Disclaimer: This wasn't totally written by me. Props to my girl Brittany AKA Hermione who roleplayed this with me. Check her out now folks because this wouldn't be here without her: pages/Hermione-Jean-Granger/396426520405768

Summary: Voldemort has won the war...Harry's dead, and Ron might be too. Hermione's all on her own as mudbloods are being sold as slaves to rich purebloods. It's Hermione's time, and Draco buys her for his own.

Warnings: Cursing, non-con, abuse

Draco let out a low hiss of anger, leaning his head back in annoyance. He realized how much he hated having someone against him who was logical and understood things. He wouldn't ever dare to admit it, but sometimes he did question how things were running. That'd just end in a death sentence for him if he ever breathed a word of it though...Draco let out a low hiss of anger, leaning his head back in annoyance. He realized how much he hated having someone against him who was logical and understood things. He wouldn't ever dare to admit it, but sometimes he did question how things were running. That'd just end in a death sentence for him if he ever breathed a word of it though...

The days trudged on. To Hermione, it felt like years. It might as well have been years. It's not like it mattered to her anymore. The more time passed, the closer she was to sweet death.
She had busied herself with reading. It turned out that the manor had a small library. She was thrilled when she found it. She would hide away from Draco and the world with these books. She had already read about a dozen of them.

Another thing she discovered was the massive amount of House Elves. They spent most of their time in the kitchen, always cooking and cleaning for 'their master'. This angered Hermione greatly but she never said a word to Draco. Most of the elves here were old and miserable, kind of like Kreacher. But there was one that Hermione took to right away. His name was Jester. Her reminded her of Dobby. He had a squeaky voice and huge blue eyes. She almost wasnted to cry whenever she looked at him.
Jester was very skiddish and fearful. He really enjoyed Hermione's company but never talked to her for too long in fear that Draco would find out and get angry. Jester was terrified of Draco, but just as loyal. This made Hermione wonder how often Jester suffered a beating.

"Who cares what he says, Jester." she would say. "I talk to nobody all day. I can talk to you! And if the master doesn't like it, tough."

Quite a few times a day, Hermione would mouth off, angering Draco. Sometimes he hit her, other times he stalked out of the room. She was almost proud to know she got under his skin.
She was sitting in the kitchen at a small corner table. The kitchen was as large as a restaurant's kitchen, if not bigger. She had a book in her hand and a hot cup of tea that Jester had just whipped up for her.

Draco walked into the kitchen and glared at Hermione, snatching the book from her hands.

"I thought I told you to wait in the living room." he growled at her, raising his eyebrows. He hated how easily she managed to crawl under his skin and wreak havoc in his head. "You better be able to explain why you disobeyed me." he growled, grabbing her around the waist and dragging her against him. "Otherwise, I will not be happy..."

Draco had been having some trouble since Hermione started putting thoughts into his head. He always pushed these thoughts out of his head, but every time she suggested something, they wormed back into his head, gnawing away at everything he knew. He never spoke of these, always just shutting down and refusing to speak to anyone. Hermione rolled her eyes when Draco entered. All the house elves scattered away except Jester who remained where he was, cleaning up the tea he had made.

"You took too long." she said almost lazily. "Besides, I was thirsty." she tossed a reassuring smile at Jester who smiled back, turning and walking to the sink. Draco glared daggers at her, suddenly snatching her wrist so she dropped her tea. He spun her around and slammed her into the wall, his hand at her throat.

"I think you've gotten a bit too cocky for my liking!" he hissed darkly into her ear. Hermione's eyes widened when she realized what was happening. He hadn't lashed out on her like this in days... His cold hand pressed against her throat, making her gag.

"T-Take your hands off of me!" she struggled out, trying to kick him away with her knee.

"I think I deserve an apology. You've been acting out a lot lately, and I've been rather nice and put up with it, but not anymore." he barked at her, tightening his grip around her thin, pale throat. Hermione swung her fists, hitting him square in the face as she began to panic from lack of air.

The small, squeaky house elf watched with wide eyes, slowly cowering away in his corner. He wished his master wouldn't hurt the girl. She was so sweet and flamboyant. Draco winced and stumbled back, his nose bleeding.

"Bitch!" he shouted angrily at her, his hand flying out to slap her hard across the mouth. He shoved her to the ground, finally having been pushed too far. He lost it. He slapped and smacked her, occasionally punching her. He couldn't put up with her anymore. Hermione quickly brought her arms up, her hands blocking her face, trying to protect it as she screamed for help. She knew that was stupid. They were the only peoplel there besides all the house elves, and they would never disobey Draco. She cried for him to stop, saying she was sorry and didn't mean it, but between the violent strikes and his angry shouting words, she wasn't heard.

Draco finally stopped, leaving her with a good number of bruises. He dragged her to her feet and grabbed her hair, brutally ripping it back.

"Maybe next time you'll think twice before pushing my buttons." he panted out. "Don't you DARE let me hear you mouthing off again!" he shouted at her, taking a step back and slapping her across the mouth one more time, this time with as much strength as he could muster. He sent her to the ground. "Have I made myself crystal clear?!" Hermione covered her face once she hit the cold floor again, making no attempt to move. She was crying hysterically, too hysterical to even answer him properly, so she just nodded. She kept her hands over her face, too ashamed to look at him, too afraid to. Her nose was bleeding and her lip was busted. Her cheeks were sore and she could feel multiple bruises forming. He looked disgusted and spat at her, nudging her with his toe.

