Here's the next chapter! I really love the great reviews from you all!

NazChick: Thank you! It'll actually be a bit longer for the rest of the gang to find out. Hermione's still healing. :)

clang1969: Thank you for reading! I'd like to think that Draco doesn't lose that quick wit of his. It's one of the things that make him so lovable. And thank you so much for your suggestions! I've heard of Atonement, but I haven't heard of the other three. I'm looking forward to reading them!

OffMyTea: Thanks again! I appreciate you reading!

ShadowAngel55: Aww, thanks! Lol, it'll be a bit before they get more comfortable with one another.

cascol3: =D. Lol, it'll be something to look forward to when they finally get to that point.

EslaeClarius: Of course! If you have any other suggestions, let me know!

Rephiamlove: Lol, Draco is too much of a gentleman to take advantage. ;-D

TempeAvril: Muchas gracias!

Again, here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy!


It was not a good day.

Draco had already been yelled at by four of his attendings, he clumsily stacked the charts on the nurse's desk, and three times, he's pressed the wrong button on the elevator. He found himself lucky that nothing happened to any of his patients while his mind was elsewhere.

There was only one reason why he couldn't seem to focus today: Hermione. He didn't like the way they had left things the night before. It was awkward and things between him and Hermione hadn't been awkward since she first came into the ER with her parents. He didn't like it. He liked to think that he and Hermione were becoming friends, but he didn't know what to make of the night before.

He had a fantastic time yesterday. He loved every second he had spent with Hermione, exploring Muggle London. He was glad that Hermione even spoke about her parents, knowing how hard it must've been for her.

But he just couldn't figure out what went wrong.

"Hey, Malfoy?"

"Hmm?" Draco didn't even look up from his notes when he heard one of the nurses call him.

"There is someone here to see you."

Draco looked up. The nurse was nodding him toward the waiting area. Draco nodded absentmindedly. "Thank you." He looked down and finished his notes before capping his pen and meticulously placing it in his pocket. Draco looked around the waiting area.

"Hermione?"

Hermione stood up from her seat and shyly smiled at him as she walked forward. "Hi," she said. She stood awkwardly in front of Draco.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought we had lunch."

Draco nodded. "I wasn't sure if you'd come."

"Sorry about…about last night. I…I don't know—"

"You don't have to apologize."

"It's just…it's hard for me to talk about them. And—"

"You don't have to say anything else. It's okay. I understand."

I had a great time yesterday. I'm sorry to have ruined it."

"You didn't ruin anything." Draco ran his hand through his hair. "You want to grab lunch in the cafeteria?"

Hermione nodded. "I'd like that." She lightly grasped Draco's arm as they walked down the hall toward the cafeteria. "I really am sorry about—"

"How about we just forget about it, okay?" Draco flashed her a smile and gave her a hug around her shoulders. They quickly grabbed their food and paid for it before finding a secluded table in the corner of the cafeteria.

"I did have a nice time yesterday, Draco. Thank you," Hermione said, unwrapping her sandwich.

"I did, too."

"I didn't realize you knew so much about Muggle London."

"I don't." Draco chuckled. "I spent the night reading up on it."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, but laughed. "Well, thanks for the extra effort then."

"Who said it was for you? Maybe I was reading it for my own benefit." Draco winked at her. They fell back into an easy conversation and talked about the places they had visited the day before. Draco noticed a shadow behind Hermione's eyes and instantly knew that she was thinking about her parents again. He wanted to bring up what she had told him yesterday, but didn't know how to approach the subject.

"I've never noticed how gray your eyes are," she was saying, staring intently into his eyes.

Draco wished he could lose himself in her own brown eyes forever. "They are a bit unique," he said, staring back into hers.

"It's nice."

"Nice?" Draco bit back a laugh. "Thanks, I guess?"

Hermione laughed. "It was a compliment."

"That's why I said thanks."

"Whatever." Hermione smiled at him. Draco noticed the look in her eyes again and she seemed to be having an internal battle within her mind.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He reached over the table and brushed a few crumbs from her cheek.

