TW: sexual assault

...

It took Hermione several days to feel like she was back to somewhat stable after Ginny had dropped the bomb of Ron's new freedom on her. She sequestered herself away at Hogwarts, safe in the tiny room she occupied that was attached to her classroom, and had even sent an owl to her parents to tell them she would be postponing her visit until everything was figured out. They had written back immediately, reassuring Hermione that she was making a good choice and that they were there to support her with whatever she may need.

As the first of September loomed ever closer, Hermione's anxiety and paranoia mounted. She withdrew from everyone almost completely, sending only a few notes to those she needed to communicate with about school starting. She spent more and more of her time locked away, trying to busy herself with last-minute class prep and going over and over her classroom with her wand, making sure every speck of dust was vanished and all the books and classroom supplies were in perfect order. If something felt out of place, she would start all over again, going until she finally became too tired and collapsed on top of her bed to fall asleep, usually still fully clothed. It felt like she was beginning an agonizing, slow descent into madness and there was nothing there to catch her fall.

Just a few days before September 1st, there was a loud knock on Hermione's door while she was sitting at her desk, writing in a journal she had started right after she had learned of Ron's new freedom. She froze and her whole body began to shake. She slowly turned around and was just bracing herself to stand and go see who it was when a voice rang out:

"Granger, I know you're in there – open up!"

There was a short pause before Hermione was able to find her voice.

"Draco?"

When she realized she was hearing Draco Malfoy's voice, Hermione's body warmed and she shot out of her chair, crossing the floor in an instant and wrenching the door open. She opened her mouth to greet him and was immediately swept up in his arms. He pressed her against his chest so hard that it was slightly difficult to breathe. She inhaled the scent of tobacco and pine and relaxed into him, so glad he was there that tears sprang to her eyes.

Draco relaxed his grip on Hermione and held her at arm's length to look her up and down, as if he expected her to be physically injured. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Hermione said. Brown eyes met silver and Hermione watched Draco's irises flash with something she couldn't understand. "What brought you here?"

"I heard about Ron," Draco said. His tone was even, but Hermione could still hear the strain in it. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You're busy. I didn't want to worry you."

"That's bullshit. This is absolutely something you should tell me right away." Draco paused. "I want you to stay with me while he's free."

"What?" Hermione's jaw dropped open and she shook her head. "I can't – I have to teach – "

"I'll bring you to and from Hogwarts every day."

"That's absurd," Hermione protested. "You would never be able to do anything else. And I'm a big girl. I don't need a babysitter."

Draco stared at her. She could almost see his brain working overtime behind his shining silver eyes.

"I don't want him to be able to get to you," he said finally.

"He won't," Hermione said, half trying to reassure herself as well as Draco. She reached up and placed her hand against his cheek. The corner of Draco's mouth twitched and his hand came up to cover hers and hold it in place. "I'm safe here. This is Hogwarts we're talking about. Nothing bad ever happens here."

They both laughed. The ice emanating from Draco began to melt and he swept Hermione up into his arms, carrying her to the bed where he sat down and placed her on his lap, burying his face in her bushy hair. His face eventually emerged and his mouth captured hers in a gentle kiss.

"I love you, you know," Draco whispered against her skin. Hermione smiled and closed her eyes, soaking him in.

"I love you, too."

"I'm going to insist you at least come spend weekends with me at the Manor, then," Draco continued. "I'll feel better knowing you're safe. I'll also accompany you when – and if – you choose to go to Hogsmeade or any other locations."

"Well," Hermione said slowly, "I suppose that's an all right compromise… but won't it put you off of your work? That's an awful large commitment to make."

"Commitment has never been something I shy away from," Draco said. The subtle intensity in his voice made heat pool in Hermione's core. "I'll simply do whatever needs done from home."

A pang of guilt ran through Hermione. "I don't feel right taking you away from your life, Draco… really, I'll be okay. Ron can't come near me. There are protective orders in place."

"I know everything that's in place," Draco said, a little sharply. "My friends in the Ministry have been most informative on his case. Something tells me he won't allow a simple piece of paper to stop him if he decides to harass or threaten you again. Or worse."

