A/N: Angsty stuff. Pretty confusing, too. But I may write a prequel. :)
The Last Time
Grim, rattling cold. He could feel it seep into his bones, making his soul shiver.
Draco Malfoy, or what was left of him, sat in the stone bench of his Azkaban cell. His sunken eyes roamed around the bare gray walls, as if trying to make out an exit, any form of exit. But the walls seemed to stare back at him, leering.
He closed his eyes trying to escape the scrutinizing glare of emptiness. But it made everything worse. He fought hard not to let the memories flood in but like a dam crumbling against a tidal wave, his mind gave up and he remembered.
Like a freak show in a circus, he held the bars that surrounded him. He was trapped.
A man wearing black wizard robes stood up and cleared his throat.
"Settle down, settle down." The sound of the wooden mallet broke the chaotic noise. "The jury has reached a verdict."
He swallowed. Beads of sweat formed on his brow. He looked at her with pleading eyes, silver orbs stained with tears, but she did not see him.
All was quiet. The judge's moustache fluttered as he spoke.
"We the jury, find the defendant, Draco Lucius Malfoy, guilty of the abduction and rape of Hermione Granger."
All hell broke loose around him. They cheered and screamed. He felt sticky spit land on his cheek. But he did not care for all of this.
He saw her, just her. And for one single, fleeting moment, their eyes met. He followed the trail of a tear down her porcelain-like face, until she dismissed it with one swipe of the back of her hand. It was over.
Buzzing. There was buzzing in his ears. He tried to make out what it was. It was growing louder and louder. Putting his hands over his ears, he screamed.
"Draco."
He saw her again, naked underneath him. Her eyes were brown but colorlessly so; devoid of emotion. No anger, no hate. No love. The bulb overhead flickered, as though it did not want to see what was going on. It cast eerie shadows in that dark room that smelled of lust and obsession.
Temporary blindness. He was numb except for the feel of her touch scorching his sweaty skin.
"Draco."
"Draco Malfoy."
The voice crashed him back down to reality. Grim, rattling cold.
He looked up and saw a wizard tapping his wand impatiently against the steel bars.
"You have a visitor," he said, and with a wave of his wand the bars creaked opened. The sound was like music to Draco's ears.
The wizard magically bound his wrists with thick chains and prodded him forward. Draco kept his head down, not wanting to see his inmates. Not wanting to see if they were as insane as he was.
The wizard brought him to a cellar-like room, with only one lamp hanging on the center of the ceiling. There was a table right below the lamp, with two chairs facing each other.
"Sit," the wizard said and pushed Draco towards the chair. "Wait."
Draco looked up at the lamp at it swayed lazily overhead. He waited.
When she saw him, her heart ached. She walked towards him purposefully, her expensive Muggle business suit rustling with every move. She wanted to squeeze her eyes shut but she couldn't.
His eyes that once held passion were blank, the color of unpolished silver. There were dark circles under his eyes; his lips were blue with cold. His hair once slicked back, shiny and smooth was matted and dirty. He was nothing like him.
She sat down on the chair across him, putting her briefcase on the table with a dull thud. She felt him watch her with disbelief.
With two clicks, the briefcase was open. She turned it to face him. A huge pile of letters greeted him, mocking, reminding him of what he lost.
"You're still obsessed with me after everything that happened. Unbelievable."
Her voice sounded the same. Except that it was now tinged with maturity and no longer held that tone of helplessness. Not like it did that night. He tried to smirk at her but insanity weighed his lips down.
"I told you I will always be obsessed with you."
"Stop." That word echoed around him. Reverberating.
He did not answer. He looked her in the eye and searched for the girl he once knew. She avoided his gaze, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. It was then that he caught the expensive glitter of her diamond ring.
"Married?" He tried to hide the pain in his voice.
He watched her glance at the ring. "No. Engaged."
"Has he fucked you yet?" he asked, wanting and not wanting to know. She noticed how venom dripped from his statement. The familiar shiver of fear made the hairs on her neck stand up.
She glared at him. "No. He's a gentleman and he loves me."
Draco laughed at him. "Of course."
He wanted to tell her she was his. He wanted to shake her then slam his lips into hers. He wondered if she tasted the same.
The metal door creaked open again.
"Mommy," the little boy called out. He ran and hugged Hermione fiercely.
"Darling, I told you to wait outside," she said softly. She lifted the boy and put him in her lap.
He stared at him. Him in his little blue collared shirt with his big silver eyes and shiny blonde hair.
"Liar." He spat at her. "You said he hasn't screwed you yet."
She gritted her teeth. "No. But you did."
Stunned, he looked at him again. Him in his little blue collared shirt with his big silver eyes and shiny blonde hair.
And for the second time in his life, Draco's heart broke.
"His name's Isaiah. Draco Isaiah," she patted his head fondly. "Darling, say hello to Daddy."
He watched as those big silver eyes looked straight at him with uncertainty and excitement.
"Hullo, Daddy."
Buzzing. There was buzzing in his ears again.
"Daddy, why do you have chains in your hands?"
Draco fought hard not to let the tears fall. He was not going to cry. Not in front of his son. He smiled at him. "Daddy did something wrong to Mommy. So Mommy punished him."
"Mommy punishes me, too. She doesn't let me watch the telly."
He laughed. As naturally as he could.
Hermione looked stoic. "Darling, why don't you wait outside for Mommy. It's cold here. Say goodbye to Daddy. Blow him a kiss."
Little Isaiah did as he was told. And as sudden as he came, he was gone.
The room went darker for Draco.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Well, now you know." With a swift movement, she gathered up the letters which became strewn on the table. Two clicks and the briefcase closed.
"Stop writing me letters, Draco."
"Never," he replied vehemently.
She looked at him. Sunken eyes, bluish lips, matted hair. "Suit yourself."
She stood up and he watched her dust herself off, as if she was getting rid of his essence. She started walking away, her heels clicking upon the cold stone floor. And stopped.
"By the way, I'm not engaged."
He saw her, just her. And for one single, fleeting moment, their eyes met.
"There is only one man I want to marry. Too bad he's in prison."
He followed the trail of a tear down her porcelain-like face, until she dismissed it with one swipe of the back of her hand.
It was over.
It was the last time Draco Malfoy saw Hermione Granger.
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A/N: How'd you like it? If you have many questions, you can email me :) For those following Full House, almost done with Chapter 8, sorry for being a foul git and not updating in, like, forever. College just takes its toll, if you know what I mean. Thanks, guys and don't forget to READ and REVIEW! Much love to y'all!
PPS. And yes, this has already been posted in a livejournal community by ME, just in case you're wondering why you think you've read this before ;P