Hermione slowly nodded. "I think so. I…I never realized how—how broken I am. Yesterday was the first time I've spoken about them since—since it happened. Since they died."

"Your parents sound like they were wonderful people."

"Oh, they were. Very much so. I wish you've been able to meet them."

Draco smiled. "Did you tell them much about—about our school and its world?"

"I told them everything. In fact, I really wish my mum were alive to meet you. The last thing she knew of you was that you were a right old git at school."

Draco laughed. "Well, I suppose there is some semblance of truth there."

"Of course there is. You were a right old git at school." Hermione smiled at him across the table. "But not anymore. I like this person you've become."

"I'm glad I could please somebody."

"Draco, what—what did your parents say? When you left—when you left the whole—all of it? When you went to university and became a—a doctor, surgeon, even! I would imagine that they—I never would have thought that you—"

Draco smirked. "It's a lot harder talking about our world out here, isn't it?" Hermione nodded. "Well, my parents weren't pleased," Draco answered. "Actually, I don't think my mother gave a damn either way, but my father definitely wasn't pleased."

"Why didn't your mother care?"

"Oh, she cared. She just didn't—doesn't give a damn what I do as long as I'm happy. The war really changed her. Changed her views and all."

"And your father?"

"Like I said, he wasn't pleased. He wanted me to at least become a Healer in our world."

"Did he change? After the war? You and your mother did."

"Yes," Draco said thoughtfully. "Not to the extent that my mother and I did, but he changed. He saw what the world would be like if his—his leader won and he realized that no matter what he thought, who he despised and hated, whose blood ran purer than others, he would be no more than a mere pawn in his leader's plan. And I think that's what hit him harder than anything else. And you, of course."

"Me? What did I have to do with anything?"

"He admired you." Hermione looked aghast, but Draco continued to speak. "Oh, I don't think he would have ever admitted anything out loud. And I don't think he even believed it himself, but he did. When my…when Bellatrix, um, tortured you at the Manor, my father admired your…spunk, he called it."

"He actually said that he admired me?"

"No, of course not. But he did say that you had spunk a few years before he passed."

"He really said that?"

"Yes. It was odd. It was around the time of an anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts—I don't remember which one, though. But he said it." Draco smiled at her and squeezed her shoulder. "I think he would have approved of our friendship now."

"Why did you always try to get his approval when we were kids? If you didn't, we could've been real friends back then, too."

"He was my father, Hermione. Of course I wanted his approval. Didn't you want yours?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head. She was about to say something when a tray dropped onto their table. Hermione looked up at the new arrival, a pretty doctor with dark, straight hair, standing next to them. She didn't make a move to sit down at their table.

"Going to introduce me to your girlfriend, Malfoy?" she asked, smirking.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Go away, Lopez."

"That's not very nice." She stuck a hand out to Hermione. "I'm Amanda Lopez, one of Malfoy's fellow residents here. It's nice to see someone from his personal life around. I didn't realize that he ever made it out of the hospital."

"You could go now," Draco said, rolling his eyes.

Amanda smiled at Hermione. "Your boyfriend could be a right foul git sometimes, you know?"

Hermione grinned at Draco and didn't bother to correct Amanda. "I know. He's always been that way."

Amanda nudged Draco's shoulder with her elbow. "So, I could leave a spot next to you for—what's your name?" she asked. "I didn't realize I didn't ask for it."

"I'm Hermione Granger." Hermione held out her hand and smiled at Amanda. "It's nice to meet you."

"Oh no, it's absolutely wonderful to meet you! Like I said, I didn't know that Draco even makes it out of the hospital. He's always here. I didn't even think that he had a social life."

"Hey—go away, Lopez."

"I'm on my way, I just wanted to finalize your RSVP. Shall I add another place setting next to yours?" Amanda looked at Hermione and explained. "I'm getting married next week."

"Oh, congratulations!"

