Disclaimer: I own no part of the HP franchise, all rights to JK and co., and no profit is made off this fic.

AN: I don't seem to know what's good for me, do I? This blurb came to me as I was reading bad mystery novels and begged to be written. So now I have how many unfinished projects? Urgh. Let me know if you're intrigued by it and I'll try to write some more! It should be pretty obvious what's going on. Well, obvious enough for basics, but if I were to give it all away right now, what's the fun in that?

From across the room came the sound of a glass shattering as it fell to the floor. Draco glanced up sharply, immediately alert and a moment later his eyes widened. He suddenly went pale, his lips pressed together in a thin line. He turned to his date and took her by the shoulders.

"Jeannie, love, what do you say to leaving now?"

She looked up at him, momentarily startled, a smile from her conversation with another guest still upon her lips.

"Leave? Now? Daniel, we've only just arrived."

"No we haven't," he argued – something he wasn't used to doing with her, miracle of miracles. "We've been here at least forty minutes already and you know I wanted to leave early when you agreed to come with me at all." He pulled her close, one arm drawing snugly about her waist in what she thought was a rather obscenely possessive manner. She kind of liked it. What was more, he knew she kind of liked it and he smirked as he lowered his mouth to her ear and whispered, "And you know exactly why I wanted to leave early."

"Dan!" she gasped, but she was laughing as she pushed him away. He let her put some distance between them, but only in order to slide his arm away from her waist and take her hand instead.

"Come on," he grinned down at her, tilting his head. "Let's get out of here."

"Alright…but only because I love you."

His heart skipped a beat and he glanced back at her as he led her towards the nearest exit, putting the crowds of people behind them. He could just see a commotion beginning at the far end of the ballroom, but then he had a hand on the door in front of them and was pushing out, Jeannie right behind him. He paused just outside, letting the doors bang shut, and pulled her to him again. She loved him? Well, there was only one appropriate response to that.

He kissed her thoroughly and when he lifted his head he saw she was looking up at him, her eyes shining, and a smile back in place upon her lips.

"Love?" he questioned and she bit her lip shyly and nodded. He wondered why he suddenly felt incredibly sad.

"Jeannie…"

If she bit her lip a little harder than necessary, it was hard to tell in the dim light of evening. She continued to smile up at him, her hazel eyes sparkling.

"You don't have to say anything, you big git. Just shut up and take me home. After all, isn't that why you wanted to leave?"

"Merlin," he muttered, so soft she wasn't sure she heard him properly and she laughed.

"Did you just say Merlin again, Dan? You're so weird!"

He grinned again and held her tighter. "I am and I love you," he said. Jeannie went very still, the smile slipping from her face.

"Daniel, you don't have to…"

"I want to. Oh, Jeannie. I want to. I love you." He bent over her, kissing her again, trailing his mouth along her jaw to her ear, layering more kisses along her skin, causing it to prickle with heat in the cool evening air. "I love you. I love you."

Her breath came quicker and she'd just placed her hands on his cheeks, eagerly directing him back to her mouth when the door they'd just exited from began to open. Draco immediately crushed Jeannie to him and hauled her around the corner of the building, hiding them in the deep shadows. Jeannie froze, but a second later lifted her head as if to question him. Draco slapped a hand over her mouth, startling her – no, frightening her. He looked down at her and saw her eyes were wide with fear and he felt his heart beat erratically at the sight. Hadn't he told himself he would never do this to her if he could help it, that he would never make her relive any of those awful moments of terror she must have known, back before he'd found her, back when all the trouble had begun? Yet here he was, not moments after confessing his love to her, after hearing her confess hers for him, and he was doing the very thing he'd tried to avoid at all costs.

He never should have brought her back to England.

He should have left her in Australia.

He should have tried to forget that Hermione Granger had ever existed.

Footsteps sounded on the cement, just feet – inches, really – away from where they were hidden and he held his hand over Jeannie's tightly. He could feel her pulse throbbing in her neck, pressed against the skin of his wrist and he was sure she could feel the terror racing through his veins too. He hoped it would make her more understanding. The footsteps shuffled for a moment and then a male voice spoke.

