A/N: This is my favorite chapter in this story and I really hope you guys enjoy it (I think you will). The second part of this chapter had been planned since the beginning of the story so getting to write it out was so fulfilling! Be sure to tell me what you think!

Tallyho!

Chapter 10:

Hermione had written a reply to Healer Austen letting him know of her plans to return home and back to work to begin the trials of the potions on more severe cases. Draco had also written a quick letter to his parents, letting them know of his plans to return home. After packing up their belongings and closing up his parent's summer house, Hermione, Draco, and Benji returned to London together.

Hermione returned to her flat with Benji while Draco returned to his apartment to drop off his things before stopping by Malfoy Manor. His mother had been thrilled to see him return, especially since he seemed far happier than when he had left. His father, well, Lucius had never been big on showing emotion, even behind closed doors but the smirk that he gave his son told Draco that his father was happy to see him home.

A couple days after returning from Colmar, Draco decided to surprise his friends at the Leaky Cauldron. Every Friday, Theo and Daphne, Blaise and Luna, and Draco (who would usually attend with Astoria) all met at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch and catch up with each other. Draco hadn't had a chance to let his friends know that he had returned so this would be a surprise for them. He only hoped that Astoria wouldn't be with them.

His hope was answered when he only saw two familiar couples at the table. He nodded to Hannah Abbott-Longbottom (who was behind the bar) as he walked to their table. Daphne, Theo, and Blaise all had their backs to him but Luna, who was facing him, perked up when she saw him. He put his finger to his lips signalling for her not to say anything as he creeped up behind Daphne. He smirked before putting his hands on her waist and squeezing, knowing that she was ticklish in that spot. She yelped and jumped before looking behind her to see who had tickled her. Draco smirked at her as her expression changed from irritation to surprise.

"Draco!" she exclaimed, jumping out of her chair and into his arms causing him to laugh as he hugged her back. "What are you doing here?" she asked, pulling out of the hug. "We thought you were still in Colmar?"

"I was," he replied. "I just got back on Wednesday." He greeted Theo and Blaise before Luna pulled him into a bear hug that he had grown used to as he spent more time with her. They all sat down and Draco ordered a drink before they all bombarded Draco with questions.

"How was Colmar?" was the most common question asked.

He smiled at his friends. "Colmar was… great, actually."

"Really?" Luna asked. "Because you seemed really sad when we went to visit you."

He shrugged. "I wasn't in a good place at that time but I'm okay now." Better than okay, actually, he thought to himself. I feel like I'm on Cloud Nine.

Even though he hadn't voiced his thoughts aloud, the look Luna gave him suggested that she had heard them anyway. "Your improvement in demeanor wouldn't have anything to do with a certain curly haired brunette, would it?" she said.

Draco's eyes widened at the blonde while everyone else looked between the two in confusion. Draco regained his composure and narrowed his eyes at Luna, daring her to expand on her statement. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Luna."

She smirked- a trait she had picked up from Blaise. "Don't play games, Draco; leave that to the Ravenclaw. You know exactly what I mean."

Ever since Luna and Blaise had gotten together, she had grown quite comfortable around the small group of former Slytherins and wasn't afraid to call them out when she knew they were bluffing about something. Daphne was one of the first she started it with, noticing the pregnancy symptoms before she had. Luna was also one of the first to notice when Draco and Astoria were starting to have marriage problems. As annoying as everyone found it at times, they also found it kind of nice because she always managed to begin the conversations that they had so desperately wanted to start but didn't know how. This was one of those times, however, when Draco wasn't sure if he appreciated her efforts or not.

"I take it you two have spoken, then?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

She nodded. "We went out for coffee yesterday. It didn't take long. We managed to get it out of her fairly easily." He huffed in frustration. Great, he thought. I was hoping we'd be able to keep it quiet for a bit longer. "Don't be mad at her," Luna defended. "One, Ginny coerced her into telling us every detail of her trip and two, she looked about ready to burst with happiness prior to spilling. Trust me, when a girl is in-" she stopped herself as she saw Draco's eyes plead not to say the words in love. They may have felt that about each other (he assumed she felt that way, anyway) but they hadn't said it yet and he didn't want to mention it to his friends until he was sure. "when a girl feels the way she does, it's hard to keep a straight face no matter how hard you try."

He almost smiled before something Luna said appeared in his mind. "Every detail?"

Luna chuckled at the blonde Slytherin. "Well, she didn't get into too much detail, but she told us enough."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm afraid to ask what 'enough' entails," he joked.