"Thank you. You're invited to come as well, with Malfoy, if he'd ever respond to the invitation."

"I told you—I'm not going, Lopez. If all the doctors are out and about at yours and Anderson's wedding, then who's going to be here, watching all our patients?"

"The interns and the other residents. It's not like we've invited the whole hospital, Malfoy! You should feel honored to be invited. I don't like everyone here."

"You don't like me."

"Yes, that's true but you and I, we've gone through our entire careers here together. You're like—you're sort of like a brother to me."

Draco sighed. He glanced at Hermione and raised an eyebrow. "Well, fine then."

Amanda squealed. "Perfect. You too, Hermione?" She quickly looked at Hermione. "I assume you'll be coming along as his date?"

"Um…" Hermione didn't know what to say.

"Yes," Draco answered. "Can you go away now? We were in the middle of a private conversation."

"Fine, I could take a hint." Amanda picked up her tray and grinned at Hermione. "It was wonderful to meet you, Hermione. I hope I'll see you sometime soon."

Hermione nodded. "It was great meeting you, too! Congratulations again!" Amanda smiled and nodded to her as she walked off. "So…"

"You don't have to come with me to the wedding if you don't want to," Draco said, quickly. "I just said that so she'd go away. Lopez is nice enough, but she is annoying."

"No, I think that'll be great. I mean, I'd really love to go with you."

"Are you sure? I mean, wedding and all. I know you and Weasley were supposed to tie the knot, weren't you?"

Hermione's smile froze. "Yes, we were. Good thing I didn't, though."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Draco looked genuinely curious.

"I…I suppose I didn't love him anymore."

"What happened between the two of you?" He knew he was being a bit forward, asking Hermione all these questions, but it's been burning in his mind. Everyone, along with he, thought that everything was going great between Hermione and Weasley. Or as he had known them before, Granger and Weasley, Saint Potter's two best friends.

Hermione fell silent. She was deep in thought and didn't say anything for a long time. Draco wondered if she had slipped into her depressed trance again.

"I think I was with him because it was comfortable," she finally said in a quiet voice. She looked down and picked at her food. "I loved him, still do, in fact, but I think it changed. When we were at school, I was completely infatuated with him. I don't want to say that it wasn't real, because it was. But we grew up. I was in love with the Ronald Weasley who I went to school with. Not with the man that he turned out to be."

"But isn't he still the same?" Draco asked.

"Are you still the same?" she pointedly replied.

"All right," he conceded. "Point taken. Continue."

"In many ways, he's still the same. Sometimes I would get a snippet of it. But then I would just get annoyed. Love is supposed to be about overcoming all of those irritating quirks that everyone has. And it just annoyed me even more. So much that I would get irritated when I would see his face or hear his voice. But I didn't say anything, of course not. That would've been improper for me."

"Why did you accept his proposal then?"

"Draco, who would ask me to marry them? Who would pluck up the courage to even get close to me? After the war, Ron got everything he wanted—people finally saw him as him, Ron Weasley, not as Harry Potter's best friend and the youngest Weasley boy. And naturally, he and I were supposedly destined to be together as Harry and Ginny are. But we're not. And since I've been with him all of my adult life, nobody would dare go against Ron Weasley."

"I would." Draco smirked at her. "I never particularly cared for Weasley or Potter. Especially Weasley."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "You know, even though you've changed, you're still an insufferable git, you know that?"

"Oh, I'm not an insufferable git, Hermione. Or else you wouldn't be sitting here."

"Fine, then you're a sufferable git."

Draco chuckled. "That doesn't even make sense."

"I don't care. It makes sense to me." It took all of Hermione's willpower to not stick her tongue out at Draco, no matter how childish and immature it was. She shook her head at him before continuing. "I don't even know why I bother with you sometimes."

"Because I'm fun to be around." Draco took a bite of his sandwich. "Now continue. So you accepted his proposal to marry him because it was…the right thing to do?"

