This is one of those stories that wrote itself. I wasn't planning to write it at all and assured my family that I was done with fan fiction. Oh, well. I hope that you enjoy reading it! Thanks to JK Rowling for her creations.

New Story

It was the always the same. The same old story.

If you read the Prophet closely you might notice the recurring themes: the rich despising the poor, the privileged abusing the underprivileged, the Purebloods alienating the Muggleborn. The stories began innocently enough. But the moment the evidence pointed toward bias, prejudice, or abuse, that's when Hermione Granger saw red. That was when she determined to write a new story.

It doesn't take a great stretch of the imagination to see why she chose this particular vocation. After all, writing came easily to Hermione Granger. Goodness knows, she had spent years perfecting the art of penning scrolls measured in feet for classes at Hogwarts. And she loved to read. She had spent hours in the Hogwarts Library preparing for this very job. Now that she was out of school, she singlehandedly kept Flourish and Blotts in business. The feel of books beneath her fingers, the magic flickering within worn leather jackets, the smell of fresh parchment and ink gave her an internal zest for life. Hermione Granger burned to see justice prevail. She lived and breathed hope for the future. Some people are intimidated by a blank page, but to Hermione Granger, a blank page was the just the beginning. Writing was a natural fit for Hermione Granger; the surprise was that she chose to write fiction.

Her first novel was about house elves, of course. It was based upon fact, stories she gleaned from her time with Kreacher, Dobby, and Nippy. She had to ask Malfoy's permission to interview Nippy. Malfoy owed her a favor after her testimony on his behalf, so she called it in. Malfoy hated granting her this favor. He hated that she made friends with his house elves. He hated that she knew stories he didn't about his own family. He hated that she might pop out of the kitchens or attics when he least expected it. For Salazar's sake, she was a war heroine. What on earth was she doing in the laundry at Malfoy Manor? Was she actually washing his clothes? It was embarrassing to say the least. She had also approached his Slytherin classmates, but he didn't really want to know if anyone else gave her access to their private lives and house elves. It was better not to know.

Then Malfoy read the book. Visions of a House Elf, by Hermione J Granger. Sparsely written, it managed to capture a poignancy that was entirely unexpected. Malfoy had never bothered much about house elves, silly, annoying creatures. Although he no longer abused them, it hadn't really occurred to him that his own house elves were enslaved. Shocking.

Granger's book told the story of a dream. A dream of a happy home spelled out in the simple language of Giddy, the (fictional) House Elf. In Chapter Two, the dream was brutally shattered by reality. Because the writing was sparse and understated, the pain the gentle creature endured in the book actually brought Draco Malfoy to tears. To tears. Draco Malfoy. For example, he hadn't known that Dobby was dead, a hero fallen while rescuing Granger from Malfoy Manor. He hadn't known that Nippy had witnessed her own mother die by Lucius Malfoy's hand under Voldemort's watchful eye. Of course the names were all changed, but he knew. He knew that most of these atrocities happened in his own family home. It was pure genius that Granger managed to portray the simple story of the House Elf in such vivid colors that the master of the house faded away to nothingness. It was as if Granger became Giddy the House Elf and spoke her language. The implied darkness and pain became more powerful than if Granger had preached or waxed sentimental. Well, he always knew Hermione Granger was a genius. He was just surprised that her novel completely avoided S.P.E.W.

He freed his elves immediately.

The second book by Hermione Granger was by contrast, more cerebral. It was about the Centaurs living in the Forbidden Forest. This time Granger asked Malfoy for access to his library at the Manor. Apparently, she had discovered the Malfoy Library while dusting with the house elves. And apparently, the Malfoy Library contained books that were simply not found elsewhere, specifically books on Centaurian Divination and Arithmancy. Occasionally, Malfoy met Granger in his library during her research. They had fascinating debates about relevant topics such as Divination, which Granger despised. Sometimes they had fascinating discussions about irrelevant topics such as the most efficient way to Catalogue One's Library. (Granger had very strong opinions on said topic as did Malfoy.) Granger's new book, A Centaur's Perspective, primarily focused on the misappropriation of land stolen from the Centaurs by the Ministry of Magic. The book was an intellectual achievement for Granger because not only did she bring clarity to the issues of property rights and natural rights of non-humans, she also delved into Astronomy, Divination and Advanced Arithmancy from an intellectually rich, almost spiritual approach. Again, Malfoy was surprised. He knew Granger didn't trust Divination. He didn't think Granger was particularly spiritual, but she seemed to understand the Centaurs' bent. After reading A Centaur's Perspective, Malfoy knew that he would always treat Centaurs with a healthy fear, not to mention an intellectual admiration. He hoped Granger would win awards for her work.