"Wait, you knew about this?" Hermione pulled back slightly and stared at Draco. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"I was hoping you would come and tell me yourself, but you seemed to suddenly decide that you would become a recluse. I had no choice but to come hunt you down."

Hermione frowned slightly. "I didn't really know what else to do, if I'm being honest."

"Well, now you do," Draco said. His hand made its way up to cup the base of her head as he wound his fingers through her bushy hair, pulling just enough to send a delicious electric shock through her body. He spoke against her skin, his lips tickling her in just the right way. "Come to me with any and all of these things. I want to be bothered by everything that bothers you."

Hermione gasped slightly as his mouth descended upon hers. Together, they fell back onto the bed and made love. Hermione quickly forgot her fear as she drowned in Draco, allowing the rest of the world to melt away and for courage to replace the worry that had been eating her alive.

The arrangement Hermione had made with Draco turned out to be quite enjoyable and much easier than she had anticipated. She was able to give her students and teaching the proper attention they required and then was able to let go and spend weekends in Draco's bed once classes were done on Fridays. The worries that plagued her during her days melted away as soon as Draco touched her and she lost all sense of anxiety when their lips met.

Life had never been so sweet.

She should have known that it wouldn't last forever.

It happened on the evening before something Draco called "Mabon," during which he and Hermione were going to have a large feast – prepared by Draco himself – and spend the evening walking around the Manor and picking apples from some of the trees in the various gardens surrounding it. Hermione had decided that she would brave the trip to Hogsmeade to purchase some items to bring, including some cider and fancy chocolate that she wanted to see if Draco would like.

Things had been quiet around the school and from Ginny (who had been giving Hermione periodic updates on her pregnancy and family life in lieu of visiting so she wouldn't raise Ron's suspicions or attention) and the safety that had enveloped her while she was with Draco had given her a sense of security that was quickly becoming rather like a suit of armor. She had been feeling more like herself lately than she had since the divorce and felt it was appropriate to celebrate her newfound confidence with a trip into town to pick up some things she could enjoy with Draco over the "holiday."

The air was crisp and cool outside, yet still warm enough that Hermione didn't feel she needed a jacket to go on her walk. She decided to leave as soon as class was finished that Friday – Draco usually showed up a couple of hours after they let out to collect her from the castle and she knew she could make it out and back well within that timeframe if she hurried.

As soon as she was safely outside the anti-Apparition wards surrounding Hogwarts, Hermione turned on the spot and found herself in Hogsmeade. She smiled: she hadn't realized just how much she had missed being there, especially without the weight of her ex-husband on her shoulders. She walked along the shops with her head held high and a smile on her face, excited for the coming weekend and seeing Draco once more.

It was quite tempting to make a stop into the Three Broomsticks, but Hermione was able to finally tear herself away when a strange feeling began to creep across her skin: something wasn't quite right. The hair on the back of her neck began to rise and her skin tingled as she walked, her eyes now sweeping from side to side to take in everything going on around her.

"Gotcha."

Rough hands wrapped around Hermione's upper arm and yanked her into an open space between two shops. She cried out involuntarily in shock and pain. She grunted as the man pushed her up against a wall and the bricks pressed up hard against her spine, horror quickly overcoming her when she realized who it was.

"Ron? What the fuck - "

Ron covered her mouth with one of his hands and gripped her roughly as he turned on the spot and Apparated them both away.

Once the terrible squeezing sensation was over and their feet slammed into the ground, Hermione stumbled and doubled over, immediately vomiting on the spot. A small, vindictive part of her hoped she'd gotten some on Ron's shoes, but the feeling disappeared when she realized that they were in the middle of nowhere, in a nondescript copse of trees. She found herself slightly dizzy and lightheaded while the seeds of a headache began to throb deep inside her skull.

"Ron…" she was able to whisper before she pulled her upright and marched her over to a small campsite with a tent, a firepit, and a hammock all clustered quite close together.

"Shut up." Ron whipped out his wand and conjured a plain, hard-backed chair that he pushed Hermione into. He then conjured rope to tie her hands and feet with, making sure her hands were behind her and feet secured to the chair legs. He patted her down, triumphantly raising her wand in the air when he found it. For a heart-wrenching second, she thought he was going to snap it in half, but instead he turned and disappeared into the tent, coming back out a moment later with just his own wand in his hand.

