Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize from the Harry Potter novels, all of that belongs to JK Roweling, Warner Brothers, etc. I do own any new characters/plot lines and would greatly appreciate it if you didn't steal any of it. Thank you.

AN: As part of my summer project I went back and edited this, taking out all of the spelling errors, or at least all of the ones my updated word processor found.

The night the snow was blue

It hadn't started out this way. At the beginning everything was innocent, childlike. It was almost as if it was a game. But then Cedric died. Then Sirius, then Dumbledore. The deaths just kept coming after that. Soon Hermione found it easier to name those left alive then the deceased. There were the unimaginable deaths as well. Tonks had miscarried a child she didn't even know she was carrying, Dean Thomas lost his two infant children, barely a month old, to their own mother, and Seamus Finnegan lost his entire family including his soon-to-be wife Parvati Patel. In the end there truly were few left. Bill Weasley might as well have died, for the curse of being half werewolf had left him hollow and suicidal. Lavender Brown had turned spy the last Hermione had heard and it had not been a pretty picture from there on out. There were countless others who had fled, or killed themselves to escape the war.

Now setting on the banks of the lake Hermione looked up at the bright silver moon and wondered what had become of her life. At twenty three she certainly wasn't old but she felt and sometimes looked it. The war had lasted for nearly ten years. Ten grueling, hardship ridden years. There had been days when she had prayed that those she cared for would die peacefully to escape agony. She had watched as Blaise Zabini, a Death Eater turned spy, had his leg amputated by his own wife. A casualty of mixing muggle and wizard battle strategies. There were others who were left a fraction of themselves. Poor Neville had become so used to battle and espionage that earlier that night he had almost injured George Weasley who made the unfortunate mistake of sneaking up on him. Thankfully George had not been hurt seriously, his bad wrist only being slightly uncomfortable the rest of the night.

Shaking her head Hermione tried to dislodge the painful memories that seemed to keep surfacing. "The war's over." she muttered to herself shifting slightly to look back at the castle, blazing in the light of celebration. The party was still going strong, although some were less then sociable at the festivities. Ron had sulked in the shadows for quite some time, watching in envy as the women he was in love with graciously excepted condolences for her deceased husband. Harry had been the opposite, being the perfect social butterfly in front of everyone while stealing glances at his own love interest who was dancing with Draco Malfoy.

He had been the most surprising turn coat. After Dumbledore's death no one had placed much thought on the Slytherin. That was in till he had been brought back to HQ by Ginny. She swore he was willing to aid them, if for no other cause then to end the war. The Order was reluctant to except him in, but those were hard times and allies were much harder to find then enemies. So he turned spy much like his fellow Slytherin Blaise had but for far more mysterious reasons. Hermione had often tried to get exactly what had happened out of Ginny but she never spoke of it. Instead the Order lulled into a slightly peaceful state of co-habitation.

From there was where Hermione's true problems began. They had all been living in Godric's Hollow, the new HQ, and after awhile quarters became cramped. She had tried to avoid him in the beginning; she had far too many other things to focus her mind on. But then one day she had opened the door to her room and he had been standing there, looking at the pictures she had of her family. When she had gotten his attention he looked at her like a scared rabbit before stuttering some excuse about getting turned around. Before she could even make a comment about how small the house was he had raced past her and out of the room, leaving her standing there open mouthed. She didn't see him for three weeks after that. He never spoke a word of it again but they had formed an almost truce, one which would endure years.

Things had lulled into a quite state that summer but by August the battle was heating up again. Hogsmeade was the battlefield this time and after a three month stand the Order had been victorious. The battle hadn't been won without its costs though. Oliver Wood and Katie Bell had both died, and Fred Weasley had been injured so badly none thought he'd survive the night. He had and now, five years later, he was almost back to his old prankster ways.

Hermione had to smile; the Weasley twins didn't seem to have let the war faze them. It wasn't true, she knew that much, but she also knew that they much preferred the happy front. At least some could find happiness after all the death. She truly was glade for them, and she looked forward to teaching their children very soon.

Letting her mind wonder again she was taken back to two years ago, back to when she had last felt happy. She hadn't meant for it to happen, but over the years she had grown attached to Malfoy. Whenever he would go off she would be so frightened that she could do nothing in till she knew he was back safe and sound. It had been on one of those nights that Hermione had set by her window staring out into the yard when she saw a figure slumping along, clearly carrying another person. Frightened that he had been killed she rushed to wake up the house hold. Opening the door had relieved a haggard Snape carrying an unconscious Malfoy. The first thing Hermione saw was the blood. She had never seen him so bloody and pale before and it frightened her more than anything else could. He had been taken upstairs to his room for Pansy, the only certified mediwitch, to look over while Snape was interrogated in the kitchen below. Listening at the key hole she discovered that Malfoy had displeased The Dark Lord but not bringing him someone he wanted. She never heard a name but whoever it was seemed to be very dear to him. Shaking she had then gone upstairs to set by the door. When Pansy came out she said nothing to Hermione, she merely left the door creaked and returned to her own room. Hermione had set in his room for five days before Harry managed to convince her to rest and rest she did. She woke up three days later only to discover Malfoy had awoken in her absence. She'd never fully forgiven herself for not being there when he woke up.

