A/N: Do I need to say again that I don't own HP? Okay, fine. I don't own HP, and I'm not making any money off this little venture.

As always, thank you to my beta shealone for her work polishing this to a nice shine!

Friday

Before supper

Hogwarts

Harry, Ron, Daphne, and Tracey all came through the Floo to Hogwarts from their day jobs. The engagement photo shoot was tomorrow, and they arrived early to ensure that the session went well. After supper, Harry and Ron made their way to Gryffindor Tower to see their housemates while Tracey and Daphne headed to the Slytherin dungeon for the same purpose.

Friday

After Supper

8th Common Room

The remainder of the week had passed in a blur. Hermione, Parvati, Blaise, and Draco plunged back into their schedule of classes, studying, and teaching. Hermione and Draco settled into a routine and relative peace, but they had yet to deal with the elephant in the room.

Determined to confront the issue, Hermione waited for Draco to return from his late meeting with Professor Slughorn, hoping to tackle his past as a Death Eater, and, for Hermione, her reluctance to live at Malfoy Manor. Though, he had caved very quickly on the venue for the wedding, so maybe... Just then, Draco arrived, a piece of mail in his hand.

"Draco, can we talk?" It seemed the perfect opportunity as there was no one else about.

"Of course. What would you like to talk about?"

Hermione decided to start with their living situation after the wedding. "Draco, where had you planned for us to live after we leave Hogwarts?"

"I hope to live at the Manor," he replied.

"Why do you want to live with your mother?"

"Hermione, the Manor is huge; we will never have to see her. I already have my own wing. Besides, Malfoys have lived there for generations."

"No. That is unacceptable. I cannot live there." Hermione was emphatic on this point.

"I gave in on the wedding location, but we are talking about living there in June; surely you will feel differently then." Draco sounded entirely too confident for Hermione. "But I'm willing to make a deal. If you will agree to distance yourself from Potter and Weasley, I might consider a change of home."

"You want me to give up my best friends? Have you completely lost the plot? In exchange for a different house, you want me to give up my best friends? I was tortured there! I can't bloody live there!" Her mini-rant ended with a screech.

"Hermione, I'm not going to deal with you being hysterical about this."

"Me, hysterical? Why you little, pale-faced, arrogant, smarmy, ferret —" Hermione yanked out her wand and pointed it at him. "I ought to… umph."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Neville snatched Hermione off her feet and threw her over his shoulder. "Let me down, Neville!" She yelled. "I need to curse the fucking ferret —" Hermione was whipping her head and arm around, trying to take aim at Draco.

"Shut up, Granger, you are just being an infant about —"

"Silencio," Blaise had arrived and silenced Draco before he could do more damage to his relationship with his fiancé. Parvati stood beside him, mouth agape. For good measure, he silenced Hermione as well. The lack of screaming was almost shocking.

"Go get Harry and Ron, Parvati, NOW. They're in Gryffindor Tower." Neville ordered. It was surprising to some that he was truly coming into his own. Looking over his shoulder at the squirming witch, he asked, "Hermione, can I put you down and trust you not to attack Malfoy?" He took her baleful glare and continued movement as a no. "Fine, then. Luna," he called out.

Luna, reading her fiancé perfectly, reached over and snatched Hermione's wand from her grip, allowing Neville to set Hermione on her feet safely but he still held onto her shoulder.

Within moments, Harry and Ron came tearing around the corner, followed by a panting Parvati. When they arrived, it was to see a disheveled, angry - but clearly unhurt - Hermione and an angry but unfettered Draco. Harry restrained Ron with a hand to the chest.

"Does someone what to tell me what the bloody hell is going on here?" Harry's voice was low and menacing. "Where's your wand, Hermione?" Harry looked around for it. She silently pointed at Luna. "Oh," he said as he caught sight of it. "May I?"

"Of course, Harry." Luna smiled sweetly as she handed over Hermione's vinewood wand.

"If I end the Silencio, will you both be calm?" He asked and they both nodded. "Finite Incantatem. Now, what in bleeding hell is going on here?"

"Oh, nothing. Malfoy and I were just having a disagreement, and Neville seems to think that I needed you two to back me." Hermione shot Neville a withering glare.