"I swear to god, she was here. It was her, Ginny. I promise you."

There was a light click of heels and then came his companion's voice. It was sad…resigned. It made Draco feel even worse.

"Harry…please don't take this the wrong way, but…you see her everywhere. Are you really sure it was her?"

"Ginny, I swear. I swear!" The anguish in the man's voice was palpable and Draco shuddered and tucked Jeannie closer to him, bending over her protectively, as if he could will them away and out of sight. He felt her trembling in his arms and wished he were dead. She was going to hate him for this. He would never be able to explain it. She was going to hate him.

The woman spoke again, soothingly, wearily. "Alright, Harry. Let's go back in. We can ask at reception about the guests. Maybe there'll be a name we recognize."

"Like an alias – yeah, right, of course. Why didn't I think of that? Instead of rushing after them, chasing her away…god, I'm such an idiot!"

"Harry, no. No, please. You aren't. She was your best friend, you've every right to react the way you did. If Ron were here..." There was a pause and then more pleading. "Come on, come back inside. Whoever it was is gone now. Come in and I'll check the registry with you. It's better than nothing."

"Better than…" There was a pathetic laugh from the Boy Who Lived. "You know, I think sometimes that at this point I'd almost rather have nothing than this endless waiting…" The soft sound of tears began and Draco decided that they'd heard enough. Keeping his arms wrapped about Jeannie, he hoped Ginny was too focused on Harry to hear them and then swiftly began leading her away.

They reached the parking lot without incident and Draco finally drew away from Jeannie, easing his hold on her. She shrugged his arms away entirely as he clicked the car doors unlocked and opened her own door before he could get it for her…but she didn't get in right away and he let her stand there, watching him as he watched her right back, waiting for the inevitable.

"Well," she finally began, rubbing absently at her cheek – his finger marks from where he'd kept her quiet still visible. He forced himself to look. It was only fair. She glanced away, tugging the cashmere shrug she wore a little closer about her otherwise bare shoulders.

"Well," she repeated. "That was interesting. What do you suppose it was?"

"Jeannie, I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have held you that way."

"What's the matter, thought you saw an ex-girlfriend back there?" she quipped, surprising him. "Is that the real reason you dragged me out of there so quickly?" When he didn't answer, she went on. "Or I guess I should say, that's what I thought at first, but then they started talking…god, that was sad, wasn't it?" She looked at him again and he swallowed hard, unsure of what to say. Was this it? Was it all going to be over from one stupid mistake, one accident?

She smiled at him. "Of course, then I figured you just didn't want to disturb them. It would've been awkward if they'd realized we were there and heard the whole thing, wouldn't it?" She frowned thoughtfully and her mind jumped from one idea to the next without lingering, working as swiftly as it ever had, which was certainly a benefit to him in this situation. "Who do you think they meant?" she asked. "We didn't even get to hear a name, just the names of those two. Harry and Ginny…they sounded so grieved…so very sad," she repeated, as if her mind was stuck now, unable to get past the emotion she'd heard in the strangers' voices.

Draco's mouth went dry as he stared at the woman in front of him, leaning nonchalantly on his luxury car, looking up at the stars and thinking about the mysterious, missing woman…thinking about herself without even realizing it.

It was terribly sad.

Draco made a decision and leaned across the roof of the vehicle to tousle her curly brown locks, cut short since he'd known her. Well, since he'd known this version of her. Predictably, she rolled her head around and glared at him.

"Daniel!"

"Sorry, love," he said, grinning, though he looked contrite enough. "I really wasn't expecting them to crash our party for two. Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"

Her expression softened and she smiled again. "I'm alright, Dan."

He felt relief flood his limbs and their words from before came back to him. His eyes darkened before he could help himself.

"Want me to take you home?"

Her smile turned into a saucy grin and she tilted her head.

"I thought you'd never ask."