The Burrow looked unchanged from when Hermione last saw it. It was nearly identical to when she was a kid too, always the same comforting presence she could revisit again and again. The eclectic window shutters, the impossibly tall structure, how it seemed to all fit even though looking pieced together. Astoria stood in awe, looking at every detail of the Burrow, silently observing.

Molly Weasley ran out of the front doors and straight for Hermione. No words were exchanged between them as she threw her arms around Hermione. She held her, rocking back and forth, tears falling from her face.

Hermione had always felt guilty for never calling Molly 'mum' when she had the chance to. Ever since wiping her existence from her own mother, it felt like a betrayal if she replaced her with someone else.

"Hi, Molly," Hermione said softly to her.

Molly pulled away, holding her at an arm's length, looking over every inch of her carefully. "How are you? Are you doing okay? You look thin, come in and eat." She looked over to Astoria and her brow furrowed. "You too, dearie. Come along now."

After Molly showed the two of them to the room they'd be sharing for the night, she brought them to see Ginny.

They were taken to the third floor of the house where they had set up a delivery room. Albus and James sat with coloring books on the floor and Ginny was lying in bed with Harry next to her. He whispered to her to breath as she groaned, holding in a scream from her contraction.

"I know I need to breathe, Harry," she barked at him, in pain and annoyed.

"Aunt Mione!" Albus yelled as he ran to her. She picked him up and held him.

"You're getting so big, Albie," she said, bouncing him lightly before setting him back down to play.

"Where's Dave?" James asked.

"Dave is busy with work. But this is my friend Tori. Why don't you show her your coloring books?"

James grabbed onto her hand and pulled her to where he was coloring. Hermione made her way to Ginny's bedside, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

She turned to Hermione, "Finally, someone sensible is here."

Hermione laughed, "How are you feeling, Gin?"

"Miserable, but I'm excited for her to get out. Thank you for coming, Hermione. And bringing help," she said, looking at Astoria who gleefully played with James and Albus.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss this for anything."

It was a few more hours until Ginny's contractions became more frequent and Luna came by. Luna checked in on Astoria as well, making sure she was feeling better. Hermione had seen her a few times at the Malfoy manor since she had been seeing Astoria. She was almost nervous to face her, after what happened to Neville, but Luna, as always, was much stronger than anyone gave her credit for.

Lily Luna Potter was born healthy and beautiful. They had all shed tears of happiness as they introduced her into the world. It was another small victory of the war, a reminder that love could still persist despite everything.

Hermione and Astoria helped with the kids, and she soaked up every second she got to spend with them before other family and friends came to see Ginny and the baby.

"Do they have to leave?" James asked sadly as he held onto Astoria's hand.

"Yes, but you'll see them soon, okay?" Harry said, shuffling James away.

When Hermione reached the first floor of the house, she was surpised to see Moody and Kingsley standing in the kitchen with Molly. They went silent as they saw her,

"Granger," Moody greeted her. Hermione awkwardly stood at the base of the steps.

"Astoria, could we have a minute?" Hermione asked.

"Of course," Astoria said, quickly walking out the front doors. Molly excused herself as well, giving Hermione an embrace before going up the stairs.

"Here to see the baby?" Hermione asked, knowing their intentions to speak to her by their demeanor.

"Actually, we're here to see you, Miss Granger," Kingsley said.

Hermione crossed her arms in front of herself. "What about?"

"Why don't you take a seat?" Kingsley pulled out a chair at the breakfast table.

"I think I'm fine standing. What do you need?"

"We need to talk about your involvement with Draco Malfoy," Kinglsley almost sighed, like he was getting something heavy off his chest.

"Involvement? From my recollection, that involvement was forced upon me by you," she argued, her voice raising.

Moody intergected, "Granger…"

"What? Did he twist your arm? Must have been a very difficult decision for you." Hermione rolled her eyes, starting to make her way towards the door. Since she had found out they had a hand in her capture, she had so many things she wanted to say to them. She wanted to yell, scream, and question why they had ever thought she was theirs to give away.

But when she finally saw them, every word she wished to utter escaped from her mind. She finally understood what Draco had been telling her. They weren't worth her time or being angry over any longer.

Kingsley stood in front of the exit. "We've come to the understanding that you and Draco Malfoy have began…"

"Fucking? Does everyone know now?" Hermione groaned. "Get out of my way, Kingsley."

