Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his world belongs to J. K. Rowling. I own nothing and make absolutely no money out of this. I don't own the song either. It's all for fun! Characters you don't recognise are from my own imagination and belong to me.

Summary: THIS IS THE SEQUEL TO THE DRAGON, THE LION AND THE SERPENT.

Three years after defeating Voldemort, Hermione and Abigail try to cope in a world run by Malfoy Inc and the Death Eaters. Whereas Abigail and Ron have joined the Order, Hermione battles the remaining Death Eaters in court. DMHG HPOC This fanfiction is rated M for sex, violence and language. So be warned!

Author's Notes: Well I am finally back with the first chapter of Here Without Me, the sequel to the Dragon, the Lion and the Serpent. It is set three years after Voldemort is defeated and starts off on a dark and sad tone. This first chapter starts off with Draco's point of view, but other characters are mentioned throughout. The story keeps the same layout as before with three different points of view (Draco, Hermione and Abigail) but may switch from time to time to other characters, mostly Harry. Thoughts are put in italics.

Just to recap for those who might not have understood, Hermione and Abigail are distant cousins. How is that possible? Well Hermione's grandfather was a Squib and he was also Abigail's mother's uncle. Thus Mrs Granger (a Muggle) and Selena Serpent (powerful witch) are cousins although they hardly knew each other and lived in complete separate worlds. I know I said it was Abigail's father who was related to the Grangers but in fact it's Selena Serpent, got confused, sorry. Thats why the Grangers were contacted when Selena went mad. Thus, Hermione and Abigail are distant cousins (second cousins once removed? Is that what its called?).

I'd like to thank all my faithful readers and reviewers for all their support with D, L, S, you guys were great! So thank you, thank you! Drastic Changes will be updated as soon as possible!

Songs have been added to chapters where I thought they were suitable and after listening to 3 Doors Down this summer, I thought the title of one of their songs described the story best. I will not spoil the plot for you, therefore read on!

..~**~..

Chapter 1

A hundred days have made me older
Since the last time that I saw your pretty face
A thousand lies have made me colder
And I don't think I can look at this the same
But all the miles that separate
Disappear now when I'm dreaming of your face

I'm here without you baby
But you're still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby
And I dream about you all the time
I'm here without you baby
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight it's only you and me

(Here Without You - 3 Doors Down)

Draco Malfoy, age 21, head of Malfoy Inc. and leader of the remaining Death Eaters, sat at his large mahogany office desk on the top floor of the first magical skyscraper in wizarding London.

A dozen other buildings could be seen through the double windows of his office, where operated other important wizard companies, belonging to wealthy Pureblood families, business partners to Malfoy Inc. and also fellow Death Eaters. The world had changed for Draco since he had left Hogwarts. He was now one of the famous 'Defeaters of Voldemort', wealthiest wizard in Europe, biggest employer in England's wizarding world, greatest monetary contributor to the Ministry of Magic and most eligible bachelor of the year according to Witch Weekly.

Lord Malfoy had it all, or so he thought.

A loud knock on his office door suddenly caught his attention and a blonde woman shortly entered. She was carrying a crocodile skin handbag and walked confidently up to Draco's desk, stretching out a rather large hand with long, red-painted fingernails.

"Mister Malfoy, such a pleasure to see you! Thank you for inviting me here today," Rita Skeeter greeted him as Draco stood up and quickly shook her hand.

"Please, Miss Skeeter, have a seat," he said, pointing to a smaller black leather chair beside his desk.

The journalist smiled politely and sat down quickly, pulling out pieces of parchment and her famous Quick Quotes Quill from her handbag.

Draco despised the press, but since certain complaints against him had reached the Ministry, he needed to reaffirm a positive image of Malfoy Inc. to the general public.

"Remember Miss Skeeter," Draco informed the journalist shortly, watching her intently as she set parchment on her lap and the quill automatically began scribbling away. "You are not to write anything else than what I say. I will read the article before it is published and if it does not satisfy me then I will make sure that you never write a single word for the Daily Prophet again."

She nodded at his words, her smile faltering slightly. His threats obviously seemed to work as the journalist quickly got rid of the magical quill and found another one in her bag along with a bottle of ink. She seemed to remember that the Daily Prophet now mostly belonged to Malfoy Inc.

"So, Mister Malfoy –"

"Lord Malfoy," Draco interrupted calmly. "Since I have taken over the family estate and business, I have also become head of the Malfoy family, hence Lord Malfoy, according to the Ministry decree number 498."

