Random word challenge by my friend.

Words:

Comfort

Enchantment

Befitting

Meadow

Obscurity

Fame

Nihilism

Babyhood

Damn

Hymn

AN: I have a minor block, and I am halfway through new chapters for both Lion and Bear and The Patch, but in the meantime, this came up.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Slightly confusing, slightly OOC, but I kind of love it.

Lilac tree

"Father, I know you will disagree, but I love her, and I honestly don't care what you think. I am going to marry her one day, and that is the end of it."

Draco Malfoy looked at his son, realising how much he had grown up. He failed to notice, but the Scorpius standing in front of him was a young man, and not a boy he thought him to be. His babyhood days were long gone, and Draco had to come to peace with that.

He turned around to face the window in the library of the Malfoy Manor, that still looked more befitting for a king, and not a mere Lord, like he now was, and like his son would be sometime in the future. After his Father's death, he inherited the title, the lands, and the vast fortune in Gringots Bank. He hoped that he didn't inherit the streak of madness that ran in the family... although more within the Blacks than the Malfoys.

He almost chuckled at his own joke, but then decided against it. Draco scanned the garden, seeing his wife, the Mistress of Malfoy Manor walking in the garden with Pansy Zabini, nee Parkinson and her sister, Daphne Greengrass. She was showing them the wonderful work she did tending to the flowers. Indeed, Astoria took care of every part of the garden herself, except the lilac tree. That was Draco's, and he never let her touch it.

The lilac tree growing under the window moved in accordance with the wind, and it transported him into a long-gone memory that he sought occasionally over the years, every time he wanted to feel alive again.

The woods were dark and eerie when she approached him – he could hear her from afar. Draco stayed silent, hoping that she would just leave, without saying anything to him.

"You were very brave tonight Malfoy."

Her voice was calm and quiet, like a whisper of a lover. He was exhausted with everything that happened tonight, and now she was hear and Draco didn't know how long his walls would endure before they crumbled.

He watched his Godfather die tonight. He watched his Father die tonight. He watched his Mothers eyes glaze over and look at him with that terrible, expressionless look that told him her mind cannot cope with present events and has decided to turn itself off. It only lasted a second, but he knew there was more to come.

He watched the world crumble under his feet, unable to prevent it or stop it. He saw the dead in the Great Hall, the wounded everywhere, and he ran. After turning on his Father and watching him die with a look of contempt and disgust on his face, he felt like he was going to explode, so he ran.

He ran through Hogwarts halls, through the yard and the ruins of the world. He ran ahead, not looking, not thinking, concentrating on breathing and the movement of his feet. He ran until he saw the woods, and then he ran some more, until he stumbled upon the clearing and fell on the ground, hyperventilating. It took him quite some time to calm down, and by then, he felt drained. The wind blew a haunting melody above him, kicking and screaming at the lilac tree half destroyed by the events of the long night behind them.

That was when she found him, cutting her way through the now empty woods. This far the voices from the castle couldn't be heard. The only sound was wind howling and leaves screaming.

And now, barely heard whispers of one Hermione Granger.

"I mean it, you know. You aren't bad Malfoy. You just proved it to the world, and confirmed what I've believed all these years."

Her face was muddy, her clothes torn and he could see specks of blood all over it. She had a cut on her cheek, her hair was a tangled mess even more than usual, but nevertheless she glowed with light that came from the inside. She looked like Andraste, the warrior-queen witch his mother used to tell him about when he was little.

"You don't believe what you're saying Granger. You're just bloody happy that it's over, and that Scarhead has finally saved the world," he heard himself say.

"That's not true and you know it. We get a second chance now Malfoy. I am happy that it's over but-" she stopped suddenly, biting her lip and looking at him warily as he stopped his cold grey stare on her.

Draco opened his mouth, and then closed it again. What could he say to her? Before he answered his own question, words were pouring out of his mouth in an avalanche and he was unable to stop them.

"Guess what Granger, it's not over for me! My Father was killed tonight, and even though he was a damn sociopath, he was my Father! My Mother is losing her mind slowly, I can see it. I know the signs, I've seen it in my Aunt and my Grandmother already!"

He could barely breathe, the darkness inside suffocating him as it tumbled out of him, tainting the same world in which that lovely creature in front of him breathed. Draco was appalled with himself for a million of reasons, but he just couldn't stop himself.