"We need to know that you've not been compromised, and that you're still aligning your goals for the benefit of the Order," Kingsley said, not stepping away from the doorway.

"Of course I am!" Hermione yelled. "How could you even question my loyalty to the Order?"

"You understand that at the conclusion of the war, he will be executed, don't you, Granger?" Moody said. "You're smart, you know that he will have to be for the crimes he's committed."

"Even after all he's done to help the Order?" she asked, attempting to calm herself.

"The public will not forgive him for what he has done," Kingsley replied. "We understand you are working on a cure for vampirism. We need you to make sure it works so we can ensure he will be easier to incarcerate and sentence."

Hermione scoffed and crossed her arms. "He seems keen enough on that on his own."

"We can't be sure. It's a part of his deal with us. Aid us in ending the war, turn himself in at the end of it, and we will pardon those he has requested. It's the only way that the rest can go free. Someone has to pay, and it has to be him."

She knew exactly why they were telling her this, they wanted her to distance herself, knowing that his end was a guarantee. Hermione pushed past him, opening the door to find Astoria sitting on the steps of the porch. A look of concern appeared on her face when their eyes met.

"Everything okay, Hermione?"

"Let's go home, Astoria," she replied quickly, grabbing her hand.

They Apparated back to the manor, and Hermione rushed down towards Draco's wing, making a beeline to his study. When she opened the door to find it empty, she made her way to his bedroom at the end of the hall.

There was a hesitation as she approached the beautifully carved wooden door. She had never been into his chambers, and she half thought about simply finding him later.

But she wanted to see him, so as she lifted her arm to knock, the door opened. Draco stood, shirtless with his hair slightly damp.

"Did you know I was here?" she asked, trying to keep her eyes from exploring his body.

"Yes, your heart was beating so hard I nearly heard it from down the hall. Are you nervous or something? What's wrong, Granger?"

"They're not even going to give you a trial after the war," she said so quickly, she thought the words sounded incomprehensible.

"I know," he said, straight faced.

"Why are you so keen on dying, Draco?"

He stepped away from the entrance, making room in the doorframe. "Come in."

The room was warm, a fireplace was roaring, making soft crackling noises as the wood burned and cracked. The walls were painted a dark green, and paintings of peaceful landscapes hung on the walls. A large, four post bed was neatly made, with the pillows organized in perfect fashion on top of it. Everything in the room felt like it had its place, from the books that sat on the bedside table to each candle holder that surrounded the room.

He led her to the seating area by the fireplace and she sat down on the velvet chaise in front of it.

"I just got home from work and out of the shower, give me a second to get dressed," he said, stepping into a closet. After a minute, he came out wearing a t-shirt and lounge pants that hid his figure. He sat down and kissed her cheek gently. "I missed you. How's Weasley doing? Does this one have red hair?"

"Draco, don't change the subject," she moaned, feeling his lips move from her cheek to her neck.

He sighed and sat back. "What was your question again?"

"Why don't you care that you're not getting a trial? Why don't you care that you're going to be killed?"

"Well, assuming your plan goes well and you test out your little vampire cure on me before Astoria, I'll be human again," he said.

"Isn't that what you want?" she questioned, facing him with a puzzled look on her face.

There was a pause for a moment and Hermione felt his fingers twirl her hair gently. "I don't know how to be human, Granger."

Hermione laid her head on his chest, feeling his slow heartbeat. "I can show you, Draco. You won't have to do it alone."

"How would I be able to live as a man knowing what I've done to others to sustain myself?"

"You had no choice," Hermione felt tears fall from her eyes, her own heart felt like it was sputtering.

"I don't think I'd be very good at it. I have surrounded myself with some of the best humans to walk this earth. You, Teddy, Daph, Tori. I'd be quite shit, I was even bad at it when I was one," he laughed, his hand rubbing her lower back. "I didn't mean for this to happen, for us to be how we are now. It makes things quite complicated, doesn't it?"

Hermione nodded, trying to hide her tears as she stared into the fireplace. "I won't let them kill you."

"It's going to be okay. You're going to be just fine, baby." He kissed the top of her head. "You can stay here if you want, Tori would love that. Plenty of room for you here to start a new life when the war is over."

