Author's note: In my pretend AU world, Hermione can't decide if she wants to stay with Ron. Hannah Abbott married Neville, and took over The Leaky Cauldron. Hermione works from time to time in the Leaky Cauldron with Hannah until she figures out what she wants to do. This takes place ten years after the war. This was written for The Teacher's Lounge: The Dramione Lounge-Wide FMK Challenge. The rules are we have to Fornicate, Marry or kill the paring. I'm a big fan of Dramiones so mine won't be kill. Also, in my little world, Draco was only mean to them at Hogwarts because his father made him. He also disowned his father and stayed with his mother after the war. This is a mix between events from the movies and books. AU. I hope you like it. As always, please review. Rated M for Language and mature scenes.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. J.K. Rowling created the world we love.

~In between the 19 years later, and 10 years after the war.~

He caught her outside of the Leaky Cauldron. She was alone. No Weasel in sight. He walked casually past her. She didn't recognize him in the hooded trench coat. After the war, the wizarding community wasn't exactly nice to the Malfoy's. His father was in Azkaban and he and his mother only escaped it because Kingsley knew they were acting under his father's orders or they would be forced to do evil things. Even though it was ten years later, the name Malfoy still stung on the lips of wizards like a wasp stung in spring.

He pulled his coat close to him. Not because he was trying to hide as he entered the Leaky Cauldron, but because he was freezing. Stupid March weather. It was mid March. Last week they had humid weather and this week it was freezing with a chance of snow. Flurries fell from the sky like powdered sugar on a chocolate cake. He groaned at mother nature.

Hannah Abbott Longbottom ran the Leaky Cauldron so she could be close to Neville as he now taught at Hogwarts. Draco saw Hannah talk to Hermione and she nodded towards the door to the left of the bar. Hermione slipped quietly back there as Hannah rushed over to help a customer who spilled his drink at that exact moment.

"I'm sorry this room is for-" Hermione said as Draco entered the small office and shut the door locking it as he did so.

"Bloody Hell."

"You know, you're starting to sound like Weasel. Been around him too long?" Sneered Draco as he walked a little closer. Hermione's eyes turned cold and hateful.

"What are you doing here?"

"I heard you and Weasel broke off the wedding." Draco said picked up a paperweight and started playing with it.

"My love life is none of your concern." Hermione said trying to hide the paperwork on the desk.

"Does Pansy know you're here?"

Draco made his way to the desk and snatched the papers out of her hand. Hermione drew her wand quickly.

"DROP THE PAPERS" She said immediately.

Draco froze. He knew she was good with a wand. She fought in the war like he did after all. His gaze automatically went to her left arm. He noted she was wearing a long sleeve sweater in the color of magenta fitting her form perfectly. He pushed that thought out of his mind. He didn't want to think of what was under the sweater. He knew she wasn't just cold but because she was hiding something.

He let go of the papers immediately not because he didn't want to get hexed, but because he was remembering a nightmare. The nightmare that happened at his house that he couldn't stop. For if he tried death would be knocking at his door. A lump in his throat arose and suddenly he wanted water. No, a Firewhiskey.

"I need a drink."

"What?" Hermione lowered her wand, but still held it in her hand. She noticed he was looking at her arm and tried covering the already covered spot.

"Stop staring at me," she said as she turned around to the bookshelf. Hermione knows Hannah well enough to know Hannah had Firewhiskey hidden in a hollow book. She pulled out Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find them and opened it. 'Thank Merlin!" She thought to herself.

"Please, I need a drink."

Draco had begged. He had never before in his life begged that wasn't connected to torture. Draco shuddered. He didn't like remembering the dark days of Voldemort.

Hermione put the book back after taking out the bottle. She didn't approve of using a hollow book, or hollowing out a book, but Hermione needed the drink as much as Draco did.

Hermione placed the bottle on the desk, opened a drawer and pulled out two small glasses. She uncorked the bottle and poured one drink handing it to Draco.

"Thank you," he took it. The firewhiskey burned his throat as she stared watching him.

"You drink?" he questioned.

"On the rare occasion when I'm stressed." Hermione then filled her own glass and gulped it paying no attention to the burning sensation in her throat.

"Another." he said as he handed her the glass. She handed the bottle to him and he drank from it.

"I take it you have memories you're trying to erase too?"

"Your arm," he whispered as he took another sip.

"My arm?"

"When it happened, no one could stop them. If I said anything to try to stop them, Voldemort would have tortured my mother." He paused, and didn't look at her. Then he continued. "My father's idea was to write MUDBLOOD on your arm and he forced me to suggest it to Bellatrix. I did and have regretted it ever since. He said if I didn't he would take my mother away from me forever. He made me say it. I had no choice. I had to prove to him I was on their side, that I was with them. My father wanted me to prove my loyalty to Voldermort like my Father did.

Hermione slammed down the glass breaking it.

He watched the glass fall to the ground shattering as it broke.

