Prologue

In the spring of 1998, Hogwarts had seen its greatest group of students graduate. This magnificent class consisted of Harry Potter; the boy-who-lived-to-defeat-You-Know-Who, Hermione; the smartest student that Hogwarts had seen since Rowena Ravenclaw herself and Draco Malfoy; perhaps the second smartest student since Rowena Ravenclaw. It had been a joyous occasion, a last hurrah if you will before the devastation that was to follow.

The summer that followed proved to be one of the worst eras that the Magical World had seen, playing host to the Great War. Those three horrendous months had been full of destruction and sorrow, marked by an enormous amount of casualties. St Mungo's and the Hogwarts Infirmary had been packed with the injured, both fighters and innocent civilians. The losses had been so great that the back of the Forbidden Forest, the furthest end from the school, had been cut down and was now the burial site for all of the Light Fighters.

For the Weasley clan, it had not been a pleasant time. Percy had perished at the hand of Lucius Malfoy, whose life was soon taken by his very own son. Ronald had been institutionalised in the large Magical hospital for six months after being hit with a necrotising curse, suffering as Healers tried to prevent the curse from eating away at his muscle tissue and enduring a further year of recovery.

Many from the class of 1998 had fought in the war. Neville Longbottom had finally proven himself as a true Gryffindor, fighting three Death Eaters at once and coming out triumphant. As expected Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws and Gryffindors fought a wonderful fight together, the Light side emerging from the battle victorious. But what had surprised everyone the most was the number of Slytherins that had fought for the Light side. Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson and Theodore Nott Millicent Bulstrode were only a few of the Slytherin graduates to fight behind Potter and the Light Side. But the most surprising of all was Draco Malfoy.

Most had assumed him to be a Death Eater. He had been greatly favoured by Voldemort due to his father's keen and loyal involvement and the fact that not only was he from one of the purest pureblood bloodlines, but that all of his ancestors had been avid followers of the Dark Arts and had hated the meer idea of Muggleborns. But Draco wasn't foolish. He knew better than to dabble with the Dark Arts and in his final year, had turned to Dumbledore to help. He had proven himself to be a great use, killing many Death Eaters and rescuing his fellow fighters from their peril.

The battle had raged on, many in low spirits as the war had begun to feel like a futile effort. Yet at the very last moment, the Golden Trio had begun brandishing their full power; just as it seemed that the war would never end, the most spectacular thing had occurred.

Hermione had unleashed a power from inside her that no one had seen before. She had begun to glow, a bright golden light emanating from her. Unbeknownst to many, a similar thing had occurred to Draco. The Death Eaters had frozen as if momentarily paralysed, with many of the Light side ensuring to either vanquish or disarm them. In the confusion of the moment, Harry had been able to defeat Harry and the war was thankfully over.

As the Magical world tried to recover from the destruction, all fighters had been accounted for; both the Light and Dark. That is all the fighters except for two. It had taken thirteen days for all the fighters to be accounted for but these two were never located, their bodies missing and their whereabouts unaccounted for. These two fighters had vanished from the moment that the last Death Eater had fallen to the ground. Who were these two fighters?

Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy.

Spring 2005

Ministry of Magic: 11-03-2005

Kingsley Shacklebolt stared up at the screen before him in disbelief. Their search for Hermione and Draco had never ended at the insistence of Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore who were convinced that the two were still alive somewhere. The impressive screen in front of him displayed a map of the world. The Aura Detector had been set up after the Great War to detect the auras of the missing that were still alive. Kingsley had himself believed the pair to be dead – and yet, right in front of him, a pink dot was on the screen beside a blue one. Their auras had been found…again.

They had been spotted individually from time to time around one area, into which they would disappear. That, he assumed, is where they are; at that vast area of land where their auras are unplottable. "Finnegan! Finnegan, you fool! Get over here now!" Hannah Finnegan, previously known as Hannah Abbott, rushed into the room. "Get Albus Dumbledore here now! Immediately!" He bellowed at her. The poor women squeaked with fear and rushed out of the room to the closest fireplace. Throwing in a handful of Floo-Powder, she yelled on the top of her voice, "Albus Dumbledore's office!"

She stuck her head through the flames to see Albus Dumbledore staring serenely at her. "Yes Mrs. Finnegan?"

She took in a long deep breath before hurriedly saying, "Shacklebolt want to see you urgently, Dumbledore sir." The old man nodded once before calmly walking through the flames, appearing beside her. "He's just in there." She said, pointing to the room she had just left.

"Thank you, dear. Say hello to Seamus and the kids for me." He replied cheerily before making his way into the room. "Good evening, Kingsley. What may I do for you?"

"Found them!" Kingsley yelled joyously. "They're alive! They are definitely alive!"

A familiar, old twinkle crept back into the eyes of the aged man. He had been wary when the pair had risen into the air, winds blowing around them ferociously. But their disappearance had truly shocked him, along with the rest of the nation. "Are you sure?"