"What are you doing?"

"The real question is what are you doing?"

Hermione stared at Ron, finally taking in his full appearance. His hair was lank and unkempt; his blue eyes were wide and crazed; his skin was dirty and his clothes disheveled. Hermione suspected he had been out here for a while now and wondered why Ginny hadn't said anything to her.

"Ron, I don't know what you mean by that," Hermione said. Despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins, she tried to keep her voice gentle and even. All she knew was that she wanted to keep him talking and as physically far away from her as she could. "Why are you out here?"

Ron began to pace in front of where Hermione sat, running his hands through his hair. The gesture made Hermione's stomach twist: Harry did the exact same thing. She sent up a silent prayer to whatever may have been out there to send Harry to them. Maybe Ron would be able to calm down and listen to reason if his best friend came.

"Nobody understood why I couldn't leave you alone," Ron said. He paced faster now, hardly looking at Hermione as he spoke. "But it's your fault this happened. You tried to end our marriage. Your fault our baby died. Your fault, your fault." He paused and turned his eyes on her. The frenzied look on his face made Hermione's heart stutter and she had to fight her instinct to scream for help. "You have to make it right."

Hermione wanted to ask Ron what he meant, but she remained silent instead, worried that she would say the wrong thing and he would simply decide to kill her right then and there. Her mind whirled faster and faster, though each plan that came to it turned out to be feebler than the last. She cried out for Harry in her head but knew that the chances of him finding them in time was slim.

She squeezed her eyes shut and a blond man with silver eyes appeared behind her lids.

Oh, Draco… she thought desperately. I'm sorry.

Suddenly her head was ripped back so her face was toward the sky; Ron had grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked it, his face now inches from hers. His rancid breath caressed over her skin and carried with it the smell of stale cigarettes and rot.

"You're thinking of him, aren't you?" Ron whispered. Hermione swallowed hard.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied. Her voice shook slightly and she cursed herself for not being able to hold her terror at bay.

"Don't lie. You've been shacking up with Draco Malfoy and letting him use you as his whore."

"Ron, I - "

"I hope you're not wishing for him to come and rescue you," Ron said, ignoring Hermione's attempts to speak. "I remember our camping trip from years ago. This campsite is foolproof. Nobody can find us here."

Hermione's heart sunk even further. She hadn't wanted to admit it, but some miniscule part of her held out a wild hope that Draco would somehow miraculously find her and bring her back to safety. With just a few words, Ron obliterated that hope beyond anything salvageable and Hermione had to take several deep breaths to try and keep calm enough to stay in the present moment.

Ron's finger traced along Hermione's jawline, sending involuntary shivers down her spine. As he watched her shudder, his grin grew wider: clearly, he thought they were indicative of desire and not the sheer horror and revulsion that currently coursed through her body. Hermione knew exactly what he was thinking, though she wasn't in any hurry to correct him since her safety was hanging in the balance. Something told her it was a smarter move to play along. Hopefully it would present her with the ability to either fight or sneak her way out of there: she just had to wait for the opportune moment.

"I knew you still wanted me." Ron looked conflicted for a moment, as if he was almost thinking of freeing Hermione, but shook his head to clear his expression and placed his hands on either side of her face. "It's okay, 'Mione. I'm here now. We can be together again. We can try again for a new baby. We can make our family right here."

Hermione's blood ran cold at his words. His hands moved down her body and found their way to the warmth between her legs; Hermione bit the inside of her cheek hard enough that she tasted blood in her attempt to keep quiet. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed harder for someone to come find them, despite the spells she suspected Ron had cast on the area they were currently in.

"I'll be back for you in a moment," Ron said as he removed his hand. Hermione relished the feeling the absence of his touch created and tried to squeeze her legs together as hard as she could.

Hermione watched closely as Ron walked away from her and around the perimeter of the campsite, checking how his spells were working and adding a few more that Hermione didn't recognize, which caused the fear already creeping through her veins to take on an ice-like quality that made her shiver. The sun dipped low in the sky, signaling the day was drawing to a close and bringing with it the chill of the evening and adding to the cold already growing inside of her.

