Author's notes: Thank you for the reviews! It's very encouraging. This next chapter reminds me of the soundtracks from the movie Amelie, by Yann Tiersen. The song featured is Track 7: Guilty.


Chapter Eight: A walk among ruins


I'd like to meet and apologize for what happened. I'll be waiting.
- D.

Hermione held her breath for a long while, staring at the two sentences and reading them again and again. Initial D. It was him. There seemed to be a map attached to the letter, but it had a seal on it that said "only thou shalt see". There was a spell cast on it as well; apparently the map was only meant for her. She looked at the clock. It was almost three p.m. When did the letter arrive?

I shouldn't go, was her first thought.
But she wasn't absolutely sure.

I'll be waiting, he said. Hermione felt her cheeks getting hot. His words seemed to her like those from a romantic love letter, sent to her by a distraught lover. Malfoy, her lover?

She turned and looked at her husband who was peacefully sleeping with a small smile on his lips. Maybe he was dreaming. He was all sprawled out on the bed, comfortably lying on his belly.

"Harry... Harry," Hermione nudged him. She should tell him.

"Hmm," Harry mumbled sleepily, "what..."

"Malfoy wants to see me, to apologize for what happened last time."

Harry seemed very out of it, his eyes only half-opened, "...Don't go... might be a trap..."

She had thought of that. But rash as it may sound, she didn't think it was a set-up. Something about the way Malfoy wrote the letter... she trusted him. And then she blushed again.

Was this some kind of crazy excuse I'm giving myself to see someone I'm possibly still infatuated with? That can't be it. But then... there was this urge within her. Suddenly, she found herself decided on this. Even though the past two weeks had been peaceful, she wasn't at peace in her heart. She needed to know whether she had judged Malfoy wrong or not. She wanted to know. She wanted to see him. Besides, maybe now Sullivan would not glare at her disappointedly every time she walked pass his office.

"I'm going, Harry. I need to know what I said that upsetted him so much. It'll be a chance for me to make up for failing at my mission last time too."

Harry mumbled something about having a bad hangover and not being up for discussion right now.

She sighed and went around getting herself ready. It wasn't the first time she had woken up with a hungover Harry mumbling in bed, though on other days she had woken up far earlier. After preparing her special blend of hangover-curing drink for him, she wrote a note to Harry explaining why she had to go and left them on the kitchen counter with a wrapped sandwich for lunch. Risky or not, she was going. She needed to know.

x x x

It took her a while to figure out the spell to release the seal on the folded map. When she finally did though, it opened up to reveal a picturesque hand-drawn map with pop-up paper cut figures of trees, streets and buildings. There were even lampposts with tiny road signs on them, and the road signs enlarged when Hermione tapped at them with her wand. She flew south on her broom, as the map directed her. Turn right here, a line of ink wrote on the map, as she reached the intersection it indicated. What a helpful map, she thought to herself as she compared the buildings drawn on the map to the real equivalent.

I wonder if Malfoy made it himself, because I'm sure impressed.

Soon the scenery around her began to change from city to countryside. There were rarely any houses around, except the occasional farm barn. The area was very pleasant. The wind tingled her cheeks as she flew on, her hair flowing freely behind her in the cool wind. Soon she found herself flying through an endless meadow of golden flowers, the air smelled sweet and tasty. She was surprised that she had never visited this place before. It wasn't too far from the city. In the map, a few miles from the fringe of the city, the structure of what seemed like a castle ruin popped up. A red cross formed and floated atop the drawing of the ruins. The line of ink now wrote Destination: Moonstone Café, Castle Ruins.

Moonstone Café. I guess a coffee shop wouldn't be a bad place to meet. She began to see the ruins in the distance, and soon saw what looked like a more modern tiny structure to its side. That must be it. She folded the map and flew down. She felt uneasy and nervous. She kept her wand out in case this really was an ambush attempt. It was hard to decide whether it was the adrenaline from flying, or the idea that she would be seeing Malfoy again soon that was causing her heart to beat so fast. A pan of guilt hit her again. I'm not infatuated with him, she repeated to herself in her head. I just want to talk to him, resolve the tension. That's all.

It was a log house made of a deep red wood, and Hermione fell in love with the place the moment she landed at its front door. To the side was a circle of potted plants, with a small pile of stones gathered in the middle. When she looked carefully, Hermione saw that among randomly scattered grey stones, was a line of white stones with unusual shapes. It took her a moment to realize they were letters.

MOONSTONE CAFE

Very pretty. Turning the doorknob she went inside; a bell tinkled above her as she did so. A strong smell of coffee came from within. She combed through her wind-blown hair with her fingers and hastily straightened her dress as she closed the door behind her. And soon she lowered her wand; there was nothing suspicious about the place. In fact, she liked it already.