"I grew up convinced that I am better than most because of my heritage and my blood, and then had all my beliefs shattered slowly over the years, without having time to adjust to it! I fought for the wrong side, and I've known it all along, but still, I didn't have a choice! Look!"

He tore his sleeve and pushed his arm forwards her, surprising her with sudden movement.

"I am a Death Eater, Hermione! I am a Death Eater, and nothing you say will ever change that! When people look at me or my family, all they will see is a former Death Eater with a history of promoting Pure-blood supremacy! And I, I was a coward who did everything he was told to do, and those horrible things that I did will haunt me in my dreams for the rest of my life. So no, there is no second chance for me. I've gambled away every single thing that I had that kept me sane, and I can't go back."

The beautiful witch in front of him was silent, frozen in her spot. The trees around the meadow cast a shadow over them, and the moonlight was the only source of light. She found him here after the Final Battle, and now she was standing there, listening to his rambling, instead of celebrating with her friends.

He needed to get his out, and it didn't matter to him who it was that heard, he just needed to say it in order for it to become real, in order to face it once and for all. However, a part of him wanted it to be her, wanted her to be the one to listen and to understand.

"And even though the War is over, I still have no choice. My father is dead. I am the heir to Malfoy fortune, and every bloody thing that comes with it. I will marry someone to make my Mother happy, I will have a Pure-blood heir, and I will publically sing the hymn of heroicness all the while feeling like a proper and utter failure inside. And that is the harsh reality of life. There are no happy endings Hermione, there is just nothing. Nihilism and sad life stories of sad people. And you are a fool to think otherwise."

It was like someone drained the life right out of him at that moment, so he closed his eyes in attempt to escape the harsh reality of what he'd just confessed. He stopped talking and let his arm fall down, the Dark Mark taunting him with its presence that could never be erased.

He smelled her before he could feel her, blood and fire, sweat and despair, and a faint smell of lilacs that enveloped him and brought him comfort. She didn't say a word; she just touched his arm gently, and he opened his eyelids to look him in the eyes.

"You called me Hermione," she whispered.

"I wanted to call you that for a long time."

There were no secrets anymore – he stood bare in front of her, the little left of his soul thrown onto the ground, there for her to crush it. She smiled the faintest smile as she noticed the apprehension and fear in his eyes, for the first time ever. So she gave him something back.

"I honestly believe in the cause I fought for. And I have my path carved in blood in front of me. I am going to marry Ronald Weasley, because that is how it's supposed to be. I am going to return to school, and after that, I will be able to choose any job that I want, in the Ministry or otherwise. I will probably be declared a War Hero or something utterly ridiculous like that, and I will spend my life being good, fighting for good, and promoting everything good. The fame will follow me everywhere, my every step scrutinized and dissected until none of it remains unknown."

Her smell was intoxicating to him, and he let her step so close that he could feel her breath on his face. Everything in him screamed for her, or at her, he didn't know, but he was firmly stuck in his place.

"I will weep in silence for my parents, murdered in Australia, and never tell anybody about them. They died without knowing they had a daughter, because I Obliviated them. I will be a good wife to Ron, be there to support him as he copes with the death of his brother, and be a wonderful Mother to his children."

Tears were flowing from her eyes freely, leaving trails on her dust stained face. Draco wanted to comfort her, but he just didn't learn how.

"A part of my heart died in this war, along with my parents and everybody else who suffered. Another part will die when I come to peace with my duties as Hermione Granger, future Weasley, the War Heroine. A part will be there for my children, to love them and protect them. But there is this one part-"

She stopped suddenly, her Lion courage drained. Draco could feel she wanted to say something, so he touched her fingers with his own. She just looked down, and let him take her hand in his and hold tight onto her. She was the only thing moving in this world that stood still, and the only thing he could concentrate on amidst the Chaos. She sighed and looked him in the eyes.

"There is this one part that isn't mine for a long time. That part went to a young boy who smiled at me on the train to Hogwarts and bought me a Chocolate Frog, because I didn't know what to get. A boy who saw how sad I was to be sitting alone on the train, and sat and talked to me. A boy who asked what was my favourite flower, and then conjured one for me so that I wouldn't feel sad anymore."

She smiled through her tears, and her chocolate eyes looked at him like he was the world. Breath caught in his throat as he recalled that day, and he held her hand just a bit tighter, needing proof that she was real and not just a fragment of his less than lucid mind.