Kingsley nodded enthusiastically. He indicated to the two dots that were moving towards the region where they would soon disappear. He explained to Albus how the dots had been seen from time to time and how he had deduced their location as the dots once again disappeared. "Excellent work Kinsgley!"

Kingsley smiled widely. "Thank you, sir! But my only question is, what are the chances that they are together right now after all these years?"

Albus smiled with a knowing twinkle in his eyes. "That, my friend, is for them to explain for it is their secret. I am sure that once their recovery had become public, the truth will be known by all. But for now, we must inform Harry that Hermione has been found! Although…I think I shall conveniently forget to mention Draco, eh?" He added cheekily before heading down the corridors to a fireplace.

"Potter residence!" He yelled before stepping through the blazing flames.

Potter Household

Harry Potter sat at the dining table, sipping on his mug of strong coffee. His dishevelled raven hair fell into his face, sticking out at the top. His green eyes had matured, marred by the atrocities he had witnessed during the war. He was still quite strong, his muscle had become a little less defined as he had settled into his role as a doting husband and father.

He had arrived home from work a few hours ago and was looking forward to the weekend, where he would be able to rest. He stared out of the window as the sun slowly set, his mind full of thoughts. The Festival of Revival had passed only a few days ago, commemorating the seventh anniversary of the end of the Great War. It had been a wonderful day, and yet it had been a sad occasion for many of the graduates of 1998 as they mourned the loss of their friends. It had been especially difficult for Harry, reminding him that it had been seven long years since he had last seen his close friend, Hermione.

He sighed softly, wondering whatever could have happened to her. So much had occurred in the past seven years and it truly hurt him that she wasn't there for any of it. He was certain that she couldn't be dead. It was as if he had formed a sixth sense through the closeness of the Golden Trio. Even when Ron had been hit with the curse, he had known something was wrong. And at no time did he feel any unease about Hermione. She was safe somewhere and he knew it; and yet he couldn't prove it.

"Harry…Harry!" He snapped out of his daze, turning to his wife. Ginevra Potter was a certainly a sight for sore eyes; her auburn hair lay gently on her shoulders, her baby blue eyes looking out at him with concern. "What's bothering you? I hate seeing you like this!"

"Hermione…" He whispered softly into his mug.

She sighed heavily, her eyes darkening with sadness, and sat down beside him. "I know…I miss her everyday too, darling. She was a part of me, like a sister. But we both know she is safe somewhere out there. And we will find her."

Harry smiled weakly as Ginny stood up to finish cooking dinner. "Could you be a dear and get the kids to wash their hands for dinner?"

She had barely finished her sentence when footsteps could be heard thumping down the stairs. Two little kids raced into the kitchen, their fiery red hair flying behind them. "James! Stop chasing Lily around the room!"

The boy stopped and stared at their father with his brilliant green eyes. "But she hit me!" Harry sighed as the familiar banter started, turning to his daughter.

"Only because he called me stupid!" Harry couldn't help by roll his eyes at the two.

"Alright. You're both at fault. Now wash your hands and behave or no dinner for the two of you!" The little children gasped with horror before racing to wash their hands. Ginny chuckled lightly and placed the food on the table.

An hour later, Ginny announced that it was bedtime for the kids – only to prompt their earnest protests. "No buts! Both of you to bed now!" She stated, sounding a lot like her mother. She held both their hands and led them upstairs.

Harry smiled softly at his family before retiring to the lounge room. He sat down and picked up the nearest book; a copy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare that Hermione had given him as a graduation present. He had begun reading when a voice distracted him.

"Harry, my boy! Good to see you reading for once!" Harry looked up to see a bright, warm smile adorning Albus Dumbledore's face; something he hadn't seen in almost seven years.

"Yes…I thought I'd give it a try." Harry answered with a chuckle.

Albus' eyes gleamed with merriment as Ginny returned to the room and greeted the Headmaster with a hug. "I'm glad you're here, Ginny. I need to speak with you both. I'm sorry that Ron isn't here as well but I'm sure that Africa is treating him well."

Ginny smiled warmly at the thought of his brother. After his recovery in hospital, he was living life with a newly-found fervour. He had asked his girlfriend, Lavender Brown, to marry him a year after the war had ended. The tall, burly red-head was currently in Africa for a match against the African Quidditch team, proudly playing for the Chudley Cannons. His wife had stayed behind to look after their three sons; Matthew, Christopher and Nicholas.

Albus paused for a moment, the sparkle in his eye seeming to grow larger if that were even possible. "We have found her." He stated simply, waiting for the couple to react.

Silence filled the room for a split second as the news sank in. "What?!" Harry yelled, leaping quickly to his feet.

"Yes…somewhere in the middle of America. Safe and sound." After again embracing Albus tightly, Ginny turned to her husband with tears spilling down her face. He wrapped his arms around her, his eyes filling with tears.

"Finally."