It had been in the days following that she received her biggest surprise. She had been working on a charm to protect against the Avada Kedavra when it hit her. She was in love with him. That's why she worried, that's why she hurt when he did. She was totally and completely in love with him. It took her a month to be able to look him in the eyes. From there she had delved into her work. The next two years passed in a flurry, and soon the final battle commenced. Harry, protected by her anti-killing curse charm, faced off against Voldemort, and won. The war was over, and for the first time in her life Hermione was left without a direction.

That in itself had occurred close to six months ago. The recuperation time for the country was short and soon the celebrating had begun. Awarded the Order of Merlin 1st class had made her quite the celebrity and soon she was invited to every function in the wizarding world. On top of that she had been offered the Transfiguration teaching position at Hogwarts and would begin in a few short months. Life would seem to be fine, but it wasn't.

He was in love with Luna Lovegood. They had been inseparable since the war had ended and it was a well known rumor that he was going to propose at the Hogwarts Yule Ball tonight. That's why she was out here, on a cold winter night staring out over the frozen lake. She would have liked to have been at the party. To console Harry when the women he loved accepted another's marriage proposal, but she hurt too much to do it. It wasn't as if he knew she was in love with him. No, she had never had the nerve to tell him. After all, she was just a fifthly little 'Mudblood'. How could he possibly ever come to feel that way about her? So, she sat there wishing for nothing more than to be somewhere other than there. Sighing, she felt something wet touch her nose. Looking up she realized it was snowing. She couldn't remember the last time it had; the winters during the war had always been frigid and barren. But now as she sat there, nursing a broken heart that not even one of Pansy's tonics could cure, it was snowing. The fates must truly be laughing at her. "Why me?" she cursed the sky as the snow continued to lazily drift to the ground.

"Why you what, Granger?" a refined, and slightly crisp voice asked from behind her. Closing her eyes Hermione prayed softly that when she turned to look behind her he wouldn't be there. Tonight just wasn't her lucky night. Standing there in dress robes and a thick green cloak Draco Malfoy looked down at her, his eyes gleaming like the moon she had been admiring earlier.

Wanting nothing more than to sink into the ground she instead let out a puff of breath and stared at him. "Nothing Malfoy. Just setting and enjoying the snow." she replied, trying to distract herself from how cold she was getting. Her blue dress robes where quiet beautiful, as many people had told her earlier that evening, but they were not in any way warm. Suppressing a slight shiver she picked at her hem, the silence beginning to ebb away at her calm. "So, what are you doing out here, Malfoy?"

The question hung in the air for a moment in till he finally responded. "Came out to watch the snow." he replied honestly. "It hasn't snowed in so many years. I thought I'd enjoy it." Hermione nodded, understanding where he was coming from, she too had missed the snow. Again the silence descended upon them.

As the minutes ticked away she found it harder and harder not to let him see how much the cold was affecting her. She hated showing weakness, especially to him but it was becoming harder not to. Finally letting out a slight shiver she attempted to move discreetly to warm herself. Nothing seemed to be working and she wasn't about to stand and head back to the castle. Suddenly something warm engulfed her shoulders and upper arms. Turning she saw he had placed his cloak around her. Looking up at him in question he lifted an eyebrow at her. "You looked cold." The answer was enough for her. Why else would he offer his cloak except to keep her from freezing?

The minutes lulled on and Hermione couldn't help but sigh. He was so close yet so far away at the same time. Finally not being able to stand the silence any longer she decided to start up a conversation. "So," she began. "How's the party?" The question was simple enough, and she supposed it would at least break the ice.

Not replying immediately he set down beside of her. "Its alright." he replied while staring out over the lake. "Weasley was right pissed the last I saw of him. Think Pansy said she was taking him up to the hospital wing for some sobriety potion." Hermione had to try her hardest not to laugh. The 'sobriety potion' was probably in the form of Pansy naked on a hospital bed. Quickly followed by Ron naked on the aforementioned hospital bed. Not paying her any mind he continued on with the events of the party. "Weaselette was with her boy earlier, haven't seen them for about an hour. The twins are causing mayhem; McGonagall was too drunk to stop them though. Potter was making moon eyes at Luna. Basically it was the same drunken debauchery every party has been these last six months."