"The hell I did. When I came in you were screaming and had your wand out to curse Malfoy. You needed to calm down, so I took you out of the situation. Then, I brought them in because I know that you have always been friends with them, will always be friends with them, and if you all can't work out some sort of relationship between the four of you, then your life is going to be a living hell, Hermione. So, go somewhere and Get. This. Fucking. Handled." Neville turned and walked out of the room, followed by Luna, Blaise, and Parvati.

Luna's voice drifted back to the uncomfortable foursome. "Neville, I think there is an infestation of Nargles in the room… they make everyone so grumpy."

The four of them stared at one another in silence for several beats. The tips of Ron's ears were still an unfortunate shade of puce, but he was the first to speak. "Neville's right. We have to talk. But no wands and no witnesses."

"Fine. Room of Requirement will be private enough. We can put our wands in a box so we can't get to them easily," Draco agreed.

Moments later

Room of Requirement

As usual, the room provided magnificently. Grouped in an arc around the fireplace, the four overstuffed chairs beckoned. Resting on a low table was a wand box with places for four wands resting on velvet, with a lid. Each deposited their wands and made themselves comfortable. They stared at one another for a few moments, collecting their thoughts.

"How could you just stand there while Bellatrix tortured me?" Hermione's voice was small. "While she carved this into my arm? Why didn't you help? And you want me to give them up, so I can live somewhere else instead of the house where your aunt tortured me on the fucking floor? How is that even reasonable?"

"You don't understand, Hermione —" Draco began.

"You have no idea what it was like, listening to her scream while we were in that basement and couldn't help her. I will never be able to get that out my mind." Ron's almost broken voice interrupted him.

"What would have happened, Hermione, if I had tried to stop her?" Draco asked. When Hermione opened her mouth to speak, he continued, "No really. What. Would. Have. Happened? She was in direct contact with Vold — the Dark Lord. He would have been there in a flash, and we would all be dead. Is that the ending that you prefer?" He looked at Ron. "And you think that it was any easier watching it happen and know there wasn't a fucking thing I could do to save her from it? Are you thicker than I thought? I did what I could. I did not tell them who you were. I knew the instant you were brought in who you were. But I also knew that if I said definitely that it wasn't the 'Golden Trio' and when it was discovered it was you, my mother would suffer and probably die."

Harry opened his mouth to interrupt, but Draco ploughed on.

"Everything I did, I did to save my mother. My father is an arsehole, but my mother loves me. Do you really think I enjoyed living in the same house with that sub-human son of a bitch? That snake-like thing? That I enjoyed watched Professor Burbage die and get eaten by his pet? Whatever you went through that winter, I promise you, it wasn't fun and games at Malfoy Manor either."

Harry seemed to reach a decision. "We were hunting for Horcruxes."

"Harry, wait —" Hermione's voice sounded slightly panicked.

"Mate, he doesn't have to know," Ron tried to interrupt.

"Yes, he does," Harry snapped at his best friends. "If he is going to understand why we are friends and always will be, then he needs to hear the whole of it."

Hermione and Ron exchanged a glance, and Draco could practically see the conversation in their eyes. He hoped that maybe one day...He turned his attention back to Harry.

"You perceive me all ears, Potter."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, as I was saying, we were hunting Horcruxes. Do you know what a Horcrux is?" He asked and continued when Draco nodded, "Voldemort made seven Horcruxes." Draco's mouth dropped openly slightly, but he recovered quickly. "You remember how Dumbledore's hand was withering? He destroyed one of the Horcruxes, but it cursed him. He was dying all through sixth year and then you..." Harry stopped, turned his head slightly, and took a deep breath to compose himself. "We'll get to that. Dumbledore gave me the task of tracking down the remaining Horcruxes and destroying them because as long as they existed, Voldemort would be able to return."

Draco blanched at the thought of a newly resurrected Dark Lord.

"We obtained a locket. It was a Horcrux, but we had no idea how to destroy it. But, I accidently destroyed one in second year. Your father gave Ginny Tom Riddle's diary. Do you remember the all the Heir of Slytherin business?" He waited for Draco's nod of affirmation. "That diary was a Horcrux and to destroy it I had to use the fang of a Basilisk. The only Basilisk we knew about was here at Hogwarts, so that was out at the time. We knew the Sword of Gryffindor would do the trick, but we had to find that too. So, we had to find the sword and all of the remaining Horcruxes. In the meantime we all took turns wearing that cursed locket."