"That part went to a boy who broke my heart when he realized I was a Muggle-born and refused to be my friend, or even talk to me without calling me a Mudblood. A boy who was mean to me all the time, a boy who hexed me and taunted me every chance he got. A boy I punched in the face because I wanted him to feel the same pain I was feeling in my heart. A boy who warned my friends to hide me when the Death Eaters attacked Muggles at the Quidditch World Cup. A boy who helped me get my teeth fixed and put a smile on my face."

He smiled a little at that, and she finally grasped his hand back.

"A part of my heart will always be with a boy who knocked a statue over to alert the Army that his Inquisition Squad is near. A boy who turned his head and let me sneak away unharmed from the Room of Requirement when he was supposed to capture me. A boy who couldn't kill Albus Dumbledore, one of few persons who believed in him. A boy who lied to his own deranged aunt about my identity to protect me. A boy who brought me water and bread and my favorite flower with some of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder inside when I was captured and tortured in his house."

He could feel heat on his cheeks, and realized he was crying and blushing at the same time. Draco had no idea that she noticed all those things throughout the years, because nobody noticed, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. She lifted her hand and cautiously touched his cheek, wiping the tears away gently.

"A part of my heart will always stay with the brave young man that protected himself and his family the only way he could, and stood watchful through the years over a Muggle-born girl he was taught to detest, making sure she didn't get in trouble that much."

Hermione Granger then let go of his hand, and put her hands on his cheeks. She looked at him with a happy smile, untainted by death and mayhem that surrounded them.

"A part of my heart will always stay with you Draco, because I've given it away seven years ago in that train compartment willingly, and I am never taking it back."

Hermione's eyes twinkled in the moonlight and Draco could see the need and urgency he felt reflected in her gaze. They both moved forward at the same time, and their lips met halfway.

The world faded into obscurity at that moment, and there was only her. He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent, as his lips moved against hers in sinfully slow movements. She tasted like heaven and hell at the same time, and he wrapped his arms around her and held her to him, refusing to let the perfection that was Hermione Granger escape his arms.

She opened her mouth and deepened the kiss, allowing him the sweet intoxication that was her scent. The kiss was enchantment and ecstasy, and Draco couldn't get enough. He knew he had this one night with her, and after that they would both go their separate ways. That meant he needed to make this a night she would never forget.

Hermione obviously thought along the same lines, because she pulled out her wand, and without breaking the kiss, she conjured a soft blanket for them to lie on.

Draco held her in his arms carefully, afraid that she would disappear like an illusion. Her hands were in his hair, and he caressed her sides as he gently lay her down. He pulled away from her and she whimpered at the loss of his touch.

"Hermione, I just want you to know that, well, what's left of my torn soul is yours, and always will be. You are the only thing that makes me feel alive and feeling like I have a heart."

She looked so beautiful in the moonlight that his heart hurt. Hermione smiled a sad smile, and wound her fingers into blond hair of the man she could never have.

"I am yours Draco."

She pulled him down for another kiss, and the weight of him felt wonderful on top of her. He tasted like sadness and love and despair, and she decided to give him everything. It was her last chance to show him, even if she couldn't say it.

Draco shivered as he felt Hermione tug on his robes. He broke the kiss and tangled himself out of his clothes, leaving him shirtless. She lay beneath him, and in her eyes he could see trust and something else that he dared not think about.

His hands trembled as he slowly pulled her jacket of her, and then reached to the hem of her shirt. Hermione gave him a decisive nod and raised her arms above her head, and his knuckles grazed her soft skin as he pulled the shirt off of her.

"Merlin you are beautiful," he whispered as he caressed her skin. She shivered beneath him and then enveloped him in a hug suddenly. Their bare skin touched and he felt a blessed rhapsody of feelings that intoxicated him.

"So are you, my Draco," she whispered, kissing his neck. "Inside and out."

He pulled her into another kiss, savouring her taste and smell. He knew this was wrong on so many levels, but he didn't care. It felt like the only right thing in his life of lefts.

Their kiss became more desperate as she nibbled on his bottom lip, moaning quietly. It brought him immense pleasure, hearing her delight. Her hands were all over him, touching him, memorizing every inch of his skin to remember for the future.

Draco wound his fingers into her hair, feeling only bliss. He dreamed of doing this so many times that when he finally did it, it felt even better than he imagined. He laughed softly, and she stopped kissing him, feeling puzzled.