Book number three was a romance, so Malfoy decided not to read it. Frankly, he was embarrassed for Granger. It couldn't be good. He hoped she didn't write about sex. (Did she even know about sex?) Suddenly, it became hugely popular, a best seller, and he was even more determined not to read it. Granger had apparently broken up with Weasley during this time, so she had written the book from a snowy chalet in Switzerland. Malfoy tried to imagine her weeping over her desk as she poured her own personal emotional turmoil into her book. But he couldn't. He couldn't imagine such sappiness from Granger. He could, however, imagine her writing with a quill while sipping hot cocoa and gazing out the window at the Alps.

His mother had finished Loved for Life by Hermione J Granger for her PB society book club and had left the book in the drawing room. So Malfoy picked it up, put it in his pocket, and carried it gingerly to his study. He ignored the disgusting kissing couple on the front cover, but he several times surreptitiously glanced at the back cover. It had a moving photo of the author: Hermione Granger with bouncing curls and a twinkle in her eye. He wished... he wished that she had come to Malfoy Manor to research romantic witchery or even just to argue with him about the ridiculousness of writing a romance. What attractions did a Swiss chalet have over Malfoy Manor? Granger was far away, unlikely to ever return, but her stupid book was everywhere. It was on the corner of his desk, at least.

He eventually read it. When he reluctantly opened to the first page, he was again surprised. It wasn't a romance as much as a mystery. A page-turner. It wasn't until he was half-way through that he realized that the unfolding mystery was actually the love story of Remis Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, under different names, of course. And he, who despised werewolves with a passion, now felt sympathy toward the man's predicament. Here was a decent man, fighting his love for a beautiful woman so the wolf within would never cause her harm. And the woman, the one solving the mystery, was doing everything she could to fight his rejection, to hold him close. Malfoy marveled that her love was greater than his beastliness. Her love eventually overcame his fear. It was a powerful story, Malfoy thought, even though he still couldn't help but shudder to think that anyone might marry a werewolf. The name Fenrir Greyback had left a horrid taste in his mouth and a sick feeling in his stomach that would last a lifetime at least.

The sequel Family Forever by Hermione J Granger followed soon after. Malfoy didn't hesitate this time. He bought the book. He felt he could tolerate a romance if it was tucked into a mystery as the first book had been. In Family Forever, he learned not only about werewolf equal rights and the need for more wolfsbane on the market, but also about family life. The two main characters had married and continued to solve mysteries together. They started a family. They had unique difficulties to overcome that had to do with full moons, but their togetherness fascinated Malfoy. He hadn't ever witnessed a relationship like this in real life and wondered if it truly existed. Was this really how Lupin and Tonks had treated each other? Or was the relationship based on someone else Granger knew? There was equality and acceptance and trust, an exchange of ideas, confidence in one another, a love and affection that Malfoy hadn't ever seen at the Manor. He didn't know if it was a real thing, but he recognized that this was Granger's ideal. She longed for this kind of relationship. He hoped she would find it.

There was a period of time when Hermione Granger did not produce a book. After awhile, Malfoy grew somewhat alarmed. He hoped she was not in any trouble. So he sent her an owl to tell her how much he had enjoyed her books and to inquire if she had any new ones in the works. She replied that she, in fact, did. He asked her to tea. She came with her most recent manuscript and asked him to read it. Malfoy was stunned. That she would think so well of his opinion moved him deeply. He told her that he would read it that night. They drank tea. They visited the Library for old time's sake. They laughed together. Then Granger departed. And Malfoy opened her manuscript.

Horror of horrors. Of horrors.

And more horrors.

It was the story of Draco Malfoy.