Animal instinct

Ritual Disclaimer(to hell with disclaimers!!! Who needs 'em?!?): Rowling, not me, yada yada yada...

Authors Ramblings: This is a story. Wow, you'd never guess.I was listening to Cranberries' song called "animal instinct" when I had this idea, that's why I called the fic this way. Oh, you want to know what the story is about? Well, I won't tell you. You need to read it to figure out. *evil grin* OK,OK, it's happening 2 years after graduation, and Hermione's married to Draco (yay, for all us H/D shippers!!!) But no, it's not a romance story, I'm not good at these ones. Oh, yeah, the summary. So, Hermione thinks about the things that happened in the past, and she gets a letter from someone, oh just read it yourselfs. Oh, and review. _I_ always review stuff that I read, so see, you've gotta be fair.

Hermione was sitting on the balcony of her house. The sun just started to rise, and she really enjoyed to stare at the beautiful, always changing sky, especially in the mornings. Draco incessantly laughed at this habit of hers, he couldn't get up until nine o'clock, unless it was really necessary.

Two years alredy passed since graduation, and the whole gang went all over the world, got their own carriers. Harry was playing Quidditch for the Chudley Canons,and the team didn't loose a single match since he was in. After playing Quidditch, he worked as an Auror. Neville and Draco were Aurors, too. Hermione smiled to herself. She would never think, even in her wildest dreams, that Neville would be an Auror.And now Harry, Neville and Draco were the most succesful team of Aurors that ever lived on this planet. Ron has got his place at the ministry. He worked at the department of magical sports and games.

As for Hermione, she had a peaceful life writing Muggle books and school manuals for Hogwarts. Next year she would be teaching Arithmancy at her old school. Someone told her that Draco would take Prof. Brook's place as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.The idea pleased her very much, because that way they wouldn't have to be separated.

She loved moments like this one, when the future layed in front of her, like an open book. Without any surprises, calm and quiet, full of time spent doing what she liked to do. She needed calm and solitude after what had happened last year.

Hermione didn't want to think about death on such a beautiful morning. But the images of her friends lost forever kept on appearing in her mind, and she felt that avoiding the subject wouldn't do any good to her.

Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters had been captured one by one by the Unbeatables (that's the way evreyone called Harry, Draco and Neville) and he thought that murdering more people will keep the Aurors from killing his men. That's how almost half of the Wizarding population died. The Dark Lord's minions killed all of the Weasleys, Neville's girlfriend, and many others. Neville was supposed to marry Laura Madley this very day, and that made him even more determinated to eliminate the Death Eaters.

She remembered all these days when she had to go from one place to another to identifie the corpses of her friends. During the first few months she was crying without any break, as she was a journalist for the Daily Prophet and knew everything that happened in the Wizarding world. Afterwards she became so much used to the pain that she stopped noticing it. Only the news about Ginny's death made her react. That time she cried and cried for 2 whole days, not even leaving her bed.

Hermione felt sick when she thought about all those shattered families and broken dreams. It was a miracle that she was still alive, after all, she was a Mudblood and she was Draco's only reason not to join the Dark Side. She remembered their plans to run away or to get secretly married. But it wasn't necessary since Lucius Malfoy was the first Death Eater to be captured.

She was sure that here, at Godric's Hollow, with Dumbledore as their Secret Keeper, she and Draco were as safe as possible. So many friends had died, but she knew that she couldn't live in the past. There was a whole new life waiting for her and all these that survived Voldemorts attacks. She hoped that Harry's plan to defeat the Dark Lord wil succeed. The Unbeatables are starting next week.

She looked at her watch-it was alredy 10 o'clock, and she decided that it's time to work.

As she entered the living room, the first thing that she saw was an owl zooming around the table. It was Pigwidgeon, Ron's owl. It was no longer as young as it was before (A/N: you'd never guess... duh...) but he didn't loose even a bit of energy since the first time it had delivered a latter.

"Hullo, Pigwidgeon" Hermione called at the impatient animal. At the sound of her soft voice it stopped circling around the room and sat on her outstretched arm showing his leg. There was a note tied to it, but she noticed that it wasn't Ron's handwriting, neither was it Padma's, his wife's. She untied the note and saw a buch of words written hastily, as if in a big hurry.

"Hermione, Draco's been captured by the Death Eaters and put under the Imperius Curse. We will have to act earlier then anticipated. For your own security go by the Floo Powder to Hogwarts. Dean has connected Dumbledore's office's chimney to the one at Godric's Hollow for one hour. Go fast, we're not sure when will he come, but he's getting closer. Take care of yourself- Harry."

Hermione sank on her knees, her mind completely blank, not willing to accept the news she just read. Mechanically, she took a bit of Floo Powder, stepped in the emerald-green flames and said: "Dumbledore's office, Hogwarts".

Bye!!!