Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Chapter 13

November 2nd, 1998

Draco sat in his father's office - or his own office now- waiting for Harry to arrive. He'd spent the day clearing out the office of all his father's belongings. He had even thrown out the mahogany desk his father had loved. He now sat behind a much smaller, less expensive desk, writing a letter to his mother. He wanted her to know he would take the responsibility of the Manor and would do the redecorating himself.

While waiting, he helped himself to a few drinks of firewhiskey. He was on his sixth drink when green flames appeared in his fireplace. Draco stood up, remembering his manners. A moment later, Harry stepped out walked up to Draco, and the two shook hands.

"Malfoy," greeted Harry.

"Potter, I didn't think you were serious about this," responded Draco. They walked back towards the desk and took their seats.

"I wasn't sure I was coming back. I need to know you're serious about this, Malfoy."

"Why are you helping me? I haven't done anything to deserve your help. And I definitely don't need your pity," he spat.

"Do you want my bloody help or not?!" he yelled.

Draco was taken aback. Back in the day, he would have yelled back and maybe even cursed Harry. Now, though, he didn't know how to react. The man had done more for him than he deserved. During his incarceration, he had spend hours debating with himself about Harry's reasons for trying to help him. He wondered if the boy-who-lived had ulterior motives for his actions. But over the three months he spent there after the trial, he had come to the conclusion that maybe Harry Potter wasn't as bad as he had once thought. "Fine, Potter. Give me your bloody help," he said.

A few hours and bottles of firewhiskey later, the two of them had successfully completed all the required paperwork for Draco's application for Auror training. The two men had actually started to get along quite well, although the alcohol was mostly to blame for that. Harry had promised an official letter of recommendation to go along with Draco's paperwork.

"Don't you have a wife to get home to, Potter?" asked Draco as he pulled yet another bottle out of his liquor cabinet.

"She's in school, Ferret, but thank you, seriously, for reminding me," he snapped.

"Oi! No need to get like that, Potter! Congratulations, by the way. Who would've thought you'd be able to snag yourself a woman this quick," he laughed.

"Beat you to it, though." Harry grinned. It was surprisingly easy to talk to Draco. He had missed having someone to drink with. His friendship with Ron had turned sour over the last few months. Ron had become increasingly bitter towards him, and had eventually stopped talking to him altogether. Things between them had become hostile when Harry had been offered a job in the Ministry's Auror office. Ron had not been offered a job, and had, in fact, been kicked out of his auror training.

Harry had felt lonely since Ginny had gone back to Hogwarts. He hadn't seen Hermione since September. Even though it worried him, he wasn't even sure where she was. All the letters he wrote her had been returned unopened. He had shown up to the home they had moved into only to find another couple living there. No one had any idea where they had moved to. None of the Weasley's had any idea either. He had secretly been investigating her sudden disappearance with no results. Despite everything that had been going on, sitting in Draco's home, drinking with him, he felt as if they could be friends for a long time.

"Potter?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened to your side-kicks?" he asked curiously. He hadn't bothered to pour himself a glass and was now drinking out of the bottle.

"They're gone," he said simply.

Draco waited for an explanation that didn't come. He handed Harry the bottle over the desk. "What do you mean?" he pushed.

"Ron doesn't talk to me anymore. And Hermione's gone, as in I don't know where she is. You know, she always thought you were a good person. She always hassled me about trying not to judge you too quickly. She showed me how to forgive. If you owe thanks to anybody, it's her..." Harry leaned his head back on the chair, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. Draco heard Harry's light snoring a few moments later.

"Lightweight," he whispered. He mulled over various ways he could thank Hermione Granger and apologize for the years of abuse he had put her through. Working on impulse, he pulled out a piece of parchment and began to write.

Granger...

Hermione stood in her bedroom, watching the sun set through the only window in her new house. Ron would be home from his job at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes soon. Her daily attempts to escape had proven, once again, futile. Over the months, she had read every book in her library for any clues on what spells Ron had used to keep her confined in her home, but had found absolutely nothing. She thought back to the day back in her old home when he took her wand...

August 27th, 1998

Hermione had made the decision to leave Ron a few days before the start of the term at Hogwarts. She had tried her hardest to help him grieve, but everything she tried only seemed to make him more aggressive towards her. She was in her bedroom packing her trunk when Ron flooed home from training. She felt chills when she heard him call out to her.

"Hermione, where are you?!"

"In the bedroom," she responded. A moment later, he appeared in the doorway. She packed away the last few books she could fit in the trunk and closed it.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"We've been through this, Ronald. I'm going back to school. I-" she sighed, "I can't be with you anymore."

"You think you're going to leave me?" He laughed.

"I can't help you! I've had enough of this. I need to go back to Hogwarts. I need-"

"You don't fuckin' need anything!" he yelled. "You're place is here at home with me, not back at that bloody school!"

She instinctively reached for her wand in her back pocket. It was empty.

"Petrificus Totalus!" She fell back onto the floor.

He walked over to her and held up her wand. "Were you looking for this?" He caressed her cheek with his hand. He heard Nott's words in his head. 'Break Granger'. "There's no reason for you to ever leave this house." He took her wand in his hands and snapped it in half. "You'll learn your place now."

He walked away after that without lifting the curse. A few moments later, she heard another man's voice in their home. It sounded familiar to her, but she wasn't able to figure out who it was. Ron came back in the room and lifted the curse. She didn't bother to move, knowing that her lack of a wand put her at a serious disadvantage. She heard him apparate another moment later. She wasted no time getting up and running towards the front door. She put her hand of the doorknob but quickly pulled it away as she felt it burn her hand. She tried opening windows with the same results. After burning through all her potholders and a few towels, she came to the realization that she was trapped in her own home with the man she could no longer love.

Except for the day that she and Ron moved homes, she hadn't been outside. She was no longer allowed to do magic or to have any communication with the outside world. She was completely alone. The first few weeks were the hardest, but eventually she stopped fighting him and just did as she was told. She pretended to be a perfect housewife, but in reality she felt like a zombie. It had only been a little over two months, but she felt like she'd been there an eternity. She opened her window to feel the fresh air. She tried to push her hand through the open window out of habit, only to meet the barrier that was trapping her in. She thought of Harry and whether or not he was missing her. Again, she heard Ron's arrival at home and resumed her role as housewife, hoping for a better tomorrow.

November 3rd, 1998

Draco sat behind his desk, drinking again. Harry had fallen out of the chair he'd been sleeping in and had woken up Draco. It was nearly sunrise as he stumbled his way to his owlery, where he attached his letter to his beautiful eagle owl.

"Ares, take this to Hermione Granger." It hooted before taking flight. "Shit..." he said under his breath, immediately regretting sending off that letter.

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