It was going to be a long, cold night.

When Ron came back over to where Hermione still sat tied to the chair, he cast a warming charm on her. The chill on her skin dissipated, but the fear remained a stone in her belly and she warred with herself over whether she should feel gratitude for his small act of kindness.

"It's getting late," Ron said. He hesitated before turning his wand on Hermione once more. He had gotten much better at silent magic – she didn't even know he was going to Stun her until the world around her turned into a sea of black and she knew no more.

When Hermione woke, she was in the tent and stuffed into a sleeping bag with Ron. She was also feeling much too hot, but couldn't move her body or try to crawl out and put space between them. She frantically looked around, but the tent was just dark enough that all she could see was the all-too-familiar shock of red hair lying next to her, framing the face that she used to love and trust more than any other human on the planet. Her stomach twisted as her eyes adjusted and she was able to make out the hungry expression on Ron's face.

"I can't sleep either," Ron said. He was propped up on his elbow so he could look at her. He used the fingers on his free hand to trace Hermione's face, trailing down her neck and fiddling with the neckline of her shirt. She had worn a basic t-shirt and jeans for her foray out to Hogsmeade and was glad she hadn't yet changed into her outfit for Draco's celebration – the dress she had bought would have offered much less to the imagination as well as much easier access to her. Ron certainly didn't need any more help or ideas. His hand moved quickly to the bottom of her shirt, pulling it up so he could trace up her stomach and all the way to where her bra cupped her lower breast.

"Please, Ron…" Hermione whimpered as he began to caress the skin under the wire in the thin fabric. "Please don't do this."

"Hermione, you owe this to me," he said simply, as if it made all the sense in the world.

A tear slipped out from Hermione's eye as Ron's hand moved up to cup her breast. He massaged it gently; something she used to love that now made her cringe with revulsion. She fought the urge to sob as he increased the pressure and moved in to kiss along her neck. Her body shook with the effort, but she was still unable to move her arms and legs on her own. All she could do was lie there as he pushed the sleeping bag down to their feet and slowly undressed her, taking his time and kissing her skin at each point it was revealed.

When Ron got her down to her underwear, all the nicety vanished and he turned almost feral. He cut her bra and panties off with a pocketknife Hermione didn't know he had, leaving her feeling more exposed than she had ever felt before. It was like everything had been stripped away; not just her clothing, but her dignity and the courage that she had slowly been building up since essentially moving in with Draco.

Although her movement was restricted, Hermione still had her mind. She dove deep inside of herself, sorting through various memories of happier times and doing everything she could to not feel Ron slide inside of her and move her legs in ways to allow him to get as deep as possible. Hermione closed her eyes, squeezing out the tears that had been collecting on her lower lids, and tried to close herself off in a little box where she could be safe and pretend that she would be okay when all this was said and done.

Hermione had always been a strong Occlumens, so compartmentalizing had come easily to her. When the divorce had been filed for and then finalized, the shock and stress of it had shaken her to her core and caused her to slip in her practice, so she couldn't help but notice what was physically happening to her, no matter how hard she tried to shut it out. She quickly exhausted her mental reserves and could do nothing but stare at the ceiling of the tent while Ron had his way with her. After what seemed like a lifetime, he grunted and rolled over, a self-satisfied smile on his face.

"Don't move for at least ten minutes," Ron whispered in Hermione's ear. She let out a strangled sob. "We want to make sure this takes."

He turned away and pulled the sleeping bag back up around himself and Hermione, barely able to squeeze them both back into it. His breathing quickly fell into a slow, steady pattern, snores following right behind.

It was over. It was all over.

Hermione sobbed, her chest heaving with the effort and making her muscles burn and ache. The tears streamed down the side of her face and pooled in her ears before spilling over and dampening her hair. She tried to remain silent as to not wake Ron, but some of the agony slipped out of her in hoarse cries that she couldn't smother.

Long after the tent filled with Ron's snores, Hermione finally stopped crying and drifted off, falling into a deeply fitful sleep full of nightmares of what had already happened and the horrors that might still occur.

