A/N A sequel! It's not going to have the same dark evil mood of the last one. It's (hopefully) going to answer some of the questions from the last story. Namely Blaise and what happened there. Also some of Hermione's Draco is a coward issues.

So here is the first chapter, I hope you enjoy it.


Hermione Malfoy was packed and ready to go. Her clothes were folded neatly in her suitcase, her toiletries packed away, her flowers redistributed to the children's ward and now all she was waiting for was the final all clear from her healer before she could head home. That was the problem though. She didn't know where home was anymore. Was it back with her parents, returning home after her failed marriage? Was it back to Grimmauld Place and Sirius? She just wasn't ready to go there yet and she didn't think Sirius was either. Back to the home she and Draco had created together? If she wasn't ready to deal with her relationship with Sirius then she definitely wasn't ready to deal with Draco. The only real option Hermione was willing to consider was the one that would appease the most people and most importantly, herself. Home to the Burrow. Sometimes she thought of it more as her home then her parents' house. Harry, too, she knew felt the same way. Going home to the Burrow was like returning to your childhood. Just the sight of the place warmed your heart and made you feel safe.

"Mrs Malfoy, the Healer says you are free to go and that he doesn't want to see you in here for many more years unless its to deliver your baby," the nurse laughed and Hermione did too though she did so out of relief. She was finally going home. She picked up her suitcase, accepted the hugs and kisses from the many nurses who had come to bid her farewell and good luck, and proudly walked out of the hospital, into muggle London. How many women can say they beat breast cancer and brain tumors in three months? Dark thoughts of battles and dead bodies crept into her mind but she quickly pushed them away. Today was about celebration and she intended to shout herself a new outfit and demand Ron and Harry take her out to dinner. She hadn't seen much of her family or friends, only the occasional visit as much as they hated it. She had demanded a few months on her own to heal and sort herself out. She didn't know how good an idea it was because three months later she was perfectly healthy physically but emotional she was still as damaged and sick as she was in January. No matter how many nights she spent lying in the dark, trying to sort herself out, she just couldn't. Maybe her brain wasn't back to normal yet but she felt like she didn't have anything left to give. To anyone. She needed some time to be just Hermione. Away from relationships of a sexual nature, away from the guilt. She need time to live like a normal person for five minutes before she could dive into the mess that was her life.

Flooing to the Burrow using the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace, suitcase in one hand, shopping bags in the other, Hermione hoped that it would be a small reception of maybe just Mrs Weasley, Harry and Ron. Ginny was still at school for the next few months and she couldn't wait to lock them in a room and gossip for hours on end. She missed having someone to talk to and she was sure it would help sort everything out.

"Hello?" she called to the empty kitchen. "Mrs Weasley? Ron?" She pushed open the door and headed for the lounge room.

"Surprise!" shouted the group of people appearing out of thin air. "Welcome home!"

Hermione stared in shock at the number of people present. All the Weasleys, Ginny included, Harry, Sirius, Dumbledore, Snape, Draco, Pansy, Luna, Neville, Lupin and Tonks, the list went on. Half her class and most of the order seemed to be there to welcome her home.

Taking them all in, she presently burst into tears, overwhelmed by it all. Harry and Draco were at her side in minutes.

"Sorry," she sobbed into Draco's shirt. "I just need a minute."

"It's okay," Draco soothed as he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back. Hermione clung to him as if he was a life raft and she was drowning at sea.

"Excuse us for a moment," he said to the stunned room and led her outside into the gardens and over to an old bench. The sun was shining brightly but there was still a cool breeze in the air.

"I can't believe you're here. At the Weasely's," Hermione said when she had calmed down. She shielded her eyes from the sun and leaned into him, her back to his front. "I'm surprised Potter isn't following no further then three feet behind," Draco joked.

"It will take a while, but they will trust you eventually."

Draco moved her so she was facing him.