"Of course," she answered, writing as she spoke. "So Lord Malfoy, I believe this is the first time that you have ever invited a journalist inside your prestigious office at Malfoy Inc."

"You are correct."

"Why such need for secrecy?" she inquired eagerly.

"I have no need for secrecy Miss Skeeter, only caution. My business rivals are numerous and will gladly do anything to steal data from my records."

"Indeed, Malfoy Inc has considerably grown in size and value over these last few years. Tell us, Lord Malfoy, as we are all eager to know, how do you explain such a terrific success?"

"I decided to purchase certain wizarding estates and companies or invest in them over the years and I have never been wrong. In fact, I have been very lucky."

Looking up at him through her jewelled spectacles, Rita could hardly contain her curiosity as she asked him the following question. "Is it true that you have recently started investing in Muggle companies too?"

Draco kept a blank expression. "Yes."

Rita paused, expecting more details, but as he remained silent, she continued with the interview.

"Now what about your title as 'Defeater of You-Know-Who'? Would you like to explain to the readers in detail how it all happened?"

Draco's silver eyes clouded for a second, but then he took a deep breath. "Well, as you already know, I used to be one of Voldemort's followers until I realised that he was wrong and decided to help Albus Dumbledore," he lied through his teeth. "I was present the night Harry Potter killed Lord Voldemort and I am sure you already know the full details of the final battle."

"Yes, yes, of course," Rita answered automatically, scribbling away. "But how and when did you decide to rebel against You-Know-Who?"

Draco opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out. Instead memories of his seventh year at Hogwarts suddenly flooded his mind. Brown bushy hair, chocolate brown eyes…

Hermione, it was all thanks to Hermione.

"Lord Malfoy?" Rita asked, confused by his far-away look. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course," he told her quickly, his mind remembering the perfect lie he had prepared for such a question. "I simply realised that I had chosen the wrong path when I was assigned to kill. It was an easy decision to make, but a difficult one to carry out."

"What do you think of the current Death Eater attacks which still occur regularly? According to the Ministry, there is no real threat, but most of the wizarding population seems to think otherwise. Do you believe that we are still in danger?"

Draco smiled to himself. If you knew that I was behind all the attacks, would you still gawk at me from behind those hideous spectacles?

"The wizarding folk should be aware that renegade Death Eaters are still on the loose. However, it is well past time that these criminals realised that Voldemort is dead."

"Spoken like a true 'Defeater of You-Know-Who'!" she exclaimed, writing as fast as she could. "Do you still keep in contact with the others?"

"Not at all, unless you count the Annual Ministry Parties, which reunites us for the special occasion. Otherwise, we are all very busy," he admitted.

"Not even Abigail Serpent?" she asked him slyly, watching his reaction closely. "You have been spotted a couple of times together in the Muggle world and our readers are extremely curious to know if you are currently dating the head of the Serpent family."

Cunning wench! he thought, sensing she was trying to decipher his unreadable expression.

"Miss Serpent is only a friend," Draco corrected her, smiling in return. "At the time, she had certain financial difficulties which she needed help with."

"Oh," Rita added in surprise as she continued to write. "Also, this morning I heard about your current disagreements with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement concerning your unfair selection of employees. According to Amelia Bones, head of the department, the Ministry has received many complaints from non-Pureblood witches and wizards about your biased view on magical folk and their blood status."

"As I have already told the Ministry, these people have no proof of what they claim. They are simply bitter because they did not obtain the job they applied for – "

"And what of Miss Granger's statement?" Rita cut him off, a smile lingering on her bright red lips. "I am sure you are aware of the speech she gave out to the press this morning, following the Ministry's decision to investigate the matter."

He paused. He was well aware of Granger's unfortunate words at the Ministry this morning. She had called him a cold-hearted bastard, who still firmly believed in the purity of blood and swore that she would bring him to justice to be tried and imprisoned. Draco couldn't blame her, after all Granger was right.

"I am sure Miss Granger will change her mind after the investigation," Draco told her, keeping a calm composure. "I have nothing to hide. I'm afraid this will have to be the last question, Miss Skeeter, as I am a very busy man."

She nodded in return and pulled out another sheet of parchment. "Then I will have to ask what every witch in the UK is dying to know about you. Lord Malfoy, do you believe in love?"

Caught off guard, Draco's eyes widened a split-second before recovering their usual darkness.

"Malfoy Inc. is my top priority, I have no time for love."

..~**~..

After the interview, Draco sat comfortably in his high-backed black leather chair and let his mind drift away. Rita Skeeter's questions had forced him to remember things he had promised himself never to think about -

Hermione.

