Only You (Hiatus)

One

Disclaimer: The characters creatures places and spells of the Harry Potter universe belong to JK Rowling.
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February 29th 2000
Malfoy Heir Gives Up Family Fortune
Draco Lucius Malfoy, heir to the incredible Malfoy estate, has decided to give it all to the victims of his father’s war.
Earlier this week, Draco Malfoy received a full pardon for his part in what he calls “his father’s war.” During an extensive trial, where Mr. Malfoy was subjected to questioning under Veritaserum, it was learned that the young man had in fact disagreed with his father’s views for quite some time. Although raised with such prejudices, the young Malfoy admitted he had stopped believing in them halfway through his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was quoted by officials as saying, “A well-deserved punch to the face knocked some sense into me.”
We are unsure what “punch to the face” he is referring to, nor do we know who delivered the blow. What we do know is that it may well have saved a troubled young man from a worse fate.
We of course needed more information, so we went to speak with Mr. Malfoy ourselves. It seems that although the young heir disagreed with his father’s views, he was unable to go against his father’s wishes. At first, he was simply a boy seeking his father’s affection, and later, after his fourth year at Hogwarts, he became a young man just trying to survive.
Mr. Malfoy stated that he had attempted to extract himself from his father’s plans after witnessing Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, appear at the end of the Triwizard Tournament, grieving over the body of fellow Hogwarts student Cedric Diggory. Until that moment, Mr. Malfoy had never fully comprehended the dangers behind his father’s desires. Even when Muggle-borns were being attacked in the school during their second year, it never truly sank in what it would mean if one of them had died.
“Plus, I still believed my father’s prejudices at that time, so it didn’t have the same level of danger. I was so arrogant. I believed I was untouchable and that Muggle-borns weren’t worth anything.”
When we asked Mr. Malfoy what he intended to do with his freedom, his response shocked us all.
“I’m splitting the Malfoy fortune between several recipients, all victims of the war, and some victims of cruelty from my family alone. I have personal experience of how cruel my father truly is, and this was one of the major reasons for wanting to reach out. Now, I know money won’t heal the wounds and certainly won’t bring back anyone who was lost, but I wanted to do something, and I will have no use for it where I am going.”
I’m sure you are all desperate to know what he meant by this. We are too. But sadly, this was where Mr. Malfoy ended our talk, and he has not been available for questions since.
What did he mean? Where is the young heir going? And who are the lucky few receiving the funds of a lifetime?

