A/N: Alright so I was listening to my ipod and got the idea for this fic. I hope you like it, please review!

Chapter One

Getting Out

Hermione Granger quickly ran around the house picking up baby toys and blankets, stuffing them into a large diaper bag as she went. After two years of abuse she was finally leaving, yesterday had been the last straw.

…

One Day Earlier

Hermione braced herself for the impact of his fist against her face but it didn't come. Surprised, because he usually got angry when she didn't have dinner finished by the time he got home, she opened her eyes to find her drunken husband distracted by their son who had just toddled into the room. Hayden had recently begun to walk and had been exploring the house ever since.

Ron walked over to their son and her heart began to race fearing the worst. Her heart slowed down, but only by a miniscule fraction as he picked the child up rather then hurting him as she had expected.

"You really ought to stop messing up 'Mione Hayden's counting on you." He slurred, grinning manically at her, before placing the one year old back on the floor and walking down the hallway to the den.

Hermione quickly scooped up her son and began to quietly sob. In that instant when she had though the Ron was going to hurt Hayden she had finally found her reason for leaving, she was finally getting out.

…

Hermione walked into her bedroom and sat the diaper bag on her bed, beside the suitcase she had packed and shrunk both placing them in the same small beaded handbag she had used while they had been looking for horcruxes. She walked around the bed and leaned down into the playpen to pick up Hayden, trying not to jostle him too much so he would stay asleep. Hermione pointed her wand at the crib watching it shrink to the right size and then placed in too in her bag.

She made one final stroll around the house before ending up in the living room, standing in front of the mantle on the fireplace staring at all the moving pictures in their frames. Her eyes settled on their wedding picture and she began to cry softly. Hermione couldn't believe that in the span of a month she had gone from being blissfully happy, to being terrified at the mere sound of her husband's voice.

Ron and Hermione had dated for a few months before deciding to get married. About a week or so into the marriage Ron had begun to drink profusely. At he time she couldn't understand what had triggered his drinking, but now that she thought about it she could see the answer staring her right in the face. At the wedding he must have finally come to the realization that Fred was really gone. Everyone grieves differently and at their own pace, apparently it had just taken Ron a few months longer than everybody else to come to terms with his brother's passing. Unfortunately his way of coping was downing half a bottle of scotch every night.

The first time he had hurt her was when she had come into his study to try to get him to stop drinking away his sorrows. Before she had even opened her mouth to speak he had pelted a glass at her. Thankfully it had missed her, but upon impact with the door the glass had shattered and shards of it had imbedded themselves in her arm. Hermione had gone to St. Mungo's to get stitches, leaving her drunken husband passed out in the study.

The next day when he had come home from work, he had brought her a dozen roses and apologized over and over again. She had accepted both the flowers and his apology brushing it of as an alcohol induced mistake. This cycle of 'accidents' followed by gifts became more frequent, until it became almost a habit and he didn't even apologize anymore.

She shuddered, that part of her life was over now and Hermione and her son were going to leave for good. After some thinking she had decided to rent a room a muggle hotel for a while until she could find an apartment to rent. Hermione would have stayed with her parents or at the Leaky Cauldron but she knew Ron was bound to look there and it seemed to her that staying at a muggle hotel was her best option. She pulled her wand out of her back pocked and made sure she had a firm grip on Hayden and the beaded bag; she was just about to apparate when the front door opened and in strolled Ron.

Hermione's heart began to race as he looked her and her son over, "What are you doing Hermione?" he asked nodding in the direction of her wand and the bag.

Barely able to breath she managed to choke out, "Nothing." She knew that she had to leave but Ron's presence had paralyzed her.

"Well it looks like you're doing something." Ron looked her over once more and Hermione's heart beat even faster, as she could see the light bulb going off in his head. "Are you trying to leave me?"

"Not trying Ron, I am." Hermione replied with more confidence.

"Why the bloody hell would you do that?" he snarled walking closer.

She backed up, trying to keep as much distance between them as she could. "I'm not going to stand here and explain to you what you already know. Goodbye Ron, I'm really sorry it had to end like this.

Everything suddenly began to happen in slow motion. In that split second before she had begun to apparate Ron had picked up a vase off of the coffee table and thrown at her. Hermione had seen it in time and shielded her son from the object as it broke against the side of her head. Before Ron could do anymore damage. She apparated away to the only place she knew was safe for her and Hayden.

Hogwarts.

After the feeling of being sucked through a tube had subsided and Hermione felt her feet touch the ground she opened her eyes. Trying to ignore the pain in the side of her head she studied her surroundings and was surprised to find that she was standing in front of the entrance to the castle. Hermione had expected to be standing in Hogsmeade village, due to the protective charm that was around the castle. Either way she didn't know why it had happened and at that moment she didn't care, all she knew was that it brought her closer to safety.

Hermione began to slowly make her way up the steps, having to stop every so often when the pain in her head became too great. She had almost reached the entrance when Hayden opened his eyes and began to whimper, which quickly turned into a full on wail.

She sighed, he was either hungry or needed changing, neither of which she could accomplish at that particular second, "Shh, Hayden its ok, Mummy's right here. We're almost there sweet heart just hold on." Hermione cooed rubbing his back, finishing her ascent of the stone steps.

She entered the familiar corridor and felt instantly a sense of relief flood over her. Hermione walked a few feet and then took a left into the Great Hall. She looked around the large room old memories coming to surface and making her temporarily forget the pain in the side of her head and the blood trickling down her face.

Hermione looked down at her son and smiled, "This is where your Mummy went to school Hayden, and hopefully someday you will too."

