Thanks for reviewing and waiting. I luff you guys, really! But still, sorry for my late posts, but I've been pretty busy and under pressure. Sorry again... Hermione let out a scream and opened her eyes.
The sunlight was shining in from a gap of some unfamiliar, green curtains. She was lying on a unusually soft bed, almost too soft. The silk and satin sheets were all light green and her pillow was white. Where was her mother's pillow with the embroidered flowers on it? She turned around, wincing because of her chest. Where was Ron?
She let out another sob as she remembered what had happened last night. Sitting up and rubbing her chest, she blinked the tears away. She didn't where she was, didn't know who owned this house, didn't know what to do...
The room was very large. It had a desk on one side by the window, an armchair on the other with a neat bookcase and a very grand fireplace. The most beautiful thing though, was the bed. It seemed to come from the 16th century: long, silk, dark green curtains were tied behind the bedposts, the wood was a rich, dark mahogany and it was of a very large size.
Hermione stood up and backed away, a little afraid of all this grandeur. At home, with Ron, they hadn't had much money and could only afford the necessities. She felt frightened being surrounded by things she didn't dare touch, things that she didn't even want to touch. She wanted to be home with Ron again, wanted to smell his scent.
She walked over to the door, and was not surprised to find that it was locked. Tears were pouring down her cheeks again, but she sniffed and held her head proudly. She refused to give up now. She placed her hands on her stomach. She wasn't all alone, after all.
She looked up as the door unlocked and two men strode in. One was tall and had silvery hair; the other was slightly fat and of no real importance.
As Hermione stared in those cool, recollected, grey orbs, she knew exactly who it was that had captured her. She knew exactly who it was that had locked her in this room. She knew exactly who it was that had put her in this silk nightgown.
It happened so fast. Hermione ran up to Malfoy and punched him on the nose. A deafening crack signalled that it had broken, and suddenly, she was hitting every part of him she could find. She was tired and aching, but she didn't care, rage was worse than pain.
She only stopped when a pair of strong hands grasped her upper arms with such force that she yelped, her eyes watering. The man flung her to the other side of room, onto the bed, where she lay, too hurt to get up.
She heard a shout of, 'Crabbe, you disobedient fool!' before someone was slapped and the door closed. Her head felt too heavy to move, so she just let it rest on the soft blankets. She didn't even open her eyes until she felt a soft hand run through her hair.
Then she instantly sat up, groaning and backing away from Draco Malfoy.
'Get away from me,' she whispered, terrified.
'Hermione -' began Malfoy, his eyes still just as cool, still just as determined as the other night. He neared her. She kept backing away until she reached the wall.
'Don't come any closer!' she yelled, panicked.
'I'm not going to hurt you,' snarled Malfoy, his eyes narrowed, his nose bloody. He kept walking towards her, repairing his nose with a casual flick of his wand.
'Stay where you are!' screamed Hermione hysterically, as Malfoy stopped barely two inches from her.
'You're aching everywhere,' he growled. 'Your body is exhausted. Stop tiring it even more.'
Hermione put a hand over her stomach again. Did he know...? If he didn't, she wasn't going to reveal her secret. And she wasn't going to lose her baby.
He put a supporting arm around her, but she backed away. He scowled, impatient, but followed her to the bed, where she heavily sat down.
Malfoy went over to the desk and picked up a breakfast tray. Nearing her, he put the tray on her lap and surveyed her carefully. Tears of anger and hatred resided in Hermione's eyes. Ron used to bring her breakfast on a tray.
'Ron did this too,' she whispered, her voice hoarse. It was the first thing on her mind, what Ron had done, what Ron would do, how Ron would do it.
'I know,' murmured Malfoy, staring at her coolly. 'I had you watched.'
Hermione looked up, her eyes flashing. In a swift motion, she picked up her bowl of cereal and threw it against the beautiful, shiny walls.
Malfoy didn't flinch. He didn't move.
'How dare you,' Hermione said, furious, tears in her eyes once more. She wiped them angrily away. 'You had no right.'
Malfoy sat down next to her and longingly touched her cheek. Hermione backed away once more. Malfoy growled and withdrew his hand.
'You should eat your breakfast,' he mumbled angrily. 'I'll come back for lunch.'
He walked out, locking the door behind him. Hermione threw the tray on the floor and started sobbing.
Draco walked down the stairs, trying to ignore the stabbing pain in his heart. He could hear Hermione's sobs and he didn't like it. He wanted to go in there, hold her, touch her, to force her to love him, as much as he loved her.