Opening the top desk drawer, he pulled out a newspaper clipping of the Gryffindor girl. It dated back to last November when she had completed her High Official training in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and became Amelia Bones' personal assistant.

His soft grey eyes skimmed over her picture.

She looked happy in it, smiling to the cameras and proudly holding up her diploma. She hadn't changed much over the years except that her curly chestnut hair was longer and her eyes had become darker. However, her dark brown eyes seemed to have lost something; they were different, colder perhaps. Draco couldn't tell what exactly had changed in her, but he knew for certain that it was somehow his fault.

I hope you can forgive me.

He took a last look at the picture before hiding it back inside his drawer and then peered through his morning mail, littering his desk. He noticed an official letter from the Ministry, sealed no less by Rufus Scrimgeour, the new Minister of Magic. A glimpse of a smile grazed Draco's lips as his silver eyes glanced at the contents of the letter. It was a similar invitation to the ones that he had received the previous years and that he had always happily accepted.

Dear Lord Malfoy,

You are cordially invited to the Annual Ministry Party in honour of the 'Defeaters of Voldemort'. This year the party followed by the press conference will be held at 8 p.m. on the twentieth of March, at the Ministry of Magic's Celebration Hall, Hogsmeade. Guests are expected to attend the party in formal Muggle clothes this year and each Defeater is also required to attend the press conference headed by the Daily Prophet newspaper. If you wish to attend the event, please let me know as soon as possible, as preparations will depend on the number of guests expected.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic

Ministry of Magic

As he finished reading the letter, a soft knock was heard on his office door and his personal secretary, Miss Jones, quickly entered. "Sorry to interrupt sir, but Mr Zabini has just arrived and these are the files you asked for," she informed him, slipping a couple of red folders on his desk.

"Very well, Miss Jones, let him in," Draco told her, handing her several parchments to mail. "Also, could you write to the Minister and inform him that I accept his invitation."

"Of course sir," she replied, leaving his office.

Draco watched her closely as she left and a hint of annoyance flickered in his eyes. He knew very little about his new secretary, Hestia Jones and he didn't like it. She was a pink-cheeked, black-haired Pureblood witch, who had done various little jobs around the Ministry of Magic before she ending up working for Malfoy. Her family wasn't as wealthy as most Pureblood families, but they were quite respectable. None of them had shown a dislike for the Dark Arts nor did they seem to favour Albus Dumbledore. Draco found her quite suitable as his personal secretary, but the lack of information on her family's loyalties was a potential threat. After considering the matter several minutes, Draco decided that Hestia Jones was probably a safe girl, who was only trying to survive as best as she could in these troubled times, like so many other witches. However, being a Pureblood, she was more likely to be employed in Malfoy Inc. than Half-bloods and Mudbloods, although it wasn't a public policy in the company.

Suddenly, without warning, his office door swung open and Blaise Zabini, his closest friend, stepped in. He was wearing the latest fashion of robes, black of course, which matched perfectly with his short, raven-black hair. If Draco was top of the most eligible bachelor list, Blaise came second.

Or maybe it's Potter, Draco mused, thinking of the famous Quidditch player.

"Draco!" he greeted, slamming the door shut behind him, which automatically switched on the usual Silencing Charm and other anti-eavesdropping wards.

"What in Merlin's name is this?" Blaise asked him, holding up the Daily Prophet. The front page news was a very long article about Draco's trouble with the Ministry concerning the complaints.

Draco opened his mouth to comment, but Blaise cut in.

"Oh no, wait it gets better!" he told him sarcastically, opening the newspaper to the third page. "The Mudblood's done it again. Not only has she managed to insult you publicly, she'll also be defending the Ministry against Jugson and McGregor tomorrow!"

"So I've heard," Draco said calmly, grasping the article. "You've taken care of that, right?"

Jugson and McGregor, two Death Eaters employed by the Ministry were leaking information out about Aurors for Draco. Mad-Eye Moody, head of the Aurors, eventually found out and was able to trace it back to the two dark wizards.

"I've destroyed all evidence and even found alibis for both times they were spotted at the Department of Mysteries," Blaise explained to him, sitting down on the leather couch opposite the fireplace.

"Good. That's all we can do for now. I don't want any links to this trial considering my present situation with the Ministry, but be prepared to incorporate both their estates and companies in case they're sent to Azkaban. I don't want the Ministry to get hold of their possessions before Malfoy Inc.," Draco ordered, pacing the room.

He stopped and glanced back at his friend, his brows furrowed. "Don't disappoint me Blaise."

