Before All Else

III

Draco stared at the smiling couple, watching Hermione blush when Ron kisses her cheek. His chest tightening while he reads the article.

Wedding bell ring in the not too distant future for the wizarding worlds favorite duo. Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger have announced that in just one short week they will be joined in matrimony. The couple have kept quiet about their upcoming nuptials saying it will be a small ceremony of close friends and family. The union is said to take place at Ron's' family home.

Draco threw the paper in a trash can. A year he has waited, working his way through peasant work, being paid like a House Elf and he has to find out in the paper she is engaged? And to that git? Unacceptable. She is mine. Draco hisses internally standing from the cold ally floor, throwing his few remaining possessions into an old rucksack. He watched her walk away from him once and was naive enough to believe she would return. But not this time, not again. Draco looks down at the discarded paper again, glaring at the black and white picture, his heart breaking at the thought of another man being with her the way he has been with her.

Draco's stomach twists in knots as he is sucked through the air. His destination the old shack Ron called a home growing up. Draco was sure he would find Hermione there. At the very lest he would find Ron and the desire to punch the Stupid Git was very tempting, how dare that Baboon think he can steal away Hermione?

Draco landed with a hard THUD on the damp grass outside. Instantaneously his palms began to sweat at the sight of the dilapidated homestead. His stomach in his throat at the thought of seeing Hermione again.

Taking a deep breath Draco made the short walk across the lawn to the front door. Inside the house he could hear voices, but not the words. With a deep breath he raised his fist to knock firmly on the door, now or never I guess he though, his insides erupting with butterflies as he brought his fist down to the door.

The door swung open at the same time Draco's fist came down, instead of making contact with the hard wooden door, he instead made contact with someones nose with a sickening crunch. Draco instantly knew he'd broken whose ever nose it was.

"Fuck was that for!" An angry male voice yelled, before crashing a fist into Draco's jaw.

Draco winced, his eyes immediately snapping to where the large redheaded man stood holding his nose, Ron.

"I wasn't intending to hit you Weasel. I would have done it harder if I was." Draco sneered, adjusting his cloak, ignoring the throb in his jaw.

"Ron what's all the commotion?" Called a shrill female voice and a short, greying Molly came into view around a corner, her signature dish cloth over one shoulder. "What's going on?" She asked eying the bruise on Draco's cheek and her sons' bleeding nose.

Draco smiles pleasantly, "I'm here to see my Girlfriend."

Ron let out a bestial growl, beside Molly, his eyes going dark when he lunged at Draco, despite his mothers best efforts to hold him back.

"You despicable little shit!" Ron snarled swinging again at Draco, who stepped out of the way.

Draco turned back to Molly, his expression softening, "Please Mrs Weasley. I need to see her. I need to explain myself, for closure." Draco pleas, a sickening feeling in his stomach at the knowledge he was grovelling to a Weasley.

Tears pricking his eyes.

Molly nods once and moves aside to let the broken man in.

"Are you serious right now Mum? Letting a Death Eater into our home?"Ron barked, getting up from where he had landed on the grass.

"Enough Ronald Weasley. ENOUGH! No more do you hear me? I won't have it!" Molly howled, her face breaking into a hospitable smile before she turns back to a highly amused Draco. "Upstairs, third door to the left. I'll make tea." She smiled, gesturing for him to go upstairs.

With a smile Draco nods making his way up the old stairs, careful so as not to fall through them.

His breathing hitches when he approaches the hallway, Ron watching his every move.

Once outside the door Draco's heart beats double time, he was sure it would leave a bruise if it was at all possible. The last three steps feeling more like a marathon and the few minutes after he knocked stretch on for a lifetime.