AN: After a long time of procrastination, the revised version of Partners is finally up.

I want to send my sincerest thanks to Marmalade Fever, whose fic Eight and Eighth has inspired me to write this story; to Darkwinter999, who has written a wonderful summary for it; to my long-time betas Lolabri and S. A. Blossom, who has always given me the ultimate help in writing; to my new beta Olga, who has helped me revise the first eight chapters; and of course, to all of my reviewers, favourite adders and subscribers, without whom I wouldn't have had the encouragement to continue. A big thank-you to you as well, for taking the time to read/reread this story.

To clear all the confusion that may arise, this fic takes place in the summer after Voldemort's fall in DH. And of course, it isn't epilogue-compatible.

Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I am no owner of Harry Potter.

Partners – Chapter 1 - Runaway Bride

by Leopion

Hermione Granger examined herself in the mirror. She looked just fine in a simple knee-length azure dress with matching high heels, her normally bushy brown hair pulled neatly into a French plait and tied with a blue silk ribbon. However, she still felt a bit uncomfortable. It was unusual for her to dress up like this. Then again, it was even more unusual for Ron to ask her out to dinner. When Hermione asked him what the occasion was, Ron merely shrugged and countered that whether he needed an occasion to take his girlfriend out on a date. Maybe Ron had finally grown up after all?

Taking one last look at her own reflection, Hermione walked out of her room and went downstairs. Ron was waiting in the living room, wearing a grey button-up shirt and a pair of charcoal trousers. He looks smart and... different, mused Hermione, her cheeks slightly coloured.

'You look gorgeous,' greeted Ron, making her blush even more.

'So do you,' she replied. Ron grinned broadly and took her hand. Together they Apparated to Hogsmeade and arrived in front of a restaurant with Baroque architecture that sported a sign with golden letters written in fancy calligraphy: 'The Royal Orchid'. Hermione was slightly startled; she had expected Ron to take her to somewhere more casual. Could he even afford dining in this extravagant place?

The host, who was wearing formal black dress robes, greeted them in the doorway.

'Good evening, sir, madam. May I help you?'

'Eh, Weasley, dinner for two,' replied Ron, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

The man then guided them to their table. As Hermione walked across the room, she couldn't suppress a gasp of admiration. There were delicately decorated candles floating in the air, casting soft golden light over the whole place. Immaculately white orchids embellished the beautiful architecture as their sweet scent filled the air. The couple arrived at a private booth overlooking the garden, where there was a fountain playing.

'Oh, Ron,' said Hermione when they were waiting for the waiter. 'I don't know what to—' she stopped abruptly as a small velvet box in Ron's hand caught her eye. Even though she had an idea what it was, she raised an eyebrow and blurted, 'What's in that box?'

Ron blushed and mumbled something barely audible, but Hermione could still make out the word 'marry'. That was it. She knew it! She knew from the start that there was something wrong with all of these romantic things!

'No!' she said angrily.

'Mione, please,' pleaded Ron.

'A no is a no, Ron. And don't "Mione" me.'

'But why? You love me, don't you?'

'Yes, I love you. Is that enough for you? A few years later, maybe I would have said yes. But not today.'

'But what's wrong with today? Dad proposed to Mum when they were eighteen too, you know.'

'But they had already finished their education and had jobs! We haven't even sat our N.E.W.T.s!'

'But—'

Hermione cut him off, 'No buts, Ronald Weasley.'

'Hermione!'

Hermione stalked out of the restaurant without a word, leaving Ron sitting in the booth looking dumbfounded. Luckily, the other couples were too caught up in their own matters to notice. Hermione stormed down the street, many passers-by getting out of her way as though she might blow them up if they didn't.

Breathe, Hermione, breathe. You need to calm down, she told herself. But how was she supposed to calm down? Ron had just proposed to her. She hadn't completed her education. She didn't even know if she could go back to Hogwarts. She had no job, no career, and Ron had just proposed to her! Had she mentioned that already? Well, her repetition of thoughts was not hard to understand regarding her currently fuzzy brain. All she could think of was to get far, far away from Ron—as far as possible. But she couldn't just walk around like this all night. It was pointless, and her heels were killing her. Hermione didn't know where to go either, so Apparition wasn't really an option. At that very moment, an idea occurred to her: She could take the Knight Bus and then think of her destination on the way.

Having been told by Harry about the Knight Bus's appearance, Hermione covered her ears and closed her eyes. Despite her attempts to disguise two of her senses, she could still hear a loud bang and feel the bright light beam through her closed eyelids. When she finally opened her eyes, the bus conductor had already leapt out of the bus and begun his speech. At first she thought it was Stan Shunpike with his protruding ears and pimply face, but then she realised that he looked younger.

'Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Steve Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this evening. Where do you want to go, Miss?'

Ah, so he was Stan's brother!

'Well, I don't exactly know yet. Can I uhm... just get on the bus and then think about it on the way?'

'Yes, of course. It's seven Sickles. You'll be paid back if it's a short journey or you'll have to pay extra fare if it's long.'