Hermione was enjoying his recanting of the party in till his comment about Harry and Luna sunk in. So, Malfoy knew about Harry being in love with Luna. That explained his desire to keep them apart these last few months. He was afraid Harry would steal her away.

Going with an urge Hermione turned to look at him. "You don't have to worry about him, you know. Harry, I mean. He won't do anything, he's just not the type." she explained looking into his eyes. He had to know that Harry wouldn't stoop that low no matter how much he loved her.

"He won't?" Malfoy countered, looking far less then convinced. His brows were noted together and he looked as though he had just bitten into a lemon. Sighing Hermione tried to think of a way to get her point across.

"Like I said. Harry's not the type. There are certain types and Harry isn't one of them. You don't have to worry about him. Nothing will ever happen." she said turning away from him so he wouldn't see how hard it was for her to say that.

Silence elapsed and Hermione wondered exactly what was going through his mind. She found out a few short minutes later when he turned towards her. "Are you trying to tell me Potter's a poof?" he asked, looking at her with an honest expression. Whatever it was Hermione had expected him to say it certainly wasn't that.

Sputtering slightly she turned towards him to do damage control. "No, no! That's not what I meant at all!" she shouted out. Stopping for a minute she collected herself enough to continue. "What I was trying to say is that Harry isn't the kind of guy who acts without social decorum. He knows when a woman is taken." After saying that she truly had to turn away so he wouldn't see how upset she was getting.

"Okay." was the only response that passed his lips. Hermione sat in silence, wondering if he had gone mental during the war. She had just told him he didn't have to worry about Harry stealing Luna and all he could say was 'okay'? This seriously wasn't making any sense to her what so ever.

"So you're not worried?" she asked. Her question once again hung there as he sat in silence. "Not even a little?" Her prompt seemed to have forced him from his thoughts because he turned to look at her.

"I was at first, but not so much anymore. Me and Potter had a chat a few weeks back, and everything is worked out." he said smiling openly. Hermione had never seen him smile like that before and she wished more than anything else she could see it more often. She knew she wouldn't though. That smile was filled with love, and that love was reserved for one person, Luna. Seemingly in his own world he continued to talk. "It's going to be good. Everything is working out like I had hoped it would. Few short years this place is going to be overrun. Weasleys, Potters, Longbottums, Creevies, Jordans, Malfoys. You'll have your hands full here. But it'll be worth it, it'll all be worth it. Cause you get to see what happens next, what happens after the war."

He was right. She did get to see what happened after. She gets to see everything, like Snape or McGonagall had before her. She gets to see the smiling children and proud parents but she'll never participate. She'll never know the joy of seeing her son or daughter receiving their letter, never see them sorted. She'll never know what it's like to nurture someone that came from her and then set them out into the world knowing that they'll do great. Snape at least had one up on her; he'd been able to watch Harry grow up at Hogwarts even though he had never participated in his life. He still got to see his son stand up in front of the ministry and receive his Order of Merlin. She would never even have the hope of one day finding a long lost child, one she had no idea even existed as hers but that was the price. She had lost her chance to be happy and instead would remain miserable in order to insure his happiness.

The quiet didn't seem to bother Draco much; he continued to stare up into the falling snow, smiling in an almost goofy sort of way. It hurt, she hurt. Tears began to well but she managed to turn her head quickly enough so that he wouldn't see. He was happy and that's all that mattered. She could live with the pain as long as he never had to suffer. On some level she knew she was being silly, that she was romanticizing something that should not have been. She supposed it was one of the few girlish traits left in her.

"We should head back inside. The snows starting to fall harder." he said, shaking her from her thoughts. Nodding she stood, looking out over the lake. Covered in the freshly fallen snow the ice seemed to gleam and shine under the moon.

Turning she saw Draco waiting for her, a questioning look in his eyes. "Its nothing." her voice quivered slightly. "Just letting go of old dreams. It's time to move on." Her voice sounded weak in her own ears but he seemed to believe her.

Cheering and shouts of celebration erupted from the castle as they drew closer. Hermione stopped short, wondering what exactly was going on. "Damn," Draco muttered. "She'll never let me live this down." Turning she stared at him in complete confusion. Feeling her stare Draco turned towards her and sighed. "I promised I would bring you back in time for the big announcement. Seems I was shy by a few seconds. Now she's never going to shut up about this."

Still not fully understanding what was going on, Hermione nodded and tried to think of a way to make him feel better. "I'm sure she'll understand." she spoke softly, trying to take the edge off his disposition. Her statement didn't seem to console him any because he was standing there, scowl firmly in place. Sighing Hermione simply stood there staring at him in order to get his attention.