"You Git! You fucking bloody git." Hermione rarely cursed. But this was an exception.

Dropping her wand she went to him in two strides and punched him in the face. She tried aiming again for a second punch, but he held her by the hand.

"I half expected that."

"Let go of me."

"No," he held her hand tight as he put the bottle down on the desk.

"I came here to apologize. Do you know how many times I kept wishing to stop what they were doing? I had to hold back. I had to try to hurt you all or they would hurt my mum. They used her to get under my skin and my father didn't care." He spat those last words out. His father wasn't a father and he knew that.

"I don't want your apology. Let go of me," he gripped her hand tighter. This time lacing his fingers through hers. She didn't fight him off. Something pinged inside them as his fingers lingered a moment then let go quickly.

Glares turned to confusion as they stared at each other.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for suggesting it. I'm sorry for not stopping them and I'm sorry for not doing anything to protect you."

"I spent the last ten years living a nightmare of uncertainty. Trying to figure out what I was going to do after they let me go. Fellow Death Eaters tried following me but I always got rid of them. Then one by one they were caught and put in Azkaban. I went to the trials. I testified against them on your behalf. On my mother's behalf."

He stood for a moment, then pulled out his wand saying "reparo." To fix the glass. He added "scourgify" To clean up the spilled whiskey. She watched as the glass magically came back together.

"Can we go to a safer place to talk? Someone could walk in at any moment," Draco asked.

"The door is locked. " Hermione said not wanting to budge.

"But can be unlocked."

"I get off work in an hour. You can meet me outside and then we can go somewhere." Hermione scribbled down an address on paper and handed it to him. He noticed it was in Muggle London and not anywhere close to wizards.

The snow fell around him as he waited by the Leaky Cauldron. She would come any moment. He pulled his coat closer to his face as muggles walked past him. He doubted anyone would notice him. For you had to be a wizard to know something was even there. An hour passed. She never came. He pulled out the address from his pocket and disapparated to it. Apparating just in front of the door to the place. He noticed the door was open ajar and a lump went in his throat. Pulling out his wand he braced himself for the worst.

Hermione had a glass of wine in her hands sitting on the couch. She was crying. The papers he tried to snatch from her lay at her feet.

"Oh. I didn't mean for you to see me like this." she said taking a sip of wine and setting it down. He lowered his wand.

"The door was open. I was worried something happened to you."

"You worried about me?" She stared at him confused.

"You were the one I worried about the most." He shut the door behind him and locked it.

"Ron was here," she said after a few minutes of silence. He felt anger forming and didn't know why. His fists balled up as if he were going to punch something.

"I signed the divorce papers. Ron wasn't happy. He tried begging me to stay in the marriage," she said softly eyeing his fists.

"So you were married," he began to pace back and forth.

"Quietly. It was last year, quick and sudden. We did it after the nine year anniversary of the war. He begged me and I finally caved knowing we had problems. For two years we had problems. He didn't deny it. He took over most of the Weasley chores, and the shop they had. Stress was getting to him and he took it out on me. I told him we aren't the same as we were when we were in Hogwarts and he didn't like that answer."

"He didn't hit you did he?" Draco stopped pacing and turned to her.

"No, he never laid a hand on me. In fact, he never touched me in any way."

Draco sat down on the chair across from her letting her words sink in.

"You never had sex?"

Hermione spat out her wine for she had just taken a sip.

"I half expected that," she said eying his left eye.

"No bruise this time," he said as he watched her eyes. "Not like in our third year when you punched me."

"Well I'm not sorry for that. You were an arse," she said.

"I'm sorry for it too."

She finished her wine feeling a slight buzz for she hardly drank. She conjured up fire in the fireplace with her wand as she watched snow falling out of her window. He looked around. Her parents pictures were on the wall. He noticed one was right after the war for she still had visible scars.

"That was when I found them in Australia. Ron insisted on coming with me. He never understood why I wanted to be alone after the war." She stood up and stretched, ignoring the papers on the floor. He watched her go to the closet in the hall and pull out sheets and blankets and a pillow.

"This is my place. I wanted out of the wizarding world after the war." She handed him the items and felt his hand grasp around hers for a moment while he accepted them. It was as if time had stopped as they stood holding the blankets together. His hand over hers. The fire crackled in the background bringing them from their daze.

Her words haunted him. Ron never touched her. Not once in anyway.

"So which of you didn't like sex?" He asked as she finally let go.

"You can sleep on the couch tonight. It's a blizzard out there," she ignored his question.

"I could disapparate though," he said as he started making a bed on the couch.

"Stay " she begged.

It was obvious to him she didn't want to be alone. Especially after seeing Ron. He picked up the papers reading the title before handing it to her. 'Divorce Papers'

"There's sandwich stuff in the refrigerator if you're hungry. I'm not going to eat. I just want to go to bed."

She paused before going up the stairs. The fire cracked in the background.

"Ron didn't want to have anyone touch him," she said answering his question from earlier.

