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A/N Sorry for the long wait between updates but I run a small business and we were really really busy. Well I hope you like the chapter. OMG check out my profile page and click on the bottom link to mugglenet. One of my editorials was published on there. I was so excited. They are the best Harry Potter site ever. Happy reading and don't forget to review.

Reliving the past...

At the same time Hermione was signing her divorce papers, Steven was working the second part of his plan. He had to get her to come out of hiding. But how? He sat and thought about this for a long while before he came up with something. He would have to swallow his pride, apologize to Potter and have him set up a meeting to discuss their 'divorce'. He would say that he has accepted it, and wants to finish quickly. And then when it was just him, Potter and Hermione, he would grab her and take off. Ah, but the fly in his plan was the fact that the ministry knew where he lived. And his lovely cage was waiting for her there. He would go into hiding for a few weeks, until things died down. Maybe he would obliviate Potter's mind, and Hermione's so that she would forget all about any divorce plans. Without warning though his plans were going down the drain. The Daily Prophet had a front page article on him and Hermione.

Hermione Shanly alleges abuse from husband.

In a press conference today, Harry Potter, junior assistant to the head auror, stated that Hermione Granger Shanly has indeed been located. Mr. Potter said that his former Hogwart's friend came to him, alleging that she left her husband of 3 years due to consistent and unimaginable abuse. Mr. Potter stated that Mrs. Shanly will continue to stay in hiding until the divorce is final. According to inside sources she has several witnesses to her abuse which will be called during the hearing. Her husband, Mr. Steven Shanly, who has been seen in recent weeks begging for his wife's safe return, owns an apothecary in Diagon Alley called 'The Lone Wizard's apothecary.' Our sources also tell us that he has been spotted in several London nightspots with many different young women on his arm. This whole situation sounds fishy in this reporter's opinion. We will keep you up to date on the latest developments.

His face froze in rage. That was the final straw; they mentioned his business and abuse in the same article. He knew that most people trusted what they read in the Prophet. And they had been following him in the nightclubs. Damn, he wondered how many women they had seen him with. He had shagged one out in the back alley behind the club. Fuck! He hoped they hadn't seen that. It would look really bad in front of the council. His plan of seeing her before the divorce was shot to hell in one fail swoop. He sat back down and wracked his brain thinking of ways to get her to come home. None came to him. He looked around at his house, there were dishes everywhere, and he hadn't eaten a decent meal in weeks. And he was seriously lacking in his nightly bedroom activities. He slumped back in his chair again. He was fucked.

Hermione sat in the bathroom at the manor next to the tub. She was holding her knees tightly to her chest and crying. It had been exactly two years since he pushed her down the steps causing her to miscarry. She remembered uttering that spell and finding out she was pregnant. She was happy, but then she thought of how life would be with a baby? Would he treat it like he treated her? This thought drowned her in sorrow. She walked around like the saddest woman on earth for a few days, and he noticed. He asked her what was wrong, she told him, no point in lying. He hugged her like he did before they were married. He told her it had better be a boy. Duh, not like she had any control over that. It was his swimmers that determined the sex of the baby. But she did not give her opinion. She just smiled and nodded like a demented Barbie doll. She could not get the thought of him beating their child off of her mind and when her demeanor didn't improve he walked up behind her and pushed her down the steps. She landed with a thump on the landing. An extreme pain invaded her abdomen. She cried out as blood poured from her underwear. She was 2 months along. She cried holding her stomach and he walked past her casually asking when dinner would be done. She half walked, half crawled up the steps and into the small bathroom. She got to the toilet and pulled off her pants and underwear. They were filled with blood. She sat on the toilet and blood continued to pour from her. She cried for over an hour before she could compose herself and make her way towards the kitchen where he was waiting. He glared at her.

"WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU CRYING? YOU DIDN'T WANT THE LITTLE BASTARD ANYWAY NOW DID YOU?" he had screamed. She broke down again and he carried her down the basement, kicking and screaming, and locked the door. Twelve hours later, he peeked down the steps. She had collapsed on the bottom stair, a pool of blood beneath her. Her thighs and underwear were covered in dried blood. He told her she was disgusting and to go clean herself up. She didn't respond. But before long she crawled her way up the rickety steps and he had looked at her with such revulsion that she felt lower than the lowest animal. She went upstairs and cleaned up, before returning to cook his breakfast. She was already late with it as she remembered. That was the last time she would allow herself to go through that. After sex every night she would sneak his wand and perform a contraceptive spell. She would not put a child through that. A knock at the door snapped her back to reality.