"It was the natural thing to do. It was the thing that made the most sense. He and I bickered and argued all through Hogwarts, yet we each harbored a secret love for one another. When we finally got together, it wasn't as I had imagined, but I never had the gall to break up with him because he was the only guy that I've ever felt like that for and I didn't know what to do. I would never find another person that could love me or I love him. Especially in the way that my parents did."

Draco furrowed his brow. "Not everything has to make sense, Hermione."

"I agree. Which is why you're a sufferable git."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm not even responding to that. But weren't you and Krum something in fourth year?"

"You remember that?" Hermione asked, incredulously. "We weren't anything. It was a meaningless crush."

"Of course I remember that. It was the first time you looked like an actual human being, at the Yule Ball." Draco grinned at her to show that he was joking.

"Oh, shut up, Malfoy."

Draco laughed. "You do realize that you call me Malfoy every time I piss you off?"

"Yes, I do that on purpose."

Draco laughed again. "Okay, just making sure you knew. Are you going to continue or was that the end? You never had the gall to break up with Weasley because nobody else would date you?" Draco gave her a strange smile and raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes you are a bit daft, you know."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. "What were you saying about your parents? How was their relationship different than yours and Weasley's?"

"My parents absolutely adored each other. They really loved each other and you could see it." A sad look crossed Hermione's face and that lifeless look flickered in her eyes. "I didn't feel that way about Ron. My mum was actually the one who voiced her concerns about us. After I told her that he proposed to me and I accepted." Hermione looked back at her food, not hungry anymore. Tears filled her eyes. "I'm a big disappointment to my parents," she said sadly.

"Of course you're not," Draco reassured.

Hermione shook her head, wiping tears from her eyes. "If you only knew…"

"If I only knew what?"

"If you only knew what I did..." Hermione shook her head again. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

Draco stared at her for a long time. "Okay," he said, deciding to not push it. He picked up his sandwich to take another bite of it. "So what happened between you and Krum?"

"Nothing happened between me and Krum. It was just…a little crush, nothing more."

Draco laughed. "Who would've guessed. Granger getting the eye of the Quidditch star." He reached over the table and put his hand on her cheek. "And you think nobody would date you."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "That was in fourth year. It was a long time ago."

"Yes, it was." Draco flashed her a grin and helped himself to her chips. "Thanks for lunch, by the way."

"Why are you so easy to talk to?" Hermione asked suddenly.

Draco shrugged. "Because I'm an amazing person?"

"And yet, you don't have that thing called…what is it? Ah yes, humility."

Draco laughed. "Would I be a Malfoy with it?" He smiled at her before asking his next question. "What happened last night? Why—why did…what…did I do something?"

A pink tint appeared on Hermione's cheeks. She looked away quickly. "I—I don't want to say."

"Why not? Just spit it out, Granger."

Hermione twisted her hands together. "I didn't want you to leave. I didn't want you to go back to work."

Draco silently stared at Hermione. "I didn't want to leave, either. I just, I thought I was doing the responsible thing."

"You were."

"I didn't want to come back to work, either. And I don't think I've ever said that before. I love working here and I live for the days when I'm constantly here, but last night was the first time I was disappointed that I had to come back."

"Why?"

"Because I—" Draco stopped himself and thought carefully about his next statement. "I…I had a great time yesterday."

"Oh. Me too."

"Do you want to meet for lunch this week? We have to go somewhere in Muggle London since I'll be here for most of the week and my pager won't work at the Ministry, so—"

"I'd love to."

"Good." Draco smiled widely at Hermione. He really did love spending time with her.


Draco and Hermione get even closer and even reveal a few things to one another! =D What do you guys think Hermione was about to say to Draco?

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I love reading them and hearing your thoughts on the story! Where would you like to see the story go? Any other HP characters you'd like to see? And one question for you all: do you want to see Ron in a "villain-type" role or not? I haven't finished writing and I'm at a crossroads with which direction I want Ron to go. So I thought I'd ask you wonderful people! Thanks! =D

Please review and let me know your thoughts!