Hermione searched her beaded bag, which she terribly wished she hadn't cleared after the Horcrux hunt, and took out the money to pay while Steve began to go up the steps. Hermione followed; the two of them went past a fat snoring wizard and an extremely old witch before reaching a vacant bed at the end of the triple-decker.

Finally, having settled in her bed, she began to think of a destination. Where could she go now? There must be someone she knew who Ron wouldn't show up to harass while looking for her. Draco Malfoy?

...

Did she really just think that? Well, it did answer her question, literally. But it was certainly, definitely, absolutely not the answer to her problem. How could she ever—

'Next stop, Malfoy Manor. Here you go, Miss.'

Hermione opened her mouth to protest but didn't have a chance to say anything before being thrown out of the bus and slammed into what must be the gate. The next thing she saw was a dungeon cell. Oh, great! Now she had found a place to stay the night: Malfoy's dungeon of all the bloody places in the world.

'Well, well, well, let's see what we have here,' came a drawling voice from above. Hermione groaned. She really did not want to see Malfoy right now. But it was hard not to, wasn't it? This was his house after all.

Malfoy appeared at the end of the passage. As he walked by, the torches on the wall lit up one after another, shedding dim light on the cold, damp dungeons.

'Didn't think that I'd live to see the day the Mud-princess came to our humble dungeons,' continued Malfoy, sarcasm evident in his voice. He had finally reached a spot right outside her cell and was leaning against the bars.

'Let me out!' yelled Hermione.

'Let you out? Tell me, Granger. Why would I ever want to do that?'

'You want to keep me here then? Didn't think you enjoy my company that much,' she teased.

'I thought that is for me to say considering you are the one who threw yourself at my door, dressing like that,' Malfoy smirked, cocking his head at her bare legs, then turned to leave. As if forgetting something, he stopped halfway through the passage, looking back at Hermione, and added with another trademark smirk on his face, 'Enjoy yourself, Granger.'

'You're going to pay for this, Malfoy,' burst out Hermione.

'Oh really? I'm scared,' he mocked.

'Yeah, you should be scared when the Ministry sends you to Azkaban to reunite with your parents.'

The words came out of Hermione's mouth before she could catch herself.

'I... I didn't mean to say that,' she whispered. For a fraction of a second, she almost thought that she saw a flash of pain in his eyes. But then he said emotionlessly, his eyes as cold and steely grey as ever, 'Say what you want to, Granger. I don't bloody care.'

And with that, he walked away, disappearing into the darkness.

Hermione was sitting on the cold stone floor. All of the torches had been extinguished as Malfoy left, so the only light in the cell right now was the pale moonlight gleaming through a small barred window. Hermione knew that in some castles there were windows in the dungeon cells that were level with the ground outside, but somehow she had pictured Malfoy's as the kind of darker, gloomier dungeon that ran deeply underground. Her mind shifted to their encounter earlier. She knew that she shouldn't have said such a mean thing, but she had said it anyway. The damage was done, though Hermione still couldn't shake the feeling of guilt rising in her stomach every time she recalled the flash of pain in his eyes. Then again, she could have been imagining it, couldn't she? There was only one thing that she knew for certain: Malfoy would never let her out of here after that.

However, on the bright side, she had found some Chocolate Frogs in her bag to feed her empty stomach. It had also made her brain operate much more efficiently. For instance, Hermione was able to recollect why she was chucked out of the bus earlier. It was stated in A Book on Wizarding Transportation that if a passenger failed to specify their destination within the first thirteen miles, they would be thrown out. What a stupid rule that was! At least Steve was kind enough to tell her where she was going to be. Like that would make any difference.

Hermione had also come up with a plan of what she would do after getting out of this cell. She would go to the Burrow to collect her things then go to Grimmauld Place. It wouldn't guarantee not encountering Ron, but that was the best option Hermione had until her parents found a new house in Britain (she had already lifted the enchantment on them, but they would stay in Australia for a while seeing that their house had been sold when they moved). The question was, how she could get out of here? She had tried every spell she knew, but the bars wouldn't move an inch. She didn't have any luck with the lock either. Maybe it only opened for a Malfoy or something. Come to think of it, the torches did light up of their own accord when he came, and she didn't remember him using any incantations. Then again, they could have been non-verbal.

Hermione was lost in her thought when she heard a sound of flapping wings. A brown owl dashed through the bars of the small window and into her cell, dropped a package and flew away. It was a letter from Hogwarts. Hermione slit open the envelope and began to read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Dear Ms Granger,

We are pleased to inform you that you are invited back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for another year to complete your education. However, it is completely up to you to decide whether or not you wish to attend. The new school year will begin on September the first as usual.

Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipments. We are looking forward to receiving your reply by owl by no later than July 31.

Should there be any change, we will inform you as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Headmistress

'Should there be any change, we will inform you as soon as possible?' read Hermione out loud in disbelief. She could swear that out of the corner of her eye, she saw the picture of Dumbledore on the Chocolate Frog Card wink at her through his half-moon spectacles.

Disclaimer (cont.): Mischief managed.

AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter and would appreciate all of your comments.

Have a nice day!

Leo