He didn't know how he had come to love her. It had started gradually, unnoticably. He had found himself admiring her more and more as she grew into a woman. She was everything a man could want, intelligent, funny, beautiful...
So damned beautiful.
Then she had fallen in love with Weasley. Draco banged his fist to the table he was sitting at. There were even plans about getting engaged. Draco knew from that day, that he would have to kill Weasley... That he could never, ever get Hermione with Ron Weasley alive.
Plans were made. Draco Malfoy was powerful and he had many connections. His old friends respected him and were only too glad to help get rid of that riff raff. No one suspected that Draco loved Hermione. They only thought that he detested Weasley.
The Final Battle came as a surprise. They had planned to kill Weasley a week later, but when the Dark Marks on their arms burned, they knew that the time had come.
Many Death Eaters were killed. Too many to execute the plan of killing Weasley. That's why Draco had to do it himself. He managed to disorientate Weasley, leading him to a desert place. He could see his pathetic face even now.
'Hermione, you have to leave from here - go down to the Shrieking Shack, it's completely desolate -'
'I can't Ron, you know I can't!'
Draco scowled as he saw Hermione walk up to Ron and put her arms around his neck.
'I won't leave you,' she whispered in his ear.
Draco let out a deep, angry breath against the tree he was hiding by. He could hear explosions everywhere around himself, but his eyes were only fixated on Weasley and Hermione.
'Please Hermione... I won't be able to fight if you're not safe.'
Draco clenched his fist. It wasn't up to Weasley to make sure Hermione was safe.
Hermione bowed her head, tears in her eyes. She held Weasley close to her.
'I love you,' she whispered.
Draco almost shouted out in rage as Weasley touched Hermione's cheek and kissed her passionately. He took out his wand, but waited. Weasley's time had not come yet.
He watched slowly as Hermione drew away, running in the opposite direction. Draco surveyed her, glad to know where she would be.
Stepping out from behind the tree, he glared at Weasley.
Then two small words were spoken with a horribly powerful force.
Draco stood up and walked over to his small bar. Taking a glass of whiskey and sitting down again, he ran his fingers through his hair.
Only Hermione could make him touch his hair after having combed it so perfectly. Hermione could make him do almost anything.
The rest had been easy enough. Draco had gone off into the Shrieking Shack, but discovered that she had already left. He had felt scared there, and Malfoys were never scared. He didn't like the thought of his perfect Hermione being among dead bodies and wrecks.
A house elf came in the dining room and bowed hurriedly.
'Yes, what is it?' snapped Draco, annoyed.
'Luncheon, master,' squeaked the house elf. 'We has laid the table for two.'
'Put the food on the tray,' said Draco, who could still hear Hermione's desperate sobs. 'Miss Granger is not in the right state to have lunch here.'
'Yes, master,' squeaked the elf, and bowed again.
Draco rubbed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair again.
'She isn't going to come around just yet,' said a voice from the corner.
Draco scowled.
'Zabini, I told you not to disturb me,' growled Draco. 'I need to gather my thoughts.'
A young man stepped out from the shadows, a sneer apparent on his pointed face. He was rather good looking with wavy, dark brown locks of hair descending to his shoulders, tied back in a pony tail. Blaise Zabini's eyes were an icy blue, and he was leaning casually against the wall, surveying his friend.
'I warned you when you took her here,' he said and smirked. 'It will only worsen her condition.'
'I will take care of her,' said Draco angrily. 'I'm the only one who can take properly care of her!'
'She doesn't love you, you know,' said Blaise, picking an apple up from the fruit basket and taking a bite.
'She will,' said Draco. 'I'm convinced of that. In time.'
'You need a lot of patience, mate,' said Blaise, munching away. 'Her family and friends are dead.'
'I needed to get rid of them if she was to love me!' said Draco defensively.
'Oh, so it was a selfish act?' said Blaise sitting down. 'I see.'
Draco scowled.
'I allowed you to stay at my place, but not to disturb me.'
'I know,' said Blaise casually, scratching his chin. 'You better go up and see your bonny lass now. She'll be waiting for you, no doubt.'
Hermione was still lying on the bed when the door opened and Draco strode in with a house elf. The elf was carrying a tray with food for two people, and it put it on a table in the middle of the room. Draco watched Hermione sit up and glare at him as the door closed, but he did not move, even if he wanted to.
'You must be hungry,' said Draco gently. 'Come and eat.'
