Author's Note: Not even 24 hours after posting the final chapter of Letting it all Go, I realized I wasn't finished telling the story. I stewed on the idea for over a day before finally sitting down with my laptop. I've decided to do a mini-series of One-Shots about scenes that we didn't get to see during the main fanfic. Looking back, I wish I had included some of the ideas you will see, but I hope that you enjoy them nonetheless. We will get to see different tales from Draco's therapy sessions with Ernie, Scorpius and Alice falling in love, Hugo's adventures in Australia, and a few other ideas I have in the works. I should clarify that each chapter of this will be a different side story that goes along with the main story. I will make sure to indicate where it fits in.

Warning: You are going to want to read Letting it all Go before reading this if you haven't done so already.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the HP world is clearly not mine…sadly.

One-Shot: The Letter

LIAG Timeline: Chapter 13 "Maps"

Characters: Draco

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The Letter

Draco stared into the fireplace, watching as the flames licked up over the sides of the fresh logs he had recently added. The flames warmed the study in his new manor. Well, it was more of a medium sized mansion than a manor. It certainly was nothing like the old one, and for that he was glad. Who needed all those extra unused rooms anyway? He and Scorpius didn't need anything extravagant. If they wanted that, all they had to do was visit mother and Pierre at the Chateau in Paris. Scorpius wouldn't be home until the end of the schoolyear, and from the sound of his letters, he had finally gotten himself a steady girlfriend.

With a sigh, Draco turned his attention away from the fireplace and walked over to his Cherrywood desk. Boxes upon boxes were still covering the surface. Everything important he needed from the old manor was inside those boxes—family documents, real-estate forms, literature, and letters. Everything else he had left behind to burn to the ground in a blazing inferno. He'd saved a few family portraits too, but only the ones of him and his mother and him, Astoria, and Scorpius. He was moving on and putting all the darkness from the past behind him.

Going over to his liquor cart, he poured himself a small tumbler of fire whiskey and went back to the boxes, sipping the amber liquid before setting the glass on the desk. Opening the nearest box, Draco began sifting through the documents looking for the folder containing the plans for his newest project. Finding what he was looking for, he flipped it open to the first page and read: The Astoria Depression Clinic and Rehabilitation Center. Draco closed his eyes as a wave of sadness enveloped him. This newest project was a way to commemorate both the women he loved. Named after his late wife, and with helping Hermione in mind, this project would be the legacy he would leave behind.

At least, that was the plan.

Frustrated with himself, Draco snatched his tumbler of whiskey up and carried it, along with the folder, back to the chair in front of the fire. Plopping down in the lush, leather chair, he took another sip while situating the folder on his lap. There were still some details to work out for the project such as location, zoning, and budget…but before the summer ended, everything would be ready to go. Once Scorpius was home, the project came to fruition, and he was certain Hermione was on the mend, Draco planned on going away…

Shaking his head, Draco closed the folder and set it aside before downing the rest of his drink. It was selfish of him to have these thoughts, but honestly, he wasn't coping well. He knew it was Hermione that was his guiding light who helped him stray from suicidal thoughts, but he couldn't be with her now or possibly ever, so here he was contemplating his death once more. How ironic that he was planning on building a depression clinic at the same time planning his demise? Laughing harshly, Draco threw the empty tumbler into the fire. He cringed as it shattered, leaning forward and burying his face in his hands.

This is not what he wanted.

He wanted to be with Hermione. She kept him grounded more than anyone ever had. Astoria, may she rest in peace, might have allowed him to become a better man, but it was Hermione who made him see the world for what it really was—beautiful. Without her, there was only darkness. Had it really only been a single day since he had last seen her? When she had run into him at King's Cross, he had wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and never let go. Instead he'd been cold and shut off. He really owed her more than "I'm glad you won the custody trial, Hermione." He should have explained what he had been doing for her. Maybe Potter already had.

Just when Draco was starting to go to his dark place, there was a tapping on the window. Jerking his head up, he narrowed his eyes, wondering who would be sending him mail this late. Standing, Draco made his way to the window and pushed aside the dark blue curtains. Outside, a Ministry owl was fluttering in the rain. He quickly unlocked the window, allowing the owl to come inside the warmth of his study. The owl dropped a letter onto his chair before perching itself atop the mantle.

Curious now, Draco moved forward and picked up the letter. Flipping it over, his eyebrows shot to his hairline. He raised his head and said to the owl, "Is this for real?" The owl hooted in reply which made Draco realize how silly it was to be talking to an owl. Shaking his head, he looked back at the envelope. Written on the front was one word: "Draco". He knew immediately from the handwriting that Hermione had sent this to him. Why had it taken her so long to send it he wondered? He had suspected to hear from her the day they had seen each other at King's Cross.

Turning the envelope over in his hands, Draco had two options: either open the envelope and read the letter or destroy it. Sitting down in his armchair once more, he continued staring at the object. Why had she written? What did it say? One thing was certain, she had taken the time to think about what to put in this letter before sending it. Otherwise, he would have gotten it yesterday.

Suddenly angry that Hermione would risk the custody he had fought so hard to help her win back, Draco surged from the chair with every intention of throwing the letter into the fireplace and watching it burn like the manor. His heart was pounding furiously and tears burned his eyes as his shaking hand hovered over the blazing flames.

"Let go," he mumbled to himself. "Just, let it go…watch it burn…"

He stood like that for a full moment before he buckled, dropping to the floor; the letter landing by his knee. "No," he sobbed, "I can't destroy it…" Swiping at his tears, Draco stood, grabbing the envelope as he went, and glared at the owl. "Take it back," he said. "Return it to her." The owl tilted its head and hooted before taking flight, grabbing the envelope in its mouth, and soaring back out the window it had entered.

Shaken, Draco slowly made his way to the window, gripping the ledge with his hands. The rain was still pouring down, so Draco angrily shut the window against its onslaught. He knew in his heart why Hermione had sent that letter: she was worried about him. The worst part: she had every right to be. He had been contemplating his own death when that letter arrived. She would be hurt and confused when she received it back unopened, but it needed to be done.

Draco pulled the curtains closed once more and waved his wand to extinguish the fire in the grate, plunging him into darkness. It was then that a thought hit him that sent him reeling. Maybe it was time to go back. Maybe it was time to go back to therapy. Grinding his teeth, Draco stormed from the study, he would make an appointment tomorrow. It was the least he could do. After all, Hermione still believed in him. The letter was a clear indication of that.

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Please review if you enjoyed this or if you have a scene you would like to see in a future one-shot! Thanks for reading!