"Get cleaned up when you feel like moving, mudblood!" he turned on his heel and stomped out, breathing heavily and angrily. He couldn't believe the nerve of her! Talking back to him...hopefully she'd learned her lesson.

Hermione sat there in the floor, her back to the wall and her head on her knees. It took her some time to calm down and stop crying. Jester rushed over, instantly cleaning up the broken tea cup. He asked her if she wanted anything and she said no, but still he brought her a glass of water which she gratefully drank. He also handed her a towel for her nose and lip.

"Would Miss Granger like Jester to clean up her bruises and cuts?" he asked quietly. Hermione gave him a weak smile, shaking her head.

"No...I'm fine. I'll clean up in the shower." she said, glancing at the clock and groaned. It was late. She pulled herself off the floor, setting the empty glass on the counter. "Thanks, Jester." she muttered, deciding to go up to get her shower.

She didn't know what had gotten into her...she was just growing so sick of this all. It still didn't seem real to her. She was angry, upset, annoyed. Her mouth got the better of her. It always did...even in school sometimes. She knew now that she had to choose her words carefully. Maybe she just wouldn't speak at all. Become a mute.

Draco had already claimed the shower, needing some time to think. He'd collapsed in the shower, his back leaning against the wall. He closed his eyes, burying his face in his hands. He was taking deep breaths, thinking about everything she'd said. Everything about mudbloods and how they deserved better than this...she was getting into his head! Eating away at his thoughts! He thought perhaps he should bring it up at a meeting, but promptly shuddered despite the warm water. He'd surely be killed for such blasphemy...

Hermione heard the shower running and decided against going into the bedroom. She retreated to the library, grabbing a random book from the shelf and opening it. She stared down at the page without really seeing it. Her mind was elsewhere. She thought of Harry and her parents... She thought of the Weasley's and wondered where they were and who was left of them. Her heart throbbed with that thought.

Draco stayed in the shower for nearly two hours before he finally dragged himself out. He slowly dried off and got dressed, stumbling into the bedroom. Perhaps he would bring it up in the next meeting. Surely they wouldn't attack him for it...he was a long time member after all. Maybe they'd take to the idea if he presented it...

Hermione nearly fell asleep in the library. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, checking the time. Three hours had passed by without her even acknowledging! She jumped up, putting the book back and heading up the stairs. Hopefully Draco was asleep and she could get her shower. She was embarrassed about the fight earlier. He left a number of her face and she hated that. It made her look weak. It made him look superior.

Draco had just collapsed onto the bed, not even bothering to get dressed. He'd just left the towel around his waist. He was pale and looked stressed and tired. He'd fallen into a light sleep, his eyes darting underneath his eyelids. His dark mark was visible, slithering around on his white arm. He was breathing shallowly, looking as if his sleep were troubled. All his muscles were taut and he just lay rigid on the bed, his hands curled up in the sheets. He barely stirred when Hermione came in.

Hermione entered, her eyes falling on the lump on the bed. He was asleep. She creeped in, closing the door behind her. She examined him, taking notice to his dark mark and shuddering. She had seen enough of them for a lifetime. She glided into the bathroom, shutting the door and turning on the shower. After undressing, she hopped in, cleaning herself delicately, afraid to be rough with her cuts and bruises.

Draco stayed asleep, though his mind was racing. He knew that mudbloods were people and deserved better, but how could he bring it up and not seem like a sympathizer? He didn't know how, which was the problem. He rolled over in his sleep, his troubled look even deeper now.

After Hermione's quick shower, she pounced out, dressing in one of Draco's old shirts that he had given to her. She brushed her hair and teeth and then left the bathroom. Silently, she walked over to the bed, staring down at him. He looked...troubled, as if he were in deep thought.
She crawled into bed, being very careful not to move too much. She didn't want to wake him after today's episode. Draco felt the bed shift and gave a little sigh, shifting over to Hermione's and putting his arms loosely around her. He didn't hold her in the usual tight, bruising grip, he just held her. He cradled her body against his and buried his face in her neck, his heart beating against her back. He relaxed much more with her in his arms, almost as if he'd gotten used to her presence there...

Hermione felt Draco move and instantly froze. She felt his arm drape around her and bit down on her lip, wondering if he would try to speak to her. She wasn't sure if he was still angry...but he didn't. He just held onto her. His touch was soft and gentle. She didn't understand. She thought he hated her...that he was furious with her? She closed her eyes, willingly snuggling against him for once and feeling warm and secure. Draco just slept on, barely even noticing. He held her close against him, feeling the need for human contact. He didn't even try anything. He took her hand in his, intertwining his fingers with hers and running his thumb over the back of her hand. He didn't understand why, but he just liked to know that Hermione was there, and she wouldn't leave...sometimes, his subconscious need for human contact rose to the surface...everyone needed a hug sometimes.

A/N: So Draco's needy side came out a bit! Review!