You know that feeling when your heart really, really wants something but you can’t have it no matter what? You would literally give an arm for to have that one thing? Well, Hermione was feeling that exact feeling.

She wanted Draco. She needed him, in a literal sense this time.

Hermione had moved back to Australia after countless  shakes of her head when Mrs Weasley had asked her to stay at the Burrow. But how could she? Her whole life belonged in Australia; Rose’s school, her work, her home, her belongings. Her life had been built in Australia brick by brick and she wasn’t about to throw that away, for Rose’s sake. So, she finally said her goodbyes to the Weasley’s – minus Ron, who just so happened to not be there when she was about to leave.

Her heart had stopped when she walked into the little apartment in Australia that she had managed to make a home. Everything was wrecked. Everything. Rose’s face fell and her constant chattering ceased when she spotted her cuddly toys had been ripped open and scattered along the wine coloured carpet.

Hermione’s hands flew to her mouth, suffocating the scream she felt deep in her lungs. The television she had bought from a store just twenty minutes from where she lived had been smashed to pieces, the paintings she had decorated the walls with had been broken in half, the wooden table lay on its side as the sofas were decorated with fluff from the ripped pillows, and it looked like someone had spilled wine on her white rug and had left the bottle open on the floor.

She couldn’t bear to check the rest of the house but she had to. Hermione walked past Rose who went to her dismembered toys and went to her room, glancing briefly at the kitchen where the dishes had been shattered. Her room was a mess as well, just as Rose’s was. Their beds, clothes, curtains, and everything else had been ripped and strewn about like confetti.

Anger bubbled inside Hermione. She knew who it was, she knew he had done it out of spite.

Michael.

‘Oh, please,’ Hermione said in a voice that came out half whisper and half moan. She had hid away some money in the laundry room...

Hermione ran there, tripping over something on the floor. She picked herself up, wiping away her tears furiously as she got to the laundry room. It looked as though it hadn’t been touched other than the laundry detergent being spilt on the floor. Moving to the washing machine, she got on top of it, openly sobbing now.  She reached up to open the cupboard and her heart gave a giant lurch when she saw the familiar black bag in tact, right there, with her money.

‘Oh, thank God,’ Hermione let out a breath she had been holding.

She rested for a mere second before grabbing the bag and hugging it to her. It was heavy; that was good. She needed all the money she could get right now. Hermione got off the washing machine and opened it, thankful to see some of her and Rose’s clothes in there.

‘Rose!’ Hermione called, a little louder than normal, ‘ROSE!’

Rose appeared at the doorway after a minute, looking scared and worried, ‘Mummy...’

‘Don’t you worry,’ Hermione told her sternly, ‘we need to go, okay? Stay here.’

Without another glance at her daughter, Hermione headed into her room. She tried to keep strong, not looking at the mess but rather, heading for her cupboard. At the top, there was a large bag and she took it out. She glanced around and picked up some of the clothes that hadn’t been slashed and some of her underwear. She did the same for Rose’s clothes and added a few toys that hadn’t undergone the same fate as the others.

‘Mummy...’ Rose repeated in such a small voice that Hermione could hardly hear her.

She didn’t reply.

Hermione went into the laundry room and grabbed the clothes from the washing machine and drier before taking Rose’s hand, ‘we’re going back.’

‘Back where?’ Rose asked, sobbing now.

Hermione wished she could answer her.

---

Draco’s POV – A week later

Draco paced the dirty floor of the cell he was in. His hair stuck up from the many times he had run his hands through it and now his hands were shaking. Six whole months. He wouldn’t see Hermione or Rose for six months! How unfair was that?

Well, it wasn’t really unfair. He had been a death eater and had caused the death of Albus Dumbledore, letting death eaters loose in Hogwarts. Basically, he had started the whole wizarding war. It was a surprise why he wasn’t in Azkaban, screaming to be let out by now.

‘I don’t think I can do anything about the no visitors rule.’

Draco looked at Robert Greene, his lawyer, and frowned, ‘so I can only see you?’

‘Unfortunately, yes,’ Robert said, shuffling through a stack of papers, ‘but I’ve kept you well informed and I will keep that up. You should know that Hermione’s house has been ransacked, stolen and destroyed.’

‘No...’ Draco frowned, putting his arms on the stone walls and leaning against it. He shut his eyes, ‘who... how... is she okay?’

‘She’s completely fine. A little shaken up and she cried a lot,’ Robert sighed, ‘I’ve let her stay with me but that’s no place for her and her child. You still own that cottage by the beach, the one you bought years back but couldn’t live in because the Auror’s were after you?’

Draco turned around, nodding, ‘yes, yes! Give her that. Put it in her name. I want her and Rose to be accommodated for.’

