Silhouettes

A/N: This was based on Smile Empty Soul's song, 'Silhouettes'. It is not a songfic but just where the inspiration for it came from. It's a four-parter which I have written so the updates will come quickly. This chapter is set alongisde the epilogue of the 7th book.

Disclaimer: I do not own the song Silhouettes or the associated lyrics. I do not own Harry Potter or any related characters within the franchise. If I did, Tom Felton would be all mine and in the movies far more!

It was nearly nineteen years later when Hermione Weasley stood on platform 9¾. She hadn't seen Draco or heard from him since she had seen him in his cell after the war. She had read the odd article about him in the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly. She had never forgotten him, his defeated look had haunted her dreams ever since. After the war, Hermione had married Ron and had had two children, Rose and Hugo. Now they were due to go back to school. Harry and Ginny were also going to be there, to see most of their children off to Hogwarts.

Hermione and Ron met up with Harry and Ginny. She saw Harry nod in someone's direction and looked over in that direction. All she saw was the back of a blond head and a smaller version standing next to him along with a woman. They seamed to be standing slightly away from the crowds on the platform, as if ostracized from everyone else. Hermione sighed, it seemed as if Draco had been right again, people would never forget.

Hermione was still standing on the platform long after the Hogwarts express had left. .Ron had gone back with Harry and Ginny as Hermione had wanted to be alone for a while. Slowly, she made her way back across the platform and through the portal to the main Kings Street Station. She didn't have time to scream as a hand pulled her into the shadows.

'What's going on?' she said once she had caught her breath.

'Sshh, it's me Hermione.'

'Draco Malfoy? What are you doing accosting me at the train station?'

'I wanted to say thank you. I realised I never actually properly thanked you for getting my sentence overturned all those years ago.'

'It was no problem at all Draco.'

'How did you do it? How did you get them to see I wasn't all bad?'

'Why don't we go find a coffee shop somewhere and I'll discuss it with you.'

As Draco and Hermione entered a small coffee shop on Diagon Alley, a short silence descended on the shop. No-one expected the ex-death eater and Harry Potter's best friend to be together in a coffee shop. Draco ordered them two black coffees and went to sit opposite Hermione in one of the booths. He was used to people's negative stares and whispers wherever he went, but it was clear to Draco that Hermione wasn't.

'You don't have to do this if you don't want to,' Draco said as he sat down.

'You have a right to know, Draco. It's your life.'

'We could go somewhere more private if it would make you more comfortable.'

'Sure,' she agreed, picking up her coffee and holding onto his arm as he apparated them away from the coffee shop.

When they had landed, Hermione looked around her. They were back on the cliff edge where all this drama had started twenty-one years ago. They both sat down in the same spot as before. Hermione took a sip of her coffee and readied herself.

'Basically, I realised that I was wrong not to defend you after the final battle. I had to do something to put things right. Ron had said you were probably going to go to Azkaban for a very long while and I couldn't let that happen to you, especially after what you said that evening, in this very spot. You were innocent but no-one else seemed to care. I went as soon as I could to the Minister himself, pulled in a few favours mentioning Harry and Voldermort's name a few times. Eventually I was allowed to see him and so I told him that I thought that what he was doing was wrong, he was as bad as the death eaters. He didn't like that too much. In the end, to convince him that I wasn't lying I showed him my memory in his pensieve. Once he'd seen that conversation on the cliff he had to agree with me. He overturned your sentence straight away and went to see you to tell you.'

Draco lowered his head. He had regretted what he had said all those years ago to Hermione. He had called a liar, refusing to believe her.

'I'm sorry,' he mumbled.

'Whatever for Draco, I forgave you for the teasing the last time we were here. There's nothing left to apologise for.'

'I meant I'm sorry for the way I treated you in my cell when you came to tell me of my freedom. The way in which I disbelieved you.'

Once more, Hermione put her arms around him as if he was still the alone and scared seventeen year old he had once been.

'You got my life back on track, Hermione. You showed me that it didn't matter if no-one else cared whether you lived or died providing someone did. You were my angel Hermione, guiding me onto the right path. If it hadn't been for you, not only would I be rotting in some cell in Azkaban, but I'd have nothing to live for either. My family, Scorpius and Astoria and I owe so much to you. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you.'

'You owe me nothing Draco,' Hermione replied softly.

The two continued to sit there, holding each other. Draco thought back throughout his life. When he was with Hermione he felt like she spoke to the person inside of him. She had always been willing to listen to him when he needed to talk. In some ways she probably knew him better than he did himself. Around her, Draco could be himself, no pretenses. Astoria was alright but she didn't want to know, to listen to him. If Draco was honest to himself, then he would be forced to admit that Astoria was only with him because he was the only rich, pureblood, slytherin left. His son was a different though; Draco would do anything for his son. He had been so determined not to make the same mistakes as his own father had. He'd prefer it if he could have left Astoria to live with Hermione and Scorpius.

Sitting with Hermione, was perfection itself, life always seemed to be slightly brighter when she was around. She was his brand of heroin, for as long as Draco lived he would always need her. Draco sighed contentedly and ran his hands through her silky brown hair. Hermione Granger, a muggle-born, had broken through Draco Malfoy's, a pureblood, shell and shown him that hope can always be rebuilt. That if you wanted something bad enough in this world, then all you had to do was try and get it.

Silhouetted against the September sun, two figures sat together staring out across the sea to the distant horizon. The two had been through so much together and on their own but everything had come full circle and ended up where it had all started with a very different outlook the second time around. But in the end, all sinners have to pay…

A/N: Well that's the fourth and final part. Please review. Thanks for sticking with this story and reading it. It was fun to write and I hoped you enjoyed reading it too.

jonesy100000000