"It hit me the hardest, I think. I'd always had a bit of a..." Ron shook his head, "I don't know, inferiority complex. I mean, Harry's 'the boy who lived' and Hermione is the 'brightest witch of our age,' and I'm just 'the Weasley's youngest boy,' so I had a lot to prove, but I didn't feel like I proved myself very well. And you didn't help matters with that 'Weasley is our King' shite." Ron shot Draco a dirty look. Draco had the grace to look abashed. "Anyway, that fucking thing was poison, whispering in my ear, playing to my weaknesses, and then one day, I snapped."

Ron looked into the distance at nothing. Or maybe he was looking in on himself. Hermione reached out to grip his hand and he returned the squeeze, looked down, and gave her a small smile.

"So, I got in this huge row with Harry and Hermione, and I left," he finished.

"What? You fucking left them? I can't even..." Draco could not explain the flash of pure fury that shot through him. It stole his normal eloquence and he could not motivate himself to care. He was too busy trying to prevent himself from going for his wand. Fuck that. He could send a curse without his wand. No, that wouldn't help matters.

"Yes, I left. It wasn't my finest hour. But as soon as I did, I tried to come back, but I couldn't find them. Until one night, I did. They forgave me."

"What Ron isn't saying is that he saved Harry's life and retrieved the Sword of Gryffindor the night he returned." Hermione's voice was crisp as she spoke. "And after he retrieved the sword, he destroyed the Horcrux. And we needed him back. At that point, we were almost broken, but when he returned, things started happening."

"I think I grew up during that time away," Ron said. "But I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for leaving, you know?" That was the single most introspective thing Draco had ever heard Ron utter. Ron turned and looked at Draco. "And I'll die before I ever leave either of them again. And I will die defending both of them if I have to." Draco could see Ron biting the inside of his cheek, fighting the tears standing in his eyes.

Draco, for the first time, felt a twinge of sympathy for the ginger. Even though his inaction when the trio was captured saved lives, it still felt wrong. And even though Ron's betrayal, in the end, was for the best, it still felt wrong.

"Did you get them all? The Horcruxes, I mean?" Draco asked Harry.

"Yeah. Turns out I was the final Horcrux; I was getting flashes of his thoughts," Harry shuddered in memory. "It was like I actually was him, sometimes. I... I can't even explain it. Anyway, the Deathly Hallows are real. But you know that. Voldemort tried to kill me in the forest, but I had the Resurrection Stone, so I was able to come back. And you know the rest — what happened at the castle, the final confrontation with Voldemort. Neville killed Nagini, which was a Horcrux as well. I could not have defeated Voldemort without Hermione and Ron. And I flatter myself to think they needed me too. So, do you understand this," he said, gesturing amongst the three of them, "now? It doesn't matter who we marry, who we have children with, we will always be in each others lives. None of us would be a very good couple, but I told you true the other night. If we thought for one second that she would have been paired with you, one of us would have married her. We should have considered it. And that's our fault. But we will be damned if we let you hurt Hermione."

Hermione looked at her boys. "I wouldn't have agreed, you know. I appreciate the thought, but I wouldn't have agreed. And you both know I can take care of myself."

"We know. But we will always do our best to support you and protect you." Harry looked at Draco. "Now, you know about us. Tell us what happened to you."

"I'm going to say this, and you won't believe me, but it's true." Draco looked at Hermione. "I've always liked you. You keep up with me. You call me on my shite. But with my father, I couldn't admit that." He turned to face Harry. "That night, at the World Cup, I knew something bad was coming. I was warning you to get her out of there, Harry. If you hadn't protected her, I don't even want to think what would have happened because my father hated her even then. But, that's not really relevant."

The trio exchanged glances. They had never heard Draco call Harry by his first name. And in an odd sort of way, this reassured them that Draco was in deadly earnest.

Draco paused. "So, I knew you were telling the truth after the Triwizard Tournament. I knew he was back. And by the end of fifth year, my father had pretty much given that freak free run of our house. And my parents... they were changing in front of my eyes. Father... Lucius," he corrected himself, "was bad before he went to Azkaban, but when he got back… it was like he gave over his soul to the Dark Lord."