He continued to fume and soon began talking, more so to himself then with her. "It's just, for two months now the entire wizarding world has been on egg shells waiting for this and now we miss it. Luna is going to kill me. Not to mention Potter will think something's amiss and instantly blame me." Sighing he leaned against the arch way they were standing under. "I mean I'm new to this whole thing, so it's not like I know exactly what is expected of me. But will she listen? No. Must be a family trait."

Standing very still Hermione tried to focus on the information. She had spent most of the last few months in her own little world, and had paid very little to what was being said in gossip. In fact she had only heard about Draco and Luna while in Diagon Alley one afternoon about a month before. "Um," she began her voice slightly unsteady. When he looked at her she continued. "Not to sound unintelligent or crazy but... What exactly are you talking about?"

Silence hung in the cold air as he looked at her. Then, suddenly, his face broke out in a large grin and he started to laugh. "Are you...telling...me...that you have...no...idea about what...was happening tonight?" he managed to get out between spurts of laughter. When she nodded stiffly, looking away in embarrassment he seemed to sober up. "Really?" She again answered with a nod. Looking at her strangely he stood up straighter. "The engagement announcement is, or well was, tonight. Surely you've heard all the gossip these last few months? Ever since the Ministry Ball it seems like that's all anyone was able to talk about." Hermione shook her head, beginning to feel even more embarrassed then before. What exactly had been said while she was moping around?

Taking her silence as a confirmation that she wanted to know he continued. "Well, it's really not that complicated. About a year before the war ended I found out Lucius wasn't my biological father. Apparently my mother had a bit of an affair with one Remus Lupin right before she was married. Imagine my reaction when I found out Tonks was going to be my stepmother. Then I found out that I was a twin a few months later, turns out even Lupin didn't know about her. So from there I met my sister, one Luna Lovegood. Luna Lupin actually, she took our true birth name after the war ended." He paused for a moment, as if trying to figure out how to continue from there. "I found out that she had been seeing Potter, and quickly tried to put a stop to that. No sister of mine was going to lower herself to be involved with a Potter. She's too good for him. They didn't listen to me. Turns out they got engaged right under my nose. Few weeks ago I found out, and had a right chat with him about it. Then tonight was the big announcement, let the entire world now that they were getting married. But now I've bollixed it by not having his best friend there in time to hear the announcement." He sighed, once again leaning against the wall.

As Hermione stood there she let it all seep in. Luna, the Luna she had been jealous of for nearly half a year, was his sister. It was all a little hard to believe in all honesty. The man she loved wasn't getting married, her best friend was. To Luna, the sister she had been jealous of. Her entire world was spinning and she just wanted to get off. Not being able to handle it any longer she finally broke down and cried. The pain from the war, the heartache, the misery, and the hope all poured into those tears. She felt like she had been crying for ages when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her. Looking up she stared into his stormy eyes, marveling at the concern in them. "Hey, I'm sorry you missed the announcement." he spoke quietly, trying to ease her tears. That was when she truly realized that the man that was holding her wasn't the Draco Malfoy she knew. This wasn't the snarky Slytherin, or the war torn spy. This was a man who had a sister, a family, and a future. She didn't know him, didn't love him as she had loved him before, but she knew she wanted to. This was who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The true question was, did he want to spend his with her?

Shaking her head, she buried her face in his chest letting it all out. He simply stood there and held her, not saying a word. After a few minutes the tears subsided but she didn't let go. Instead she finally allowed the words she had been longing to say for years escape her lips. "I love you." The words hung in the air and Hermione refused to move for fear that it would hasten his rejection.

A large hand gently but firmly lifted her chin so that their eyes met. She simply stared, not knowing what was going to happen next. Suddenly his lips descended onto hers in a chaste kiss. Hermione longed for it not to end but soon he was pulling away. She wanted to cry out at the loss but remained silent when she saw the smile on his face. Looking out over the snow covered grounds he pulled her closer. "Six years was a hell of a wait to hear you saw it, Granger." he said looking down at her with love in his eyes. Hermione gasped at the sight of it. Even though he hadn't said the words, she knew that the feelings were there.

Sinking into his side she too looked out over the grounds. The snow had stopped and the moon had appeared from behind the thick clouds. An illuminating blue hue seemed to cover everything. It was breath taking. "Blue snow, truly is the most beautiful kind." she said hypnotized by the picturesque setting before her.

Draco laughed at her statement but Hermione could hear no mocking in it. "Yes," he said letting go and turning towards the castle. Hermione looked at him in confusion. Walking away she heard his next statement on the wind. "We really should request it for our own engagement party. Come on, we should go wish the happy couple a good life."

Standing there Hermione looked after him is shock. 'Our own engagement party...had he just...' she thought trying to grasp the notion. A large smile crossed her lips as she ran after him. The past no longer mattered, now she had a future and many years of blue snow to look forward to.

the end