"Have I ever?" the arrogant black-haired wizard assured him, putting his feet up on the low coffee table as he poured himself a glass of Firewhiskey. "But what about Dumbledore. If the Order intervenes, they'll see right through the alibis and –"

"Dumbledore doesn't worry me," Draco sneered, standing behind him. "Trust me, I will deal with the old man and his Order very shortly."

Once I find out who is part of his precious Order, they'll all be as good as dead.

"Good," Blaise said, smirking back. "The others will be glad to hear you say so at the next meeting. I have personally warned them all about it and they are eager to receive your next orders."

"Excellent," Draco said, sitting back down at his desk.

Although Blaise remained silent, Draco could feel his piercing blue eyes upon him.

"So, are you going out tonight?" he asked knowingly.

"Yes, I have a date," Draco answered swiftly, continuing to read through his mail.

"What kind of date?" Blaise demanded, lifting a brow at him before downing the rest of his drink.

"You already know where I'm headed tonight," Draco said, betraying a hint of annoyance. "I have work to do, Blaise, so if you don't mind I'd like to get on with it."

Blaise got up from the couch and headed for the door. "It's okay, I've got things to do too, mostly for Father. Don't forget to owl me, after the 'date' - I wish I could come."

Draco smirked in return. "As always."

..~**~..

Later that night, Draco watched intently through his black tainted window, the cold dark streets of North London. His black limousine drove prudently down dimly lit roads and alleyways seeking its prey. By now, only the few 24-hour shops were still open and the rare Muggles out on the streets were either too drunk to know where they were or purposely seeking the darkness of the late night.

Peering through his window closely, Draco finally spotted a lonesome hooded figure, walking hurriedly down the street. Although, the baggy jeans and large sweatshirt hid the person's figure and face, Draco could tell that it was a woman.

"Pull up," he ordered to his chauffeur and the black limo instantly stopped by the pavement alongside the hooded figure. The girl slowly stopped and turned her head to contemplate the expensive car and Draco thought he saw the glimpse of a smirk on the dark face. Glancing over her shoulders to make sure she wasn't being watched, she opened the backseat door and hopped in.

"Drive," Draco ordered once more and the car set off down the dark streets of London.

"I don't like being followed Malfoy," the hooded woman warned him, refusing the glass of wine Draco had poured for her. "Keep your men away or next time they will suffer the consequences."

"But then I couldn't have found you," he chuckled, settling himself in the leather couch. "So, how have you been doing?"

"Same as usual," she answered, shrugging her shoulders. "But you, according to the papers, seem to be having more and more problems. Trouble in paradise, Malfoy?"

Her tone annoyed him, but he refused to lose his temper. It would only make matters worse.

"So you've heard Granger's little rant about me. Well, all I can say is that she's in for a big surprise."

"I wouldn't threaten the Ministry's new Interrogator and top Auror's fiancée if I were you," she told him quietly, gazing into his silver eyes.

Draco smirked in return. "Would you like to know why I picked you up from the streets?" he asked silkily.

"Don't talk to me like I'm some cheap whore, Draco," she snapped back, clenching her fists. "When is the next meeting then?"

"Tomorrow night, same time, same place," he drawled lazily. "I already know you're supposed to be working, but you'll just have to make up an excuse."

She hesitated, thinking on this new piece of information. "Fine, but this time, keep your Death Eaters away! It's bad enough that I have to meet up with you. If I ever were to get caught amongst black-hooded wizards by the Ministry or the Order; it would be the end of me."

"Deal."

As soon as the words came out, the car slowed down and parked alongside the pavement again. The young woman grabbed the door handle, suddenly eager to get out; however, she stopped and turned to face Draco once more.

"You know Malfoy, one day, I'll eventually find a way out of all this," she said in a low voice, before stepping out of the car.

"Oh, I very much doubt that, Abigail," Draco replied. He then closed the door before she could answer him and the black limo quickly disappeared down the dimly lit street.

..~**~..

Well, there's the first chapter! Did anyone guess that the woman in the car was Abigail before the end? I hope I managed to surprise the rest of you! How do you like this new Draco? A bit too rich and cocky, non? This chappie wasn't beta-read so if you notice an spelling mistakes, warn me, thanks.

I finished Half-Blood Prince and I thought it was brilliant. It made me cry although I thought Phoenix was better. I won't spoil anything but I'd love to hear people's thoughts and reactions to HBP because my friends haven't finished it yet.

The next chapter is about Hermione. You'll meet her fiancée, which I think most of you can already guess who he is and you'll see how she's been holding up the past three years…

Review!