"Voldemort. Or Tom Riddle," Hermione interrupted his reverie. "Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself."

"Fine. Riddle gave me a choice. He would torture and kill my mother, or I could take the Mark," he said as he rubbed the hated tattoo on his arm, "and I had to try to kill Dumbledore. I know Dumbledore was more than a headmaster to you, Harry, but compared to my mother? Don't you see? I couldn't just let that happen."

"Dumbledore offered you a way out that night on the Astronomy Tower, you refused it," Harry pointed out.

"Potter, that is the greatest regret of my life. If I had it to do over again, I would have thrown my lot in with you. But I couldn't see that at the time. But, it all happened so fast. If I had known that Severus was a spy, I would have done it, but I didn't know. I can't change it, but I would if I could." He paused to collect his thoughts. "So, last year, when you were hunting Horcruxes, I was just trying to survive. When the Snatchers brought the three of you to the Manor, I was so relieved. Maybe, if you could get out of that, you had a chance. But then Bellatrix saw that sword..." He shook his head and shuddered.

"When she saw that sword, I knew there was no reasoning with her. When she was in that kind of rage, it just had to burn itself out. It killed me to see what she was doing to Hermione. And my mother... she knew it. She was holding me back. I wanted to help, I really did, but, I knew it wouldn't do any good. And when I couln't take it anymore and reached for my wand anyway, Mother squeezed my arm, telling me to stop. Bella would have stopped torturing you, Hermione, but she would have just killed you instead and then she would have killed my mother and me. She was so far gone at that point that family meant nothing to her. Nothing."

"Then, all hell broke lose. When we were fighting, Potter, I had to make it look good, but you know I'm a better duelist than that. And I had been practicing against Death Eaters all year. You are a great duelist, but I'm better. I knew that you needed the wand more than I did. After you lot escaped, the Dark— err, Riddle arrived. That was the longest night of my life. Crucio after Crucio after Crucio. All of us. I finally passed out after what felt like an eternity. Then, on the the night of the final battle, Crabbe and Goyle... what oafs... I was trying to keep them from killing you all, but Crabbe..." he shook his head. "Merlin rest his black soul. Fiendfyre. What the fuck was he thinking?"

"It wasn't all bad, you know," Hermione interjected. "The Fiendfyre destroyed another Horcrux."

"Seriously?" He looked up, surprised. "Well, that's good then, yeah? At least his death contributed to Riddle's defeat." Draco paused, rubbing his eyes. "I never said so, but thank you for saving my life and for testifying for us, Potter. I owe you for that. And Hermione, I need to tell you that I'm so fucking sorry I wasn't able to save you from Bellatrix. I wish, I wish I could have stopped her."

"If you take care of Hermione, consider the debt paid." Harry was completely sincere.

"Now, what set off the fight tonight?"

"He wants to live in the Manor." Hermione sounded flabbergasted.

"What? Why? Why would you do that to her?" Ron's ears were puce, again.

Draco held up the letter that he had shoved in his pocket. "It's stupid. I just got this from Lucius. I swear to Merlin I'm done with that bugger. He is furious that I am marrying Hermione. I think he's finally gone 'round the bend in Azkaban. I may go back to Kingsley and ask that he have to stay there longer. He's threatening to disinherit me, but if I'm at the Manor, living in the Manor with my children, he can't do it. The enchantments are such that if one is of Malfoy blood, then they will always be welcome. If I'm not there, he would find it much easier completely disown me and my children."

"So, when Hermione broached the subject tonight, it came at a really bad time, and I wasn't able to think straight. And I tried to make a stupid bargain with her so I wouldn't have to deal with you two wankers," he said, but there was no heat to the insult. "Then she pulled out her wand, Longbottom got involved, and you know the rest." He paused, looking down at the letter in his hands. "It doesn't matter anymore. Let the fucker disinherit me. I've got my own vault. I can get a job. But, now that I'm calm, I know it's not about me. He can cut me off, but what about my kids? I don't fucking get it. How could he hate children that share his blood? It doesn't make any damned sense." Draco rubbed his hand across his face. "Forgive me, Hermione. We don't have to live at the Manor." He slumped against the chair back in defeat.

