, and asked her to marry him. I think it goes without saying that she accepted. The ring was a single princess cut diamond. It had been his grandmothers engagement ring.
They got married on September 7th of that year. A small simple ceremony. Only about 50 guests, most of whom were from Hogwarts. Draco had his mother there as well. Hermione had no family there, but had had Luke give her away.
Both Draco and Hermione got jobs at the Ministry. Harry and Ron became aurors. Dallis and Eva got married. Dallis was an teacher at the Wizarding school in America. Eva traveled between the two Ministry's, acting as a negotiator on many of the two countries deals. Luke simply traveled. No one was entirely sure what he did. All they knew was that he helped anyone who asked him for it and that everyone walked away with a smile.
Matt Betrador ended up in Azkaban for the rape of a teen girl the year after they graduated. Needless to say, no one ever saw him again.
As much as you all will hate this, they all lived pretty normal lives. Hermione and Draco had two twin boys: Anthony Lucas Malfoy and David Andrew Malfoy. Eva and Dallis had one little girl: Alexis Grace Cade. Luke finally found the girl of his dreams. A petite women named Emily. They married on July 19th, four years after they all graduated.
And that, my friends, is it. That there is the story of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. A story of pain, hurt, forgiveness and love. It starts out a little rocky, but this story gets a happy ending, unlike so many of the stories out there. Though, even though the story has a happy ending, their lives aren't over yet. They still have a long life ahead of them. There are still thousands upon thousands of memories to be created: both good and bad. I just hope that their lives end just as happy in fifty years as they are right now.
That my lovely friends, is that. My story is complete. I know that the epilogue sucks and has very little information. But I told you guys that it was just a simple wrapping up of the story, nothing more, nothing less. And that is exactly what it is. I have something to add here before all my personal notes though. Something that I want each and every one of you to read. Something that will explain why this story came to be. It's "the story behind that story"
I know I promised that this would only take a week for me to post. Theres reasons it took longer though. There were two other people that I needed to come clean to before this part was written out for the world to see. First, I had to come clean to the one that I now consider most high. And after that, I had to come clean to one whom I hold so near and dear to my heart. I had to tell one of the best friends that I could've ever had before I told all of you. To be perfectly honest, I completely chickened out of telling her in person. I wrote her a letter and mailed it to her while she was on vacation. There are a few people that are going to read the following that I feel the need to apologize to because I couldn't work up the courage to tell you myself. I hope you can forgive me for telling you this way.
Many have said how aspects of this story were "so real". Or how closely I got this to the life of many teenagers. There's a reason for that. Hermione Grangers life in this story was more or less my life in a nutshell, with and few add flares and a few small changes.
Truth #1: I have never been beaten in my life. Nor have I been harmed in any physical way by my family. When I was five, my mother and I moved back to the city where I was born and in with my grandmother and one of my unclesd. This uncle had been, and still is, a drug addict and alcoholic for 20 years when we moved here. The count is now up to 31. At first, I never heard any of it. I never saw anything. Than I began to hear the fights, the things that he called people. The language he used when speaking to his own mother or sister. This man, if he could be called that, was sick, sick, sick. He would get into such rages that he broke anything in the house that was breakable. He broke one of our glass table only two years ago because someone had asked him a question. His personal attacks on me didn't start until I was 10, but by than, all the mental damage had already been done. He stole things, went to jail for it for a couple of days, than just came home angrier than when he had left. Eleven years after we moved into that house, he's worse than he was than. The difference? We were finally able to kick him out one year, one month and seventeen days ago.
Truth #2: The blade. That blade was my best friend from the time I was twelve until I was fourteen and a half. It was the thing I ran to when I need comfort and release. I see now that it did nothing more then cause more pain and suffering for me. It was just one more secret to hide.
Truth #3: The notebook. Enough said. After all, how do you think my stories came to be?
Truth #4: The exercise. I started exercising myself beyond the point of pain every single night. Making sure that I was too tired to think when I went to bed. I still exercise daily, but in much, much more moderation. My routine went from 2-3 hrs a day to about 40 minutes. Big dip, and I must admit I had to change my eating habits slightly, but I'm still in shape and I get a hell of a lot done in that forty minutes.
Truth #5: The suicide attempt. I never got as far as Hermione did in the story. I never got to the point where I had about a thirty-second window to turn back. But I was about 48-hours away from that moment when I received a phone call. It was Jacquie, my "bestest" friend on this earth inviting me out to a concert. It was this outing that began to turn my whole life around.
Going through the list, you may find two things missing. The drinking and the pregnancy. There's a good reason for that. I don't drink, I'll wait until I'm legal for that. The pregnancy, well, you would need to not be a virgin for that to happen. I need to feel 1000 comfortable in my own skin before I'm willing to do either of theset hings. And, I'm not there yet. I'm on the pth to being there…but like all teens, I'm not at the end of that path yet.