Before Luna could respond, however, Daphne groaned in frustration. "Would you two please care to explain what on earth you're talking about? It's incredibly hard to keep up with the conversation when I have absolutely no clue as to what you're talking about."

Theo chuckled at his wife and patted her shoulder. "She's got a point. I am curious as to what- or should I say who- you two are mysteriously referring to."

Draco looked to Luna, who was still smirking, before sighing in defeat. "I sort of met someone in Colmar," he started.

"Yeah, that much we got, mate," Blaise scoffed. "But by the sound of it, she knows Luna which is weird in itself since, to my knowledge, the only French person Luna knows is Ginny's sister-in-law- unless I'm mistaken, love?" he asked her. She shook her head and smiled. Blaise looked back to Draco. "Which suggests that it's possibly someone that we know…"

Draco said nothing. Theo smirked. "Fess up. Who is it?"

Draco made a point to glare at Luna who matched his glare with an expression that said Really? Like you wouldn't have told us eventually, anyway. He sighed in defeat before speaking. "Granger," he said quietly.

Theo and Blaise's eyes widened while Daphne gasped. "What?!" she said, her voice just above a whisper. Draco internally groaned as he waited for the reprimanding from his friends. But it never came. Instead, they just gaped at him. He began to get uncomfortable as they all stared at him.

"Could one of you say something?" he said, finally. "It's getting a bit awkward with all of you just staring at me."

Daphne was the first to speak. "But I thought she was engaged to Weasley?"

He shook his head. "They broke up a while ago."

That piqued her interest. "Alright, I want details. How did you and Granger happen? And don't leave anything out."

Draco rolled his eyes and glanced at Luna who was looking off somewhere else in the restaurant but he noticed the ghost of a smirk on her lips. He sighed audibly then began to explain his reconnection with Hermione in Colmar. He started off with their run-in at the farmer's market then continued from there, getting more comfortable talking about it as he continued. He wasn't even aware he had a smile on his face until he finished explaining what happened between him and Hermione. Blaise and Theo were smirking at him, Luna was off in her own world, and Daphne was smiling back at him.

His smile fell slightly as he looked to his ex-sister-in-law. "I'm sorry, Daph," he started. "I realize how awkward this might be for you."

She shook her head. "No need to be sorry, Draco. I'm glad you're happy. Whatever it is that's going on between you and Granger seems to be doing some good because I haven't seen you smile like you are right now in a long time." He squeezed her hand at that. "And, it makes what I have to say next a little easier," she said.

"If it's about Astoria getting engaged to that Andrews guy, I know all about it."

Daphne's eyes widened. "You do?"

He nodded. "We were in Colmar, Daph, not the Antarctic. Hermione ordered a subscription to the Daily Prophet so we were able to stay in touch with what was going on here."

Theo raised an eyebrow. "What?" Draco asked.

Theo smirked. "I didn't realize you and Granger were so close that you were on a first name basis."

Draco's eyes widened as he realized his slip of tongue in using Hermione's given name. Daphne chuckled at his expression and patted his hand. "Don't be embarrassed, Draco. I think it's sweet."

He rolled his eyes. "That's just what I need. Draco Malfoy, former Slytherin and heir to the Malfoy fortune is sweet," he joked, grimacing at the word. Daphne laughed.

Theo leaned over to his wife and whispered into her ear. "I'm sure Hermione thinks he's sweet." Daphne covered her mouth and tried to control her laughter while Draco just glared at Theo.

"Watch it, Nott, or I'll tell your wife about that accident in Fifth Year."

Theo's eyes widened at the threat and quickly took a swig of his drink to keep from answering everyone's questioning glances. Draco chuckled before looking back at Daphne. "How's my favorite godson?" he asked.

Daphne rolled her eyes. "He's your only godson, Draco, and he's great. He's been sleeping through the night which is a miracle in itself. He looks more and more like Theo everyday, too," she smiled at her husband and laid her head on his shoulder.

"He has your eyes, though, Daph," Luna said.

She smiled. "Thanks, Luna. How's the wedding planning going?"

Blaise groaned and Luna laughed. "That bad?" Daphne asked.

Luna shook her head. "It's been a bit stressful but the guest list is finally done. We're going to keep it as small as possible and probably just get married on my father's property. That's about as far as we've gotten though."

"I still think we should elope," Blaise said.

"And feel the disappointed stare of my father on my back for the rest of my life? No thank you," Luna joked. The only reason why they were even planning a wedding in the first place was because Xenophilius was dying to walk his daughter down the aisle. As Luna's last living relative, it was important to him to give his daughter away and she didn't want to disappoint him. Plus, Blaise respected the man too much to runaway with his daughter so, he complied and they began to plan a small and intimate wedding.