"I want that to be with you," she began to sob.

"You know as well as I do that it's not possible. I have to. I'm sorry that I've given you a false sense of hope, I really wish that you would have hated me until the end," he whispered, pulling her close.

"It's not fucking fair," she cried, snot dribbling from her nose onto his white shirt. "You deserve to have some happiness in your life."

His hand went under her chin, tilting her head up to look at him. He wiped the tears away from her face. "You've made me plenty happy. Happier than I frankly deserve. Don't cry, Granger. Not over me. We still have time."

Leaning down slowly, he kissed her wet lips that were covered in salty tears and snot, making her for just a moment quiet her heaving breaths. She kissed him back feverishly, satisfying a craving she had. Her lips parted, letting his tongue slip into her mouth.

The tears on her cheeks began to dry as she tasted him, wanting to hold onto him for as long as possible. She ran her tongue against his fangs, accidentally pressing too hard and causing a small nick on the tip. The taste of iron filled her mouth, but she continued, as if nothing happened.

Her hand slipped down his pants, feeling him get hard as she tugged on the outside of his underwear. Draco's hands went to pull her shirt off, and within seconds, they were both completely naked. Hermione sat on top of him, rubbing herself against his hard cock, moaning softly as their lips touched.

"Don't leave me, Draco," she whispered between kisses. "Don't make me beg for you to not leave me."

Draco didn't respond, his fingers held her hips as she moved on top of him.

"Draco, please don't leave me," she pleaded again, slipping him inside of her. She moaned, weaving her fingers through his hair. "I don't want to stop doing this. I don't want to stop fucking you." She began to ride him, taking every inch inside of her.

"I don't want to stop either, baby," he said, his eyes watching where their bodies connected.

"Then why won't you stay with me?" she said, slamming down on him harder, causing her to choke on her words.

"Are you angry with me?" he asked, his fingers digging hard into her hips. "Show me how mad you are."

Hermione pulled his hair back as she slid on top of him, gritting her teeth. She didn't know what overcame her, but she wanted him to hurt like she did inside.

"Fuck, just like that," he murmured. "You're so fucking pretty when you're angry, baby."

She kissed him hard, biting his bottom lip still tasting her blood. Her body began to tense as she sped up her movements, feeling herself right on the edge.

"Tell me when you're going to come," Draco breathily said into her mouth. "I want to come with you."

"I'm coming, Draco," she gasped, looking into his eyes. "I'm… coming."

As she felt every muscle in her body release, his cold cum filled her, making her body shiver in delight. She held him there, keeping him inside, not wanting to let go.

Draco kissed her shoulder, catching his breath. He brought her to the bed, laying her down under the covers, crawling next to her. "Stay with me here. You can keep your room if you want, but sleep in here with me at night. Please."

She nodded in agreement, but Hermione didn't say another word, too upset to process their fate. Whatever time they had left was too precious for her to stay mad, so she kissed him until she fell asleep.

—

For the next two weeks, Hermione would spend her nights in Draco's rooms. Though she wouldn't see him during the days, she always felt his arms wrap around her at some point in the night. Almost every time she saw him, he seemed incredibly tired, getting home later and later, often sitting up and working quietly while she slept. Occasionally, she would wake to a note on the bedside table, his perfect handwriting spelling out how beautiful she was and updates on the war.

One morning, Hermione woke to see Astoria smugly smiling over her bedside, but she turned to see the bed empty next to her. She looked at the time, realizing she slept nearly twelve hours.

"Mornin' Hermione," she said, raising her eyebrows.

"Good morning. What are you doing in here, Astoria?" she asked, pulling the blanket up over her to cover herself fully.

Astoria giggled, "Oh, you know, went looking for you in your room but couldn't find you. Now, I'm in my husband's room, is that a crime?"

"No, but I'm sure watching someone while they sleep is a crime in some way," Hermione teased and both women began laughing.

"Have you decided what you wanted to be for Halloween yet?"

"I haven't given it a thought, honestly," she replied, too busy with researching counter curses and spending time attempting to draw the magical properties of the dragon scales into something usable for Astoria and Draco.

"Well, maybe you could wear something of Daph's. Twinkle, could you grab costumes from her closet?"

With a snap of Twinkle's old fingers, several articles of clothing were spread on the large bed next to Hermione. In typical Daphne Greengrass fashion, they were all incredibly revealing.