A sudden glowing light caused Hermione's eyes to snap open as she was wrenched from the barrage of terrors that had plagued her sleep. She found herself looking at Ron standing over her still-immovable body, his expression a mixture of horror and disgust. Her heart accelerated when she saw what he was looking at: a magical readout of her current health status.

"You're already fucking pregnant."

"Ron, please – !"

"YOU DISGRACE!" Ron bellowed in her face. His hands wrapped around her throat and began to squeeze. "YOU FILTHY, DISGUSTING - "

Hermione began to splutter and cough, unable to make out Ron's next words due to her inability to take in any fresh air. Her vision blurred and then began to gray; after a moment of disbelief and fear, Hermione finally tried to accept her fate, hoping Draco would find it in himself to forgive her for not listening to him.

At that moment, a blinding light overtook the campsite and a shockwave forced Hermione and Ron apart, sending each person flying away from each other as if a bomb had gone off. Hermione was flung hard against a tree, tiny stars erupting in her vision as she slid back down to the ground, gulping in air as if she had never taken a proper breath before. It took several moments for the fog to disappear from her brain and for her to realize that she was now alone. The spell that had bound her arms and legs to her sides had been broken and she tested her ability to move, flexing her fingers and toes.

Once satisfied that she had regained her movement back in its entirety, Hermione stood. She was quite shaky on her feet and part of her yearned to run away from the campsite, but she had to know what happened to Ron. She couldn't walk away not knowing if he was even alive. She also wanted to find her wand. Perhaps this was her opportunity to take him to the authorities and have him locked away for the rest of his life.

When the tent came back into view, the state of it made Hermione gasp audibly. If she hadn't known better, she would have said that it was indeed a bomb that had exploded between them. The tent was shredded, the chair she had been tied to in pieces, and a clothesline filled with holey t-shirts and pants that she hadn't noticed before next to the now-nonexistent hammock was also in tatters. Her heart hammered in her chest and she took her time walking around the campsite, afraid that Ron would jump out and capture or Stun her again.

Something rustled in the bushes several yards away and Hermione froze. When nothing else happened, she crept over to where she had heard and seen the movement. She took a deep breath and parted the bushes.

"Draco?" Hermione said. She nearly fell over in shock. "How the fuck did you get here? Where's - "

And then she truly saw the scene before her.

Draco Malfoy was sitting astride Ron's legs, pinning him down with his body and holding his wand to Ron's face. Ron's lip was split and bleeding, there was blood trickling down from his hairline, and his hands were up in surrender.

"Did he do anything to you?" Draco asked Hermione. His voice shook with anger but his silver eyes were bright and clear. Ron shifted and Draco pushed the tip of his wand into the soft skin underneath his jaw. "Don't. Fucking. Move."

"Draco, let's just go - " Hermione said. Her palms began to sweat and she couldn't help but be afraid of what Malfoy might do, especially if he found out what Ron had done to her the night before. "Please. Let's just get out of here and leave him behind."

"He's a dangerous liability," Draco said. He turned back to Ron, who now wore an expression of someone that would love nothing more than to murder the man before him. "You're never going to be safe while he's still stealing air and fully mobile."

"We can bring him to the Ministry," Hermione said. She hated how much it sounded like she was pleading. "Maybe they'll lock him up for good this time."

"Hermione." Draco's voice pulled Hermione's eyes back to him. He looked as if he was in agony. "What did he do to you?"

Hermione swallowed hard and crossed her arms over her chest as she shook her head. The words stuck to her throat. She couldn't even lie. Draco's face was a mask of horror and disgust; Hermione quailed under his gaze and turned away. Was she ruined now? Had Ron successfully taken even more from her than he already had?

A flash of green light jerked Hermione's attention back to the two men and she screamed as Ron went completely limp and his eyes rolled back into his head.

"Draco!" She cried. "What did you do! What did you do!"

"You're safe now, Hermione. He's gone. You're safe." Draco stood up and tentatively offered Hermione a hand. "We can go home. Come home with me."

"Oh, Draco…"

And Hermione promptly fainted.