DRAGON'S HEARTSTRINGS || dramione | harry potter

Chapter Thirty-Five

"Were you really pregnant?" was the first thing Draco asked when Hermione came to visit him for the first time after a week since the verdict was announced.

She would've come to see him sooner, but she wasn't allowed to. And even now the security was doubled – she could touch only his hands that were bound to the table, completely restricting his movements. The rest of him she was not allowed to touch, it was a precaution to stop him from harming visitors – as if he could ever hurt her.

Hermione was so happy to see him after such a long time of being prohibited to that she didn't understand his question right ahead. She had forgotten about the tale her, and Amita came up with to win the hearts of the jury.

"What? Oh—" she remembered. Then her gaze softened, and she took his hand. "No, I wasn't pregnant. Amita thought it would help with the case, so that's why I said it." Draco's eyes were hard, his lips set into a straight line. Since he still didn't seem convinced, she continued, "Really, Draco, I wasn't pregnant, and if I were, you would've been the first one to know. I would never keep something like that from you."

His expression remained empty. "You sounded very hurt when you said it."

"That's because I was hurt. Betrayed by the people I trusted most. It was an act only partially." This seemed to work on as he visibly relaxed. "So, five years – not as bad as we were expecting, right? I'm sorry they won't let you use magic, though..."

"It's fine," Draco said. "At least that way I won't be able to hurt anyone else ever again."

__

The next few months flew by. Since Hermione was allowed to visit Draco in Azkaban only once month, she had to figure out what to occupy the rest of her time with. Since Draco will never be allowed to use magic manually again, the Elder wand was hers now, except that she didn't know what to do with it most of the time. She spent hours every day cleaning the Scottish cottage until it was spotless, but it still felt very empty without Draco, so she tried to get out of the house every chance she got. She usually ended up at Luna's place – the flat in downtown London where she now lived with Blaise who ended up being cleared of all charges thanks to his charisma and his famous lawyer. Luna's house where she used to live with her father before the war was destroyed just like Blaise's manor, so the flat was a safe neutral space for them both, although Blaise put a lot of his money and energy to rebuild his ancestral home.

He offered Hermione help to rebuilt Malfoy Manor, but Hermione was still not ready for such a big step – she didn't want it to be something for her to do herself, she wanted Draco to be there to decide what's best for their home. She visited the ruins of the Manor only once and only for a short time, unable to stay there for long, hurt by the view of the wreckage.

She and Draco started exchanging letters which were more like diary entries where they told one another of the things they did and the thoughts they had until it was time for their weekly hour-long meeting. What was left to talk about when they did meet, at least for the first few times, were more business-like things. Draco constantly asked her where she was living, how she was bearing, he gave her a password to his vault, saying that all his gold and real estate now belonged to her.

"I know there's not much left of the Manor," he told her once, "but it's all your if you ever decide to do anything with it."

Only once did he tell her in person something that shattered her heart to pieces.

"There is a rose growing in the corner of my cell. The dementors can't see it but I can. It reminds me of you. Whenever I see it or smell it, I start to believe there's still hope left for me."

When she opened the letter he wrote her the previous week, he found petals of that said rose in between the sheets of letter paper. She cried herself to sleep that night. He never once brought up how much he missed her again. He must've still expected for her to leave him. She never would.

Amita had reminded them both of another building that had slipped their mind. "After Harry Potter's death, Grimmauld Place is yours, Draco," she informed them. "You're the last living heir of the Black family who's not disinherited."

Draco's face turned grim upon receiving the news. He clearly hadn't thought of that and it had turned into another headache for him. A week later, he had come up with a solution. When Hermione came to visit him, he gave her property documents together with the usual letter.

"I wrote the address of my aunt Andromeda in the letter," Draco explained. "I know she is the current guardian of her grandson, Teddy Lupin. Please, talk to her, and give her this."

Hermione did. Andromeda was a tired middle-aged witch, living in one of the similar-looking tiny houses in one of the suburbs of London. It seemed that the war had aged her at least a few decades. When Hermione knocked on her door, the witch looked around in alert as if still expecting a visit from Death Eaters.

"Oh, Ms. Granger," Andromeda finally recognized her. "What are you doing here? Oh, but where are my manners... Come in, come in!"

Hermione smiled timidly and entered the witch's home. Just then she saw a blue-haired boy hiding behind Andromeda, clutching her skirts and watching Hermione frightfully – he couldn't have been more than six.

"This is Teddy," Andromeda said. "Teddy, don't be scared, this is Hermione, she is a friend of your godfather, Harry, remember, I told you about them?"

Teddy eyes went from guarded to curious as Hermione crouched down to his level to greet him. "Hi, Teddy," she said, reaching out her hand. "It's so lovely to meet you."

Andromeda took her to the living room and offered her some which Hermione gladly drank. Once they were settled, she revealed why she came here. Andromeda was shocked by the offer.

"Oh, no, we cannot accept this..."

"I'm afraid it's not an offer. Draco already reassigned Grimmauld place in Teddy's name. And there's no need to change that."

Tears appeared in Andromeda eyes. "I wasn't at the trial, but I heard all that happened. I knew Draco had turned to the dark side, but for you to support him, Ms. Granger, that must mean he is not all lost after all... And this indeed is a touching gesture on your account..."

"It was all Draco's idea, Mrs. Toks. I had no say in it. But I agree that it is touching."

"So, is it true, then?" Andromeda asked.

"What's true?"

"That you married him because you love him?"

Hermione did not lie. "Yes."

That was settled.