"I dreamt of doing this so many times Hermione," he told her. Her eyes softened, savouring the wonderful sound of her name coming of those perfect lips. He looked uncertain for a moment, like he was battling with himself. Then, his stormy eyes met her, and she never felt as good as in that moment again when she heard him say it.

"I need you Hermione."

For a moment time stopped, and nothing existed except two broken people who needed each other. Then Hermione decided that she needed to do something.

She attacked him with another kiss as her hand fumbled with his pants. He unclasped her bra, and she could hear him gasp as he felt her breasts on his skin.

"You're perfect Hermione," he whispered as he touched her nipples softly. She writhed under him as goose-bumps erupted all over her skin from his gentle touch.

"I need you Draco, please..."

He nodded and pulled away from her, losing his pants in the process. She bit her lips as she saw how much he wanted her, his dark boxers stretching. Draco went for her pants' button, but then stopped himself.

"Have you-" words wouldn't leave his mouth, so he cleared his throat. "Have you ever done this before?"

He searched her chocolate eyes for truth, and she shook her head. Expressions of shock and fear passed his aristocratic face.

"Hermione, I... I'm not worthy... You..." He seemed at a loss from words, so Hermione pushed herself up so she was now kneeling in front of him. She looked the beautiful, troubled man in front of her, and decided that he may not understand if she didn't say it outright.

"Draco, I need you. I trust you. And I want to give you myself, as I cannot give you anything else. I need you. Please."

She stood up, towering over him, light dancing on her skin. He watched as she removed her sneakers and her jeans, leaving one single barrier between herself and him.

Hermione lowered herself back on the blanket, using his shoulders for support. Her touch awoke him, and he grabbed her in a passionate embrace, lowering her so he was lying on top of her. She sighed happily as their chests touched, kissing him everywhere she could.

"Hermione, I..." Draco hesitated, as his hand found his way to her knickers. She pushed her hips up, meeting his eyes.

"Please Draco, please," her voice was a throaty moan, and he tore her knickers forcefully and moaned as her heat engulfed him.

Hermione felt like she was in heaven. Draco pushed two fingers inside of her as his thumb searched her fold, wanting to give her pleasure. He knew he hit the right spot when she cried out in delight and then bit her lip to stop from screaming aloud.

He continued his ministrations as he got rid of his boxers. Hermione writhed under him, her breasts high in the air, her nipples tense as she mewled incoherently. Just as she was about to cross that bridge and stumble into ecstasy, he stopped and lowered himself on her.

"I want you inside of me Draco."

Her eyes were pools of bronze, her pupils dilated with her desire for him. Draco kissed her slowly, and positioned himself at her entrance. She put her arms around his neck, and with a final kiss she nodded.

He pushed inside and her back arched, her eyes teary because of sudden pain. Draco held the only witch he ever loved in his arms and murmured apologies for hurting her. She felt so good, so tight and warm, but he resisted pushing further because of her discomfort.

He peppered light kisses all over her face and neck, and caressed every inch of her skin that he could. He could feel himself pulsing, overwhelmed with the feeling of her, soft, real, if only for a moment in time. A stolen moment was all he got, and he relished in her, and the lilac tree humming in the wind, and...

"Father?"

A voice brought him back to present, cutting off the pleasure and bringing immediate pain. Draco learned how to control the pain over the years, but at times like these it took him by surprise and gnawed at his defenses and walls he built over the years.

Descartes wrote that the senses deceive us from time to time, and it is never prudent to trust those who have deceived us before. Draco Malfoy lived by that principle, even though his vast knowledge of Muggle philosophy wasn't a publicly known fact.

Would his son be able to get the happy ending he himself was so brutally denied? If that girl was in any way like her Mother, Draco knew that Scorpius may perhaps get a chance at experiencing happiness that he only got a taste of that night in the woods.

With a final look at the tree in the garden, he turned back to his son and composed himself as best as he could.

"Well, I do expect you to invite Miss Rose Weasley over for dinner... along with her parents. If you plan to marry her some day, we better start to mend the less than friendly relationships from the past."

Smiling slightly at his son's incredulous look, Draco exited the room and went towards the gardens, unwilling to admit to himself that he was indeed very pleased, and even more excited with the concept of seeing Hermione Granger once again.

He just had to make sure there was a lilac flower arrangement on the table for dinner.