She went up to her room after that, leaving Draco in the glow of the firelight. So it was Ron who didn't want sex. What kind of a man didn't want sex? Then he remembered his parents. His father never having time for his mother anymore and pushed her away to another wing in the house. That was before the war. He pushed that thought out of his mind for he didn't want to think of it and went into the kitchen in search of food. He heard crying upstairs. He wanted to go up to her and hold her close, but knew she wanted to be alone.

After he ate, he looked at the clock. It was well after midnight and the snow had stopped falling as a full moon peeked from the clouds.

The fire had gone to embers as he forgot to put another log on. He crawled into bed worrying over her.

Just as he drifted off into sleep he heard a noise from behind him. Hermione was standing at the stairs.

"We need another log on the fire. This muggle apartment isn't good on heat," Hermione wore matching pj's which amused him. He took off his shirt and folded it beside him. He was hot but didn't want to be rude. He watched her staring at him. She had just noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt. Something stirred inside of him as she made her way to the fire. She put another log on and turned around.

This time he saw the scar on her arm where that thing was written. He noticed it healed over time and breathed in a sigh of relief. She covered it up noticing him watching her. He had a few scars himself.

For a moment neither of them spoke. The heat of the fire wasn't the only heat in the room and they both knew that. She had a little wine influence, but she wasn't drunk. Hermione knew what she wanted. And at that moment she wanted him. He could tell by the way she was looking at him. He bit his lower lip before speaking.

"I can move over if you want to sit by the fire," he suggested.

She hesitated and glanced towards the stairs. She had a need in her that wanted comfort and wanted something more. Something Ron never gave her. Not even on their wedding night.

"I should get back up stairs," Hermione said quietly after thinking it over.

"Stay," he begged. He was wishing she would come over to him and sit next to him.

"I really don't think that's a good idea. We both know what would happen if I stayed,"

Draco pulled the blanket off of him and got up. He lingered a moment as he stared into her brown eyes. She wanted him. She couldn't hide it anymore. He walked over to her standing in front of her. He felt himself being urged from the inside to kiss her.

"Go ahead," she whispered as if she was reading his mind.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. He inched closer. Their bodies so close they almost touched. She filled in the gap as he took her hand. Lacing it with his like he had before. He knew he felt something for her now. He knew she was scared. Her heart was racing against his. He kissed her lightly on the lips. When she didn't pull away, he kissed her again. This time a little harder than he meant to. He broke apart and stared at her.

"Why did you stop?" She asked.

"You wanted to punch me earlier and you did."

"Can you blame me? I mean you did just tell me whose fault it was for-" He interrupted her and kissed her full on the lips.

She felt the roughness of his lips as hers welcomed his, deepening the kiss. They pulled each other closer if even possible. He felt himself grow weak unable to hold them both up and let go pulling her to the bed of the pull out couch. She hesitated once more as if overthinking things. As the snow laid down gently outside the window, Hermione laid on Draco just as delicately. She paused momentarily. Then her face became resolute as the snow. They stared at each other in the light of the fire. Not moving. They took the moment in as she lay on top of him breathing heavily as she dropped her guard and gave into him. Then as if something inside told her to move she made the move and kissed him. This time their bodies danced together in the moonlight. It wasn't his first time, but he knew it was hers, so he was gentle. He watched her as she rolled her eyes back when he went in her. From there they grew passionate. They went at a speed that made her moan. Then she sighed as she grew comfortable with the idea of sex. He flipped her over on her back carefully.

"Ouch." she said suddenly.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked looking concerned.

"A little. But I'm alright."

The sex lasted longer than he expected. He expected it to be over quickly after that. But neither of them wanted it to end. So they kept it going for a while. When they finished, they lay next to each other. The embers of the fire had long since burned out but it was hot in there and he was sweaty.

"Ron never wanted to do that." She said softly in the dark.

"Why?" His mind was still reeling at the fact that he'd made love to someone he thought he would never touch.

"He just never had time. He was always busy. And then he didn't want to be touched by anyone at all. Too many people came up to him and hugged him without his wanting to after the Fred's funeral. Ron slipped away from me like time with your mother slipped away from you under your father's ruling."

"Ron slipped away from me after the war and all the trauma he had from losing his brother. Just like your mother slipped away from your father. Unlike your mother, Ron didn't know how to handle it all, and I couldn't wait for him anymore."

Draco nodded as he understood what she was saying.

"He's missing out." Draco stared at her.

"What?"

"You're beautiful,"

"Even with the scar?"

"I have scars too."

Draco wished she would allow him to make another move on her wanting more of her than he ever imagined. She leaned on her elbow and hovered over him. Tracing one of the scars on his chest. Then she kissed it and then his lips wanting more.

He wasn't sure of what would happen between them. Or if they would ever speak again. But for tonight, they were lovers. Tonight he let it happen over and over again as she wished for. He would worry about tomorrow when it came.

Author's note:
Special thanks to my super awesome new beta matrixaffiliate !

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