Inside, the café looked just as charming. Dimly-lit orange lamp lights in flower-shaped glass lined up along yellow walls that were painted with intricate patterns of black and brown. The windows were made of old imperfect glass, causing the soft sunlight coming through to form shadows on the tables and the wood-planked floors, shimmering and glistening in rainbow colors. A smiling man at the counter welcomed her warmly. He had a tiny grey moustache and friendly twinkling eyes. They reminded Hermione of the bell that rang on the door just then.

In the background she could hear what sounded like an old record player playing an accordion piece with a piano accompanying. The music reminded Hermione of a place she used to get pancakes with her parents when she was young, before she discovered she was a witch. It was nostalgic. And she felt warm and hollow at the same time; those younger days will never return. It reminded her of being at Hogwarts with Malfoy, those first few months when they were still happy. As she scanned the room, she noticed him, sitting in a comfortable corner of the shop, his eyes gazing at her tenderly.

No, I'm imagining things. There's no meaning to how he's looking at me.

She shook the thought away and tried to get herself together. It was easier when he wasn't right there, sitting in front of her. No matter how he may had acted towards her the last time they met, she forgave him the moment she saw him again. In fact, remembering what she had exactly said to him that night, calling him incompetent and all... she felt awful.

I was rude.

She sat down opposite him, though she had yet to look at him directly. A young waiter brought her a steaming cup of coffee soon after.

"This is our staple, miss. Directly imported from Brazil. We hope you'd enjoy it," the waiter said with a smile as he oriented the cup in front of her and placed a tiny cup of cream next to it.

Hermione smiled back and thanked him.

"I'm sorry for how rude I was that night..." she said, as soon as the waiter was gone.

Malfoy shook his head as he poured himself more coffee, "That's alright. I wasn't all that nice myself. I meant to apologize to you... But I didn't quite know how to find you again."

It was a 'coincidence' that they met last time. Hermione wouldn't have known how to look for Malfoy either. And yet, he made the effort to try, and sent her an owl. Remembering the letter almost made her blush again. Hermione absentmindedly glided a finger along the rim of the coffee cup as she sat there in silence. There were so many things she had wanted to say, she had wanted to ask. But the way he was looking at her... she could feel his soft gaze on her. Suddenly she couldn't think straight. Why did he want to see me again after what happened? The question repeated in her mind over and over.

She's so quiet today. Malfoy felt a strange sense of longing for the woman sitting before him. She felt so distant when she didn't speak. The way a strand of her wavy long hair fell in front of her eyes... her long eyelashes, fluttering slowly and seductively... her slender fingers sliding along the glazed porcelain cup, looking distracted and... what was it? Was she possibly... blushing? Or maybe her cheeks were pink from being blown in the wind on the way here. He couldn't tell. He had wondered whether she would still be angry with him, if she might burst into the coffee shop and give him a piece of her mind again. And he was bracing himself for the blow, hoping to calm her down and maybe, just maybe, start from the beginning again, as... friends. Friends, was that what he wanted?

But when she finally came through the door, what was it that he felt? He felt like... like she had come here to find her date. That can't be true, can it? Hermione Granger, genuinely excited to see me, a Malfoy?

Their eyes met, and this time, he was positive that her cheeks got a little redder. He almost smiled. It can't be.

"Your coffee's getting cold, Granger," he said nonchalantly, picking a biscuit from the assorted desserts that he had ordered for them earlier, "Is something bothering you?"

"Oh..." Hermione woke up from her trance-like state and mumbled, "I guess... I guess I've been wondering, why you got so upset with Symon... You said I didn't understand. And I wanted to know... whether you wanted to tell me about it."

Malfoy was just about to bite into the biscuit, and he stopped. He frowned slightly and spoke, placing the biscuit back on his plate, "I guess it's unavoidable that you'd ask."

Hermione's hands in her lap clenched in concern. Malfoy's frown had deepened, there was clearly more to the story than it seemed.

"I shouldn't have hit him..." Malfoy continued, with remorse in his voice, "but Symon and I..." he stopped to think about what he was saying, "unlike what you may think, well, we're not on good terms for a good reason. Let's just leave it at that. I can't tell you more than that right now... I'm sorry."

Hermione shook her head, indicating that it was fine. Their eyes met again, and Hermione noticed that his eyes looked sad like that night when they had fought.

"Maybe there'll come a day when I can share it with you," Malfoy said somberly, looking away towards the window.

What pains you so? It was frustrating not to know. The cheery instrumental music in the background had changed unbeknownst to her to an old song sung by a male singer with a deep rich voice. Even though he sounded carefree, when she listened to the words, they made her sad.