"So should I make the effort? To get them to trust me?" he asked, searching her face for answers.

"I can't answer that yet Draco," she said, responding to his unspoken question. He pursed his lips and Hermione laughed. She ran a finger along them and then leaned forward and gave him a chaste kiss.

"I think I'm ready to go back inside."

He looked as if he was going to say something but changed his mind and led her back inside.


"Did you have a nice time?" Narcissa asked from the head of the table.

"Peachy," Draco said darkly, gesturing to a house elf to refill his glass.

"I hope you played nice with all the little weasels," Narcissa smirked. "Or you will never win her back."

"She's my wife, I don't see why I should have to win her back at all," Draco grumbled, downing his wine and grabbing the bottle off the trembling little elf. He was frustrated. Very. He thought he would have Hermione back in his bed in his house by now but she had refused to see anyone during her treatment, except for the weekly visits on Sundays. And even then she would only see everyone at once for an hour only so he never got any time alone with her.

"She was brought up a muggle, Draco. You know this. I don't think she will understand if you just kidnap her and chain her to the bed for a month." Narcissa's eyes went dreamy, as if she was recalling a long forgotten memory.

"Speaking from experience Mother?" Draco asked, looking his mother over carefully. She was always a thin woman but three months after killing her husband her robes hung off her bony frame and more often then not the food on her plate was left untouched but the bottle of wine before her would be emptied.

"Your father always got what he wanted," she said simply, smiling sadly. "I'm going to retire for the night, Draco. Good night."

"Night," he said, watching her leave the room. Her once proud posture was gone, her shoulders sagged and she hung her head where before she would never bow to anyone, Lucius being the exception to that rule.

Draco knew his mother carried a great deal of guilt over killing his father. The way Hermione and her told it though if she hadn't have done it, Hermione would be dead now. He didn't blame his mother in the slightest but he was regretful that him and his father didn't get to sort things out between them before they died. He was a heartless bastard but he was still Draco's father.

Draco poured the last of his wine and meandered out to the terrace to look over the vast grounds of the Malfoy Estate. It had, of course, passed to him when his father died and anytime he wasn't busy worrying about his mother or his wife he was busy trying to organise everything his father had left. Lucius had been involved in a lot of shady dealings and if Draco wanted Hermione back he knew he would have to tidy up the Malfoy image. Draco laughed bitterly. He was so whipped. He was changing years of history and tradition to please a house-elf loving, muggle-born wife who didn't even know if she loved him or not.

"Why bother?" Draco asked to the night. An owl hooted in the distance. Flashes of memory danced before his eyes; Hermione cradled in his arms, sleeping, a small smile playing across her face, her laughing at something he had said, her being restrained by Voldemort as she tried to lash out at him, her battling fiercely in the last battle, bloodied and bruised fighting for what she believed in.

Draco threw his glass against the nearest wall.

"Damn bitch!" he growled. "She's back to her mudblood ways, so why the hell do I still love her?"


"We didn't mean to spring everything on you," Mrs Weasley apologised as Hermione helped her changed the sheets in Percy's old room.

"Don't be silly Mrs Weasley, I was just a bit overwhelmed. Still trying to get my head around everything."

Mrs Weasley smiled kindly at her and patter her shoulder on the way out of the room.

Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Why don't you have a shower and come down when you're ready."

Hermione smiled gratefully at her suggestion and gathered up her things.

She locked the bathroom door behind her and quickly stripped off her clothing and stood in front of the mirror. Taking a deep breath, she removed the wig that covered her nearly bald head. It was something she hadn't expected. To lose her hair. When she thought of magical cure she didn't think there would be any muggle side effects but apparently the potions she had to take worked in a similar way to chemo and as a result she had lost her hair and was now left with a fine fuzz covering her head. She didn't look that bad but she didn't want to upset anyone so she had taken to wearing a wig and using a glamour on her eyebrows. She ran her hand over her head and sighed to her reflection before turning on the shower and stepping into the scolding water. Soon her thoughts turned to Draco. She could tell he was getting frustrated with her. She could tell he was frustrated with himself. He hated that he loved her. When he was with her he was sweet and caring and loving. Everything you would expect from an ideal husband but Narcissa had come to visit her a few times on her own and from what she reported Draco hated that he had become a simpering fool for her. Narcissa didn't doubt that he loved Hermione but she knew her son, he could be spiteful when he wanted to be and wouldn't wait around for forever for Hermione to make up her mind.