"I cannot wear any of these, Astoria," Hermione laughed.

"I think Twinkle could fix one up, make it more appropriate. How about this one?" Astoria held up a white tunic and a gold crown. "Greek goddess? I think. I didn't know the gods dressed so scantily though. Draco would go feral if he saw you in this."

Twinkle snapped again, and the dress extended in length, looking more elegant than moments before. After thanking the house elf, the Greengrass sisters and Hermione decorated the house for the guests. It wasn't long before they were finished and changed into their costumes.

Dread overcame Hermione as she looked at herself in the mirror, having yet again to put on a show in front of Death Eaters. She no longer needed calming draughts to even begin tolerating their presence, but she still drank.

"Merlin," Draco breathed out as he entered the room, still wearing his Death Eater robes. "You look absolutely fucking insane."

Hermione turned around, and Draco quickly closed the distance between them, kissing her deeply. She pulled away, blushing. "You're going to mess up my hair, Draco."

"Tell Astoria we're not going," he mumbled, drinking in every bit of her with his eyes. "You look too fucking good for anyone else to see."

"If you like what it looks like now," she said, leaning into his ear and whispering, "you're really going to like what's underneath."

Astoria knocked on the door, opening it abruptly. "Hope I'm not interrupting, but I really need to help Draco get ready, people are already arriving."

Astoria waltzed in with Twinkle wearing a black and red Victorian style dress with red makeup at the corners of her lips to make it look like she drank blood. She smiled to reveal a set of fake fangs on her teeth.

"Astoria, you look adorable," Hermione told her.

"Adorable? Not scary?" she pouted, crossing her arms. Twinkle undressed Draco and put him in a matching suit. The cloak of his costume had a flamboyant collar that stuck upright, making him look like a vampire from a classic muggle film.

Draco held out his hand to Astoria, and they walked down the stairs together into the sitting room that was gradually being filled with guests. Hermione went down a few minutes after them, seeing that the entire downstairs and ballroom were full.

She found a corner where she drank champagne and observed party goers. Daphne and Theodore dressed as a ventriloquist and marionette doll. The music was loud and she and Theodore danced, laughing into the night.

"You look nice, mudblood," a familiar voice said. Pansy leaned against the wall next to her, crossing her thin arms. She wore a cat mask and a tiny black dress, making her long legs stand out. Hermione thought she looked stunning and that anyone would be lucky to stand near her. She wondered why Draco wasn't completely enamored with her how other men seemed to be.

"You do too," Hermione awkwardly said.

Pansy's eyes were fixed on Draco, who was standing with Astoria as they chatted up a few guests. "He bored of you, yet?"

"There's nothing going on between us," Hermione tried to assure her.

"Yeah, I've heard that before. Worships you like a god one day, then tells you you're nothing the next," she smirked. "I'm shocked he's even fucked you once, with as much as he hates mudbloods. Should have seen what he did to Justin Finch. Tortured him for days. Even made my stomach turn."

"I should go," Hermione said, but Pansy grabbed her arm, her nails digging into her skin.

"He broke almost every bone in his body, and let him bleed out slowly. Finch cried and begged to be put out of his misery, but Draco just kept going. At one point, he even plucked out Finch's eye and popped it into his mouth. Made the poor bloke swallow his own fucking eyeball. Got a good laugh out of that. He got bored of course, then finally killed him. Always gets bored, nothing can keep him entertained. Not even I could. And I did everything for him."

Hermione pulled her arm away abruptly, Pansy's sharp nails drawing blood from her arm. She quickly made her way outside, trying to calm her breathing. The garden was quiet, and though it was cold out, Hermione thought it felt soothing against her hot skin.

She tried to cast aside the image of Draco's malice. He was different now, right? Justin was killed years ago. But does a person ever really change after doing such evil acts?

A nauseating feeling was filling in her stomach, and she wanted to throw up in the magically enchanted bushes that were still in bloom despite the cool autumn weather.

As she turned the corner of the hedges, she caught eye of two people standing in the middle of the gardens. She instantly picked out who they were and almost groaned in frustration.

Bellatrix turned away from Dolohov, looking directly at Hermione with a sick smile. "What are you doing out and about without your guard dog, mudblood?"