(A/N): I'm working on Mistaken Identity at the moment, but this story is just waiting to be told, though I must say there have been so few reviews for it that I might not carry on with it. Therefore REVIEW if you want to keep reading. If you don't like it you could at least tell me what is wrong with it. Anyway moving on this is another Dramione…Enjoy ;-p BTW I'mrating this a T please tell me if you think the rating is too high. OKnow you canenjoy ;-p

A Solemn Joke

He didn't know when it had began or how, hell he wasn't even sure what it was. The only thing he knew for certain was her. Or put simply who.

He thought back to the day the madness had taken over. But this was once again one of those things he wasn't sure about. After all was it madness or was it crystal clear sanity, his first glance at reality even.

He guessed that if he thought about it rationally then the first instinct was to blame his father, or maybe thank him for giving him the one thing he had never given him in life, in his death. It hadn't been a head rush because of the freedom he had gained; no this was worse and better all rolled into one.

Draco was not his father and he never would be, but his father had not given up on planning the ideal clone or in trying to make Draco into that clone. Not until his last moments.

Of course he had changed sides. Draco was a Slytherin, he was ambitious and number one on his list of goals had not been getting himself killed. His father had never understood that. Draco had of course gone on about blood purity but to him it was nothing, ridding the world of Muggles and Muggleborns weren't in his 'top twenty things to do before I die' list, and neither was becoming the Dark Lord's sidekick. So Draco fought for those who he knew were going to win. But deep down he knew the truth and he knew that ambition at nothing to do with it.

It was all her. He had to prove himself, show that he was worthy. After all torturing Muggles had never been his thing, it was just the front he put up, to protect himself from the enemy. It was a Malfoy eat Malfoy world out there and in the end it all boiled down to survival of the fittest and on who could survive without the mask. That was where she came in. She had taken of his mask and made sure he had kept breathing. Who'd have thought that he would be head boy? He the biggest bully in the sixth year was now the one who had to promote friendship between students and look down on retaliation, when the year before he would have egged on anyone who was trying to start a fight.

Very few people were told of were my loyalties actually laid. She knew and that made all the difference. It meant he could drop the façade, with her. They were civil, then warmish and then they were friendly. That was right Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger were friends. But the world continued turning regardless. At points in his life he had thought that if he became friends with a Muggleborns then the world would stop turning and hell would literally freeze over. But nothing had changed, except maybe us.

Virtually over night Hermione had become the most important thing in his life, the best friend that he had never had, the kind that would stick around for the thick and the thin. The head's quarters had become their sanctuary, he could remember the sleepless nights they had shared talking about utter rubbish and the future, and sometimes even stray into memories of days gone by. Hermione's favourite two still being her slapping him in third year and Malfoy the amazing bouncing ferret.

Thing was they could talk about these things and laugh now, because he could admit it was funny and laugh at himself, he had been humbled.

Then of course there was that night where light fought the dark and the light had prevailed. The audible sigh that spread through the world could be felt and not just heard. Then of course there was less than a month to go. It was about to end. Those last few days had been the most precious and yet they were distant memories and a blur of colour.

Except one conscious decision and a night, the night before graduation, their last night, together. He had been invited to the Gryffindor common room, for the last ever seventh year party and he had gone.

And now here they were walking unchecked down the corridors, laughing hysterically, despite the fact that it was well past midnight. They entered their quarters, Hermione first. She turned at his voice calling her name after he had shut the portrait hall. His eyes full of…of …and he was calling her name so softly she had to strain to hear it. Her heart began to pound in her ears. She was not afraid that he would hurt her, only of what he might say, but she knew he would never hurt her.

Almost as suddenly his voice returned to normal and he was looking down into her eyes and she was lost. He took her hand and was kneeling on one knee. She was confused. Then he started talking in his usual light, jokey manner, one only she had had the privilege of seeing.

"Hermione Jane Granger, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" she was unsure whether he was joking, but she just took the lead from his tone.

"Why of course Mr. Malfoy, I can think of nothing better." That had been the truth on her part.

He smiled up at her, and then produced a small velvet box from his robes. He carried on smiling while her mouth dropped open. He opened the box. Inside was a delicate white gold ring encrusted with a deep shining ruby. She gasped, it was beautiful, it was them she realised that it was them, the white gold was Draco the silver of Slytherin and the ruby was her, Gryffindor. Together the two looked beautiful. Instead of putting the ring on her finger he handed it to her.

"Read the inscription," he whispered softly when she took the ring from his fingers. There on the inner band in small swirling letters were the words 'fatum simul.' She knew what that meant 'destined together' soul mates. And then she smiled, for she knew that was what they were. He stood and took the ring from her hand and slipped it on her finger.

She had looked at him in awe. "You're my soul mate," he had said simply while she nodded. The remainder of the night they had spent simply holding each other knowing that there would not be another night like this at Hogwarts.

All too soon graduation was over. Goodbyes were spoken and everyone knew that some were meant to be forever.

He had to leave that day on a mission for Dumbledore and he had promised her he would return safe. That had been ten years ago to the day. He was on his was back. He had managed to return Voldemort's ashes to the Underworld. To Hades for safe keeping. This was a measure they had had to take so none of his lunatic followers got it into their heads to try and resurrect him. The only problem was how long it took; he had been gone ten years. Ten years of no contact with civilisation, ten years in which anything could have happened.

The thought speeded him along, he had promised to return safe but she had never promised to be there. Somehow he knew that he would know if she ever rejected him and that kept him strong. And then he was standing outside her house, and walking purposefully to door only to have it flung open. A small body launching itself at him, sobs breaking its' tiny form in happiness. He carried her inside and sat her down worried she might over excite herself and do some damage.

He watched her for a minute and knew the answers to all his previous unanswerable questions. It had begun the day he had taken his first breath or more likely before that and he would not stop until he took his last breath, yet he knew that what he felt would last past the ends of time. Was it insanity, no it was his first breath of air after being held under the water with his vision blurred, this was clear. Last of all what was it? He knew that before he had even begun to think, it was love, unadulterated, pure, simple, and stronger than any other force that could be found on this earth. He smiled, he knew he would drop dead at her feet the moment she had asked and he also knew that she wouldn't ask it.

He leaned forward and grasped her hand only to recoil in shock when he noticed that something he had placed there ten years ago was missing. He paled, she had no other rings on her finger and at that he let himself breathe…a little.

However the truth still remained that she had given up hope, given him up for dead, even though he had promised he would return to her safe. She had moved on. It had been ten years what could he expect…that she would wait forever? He wondered if she would ask him to leave, knowing he would go, hoping each second that he would call her back. He wondered whether the tears had just been in relief for his safety and not as he'd thought for the return of the love of her life.

He hadn't noticed the woman's sobs subsiding as he had become lost in his thoughts. He snapped out of his reverie when a voice broke through the tense silence.

"Looking for this?" she asked holding out a small chain which hung around her neck. Dangling on that chain was the ring still as beautiful as ever.

"I…I…needed to feel closer to you...I needed you next to my heart"

She never said anymore as his lips caught hers in a kiss, their first. A lifetimes' worth of longing and love poured out of them and into the other.

And if the two had not been so preoccupied they might have noticed the ring glowing bright between them. But then again maybe it wasn't designed to be noticed, just acknowledged.

(A/N): Review and tell me if you liked this and whether or not you want tales from Draco's ten year journey.