Robert nodded and shuffled through the papers before bringing out a blue folder. He flicked to a certain page, ‘okay, if you really want her to live there, she’ll need your permission. So just sign here... and here... and here.’

Draco nodded, signing his name in big loopy writing. He needed to provide for Hermione even while he was in this cell. Where else was she going to go? When he got out, they would be a family.

‘The other thing I need to discuss is money,’ Robert said, looking at Draco sympathetically, ‘Hermione has money but not enough to cope. Now that you’ve signed the papers, you could help her pay some of the bills for the house.’

Draco nodded, looking at him with red eyes.

‘Maybe that way she’ll be able to cope,’ Robert said, keeping his eyes on him, ‘do you agree?’

‘Yeah, yeah. Just give me stuff to sign and I’ll give her permission to use my vault in Gringotts,’ Draco said.

He reached for the quill and wrote his loopy signature, giving Hermione everything she needed for a peaceful life.

---

The lone house stood by the sea, with sand stretching out on either side. No other houses were near it but Hermione didn’t mind. In fact, she rather enjoyed her two story abode and the peace and quiet that came with it. Sitting in front of the sea was great for thinking, mainly about Draco.

These last six months had been hard but she had gotten through it. Finding a job at a large book store in town had been her first accomplishment so she could afford bills, groceries, and obviously school for Rose. She had even bought her a few toys so things were looking up.

Although loneliness crept up on her during the nights and the days when Rose wasn’t around. But today, she wasn’t feeling lonely. Rose was inside the house playing with her toys while Hermione sat on the sand in front of the sea, thinking about how Draco should be getting here very soon.

She stood up, feeling excited at the prospect of having him in her arms very soon. Kissing his lips, touching his face, hearing his laugh and even the stupid teasing. A sigh left her lips just as someone apparated behind her.

‘Hello, Hermione.’

Hermione turned around and came face to face with Eva. Eva; the girl who had helped Draco escape the clutches of his father; the girl who had stayed with Draco for years afterwards.

‘Eva... how did you find out where I lived?’ Hermione asked, looking at her. She wasn’t sure if she trusted her or not, ‘Draco’s in jail and I haven’t even heard from you for six months!’

 Eva licked her lips, ‘hmm, I know. I read the newspapers but did you really expect me to give myself up too? I asked Robert, he told me where you lived.’

Hermione crossed her arms, ‘well, what are you doing here?’

‘I...I thought Draco would be here soon. I wanted to say goodbye properly,’ Eva murmured.

‘Well, he should be here in a couple of minutes if you want to-’

Before Hermione could finish her sentence, Draco apparated straight outside the house. Hermione looked at him, her eyes darting all around his body to make sure he was fine. He was dirty, tired looking, a little bloody, but he was here and that was all that mattered. Before she knew it, Draco had wrapped his arms around her and planted his dry lips onto hers.

‘I.... missed... you,’ Draco muttered in between kisses.

Hermione wrapped her fingers in his blonde hair, kissing him with all the strength she could muster. Her knees felt weak and her heart was itching to reach out of her chest. She held back her tears of happiness, looking into his eyes.

‘Six months... Draco, I... I love you,’ Hermione told him, taking his face in her hands, ‘I love you so much.’

‘I love you too, Granger,’ Draco murmured, keeping a hold of her.

A small cough bought them out of their bubble and Draco looked at Eva. He smiled, hugging her.

‘I’m glad you’re okay,’ Draco told her.

Eva closed her eyes and hugged him too, feeling her heart hurting, ‘I just... I’m glad you’re okay too, Draco. I won’t keep you from Hermione or Rose but I needed to say goodbye.’

‘Goodbye?’ Draco asked, looking confused as they pulled away from the hug.

‘Yeah. I need to be far away from you and Hermione,’ Eva squeezed his hand, ‘goodbye, Draco.’

‘Thanks for everything,’ Draco said, smiling at her. He guessed she didn’t want to be around them because of the Aurors since they might catch her.

Eva smiled and looked at him for a moment, her eyes taking in every piece of him she could see. Then she disapparated and that was the last time Draco saw her in person.

---

The Daily Prophet’s Headline:

Eva Mitchells, 25, found dead in a dingy apartment in London.  

The 25 year old runaway had links to the famous ex death-eater, Draco Malfoy, who has been tried and punished.

Malfoy has been released after a six month solitary punishment and denies any contact with Mitchells.

‘Eva and I went our separate ways after we left the Malfoy Manor,’ Malfoy says, his eyes glistening a little as we suspect Mitchells was a close friend despite his statement.

The investigation team have chalked this up to suicide as Mitchells was found hanged in an apartment that she had been supposedly renting out.

The minister gives his take: ‘Eva Mitchells has no one to mourn her just as she deserves. People like her and death eaters should not hold any sympathy in our hearts.’

Read on in page 2 of the Daily Prophet.