Disclaimer: Why do we do them? Isn't mimicry the highest form of flattery? Anyway, I am grateful for Ms. Rowling for lending me Hermione and Draco for this story. I don't own anything that I'm not supposed to.

Illusion of Happiness

Draco walked through the formal gardens behind Malfoy Manor to a door in one of the stone walls. The Manor had various walled in gardens that were supposed to add interest and diversity to the landscape of the property. However, this door was charmed so that only he could find it. He placed his hand upon it and it opened in acknowledgment of his particular magic signature.

Through the doorway was another large garden with a snug little cottage situated in the middle of it. The garden and building could not be seen from beyond the walls. There were even some complex disillusionment spells that kept others from seeing the cottage from above if they were on brooms.

Draco strode into the pretty little house. It was small, but luxuriously appointed with the finest furnishings and accessories. It resembled nothing so much as a doll house, but one that must have cost a fortune to fill. It was the only type of cottage that would be suitable for a Malfoy to spend time in. A house elf with a tray immediately appeared before him bowing her head in respect. She was ready to report her mistress' daily movements as was expected of her each evening.

"Where is she, Tally?" demanded Draco without preamble, taking the glass of firewhiskey from the tray. He downed it in one gulp and handed it back to the elf.

"The mistress is in the back garden, Master," the house elf replied with another bow.

"What did she do today?"

"After the breakfast, Master, the mistress sat and listened to the music box that you gaves to her. She went for a walks outside with Tally. She had lunches and felt sleepies and took a nap afters. Then she hads a long bath and Tally helps her put on a pretty dress and braidses her hair in a new styles. Oh, she looks pretty for the Master, she does," the elf informed him nervously.

The blond man thought about her words and could find nothing wrong with what the creature told him. He nodded shortly and strode toward the back of the cottage without another word. Behind him, Tally was relieved. On other nights, the Master had not been happy with the mistress' actions and had punished the elf painfully.

Draco stopped in the back doorway of the cottage and for the first time that day a soft smile appeared on his face as he watched the woman who sat on a cushioned bench across the grassy expanse. She had no idea that he was there and was gazing at something that he couldn't see.

She was dressed in a simple light pink sundress with flowers embroidered on the bodice and around the hem. The dress accentuated her delicate frame and made her creamy skin look flawless. This particular color brought out the brown in her eyes. Her long hair was arranged in double French braids; small diamond hairpins that he had given her were placed strategically to add sparkle. She looked soft, feminine, and very innocent.

Around her slender neck was the necklace that he had given her when they were in Hogwarts together. He remembered when she had thrown it in his face that one time when they had fought about him taking the Dark Mark. She was so feisty back then, he thought with a grin remembering their school years. It wasn't until the war was over that she had worn it again. She never took it off now.

He walked over to her quietly, enveloped in the sense of peace that he only experienced when he was with her. He could drop his guard around her and act as he truly wanted to. There was no need for the cold, hard demeanor that he had to keep up in front the other Dark Wizards. With them, any softening was a sign of weakness and they were like jackals waiting for the kill. Only with this woman could he allow his tender feelings to come to the fore.

"Hello love," Draco said softly as he knelt on the grass in front of her and cupped her face gently with his hands. He kissed her thoroughly, relishing the feel of her welcoming warmth. His tongue traced the contours of her lips and nudged them asking for entrance. When they opened, he took the opportunity to dip within. She tasted like cinnamon and sunshine.

With their first kiss of the evening over, he took his place on the bench at her side to begin their nightly ritual. He clasped her small hand in his as he started to tell her of his day as one of Voldemort's chief enforcers. Today had been a particularly difficult day. He had been forced to torture the wife of a pureblood wizard and his teenage daughter to punish him for speaking out against the Dark Lord.

"I was really lenient afterward," he explained to his witch. "By law, I could have given them to one of the squads for a week instead of just letting four of my men have some sport with them."

Like always, she listened to what he had done without any judgments. He could tell her about everything that he had to do in the Dark Lord's name without her even flinching at any of the atrocities. It was liberating for him; he had never had anyone to share his burdens with before her. Though they had fought on different sides of the war, that didn't matter anymore. She was here for him now. He didn't think that he would have stayed sane doing what he did everyday if she was not here waiting for him in their secret place.

"Thank you for listening to me again, love," he told her.

By the time he had finished his catharsis, twilight had fallen. Since it was still warm on this beautiful summer evening there was no need for the two to head inside for their lovemaking. Draco had permanently warded the place against intrusions of any kind so they were assured of complete privacy. With a couple of waves of his wand, the cushioned bench was suddenly the size of a bed and the two of them were completely naked.

She smells so good, he thought in satisfaction as he placed his wand on the grass next to the transformed bench. Now that he had cleared his mind and been forgiven for the day's sins, he was ready to move on to the next, more pleasurable, part of their evening. Just seeing her pert breasts and silky skin had made him rock hard. She's all mine.

"Lie back love," he ordered with a look of lust. He eased her onto her back so that he could drape himself over her. He began to kiss her again, blazing a hot trail down the side of her neck to her chest. He suckled her breasts causing her nipples to harden as her body responded to the erotic assault. He continued to kiss, suck and nip her skin lightly on his downward path to the apex of her thighs. Her legs fell open bonelessly when he nudged them apart with his hands.