"Granger are you okay? You have been in there a while. Do you want Dribby to get you something for your stomach?" he asked with some concern in his voice.

"No, I am fine." she sniffed, trying to pull herself together. She had not told another living soul about the baby, and she didn't want to have to explain her tears now. She splashed some water on her face, dried it and returned to the bedroom. He looked at her, trying to decipher her mood. He must have decided she looked too moody to approach, because he walked right by her into the bathroom. She sat in front of the fire, staring into the flames until her eyes hurt. And when he came back out of the bathroom, she decided she needed someone to talk to.

"Draco, can we talk?" she said meekly.

"What's up?" he looked into her caramel eyes, which he noticed were red from crying. He hoped that it wasn't about the other night again.

"Can I tell you something?" her eyes were filled with uncertainty, and on the verge of crying again.

"I guess, is it about…?"

"It's not about the other night. It is about something that happened a couple of years ago today." she sniffed.

"Ok."

"Two years ago today, Steven, well he…and I…" she couldn't get it out. She wanted to tell him why she was acting like this. All of the years of abuse had conditioned her not to share her pain. But she thought he would understand, and hold her close, leaving the past behind.

"What is it?" he asked, his soft silver eyes looking clearly into her soul.

"He killed our baby!" she spat out, throwing her head into his chest and sobbing openly. He was stunned. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't that. He felt her wet salty tears soaking his shirt, and he patted her head soothingly. What did she mean he had killed their baby? Was there more charges they could file against him, maybe get him a one-way ticket to Azkaban? If so all the better, but right now his attention turned to her. She was hyperventilating on his chest.

"What did you just say?" he asked her, trying to pull her out of her downward spiral.

"I…was…preg…nant. He pushed me…down the stairs, I…bled." she continued sobbing, mumbling words in between her cries. He felt a mixture of rage and hate towards her husband. But he had to push that aside now, she needed him to comfort her. And that's just what he did. He laid his jaw on top of her head and kissed her hair. She snuggled into his chest and would sniff every moment or so. He wrapped his arms around her tiny frame and held her so close, just the way she wanted.

"I am so sorry." he whispered to her. She didn't respond, but she tightened her grip around him, pressing her face into his chest. She inhaled his scent which was a very comforting mix of musk and pine. She didn't know why this smell made her feel better, but it did. It also had something to do with the way he was holding her. Tight, but not suffocating. Warm but not mushy. She was all too happy to lie here with him for the rest of the day. She sure did not want to eat. Her appetite had been ruined by her thoughts of that baby. He would be almost a year and a half old now. Tears fell again, but Draco made no effort to get up. He sat there for over 3 hours holding her and listening to her cry. Finally she sat up and looked into those molten steel eyes. She felt somehow relieved. She had needed to get that out for 2 years now. She had not told anyone else.

"I am sorry for dumping all that on you." she sniffed, wiping her eyes on her shirt.

"Don't be. I can't believe you kept that inside for 2 years." he reached over and wiper her cheek with his thumb. Warmth spread through her body again, and she grabbed his hand and kissed his fingers softly, smiling lightly at him. He smiled back and grabbed her head bringing it back to rest upon his chest. His steady heartbeat and breathing helped her to fall asleep peacefully.

She awoke at about 11pm, startled that Draco was still lying beneath her. He had dozed off as well. She realized that she was suddenly starving. She called for Dribby, just by saying her name, and she arrived ready to serve. 'House elves are just weird' she thought.

"Dribby, we missed dinner. Can you fix us something if it is not too much trouble?" Hermione asked sweetly.

"Oh, miss it is no trouble at all, I can fix anything you like. I can fix…"

"Just whatever Draco likes, thank you." she smiled at the house-elf who was bowing as she left the room. Hermione stood up to go to the bathroom. Her legs and arms were cramped up from lying on the couch for too long. She went to use the bathroom and when she was done, she looked at herself in the mirror.