Draco chuckled. "Speaking of weddings, my parent's anniversary is coming up. And, as you all know my mother and how she loves to socialize, she's going to throw a big party to celebrate. You're all invited, of course."

Daphne smiled. "I love your mum's parties. I always leave stuffed like a turkey but they're great fun. Plus, I just adore your parents. We'll be there."

"Same," Blaise confirmed.

Draco smiled. "Thanks, guys. It's always easier to go through those things when I have someone to talk to."

Theo smirked. "Are you going to invite Granger?"

He shrugged. "I haven't told my parents about her yet but I probably will."

Blaise laughed. "Please call me as soon as you do tell them! I can't wait to hear how your father reacts!"

On the other side of town, Hermione was at St. Mungo's with Neville Longbottom discussing the testing of her potion. It had been tested on one severe case the day before, where the person believed that they were a bird, and when they took the potion, within minutes, their memory returned and they remembered who they were and what their life was like before their accident. The person's family members cried with joy and Healer Austen smiled proudly at Hermione and told her to try the potion on the next case of her choice.

After a lot of thought and discussion, she chose Alice and Frank Longbottom. She knew how much it pained Neville to have grown up knowing his parents would never know who he was. She hoped that, with the new success of the potion, she'd be able to repair their memories (even if just a little), in order to help Neville and his parents.

"Neville, I have to warn you," Hermione said, "there is still a chance that, with your parent's conditions, the potion may not work. It's worked on all the minor cases and the one major case we tested it out on but under the circumstances of their state, we need to be prepared for anything and that includes the possibility of the potion not working."

"I understand," Neville said. "What I want to know is, will the potion hurt them if it doesn't work?"

She shook her head. "No. It's like muggle ibuprofen: it attacks the issue and attempts to repair it but if there's nothing to fix, it'll just run through their system like water and cause no harm. If it does work, well, we'll see what happens." She handed him a clipboard and a quill. "If you're okay with us testing the potion on your parents, I need you to sign the bottom of the consent form."

Neville took a deep breath and, with a shaking hand, signed the bottom of the paper then handed the clipboard back to Hermione. She nodded at it then smiled at him. "Let's get started, shall we?"

Together, they walked to the ward where the Longbottoms stayed. As they approached Neville's parents, Hermione could see that her friend was nervous. "You can still back out if you want to, Neville. I know it's a lot to ask for so I won't push you into doing this."

He shook his head. "I want to try it."

She nodded and pulled two vials of the potion out of her pocket. She pulled out two plastic cups from a tray next to Alice's bed and poured the potion into each cup. Then she walked over to Alice first. "Hello, Alice," she said. "I have something for you." Alice moved her head, slightly as she quietly acknowledged the girl but made no sound and stared into space. "I think you'll like it," Hermione continued. She gently placed her hand on Alice's cheek and when the woman didn't flinch, she moved her hand to the woman's chin and slowly opened her mouth, allowing her to pour the potion into her mouth. Then, she did the same thing with Frank.

Afterwards, Hermione stepped back to Neville and they began to talk quietly as they waited to see if the potion had any effect. They waited almost an hour before Neville began to get discouraged. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," he said quietly.

"Their bodies have been in this state for years, it could take hours before we see any change. Don't give up yet, Neville," Hermione said.

"Neville?" a new voice asked.

Both Gryffindors looked to the source of the voice to find Alice Longbottom who, for the first time in many, many years, had clear eyes and was staring at her son with a mix of recognition and confusion on her face. Neville's eyes widened. "Mum?" She cocked her head to the side. Neville moved closer to the bed, slowly, as if afraid that if he made one wrong move, she would return to her former condition. "Mum. It's Neville. Do you know who I am?"

She looked at him as he sat next to her bed. "Neville," she said, the sound of recognition in her voice. She hesitantly raised her hand to touch his cheek. "Neville. My baby boy." Neville had tears forming in his eyes as he leaned his face into his mother's touch.

"Alice?" a new voice said. The three turned to look at Frank Longbottom who seemed very confused. Alice immediately recognized her husband and squeezed his hand with her free one. He didn't respond to his wife and instead looked his son. He seemed confused as to who his wife was talking to until he looked into his eyes. "Neville?" he asked.

Neville gave him a small smile and walked over to his father's bed. "Hey dad."

Frank looked at his son as if he were studying him. Then, unexpectedly, a large grin grew on his face. "My, you've grown to be quite the looker, haven't you, son?" Neville chuckled then threw his arms around his father, something he returned just as quickly. As they pulled out of the embrace, tears running down both of their faces, Hermione decided it was time to step in.

"Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom, my name is Hermione Granger. I'm the healer that created the potion that you just drank to bring back your memories. I'm sorry to have to do this so soon, but if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to ask you some questions about how much you remember before you lost your memories."

Alice and Frank looked at each other with unease. Neville gave his mother's hand a quick squeeze before she looked back to Hermione. "Would Neville be able to stay with us while we answer these questions?"

Hermione nodded and smiled. "Of course," she agreed. She conjured a chair for herself and Neville then began to ask the Longbottoms questions about what they remembered and if they were feeling faint or nauseous, a possible side effect from taking the potion. They were very cooperative and the longer they spoke with Hermione, the better their memories seemed to become. After an hour and a half of questions, Hermione gave each of them a small dose of a Calming Draught that would keep their nerves relaxed as they adjusted to being aware of the world around them again before leaving Neville with his parents and going to visit Healer Austen.

She was grinning when she entered her boss' office and he perked up at her expression. "What's up?" he said, getting straight to the point.

She sat down in front of his desk and handed him the clipboard without saying a word. He immediately began to skim through her notes, his eyes widening the further he got. When he finished, Hermione was practically bouncing in her seat from excitement and he began to grin as well. "And they're okay? They remembered what happened to them and everything?"

"Everything. They even recognized their son even though the last time they saw him he was a baby. I think with some physical and mental therapy, they should be able to return to the outside world within a few months. I want to keep them in the hospital for the time being however, in order to monitor their progress but I think we can move them into their own room now."

Healer Austen was in awe and nodded. "Absolutely. I'll get someone on that right away. As for you and I, we need to hold a press conference as soon as possible and then I sense a promotion in your future."

"A promotion?" she asked, a bit surprised. "To what department, exactly?"

"Well, I was thinking maybe making you the head of the Research Department."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "The entire Research Department? Really?"

He nodded and smiled. "You've worked your butt off so hard on this potion, and with the success rate it's seeing, who knows how many lives you're about to save. I can only imagine the good that you would do in the Research Department."

She had to resist dropping her jaw and instead focused her attention on something else. "Rory, I'm flattered that you would think I would do well there and I hope someday to be able to work in that department, but for now, I think my skills will be more useful where I can work hands on with the patients and monitor their improvement. I truly am honored to be considered for the position but I'm afraid I must decline."

He chuckled and nodded. "I completely understand. Just know that my offer will stand and I'll hold it until you're ready."

She smiled. "Thank you, Rory."

"Anytime, Hermione. Now, you need to go tell your team the good news and I need to organize a press conference."

"Oh, one last thing," she said before leaving. He looked at her expectantly. "I had some help with the changes that we made to the potion."

"How so?" he asked.

"Well, I ran into an old friend of mine while in Colmar and he was always very talented in the subject of potions back at Hogwarts. Anyway, he was helping me toss ideas back and forth as we determined what could strengthen the potion," she paused. "What I'm getting at here is that I'm not comfortable taking all the credit when he helped out quite a bit. If it's okay with you (and I still need to discuss this with him as well) but I'd like to include him as a partner for the final development of the potion since it was with his help that the potion succeeded."

Rory smiled. "Of course. He can sit with us at the press conference too, if he'd like. Who is he?"

"Draco Malfoy," she said.

Rory raised his eyebrows. "I wasn't aware you and Mr. Malfoy were friends."

She shrugged. "We only reconnected while I was gone because we just so happened to be in the same town."

He nodded. "I see. Well, if Mr. Malfoy is up for it, I don't see why he wouldn't be able to be a part of the final release. Please give him my thanks for helping out. And once you get an answer from him, let me know so I know what to say in my speech."

She chuckled. "I will. Thank you, Rory."

"My pleasure, Hermione."

She left his office to head to her own. As she sat down in her chair at her desk, she let go of her professional demeanor for just a moment as she squealed and spun around in her chair excitedly. She was so happy, she felt like she would explode if she didn't tell someone. Then, the perfect person to tell popped into her grabbing a piece of parchment and a quill, she wrote a quick note out then handed it to one of the hospital owls to take to him. She smiled to herself before going to tell her team the good news.

P.S. Sorry if Luna seems a bit OOC. In my head while writing this story, Luna's matured quite a bit and even though she's still a bit quirky, she's become a bit more aware of the world around her rather than always being in her head. And her forwardness with Draco comes from being around him so often and picking up pieces of Blaise' personality (like the smirk). That's just how she came out when I wrote her. Sorry not sorry.

Hope you liked the Longbottom part of the story! Please Review!

Stay Golden!