Is it a sin
Is it a crime
Loving you dear like I do?
If it's a crime then I'm guilty
Guilty of loving you

Maybe I'm wrong dreaming of you
Dreaming the lonely night through
If it's a crime then I'm guilty
Guilty of dreaming of you

"Do you want to take a walk?" Malfoy asked as he stood up from the table, giving his hand to her courteously.

His sudden suggestion after a long moment of silence startled her. She looked outside, where the golden meadow was within arms reach. It was a beautiful day. She turned to look at him and his hand that was still offered to her. She smiled and complied, taking his hand as she stood up.

"I'd love some fresh air too."

He smiled, the sadness in his eyes faded away.

Outside Moonstone Cafe, the gentle early summer breeze felt good on their skin. It was almost May. Flowers were in full bloom and the chirping of birds and crickets formed a soothing chorus. The two of them stood there for a while, taking in the beautiful scenery surrounding them. Hermione closed her eyes and sucked in lungs-full of fresh air.

"This place is... incredible. I feel so rested here," Hermione said with a happy sigh as she opened her eyes, "the golden meadow is my favorite part."

Malfoy smiled, "It's my secret spot. The city's really gloomy these days, but this place never changes..." He turned around to look at the coffee shop, "Max, the owner here with the mustache? He's completely removed from the war. It's nice because people think of this place as kind of a wasteland, a castle ruin that is useless now."

"Really?" Hermione asked as they started to walk aimlessly around the area, it felt nice.

"I guess it didn't seem like he gets a lot of customers... he seems like he's enjoying himself though," she said.

Malfoy smiled and agreed, "Nobody's ever bothered to check out his place, which is fine by me. It's not much of a secret spot if everyone knows about it."

Hermione glanced at him, "And you let me in on your secret."

Malfoy smirked his trademark smirk, "Yea, you should feel special."

It made her blush, she had to look away briefly to compose herself. Malfoy noticed and chuckled, "You know, with the way you blush when you're around me, Granger. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were hopelessly in love with me."

She turned back to face him immediately.

"You are so full of yourself, Malfoy!" she exclaimed, going all scarlet.

She's so cute all flushed up, he thought to himself, except if I tell her that now she'd probably explode on me.

"Sorry, Granger. It's just so easy," he said with such a sly smirk, "I can't help myself."

Hermione gave him a dangerous look, he backed off with a laugh and they kept walking. Behind the coffee shop was the remaining ruins of a 16th century castle. Thick vines twirled and grew along the crumbling mossy stone walls. Squirrels were sprinting up and down the fallen blocks, and Hermione found a bird's nest in one of the many holes in the building. They walked up and down the castle ruins, talking about nothing and everything. The topic of the war or what they do in their day-to-day lives never came up. Maybe the thought of having to lie about them subconsciously stopped them from doing so, but neither felt the need to poke or prod. They were happy the way they were, strolling in the countryside, relaxing and exploring. Finally they found themselves on the tallest tower of the castle's old fort, looking out at the shimmering horizon where land met sea.

"Are we safe up here?" Hermione questioned in concern, her footsteps unsteady on the terrace.

"You're fine, Granger," Malfoy calmed her, giving her a hand, "I've been here at least a thousand times."

"You're lying," Hermione said defiantly, taking his hand and finally standing straight next to him.

"Of course I am," he chuckled.

The view was breathtaking. The sun was slowly setting at the horizon, the sky turning crimson and orange. Far beyond were the outline of geese flying across the sky. The wind whispered in the long grass that rustled and wavered in unison. They stood there together, without a word, staring at the beauty surrounding them. Neither realized they were still holding each other's hands lightly.

"I wish every day could be like this," Malfoy said with a low voice, as if not to interrupt the serene moment.

Hermione looked out at the horizon and nodded. She understood what he meant. All this darkness, gloominess, the war surrounding them. She looked up at him, he was a good half a head taller than her. His eyes were still focused on the horizon, grey eyes reflecting the orange sunset. He could be working for the Dark Lord. That spine-tingling thought went through her head. And yet, this calmness she felt standing next to him. She just simply couldn't explain. She had yet to know whether he was an enemy. But right now... she felt at peace, she didn't know him but she understood him. A strange kind of unspoken trust between them. She wasn't afraid. Nothing could hurt her next to him.

He turned to look at her too. At first glance, Hermione wasn't the most stunning-looking diva around. But when he stood there, looking into her clear beautiful eyes, he felt her sincerity, her warmth. She doesn't belong to me, he reminded himself. But right now, this moment... I have her, and she has me.

It was a special moment they shared. And both of them knew that it was a moment neither of them would share with anyone else. It was theirs only, and theirs only it will stay.