A/N: This was written for a prompt sent in on Tumblr by felgia-starr. The prompt requested Dramione in a post-apocalyptic setting. This isn't exactly a post-apocalyptic setting, but in theory, it would be the precursor to that idea after they leave the bunker.

Title: A Return to Normalcy
Pairing: Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger
Rating: T
Summary: The Wizarding War has taken a toll on everyone. Will Draco and Hermione be able to survive it on their own?

Beta work was done by Grammarly and the only thing I own in this little tale is the plot.

Be sure to let me know what you think!

Love always,
~starr

Hermione let out a heavy sigh and leaned her head back against the wall of the bunker, pulling her knees to her chest. She closed her eyes and dropped her forehead to her knees. This last week felt like it was never-ending, and things were never going to get back to normal.

The city had been under attack, and it would appear that the Death Eaters were not willing to take any prisoners. It was kill or be killed. They had been ordered only to take one prisoner, and no one would give up the whereabouts of the one and only Chosen One. Harry didn't want anyone else to die for him, but the only way that they would be able to defeat Voldemort was to keep him hidden away.

Luckily for Hermione, she had found an unlikely person to team up with for the time being. She lifted her head slightly and noticed Draco Malfoy pacing at the far side of the bunker. He was anxious, and she couldn't blame him in the slightest. When he denounced the Dark Lord, the response was not a positive one, and now Draco was just as much a fugitive as the rest of them were. Although, having a former Death Eater on their side had proven so far to be beneficial in protecting Harry and gathering resources for the final battle.

When she found him, he was hidden away in the Shrieking Shack. All he wanted to do was survive this war so that he could start his life over, without the lingering curse of his father's obedience to The Dark Lord hanging over his head. That reason alone was why Hermione had been so willing to help him, even if it drove Ron away from her in a time of need. She was better off not dealing with Ron's jealousy when she had more important things to focus on.

As she watched Draco pacing back and forth, she noticed that he was talking to himself. Although it was more of a mumble since she couldn't understand what he was saying, lifting her arms to rest them on her knees, she leaned forward and rested her chin on her arm and continued to watch him. She hoped that he was going to start speaking a little louder so that she could figure out what he was saying without having to ask him. However, she knew better than to get her hopes up.

"What are you mumbling about over there?" she called out, distracting him from his pacing, causing him to stop mid-step.

He looked over at her with a frown hanging heavily from his face. The worry and disgust on his face were worn like facepaint, hugging every curve of his skin. There was a sadness in his eyes that she had noticed when she first found him. She had hoped that the sadness would fade away with time as he realized that he had done the right thing.

Apparently, she thought wrong.

"I'm not mumbling," Draco grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest as he made his way across the bunker to where she was sitting. Leaning back against the wall, he slowly dropped down to have a seat beside her and tilted his head back, closing his eyes and letting out a heavy sigh.

Hermione reached over and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned his head toward her hand, and his eyes fluttered open as a smile appeared on his face. She returned the smile as she brushed her thumb slowly back and forth. "You were mumbling. Tell me what's on your mind."

"It's too quiet out there," he replied, lifting his head and pulling his knees to his chest. He wrapped his arms around them and glanced toward the window at the top of the bunker. "When I was keeping watch earlier, I noticed that life outside of this damn bunker seemed to have calmed down out there. The dark fog that coated the city for the last month has lifted."

"Maybe we should go out and investigate," Hermione suggested, pulling her hand away from Draco's shoulder and resting it on the ground between them. "See who else has survived and start to rebuild."

"We aren't going anywhere," Draco insisted, turning to look at Hermione directly. He needed her to stay safe. If anything ever happened to her, then he'd never be able to forgive himself. She had given up all of her friends just to make sure that he was not alone. No one deserved to be left alone at a time like this, regardless of where their allies may have laid before this exact moment. "You're going to stay here, and I'll go."

"I most certainly will not just stay here and let you go out to get yourself killed potentially," Hermione scoffed, pushing herself up off the ground and made her way over to the table where her bag was laying, ready to be packed for their next move.

Draco cursed himself under his breath as he pushed himself up and walked over to where she was standing. He placed a gentle hand on her waist, pushing her slightly to turn her to face him. "Look," he said, his voice barely above a whisper as he reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm ordering you to stay here."

"You're what?" Hermione asked, cutting him off mid-sentence as she reached for her wand that was lying on the table.

Draco wrapped his hand around Hermione's wrist, stopping her from getting a hold of her wand. He didn't want to be the person at the other end of a hex that she cast. He forced a smile onto his lips as he looked her directly in the eyes, directly into her beautiful chocolate-colored eyes. "I'm asking you to stay here. I'll go check it out. No one will care if I don't make it back if something were to happen to you…"

His voice trailed off as he watched a sadness watch over her face. He reached up and cupped her cheek. This wasn't how he wanted to admit the feelings he had for her, but he knew if he didn't, he might not get another chance depending on what was waiting for him outside. The tip of his thumb brushed softly across the apple of her cheek.

"I care about you making it back safe, Draco," she whispered, closing her eyes as she tilted her head into his hand. Her eyes slowly flickered open to find his face mere centimeters away from hers. His eyes searching hers for a reason to stop. She could feel the smile pulling at the corner of her lips. Finally, she thought to herself as she closed her eyes once more and pressed her lips to his.

A sigh of relief flooded over Draco's body as he felt Hermione's lips touch his. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her in closer to him as he moved the hand from her cheek to the nape of her neck. This was the moment he had been waiting for since the day she found him in the Shrieking Shack. The bunker was not the place he had imagined them having their first kiss, but at this point, he wasn't even sure that he would get a chance to kiss her again.

After a few moments, the pair pulled apart. Hermione tucked her head under Draco's chin, resting against his chest. She smiled when she felt him kiss the top of her head. She wrapped her arms around his waist. She didn't want to let go, but she knew that she'd have to at some point.

"If I don't come back for you in ten minutes, send up a flare and call for backup," Draco mumbled, kissing the top of Hermione's head a few times.

"You're not going out there alone," Hermione demanded, pulling away from his embrace and grabbing her wand and bag off the table. "We're in this together whether you like it or not, Malfoy."

Draco shook his head with a laugh. "I should have left when you were napping. It'll teach you to be a slacker, Granger."

Hermione glared at him and shook her head. "You better watch it, Draco."

"Or what?" Draco teased, reaching out and pulling her flush against his body.

"I'll be the reason you don't make it out of this war alive," she replied, kissing his cheek before interlacing her fingers in his. "Now, let's go finish this war so that we can find some normalcy."