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“He wanted a bride
I was making my own name
Chasing that fame
He stayed the same
All of me changed like midnight rain”
The war was finally over.
Harry Potter had done it. He destroyed all of the seven Horcruxes and did it. He defeated Lord Voldemort.
A mix of grief and happiness composed the atmosphere. Happiness due to the long-awaited end of the war. Grief resulted from the people that had to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.
Harry now stood in the middle of, what it used to be, the school's courtyard, alongside with all the ones who fought with him.
Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, Ginevra Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood...
Draco Malfoy watched from afar.
Even though he had gone against his father's commands and helped Potter, the Slytherin boy did not believe he was truly worthy of forgiveness.
Draco started making his way out, but stopped in his tracks as he heard his name being called "Malfoy, wait" he turned around to be face to face with the chosen one "Thank you for your help, we wouldn't have made it without you"
Draco simply nodded, he had no idea about what to say, never, ever since he was eleven years old, had he had a normal conversation with Harry Potter.
"I do not think you deserve to be sent to Azkaban along with the other death eaters" the platinum-blonde haired boy stared slightly wide eyed at the scar-faced boy "Of course, since you have the dark mark you'll need to go through trial, but just so you know, we will testify for you Malfoy, you're one of us now "
—/—
End of the trial
“We, members of the Wizengamot, declare that a criminal defendant has not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. In other words, the former Death Eater, Draco Malfoy, proved to have been forced to perform the crimes, for which he is being accused, and therefore, due to his collaboration with our side during the final battle, he deserves to have his crimes acquitted. Mr. Malfoy, you are free to go”
Draco thanked the members of the Wizengamot and exited the Courtroom.
Not even ten seconds after, he felt himself being engulfed by a pair of thin arms and a scent of a perfume made its way to his nostrils. Not just any perfume, her perfume. Vanilla.
“We did it Draco” Hermione hugged him even tighter “They are not going to take you away anymore, you’re staying with us”
“I am” Malfoy wrapped his arms around her waist “And it’s all thanks to you”
Although there were many people who testified in favor of Draco’s liberty, the person who deserved all the credit was definitely Hermione. The Granger girl had spent both nights and days, researching, planning, studying, doing absolutely everything in her power to help the boy who had no choice .
—/—
The pair had grown quite close during their first interactions after the war, but ever since the day of the Trial, their proximity seemed to have reached an even higher level.
Every day, at 6 PM, Draco would go to the Ministry and wait until Hermione was finished with work. Afterwards they would apparate themselves to the Malfoy Manor and Zippy, the Malfoy’s free house elf, would prepare dinner for the two of them, who sometimes would be graced by the presence of the recently divorced Narcissa Black. Eventually, Draco’s mother would return to her chamber and the couple would spent the rest of the day at the Manor’s library working on Malfoy’s dream, opening his brand new company.
Malfoy Investments
Then, when they were done for the day, the pair would apparate to Hermione’s flat and get lost into each other’s embraces.
Draco would lay his girlfriend on the bed and, once they were completely bare, he would kiss every single piece of exposed skin on her body, worshiping her through gestures and words.
The most loving words Hermione had ever heard in her entire life.
—/—
“Have you ever thought about getting married and having kids?” the platinum-blonde haired boy took the bushy brown haired girl by surprise.
“Where is all of this coming from” she questioned him “You’re not planning on proposing, are you?”
“No” Yes, he meant to say “Definitely no”
“Thank Merlin” Hermione snuggled deeper into him, inhaling his scent, mint, green apples and freshly mown grass “It’s not that I don’t want to get married ever, it’s just that I think we’re still to young, I mean, we’re twenty one, we still have so much to see and do and explore-”
‘But what if I’m certain I want to see and do and explore everything with you?’ Draco thought.
“-that with marriage we would just be trapped ” she explained “And with me working a full time job at the Ministry, and you launching your company we would barely make time for each other, let alone for a kid”
‘I think it would be nice to have a piece of me and you, a mini us , running around the house’ Was what he wanted so desperately to tell her, but “Yes, definitely” was what he said.
Ever since he was little, Draco had always wanted to marry and build his own little family. He wanted to fill the top floor of the Eiffel Tower with roses, drop down on one knee and pop the question. He wanted to see the girl’s eyes fill with happy tears, while she said yes and he slid the ring on the fourth finger of her left hand. He wanted to look at his fiancée with eyes blinded by adoration, as she went on and on about all wedding details. He wanted to have a big ceremony at the manor’s gazebo and an even bigger after party at their enormous ball room. He wanted to take her to all of her favorite places for the honeymoon and buy everything she even dared to touch, just to make her smile.