"One day, I might be able to live there, Draco, but not any time soon," she said. "And we will find a way to prohibit your fa— Lucius from disinheriting you. I suspect your mother won't allow it anyway. Think about what she did for her love of you." Hermione reached out and squeezed Draco's hand.

"I know."

"If you are living in a Malfoy property, is that essentially the same as living at the Manor?" Harry wanted the specifics.

"Yeah, as long as I'm living…" Draco sat up straight. "Wait, Potter, you might be on to something. Hermione, is it only the Manor you object to? Could we live in another Malfoy property?"

"It's just the Manor. My blood on the drawing room floor has pretty much killed the Manor for me."

He winced. "I can respect that. But there are several Malfoy properties in England and one here in Scotland. If I live there with my family, then the enchantments will hold for all properties. And Hermione... your blood is just like mine. It's red. There is no difference in blood."

"We know that, but since when do you?" Ron asked.

"I knew it, deep down, from the first time Granger beat the hell out of my grades first year. Lucius was so fucking angry that I was second to a Muggle-born. That was why I was such a wanker to you second year. Stupid, I know, but he is my father. I wanted to please him. It started really hitting home how equal you were at the Yule Ball. I always knew you were a girl, unlike those two over there," he said, smirking. "But you were more beautiful than every other girl there. And then, last year, when Bella was carving into your arm, I knew it with every fiber of my being and I swore that bitch would pay for that. I didn't know how or when, but she was going to pay. Weasley, when I saw your mum hit her with that curse and she went down, Merlin, that was one of the happiest moments of my life. I just wish the vicious bitch had suffered more."

By the end of this speech, Draco was looking down at his feet. But then he looked up at Hermione. "But you know what, the happiest moment of my life thus far was when you had that ugly hat sitting on your head and it said my name. Mine. I'll finally get the chance to take care of you like I couldn't last spring." Draco stood up and walked to Hermione; he crouched down, gently kissed her lips, and then looked over at Harry and Ron. "Potter. Weasley." He retrieved his wand, and then he left.

The Golden Trio watched him leave.

"Blimey, I think he means it," Ron breathed.

"Yeah, he does," Harry agreed. "But how do you feel, Hermione?"

"I knew that I felt passion for him, but until this... this changes everything. I have to think."

"If I had been in his shoes, I would have done exactly what he did. He was trying to protect his mother. If I could have protected my mother, I would have done it," Harry confessed. "And I believe him when he says he regrets not changing sides. When I think back on that night, it did happen so fast. And I didn't throw myself out there to save Dumbledore. There are those who probably think I should have."

"No, Harry, you would have died for nothing had you done something then." Hermione did not want to imagine what would have happened had Harry exposed himself that night on the Astronomy Tower.

"And it's the same thing with Draco," Harry insisted. "If he had thrown himself in front of Bellatrix's blade, then he would have died and so would the rest of us. We don't have to like it, but his inaction, in the end, saved lives. If he had acted, Voldemort likely would have won the war. Is a scar on your arm worth winning the war, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Yes, of course it is," Hermione answered immediately. "Oh, Godric, when you put it like that, I've acted like such a petty bitch. "

"No, you haven't. You were tortured, Hermione. You have every right to be pissed about that," Harry argued. "And you have every right to refuse to live in that house. But, do you forgive him for his inaction?"

"Yes, Harry, of course I do."

"Then maybe you should tell him."

"I will."

"I still don't like him," Ron chimed in. "But I understand him a little better now. And if he makes you happy, Hermione, then I'll accept him and try to get along with him."

"He was a right prat in school, wasn't he?" Harry looked over at Ron.

"Yeah, he was. Still is an arrogant ponce. And his father's a prick."

"I'm going to do some reading and see if I can figure out a way to stop Lucius from even threatening to disinherit Draco. If I have to make Kingsley step in, I will. Draco and his children… err… our children should not be punished for following the law." Hermione's jaw was set at a familiar angle.

Lucius didn't stand a chance.

A/N: For this chapter, I am largely relying on canon from the movie as opposed to the books. And, obviously, my interpretation of how things should have played out.