He made a gurgling sound and smiled up at her. She smiled back at him and was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear anyone approach and was startled when a voice behind her said, "Excuse me, can I help you?"

Hermione whirled around and wasn't all that surprised to see Professor McGonagall standing there, looking exactly the same as the last time she had seen her.

"Hermione, is that you? What happened to your head?" she exclaimed rushing over to her former student.

At the mention of her injury the pain in her head came back to the front of her mind and she became very dizzy. Minerva noticed this and led Hermione over to the nearest bench.

"Hermione what happened to you? Who did this?" Professor McGonagall repeated. Hermione could see Minerva's eyes look over her bruised and battered arms and she already knew the next question she would ask. "Hermione what is going on? Who hurt you?"

At this question Hermione burst into tears. She wanted desperately to tell her who had hurt her, why she looked the way she did, but at that moment she was in too much emotional and physical pain to do either.

Seeing Hermione's distress Minerva gathered her into her arms, "Shh Hermione, its ok. You don't have to tell me anything, not right now at least. I'll send for Poppy and we will get you all patched up."

Hermione sniffed in response and when Minerva was sure she would be ok she exited to send off the patronus.

Hermione wiped her nose on her hand and checked her son over, making sure that he hadn't been cut by any of the shards from the vase. She smiled he was perfectly fine and was gazing wide-eyed up at the starry ceiling.

"It's pretty cool isn't it? This is exactly how it looked when I first came here too." Hermione smiled once again thinking back to the day she had been sorted.

Professor McGonagall walked back in the room and for the first time noticed the baby in Hermione's arms. She came and sat opposite of her, "Who is this?"

Hermione smiled, "This is Hayden, my son."

"Another Granger, I don't know if I will be able to handle it." She joked.

"Actually he's not technically a Granger he's." Hermione stopped short, she couldn't bring herself to say her own son's last name, her last name. "I-I mean…"

Minerva placed her hand on Hermione's shoulder, "It's ok, we can talk about all of this later."

Before either of them could say anymore Poppy Pomfrey bustled in, followed by someone else who Hermione couldn't quite make out. That was until Madam Pomfrey bent down to look at Hermione's head and she got a clear view of the not so stranger.

"What is he doing here?" she asked becoming angered.

"I should ask the same of you Granger." Draco Malfoy sneered back at her.

"Malfoy I really am not in the mood to deal with your attitude right now." Hermione replied raising her voice.

"Well I really am not in the mood to deal with you at all. I don't know why you're all making a big deal out of this, she probably just tripped and fell." He scoffed.

"You have no right to say that. You don't know what I've been through. I most certainly did not trip I-I was.." she couldn't finish, once again she began to cry, clutching tighter to Hayden for comfort.

"Draco you will leave now and I will meet you up in my office when I am finished here." Professor McGonagall said firmly.

He didn't argue or say anything in reply but just simply stormed out of the room.

In no time at all Madame Pomfrey had the wound cleaned and bandaged up, she had also doubled checked Hayden and also found no cuts. Minerva led Hermione and her son up to her old chambers that she had used when she had taught transfiguration. Even though she still taught the subject she decided that since she was also Headmistress it would make more sense for her to stay in the Head's chambers.

When they entered the rooms Hermione placed the beaded bag with the only belongings she had left on a chair and set Hayden down so that he could explore.

"If you need anything at all you know where to find me."

Hermione smiled, "Yes, and thank you so much Professor, for everything."

"It's not a problem Hermione. I will see you tomorrow and hopefully we can talk about what happened." She gave Hermione a meaningful look.

"I understand, see you in the morning." She replied.

"Good night Hermione." Minerva leaned down toward Hayden and tickled him. "Good night Hayden."

When Minerva had left the room, Hermione reached into her bag pulling out the suitcase, diaper bag, and play pen. She enlarged the diaper bag pulling out some toys for Hayden and once she was sure that he was occupied, took the suitcase and play pen into the bedroom. Hermione pointed her wand at both and they grew back to their normal sizes. She unfolded the play pen and placed it beside the king-sized bed, putting the rest of Hayden's toys, blanket and binkies in it.

Hermione walked back out to the living area and picked up Hayden taking him back to the bedroom. She opened up the suitcase and pulled out a pair of pajamas for him changing Hayden's clothes and diaper before changing into her own pajamas. Hermione sat Hayden in his playpen and walked out with a bottle and the dry formula in hand, looking in each room before finally finding a small kitchen area.

She made his bottle checking the temperature on her wrist while she walked back into the bedroom. Hermione picked him up out of the play pen and sat up against the numerous pillows to feed him his bottle. When he had finished she sat the bottle on the nightstand and contemplated putting Hayden back in the play pen but decided against it. It had been a rough day and she needed him there beside her.

Hermione pulled a couple of pillows from behind her and put them on the other side of Hayden so that he wouldn't fall out of the bed. She fell asleep with her son tight in her arms, nervous for what she would have to tell Professor McGonagall tomorrow, but she was also just happy to feel safe for the first time in what felt like forever.

A/N: I hoped you liked this first chapter. I know that it was probably a bit boring and there was no Dramione action, but I am going to try and take this fic slow. In the past I have rushed my other fics and I am going to try to let this story develop not exactly slowly, but at a 'normal' pace, so to speak.

I am going to try to update a least once a week, hopefully more, but I already know that not next week, but the week after I will be without a computer for that whole week. Although I promise I will be writing the chapters I just won't be able to publish them.

Also if anybody knows of a good beta that is excepting people right now could you please let me know. It could either be someone who has beta'd for you or if you beta. Whatever, all I know is that my grammar is sometimes REALLY bad and I am in desperate need of a beta.

Anyways, hope you liked this story so far, pretty please review.