He wanted to cry along with his wife after they discovered she was pregnant. He wanted to lay down on top of her big belly and talk to their baby every night. He wanted to hold her hand and whisper all kinds of sweet words in her ear during the birth of their little miracle. He wanted to spoil their child with everything they ever wanted. He wanted to be everything Lucius Malfoy never was, a loving father and a loving husband .
—/—
Draco was in love with Hermione. The most pure type of love anyone could ever imagine.
The type of love in which his heart would beat for her and only her. The type of love that if she asked, he would cross each and every sea and fight even the most deadly creatures of Hell just to make her happy.
The type of love that is easily taken for granted.
Hermione knew it, she knew that regardless of anything she ever did, he would never leave her. He loved her too much for him to do so.
So when she decided to put their relationship aside and focus on making her own name, Draco’s support was already expected.
The frequency of their dinner decreased more each day, it went from everyday, to a few times each month, to nonexistent. And so did the times in which Hermione would stay late helping Draco with his business. Soon the wonderful nights, filled with ardent passion that they would spend together, also started to fade away.
It took Granger a few months to notice that something was actually happening. To notice that the eyes that used to sparkle just for her, now looked lifeless and had lost all of its glow.
To notice that, what she was sure would never happen, was actually happening.
—/—
Draco loved the rain. Especially at midnight.
There would be times in which he would wake her up in the middle of the night just for them to dance in the rain.
Hermione never understood why, and Draco never could explain. He would just say that there was something about midnight rains that made him feel safe.
And, even though Malfoy was sunshine, he would alway belong to the midnight rain .
—/—
“Mione, we need to talk” Draco called her as he entered her flat.
“Can it wait?” Hermione was working at the kitchen table “I’m kind of busy at the moment”
“I’m breaking up with you” the atmosphere shifted immediately
“What?” Even though she knew it was coming, she couldn’t prepare herself enough for the real thing “Why?”
“Lately, I have been feeling like our relationship is one-sided” he started “Like I’m the only one putting a considerable amount of effort in us. You’re never there for me, whenever I look for you, you’re always working. We don’t go on dates anymore because you’re always busy. We don’t spend time together anymore, because you don’t have time for us. I’ve tried, for seven months I have tried to understand you, to give you all my support and to be there for you for whatever you needed. But now I’m done ”
“Please don’t leave Draco” she pleaded him “We can figure something out, I’ll make time for you ”
“No Hermione, this time there’s nothing to figure it out” Draco exclaimed “If you truly love someone, making time for them shouldn’t come as a chore, it’s supposed to be something natural. I have loved you unconditionally, I gave you my everything, my heart was in your hands hoping to be protected by you, the last thing it expected was for you to destroy it until I couldn’t take it anymore. As much as it pains me to say, we do not belong together, I always thought we did, but now I see that we don’t. Goodbye Granger”
And without a second to spare, Draco apparated away, leaving a rather lost Gryffindor girl to endure the true pain of a broken heart.
And there was nothing she could do about it.
After all, it was entirely, absolutely, completely, totally, fully, utterly her fault.
—/—
One year later
The way the girl in a white dress made her way gracefully down the aisle.
All eyes were on her, but she never spared them a glance, the girl’s eyes were lost in the sea of blue that stared right back at her.
Draco admired his soon-to-be-wife with such adoration, that it made the world seem small for two of them.
The ceremony was beautiful.
Now they were finally Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy.
Draco and Rebecca Malfoy.
The pair had known each other ever since they were little kids. Rebecca was the younger sister of one of Draco’s best friends, Theodore Nott. The blue eyed boy hadn’t seen the Nott girl for quite some time, but, due to destiny’s weird games, they met again one night at a bar. And thank Merlin they did.
Not soon after, they started dating, and all the pain that Hermione Granger had once caused him, was long gone.
Malfoy couldn’t be happier, the girl was everything he had ever dreamed of.
But as they say: ‘One man’s happiness is another man’s sadness’
Rebecca Nott was everything Hermione Granger wasn’t, and something she would never be, a Malfoy .
Hermione hated her, she hated her because there was nothing about her to hate, the girl was lovely, there wasn’t a single person in the world that had a single bad thing to say about her.
The Gryffindor girl watched from afar, as the couple had their first married dance. She watched as Rebecca would giggle as Draco whispered something in her ear. She watched as the husband would wrap his arms, even more tighter, around his new wife’s waist as they moved gracefully through the ballroom. She watched as they made their way to the crowd greeting every guest. She watched as Narcissa Black hugged her now daughter-in-law with the greatest passion in the world.
She watched Draco Malfoy fulfill his dreams, she was happy for him, happiness was all she ever wished for him after all the pain she put him through, she just wished things had been different, that her actions had been different,
That she was the woman in his arms.
Hermione’s thoughts were cut short by the feeling of wet drops hitting her skin.
It was raining.
She checked the time:
Midnight
Draco really did love Midnight Rain.