To all my readers who are doing any of the things that too place in this story…I'm begging you to stop now. If you're using a blade, take that thing and fling it out a window or off a hundred story building. Something, anything. Anyone with suicide plans or anything of the sort, toss them right this moment. I'm telling you, there Is always at least one person who loves you will all their heart. No matter how horrible life may be, it's not worth it. I've seen what suicide does to a family and friends. Someone in my family committed suicide 2 years ago and that family was never quite the same. The blade, the superficial relief, the rush that the idea of suicide gives you is not worth your life. If you need someone to talk to and feel you cant confide in anyone you know, you can feel free to email me. I now make sure to check my email every single day. Usually two or three times a day. Even if there's just something you need or want to talk about, I will always lend you an ear.
I love you all. Each person that read this story and reviewed it, whether it was a good or bad review. I'm going to do a few personal notes, but I cant say thank you to each and every one of you. There are just too many of you! I have about 6 personal notes to write but I thank you all. Each reader and reviewer. The ones that have been there since I started this story two years ago. The patience you have shown. And those who started half-way through, or on the last chapter. I love you ALL! And I thank you with every fibre of my being.
Onto the notes:
Jacquie: I'm not sure if you'll ever read this, but I thank you nonetheless. If it hadn't been for you, I would've been gone from this world before I ever got a chance to live in it. You picked up the phone and called me and I truly believe it was an act of God. You showed me my life again, in a way that I had forgotten to look at it. You helped me find my confidence again. You brought me slowly into a world that I had forgotten existed. You showed me a path of light that I'm slowly, step-by-step, travelling, with you by my side. I don't know what I would do without you. I love you forever and always.
Eva: You, my dear friend, are amazing. You've listened to me cry and complain at times when I felt I could turn to no one else. And you made me feel wanted for so long. You made me feel like I was worthy of someone's friendship. I love you forever and ever and ever. No matter what happens in our lives, no matter if we grow apart, I will always, always be there for you and I will forever have a place in my heart for you
Luke: You showed up at a time when I needed a friend. And you never ceased to amaze me with your timing. Whenever I needed someone to talk to you always seemed to show up out of thin air….almost literally. I thank you for just being there to talk…even though I don't think you ever had any clue about what was going on. I thank you for much more then I could ever put into words. I just…thank you for being you. For being a friend that I could say just about anything to and know that I wouldn't be judged for it. Really, honestly, I don't know what I would do without you to talk to sometimes. I literally spend the entire time I'm talking with you smiling and it's almost like all my problems are gone, even if only for that short period of time. Mr Luke, I love you and always will. hearts and hugs
Jeremy, Alfred and Tim: You guys will never cease to make me smile. You make up my little world with your stupid fights and arguments and you keep me freakishly grounded. I thank you three and I love you.
Dave and Bree: Dave, you're my human pillow and my imaginary boyfriend D I love you and thank you for being you. Bree, I thank you for being one of the closest friends I have, and one of the only females I'm willing to trust. I would trust you with my life. Love you forever.
Sierra: I may not talk to you often or email you all that often, but I think about you every single day. And I'm glad you're in recovery. And I pray for you every single day. Pray for the fact that I can see you sign on one more time. You hold a spot in my heart and my mind. You mean something to me and I'm glad that you're willing to talk. Any time you need something and I cant talk online, just email me and I will always answer.
To all my readers: I love you guys and whether you reviewed or not, I'm glad you read this. I'm glad that this story was worth your time. And all of you, I hope you read my future stories. I also hope that you guys keep in touch! I love emails. Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em. Love you all
Know that I don't expect any story to ever live up to this…but I will try my best
For the last time with Crimson Rain Drops whose author is currently bawling
L&H
Pure Mudblood
EDIT:
Wow you guys. That's all I have to say. Wow. I just received overwhelming amounts of support for this story and. . .just wow. Thank you. Thank you so much. I did finally manage to stop crying after I wrote this. Took me awhile, especially considering Luke was online and was being so beyond nice. And I've found it hard to not cry with each email and review that I've received. You all say I'm so brave…I happen to think it's those that are emailing me or asking me to email them for various reasons that are the brave ones. SO again, thank you.
I may not be at the end of my own story yet, but I'm coming to an end with this chapter. I'm on the downhill stretch now. The only thing I have left to do is to get rid of the blade completely. Yes, I still have it. I have not touched it in over a year, but it still sits in the spot I put it when I last touched it. I think it's time though…it's time to completely let go of the materials that are that part of my past. You guys helped me realize with your reviews (andone certain personslove)that I'm ready. Not 100 percentok with it all, but I'm ready.