This was the first of two articles that sent the entire Wizarding World into a spin.
Rumours began to spread about Draco Malfoy, some more bizarre than others, but the one that gained the most traction was this:
Draco Malfoy was going to end his life.
“This is ridiculous. There’s no way Malfoy is going to do something that stupid,” Hermione scoffed over her cup of tea.
“Why not? It’s the coward’s way out, isn’t it?” her fiancé, Ronald Weasley, stated as he set down his mug of coffee.
They were sitting in a café in Muggle London, not far from the Muggle entrance to the Ministry of Magic. They were supposed to have been going over the seating charts for the wedding, but Ron was late again, so they didn’t have time and instead opted for a quick cuppa before Hermione had to get back to work as her lunch break was nearly over.
“Malfoy was many things, Ron, but he wasn’t a coward,” she said, finishing her tea. “A coward wouldn’t have lied when he was told to identify us.”
Ron sighed and nodded as Hermione got her coat.
“You gonna be home for dinner?” he asked gently.
Hermione frowned. “I don’t think so. My proposal for the regulation of house-elves is due tomorrow, and it has to be flawless or they won’t pass it.”
Ron nodded and stood, kissing her cheek. “I’ll probably be in bed by the time you get home then. Just don’t forget to eat,” he chuckled sadly.
Hermione frowned. “I’m sorry. I promise this will be the last late night for a long time.” She kissed his cheek as they parted ways.
Four hours later, after doing Trojan work, Hermione found herself leaving the Ministry with her proposal completed. She couldn’t believe it. She had actually managed to get it done in time to go home for dinner. Ron was going to be so surprised.
Turning on her heel, Hermione apparated home, landing in their living room, the smile on her face falling when she saw a pair of pumps she didn’t recognise on the floor.
She looked in the kitchen and saw two half-empty wine glasses sitting on the table next to two recently emptied plates. Her heart clenched as she looked to the hallway leading to the bedroom. Ron’s boots were lying a foot from the pumps. A little further down the hall was a cardigan, then Ron’s shirt.
Hermione slowly and silently followed the trail of clothing to the open door of their bedroom, tears building the closer she got. A sob escaped her when she saw her fiancé buried deep inside a skinny blonde.
Ron’s head snapped up, looking to the door in time to see Hermione walk away.
She drew her wand and waved it a few times, muttering, “Vasa colligentes.” Immediately, all of her belongings began to gather, shrinking down and fitting into her beaded bag.
Everything she owned was packed by the time Ron came hurrying down the hall with his trousers on.
“Hermione? Hermione, let me explain,” he stated frantically. “You were never here, and Beth—”
“Goodbye, Ronald,” Hermione choked out as she set her engagement ring down on the coffee table before turning on her heel and apparating out of there.
“Harry?” Ginny Potter called as she came out of the kitchen, expecting to see her husband but instead seeing Hermione leaning against the wall in her hallway, tears rolling down her cheeks as she stared at nothing.
Ginny had never seen her best friend look so lost.
“Hermione? What’s the matter?” she asked gently, as if afraid she might spook her.
Hermione looked up. “It’s over. Ron… he had another witch in our bed. I… I just left him.”
Ginny’s eyes widened with shock, but she could see from the broken look in Hermione’s eyes that every word was true. Ron had cheated.
“Sorry, Ginny. I didn’t know where else to go,” Hermione admitted as Ginny took her arm and led her to the kitchen. “I just had to get out of there. I wasn’t even sure you’d be home.”
“Don’t apologise, Hermione. You are always welcome here, and that stupid brother of mine will just have to accept that,” Ginny reassured her as she sat Hermione down and handed her a cup of tea. “I just finished making a cup, but you need it more than I do. I can make another one.”
Hermione took the tea with both hands and sipped at it slowly while she tried to gather her thoughts. Ginny left her to her silent thinking, knowing better than most how Hermione copes by analysing every possible scenario and running it through in her head.
A pop sounded in the hall, making Hermione tense, but she soon relaxed when she heard the voice.
“Ginny, I’m home. I—Hermione?”
Harry entered the kitchen, looking confused when he saw her. He moved to sit at the table and frowned. “Hermione, Ron—”
“What did that git tell you, Harry Potter?” Ginny demanded, not letting him finish.
Wide-eyed, Harry looked at the wooden spoon in his wife’s hand and said, “Nothing. He just arrived at the Ministry looking for Hermione. He is completely freaking out.”
“Good! Serves him right, the cheating bastard,” Ginny stated as she turned back to the dinner she was making.
“Gin, how is that—wait… cheating?” Harry asked, his eyes darkening. “What was he thinking?”
“I am never home, and Beth was there for him,” Hermione stated flatly.
“Did you say Beth?” Harry asked, surprised. “Blonde hair, skinny?”
Hermione nodded, her frown deepening. “You know her?”
Harry ran a hand through his hair. “She’s an Auror. When I was reassigned to learn the ropes from the head of the department, Ron was assigned a new partner.”
Ginny glared at the dinner she was cooking while Hermione sighed. “Beth.”
Harry just nodded.
Hermione stood and hugged Harry before moving to hug Ginny. “Thank you for the tea.”
“Hermione, what are you—”
“I need to get away. Clear my head.”
She gave them sad smiles before turning on her heel and apparating out of Grimmauld Place.
A week later, the second article to send the Wizarding World into a spin was released

March 7th 2000
Golden Girl Missing
Last week, the golden couple Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger parted ways.
While dearest friends of our beloved heroine, Harry and Ginny Potter, who were reportedly the last to see Ms. Granger, refuse to talk to us, we have managed to get a few words from the heartbroken Ronald Weasley.
“I don’t know where Hermione has gone. She came home late like she had been every night for several months, even though I had asked her to come home in time for dinner as I never see her. When she didn’t come home, I stayed up waiting. We argued when she got back, and things just ended. She packed everything with a single spell and left.”
Our dear Ronald was distraught as he retold the events of the night.
While we may not know what was said in the argument, one thing we do know: Hermione Granger left him, not the other way around.
So go on, girls. Our charming red-headed member of the Golden Trio is once again single. Can anyone mend his broken heart?
The only question left is: where has our Golden Girl run off to? And most importantly, will she be back?