"Happy birthday Hermione." Draco's voice echoed through the quiet graveyard. His hand pressed to the simple stone that held her name, and dates. As usual, he left a single daisy.
"A lot has happened this year, "he said, sitting down, facing her headstone.
"I know I should visit you more, it just hurts. Anyway, Harry and Luna had their first child, a darling little girl. They named her Hermione of course." Draco pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around himself.
"Ron and Pansy finally got together. They've been wandering around the office, just seeing who would break first. I guess they kind of just broke at the same time. Really though, I can't believe you called that one back in school, before they ever really talked. You really were the brightest witch of our age."
That's when Draco broke, he had been holding on, but of course he couldn't hold it back for very long. The tears always came when he visited her.
"Hey Draco." Harry said, coming to sit by him.
"Hello Harry." Harry rested a hand on Draco's back, doing his best as usual to be there for him.
"Have you ever thought of not coming?"
"It's been seven years Harry, of course I've thought of it. I've also thought of moving on, but that's the thing about finding your soul mate, you can't ever really move on."
"I'm not sure if I've ever told you this, but I am so thankful for you. She was so happy, all she could ever do was smile, and it got so hard toward the end. But you made it better."
"I wasn't able to save her though."
"No one could have Draco, it was a war."
"She died saving me, but I was not worth saving Harry."
"Draco Malfoy, she was so in love with you, and that made you worth saving to her."
"I just wish she was still here." Draco said, letting out a small sob.
Harry pulled Draco a bit closer, letting him lean on his shoulder. "I know, I do too. But we have to keep living, we owe it to her."
"I know Harry, I know."
"I'll leave you two alone, okay? Just, come over afterward, have dinner with Luna and me?"
"Yeah, of course. I'll see you in a bit."
Then, with a small pop, Draco was alone again.
"Why Hermione, why did you have to do it? Voldemort could have just killed me, and you could have moved on. You're so much stronger than I am, I don't know how to do this. To live without you, it's been hell my love."
He faced the silence, becoming so angry. What kind of world was this, one without her? Seven years, and really he was still just going through the motions.
Every day was the same thing. Just barely holding on, and really he was only going still for his mom. But she was gone now, so what was keeping him here?
"Hermione, is there a heaven? Please just tell me, because I need to believe you're not just gone. Love, I need to know that I'll see you again. Not that I deserve to go to heaven, but I swear I would earn it, for you. Just…please." Draco looked toward the darkening sky, and he yelled, "Just give me damn sign!"
But there was nothing, just an echo, followed by silence. So he decided to go and have dinner with his friends, maybe eventually he would find a sign.
Within a moment he was standing in a warm living room. Luna came right over, wrapping him up in a warm hug. "It's so good to see you Draco, are you okay?"
"I'm as okay as I can be."
Just then there was a cry, and Luna rushed to her baby. She gently rocked the crying baby, and Draco came a bit closer so that he could get a better look at the new baby. "Would you like to hold her?"
"Uhm, well, okay." Draco said hesitantly, having never held a child before.
The baby squirmed a bit as Draco rocked her, but calmed quickly. "Hello lovely." Draco said softly, cooing over the blue eyed baby. She gave a little sound, which to him sounded happy, and he smiled. This child, this life, that's what he realized he wanted, but he knew he couldn't have that.
"Luna, please, could you take her? I must go now." He handed the baby off, and popped out immediately, leaving no time for questions. He landed by her grave, and fell to his knees, sobbing. "It's not fair, it's not bloody fair Hermione. We deserved to be happy, why did you have to die?"
"I didn't Draco."
Draco stood, and pivoted toward the voice. And there she stood, looking a bit older, and very sad. But she was still his lioness.
"What, but how? I saw—"
"I know, but I survived, silly right? But, there were a lot of heavy duty protection charms on me. So I played dead, and my plan was to meet with you after the war, but you would be amazed by the amount of death eaters that went uncaught, and chased me."
"So seven years, you ran for seven years? I could have helped you!" Draco shouted.
"I ran for three years, and then I hid for five. I just assumed that you had moved on, and I couldn't stand the idea of seeing you moved on. It's just, I came here, just in the hopes of catching a glimpse of you, hoping that you still visited."
"I haven't stopped visiting. And I haven't moved on. Seven years Hermione, it's been seven years, and I just—"
Hermione cut him off, rushing up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and kissing him hard. His arms wrapped around her waist and he picked her. "I'm so sorry Draco." She said this, over and over again between kisses.
"I love you Hermione, always."
"I love you too Draco, I love you so much."
"Don't ever leave me Hermione, never again. I came here to say goodbye to your grave, before allowing myself to slip away from the world. Because honestly, there was no one for me to live for after my mother died."
"I'm sorry." There were tears, and they were falling from both of their eyes.
They had a long road ahead of them, but now they knew it was a road they would be walking together.