Guilt

Never regret anything because, at one time, it was what you wanted


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Guilt

Hermione Granger: respected and reknowned healer. It was an honor worthy of Head Girl, the smartest witch of her class and Harry Potter's 'sidekick.'

But she never felt that way. She had just finished reading the Prophet, which had detailed her latest marvel. True, because of her fame, the reporters exaggerated her actions. But her potion had produced remarkable results on a victim infected by a werewolf.

Remus had just owled her a congratulations and his gratitude, yet she simply couldn't shake off that image.

Of dark curls melting into gold silk.

She shuddered and perused the paper with doubled concentration. It had been nagging her since Ginny's visit to downtown London. She had calmly told of her encounter in the market and the Weasleys had shrugged it off. The war was over and he posed no threat anymore. After all, he had abandoned his allegiance to the Death Eaters long before.

They might have moved on and forgotten about it, but Hermione had remained rooted to the spot. Her pulse rapidly escalated into a near panic before she finally accepted the fact. He's back.

He probably doesn't even remember me after all these years. After all, Hogwarts had never been as wonderful to him as it had been to her.

Who was she fooling? They had spent several nights together on that creaky little bed. He could have easily fucked his frustrations away the first night and left.

But it had been she he held in a frenzied fever. Her name that echoed in the dim light. Oh...He had groaned her name as if the sheer ecstasy in saying it would make him come too soon.

Hermione desperately shook her head clear off these thoughts. Those vivid nights had haunted her on numerous occassions. Mostly when the moisture pooling inside of her prevented sleep. But, always when silence was all she heard in her bedroom.

No creaks

gasps

or cries

She had never told anyone about those days. At the time, they had been too preoccupied with the large death toll. Confused and outraged Death Eaters had rampaged the grounds after the defeat of their Lord.

Until there was no one left, but corpses, she had fought. Somehow she had wandered into an abandoned cabin, disorientated from exhaustion. There was someone else from the Order with her, but he had fallen.

Death

It overwhelmed her so much; all the repressed grief and disgust swamped her into shock. That was how he found her.


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"Granger?"
She didn't respond, simply staring down at her bruised hands. Draco staggered into the shack and sank down on the bed. Her eyes momentarily flickered at him then resumed their glassy appearance.

He didn't care. He had spent the last hour dodging Death Eaters and Order members alike. Of course, Dumbledore wasn't alive to tell the Order to protect him. So much for the security he had promised him. Just like the old coot to go and die on him.

Laying back, he mutely stared at the ceiling. Someone told him that his father had died. That hadn't affected him very much since his arm had been ablaze. During Voldemort's final moments, his skin had practically boiled until the hideous snake disappeared.

He was jerked out of his musings, when he felt something jab his neck. Looking up, he saw that Hermione had come out of her stupor and was eyeing him warily. "What are you doing here?"

Too tired to give a damn, he replied nonchalantly. "Relax Granger. I just want some rest and we both know you're too smart to fall into any trap of mine"

Hermione's grip around her wand tentatively relaxed and she was confused by the compliment. "I didn't see you out there, weeping over the loss of your master"

Draco scowled. "He was never my master"

"Jus because the mark is gone, it doesn't erase your past"

He folded his hands behind his head. "Sure it does. Just like my aid to the Order was neatly erased with Dumbledore's death"

"What?" she cried, her voice hoarse.

He was lying. The sneaky bastard was just trying to confuse her into trusting him. But she distinctly remembered Dumbledore warning them about Death Eater attacks. She had been too worried about coming up with a defense plan to wonder how Dumbledore had known.

"It's true whether you believe it or not"

"You're bluffing," she said slowly, as if she weren't sure of the statement.

Draco shrugged. She hadn't blown him up into little pieces, so he was safe. After catching glimpses of her quick spells on the battlefield, he knew that she wouldn't hesitate to act. And after his pureblood attitude in Hogwarts, he would surely be at the top of her hitlist.

Hermione settled into one side of the bed, snug in the corner. His story was too convient and far-fetched to gain her trust. But for now, she didn't care.