'You look like hell.' she told herself, splashing water on her face. She undressed quickly and turned on the shower. The hot water relaxed her tired muscles as she washed her body and her hair. When she was done, she got out and wrapped herself in a towel. She wished she had something nice to wear tonight. All she had was the grandma gown he bought her when she first arrived. Then an idea popped into her head. She would run to the bedroom next door and grab something of Pansy's. As nauseating of an idea it was, she didn't feel like being herself tonight. He had been so kind to her. She thought she would look nice for him. She looked into the hall, (He had long stopped locking the door.) and saw that no one was there. She tiptoed next door and found a large, cream and white colored bedroom, with gold trim. She opened the closet. Nothing. The drawers seemed to be the same, until she came to the nightstand ones. There were 2 nighties in there. One red, sheer with roses and a matching thong. 'Uh, no' she thought 'too Pansy' and the other, long, green satin with a plunging neckline and matching thong. It had wider straps, and the back went so low it nearly touched her tailbone. 'Perfect.' She slipped it on then went to the dresser where she applied some light make up and a spritz of perfume. She looked back into the hallway. No one in sight. She slipped back in the bedroom, where a moment later Dribby appeared with a tray. She set it down, smiled looking Hermione over from head to toe before saying;

"Looks much better on you than on Miss Pansy." she said bowing out the door again. She went over to the couch to wake Draco up.

"Draco, dinner is here, we slept through. Wake up."

He raised his head groggily.

"Huh?' he yawned widely before opening his eyes and looking at her. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight. I had Dribby bring this up." she lifted the lid off of the tray and revealed a wide array of foods, all of Draco's favorites. He looked at the tray, and then back at her. Like he had just seen her for the first time. His eyes widened as he followed her frame from head to toe. He whistled.

"Wow Granger, I mean Hermione, you look nice."

"Thank you." she said blushing and making him a plate of food.

"So what is the occasion?"

"I know I have been rather difficult to live with recently, and I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your friendship and support." she smiled at him as she handed him his plate.

"You didn't have to do all this." he said taking a bite.

"Yeah I did. I loaded a lot of crap onto you today, and since I got here. I have never had anyone to talk to. Even Harry and Ron, while they were my friends in school, it was their problems I had to listen to. My problems got pushed to the side. And well, I just wanted to thank you." she leaned in and brushed her lips against his. He swallowed quickly.

"You are welcome."

They both ate like starved people and half an hour later were collapsed on the couch together clutching their bellies. She snuggled her head back against his chest. She felt so safe, so secure. She lifted up his shirt and kissed his stomach, causing him to laugh. He looked down at her.

"What are you doing?" she shrugged at him and kissed up his chest tugging his shirt off over his head. He raised his eyebrow at her, but she paid him no mind. Soon she straddled his lap and was kissing his chest and neck. He closed his eyes, not looking at her. He knew he should not allow her to continue. She was in no emotional state to make this decision again, but Merlin she was so sexy and desirable right now. He would just go so far, and then stop it. They both deserved a little happiness. Her lips found their way to his and soon she was licking his lower lip, biting at it playfully.

'Damn, she smells so good. Why does she do this to me?'

Her hands ran through his hair tugging at his blonde locks a little roughly. It was a side of her he didn't know existed, but he liked it. She bit and sucked along his neck and collarbone again, leaving red and purple marks as she went.

'He tastes so good.' she thought. She tugged at his sweatpants, but they wouldn't budge. She looked up and saw him hiking them up. She looked at him puzzled.

"I thought you wanted…" she started but he interrupted.

"I don't think you should be doing this," he said.

"I want to."

"You may think that, but after what happened last time, I don't know."

"Things are different now." she said kissing his naval, weakening his resistance.

"How?'

"It just is." she reached her hand inside of his boxer shorts and felt him, he was getting hard. He let out a little moan.

'Why is she doing this to him? And why is he not just sitting back and enjoying himself? Had he lost his Malfoy touch?' he thought to himself.

By the time she had pulled his boxers low enough for her to lick the tip; he had come to a decision. He would have to stop her. He would explain that it wasn't her, Merlin it sure wasn't. But they both needed to get their emotions in check and figure out what was going on. Then suddenly, her mouth took his entire erection inside of it. He grabbed her head and ran his fingers through her curly locks. She was licking him up and down his shaft; he looked down and saw her there, Hermione Granger, giving him head. It was too much for him to handle all in one day. He laid his head back and looked at the ceiling. Oh, gods her mouth felt good. He had not had anything like this for a very long time. She ran her tongue along the head and circled it several times before going all the way down again. He had to stop this, but he couldn't. She lifted her lips from him and kissed her way back up to his mouth, where she plunged her tongue into his mouth, twirling her tongue with his. He grabbed her shoulders;

"Stop, we can't do this again." he said looking into her caramel eyes that were pleading with him.