'No,' spat Hermione. 'I refuse to touch a bite which comes from a murderer like you.'
Draco's eyes strayed over to the untouched breakfast tray.
'Starving yourself won't help your situation,' he said, raising his eyebrows. 'Please, Hermione.'
Hermione closed her eyes as she felt something move in her stomach. It was her baby. She needed to live for her baby.
She stood up and walked over to Draco, who smiled and withdrew a chair. Once Hermione had sat down, he joined her, pouring wine for them.
Hermione watched him coldly.
'I'd rather eat alone,' she snapped.
Draco's eyes went cold, but he did not budge. Instead, he poured some soup for Hermione, while he himself leaned back in his seat and watched Hermione's sumptious appetite. She was tearing away at a piece of bread as if she hadn't eaten in years, drinking the soup down in three spoonfuls. He smiled, and signalled the elf to cut the meat out. He watched as Hermione took a chickenleg and bit it hungrily.
'Don't you want something to drink?' asked Draco, amazed at her appetite. He offered her the goblet of wine.
Hermione took it and looked inside.
Hesitantly, she said, 'I'd rather have a glass of water...'
Draco raised his eyebrows.
'I'm not going to poison you, if that's what you're afraid of.'
'I wouldn't put it past you,' snapped Hermione, fire in her eyes. 'Wine isn't good for -'
She stopped, about to say 'pregnant women'. Instead, she whispered, ' - for me.'
Draco looked at her suspiciously, but fulfilled her wish.
Once Hermione had finished her meal, she stood up and walked over to the window, her back to Draco. Draco signalled the elf to get out, and it obeyed quickly, closing and locking the door behind it.
Draco looked at Hermione for a while, so beautiful in the sunlight. Then he stood up and cautiously walked to her. Her hand was resting on the windowsill, and he gently placed his on top of hers.
Instantly, she moved back, just as he had predicted. But he couldn't help it; she was so tempting, so intoxicating. He wanted to be with her, feel the warmth of her hand, smell her hair, taste her skin. He sighed, looking at her longingly. If only she wasn't so beautiful.
Her eyes were angry.
'You said you weren't going to poison me,' she snapped.
He raised his eyebrows in question.
'Everytime you touch me, you do,' she shouted.
'Hermione - ' began Draco, reaching out to her, but she backed away to the bed. 'You haven't got a clue why I did what I did.'
Hermione sat down on the bed, turning her head away from Draco.
'Oh, I do. But that isn't an excuse, Malfoy.' She looked at him with those fiery, brown eyes. 'Listen carefully, Malfoy. I will never love you. Do you understand? Never.'
Draco glared at her, his eyes narrowed.
'I loved Ron,' Hermione continued furiously. 'And you took him away from me. You took everything away from me. Life and freedom. Harry. My parents. Ron - you took Ron away from me, you monster!'
Hermione jumped up as tears sprung to her eyes. She started beating Draco again, but it didn't hurt him. He held onto her, sure that she would fall if he didn't. She was like a porcelain doll; if she fell, she would break into a million pieces. She kept pounding her fists onto his chest for three minutes, then exhaustion overcame her as she slowly realised her defeat. She fell slump into Draco's arms, tears falling down her cheeks. She tried to get away from him, but he wouldn't budge. Slowly and gently, he carried her to the bed, where he laid her down. She turned her back to him, wiping her tears away as he gently touched her hair.
'Don't,' she said. 'Only Ron touched me there.'
'I know,' whispered Draco, touching her soft hair again.
Hermione's fury sprang again and she was just about to jump up, when she clutched her stomach and screamed.
'Hermione!' shouted Draco fearfully. 'What's wrong? Tell me -'
Hermione, against her will, clung onto Draco painfully and screamed.
'Help me,' she whispered, closing her eyes as she hunched her shoulders in pain. 'Malfoy!'
'Hermione, I'm here, what do you want me to do?' said Draco frantically. 'Hermione, what's wrong? ZABINI!'
He shouted Blaise's name, the only man competent enough to call for a Healer. Blaise ran into the room, understood the situation immediately and Disapparated.
Okay this is it! For the first chapter, I'm almost finishing the second...Please read and review! 
Christy 
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The End and the Beginning - Sa13+ 
I know you have been waiting for this prequel for a loooong time, but I've been pretty busy this last days...So. -sigh- Here's the Choices' prequel!!! 
that too on the first. please dont make us wait very long. PAMS
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