He took a long slow lick up her center loving how she tasted. He used his mouth, tongue, and fingers skillfully until she was slick with arousal. Knowing she was ready, he kissed his way back up her body until he was positioned at her entrance. With one strong thrust, he was buried to the hilt in her heat. Groaning at how good she felt, he savored the sensation of being inside of her. He began to move in and out of her at a steadily increasing pace while nibbling and sucking on her neck.

"Merlin, you feel amazing," he whispered into her ear. Draco continued to speed up the tempo of his thrusts until he could feel the tightening in his groin that signaled the beginning of his orgasm. When it burst upon him, he could feel the waves of pleasure pulsing through his entire body. He shouted out in a hoarse voice, "Hermione."

As his heartbeat returned to normal, Draco allowed himself to partially rest upon her. He was careful that most of his weight stayed on his forearms as not to crush her. He placed his lips against her neck in a soft kiss wanting be a part of her for just a little bit longer before tonight's interlude had to end. He wanted this happy feeling to last. After a few moments, Draco allowed himself to slip out of her and sat up slowly. He used his wand to redress himself and then turned to the witch next to him.

Hermione was in the exact same position that she had been in when he had pulled out of her. Her legs were still splayed open and her head was turned to the side. She was looking vacantly off towards the other end of the garden.

Draco brought his hand up to gently caress her face and smooth back the curls that had popped out of her braids. "Look at me, Hermione," he said softly but sternly. She turned her beautiful, but completely blank brown eyes towards his. He looked into them deeply, but couldn't see any recognition in them. He sighed once and stood up. She went back to staring at nothing.

"Tally!" he called sharply. The elf appeared next to them instantly. "Take your mistress back to the cottage. Tend to her and put her to bed."

The elf carefully took hold of the naked woman's hand and said gently, "Please come now, Mistress Hermione." The brown haired witch got up obediently and followed the elf in a docile manner.

Draco watched Hermione being led away and thought back to how things had come to be like this.

The final battle had been been a slaughter. Once the Dark Lord had killed Harry Potter, the Light side had crumbled. They should never have put their faith in a nineteen year old boy. The Dark forces had been swift and brutal in their punishment of all who had opposed them. The ringleaders and most of the wizards of the Light had been unceremoniously executed right there on the battlefield. The younger and more attractive witches had been kept around for the amusement of the celebrating Deatheaters. They weren't expected to last too long either.

Draco and the other younger Deatheaters had been sent out on missions to search for and kill the families of Order members as examples to put a halt to any thought of starting a new resistance against the Dark Lord. By the time he was able to return to the celebratory revels, two weeks had passed.

He had immediately started a veiled search for Hermione. In Hogwarts, they had been involved in a secret romance when they had been the Head Students in seventh year. It had ended badly when he had told her that he was taking the Dark Mark upon graduation. He knew who was going to win this war and was not going to be on the losing side. She had not been able to accept that and had walked away from him. He had never gotten over her.

He found her almost immediately among the surviving female prisoners. She was barely alive. As Potter's mudblood, she had been of particular interest to some of the Deatheaters. She had been physically and magically tortured to the brink of death. It hadn't been that hard for Draco to fake that she did die from her injuries since no one had expected or wanted her to survive anyway. He had covertly brought her back to the Manor. His father had been killed in the last battle and his mother was already dead so the Malfoy properties and fortune were now his.

Draco had brought in two specially chosen healers from St. Mungo's to take care of her. They had healed her body, but could do nothing for her mind. It was simply too broken from the extensive use of the cruatius curse on her. They had both agreed that she would be able to take care of some basic self-care skills and follow simple commands. That was all. Draco had not believed it at first and had killed them both in a rage. No one would question their disappearances as they were both muggleborn and would have been gathered in the Deatheater sweeps in any case.

As the weeks passed with little change in Hermione, Draco had come to accept the healers' assessment. He had tried to get her to respond, to get mad, to do anything on her own. All he had gotten were empty uncomprehending looks. She still looked like his Hermione but the spark that made her who she was, had been extinguished. He knew he would not be able to keep her in the actual Manor since he would have to let others in at some point. As the only remaining Malfoy, he would undoubtedly have an important role in their newly ordered society.

He just couldn't bring himself to kill her, so he built this little world for the two of them and assigned a house elf to be her keeper. He visited her every evening and whenever he had a free moment. This had been going on for the last three years.

Back in the present, Draco called out, "Wait!"

The elf and the woman immediately stopped. He strode over to them ignoring the elf and took Hermione in his arms one more time. He breathed in her scent and held her close.

Leaning down he whispered into her ear, "I love you, Hermione." Then he kissed her forehead once and let her go.

Draco went around the cottage to the secret entrance that would lead him back out to the ornamental gardens and the real world. As he walked, he wished that Hermione could say it back to him. She was the one person who had ever loved him and was probably the only one that ever would. It would be nice to hear it just one more time, he thought wistfully.

The farther he moved away from her into the darkness, the more quickly he changed. A coldness settled over his aristocratic features and a cynical smirk twisted his lips. His silver eyes lost all hints of kindness and feeling. By the time he walked back into the Manor, Draco Malfoy the Deatheater was firmly in control again. This was his life now. At least it was until tomorrow evening when he could find a small piece of happiness, or the illusion of it, with his secret broken love.

Fin