She turned off the water and wrapped a towel around her. There was a knock at the door.

"It's Ginny, I really need to speak to you. Can I come in?" Ginny called through the door.

Hermione glanced between her reflection, her wig and the door before sighing and unlocking it, letting Ginny in.

"Okay, the thing is I have to go back to school to...mor…row," Ginny trailed off as her eyes lifted to Hermione's bald head. "Oh Hermione. What happened to your hair?"

Hermione ran a hand subconsciously over the fuzz and started towards her wig. Ginny grabbed Hermione's hand and held it in her own.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Ginny asked, tears forming in her eyes and spilling over onto her cheeks.

Hermione hadn't once cried over the loss of her wild mane until that very moment.

"I didn't want you to do this. It's only hair," she said, giving Ginny a watering smile. "It'll grow back."

"I know it will, it's just a shock. All your beautiful hair, gone." Ginny reached out tentatively and ran her hand over Hermione's head. For the second time that day Hermione burst into tears.

"Oh, Hermione, don't cry. You look beautiful with or without hair. If I cut all my hair off I would look like a boy."

Hermione composed herself enough to speak while tears still made tracks down her face.

"That's not the only thing Gin. I – I didn't want to say anything. It's not the thing you discuss with large groups of people. The cancer was so far spread if I had gone to a muggle hospital I would have been dead by now. When they told me I would be fine I thought that meant they would just remove the cancer magically but apparently they can't do that. Magic helps but its mostly still muggle medicine." She stepped away from Ginny and let her towel fall to her waist, revealing her flat chest. Two horizontal scars ran across the space where her breasts used to be.

"They had to remove everything. I don't feel like a woman anymore, Gin. Who will want me now?" she asked, crying into Ginny's shoulder as they younger girl enveloped her in a crushing embrace.

They moved so they were sitting on the edge of the bathtub and Hermione readjusted the towel around her chest.

"Is that why you won't go back to Draco? Because you don't think he will still want you?" Ginny asked, wiping away her own tears.

"No, yes, I don't know. That's part of the reason. I'm unsure of my feelings for him still. I don't want to go to him, unsure of myself and have him laugh at me and make fun of me. I couldn't handle it."

Ginny smiled at her kindly.

"Hermione, anyone can see that boy is in love with you. I know he did some bad things during the war and I know he wasn't always the best of people but he's trying. I don't think he would ever reject you because of this. He's not the unfeeling bastard we all thought he was," Ginny laughed.

Hermione chuckled slightly too.

"I should just talk to him, right? I've been avoiding him, dancing around really talking about what's going on between us. I should just lay it all out on the table and see what he thinks," Hermione nodded her head, confirming her plan to herself.

"Sounds like a plan," Ginny said, nodding also.

"Wait, what did you want to talk to me about?" Hermione said, stopping Ginny on her way out the door.

"It's alright; you already helped me make up my mind."

Hermione smiled at her, confused, as Ginny grinned back and ducked out of the door. She poked her head back in a moment later.

"I'm going to spend the night with Harry." She winked cheekily and laughed at Hermione's shocked expression before shutting the door behind her again.

"Well at least someone is happy," she said to her reflection, getting dressed and putting her wig back on. "Unlike Draco and I, they deserve it."


A/N If you haven't noticed already just becuase Draco loves her doesn't mean he's all sunshine and rainbows now. I mean he is Draco Malfoy.